Post 5K

So, I am pretty horrible at updating this. My 5K was amazing!  In my previous post, I had said that I was nervous.  Very true.  I was kinda scared.  But doing anything for the first time can be scarry. I laid out my clothes the night before, so I wouldn't miss anything.  Talk about excited!  Of course, the weather was just plain chilly, the skies overcast, threatening rain, on race day.  I didn't let that deter me though.  I was gonna do this race, come Hell or high water!  I left the house by 7:45 am.  My race started at 8:15 am.  Here is a pic of me before I left.
Pinning the bib, or the number, on me was exciting.  I felt so official!  Finally getting to the race was kinda cool.  It was weird for me though.  Everyone seemed to have a group or other people they were racing with.  I was just solo.  So I kinda felt outta place.  I did meet up with the Total Health Systems team for a group photo.  But I was walking by myself, since I really didn't know the team that much.  And we all have different times anyway.  What an awesome feeling it was to stand with other athletes in the race line.  This was actually happening!  Also, standing in such a large body of people helped fight the chill.  When the starting fun went off, the mass started to move.  I stepped outta the way for the faster racers, as I didn't want to get in their way.  The cool thing about my bib, is that there is a chip embedded into it.  It starts recording my time as soon as I cross the start line, then stops when I cross the finish line.  So it didn't matter exactly when I crossed that start line, in relation to the until start of the race. I do remember thinking, "what did I get myself into!", at one point.  But as I crossed that start line, I just thought, "you can do this".  I have been training for this and normally walk just shy of a 5k 3 times a week.  It took me about 15 mins, but I finally got into my groove.  The distance didn't bother me.  It was invigorating walking in the cool morning with hundreds of other people.  I felt strong and vibrant.  I remembered what Laurie told me about the race, "you can do this.  You are ready and this is what you have trained for.  Stay at your own pace."  So I did.  When I came upon the first mile marker, I thought, "already?"  I took out my phone and took a self portrait.  Not the best idea....I kinda look like emperor palpatine in this pic....lol.
My family was meeting me at the finish line.  I told them to be there at around 9:05 am to watch me cross the finish line.  I sent a text to them when I crossed mile 1.  I think that us really when I got into my stride.  Up to that point, I had been a bit nervous.  But after crossing that first marker, I thought, "I CAN do this!"  My pace increased then.  I was able to focus more clearly and made a plan if attack for the last 2.3 miles.  I started selected people in front of me that I wanted to pass.  Sometimes it was an individual, but mostly a group.  I focused on them and just think, " I am gonna pass them."  And I did.  Maybe it took 15 mins to pass them, but pass them I did.  I never increased my pace either.  I stayed steady.  I picked another target each time I passed them.  The awesome thing?  They never passed me back.  Mile marker 2 came and went, then I knew I was in the home stretch.  I think at this point, I got very excited and picked up the pace again, a little.  I never broke out into a jog it a run, but just increased my stride.  The last leg of the race was on an incline.  I saw quite a few racers slowing down there.  I have trained on inclines and thought to myself, " I eat inclines for breakfast!"  I didn't slow down.  Then I turned the corner and saw the finish line.  I had such a determined look in my face, but broke into a huge smile when I saw my family.  The kids ran to meet me.  I crossed that finish line and was swarmed in hugs from my kids.  It was an amazing feeling.  I was proud of myself and had such a sense of accomplishment.  My time was 54 mins.  How awesome is that?

