Workout Calendar Results!

Well folks I've got one month down using a workout calendar, along with earning some extra cash!!

And I know the picture is probably super hard to make out but that's cause I scribbled all over it!!!!! Every time I worked out I would write down my mileage, time, a check mark, and a $!! If I didn't work out (a.k.a missed a scheduled workout) I put a giant red X and then took off $1 for each one I "missed".

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Overall results were:

• 6 Missed Workouts
• 31 Completed Workouts!
• 17.52 Hours of Excercise!
• 49.06 Miles Ran!
• 29.25 Miles Walked!
•  173 Weight Watcher Activity Points (Week 1 = 49, Week 2 = 47, Week 3 = 51, Week 4 = 26)
• $25 in the Workout Jar!

I achieved my goals for the month of July!!!

I am very proud of all my workouts! I am not happy about skipping out on 6 workouts but this month was all about trial and error. Being how I wanted to really push myself and see how much I could do I feel like July was a success!! 

I loved it the first 4 weeks and then my body hit a wall! I definitely hit the "too much" zone and realized I needed to give myself a few more rest days in August! Plus I figured just because it's not on the calendar doesn't mean I can't still do something if I'm feeling up to it! 

Overall I am so happy with my workouts from July and feel so much more confident starting out August (yes I know it's August 10th but I assure you I'm on track and the calendar is on the fridge)

So here it is folks my August workout schedule!! Looks extremely doable with a few extra days that I can add in some fun excercise if I want to!!

 

 Yup, another wedding picture!!

Here's a close up of my schedule!!

I took the rest of the first week as a rest week. It was a bad week altogether and my head was not in the game, my body was tired and I just needed a break. But I am back at it and haven't missed one workout this week! In case you are wondering....those work outs in yellow are my optional. I discovered that some mornings I don't have the time to do that and it takes me about 20 minutes so now I'm using August to figure out if optional will work for me or not. 

So far this week I'm 0/2 but I'm confident next week I'll get back to them! I can't do it on my run days cause it's actually a lot of leg work and I don't want to completely kill my legs!

But this schedule still gives me my 3 run days and 2 days dedicated to walking Buster. I feel like most Sundays I'll want to take him any ways but I am trying out this schedule to see if those rest days help!! 

And here are my goals for this month! I am super excited about my goals!!

And since that picture is somewhat dark (my apologies) here they are:

• Run 55 miles
• Walk 35 miles
• Run my 5K in 30 minutes or less (yes I achieved this goal last month but this time I have a real race)
• 2 Full Body Workouts Per Week!! (already screwed that one up this week, but I'm going to try and fit one in Saturday AM)

And there you have it folks! So far this has been awesome! I'm motivated every time I walk into our kitchen. I think having this front and center has helped a lot and of course inspired me to want to put more inspirational items on the fridge like quotes!!

It's a Beautiful Day for a Hike!

At my work we are extremely lucky to get a day off for our birthday! Since mine landed on Memorial Day this year I got 2 days off for my birthday! I decided to take the Friday before off and instead of my usual "Sit on Butt at Home" routine I asked my best friend Alycia if she wanted to go on a hike? Of course she said YES! Her and her hubs had recently gone on a hike and it 100% made me want to do one too!!

After checking the weather constantly throughout the week, it said rain from 10 AM to 10 PM on Friday we decided to bump up our time a little bit and I met her at her house at 9:30 AM. We got to Helen Putnam Park (in my hometown) and got to hiking!!

Funny story about our hats! That night the A's played the Yankees in Oakland!! Yes the A's lost but it was not unexpected LOL!!

This is a map of the park! I remember as a kid we went as a family and I HATED every single minute of it! Unless it was soccer or volleyball I HATED physical activity! My parents will definitely back me up when I say I was such a brat when we went! But this time around I was super excited to get going!!

First we had to climb up this big steepish hill! I'm not going to lie to you I was huffing and puffing the whole way up! However once we got to the top (the picture below is about halfway up) it was so beautiful and HOT! So much for rain! We lucked out and it was a bright sunny gorgeous day!

