Ah-choo, Bless you!

This entire week I have been sick in bed with the cold of my life. Fever, cough you name it, I had it. Needless to say I didn't work out at all while I was sick, but I did discover Amy's Soups. So far Ive tried the Organic Fire Roasted Southwestern Vegetable Soup and the Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque.


The Southwestern Vegetable was A-Mazing, it tasted like a spicy chicken tortilla soup sans the chicken. It had lots of veggies and hit the spot.

Can you tell I liked it??

The Tomato Bisque reminded me alot of La Madelines Tomatoe soup, which I absolutley love but since it almost 400 calories a cup I rarely get to have any. At just 130 calories this is a perfect substitute and would have been amazing with a grilled cheese sandwich next to it but since I hadnt worked out all week that was definatley not an option.

Someone tell me why I hadn't tried these before or even seen them at my grocery store. Sick or not, these soups are definitely going to have a permanent spot on my grocery list.

Christmas made me miss my workout

I love Christmas!

I love the smell of Christmas trees, I love all the sparkly things, I love the lights and the gifts I get..I mean get to give but I HATE the cold that comes with it! So that was my excuse this weekend..one of them at least. I worked out on Saturday at the gym and didn't today at all because it was cold, in a Texas kinda way (60 degrees with lots of wind) . So The Hubs, Coco (aka The Cutest Dog in the World) and I did some Christmas decorating around the house, yet another reason to miss my workout :) This is the Hubs and my second Christmas married and our first year with a Christmas tree..we're all grown up!

Coco loves Christmas too!

Since I felt bad about not working out, I figured I should at least look up some runs that I could register for in the next couple of weeks. Thinking about working out is better than nothing at all, right? The only one that I found before the year ends is the San Antonio Reindeer Run. So I think this is the one and its only $22! Which brings me to think about next years runs and whether I need to give myself a race allowance or just spend spend spend as I go along. Im more of a spend spend spend kinda girl so this is def something to talk about later. I have until the 11th to register for the Reindeer Run so Im going to see who I can recruit to run it with me :) Any takers?

Im still alive...

6 months later I have returned.

I was planning to wait to start blogging again after the New Year as one of my resolutions but I figured knowing myself I'll have way to many resolutions to keep track of so I might as well start now AND I've been super excited to start up again.

To catch up…I ran my 2nd San Antonio Rock n Roll Half Marathon in November, Yay! The plan was to run the full back in May but after my training started I developed tendonitis in my right knee so I had to cut back. I was disappointed at first but it was a blessing in disguise because I was able to run my Moms first half with her. She was amazing :)
It was also The Hubs 1st Half Marathon…so proud of him.* Sniff Sniff*



I cant say much about the expo because my mom and I literally ran in and out of there. We did have a great find though..Sweaty Bands..if you haven't heard of them you need to look them up.

Both my mom and I purchased one and while our initial motivation was looks, they did an great job at holding my hair back (and I have ALOT of hair), catching all the gross sweat and they didn't slip once! They have an amazing selection of colors, patterns and widths. Literally something for everyone. LOVE LOVE! I've already had 2 girls at the gym ask me where I got mine so I'm definitely going online to shop for more real soon!

Well, again..I'm glad I'm back..it feels good to get these fingers moving again!

Good for the Soul

Sometimes I am a little too critical of my myself and start to concentrate on all the health/ fitness goals that I have not yet accomplished. I look in the mirror and all I see are the lumps and bumps that I have still yet to lose. I need to remind myself every now and then that the goals that I have accomplished are great in themselves.
I can get so down on myself about not being in "right" jean size and although I wont lie and say that its not important to me, I will say that I do need to work on a healthier self image of myself.

Maybe I should take notes from this girl:

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Lettuce and Water Please?

My weigh in and measurements are in 2 weeks and Memorial Day is in 3 which brings along a possibility of wearing a swimsuit. Let the starvation begin!!
Maybe I'll just start the Baby Food Diet Jennifer Aniston is doing or the Freshology Diet Kendra is on.

