After putting some distance between myself and my overzealous half marathon training program, I’m realizing my stupidity at attempting to up myself from running 30 minutes (maximum) 3-4 times per week to 5 times per week. Really, over Christmas break I hadn’t run much at all, so my shins/calves really took a beating. 

I’ve been working out on the recumbent bike for the past week to relax my shins. Because it’s so low impact (like, no impact), I went 5 times last week and my calves still had time to relax. There is still a sore point in my right calf (which is funny because my left had been more sore at first, but that subsided). If it continues through this week, I’ll definitely make an appointment with a sports medicine doc, (like I said I was going to last week…). 

I’m going to give myself a little more time before I start running again. I want to do this right. I still want to run my half marathon this year! (As it is my New Year’s resolution.) First, I need to make sure my shins/calves have fully healed and I also want to lose a little weight before I start running again. But this time, I’ll ease myself into it, with cross training (bike or elliptical) on my off days. My goal date to start training again is March 1st, but we’ll see where I’m at when the day comes.

To be honest, last week was a mixed bag. I had a great week - eating well, exercising, drinking water…and then the weekend hit.

I knew the weekend would be tough, because of my gram’s birthday, my birthday “party,” and the Superbowl, but I guess those are just excuses. My brain is trying to write off the overindulging I did this weekend (with excuses), but I know there really aren’t any. Some things I overindulged in: pizza, lemon bars, beer, Chinese food, and homemade pretzels.

The only thing I can do now is 1) look at my success from last week, and 2) stay on track all this week (except for Wednesday, my birthday, and ONE cheat meal this week - cheese fondue! and I’m thinking the clean Peanut Butter Cups, thanks to The Fame of Health and Fitness, for dessert so that only the meal is the cheat).

Successes

• Ate clean and within my calorie bracket (+/- 150-200) each day, with scheduled, healthy snacks/meals, limited my grains and ate more protein and fruits/veg.
• Worked out 5 of 7 days for 45 minutes. 
• Drank 4 liters of water each day, M-F.
• Drank 2-3 cups of green tea each day, M-F.

I know I can stay on track during the week, and I know the weekends are always the hardest, but this weekend I vow to keep up all my goals, no matter where the weekend takes me, (and that is my goal for this week).

I’m feeling far, far too lazy to post my intake/output and training updates for the past two days. But, not lazy enough to post that I’ve been within my calorie bracket and I’ve stayed in line with all of my No Excuses meal goals, which makes me pretty happy.

Today, I took a rest day, though. After my usual brekkie smoothie, I got an upset stomach for some reason (I did change up the usual recipe, but I don’t know what made me ill) so I decided to skip the gym today. This is OK too, since, if I go everyday for the rest of the week (which I mean to) I’ll still be over my goal of gymmin’ it 4 days/week. So I’m good on the fitness goal, too.

I have decided I’m going to invest in some quality green tea, for the rest of this month (since one of my goals is to drink more). Any recommendations?

So, so far, on Day 3 of the No Excuses Challenge, I am really happy with where I am. This challenge is making me more conscientious and giving me an “excuse” to stick with my goals. (Ha, like that pun there?)

It is February 1st. My goal for January 2012, to drink absolutely no alcohol, has officially been completed successfully! I am actually really proud of myself, as I had gotten into a little bit of an alcohol habit. I don’t know if I can really say that I feel better or healthier, but I am happy with myself that I did it, anyway.

This month has taught me that a beer or glass of wine or two per night (which is what I was doing), is not a requirement, and not something I really want. Even though I love a glass of red wine, and trying new microbrews, I’m going to reserve alcohol consumption for special occasions - this month, my birthday. :)

It is pointless to go out and have a drink or two, especially if I’m driving (that is just unnecessary risk). Still, when I’m drinking to get “drunk,” I don’t want to get totally crazy (like I used to - trust me, too many embarrassing moments). It is unnecessary calories and cost that I just don’t need right now. 

Bottom Line: I went completely teetotal in January, and though it was a pretty easy goal, it shows a “No Thank You” goes a long way. And I’m super proud of myself.

