Thrive Day 2

Today, I still haven't seen the energy gain that others have claimed, but I was quite surprised by the amount that my appetite has been suppressed. I don't think it's a placebo effect, because I cam into this with a conservative mindset and not high hopes that it would be a miracle routine to make me skinny.

I will admit that I've been under the weather a bit today, but I contribute that the the spike in pollen that occurred here. Seasonal allergies are a nightmare for me and I usually get flu-like symptoms when pollen suddenly spikes. It's miserable. My hears have been stopped up, I've had the chills, and am pretty sure I have run a slight fever once or twice today. Just a bunch of sinus congestion really, but it's no fun anyway.

Hopefully it'll ease up a bit tomorrow as my allergy medicine starts really working to full effect. I'll post my review of day 3 tomorrow, but so far I do believe I'm going to try the 8 week challenge just because I'm enjoying the appetite suppression and craving control. I can't say I've really wanted cokes or sweets of any kind.

See you tomorrow!

Changing Up My Diet

Since I've been running pretty steadily for about a month now and have been fluctuating between gaining and losing the same 3-4 pounds, I've started focusing a little more on my diet. Honestly, it hasn't been the best for a while now. I've been eating the same junk food my kids eat (because they boycott anything that looks even remotely healthy..), and it hasn't been good for my journey. Skimpy breakfast, hotdogs and corn dogs for lunch, hamburger helper for supper.. It sucked.

So this week, I picked up some tilapia, brown rice, and broccoli to cook for lunch. So far, I'm enjoying it a lot. I know I'm not blowing off all of my efforts by eating junk all day.

Anyway, yesterday's run was nice. My pace was a little slower than usual because I wasn't quite feeling it until a little while into it as I'd stayed up too late the night before.

Today, I played Wii for about two hours. I started with Wii Active for an hour, and finished with Wii Fit for another hour. I even added in some weight lifting with the 3 pound weights I picked up from Walmart earlier today. I can imagine I'm going to be quite sore in the morning.

Thanks for reading!

I'm Baaaack!!

I know, I know.. I disappeared for quite a while, but I'm back now. I'm not sure why, but I lost my drive to get out and run - or do any exercise for that matter. For about a week now, I've been wanting to get back into it, so I finally got my butt in gear this morning.

Harley and I both felt the effects of not running for almost two months, and that wasn't helped by me accidentally starting from Week 3 Day 3 of the C25K app. Running 90 seconds, and 3 minute intervals were not the beat place to start when you're starting from pretty much the beginning!

And as much as I would love to give you my stats, apparently Nike+ Running had a glitch and didn't save my run even though it said it did.. Ah well, hopefully it saves the next one!

Weekly Weigh In

As promised, here are my updated stats:

Arms - 12.25
Chest - 37.5
Waist - 41
Hips - 42.75
Thighs - 21.5
Weight - 172.2
BMI - 27.4

I am dissappointed, but I also understand why I gained it back. This week, my goal is to do all three of my runs and drink at least 54 ounces of water every day.

Why I Want to Lose Weight

I've had a few people ask me why I started running and the simple answer is to lose weight. But there's so much more to it that that. I want to be able to fit my dobok and be a certified bad ass again. I want to be more active so I can keep up with my kids. I want to be a role model to my kids. But most importantly, I want to feel better about myself.

I dream of the day that I can look in the mirror and not hate what I see. Many days, I simply avoid looking in the mirror so I don't have to see myself. I know that when I see myself, my mood sours for the rest of the day. I pick myself apart and tell myself how much I hate this or that, how I wish I had just a little less fat here, a little more muscle there.. My inner Mean Girl comes out against my own body.

My mind still sees me as I once was - a fit, lean martial artist. When I see myself in the mirror, the reality sinks in and I realize I no longer have that body and I hate myself for it.

Not too long ago, my husband made me go though all of my clothes and give away anything from my previous body size. Why? Because every time I looked at them or tried to wear them, I started crying. I wanted so bad to be able to fit them again and when I couldn't,  it was like my soul was crushed.