Well, my chunky monkey butt loves food a bit too much to eat baby food and no one ever got me that stinkin money tree I asked for on Christmas to pay 1500.00/month for "Fresh" food, so I guess I'm going to have to go circa 1942 and just eat healthy.

That meant a grocery shopping trip for me last night and a whole lot of meal planning. Which I am actually really excited about.

So when you see this by the pool Memorial Weekend:

It will definitely not be me but Im working on it :)


TONIGHTS WORKOUT:
P90X- Plyometrics

Checking In

I'm on week 2...Woop Woop!



I took my measurements last week which were....36-24-36. I WISH!
Theres no way in hell Im posting my measurements, I think I disclosed enough when I wrote my weight on here and not a day goes by that Im not tempting to "Delete Post".
But in keeping with the whole honesty thing I will post when I lose inches.."when" being the key word.

On a completely different topic....I saw George Strait in concert for the first time this past Saturday and it was AMAZING!! I also saw myself in the pictures afterwords and could have sworn that a piglet went to the concert with the Hubs instead of myself. All I saw were multiple chins and cheeks that were obviously storing food for the winter (that is over 6 months away) taking over each picture.
Dont you just hate when you don't get one good picture of yourself? :(

**Apologies for the completely scatterbrained post you just read but it's late and I was needing to check-in**

The couple that works out together...

The Hubs and I decided to work out together this past Monday. In the past we had some difficulties when it comes to this. We have completely different intensity levels which makes us a perfect couple in the real world but not so much in the gym world. Needless to say we don't work out much together not to mention we have completely different schedules and workout interests that it doesn't work out most times anyway.

Overall I really enjoyed working out with him,mainly because it was a DVD workout where they have a plan and are telling you exactly what to do vs the Hubs telling me what to do, so it got an "A" from me. He corrected my form on one exercise and although I complained and rolled my eyes,in hindsight I really appreciated it and realized I need to appreciate him doing that instead of complaining. **Ahhh..Marriage...you live and learn.**

This is EXACTLY what we looked like after our workout:

Dont roll your eyes! It was a transformational workout!!

Meanwhile, one of my close friends has also just this week started working out with her BF and its going pretty well for her too. They recently went out and set up some "Mini outdoor circuit training stations" and did them together. How cute is that?

The more I think about occasionally working out together, the more I'm really starting to fall in love with the idea of "Gym Date" with the Hubs. What a great idea to carve out some time to spend with each other and motivate each other to reach our goals together? I LOVE IT!!

P90X Start Week

A friend and I were chatting the other day about our goals and what we are trying to accomplish in our workouts. It got me thinking about my goal being to lose weight so that I feel better about myself and I can effectively train and complete a Marathon in November.

I know that alot of people all different sizes complete marathons every year, and regardless of size, its about endurance but I want more than that. I don't want to struggle more than I'm already going to because I was too lazy and not committed enough to lose a few extra pounds that I need to lose anyway to stay healthy.

In the last couple of months, I started P90x full time then I stopped and was sprinkling in runs and only using it for weight training. All that going back and forth is not a good plan for me. Ive found out that I'm not good at having too many training programs in front of me. I have to concentrate on one thing and that's it- finish it. It was what I did for 1/2 marathon training last year and it worked for me, I just didn't realize it till now. This is a learning process for me and whats going to work FOR ME and teaching me how I'm going to be able to live a healthier lifestyle for the rest of my life.

MY COMMITMENT TO MYSELF:
I am going to completing P90x, I'm doing the Classic Version. My end date will be on July 24th which should be about 2-3 weeks after my Marathon training starts. I'm going to try and sprinkle in runs if I can but I'm not going to kill myself over it.
I need to concentrate on the short term goal of losing weight so that I can accomplish my long term goal of completing a marathon.

