Ready to Jump Start my New Year

There's a reason I haven't been posting- I haven't been doing well exercising or eating. I got very sick after returning from Bolivia the beginning of November and fell off the health wagon completely after Thanksgiving. Enough is enough. I feel lousy and will need to start training again, so this is where I start.
I am going to have a few tough days getting the crap out of my system, but I'm determined to do it. I'm starting today.
My goal:
Drink 64oz  water
Have no sugar or foods with added sugar.
No processed foods.
No alcohol

Anybody want to join me? Or jump in with your own plan?

Keep on Moving!

Consistency is key to making healthy habits and staying fit. Since I started running again (and joining Moving Mountains) in February I see I have been decently consistent with my activity. This chart is from My Fitness Pal online tracking and has really been helpful for me. Moving Mountains will be over in 3 weeks but the accountability/activity/ tracking  will continue!

What is your key to staying motivated and moving?

Book Review- The Daniel Plan

I've had this read for awhile and am just now finding time to write a review. Everything the book recommends, I agree with!

The premise of the book is based on the 5 F's-
*Faith*Food*Fitness*Focus*Friends*

Written by Pastor Rick Warren he admits it wasn't a very spiritual thought when he was baptizing and realized how large his congregation was, including him. (and we are talking girth size not members!) He enlisted some experts and put the Daniel Plan into action.

For me this sums up the book,
" Real food has the power to give you your life back and more fully engage in the purpose of your life. To be able to live with purpose, to love, serve, connect and celebrate the gifts God has given you."

How can you celebrate life and its gifts if you are lethargic, overweight and sick? You can't!

A few quotes from the book I jotted down while reading:

"Everyone wants to be healthy, but very few people choose to be healthy. It's a lifetime of choices, but begins with a decision."

"People rarely change until the pain exceeds the fear of change."

"We are good at planning lots of things but most of of us rarely plan for our health."

Referring to chronic diet related symptoms and diseases:
"If a horse has been standing on your foot your whole life, then you may not know how bad it feels until he gets off your foot. "

"Learn how to use your grocery store as a FARMacy. "

"Our social circles influence our health more than our DNA." (quit blaming your overweight grandmother!)

"When you are feeling good, eating right, life becomes an adventure with an unending list of opportunities to explore."


I like that the book encourages accountability in a group setting. If you've been reading my blog long you know I'm all about accountability. If you need a partner to help I'm all in! Let me know.

Planking

I was asked to do a plank challenge and now I'm asking you. I'm on day 6 but it is never too late to start!

http://30dayfitnesschallenges.com/30-day-plank-challenge/

2013 Goal Met....2014?

Made my goal of 1000 miles in 2013!! I didn't know it was a goal until I saw how close I was about a month ago.  I knew I had about 1.2 miles to go yesterday. We are getting an arctic cold snap so I bundled up and did a short 1.2 loop in front of my house thinking it would put me to 1000.  It was something like 999.94!! So I put back on my hat and shoes and took the small loop of .9 to get me across that mark.  I cannot imagine doing this every year without those long marathon training runs.

I know next year I have a few half marathons on my radar and am trying to think of something BIG to do. I've talked to hubby about possibly backpacking some of the Pacific Crest Trail. Physically I'm not sure my arthritis would allow me to hike with a big pack on, but we shall see.

Do you have any fitness goals for 2014? I'd love to hear about them and help you stay accountable.

2012 in Review

2012 was an amazing year! I had many special moments and memories this past year. I went above and beyond what I thought I was capable of.  2012 will be a hard one to top!!

Caribbean cruise with hubby a week after I turned 50

October 2011 I ran my first half marathon. I thought it would be the only one I would ever run. I'm not sure why I thought that! lol Here is my second half marathon, which I ran with my daughter on my 50th birthday in 2012. My kids and hubby are so supportive!!

I had the privilege to go back east and spend time with friends and make new friends and run in New Hampshire!!

Cory & I hiked South Sisters in August. It was grueling but so fantastic!!

I ran the Girlfriends half marathon with Rene in October.

Then we froze our butts off running the Holiday half in December. I've  decided I will stick to warm weather races, unless they are short.

