Mamavation Week 44

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This was quite the busy week.  I'll jump right in....

Exercise: Cardio 6 days out of 7, a total of 183 cardio minutes.  I started the week easy since I was recovering from my 5k the previous weekend.  I planned my exercise for the week and stuck with that plan.  The only thing that changed was that I started power walking with a neighbor.  She saw me running on Wednesday morning and stopped to ask if I'd walk with her.  So we'll be walking on Tuesday & Thursday mornings together.  It makes me happy to have someone to sweat with!

For the MamaGuns challenge, I stepped it up a notch this week.  Thanks to Stephanie, aka MamaGuns, for giving great advice and info regarding additional strength exercises.  I changed up my routine, added 6 upper body exercises and 3 lower body exercises.  I still do a few Pilates exercises every day for my core and plan to add more in the coming weeks.  I can already feel my legs getting stronger!  My overall fitness goal is to improve my running, and I've done a lot of reading about the importance of strength training for runners.  (Also, I posted videos of two MamaGuns exercises that I filmed when I saw the awesome MizFit in September.)

And my pedometer broke this week. Sad face. I beat that thing up and wore it every day for the last 7 months.  I'll get another one sometime because I like the challenge of meeting a step goal.

Monday - exercise bike, 25 minutes
Tuesday - exercise bike, 30 minutes, MamaGuns workout
Wednesday - running, 24 minutes
Thursday - power walking, 40 minutes, MamaGuns workout
Friday - exercise bike, 30 minutes
Saturday - running 34 minutes, MamaGuns workout
Sunday - rest day


Food: I did well with eating this week.  I still use my food journal and follow basic "clean eating" principles. But I don't beat up on myself if I have a treat.  I had an interesting revelation on Friday.  We were at Ladybug's preschool Halloween party.  I allowed myself a cupcake.  It tasted bad to me.  It was so processed-tasting that I couldn't finish it.  It wasn't just that it had sugar in it, I could TELL it came from a box.  I've made applesauce cupcakes recently from scratch and they were good.  I guess because I hardly eat processed food I could tell the difference. We don't really get into Halloween too much, so I didn't have the candy temptation (and I'm thankful for that!).

I am challenging myself to eat more greens this month.  Spinach is my usual fave, with kale being a new favorite too.  I featured kale last week in my New Food Friday post - go check it out!

And here is our healthy menu plan for the week.  I'll be keeping things simple.

The Scale: I'm trying not to be frustrated. I'm up 1 lb for two weeks in a row.  I know that with the increased strength training that I am building muscle and that in the long run this will increase my metabolism and the extra pounds will drop.  But it's still frustrating to be "stuck."  The scale is not my only means of measuring success.  I feel good and I'm staying active.  I will re-check my measurements next week.

Special thanks to Subway for being such a fabulous Mamavation sponsor! And thanks to all of you for continued support and encouragement!

New Food Friday - Kale

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Welcome back to New Food Friday, where I feature a new-to-us or new-to-you food that can be a great way to add fiber to your diet. This week's new food is kale.  Have you tried kale before?  Or do think that it is best used as "fill" on your local salad bar?

Kale is a member of the cabbage family and is closely related to collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. It is considered an antioxidant food and also has anti-inflammatory properties.  It is rich beta-carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C and calcium.  A cup of chopped kale has 3 grams of dietary fiber as well.  There are several different types of kale, with leaf colors ranging from light green to dark green, even violet or brown.

Kale is used in cuisines around the world.  And because it grows well in cooler weather, it is often one of the few fresh vegetables available in cold seasons.  It can be boiled, although it does lose some nutritional value when boiled.  Kale can also be eaten raw, steamed, or fried.

Recently, we have enjoyed kale steamed then tossed with feta cheese and barley.  I also chop kale and add it to soup.  And Hubby and I especially enjoy making kale chips.  Very tasty!  I  found a recipe for Kale and Potato Soup on the Food on the Table blog that I am looking forward to trying. And you can certainly add raw kale to a green smoothie.

