Measurement Monday 9/24/2012

Today I weigh 207.8. I lost 1.2 pounds. Going in the right direction, so I'll take it. I am a little disappointed because it may not be my birthday when I see a one at the front, but I'll keep plugging away and hopefully in my birth month I will see that!

Now that I have my workout schedule figured out and a dialed in way to pack lunch for work, the weight should continue to go down. And really, in the REAL world, 1.2 pounds is a GOOD week! So, *smiles*, I'm good! Next Monday, I'd love to see 205.something.

I'm sorry I haven't been posting too much. Work keeps me crazy busy. When I have holidays or breaks, I'll be posting more often.

Spicy, you are amazing! You inspire me daily! Love you, sis!

Quick Update

Hey everyone of our Four followers!!! I'm writing to you from my phone for a quick update. I know I told you I had a recipe for you today and an update yesterday and actually I had another recipe for you on Wednesday, but...

LW is sick... really sick. So all of my attention has been on him. If I get time tomorrow I will post them but my little one comes first.

I will let you know that I weighed in at 158.2 this morning though and I have a lot of information about what I'm doing to fix that but I can't type it all up on my phone.

So there is your quick update.

Please say a prayer for my little boy and hopefully you'll hear from me soon. :)

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Tips For Tuesday: Make A Contract... With Yourself

I'll start tomorrow.

I'm too tired today.

Just one more chocolate chip.

I went on a five minute walk, I can eat a huge little slice of cake and three a scoop of ice cream.

I've been chasing a kid around all day, I don't want to exercise.

Why is losing weight so hard?

I have this, I have that, I'm to this, I'm to that.... I don't have time. I'm to busy, I just want...

Wishes, excuses, wishes, excuses. They don't give you anything but frustration and a big headache. And if you've been through this before... possibly a huge emotional breakdown. Been there.

In fact, I felt this way A LOT last week. 

Thursday night after spending a day of feeling frustrated about my weight bouncing back and forth between 160-157, eating (gulp) an entire chocolate hersheys bar, one tootise pop, and a heeping palmful of semi sweet chocolate chips, and looking over a few blogs that really inspired me to break out of my 170-167 cycle. I came upon something that really kicked me in the pants. 

That night I also did something else. I made a contract. Or at least... I started to make one. I didn't finish it until Friday morning during LW's nap-time.

Here is a weird fact about me. I am a very loyal person. I always have been. I will defend those I love and care about to my last breath. If I make a promise, I will NOT break it. Promises are huge to me. Probably because I've had others break so many with me. It hurts. It's sad when someones promise no longer means anything because they've broken so many. I have trust issues, they aren't uncalled for, but I'll leave it at that. I do not want anyone to EVER feel like they can't trust my word. So... when I promise; I follow through. 

Always.

With that said, I always break promises... with myself.

I'm sick of it. I want my word to mean something to me too! I think I break them because I know I can get away with it. It's not hurting anyone else. Just me. Well, that's not true. When I'm in a down/bad mood it effects The Hubs and LW. 

I'm loyal, I already said that, but it's to a fault. My loved ones come before me. ALWAYS. That's not bad, until it gets to the point of not eating until I know everyone else is taken care of, not showering for days because I'm doing things for other people and don't have time (tmi?), not taking time to get myself ready because I'm focused on getting the Hubs out the door for work then my attention goes 100% to LW, etc. Others always come first.

However, I have realized I can put others first even more if I take care of myself. That doesn't mean doing a nice fancy updo everyday, although I would love to do that, that doesn't mean putting make up on everyday (which is fine by me), that doesn't mean ignoring someone to give myself a little "me-time". What it means is taking an hour of the day and working out. One hour, I can do that. It means showering everyday and blow drying at least my roots and bangs so my hair doesn't go crazy. It means dressing in something comfy and cute, not being in my pj's or sweats all day. It means waking up a little earlier so I have time to study my scriptures and write in my scripture journal before the day begins. It means, helping myself be better, and sane, so I can help others! Which is all I want to do! I want to help others.

So, to all those mothers, and wives out there (siblings and friends too). Help yourself so you can help others. That doesn't mean spending two hours (or more) to "pretty yourself up". I have my hair down with a braid holding back my bangs. Nice and simple, but makes me feel a million times better. Take a little time out of your day to help yourself so you can help others more.

