Tighten Up

I am pleased to announce I have another round of changes to talk about...

MY SHOES

When I bought my shoes over a year ago I had to buy a size 9.5 wide. Right now I am having problems with my toes hurting after running because they are hitting the front of the shoe. My mom made a good point - she said that maybe my feet aren't as wide and now they are sliding to the front when I run. I haven't had much opportunity to check out that theory as I was sidelined from running a few days after she made the comment. I think she may be right though. I have tightened up the laces and I do notice a difference just in walking around.


MY BELT

I am officially on the last belt notch. And even that doesn't quite feel tight enough. LOVE IT!


MY HR MONITOR

It took three or four times of my hear rate not registering right before I realized that it was because I needed to tighten up my chest strap. This was probably the most exciting for me out of all the areas that are changing because it seems like that spot is the hardest to see any results.

MY BRAS

All my bras are too big. If only I had more money! Most are as tight as they can be but still, I don't think I have even one bra right now that fits me nicely. I am kind of a "bra snob" and can't just buy any bra from any store. I think I need to go to Lane Bryant and be fit again by one of their bra experts. I am a little worried that I'm not gonna have much left up top when I get to my goal weight!

MY SUNGLASSES

I know this one sounds funny, but it's true. I bought some shades from Lane Bryant last year. They used to hurt the sides of my head and the back of my ears. Now I can't hardly keep them on my face. I even checked the screws to see if they have been loosened up that way. They are as tight as ever. I need some new shades.


Challenge:

REFLECT!

List an example of something that has changed on you or in you since this blog began.

Weigh Day Week 16

*Before I begin, a BIG THANKS to Angie's husband, Mike, for adding a few things to this blog for me. Among other things, you can now subscribe to the blog using the button found on the right. THANKS MIKE!*



Goal: Lose baby weight + 30 lbs

Achieved so far: Baby weight is gone!

Pre-pregnancy weight: 221.0

Weight last week: 204.4

Current weight: 202.8

Weight loss/gain since last week: -1.6


TOTAL WEIGHT LOST (not including baby weight): -18.2


I am pleasantly surprised with this weeks weigh in, considering how bad I ate this weekend. I am talking a burger, onion rings, ice cream, AND pizza, and that was just SATURDAY!

Will my weight EVER start with a 1 ??????? I am really going to work hard this week to get there!

Even though I pigged out on Saturday, I have started taking some medication that makes me not really feel like eating so I am struggling a bit lately with making myself eat. I had a few days last week where it was dinner time before I felt like I could eat. I need to do breakfast, lunch, and dinner this week!

*SOFTBALL NEWS*

Softball was fantastic on Friday. My new teammates are really nice. The coach is nice, too. I was 2 for 3. Two singles, one pop fly, 2 RBI's. I could definitely feel a major improvement in my swing and I know it is because I have been working out my arms. I played left, first, and catcher. We lost in the last inning 7-6.

I had a huge cheering section thanks to my honey, the Carders, and Stacy. It was so nice to look out and see friendly faces. I am excited about this weeks game already.


*RUNNING UPDATE*

After sprinting around the bases Friday and feeling no discomfort whatsoever, I decided to try the ol' legs out yesterday afternoon. I took a few moments to warm up and stretch before hand. They felt really good for the first 10-15 minutes or so and then it was all downhill. Instead of just my left leg it is now both legs, although the pain isn't as bad. I had to walk the last mile or so. I stretched when I got home, iced them and took some ibuprofen. I am going to have to rest another week I think. Good thing I got, and enjoy, the Total Gym 1000. Thanks again Court and Allen!

*From Running to Training*

Way to go on completing Week One of your training! Anyone who hasn't started yet is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to get off you bum and GET YOUR TRAIN ON!! :)

Remember, I update the results at the beginning of the following day and only three days a week count. Feel free to correct me if I don't have your progress right!

Week Two calls for FIVE REPS of three minutes of walking, two minutes of jogging. Get THREE DAYS in this week!

I just want to remind you that for our race in July we will be doing one minute jogging, two minutes walking. SO, if you follow this training you will be a PRO by race day!


Challenge:

The Pendulum

Lie on back, arms in a T, legs straight up (I have to bend my knees), feet together, toes pointed or flexed.

Slowly lower legs (or knees) several inches to the left without touching the floor.

Return to start.

Repeat to right for one rep

Do Work and Get Your Train On!

Anyone out there ever watch Rob and Big? The only reason I am lucky enough to watch it is because for some reason we get MTV2. Funny, considering we don't have cable.

Anyway, I crack up every time Big Black says, "Do work, son!"

You all are definitely getting some work done and getting your train on! Six of you are already well on your way, walking from The Ville to Flint Town!

I am proud of you all!

A special KUDOS to Rena, who already has her three days in!!

You still have THREE days left in this week. I encourage those of you who haven't started to get up and DO WORK! Don't let this opportunity to get healthy pass you by!

*other news*

I have a softball game tonight. I am super nervous. I have thought about backing out a few times. I don't know anyone on the team. I'm not even sure who I am supposed to look for when I get there. But my love of the game is stronger than my insecurities I guess. Wish me luck!


*quick side note*


I have a three day weekend on the brain so I think I am going to take Monday off as a holiday.

Be sure to check out the schedule for Week Two! CLICK HERE

SEE YOU ALL ON TUESDAY!

Challenge:

I can't do this one but do work and feel the burn!

Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width apart and your toes pointed forward.

Slowly lower your body and remember to bend slightly at your hips. Keep your weight back on your heels and your back as upright as possible. Make sure your knees don’t cross the plane of your toes.

Straighten legs and come up to the starting position to complete one rep.



Weekend Challenge:

Act like a kid this weekend!

Comments of the Week - Family Edition

Good morning!

I didn't really realize it until I was getting ready to post this, but all the Comments of the Week this week come from my family :)

Enjoy!


Dad said...
I love ya, you are perfect in so many ways and you are allowed to be imperfect in just as many ways.

This one actually came from an e-mail I got from him yesterday. That is a great quote and I thought I'd share it with you all.



Rena said...
Hello. I am lucky enough that my church has a indoor running track so I went and did 3 miles of walking /running. (about 30 seconds running 30 seconds walking) on Monday night. NOT EASY!!!! I am struggling and not doing the 30 seconds running at each lap but I can see myself getting stronger each time, but boy it is hard.

Way to go Rena! I am so glad you are in on this and I think it will be awesome completing the race with you and your sister! When I hear someone say that they can see they are getting stronger as they train, it takes me back to when I first started running. It is amazing how quick your body figures itself out once you start training, isn't it?



Andrew said...
Hey Sis, I'm going to try to get out today to do at least three miles of jogging, but I am not sure how well my knee is going to hold up. If it feels okay, Ill end up doing six miles, but having played softball last night, I don't know how reasonable that is. Also, kudos to you for getting Ashleigh to do crunches. Seeing her do them actually got me on a regimen of my own. Since last Tuesday, I have done 1000 every morning when I get up. Its funny how inspiration trickles down like that.

First off, 100 crunches???? BLAH to you! No, I'm just kidding. I wish I could do 1000 crunches! Thanks for letting me know how you came to start doing 1000 crunches a day. It's cool how I challenged Ash and then you started doing it. Funny thing, it is kind of like a circle. Because then I hear that you are doing it because of Ash who is doing it because I me and that inspires me to keep it up.



