I Like to Move It, Move It

You've got that song in your head now, don't you? This is a good theme for last week.

1. Even when I have a cold and feel like crap, getting up and moving always makes me feel better.
2. When reaching toward a goal, you're either moving forward or moving backward. Choose to move forward.
3. We're moving this week. Oh.My.Word. I'm surrounded by moving boxes and seemingly insurmountable to-do lists. (Also related, if I'm not around on Twitter much, this is my excuse.)

Here's the week in review:

Fitness: I had a slow week with only 160 fitness minutes. My Tues/Thurs cardio class had to cancel for the week; I started getting a cold Monday night so I chose to get some extra sleep Tuesday morning; I took an extra rest day on Friday to rest my legs before Saturday's 5k.

This will be a full week with moving thrown into the "normal" mix. I know I'll need to get my sweat on to help manage the stress. And by Saturday, I think I'll itching for a run to explore a new neighborhood!

Monday - a.m. run; p.m. power walk (during LB's dance class)
Tuesday - unintentional rest day
Wednesday - a.m. run
Thursday - @fitcheerldr inspired walk n tone workout
Friday - planned rest day
Saturday - Strides for Autism 5k
Sunday - usual rest day

Nutrition: Blergh. The stress has been high, and I did a lot of stress eating this week. I don't keep tempting foods in the house because I know I'll reach for them when I'm stressed. I ate a lot more bread than I should. I didn't eat the fruits and veggies that I usually do. It was a rough week.

This week will be tough with moving, but I will focus on fruits and veggies for fuel and sweat to manage the stress.

The Scale: The stress eating shows, I'm up 2 lbs this week. I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I'm focusing on what I can do this week to make sure it's a better week.


Non-Scale Victories: 1) Continuing to go through my closet to find out what fits and what needs to be donated, I found a pair of size 16 dress pants. They're still a little snug, but I can button and zip them! 2) I can wear a "one size fits most" night shirt. And 3) this past Saturday, I ran my 5th 5k in less than a year.

Blogging Carnival Question: Where are you planning for your feet to take you before 2011 ends? Any races or training plans?  That reminds me of Dr. Seuss, "Oh the places you'll go!" I do have racing plans, as a matter of fact. October 22nd is the Coastal 5k, which was my first 5k last year. I plan to CRUSH my previous finishing time. There is a local Turkey Trot 5k, which I may run, depending on family plans that day. There is a Reindeer 5k in December, and a Prediction 5k on New Year's Day (although that's technically 2012).

I'm looking forward to living in a new neighborhood (in town, not out in the boonies!), which will give me lots of new running routes to explore. I currently run three days a week and hope to add another day to help increase my mileage as I look to the possibility of training for a half-marathon in 2012!

As I started this post: "I like to move it, move it!" And my feet plan to do lots of moving before this year ends.

This post is sponsored by Omron Fitness and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women“

Race Recap: Strides for Autism 5k

A new shirt to add to my collection

Today I ran my fifth 5k. And every race has been a completely different experience. Even though I have run a race at the same location as today, this was an entirely different experience.

I should have guessed this was going to be different because when I tried to register on-line last week, I couldn't. I e-mailed the organization, I called their local office. No response. I hoped and prayed that there would be a race and that I would be able to register on site.

This was the most laid back race experience I've had. No bibs, no timing chip, no official start or finish. When the director was giving instructions, she said, "This isn't a race. Walk as much as you want, for as long as you want." I was the only runner. A few people power-walked, most just strolled. There were several families there with their autism service dogs.

Even though this wasn't really a "race," I stuck with my pre-race plan. Twenty minutes of walking, jogging, and stretching. Coming into today, I really wanted to PR, and I knew that by warming up, I'd be able to start faster.

I didn't count on the weather though. There were storm clouds off to the east, and by race time the sun had started to peak through the clouds. It was 78 degrees, with an occasional stiff breeze, but plenty of sun. Yikes! I am not used to running in daylight, let alone sunlight!

The "course" was a one mile loop around the lake at Grand Park. I've decided that Grand Park is my nemesis. The last time I ran here, it was also hot, and I had to duck down into a ditch to pee. Both races at Grand Park have not felt great, but both ended with great finishing times. One of these days, I'll run at Grand Park and feel good about it!

I got off to a good pace, not pushing hard because there wasn't anyone else running. One of the exciting things about race day is being around other runners. I missed that. There wasn't much shade and by the end of the first loop, I was getting hot. I picked up a water bottle, and started to alternate walk/run for the second loop.

Halfway through the second loop, I felt that familiar urge and knew I had to find the porta-potty. Thankfully, I would be running right by it, so I paused my GPS and ducked in. When you're already hot and sweaty, making a pit stop in a plastic box with the sun beating down on it doesn't help. I'm just sayin'.

