Setbacks can EAT IT

Well let's start with the good news, as of today I haven't gained any weight since last week. Yaaaay right? No, not so much. 
My goal is to lose 10 pounds in a month, not losing weight in a week does not help me reach that goal. Not only is that not awesome, work has been so busy that it's completely worn me out every night this week, and I'm hurt. Wednesday I started Week 7 and made it through maybe 8 minutes of running until I had to stop because I was in a lot of pain in my left leg. Yesterday while coaching soccer I had to run back to my car and just that short 400 yards hurt to run. I'm a little deflated over it all but realize that my running 7 out of 10 days and walking the dogs 2 of those "off" 3 days, really didn't help me, it actually ended up hurting my progress. 
Tonight I am going to workout on the elliptical hoping that there is less stress on my injured area than when running. I feel like I have to do something. I'll probably take the weekend off and really rest my injury and start back at Week 7 on Monday. Unfortunately this means that week 9 starts the Monday AFTER I run my 5k. That should be interesting. I'm confident that I will be able to finish my 5k, it just won't be in ideal conditions. I am also planning on doing Warrior Dash in May or July, which is 3.2 mile run with about a mile or more worth of crazy obstacles. It's going to be SO hard but I think it'll totally be worth it in the end. 


So new plan for this weekend... 


Friday - 20 minutes Elliptical, Ab Ripper
Saturday - Arms, Back, Shoulders
Sunday - Puppy walk, rest


Hopefully next week I'll be back on track for realz...


Monday - Week 7 Day 1, ab ripper
Tuesday - Coach soccer
Wednesday - Week 7 Day 2, ab ripper, arms, shoulders, back
Thursday - Coach soccer, lower leg workout
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Week 7 Day 3, ab ripper
Sunday - Rest


I hope that this will become my regular schedule until soccer games start on the weekends, I will have to adjust that depending on my schedule. I'm realizing that when I make time, it gets done (unless I'm hurt). Either way, I'm doing more than I have done in the last 6 months to improve my health and get my butt into wedding gown shape. Small steps. Rome wasn't built in a day. Right?

Small Successes

It's always the small things in life that make us happy, right? It seems that way for me at least. Yesterday I finished C25k, Week 6. My fiance' rode his bike behind me the entire time so that I didn't have to do it alone. (When he finally gets his hamstring all better, I told him I'd redo the C25k program with him so we can run together.) Day 3 of Week 6 is the beginning of the end of intervals. I ran for 25 minutes straight, only stopping once to pick up my dog's poop. Thanks Ace. In those 25 minutes I did 2.5 miles, that's 1.1 miles away from a 5k!! Nick says he thinks I could run a 5k right now if I wanted to, which I agree, but I don't think I'm ready by any stretch of the imagination. I'm taking the next 2 days off because my shins are a little sore and I think my body needs a few days of rest. 
I've been so proud of myself lately because I've taken this C25k thing so seriously. I am drinking my protein, eating better, and motivating my running partner to get her butt in gear. I have also been making sure to rest when I should, I have a habit of going too hard when I get back into working out which inevitably discourages me because I make myself so sore that I HAVE to take too much time off. I am starting to feel like I'm losing weight even though I'm not actually losing much but I'll get there. It'll happen. As Nick reminds me when I get frustrated, "Rome wasn't built in a day." I do have an amazing support system and I hope that those of you (probably none) that read this blog have the same, or are looking for that because without it I would probably fail, multiple times. Sadly. 

So my workout schedule for this week should look something like this...


Monday - Off
Tuesday - Coach soccer, a few sprints with the kids :)
Wednesday - W7D1, Ab Ripper, Strength training
Thursday - Coach soccer, a few sprints with the kids :)
Friday - W7D2, Ab Ripper, Strength training
Saturday - W7D3
Sunday - Off

So here are some short term goals because apparently long term goals scare me into hiding.