For me? This means making a contract... with myself.

Check it out...

Personal Contract

This contract is for helping me improve my health and fitness—that I may have a healthy and strong body so I can live a long life, have more energy, be there for my children and hubby, be able to do the things that need to get done, and be there more for others.

My Ultimate Goal is to weigh 120 pounds and fit into size 5/6 pants.

How am I going to accomplish my goal? Here’s how:

I, Spicy, hereby agree and commit to take the following steps to improve my accountability to myself and increase my chance for weight loss success:

1.     I will not let one small slip-up convince me that I'm stupid, worthless, or a lost cause. I will respect myself by refusing to engage in verbal self-abuse, and I will find positive ways to comfort and support myself when I’m having a hard time. Specifically, I will turn to my supportive husband, Spunky—my partner in crime, prayer, scriptures, uplifting and motivating pictures and/or sayings and/or music. I will relish in my relationships with family and life instead of food.
 

2.     I will not sacrifice my own needs to make other people happy, or do for them what they can and should be doing for themselves. Taking care of myself will help me in being able to better take care of those I love.
 

3.     I choose to be in charge of my own decisions and behavior. I will not talk, think, or act as if my cravings, subconscious, or someone else made me do it. I will ask myself what’s most important to me at that moment and make my decision.

v  Create a schedule

    Ø  Enabling me to see what time I have available to focus on my health and fitness.

    Ø  Helping me to better manage my time to help/play with my children.

v  Create a meal plan and stick to it

    Ø  Help with my craving of sugar and snacks

    Ø  Help me stay within my caloric intake and make my food journal easier

    Ø  Have a Fruit with breakfast and lunch

    Ø  Have a Veggie with lunch and dinner

    Ø  And also help with our monthly food budget.

    Ø  Allow me to have a dessert every night without over indulging.

v  Have at least one hour of activity a day

    Ø  Run three times a week (T, Th, Sa)

    Ø  Yoga, Walking, and Cross Fit Training the other days.

v  No Excuses! I know what it takes. I know how to get it done.

I AM BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY, FIT, AND THIN!!! I AM 120 POUNDS!!!

I AM DOING THIS—NOW!!!

Beautiful isn't it? More like crazy. It means waking up at 5:30am everyday. I am NOT a morning person people!!! I would rather stay up until 5:30am then wake up at that time ANY DAY! However, I do not like sleeping past 8am unless I'm sick or I stayed up until 5:30am the night before, haha.

The point of this Tip for Tuesday is that after the initial drive and motivation wears off, you have to keep finding motivation. You have to keep finding things to drive you. You have to stick to the plan and follow through with your goals.

Weight Loss and maintenance is only 20% Exercise. 80% Food/Dieting.

You know what to do; now stop making excuses and do it!

If you need help, Spunky and I are here to help in whatever way we can.

Now get off your butt and get it in gear! :D You CAN do this!

Until Next Time,
Spicy

Measurement Monday 9/17/2012

209.0 this morning. So, I lost 2.8 pounds! Nice! This week I'm shooting for 3.2! Sorry for the short post, but I'm already running late and need to get to work. :)

Sneak Peak

Just wanted to jump in here really fast and say I'll be doing my weigh in days on Thursday. Still don't know what they will be called, but it will be on Thursday.

Also, Tips for Tuesday next week is gonna be a good one and I have a DELICIOUS recipe to share with you next Friday.

Well...

at least...

I hope it will be delicious. I'll be making it this weekend.

Don't forget! Spunky will be making her Measurement Monday appearance on ... well... Monday!

Who's excited about her post?

I AM!!!!

I may or may not have time to post about my 7.75 mile run tomorrow! We are having family over and family ALWAYS comes first.

Just a quick update though... I haven't run in almost two weeks due to shin splints, eeeww, but they're gone now so I'm running! I know I'll be a lot more tired then usual tomorrow after the run due to not running in two weeks, but that's not stopping me! I only have three long runs left so I can NOT skip!