It's been hard for me to adjust to the realization that I'm no longer a slim 7 to 9, but a little chunkier 14. There were even times when I really needed to go up to a 16. For over four years now I've been struggling with this. For over four years now, I've hated the person in the mirror. For over four years now, I've hated myself.

This weekend, I'm going to post my updated body measurements and pictures. I know I've gained a few pounds. I know I've lost some of my progress. I know I'm going to be discouraged and disappointed with myself. But I'm not going to let myself quit. I'm not going to give up. I'm going to keep pushing and keep working until I can look in the mirror and be proud of who I see reflected back to me. I'm going to keep working until I reach my goals.

C25K: Week 3 Day 1 Repeat

I know, I know.. I've been very lazy and unmotivated for the past few weeks. My husband was out of town and I was staying up too late to want to get up and go running at 7:00 am. Bad Hunter...

But I'm back into it now! Just got back in from a 2.5 mile run and I feel great! I was quite impressed with my stamina as I was able to still run for the 3 minutes that are in Week 3. Here's my times:

Time - 34:42
Average Pace - 15:13/mile
Fastest - 9:35/mile
Slowest - 33:12/mile
Calorie Burn - 244

I also had this critter watching me the entire time.. I was beginning to feel like Simba passed out in the desert!

C25K: Week 3 Day 3

Today was rough!  According to the weather, it was 132 degrees Fahrenheit when I went out!  Now, we all know it wasn't actually (more like 70 degrees), but it sure felt like it!  The weight of the humidity in the air felt like I was running with an extra ten pounds strapped to my middle.

And if that wasn't bad enough, there were birds everywhere this morning.  And Harley is a Catahoula Cur mix, which means he was bred to be a hunting dog..  So he was trying to chase all of the birds.  One time, he actually darted in front of me and halfway across the road to chase a bird that had swooped past.  Thankfully there wasn't a car coming.

Today's stats are:
Time - 37:07 minutes
Distance - 2.44 miles
Fastest - 10:17/mile
Slowest - 34:48/mile
Avg. Pace - 15:12/mile
Calories Burned - 260

I believe that I'm going to bump up my mileage next week from 7.5 miles to 10 by adding in an extra running day.  So my new running schedule will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  I'll be adding in repeat day for my C25K program instead of advancing to the next week.  I may even be repeating Week 3 next week as it's pretty tough and Week 4 will be even tougher.  Week 4's workout is run 3 minutes, walk 90 seconds, run 5 minutes, walk 2.5 minutes, run 3 minutes, walk 90 seconds, run 5 minutes.  I'll give it a try Monday before I make my final decision, however.

I'll see you tomorrow for my weight in!

Easter Break Catch Up

Hi guys!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday weekend!  I had an extremely busy (yet wonderful!) Easter break, so I'm just now catching up on my posts.  My last weigh in results (which I actually took Monday morning) are:

• Arms - 12 (down 0.5")
• Chest - 36.75 (down 1.25")
• Waist - 41.25 (down 1.25")
• Hips - 41.75 (down 1.25")
• Thighs - 21.25 (down 1.25")
• Weight - 168.6 (down 3 lbs)
• BMI - 26.8 (down 0.5)

I know last post I stated that I was going to repeat my C25K program's Week 2 again until I felt more comfortable running as long as Week 3, but I think part of my inability to keep up was the fact that I went at the hottest point of the day.  The heat just sapped all of my energy.

So this week, I've been doing Week 3.  I did Day 1 yesterday and Day 2 today, as I'm trying to get my running back to my Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule.  Friday, I will be completing Day 3.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to repeat Week 3 a few times.  Running for a  solid three minutes is extremely tough!

Week 3's course is running 90 seconds, walking 90 seconds, running 3 minutes, walking 3 minutes and repeating.  Yesterday, I was unable to run the first 3 minutes.  I found a better pace and was able to go the full 3 minutes the second time, however.  Today, I was able to do both 3 minute times.

Week 3 Day 1 Stats:

Distance - 2.57 miles

Time - 35:40 minutes
Fastest - 8:33/mile
Slowest - 33:43/mile

Avg. Pace - 13.51/mile

I ran my fastest 1K by running it in 6:56.  I ran my fastest mile at 12:48.

