Better

It's December. I posted on this blog about as much as I ran in November. It was so cold and dark that I just couldn't get into the running game. I did, however, do the next best thing: read. Now you may laugh (which I hope you do) but sometimes reading the right thing at the right time can change your life.


My book club just finished reading "Better Than Before" by Gretchen Rubin. This book is about habits, how we make them, break them, and what will help us keep them. She states that there are 4 types of people who all react differently to habits. I took the quiz and I am an obliger.

Basically I am great at keeping commitments to others, but I tend to let personal commitments fall to the wayside since I only disappoint myself. Therefore, the key is external accountability aka blogging! Yeah, it took me a book to realize it officially. The rest of the book gave tips and ways to help keep the habits you want to keep. So, how have things changed since then? I use the "Lose It" app on my phone to count calories and realize what is going in my mouth. Then, I show my husband everything I ate at the end of the day and how much I exercised. Makes me less likely to eat "half a box of Life cereal" and explain how that happened to my husband.

I can say I have done quite well keeping a calorie deficit since doing this. I am also more aware of how much can be frittered away with snacking and how to use my calories wisely.

And my 5k is this Saturday. I am beginning to panic since the furthest I have run was about 2 miles which was a month ago. I have been doing a little bit of HIIT but am no where near ready for a 5k! So once december came I ran a mile. Then a few days later I ran 1.35 miles. I was quite discouraged because it was very difficult (then again I was pushing Ellie in the stroller which is so hard!). Monday Matthew had the day off work and we were at my parent's house for Ellie's nap. We were planning on running, but it was raining and cold. And then I thought, "This is such a great opportunity to run with my husband, without Ellie, and get a long run in. I can always find an excuse not to, but I need to JUST DO IT." I got off the couch and said, "Let's go!" With the encouragement of my husband we ended up running 2.65 miles at a 12 minute mile pace...ish. It felt pretty good too! I think I may have a chance on Saturday after all!

Bundled up for a cold run with mommy!

So this week I am going to go on an easy run, recover and eat well and get ready for the goal I set months ago...my 5k!

So more regular blogging for me, and if you see me in person, feel free to ask about my exercise or results. I need the external accountability!

Christmas tree shopping!

Carbs and Nike

I love carbs. Carbs make the world go round. Carbs are the circle of completion....and you're beginning to wonder how I am sticking to a healthy lifestyle? Me too.

My original plan was to do minimal carbs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those were tough days! I had some good meals like chicken salad in lettuce wraps and chicken thighs with asparagus. But it took a lot of planning and resistance training (not the exercise kind) for me to make it through low carb days. I originally did this to challenge my mindset about food and to jump start my metabolism. I know, I know, healthy carbs are good and necessary and I eat those on the other days...but I am starting to have difficulty sticking with anything and therefore will do lower carb days/meals rather than zero carbs for an entire day. Maybe that will help!

Yummy chicken salad lettuce wraps

Not so yummy cucumber and turkey sliders. This meal made me sad.

 My first two weeks went really well! I ran over a mile 3x a week and even did 1.6 miles without stopping! And my husband and I played racquetball for his birthday like the good ole days. We were laughing because we were winded and worn out after a few minutes. We used to play when we were 20, so we have aged a bit.

Racquetball is so fun. What a great workout!

Things were great. And then...I had to exercise while pushing my daughter. SHE loved it, but it was awful! I used a borrowed BOB jogging stroller and wanted to cry. It was so hard to maneuver and guide while running. I was confused as to the reason for this. And then, it dawned on me. It is a JOGGING stroller, not a "barely faster than walking pace" stroller. It is for a faster pace than I am able to go at this time. So I humbly put the jogging stroller away for a later date and pulled out the regular stroller. MUCH better, but still hard when I want to pump my arms but have to keep the little girl from drifting into a juniper bush. Needless to say, when I have someone to stay with the little one, my runs are pretty good. When I have to push her, I get discouraged and miss runs. Being honest. But there have been a few times I didn't want to run or didn't know how or when or where and the Nike slogan rang true. JUST DO IT! Literally I would not think or debate any longer but would put my shoes on and go. What an overused but wonderful slogan!

