On to the Next Habit...

I've now finished week 8 of my 9-week Couch to 5K running plan. I've done every run on the schedule, which hasn't been too hard to do, since it's only 3 days a week. This coming week I'll run 30 minutes each time (no walking). Then, I'll find a 5K running program, preferably one that's 4 days/week (any suggestions?), pick a race a couple of months out, and go from there. I feel like I have the exercise habit pretty well re-established, so in general I should be able to keep this up.
That means it's time for me to really focus on the diet/eating side of the equation. I REALLY want to lose 20 pounds, and do it in a way that will enable me to keep it off. When I run, I think to myself how much better and easier it would feel if I were 20 pounds lighter. And when I'm overwhelmed with trying to keep up with 2 jobs, my husband's busy schedule, and taking care of our two kids, I realize I NEED the energy that comes from not only weighing less, but being a little bit hungry most of the time. I know from past experience that there's a certain heightening of the senses and extra energy that occurs when you're not feeling sated most of the time. When I think of my friends who seem to get so much done and have so much energy, I realize almost all of them are quite thin and do monitor their food intake.
So, that is my next challenge. I'm not going to write down everything I eat in this blog, since that would be interminably boring even to me, but I'll be better about monitoring and posting weight, measurements, etc. And of course I'll still keep posting about my runs.
For now, I am really just writing this blog as a way to motivate myself and make myself accountable for progress toward the goals I set. I don't really expect others to read or comment on it, especially since I am still not finding much time to comment on others' blogs (though I regularly read them, especially the ones on my blogroll). But if anyone can relate to my experiences and finds them interesting, all the better. I definitely find motivation from many of the dieting and running blogs that I read!

A Run in the Old Neighborhood...

Yikes, I didn't realize until now that it's been almost a week since I last posted! Lots of reasons, including going away to my Mom's house with the kids over the weekend due to my husband's schedule tying him up for the whole weekend anyway (he's a full-time college professor, an EMT for the local volunteer ambulance corps, and currently taking a class to become a medic for the corps), having the kids off of school this week for winter break, and getting our dog back home from the animal hospital after emergency spinal surgery two weekends ago. So, my computer time continues to be limited, but life is certainly interesting.
Anyway, more to the point, I went for a run on Sunday morning while at my Mom's - she still lives in the house I lived in from about when I was 14 until I went off to college. So, I ran through the local neighborhood on a cold, quiet morning and it was very peaceful and nice. It's an older neighborhood with lots of mature trees, houses with different kinds of architecture (mostly colonial) instead of cookie-cutter developments, etc. And it was nice to reminisce as I ran - hmm, I had a friend who used to live at that house, went to a party at that other house, worked at that elementary school one summer, etc. Had I not gone for the run, I wouldn't have seen most of the neighborhood where the run took me, and I would have missed that opportunity to reminisce, see how things have changed (not much!), etc.. There are lots of things running gives us, including allowing us to see things we wouldn't otherwise have seen and just letting us get lost in our thoughts. And that was really precious time, given that every other waking moment that weekend, I had the kids with me. Not that I don't love being with them and doing things with them, but it's also important, and refreshing, to have some "me" time.
Fitting in my other two scheduled runs this week will be difficult - I took the kids to one zoo today, we're going to another one tomorrow, and then a farm show on Friday - but I'm determined to make it happen. I'm still not doing too great on tracking my food intake, but at least my weight is holding steady instead of going up. Hopefully next week I can buckle down and work more on that aspect!

Another glorious run

Thankfully, I seem to have only gotten the Reader's Digest version of the virus that was going around, so only had muscle aches for a day and now I feel fine.
Yesterday I was crazy-busy, but the weather was SOOO nice (sunny and close to 50!) that I HAD to get out for a run. And I have no regrets - it was absolutely stunning. The hills were difficult, given that I've mostly been running on a treadmill this winter, but the last hill I go up coming back to my house provides an awesome reward at the end, in the form of an amazing panoramic view of the valley and surrounding hills just as you crest it. I always look forward to it, especially on a sunny day!
I feel bad that I have not been doing more reading of and commenting on others' blogs in the last couple of weeks. I've barely had any time on the computer when I'm not working. I hope things lighten up a bit soon so I can do more exploring and commenting. It's always so inspiring to read about others' experiences that are similar to yours!
The snow and cold weather are coming back this afternoon. But one of these times, when we get that 50-degree weather, it will be here to stay!

It's a good thing I got in a great workout this morning...

Because I think I'm coming down with a virus that's been going around here that makes you feel EXHAUSTED and achy for a few days, then turns into a more normal head cold, but still with the exhaustion. My husband's had it for almost a week now, in addition to other people that I'm in contact with, and I'm just starting to feel achy and tired and wondering how I'm going to keep up with my kids over the next few days...
BUT, I got in a great outdoor run this morning again! It was something like 13 degrees out, with a wind chill of 4, but BRILLIANTLY sunny, and the sun was reflecting off the fresh powdery snow from yesterday, making it look like a bunch of diamonds out in the fields along the road. It was a challenging workout - the snow on the roads was still an inch or two deep in spots, so it felt like running in sand, even on the uphills! Luckily I was dressed properly for the weather, so didn't get cold at all.
I've got only 2 weeks left in my running program that's helping me ramp back up to regular 3-mile runs, so I'm starting to think that maybe the next thing I'll do is a 5K training program, and pick a 5K race a couple months down the line to set my sights on. I'll try to find a training program that will be a natural next step from the one I'm doing now, and try to bump up from 3 days a week to 4. I'm excited about the prospect of being able to run decent distances once the weather is consistently spring-like outside. But that's not to say the winter runs aren't great in and of themselves.
For now, though, my immediate plan is to eat some dinner, pop some ibuprofen, get to bed early, and hope I'm just imagining this virus thing...

