Just running in!

Run Schedule: This week my plan is to run 3 days. I like to set the treadmill at 15 minutes and workout like this: walk 5 minutes, run 5 minutes and sprint 5 minutes. It's one heck of a workout. Running is not as hard as I thought. It is a mind game. I don't feel as sore as I did when I first started so that is a good thing. I will run Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. My schedule will also include 15 minutes of spinning and 15 minutes of upper body workout.

Night sit ups: My sit up routine has gone from 20 to 30 nightly. My tummy is toning up and to my surprise my back fat is melting off. I hate back fat.

Signing out!

Shrinking Closet! Another Goodwill Run

Another "Goodwill" run! This morning was my 4th closet and drawer clean out. This time I have over 100 article of clothes to donate today. This donation is bitter sweet not because I have to give up these larger sizes but because Sunday I heard that our local Goodwill and Salvation Army shops are low on plus size clothes. This is not good for the county but if there is a need I am happy to donate.

In my area town there are less obese people but when I travel to the rural areas I see more obese people and the reason for the demand. I love my area because over 75% of the people are in shape and they appear to care more about their health. There are 6 fitness centers and the YMCA within 1 mile of my house. This area offers many healthy style restaurants and grocery stores. I think the area matters.

Sabotaging your health: My coworker formally known as "lazygirl" decided two months again to follow in my foot steps to live healthier. Her goal was to eat better (set food boundaries) and exercise. She has lost 12 pounds since late October and she looks really good. She is exercising but for the past 2 weeks her eating has been off. Yesterday, she wanted to justify her reasons for eating badly but I told her that I did not want to hear her excuses. I told her that she was a "health sabotager" (that is my new word-not in the dictionary) and I did not want to participate in the crime. Lazygirl loves to talk about her failures and she seem to have them all the time. For her, when things are going well she gets afraid and do something like eating a bag of cookies or fried tacos so she can feel good about herself. I told her that she is the most annoying person and her failures are getting on my nerves. This comment might sound mean to people who don't know me but my friends know that I love them. I am honest when it comes to life and bad behaviors. I believe if you don't know wrong that it is not your fault but if you do and you continue to make bad decisions it is up to you to own your behavior and make it better. Lazygirl knows better because of her weight reduction, higher energy level and better sleeping patterns. So when I heard that she was sabotaging her health I got angry because I care. I told her to regroup and stop with the bad behavior and come back to me in 3 weeks with a new out look on life. I also told her that she need to design her own plan because my plan is designed around my needs and life. I have owned my past behavior and my health design for a better me. Making a plan is "lazygirl" problem and that is why she named herself lazygirl. I think being lazy is one of the top 5 reasons why obesity is growing in America. So, at this point lazygirl has to make a decision not to be a health sabotager. She agreed with me and hope to stop the behavior soon.

Weekend plans: Going shopping for Christmas this weekend for my family and friends. I want to get it over with because next weekend is going to be crazy around here. I have a short list because most of my friends want my world famous cookies. I don't think it will be hard for me to bake cookies because I know the recipe very well so I will not have to taste test them. I will limit myself to 4 cookies this year. I am also making some gifts in a jar like: hot cocoa and snowy trail mix in a bag. Can't wait for Christmas!

Exercise plans: Off day today. Tomorrow running with my new stop watch that my best friend got me for Christmas. It's in my top 10 of best gifts ever. Its very high tech and it exercise my brain just to get it to work last night. Got it! Thank you my friend.

Question of the day: Do you have an all time favorite Christmas gift?

I have a few:

Orange Huffy 10 speed bike - age 12 - I had it for 1 month before some person stole it from in front of the grocery store. That was the last bike bought by my mom. It was my fault!

Metal Roller Skates - age 7 - Old school skates with the metal wheels. Scary to think about.

Tiffany necklace - age 39 - My friend bought it for me after my kidney surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. The necklace is in the shape of a kidney bean. It touched me heart.

To all have a wonderful and safe weekend!

The Scale Is Trash Again! Tossing It Out For Good

Today was a lovely sunny and cold day. No rain or power outages in my area. All the down trees and other debris has been removed. The day started and ended on a very happy note.

Putting the scale in the trash: Today I want to talk about how important it is for me to stay off the scale. This morning I woke up feeling very skinny so I decided to jump on the scale. It showed weight (muscle weight) gain of 5 pounds. I was numb to the number because I new the weight was not fat. It was from muscle because of my two weight lifting classes per week. But, what if I was not aware that my body was heavier because of the muscle. I would have been crushed so that is why I don't rely on the scale numbers. My clothes tell me all that I need to know about my weight. My clothes are still falling off and I look so lean and tall. Lifting has been the key to my success. So I tossed the scale out for good. It's out of my house and my life. It's not needed anymore. The mirror will tell me. My family and friends will tell me. The scale is trash and is not my friend!