MEchele said...
Well I am officially registered for the July 12 th race also. My training is gonna start out pretty slow as my recent surgery prevents anything too crazy but I have started walking this week, every night with my dog Porter. I figured he needs to get in shape with me. I am looking forward to the race it is what I am gonna focus on for the next couple months to help me with my food addiction.

It seems like this training came at the perfect time. AND we know I don't believe in coincidences! I wish I could be there to walk with you. I miss you. I am very, VERY proud of what you have already accomplished! I can't wait to see you in July!



Ashleigh said...
I think you are doing amazing and maybe a couple weeks of something new will be good for you.I've been doing crunches everyday (100-200 depending on how I feel) and I was getting down on myself because I haven't noticed a difference, but Andrew reminded me that they are getting a lot easier for me to do. So I guess that is something, I'll just have to keep it up to SEE more results.I'm sorry to hear about your knees, I had tendinitis in my wrist so I had to stop going to yoga, I wore a brace for a couple weeks and it got better. It has been hurting me again lately though. So I know what you're going through somewhat.Don't let it get you down, you've come so far you can't let this stop you!

Thanks for sharing that your tendinitis got better :) It makes me feel a little more hopeful. Have you measured your waist at all? Are you pants fitting better? Have you tried to tighten and feel your abs? I will probably never see a 6 pack but I definitely can feel my abs now! I notice that they are getting easier for me to do, too. Keep it up girlie!



Challenge:

Close-Arm Wall Push-up - 25!

Start facing wall, arms-length away, feet slightly apart, legs straight with weight on toes. Place hands on wall with pointer fingers and thumbs forming a triangle. Keep arms in line with shoulders/chest.

Bend elbows about 90 degrees and lower body toward the wall without touching it.

Straighten arms and return to starting position to complete one rep.

The further your feet are away from the wall, the more difficult this exercise will be. Also be sure not to lock knees or elbows

What's in YOUR cupboard?

First, before I forget, I have a new instruction as far as The Race to the Starting Line goes...

When you get your training in, post a comment that only says "I got my training in".

I still want you all to post regular comments, too! I am just afraid I will miss giving someone credit and if I have you all leave a short comment like that it might be easier for me to keep track. Also, I will update the standings on my blog at the beginning of the next day.

FIVE PEOPLE so far have began their way from Louisville to Flint!

*back to post*

Read the title like those old Capital One commercials - you know, "What's in YOUR wallet?"


Back when I wanted to want to be healthier, articles about what kind of food should be in your house used to stress the heck out of me. Every time I read something about the healthy things I should be eating on a daily basis it would drive me to eat - bad food, of course.

So, when I got my monthly Parents magazine this month and saw an article entitled, "The Healthy Kitchen" I couldn't decide whether to read it, throw up, or cancel my subscription.

The article listed 36 food items that should be stocked in your "Healthy Kitchen".

I actually have 27 of those items in my kitchen right now!!!!

AND the things I don't have don't stress me out because I don't think we'd eat them anyway.

I am not going to list all the things it says you should have. I don't think these articles are a good idea. Instead of an article that throws 36 items at you they should do an item or two an issue.

I mean, come on, it always made me feel like I needed to throw all my food away and go spend a bunch of money at the store. It felt hopeless and impossible.

I did it one item at a time. And you all can too!


Challenge:

You may not get a chance to do this one today but maybe you can do it sometime this week...

In keeping with today's topic - try to do one of these -

Try a meal with brown rice instead of white - OR -

Try a meal with whole grain pasta - OR -

Try adding ground turkey to a meal instead of ground beef.

How We Doin'?

Day One of training is over!

If you trained yesterday, how do you feel? I would LOVE to hear about your first day, especially since I couldn't join in with you!

(Susan, thanks for the update! Go YOU!)

I know some of you may have opted for a Tues, Thurs, Sat training schedule. For those of you who did, be sure to let me know how it went when you log back in here tomorrow!

Also, if you are the type to start something and not finish it, REGISTER FOR THE RACE NOW! You'll be less likely to quit when you know you've already ponied up the dough!

A few things to remember when starting any new exercise regimen -

1. Drink lots (AND LOTS) of water! If you notice while jogging that your side is bothering you, chances are you didn't drink enough water. Click here for 10 reasons you should drink water.
2. Warm up / Cool Down ! I know part of the reason I am injured is because I don't take the time to do either of those. If you go outside to train, at minimum you should do something like walk around your house once at the beginning of your training and once at the end.
3. STRETCH! Another thing I need to spend more time on. Recent studies seem to show that stretching does NOT help prevent injury. Still, there are some major benefits to stretching. This article was really interesting to me!
4. Don't do more than your body can handle! You don't have to follow the training guide exactly how it is written. It is just a guide. If your feel sick, exhausted, dizzy, etc then you need to really sit down and modify the training plan so that you can get some training without hurting yourself. Better yet, go to your doctor and figure out a plan that works for you.

I know you all have heard all those before, probably a million times. That's because they are IMPORTANT! :)

Keep getting your train on, folks! Y'all are doing great!

Challenge:

Stretch that groin :)

Begin by sitting on the floor and bringing the heels as close to the groin as possible. You should not feel pain in this position, if you do feel discomfort create more space between you heels and groin.

Make a butterfly pattern with your legs in this starting position.

Use your arms to slowly push your legs and knees towards the ground. Stop if you feel any pain performing this stretch.

Be sure NOT to bounce the "butterfly wings," as this would cause damage to hips, groin, and knees. When you first begin, your heels may be a foot or two away but you will be bringing your heels in as you become more flexible

Weigh Day - Week 15 - Training Begins!

Goal: Lose baby weight + 30 lbs


Achieved so far: Baby weight is gone!


Pre-pregnancy weight: 221.0


Weight last week: 207.0


Current weight: 204.4


Weight loss/gain since last week: -2.6


TOTAL WEIGHT LOST (not including baby weight): -16.6




WHEW! I was really worried I was going to have my first ever two-week-in-a-row weight gain! That makes me feel good, especially considering that I didn't run from Wednesday on.

Honestly, I didn't really do much from Wednesday on. I tried to do some different things to get my heart rate up on Thursday and nothing really seemed to make me sweat. It's hard to get your hard rate up when your not supposed to use your legs!

Yesterday all that changed though. I got the Total Gym 1000 from some good friends and I spent 45 minutes playing with it. I also did an upper body and core routine I created on Sparkpeople.com. Both felt good and I am happy to have something in the house I can use. My heart rate doesn't even come close to what it reaches when I run but I am building lean muscle and that counts for something apparently :)



On to the topic of the day...



Training time is finally here!

I am super, SUPER excited to announce that 3 readers have already registered for the race. That's a good start towards my vision for a "sea of blue"!

We're a puddle :oD

Anyone who still needs to check out the training schedule or wants to register needs to CLICK HERE

This weeks training commitment is only 1 HOUR for the WHOLE WEEK!

You can totally do it folks!

Don't forget about my Race to the Starting Line Challenge!

Be sure to update me on your progress...if you don't, I'll hunt you down!


*Softball / Tball Update*


My update for softball is easy...

The game was cancelled because the fields were yucky :( *tear*

Ori still got to play though!!

