I know it's been a while but I am still going strong on my fitness journey. I have been really consistent with my exercise and have found that I am way happier when I find time to fit my exercise in! I have been averaging exercising 5 times each week and realize I am a much more pleasant Mom when I have already been to the gym in the morning before my kids wake up. I have never been a morning person and it takes me a while to wake up and put on the happy face that my kids deserve and need.
My friend was talking me with me last week and offered her Salt Lake Half Marathon ticket to me. She is currently training for a full marathon in June and has already committed to a few more races throughout the summer so she decided to sell her half marathon ticket. It was really tempting at first but the more I thought about it I became discouraged and not sure if I was ready for it. At that point the most I had ever ran was 9 miles and that race was 2 weeks away. This same friend was encouraging me to do it and reminded me how far I have come since last summer. She is the same friend I did a couple runs with when I was training for my mini triathlon and she reminded me that when we were running I could barely run 2 miles without stopping and now I was doing 9. My husband was encouraging me as well and also reminded me how far I've come! After a lot of thought, I decided to do it and I am now getting really excited! Last Saturday I ran 11 miles in 1:41 minutes. That is really awesome for me and I proved to myself that I can accomplish hard things. On the training program I have been using it quotes George S. Patton, a 1912 Olympian and it says...
"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."
Durning the last 2 miles of that run I really had to remember this and let my mind control my body and try really hard not to focus on the aching muscles I had. I am really enjoying this journey and have also enjoyed turning my weakness to strengths and proving to myself that I can do hard things!!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Stronger than I think
Our local fitness center put on a sprint triathlon called "Sweaten with your Sweetheart!" It was a 400 yd. swim in the pool, 12 miles on the spinning bike, and a 3 mile run on the track. My hubby and I thought it sounded really fun until we saw the price to enter and decided that we already had a membership to the center and we could still do it on our own a different day. So the following Saturday we went and did the same course and it was a lot of fun! At the last triathlon I did, I felt incredibly disappointed with my self because during the run (which was last), I ended up walking a little because the pain in my legs. So this time I had only set one goal and that was to finish the run the best that I could without stopping. I found that I was stronger than I had thought because amazingly enough I average the run at an 8.5 minute mile. When I train, usually I run at 9.5 minute mile, so I was incredibly proud of my self. I guess the training is well paying off! I had heard that triathlons are addicting and I am starting to feel that way my self. I am now in full swing and focused on training for my half marathon in May, but I plan on doing a couple of triathlons this summer.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
January's thoughts/ lessons
January was a great month! Glad it's over because it means we are that much closer to Spring. Usually in January I get the winter blues and this year it wasn't even noticeable to me. I am pretty sure I owe it to the physical activity that kept me busy! I am also proud to say that January has 31 days and I completed 33 workouts. That is with taking every Sunday off! Whew!
I am constantly trying to learn something new and sometimes I am learning things without trying. So here is a list of a few things to note that I thought have had some kind of importance to me...
~ I need to use a pre-work in the mornings to get a great workout and if I don't have a lot of protein throughout the day I usually wake up with tight and achy muscles. The mornings are so difficult for me and without drinking a pre-workout drink I have a hard time waking up enough to put my all into the workout.
~ Complex carbs vs. Simple Carbs. has been good to know and understand. Simple carbs break down faster where complex carbs take longer to burn keeping your metabolism going. At night your body goes into starvation mode so sometimes if you haven't eaten for hours before you went to bed, by the time you wake up you are starving. Eating a healthy complex carb at night such as 1/4 c.cottage cheese is good because it has lots of protein used to repair all your muscles at night and it is a complex carb which will keep your metabolism going for longer throughout the night so your body doesn't just store and grab all the sugar which eventually, if not burned, will turn to fat. Here is a good website to learn more...http://www.livestrong.
~ If I keep chopped up vegetables in my fridge ready to eat, I have an easier time eating them when I feel the munchies and therefore don't eat so much junk!
~ I am not a good dancer! I really have no rhythm and I hate watching my self do Zumba in the mirrors. I have opted out and chose to swim on the mornings the rest of my friends go to Zumba. I have been to Zumba classes that are in the gym and I have enjoyed it so much better because there are no mirrors around so I don't have to watch how ridiculous I look!
~ Headaches arise when I don't drink enough water. I have been trying to drink a gallon a day. I know that sounds like a lot but in reality its only 128 ounces. I have a water bottle with 38 oz. in it and its only 3.3 of them. It's not too bad. Once I drink that much water, I then reward my self with a treat or another type of drink.
~ In the book I have been reading it talks about how we discount our real abilities. I have always said, "I am not a runner" and in reality I am a runner. I am proud to say that now when someone asks, I can nod and say, "Yes I am a runner!" I do believe in my self and running is not a natural talent of mine, but it is a talent I have worked hard to develop!
~ Surround my self with people who are positive, uplifting and supportive of me. I care too much what people think and often times spend too much time wondering why certain people aren't supportive or negative about the things I am most passionate about. I really care about everyone and have a strong desire to fit in with most people, but there are some people that no matter what I do I can not please!
~ Set small goals! I am a list maker and often make a huge list of goals I want to accomplish over the next year. I have learned that yearly goals are good but making smaller goals as well that are achievable in a small time frame has made me feel more successful and powerful! Some of these goals have been for example, resist taking seconds at a delicious meal, not giving into the donuts at the store although they smell fabulous and I swear they are calling my name, say no to having a bread stick while I am at work, run one minute longer after I feel exhausted or have completed the amount of miles for that day, sprint the last three minutes, add 5 more pounds in my hand weights for a set of reps in a one workout and etc. These are things I can and will accomplish that make me feel proud of myself when they are done then I can move onto another set of small goals when the current list is complete. This way I can see things marked off my list and don't feel overwhelmed with just a list of goals that will take me a long time to check off.
