Pants on the Ground vs. Wedgies

I just completed Day 1, Week 2 of the C25k program.Whew. I had hyped myself up over the weekend by thinking it was going to be brutal. When my phone's alarm clock went off at 5:30 a.m., there was no hesitation at hitting the snooze on it. My husband said something to me about getting up and running--I think it was supposed to be encouraging but all I wanted to do was hit him for talking while I was trying to snooze 15 minutes longer. Snoozing more just wasn't in the plan this morning. I found out that my new phone was set to repeat alarm every 5 minutes. Evil.

10 minutes later I was dressed, laced and ready to go. Ipod and phone in hand, I went out to face the chilly morning air. After my 5 minute warm-up walk, I began my first 90 second run. The run, itself, went well. I did have wardrobe malfunctions. Actually, I thought my running attire wouldn't pose another problem but it did...here's a recap...(Warning: a bit of TMI)

Wednesday's run: I had to hold my pants up during the first 60 seconds. They were falling off. During the 90 second walk, I tied the drawstring so tight that it left a lovely ring around my waist. Even with the drawstring tied tight they needed to be held up.

Friday's run: Different pants, no drawstring. The first 60 seconds had my underwear falling around my hips and my pants sliding down with them. AHHHH! I'm sure it looked pretty ridiculous to passerby's. During the 90 second walk, I pulled my underwear up and found the only way to keep them up during a run was to impose on my self a wedgie. Yes, I just went there. My pants were similar. No drawstring=Urkel style pants. At least my shirt was covering them up!

Today's run: I was optimistic. I bought smaller size underwear this weekend and I was wearing my favorite, very worn, grey, capri, drawstring pants. I hadn't adjusted the drawstring since the beginning of March, so I should have expected what was to come. Friday's mishaps repeated themselves. Self-imposed wedgie and really tight drawstring.

(End TMI)

Lesson learned. I need proper running attire. My old workout clothes just aren't going to cut it anymore. Sure, they are great for a DVD workout or walking, but running requires a little more. Good thing I have a birthday in a few weeks ;) I, also, think that cotton on cotton can prove to be a disastrous pant/underwear combination.

And, for those of you driving to work around 5:45-6:30 a.m. in my area, I am so sorry if you had to witness any of that! I promise it won't happen again....until the next time it does.

I headed out on Saturday a.m. with my camera in hand to capture the beautiful sunrise. This is one reason why running/walking in the early hours is completely worth it.

In case of collapsing while running, I am within a half a mile from a hospital. Ha.

Any good running wardrobe advice????

Friday Five: Musicals

Okay, folks. I'm going to be straight with you. I totally stole this idea from a fellow blogger. She's the smarty pants behind this idea. I always love reading little tidbits about people. The 'Friday Five' will, hopefully, be a way to share a little more of myself-sans weight loss struggles.

I'm starting off small and light this Friday. If you already know me-know me, you can probably just come back next for the next post :)

Musicals aren't everyone's favorite but I LOVE them! So, here are my favorite 5 Musicals:

1. The Sound of Music

I mean, c'mon. Of course this is my favorite musical. My daughter's named after one of the characters! I've loved this musical since well before I can remember. When I am in an exceptionally good mood I find myself singing "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music". It just naturally comes out of me. Love it.


2. My Fair Lady
Eliza Doolittle puts a smile on my face.


3. The King and I

This musical isn't in my top 5 for it's musical quality. I actually find the songs lacking and skip past the slow ones :) I like the story and find the king very entertaining--but the real reason why it's in my top 5? I.love.the.clothes. My favorite dress is the one Anna wears to the dinner. When the wives lift their dresses (with no undergarments) to hide from the man with "head of a goat" and the "evil eye", I crack up. Every single time.


4. Fiddler on the Roof

I really wish I was related Tevye. Can you imagine how fun family gatherings would be? Hilarious.


5. Mary Poppins
Or "Pop Pop", as Liesl calls it. I just love Julie Andrews. And most people love Mary Poppin's lace up shoes, too. Oh, not me. I want a pair of the purple shoes she pulls our of her carpet bag! I wonder if they come in a size 12...

I think I might just walk around singing songs from musicals all day now.

Off to complete Day 3, Week 1 of C25k!......What's your favorite musical???

Wednesday Weigh-in

Day 2, Week 1 of the Couch to 5k program is completed! Only one more day to go this week and I must say that this is more challenging than the LCW DVD program. It's not that it's more strenuous but it leaves more days open for me to chose what to do. You would think that would be very freeing but I like routine and "having a plan". The C25k is a plan but what about the other days of the week?? Yoga, biking, LCW, dancing, another random DVD...? The possibilities are endless and if I don't have it already planned out in my head, or on paper, it just isn't going to happen. Like yesterday. Not a good workout day. I went for a 35 minute walk and did about 10-12 minutes of strengthening while watching 'The Biggest Loser' but it wasn't nearly as much effort as I've put into my body in the past few weeks. Oh, well. One more thing to add to the to do list-Planning!

