It's 2016!

Wow, that's the first time I've typed that (correction, that was 5 days ago, I've obviously written it since, I just haven't published this until now)... hard to believe it's 2016. There's a lot that's been going on and I hope to one day catch up, but for now, we'll start fresh -isn't that what new year's are all about?

For the first post of the year, let's do New Year's resolutions! The last set I have on the blog are from 2012 - guess if one of them was to blog about new year's resolutions, I failed! Anyway, let's see how many of these I'm going to recycle!

2012, I mean 2016 resolutions:

1. Work out! Or get back to running. Or just try to be healthier.
My goal is to run this year. I've talked about it a lot, but this is the year I actually do it. I'm not sure if this means running a 10k, or a 10 miler or a half marathon, but I will do some race... I figure this is the year I decide truly whether running is for me. I figure if I don't do it this year, then I can cross it off my list. No pressure, just reality. There are other ways to be active and stay fit (I think). My diet could also use some cleaning up. I'm back to eating too much processed food, drinking too much diet soda and booze. I know I'm not giving it up (ever), but I could probably clean it up a wee bit.

2. Organize my house! Or finally start living like an adult. 
(This one is straight up being recycled from 2012... I clearly am still failing at this!)
This is the term, "live like an adult", that I use when I'm complaining to Huge about the state of our house -we need to start living like adults. I shouldn't have to step over a pile of laundry to get to the bathroom (not that I do now...) but we need to seriously purge and organize our house. An organized house leads to an organized life. I figure to truly do this I need to get Huge on board... any suggestions? I threatened just throwing all his stuff out, but he would just go and buy new stuff. Hm... I guess I'll have to look at taking away all of his credit cards as well. Ha

2a. Finally do stuff to the house.
I've been putting off doing stuff or updating stuff, but there are things I want to do and this is the year I'm going to do it. First on the list, buy a rug for the living room. It drives me insane that the rug we have in there is too small for the space. We (ahem, Huge) bought it on a whim and it just doesn't fit. And it annoys me ALL.THE.TIME. But I always had "better" things to spend my money on... but I realized it's not that expensive to replace and it will make me less annoyed. Win-win! So small improvements that will make me less stabb-y (yes, I realize this makes it seem like my priorities are all warped, but indulge me in my hyperbole), are worth doing. I've already ordered the rug so we're on our way!

3. Read 25 books this year.
I had a goal last year to read 20 and I made it to 22 (very proud of myself), so I do believe it's doable, I just need to make more of an effort to read instead of spending time on the inter webs.

4. I had a goal in 2012 about work -it was something along the lines of work less, stress less (If I wasn't so lazy I would look up the exact wording). I'm in a new job (as of 8 days ago), so I can't comment on the workload (expected or self-imposed) will be,but I think my goal for work is to stay out of my comfort zone. I have a feeling that there will be a lot of opportunities for stretch assignments and growth if I'm willing to take them and ask for them. So my goal is to be aware that sometimes I don't like being out of my comfort zone and to do it. Prime example, I'm blindly setting up meet and greets with department heads -something I would never do before. I literally have no idea what they do or how we'll be working together so not having a fixed "agenda" is scary. But it's been met positively and I think is a valuable foundation to build these work relationships. I'm the new person, something I haven't been in a long time.

5. Be more present and as I like to say "just be". I find myself on my phone or not really being engaged as much as I should be... this happens at work and at home and I'm doing everyone a disservice. So it's cliche, but it's a reminder to be more content and to be more present.

6. Get back on track financially.
Don't worry dad (if you're reading this), we're not in the poor house (yet), but we're not as financially secure as I'd be comfortable with. I'd like to have more liquid savings, I'd like to have more in the retirement and kids' accounts and I'd like to have more money to spend on things I deem important. Again, nothing crazy, but I'd like to just feel more "adult" about my life. Maybe that's the theme for 2016.

