Week 1

I managed to get in three 1 hr sessions at the gym last week. My trial with them is over so I need to figure out my next steps. I really enjoyed going and using all of the machines. I don’t ever see myself joining one of their classes and I have hand weights at home that I can use. But I don’t have the space or the money to set up an exercise bike, and elliptical machine and a treadmill. What I did realize this week is that I still have a few day passes for the Dartmouth Sportsplex that I haven’t used. They have all the same machines available, and since I’ve already paid for it, I’m going to use them up before I commit to a gym membership.

I had a great week of good food choices. One of the things that I like about choosing a healthy lifestyle versus being on a diet, is that I don’t limit myself from having good tasting, bad for me things as long as it’s in moderation (no more sitting down to eat a whole bag of chips). So I did enjoy 2 small Cinnabons this week and didn’t feel at all guilty about it. I tracked it in MFP, accepted that my calories were high that day and moved on.

So between the exercise and the good eating I thought I would show a loss on the scale when I weighed in Sunday morning. I was pleasantly surprised with a 2.5 lb loss! That puts me at 7 lbs lost so far this year.

My plan this week is to get to the gym at least 3 times, walk with my friend Nicole (who just signed up to run her first 5k this summer at the Ocean Breeze!) and to keep eating well. Hilary has some great sounding meals planned, which is helping us to not eat out nearly as much as we had been last year. I’m sure cutting down on fast food is playing a big role in my weight loss too.

I’ve also decided to set myself a running goal. I looked back at the results of all the 5ks I’ve run in the past 3 years. My fastest run was in April 2014 with a chip time of 41:59. The last 5k I ran was 47:08. So my goal for this year is to run a 5k in under 40 minutes. It’s a big stretch to try to improve my time by over 7 minutes from last year, but I’m feeling good about it.

And with any luck, the snow will eventually melt, the sidewalks will be clear and I can get outside again.

Goals - April 2015

I set some pretty simple goals on January 1st of this year.

“to live a healthy lifestyle so that I can be my healthiest. This includes better eating, more sleep, being happy with my life and exercising.”

To achieve the exercise part I was going to keep up with TKD and running. Those have both been a bust so far this year. The weather has gotten in the way of my running, and I just haven’t been motivated to get to TKD as often as I should. I did test for (and passed) my blue stripe in January, but since then….

I also haven’t been eating better or sleeping very well. I have been pretty happy with my life, in part because I just got back from a wonderfully relaxing week in the Domincan Republic!

It’s now the 2nd quarter of the year. It really is amazing how time flies. My goals still remain the same. I’ve signed up for the Learn To Run program at Halifax Independent school again this year, so starting April 24th I will be out running every Friday night. Nothing motivates me more than having spent money and committed to other people! I have also signed up for 2 5Ks in May, and the weather can only get better…..right?

I’m not sure what to do about getting more sleep. Right now it’s the quality of my sleep that is the problem. I am waking up in the middle of the night with one or both arms numb from shoulder to fingertip. If I lie on my back it doesn’t happen as much, but I’m a side/belly sleeper, so it’s a very hard transition. It does mean that I have very poor sleep from about 1:00-5:00 and then I get up at 6:20. At least I get a few good hours from 10:00-01:00, but it’s starting to catch up with me. I’m going to try some different pillows to see if that helps.

As to eating better….. that is the lifelong change, isn’t it? I know what to do, I even know how to do it, I just need to put on my big girl panties (which wouldn’t be so big if I could conquer this one!) and stop eating crap and get back to better portion control. This is going to be my focus for April. Maybe eating better will even help with the sleep problem!

How are you doing with your goals?  Are you sticking with them, or setting new ones?

2015 Goals

I have a few goals for 2015. The biggest one is to continue to live a healthy lifestyle so that I can be my healthiest. This includes better eating, more sleep, being happy with my life and exercising.

There are two things that I do for exercise that I plan to keep working on in 2015 – TaeKwon-Do and running.

My TaeKwon-Do goals are simple: Test for my Blue stripe in January and test for my Blue belt in the fall. I need to commit to attending classes more regularly for this to happen. I had a few months in 2014 where I only made it to a single class. I’m never going to learn my patterns and improve my techniques at that rate.

My plan for running is to get out at least 3 times a week and slowly increase my distance.  I'm less concerned about my speed, though of course I would love to be faster.

The one thing that keeps me motivated to run is having a planned race to train for. Right now I have at least 7 races that I want to participate in for 2015.