• Lose 10 pounds in 4 weeks (Posting weekly loss results here)
• Finish 5k training program
• Run ShamrockNroll March 13
• I have modified my chocolate, I'm instead giving up chocolate for Lent as it would be much harder for me to give that up than drinking. 
• Make dinner 4-5 nights a week, leftovers 2-3 nights a week
• Reduce beer intake during the week (No I don't drink every night but I've found recently I have had more than 1 beer after work on more than 1 night a week, not including Friday/Saturday)
• Weight train at least 1 day a week for 40 minutes, if 2 days a week, 20 minutes each day
• Work my abs for 10 minutes or more, 3 days a week

Tonight's Dinner: 

Shrimp Stir Fry

1 pound shrimp

1/2 of each Yellow, Orange, Green Pepper

1/2 cup bean sprouts

1/2 pound snow peas

1/2 cup white onion

1 cup brown rice

Soy Sauce

Sesame Oil 

S&P

1. Heat the sesame oil in a wok or large pan. 

2. Cook brown rice according to package directions. 

3. Add the shrimp and cook until 2/3 finished, remove from pan, set aside. 

4. Add some soy sauce and a little sesame oil, cook the veggie medley. Once the veggies are cooked, about 7-11 minutes, add the shrimp back to the mix. Cook the stir fry together for another 4 minutes. 

This makes a little more than 2 servings. We usually have enough for at least 1 person to eat this as leftovers. 

Enjoy! 

Steer the course..

It's Thursday, yaaay... One more day until Friday, which is so reassuring. I've been chocolate free for 2 whole days now and it's not as miserable as I figured it would be. I've told the people around me not to offer me any chocolate so I can keep "clean". Yesterday I completed Week 6 Day 1 and felt really good about. I ran on the treadmill which makes me feel like I'm cheating because it seems easier. Today I am doing Week 6 Day 2 with my dogs. They really love the exercise but they're such a pain to run together. I haven't done any weight training this week but I'm hoping to find the time for it sometime this weekend. I'm also considering taking Friday night off of running and then running Day 3 on Saturday and doing my weight training on Sunday with a mile run also. 


Oh and I weighed myself today. Last week I weighed 165 (still) 


Today I am down 1 whole pound! 


I'm not super happy with the results but I'll take any negative(loss) number over a positive(gain). I'm hoping my giving up of chocolate will have some effect on my weight loss. 


A few other goals that are going to come my way shortly (Lent) 
- I'm giving up alcohol for lent
- I'm giving up french fries for lent
- I am signing up for the Warrior Dash in May, its a 3.2 mile course with 6 obstacles in the last mile (waist high water, fire, cargo nets, tunnels, junk yard, wall... etc) It's going to be so hard but I'm so excited to do it. 


All of these things are positive things and they're attainable goals. That's all I have to keep remembering!! 




So here are some short term goals because apparently long term goals scare me into hiding.

• Lose 10 pounds in 4 weeks (Posting weekly loss results here)
• Finish 5k training program
• Run ShamrockNroll in March
• Give up Chocolate for 4 weeks
• Make dinner 4-5 nights a week, leftovers 2-3 nights a week
• Reduce beer intake during the week (No I don't drink every night but I've found recently I have had more than 1 beer after work on more than 1 night a week, not including Friday/Saturday)
• Weight train at least 1 day a week for 40 minutes, if 2 days a week, 20 minutes each day
• Work my abs for 10 minutes or more, 3 days a week

It's a New Day!!

First of all... Happy Birthday to my sister and Happy Valentines Day!! 


So now that we got that out of the way... I DID IT! I started working out again. I took almost 2 whole weeks off from any sort of exercise and on Friday morning I kick started my 5k training back into gear and working out in general. I caught up week 5 days 1-3 in 3 days. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. While I was on vacation I worked out, even getting up at 8am to make sure I could hang out with my mom at 10am. Sunday I jogged for 20 minutes straight and didn't die. I actually did it. I couldn't believe it!! 


Workout schedule for the week :) 


Monday - Off
Tuesday - Coach soccer - Run 1 mile with dogs
Wednesday - Week 6, Day 1, Ab ripper X, Upper Body
Thursday - Week 6, Day 2, lower body
Friday - Run 1 mile with dogs, Ab ripper X
Saturday - Play soccer 
Sunday - Week 6, Day 3, Ab ripper X


Will do my weigh in tomorrow morning, which should be terrible since I'm giving up chocolate tomorrow so I'll probably binge. UGH. 


So here are some short term goals because apparently long term goals scare me into hiding.

• Lose 10 pounds in 4 weeks (Posting weekly loss results here)
• Finish 5k training program
• Run ShamrockNroll in March
• Give up Chocolate for 4 weeks
• Make dinner 4-5 nights a week, leftovers 2-3 nights a week
• Reduce beer intake during the week (No I don't drink every night but I've found recently I have had more than 1 beer after work on more than 1 night a week, not including Friday/Saturday)
• Weight train at least 1 day a week for 40 minutes, if 2 days a week, 20 minutes each day
• Work my abs for 10 minutes or more, 3 days a week

Fer Serious.