7. Blog more!
Pretty self explanatory, but I have not documented Nora's life nearly as much as Callan's and there are so many things to remember that I've already forgotten. And she is a she-devil, but she's funny! And Callan is turning into this actual little boy! It's crazy how that works :) But, I'm forgetting all these things and there are so many people who want to know about the nuanced monotony of their day-to-day that they're missing out on... so as a service to them (and me), I want to blog more. Get back into it because it is fun to go back down memory lane.

That ended up being more than I thought I would have, but I think that's it. Oh ya, there is this, my favorite resolution of all.

2016, bring it on -I have a feeling it's going to be a good one.

#Technology Fail

So I realize I'm about 7 years behind on this, but I've decided to start listening to podcasts on my way to work. As part of my "new year, new me" plan I decided that I need to get more informed about current events and things going on in the world (outside of the celebrity gossip/blogging world). However, I don't really understand how podcasts work. How do I get them to automatically load onto my iphone? Do I need to sync my phone everyday, because if that's the case, this probably won't last very long... I sync my phone about once every 3 months (much to my husband's chagrin). So can someone help me? Or point me in the right direction because I would like to be able to talk about current events without sounding dumb!

Another year, another set of resolutions

It's a few days into the new year and it's time to set my new year's resolutions! Let's see, last year I recapped my 2010 goals and set new ones for 2011 -so let's keep the tradition alive and do it again!

2011 resolutions:
1. Working out -hm, I wrote that I planned on sticking with it and to run a half marathon or two that year. I honestly don't even remember that being a goal of mine (especially considering I was making that a goal of mine this year!), but needless to say, I didn't run any races. I'm going to pretend it's because I had a baby this year instead (and don't they say giving birth is like running a marathon?), but it is probably more because I didn't remember even having that goal!

2. Lose the weight -I talked about losing the baby weight and I can say that I successfully did that. I gained an incredible amount of weight (50+lbs) and came very close to hitting the 200 lb mark!, but by Dec 31st, I had successfully lost all the baby weight.

3. Hobby -ya, there was no hobby last year...

4. Organize my house -this is an ongoing goal... and most of the time I'm on the losing end. But, I'm going to just blame my husband for this... he is a slob!

So those were my 2011 goals and I would say I did about half of them (sort of?). Now on to 2012! I'm a few days behind, but my goals for this year are very similar to last year.

1. Work out! Or get back to running.
My goal is to run half marathon this year. I've talked about it a lot (and even more than I remember since it was a goal last year), but this is the year I actually do it. I'm sure I'll update you on it and if I see you in real life I'll probably talk about it a lot... so humor me and tell me how big of an accomplishment this will be. As part of this plan I figure I can commit to working out 3 times a week and attending hot yoga once a week.

2. Lose weight! Or finally get to my goal weight.
I'm hoping that training and running this half marathon will help with this goal, but I'm sort of remembering how running turns me into a ravenous beast, so I'll have to figure out a way to not allow running from preventing me from reaching this goal (I am SOO close -and it's only Jan 4th -I have a whole year ahead of me!).

3. Organize my house! Or finally start living like an adult. 
This is the term I use when I'm complaining to Huge about the state of our house -we need to start living like adults. I shouldn't have to step over a pile of laundry to get to the bathroom (not that I do now...) but we need to seriously purge and organize our house. An organized house leads to an organized life.

4. Stop stressing about work! Or work less.
I'm sure this doesn't need explanation. I would just like to work regular hours. And not feel like logging off at midnight is slacking (it's not in a normal world).

I think that's it. Oh ya, and this:

Although, I think I can already check that one off my list!

Am I missing anything? What else should I work on this year?

2011 survey

This is the survey I did this to recap 2010, and I thought it would be fun to do it for 2011!