So what does 2013 hold in store? I'm signed up for the Rock n Roll half marathon in Portland in mid May and that's all I know for now. I plan on looking for opportunities to stretch myself and live the dream, not just dream the dream.

New Year, New Beginnings

I love the new year and the feel of a fresh start.I joined yoga today as my Pilates class has been cancelled until further notice.

I really felt like I needed a break from running. The last race in the wet and cold has been really hard on my body and I've been aching all week.
I've purged the kitchen of the holiday junk food and am ready for a new year and a new beginning.

What do you do to start the new year? Do you have a healthy/active new years resolution?

Winter Races

I mentioned in my last post I had three races coming up before the end of the year.
The first one:

Turkey Trot 10K~ November 24

Jingle Bell Run in Bend, OR 5K~ December 1

Holiday Half 13.1 in Portland~ December 16th

The half marathon in mid December was my daughters idea. I'm easily persuaded....

Holiday Action Plan

So, I've strategized about my trouble areas- hopefully you have too.

Here's my plan for the next 47 days:

I've got three, (yes 3!) races planned to do between now and December 1st.  I love having a goal, a marker, to look forward to.

I plan on always having plenty of fruits and veggies in the house for when I feel like I need a snack. Generally I do not keep junk food in the house, but I know hubby will be picking up things here and there to keep in the cupboards. That can be a big trouble area for me. 

I want to always have a big salald made and in the fridge ready to eat. I also want to make sure I add plenty of protein to my meals to ward off hunger.

I'm reading the Skinny Rules by Bob Harper. I am hoping to incorporate some everyday "rules" into my life to help me lead a healthier lifestyle.

Yep! 47 days till 2013! Woo-Hoo!!!

Give Yourself the Gift of Health

Taking a little time for yourself with the holidays coming makes good sense! It is my firm belief we can't care and nurture others unless we care and nurture ourselves.
I've taken some time this weekend to make an accountability plan for myself.
When January 1st rolls around I don't want to be making a resolution to "take the weight off." My plan is to keep it off from now until 2013. (and forever as far as that goes!)


How will I handle holiday parties and all the goodies that I may be surrounded by?

One good thing? I don't go to many parties. But when I do, I will limit any alcohol to 1 glass of wine. I'm not a big drinker anyway, but somehow it makes my resolve much weaker when the dessert tray shows up! I will not allow myself to get famished by not eating all day to "save up" for a lovely meal. I will limit my sweet treats to seasonal goodies that I may only get this one time of the year. If I am attending a potluck I will bring something healthy so that I know I will have at least one thing to eat that is a good choice.

How will I continue to run when the weather outside is horrible?
How will I handle stress caused by holiday shopping, time constraints, and the ever growing to-do lists?

Geez, this is already getting long.  I'll handle the next two of my trouble areas in two more posts.

Do you have any great party strategies that you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them!!

Oktoberfest 10K

Another run for the year! My son asked me to go to Mt Angel for Oktoberfest so I decided to start my day off running a 10K in the countryside.

My "training" schedule (I use that word a little loosely) called for a 7 miler slow run on Saturday but instead I did 6.5 at a decent pace. The timing was a little funky cause there wasn't a start line, but I was feeling great about my time. It's nice to build on this.  One month to double that length!! Yes I can!!!

And look at the scenery?! It was beautiful!!

Diggin' Deep

"The goal you set must be challenging. At the same time, it should be realistic and attainable, not impossible to reach. It should be challenging enough to make you stretch, but not so far that you break." Rick Hansen

I ran my last long run before the half marathon next week. I'm still fighting some tailbone pain and now my bursitis in my hips is flaring up. It is so frustrating as I feel I was doing so good with my training until the fall. (down the stairs, that is) I thought a lot about the run today while fighting the wind, rain and pain (!) and was starting to doubt that I could actually run 13.1 miles.

Then I had a bout of  positive self talk. Of course, I will run 13.1 miles next week. Will it be a challenge? You bet. Am I ready to reach the goal I set for myself a few months ago? I say, "Bring it on!"

Set goals, make a plan, make it happen!! You have it within you to "Get to Goal!"

Getting Back on Track

It has been a hard week to get moving, but I have been and that's what is important. I thought I would die in aerobics class yesterday but I survived!