Next Saturday I will be running 8.5 and my last run will be 9.5. Or at least, that's my plan. I still need to talk it over with my coach (aka my mom). I was wanting to make it to 10 miles before the race, but after talking with my Personal Trainer (aka my mom) she told me I really shouldn't do a long run the weekend before the race so... I'm not gunna. I'll stick to 2-3 miles the week of the race and probably three 5 mile runs the week before.We will see. I can't believe it's getting so close!

Countdown Until First Half Marathon!

T - 29 Days!

Tips For Tuesday: Runners High

This post isn't much of a tip, but more of... a dose of what you could experience if you started running. Or if you are a runner, what to search for.

I've been running since the end of May. Great time to start I know, right when summer begins.

It wasn't bad though. I started with the C25K program and was really happy with how I progressed, but it wasn't until close to the end that I first reveled in the experience of Runners High.

My mother is the one who got me into this. She is the runner. At 40+ she ran her first ever FULL MARATHON! If you knew mine and Spunky's mom that would be more of a shock to you. If you have ever read the Amelia Bedelia books... then you pretty much know our mom. With an added dose of NO athleticism or hand I coordination or anything... she is really fun to watch, haha. Love you Mom!

Mind you... she is not a fast runner. Neither am I. She actually has a car decal on her back window of a turtle and underneath that it says, "I AM RUNNING!" It made me crack up laughing the first time I saw that.

Anyway, my mom would always talk about runners high when I was still living with her. She loved it. Running is what she lived for, or at least it seemed that way sometimes. Especially Runners High.

The first time I felt Runners High i was running along a highway near our house and I suddenly felt really embarrassed. My butt was bouncing... big time. It bounced with every step (still does by the way) and it was making me feel horrible. Then a thought came into my head.

"You know what? WHO CARES! I'm doing something about it! I'm out here running!"

I nearly started crying after that thought.

Runners High is a feeling of pure elation. I experienced it again after my 6.34 mile run. Not as big as that first time, but it was enough to bring me to tears. God Blessed The Broken Road by Rascall Flats came on at the very end of my run, just when I was about to stop at 6.25 miles, but I couldn't stop there! This song was telling me my story! Plus, I was running back toward my house and I felt an overwhelming feeling of love for my husband as well as I ran closer and closer to him. I sprinted from the beginning of that song until I stopped at 6.34 miles (before the song ended) with tears of joy and amazement about to run down my face.

I came from not even being able to run half a mile to 6.34 miles! Soon to be 7.75 miles on Saturday!

That is Runners High. It is pure joy, elation, pride, the feeling of power, and amazement. At least that is what it is for me.

I am so blessed to be able to go out and run, to power myself forward on my own two legs. I am so thankful for that blessing and that I finally found it.

If you run, lift weights, swim, bike, whatever you do... be thankful and know you are blessed to be able to do it! Find that high you get from your workout, running isn't the only way to feel that.

So go find it!

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Apologies and Counting Down

Hey everyone! Lets cheer Spunky on for knowing what's going on and having a plan to change it! Isn't she the best? Man, I love that girl. :)

I wanted to apologies for saying one thing and then doing another. Last week was C.R.A.Z.Y! I'll post some pictures of what made it so crazy. I was so busy planning and preparing for a bunch of stuff last week. Look for those pictures on Wednesday or Thursday, I'm still deciding which one will be my new weigh in day.

I WILL post about Runners High tomorrow, I PROMISE! I will be doing my long run tonight, by the way! 7 miles here I come! I haven't run in a week due to shin splints, but I have ZERO pain in my shins and there are plenty of people who run through shin splints anyway so I'm going for it tonight. Wish me luck!

And the count down this is for this...

Countdown Until First Half Marathon!

T - 33 Days!

I can't believe it is getting so close! It's crazy. Thanks for checking it! Be sure to leave some love in a comment for Spunky! She is awesome! :D

Love ya Sis!

Until Next Time,

Spicy

Measurement Monday 9/10/2012

Ug. I gained 1.8 pounds. Couldn't find time to workout this past week. So lame. I also went out to dinner and ice cream on Saturday evening.

Bad news: gaining weight
Good news: knowing exactly why, and already having a plan for this week! I have just under 4 weeks before my birthday and I am going to be in "one"derland for my birthday. No more sweets, lots of veggies, and lots of walking/jogging.