What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?I had a baby! You'll probably get bored of this answer as I will probably talk about it a lot (not that I don't already), but it was the biggest thing I did in 2011.
Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I honestly didn't remember making resolutions last year, but lucky for me, I actually wrote them down (in this here blog), and I was somewhat successful. I am making resolutions for this year -I like to have goals for the year and I'll write about them later.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
YES! I did! and a bunch of my friends, including my best friend Lisa who gave birth to an adorable little girl Mabel in February.
Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, No.
What countries did you visit?
This year was pretty quiet in terms of international travel (due to that baby we had in April), but we went to Canada, but again, my husband is from there and his family is still there so that doesn't really count (and it's Canada, it's kind of like the 51st state, right?).
What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? 
I would like to feel more balanced -with work, life and family.
What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Obviously April 22 -my baby's birthday. July 29th -the day I went back to work and then baby's first holidays (Thanksgiving & Christmas)
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I had a baby -I'm not sure if that really qualifies as a big achievement, but I'm taking credit for having a pretty awesome baby.
What was your biggest failure?
Hmm, that's hard. I've spent some time worrying about things not in my control and I've let things overwhelm me and distract me from what is important.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, knock on wood I have had a healthy year.
What was the best thing you bought?
I can't even remember what I bought this year. 
Whose behavior merited celebration?
As always, my family and friends –they are all truly amazing.
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
This is the same answer as last year: No one. I think I surround myself with good people and therefore no appalling or depressing behavior to worry about from them.
Where did most of your money go?
Food/eating out and of course, the baby (and baby related expenses).
What did you get really excited about?
Becoming a mom and creating this family. I think we're doing pretty well and it is only going to get better from here.
Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) happier
b) Thinner–by some miracle I have lost all my baby weight and then some. Now I'm just a few pounds away from my goal weight.
c) monetarily poorer, but in life, richer.
What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I kept in touch better with friends and family. Although I may not talk to or see them very often, I do think about them a lot. I wish I travelled more to see them because I do miss them a lot.
What do you wish you’d done less of?
I wish I worked less hours and stressed less about our fictitious family budget (stole that from last year's answer, but it's true and I'm sure 2012 is not going to ease the budget issues at all).
How did you spend Christmas?
This was the first year we didn't travel for Christmas. We stayed home and had some friends over for Christmas dinner. It was nice to be at home and relax, but not seeing everyone at Christmas was a little sad.
Did you fall in love in 2011?
Cue the cheesy music: I fell in love with Callan, fell more in love with Huge and with the family we've created together. 
What was your favorite TV program?
Let's see, this year my tv roster includes, the Real Housewives franchise (current fave is Beverly Hills), the Good Wife, NCIS and NCIS: LA (although they're kind of losing my interest), Parenthood, Suits (so good!) and most recently Game of Thrones.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No, I can't really say I hate anyone. I think hating is a waste and if you really dislike someone that much, you shouldn't waste your time and energy on them.
What was the best book you read?
Yikes, I can't even remember what books I read this year. I swear I did read, but obviously nothing really amazing. 
What was your greatest musical discovery?
Music isn't my thing. I think my musical repertoire has been stalled since 2003.
What did you want and get?
A healthy baby.
What did you want and not get?
A get rich quick scheme or the ability to retire.

What was your favorite film of this year?
I just saw the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and loved it. I didn't see too many movies in the theaters this year (planning on changing that next year) and we didn't watch as many movies at home as we normally do.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I didn't do anything on my birthday. Huge was at a conference in Champagne-Urbana and Callan really dropped the ball and didn't remember to plan anything -he claimed he was just a baby, but I think that's no excuse!
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
2011 was a pretty great year for me. I'm sure there were some down moments, but I like to focus on the positives and I'm not really disappointed with the year. I guess if I worked less or had the ability to work normal hours, that would make my life more satisfying.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

I'm going to say boring. I'm bored to tears at my wardrobe right now, but I'm not feeling overly inspired by what I see in the stores. I think I'm going to have to branch out from my Gap/BR/JCrew/Ann Taylor routine.

What kept you sane?

My husband, my family, my friends (who are my family) and my baby.
What political issue stirred you the most?

Not super political, so I'll pass on this.
Who did you miss?

I miss my friends who live far away and my family (who also live far away).
Who was the best new person you met?

Well the cop out answer is Callan. But I'll also say the Adams' -Shelby, Mike and Luke have made a great addition to our circle,
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

There is only so much you can control and instead of wallowing in self-pity it's more productive to come up with a plan for change.