Week 3 Day 2 Stats:

Distance - 2.46 miles

Time - 38.05 minutes
Fastest - 9:50/mile
Slowest - 27:28/mile

Avg. Pace - 15.27/mile

Today's average pace should have been faster, but I had to chase down my dog and walk her back to the house in the middle of my run.  Emma Grace, my oldest, let her out of the house.

I love seeing my records update on Nike+ Running.  I can't believe I've come so far!  Here are my beginning times:

1K - 16:53

1 mile - 17.25

I can't wait to see how much faster I get and how much further I can go!

Thanks for reading!

C25K: Week 2 Day 1 Repeat

Yesterday I completely skipped doing Insanity.  As the weather warms up, my house gets to almost 80 degrees F during the day, which I feel is just a little too hot to be doing that kind of activity.  I'll try doing it earlier than I have been before I put it back on the shelf until cooler days.

Today, I went out running much later than I usually do.  I actually went at the hottest time of day because my children woke up extra early this morning.  They usually don't wake up until 9-ish, but my youngest woke up screaming about 7:45 while I was getting dressed to go out.  I guess she had a bad dream.

It was so hot when I went out today that I couldn't keep up with my Week 3 Day 1 run.  I decided to back track and start Week 2 over again as I still have difficulty running for that length of time.  I'll repeat Week 2 at least one more time before I progress to Week 3.

If I go out that late again, I'm going to have to take a bottle of water with me at least for Harley.  I was afraid he was going to get too hot.  I tried to let him drink from a small stream, but as he approached, a turtle that we both failed to see dove into the water.  He charged about 10 feet backward and decided he didn't want water that bad.  When we got home, both of us drank plenty of water and sat beside one of the air vents in the floor until we cooled down.

Thanks for reading!

C25K: Week 2 Day 3

It felt absolutely wonderful to go out for a run this morning!  I waited about an hour later than usual, so I missed most of the "morning rush" traffic - no parents speeding to get the kids to school and no college kids speeding to get to their morning class!  I did, however, have to deal with two chicken trucks that had just picked up a trailer full from the chicken farm down the road.  I don't think there's a comparable stench that exists on Earth..  They were absolutely horrible.

I don't know if any of you know what a sweet gum tree is, but they are no fun to run around.  There's a couple of them on my route and I absolutely hate it when a car is coming when I'm by these trees.  I have to be really careful to not fall down because their seed pods are all over the ground around them.  It's literally like running on huge marbles!  Here's a picture.  Just for size, they're usually about the diameter of a tealight candle if not a bit bigger.

Anyway, enough chit chat.  I had a great run this morning.  I went 2.5 miles with a time of 37:40 and an average pace of 15:03 according to Nike+ Running.

See you tomorrow!

Day 15: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs

Pure Cardio never gets any easier.  It's still just as difficult as the first time I did it!  I know I'm improving, though, because I'm able to push myself harder and do more reps during the exercises.  My stamina is getting better and my muscles are getting stronger.  I'm really enjoying the feeling of working for the body I want.  I'm setting an example for my children, because they watch me do every workout.  I don't want my children to live a life of obesity, and I want to be able to keep up with them when they're running around.  It feels great to know I'm working toward that goal.

Every time I start to feel down and don't feel like working out, I think about my end goals and how far I've come since January.  Each and every workout I do is one step further toward my goals, and every workout I miss is ten steps backward.  Each workout skipped makes it easier to say no to the next.

Just do it!  Don't let anyone tell you you can't.  Prove them wrong.

Weekly Weigh In

I believe I've hit my first real hurdle in losing weight.  My weight stayed about the same this week, and my measurements didn't really change any.  I'm hoping that the increases I've experienced are because of muscle gains, but I know I haven't been eating like I should be either.

• Arms - 12 (down 0.5")
• Chest - 37 (down 1")
• Waist - 41 (down 1.5")
• Hips - 42.25 (down 1.25")
• Thighs - 21.25 (down 0.1.25")
• Weight - 168.6 (down 3)
• BMI - 26.8 (down 0.5)

See you Monday!