Sorry I'm rambling on and on about this but I really felt like I was just running in circles with my workouts and now I have a plan. :)

Full of Crap!

I said I was going to do something and I didn't. *Sigh*
Gold Stars to all those bloggers out there who post everyday...I suck at it.

Down to the Nitty Gritty:

Workouts:

Yesterday: Ran 5 miles

Today: P90x- Arms and Shoulders

Plan for the next 2 days:

Wednesday: 5 miles

Thursday: P90x- Legs and Back

On another note, Ive lost 2lbs. Woo Hoo! Now, lets see if I can keep them off and keep it up.

Who Wears Short Shorts?

Not me..that's for sure.

When your 5'2 and have legs that look like turkey legs you tend to gravitate away from the whole booty shorts aisle at your local sporting goods store.


Maybe not that bad ....but pretty darn close.

So, finding the right running shorts has been a bit of a hassle for me. I cant wear the infamous Nike Tempo Running Shorts even though they come in all sorts of yummy colors and patterns because they make me look like I'm carrying an extra 10 lbs in my butt.

Like I said before no booty shorts for me 1) because I have Thunder Thighs from Hell and 2) because I look like a stuffed sausage when I try them on (yes, I tried them on and didn't eat for the rest of the week- kidding kidding)

So this weekend while at Dick's I found the Holy Grail of running shorts for myself. At least they're in the running (no pun intended).

Drum Roll Please.....................................

Presenting the Adidas Women's Marathon Run Short *insert applause*





Isn't that little Runner Girl on the back of the short too cute to pass up?

Well Dicks was having a 40% off Adidas Apparel Sale so it turned out to be a deal I couldn't pass up.

The Ultimate Test is tonight when they prove to me that my Thunder Thighs don't make them ride up.
Now that's definitely not the kind of short shorts look I want to go for.

Stay posted for their Final Grade!!

Slacker!! Slacker!!

I’m baaccckk!
More determined then ever!

I didn’t fall off the wagon completely but I haven’t been pushing myself to my full potential these last couple weeks. I’ve been giving everything a solid 8 out of 10 which probably explains my 2lb weight gain over the time I haven’t been on here.

Who would have thought this whole blogging thing is so therapeutic??
Not until I stopped posting did I see the difference in the choices I was making from workout intensities to food choices. My goal from here to end of Sept is to post something everyday even if it’s just a blurb of the workout I did from the day before. I haven’t even read anyone’s post since my last post mainly because I was embarrassed to login and admit to my slacker ways.
Pathetic, right?

Lets get down to business:

Tonight: I’m running 5 miles – I’ll post it my dailymile profile once its complete.

Tomm: The plan is P90X for weight training day.

CORRECTION:
Today: P90- Shoulders and Arms

Tomm: 5 miles

Still Truckin'

I didn't really post all last week but Im still alive and truckin' along...my week went a little something like this:

I did ok with my workouts last week.. Finished up week 3 of the P90x Lean program. I know I should have known this but its getting pretty rough trying to keep up with the hour daily workouts and a running schedule. There have been days that Im just plain exhausted. It doesn't help that I like to stay up late so the thought of getting up early and doing one of my workouts its absolutely insane. Even if I went to sleep early Im not a morning person so I still wouldn't wake up early. Thumbs up to all you runners out there who wake up at 4am to get your run in before work, maybe when we start a family one day and I have rugrats running around it'll be the only time I have to get away but not now..no-way no-how...I love my bed and my beauty sleep too much. (Watch me eat my words in a couple months..lol)

I registered for the Austin Statesman 10k- Run Like A Girl and Im super excited, it'll be my first 10k ever in my whole life! I said this on my DM profile and they gave me some great encouragement but its hard to think that I completed a half a couple months ago and I seriously struggled in my 4 miles this past Saturday...What the heck?!?!
Obviously I know that the majority has to do with me not running at all since December...eeek...I know....shame on me and my whole family.
But my fellow DMers are right I just need to be patient, I'll get back in it.

