MAMAVATION MONDAY, ER TUESDAY: What I have been doing lately

It has been a very long time since I have posted a Mamavation Monday post and I'm not quite sure why.  I'm back though so here's my first post to get back into a routine....well, a day late but hey, it's progress, right?! 

Anyway, I have been working out but not as much as I probably should.  I am not participating in any monthly challenges or workout routines but I have been running a lot since I am in training for the half marathon.  Included in that training in cross training and strength.  I haven't been doing any big lifting but rather lower weights with more reps and I've been walking or doing ab work for my cross training. 

This month, I am going to participate in the Virtual Ride for Breast Cancer with Jess from Run With Jess.  I will be riding 31 miles this month, most likely in a few rides.  I can incorporate that into my cross training and it will help strengthen my legs and keep me aware. I would encourage everyone else to sign up too and we can all ride together!

I need to find a monthly challenge to do!  I think I will look for an ab one to do so that I can strengthen my midsection and core.  I haven't been pushing myself as hard as I should be so this is a target area for me to strengthen.  I love the monthly challenges because I don't lose focus and I am building up gradually instead of trying to go balls to the wall.  Yes, I just said that! haha.

What have you been doing lately?  Do you have any monthly goals this month?  My monthly goal is to run at least 50 miles which shouldn't be too hard for me since my daily runs are at least 5 miles.

Reaching For A Goal

Many times and many days, my running has been therapeutic.  I can get outside or go downstairs to the treadmill, turn on my music and just go.  I think about a lot of things and I've let go of a lot of things while running.  I have motivated myself, pushed myself and I've even cried a bit on the runs thinking about life, my family and tons of other things.

There is a sense of pride every time I reach my running goal.  Every mile is a victory for me.  I celebrate every single mile I achieve.  The time came for me a set myself a goal. 

I am currently training for my first half marathon!  I know a few people who have done them and they followed the 12 week training program that I am following now.  Hal Higdon has come up with these programs for all levels of ability. You can adjust them a bit to better suite your weekly schedule but I feel like his program isn't too daunting or scary.

I completed my first week of training on Sunday as the weeks run Monday through Sunday.  I did well and I was able to complete all my workouts.  There are three days of running, one day of rest, two days of cross training and one day of stretch and strengthening. 

I am planning on doing my first half marathon in October and the course is said to be mostly downhill and perfect for those doing their first half.  I don't know if I will make it to the race.....meaning if my body will be able to handle all the training but I am willing to give it my all in an effort to make it. 

I am not going to give up without a fight though.  I want to prove to myself and others that I can do this.  At this point, I do not have any timing goals or anything like that.  I am just plugging along the training schedule and taking it one day at a time.  I know it's not going to be easy but I am going to give it my all.

It's a Crazy Thought

For years I said I wanted to be a runner and now I am starting to consider myself a runner.  I don't run every single day but I feel I do it regularly enough for it to be a habit and a hobby.  I know I will never break any speed records or time records but that's okay, that's not my goal.  I just fee proud when I finish a run in a respectable amount of time.

After I did a few 5K races, I said that I would love to one day run a half marathon but that seems like a really lofty goal.  I mean, that is 13.1 miles of running.  That's a lot of running. 

I have a friend that did a training program for half marathons and so far she has run two of them and she has said that I should train and do one too.  She says it is totally doable and if I want to do one, I just need to make the decision to be diligent and do it. 

I've started looking at training guides for half marathons, just in case I decide that the timing is right.  I have found a few different ones but they all seem to be about the same.  I like this one, it is very gradual:

Source: Uploaded by user via Alison on Pinterest

It seems to be attainable.  The only problem for me is, if I do a training program I need to make a goal date and begin at a time that coincides with the race date.  However, what if I register for a half marathon with every intent to run it and I injure myself or something happens and I can't run it? Do I just continue to run until I can find a half marathon that works for me?! 

A lot of this is still in my head and it is a lot to think about because it is a commitment I'd have to make to myself.  However, isn't my personal motto, "you are worth it!?"