2010 survey

This is the survey that's going around on the internet -I figured I would jump on the bandwagon:

What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
There were a lot of things. Got pregnant, travelled to Japan and Napa (even though I couldn’t drink!).
Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t really keep my new year’s resolutions for 2010 –some of them, but most of them no. I will make more for next year you can see my whole post about it here.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
YES! There was a mini baby boom in 2010! And lots of boys!
Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, No
What countries did you visit?
I got to go to Japan this year! It was an amazing trip and I wish I blogged about it more since I’m already starting to forget things, but thankfully my husband takes a million pictures so I’ll always have those to jog my memory. I also went to Canada, but that doesn’t count since my husband is from there, his family is still there (and I went to university there).
What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A happy, healthy baby! Although that’s kind of a cop-out answer since I’m currently pregnant, but I would like to finish off this pregnancy healthy and have a baby.
What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Hm… I don’t have specific dates, but April was our Japan trip, August was my husband’s 3-0 and when we found out we were pregnant, which was great news after a kind of rough summer and October was my big birthday, happened to be 10-10-10!
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I’m not sure I have one… this year was great in many ways and I’m blessed to have a pretty great life, but it’s mostly made up of smaller moments that culminate into my larger happiness.
What was your biggest failure?
I spent some needless time worrying about things that weren’t in my control, which is contrary to my nature. I’m generally laid back about things and believe that you can only control so much –and it is those things that you can control that you should work on and spend your energy on, but some things this year threw me for a loop and kind of knocked me off my game (so to speak).

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Sort of… For the most part (knock on wood) no major illness or injury. I did miscarry over the summer, which required a medical procedure and then I had morning sickness, but in the grand scheme or things, no, I've been very blessed. I hope that this trend continues and that my friends and family are blessed with good health.
What was the best thing you bought?
Hm… That’s tough since I bought a lot of things so I’m not sure I can pinpoint just one thing.
Whose behavior merited celebration?
My family and friends –they are all truly amazing.
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one. I think I surround myself with good people and therefore no appalling or depressing behavior to worry about from them.
Where did most of your money go?
This was a year of big expenses. We spent a bunch of money on our Japan trip and a bunch of money for my husband’s green card. The rest was spent to eat well and travel. We really need to work on saving for next year!
What did you get really excited about?
Having a baby, becoming a mom, starting a family with my husband and seeing my husband as a father. I think 2011 (and beyond) is going to be amazing in so many ways –not to say it won’t be hard, but I’m optimistic about the future.
Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) happier
b) fatter–literally day by day I’m growing
c) richer –maybe my bank account doesn’t agree, but in the cheesy way, my life is richer.
What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I travelled more -even just weekend trips, and seeing/talking to friends who live far away. Although I talk to many of my friends online I miss seeing their faces and hanging out.
What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying about things I couldn’t control, stressing about our fictitious family budget.
How did you spend Christmas?
We got to see both my husband’s and my families, which was great. We saw a few friends, but not nearly enough of them. Overall it went by way too quickly!
Did you fall in love in 2010?
Fell in love with my (unborn) baby and fell more in love with my current loves (cheesy and cliché as it is)
What was your favorite TV program?
Ugh, I watch way too much tv. Current obsessions… Real Housewives franchise (current fave is Beverly Hills), the Good Wife, NCIS and NCIS: LA, Burn Notice and I’m sure there’s a slew more.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I’m not much of a hater, in fact, I’m not sure I really “hate” anyone. Oh, but Rachel and Mr. Shue on Glee are pretty close. Haha.
What was the best book you read?
Hm, I read the Stieg Lawson series and that was good and I’ve read a bunch of other books, but I’m not sure any of them are “must reads”.
What was your greatest musical discovery?
Music isn't my thing. I listen to mostly top 40 radio stations or whatever streams over Pandora. I did re-discover my love for New Kids on the Block though.
What did you want and get?
I got pregnant and my husband got his green card -so I'm getting a baby and he will get a father! haha.