An interesting tidbit about kale: those pretty ornamental cabbage plants that you see coloring winter landscapes (especially in the South) are actually kale and they are edible as long as they have not been treated with pesticides.  I think I'll be planting some ornamental kale this winter!

Do you include kale as part of your fiber-rich diet?  What is your favorite way to eat kale?

Source: Wikipedia
Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Strength Exercises with Minimal Equipment

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alternate title: Vlogging with Mizfit!

One of my favorite things about the Type-A-Mom conference in September was meeting so many amazing people.  One of those was Calra, a.k.a. @mizfitonline.  She is funny, passionate, and genuine.  I absolutely LOVED being in her space!

Before the conference, I told Carla that I would be bringing my resistance bands so I could keep up on the Mamavation MamaGuns challenge and that I would love her advice on some exercises.  We shot a few short video demos.  Please excuse my muteness in the vids.  I usually have diarrhea-of-the-mouth, but got totally skeered when she turned on the video.  Plus, I'm sure you would rather hear from Carla and her vast knowledge anyway!






And we shot one more video but her camera is being stingy and not letting go of it, so I'll have to include that in a separate post sometime.

Thanks, Carla, for helping me with my MamaGuns!!

Mamavation Week 43

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Who would have thought 43 weeks ago that I would be where I am today? Forty-three weeks ago, I knew things needed to change.  I never would have guessed that I would have changed my relationship with food and that I would be a runner, having run in my first 5k!  You've come a long way, baby!

Exercise:  I took it easy this week to rest my legs for Saturday's race.  I still wanted to be active, but didn't want to risk injury or wearing myself out.  It was unusual for me to take an extra rest day during the week.  And there were plenty of times during the week that my legs CRAVED to run, but I held back.  I had 150 cardio minutes for the week.  I only did one day of #MamaGuns.  I'll be correcting that this week!

Monday - ran 1.5 miles, 27 minutes, 14,222 steps
Tuesday - exercise bike, 30 minutes, #MamaGuns workout, 10,684 steps
Wednesday - missed my morning run because I felt lousy, walk/jog 1 mile in the afternoon with Ladybug, 25 minutes, 12,464 steps
Thursday - exercise bike, 21 minutes, 10,730 steps
Friday - rest day, and I forgot to record my step count
Saturday - ran a freakin' 5k! personal record of 46:12, 13,096 steps
Sunday - rest day, 7134 steps

Food: I focused on little to no sugar this week because I know that sugar affects my energy levels negatively now that I generally do not eat much of it.  I increased my daily caloric intake 100-200 calories per day to make sure my body was properly fueled.  I felt icky on Wednesday, but kicked that quickly thanks to good nutrition & some extra garlic!

Here is our healthy menu plan for this week.  I am very excited that I won a free consultation with the chef from Food on the Table, so my menu plan might change after our phone call today.

The Scale: I took a break from the scale this week due to PMS.  This week, I was up 1 lb, I think because I was still bloated when I stepped on the scale.  Oh well.  I wasn't focusing on weight loss this week.  My focus was the race!

Plan for this week: Focus on good nutrition, especially fruits & veggies.  Workout schedule: Mon/Wed/Sat - short runs, 1.5-2 miles, Tues/Thurs/Fri - exercise bike, Pilates, #MamaGuns

My next goal? I'm planning to run another local 5k February 18, 2011.  There are 2 in November, but our family schedule doesn't jive with the dates.  I'm still looking for a race in December or January.  Also, one of my close friends from college is a runner and we want to make plans to run a race together - I am so excited about that (because she's my friend and she ROCKS!)

Speaking of running, have you seen the Subway commercials for Jared's marathon training?  My fave is the one that features the African runners.

If you haven't read it yet, here's my recap of my 5k this weekend. Thank you SO MUCH for your support and encouragement!  Can't believe how far I've come this year!