MAMAVATION MONDAY: Setting myself up for success, running and weigh-ins

I feel like in order for me to reach my goals, I need to create smaller milestones to celebrate and keep myself going.  The goal of losing 2 pounds each month is a great one for me because I don't have to look at the whole picture just yet.  I can (hopefully) lose those two pounds and feel proud and move on to the next goal without worrying about the end result.  Again, it isn't just about numbers, I need to fit into that skirt in July and hopefully have enough room to eat dinner too! ;)

I have been running semi-consistent.  I ran 3 days last week which is pretty good for me considering that I have to do my running outside and it is January in Pennsylvania.  The weather cleared pretty nicely here so I was able to do two days of 3.6 miles and one day of 2 miles.  I am finding that I am doing better at running and I am pacing myself pretty nicely. I thought at first that it was my dog that had me going so well but then when I ran yesterday with my son, I made even better timing, shaving a full minute off my total time.  That is amazing to me and I didn't feel like I was going any faster than the previous time.  Once I got within 3 minutes of my first time, I knew I wanted to beat that time and I picked up the pace lol!

I am enjoying the running though.  I do need to do more training for my breathing.  I am struggling to find the right rhythm of breathing so I do cramp up a bit on my right side and I end up having to walk a bit to calm that down.  I'm not quite sure which breathing method is best just yet but I hope to figure that out soon. I have seen some articles on that very subject so I need to go back and read them.  I find myself trying to do a count to stay on track but then my breathing gets away from that count so that isn't the answer for me.  I also tend to just let it go and try to think about other things and sometimes that works, to just not think about the breathing but instead get into a rhythmic cadence instead.

I hope to continue running on a regular basis.  I made a goal of running a total of 20 miles this month and so far I am at 12.1 so I am off to a great start.  I may even surpass that goal and I won't be purposely stopping at 20 miles, I will keep going if I can. I like the challenge of pushing myself to see how much I can do.  I didn't want to set myself up for failure by putting up a crazy number and 20 seemed reasonable to me. 

My weigh-ins haven't been anything to celebrate as I'm not showing a loss but I know that muscle and fat are very different and my clothes are still fitting nicely so I'm okay with the numbers.  I am noticing the arm measurements going down which is very nice.  The other measurements are staying steady at this point but I anticipate that to change as I continue to run and do my weight training.  I'd like to add in more cardio so I may be adding in some zumba to my daily routine.  Maybe the days I don't run, I can do the zumba instead. 

Anndd...I am going off for a run, today is the last nice day here so I gotta get it in today before we are back to cold and snow!

Mamavation Monday: Still losing, trying with the foods and exhaustion

The Bob Harper Live challenge, for me, seemed like a starting point. I got back into the routine of working out and watching what I was eating. I did well with the challenge and by the time the two weeks was up, I felt a lot better than I had in a very long time. I still feel pretty good. I noticed that I sort of slacked off with the workouts, the weather got colder and I wasn't running outside anymore, I didn't have the Bob Harper Live site to go to for workouts but I did remember a lot of the exercises that I loved. I slacked off a bit. Then, I realized that I missed how good I was feeling and I needed to get back to it. I worked out the other day and I am sore today! I love when I am sore because then I know I got a workout so I'm feeling good. I also have lost another half pound so that is a plus!! I am hoping to lose another 11 pounds overall to get to where I would love to be. I haven't really set a goal date though so I need to do that. I plan on continuing to eat healthy and make healthier choices overall in life. I want to remain active and feeling good so I am going to do what I need to in order to keep it up. I have some 5Ks coming up that I need to prepare for, the first one being in January so I need to get on with it!

MAMAVATION MONDAY: (a day late) Workouts, the scale and goals

I have been keeping up with my workouts and really enjoying all that Bob Harper offers, I haven't found a workout yet that I haven't liked.  They are all such a good calorie burning, muscle tiring, sweat inducing workout!

I haven't really enjoyed the scale.  While I don't see the scale number going down, I feel a change in my body.  I feel I am getting stronger and my waistline on my jeans are a little looser.  I was starting to get really discouraged about the lack of changes in the numbers on the scale but I just have to keep moving and knowing that eventually, I will see a change. 

My goals for this week:  Keep moving!  I want to work out every single day.  I may be taking advantage of the warmer weather again and go running everyday after I drop Lincoln off at school.  I can stop at the track and get in at least 3 miles everyday.  I want to get my time down on a 5K so this should help me do just that.  I am going to try to continue to eat healthy.  I know that I will be eating more on Thanksgiving day so I am vowing not to feel guilty about that.  If I work hard all week, it will be okay.  I will just work harder after I eat.  I will have plenty of time to get in a good, hard workout on Thursday morning to help offset some of the calories and we may be having a dance-off when we get together on Thanskgiving day!