~ Most importantly, SLEEP is vital!! I need to sleep at least 7 hours every night. I have to make it a priority to get to bed early if I want to be a happy energetic Mom, friend and wife.
Here's to another great month!
I am constantly trying to learn something new and sometimes I am learning things without trying. So here is a list of a few things to note that I thought have had some kind of importance to me...
~ I need to use a pre-work in the mornings to get a great workout and if I don't have a lot of protein throughout the day I usually wake up with tight and achy muscles. The mornings are so difficult for me and without drinking a pre-workout drink I have a hard time waking up enough to put my all into the workout.
~ Complex carbs vs. Simple Carbs. has been good to know and understand. Simple carbs break down faster where complex carbs take longer to burn keeping your metabolism going. At night your body goes into starvation mode so sometimes if you haven't eaten for hours before you went to bed, by the time you wake up you are starving. Eating a healthy complex carb at night such as 1/4 c.cottage cheese is good because it has lots of protein used to repair all your muscles at night and it is a complex carb which will keep your metabolism going for longer throughout the night so your body doesn't just store and grab all the sugar which eventually, if not burned, will turn to fat. Here is a good website to learn more...http://www.livestrong.
~ If I keep chopped up vegetables in my fridge ready to eat, I have an easier time eating them when I feel the munchies and therefore don't eat so much junk!
~ I am not a good dancer! I really have no rhythm and I hate watching my self do Zumba in the mirrors. I have opted out and chose to swim on the mornings the rest of my friends go to Zumba. I have been to Zumba classes that are in the gym and I have enjoyed it so much better because there are no mirrors around so I don't have to watch how ridiculous I look!
~ Headaches arise when I don't drink enough water. I have been trying to drink a gallon a day. I know that sounds like a lot but in reality its only 128 ounces. I have a water bottle with 38 oz. in it and its only 3.3 of them. It's not too bad. Once I drink that much water, I then reward my self with a treat or another type of drink.
~ In the book I have been reading it talks about how we discount our real abilities. I have always said, "I am not a runner" and in reality I am a runner. I am proud to say that now when someone asks, I can nod and say, "Yes I am a runner!" I do believe in my self and running is not a natural talent of mine, but it is a talent I have worked hard to develop!
~ Surround my self with people who are positive, uplifting and supportive of me. I care too much what people think and often times spend too much time wondering why certain people aren't supportive or negative about the things I am most passionate about. I really care about everyone and have a strong desire to fit in with most people, but there are some people that no matter what I do I can not please!
~ Set small goals! I am a list maker and often make a huge list of goals I want to accomplish over the next year. I have learned that yearly goals are good but making smaller goals as well that are achievable in a small time frame has made me feel more successful and powerful! Some of these goals have been for example, resist taking seconds at a delicious meal, not giving into the donuts at the store although they smell fabulous and I swear they are calling my name, say no to having a bread stick while I am at work, run one minute longer after I feel exhausted or have completed the amount of miles for that day, sprint the last three minutes, add 5 more pounds in my hand weights for a set of reps in a one workout and etc. These are things I can and will accomplish that make me feel proud of myself when they are done then I can move onto another set of small goals when the current list is complete. This way I can see things marked off my list and don't feel overwhelmed with just a list of goals that will take me a long time to check off.
~ Most importantly, SLEEP is vital!! I need to sleep at least 7 hours every night. I have to make it a priority to get to bed early if I want to be a happy energetic Mom, friend and wife.
Here's to another great month!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Swimming vs. Yoga
I am not one who enjoys yoga. I have tried it on several occasions and have decided it's not for me. I have a hard time calming my mind, instead I focus on passing the time and all the things on my to do list. I really believe it is a talent to shut the world out and focus on just that moment and your breathing. I know that yoga is really good for stretching and provides a good recovery to the body, but I have decided that for me swimming laps provides the same thing. I have really enjoyed swimming laps lately! When my body aches with pains, knots and sore muscles, I take one of the mornings in the lap pool and find that to cure most of the problems!
How do you relieve those sore muscles and pains?
How do you relieve those sore muscles and pains?
Other peoples success story
I ran across this blog today and really found it inspiring.
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/my-weight-loss-story/my-weight-loss-story-before-after-photos.html
I love hearing other peoples insights and success stories. I don't think that some people (including myself) get or even remember how our food choices will effect us. Losing weight is and will always be a battle and it's important to remember that weight loss can't just come with exercise, it must be followed with healthy eating habits. I am grateful to have had this reminder, because just this week I was talking with some friends explaining to them that I have been faithful at working out 5-6 times per week but I have not lost a pound in months. So glad I ran across this blog to help remind me that its the food choices I have made that has lead to that result.
Another good thought I love...
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/my-weight-loss-story/my-weight-loss-story-before-after-photos.html
I love hearing other peoples insights and success stories. I don't think that some people (including myself) get or even remember how our food choices will effect us. Losing weight is and will always be a battle and it's important to remember that weight loss can't just come with exercise, it must be followed with healthy eating habits. I am grateful to have had this reminder, because just this week I was talking with some friends explaining to them that I have been faithful at working out 5-6 times per week but I have not lost a pound in months. So glad I ran across this blog to help remind me that its the food choices I have made that has lead to that result.
Another good thought I love...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Garmin Forerunner 405CX
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