Beginning of Week 3 and My Accidental Starvation

I apparently was really horrible at posting last week. I will do better this week. I was tired. And exhausted. and tired.

I am better now.

Here is a picture from end of week 2/beginning of week 3.

I can see some progress. Not a lot, but I seem more firm.

As far as my accidental starvation...

I accidentally did not calculate my projected/suggested caloric intake correctly. This resulted in a week of starvation without much progress. I think I had sent my body into a "survival mode."

Now that I am eating better, there should be no issues with any of this! Only progress from here on out!

Day 15 and counting!

My struggle

It's DAY 10! I am doing so well! Eating okay and working out! I began adding back in my running, cycling and swimming this week.

In p90, they ask you to say that you presently struggle with instead of you can't.

Today, in our group we were asked to write what our struggle was... I thought for a while and then realized that I am totally a sugar addict! That is going to be the hardest part of my challenge. I am willing. The flesh is weak though, so there will be days when I do not do well... but that is okay. I will push forward. I presently struggle with eating too much sugar. BUT! In 20 days, I will get to measure and tell all how far I have come, I cannot wait for that!

The other struggle of the day is it was PAINFUL to run. I persevere by picking a spot to make it to and then picking a spot to start running again if I cannot make it. It will become less painful again, but right now it just simply hurts!

I am going to make it and I cannot wait to tell people how I did and most importantly, I cannot wait to help other people do the same thing!

Week 2:

Today marks the beginning of week 2! I have already done my chest, back and ab workout. For breakfast I had whole grain cereal with coconut milk and for lunch I had my shake. However, I did end up wearing part of the shake because I wanted to eat outside and on the way out my weenie dog tumbled down the stairs wrapping the leash around the shake and make it spill all down my front. Oh well, it was a nice lunch outside.

The most important thing about this challenge though is my week one results! I have lost 2lbs which is 6% of my weight loss goal! I am ready to keep moving forward and lose more! I am starting to notice a difference in the firmness of my legs and stomach. Below is a side by side comparison of my week 1(left) and week 2 (right) pictures. Also, I know that the second picture is hideous, I had just showered! Not a lot of difference, but I can see a bit (look in the love handle vicinity) ! I am excited to BRING IT the next couple of weeks, so that I can have awesome measurement results!

Learning to be satisfied

I do realize that I did not post yesterday. This was not because I was "bad." I had granola and Greek yogurt for breakfast, shakeology for lunch, fruit for snack, jimmy johns for dinner, steamed veggies and a small piece of left over chicken for snack. I also did my p90x yoga, which was challenging because I do not really like yoga, but I did it. So, ya... it was a good day.

Today, should be equally as good. Arms and back workout. Eating well. Good. Day.

However, I am learning something already. I am learning how to be satisfied... how to not eat until I am full, but eat enough to where I will be satisfied, not full. I think this also applies to other aspects of my life. Learning to be content and satisfied in every situation is something that I should also be doing. I have decided to do some research this concept in the Bible. I am beginning my journey with Paul, because as he says in Philippians, he has learned how to be content in every circumstance. I will only have a small amount of resources that are available, so my research is going to be limited, but I definitely think it will be worth it.

Hopefully, I will be able to walk tomorrow after my leg work out.

Third Day

My arms and shoulders workout went well... I was so proud of my ab ripping self during the ab ripper portion because I definitely did better this time around than the first!

My meals consisted of cereal with coconut milk, chicken with steamed veggies for two meals and shakeology. 

I discovered that my shakeology is delicious with peanut butter! It tastes a lot like a reeses! Good to know! Delicious to know! 

I am so stinking sore that everything hurts. EVERYTHING. 

That is the report. Over and out.

Day 2 and the awful pizza mishap...

Today...
I actually did really well. I ate well (half a cracked wheat, organic bagel with peanut butter for breakfast, veggies and turkey for lunch, shakeology/2 x2 for snack)   and completed my workout (today was Tuesday, so plyometric day!). I even figured out that I needed to split my shakeology into two shakes because it is so rich and good that it is too much for one shake!

But then it happened.