2015 Race List

1. NS Lung Run May 2 – I really liked this race last year – It’s run along the boardwalk and through the container terminal. And it’s nice and flat.
2. Recharge with Milk ½ Marathon May 17 – MAYBE.... I haven’t decided yet if I can train enough to run my first ½ marathon by May. The idea that I’m even considering this freaks me out.
3. Ocean Breeze June 20 – I’m planning to do the 10k again this year. Hopefully it won’t be in a torrential downpour!
4. MacPass Mile Aug 02 – New to me for 2015. This involve running across the Macdonald Bridge from Halifax to Dartmouth. It’s got a pretty wicked up slope, followed by the same down slope once you pass the middle of the bridge
5. Natal Day Road Race August 03 – This is a great 2 mile race through Dartmouth. 2015 will be the 110th year this race has run.
6. CIBC Run for the Cure Oct 4 – 2015 will my third year running this 5k race through downtown Halifax. This is also the only run that I actively fundraise for.
7. Runway Run (was in October last year) – I hope they have this race again for 2015. Running on the airport runway was a lot of fun.
8. All the Shrinking Jeans Virtual runs (usually about 3 a year) – I like the virtual races because they help to keep me training for something between other races.

I will hopefully pick up a few more races along the way as well.

Most notably for 2015, I don't have a weight goal.  Do I want to lose weight?  Of course!  But I am not setting a specific goal of how many pounds I want to lose, or what my goal weight for the end of the year would be.  Instead, I'm going to focus on being healthy and exercising.  If I do those 2 things, the weight loss will follow.

I'm not at my best

You'll have to excuse me, I'm not at my best
I've been gone for a month, I've been drunk since I left
These so-called vacations will soon be my death
I'm so sick from the drink I need home for a rest

Read more: Spirit Of The West - Home For A Rest Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

This song came on my Ipod this week and I felt that it was most appropriate.  It's been a month since I've written here, and I have taken a "so-called vacation" from all things healthy.  No, I haven't been drunk for the last month, but I have imbibed in more alcohol then I normally do.  A glass of wine with dinner, a cocktail in the afternoon when Mom was visiting, a night cap here and there.

I've also stopped tracking my food, drinking enough water and exercising.  I haven't run since the two 5ks I did the first weekend in October and I've only managed to make it to 4 TKD classes all month.

Add to that the decadence of Thanksgiving, indulging during Mom's visit and Halloween candy and it quickly becomes a recipe for weight gain and slothfulness.

That all stops now.

I have five goals for November that will hopefully help me get back on track -

1. Track all my food in MyFitnessPal.  If it passes my lips I WILL write it down.
2. Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day
3. No alcohol
4. Aim for 10,000 steps every day
5. Attend 10 TKD classes

I am purposefully leaving running out of my goals.  This doesn't mean that I don't plan to run, but I want goals that I know that I can hit without stressing over it too much.

What are your November goals?  How do you restart after a period of unhealthy behaviour?

August Goals

A look back at July:

1. Stop eating bad "C" word foods for the next 6 weeks.
2. Attend 8 TKD classes
3. Run 10 times
4. Run/Walk 155 km, with at least 50% of my days being over 5k

The only goal that I even got close to reaching in July is number one.  I have (mostly) given up the bad "C" words. I  did have cake for Liam's birthday, obviously.  And there has been a stray ice cream sandwich and cotton candy while on vacation.  But over all I feel good about this challenge and find that I am craving sweets less and less.

As for running, TKD and walking?  July sucked. 6 tkd classes, I only ran 3 times and I only logged 135 km, my lowest month yet.

Moving on...............

My goals for August?

I have no goals for August!

Sure I plan to keep walking, going to TKD, running and eating healthy.  I also recognize that I will be on vacation for 2 week's.  Since I will be visiting my Mom, the healthy eating and walking will be no problem, but I'm not going to track my food or my steps, and obviously TKD will be out.  I will take my running stuff with me and will hopefully get in at least one run, but really, I'm just going to enjoy myself.

Do you give up setting goals in the summer?  Or are you more motivated then?

July Goals

First a recap of my June goals:

Enter my first National TKD competition (June 7th!! Only 7 days from now)

• Did it!  And got 2 bronze medals.

Run my first 10k (June 14th!! Only 15 days from now)

• Did it!  and under my goal time!

Walk/Run 155 km – this is the same goal that I had for May, but this month I want to have more days that have a min. of 5k. In May, 55% of my days had less then 5k. I would like to drop that to at least 40% for June. Check out my tracker.

• Didn't do it.  I came in at 147.05 km.  And I only hit 37% of my days being over 5k.

Keep my Net Calories goal for more than 50% of the month. In May I only had 40% of my days where I met my calorie goals.

• Didn't do it.  I only hit 37% for my net calories this month

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So onward for July....

1. Stop eating bad "C" word foods for the next 6 weeks.
2. Attend 8 TKD classes
3. Run 10 times
4. Run/Walk 155 km, with at least 50% of my days being over 5k

What are your goals for July?

