I've Been Challenged!

It's happened!  I've been challenged!  So, if you've been a consistent reader *or somewhat consistent* then you'll know that I walked/ran 500+ miles between June and December of this past year.  A friend of mine has now challenged me to get twice that!  And, since I got 500 in 7 months, I'm going to need to step up my game.

In my usual fashion, I have updated my ticker on the side to reflect what I've gotten done.  In order to accomplish this goal, I will need to walk/run approximately 83 miles per month.  That tells me that I can't slack.  I've been pretty diligent about at least walking on my off running days.  If you see my times/mileage for my walking days, they're not nearly as pretty as my running days.  And that's okay with me.  The idea of my off days is that I'm doing a lighter workout, not as intense.  I've also gotten back into doing some strength training too.  I still need to firm up those jiggly parts.

Now for your challenge...what can you do to challenge yourself in the way of exercise?  Can you commit to getting yourself moving at least 3 days a week?  Can you walk for 20 minutes 4 days a week?  I'm not going to give you mileage, but you need to find something that will challenge you.

We are also now *basically* two weeks into the new year.  What goals are you working on?  Maybe you've picked just one goal to work on for now and that's okay.  Have you dedicated yourself to drinking more water?  Are you trying to eat smaller portions?  Reevaluate where you are at and make sure that you are able to do that one thing well before committing to another goal.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, sometimes when we try to do everything well all at the same time, we become overwhelmed.  When we become overwhelmed, we jump ship.  We derail.  Don't let that be you!

Keep at it friends.  Let each day bring you closer to your goal!

Surgery

I wanted to get this out. 

There are some people who need or choose to have 'the surgery.'  What I mean by this is that they have surgery to help them lose weight.  This comes in two forms that I am familiar with...the Lap Band and gastric bypass.  The first puts a band around the stomach to essentially make your stomach smaller and keep you from eating more than is necessary.  This seems a bit less invasive.  The latter is much more drastic.  I know a couple of people who have had it done.

These gals have done this *one or the other* as a seemingly last resort.  I think it can absolutely work for those who have the right mind-set.  On the other hand, it can backfire *like any food modification program* if your emotional health isn't addressed too.  I have said time and time again that if your mind-set isn't focused and ready to take on the difficulties of a food battle, you will unfortunately sadly fail.

I'm speaking from my heart here.  I want people to know that while surgery is something I would consider a 'quick fix' for your body, it doesn't 'fix' your emotional state.  Only you can fix your emotional state.  No one else.  Not your mom, dad, sister, brother, cousin, aunt, uncle, children, spouse, friend or significant other.  You.  Only you.  And at the off-chance of sounding preachy...you and God.

One last plug.  We read a book in my book study called "Made to Crave" by Lysa TerKeurst.  No, I don't get any money for raving about her book, but I really enjoyed it!  It goes after your heartstrings.  And, it's funny!  I often imagine that my baby carrots are a bowl full of Cheetos, but I know Lysa thinks of them in a different way.

Pick something to work on this week...just one thing.  Drinking more water.  Getting in some exercise time.  Whatever it may be and do it.  And do it well!

Happy New Year!

It's a new year!  It's 2013!!  We're now 19ish hours in and it has been a pretty great day.  Why do I say that it was a pretty great day?  I made some tasty things for us to eat for breakfast.  I made a beautiful loaf of 100% whole wheat bread *with fresh milled flour*. 

The most important thing I did today *aside from taking care of my children and keeping my house in order*?  My friend and I completed the Commitment Day 5k.  Now, we don't live anywhere near the large cities that were listed on the main page, but we decided to give it a go here.  We were hoping for a few other folks, but it was just she and I.  We ran her route about a week ago and it was a bit difficult.  Today, we ran it and it felt so great that I suggested that we keep going.  She called me a brat.  True story.  But, she suggested that we take 'another loop'.  And...we did!  And...it was awesome!  And...I sprinted at the end.  Yep...me!!