What did you want and not get?
I did not get a baby… or the winning lotto ticket.
What was your favorite film of this year?
Hm. I can’t even remember the last film I saw. I’ll have to pass on this one. (shoot, clearly the arts are not my thing.)
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 30 this year and we actually didn’t do anything too crazy. Husband and I might have gone to dinner? Oh, we saw Billy Elliot, which we pretended was for my birthday, but I think hubs was actually more excited for it than I was. Oh, our friends and their new baby came over for the day –it started out as just brunch, but ended up being a lazy day hanging out, which was completely marvelous. I don’t usually make a big deal out of my birthday, so I’m not disappointed or anything with what we did (or did not do).
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I had won the lotto! Ha, I’m kidding (sort of). I don’t know, I’m not really disappointed with how the year turned out overall.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

I'm not sure I have a personal fashion concept. I tend to be mostly east coast prep with a hint of trend. However my pregnancy wardrobe is putting a damper on any sort of concept I may have had.

What kept you sane?

My husband, my family and my friends (who are my family).
What political issue stirred you the most?

Not super political, so I'll pass on this.
Who did you miss?

I miss my friends who live far away and my family (who also live far away).
Who was the best new person you met?

This is tough... I'm not sure I met a new person this year -is that sad? I should probably get out more!
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

I don't think it's a new lesson, but bad things happen to good people and that some things are just beyond your control.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Again with the artsy questions...

Resolutions old and new.

I stumbled upon my resolutions for 2010 and seeing as 2010 is coming to a close, I thought it might be nice to see how I did... yah, I kind of failed at most of them.

1. My workout -for awhile I was doing really well... but then, well I kind of fell of the wagon (so to speak) and then I got pregnant. I know that being pregnant doesn't mean you can't work out, but my first trimester was real rough and I just wasn't able to. I am back on it and will continue to throughout the rest of my pregnancy and 2011.

2. Weight loss -well, I didn't lose the last 15 lbs I was hoping to. I got pretty close though -and then I got pregnant! haha, so I don't think this is a complete failure, but sort of.

3. Volunteering -yah, that just didn't happen, but don't think I didn't feel bad about it a lot.

4. Limit tv watching -um... hm... nope, not at all.

5. Home more organized -well that sort of happened. Now if only I could get my husband on board!


So my resolutions for 2010 didn't work out so well, but that won't stop me from making more resolutions for 2011! Let's see:

1. Working out -this is definitely one I plan on sticking with as it will also help me with #2. I also plan on running at least 1 half marathon this year, maybe two.

2. Lose weight -I'll need to shed the baby weight. Granted I haven't had the baby yet, so I'm not sure how much I'll need to lose, but my plan is to shed the weight and get down to fighting weight. I'll have to remember to do a mid-year progress report on the resolutions and can update everything accordingly. And considering the amount of weight I've gained so far, this could be a doozy.

3. Hobby -I'd like to pick up a hobby. I haven't quite figured out what it is yet, but maybe some sort of "crafting"?

4. Organize my house -now that I'm going to have another person living in my house I need to be as organized as possible and keep it as neat and decluttered.

So far that's all I've got. I know 2011 is going to bring about a lot of changes so I don't want to make too many resolutions, but this is a good starting point. What are your resolutions? (maybe I'll "borrow" a couple!).

June recap

Today is the last day of June -so crazy! I have completely turned into an old person and with the passing of each month comment on how fast time has gone by and how unbelievable it is that it is a new month. So let's see what happened in June.

Huge was away for half of it and it was nice to have him back home. I went to a Cubs game with some friends, did some running and started shopping more organically and locally. Other than that, nothing really exciting. I did complete my workout challenge for the month (15 workouts) by the skin of my teeth, squeezing in my last workout this morning! However, I did not lose any weight this month and that was kind of disappointing. Mother nature came back with a vengeance and I'm hoping tha accounts for a bit of the weight (I'm trying to say it's water weight.. haha). I also was successful in my shopping hiatus and did not buy any clothes or shoes this month -although now that i think about it, I may have bought 2 dresses from Banana and I'm not sure if that was this month or at the very end of last. (I just checked -it was at the very end of last month, so I'm safe!)