The results are in. I am -2 pounds this week. I definitely am feeling more like a turtle than a hare. Slowly, but steadily, the weight is coming off. With as much as I have to lose, though, it just seems like I should be able to drop weight a little faster. Watching shows, like 'The Biggest Loser', can be encouraging and lead you to push harder but it can also lead to unrealistic expectations. Like losing 9 pounds in a week. Every other week. Since starting this journey the most I've lost in 1 week was 5 pounds. It was at the beginning of this journey so I'm sure a lot of it was water weight. It would be nice to have those big losses again. Any thoughts?????

And, now, here is a blurb about an inspiration of mine. This person started changing my life in September of 2007. She is one of my motivations to keep on pushing because I know my efforts for myself will benefit her, too. She changed the way I see the world and the way I see myself. Because of her, I want to be better. She is my daughter. My sweet, fun-spirited, contagiously happy 22 month old little girl. Motherhood hasn't been easy-I'm sure it's only going to get harder, but I am learning so much about myself by being a mother. I am finding that I want to eat healthier because I want her to eat healthier. I love it that she wants a salad every time I eat one, and squats down to "cise" (exercise). Of course, she's changed much more in me and I aim to teach her a lot more, but I want her to respect her body and take care of herself. I don't want her to have the same struggles that I have had. Food will not be a reward, but fuel. Exercise will be fun and a way of life, not a drudgery. This is what I hope to teach, and how I aspire to live.

(she's not passed out, just "sleeping" after gardening with me)

Who inspires you?? Who motivates you to live healthier, and go that extra mile??

C25k

C25K looks like a bunch of gibberish BUT it stands for "Couch to 5k" which is what I've decided to make my next endeavor. And I won't be doing it alone. JewliaGoulia started her C25K and invited people to join along. It will be great to have the support and have a community of newbies to running. Join us if you've ever thought about running but were to shy, scared, self-conscious, unmotivated, nervous or thought you were to out of shape to do it. What have you got to lose?



After 5ish weeks of the 'Last Chance Workout' DVD, I am calling it quits. It's not that it isn't fun. I still enjoy it, but it takes up an hour of Liesl's naptime. Oh, who am I kidding? I just want to RUN! I'd rather RUN than stay inside and finish up a DVD which, by the way, is to blame for aggravating an old injury in my foot. I haven't done the cardio portion since Thursday but added in running, bike riding, more walking while continuing with the 'LCW' strengthening, and my foot doesn't hurt nearly as bad as before. Yay!

But does this mean that I didn't complete yet another goal I set??? Yeah, I guess so. I think I stuck with it long enough to see the benefits I would gain. However, I was beginning to dread Liesl's nap time just because I knew I would have to do the workout, and I knew it would wipe me out for the rest of the day b/c of my foot. I even began keeping Liesl up longer than usual to avoid it. Eeek! That's a sure sign it's time for a change! I may pull it out on a rainy day because it is a fantastic workout; but that's the beauty of DVD's!

In addition to changing my workout, I've also changed my weigh in day. Wednesday is now the lucky winner. I think it will give my body a chance to rebound from the weekend.

Off to tend to the garden now...

Ding Ding Ding

Sorry for the lack of consistent updates. I have been recovering from being sick...again. Thank-you, daughter of mine, for sharing..how kind.

Last week I had a green smoothie most mornings so, by the end of the week you would think that I would feel great. Not. I had a headache the size of Texas, I was nauseated (no, I am not pregnant, thank-you very much), I was breaking out on my face and craving all the wrong foods. I assumed all of these symptoms were PMS related (TMI? Sorry.) so I gave into my cravings knowing that they would only last for a day or 2. By "giving in", I consumed homemade pizza, reese's bunnies, ice cream and m&m's. Not all in the same day and not the entire quantity but enough to counter effect my hard work from the previous days.

The calendar doesn't lie. It's way too early to be having these symptoms. I didn't put two and two together until about 1 hour ago. I returned from my morning walk and had a monster of a headache. "Not again," I thought. I had also noticed yesterday that my face was breaking out again, too. Surely this isn't PMS. Then, I thought about my green smoothie breakfast and

DING DING DING!!!!

Of course, I've experienced this before when I was on a Raw Food diet before Liesl was born. D-E-T-O-X. Moodiness. Break outs. Nausea. Headaches. Sugary, high fat food cravings. It all makes sense. Unlike last week, I'm not "giving in". I'm going to stick out the side effects because in 2-4 days, they'll be gone and I'll be healthier.

Back to last week, my binge episode, that I'm not proud of btw, effected my weigh-in. I did lose 1 pound but I put in a heck of a workout week that 1 pound could have been a lot more. I can't change the past though, can I? I fell to temptation, repented and, by grace alone, I am still standing.

I have decided to incorporate running back into the exercise regime. It's time. I've been walking for a few weeks along with the LCW DVD so I am ready. Because I've been sick, my 6 week DVD program is turning into more a 7- 7 and a half week program. But I'm okay with that. I will complete it even if it's not in the amount of time suggested. As for running, M-W-F seems to be a good start. I'm also not going to start any kind of "formal" training/program for running until I am finished with the DVD. I'm still not sure which, if any, DVD I will try next. I may just focus on running and do a workout DVD on the side..who knows..

Until we meet again..

...enjoy spring!