Race Week

It is official!!!  I have my number for the 5K on Saturday!  I am so excited!!!!!  I have never done anything like this in my life and I can't believe I am doing it now.  What a difference a few months make.  If someone had told me last year that I would be in a 5K walk, I would have thought they were joking.  I feel amazing and nervous.
My last post, I was pretty down in the dumps.  Unfortunately, I stayed down for a few weeks.  But I never stopped working out.  I grumbled at my scale and seriously thought it was conspiring  against me...lol.  Working out felt like a horrible chore, and let me tell ya, one day at the gym, I actually considered just walking out.  But I didn't.  I stayed and finished my work out.  That 45 minutes felt like a life time and all up hill.
Last night, I reluctantly went to the gym.  I was dreading it because of the work out I had to do.  I am currently zone training.  Zone training is working between 3 target heart rate zones.  This helps burn body fat more efficiently and conditions  your heart muscle ie, making it stronger.  Everyone has different zones they need to work in.  I found my out by doing an assessment with my personal trainer, Stefanie. Zone 1 ranges from 112-121, Zone 2 ranges from 122-140, Zone 3 ranges from 141-158. As you guessed, each zone is more difficult. That being said, my work out last night was 45 minutes in Zone 3, which includes a 5 min warm up and a 5 min cool down.  Because I have been doing Zone training for 5 weeks now, I have to work harder to get my HR in the appropriate zone.  When I first started, I was huffing and puffing in zone 2.  Now, Zone 3 is starting to get a bit easier.  I can pretty much sail through Zone 2 now, no problem.  I was very intimated by the fact that my entire work out was in Zone 3.  Normally, my workouts work between zones.  A typical zone workout that I have done is: Zone 1, 2 mins, Zone 2, 2 mins, Zone 3, 1 min. Then I repeat that for the duration of the workout, maybe 7 times.  So yes, I was intimidated.  For me to hit Zone 3 on the treadmill, I have to be walking about 3.5 MPG with an incline of about 3.5%.  I didn't want to do that for 45 minutes.  So I worked on the elliptical.  Now, the elliptical and I are not really friends.  It usually kicks my butt pretty fast.  I am always in Zone 3 when I work out on that machine.  I figured last night was the perfect night to give it a whirl, no pun intended.  About 10 minutes into my work out, I thought I was gonna die.  That 45 minutes went by so slow.  Almost as slow as Lars in the morning!  When I finished my work out, I felt amazing!  I DID IT!  I couldn't believe it!  All those lunges, reverse lunges and wall squats that Laurie and Stefanie had made me do, were paying off!  I was on such a natural high last, it was amazing. I couldn't wait to tell Laurie today.  She was proud of me! :-)
So now, I am getting very pumped up about the 5K on Saturday.  It is scary ans exciting and I am so looking forward to it!

Discouragement

It happens to us all.  We hit a wall, a stumbling block.  It is never fun.  Take me, for example.  I have been doing so well.  I was loosing weight at a very decent rate of 1-1.5 lbs a week.  I even got down to 220 lbs.  I was very excited.  Then, the scale started going in the wrong direction.  So, I took out my measuring tape.  Nope, pretty make the same measurements too.  Now, this would be the time to get depressed and to throw in the towel.  But is that really what I want to do?  No way!  I am on this road because I want to make a difference and change myself.  So what if the universe is against me at the moment!!  That is not going to stop me from striving even harder than before.  I can DO this, I can achieve my over all health goals!  The only person stopping me, is myself.  So, now what. I take a good look in the mirror and think, what has happened.  I think back to the previous Easter week and think of some of that blasted Easter candy I ate.  Not the best choice.  I could sit here and beat myself up about all of this and just focus on the negative things, but this is not the time to do that! Positive thinking!!!!  On the to the positive things.
 
 I stepped out of the shower the other day and was kinda blown away.  Opposite my shower, you have no choice but to see yourself in the giant mirror over the sink.  As I was drying off, I saw something strange.  I noticed there was a gap between my knees.  I thought I was seeing things, so I explored further.  I stood in front of the mirror in my usual way of standing, and yup, there was space between my knees.  For the first time in I don't know how long, my knees are NOT rubbing together when I stand or walk!  I have noticed that my walking has changed as well.  Many of us out there when thicker thighs know that they tend to rub together when you walk.  Which I mean fro the knees the up.  Not so with me anymore.  My legs are really slimming down.  It is incredibly amazing!  My muscles are stronger and starting to define my legs.  This is why I keep working.  I have noticed that my arms are getting much smaller as well.  Silly thing to notice, but I have seen that when I brush my teeth in the morning, my arms aren't flapping.  When I flex my arms, I am surprised by the amount of muscle I can feel under the fat layer.  The fit lady inside of me is screaming to be released!

Yes, at the moment I may be discouraged.  But I am taking steps to overcome this.  We all know that anything worth having is worth working for.  I can't expect to change over night.  It took 15 years to get me to this point.  It isn't all going to be reversed in a matter of weeks.  So buck up and stiff upper lip!  I will get through this block and be better than ever.  I have a 5K to train for!  I am walking on April 28 in Mt. Clemens Let's Move Festival of Races.  Come down and check it out!  And look for yours truly!  I'll be the one, red in the face, crawling over the finish line with a huge smile on my face!!!!