So that in a nutshell is June. July is shapping up to be a busy month -actually looking at the calendar, the whole summer is -but my goal for July is to continue my ban on shopping and to work out 15 times this month. Additionally, I want to continue to streamline my life and organize my house more. That will be harder to quantify, but that is part of my goal. And if I can manage to lose the last 10 lbs, then that would also contribute to a successful July. Hope everyone had a great June and that everyone is looking forward to July!

Sidelined by the sniffles

Well after that amazing training schedule I came up with on Monday, I got totally sidelined with this weird cold/allergy thing. I never made it to yoga on Tuesday and haven't gone on a run since. I have instead slept a lot (probably about 8 hours a night each day) and just kind of been lazy. I am feeling better though, so I'll return to the gym tomorrow for my weight class and then do a long run on Sunday.

In other news... I don't have any. I have been eating a lot of junk food and really need to kick the habit. I also have total baby brain (as in babies on the brain) and have been spending numerous hours "researching". Fittingly there was an article in the Chicago Tribune about the cost of raising kids. Eek, if I was nervous about my budget before, now I am doubly so! Also I am trying to cut back on my drinking. After my last two weekend benders (read about here, here, and here), my body could use a break. I have no problem saying no, but once I start it's hard to stop (does that mean I have a problem?!?). So I figured out a solution! To two problems actually -I'm going to officially train for the Chicago half marathon in September! It will help with my running and give me a good reason to not drink (so much, or overindulge -I think that sounds better). I may not actually run it, but I will at least train for it!

So I can test my new resolve starting this weekend. Tonight I'm going up to Evanston for a graduation party -two of Huge's work colleagues are receiving their PhD's and the boss is throwing a party. BUT, there is severe weather predicted for this afternoon/tonight with winds up to 70 mph! Eek. Hope everyone has a good weekend -I'll try to remember to check in and update you on my workouts!

Day 2 running log

So after some conversations with friends, the idea of “training” for a 10k seems a little frivolous. I can probably already do it if I put my mind to it since I already can run almost 5 miles without stopping, so adding another mile or so probably isn’t a stretch. In light of this new realization, I’ve decided to change my 10k training to just a running training program. I’m rethinking my decision about running a half marathon, but until I make up my mind completely, I’m going to use the 10k app just to motivate and track my running. For me the problem is actually the time commitment… so having an app make me be accountable will probably help.

That being said, I did day 2 of week 2 today. It was a 46 min run (including warm up and cool down) and I covered 4.41 miles. The first day I did 4.54 miles, but that was also a bit longer of a run (51 minute), so I think I did pretty well. Oh and also for training, I’m only going to run 3 times a week like they suggest. On my “off” days I’m going to cross train and try to incorporate more weights into my workout.

So my schedule for this week:
Monday: run (4.41 miles -46 minutes)
Tuesday: yoga
Wednesday: run (? Miles -46 minutes)
Thursday or Friday will be my 3rd run day, the other day will be my rest day: (? Miles -57 minutes)
Saturday: Weight class at the gym
Sunday: rest day.

Day 1 of C210K

I decided yesterday that I needed to have some sort of "goal" for my running. The original thought has always been that I'd train and run a half marathon. The only problem is that I'm not that motivated. So I've been putting it off while coincedentally putting off any real training/running. Now I realize the remedy to this situation is that I should just sign up for a race -there are a bunch towards the end of the summer/early fall BUT the one problem I have is with the timing. I am hoping (fingers crossed) to be preggo by then, so I would hate to spend all that money (haha, I know it's not that much, but at the same time it's something) and not be able to run, even if it is for a good cause.

Around twitter and on the internets there has been a lot of talk and hype about the C25K program and there are lots of fun little iphone apps that get you through the runs and then lets you tell twitter/facebook all about it (because let's be honest, if you don't tell anyone what you did, did it really happen?) and I decided that was the kind of motivation I needed. The problem is that I can already run a 5k. Granted it's not super fast, but I can do it w/out stopping so I consider that mission accomplished. But I don't run more than about 5 miles at a time, and usually I only do about 3.5-4 because of the time it takes so doing a 10k or a half marathon distance would be a new goal. Unfortunately there are no half marathon training iphone apps (can someone please get on that?) but I found the c210k app. Granted I'm not really starting from the couch, but it serves the same purpose. I started in week 2 and modified the walking parts to slow jogs, but I'm sure once it picks up I'll be following it more closely. Anyway, long story short, I'm starting the C210K program and day 1 was a success. 4.54 miles logged -not bad for me. And in case anyone is wondering, it's this app.