Exercise today: Lifting was good today with all the lunges. My instructor went off again on us like a crazy women. OMG! The lunges and squats hurt so bad. All the folks in class had mean faces but we all pushed hard.

Exercise tomorrow: My run day. I am going for that mile again. Doing a few sprints made the routine tomorrow. My friend is going to run with me. She is a skillful runner so I will have a little competition. I have seen her run for over an hour so she will push me.

Eating factor: That area is going very well. I am not sure what to eat before and after a run so if you guys have any suggestions please share. A coworker told me to eat carbs before my run and protein after the run. My plan is do research it tomorrow.

2010 Vacation: Very excited because in March I will be sailing off on an 8 day cruise to Mexico. This is not my first but it feels good to have something really cool to look forward too. The difference about this vacation is, it is not an incentive for me to drop weight like it has been in the past. My health and life was the incentive for me to go on my journey. It feels good!

Monthly awareness: Living a healthy life has to be for you. No other person or thing should be my motivator. Realizing that I had to design my own workout and eating plan for it to work was key. Yes picking up a diet book or magazine was the easy way but it was not my plan. This has been an experience for me and my life is better for it. It's about owning it all.


Question of the day: Have you had an awareness since your journey begun?

Thank you all again for being my blogger friends and leaving comments. Your comments help me on my journey.

Take care and have a wonderful week!

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor winds, nor snow could keep me from the gym but the power outage did!

According to the singing group Tony!, Toni!, Tone! - "It Never Rains in Southern California" well let me tell you. Today we had rain, sleet, wind, snow (San Diego mountains about a 40 minute drive) and wind. The temperature is about 53 degrees. This heavenly mess started around 3 a.m. and has not stopped one time. The rain at times was coming down in sheets. We all looked and felt like Mr. Birdie today!

There has been over 300 car accident report and 300 that has not been reported. All day at work I could hear people screaming while running to their cars. The emergency services have been running back and forward all day. If I sound like a complainer please believe I am not but this city only see rain about 6 days out of the year and most of the time it comes down at night. We need the rain and I have enjoyed watching it from the window. Thanks to heavens for bringing us rain but why a power outage.

Rain vs. Gym vs. Power Outage: Okay, I was not going to allow rain, sleet, winds, or the snow keep me out of the gym today. My mind was on it and ready for it until it happen. The 'Power Outage' 30 minutes before my class. All the lights went out in the area and the gym is not on a back up system. I screamed.................no, no, no. It took me a moment to come back to myself and move to plan B. I decided to go home pull out my jump rope and 8 pound weight and exercise. It was fun and after that I hopped on the couch for a rest. I think the power outage was a blessing because I needed to get off the road so it all workout for the best. Lesson learn is always have a plan B & C during rain storms.

My 20 crunches before bed: I have been doing 20 crunches before bed for about 4 days and let me tell you that my abdominal are getting strong and my belly is flatten out. I am shock how fast and easier the routine is getting. Tonight my plan is to do 25 + 1 for the road.

Loving the runner in me: Saturday I was so excited about my run. My plan was to run 8 minutes without stopping and I did that plus more. I ran a mile in 17 minutes. I walked about 4 minutes of the 17 and I sprinted 3 minutes as well. I love sprinting and it was easy. Running is my new love. Side Bar: The shoes are working out great. No shin splints or blisters. These are the best shoes ever. My next run is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Exercise tomorrow: Weight lifting

Question of the day: How do you stay motivated to do exercises during the winter months?


Thanks for your feedback!

New Respect for Food! Letting My Boundaries Down

Wow! You guys like to run. I really enjoyed reading all your comments and I feel more inspired to continue running. I am still on a runners high so thank you all again.

Today I woke up and felt the new runners pain in the back of my legs. It was a good feeling and my legs felt toner and stronger. I actually wanted to run again this morning but I don't want to over work my body. Taking time off is important for the body and I have to remind myself that every once and awhile.

Massage Day: The nice thing about today was my scheduled 1 hour deep tissue massage. It was what the doctor, the mother, the father, and the holy spirit ordered. Sorry for going a little crazy for a moment. Heather is her name and she was amazing. She massaged every sore spot that I had right out of my body. When she was done I felt no pain at all. She used her entire body to work the knots out. I recommend you guys find the time to treat yourself to a massage at least once a month. You guy deserve it. I am a member of Massage Envy and I have to say that it is the best investment that I can give myself. The membership is $49.00 per month and that includes 1 prepaid massage per month and any additional massage per month cost $29.00 each. The massage techs are good but it took me about 3 months to find Heather. It's a great way to pamper yourself on a budget. I also treat myself once a month to a Vichy Shower and massage at one of the local resorts. Now, the Vichy Shower is the very best and very relaxing. You will feel clean for about 3 days.

A.M Workout: Today was my weight lifting class. The instructor focused on toning the butt and legs. I don't want to think about doing squats and lunges until next week. Tomorrow is an off day.