Her and Elena did so good. They listened to the coach, hit the ball, chased the ball, had a ball. I am so proud of them.

Ori was the first up to bat for her team. The first time she went up she hit the ball and then kind of freaked out. I don't blame her though. The coach for the other team has a kind of different strategy - everyone goes for the ball. So she hit it and it landed a few feet in front of her, and the whole opposing team came charging at the ball.

Her next at bat was much more successful!

Here are some more pics from the game!

I cut Coach Troy's head off. She told me she thought he was handsome!

Had to get a pic of her tail :)

I call this the Second Inning Stretch :)


Sportsmanship is key!


Teammates for life!

Jocie can't wait until it's her turn to play!

Challenge:

I got an email from Sparkpeople that said "Whittle away those love handles!" Of course, that got my attention.

Here is the exercise they were talking about...

Love Handle Exercise


Have a great day, and get your train on!

Are You Ready Y'all?

First, thanks to all of you for bearing with me yesterday.

I was a whiny baby and somebody should have called a waaaaahmbulance. So, I can't run for two weeks. It's not like I lost a foot and can never walk again.

I appreciate every one's encouragement. I felt like if I would have been around some of you in person yesterday you would have smacked me across the face and told me to snap out of it (and rightly so). I was definitely not out fishing for compliments but they came and made me feel better.

I did some weight training, stretching, and ab/core training as well as about 15 minutes of Tae Bo (upper body only). I learned a few new variations of crunches and I know I'll be hurting at work today (cleaning with my friend again).

My heart rate never got over 85 but my arms and abs felt the burn and I'll take it.

OK, OK, I agree - enough about yesterday...

ANNOUNCEMENT TIME...

Training starts on Monday!

Who's doing it?

I need names people! I need to know!

Since I am not allowed to run for the next two weeks I need to live through you all. Will someone please run for me? Please????????

For those of you who need a little incentive ($$$$) I am happy to announce a new contest ...

THE RACE TO THE STARTING LINE!

The distance between my house and the starting line of the Flint Journal Catch Your Breath 5K is a little over 430 miles.

Let's see who can walk/jog their way!

Participants will start out in Louisville, Kentucky. For every day that you train, you will move 18 miles closer to the starting line in Flint, Michigan.

(Why 18 miles? 430 miles / 24 potential training days = almost 18)

The training guide calls for you to get in three days a week for eight weeks.

You are encouraged to exercise more than three days a week, but I will only count three days.

The person closest to the starting line on the Friday before the race will be the winner. The winner will receive a Subway gift card!

If more than one person makes it all the way to the finish line then more than one person will receive a gift card!

As a reminder...

Week One requires you to pick three days in which you will train for twenty minutes. On those days you will walk for FOUR minutes and jog for ONE minutes. You will repeat that FOUR TIMES.

*short side story*

Ori started t-ball last night!! Her and her BFF Elena were so cute. There was one point Coach Troy was trying to explain to them how to get down and be ready for the ball and Ori totally looked like she was doing the Cha Cha Slide -

"Hands on your knees! Hands on your knees!"

Their first game is Saturday!

My first co-ed league game is tonight! I am tres tres nervous!


Daily and Weekend Challenge:

Register for the race! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

If you can't make it - find a race on Active.com and register!

Weigh Day Week 14 Boo! Hiss! Boo!

Goal: Lose baby weight + 30 lbs

Achieved so far: Baby weight is gone!

Pre-pregnancy weight: 221.0

Weight last week: 204.6

Current weight: 207.0

Weight loss/gain since last week: +2.4

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST (not including baby weight): -14.0

Funny how just two weeks ago I was happy to see that number on the scale. This week, not so happy.

Honestly, I can still feel the culprit for this weight gain in my tummy...

...Good ol' Chuckwagon Chili Mac n Cheese :)

Yesterday was a cold, blustery day and I just had to make something hearty for dinner. Every time I took I bite I knew I was not going to be happy in the morning.

Why,do you ask, did I cook dinner at all considering yesterday was Mother's Day?

Because I got one heck of a Mother's Day gift!!!

Glass top and self cleaning - what more could a girl ask for?

What a great gift!

My man is the greatest! There was quite a bit of hassle that went into what was supposed to be a fairly easy swap out. My old stove was a drop in stove built into the cabinetry. The new one was definitely a MAJOR UPGRADE, don't you think?


Thanks to papa for helping him tear out the old stove, for going to Lowe's to get the new stove, for taking the stove from Lowe's back because it was damaged, for trying to cut a deal with the Lowe's manager for the hassle, for going to Home Depot and getting another stove, and for talking the manager into another 10% off the floor model!

The pans on top were a special gift from Nana and Papa and just make the whole thing that much cooler!

The best present I got though, was a hand made card from Ori (with Nana's assistance). She lists the reasons why she loves me and then draws pictures.

Here are her reasons -

I love my girlies!

*Zoo Race Update*

Mom, dad, Octavio and I all ran the Norton Healthcare Throo the Zoo 5k on Saturday morning. This was both my Mother's and Father's Day gift to my parents. It was fun running with my parents.

My mom asked at one point during the race if we ever thought we'd all be running a race together (thought I was gonna talk about "where, where???!!??!!! didn't ya ma?). The answer - NO!

But I am so thankful that that is the place we are all at right now. It is cool to all be on the same wagon!

My dad finished just under 37 minutes and mom and I crossed right at 37! Way to go us!

As if the morning wasn't perfect enough already, my mom and I both won prizes during the post race drawing! Mom won some Asics running shorts which she so kindly gave to me, and I won some Asics socks and two tickets to a Louisville Bats game!

Dad took this picture of mom and I after the race -

Octavio didn't stick with us slow pokes :) He did AMAZING!! He finished 5th in his age group and his mile pace was 6:57!!!!!!!!! That is like running over 8.5 miles per hour! My man! ;)



I need to get my mind re-focused this week. There were quite a few reasons (besides the chili mac) for the weight gain this week, including:

• pms
• major lack of motivation due to pms
• major snacking due to pms
• pms

This week I am going to due lots of incline training on the treadmill and lots of light weight training for my arms. I think I am going to do more than my schedule requires. I really need a boost and I think uping my activity is just the thing to do it.

I say that and then I say this...

Running has been a little difficult on my legs these past few days, specifically behind my knees and my right hip. It's not so much pain as it is tightness. I'm not sure what the deal is but I am in tune with the issue and will keep a close eye on it!


Challenge :

Strengthen those hips, people!

Stand with your feet slightly apart, toes forward, hands on hips or one hand on a wall/chair for support. Shift your weight to right leg, keeping your knee slightly bent and your spine straight.

Exhale and gradually lift the left leg, keeping it bent at 90 degrees. Lift your knee as high as possible, trying to get your thigh parallel to floor or higher. Hold here for 2 counts.

Inhale and slowly lower your leg to ground without letting foot rest on the floor. Complete all reps and switch sides. Make sure you don't lean back when lifting your leg.

My Big Fat Security Blanket

Somewhere along the road on the Highway to Health I must have missed the road sign that warns "Caution: Major Self Doubt Ahead".

As this new person emerges so does a whole new set of insecurities.

It's like Healthy Me is driving the car ahead of me and I notice that her trunk is stuffed with just as much baggage as mine is. (The trunk of her car...not her "trunk"!)