My shift on Tuesdays for the next month is kind of difficult. I run concerts in the park and I get there at 3:30 and do not get home until at least 10:30. Most of the time it will be after. There was a crucial meal in there, that I was not prepared for, but knew that hamburgers and veggies were going to be there, so I thought I could go bunless and eat the veggies. WRONG. My only option ended up being pizza. Good news is that I only had 2 slices and it was thin crust. The best part is that it did not taste that great and it actually upset my stomach because it was SO heavy. Lesson learned...

pizza =1 kels=0

Next time, I will bring a cooler with plenty of snacks.

My workout actually went really well. Definitely need to relocate to outside to prevent the neighbor from having to hear me jump. I will be so sore tomorrow, but I have to get up and ride my bike and then do p90!

In other news... I LOVE that someone in our group brought up doing some sort of devotional during the 90 days. It reminded me that being healthy is bringing glory to God because it is using his gift of our life in our current body to the fullest potential. I do not think that I will be doing a devotional, but I am definitely going to be reading scripture everyday and posting about it here. To Him be the Glory.

PS... To all of my friends who read this that have other beliefs... please do not let this keep you from reading it! I will clearly mark the part where I talk about scripture, and while I would love it if you did read it because it WILL include a scholarly aspect because that is what my undergraduate degree is in, I am not trying to IMPOSE my morals on anyone. These are my own beliefs and if you want to know more, I will gladly tell you why I believe what I believe!

Day 1!

So apparently my before picture did not post. Here I am in all my glory...

Clearly there are some trouble areas! That is okay though! I am working on those now!

Day 1: I woke up at 7:30 and ran 2 miles. Cardio = check! I then did my p90 chest and back/ab ripper workout at 10. Everything now hurts. Well... not really hurt as much as it is jello. That is okay though! I will admit that I am not the average person because I actually like hurting after working out! This is not always good because sometimes, I push myself too hard!  I have eaten pretty well. For breakfast I did my granola/cereal in coconut milk. Then for lunch I lightly tossed some veggies (zucchini, squash, onion, garlic, green beans) in olive oil (about 1 tbsp.) and then sauteed them. (It is important to not overcook things because they lose nutrition, so everything was still crunchy!) I plan on eating shakeology for snack and then dinner the same veggie combo only with some broiled cod. For snack when I get home from work, I plan on eating some raw celery (which in all honesty is my second favorite food).

Okay, okay... I will admit it... I AM odd.

Not related to the challenge, but was really funny. When I came back from running, my dog, Tallie, was on the kitchen counter. I think she wanted to help me with the dishes because a pan that I had not scrubbed from dinner the night before was completely cleaned! Most people worry about their cats being on the counter... not their toy poodle mix.

Conclusion: DAY 1 = a success! (Although my arms will be sore... it is the pain of progress!)

My 90 Day Challenge

The Challenge: I have a friend who is a coach with team beachbody. She invited me to participate in a 90 day challenge with about 11 other people. The challenge is to eat healthy, including drinking shakeology once a day, and to complete one of the beachbody programs. I have chosen to do p90x.

Where the blog comes in: While I have my group to keep me accountable and to share in my success, I wanted to be COMPLETELY transparent in the whole process. This means, that I will post my measurements and weight before and during. I will also post pictures of before and during, as I track my progress. Obviously, these pictures are not attractive now because I am starting out.  I am also not wearing something in the pictures that I would not be seen in public wearing (ie. I am not wearing underwear.). The goal is that I will post daily about how my workouts went and how well I ate. I will also be posting pictures weekly! I would love any feedback and encouragement!

Below I have posted the goals and some pictures from today (You can obviously SEE the problem areas). The challenge starts tomorrow, so journey with me!

I love to ride my bicycle

Reason 96? I love to ride my bicycle. There are so many things that I love about it, but mostly I just love being outside.

However, I do not like stray dogs. I am afraid that they are going to bite my leg off. Maybe not completely off, but it would definitely hurt. I need to buy some of that halt stuff. I hear it keeps them away... or at least disorients them for a while.

I rode today. Made it 10 miles. Not bad for the first time in a while. My rear hurts though! Story of my life.

Good News

Here is the good news: It is the end of the semester and I can be real about being healthy and training again. It is amazing how tiring reading and being at school can be! I will continue with my 100 reasons of why I love working out as they arise. I feel like it adds some spice. May 10 is my official first day of training. I will not only be attempting to start and finish p90x, but I will also be running, cycling and swimming. What do normal people do with their lives? I am convinced that maybe... someday... I will be like them. But first, I need some people to tell me what normal people do!

