The First 43: My Life Now

The summer months didn't prove to be great for exercise for me. I got a couple runs in and maybe a handful of trips to the gym. Most of my exercise came from walking and making sure that I walked more than normal. I was starting to feel a little "soft" and I didn't want to go back to where I was. I had those pesky two pounds to lose. They just keep coming on and off. I've decided it's just got to be a day to day variance and I can't stress over it. The one thing I have learned about maintaining my weight is how deep my fear is of gaining it all back or slipping back into old habits. I'm 18 months past my 56lb loss and I've stuck to it but that fear always lives within you. It's not like I think about it everyday, not at all. Every once in awhile though, it creeps on it.  For example,  when I ordered pants online this week and hoped that I still fit into the same size I did last time I bought skinny jeans. This is what got me thinking about al...

I thought it was time for  a mid summer update! I've noticed that over the last year, I've had a pesky two pounds that come on and come off. I never let it get to me but more recently, they seem to just be sticking.  I take responsibility. About a year ago, I stopped using My Fitness Pal religiously. I would check in on the calorie count of food when we were out for dinner at restaurants or things like that. So, I'm back on MFP. Faithfully. Two weeks going strong. It doesn't seem like a lot but, after being off of it for so long, it's really a challenge mentally to get back at it. I forgot just how hard it was being so committed to it. I can't believe that I did MFP for over 365 days straight.  It seems like an impossible task now that I'm back on it but, logically, I know it can be done and I can stick to it. Food aside, the main reason I am back on MFP is to force myself to get more exercise. My eating habits changed dramatically during the year I dropp...

After I finished my 10k I decided to give my body a bit of a break from the intense training. Let my knees have a little rest and relaxation. I've been going to the gym and I've been watching what I eat but....it's not good enough and I've definitely not been as committed as I could be and should be.  I keep saying "well the great news is, my summer clothes fit!" Which is true and frankly, they fit comfortably so, I managed to maintain year over year. I really need to get back into tracking calories with my fitness pal and making sure I get exercise 3-4 days a week again. I'd really appreciate mother nature helping me out and not have the rain start right when I get home from work most days (it's getting on my nerves.) I want to keep my running up but, running in the rain isn't something that I enjoy and I have had just about enough of the treadmill at the gym (I do hit the treadmill if there have been too many rainy days.)  Jeff and I did get ou...

The 10k goal is complete. This time last week I was preparing myself mentally, more than physically, for the run. I went through different stages of emotions and physical pain during the run and I thought I'd share, since so many people asked me how it was, what the easiest parts were and what were the hardest parts. So, here I go. I've broken it down by kilometers because it's the way I remember it. Before the race : It was a cold morning, I decided on sport capris and a tshirt knowing how overheated I tend to get on runs. We met up with the rest of the people running for BTRC (picture below) and headed over to the corral. We had to wait 20 minutes before we started but, I kind of got used to the cold at that point.  Start to 1km: I was still cold, my body hadn't really warmed up yet. I felt like I was the slowest person out there, people just blowing by me. I knew the pace I had to keep to complete the race and monitor my heart rate so, I just kept at...

10k training continues! Weeks and weeks of training and I'm so close to 10k. 8.63km is my current record and Nike+ online informed me that I ran my fasted 5k ever too. Yes!  I finally got around to buying myself a new pair of Nike+ running shoes and I can't begin to tell you what a difference it made.  My other runners were getting worn out and giving me some nice blisters from about the 3k point onward.  It made me run slower and frankly, just made me focus on pain the entire time instead of the run.  New shoes = no pain = better run pace.  They are also light weight and wonderful (Lunarglide) and really make a huge difference in my run.  I have just enough time to break them in before the full 10k. Aside from the accomplishments of running distances I never thought I'd see, I am really noticing a difference in muscle tone in my legs. Trouble zones I'd never been able to target or work on, are tightening up. This makes me happy, an added bonus....

10k training. Some days it's easy and some days it's incredibly challenging.  I was lucky enough to have one mild (ish) day last weekend to run outside. It was glorious and so much nicer than running on the treadmill which gets so boring after a kilometer or two. I really wish I could train outdoor a bit more often. Hopefully this polar vortex will loosen it's grip on us soon, give us some seasonal weather and let me hit the pavement.  Here is a photo of the lovely sunny day that gave me the one and only outdoor run I've had since October. My biggest challenge has been the stitches... oh the stitches. I have no idea why but on my left side I constantly get that shooting pain about 10 minutes into my run.  I try to run through it or walk for a moment to stretch it out.  I have no idea what causes it. I don't eat heavy meals before a run, I make sure to get lots of water to stay hydrated but without fail, it happens.  I read that sometimes i...