I have really tried to be mindful of what I'm eating and I've tried to slow down a bit too. I know I never felt rushed to eat quickly on the cruise and I enjoyed every bite to the fullest. (I also knew I would not be eating lobster in butter, frog legs in butter, and escargot in butter when I got home!)

I'm still trying to figure out how I lost weight. The only thing I can think of is I was working out really hard before the cruise and cut my calories to about 1200 and it was a delayed reaction to that.  Either way it is a good thing. I know I will feel better doing the half marathon if I am a few pounds lighter.

Fall is a great time to get back into a routine. If you have been slacking what can you do to improve your health?

Goal Setting

Ok, I did it! Time to get serious......

If anybody wants to join me October 16th is the date for the Girlfriends Half in Vancouver, WA.

More info can be found here:  Northwest Personal Training

Health & Fitness Log Book

Last night was my first class called Learn to Run. Hmm, I bet you thought to run you just go a little faster than a walk...well you are right on one hand, but I wanted to learn as much as I can about running injury free and get some extra tips on form. The class included walkers too.

Our teacher, Connie, made a suggestion to keep a fitness journal. I am good to start something like that but not good at keeping up with it. I found a little notebook today and will cut out the paper she gave us and tape it to the pages. Her version is simple, short and to the point and that is what I need.

If you are interested in making something similar her version includes:

Day

Date

Sleep (how many hours the previous night)

3 little boxes for activity. there is room for a couple of small notes. C=cardio S=strength F=flexibility

Body notes: (are you sore? knee ache? feeling great?)

Misc.

Supplements

Fluids

I did a google search for free fitness page and there are many you can choose from or make your own.

I am going to try it, at least for this summer and see if I find it helpful in any way.

Check this out:

Six Great Reasons to keep an Exercise Log

I'm interested in your thoughts about this.

Spring Challenge

The calender says the first day of spring is March 20th! Anybody up for a spring challenge? You may still have snow on the ground and cold weather but our days should be a little longer and before you know it the flowers will be blooming.
Maybe you've thrown the towel in on your new year's resolution. Now would be the time to start moving again.
I would like to do a challenge that everyone, regardless of shape or size, could participate in.
I'm open to ideas. Maybe we'll count minutes of activity and convert them to miles and see how far we can walk?
We have had some strange weather with many mornings white with snow, but usually by the afternoon it has cleared off the street and I've been out walking trying to increase my jogging. (I use that word loosely!) It's always nice for me to have some accountability though.

Anybody interested?

It's Your Life- Take Charge

It's been 7 weeks since I resigned from weight watchers. I've been trying to figure out what I can do outside of the meeting room to help people reach their goals and take charge of their life.

It sounds so obvious but one thing that I always come back to is that it is MY choice to eat healthy or eat junk. It's MY choice to exercise and live an active lifestyle or not.
I have refocused my goal setting and wanted to share on my blog and invite you along.

At the beginning of 2010 my doctor told me my sugar levels were a little high- nothing to be too concerned about. She suggested I watch my sugar intake and lose a couple of pounds. I am at a healthy weight according to the BMI calculator and have been for 9 years now. But, even I realize that I can be healthier. Here we are in August and I haven't gained weight, but I haven't lost weight either.

Before embarking on any journey it is helpful to ask, Why do I want this? Is it important to me?
Make your answers detailed and write them down. Later on you need to be able to remember why you started this in the first place.

Two weeks ago I set some weekly goals for myself. I want to share these goals with you and challenge you to set some yourself.

Do aerobic activity 150 minutes week. This may not sound like much, but even though I've met this goal it isn't as easy as it sounds. If your goal is some type of activity make sure it is a good fit with your life. When I start losing weight my goal was 60 minutes a week.

Drink more water. I don't like water and I'm not keeping track of how much. I'm just making sure I'm drinking plenty.

Take a vitamin every day.

Strength train with free weights. My goal is 3 x week.

Close the kitchen 2 hours before bedtime. Food is energy and I don't need energy to sleep!

Are you ready to make some positive changes? Do you need some accountability? Feel free to post your goals in the comment section or send me an email. Make your goals realistic and achievable!!

I'll check in on the weekend and share my progress and you can do the same.

Anybody?