Weigh in Last Wednesday: 133...Shoot me Now!!
What is going on with me? Im working out, making better food choices. I don't get it.
I see some difference in muscle definition and thats cool.
I just don't get what Im doing wrong. I need to look at this more carefully.
Whats your advice? Should I go on a strict diet for a while to kick off some weight loss or should I just be patient and keep on with what Im doing?

Hiking and a Booty Workout

This past weekend the Hubs, and his cousin and her husband, we'll call them "the Dittys" went on our best Hiking trip yet, even if it is only the Hubs and my 2nd trip. It was still the best.
We ventured out to Hill Country State Park about an hour away and the drive was beautiful.



The plan was to go on a hike for about 1 hour and a half and then eat the yummy lunch we took aout there, which by the way took us about a hour and a trip to two different grocery stores to find.

After a $6 per person entry, we said hello to the horses (yes, there are people riding horse at our state parks- we're in Texas)and started planning our hike. Little did we know that the planning was going to be of no use to us, especially since the boys had the map.

So we went on our "planned" trails and about 1 hour and a half in, 2 map review stops and a pretty difficult uphill hike. This is the view we were so lucky to enjoy.




I have to say that the Hubs is in pretty good shape and so are the Ditty's (there also fellow P90xers)and that hike wore us all out. By the time we got back to our car and picnic table (3 hours from our start time) we were so hungry and ready for our amazing HEB chicken salad sandwiches and nice cold water. We figured we probably hiked about 5 - 5.5 miles but the uphill and rocky terrain is what killed us. Great booty workout and you know everyone loves a good booty workout :)!!!

Tip: These are not trails a girl should try to run by herself. Honestly, I cant even imagine trying to run here. These a more of a "tie-up-those-boots-Bubba-we-going-for-a-hike" kinda trails.

All in all, I have to say I really really enjoyed this. The weather was perfect, the company was great, we laughed and talked the entire way. The plan is to try to hike at a different state park each month. I hope we stick to this, its nice to break up the monotany of the workout routine.

Shopping Perks

One of the things that motivates me in the moment to either run or work out is thinking about all the cute outfits you can wear during and after training.

Yes, Im one of those. How can being able to buy new outfits not motivate you?!?

Im a girly girl what can I say. Not saying that I dont occasionally work out in an old ratty t-shirt from 6 years ago but I do love shopping for running clothes and especially planning race day attire.

Here are a couple of things Im looking forward to purchasing in the near future:


Nikes - Cupcake on a treadmill, I think they had me in mind when creating this.


Under Armours- Pink Run. Cute!!

Theres also this really cool company called Running Divas that have the absolute coolest slogans on the front and back of their shirts. Like "half marathon/ i like it cause its shorter and im lazy like that" Luv Luv!
I saw these in person at the San Antonio Rock N Roll Marathon Expo and the shirts are all great quality and they are at an awesome pricepoint too.

How better to keep accountable then to be wearing a "Running" shirt and have someone ask about your training program or your longest distance and have to answer "Oh, the last time I ran was 2 weeks ago and it was only 2 miles"!! EMBARRASSING!!

Slacker Confessions

Is it weird that I was nervous to post today because I did not want to put it into writing that I slacked this weekend?
Not only did I not run this weekend like I planned, I only did P90X on Saturday and I wasn't so careful on my food choices. LAME!
Although, the Hubs, some friends and I went on a great hike yesterday (another post-another day).

Heres the breakdown: I was aware of my food choices this weekend but I probably could have done better on the little things. I had 2 cheat meals on Sunday but here's my excuse "It was my 1 year Anniversary with the Hubs"!! Congrats to Us!

I cant believe this was a year ago **sniff sniff**



Ok, back to my mishaps..