Day 14: Cardio Power & Resistance

Phew!  I had my butt kicked today!  Somehow, I did enough yesterday to make me sore today (or maybe I slept wrong, who knows), so today's Insanity workout was torture!  Obviously, no run today.  I was dog tired this morning so I slept in.  I guess it helped, because I'm feeling much better today than I was yesterday.  I had my sugar drop right about the time I started the DVD, so I drank a quick glass of tea and gave it a few minutes to kick in.  Eating supper here in about an hour, so I wasn't worried about grabbing a snack right after I finished.

Cardio Power & Resistance is a really good arm workout, especially the last half.  All the V Push-Ups, Triceps Dips, and Moving Push-Ups really made my arms feel like cooked noodles!  I actually really enjoy the feeling though, because I know each drop of sweat is progress, and progress means I'm one step closer to my goal than I was yesterday.

The other day, I read about a great motivational thing for visual people like me.  What it is, is you take a clear jar (I have a glass vase) and you fill with with things each time you complete a workout and watching it fill up is motivation for the next workout.  Some fill theirs with money and use it to reward themselves after so many workouts.  I got marbles to fill mine with, pink for running, and purple for Insanity.  Well, wouldn't you know it, the same day I bought them, I misplaced them.  So I have, quite literally, lost my marbles...  I've been looking for them for three days now!  And the bad thing is, they're in a bright yellow bag!

See you guys tomorrow!  I'm going to look for my marbles some more..

C25K: Week 2 Day 2

Hello everyone!  I went out for my run this morning even though I really didn't want to.  But I'm glad I did!  I woke up this morning really tired and drug around until the absolute latest I could possibly go out because I was telling myself that I didn't want to go today.  When I finally forced myself outside, I told myself that I was only going to walk a few laps and go back inside.

I was not enjoying being outside, at all.  There's been a cold snap the past few days, so it was quite chilly when I started this morning.  Not to mention, there was a heavy dew on the ground that had soaked my shoes and socks through before I even made it to the road to start walking.

After my half mile warm-up, however, I finally forced myself to turn on my C25K app and started running, still telling myself that I was going to go in after two laps.  Let's face it, who likes running with wet, squidgy shoes?  I sure don't!

After two laps, I had started to wake up, the temperature was warm enough to take off my jacket (or maybe I was just hot?), and I had quit paying attention to the water squishing between my toes with every step.  I was enjoying myself!

So I finished my 2.5 miles in a rather slow 39 minutes and already completed my step goal set by Noom.  So far, I already have 6500 steps and it's only 8:20 in the morning!  Today is going to be a great day!

Get out there and work past your excuses!

Day 11: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs

I'm really beginning to hate Pure Cardio..  I think it is the most difficult video so far in Insanity.  Today, I kept having to take a break because the kids needed attention.  In fact, I finally decided to start the video over again because I'd missed about half of the warm-up.  After that, they were distracted long enough to allow me to finish my first video.  My shins were really bothering me today, so I took it easy on some of the exercises, particularly the jumping ones.

Dripping sweat, it was now time for part two of today's workout, Cardio Abs.  For convenience, they're on the same DVD.  I was afraid I was about to be doing another 45 minute workout, but luckily, Cardio Abs is less than 20 minutes!  Here's how it goes:

