Week 2 Day 2ish

 

Today was week 2, day 2 on the schedule, but I didn’t run Tuesday. I went out for ice cream instead. (I know that wasn’t the smartest choice.) I still did what I was slated to do, though. I did a 3 minute warmup and cooldown with 17 minutes of run/walk intervals. For the most part, it felt good. In fact, it felt so good that I think it is time to change my intervals to run a bit longer and walk a bit shorter by 5 seconds. I probably won’t change it until after my long run on Saturday because I want to be able to do the full 1.5 miles. (It is a bit odd that 1.5 miles is a long run for me considering I did a half marathon a few years ago.) 

Sickness and Progress

My eating has been getting worse and worse. We haven't been buying as many fruits or vegetables, I have been slowly drinking more soda, and I have worked out less. Last weekend, I had a reminder of what all of that does to my body.
Friday night, I was starting to feel crumby. Saturday, while at work, I was feeling worse and worse, but I tried to convince myself that I could handle it. (I don't have a primary care doctor right now, and I didn't want to have to pay for an urgent care appointment.) Sunday, I decided I couldn't handle it anymore. (This may be too much info, but here it goes.) It burned so bad to pee, and even worse when I needed to pee. I got online and searched for an urgent care facility and found one. I toughed it out through church since it was my turn to teach, and headed there as soon as the kids were dropped off at home taking the little one with me. As I suspected, I had a UTI. I was given prescriptions  for the infection and the pain and sent on my way without any mention of side effects.
Monday morning, I woke up still feeling sick, but the original symptoms weren't as bad. I knew that I still couldn't workout and needed more rest, so I slept until 6 instead of getting up at 5 to workout. As I went through my day, the rest of me was feeling worse and worse. I didn't know what was going on. My manager suggested I go home an hour after I got to work, but I thought I could handle it. I made it to lunch, and ended up having to go home. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I was, dizzy, light headed, experiencing nausea, exhausted, and I don't even know how to describe the rest. I looked up the medications on WebMD. It was the side effects of the drugs.
I wasn't able to get up to go running until Thursday, but I did get on the stationary bike Wednesday night. That helped kick things off for me again. When I went running Thursday morning, and I set a new personal record. I ran/walked the 3 mile loop I have been working on in about 51minutes. It felt great! Once again, that was motivation to get out and do better.
I didn't get out on Friday morning, I had been procrastinating homework all week and really had to get some done. I had to spend the time reading before work instead of getting out. I really don't have an excuse for after work other than it was date night.
Yesterday, as the hubby and I were getting ready to go running, the dogs were all getting excited thinking they were going too, so we took them for a walk instead. In the afternoon, when I needed a study break, we went for a 5 mile bike ride (we basically took our selves on a tour of Lochbuie).
This morning, I got up, got dressed and went for a run. I ran/walked the same loop hoping to complete it in under 50 minutes (my goal is under 45 by Saturday). I did better than that! I was done in a little over 47 minutes! I am going to reach my goal. I can feel it. 
Other than having a time goal so I am not the slowest person doing the 5K this Saturday, I have a few other goals for myself. I will have fruit with every lunch. (I pack my own lunches,so I have complete control over this.) I will have veggies with every dinner. (Again, I have complete control over this as well.) I currently fill my water bottle at work that holds about 3 cups of water 2-3 times a day. I will fill it and drink it all 4 times a day leaving me with no need or excuse to drink anything else while I am there. I will not go a single day this week without either riding a bike (indoor or outdoor) or running. I will be down a pound by Friday. I CAN DO THIS!

Time to Get Serious

I feel like I am not serious enough about reaching my running and weight loss goals. I am changing that. I am going to reach my goals. 

 

Hubby and I have officially signed up for the Color Me Rad 5K. We have been doing the Zombies Run! app, but I am not sure that I will actually be ready to run 5K by race day, August 17. I am going to finish the training app in the next 2 weeks, but I am also going to do more. I really want to be ready for this.

For my birthday, my brother-in-law gave me a Fitbit Flex. The Fitbit will help me track my steps, distance, sleep cycle, calories in, and calories out. I have been playing with it since I got it. It is so easy to use! This tool should help me with my goals of running a 5K and losing weight.