Cheat #1: Anniversary breakfast at my favorite spot, I chose to eat Pancakes (EEK!) but only ate half a short stack, so in my mind I really only ate 1 pancake. (ssh I'm only lying to myself)

Cheat #2: Our Wedding Cake Baker was so kind to make us a fresh replica of the top layer of our wedding cake so we didn't have to eat disgusting frozen 1 year old cake. And I had a slice. mmm mmm mmm

Bonus Cheat: I ate the appetizer bread, that every restaurant gives you when you go out to eat, at 2 different restaurants....and yes....I added butter.

Ahhh! Why do I do this to myself??

Needless to say I didn't even step on the scale this morning. He just stared at me and I stared at him. It was a showdown of sorts.

SO...........

Its a fresh new week (I was off of work yesterday so in my mind today is the start of my week) and I'm going to do better than last week. I guess that's always a good start, right? Make my goal for myself to do better than I did last time, whatever it is...better run, better workout, better food choices.

With that said here is my workout plan for the next couple of days:

Today
P90X- CardioX
3 miles

Wednesday
P90X- Shoulders & Arms
P90X- AbRipper X (yes its as bad as it sounds)

Thursday
P90X- YogaX
3 miles

Scale Stories

The scale read 132lbs this morning.

I am happy about this since my weigh-in last Monday read 134lbs. But the Friday before that I was already 132. So its a little bittersweet, while Im happy with my number because it puts me just 7lbs away from my short term goal of 125lbs. I dont know if I actually lost weight or just mantained.
What I can say is that I feel stronger, and thats exciting!

Goal for next weigh-in: 130lbs

By the way Im barely 5'2 so my goal weight is reasonable - especially when I carry all the extra weight in my midsection:(

One Week at a Time

I had a pretty good weekend but I'm still battling with the scale. I'm up 4 lbs one day and down 5lbs the next. Maybe I'm obsessing too much, I need to learn to gauge my fitness based on my endurance, how I feel and most importantly how my clothes fit (yes-I'm that vain).But this is something I need to look into, why does my weight fluctuate so much??

The Hubs says he can see a difference and while that makes me feel really good I still have the nagging thought in my head that it cant be true. Hes not one to say something just to say it but there's no way in heck that he sees a difference if I don't. I'm looking in the mirror and all I see is the same-o chubster. So while I should have been feeling great about myself this weekend while the Hubs was pouring the compliments and encouragement on I was feeling more and more crappy about myself.Why? Am I sabotaging myself. I need to learn to think more positive and get over these body image issues I have.

This is a new week, with a fresh start. I need to take it one week at a time because my training schedule is starting to overwhelm me when I look at it. I have the same P90x workout as last week just sprinkling in some runs throughout the week. I haven't been to motivated to run but I think getting myself out there is a good start.
Looking forward to seeing results this week!

To Snack or not to Snack- shouldn't be the question.

I have this problem with snacking. There, its out. I said it.

I'm sitting here at work and I feel the need to snack. Whats coming to my mind are a bag of chips or a candy bar, maybe even a soda. Pitiful, huh? I'm not even hungry.
Its taking every thing in me not to grab my wallet and go to the cafeteria downstairs and buy something. I even tried to kid myself and say that I would go downstairs and get a 100 calorie pack of something or another but I cant ....I know myself I would get distracted by a 500 calorie pack of something else.

I do have to say I'm pretty proud of myself this week. I have been cooking myself a healthy version of whatever I make the Hubs for dinner. Ive completed every workout that I planned so far. And Ive notice I have a lot more energy lately.

So here are my workouts for the rest of this week:

Today
Yoga- P90X
2 mile run

Friday
Legs and Back -P90X

Saturday
Kenpo- P90X
2 mile run

Its nice to feel like I'm on the right path, and fortunately, today, that path does not lead to the cafeteria downstairs.