So i weighed myself this morning and am now weighing in at 221 lbs!!  I am excited.  I have lost another 3 inches of body fat as well!  This is wonderful!  I am feeling much healthier and not as tired as I have been in the past.
Last week, I hit the gym 4 times!  Even though my week started out kinds blah, I was able to power through and get to the gym towards the end of the week.
It can be kinda intimidating to go to the gym.  There are so many people there who are so fit, you just wanna hurl!  It can make you feel outta place for sure.  But I have found that the time you go to the gym, changes the caliber of people going there.  The most fit and disgustingly active, seem to go in the evening.  This is the young crowd, who go to flaunt off their muscles and strength.  The ones you secretly want to fall on their faces.  The older crowd and those who really need to got the gym, generally go in the mornings.  This is when I like to go.  You feel less pressure and there is a better sense of equality.  I have never had a bad experience at the gym, but the feeling is a bit different when you go with the older crowd.  I just feel more comfortable with real size people opposed to the GTL crowd.....lol.  (GTL stands for gym, tan and laundry)
When you are starting a gym for the first time, take the time to check it all out.  Check the facilities for cleanliness and pleasant staff.  Also, check out those who are working out.  Most times, those working out are in their own world and are not working out to show off.  These are the people you want to work out with. Make sure there is enough equipment.  It really stinks to have a gym with just a handful of treadmills.  Most importantly, do NOT be intimidated!!!
Many times, we will sign up for a gym with good intentions and never really use our memberships.  Usually, this happens because we start to feel inadequate. We start judging ourselves against others and sike ourselves out.  Remember, you are doing this for you!!  Not for the GTL crowd.  I think that is the biggest reason why I keep going.  I have only one person I am competing against, and that is me.  It is easy to put blinders on to others working out.  Just do your own thing and get into your own groove and everyone else just melts away.
Another reason we stop going is because we get hurt.  Almost all gyms have personal trainers and other group work outs.  Use these amenities!  Take the time to get to know your body and what you can do.  Talk with the personal trainer and they will be happy to show you how the equipment works and you should feel as you use them.  Important to remember:  If it HURTS, STOP!!!  Do not work through your pain.  This is counterproductive to a healthy work out!  When you hurt yourself, you won't want to come back.  That is why it is important to know your limits.  You want to push yourself to muscle fatigue, not beyond!  There are times your muscles will hurt after a work out.  This is normal.  Your muscle hurt, because they are not used to being used.  Stretch them out, roll them out with a foam roller, get a massage, have a hot soak, but do not quit the gym forever.
Starting out, we tend to think we should go in guns blazing.  That is not the case.  You have to condition your body to work at higher levels.  Start small.  Make a goal to go to the gym 3 times a week for about 30 minutes.  Start on a treadmill.  Find a comfortable gait and maintain it for 30 minutes, then cool down.  Take a day off and then go the next day, repeat.  You have to give your body time to adjust to working out.  Having a recovery day is not a bad thing at all.  The key is, to get yourself comfortable with the idea of going to the gym and working your muscles.  Make a commitment to yourself and give yourself a goal.  And  mean a realistic goal.
When I started working with my trainer, I started basically from a sedentary lifestyle and have graduated into an active lifestyle.  My starting goal, was to make each session with my trainer.  I didn't go into this thinking, that on 18 weeks I would look like a model.  I went in with realistic goals.  I thought loosing a pound a week was reasonable, and my trainer agreed.  My goal for the end of 18 weeks, is to have gained knowledge to keep my active lifestyle progressing after I no longer have my sessions with my trainer.  I want education on how to maintain and progress myself.  I want to be able to take my kids to the beach this summer, or the boat, and NOT look like beached whale!  I am hoping for about a size 16 by summer.  With these goals in mind, I have been making great progress.  I am educating myself about fitness.  I am taking the things I am learning with my trainer and applying it into my everyday life.  I have bought an exercise ball, a yoga mat and a foam roller so I can continue with my work outs at home and the gym.  I feel empowered and you can too!

In the last few weeks, I learned so much. I have taken a class about metabolism and how to boost it. The number way to boost your metabolism??? Eat breakfast. Simple, huh? Now, I know that eating breakfast can be the last thing on most of our minds, but it is really important. It doesn't have to be some fancy country breakfast with eggs, pancakes and bacon. Just something simple. Things I eat for breakfast: Kashi cereal. When I find it on sale, I buy it. I have also found that Kroger has an awesome brand of healthy cereals called Active or something like that. What to look for in a cereal? Read the labels!!! Check the fiber and sugar. These are key to a sustaining meal. Low sugar, and I mean less than 10 grams per serving, and high fiber 6 grams or more. Sometimes the cereal can taste kinda like cardboard, but it grows on you. And truly, you will be full after just one quick bowl! I was skeptical at first, because it usually took at least 2 bowls to fill me up. But it really does just take one bowl. I even feel full longer, so cuts down on the need to snack. Now, sometimes a bowl of cereal just isn't what you want. I change it up and make a breakfast burrito. I scramble 2 eggs with a variety of ingredients. It is amazing how different you can make your eggs just by adding a few simple things. For example, I will scramble 2 eggs with 3/4c cooked rice, add about 2 tbl shredded cheese and wrap it up in a multi-grain flour tortilla, fajita size. I usually can get 2 burritos outta this. Most times, I share with my husband. Another way of changing up your eggs is by adding onions, sweet peppers, tomatoes or just salsa. I have also scrambled asparagus into my eggs. So, you can change up your eggs everyday for a different mood. Try it, you might even like it! :-)

This is the picture that changed my life.