Ice Cream - You'll Scream: Yes! I must admit to all my blogging friends that I did it. I let my food boundaries down and had 1 cup of chocolate ice cream w/nuts. It was not a moment of weakness or emotional eating. I just wanted to enjoy the taste of ice cream for 20 minutes. This was my first taste in over 4 months and yes it was really good and so amazing. It was a little sweet but that is because I have been off of sweets for a long time. The difference this time is that I had no guilt and after eating it I was satisfied. I instantly thought "I don't need to eat ice cream again for another 4 months". I love this feeling, eating without shame! This is a true sign of healing and respect for food.

Question of the day: How do you pamper yourself?


Thanks again for all your comments. Have a great and safe weekend.

The Runner in Me!

First, I would like to send out a big thank you to my blogging friends. Your comments mean so much to me and I cherish all of you so much.


Today was a great workout day because instead of doing Yoga I decided to hit the treadmill for a run. This of course was not planned but this morning I felt the need to run. It was a desire deep in my soul.

Okay, I have to admit that my feet have not touched a treadmill in over a year and running has not been part of my workout on a regular basis. OMG! when I hit the treadmill my heart started to sing a very happy song. My goal was to run for only :30 seconds - okay I can see the confused looks right about now but that was my goal. My workout buddy had the shock and awe look but she said okay, "I support you and and your :30 second run". Okay here we go! I started the run and before I knew it :30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minute, 5 minute had gone bye, bye. When the time hit 6 minutes my face lit up like fireworks on the 4th of July. I thought, "Wow! me running without stopping, without being out of breath, without feeling like passing out, without giving up. No not me but yes it was me and I made it to 7 minutes with stopping. The first 3 minutes was a walking warm up. I could not believe my eyes and my workout buddy was very happy for me. My day was totally made and what a high.

Now to the serious runner 7 minute is nothing but to me that was like running up Mt. Rainier. My plan going in was to set the timer at 10 minutes, walk for the first 3 and break the last 7 minutes into :30 second run/walk intervals. But to my surprise I ran for the entire 7 minutes. So, I have decided to run every Wednesday and increase my time by 1 + minute. My goal is to run for 15 minutes without stopping. I will be running out of my comfort zone for the month.

Today as I was surfing the Internet I came across a beginners running schedule. The picture is above. According to the chart I am at the 4th week beginners level because I ran for 7 minutes. I will continue to follow this chart for 26 weeks in hopes of running a race. According to the chart at the end of 26 weeks I should be running 120 minutes without stopping. I am up for the challenge. Just for fun I included the running shoes that kicked it all off today. These shoes are very light and comfortable. I feel and look like a true runner!

The Food of Life:
-Breakfast: Oatmeal w/dried blueberries and milk
-After workout: 2 boiled eggs and apple
-Lunch: Shredded Brussels Sprouts w/chopped turkey
-Dinner: Steamed red potatoes with broccoli

Nightly Exercise:
-20 sit ups
My plan is to do 20 sit ups every night this month. Last night was rough but I made it.

Question of the day: How many minutes can you run without stopping?

Good things come slow - especially in distance running."
- Bill Dellinger, Oregon coach

All have a wonderful and powerful day!

My Life On Paper! New Month,New Plan

New month comes a new plan. I went back and forth on how to tackle the month of December. My first plan was to overload myself with double class per day but I thought that would be real crazy so I tossed out that plan. My second plan was to design each week around a workout theme like: 1st week would be all about cycling, the 2nd week week would be all about boot camp, 3rd week would be all about aqua and so on. I have to say that it sound good in my head but it looked crazy on paper. So after destroying a few trees I decided to keep my workout this month very simple. My plan was to focus on basic workouts that included agility training at least once a week. I also wanted my plan to be manageable for the upcoming holidays.

My life on paper: I am a true weirdo but I love to see my life of paper. Putting my life on paper holds me accountable to living life. I like to divide my life into 3 categories: exercise/health, social, and future. You might notice that exercise/health comes first because when my health is good that means my social life and future will be good as well.

My workout plan:
Monday-Core Central x 4 days per month
Tuesday-Weight Lifting x 5 days per month
Wednesday'-Yoga/Pilate's x 5 days per month
Thursday-Core Central x 3 days per month
Friday-OFF
Saturday- Agility Training x 3 days per month-includes:line and z drills, sprinting, jumping rope
Sunday-OFF

My monthly exercise goals:
-reduce my waist by 4 inches
-increase weights
-15 minute abdominal workout before bed
-improve speed
-improve stamina

My monthly food goals:
-continue to control my portion sizes
-limit my cheese intake
-add new vegetable per week
-add 1 meatless night per week

My monthly pamper goals:
-2 deep tissue massages
-4 hour day at the spa - Christmas present to self

My monthly social goals:
-Christmas plays
-Flower photo shoots
-Fun with friends and family
-Continue to blog

That is the plan for month. I like it!

Question of the day: Do you have a plan for this month?

I would love to hear your feedback! Have a wonderful day.