I’m so excited to do this challenge. :)

Here are my goals/rules:

• Get my sweat on for at least 30 minutes a day at least 4 days a week
  • Running, Elliptical
  • Every Sunday schedule in my workouts for the week
• Eat a clean meal every 2-3 hours (4-5 meals a day, 1200-1500 calories)
  • Eat pure protein with 2-3 of my meals
    • Meat, tofu, Greek yogurt, nuts, eggs
  • Eat pure carbohydrates with 1-2 of my meals
    • Oatmeal, Kashi, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, whole wheat English muffins
  • Eat at least one type of fruit or veg with each meal
  • Cut out all added salt and sugar
  • Cut out all white flour
• Drink 4 liters of water per day
• Drink 1-5 cups of decaf green tea a day
• Limit Diet Coke consumption to 3 cans per week
• Limit alcohol indulgence to one evening per week
• Schedule in 0-2 cheat meals a week
  • If I plan on cheating also plan on what I will be having before the day
• Say“No thank you” to treats that are unplanned
• Ditch your excuses, it’s only 30 days - I’ll live

Most of these are taken directly from the suggestions, but I liked them, and think that I will be able to adhere to them.

However, I am taking a vacation from February 17-23, and while I believe I’ll still be able to eat well, it won’t be as strict. Furthermore, I know I will be consuming more alcohol than I should and probably will not get an opportunity to exercise. So, I’ll have to really hit the challenge hard before and after this vacation.

Like with exercise scheduling, I’m going to try my hand at meal planning on Sunday for the entire week. This is something I’ve been wanting to try, but haven’t, and now seems to be the perfect time. This will give me the chance to go to the store on Sundays and purchase what I need for the week.

Good luck, everyone! I’m exciting to be on this journey with you all! xx

Gained 1.5 pounds. What? Gah.

Going to the gym later, and then working out my challenges/goals for the month of February. I need some results.

thefameofhealthandfitness:

With this challenge I will provide some guidelines but please note, I’m not a trainer and I’m not a nutritionist, but I am person who is passionate about health and fitness and I have worked hard to get to where I am.

How you design this challenge is in your hands. I will provide you with some suggestions and examples to help guide you but ultimately you will be the person setting your goals for the next 30 days. You don’t have to prove anything to me or other readers, you just need to prove to yourself that you are capable of doing what you set out to do, because you are. Mistakes, missed meals or workouts, unplanned cheats or temptations might happen. And if it does, don’t focus on the bump in the road, focus on getting over that bump and right back on track. Each meal, workout, hour of sleep, and each day is a new opportunity to learn from your mistakes. It’s an opportunity to reflect on each situation and to devise a plan for success when you get your second chance. There’s always another opportunity for change and become a better version of yourself. Only you know the direction you want to go in and only you know where you’re currently standing.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THIS 30 DAY CHALLENGE:

1. Get your sweat on for 30-120 minutes a day for 4-6 days a week (you can use your own program or something you found in a magazine. But whatever you choose, it needs to be consistent for the next 4 weeks).
2. Every Sunday schedule in your workouts for the week
3. Eat a clean meal every 2-3 hours (5-7 meals a day) (check out Tosca Reno’s EAT CLEAN DIET book, Oxygen magazine, my recipes/meals’ pages, or the Clean Eating magazine for some guidelines)
4. Eat protein with 3-7 of your meals
5. Cut out all added salt
6. Cut out all added sugar
7. Cut out all white flour
8. Get 7-9 hours of sleep every day
9. Drink 1-2 glasses of water with each meal
10. Drink 1-5 cups of decaf green or white tea a day
11. Avoid drinking alcohol if possible
12. Drink coffee before your workout if you need an extra boost (avoid energy drinks)
13. Prepare all your meals the night before
14. Schedule in 0-2 cheat meals a week (FYI: cheat “meal” does not equal a day)
15. If you plan on cheating also plan on what you will be having before the day
16. Say “No thank you” to treats that are unplanned
17. Eat your last meal 1-3 hours before bed
18. Take your measurements in the AM (on Monday, January 30th or Tuesday, January 31st) and again when the challenge ends. Measurements can include: photos in a bikini, using a measuring tape to measure your body (e.g., thighs, chest etc.), the scale, body fat %, try on a tigher pair of jeans etc. This is up to you but I don’t recommend you just use the scale! It is not the best indicator of your hard work.
19. Try your best
20. Give it your all
21. Ditch your excuses, it’s only 30 days - you’ll live

RULES FOR THE CHALLENGE!!!

RULE #1: If you are joining this challenge you will need to make a post on your blog stating what your goals are for the next 30 days (feel free to “steal” the NO EXCUSES picture and repost it on your blog).