My First 5k!

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Where do I start?  How can I describe what an incredible experience it was to run a 5k race today?

I don't usually use an alarm clock.  My natural time to wake is between 5:30 and 6:00 am.  But I did set the alarm for today.  It went off at 5:30.  I rolled out of bed to start getting ready.  We didn't have to leave the house until 6:30, but I didn't want to feel rushed.

I made a green smoothie with yogurt, ground flax, half a banana, spinach, and some frozen strawberries & frozen blueberries.

Hubby, Ladybug (3 years old) and I piled in the car and got on our way.  We arrived at the course with plenty of time before the 7:30 start time.  I found the port-a-potties, and we made our way to the starting line.  By this time, I was pretty nervous.  Not so much about running, but because of the crowd.  I don't do well with crowds and new situations. Hubby made some jokes to keep me smiling.  That definitely helped.

I moved into the street and tried to hang back from the starting line, but the officials kept asking everyone to move up.  I knew I was too close to the front of the pack, but there wasn't much I could do at that point.

The horn sounded and we were off!  By the time I ran .25 mile, I knew I started too fast.  My breathing was ragged and the anxiety was creeping in again.  Thankfully, the crowd started to thin out a bit so I focused on finding my own pace and regulating my breathing.

I had recovered by the 1 mile mark and decided to take a water at the water station. I slowed for a few steps to drink then got back onto pace.  This was an out-and-back course, and close to the 1 mile marker, also saw the first runners coming back. Wow, they were really moving!

I kept reminding myself that my goal wasn't to run fast.  My goal was to RUN.  There were folks that alternated run/walk.  I'd run past them while they were walking, then they would run past me.  My goal was to RUN.  This really helped me keep going and to focus.  Wow.  It takes a lot of mental strength to run a race.

As I got closer to the finish line, people were lined up along the course to cheer.  It was great to hear the "You can do it," "You're almost there," encouragement!  My pace picked up a little.  Then I saw Hubby and Ladybug about 100 feet before the finish line and that really helped me!  Ladybug was so excited to cheer for Mama!

As I got close the finish line, I saw the clock read 46: something.  Wow.  I felt like I was running slow, but my previous times when running this distance were 55 and 52 minutes.  My pace picked up even more.  My official time was 46:12 - a Personal Best!! Wow!

As I slowed to a walk, someone handed me a medal (just for finishing - woot!), then I walked on to get a water bottle and a banana.  Hubby and Ladybug found me.  We hugged, took a few pictures and I stretched.

My face wasn't really that red, but the sun was bright & I was sweaty!

What a feeling!!  To have set a goal and to accomplish it!!  Amazing!!

I know I could not have accomplished this goal with the support and encouragement from family and friends.  Thank you to Hubby and Ladybug for cheering me on.  Thanks to my mom, mom-in-law, sister, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law for your words of encouragement.  Special thanks to my Mamavation sistas, especially Janice, Steph, Rachel, and Kia for being an inspiration to me (and Janice for her great learn to run program and wonderful coaching!).  Thank you to Leah, founder of Mamavation, for all that you do to encourage moms to make healthy choices and be a healthy influence on their families.

This is a day I will always remember!

Ten Reasons Today is a Great Day

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10. Another day of beautiful fall weather!

9. I can spend time with my family today.

8. I love my Tuesday morning Bible study!  They keep me on my toes, but I love our time together!

7. I am strong, fit and healthy, and I will be running my first 5k race this Saturday.

6. I am blessed with friends and family who love me.

5. I am blessed with a roof over my head and money to pay the bills - thank you, Lord!

4. Today is the birthday of my good blogging friend Mama Hall.

3. It's also the birthday of Ty Pennington and John Lithgow.

2. As much as I want to be selfish, this post from last year reminds me that "it's not about me."

1. And it's my birthday too!

For more great Top Ten list, be sure to visit OhAmanda.com

Mamavation Week 42

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This is the week!!  My first 5k race is less than a week away!  I'm nervous and excited, all rolled into one.  But let's recap last week before I start doing cartwheels, shall we?