I have reminded myself a million times that losing weight doesn't make life easier yet I still get disappointed when losing weight doesn't make like easier.

The latest example...

I told you all yesterday that I worked with a friend on Friday. She owns her own cleaning business and cleans both commercial and residential properties. I have worked with her in the past on occasion and have always enjoyed myself. After all, cleaning is one of my favorite things to do!!

When I called her on Thursday to find out when/where to meet she told me that I would be working with her and three other girls. I immediately started to panic.

My stomach hurt. I felt a little light-headed. I wanted to puke.

I was so nervous about meeting these girls. It was like the first day at a new school or starting a new job. Not only was I nervous but I was mad at myself for being nervous. I mean, seriously, I can clean the heck out of some house y'all, so what's the big freakin' deal?

Octavio was at the Third Day concert and the girls were both in bed by 8 p.m. so I had ALL of Thursday night so sit and think about what the problem really was. Once it hit me I was pretty surprised...

I was nervous because I wasn't fat.

WHAT???

I know that sounds a little silly, but hear me out -

Before, that was my thing, my shtick. I was the fat girl.

And if you didn't like me, it was because I was fat and that's your fault, not mine.

The problem was always someone else's fault, the way they saw me, them discriminating against me just because of my weight. That was my security blanket. I had fat to fall back on. My being fat may have been the cause of a lot of hardships but it was also my excuse to escape reality sometimes.

So what happens if someone doesn't like me now? What's my excuse?

It's a scary world over there in Thinville. I am still on the outskirts of the city, kind of peeking through a whole in the fence. It seems like every 10 or 15 minutes there is a tractor driving by heading back to the Fat Farm and it takes a lot of talking to myself to keep me from climbing aboard and heading back.


*on to something else*

I love it when I read something that confirms my own advice or approach. I got the information below in an e-mail from Sparkpeople.com. Just yesterday I updated my layout to include five simple ways to get your heart rate up. Almost all of them are listed in the article below :)

Another Fitness Myth Debunked

Somewhere along your journey to fitness, whether in the gym, reading the latest books, or talking with your friends, you'll hear a lot of advice about exercise--not all of which is true.

Fitness Myth
If you can't exercise hard and often, there's really no point.

Truth
Even moderate activity is shown to reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. If you don't have 30 minutes in your day to exercise, try splitting it up into 10-minute segments instead.

Everyone can find 10 minutes to spare sometime during the day! There are simple things you can do to increase your activity without having to go to the gym: take the stairs instead of the elevator, jump rope or do body weight exercises (push ups, crunches) at commercial breaks, take a short walk after lunch. Remember that any exercise is better than none!

Love it!

For all my Crunch Companions out there here's an excerpt from another e-mail I received -

SparkPeople Experts Answer Your Fitness Questions

Question:

What can I do to lose weight in my stomach? I've been doing lots of crunches but they don't seem to help.

Expert Answer:

There is no way to target weight loss to a specific area of the body because your body decides where it wants to put on weight and where it wants to take it off. The midsection is a common "problem" area for many people. The best way to lose fat is through cardiovascular exercise. It is important to do a variety of abdominal exercises (including crunches) to keep your core strong, but until that excess fat is gone, you will not see the muscle definition. So if you're not doing cardio, crunches are not going to help get the 6-pack you've been hoping for. Regular cardio exercise at a level that's challenging for you is your best bet.

Exercise Extra:

"Apple" shapes (fat storage around the belly) have been shown to have a higher risk of certain cardiovascular diseases, whereas storing fat in your lower half, known as a "Pear" shape, is actually a healthier site for fat accumulation.

*Final Note of the Day*

Don't forget to check out Susan and MEchele's blogs!

Susan has began a challenge contest of her own and MEchele has posted her first post after gastric bypass surgery!!


Challenge:

Here is a new core exercise for you! Do the DOLPHIN!

ER ER ER ER CLICK CLICK CLICK :)

Weigh Day Week 11 !!

Goal: Lose baby weight + 30 lbs

Achieved so far: Baby weight is gone!

Pre-pregnancy weight: 221.0

Weight last week: 211.2

Current weight: 206.8

Weight loss/gain since last week: -4.4 !!!!

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST (not including baby weight): -14.2 !!!!

What a great weigh in for my 51st blog!

I can not believe I am so close to saying I weigh "one hundred and something"! I had a brief stint in the 100's when I was in the 10th grade but other than that it has been a looooooooong time! WOOHOO!

I think part of the reason the weigh loss was so big though is because I only did my resistance band training once last week. Instead of doing them I opted to work on my push ups and crunches.

I did about 500 crunches last week. I just measured my waist and I am at 42 inches! Just a few weeks of crunches and I've already lost 2 inches!

Leslie doesn't know it but I have her to thank for this! Probably over a month ago her and I were running and she said she could feel her abs burning. I told her that I didn't even know if I had any and what was the point in working on them since it would take a tummy tuck and some lipo in order for me to get a nice tummy. "It can never hurt to strengthen your core," was her reply. Touche, Leslie!

I had a successful week with both eating and running.

I ate lots of veggies this week and lots of brown rice. Both really helped to fill me up and make me feel satisfied. I love the fact that I actually know what those two things feel like now! I used to think feeling full meant feeling sick. So not the case!

I wasn't feeling well on Tuesday but Leslie came over and I ran anyway. I think part of the reason that I wasn't sick for long was because I kept up with my exercise! Since her hubby was out of town on Thursday, she came over again for dinner and we ran before hand. We really pushed it both days and it felt wonderful.

This weekend we went to my parents house in Tennessee. My mom and dad did a great job of filling the house with healthy goodies and that really helped with my success on the scale this morning. The chicken sausage scrambler was the best dad!

Octavio and I got to run 3.2 miles together on Saturday morning (yep dad, I measured it and it's more than a 5k). It was the hilliest terrain I have ever ran on and I didn't enjoy it until it was over.

Seriously, look....

First you go down and up this hill...

Then you turn the corner and go down and up this hill...

That is a 0.8 mile circle and we ran it four times so we hit each of those hills four times!

We ran it in 31:39 though and I am proud of that!

My parents gave me one of their big exercise balls so I am going to check out some of the workouts on Sparkpeople.com and see how I do this week with that. I will continue my push up and crunch training and I have to run Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sun this week.

*On another note*

My baby turned FOUR this weekend :(

Oriana got a nice healthy present from us for her birthday :) For some reason she thinks in order to stop the bike you need to honk the horn!


I can't lie. I had a taste of her cake :)



What did she do on her first day after turning four?

"Mommy, now I can pick out my own clothes."

Challenge:

In the spirit of strengthening your core...

Pick two of these and do 12 reps!


For some of my readers from MySpace who are just joining me, tomorrow I will address your questions about the race! Tune in again!

Don't forget to leave a comment and show me some love!

Bringing Intention to Your Motivation

I am cheating again and posting my Friday blog on Thursday night. The girls have a doctors appointment first thing in the morning, then its packing for our weekend trip to Papa and Nana's, and cleaning the house since small group is coming on Sunday evening and we'll be getting home Sunday afternoon. And since I know some of you look for my blog first thing in the AM (Leigh!) I figured I'd better get it done early!

I know, GET ON WITH IT ALREADY CHELLE!

