Training Progress Update

I am sad to say that I officially didn’t start my training until March 11th, not the 4th, like I had originally planned (the day I bought the shoes). And in those 2 weeks, I have only completed the first 2 days of the Couch to 5K Training.


The main positive thing is that I have at least started. I have the shoes, I have done runs, and I have officially signed up for the 5K! And although I haven’t been doing the runs on the program, I have at least been taking 2 separate 10-15 minute breaks during the work day (one before and one after lunch) to do some speed walking in my office basement. It’s air conditioned and there’s usually no one else down there. So at least I get some exercise, and I earn a Point each time. Plus, it breaks up sitting down at a desk all day. And if I have an hour lunch, I walk for the last 20-30 minutes of it.

So it’s not all bad - I am raising my heart rate 2-3 times a day by speed-walking around for 10 minutes (sometimes I add an exercise to lunch, if I am done eating). And I burn around 50-60 calories each time. I’ve been wearing my running shoes when I do that, so I can get used to being in them, and hopefully my leg and feet muscles get used to them as well. (Plus, walking in my work shoes could really kill me!!) I can usually get my heart rate up from about 90 to around 120-130 during the quick walks, and I can feel the onset of sweating, without actually doing so. I would feel disgusting after lunch if I ran or did an actual workout, so with these walks, I at least get some benefit to it.

I have had a few slip-ups– I do great during the day at work, because I have to structure my eating and walking around my work schedule. I can’t just sit and gorge out on food for an hour if I have a half hour lunch, for example, or overeat if I only brought 2 items in for lunch. And then when I get home, I have a fridge, freezer and cabinets of temptation and possibilities.

But, overall, I’m eating better and exercising more than I was 2 weeks ago, so I can’t be discouraged. I’m doing something, and that’s better than nothing.

Good news update:

- I weighed myself on the morning of the 11th, then the 18th, and again this morning, and even though I haven’t really stuck to the running program, I’m down about 6 lbs from my first weigh in!! I would say being down 2-3 isn’t a big deal because sometimes you can fluxuate that much in a day! But being down 6 means that I’ve lost about 2-3 lbs a week with just diet (even with the cheating!) – imagine what getting back into exercise regularly will do!!!

- Zach and I recently went on a 2 ½ hour hike the first weekend of my training, and I ended up “earning” 8 Weight Watchers activity points! That’s huge!!! That’s like a breakfast or lunch amount of points! We celebrated after at a brewery, but I kept myself to 1 beer, and 2 small chicken BBQ sliders (and perhaps some chips with homemade salsa). But I felt good about it!

- During the hike with Zach, he made a comment to the effect of “I am looking forward to climbing a ton of 14ers with you this summer”. This is very encouraging to me, because he wants to do more active things with me, and that he is planning on taking me on several of those climbs. So I have more motivation to get into and stay in shape!

So, all in all, it’s been an emotional up and down week with all the times I “cheated”, but since I mostly stuck to the program and I’ve seen a little progress, I’m excited to finally buckle down and do it for real and see a BIG improvement!

I follow a trainer on Facebook, and she always posts the best motivational pictures, and I really loved this one (helped me keep somewhat on track last week) -

Resolutions? Or Commitments?

I don’t usually make formal resolutions, but there are a few things I would like to take care of this year.

Blog more: I know that I’ve already been blogging pretty much everyday for the past week or 2. But, before I started back up, the last post was I made was in November. I enjoy how it’s a little therapeutic and it’s almost a bit creative. I love thinking about what I’ll post about/how I’ll phrase it/what pictures I’ll pair with it. I also made my current page header, and I really enjoyed collecting those pieces and putting them all together. (On a side note, if you’d like me to make you a header for your page, I would love to make one for you! It may not be as perfect as the ones you pay for, but I make them with love!). Plus, I like to keep my family posted (pardon the pun) on what’s going on!

Eat better: To be perfectly honest, I can’t guarantee to myself that I will start to cook better, but I can control portion sizes. And I don’t need seconds. It’s just the food…it’s just so good once it hits the lips!

Get Bailey out more: The poor puppy doesn’t usually get out much during the week because I work all day and by the time I get home, it’s either dark or almost dark out, and I’m just so tired. So I want to walk him when I can, and make it out to the dog park more often.

Control: I want to work on making sure I don’t get upset over things beyond my control. I think this expression is meant as a joke in an Office episode a few seasons ago, but it makes sense to me – “I can’t control what other people do. I can only control how I react to it”. I just find myself stressed out a lot, and it’s pretty draining. I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets stressed around here!

So all in all, it's not so much resolutions, as things that can constantly be worked on.