Since we've decided not to move out of California any time soon I've really been trying to embrace and LOVE where we live! This hike definitely reminded me to appreciate the beautiful area we live in!

You can see town from this place but let me tell you, it doesn't feel like you are in town!

My Paps and I are kind of into taking photos of old barns and on the last leg of our hike we came across this beauty! I just had to take a picture and I love how it turned out!

After about an hour and half of hiking (we did the longest route we possibly could) we stopped and ate our healthy lunch down at their picnic area! Well everything but the trail mix was healthy! :)

I was so amazed that I was so happy and so in love with doing this hike! I mean I seriously was a snotty little brat who complained the whole time when I came out with my family, which also happens to be the last time I'd been out here. But I truly enjoyed every single minute, yes even the big hill climb, of our hike!

It was such a beautiful day with a great friend! And bonus - 9I wasn't even sore the next day WOO HOO! In fact my Paps and I went out the next morning to take photos and we went for a walk at another local park :) I'll post those pictures soon for your viewing pleasure!!

Any one else discover a physical activity they HATED as a child that they now enjoy as an adult?

My First 5K - On the Road to My Next 5K!

Well Ladies and Gents I have some very exciting news to share with you!

In the middle of  November I gave the Couch to 5K Program a try using the fabulous KissMyBlackAss.org Podcasts (thanks Seester for reminding me)! I knew that walking was no longer doing it for me and I wanted to up my excercise! However I was terrified of running! I haven't run since high school (aside from on an elliptical) and being overweight I was so embarassed to run and have my fat jiggling all over the damn place.

So how did I overcome that fear? I got up early and started to do the program in the wee hours before work where I knew NO ONE would see me give it a shot! I started the 9 week program on November 13th and knew it was the right choice!

I LOVED the first week. I LOVED the music and I LOVED that I could even run at all! It may seem strange to some people but the high I got from running soley came from the fact that I was ABLE TO RUN! I'm serious. In my mind I never had that confidence that I could ever run even a mile on my own.

After week 5 of the program I stopped. Not because I gave up but because I was running 3 miles without stopping, I no longer needed the interval running to keep me going. I couldn't even fathom that I was able to quit after Week 5 and essentially jump to Week 9 where you run for 30 minutes straight.

Not only that but I decided to challenge myself and I signed up to do a 5K Resolution Run. I kept it a secret from almost everyone because I didn't want to fail. I wanted to succeed but again I was so terrified that I'd fail. Yes I may have been running the 3.10 miles on my own but for some reason it never computed to me that I'd be able to do those same miles in a race.

On January 1, 2012 I woke up and donned my trusty workout clothes and shoes. I'll admit I had nerves and unfortunately being my first race I didn't realize that you really don't need to be there right when they say. We showed up at 9AM and there was no one there but those who were setting up the booths. Needless to say we took a little drive and went to get Chuckles some breakfast.

At 9:20 we parked the car and I walked up the Registration Booth to pick up my Bib Number!

And of course I am going to scrapbook this event that I have NEVER thought would happen in my life!

Because they had such a huge turnout they did 2 "heats". The first "heat" A.K.A Race, was for those who could finish in 20 minutes or less. Nope NOT ME! I ran the second "heat", where we started 10 minutes later. There were quite a few others in the second heat so I felt a little bit better. Still nervous standing there all alone while Chuckles snapped pictures!

At first I got passed up by so many people but I didn't dare look behind me. It didn't matter. I had a goal and I wanted to meet it. I wanted my best time yet which would have been anything less than 36 minutes. I was shooting for 34 minutes.

Here I am in the final stretches of the race.

And here I am crossing the finish line. I'm not even going to lie, once I saw that finish line I sped up. I was ready to be done. I had met my goal!!!!!!! I did the race in 34 minutes and 3 seconds (according to the official time on the website). I wanted to cry because it was such an overwhelming feeling to not only participate but then to meet my goal. I can't even describe how proud I am of myself. And yes I'll toot my own horn on this one.