One bright spot in this journey has been a new find while doing Zumba at home. These girls are a part of Refit and are revolutionizing fitness and post positive workouts! How can you not be happy watching/exercising to this in the morning! Check them out!

 https://youtu.be/H7OnZCtISkI

So this isn't a post about how I overcame it all and have already lost 15 pounds. I am still finding a groove and learning along the way. Any encouragement about what worked for you, especially when you have a little one would be most appreciated!

I'm Baaaaack!

It has been 2 years since I last posted on this blog. My goodness how things have changed! We bought our first house in October 2013!! But the BIGGEST change was that we had our beautiful daughter, Ellie, in July of 2014! She is so much fun and has changed our lives for the better!

Now a little history into why I have been gone and why I'm back.

I originally got in shape to be strong and healthy and ready for kids! My last run was the Turkey Trot November 2013 when I was 5 weeks pregnant.

I was 5 weeks pregnant here!

And then, morning sickness. I threw up almost every day (except the days I worked since I didn't have time to) usually twice a day. I laid on the couch and would cry over the fact that food no longer sounded good. At all. Ever. This finally passed at about week 14 and by then I had been out of ANY exercise for 10 weeks and was excited to eat anything that sounded good. I began walking but also was cautious not to push myself. Then I started having PVCs and got worked up to find out if my heart condition had returned (it hadn't). And then I had back pain and visited the chiropractor to help with my ailments. Long story short, I only walked a few times a week during my pregnancy.

Then I had Ellie via Csection because she turned breach 5 days before I went into labor. So the recovery from that was very rough and everything hurt or didn't work properly for about 6 MONTHS! After feeling so crummy, I was determined to get back into shape....AFTER I had nursed for 1 full year, in case my regiment affected supply. So here I am today. Ellie is 13 months, weaning, and this mommy is ready to get fit and back to pre-pregnancy weight (BEFORE Ellie becomes a big sister). Hopefully then I can continue to be fit like my girl Elanor, who is running 5ks while 24 weeks pregnant! Go read and be inspired! http://elanorfreiheit.blogspot.com/


SIDE NOTE: Another major change that just happened: I turned in my resignation from the ICU. It was a difficult decision that I knew was the right one. I accepted an on-call position in an observation unit which will hopefully be less stress- mentally, physically and emotionally. It also gives me flexibility in babysitting schedules and most importantly gives me more time to focus on my family and raising my amazing little girl! I will miss the idea of being an ICU nurse and the amazing opportunity it was to impact patient lives, but I will especially miss my coworkers who have had my back and helped me be a better nurse these past 3.5 years. Thank you and hopefully I will see you around...maybe if I float to PCU or ICU for a day!

So with a little less stress and fewer work days, a weaning baby, and wonderful fall weather, I am embarking on my journey September 7th! I gained 40 pounds with the pregnancy and lost 25 within the first weeks after she was born, so 15 pounds to go!

To prepare I bought a super cute calendar to write in my workouts, meals, rest days etc. I am good at doing preplanned things, but have trouble getting moving when nothing is written down.

The plan? Well, it's partially motivated from the Powell's Carb-cycling and healthy eating, and partially trying to run a 5k in December. So here's the gist:

1. Portion control - Nothing is really off limits, but I try and fuel my body, eat smart carbs, healthy fats and lean proteins and focus on NOT getting seconds or eating 3 portion sizes.
2. Eat frequently - 3 meals and two snacks through the day to keep from starving!
3. Tuesday and Thursday are low carb days. Focus on protein and healthy fats. This is tough to come up with ideas that don't involve bread....since I am a self-diagnosed breadatarian and all...
4. Run or do aerobic activity on high carb days to work up to a 5k that doesn't kill me.
5. Rest every Sunday!!

So Monday the 7th I began. I got wonderful, healthy food from the grocery store and ran a mile....thankfully my hsuband gave me a great pep talk to help me with this daunting run "You can do it! You'll feel like crap, but do it anyway!" thanks Sweetie!

So I "ran" without stopping and pulled an impressive, I mean, laughable, 13:30 mile before collapsing on the front steps. Ok, so I need to go faster, but this shows me where I am starting! Let's see how I improve.

Thanks for tuning back in and sorry for the MIA. Hopefully we can get healthy together and encourage one another! I know I'll need it!