Day 228: Enjoy Yourself

Within a few hours, January will be over and February will begin.  January has been a month of LONG days & night.  A month of great celebrations and tragic defeats.  January brough a new age (33), road trips up and tomorrow I will be on the Martha Stewart Show (excited beyond words).  I decided to stop getting perms and just see where that road leads for a little while.  School started again and work has been non-stop.  Exercise has been extremely limited because I've been trying to balance "life".  Some days I do well and then other days I don't. 

I'm excited about February because I've gotten into a rythum at work, school is school, emotionally I'm starting to deal with things that I've kept buried within the recesses of my heart and exercising will commence once again.  Please let's not get it twisted though - this is HARD & TOUGH!!

I've started reading this book called, "The Runner's Rule Book" by Mark Remy and you know what Rule #1 is?  Have fun.  That's not limited to just running, that can be applied to every area of our life.  Anything that we are engaged in, have fun.  If you have to do it, you might as well enjoy the process, right?

Day 210: I'm proud of me!

Do you walk differently after you work out really well?  Man, today I worked out with this trainer and we used these weight machines that I have never used and it was AWESOME!  I was so proud of myself because I did these leg lift things that I never thought I would have been able to do.  It was great because that was another check in the column with the heading "You Can Do This".   While walking out of the gym, my head was high, my walk strong and my face had a grin.  Granted, I'm still big, but the idea that because I'm big means I can't do things is slowly fading and that's a wonderful feeling.

With today being "Birthday Eve" and tomorrow is the big day, I'm forced to carefully look at my life where I am and carefully examine the direction of my life.  I must admit that I'm pretty excited about where I going.  The sky isn't the limit as the possibilities are endless.

Day 202:

The Bible says, "As a man thinketh, so is he".  If you think your a looser, then you'll be a looser.  If you think your a failure, then you'll fail at the things that you do.  If you think your a screw-up, then all you'll do is screw-up.

I say all of that to say, we've got to watch our thoughts.  This morning I didn't get up and go to boot camp because I was "sleepy".  I wasn't that sleepy to get up and go, I just didn't want to.  So because I didn't go this morning, I knew that I had to go to the gym tonight......and boy did I.  I did two different elliptical machines and then I went for the treadmill.  I planned on starting like I normally do with the setting on 3.6 to walk for .50 miles and then increase to my jog for 1.25 miles and then either push harder or maintain a consistent pace.  But boy was I kidding myself.  I got on that treadmill at 3.5 and felt like I was going to fall off.  It was going so fast!!  I slowed it down to a reasonable pace and guess what that was.........2.3!  2.3!!!

I really said to myself, "What in world is going on here?  Is this machine faster?  I know that it has been like 2 weeks since I've jogged, but seriously?"  I eventually increased the speed, but it took me an hour to do 2 miles.  TWO MILES!  Needless to say, my thoughts were all over the place while I was on the treadmill.  I really questioned the goals that I've established for the year since I couldn't jog one tenth of a mile.  But, that is the value in watching your thought process.  I told myself in the car, "Rochelle, calm down and be consistent.  You'll get there, just be consistent."  With that I say Good Night world because I have boot camp really early in the am.

Day 201: Week 29 & A New Year

It's been almost a month since my last post and honestly not a lot has happened in this voyage, but I'm excited because......"THIS IS THE YEAR"!

THIS Year, I'm running a 10k
THIS Year, I'm running a Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
THIS Year, I'm running a Full Marathon (26.2 miles)
THIS Year, I'm running a 5k race in less than 30 minutes for the SOME Turkey Trot

I'm actually pretty excited about it honestly.  A couple of weeks ago, I spent maybe a week thinking and writing out the goals that I have for this year because without a plan, no goal will materialize in my opinion.  Although January is a great time to examine current behaviors and figure out ways of changing it, change does not have to be limited to January 1st or 2nd, it can be anytime.  So...this year is all about discipline.