Want A Great Running Scripture? Hebrews 12:1-2

Isn't Spunky awesome?! Way to go Spunky!!! You'll be in One-derland in no time! :D Keep it up girl! :D

Today was my long run and I did... 6.34 ish miles in 1:24:37! I was only supposed to run 6.25 so I ran a little over. That is becoming a habit with me, haha. It was great. The first three miles are always SO HARD, it's a total mind game! My Mom called me when I was really close to completing three miles and she talked to me for a while, doing most of the talking, and that kept me distracted. I walked for a bit to let my knees have a break, they were hurting, but it also allowed me to eat some nutrients and drink some water. Then I finished out the last of my run, stopping to walk for only a short while again towards the end, but I ran the last mile strong! And when I stopped, I felt such a huge Runners High, and the scripture Hewbrews 12: 1-2 popped into my head.

 I'll post about Runners High tomorrow, so be sure to check back in!

During last Saturdays run I also got honked at! Not the annoying, "Get out of the road!" or "Hey Hottie!" it was really sweet and made me smile. I was thinking about walking at one point last week and all of a sudden I hear three honks. I look up and a guy driving a truck that was pulling a trailer was giving me the thumbs up! It made me feel awesome! I ran the rest of the way! So next time you see a runner, make sure to honk and wave or give a thumbs up! They're working hard!

I'm thinking I need to change my Spicy Saturday to... a different day. I'm always so busy on Saturday's and I forget to post.

And for a completely different topic...

I'm sure you can see I've been forgetting to post for a while. Darn it. But I'm back and Spunky is still doing a great job with her Measurement Mondays! I didn't post about my run last week, but I ran about 5 1/2 miles with my new Running Sportline Pack and Gu Chomps! The difference in energy levels between not having nutrients and having them is incredible!

I also bought a foam roller and that has made a big difference too with my knees.

Okay, so if your anything like me, you're probably wondering what the heck is a foam roller? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like.

It's a round

... foam...

... roller...

Ya... I bet that really helps. Sorry. You roll out your tight muscles with it. I'll have to get some pics of me doing that up here soon.

Just a weird pic I found on Google Images

Per my Personal Trainers instructions (who is my Mom, isn't that fun? :D ) I had been rolling my calves out, but not very consistently because I didn't have a Foam Roller so I was using whatever I could find around the house that might work. It didn't do my calves or legs any good! Now that I've used the foam roller... it HURTS so good! haha... no really. It hurts. But it gets better and easier and doesn't hurt as bad after a few days.

I have been having some knee pain and (here's something you probably didn't know, I didn't know it until a little while ago) most knee pain isn't from your actual knee! Most people who think they have knee problems--DON'T! Crazy, right? Well, I'm one of them! I have tight muscles in my legs which pull into my knee, causing the pain! So after rolling and icing and sretching, my knee pain was practically gone! Then I had to go and not stretch, ice, or roll the whole weekend plus Thursday and Friday. Dumb me. My knees hurt a bit during my run today.

The Sportline pack I bought specifically for my runs, along with the Gu Chomps. I needed something that wouldn't slide around like crazy, but would allow me to have my hands free, and still carry around water and nutrients. I tried one on at the store and ran up and down the isle a bit and felt it was a great price... and something I really need.

The GU Chomps I have read great reviews about and they aren't very expensive which is a major added bonus. I opened the package up to smell them and they smelled really good. They are good too, which is nice. The first time I ate one, last weekend, I thought they were SUPER sugary, but I've heard most stuff like that is. On today's run, they tasted fabulous! I'll need to buy more before my next long run.

Yup! That's what's been going on here! Again, come back tomorrow to read about Runners High!

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Measurement Monday 9/3/2012

I told you I would be under 210 today and.....I am! Whew! 209.4 today. That is 2.4 pounds this week WITH pizza night and eating out at a Mexican place! Sweet! I know I'm not back to my lowest but I am so happy about the loss this week!

Next week, I don't have a number in mind, just a loss. Check back in to find out!

I know it is the first Monday of the month and I'm supposed to measure....but since I haven't lost from the beginning of August, I won't measure today. October is next and my birthday is the first week!