Our pace was slower today, but we pulled in 4.96 miles *let's just say a nice even 5*.  Of course, that included a 5 minute warm up and 4 minutes of a cool down.  There is something else that was great.  I usually take a day off in-between my runs, but I didn't want to abandon my day yesterday in part because it was my 20th day for a challenge that I was a part of.  Regardless of my two days in a row, I don't feel overly spent.  I'm not sure how my friend feels not that she's had some down time.

So here it is, the evening of the 1st and I'm feeling excited about the month...and the year.  We have two birthdays coming up this month.  One, I'm not allowing to happen *completely teasing our daughter about this.*  I've told her she's not allowed to turn double digits.  With that in mind, I am looking forward to making their cakes and celebrating their lives!

Get moving friends!  It's a new year and time to make your goals a reality!

13 for '13

Here it is!!  The long awaited 13 for '13.  That's 13 goals for 2013.  If you're not sure why I don't dig resolutions, you can check out my last post here.  I reviewed the goals that I made for 2012.  I'm looking forward to a new year.  I think it'll be a year of continuing to strengthen my body and renew my mind.

Without further ado, my 13 for '13:

1. Continue to maintain my goal weight.  And, I need to give myself a 5 pound buffer even though it pains me to say so...I need that.  It's more about being up 5 pounds rather than down 5.
2. I want to keep running...to remain dedicated no matter what!  It's hard, but I enjoy it far more than I ever thought I would.
3. I want to spend time with my hubby at night at least once a week *I guess I should clue him in on this too, huh?*  I just bought Battleship *the game* for he and I to play.  We've also played Othello recently.  This is an adjustment over this year's goal of going on a date night 1x per month.
4. Take time for myself.  I really need to continue to do this for myself.  I need to be vocal about it too.  I'm hoping that I can do this once every other week or so.  Hoping to.
5. Spend less time on the computer.  I typically spend some time on the computer in the morning while I drink my coffee/tea; some time while I eat lunch and then again after dinner.  The goal?  I need to limit it a bit more.  I'm going to set the timer and spend no more than a half hour in the morning and at lunch.  Then I can spend a bit more time on the computer after the girls go to bed.
6. Do more crafty things with my girls.  I did quite a few things with them just before Christmas and I'd like to keep doing fun things with them.  They loved it!
7. Bake more with the girls.  They enjoy the baked goods that I make, so I'd like them to help more in the kitchen.
8. Write one letter/card by hand a month.  I am modifying this one from this year as well.  A handwritten note can make someone's day so much better.  Have you tried it recently? *no I don't mean a personal e-mail either!!*
9. Continue taking my girls outside to do things like sledding, bike riding, and walking.  I have a blast too.  We've gone sledding several times already.  We just love it!
10. Express my feelings better with my friends, husband and girls.  *A repeat from this year.*
11. Read at least 3 books this next year.  I enjoy it...I need to do it for myself.  I need to make time for it.
12. Encourage others who are continuing their journey or starting a new journey.  It's a hard road, but one that is worth it!
13. Laugh at myself, laugh at my children and roll my eyes at my husband *another adjustment from one for this year.*

Do you have some new goals for this year?  What do you want to work on?

No giving up!  It's not allowed!

And...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  I hope and pray that you all have a very blessed and happy year in 2013!

One Last Review

So nearly a year ago I wrote this blog post called 12 for '12.  You can find that here.  I'm going to also list them here in a minute too.  If you're new to my blog, I came up with goals instead of resolutions because, well...I feel like we make resolutions and then they get broken.  I feel like goals are attainable, achievable, and most importantly...believable!