• Jogging warm-up
• High Knees - this time, you hold your arms straight up in the air, which make this exercise 10x harder!
• High Knees w/Twist - Not fun!  I spent half of the exercise trying to get my rhythm down.
• Jump Rope - This aggravated my shins a little, so I tried to take it easy
• Tuck Jumps - Surprisingly, I could do these without my shins bothering me too bad!
• Wide Tuck Jumps - Again, I was surprised I could do these.
• C-Sit Position - This is the easiest part of the rest of this workout.
• Twists - a good ab warm-up.  If you do it long enough, it'll give you a nice ab workout.
• Twists w/Knee - this will light your abs on fire!  I had to take a break a couple of times, but tried to power through
• A-Frame Ab Twist - again, a nice little ab workout by itself.  After the constant ab workouts so far, I was feeling it.
• A-Frame w/Twist - These killed my abs!  I really enjoyed them, but I really enjoy ab work anyway.  It's one of my favorite workouts.
• Hold Center - I pushed through and held it the whole time!  I was really proud of myself.  
• Single Leg Raises - I was pleased to find I could do these alright.  I was really surprised by my core.
• Both Legs - This was killer!  I wasn't quite able to do these.  I think I got about 5, but I know my form wasn't the best either.
• High Plank
• High Plank Alt. Knees - You start out slow, then you add in a little jump between raising your knees to your side.
• Low Plank
• Low Plank Alt. Knees - At this point, my youngest thought I was trying to play and came to lay beside me on the floor.  I just held plank because I couldn't do this exercise without kneeing her in the head.
• Pulse Tucks - Low & High - I'm unable to do this exercise properly because it really hurts my lower back.  Maybe as I build up more core strength I'll be able to?

Then you do the cool down stretches.  I really enjoyed this video!  Core work is some of my favorite exercises to do.

Thanks for reading!  Weather permitting, I'll be posting about my morning run tomorrow.  If not, I'll see you Friday for Day 12!

C25K: Week 2 Day 1 & Walking

I had a great time getting out and running this morning!  I was afraid that after almost two months of not running, that I would have lost my progress and wouldn't be able to pick up where I left off.  I decided to back track a week and start from there, but I think that, thanks to Insanity, I could have picked up exactly where I'd left off!

For Week 2, you alternate 90 seconds of jogging with two minutes of walking for 20 minutes.  I did this with surprising ease!  I started to tire toward the end, however, so I think I made a wise decision by backing up a week to readjust to running.

According to Noom, I went for a total of 2.69 miles in 39 minutes with a pace of 14.27 min./mi. and burned a total of 340 calories.  According to Nike+ Running, I went 2.56 miles in 39 minutes with a pace of 15.07 min./mi. and burned a total of 277 calories.  Which is correct?  I'm not sure.  I think Noom is more correct on the calories because it's more personalized.  However, I think Nike+ Running is more correct about distance and time because I know the loop I run is about 2.5 miles.  Maybe there's something off with Noom's GPS signal.

Then, last night, my mom and I went for a walk that, according to Noom (I don't use Nike+ Running for walks because it's calculated for running), we walked 1.79 miles in 34 minutes with a pace of 18:55 min./mi. for a calorie burn of 161 for me.  Her Noom calculated over 200 calories burned for her personalized account.

Thanks for reading!  See you tomorrow for Insanity Day 11!

Follow me on Nike+ Running!  My username is hmlove1218

Day 10: Cardio Recovery

Yesterday, after my weigh in, I went out for a run for the first time in forever!  It felt great to be back out there and the dogs really enjoyed it.  My husband had Harley, the faster of our two dogs, and they were running ahead of me and Kimber because we're the slow runners.

Kimber was really excited to finally be back outside and had been pulling on the leash despite multiple corrections.  When my husband and Harley stopped for a water break, Kimber gave one good yank on the leash right as my foot was about to touch the ground and caused me to land wrong.  My ankle gave way and I hit my knees on the pavement.  After a few choice words directed at my four-legged running partner, I got up and finished my run, though we cut it half a mile short.

Anyway, over night, my ankle rested and felt better this morning, so I did my Insanity video.  Luckily it was Cardio Recovery which doesn't require all the crazy jumping around, so my ankle with have one more day to recover a bit.  My knees were scuffed up from falling, but they didn't give me any problems.

Today's workout was more of slow and controlled muscle work than the usual insane activities.  There were tons of slow leg and ab work such as squats, lunges, and leg lifts.  It took me about twice as long to complete the video as it should have, because I kept having to stop and take breaks to control my rowdy youngsters.  Maybe that's why today wasn't so difficult for me because I took longer breaks more often than the video works in.

Tomorrow will be an early morning, because this week is supposed to be sunny and warm so me and the hubby will be out running again.

