Success!

My first week of training was amazing. I ran/walked a total of 7.15 miles. That's huge for me! I do know that I need to be cautious, though. I haven't taken a "rest day" like I'm supposed to. I tend to do that when I have my sights set on something; I'll work myself until I have nothing left to give. I don't want to become all manic and panicky when I'm taking a day to recoup, but it's difficult because success has definitely been my motivator!

5K!

That's right. My sister Stephanie and I just ran/walked 3.27 miles, which is technically more than 5k, but for simplicity's sake, we'll just leave it at that. And even more than that, we ran one, full mile! Which is farther than either of us has run without stopping in our entire lives. I'm patting myself on the back right now.

Kickin' Butt

Day three was another success! My training schedule called for cross training or rest. Being the over-achiever I am I chose to use my elliptical. I was kickin' butt and taking names! Actually, if you had seen me afterward you would probably say I was on the receiving end of the butt-kicking, but I'll take it! No one ever said this would be easy, right? :)

476 calories in 30 minutes...not bad!

Just Chuggin' Along

So, it's day two of my new exercise routine and I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm feeling great! I know I'm still riding the first-week-high, but I'm really hoping this feeling sticks around. :) Anyway, my sister, Nikki, and I went to see Eclipse tonight. Finally, I saw it! Being the Twilight Fanatic that she is, it was Nichole's third (and probably not her last!) time.

On our way

Nikki is trying out this heathyier lifestyle thing too so I convinced her to do my 25-minute run with me after the movie. We ran/walked 1.7 miles in the 25 minutes. Which is so far from my personal best that I thought about fibbing a little on here, but I want to be completely honest so there it is. Ugh!

And, the picture from after our run

On The Agenda

Tonight I will begin the Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred work out (for the second time, nonetheless!). However, I won't be doing it daily like she recommends. I know she's just trying to kill me. I will be combining the 30-Day Shred, running and walking, and using my elliptical. I think I have exercise ADD because I get bored very easily so I'm hoping that doing multiple workouts will help that. If anyone has any suggestions to keep me motivated, I'm very open to receiving them!

Just The Start

I. Have. FAILED! Several months ago I announced that on July 25, 2010 I would be running my first half marathon in San Francisco. Well, today is July 25th, and I have run exactly two times since my announcement. I'm not kidding...twice! It's kinda a sucky day for me, because I have a friend (Way to go, Cindy!) that did run the race, so when I look at her pictures it's just a reminder that I didn't follow-through...yet again!

A few weeks ago on our flight home from North Carolina, the skinniest, cutest flight attendant asked if I would like a SELF magazine that I know she wanted me to believe a fellow passenger left on the plane, but I know that she actually pulled it out of the drawer labeled "Fat Girl Motivators". I read a couple of articles on the plane, felt guilty, and put it into my carry-on with the intent of burning it when I got home along with the memory of that obnoxious pretty smile on the face of that beautiful, metabolism-blessed, attendant. Well, it somehow ended up on my nightstand and I picked it up to read it last night, and this is what I opened to:

Thanks a lot, God! I know I'm fat, but do you really need to rub it in the night before my big failure?! So, I settled into my pity party and started reading. And I was surprised by my reaction. I fully expected to read the article and then head to the store for some ice cream to make myself feel better. I know, I know...ridiculous right? Must be how I gained so much weight. Instead, it reminded me of how badly I want to be in shape and how much I want to stop this cycle so that my boys don't struggle with their weight.

My weight has been a yo-yo a la Kirstie Alley my entire adult life. It's depressing to look back at my teen years and remember the body image I had of myself. I know that every teenage girl looks at herself and sees her flaws, but let me explain to you what I thought of myself. I hated my body. I thought my stomach was huge, my thighs were cellulite-infested, and my arms jiggled with every move. So, what did I do? I joined cheer.

Me in all of my cheerleading glory (or is it just all the glitter?!)

I look at that 115-pound version of myself and am determined to find a time machine to go back in time and smack the crap outta myself. And possibly show young-self a picture of adult-self and then smack said self a few more times. 

So here's what I'm going to do. I will not set a ridiculous goal for myself that I will not be able to meet. That's just setting myself up for failure. I am going to get healthy. I will exercise, I will eat better, and I will use this blog as a way of motivating and holding myself accountable. My scale broke, and I have no intention of purchasing a new one. I am going to go solely off of how I feel and how my clothes are fitting.

So, internet world - bring it on! Ask me multiple times each week if I'm staying true to my promise to myself and give me heck if I say no! I'm open to suggestions, the things that didn't work for you, and some encouragement. :)