June Goals

1. Enter my first National TKD competition (June 7th!! Only 7 days from now) 
2. Run my first 10k (June 14th!! Only 15 days from now) 
3. Walk/Run 155 km – this is the same goal that I had for May, but this month I want to have more days that have a min. of 5k. In May, 55% of my days had less then 5k. I would like to drop that to at least 40% for June. Check out my tracker.
4.  Keep my Net Calories goal for more than 50% of the month. In May I only had 40% of my days where I met my calorie goals.

I am specifically not adding a weight goal for the month of June. If I focus on my fitness and my food, the weight loss should follow along. I’m trying to not be a slave to the scale and focusing more on non-scale victories.

 What are your goals for June?

Rules for Living

An article was published by the Canadian Press today about the 9 rules for living that author Bruce Grierson  has penned. Grierson recently published a book, What Makes Olga Run?, about 93 year-old Canadian track star Olga Kotelko. I’m looking forward to reading the book because WOW! what an inspiration. Olga didn't take up track and field events until she was in her 70s and sounds like the kind of old lady I would love to grow up to be.

Back to Grierson’s 9 rules for living. Some of his rules seem like no brainers: “Begin Now” - “Don't Do It If You Don't Love It” - “Keep Moving”, while some made me pause and think about them a bit more: “Be Opportunistic” – “Believe in Something” and "Be a Mensch"  . It made me think. What rules for living do I have? At the young age of 43, I’m no expert on longevity, but I realized I do have a few “rules” that I try to follow. Hopefully they help lead to a long and healthy life. And who knows? Maybe I’ll be setting records when I’m in my 90s!

Andy’s Rules for Living

1. Laugh every day 
2. Tell the people you love that you love them every day 
3. Drink plenty of water 
4. Eat fresh vegetables 
5. Get out and walk 
6. Get enough sleep 
7. Be kind to yourself 
8. Own pets 
9. Believe in yourself 

What are your rules for living?

My plans

Plans always seem to do better when you write them down and shout them out to the world to help hold you accountable.   So here are my long and short term plans.

Short Term

• Start tracking my food again at MyFitnessPal
• Drink more water
• Wear my Fitbit Zip every day and strive for 10,000 steps a day
• Go to Tae Kwon Do 3 times a week for the next 6 weeks
• Run at least once a week

Long Term

• Run my first 10k in June
• Advance two levels in TKD and be a Blue belt
• Lose 50 pounds

What are your plans for the year?

October's Goals

I made it through all of my September goals!  Now it's time to plan for October. Of course October has a holiday in it that centers around food (always the best holidays in my opinion) and my Mom is coming to visit for 2 weeks.  I don't want either of things to derail me completely, but I do want to enjoy myself.

1. Wear my pedometer every day - aim for 10,000 steps per day
2. Log all my food at My Fitness Pal
3. Fast on Tuesdays and Thursdays
4. Attend 10 TKD classes

I've signed up for three 5 km races this month!  

1. Oct 6 - Run for the Cure
2. Oct 20 - Food Run for Feed Nova Scotia
3. Oct 27 - Ghostly Gallop Virtual Run

Based on that I am setting myself a goal of running 40 km this month.

I am deliberately not setting any weight loss goals.  If I continue to focus on healthy eating and exercise, the number on the scale become irrelevant (or so I try to tell myself).

What are your goals for the month?

September Goals

1. Wear my pedometer every day
2. Track ALL of my food in MFP, every day
3. Attend a minimum of 9 Tae Kwon Do classes
4. Fast for 7 days
5. Run at least 10 times

Back at it

For the last two weeks I have not focused on weight loss.  I didn't track my calories, I didn't worry about eating ice cream, I didn't wear my pedometer and count my steps.  I also didn't go completely overboard, making healthy choices when I could. We've also had a car for the last 10 days which has meant no walking and a lot more fast food.  My focus was on getting ready to run my first 5K.

So the results on the scale this morning were not at all surprising.  In 2 weeks I gained 7 pounds. This week we are back to low carb meals and 2 days of Fasting.  I anticipate that the weight will come off fairly quickly and I can get back to working towards my goal weight. 

The Clothing Dilemma

 Over the past 3 years I have lost just over 50 pounds.   That’s the equivalent of no longer having a small child sharing my clothes with me.  The problem right now is that most of my clothes are more than 3 years old, so are sized for a much larger me.  And since I like clothes to be loose and baggy, some of those clothes were too big for me when I did weigh 50 pounds more.

Some things, like sweaters and shirts I can make do with.  But the track pants that require me to hold them up when I walk, really should go.  The problem that I have is that I’m cheap frugal and don’t want to spend any money on new clothes when I’m planning to lose another 50 pounds.  And for the most part, my existing clothes are in perfectly good shape and I would not consider replacing them if they still fit me.

