goals?

I've worked really hard for the last few months and really have nothing to show for it. I like my chocolate.  I have a sweet tooth AND a salt tooth, so it really is a bad combination.  I've been working out pretty hard consistently and have not lost one pound.  Not a single one.  I can't really complain.  I am in the "healthy" weight range, and I am healthy overall so I guess that is all that really matters.  I can notice a slight (very slight) difference in the physical appearance of my body.  I need to set some goals for myself to stay motivated.  I just don't know what those goals should be?  I don't want to focus on numbers.  I would like to focus on habits (dietary, exercise, life in general).  So I will make a few here and tweak them as I go along:

Dietary

1.  Limiting fast food to once a week (shouldn't be too hard to do for me).

2. More vegetables.  I usually have 2 servings or so of vegetables per day (usually both with dinner).  Maybe I can split those up into lunch AND dinner and then add a half serving to each?

3. Limiting my sweets.  Or at least changing the type of sweets I'm enjoying.  Less ice cream and more fresh fruit for example.

Exercise

1. Finish my mini triathlon without dying.

2. Continue to do strength training twice per week throughout the summer.

3. Continue to run outside during the summer.  Even if I have to wake up early (before the sweltering heat) to get it done.  Being outside is so soothing for me.

Life

1. Stay caught up on laundry!  It's really one of the hardest things for me to do.  I hate doing whites (all those pesky socks to match up), so we are always running behind on it.

2. Take time out for each kid this summer.  Having alone time with them to make them both feel as important as they are!  My daughter is getting old enough to do fun things now like amusement parks and roller coasters.  Good thing she is a thrill seeker like mom!

3. Read.  Whether it is escaping into a book this summer, or perusing the Bible to find some scripture to reflect upon... I just need to read!

So there we have it! Goals.

a little disappointed

so I submitted my request for time off in September to go do my sprint triathalon and it was denied. 6 months ahead of time! to say I was disappointed is an understatement, but what am I supposed to do? I can't just take time off without pay, so I will suck it up and wait until next year I guess. I have emailed the girl that handles our requests off with a list of weekends that I would be interested in having off just to see if any of those weekends are available to take off. I guess when she gets back to me I can look and see if there are any sprint triathalons that match up.  I did get the night before the mini triathalon off, so that is nice.

I've been slacking at the gym lately. not really slacking but I have a hard time going to the gym when. my husband is at home (he is out of town for work a few days a week). I feel like I would rather spend time with him than to go to the gym. sometimes we do exercise together, taking the dog and the baby jogging stroller and switching off when the baby gets too heavy to push anymore. but our exercise routines are so different that it makes it hard to really do that together. I am doing couch to 5k again (I've done the program quite a few times) and he would rather just go for a quick jog maybe 15-20 minutes (no walk breaks, just jog)... I can usually hang with him and do the run but it just feels like it messes up my routine. last year I worked out with a friend and 4-5 days a week we would do one of the weeks (5 warm up, 5 jog/3 walk three times, 5 cool down) twice in a row... so we'd usually get about 4.7-5 miles in an hour while pushing our tots who were 12-18 months at the time. that was nice and I always felt pretty worn out afterwards but now she's expecting baby number 2 and isn't working out like that anymore.  I'm a pretty social exerciser, that's why I enjoy my classes at the gym. usually there is the same small group of moms that go to the classes I go to every week and it is nice. our kids vary in age (my 21 month old is the youngest and I believe one girl has a 12 year old), but it is nice to have someone to talk with before and after class. it holds us accountable too.

anyway, my point really is that while I'm disappointed that I don't really have a "goal" to work for now that my triathalon has been yanked from under me, I still enjoy exercising and beig active... I just have to find the right motivation to get out there and get it done!

gadgets and gizmos

I want I want I want.... there are so many things I want: a fitbit, new running shoes, a new iPod, new workout clothes, etc. I think all of these things will help me get better, stronger, etc, but in reality it's all a head game. the only thing that's going to make me stronger and better is hard work! I understand this, but it still doesn't take the want away. I do think I will be getting new running shoes in the next few months, definitely before I do my "races".