For example:

• I will cook all my meals and bring my lunch to work every day
• I will drink 500ml before I arrive at work every day
• I will not drink alcohol during the next 30 days
• I will workout 5 days a week for 60 minutes
• I will have one cheat meal on ____________ and it will be 2 pieces of pizza from ____________.
• I will go to bed by 9:00PM Sun-Thur

RULE #2: You will need to post at least once a week (if not several times a week) how your challenge is going.

RULE #3: You MUST be honest. Honesty is key to change. If you mess up, reflect on it, get back to it, and do better the next time.

RULE #4: You need to TAG your challenge posts with #noexcuseschallenge so myself or any reader can see how you’re doing. Remember, we are all here together on the same journey towards health. No judgement.

RULE #5: Measure yourself at the end of your 30 days (in the same fashion you measured yourself originally) and make a post about your results. This could include your measurements, how your clothes fit, how your body or mind feel, personal realizations, etc.

RULE #6: Have fun and enjoy your journey!

I love this! I’m going to think of some goals and post tomorrow…

Officially, 254 days until the half marathon!

My training will officially start Monday, January 23rd, and that will be 36 weeks until the event. The training will mostly just be to run regularly and slowly build up some mileage.

My official half-marathon training will begin on July 9th, 12 weeks before the event. I will be using this training plan from Cool Running. It’s based on distance, which is different than any training I have previously done.

Based on this site, my pre-training schedule should look like this (for at least 4-5 weeks):

                Mon.  Tue.  Wed.  Thu.  Fri.  Sat.  Sun.
Pre-Train   Off     3M     4M     4M     Off  3M    5M

Currently, I run about 2.5 miles in 30 minutes (wah-wah.) so I’ll be focusing on building up my mileage, especially to that 5 mile long-run. I’ll be making up a schedule and some goals over the weekend, so that I can keep focused.

By the way, if you’ve never used Cool Running before, I definitely recommend it. I did their Couch to 5K plan years ago, and though running and I have had our quarrels, Cool Running was the initial motivator!

I had my first weigh-in today. Before today (meaning, since January 1, 2012), I didn’t care what I weighed (mostly because I just didn’t want to know).

The result was pretty much as I expected, and it’s ugly. I’m officially at my highest recorded weight. I’m disgusted and sad and angry with myself.

I’m not going to share it with the tumblr world until I have some progress to report.

For my height (5’4”), I should be around 120. I know it’s possible. I’ve got a longg way to go. One day at a time.

Starting tomorrow, I’m making short lists of my inspiration and posting them all over the house. Er, well, in my room and on the fridge. Also, printing out my running training schedule so I can stay the hell on track.

Between Halloween and New Year’s 2011, I have been literally drinking alcohol like a fish, without any regard to what it was doing to my mind, body and decisions. My belly has expanded, my face has broken out, and I made more than one stupid choice.

I decided to start Sexy 2012 by going teetotal in January. Instead of red wine in the evening, I’ll have a pot of green tea. Instead of beer at the bar, I’ll have club soda. It’s kind of like a detox, and I’m hoping to shed a few pounds just by doing this. I’m also hoping that this month will lead to long-term changes, and I will drink much less alcohol when I am “allowed” to.

So, yesterday was the first day of no alcohol and it went swimmingly. Only 30 more to go.

Also, I definitely like the idea of having one major goal/per month of this Sexy 2012. Any ideas for the remaining months?

This is it: the beginning. January 1st, 2012.

New Year’s Resolution: run my first half marathon on the first Sunday in October 2012. Currently, I can run 30 minutes straight.

My resolution is tri-fold. First, of course, I want the bragging rights of running a half marathon. Secondly, this includes the typical resolution of “exercising more often” as I will be training regularly for the half marathon. Third, I will be eating better in order to train better, which is the usual resolution of “eating better/less.” And overall, I hope this all this to dramatic weight loss which is really my main goal for this whole thing ssh, don’t tell.

I’ve always been an overweight girl who never thought much about the shit I put in my gob. No one has ever considered me the stereotypical “hot” or “sexy” girl, just the fat one with the other hot girls.

I will use this blog for tracking my meal plan/food intake, my exercise (output), posting inspiration, recipes, tips, advice, and anything I feel is pushing my towards my goal.

So here it is, folks. Cheers to 2012! (And may we all be successful with our resolutions.)