Day 5

First, I just want to say thanks to my friend, Katie, who encouraged me back on Saturday to start over right then. I really needed that at that precise moment. Since then, I've pretty much stuck to the plan. I've been eating right. I've continued in my workouts. I feel great. And I have lost the 3 lbs that I wanted to lose by today. 

My next goal is to a) maintain this weight while visiting family this week and b) lose 2 more lbs by next Saturday (01/10). I can so do that. 

I also intend to continue with my workouts. I had a great workout this afternoon...strength training and HIIT. I am going to attempt to use my mom's treadmill tomorrow and Friday. Then I'll get back to my gym on Saturday or Sunday. 

Final blog entry for 2008

So at first glance, I could say that I am a little disappointed with my weight loss and fitness attempts this year. I am about 5 lbs heavier. I'm not as in shape.

That being said...there are many other areas of my life that are phenomenally better right now than they were 1 year ago. I am a better, smarter, stronger person who is truly blessed with the most wonderful people in my life. This is invaluable.

Overall, I would classify this year as a success for me.

I also know that I'm ready to take on 2009.

Day 3

I got home late from work today, so I didn't want to hit the gym. However, I asked my husband if he wanted to go to the gym, and he said, "sure." This is what I have been needing. No, I shouldn't have to rely on someone else to get me to the gym, but this really helps. If he had answered with "no", then I very well might have rationalized not going....I worked out yesterday, it's been a long day, etc...

Anyways, I just ran/jogged on the treadmill for 30 minutes....intervals of sorts. Tomorrow, I'll be back to strenght training and HIIT.

My eating was on par today as well. I'm anxious to start seeing the results. 

Day 2 (continued)

I did well with the rest of my eating today. I also went to the gym and got in a full body strength training workout, plus 20 minutes of HIIT. The plan is to go up there again tomorrow for a run. I need to take full advantage of my school break for the next 2 weeks to get back into a routine.

Day 2

Everything went well after my resolution yesterday. I stuck to the eating plan. Eat when I'm hungry and eat enough to satisfy...don't eat just because it's there. I

The workout didn't happen, but only because we didn't realize our gym closes at 7 on Saturdays. We drove up there, and it was dark :(  We will be going up there today though. 

I finally weighed myself this morning, and it's sad but not horrid. It gives me a starting point at least. My first goal is to lose 3 lbs by Wednesday (end the year at a reasonable weight). This should be pretty easy if I stick to the plan. I then plan on remaining at this weight while visiting family for a few days...so eating in moderation.  Finally, I'd like to lose 3 - 5 more lbs over the month of January. I know I can do this. 

Blah

Wednesday's run didn't happen. It really just was not that possible. Friday's workout didn't happen. We intended to go in the morning, but then we changed our plans to go at night. It was much much later when we realized we had forgotten to go. Ugh. 

Today is Saturday, and we could have already gone. We haven't though. My husband says that we will go tonight. We need to. If by chance we don't, though, I am definitely going tomorrow morning. 

However, my new eating plan starts right this second. It's nothing drastic...or maybe it is. I plan on eating much less items that hold little or no nutritional value. I am cutting back dramatically on my bad carb intake. I will allow myself one type of bread/carb at every meal. Portions sizes will also be smaller from here on out. No more eating because I'm bored. 

Finally, I'm drinking more water as of now. 

I rarely ask for this, but I'd like some help with accountability. Please. I'm not doing well right now, and any encouragement would be appreciated.  

Tuesday Workout

I couldn't workout last night, because we had a Christmas party to attend. I knew this in advance though, so I knew that I had to get up to the gym tonight. My "schedule" for this week is Sunday, Tuesday, Friday for strength training & HIIT...then running on Wednesday and Saturday.

So tonight is Tuesday, and the last thing I really wanted to do tonight was workout. It took me 2 hours to get home from work, and I just wanted to veg. However, knowing that this is a holiday week, and my workout schedule is already thrown off, I decided to just go up there for a quick 20 minute workout. Of course, the 20 minute workout for me doesn't really exist. Once I'm up there, I usually end up putting in the time. 

I did strength training tonight...full body, with more of a lower body focus. I skipped the HIIT, because it was just getting too late. I still plan on going up there tomorrow morning for my run. 

