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!

C25K: Week 3

Good morning! I was very tired this morning, I didn't feel good, and I didn't feel like going out...but I did it anyway! And I'm one step closer to my goal because of it!

Friday, I didn't go out because my shins had started giving me problems again. £ decided to take a long weekend to rest up and give them a break.  I thought they were better, but the moment I started running this morning, the aches came right back. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do my run and would be walking the entire time, but at the end of my first 90 second jog, the ache had lessened, so I pushed through and did all four running sessions.

I fid, however, cut my 2.5 miles back to 2. This morning was extremely humid. Both Harley and I were struggling to catch our breath and couldn't cool off, so I called it quits after I finished the C25K workout and didn't finish my half mile walk do we could both go get some water.

Here are my stats today:

Distance - 2.03 miles
Time - 30:19 minutes
Average Pace - 14:54/mile
Fastest - 10:09
Slowest - 23:03
Calories Burned - 213

The humidity and traffic slowed my time down by a full second. The thickness of the air made it feel like I was running through a wall of water! And I probably slowed my pace slightly because of my shins.

Thanks so much for reading!

C25K: Week 3 Day 2

I know I said I was going to post yesterday, but ad I was getting up and getting ready I noticed the house was awfully hot. Turned out, there was something wrong with our A/C system that we spent most of the day fixing.

I went out for a run today instead. Maybe it's a good thing this week is going to be a 3 day week instead of a 4 day. My shins are really sore from Monday's run, so I may have a few weeks of "recovery" 3 day runs instead of jumping back into the 4 day weeks like I was planning.

Anyway, here are today's stats:
Distance - 2.62 miles
Time - 37:36 minutes
Average Pace - 14:19/mile
Fastest - 9:03/mile
Slowest - 96:33/mile ??
Calories Burned - 281

I must have walked faster than usual today, as my average pace is almost a minute faster than usual, even though my running was a little slower. I will admit, I have been trying to speed it up because I want to keep my heart rate up in the "calorie burn" zone.

I changed up my route slightly today as Harley has been getting stickers in his feet in one particular area. I considered trying to put socks or something on his feet to try to try to repel them, but I know he would absolutely refuse to go outside if I did. If he did decide to put up with the sicks, hoeever, it would be quite comical to watch him trot along beside me!

It's been quite humid here the past few days, so any little breeze is much appreciated. However, on my last 3 minute round, I was running against the wind and it literally felt like I was trying to move a mountain. And it wasn't even a strong breeze!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go soak my shins an some Epsom salt bath. I'll see you guys Friday!

C25K: Week 3 Day 1 (Again)

This week, I'm repeating Week 3 again, and probably will for a few more weeks. I still have trouble running the full three minutes without stopping early because I can't catch my breath.

Last week, there was only one buzzard sitting on the tree watching me. Today, there were six! A few times, one of them would even fly over about 10 feet over my head and hover for a split second. I can only imagine he was checking to see how close I was to passing out.

Buzzards aside, however, I'm running some of my fastest times the past few outings. Here's today's stats:

Distance - 2.75 miles
Time - 35:40 minutes
Average Pace - 13:51/mi
Fastest - 8:59/mi
Slowest - 33:43/mi
Calories Burned - 248

I'll see you tomorrow!

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!

New Name, Same Blog

Hi guys!  What do you think of the new name?  I'm pretty excited about it!  I decided to rename the blog as I no longer use it as it was originally intended (as a food diary to keep me more accountable).  I now also have a personal Instagram account that I will post updates on and be a little more visual with my daily life than on here.  Pop on over to IG and follow me if you'd like!

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!

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!

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 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!

Early Morning Walking

Today was my first day to be able to go out in the morning in weeks.  I woke up with tons of energy when my alarm went off at 4:45 and bounced out of bed to get dressed.  It was such a lovely morning except for all the rain puddles..  My dog, Harley, was quite happy about those, however, because he had a drinking station every few yards.