This is a really mellow post. I do not like that. Kind of hard to post when you are not regularly working out. Definitely fixing that tomorrow with a classic 10mi bike ride.

Get excited! I am!

98...

Maybe I can consecutively post for the next 98 days... doubt it.

The next reason (98) why I like working out is because it motivates me. Most people think of working out as something that you need motivation to do. I thoroughly enjoy it and when I finish a triathlon or a run or whatever, I honestly feel that I can take on the world.

It is hard to only say one reason... perhaps I should just list them all out. No good. I need to figure out the next 97 reasons. I will list them next time.

Fat triathlete rule vs. skinny people rule

Fat triathlete rule numero uno: If you go to the store in search of just one cookie, you generally come home with a candy bar and a whole container of cookies. And then you proceed to eat it all. Maybe eating healthy is not for me. Just kidding. I actually feel really horrible after I eat that much sugar, but about a month later I do it again.

Skinny people rule numero uno: The best workouts are pushing away from the table and walking away from the kitchen.

Who does that? That pretty much explains so much! Over and Out!

99 Reasons

I guess that I forgot that I had this blog... Whoops!

On to the 99th reason I love what I do:

Rain. I love running in the rain. I love swimming in the rain. I love (when I am not sliding around and having near death experiences) cycling in the rain!

In other news: I am planning on participating in at least 5 triathlons this year. I am also doing the color run and I want to do the route 66 marathon... but lets be realistic.

Also:  I am back to blogging. YAY!

100 Reasons

I have been working out.

I have not been blogging. Apparently, I am not good at being consistent.

So, in addition to my other random ramblings, I will be telling you the 100 reasons why I work out.

To start the list off...
#100
I work-out with a friend, Colleen. We chat during our runs sometimes. Other times we just run. The other day we were talking about traveling. I stick out like a sore thumb... or an obvious American. However, I have been confused for a German. So Colleen says,
"Just learn German. No one messes with Germans. I guess when you try to take over the world three times, no one wants to mess with you."
I think this is an excellent point. I love Germany and think that I would fit in well there.

Also, my dog ate bubblegum. A whole package. She now is getting rid of this gum... and it is quite an intense process.
Thanks for listening.

Swimming in New Gear

Yesterday, I did not post because I left my computer somewhere and did not have access to it.

However, this morning I totally swam 400 yds more than I had been. :) YAY!

The other good news about my day: bought cycling shoes and peddles for my bike and new running shoes. Double YAY!

Not related to being athletic at all, but my really fuzzy dog had to be shaved because of a skin infection and this morning I tripped on my shower curtain while I was in the shower and it came flying down and soap and water went everywhere and I was really stressed out... and felt exposed while standing there with no shower curtain even though I live alone.

I am weird.
Admit it.
Thanks, Now that I have admitted I have a problem and everyone else has too... I should be healed!

Not Enough Hours in My Day

Like everyone, I can never seem to find enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that I would like to in that day.

90% of the time, I feel like the most overwhelmed person in the entire world.

However, this can not possibly be true. There is at least one person out there more overwhelmed than me. (I am pretty sure that I know who she is too.)

Something I have learned is that if it is important enough to you, you will find a way to get it into the "too busy for everything" schedule. For me, working out and training are incredibly important. I find a way to get them in. I also manage to get in school and work. I think the trick is DeFrag. Move the empty spaces together and there is totally time for everything (Including four papers with abstracts due on the 14th?!?!)

Goal of swimming 1000 yards for two practices completed... Now on to the Bigger and Better 1200 yards!
Running and Gym tomorrow. I love my life!

Intentional Day of Not Posting

I decided that I will not post on Sundays. That would be why there was no post yesterday, because after all, it was Sunday.

However, I did work out. I have only walked the past few days. I have walked about 5 miles, but that is beside the point.

I am still recovering from surgery. That means, that my "A" game is somewhere closer to my "C" game right now. However, that does not mean that I will not be getting up to swim tomorrow. It just means that I am "cooling it" for the higher impact stuff. However, I will still be running twice this week.

On another note... WHITE SPANDEX, EVEN FOR ATHLETES, IS NEVER, NEVER OKAY!

I do not ever want to see that again. I do not care if you only weigh 80lbs... you were not wearing underwear and were sweating... making your whites... clear!

Apparently, I am in a ranting mood.

Oh, well. Good Night.