Recently several people have commented on the fact that my clothes are just too big for me.  Hilary finally hauled me into a store to buy new track pants (my clothing option of choice to lounge in at home).  We were in a name brand, regular size store (as opposed to the full figured stores I normally shop in).  My first inkling was to try on an XL size pair of pants.  Hilary was having nothing to do with that and made me take in not only a L but a M pair too.  The heavens almost sang to me when I left the store with a MEDIUM pair of pants in my possession.   

Hilary also bought herself some new pants this week, and despite having tried them on in the store, found that 2 of the pairs she brought home felt too big on her once she wore them for a bit.  So I tried them on and they fit me perfectly.  These pants are only a size 16.  I don’t think I have worn a size 16 since I was 12 years old! 

While I have resisted buying new clothes, having new clothes in smaller sizes is such a wonderful boost.  It makes the weight loss much more real and tangible than just a number on the scale.  And a little retail therapy can really brighten up your day.  Now I just have to admit that I need some new tops and I’ll be stylin’ from head to toe.

It's just a number

Why is it that intellectually you can know something to be true and the right thing to do, but it is still so hard?

Every blog, report, pamphlet or article that you read on weight loss will all say the same thing: Don’t be a slave to the scales. It’s just a number. Don’t weigh yourself every day.

But what do I continue to do? Yup, weigh myself every day.

There is so much more to being healthy then just a measurement of my current weight. How I feel, my energy level, how I move, my appettit, how I’m sleeping, my moods and how my clothes fit are all better indications of how I’m doing overall than a simple number on a scale. Then there is the problem that every scale is different. I weighed 5 lbs more at the doctor’s office then I did at home 30 minutes before hand. The current medical standards all say that I should weigh 165 lbs. But how will I feel at 165 lbs? Will I like the way I look or move? My goal is to be fit and healthy, not to mould myself into society's current definition of what a woman should look like.

Logically I agree with all the reasons for why I should not weigh myself everyday. I know that my weight can fluctuate from day to day just from existing and it may not have anything to do with actual weight gains or losses. And at some level I know that it’s just a number. For me though, that number (at least right now) is an encouragement and not a detterent to my resolve. I celebrate the losses, no matter how small and the gains make me more determined to make better choices. I won’t let myself get to a point of obsessing over the number each day. I may be disappointed by a small gain, but I’m not going to punish myself by doing more push ups, or cutting back my calories drastically for the day. I do reflect on what may have caused the gain and I decide if it was worth it, like last week when we ordered in Indian food (yes, it was very much worth it).

I would like to get to a point that I am comfortable with not weighing myself so often. To be confident in my food and exercise choices to know that I’m doing all the right things and that the weight loss will just naturally follow. One of the things that might help me with that is the Tribesport challenge to stay off the scale for 21 days.

Take the Challenge to Stay off the scales for 21 days and see if you can improve your fitness, mental happiness and waistline in that time!

I'll let you know when I'm ready to start the challenge.  It should be soon.

Weigh In - Jan 13, 2013

Starting Weight - 217 on January 1st, 2013
Current Weight - 210.5

Weight lost this week -  2.4 lbs

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I had a great week!  I made it to TaeKwon-Do 3 times (and the Wednesday class was a killer!)  I've kept up my TribeSport challenges at home everyday.  I walked 2 mornings even though it was icy out.

I did have 2 meals that far exceeded the calories that I should have, but that's okay.  This isn't about dieting and denying myself certain foods.  It's about making a lifelong commitment to health and fitness. Yes, what I weigh is still an important part of that, because I don't believe that I can be healthy and physically fit at my current weight.  But while I'm working on seeing the number on the scales improve, I'm also working on being able to do better lunges, to run longer and farther and to hopefully one day be able to do an actual, proper push-up.

Resolutions for 2013

I’m not usually one to make resolutions, or even to set long term goals, but I’m going to give it a go this year in the hopes of having commitments to help keep me on track.

1. I want to work towards getting at least my Green belt in TaeKwon-do this year. I will test for my yellow belt at the end of January, so that would mean moving up 2 more levels over the course of the year.
2. I want to try to run a 5K run for a fundraiser for Liam’s school in June. Considering I can’t run the 0.5K that we do as part of our warm up in TKD, I have a lot of work to do for this one.
3. I want to continue to log my food everyday in MyFitnessPal.
4. I want to lose at least 30 pounds this year. This still doesn’t get me to my desired final weight, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on to hit that magical number.
5. I want to bike more in the summer.
6. I want to continue to get fit.

Six goals (really 5, since the first 5 all feed into #6) seems reasonable.  So here's to a happy and heatlthy 2013.