Running for my life

 Today, after many, MANY months (ok it's been a year) of saying that I'm going to start the C25K training plan, I finally did it. I downloaded an interval training app to my phone and headed to a nearby park with a pretty good fitness track.
The park was packed to the brim with families, so I was prepared to totally embarrass myself in front of a large group of strangers, but you know what? Nobody paid much attention to me and I was too busy trying not to die to notice if they were.
Man, am I out of shape.
I knew it wouldn't be easy but I did not anticipate the pain involved in beginning a running program. Yikes!

I can easily ride my bike 10 miles and never tire, but jogging is an entirely different animal. The program I'm using calls for intervals of 5 mins walking and 2 mins jogging.
2 minutes doesn't sound like very long, now does it? Lemme tell you- it's like a lifetime when you haven't jogged in over 10 years, and you have the lung capacity of an asthmatic toddler. Not to mention forgetting to take both my Claritin and my reflux meds. By the time I finished this morning, I thought my throat was literally going to burst into flames. I did not enjoy 1 second of that. I love to walk, I will choose walking over driving somewhere any day of the week, but running? No. I'm only doing this because if I don't use it, I'm gonna lose it and that was never so apparent to me as it was this morning.

I remember when I was 19, I had moved back to California from Washington state and I had no car, so everywhere I went I had to walk or ride my bike. I look back now and I think I must have been in the best shape of my life because I remember distinctly, one evening just deciding to go for a run.
I got up, went out the door and ran around the park about a dozen times. 3 miles, just like that.
Not that I was quick or elegant, no, but I was able. Just to get up and decide "I'm a runner now" without any planning or worrying. And why can't I do that now? Because at some point I just stopped trying.
So now I have to work 5 times as hard to do something that once came easily to me.

My feet feel like lead, every step seems like more weight has been added and I'm almost positive that I can walk faster that I can run. The entire time I'm doing this (which feels like an eternity but in reality is only 20 minutes at most) I am loathing it. I can't even formulate a thought to describe how much I am despising myself during those 2 minute bursts because the blood is roaring so loudly in my ears that it's distracting me.
When I finish, I'm not even proud of myself.
All I can think about is how the day after tomorrow I have to do this all over again, and then two days after that and so on and so on, forever and ever.
But if I don't just bite the bullet and get my metaphorical and literal ass in gear, I'm going to lose the ability altogether and then where will I be? Stuck on the couch, a useless lump, while the world passes me by? That is unacceptable. That's not really living.
I can't just sit here immobile anymore, waiting for things to happen to me.
From here on out, I'm taking a different road.
No, scratch that- I'll take the jogging path.

Getting it together

<------ I think I've been doing a little too much of this, and not enough of anything else.
In other words, I have fallen off the exercise wagon. Again. At least I have a cushy spot to fall on, right?
I need to get my butt in gear (I mean that quite literally) and get in fighting form.  I promised myself I would create a plan and stick to it, but I haven't been doing anything.
I think my mistake was not setting any kind of goal.
Now, to be clear- I'm not overweight.  I eat great. My cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, hip-to-waist ratio are all amazing. But I'm not in shape, and I SO want to be. Don't get me wrong- I have zero desire to be a stick figure. I like being curvy.  I don't think I'd feel sexy if I were ultra skinny.
That's just me, though. You can be skinny-sexy if you want.  I just want to be fit.


Anyway, my point was that I need a goal, something to keep me motivated.
So, my best friend from High School is getting married in October, and the ceremony & 2 days worth of festivities are all taking place in Yosemite National Park.  Now, a normal girl in my situation would make a goal of being able to fit into some teeny tiny dress. But, that's not my style. Shoot, I will rock a teeny tiny dress right now, I have no problem with that. No, my goal is to be able to do some hiking without feeling like: a) my legs are on fire and b) my lungs are going to burst.
And in order to meet that goal, I am going to have to put down the ice cream cone & pick up some hand weights.
I started yesterday off by fixing up my hand-me-down bike for evening rides, and this morning I reinstated my daily swim, which helped me shed a ton of weight last year.  My next step is....well, steps.
There's an outdoor amphitheater about a mile form my place, so I figure it'd be a good idea to bike over there & run the steps. they're nothing crazy- I think my toddler could do that just fine, haha. But hey, I won't be sitting on the couch eating my nightly snack of sunflower seeds so there ya go!
I would love to hear advice/suggestions from people who have been in similar situations!
Remember- I am not  going for the Madonna look here, let's aim for something a little more like Beyonce.
That, I think I can do.

Dance Party: Rancho Cordova

When the weather sucks and the kids are driving me insane, I turn on Comcast's Party Mix music station and we throw ourselves a Dance Party.  Yes, I meant to capitalize that.
Because Dancing is Serious Business 'round these parts.
The kids especially like "Thriller" but I like to get down to "Groove is in the Heart". Hell. Yes.

Anyway, while we were breaking it down in the living room the other day, Chubby Checker's "The Twist" came on & I discovered that The Twist is a dance that can completely embarrass you while working your core at the same time.
Awesome.
It works your abs, your thighs, your ass, your arms, EVERYTHING.

So if you're stuck inside on a gloomy day and need some release with the added bonus of exercise, throw on some Chubby checker and get down.

If you feel like you're starving, you probably are.

Back in 2006 I was going through a lot of family stuff.                              Depression set in & I started to eat my feelings.

Luckily, I was able to recognize what I was doing & put an end to it.
I joined Weight Watchers & successfully lost 18 lbs and I have kept it off, even after my last pregnancy- though it did take some work.
So, thinking back on how well it worked for me before, I thought I'd just go back on the "Points System" and that would be that.
What I failed to realize is that I am already at a healthy weight.
My sugar levels are perfect, my cholesterol is low and my waist to hip ratio is perfect.
So, here I was for the last 2 days counting my points and eating.....wait for it....... roughly 1250 calories.
To maintain a healthy weight, I should be eating about 2000 calories and to lose weight gradually I should lower that to about 1850.
So last night when I told Jude I was starving- I really was.

I had to reassess my diet/fitness plan a bit and this is what I'm going to do.
I'm going to continue on with the 30mins+ of exercise daily and drinking a ton of water, but instead of using the "Points System" I will be doing the following:

Cut out hydrogenated oils
Cut sugar (and HFCS, but we already cut that out last year)
No bleached flour or enriched flour (we already buy whole wheat but this goes for eating out, too)
Cut out most white foods, except for cauliflower, egg whits & fish.
Only eat when hungry!

So, I'm going to start this over the healthy way.


A word to the wise: do your research, don't just jump into a diet without really knowing what you're getting yourself into, it could kill you.

Exercise in the hood

I'm trying to be healthy and so far it's been a success, although at one point recently I did think I was going to die from lack of pastry.
I didn't, though.  I got in a brisk 2 1/2 mile walk which felt amazing since it was beautiful out yesterday.
The only drawback to walking around here is that I live in close proximity to the kind of neighborhood where you find a liquor store, gun store, pawn, shop, another liquor store........cat-calls & unleashed dogs of ginormous size.........you get the picture.

I'm going to have to plan that walk out a little better.  Luckily it's raining today so I'll be working out indoors.
Problem solved. For now.