This happened

May 16 - Semper Fi Fund 5K
 

I actually don't remember my time, but it was around 55 minutes. 

I'm hoping to get my time back down to less than 45 minutes by the end of fall.

Running updates

So far in 2014, I've completed 5 5Ks.

January 1, I did the first at a pace of 17 minutes/mile. I walked the entire thing, so I felt good about that. I know that many races have cut-off times of 16 min/mile (or less) so that gave me a good starting point.

March 1, I did a race that I ended up hating.  The terrain was rough, it was really hilly, and it was pretty disorganized. I'm glad I completed it, but my pace was over 18 min/mile.

April 5, I had a great run and was most proud of how well I fueled myself for it. I broke 16 min/mile and felt fantastic. I mean, I totally crashed & went back to bed that afternoon, but it felt fantastic up until then.

May 3, my pace was just over 16 min/mile.  I didn't fuel quite enough, so I ran out of steam with a little over a half mile to go.

May 10, I did something resembling actual running! I broke 15 minutes/mile! The course was almost perfectly flat, so that helped.   But overall, I could feel the progress from the last couple races.

I'm planning a 4-miler for the end of this month, but I'm giving up on the 10K for June.  I just haven't been training any distance. 

I'm still planning on the 8K in August, so that's my next challenge.

Non-Scale Victories

Since starting my journey to better health & better fitness, I've lost about 20 pounds.  But that's not the point.  Here are a list of things that have happened along the way:

• I can walk up 4 flights of stairs without needing to stop to rest (or thinking I'm going to die.)
• I can button my jeans without looking or feeling like a sausage.
• That would be my old jeans that I couldn't fit into for the 2 years before that.
• I have completed 3 5Ks.
• I can climb on pole (a little bit).
• I can see definition in my biceps.
• I have successfully worked out more days than not for the past 3 months.
• I have lost 2 inches on my waist (which I mostly only care about as it relates to my clothes).

I Pick Things Up & Put Them Down

I've started strength training.

I've resisted strength training for most most of my life, because I find it too cerebral. In a Zumba or Yoga class, I don't have to think too much. I follow an instructor, and I don't need a plan for what to do next. I don't need to remember what weight I'm up to or how many sets & reps I'm doing of anything. Smartphones have helped with some of that, and the Fitocracy ap has especially made following a plan simpler.

A friend introduced me to  The New Rules of Lifting for Women, and I'm really enjoying it so far.

It has 7 stages of progressively harder  routines, each of which you intensify  along the way to help move you along the journey. It's designed to be really efficient.  I haven't read the original New Rules book, but I suspect I would like it better. 

In the short time that I've been doing it (4 weeks) I do see a bit of a difference in my body. visually, but more importantly in my actual strength.  It's definitely showing up in my efforts on pole.

Stay tuned for more about muscle!

Doing the Weight Watchers Thing

April 2, 2013, after deciding I wasn't going to take control of my weight & my health without some help, I went with a friend to a Weight Watchers' meeting. After the meeting, I signed up. 

I really like the WW system. You count points, not calories - because all calories are not created equally.  The primary tool is the tracking of your daily & weekly points. If nothing else, it makes you really aware of what you're eating. It also then causes you to ask questions like, "Is this brownie really worth 14 points?"

I love the bounty of resources, from the in person meetings, to the online tools and the apps on my phone. My regular meeting is incredibly supportive and motivational.  While we do celebrate "non-scale victories (NSV)" are celebrated, the one thing I don't like about WW, is that the ultimate goal is measured in pounds only. So, the NSVs, which may ultimately be more important to your overall health, are treated as bonuses. That simply means that I have to make sure to value those things for myself.

I was really successful at first. I lost nearly 25 pounds through October, but then slowly they started to creep back as I became less diligent. Some of that may be increased muscle, but until I go back to tracking my food every day, I won't know for sure. So, that's a priority for me - however, as it goes, life is getting in the way right now. Until I  get some other things under control, I'll have to try to be more mindful of my decisions without the real-time tracking.

Nobody's Even Chasing Me!

I've tried several times over the past few years to take up running again (I ran in high school & the beginning of college) but it hadn't worked out until this most recent effort.  I think all the additional cardio work (read: Zumba) has helped.

I'm doing a beginner 5K program, and I'm still walking more than running. But my pace per mile has been slowly coming down. I started the year with a 5K. (No, really, it was New Year's Day!) and I'm registered for another on March 1st. I'm planning for 1 in April and 2 in May as well. Then, hopefully, on to a 10K. 

The tentative race calendar is this:

• 3/1, 5K
• 4/5, 5K
• 5/3, 5K
• 5/10, 5K
• 6/14, 10K!!
• 8/23, 8K (Yeah, I know that's backwards, but I can't help that the 10K I want to do is scheduled earlier!)
• 10/4, 5K
• 11/9, 5K
• 11/29, 10-miler (or 5-miler, if I'm not ready)
• 12/9, 8K

I won't say I've actually been bitten by the running bug, but I really appreciate how easy it is to measure progress.   I'll be posting my progress here (along with Runkeeper, Facebook, Fitocracty, Twitter...)

I'm a Fitocracy Addict!

I'm loving this site/app, Fitocracy.
http://ftcy.me/uyLKie

It's a social networking site focused on fitness. There are groups, challenges, articles & more.  But the 2 features that I find most addictive are the tracking (you can enter physical activities for points, and level up like a video game) and the encouragement.  The site is designed for users to encourage each other through workouts, diets, slumps, victories, etc.  I love it. You should check it out.

The Diabetes Update

I have a family history of diabetes. So much so, that part of me has always felt that the diagnosis was inevitable (I do know that it wasn't, but that's not the point right now.)