I can't help but love Jillian Michaels and after reading an interview she did last summer, I really feel like I am on the right track with some of my advice for training for the upcoming Michigan race.

I am not so much into all the "whatever you put into the universe" stuff she talks about but there was one statement that put a smile on my face -

"I think you should write down what you want for your life, bring intention to your motivation. That way you can ask yourself, "Do I want the donut or do I want to look good at my high school reunion?" I am not a believer in will-power but you can ask yourself those kinds of questions. But then, you've got to put it into action." - Jillian Michaels

This is exactly the point I was trying to convey in my blog announcing the Michigan race. It is important to focus on what you intend to gain from the training, and from the race itself.It may not be enough to just say you are going to train for the race and run the race - that's all great but once the initial motivational high wears off, what have you go? Not much.

You need to add intention(s) to you motivation!

What do you intend to gain or lose by training for the race?

What do you intend to gain or lose by walk/jogging the race?

THEN, when you feel like giving up, like you've changed your mind and aren't going to train for the race or participate in the race, you'll actually have some pretty good questions to ask yourself to help you get your motivation back!

Examples:

• I intend to lose 10 pounds by the end of June by training for this race.


• I intend to show my child what a healthy lifestyle looks like by training for this race.


• I intend to brag for the whole month after I participate in the race.

Then you will have specific questions to ask yourself-

• Do I want to be 10 pounds lighter by the end of June?


• Do I want to show my child what a healthy lifestyle looks like?


• Do I want to be able to say that I did a 5k and actually ran some of it? ;)

Seriously folks, I would love to hear what your intentions are for this race. If you aren't doing the race, what are your intentions for this summer?

I have two intentions for training and participating in this race:

1. I intend to lose and keep off 10 pounds in 8 weeks by training for this race.


2. I intend to feel a closer connection to those who have taken the time to care about what I am doing by participating in the race.

Number two on that list is a biggie for me. There is no way I would jeopardize that feeling by giving up. That is the kind of stuff you need to put on your list, stuff that won't allow you to give up!

You have total control in setting yourself up for either failure or success!
You have a few weeks ahead to get your mind right! Do it y'all!

Challenge:

When I dip, you dip, we dip :)

Tricep Dips!

Sit on the edge of a bench with your hands on the edge next to your buttocks. Slide your butt forward off the edge of the bench, bend your arms and drop your body down until your elbows are almost at 90 degrees. Then lift your body back up (but don't return your bottom to the bench until you've completed all 12 repetitions). For an easier option, keep your feet on the ground with your legs bent. The intermediate option would have your legs straight out in front of you. The most challenging position is elevating your feet on another chair or bench.

Weekend Challenge:

Post your intentions somewhere! Doesn't have to be on here (although I would love to know what they are), it can be on your fridge, on your own blog, wherever. Posting them will help set yourself up for success. Not only will you see them regularly, but others will know your intentions and help to keep you on track!

P.S. For those participating in the race - I have put yet another email in to The Flint Journal looking for some info. It appears that the cost of last year ranged from $32 to $11 depending on which shirt option you chose. Last year it was $18 if you ran the race an opted for the regular cotton shirt. Just wanted to let you all know :)

Weigh Day Week 10

I can't believe it has been 10 weeks already! Wow!

Goal: Lose baby weight + 30 lbs

Achieved so far: Baby weight is gone!

Pre-pregnancy weight: 221.0

Weight last week: 209.8

Current weight: 211.2

Weight loss/gain since last week: +1.4

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST (not including baby weight): -10.4

Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sick of the yo-yoing that has been going on.

One one hand, I feel like if I don't start losing more not only will I start getting sick of myself, you all will too. On the other hand, I feel like my struggles prove that I am normal and in a weird way it also proves I am doing this the right way. Does that make any sense?

I am still averaging a pound a week. That part is good. It means if I keep this up I'll be at my goal long before the end of the year.

All that aside, I think I did really, really well this weekend.

Our room was on the third floor. I rode the elevator one time, on the initial ride up with all our our children, suitcases, and baby gear. After that I used the stairs every time. Eventually most of the family followed suit which was kind of neat.

*Brag Break*

My girlies were the most well behaved children in all of Indianapolis this weekend. Even though Ori wasn't feeling well she did not get whiny or throw a fit one time. When it was time to get out of the water she listened to her mommy and daddy and was a complete angel in the restaurants.

I don't think Jocie cried once this weekend. She slept well and had fun checking out her new surroundings. Octavio and I are so lucky!

*back to me*

I packed some healthy snacks to get through the weekend. I brought some bananas and apples from home. When we got their I went to Walmart and picked up some baby carrots and Pria bars.

We went out to eat three times this weekend. That was pretty tough.

We went to Buca Di Beppo's on Friday night and I did pretty well. Pasta always seems to stick to me though and I did feel a little sluggish because of it.

Saturday was kind of rough. We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. I ate a pretty big meal but I don't feel bad about it because breakfast is the most important meal of the day :) We had huge, flaky, croissants with salami and cheese for lunch. I did feel guilty about it. And dinner was Famous Dave's BBQ where we ordered too much and ate too much!

We brought the leftovers from FD's home with us and I ate too much again for lunch yesterday. Also, for Bible study last night a friend brought some way too yummy queso and bean dip and I overindulged some more. To be honest, I know that last nights overeating is what is stuck in my belly right now.

I did not exercise on Friday like I planned to. I am thankful that I did get some time in on Thursday, even though it was an off day, and I feel like that keeps it even. Yesterday was a work out day and even though I was tired and feeling a little yucky I still did 40 minutes on the treadmill at 5.0 mph.

I am coming down with some kind of upper respiratory thing. Ori had it this weekend and my turn is here. This morning when I went to pick up Baby J, my chest felt like it was going to collapse. It really, really hurt. I am thankful today is an off day AND that I got my exercise in yesterday even though I really didn't feel like it.

I am already thinking about next weeks weigh in and I wish I wasn't. We are going to my parents house. They are working on eating right and living healthy so that does help take some pressure off. I am hoping there is a 5k to run since there is a festival happening this weekend. I am also hoping that I behave when we check out the festival :)

I'll be honest (as promised), I had a hard time telling the truth this morning, hence the late morning post. I wanted to just put last weeks weight and tell you all that I maintained instead of gained. But I must remain honest with all of you who have remained faithful in keeping up with my progress. I appreciate all of you keeping me in line!

Challenge:

Play ball!

Dribble a basketball, throw a baseball, kick a soccer ball, or toss around the ol' pigskin for a few minutes. These are fun easy ways to get your heart rate up.

At work? Wad up a piece of paper or two and toss it around (or at) with a friend :)

P.S. I am not sure why the spaces seem to screw up when I add a pictured but it drives me nuts!!

And The Winner Is...

Congratulations!

And thanks to all of you for participating! It means a lot to me!

*tear*blink*blink*

I had to do this all late Thursday night, early Friday morning because we are hitting the road early to head out of town. I am tired and ready for bed so this won't be too long or well put together :)

Even though it was an off running day I got an extra 30 minutes in on the treadmill yesterday. I did incline work instead of running. I am hoping that helps me get through the weekend without gaining...we'll have to see.

I went out to dinner with Anne (I owe you dinner Anne!). I was a pretty good girl. We ordered the onion rings as an appetizer but we each only had a couple and we didn't take the leftovers. We both had the salmon; Anne with broccoli and corn, I with carrots and green beans. I am not much of a fish eater but it was surprisingly good. I did have two adult beverages but hey, I'm human.