Slacking

                                         
Quite obviously I have been slacking on my goals. I have gained so much weight in the past few months that I now am less than 10 pounds from the weight I was at my last doctor visit before I had my youngest child (my biggest baby). I need to make some changes. I know that. It is just so hard to stay on track and not let something else slip in the process.
In the last few weeks I have been eating Adkins bars for lunch and drinking slim fast for breakfast. Last week it seemed to have helped. This week, not so much.
A few months ago, my husband and I got an exercise bike at a thrift store for 15.00. I have used it a few times, but not as much as I had planned. I am going to get better. I have to. I can't stand being this big. I am uncomfortable when I sit down. I have less energy. I have more heart burn. It just sucks. I need to learn balance so that I can do everything that I need to for my family as well as myself.

Tuesday Update

I am doing ok so far this week. Yesterday, I wasn't able to drag my sorry butt out of bed to get any exercise in, but today I walked for 10 minutes. It wasn't Pilates, but it felt GREAT! I haven't had a soda since Saturday. I have to tell you, it is getting easier everyday, and it seems easier this time than it was a few weeks ago. I am going to do very well this week. I can feel it!

Just Wanna Cry

When I got on the scale yesterday morning, I had gained weight again. I evaluated how my week had gone and realized it was definitely my fault. Obviously I didn't do well at my goals this week.  I did get the fiber most days. That definitely helped where I needed it. I did horrible at the no soda thing, and I only got any kind of exercise with my Saturday and Sunday morning walks with Chad and the dogs. I have a bit better of a plan for this week, though.

As of yesterday, I am going caffeine/soda free. Yesterday was rough, again. Today was slightly better. Luckily, I was able to take naps both days. I will not be so lucky tomorrow, so we shall see how it goes.

As of today, I am not going out to eat. My goal is to make it though this pay period with only eating food made in someone's home. This one will be kind of hard too since I often forget to make my lunch, but I can do it. I know I can.

Since Chad starts his new job tomorrow, I am going to start getting up when he leaves to work out. Nothing huge. I have a Pilates video that I liked in the past. I am thinking and hoping that it will be a good start to my mornings.

I am also going to try to get more water in me. I will be drinking at least 4 cups a day of plain water. This will be a bit tricky for me because even during the week and a half that I was doing well at not drinking soda, I drank Tang most of the time. This will be another big change.

Got To Get Things Moving

So far the no soda thing is going pretty good. I did have one on Thursday when my sister and I went out for lunch, but in all fairness it was the anniversary of my mom and brother's death. I needed something. I did have a great 9 day streak with no soda, and I know I can go even longer. I am now starting day 3 of no soda, and I feel like crap. I can't even tell you how hard it is to break this habit. I am so tired all of the time. I am moody. I am...I don't know...wanting a Dr. Pepper right about now. I know it will get better. It is a process that I am not used to having to put myself through.

I am going to give you a warning right now. This paragraph, while not too descriptive, may be a bit...icky. I have come up with a new problem. Without going into as many details as I want to for some reason, I have been backed up severely for a few days. I took some Miralax yesterday and today, and things are finally starting to move this morning, but it is still not a fun process. I looked up the possible causes for such a problem and I see myself fitting into 3 categories: lack of fiber, not enough exercise, and hypothyroidism. I am going to start working on two of these this week.

First of all, lack of fiber can be helped fairly easily. I can get several supplements at the store. I can eat more fruits and veggies. I can get certain cereals or snack bars. They will all help. Yesterday, I chose to eat 3 apples. I'm not kidding. That was my lunch and long with water. I will probably eat some today, too. I don't mind adding more fruits and veggies to my diet. I actually would like to do so . I am also going to add supplements for now though. I have got to get this thing taken care of now.

Lack of exercise is something I can tackle as well. All I have to do is figure out the best time to exercise and just make it happen. No more excuses like, "I am just too tired," or "If only the kids would go to sleep," or "It is just too hard after working all day." I exercised on a regular basis while I was single. I was working a worse job then, and I was taking care of this kids on my own. These are horrible excuses!

Here is my pledge to you: I am going to have fiber everyday and some form of exercise everyday this week. I will check in Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday to report my progress. Wish me luck!

No Soda...YIKES!

I made a decision 2 nights ago, no more soda. That means I haven't had soda since Monday. It is killing me! I am so incredibly tired. I had to push myself past a headache around lunch time.
I didn't realize I was so addicted to the darn stuff until I listened to myself tell my husband why I couldn't go without it. I kept trying to make excuses, but it really boiled down to I just didn't want to in the end. All other excuses were shot down by the man. It is almost like he wants me to be healthy or something (the nerve)! He even agreed to give it up with me. I have been impressed with his resolve. (Of course, I haven't spoken to him since he got to work today, so we will see.)
At this point I am taking it day by day. I don't have a goal as to how long I will go without the sugary goodness. I just know it is killing my bank account and expanding my waste line.
Wish me luck!