January 19, 2013, my roommate drove me to the ER because my vision had gone blurry. The culprit, it turns out, was blood sugar so high it had caused my lenses to swell. I had just fought off a fairly serious bug, which is apparently a common trigger for people on the border of diabetes to tip over. Of course, I didn't just tip, I plummeted. My blood sugar was so high that we don't actually know how I was still alive, much less perfectly functioning (except for the eyesight).

I was put on quite a bit of medication, and went on about my life for a couple of weeks. I was still pretty exhausted from the virus, as well as the diabetes. I paid a lot of attention to the card counts (especially the sugar counts) in my food.

The quantity of pills I was taking was hard on my stomach. So, I resolved to get weaned off at least some of it. That meant, in part, losing weight. I started walking on a somewhat regular basis. I signed up for a 5K, and I joined Weight Watchers. 

Since joining WW In April 2013, I'm down 19 pounds (I was down 21, but I've gained a couple back). I've started working out much more regularly, and in fact just started a strength training program.

I'm on slightly less medication, but my goal is to get to half where I am now. I can walk up 3 flights of stairs without feeling like I'm going to die, but I'd like to get it to 5.  I've done another 5K, and I have plans for at least 3 more in the next few months. 

All in all, I'm actually healthier than I've been in a while.

Pole Pressure

I've taken up pole dancing as a major component of my fitness regime.

Well, sort of. I'm still in the beginning stages, but I'm using pole to mark my progress. One of my major goals for the year is to invert on pole. I'm not strong enough yet, but I'm actively working on that. It requires more upper body strength and a lot more core strength than I have right now. In the meantime, I've learned a couple spins, and I can climb one level. There are more spins & higher climbs in my future, my for now the primary goal is that inversion!

New Year, New Me

Last year, I was diagnosed with diabetes. More on that later. I started working really hard on my health, with weight loss as a major part of that. I joined Weight Watchers & lost 20 pounds from April to August. And then I stalled. I've also lost inches, and increased my overall fitness, but I'd really like to get the scale and clothing sizes moving again.

I've started going to the gym regularly. In fact, I have 2 gyms - a regular gym & a dance studio. Why a dance studio? Because I've taken up pole dancing as part of my fitness regimen. In addition to Zumba and walking/jogging, pole has been a big part of my routine, and the major strength component. Also, it's helping me regain a positive view of my body, at whatever size & weight I happen to be at the moment. Except on the days where it makes me hate my body, which are becoming rare.

I'm starting to include juicing as part of my diet.

I'm looking for a sustainable yoga workout.

My fitness goals for 2014 include getting back down to a size 12, inverting on pole & completing a ten-miler.

I've also re-focused on beauty & skin care. There's a whole post coming about my journey with the oil-cleansing method. Also, I've been trying a lot of new make-up, still looking for what works for me. Top priorities there include finding a blush color that works for me, and matching eye looks to lip looks.

For some reason, blogger changed the dates on the entries I just went back & tagged.  I'll go back & fix them eventually.  Probably. 

The new workout plan

I wasn't going to the gym, so I went in to cancel my membership. They, of course, tried to talk me out of it. We compromised and put the membership on hold for a while. I fully intended to go ahead with my plan to cancel. But then I realized, at $30/month, the membership was a value if I only took 2 fitness classes each month. So it spurred me on to a new commitment - 1 class every other week. That's all. I know myself well enough to know that if I can just make that stick for a few weeks, I'll go more often just because I've started the habit.

Not feeling so good

Since my last post I was laid off from my job. While I bought a short-term health insurance plan, it wasn't worth much except in cases of catastrophe. I'm still pending a decision for a normal insurance plan.

I haven't been on anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication during several very depressing and anxious months. In a nutshell, it ain't been pretty, folks.

I keep telling myself that I should be going to the gym more, but I haven't been able to consistently drag myself down there. I know it would make me feel better in the long term, but I can't seem to make myself do it more than a couple times a month.

I'll be posting more about my health care situation, as well as trying to kick start better eating and fitness habits.

New Year's Resolutions (mine)

This year (next year?), instead of doing traditional resolutions, I'm doing a 101 Things in 1001 Days list. I'll be tracking that list in a separate blog, here.

New Year's Resolutions (not mine)

According to this article from Fitness.com ...

"Many people tend to make unrealistic goals when it comes to creating a New Year’s Resolution based on health and fitness. Many rush immediately to a gym to sign up, go for a few weeks, and then decide to give up. Instead of making these unreachable goals for yourself, why not start with something simpler. Here are some suggestions to creating a more manageable and achievable New Year’s Resolution."

Finding the track

Before I can get back on track, I have to find the track again. There's been lots of upheaval over the last few months, and while all has not been lost I've not been intentional with very much of my health, beauty or fitness routine.

Health:
I've decided that my sinuses are probably a large part of my chronic minor health issues (headaches and nausea, especially) so I bought a Neti Pot. I've only used it once so far, and it felt really weird. I need to get used to it and see if it has a noticeable effect.

I'm increasing my fiber intake by putting Benefiber in almost everything I drink. (I stop short of taking it with me to restaurants.) I'm drinking more water and taking vitamins on a semi-regular basis.

Beauty:
I bought a Sheer Cover intro kit. It seems to work ok, I'm just not in the habit of putting on makeup.
I have developed a night routine and morning routine, though I have yet to stick to them. I printed them out and taped them to the bathroom mirror.
I'm in the middle of developing a salon schedule that I hope will include monthly facials. It's mostly a budget issue.

Fitness:
My goal is to lose about 25 lbs. this year.
My plan is to go to the gym 3x/week - which is not currently happening.
My new office is on the third floor of a walk-up, so I get a little more activity in my day than before. When it warms up I plan to take regular pre-work & lunchtime walks.