March 29, 2012

So, I am new to this whole blog thing. But I guess, I'll start at the beginning. Why do I have a blog? I thought this would be a good way to keep a journal of my new personal goal to become healthy and fit. No surprise, I have had trouble with my weight since I was a teenager. Although, looking back, I wonder what I was concerned about. So, I wasn't a size 2 like my other friends. I was a size 11. I would kill to be a size 11 nowadays! Besides, what is wrong with a size 11?? Nothing. But to a teenage girl with stick thin friends, it meant I was fat.

I got married at 21 to the love of my life. We have 4 crazy wonderful children together. My only complaint, is that my husband and I are the dreaded "baseball and baseball bat" couple. Yup, you got it. He is tall (5'9)and thin, and I am short(5'2) and round. Wasn't always like that. When we were first married, I was looking good. But after the kids starting coming around, I just grew in size. I was a size 13 when we got married. After 15 years, I have been as big as a size 24 and now am around a size 20.

Over the years, I told myself I wasn't that big. I really avoided looking in the mirror. In my head, I have this image of myself. Unfortunately, that fantastical image doesn't quite correlate with reality. I had a real wake up call in December 2011. I was doing a sleep study for my now diagnosed sleep apnea. I had all this crazy head gear and straps and wires all over the place. I had my sister take a picture of me. Yikes!! I really bypassed the get up and looked at how gross I looked! I couldn't believe it! I was huge!!!! That scared me and let's face it, depressed me. From that moment on, I decided that enough was enough! I would change that gross woman into the beautiful woman I see in my head everyday!

I started looking around for a personal trainer. In the past, I had tried Curves and looked into different diets. Watching TV, I was flooded with numerous weight loss miracle pills. But come on, those things don't really work. I figured what I needed was someone to work with me personally to help me out. I didn't want to start a class with other people who were already looking good. I didn't want to be the sad fat case everyone had to wait for, to move to the next step. And honestly, I was embarrassed to be seen in any type of work out clothes! Have you tried those things on?? They sit pretty close to your skin. Trust me, not such a pretty sight.

So back to the personal trainer idea. I wanted someone who could look at me and see potential. I wanted to know that the work outs I would be doing would be the right ones for my body and fitness level. And really, if you are gonna make a fool of yourself, wouldn't you rather do it alone?? I found a personal trainer and did my evaluation with her. Laurie was wonderful. She is tall and lean and didn't look at me like i was some kind of fat freak. Never once, did she say I was too fat or too weak to do anything. She boosted me up. I signed on with her for an 18 week course, twice a week an hour a session.

My first time training with Laurie was, in my eyes, laughable. I made it through everything she asked me to do, but I felt sheepish. I was really disappointed in my lack of muscle tone and strength. There were times I didn't want to go. But i went anyway. I knew this was my chance. I knew I was paying good money to see Laurie, and I wasn't about to waste it!! Huge motivating factor as the price. It is $40 a session. I figure if I am gonna pay that much, I will get my monies worth outta it.

Now, I have been working with Laurie and Stephanie for 8 weeks. I can not believe the improvements I am seeing myself! I started in January, weighing in at 235 lbs. Now, I weigh 223 lbs. Yes, i know, I lost 12 lbs. Some might think, "wow, awesome". Others might think, "that's it?" Here is the awesome part. It is not just weight I am loosing. The most important part, is the fat!!! I have lost over 10 inches since I started working with Laurie and Stephanie. I really haven't changed my diet drastically either. True, I am watching what I take in more than ever before. I am thinking about everything I eat and when.

Things I am doing differently. I am a huge Mt.Dew fan. Love the stuff. Used drink 3 or 4 bottles of it a day. I am talking the 16 to 32 oz size bottles. Man, did I pack on the weight with that! I have now switched to one Diet Mt. Dew a day, 16 oz size. I drink water all the time. I have smaller portions of all the food I love. I am reading labels and avoiding those things that have a crazy amount of carbs and sugars, and instead substituting with healthier options. I have fruit and nut bars in my pantry and protein bars for a quick snack. I cook with leaner meats. I use ground turkey and ground sirloin in my meals.

I joined a gym. Now I know how to use those crazy machines and what muscle groups I need to use to help combat fat. I walk. In fact, my trainer encouraged me to sign up for a 5K fun walk. Last year, the idea would be unthinkable to me. Now?? Well, I am almost ready for the event in April. I have a personal best of 55 mins for a 5K. My goal is now 45 mins. I have till April 28th to make it!

Yes, this has been rambling and what not. Perhaps someone will find it useful. There is so much I want to say, but I am not trying to write a book here! LOL