So, my 12 for '12 were the following *I will add in my thoughts next to them in parenthesis*:

1. Get to my goal weight *185* or less and maintain it.  (I've fluctuated off and on throughout the last 10 months since attaining goal.  I have not gained 10 pounds or anything, but I've been up about 4 pounds.  In all, I feel pretty good about the last 10 months.  It will always be a struggle, but I know that now.)
2. Continue to work hard by strengthening my body.  (Boy have I been doing this!  Not only have I been strengthening my body, but pushing it too.  I never thought that I'd still be running, but I am and this morning was awesome!)
3. Try to have at least one 'date' with my hubby per month *coffee date, dinner date, something!*  (Hmm, well, we did pretty good with this until summer hit and it all went down hill thereafter.  Our last date night was in August.  However, we did sit and play a couple of games of Othello last night after the littler two went to bed.  It was a lot of fun and we plan to play Battleship together tonight!)
4. Keep trying new recipes.  (I do this a lot naturally anyway.  We've found some new ones that we love and some that are just 'eh.'  Since it has gotten cold, I've found that I'm choosing our 'old' favorites in regards to comfort food.)
5. Read more.  (This has waxed and waned quite a bit this year.  I'm still reading a particular book that I really need to finish.  I find myself busy doing so many other things.  Today, the girls and I went sledding!)
6. Take time for myself *outside of exercise & my book study*.  (This has been difficult too, but I'm learning to tell my husband that I *need* time for myself.  And I truly *need* this time for myself.)
7. Continue to blog and share my journey with others.  (I don't blog as much as I would like, but I still feel like I'm sharing my heart with others when I can and that is the important part.)
8. Do things with the girls that require going outside and being active.  (We have done quite a bit of this in the last couple of months *especially*.  When my hubby was away, I still wanted to get my runs in so the oldest pulled the youngest in the bike trailer behind her bike, and middle kiddo road her bike.  Going sledding is another activity that we've down now 3 times with other opportunities to do so again.  We've also gone on bike rides a lot too or just for walks.)
9. Eat fresh fruits/veggies as much as possible.  (I'm still doing quite a bit of fresh.  I would say that more than 50% of my veggie/fruit intake is fresh, but the rest is frozen.)
10. Write more letters by hand.  (I've done fairly well with this.  I still have room for improvement on it though.  It's just so convenient to sit down and write an e-mail.)
11. Laugh more.  (I'd say look at #8...we did a whole lot of laughing as we were coming down the hill today.  Also, playing games with hubby or kiddos...also lends to laughing.)
12. Learn how to better express my feelings to others.  (Oh boy...this is still hard.  I'm getting better.  It's improving, but I will be adding it on for next year too).

Overall, I feel like I've done pretty well on my goals for this year.  As we get ready for 2013, I will be adding a couple of these onto my new goals list.  In some ways, there's no reason to reinvent the wheel.  I have a few more days, but will be formulating my new goals list.

 

What will your goals for 2013 be?  Don't give up!  Just keep on keeping on!

And if you're curious to see my other goal reviews you can see them here, and here.

500 Miles

It has happened!  Wednesday as I ran in 20-some degree weather and the sun was setting, I hit my first 500 miles.  In my defense, I only had .2 miles to go before hitting that after my run on Monday.  I have to say that the weather has been less than desirable the past eight or nine days.  It started getting yucky last Wednesday with the higher winds and colder temperatures.  Then Thursday, Friday, and Saturday...we got snow.  We got quite a bit too.

I did in fact run on Saturday after all of our snow.  It was nicely packed on the streets which made using my hubby's Yaktrax a cinch.  Here's the sad tale of my hubby's Yaktrax.  I bought them for him a couple of years ago for Christmas.  They've sat in his drawer since then.  I'm not sure if he's just not a die-hard like me or what the deal is.  I know that he's had a membership to the gym, so that may have also played a part in it too.  He also didn't have much of a chance to use them last year due to the lack of adequate snow fall.  I digress.  When I got ready to go for my run, I told him that I was going to use them.  I'll give those babies a test run.  And...I did!  Amazing!  I didn't fall, nor did I slip on the ice.  I had two older gentlemen tell me to be careful on the ice, but I informed them that I had my Yaktrax on.  This is what I had on.