Exercise: Cardio 6 days out of 7, continued prep for the race, and the #MamaGuns challenge.  I wasn't able to keep up with the jumping jack challenge because my legs were too spent from running.  I'm okay with that, I have a lot going on right now!  195 total minutes of cardio for the week.  I was totally impressed that I got over 10k steps on the days that I rode the exercise bike. 

Monday - ran 2 miles, 33 minutes, 12,795 total steps
Tuesday - #MamaGuns, power walked 20 minutes, 10,679 steps
Wednesday - ran 2 miles, 35 minutes, 12,107 steps
Thursday - #MamaGuns, rode the exercise bike, 30 minutes, 11,675 steps
Friday - rode the exercise bike, 25 minutes, 11,231 steps
Saturday - ran 3 miles, 52 minutes, #MamaGuns, 15,536 steps
Sunday - rest day

Exercise plan for the week: I'll taper my runs on Monday/Wednesday in preparation for the race on Saturday.  I'll do #MamaGuns and the exercise bike on the other days.  The bike is a great low impact way for me to get my cardio in and rest my legs.  My shins have been a little sore lately, so I'm trying to take care of my legs and avoid strains and/or injury.

Food:  I did well with food this week.  I did struggle to get my veggies this week.  It's PMS week and I am craving carbs big time.  I didn't blow my calorie intake any day, but it was a struggle.  I will focus on good nutrition this week to prepare for the race.

How are you doing with your fiber intake?  I have started a weekly New Food Friday to introduce a fiber-rich food that you might consider adding to your diet.  This week, I talked about barley.

And here's our healthy menu plan for the week.

The Scale:  Since it's PMS time, I am staying away from the scale.  I feel blah and I'm sure the scale will reflect that.  I'll weigh in next week.

Inspiration:  I shared some music that inspires me in my #Commit2Fit post.  And I'll be continuing to focus on Philippians 4:13 as my inspiration for the race.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

And as I run the 5k on Saturday, I'll be picturing all of you, cheering me on!  My goal is to run the whole 3.1 miles.  I will focus on running my own race and not worry about others running near or past me.  This is my race, my chance to compete against myself!

Good luck to all of the #Mamavation Mom finalists!  You are ALL winners, remember that!

My Commit2Fit Playlist

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I didn't care to listen to music while exercising until I started running.  When I ride the exercise bike, I like to enjoy the solitude.  When I walk, I usually have Ladybug with me (used to be in the stroller, now walking along with me), so I can't have headphones on.  So the idea of having favorite workout songs is new to me.

You may not recognize the songs on my playlist.  I find the greatest motivation and inspiration from Christian music.  My time to run is time to be alone, time to think, and time to talk to God.  And by having these songs on my mp3 player, my thoughts stay focused in addition to the beat that keeps my feet moving.

My absolute FAVORITE must-have song that motivates me and keeps me going is "I Am" by Bebo Norman.

Other songs that I love having on my running playlist are:

Fields of Grace and Everything You Are by Big Daddy Weave
Live 4 Today by Natalie Grant (she's my fave Christian artist & song writer)

Revolution and Like a Child by Jars of Clay

I realized this morning that I need to add to my playlist. I don't have enough music to have separate warm up, cool down, and "rock it out" playlists.  So I'll be on a mission in the next week to find some more motivational, inspirational running music.

Thanks to Lisa at www.50in8.com and Subway for the chance to win an iPod Shuffle.

New Food Friday - Barley

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This is the first post in my "New Food Friday" series, and I will be featuring foods that may be new to us or new to you, but they will all be fiber-rich foods.