I'll keep you updated on the progress and to keep myself accountable to actually finish it!

Week 5

Keeping it short:

Weight:
Down 0.4. Blah. I worked out 6 days last week... and only 0.4. It's still down, but I wanted/expected to see a full number movement.

Exercise:

Like I mentioned worked out 6 days a week... the waking up early before work seems to be a good routine I can stick with... now if only I can drop some pounds.

In other news, I have been a bottomless pit the past few days! What's the deal!!!

New month = new plan

So... February is over... which means that I only have ONE MONTH to reach my goal before Japan. In an effort to kick this up a bit, I am going to do a 30 day challenge. It was originally supposed to be the 30 day Shred for 30 consecutive days, but I just realized that my DVD player in the living room is broken... so the new plan is just 30 consecutive days of working out. I'm hoping that this will translate into a bigger loss on the scale and more change in my body... I'll keep you posted!

BUT, I think I should get a reward when I accomplish this. Any thoughts? Great pair of shoes? Bag? Jewelry?

Today marks day 1 of my 30 day challenge... Let's see how long I can do it!

(edited to note: I did go to the gym this morning and am going to do the Shred tonight!)

Week 4

So I should try to do a mid-week update, but considering I missed the week 2 update, maybe I should just take what I can get.


Weight:
Down 0.6. Not that great considering how much I've been working out, but that's a pretty recent development... and it's going in the right direction...

Exercise:

So if you recall in my Week 3 post I had a new plan for exercise. I planned on getting up earlier every morning to work out... and (drumroll please) I succeeded... Every day! This is quite the feat. I got in 13 miles of runs, 60 minutes of yoga and 60 minutes on the elliptical... not too shabby for the first week. Let's see how long I can keep this up.

In other news, I did my measurements... so far I have stayed the same or gone down slightly in all areas... EXCEPT my calves. They have increased by 1" each. I'm hoping that my measurement last month was wrong, but do you think it's possible? That's kind of a lot and at this rate I will have super tree trunk legs. EEK!

Week 3

So you're probably wondering where week 2 went... yah, me too.

Week 1's recap was all full of optimism and hope. Week 2 didn't fair to well. I blame sunny Florida, but I'm not sure it's really their fault. I was however snow delayed and didn't get home to do my usual Wed. weigh in so I just called it a wash.

So week 3...

Weight:

Up 1.4. Yah... about that.... My goal for Japan is still on, however, my weight has crept up and my time to acheive this goal is waning. I'm still trying, but at this point it's more to see how close I can get to it as I'm realistic and know that I probably (most likely) won't make it.

Exercise:

Another fail. Again, I'm blaming lots of things, but mostly it's b/c I was lazy and unfocused. I went to Florida for a week and packed all of my running stuff, but didn't run AT.ALL. I did do some walking, but that's not really going to cut it... and then since I've been back from Florida, my motivation was next to nil. I got in a whopping 45 minutes (yes, that's dripping in sarcasm).

Mood:
I had a wake up call or slap in the face moment... Last week I kind of gave up. It was only for a day (or two), but I was just tired. I was tired of feeling bad for not working out, I was tired of watching what I ate or feeling bad about what I had just eaten... I was done. But I realized something. For me losing weight is hard. I know that and I need to acknowledge that. I know that I'm not the type of person who is willing to sacrafice EVERYTHING to lose weight -I still want to be able to drink (while I can), I still want to eat a fried morsel of goodness every now and then, and I want to be able to go out to dinner/hang out w/ my husband and friends without completely FREAKING out about what I'm eating and what I'm doing. HOWEVER, in order for me to do this, I need to compromise... and that compromise is that I need to eat healthy and wholesome foods most of the time. And I need to work out to counteract the "fun" foods I am going to eat. So this seems like a really obvious point, but it's something that I really needed to figure out and really acknoweldge for myself.