So after my pit stop, I started out again. Even if most people were only walking one lap, I decided I was going to go the full 3.1 miles. I was doing more walking than running at this point. I kept looking at my GPS and knew that I could PR, even if I would miss my goal of sub-40. But I just couldn't go any faster. It was too hot, and I really didn't want to give myself heat exhaustion. By this time, I had also dumped most of my water on myself to keep cool.

I finished with a time of 41:56, a PR by 20 seconds. I'm saving that sub-40 for October 22nd. :-)

Because this was for an autism charity and I know that several Mamavation sistas have children with autism or aspergers, I had asked for their names earlier in the week. I had intended to write their name on my arm and run for them. I forgot my marker, and by the time I got registered, I was sweaty enough that the pens didn't want to write on my skin. So I wrote their names on a piece of paper and stuck it in my shoe pocket. I ran for these amazing kids because sometimes to struggle to navigate our complex world, yet they persevere. They were my inspiration today.

Running in an event like this makes me count my blessings. I have a healthy child. My husband and I are both healthy. I have a husband who adores me and puts up with my crap. Even though we lost our first child, my faith gives me confidence that I will see her again in heaven. I am very blessed. And I am very thankful.

Staying on the Move

This will be a quick update. I should have planned ahead & written this over the weekend. Mondays are just a little crazy around here.

Fitness: I had a really amazing week with 206 fitness minutes. I started doing a cardio class twice a week with a few ladies from church. We do cardio and strength, and it's been a great way to get both done. Running is going well. I have a 5k this weekend for the state autism charity. If you have a child on the autism spectrum, please leave their first name in the comments. I'll be writing those names on my arm and running for your kids!

Monday - a.m. run
Tuesday - a.m. Pilates, p.m. cardio class
Wednesday - a.m. run
Thursday - p.m. cardio class
Friday - a.m. power walk
Saturday - a.m. 4 mile run (that's a long run for me!)
Sunday - rest day

Nutrition: I struggled with carb cravings this week thanks to the monthly visitor. I did well with planning ahead and having meals prepped & ready to be reheated on busy nights. I'll be focusing on lots of fresh fruits & veggies this week because when I'm eating them, I don't have room for an over-abundance of starchy carbs.

The Scale: After last week's PMS bloat, I was able to maintain this week. Oh well. This is my typical pattern for weight loss.

Non-Scale Victory: Running 4 miles is definitely a non-scale victory! I've been able to do that several times in the last six weeks and have improved my time over the course of time. I'm looking forward to my 5k on Saturday!

Thanks so much for your continued support and encouragement! We're all in this healthy journey together!

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Time to hit the ground running, both figuratively and literally. Preschool started last week. Dance class, Bible studies, and church activities start this week. I'm always more productive when I have a time crunch. And a touch of insomnia helps too. (I'm awake much too early today and typing this before I go for a run!)

Here's last week in review.

Fitness: I had 177 total fitness minutes. Not much time for extras. If it didn't get done in the morning, it didn't get done. But that's okay. That's why it's important to schedule your workout time. If you don't have a set time to exercise, it's easier to skip it or forget about it. Morning has always been the best time for me because I can wake up before anyone else is up, get it done, and not worry about it the rest of the day.

Monday - running
Tuesday - combined cardio/strength
Wednesday - running
Thursday - combined cardio/strength
Friday - Pilates
Saturday - running
Sunday - rest

I'm a schedule kind of gal, and I thrive on keeping my schedule. I'll be changing things a bit this week as I'll be exercising twice a week with a few ladies from church. That will be in the evening, but it's on my calendar so I know it will get done. And that might give me time to sneak in Pilates more often in the morning. I love Pilates, not only for strengthening but also for flexibility.

Nutrition: It was an okay week. The weekend especially was tough because we had a big event at church, so there were a lot of carbs. Salad was always available, which I loaded up on (with dressing on the side). When we weren't eating at church, I made sure I was eating mostly fruits & vegs.

I haven't had a chance to do my menu plan for the week, but I do know that it will involve easy-to-fix-ahead choices.

The Scale: It's that time of the month so I feel bloated and the scale shows it. Not recording a weight for this week because I know it will be gone in a few days. Let's just hope I can fight off the usual fatigue and blah feeling this week.

Non-Scale Victory: I wasn't able to run the local 9/11 tribute 5k because it was Sunday morning (and we have to be at church since we're on staff), so I ran a personal tribute 5k on Saturday. I finished in 43:00, which is slightly slower than my last 5k. That's good news because race day adrenaline always makes me run faster, so I'll be right on my target pace in two weeks for my next race!

Blogging Carnival Question: When was the last time you bought new workout shoes? What do you use them for? I bought new running shoes in July, and I use them only for running. I am really a barefoot kind of person, so when I workout inside, I am barefoot (not sure if they would allow that at a gym, good thing I work out at home). I am used to being without shoes, and I know that you develop different muscles in your feet and ankles when you are barefoot vs. being in shoes. It works for me!

Thanks so much for your continued support & encouragement!!