Fiber is an important but often neglected part of the American diet.  Fiber has so many great health benefits, but because of the highly processed typical American diet, most Americans don't even eat half of the recommended daily intake  In other words, there are a lot of chronically constipated people in this country!

One of the goals of "New Food Friday" will be to offer not only information about a fiber-rich food that might be new to you (or us!), but also some helpful ways to add this new food into your diet.

Today, let's talk about barley.

Barley is a whole grain, and while it's not "new" to our family, we are definitely eating more of it recently.

There are two types of domesticated barley: two-row and six-row barley.  Two-row barley has a lower protein content and has more fermentable sugar, making it a great choice for making beer.  Six-row barley has a higher protein content, and can be also used to make beer, but it is good grain for eating (without all that fermenting).  We're going to talk about barley for eating, not for beer making today, okay?

Barley is an ancient grain and was first domesticated in in the Fertile Crescent (remember that from history class?).  It was a common staple in the diet of civilizations from the Near East all the way to India and China.  Once wheat was introduced into the diet of these cultures, barley use waned but was less expensive that wheat, so it remained an important part of the the lower classes of these cultures.

Barley is a whole grain.  It does have to be processed to remove the outer hull before it can be consumed.  Pearled barley is further polished which removes the bran.  Pearled barley can be processed into flour as well.  The most common form are "flakes" similar to oatmeal.

Pearled barley cooks in a similar manner to rice and oatmeal, making it an easy grain alternative that can be added to the standard American diet.  The most common use is in soups or stews.  Simply add the uncooked barley to the soup 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

You can also make a barley pilaf, similar to the quinoa pilaf that I make, using barley instead of the quinoa.  Or use it as a rice alternative to accompany stir fry.  One cup of cooked barley has 190 calories and 6 grams of fiber, compared to white rice which has 240 calories and only 0.6 grams of fiber per one cup serving. 

Do you eat barley or is it a new-to-you food?  What is your favorite way to serve it?

Source: Wikipedia
Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Sincerest Form of Flattery

They say that kids imitate what they see.  Can you tell what Ladybug (3 years old) has been watching me do lately? ;-)  So proud of my girl!

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Ten Nuggets of Wisdom from Philippians

We've been studying the book of Philippians in Sunday School this fall.  It's a short book, but it jam-packed with nuggets of wisdom!!  For today's Top Ten list, I want to share ten of those nuggets of wisdom!

1. And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (1:6)

2. And it is my prayer that your love many abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, so to be pure and blameless for the day of Christ (1:9-10)

3. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (2:3)

4. And being found in human form, He (Christ) humbled Himself by becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on a cross. (2:8)

5. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (3:13-14)

6. Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. (4:4)

7. Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.  (4:6)

8. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (4:7)

9. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (4:8)

10. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. (4:13)


Is one of your favorite Philippians' verses listed above?  Which one?  Did I leave your favorite out?  Let me know what it is!

For more Top Ten lists, please visit OhAmanda.com.

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Mamavation Week 41

Another good week!  I think the amazing fall weather is helping.  I love fall in the South.  It's still warm, but the nights are chilly, and there is plenty of sunshine (most of the time!).  Here's my weekly recap of all things health and fitness.

Exercise:  Rocked 6 days out of 7 for cardio.  I logged a total of 222 minutes of cardio.  I only got two days of #MamaGuns strength training in.  I've switched up my running schedule so that I can run on Saturdays in preparation for my race in less than two weeks.  So that messed with my strength training days because I don't want to work the same muscle groups on two consecutive days.  Need to tweak the schedule a bit.

I am very excited that I got help with my form for lunges and squats when I went to the chiropractor this week.  My right knee was hurting during those exercise but not when I ran, so I was hoping it was just bad form.  And it was.  So I was able to add squats and lunges back into my strength training.  