See you tomorrow!

Is there anything you'd like to see me post more of?  Want recipes or meal updates?  Leave a comment below!

Weekly Weight In

I'm surprised at my measurements this week.  I didn't expect the results I had, but I'm quite happy that I got them.  I was able to wear a dress that I haven't felt comfortable wearing for almost two years now!  I can't wait to see how much more my body changes!

• Arms - 12" (down 0.5")
• Chest - 37" (down 1")
• Waist - 41.5" (down 1")
• Hips - 42" (down 1.5")
• Thighs - 21.75" (down 0.75")

• Weight - 168.2 lbs (down 3.4 lbs)
• BMI - 26.7 (down 0.6)

I wonder if the inconsistencies in my measurements each week are because of human error, or if it's an indication of muscle gain?  Food for thought.

See you Monday!

Day 9: Cardio Circuit

It took me a minute to figure out what this video was because I didn't have a DVD called Cardio Circuit like my calender stated.  I finally figured out that it is the Plyometric Cardio Circuit DVD.

My heart wasn't really in this today.  Maybe because I did it later than I usually do, maybe because I hadn't eaten much today, maybe because I was irritated by my children.  I don't know why, but I didn't have energy to do this today.  Between that and my children running around under me (have you ever tried doing push-ups with a 18 month old pushing a toy car around beneath you??), it took me over an hour to complete the 42 minute video.  I was constantly having to wait for my kids to move out of the way because I didn't want to step on any fingers or toes.  For some reason, today they simply wanted to be within 6 inches of me at all times while I was trying to do my workout.

I'm not even going to give a rundown of today's video because I feel like I didn't do half of it.  Tomorrow's my weigh-in day.  I don't expect to see the same kind of weight loss I've seen so far.  My diet at the beginning of the week wasn't that great as I've been out to eat several times.  I'm not even sure if I'll see any weight loss this week.  I hope I do, though.

See you tomorrow!

Day 8: Pure Cardio

Sorry this post is a day late.  Yesterday morning I overslept and I couldn't fit it in anywhere else in my day.  So now I have Insanity two days in a row!

Today was just as brutal as the first time I did this video.  "This sh*t is BA-nanas," as Shawn says - and it really is.  It's so intense that the co-hosts start dropping like flies about half way through the video.  If they wore mics, I can imagine that there would be many curse words flying through the air like missiles at Shawn.

• Suicide Drills - I started these going full blast.  By the end, I had slowed down to half of my original pace.
• Switch Kicks - I thought there were going to be three reps of these, so I did these easy and didn't jump.  After I finished them, I realized there weren't any repeated exercises in this video.  Oops..
• Wide Football Sprints - Easy enough.
• Stance Jacks - I did pretty well on these.  This is where I started to really tire, however, so I took a few breaks.
• Pedal - Sprinting a few seconds, jumping into one lunge on each side, and sprinting again.  I think I did alright.
• Hooks and Jump Rope - I couldn't keep up anymore and started doing it at my own pace.  I couldn't seem to get the hang of the jumps.
• Power Jacks - I was pretty exhausted at this point.  Today, I wore shorts during my workout and the feeling of my thighs rubbing together was pretty motivating to keep pushing.
• Level 2 Drills - These are fun.  I'm getting better at push-ups.  I still can't go all the way down, but I'm able to do them without going to my knees now!
• Frog Jumps - I was huffing and puffing at this point.  I think I got six sets (jump back, jump front) over the whole minute.
• Power Knees - Just like last time, it felt like someone replaced my shoes with lead weights.
• Mountain Climbers - I worked on picking my knees up higher.
• Ski Down - I love these!
• Scissor Runs - I think I finally figured out how to do these!  They're not terrible, but still not my favorite exercise.
• Suicide Jumps - Call me crazy, but these are one of my favorites!  I try to go a little slower than Shawn calls them, because I try to focus on keeping my butt down in the plank.
• Push-Up Jacks - I did five push-ups before I took a break in Down Dog pose.  I did three or four sets in the minute I had.

Needless to say, today wore me out!  See you tomorrow!