After dinner we went to Target to snoop around. I found a nice, comfy bathing suit for $9.50 on clearance. It was supposed to be almost $40! Needless to say, I'll be sending back my $60 Lane Bryant suit!

Speaking of my suit and in an effort to embrace all of me...

Octavio told me to suck in but that wouldn't be honest, now would it? :)

Challenge:

Increase your steps - Park in the spot furthest away from the store or office and walk!

And since Janet needs an actual activity to do with the kiddos for gym, run two laps around the outside of your house today!

Weekend Challenge:

Increase your steps even more! Try not to use your remote!

Seeking Professional Help

Up until this point all of my health changes have been unsupervised.

I happened to see Dr. Oz on Oprah one day about two years ago and what he said seemed easy and made sense. I got fed up with my health one day and started with something small, cooking with olive oil. From then on it has been one small step after another, one small battle after another.

When cooking with olive oil became a habit, I switched from ground beef to ground turkey.

When ground turkey became a staple, I switched from white bread to whole grain bread.

When whole grain bread became my new favorite thing, I started exercising a little.

You get the point...

Slow and steady wins the race. One small change has snowballed into a dramatic lifestyle change. I feel extremely well about my progress and am proud of the accomplishments I have made because I set my mind to changing and I did it. But for some reason yesterday, out of no where I decided I need to make an appointment and visit my doctor.

First off, I guess I shouldn't really give Dr. Oz all the credit because my family physician, Dr. S really got my fat butt in gear.

I went to see him about two years ago because I had quite a few ailments. My stomach was hurting a lot, my feet and knees were bothering me, I was depressed. I started crying and told him that I was embarrassed because I knew all these problems were directly related to my weight. I wanted him to baby me a little. He totally didn't. He told me I was right. He also told me I could fix it.

That was the seed I needed. It wasn't even two weeks later I saw Dr. Oz on TV. I had some earache issues and had to go back to see Dr. S four or five times within the year following our first conversation. Each time I returned I weighed less than the time before. Each time he entered the room that was the first thing he talked about. He encouraged me and told me I was really doing a great job.

Most of the time I am a people pleaser. I always did well in school and behaved at home for the most part. I have said before I would do great on The Biggest Loser because I would want the trainers to be proud of me. I think I had the same thing going for a while with Dr. S.
I really need to sit down with someone who can tell me what I should be doing as far as food goes. I think lately I have been doing things wrong. I know that I have not been eating enough. My mind shouts out orders all day but it doesn't seem to tell me to eat.

Now, I am not by any means starving myself or anything like that. I think part of it is that for the first time my body is not full of junk. The junk was sending the signals to my brain before that were constantly telling me that I wasn't satisfied. The things I eat now all make me feel satisfied. I just need to eat more of them and I know I need a greater variety in my diet!

Sparkpeople.com is a great place to track your nutrition and stuff but I think I need to have a "check in" for a while. I need to sit down with Dr. S and figure out how many calories I need and stuff like that (or as they say in the south "stuff lieGAT") and then I need to know that I am going to see him again in a week or month or whatever so that we can track my progress. I also want to have blood work done and want to have a chat about what vitamins I am currently taking and if there is anything else I am forgetting.

I think I remember now what got me thinking about this to begin with...life insurance. My life insurance is due to be renewed in June. This year I plan on reapplying since I know my current health is much, MUCH better than it was when I first signed up two years ago. I am really hoping for a decrease in my premium!

I think I may look in to seeing a therapist as well. I would love to find a christian counselor in my area who specializes in eating issues (not disorders really, just issues).

It's not just about my body, it's about my mind and my soul too. I don't just want to be physically healthy. I WANT IT ALL!

Challenge:

You asked for it Heather!

Here is her challenge suggestion from yesterday:

"Hey Michelle Remember Squat Thrusts?Start out standing, go down with your knees completely bent, then put both legs out behind you hands on the floor in front of you.(kinda in a jumping motion) then pull your legs back up and stand. It is kinda a quick movement, and it will kill ya! Try 20 of those! I hope you know what I am talking about they are real hard to explain. Good Luck!"


The following people need to send me their address asap as I am sending something out tomorrow!

Mindy
Janet
Jayne
Lynea
Karrie
Carrie
Coriann
Anne

Half a Breakthrough

So, playgroup is going to be here in 38 minutes. I am in my jammies, the girls are in their jammies, and the house is a wreck.

The pumpkin bread is ready though :)

Today's blog is not going to be very long or very organized. I am flying off the seat of my, well, to be honest, I'm not wearing pants.

I had half of a major breakthrough last night.

We went out to dinner with some friends to Smokey Bones BBQ (their treat!!) and I made a pretty healthy choice. I had smoked turkey breast with fire roasted corn and bbq beans. The turkey was sliced thin, professionally stacked so that the pieces were beautifully folded one on top of the other, and it was sooooo tender. I got some protein from the beans and although corn in not the best of the veggies, it was the only option besides broccoli and I am just not a broccoli kind of girl (yet). I did add some sweet bbq sauce to it so I am sure I had a bit more sugar than I needed but all in all I am happy with myself.

The reason I say "half of a major breakthrough" is because I still have a problem leaving something on the plate. Especially now that we go out less and less frequently! I would like to be able to just eat half my meal.

Octavio and I have discussed sharing meals when we go out but because we go out so infrequently we want to savour every bite I guess. I think I may start asking for a box at the beginning of the meal and immediately taking half of whatever I order off my plate...hmmmm....that may just work folks!

PS I snuck one of Ori's fries and it didn't taste good at all! YAY!

All that talk about eating out infrequently and now I am going to tell you that I am worried about this next weigh in because I'll be eating out a lot :)

I was supposed to go out to eat a few weeks ago with Anne but then Ori decided to have a puke-fest and I had to stay home. We rescheduled for tomorrow night and I'm excited. Originally I said I was gonna get a big fat burger but I think I will make a better decision...I hope so anyway :)

AND THEN - We are going to Indianapolis for the weekend. I need to pack some healthy snacks from home. Thankfully it is a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday work out week and since we are leaving Friday late morning I can get a run in before we go and we'll be home on Sunday so I can run then too. Plus, we are staying at a hotel with an indoor water park and I have to imagine I'll be having fun in the pool and burning calories.

Being honest though, I may get on the treadmill tomorrow for some incline training in an effort to at least maintain my weight for next Monday's weigh in. Not so much to manipulate the scale but more so in an effort to be proactive.

I know I am going to be out of my own environment and I need to prepare. I can either pass this test or fail. I am hoping to get a C or better, meaning either maintain my weight or still lose. We'll see!

*ROLL CALL*

I NEED ADDRESSES PEOPLE!

Even if you don't win the drawing Friday, I have something to send to you if you participated in the challenge in any way! Email me your address if you'd like to receive it!

orismom420@yahoo.com

Challenge:

Do the Superman! (Thanks Cheri)

Lay on your stomach on the floor. Stretch your arms and legs straight out so they are not touching the floor. See how long you can hold it. Post your time on here as a comment. I have 21 minutes till playgroup gets here so I'll be back on later to read your comments and post my time!