I'm doing something I swore up and down I'd never do, Run a 10k.  The Yonge St. 10k on April 13th is coming up and the organization I volunteer with (Boston Terrier Rescue Canada) put together a team to raise money for the cutest little doggies around, Boston Terriers, and get some exercise while we're at it So, I decided why not? I've run a 5k and I have about 3 months to train and get myself up to 10k running strength.  I also won't be ashamed to walk for a few minutes here and there when I need to catch my breath. The good news, this race is 90% downhill. That's my kind of run! So, in support of my run for the little Boston Terriers that need loving homes and medical care when they come to the rescue, please support my run and make a donation. : Donation page (click here) **Charitable receipts will be issued for donations of $20 or more. If the link takes you to a login page, just click it again. It should take you right to the donate page but sometim...

It's time to work off all those holiday treats! After looking at a few monthly calendar type exercises online, and a little help from a fitness guru friend of mine, we came up with this calendar to get ourselves moving every single day in January. I am going to do this with some friends in the month of January. I thought I'd share the exercise calendar here. Each week, add in an additional set so it gets harder over the course of the month. Below the calendar you will find links to all the different exercises in case you need a refresher! If you want to make it a little tougher, add some weight to your sumo squats and lunges. Hope you all enjoyed your holidays and happy new year!   Here is how to do all the exercises: Sumo Squats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY-EQp1oAxs Crunches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyd_fa5zoEU Push – Ups (knee and regular) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7cPaJZoOng Bicycles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqoD0Bdggto ...

It's time to set new goals! After 15 months of a diet and exercise overhaul, I decided to have a re-evaluation of my health and fitness done.  I was more than a little nervous about what was to come of it. I've worked so hard but it's quite possible that it just wasn't hard enough. Here are the results: I've lost 46 lbs of fat (yay) but I also lost 10 lbs of muscle (not so fabulous)  While my body needs a few more calories per day to survive, my metabolism hasn't changed significantly - even though I really exercised and worked my butt off the last year. I lost 11% of my body fat.  That's a lot but, it isn't quiet enough. I have to be honest, while I was feeling proud that I'd done what I'd done, I also felt slightly defeated at the same time. How was it that I hadn't done enough? I've worked so hard, probably the hardest I've worked on any single thing in my life and I'm still short of where I should be. The woman who d...

I ran my very first 5k!! It was the Color Me Rad run which originally started in the US and they've started to bring it to different Canadian cities now too.  Proceeds went to Big Brothers, Big Sisters. I ran the whole thing, some parts slower than others, but I got through it! They colour bomb you every kilometer so you end up looking like a rainbow by the end.  It was a lot of fun, here are some photos from the run! It's just coloured corn starch so, after a good long shower, I am happy to report that I am now colour free!

I saw this today as I was on Pinterest. I though it was great. The definition of self respect form the perspective of health, fitness and mental well being. I think a lot of the time we don't really focus on what self respect really means to us or what is involved in respecting yourself. A big part of why I decided to make the changes in my life that I did was because I felt that I no longer cared about myself and that I needed to change that, I needed to respect who I was as much as I respected those around me. So, when I saw this today, it jumped out of my computer screen at me. This really captures and defines what I consider self respect to be.  I think the most important item though is the very last letter "T"... "Tell yourself you can do this." Setting your mind to it is 90% of the battle.

I think it's important to treat ourselves every once in awhile, life is no fun without a little sugar treat!  This weekend, I decided to make a "decorate your own cupcake" bar when a few friends came over this weekend. It was a big hit and super delicious.  I think I will probably do this again (thanks to Pinterest for the idea!) I warmed up the vanilla icing in thee Little Dipper (mini crockpot), left the cupcakes plain and put out Smarties, gummy bears, chocolate sprinkles and rainbow sprinkles. They were almost completely gone by the end of the night. As a side note, I also lost a pound this week. Not that it is any major accomplishment but it's been about 8 weeks since I've lost any weight. I've been maintaining and hovering around the same weight but, I finally broke it!  This means I've lost a total of 55lbs!  I'm eating about 1550 calories per day when I don't exercise (which means I should lose half a pound a week but, I'm not.) I ...

When I saw this it really spoke to me. It will hurt but it will be worth it.  Nothing about this last year has been easy, not a day has passed that hasn't required me to change my habits, go against the grain of my daily routines and to make a conscious effort to change.  You sacrifice and you get sad while everyone is enjoying an extra slice of cake which you know you can't have and you should be happy you were able to have the one delicious slice you treated yourself to.  Most of all though, it takes willpower , you have to want to change more than anything else.  It would be so easy, even now, to slip back into old habits but you need to fight and keep going. It's so much easier to put weight on than it is to take it off.  So for all of you trying to lose 5lbs or 50lbs or just trying to stay active and fit, we're all in this together and it's worth all the hard work!