Monday - 30 minutes running, 12,080 steps for the day
Tuesday - 10 minutes Pilates, 22 minutes power walking, #MamaGuns strength training, 11,015 steps
Wednesday - 32 minutes running, 13,098 steps
Thursday - 8 minutes Pilates, 38 minutes power walking, #MamaGuns, 15,500 steps
Friday -30 minutes power walking, 13,178 steps
Saturday - 52 minutes running (ran 3 miles straight!), 16,538 steps
Sunday - rest day

Food: It was a good week in this department.  I am experimenting with different kinds of produce that we haven't tried before.  Kale and mustard greens are the most recent - yum!  And I made a delish butternut squash soup this week!  I did indulge on Sunday when I had time with some girlfriends, allowing myself to have yummy chocolate treats at our annual Choctoberfest.  But I kept portions small and enjoyed the afternoon guilt-free. 

Here is our healthy menu plan for the week.  I will be starting a weekly post featuring fiber-rich foods called "New Food Friday."  (If you can think of a more creative name, please let me know!)  So be sure to check back on Fridays for that!

The Scale: Woot! Down another .5 lbs this week for a total of 22.5 in 41 weeks!  Yes, it's coming off slowly.  But I feel good about that!

#Commit2Fit: My commit2fit goal is two-fold.

1) Find a second local 5k race to train for.  My first 5k is in less than two weeks, and I have LOVED having that goal to keep me accountable and motivated.  I thought about registering for a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, but since we host dinner that day for our family, I don't think it would work.  The next one that I've found locally is in February.  I think I can handle a race every two months, so I'm still researching.

2) Encourage my 3 year old to be active.  During the hot summer weather, most of the exercise that she got was at the pool, which was great.  But now that the weather has cooled off, we can more outside activities.  We have been taking an afternoon walk around the neighborhood.  (This is in addition to my workouts noted above.)  I'll walk and Ladybug will sprint, run, twirl, walk, chase butterflies, you name it.  She's three.  If you've had a 3 year old, you know that they never walk a straight line anywhere!  It's been a lot of fun!  When she's running, she'll say, "Cheer for me, Mama!"  She knows that Mama runs, and so she likes to run too.

Inspiration:  It's been a while since I've shared an inspirational Scripture verse.  I've been so busy and sometimes I'm writing my Mamavation post on the fly.  But this particular verse came to be three times this weekend.  When I was my three miles on Saturday, it was tough and I kept repeating this verse over and over.  Then a bloggy friend quoted it in her post about her goal of being healthy and active.  Then we read it in Sunday School.  This is a great reminder that any strength to achieve these goals does not come from within myself.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13

I'll be focusing on this verse as I continuing preparing for my race on the 23rd.

This week's Mamavation blogging carnival is sponsored by Subway.  We definitely love Subway in this house!  Thanks to EVERYONE for your continued encouragement and support!  It really means a lot!  And good luck to the Mamavation finalists for campaign 6!

Saturday Stumbles & Other Good Stuff

Here are some great things that I've read recently.

Is anyone else confused about what we should and shouldn't eat? Doctors say one thing, nutritionists say another, and on and on. Rachel wrote a great post about the confusion.

I big, puffy heart LOVE this pumpkin craft from Makes and Takes. Can't wait to try it with Ladybug!

I haven't used my Swiffer much lately because I refuse to buy the throw-away refills. Flitterbugs has a great tutorial on making your own reusable Swiffer refills.

Except from my own experience, I'm not an expert on marriage. I had the privilege of sharing a post on Having a Bona Fide Marriage over at The Bona Fide Life, and I shared some tips on Staying Close to Your Spouse When You're Apart at Blissfully Domestic.

And I'm very pleased to announce that I am now accepting advertisers ("sponsors") on both this blog and my recipe blog! And I am excited to introduce my first sponsor: Heidi from With a Z Net. Heidi has several different sites - please go check them out!

And if you know of any individuals or companies that would be interested in purchasing ad space here, please have them contact me - thank you!


Stop by It's Come 2 This for more great Saturday Stumbles. Thanks for stopping by today - have a great weekend!