This post is sponsored by Dole and hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway”



MAMAVATION MONDAY: Finished Week 1, Working Out, Weigh-In and Moving Forward

 

 

Okay, I finished Week one of the 2 week Bob Harper Live challenge through Mamavation!  I feel great and I think I am learning some things as far as workouts go. 

 

I have pushed myself every single day to get in a workout and really put forth the effort to get as much out of each workout as possible.  I have sweat everyday and been sore everyday and that is how I know that I am doing well.  If I wasn't sore, I would know that I wasn't working hard enough.

 

I will post my stats at the end to show my progress, I am really pleased so far with my progress!

 

Bob Harper really has great workouts and I am enjoying them.  On the days when a new circuit is not released, I love going in and checking out the Team Bob workouts and finding one that I want to try.  I have found some that I plan on doing and some that I want to do again.  I also really love the recipes.  I tried one lunch on Saturday and it was good.  I hope to try several more through the next month. 

 

Moving forward, my goal is to continue on with the workouts, continue to eat healthy and just be mindful of what I am doing or not doing so that I can benefit the most from this opportunity.

 

 

STATS:

 

Starting Weight: 143.7lbs.                                  After Week 1:  141.9lbs.

Arms: L 11.5" R 11.5"                                        Arms: L 11"  R 11"

Waist:  34in.                                                        Waist:  33in.

Hips: 37.5in.                                                        Hips: 37.5in.

Thighs: L 22, R 22                                               Thighs: L22, R 22

 

I am happy with the results so far, I am actually surprised, quite frankly, I didn't think I would notice such a difference so soon.  I thought that maybe after the two weeks, maybe I would lose a pound or two but to lost almost 2 pounds after only one week.  I'm excited and I can't wait to see what the results are after the challenge is over and then again after a month!  I am motivated and ready to really kick some butt!!

 “This post is sponsored by Bengay Zero Degrees and hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway” 

Mamavation Monday: Getting the Hang of Things, Goals, Workouts

 

 

When I first heard about Mamavation, I really wasn't quite sure what the heck it was.  I just saw that my friend was posting the hashtag on Twitter and posting about health and fitness and challenges.  I was intrigued and wanted to know more. I read a little about it on their website and that was it. I was so busy and really didn't have time to commit to all the stuff that it entailed. 

 

 

Then, I got serious.  I wanted to see my former self again, I wanted to get myself into better shape and health.  I took a second look at Mamavation and I decided that, yes, I am worth the time to pledge.  I am worth the dedication it takes to get back to where I want to me.  I am worth it.

 

So here I am.  I am now a part of this inspiring, supportive, wonderful community.  I was asked to be a Sista of the Mamavation. I couldn't be any happier or honored to accept the invitation. 

 

I am still getting the hang of things with Mamavation, there is a lot of information and ways to connect that I need to just keep learning and getting it better. 

 

I am starting with a few goals this week. 

 

I hope to continue with my arm workouts each morning and evening.  I have done very well with these with exception to this weekend.  We were on the go all weekend and I didn't get them in but today is a new day.  That is an important lesson...don't look back, look forward with your eyes on the prize. 

 

I plan to do a cardio workout each day this week.  I will be rotating different workouts found on Pinterest so that I stay engaged and don't get bored. 

 

I would love to go running one or two days this week as the weather here is going to be beautiful!  We are going to be in the 70's here all week.  If I do run, it will be interval training through the Couch to 5K program, I use the app on my phone for that so it is convenient. 

 

If I don't run, I may get in a bike ride.  I haven't gotten on my bike in quite awhile but I do love the breeze and sunshine so what better way to enjoy that than on a bike?

 

As far as eating, I am learning the art of calorie counting.  I have never used this method before so it is new to me and I am also using an app for that.  My friend uses MyFitnessPal and so I loaded that onto my phone and I used it on Thursday as a test run and it was easy and is such a great way to do it.  I will use this week as a sort of baseline to see what I need to change, what my bad habits are, where I get most of my calories from, etc. A science experiment of sorts. lol.

 

So those are my goals for this week.  I really hope to get all that in this week.  I have so much going on in my life right now but as I said before, I am worth it!