I don't intend on giving up my running unless something unforeseen occurs.  I also don't know how our weather will be.  When I ran on Monday, I ran the Route 66 loop since I knew that downtown would be clear for tourists, etc.  If you do the entire loop, it's 2 miles.  I did it twice!  I even got a shout out from my friend's boss, who happens to co-own the pizzeria downtown.  She told me that I am sure dedicated.  I think I'm crazy most of the time...not so much dedicated.

The other thing I've started trying to do is get myself active for a period of time every hour.  I have two pieces of music that walk to in the house and together they last about 7-8 minutes.  I've even done a dance party with the girls during that time.  I do set the time for 60 minutes.  When it goes off, I get up and get going.  It helps on my otherwise quiet days.  I know it doesn't seem possible to have 'quiet' days when you have a house full of girls, but I mean that we don't have a lot of activity happening.  It's not only good for me, but it's also good for the girls.  And...they enjoy it!

We are approaching Christmas and I hope that you have a blessed and special time with your family!  I'm not going to tell you to deprive yourself...all things in moderation!!

It's December!!!

There are only twenty-three days left in the month of December.  Can you believe that?  Nearly a year ago, I started this blog to be an encouragement to others.  I've tapered off a bit in the last several months, but I think about my blog almost daily.  It taunts me and tells me that I need to write.  I just don't always know what to write.  And last year, on the 31st, I wrote this post about my 12 for '12.  I'm not going to review those now, but I will when I get to the end of the month and get ready to write a whole new set of goals for the New Year.

My running is going great!  I've had a lot of interesting moments since August, but there is always a new challenge.  My pace is typically around 12 to 13 minute miles.  Today's training had me: warm up for 5 minutes, run at a fast pace for 10 minutes, walk for 5 minutes, and finish off with another 10 minute fast paced run.  The part that makes me laugh?  The fast pace part.  I don't do fast paced anything.  Let's just say that I ended up pushing myself more than usual.  The other part that had me laughing while running?  The strap for my HRM needs a new battery.  So even though I was panting and figured I'd keel over?  My heart rate was only registering at 70-something!  With all that, I managed to haul in 2.6 miles *even though my ticker to the right isn't letting me add it in*.  My pace *including my 5 minute warm up* was a bit less than an 11.5 minute mile.  Woot!

In addition to my running, I am sending spontaneous e-mails to a friend to remind her to get up and do:  jumping jacks, crunches, leg lifts, push ups, etc.  Not only is it good for her, but it is also good for me since I am also doing the same thing immediately after hitting the send button.  It is a reminder for me to keep moving.  Every little bit helps!

It is also that time of year when I get my new calendar.  I got it this last week.  It's still pretty stark looking, but I haven't sat down with it and added in birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  I also need to meal plan for the month of December--ick YAY!  I've usually gotten my grocery list put together and shopped by now, but it's been a bit chaotic this week.

Also, I finally got my birthday present this past week and I've been wearing it for nearly a week.  I have to say that now I know I slack on Friday's when the girls are home.  Yikes!  Oh yeah!  What is it?  It's a Fitbit One.  This is it:

It is pretty tiny.  And normally, it's clipped on my bra.  And no, I'm not taking a picture of it clipped where it should be.  So there!  I love this thing so far.  The picture above is showing how many steps I took today. 

It also tracks your mileage:

your calories burned,

your activity level *by growing a flower*,

and how many floors you've climbed.

The story on the number of floors I've climbed is this...we don't have stairs in our house.  The one floor that I got today was because of the elevation changes on my run this morning.  I even tried going up and down the stairs on our porch to get some more floors.  No dice.  Oh and it also has a silent alarm that you can set before you go to bed.

Speaking of bed...I need to go in that direction!  We have a fun day planned tomorrow.  We have friends coming over and I need to be peppy!  Don't forget to get your rest too!