Since I haven't been able to run for quite some time now, I took it slow this morning and briskly walked my route instead of running.  I did run about an eighth of a mile as I was finishing my walk, though.  It felt nice to be able to do it, but it also confirmed my decision to take it slow today because my shins started aching as soon as I started jogging.  I'll pick up my C25K program again Thursday, where I'll be starting week three.  Hopefully this nice, not rainy for freezing weather holds out for the rest of the week!

See you tomorrow!

Oh, and a big thank you to whoever is giving me all the +1s!  It's really encouraging :)

Day 1: This Is Me & Fit Test

Hi there!

So this will be my first blog post for the revamped Blog It Off and I figure I should tell you a little about myself.  I am a mother of two beautiful little girls and married to my wonderful husband of four years.  Now, I love my children dearly, but having a little one grow inside you takes a major tole on your body.  I now tote around roughly forty extra pounds of fat and much less muscle.  You see, before my kids I was a very fit martial artist and had been training for eleven years.  I miss the confidence I had when I was in shape.  I miss being able to look in the mirror and not hate what I was looking at.  I feel like a stranger is looking back at me and I'm tired of it.

I've tried a couple things to get back in shape but I haven't stuck to anything for more than a few months because I wasn't seeing results.  I tried running, I tried dieting, I tried to get back into martial arts,  I even tried diet pills.  Nothing stuck in the long run.  I decided that dieting wasn't for me because I wanted a lifestyle change not a short-term fix.  I was discouraged when I tried to pick up martial arts again because I couldn't do everything I had been able to (totally irrational thinking I know..)  I actually kind of liked the diet pills more for the boost they gave me during the day, but also because I lost a few pounds rather quickly.  But pills are not a fix to the problem.  They will not change your lifestyle - the root of almost all weight problems.  Pills can only mask the problem and offer temporary success if you do not use them with regular healthy eating and workouts.

In 2013, I also tried the workout program Insanity.  I liked it, but wasn't pleased with the results (or lack of, actually).  I lost roughly five pounds during the program where all over I see reports of people losing twenty or more in the first round.  Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed.  I allowed myself to give up on my fitness dreams and resigned myself to having "the mommy body" for a whole year.

But not any more!  Late January, I picked up running again and found that I no longer care about what people think when they see me working out - life is to short to worry about other's opinions!  I'm running (well, jogging actually), about 11 miles a week and following a Couch to 5K program.

I've also decided to start my second round of Insanity and did my first Fit Test today.  Here are my results:

• Switch Kicks - 55 (these weren't too bad)
• Power Jacks - 25 (my thighs started burning FAST!)
• Power Knees - 55 (these are harder than you expect)
• Power Jumps - 15 (these are difficult)
• Globe Jumps - 5 (these don't seem hard, but after about two rounds, you're feeling it!)
• Suicide Jumps - 9 (call me crazy, but I actually really love doing these)
• Push-Up Jacks - 10 (I could have just done the "jack" part and been worn out!)
• Low Plank Obliques - 50 (my form started suffering about half way through and my feet kept slipping)

Now for my starting measurements:

• Arms - 12.5"
• Chest - 38"
• Waist - 42.5"
• Hips - 43.5"
• Thighs - 22.5"

• Weight - 171.6 lbs.
• BMI - 27.3

And my "Before" pictures:

I'll be using MusclePharm's Shred Matrix instead of coffee (with LOTS of creamer) for the energy boost I need in the morning.  On days I'm really dragging, I may even use MusclePharm's pre-workout drink, Assault, in Raspberry Lemonade.

I'll be doing my Insanity workouts Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and running my C25K program Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

I'm using Noom Coach to track my calories in and calories burned.  I also have the Noom Pedometer to track my steps throughout the day, with a daily goal of 8000.

Thank you for reading and following along with me on my fitness journey!  See you tomorrow!