Dinner and a Drink

My hubby is the grill master!

I had some pork set out yesterday for dinner and I knew I was going to cook it on the grill but I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with it. Then, my hubby said the magic word...

KABOBS!

Even Ori was happy!

*Pause for Praise*

At dinner Octavio announced that starting at the end of this month he will only be required to work Monday - Thursday!!! WooHOO!

Now for a little drink discussion...

*Disclaimer*

Janet asked last week if there were any tips to stop drinking soda. Although I started typing this blog to address only that question, it turned into a rant on my part. So, Janet, aside from the specific articles I linked regarding soda addiction, please don't take any of this as my speaking directly to you. When I say "you" in this blog, I am not talking specifically to you Janet, but to my readers in general .

Also, I am not a medical doctor.

*End Disclaimer*

:)

Soda addiction is pretty common. I'm not talking about an occasional soft drink with dinner. I am talking about always having a can in your hand, not being able to go anywhere without stopping at the gas station to buy one (or two), and keeping one on your bedside table at night just in case you wake up parched.

Most people don't necessarily think they are addicted to it. And since there is so much more attention placed on alcohol, drug, and cigarette addiction, this one just doesn't seem that important.

But your health is important! In fact, it is much, MUCH more important than a sugary drink.

If asked whether you would like a sugary drink or a healthier life, the answer should be easy but I know that it isn't always as easy as it sounds. As with any addiction, you can't really start to fix the problem until you admit you have it in the first place. I have poked a little fun in the past at 12 Step Programs but in all actuality, they make sense.

I will say before I go into any of the other ideas I have found that prayer is going to be the most powerful option. If you are a believer in Him and have faith in Him, Jesus promises that "you will receive whatever you ask in prayer"(Matthew 21:22-23)

I could attempt to scare soda addicts with crazy tales of the acid in soda but they're just not true !

Some of these articles might help move a soda addict in the right direction:

If a description of what soda does to you might turn your head (or stomach) try this or you can look here.

If you are concerned about human rights around the world this one might help

The truth of the matter is if you aren't ready to quit, you won't quit. And the cold turkey approach may work for a few people or work for a while but chances are, it won't stick.

Everyone is always looking for the easiest way to accomplish something. A fad diet, a magic pill, something so that they don't have to do as much to deal with the problem. Well, anyone who has, or has had an addiction knows that it is never easy and it always takes work to overcome it.

You can wake up one day and say to yourself "I want to quit this habit today".

Do you want to quit or do you want to want to quit?

I went through over a year of wanting to want to be healthier before I finally bucked up and did it. I just got so disgusted with my behavior that I finally knew it was either deal with it or continue to be miserable.

When the time comes, and you are focused and ready to overcome your addiction, start slow!

Yesterday I talked about thinking of either what you are moving away from or what you are moving towards.

Make a list of all the things that will begin to disappear once you slowly start to take soda out of your daily life, or make a list of all the things that will return to you once this addiction is taken care of. Then, before you begin the process, spend some time, a week maybe, just focusing on that list. Get your mind ready for the fight.

As far as other ways to overcome this addiction, might I suggest a little bit of what others have already suggested? Do replace Coke with water, but not all at once. If you have a coke with each meal, pick a meal you think will be easiest and substitute Coke with water only for that meal. Maybe try this for a week or so, then add water to another meal, etc.

Lastly, a blog like this is a great place to deal with any obstacle you are working on. My cousin Michele is about the embark on a long journey and is having gastric bypass surgery in a few short weeks (may seem to some as an easy way out but I could not disagree more!). She asked me yesterday if it would bother me if she started journaling online with a blog of her own. Absolutely not! I highly recommend it! My goal here is to inspire others to make changes in their lives. How awesome it would be to be able to catch up on the progress of my readers!

Now I am going to talk specifically to you Janet - You can do this. It may seem like a giant but in reality it is just a soft drink. Take some time to get your mind in the right place and accomplish this goal! and be sure to keep us updated on your progress!

Challenge:

30 Jumping Jacks!

Come on people! GO!

Don't forget to deadline to enter Healthy Chelle's Challenge Challenge is fast approaching! The winner will be drawn this Friday! To all readers and participants in the challenge - I need mailing addresses people!

There are three ways you can participate in Healthy Chelle's Challenge Challenge.

1. Complete a challenge. Every time you leave me a comment saying you have completed a challenge I will enter your name in the drawing. Limit one comment per blog.


2. Send me challenge ideas. Every time you send me a challenge idea I will enter your name in the drawing. NO LIMIT!


3. Get a new friend to leave me a comment. Let your friends know about my blog. Anytime someone leaves a comment and says "so-and-so told me to check out your blog" I will enter that so-and-so's name in the drawing.

The sun is shining on the Highway to Health!

Weigh Day Week 9 - A MUST READ

Goal: Lose baby weight + 30 lbs

Achieved so far: Baby weight is gone!

Pre-pregnancy weight: 221.0

Weight last week: 209.8

Current weight: 209.2

Weight loss/gain since last week: -0.6

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST (not including baby weight): -11.8


Well, it's something. That's really all I have to say about that :)


After doing 100 crunches on Monday, 50 crunches Tuesday -Saturday, and 100 again on Sunday I decided to re-measure my waist...

I LOST AN INCH! I am probably more excited about that than any weight loss so far since my extreme problem area is actually smaller!

Enough about weight, let's talk races...

Leslie and I ran the Pewee Valley Fire Department's Spring Training 5k. My goal was to be physically spent by by the end of the race, to feel like I had nothing left to give.

It was a really beautiful run. It was mostly back country type roads. You could hear birds chirping and at one point you could actually hear water flowing down a little creek.

Our first mile felt a little rough. We ended up hitting Mile Marker 1 with a time of 10:55. Neither of us were happy with that number so we took it up a notch.

At Mile Marker 2 we were pleasantly surprised. Our time was 19:55. A nine minute mile! I don't know if either of us have ever ran a nine minute mile before but it felt great! Starting off the last 1.1 miles knowing we had made such great time really pumped us up. Until we saw the hills...

It really is important to know the course before you run a race. That way you can mentally prepare yourself for the challenge before hand. We weren't mentally prepared for these hills at all.

The weren't massive hills or anything but it really felt like one after another after another. I kept chanting in my mind, and at one point said to Leslie out loud, "These hills are not a discouragement. They are a challenge. And when we make great time it will feel even sweeter to know that we made great time while conquering all these hills."

We pushed through and made it. Quite a few times I really felt like I wanted to just walk for a minute but I knew that I couldn't do that. My legs felt like Jell-o at one point and I am certain our pace slowed dramatically for a minute or two so we could recoup.

Then, miraculously, we were back on the main road. We knew it was flat and we knew the finish line was in sight. (The only feeling greater than this is actually crossing the finish line!)

At this point, I decided to kick it up a notch in an effort to make sure I succeeded in making myself feel physically spent. I pushed and pushed and pushed.

About 100 yards or so from the finish line I got into a foot race with another participant. She was a little older than I but at least a foot taller with long legs and I could tell she had been running for a while.

She had just started to pull away from what I assume was her husband and I didn't really consider taking her on until I heard him warning her that I was coming. "Coming on your left Barbara. Pick it up!" he told her.

It was SO on!