To know that I worked hard to get to this point only made me more motivated. I have already signed up for two more 5ks this year and I am determined to do a 10k. My next 5k is in May and I want to complete it in less than 30 minutes.

The weight loss journey I experienced last year didn't hit me emotionally until the end of the year. Its a journey I never thought I would lose 53lbs. I never ever imagined I'd go from a size 20 to size 16 (and still shrinking YAY). I never in my life imagined I'd run 3.1 miles because I want to not because I had to.

I never thought I'd run in a 5k race.

Now I can't wait to get off work and go for a run! Yes, I'm running in daylight and damn proud of it.

Now I can't wait for my next two 5ks and I wish they were here already.

Now I can't wait to run in a 10k race.

To all of you who think you can't lose the weight or you can't become athletic.

YOU CAN!!

When I was talking to a friend of mine about being nervous about the race, she asked me why. I said cause I'm not a runner.

Her response - "You go running right? Then You ARE a Runner"!

2011 was an amazing year for me and even as I'm writing this post I'm brought to tears because never in my life did I think I was capable of changing my weight and my health but I did it damnnit and I am so proud of myself!

Thank you to my family and friends who reassured me and supported me throughout the last year and who I know will continue to support and be on my side throughout the rest of this journey!

A huge thank you to my Chuckles. He has been the most supportive and reassured me constantly that I can do this and has reminded me constantly of how much I've already done!

To my readers I hope you've made it through this long post. I know it's different from a lot of my other posts and it's a lot longer but I appreciate your time and your support as well!

Happy 2012!! May it be the best year for everyone!!

2012 Goals

This year is going to be absolutely crazy, nuts, busy, and a whole lot of fun! To start this year off with a bang here are my 2012 Goals!

1. Read my 2012 book list! After my 2011 list I'm scaling back so it's less stressful! Stay tuned...it's coming soon!
2. Lose an additional 40lbs and meet my healthy weight range!
3. Run 4 days out of the week.
4. Complete my 5K race in May in under 30 minutes.
5. Participate in a 10K race.
6. Create and stay on track with a weekly chore list!
7. Scrapbook two layouts a month.
8. Celebrate our Anniversary - This is very important to us!
9. Complete my Hawaii, 2008 and 2009 Scrapbook Albums.
10. Leave more spare time to relax! Meaning scheduling in free time and weekends on my calendar!

There you have it folks! I think this year I'll print these out and tape them to my bathroom wall to keep me motivated! I am so excited to get started on my goals!

Who else has 2012 Goals or Resolutions!

2011 Wrap Up

Boy oh boy did the last couple weeks of December fly by! I couldn't even make time to post but I'm back and ready to start 2012 off with a bang! First things first - lets do a recap of my 2011 Goals.

1. Dress up for work 4 days out of the week. (We have a pretty lax dress code but I want to start dressing more business casual instead of jeans everyday) - FAILED! I tried but then I shrunk out of my pants and have been waiting to buy new work slacks. When you don't need them for work it's hard to justify spending the money on new work pants. Plus I realized I'm very lucky to get to go comfy to work so I am taking advantage. Point in fact - today I'm in sneakers, jeans, and a sweatshirt!


2. Work 40 hour workweeks!! I am sick of working extra hours so this year it's 40 hour work weeks (Overtime ONLY when absolutely NEEDED and NEVER on a Friday) - ACCOMPLISHED! This year I only worked a few hours of overtime when it was absolutely needed! I wish I could say I never did on a Friday but it turns out Fridays are the best times for me to work overtime. I accomplish way more and then I get to go home and veg with the honey!

3. Lose 2 dress sizes by Summer (3 by Christmas) - Somewhat Accomplish/Somewhat Failed - I lost 2 dress sizes but not until October. I am almost down one more but alas, I did not meet the goal by the end of the year. However - I lost 53 lbs this year and started excercising 3-4 days out of the week! That to me makes up for the dress size.

4. Read 2011 Book List - ACCOMPLISHED! Yes the side tracker says I didn't but if you notice my original 2011 Book List was 46 books and I read 49 this year!!