So...so far so good. I'm really just trying to stick to the plan. I know that if I start skipping days this early, I'll have trouble getting back into the routine.

So, that's my advice for the day. If you don't feel like going to the gym or don't have much time, just go for 15 or 20 minutes. Either you'll get in a very efficient workout, or you'll find the energy to stay longer. 

3 Days Down

I went to the gym this morning. I did strength training, starting with upper body then lower body. Then I did 20 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill. 

I read through some of my more "recent" posts last night, and it was very encouraging to see how quickly progress is made. I could see some huge improvements in just a few weeks. This should be enough to keep up the momentum. 

Also, it's funny how fit you can feel after just a workout or two. I felt gross on Thursday night, but today I feel awesome. 

Get back to the gym. You'll be glad you did.

A little sore today

I woke up this morning with that wonderful feeling of being sore from a good workout. Seriously, doesn't that feel good? Anyways, I spent most of the day studying and then I took my final econ exam. That's the last one. That feels extra good. I'm done for about 3 weeks now. 

Once I got done with all that, I didn't really feel like going to the gym, but I did...because I know I have to. In fact, I really have to do this for about 5 straight days regardless of how I feel. It ended up being a decent run (3 miles), and I feel better for going. 

I'll be going again tomorrow for strength training, along with some HIIT.

Dust Yourself Off...

Ok. My blogs, along with most of yours, have been pretty much non-existent for quite a while now. I really am not going to promise to blog everyday or even every week or month for that matter, but I do desire to blog more often. I also desire to get my act together. 

There really is so much to say, but I just don't have time so I'll just do the quick blog thing tonight. 

I was doing really well for a while there, but I just let the chaos weigh me down. I'm a wife, mother of 4, have a full-time job with a 1 hour commute each way, and I go to school pretty much full-time. My husband has worked evenings for as far back as I can really remember, but he lost his job in October (we're fine). I thought that once he was home in the evenings, either we'd start going to the gym together or it would be easier for me to just go by myself and not have to worry about the kids. That hasn't happened at all. First of all, this getting dark at 5:00 thing really sucks. I just don't seem to want to leave the house after I get home anymore. Second, my husband and I both seem busier than ever now, and it never seems like a good time to go to the gym. Finally, I obviously just don't want to go. I try to get back at it about every other week, but it just never "takes".

Well, the truth is that I've put on some weight - not a significant amount. This week, though, I've started to get that feeling that I'm about to start expanding rapidly if I don't do something about it. Honestly though, it's not really the weight that bothers me as much as the not feeling fit. I used to think it was all about being thin, but as I started working out over the past couple of years, I realized that it's that feeling of accomplishment and the firmer body that I love...regardless of the size. Sure I'd love to be a firm 6, but I would be almost just as satisfied as a firm 8. I loved when I didn't feel flabby. 

I have one more final left this semester, and then I have a few weeks off from school. Instead of enjoying the break, I'm going to focus my energy into getting back into the routine of going to the gym. I don't know what's going to happen next semester since I'll be taking 4 classes. It's going to be very busy, but I know that I can still find the time to workout periodically...even a few days a week. 

I went to the gym tonight and focused on strength training, along with 20 minutes of HIIT. Tomorrow I'd like to just run at a moderate pace for about 30 minutes. Then I'd like to alternate these two things. I plan on aiming for everyday, because it usually results in about 5 days per week, which is respectable.

I'm not going to even try to tackle my eating habits quite yet. The fact is that I don't need to lose much weight if any. I just want to firm up. That's all. Maybe I'll try to shed a few pounds or so in the Spring.

Ok. After reading some of your blogs today, I think some of the rest of you are starting to feel that itch to get back to this too. Let's do it. We've done it before. We can certainly do it again. That's what it's all about anyways. Most of us are going to struggle with this for life, and there's a high probability that we're going to fall off the wagon periodically. However, every day is a new day. Oh wait. I just read something like this in a book I just got. It states, "You are a success when you clearly understand that failure is an event, not a person - that yesterday ended last night, and today is a brand-new day." I love that. 

One more thing... remember that every pound you don't put on over the holidays is one less pound you'll want to take off after. Think of that when you want to have more than 1 or 2 Christmas cookies or the chips and dip. Since I am prone to binging, this thought does help me keep myself in check most of the time. 

Happy holidays, everyone!