I'm starting to see results with my workout regimen. not that I've lost any weight (I actually stopped weighing), but I feel different and I look different. I really just need to buckle down my diet an that is really hard to do workin night shift! we are getting over the stomach bug at our house, too, so it's been a rough week to be at he gym. but none the less, I've had to make it a priority.

too tired for a title

for Christmas I asked for one thing: a bike. it didn't have to be fancy, a plain old bike from Walmart would do just fine. I wasn't sure Santa was really going to get me a bike but I really wanted one. my older sister had a bike trailer for the kids that I could have to cart around the kids and not be limited by my husbands work schedule and child care. so imagine my disappointment on Christmas morning when all of my presents were open and done and no bike. I am not really disappointed because I am truly blessed and fortunate to have gotten anything at all. my husband is a great gift giver, he always thinks of the best things to give that are really perfect. until he said he had one more gift and it was a piece of paper with a picture of my new bike! Horray! and ever since then I have ridden maybe 5-6 times. the weather has been totally crappy and the bike trailer doesn't attach correctly on my bike. these problems will soon be corrected and I will be on a roll! all of this to say that in honor of my upcoming 30th birthday I will be doing a little mini triathalon with my friend in June and a sprint triathalon in September. I've been getting in pretty good workouts at the gym 5 days a week and I try to do something at home on the 6th day. I have been mixing in running and swimming with my classes I've been taking (body pump, Zumba, core, kickboxing, body jam, step aerobics, and a spin and sculpt class). so I feel pretty confident that I will be ready to go for my races this summer (ahhh summer, I can't wait for warmer weather)!!

so I will be updating along the way. got to get in bed soon because 6:20 comes early around here.

week 2

week 2 of my YMCA membership and eating healthy started today. in reality, I always try to eat on the healthier side, but I've really gotten serious about it this past week. no more eating ice cream for the "calcium" :) 

anyway, last week I did a body pump class (ouch), a core class and kickboxing class, a step aerobics class, a dance class, and I rode my bike. I've been eating really healthy and drinking tons of water. so one would think maybe i would lose a pound or two right? wrong, I only gained a pound. although I do not trust my scale because it does say low battery.  so I made the decision on Saturday night to just get rid of that stupid scale. it doesn't really mean anything right? as long as I am exercising and eating right and I still fit into my clothes then who cares?! I say that, but it's still sitting in my bathroom. but I haven't stepped foot on it. 

today I returned for some more body pump action. I was incredibly sore last week so hopefully that will be the same this week. I could hardly finish the shoulders and triceps section of class today. I am beat! I really want to start training for a triathalon (a mini or sprint) so I am trying to look at our schedules and see when I can fit in training around our work schedules and everything else we've got going on. I'm headed to Walmart to get a calendar after I pick up kids from school. mj is going to try taking a kids fitness class today too. we will see how that goes :)

I'm back..... an update on life

so it's been almost 3 years since I posted anything on this blog. in those 3 years so much has happened! I ran on and off the summer of 2011 in prep for my half marathon. about 3 weeks before the half, I found out I was pregnant with baby number two. we were so thrilled. I decided to not run the half. I know that you can run marathons while pregnant but how awful would I have felt if I did run it and caused some kind of problem?! I would have never forgiven myself, even if it was "coincidence". so then I just exercised by walking and generally being active. during my pregnancy I gained about 35 pounds. he was 9 days late and I had such crazy cravings with him. first it was baby corns from a jar, then it was guacamole, and then I settled on cupcakes. not just like run to the grocery store and get some cupcakes, but go to a specialty cupcake shop and get the good stuff. couple that with a husband who loved to spoil me with whatever I wanted to eat... I'm lucky I only gained 35!!!

on July 5, 2012 we welcomed a bouncing baby boy who was 8 lb 1 oz, much smaller than the 9 pounder that the ultrasound measured him to be. I came home from the hospital and guess what? I only lost 5 pounds! how in the world does that happen? so anyway, fast forward to life today and we have a sassy 7 year old and the sweetest 18 month old. they are amazing and keep us super busy. not to mention our 2 dogs. it is so hard to figure any kind of exercise into my day between taking care of everyone else and trying to keep the house running semi smooth. I was doing so well for awhile. I would throw the baby into the jogging stroller and meet up with a girlfriend and run. sometimes 2 miles sometimes 5. but no matter how much I ran, I haven't been able to get a well rounded workout in. now that we've had the coldest winter in quite awhile, I haven't hardly been able to exercise outside at all, no jogging stroller and no bike trailer. so yesterday I manned up and joined the YMCA.  I did a body pump class and today I am feeling it for sure. it feels great.

anyway, I am on a quest to get my body back. when I tell people I still have 10 pounds to loose, they say no way!!! but it's there somewhere and I've got to get rid of it.

Slower than molasses

Geesh! I never knew I was such a slow runner until I started doing mapmyrun and runkeeper.  It is quite ridiculous if I say so myself.  The other day I ran for 40 minutes... I thought MAYBE it was about 3.5 miles because it was terribly hot and humid and I felt like I was dragging majorly.  So I got home and mapmyrun'ed it and it was a measley 3.1   what?!  Seriously?  Now today I did 42 minutes and it was 3.5.  Thats still about 12-13 minutes/mile... will I ever be able to get to 10 minutes before november's half? I don't know, but I do know that I'm going to try.  This is just ridiculous....