So I have a new plan and a new sense of resolve. It involves eating well most of the time and not beating myself up when I eat more "fun" foods then I should. I also am going to work out more. I am going to work out in the mornings and do cardio -just 30-45 minutes, but I'm going to do this 5 mornings a week. At night I can do yoga or classes but I won't force myself to do those 60 minute runs that I was pushing myself to do. My new cardio plan will have me doing less of it at a time, but more often and will leave my nights to yoga or classes and will take the pressure off.

So today was day 1 of the new plan. I woke up early and went to the gym. I did a 3 mile run (sort of... I was fiddling w/ my Nike +, which wasn't working, so there was a lot of walking) in 37 minutes and then did some arm weights and sit ups. Day 1 was a success!

Week 1 (for the blog) update

So even though I've been tracking my weight and trying to lose weight for weeks (ok, months), this is the first week on the blog... so we'll just say this is week 1 :) Also, I should really try to remember to do this on Wednesday’s since that’s my actual weigh in day. Anyway progress this week:

Weight:
Down 2.2 this week. I was happy to see that, but considering I GAINED 2.8 last week, I’m not all that overjoyed. I’m down to 8 weeks until Japan w/ 11.2 lbs until goal. And to be honest, I wanted to hit goal a week or two early so I could do some maintenance before the vacation…
Exercise:
After the disastrous workout Monday I had a great one on Tuesday night. I did just over a 5 mile run clocking in at about 60 minutes (when I say run, it’s more intervals of walking and running). I was super pumped about that and hope to continue on that path. I also realized that I need to ease up on myself a bit. I used to be a 3 mile at a time kind of runner going 2-4 times a week… and now I’ve increased the mileage for each run, so I need to make sure my body has time to recuperate and catch up to my new motivation.
Mood:
However, in other news, I have been totally exhausted recently. I could go to bed at 8pm every night if I let myself and the only way I can stay awake is if I go to the gym. If I’m home watching tv, I’m out like a light. I’m hoping that this is just due to the new workout routine, but seriously, it is cramping my style. I know that I need to keep my activity constant if I want to reach my goal BUT I also need to keep my eating in check...

So tomorrow I leave for Florida for a few days. I’m hoping this mini vacation with my parents (sans husband) will give me the time to relax, recharge and refocus. I also hope it doesn’t derail my weight loss plan… I’m hoping for 2 lbs next week!

Lose the Dough

So Tina over at carrotsncake has a new goal, Lose the Dough for the Big 3-0, which I think is pretty clever. Coinciding with my new year's resolutions and also just my general goal to get fit, this seems like perfect timing. Tina is giving herself 5 months (starting next Tuesday, Jan 19th) and although my big 3-0 isn't for a few more months afeterwards, I think I'll try to stick to her timeline for guidance.

Over that past few months I've lost about 10 pounds, but would like to lose 15 more. Increasing my physical exercise as well as eating more mindfully will help in this goal. H (hubby) and I joined the gym last week, so that is also a step in the right direction. My building has a workout room, but I was missing out on classes and wanted to get into yoga more. So even though the gym is much more expensive than I would have liked, I think it was/is a good investment in our health.

So the goal is 15 lbs... ideally I'd love to do it before my trip to Japan in April, although I'm not pinning my hopes on it since that's only about 11 weeks away, but let's see how close I get!

New Years Resolutions

Happy 2010 everyone! So I still haven't done my 2009 year in photos, but I am still planning on it. Who wants to guess when that will actually get done?

So looking to 2010, did you make resolutions? I did...

1. I plan to get back into a regular workout/running routine. I want to do 4 days a week.

2. I plan to lose the 15 lbs I've been talking about doing.

3. I plan to volunteer this year. This may mean joining Junior League (a whole other post), but it would get me to meet people (something I don't do) and volunteer. I'll keep you posted on my decision. Luckily I have a few months before I have to decide.

4. I plan on limiting my television watching to 1 hour a day during the week.

5. I plan on keeping my house more organized.

So that's my plan for 2010, what's yours?