This post is sponsored by Attune Foods and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women“

When the Day Doesn't Go My Way

alternate title: Messing with My Productivity
alternate alternate title: My Comedy of Errors
alternate alternate alternate title: I'm Getting Old

Not my actual to do list.

So. Ladybug went back to preschool on Wednesday of this week. We've had a rough couple of weeks, and we were all ready for a return to routine. Ladybug especially was looking forward to someone else besides me to play with (not that she said that, but I know that's how she felt. Mamas know these things.)

The day started out as a typical day. I was up early to run, back to the house just as LB was waking up. I always take my house key when I run, except I take it off the key ring and slip it into my shoe pouch. I try to put it back on the key ring as soon as I walk in the door, but because the girlie was awake and already jabbering at me, I laid it down on the table by the front door. (You can already see where this is going, can't you?)

We had plenty of time for breakfast, getting dressed, and taking the obligatory first day of school pictures. I got LB loaded in the car in her new big girl car booster seat, kissed Hubby good-bye as he was leaving soon for work, and asked him to lock the door.

The lock on our door is one that NEEDS the key to be locked from the outside. Had I locked the door myself (or attempted to), I would have realized that my key was NOT on my key ring. But I did not.

So I dropped LB off at preschool, extremely excited about the productive morning that I was going to have. I had four major things on my to do list, and had it timed out so I could getting everything done before preschool pick up time.

Except when I arrived back at home, I realized that I did not have my house key. I called Hubby, had to drive back into town (15 minutes one way), and pick up his key. Now my perfectly timed schedule was off.

I didn't have enough time to go home and get things done there before I needed to be someplace at 10:00. So I had to waste 20 minutes just waiting. Grrrrr.

Also, I didn't have my water bottle with me, and I didn't have a snack. Yes, I need a mid-morning snack. I get cranky without it.

So I waited, then crossed off the first item on my list (that was actually supposed to be the third). Then I went to the grocery store. Yes! Finally a chance to grocery shop without telling a certain four year-old to stop touching things and watch where she's going. Except I was hungry. I hate grocery shopping when I'm hungry.

Thankfully, I was able to stick to my list. But I tore into that jar of peanuts as soon as I was in the car. Plus, I had to BUY a bottle of water since I was parched.

By this time, I had just enough time to drive home, unload the car and put away groceries before it was time to drive back into town to pick up Ladybug. I still had not even started two things on my to do list. Oh well, I would have to do them after lunch, with an excited, bubbly, wants-to-talk-my-ear-off preschooler in the same room. (No, I couldn't just turn on the TV and let her be distracted, but that's another post.)

My morning certainly didn't turn out the way I had carefully planned, but I still had a somewhat productive time. And now that I have a few hours a week to myself, I might be able to think to myself long enough to come up with more blog posts.

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Back to (Pre)School

1st Day of School, 2011

Ready for Fall

I've been saying it for a couple of weeks now - I am ready for Fall! Ready for cooler temps, ready for my Ladybug (4 years old) to go back to preschool (this week!), ready for fall races. Fall is my favorite season. It's almost like an extra New Year celebration. Another chance to rededicate myself to my goals. I'm ready!

Here's my weekly recap.

Fitness: I had a total of 214 fitness minutes this week - that might be an all-time high! The weather has cooled down enough that Ladybug & I have been able to get out for an afternoon walk in the neighborhood without melting into a puddle of sweat. I love that time with her. During our Sunday afternoon walk, she wanted to run. So as she was running ahead of me, she said, "Look at me! I'm so fast! Jesus made me fast!"

Monday: a.m. run
Tuesday: warm up on the exercise bike, full body strength circuits
Wednesday: a.m. run
Thursday: warm up on the exercise bike, full body strength circuits, afternoon walk
Friday: Pilates
Saturday: a.m. run (4 miles!)
Sunday: afternoon walk

Nutrition: It was a good week with nutrition. I did give in to some stress this weekend and self-medicated with food. I know better than that, but I'm not going to beat myself up about. The stress level has been a bit high recently. By Sunday, I had my head on straight again and made myself a big green smoothie instead of going out for ice cream.

Nutrition focus for the week will be green smoothies for breakfast and lots of fruits and veggies!

The Scale: I took the month of August away from the scale. I felt like I needed a mental break from it. It was a good break, but now I'm ready to re-focus again. I weighed in on Saturday and I'm only up .2 lbs from my last weigh in. I call that maintaining, and I'll take that! It's nice to know that I can take a break and maintain. But I still have weight to lose, so I'll be doing once a week weigh ins and checking my measurements once a month.

Me in my cute running skirt!

Non-Scale Victories: 1) I bought a running skirt in the misses' department at the store! I've been ordering my workout bottoms online because most stores do not carry plus size workout clothes. So to buy something in the misses' section is a huge NSV!! (Please excuse all the stuff in the pic, I didn't have time to edit.)

2) I started studying for the certified personal trainer exam!! Yes, you read that right. I decided to become a personal trainer, and I am EXCITED!! My goal is to be ready for the exam by Christmas.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and encouragement!!