Discipline is defined as the state of improved behavior resulting from training or conditioning.  There are behaviors and thoughts I want to change in my life and that will only happen with consistency (even when I don't feel like being consistent), accountability (this blog is a major helper) and just doing what I say I'm going to do.  The routine is pretty straight forward actually; boot camp & Track Date every morning and then the gym in the evening every other day.

This is the year to do something that I've never done.  I can't quit even if/when I want to because I'm not a quitter and I can't compare myself to someone else because no one else is me and have walked in my shoes.  What about you, are you going to do something this year that you've never done?

Day 171: Week 26

There are approximately 3 weeks left before my second 5k.  This race is on New Year's Day.  It may be kinda silly to do a race on New Year's Day considering I would have been working all day and night, but I feel like what better way to start the New Year?

Considering that I have a goal that is ever before me, why not begin the first day of the year off by engaging in an activity that will play an active role in my life for the rest of my life (or at least the next year)?  School for this term is officially done (although I have one more paper to write so that I can pass) and although my work load at work is not about to decrease, at least I won't be consumed by school for the next few weeks (literally only 2 though).

Week 26 has some tough days on the horizon.  This boot camp is going to kill me (well at least kill the fat off of me-LOL).  Not that it's totally different from some of the classes at the gym, because it's not.  But what is different is that you stay on 90 the entire time and everything is super fast.  I can't just say "Oh, it's tougher for me cause I'm heavier" because that is not the truth.  I came to terms with that lie while in the car.  Physical activity is tough for anybody who engages in it and an individual's intensity/comfort level can not be compared to anyone else's.

You know, I just want to be a better stewart of this body - especially since God lives within me.  That's all.

Day 169: Boot Camp

Honest Talk Today...

My intensity has diminished by a lot.  That includes working out, eating right and just staying focused - it has decreased.  Why?  Because I'm tired and just want to sleep for 4 weeks straight (totally a dream).  I guess the reality is that this is my busiest time of year at work and the demands of school is a monster all in of its self.  I haven't been having "Track Date" in the morning for two reasons -
1.  IT'S COLD
2.  Sometimes I'm just going to bed when I'd be getting up to get ready for the track.

What I eat has changed because I have not been diligent in cooking my meals and packing my lunch.  As a result, it's easy to revert back to picking up a quick meal here and there so that you are not starving; or, pack lunch, but not dinner and all of the necessary snacks.  Most of the classes that my gym offers happen in the evening, which leaves me out because I can't get away from the office in time.

So after examining where I currently am, and know that I have no desire to stay in this place, I've decided to make a few changes
1.  I can't do this alone and need as much accountability as possible.  I've been debating between a personal trainer and joining a boot camp.  The cost of consistent Personal Training is more than what my budget can currently afford, but the Boot Camp is at an ungodly hour in the morning (5:45am until 6:45am).  But I am going to try the boot camp for a week to see how it goes.
2.  I'm going to find a nutritionist to come up with some meal plan options because when I plan what to eat, I'm not sure that I'm eating enough calories.  But when I don't plan what I'm going to eat (and engage in impulse eating), I KNOW that I eat well over the recommended amount of calories that a person at my weight and height should eat.

I signed up to do a trial for the boot camp which began this morning.  I was NERVOUS because I wanted to be able to keep up with everyone and I guess like everyone else, the unknown is scary.  Plus on TV, whenever heavy people go to a boot camp, they throw up the first time.  So I was scared this morning.  I didn't do much sleeping because I wanted to make sure that I woke up on time.  This boot camp meets from 5:45am until 6:45am Monday thru Friday in Greenbelt.  There were some things (ab work specifically) that were harder than others (weights), but I'm pretty proud that I went and pushed through the workout.  I'm tired and ready for bed, but sort of excited about doing it again tomorrow.  Maybe this change will be just what I needed to re-ignite the fire I need to continue on this journey.

Day 165: Week 25

A new week....

I just signed up for another 5k taking place on New Years Day (January 1, 2011) and I want to have a better time and better pace.  Tomorrow starts the formal outside training because I HAVE to do better, I just have too so that I don't look like this!