So I haven't worked out since I sprained my ankle. I feel like such a waste of space and sadly I still have to get into shape to run my 5k in March. And honestly, it's not like I haven't had time but it's really that I've been a lazy fat fat and using my ankle as an excuse to not run. Well that is going to stop. It was going to stop today but as work has gotten a bit crazy it looks like I'll be working from home tonight instead of working out. But as I type this I keep thinking that I'll bundle up and take the dogs out, I mean I can spare a half hour for a run. And yet it's never just a half hour, because it's 10 minutes to get my stuff together, 30 minutes or more of running, then there is cooling down and stretching, another 15 minutes or more. Plus I need to cook dinner, sweep & mop the bedroom, pack my stuff for home, start some laundry, clean the guest bathroom, and get some work finished. Oh and before I do any working out, cleaning, cooking, or working, I need to go to the grocery store because we're almost out of dog food and stop by the other car to get my ipod case. And the worst part about today is that I feel totally fat and it's because I eat like crap, not because I haven't worked out. So again, it comes down to me.
So tomorrow night I'm going home for the weekend and I feel like I'll be able to get refreshed and my legs back under me. I already have plans to work out Friday and Sunday and have thought about working out on Saturday too but I think I'll just be so sore on Monday that I won't want to workout.


Since I forget at times that I am now a soccer coach I have to adjust my goals. I am hoping that next week my workout schedule will go as follows...

• Monday - Run 20 minutes (W5D3), Abs
• Tuesday - Coach soccer, run 1 mile with the dogs
• Wednesday - Week 6 Day 1, Abs 
• Thursday - Coach soccer, day off
• Friday - Week 6 Day 2
• Saturday - Soccer Game, Abs, Strength training
• Sunday - Week 6 Day 3

I am hoping that my normal weekly workouts will go as follows... 

• Monday - Week X Day 1 until program is finished, once finished either start Bridge to 10k or run 3.1 miles or more, Abs
• Tuesday - Coach soccer, run 1 to 1.5 miles with dogs
• Wednesday - Week X Day 2 until program is finished, once finished 40 minutes on the elliptical, abs
• Thursday - Coach soccer, day off
• Friday - Week X Day 3 until program is finished, once finished start bridge to 10k or run 2.5 miles, abs
• Saturday - Coach soccer, run 1 to 1.5 miles, strength training
• Sunday - walk dogs, rest

So here are some short term goals because apparently long term goals scare me into hiding.

• Lose 10 pounds in 4 weeks (Posting weekly loss results here)
• Finish 5k training program
• Run ShamrockNroll in March
• Give up Chocolate for 4 weeks
• Make dinner 5 nights a week, leftovers 2 nights a week
• Reduce beer intake during the week (No I don't drink every night but I've found recently I have had more than 1 beer after work on more than 1 night a week, not including Friday/Saturday)
• Weight train at least 1 day a week for 40 minutes, if 2 days a week, 20 minutes each
• Work my abs for 10 minutes or more, 3 days a week

I am beginning this regimen starting Monday, February 14th so wish me luck!!! 

Did I Mention Road Blocks???

Big sigh.... *siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhh*
So last week I was ready to rumble. I was amped up and ready for anything that came my way. Friday night I went out and got new shoes to help with my training. Saturday I played my usual 2 soccer games and actually tried to take it a bit easy because I wanted to stay healthy, imagine that thought process. That bit me in the ass because I just don't have it in me to not 'go hard' at a sport I love. Long story short, I now am the proud owner of a high ankle sprain in my left ankle. 
So me being me, I tried to play soccer on Sunday, failed. I have also planned on running every day this week have just haven't had the pain tolerance to try. I was sincerely planning on trying to run today until friends talked me out of what could have been a bad decision. But since I have amazing friends I have decided that I will still go to the gym tonight, lift weights and ride the stationary bike. It is a good alternative to running and training for my 5k, not good enough, but it'll do. I am also going to look into the pool hours to see if that can be an alternative workout for myself. I really need to let my ankle heal, I know that, I'm just so stubborn. 
Enough whining now. Time to just face the music aka my restrictions and continue on. 
So tonight's plan, ride bike 20 minutes or more. Lift weights for 20 minutes or more. 


Dinner tonight... 


Grilled Chicken Breast
Seasoned & Oven Roasted Vegetables
Pan Seared Red Skin Potatoes


Rough calorie estimate... 498 per serving


YummmO


Listening to - Hey Jude, The Beatles