One Habit at a Time...

I am still having trouble faithfully logging my calories consumed. It does take time, and when I'm busy it's sometimes hard to squeak out that time. Today I'm determined to be good about it. And overall I'm doing okay on eating, but probably not as well as I could be doing were I tracking my calories better.
But I'm also realizing that it's difficult to change multiple habits at once. Right now the most important thing in terms of accomplishing my long-term goals is getting in a very regular exercise habit, and I AM doing that. Pretty much since I started at the end of December, I've been run/walking three days a week (can't wait to move to 4!) and lifting about every other day. So I will focus on solidifying these habits, and once I feel like they're essentially on auto-pilot, I'll focus on the eating and calorie tracking even harder. Next after that comes more decluttering and organizing of the house - there's always something!
Looks like we've got a snowstorm on the way, so it's possible I'll have the kids home for a snow day tomorrow. More incentive to get my workout in at 5:30 a.m., so they can't sabotage it! The only problem is that on the days I work out at 5:30, I also teach an 8:30 college class, and since I eat breakfast right after I work out, my stomach is sometimes growling so loud while I'm teaching that I'm sure the students in the first row can hear it! Oh well, I haven't heard them snickering yet...Did someone say Snickers? ;-)

No Dessert, Thanks

Had a great time out to dinner with DH last night. I had shrimp for an appetizer, a wonderful baked salmon entree, and when the waitress asked if we wanted to see a dessert menu, I realized I was full and actually didn't order dessert. This is a new one for me - usually my level of fullness is irrelevant to whether I order dessert at a nice restaurant!
This weekend has been unbelievable in terms of weather - brilliantly sunny and in the high 30's/low 40's, which is warm for around here in February. We spent a ton of time outside yesterday - since my mom is visiting, my husband and I got out for about a 45-minute walk in the afternoon, and we were out most of the rest of the afternoon with the kids while they sledded and snowboarded on the hill in our side yard. And I just got back from doing an outside run/walk - absolutely glorious! I worried it would feel hard, since I've been running exclusively on the treadmill inside, and we live in a very hilly area, but it all felt great, even the hills. So now I am even more psyched about building up my mileage and getting ready for more of those wonderful outdoor runs - the kind where you just point your face up toward the sun and close your eyes for awhile even as you are running. Yes, I do that, and I'm lucky enough to live in a rural area where I can run with my eyes closed for short stretches and still survive!

Busy Week

This week has been crazy busy for both me and my husband. I feel like this morning is the first time I've had to catch a breath in the past 3 or 4 days! I have managed to finish my scheduled runs by squeezing them in on the treadmill at 5:30 in the morning, though I've skipped a day or two of lifting, so I'm determined to do that today.
Because of my limited time, I also haven't been good at all about tracking and logging my calories, but I think overall I've done pretty well. I'm starting to establish habits that keep me from going overboard on the eating - such as waiting for 10 minutes or so if I feel a craving (which usually then goes away), and just keeping busy outside with my kids in the afternoons (my son is hooked on snowboarding now, after I picked up a $6 snowboard for him on clearance the other day). I think I'm also getting away from that "all-or-nothing" attitude, where you feel like if you eat one "bad" thing, then the whole day is shot.
I had some friends over for a lunch meeting (we're all on the preschool board) yesterday, and made a healthy lunch that we all enjoyed. One of my friends brought cookies for the dessert, but I managed to eat only one, and made her take them home when she left! (much to my husband's chagrin...) My mom's visiting this weekend, and my husband and I will get out to dinner tomorrow night - where all bets will be off in terms of counting calories! Gotta have those treats every once in awhile...
The weather is great around here these days, and on Sunday I'm planning to run OUTSIDE - it should be in the 40's and sunny, so I am really looking forward to that!

The Month in Review

Monday weight: 160.2
I have been simply too busy to blog much lately, but I wanted to do a quick review of how things have gone this month in terms of my goals. Generally, I'm very pleased. I've lost 3 pounds overall, which is slow, but since I want this to be a lifestyle change that I can maintain, I think I'm just about where I want to be.
As far as eating, I'm doing quite well. I'm not tracking my calories every day, but I'm getting a sense of how much I can afford to eat, and trying to track when I feel I need it or that I might be slipping. This week will be a challenge, because my daughter turns 3 tomorrow (she was born on 02/02/02 at 22:22!), so of course we have to have cupcakes for her to bring to preschool tomorrow, cake with Grandma when she comes to visit this weekend, etc. But I feel stronger about managing these situations - and nothing is completely off limits, I just can't gorge on things.
I'm very pleased with my exercise progress. I've been faithfully doing my Couch-to-5K running program (started week 5 out of 8 this week), and am happy to see the running stretches increasing relative to the walking. I've become a morning exerciser even though I used to think I couldn't do that. And I'm looking forward to moving to a 4-day-a-week schedule for running when this program is over. I'll have to look around for a good one. Also, instead of lifting twice a week, I've been doing it almost every other day! My routine is short enough that I can do it when I'm with the kids, so that has been great. I suppose some day I'll have to make it a longer and more difficult routine, but for now, it's working well.
The weather has been great around here lately, at least for those of us who went through the sub-zero weather a couple of weeks ago. I've been outside with the kids for hours every day, and it feels great to get that fresh air and sunshine! Thirty degrees truly feels warm after what we've been through. And being outside keeps me away from the temptation to snack in the kitchen.
I'll try to post my monthly measurements, blood pressure, etc. soon. Gotta keep myself honest!