Weekend Wrap-up

This was my last weekend of freedom before I start my "buckle-down-no-nosense-get-that-weight-off-fatty" training schedule. I kind of took it easy, I went for a hike on Saturday with my Mom and Grandparents since the weather was perfect for it and one of my new years resolution was to spend more time with my Grandparents.





It was really nice and now that Im more comfortable with the layout, Im pretty sure Im going back to run there. Usually Im pretty scared about going to parks and running (Ive seen too many Law and Order:SVU shows)but this park had a good amount of people without being crowded. After the hike I came home and did the Kenpo workout from P90x which I absolutley LOVE!!

Sunday Hubs and I pretty much took it easy all day. Ive used Sunday on my workout schedule as a rest day, I think it'll help me gear up for the week. We'll see as I really get into my workouts if it works, if not I can always change it.

Since I cant figure out how to post the training schedule I made myself here is what the first part of my week looks like this:

Monday:
2 miles &
Core Synergist-P90x

Tuesday:
CardioX-P90x

Wednesday:
Shoulders & Arms- P90x
Ab RipperX- P90X

and here is my Monday morning weigh-in #:
134 lbs - WHAT ?!?!?! (This was my starting weight)
I weighed myself on Friday and I was at 132, so I thought I lost 2 lbs- did I really eat that bad over the weekend?? My weight flucuates alot day to day but I think I just need to stick to weighing myself at the same time all the time (Weight Watchers style).

Heres sending myself good vibes for this week!

Imaginary Fitness Partner

Exercise update: I completed 2 more P90x workouts and after each one have been feeling a little better about myself. Its hard to push myself alone but its also nice knowing that I dont need the Hubs pushing me every second...I can do it myself. :)

Now to the real excitement, I started this blog as a way to keep myself accountable but was inspired by all the amazing blogger chics out there who have documented their progress and share their accomplishments, dissapointments and tips along the way.

So late last night as Im online I stumble upon running in pigtails this really great blog. As Im reading her post, I notice myself relating to her and her goals. I found out she too was trying to:
complete a cylce of P90x ...check
becoming an avid runner....check
Lose more than 10 lbs....check

As I am blog-stalking her I found one of her training schedules and decide that I should make one for myself based on my goals (Ill post it once its all done). So I started one last night and honestly its a little daunting. The Hubs looked at it and said "Are you sure you can do this" in a "I support you but this seems a a little tough" kind of way. Which makes me what to do it even more "I'll show him"!!
Well Im going to try and now that I have an Imaginary Fitness Partner to work out, I mean read along with, I think I have more of a chance.

Reality Check

Tonight was my first night of P90x- Core Synergistics and I swear I almost died.

There's no excuse for how pitiful I was getting through that 1 hour workout. I realized that I have absolutely no upper body strength for push ups or anything else. Shameful.

Well at least I'm doing it or rather getting through it.

Also, I started the workout around 7:15, probably not a good idea starting a workout so late since I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment. I am positive my neighbor downstairs does not appreciate me doing jumping jacks at 8:00 pm.

Confession: I didn't put my all into it- I half assed it. Mainly because in my head I already knew I was going to have trouble keeping up. So tomorrow, I'm going to workout right when I get home and kick my own butt into shape. If not me - then who?

Baby Steps

Tomorrow I begin my journey of physical fitness. I have said I was going to do this before, and have started....stayed on track for a couple weeks then quit. I've even just completed my first 1/2 marathon..painfully but completed.

So this is my official commitment to myself in writing. In no particular order these are the goals I hope to accomplish this year:
1) Complete P90x - 3 months
2) Complete my first full marathon in November
3) Lose 10-15 lbs
4) Learn how to cook healthy and in turn make healthier choices when choosing what to eat

This cant be too hard..right??

Theres no more lying to myself that "I'll start tomorrow", "thats the hardest I could push myself", "I'll make a healthier choice for my next meal".
I'll be posting my thoughts, workouts and experiences mainly to keep myself accountable and track my progress along the way.........baby steps.