Moon Rise

I captured this during my run this morning. Can you see the crescent moon rising? It's in the 1:00 position from the street lamp in the center of the picture. It wasn't really this dark. The photo was taken with my camera phone.

The sky was clear, and it was a cool crisp morning. This is MY time.

Wordless Wednesday HQ
Wordful Wednesday at Parenting by Dummies
5 Minutes for Mom

Mamavation Week 40

What.A.Week. I battled travel fatigue at the beginning of the week. I was so tired from the trip to Type-A-Mom. But I pushed through it. What other choice does a mama have?

Exercise: Cardio 6 days out of 7. I ran on T-T-S. I had a HUGE accomplishment in that area on the 5k Day sponsored by Fit Mom in Training. (You gotta go read about it!) My first 5k race is less than three weeks away. I will be ready. M-W-F was power walking/Pilates. I did my #MamaGuns workout on M-W but forgot on F, so I did that on Sunday, which is usually my rest day. But I couldn't NOT work my MamaGuns!

This week, I'll run three days, alternated with power walking and Pilates and #MamaGuns. That schedule is working for me while I'm training.

Food: I continue to learn more about intuitive eating, although I still use my food journal daily. I don't trust myself entirely yet, so I need the accountability of writing down every bite. Although I'm not tempted to eat sweets the way I used to because I know that I'll feel like crap afterward. It's just not worth it to me. I'm focusing on fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean protein. I finally found some Greek yogurt - oh my YUM! Love it!

Here is our healthy menu plan for the week.

The Scale: Down 1 lb this week for a total of 22 lbs in 40 weeks! Yes! Finally seeing the scale moving after gaining/maintaining when I started the #MamaGuns challenge. I've lost an additional 1 inch since starting #MamaGuns as well. I'm very pleased.

This week's Mamavation blogging carnival is sponsored by Subway. I am so excited about the #Commit2Fit campaign! And did you see the video that Leah made from her time in NYC with Jared? Love it!

Edited to add: My #Commit2Fit goal is to find the next local 5k that I can train for. Even though I haven't even run my 1st 5k yet, I love the commitment to training that this goal gives me and I know I'll need that training to keep me accountable to keep running during the colder weather.

Thanks for your continued support and encouragement!

I Came. I Saw. I Ran.

It was 6:20 am and 57 degrees. Finally, fall is here. It was still dark out. I could see the stars and the crescent moon. The faint beginning of dawn glimmered in the east. The street lights were burning brightly.

Time to run. I look forward to this time. This is MY time. Time to think, to be alone, and to challenge myself. This particular day, Saturday, I knew I would challenge myself more than I have in a very long time.

This is 5k Day. Not the day of my first 5k race. That is still three weeks away. This was my practice day. I knew I had the time. Most weekdays I only have 30 minutes to exercise before the rush of the day sets in. I knew I had time today.

Up until this day, the farthest that I have run (in recently history) was 1.25 miles. I wanted to go at least 1.5 miles. Then I would alternate run/walk to finish the distance. I reached the 1.5 mile mark and pushed myself farther. Two mile mark came and went. Today, I ran 2.5 miles continuously. Without stopping.

I reason I decided to stop running and walk the rest of the distance was I could feel my hips tightening up. My goal for my 5k race in three weeks is to run the whole race. After running this morning, I know I can do it.

To look at me, you wouldn't guess that I am a runner. I still have 75 lbs to lose. I don't look like a runner. But I am. I run, and I love it.

Thanks, Stephanie, Janice and Mamavation Sistas for the challenge of completing 5k today. I came. I saw. I ran!


Edited to add: Ladybug (3 years old) wanted to go running with me (yes, she was already awake). I told her we could go when the sun came up. So as soon I as got back from my run, before I even had a chance to eat breakfast, she wanted to get dressed and go outside. So we walked another 1/2 mile after I finished my run. She also ran some. She's becoming a runner too!