The finish line was in sight. There were a bunch of firefighters and EMS at the finish line cheering us on, excited about the action. I was peddling my 29 inch inseam about as fast as I could and was worried she was gonna beat me. Thankfully the old "Runner's High" kicked in and that adrenaline rush allowed me to overtake my competition right at the end!

I WON!

I heard some people talking and someone say "That is how you finish a race."

And about two minutes later, I had to puke. :) Then Leslie made me get my blood pressure checked as feelings from the aftermath of last years half marathon began to creep in a little.

Mission accomplished.


Before this race my personal record was 32:40 for a 5k. That was at the zoo race just under a year ago. The zoo is fairly hilly so I was glad that this race had hills that way I could consider it comparable to my the course of my PR race.

My time for this race...

31:25!

I am excited to have a new PR! That is running at almost 6 miles an hour!

This race was also (I believe) a PR for Leslie too! In celebration of our accomplishment we decided to stage a re-enactment of Ori and Elena's adorable race photo from the week before.

Thanks Leslie for crouching down so that people can't tell you are a good 6 inches + taller than me. And just so you know, even if I had photo shop, I wouldn't try to retouch my hangy arm fat. It is proof of what I have accomplished!

A little more about races...

I am committing to running this 5k race in Michigan in July. I would love, love, LOVE my Michigan readers to participate with me. I am hoping that this blog will pump you all up a little.

Here is my vision for this race:

My readers and I all meet at a specified location at 7 a.m. for a little pre-race pep rally. We are all sporting blue t-shirts of some kind, not necessarily matching but somewhat uniformed. We register for the race, and take a place at the start line. We are all smiling and probably sweating already since it is July.

We all know that at no point will we feel alone, ashamed, or embarrassed. Since we have all made a pre-race pact to "Finish Together and Finish Strong" there is no anxiety from those who have never done this before. There is strength in numbers so we will be strong!

We will have all agreed to some sort of goal before hand, something like two minutes walking, one minute jogging (subject to change:) so we all know what to expect and what is expected of us. Again, since we are going to "Finish Together and Finish Strong" we will know that every time that one minute of jogging comes up we can do it!

The one minute of jogging will be a very slow and steady pace. Since the true goal is to "Finish Together and Finish Strong" their isn't competition amongst this group. We are one!

The two minutes off will not only be a time to get our heart rates in check but to celebrate the fact that we all just ran together for one whole minute! Every one minute of jogging will be filled with determination. Each two minutes of walking will be full of celebration.

Our eyes will be on the prize as the finish line approaches. The sea of blue (or lake or pond or puddle, depending on the number of participants) will pick up the pace a little and crash against the shoreline as one and the race will be complete! (sorry for the water metaphors but we are sure to be sweaty)

We break out into loud cheers at our accomplishments and head off to Subway to continue our celebration! After lunch everyone heads home for a shower and probably a nap!

Who's with me?

Challenge:

Get ready for the race. Check out this article for tips on how to get yourself ready for July 12. It gives you an 8 week training routine to get ready for walking/jogging a 5k.

Begin focusing on MAY 19th

May 19th is 8 weeks before the race. That is when the training should start for the race.

It is important to gear yourself up for the actual gear up. Consider this time, up until May 19th as your pre-training and take some time to actually focus on what this goal will mean to you.

You might be the type of person who likes to think about all you will leave behind...

• no more being inactive
• no more laziness
• no more guilt
• no more "maybe tomorrow" 's or "next week" 's

You might be the type of person who likes to think about what you are heading towards...

• more energy
• a healthier you
• a sense of accomplishment
• a longer life

Either way, make the list now and post it somewhere you will be reminded of it daily.

May 19th is 8 weeks before the race. That is when the training should start for the race.

If you have someone in mind who you would love to see at the finish line with us, be sure to pass my link on to them!

*To all my readers both locally and around the US*

If you all wouldn't mind, I would really like a list of every one's email and mailing addresses. Not only would I like to be able to send the "Healthy Chelle's Challenge Challenge" winner their prize, I would also like to send something out to all those who participate and read this!

Email me at orismom420@yahoo.com with your mailing address. I will save your email address to my address book.

You all have been keeping me on my toes and I am having a blast!

What has two thumbs...

...and successfully completed one day of tracking their sugar intake?

This guy!

Seriously, does that joke ever get old?

I am so proud of myself! I paid attention and did it!

Here's how my numbers stacked up:

Coffee with flavored creamer - 15 grams

Oatmeal with 1/4 cup blueberries and 1/4 strawberries - 5.5 grams

String cheese - 0 grams

Ham Sandwich with provolone cheese on whole grain with mustard - 6 grams

1/2 cup yogurt - 18 grams

Pork stir fry with brown rice - 8 grams

2 cups 1% milk - 24 grams

PB Sandwich with Smart Balance PB - 4 grams

GRAND TOTAL - 72.5 grams

The only thing that I kind of restricted myself on was the yogurt. Since I buy the bigger tubs of yogurt instead of the single serving cups it was a little easier for me to just take 1/2 cup instead of a whole cup. I don't know that I could have only eaten half of a single serving cup though. The only reason I only allowed myself 1/2 cup is because I wasn't sure how many grams of sugar I normally consume in a day and I didn't want to spend them all in one place! :)

Thanks Anne and Samantha for lighting a little fire under my behind and thanks to Leslie for reminding me that this may just be what my body needs to really get itself in order!

I think I probably am under 100 grams of sugar most days. I am thankful that I don't drink a lot of soft drinks. I am sure if I did it would have been impossible to keep it under 100!

Some of you may drink a lot of pop (my southern friends are going "what's pop?") Might I suggest trying a little bit of green or white tea? I know you are probably rolling your eyes but just hear me out. There are many potential health benefits to drinking green tea. I drink a cup in the afternoon on most days and find that my mood lightens considerably after that one cup. And there is just something about warming up a nice cup of tea that is so relaxing. If you are drinking pop for the caffeine, Dr. Oz said on a fairly recent episode of Oprah that green tea has about a third of the caffeine of a cup of coffee, yet packs a bigger punch!

As far as tracking stuff goes, I have decided that I am going to take a whole week and just focus on my sugar. I think if I narrow in my focus on one nutritional factor at a time I can slowly allow myself to get the numbers under control without feeling overwhelmed. If I take a week to just look at sugar, then by the end of the week I should have a fairly good idea of how much sugar is in the things I eat on a regular basis. Then I'll move along to carbs, protein, fiber, and calories, all one at a time.

*abrupt change in topics*

Well, I just realized that I have about 20 minutes to get Ori to the dentist so I need to wrap this up.

I am running a 5K tomorrow with Leslie. I am hoping to push myself the entire time. My goal is to feel physically spent by the time I reach the finish line. I look forward to updating you all on how it went after my weigh in on Monday.

Challenge:

Scissor it!

I stole this from the my favorite Sparkpeople.com workout video

Pretend you have a jump rope in hand and for thirty seconds do some scissor jumps. Every time you jump alternate your left and right foot forward and back.

Go!

*Weekend Challenge*

Continue looking at your labels for sugar information. Those of you who shoot me an email with one shocking discovery as far as sugar goes will get a bonus entry in the drawing!

Thanks to Leigh Ann for posting a link to my blog on her site! She has already received two extra entries in the drawing thanks to friends of hers visiting this blog! Gracias Friend!