5. Clean the house top to bottom every week! - HAHAHAHA FAIL!! This was definitely a wishful thinking goal. We just got so darn busy that it didn't happen. I will say though we have a new cleaning goal for 2012 that is totally attainable! Stay tuned...

6. Take Buster to Camp Bow Wow twice a month - Half Fail/Half Accomplished! This one is half and half because we did take him twice a month and then I started excercising and started taking Buster 3 days outo f the week. The Camp Bow Wow was to give him some excercise but once I started walking him we stopped taking him twice a month. He still goes but since it's expensive we cut back!

7. Finish my bookkeeping certificate - ACCOMPLISHED!!

8. Finish up the Home Improvements (List coming soon) - With the wedding planning (and saving) we did very minimal work on the house, which I knew would happen. In case you forget I made my goals before our engagement, which definitely put a damper on some goals, but hey there's always this year right....or next year :)

9. Scrapbook 2 layouts a month - ACCOMPLISHED! I successfully scrapbooked at least 2 layouts a month!

10. Finish my Hawaii album - FAILED!! I completely forgot this was a goal until yesterday. Where I spent all afternoon working on it, with only one layout left to do I am positive it will be finished before the end of January.

11. Spend more time with friends - ACCOMPLISHED! In fact I overbooked myself too much in 2011 and started hating making plans. While I love spending time with friends I found myself overly stressed over life and committments so this year my friends - Yes we will spend oodles of time together but I'm going to say No a lot more to give myself some downtime!!

12. Date night EVERY week! - FAILED!! We were extremely good at this until Chuckle's got his new job, now it's like date night every single night and weekend!! Plus when the weather got cold we wanted to stay home! But we always make sure to do something on date night, whether its playing games at home or at least going out to eat.

13. Take a FUN vacation - like Hawaii, Vegas, Disneyland, or a Cruise - This got put on the back burner due to our engagement. But we PLANNED our Honeymoon for this year so I think it counts!!

14. Go camping at least 4 times - Again with the engagement we decided to cut back costs and we lost quite a few weekends, BUT we went 2 TIMES!! So I deem this an accomplishment! Once just us two for our big vacation and then once for the Annual Campfest! Both times were so much fun! 

15. Celebrate our Anniversay (we never do cause I am so not into those things) - ACCOMPLISHED! We went to the Melting Pot and had a great experience! So great we are going again this year! WOOHOO!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 2011, a Safe New Years, and most of all that you completed your goals you set out to complete!

For this year I am going a little more specific and probably a few less with the weddings (yup my Seester is getting married this year too) taking up all our time :)

Happy New Years Everyone!

2011 New Year GOALS!

I am so not a fan of resolutions but I am a fan of goals. Back in August I started thinking about the 2011 goals that I want to accomplish and I am determined to make 2011 the best year it can possibly be! I am actually very excited about 2011! I think its going to be the year to finish up our home improvements and get time to RELAX!!! So here are my GOALS for 2011:

1. Dress up for work 4 days out of the week. (We have a pretty lax dress code but I want to start dressing more business casual instead of jeans everyday)
2. Work 40 hour workweeks!! I am sick of working extra hours so this year it's 40 hour work weeks (Overtime ONLY when absolutely NEEDED and NEVER on a Friday)
3. Lose 2 dress sizes by Summer (3 by Christmas)
4. Read 2011 Book List
5. Clean the house top to bottom every week!
6. Take Buster to Camp Bow Wow twice a month
7. Finish my bookkeeping certificate
8. Finish up the Home Improvements (List coming soon)
9. Scrapbook 2 layouts a month
10. Finish my Hawaii album
11. Spend more time with friends
12. Date night EVERY week!
13. Take a FUN vacation - like Hawaii, Vegas, Disneyland, or a Cruise
14. Go camping at least 4 times
15. Celebrate our Anniversay (we never do cause I am so not into those things)

I am pretty positive I have not set myself up for failure because I refuse to fail! :-) I am very excited for 2011 and am entering the new year with the most positive attitude I can!! Happy New Year Everyone!!