say what?

so, i started a new job today. yeah, i didn't know i was looking either. i happened upon a job listing on craigslist monday afternoon, emailed about it, interviewed yesterday and started today.

say what?

i'm a 2 year old teacher at a mother's day out. it's 6 hours on tuesdays and thursdays, and jackson gets to go to school there for free. win/win/win! we started training and classroom set up today and tomorrow, and school starts on september 1st. I'm so excited! i can bring in a little extra money, and save some on school (because we were paying for him to go to a different school) and i get out of the house 2 days a week. it's funny how some things just work out.

onto the topic at hand. i skipped posting last night, but i did do yoga. i hadn't done it in a few weeks, so it was tough, but it felt great. i really enjoy yoga. i do the biggest loser weight loss yoga dvd and really makes me sweat!

today i started week 4 of the couch to 5k. and yikes. i was nervous going in, so i don't know if i just freaked myself out, but it was a tough one! this is what it looked like:

5 minute warm-up walk

3 minute run
90 second walk
5 minute run
2.5 minute walk
3 minute run
90 second walk
5 minute run

5 minute cool-down walk

FIVE MINUTES. twice. but, i totally did it! i'm still pretty slow, but i never lost my pace, and it's still on par with my past runs.

but MY SHINS. they're dead to me. they honestly hurt a lot worse when I walk. and hurt they do. ouch! again, stretching really well when I got home seemed to loosen them up, but man. those walks were tougher than the runs because of the pain! i don't stretch before i run, so next time i'll try that and see if that helps. cross your fingers!

Official stats:

Distance: 2.13 miles
Walk pace: 17:02/mile
Run pace: 13:33/mile 

I felt: nervous. and then lots of shin pain half way through.
The weather was: Hot and breezy.
Best song(s) from playlist: moves like jagger by maroon 5 and smile by lily allen

I think I may take a few days off from blogging. we have a lot going on the next week or so. I will be staying on track! catch ya on the flip.

week 3, day 3

I finished up week 3 of the couch to 5k program today. I'm really finding my stride now that I'm getting into longer chunks of running. 3 minutes isn't much, but it's double what I have ever done before, and I'm very proud of myself for that. The stopping to walk in between kind of throws me off though. It's always kind of hard for my to find my stride again after that first run, but I'm working on it. And it's feeling better every time I run.

Official stats:

Distance: 2.04 miles
Walk pace: 16:35/mile
Run pace: 13:32/mile 

I felt: Sweaty! It was so humid out tonight that I was pouring sweat most of the time. But it secretly felt awesome! Shins are still giving me trouble toward the end, mostly when I'm walking. Stretching once I'm done seems to be helping a lot though.
The weather was: Hot and humid!
Best song(s) from playlist: Stronger by Kanye West and Take On Me by a-ha

Registration for my 5k starts on September 1st! It's getting close!

Have a great Tuesday!

i promise i'll stop talking about the weather

but it's RAINING outside right now! it has been raining most of the night apparently. and it's 77 degrees. I mean, i don't know what to say besides halleluja! we sure need it.

Back on-topic, I did get a good workout in yesterday. Hit the 30-day shred for the first time in almost 2 weeks. It felt awesome. I'm trying to talk myself into bumping up to level 2. I am such a chicken. I've never even done level 2. Maybe tonight or tomorrow. I might even talk myself into taking advantage of this cool weather and go for a run later today. We'll see.

Also, I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 4 lbs. this week. Holy cow! I made some pretty significant changes to my diet, and it's apparently working. I've cut gluten, most carbs, sugar (minus a teaspoon or so for my coffee) and dairy. I thought for this carb-o-holic that I would surely die of cravings, but it's actually been easier than I thought. I've had so much more energy, never feeling heavy or weighed down by what I eat. And seeing that scale move is really great motivation. So, the combination of weight watchers, and all that stuff is really working for me right now.

I'd love to hear what you guys are doing. Anyone else trying the gluten-free diet? Or paleo?

i'm off to enjoy the weekend with my guys. have a good one!

I'll take it

It was 90 degrees this afternoon, y'all. ninety. and cloudy. and there was a breeze that didn't feel like a blow dryer. obviously, the boy and I hit the park to take full advantage. it was so nice. we had the place to ourselves, and we went down more slides than I can count.

I'll take it.

Then, because I felt so good about my run last night, I talked myself into doing it again tonight. So glad I did. The weather was cooler, and I started right at dusk and it was great. 

I felt good. I'm learning how to control my breathing and to keep my pace. Oddly enough, I can keep a better pace when I run than when i walk. I'm kind of awkward when I try to walk fast...or maybe I'm just awkward. Who knows. Either way, I am enjoying running more every time I go. That's the goal, right?

Official stats:

Distance: 1.91 miles ( I started my app a little further into my warm-up than usual to snap a few pictures)
Walk pace: 16:43/mile (slower than yesterday)
Run pace: 13:25/mile (a littletinybit faster than yesterday!)

I felt: Really good. Proud of my pace. My shins started to hurt a bit toward the end, but otherwise it was a great run today.
The weather was: Cooler...if you can call it that. Better than 99!
Best song(s) from playlist: Lovestoned/I think she knows by Justin Timberlake & Pardon Me by Incubus

I'm in kind of a song rut. I have a very small running playlist, and even most of those feel too slow to me. I'd love to hear some of the songs that keep you guys motivated while you run or work out! 

Tomorrow is Friday! I'm hoping to do the shred during nap time, and either a run or some yoga in the evening (maybe...). Maybe I'll even throw one in this weekend!

holy HEAT

y'all. it is so hot here. I went for my run at 9 o'clock PM and this was the temp:

I mean, can we get some fall please?

Other than the heat, I had a great run. I went ahead and bumped myself up to week 3, day 1. That looks like this:

5 minute warm-up walk

90 seconds running
90 seconds walking
3 minutes running
3 minutes walking
      repeat

5 minute cool down walk

Now, for anyone who is an actual runner, that probably seems a little silly. But for me, 3 minutes of full on running is an accomplishment, and I am proud of myself! I'm also extremely motivated to continue and grow that number. Less than 2 months until the 5k, so I really have to keep my butt in gear and get prepared.

Official stats:

Distance: 2.09 miles
Walk pace: 16:08/mile (slower than yesterday)
Run pace: 13:39/mile (faster than yesterday!)

I felt: Great! I did all my runs, and kept a good pace.
The weather was: Hot.
Best song(s) from playlist: Emerge by Fischer Spooner & Hey Mama by Mat Kearney

I'm getting excited as the race gets closer. Tomorrow is a day of rest, but I'll be doing some yoga for sure, and maybe even some 30-day shreddin'! 

I'm baaaack

Finally! It has been a crazy few weeks around here. Today was the first time I've run since the last time I updated...isn't that awful? But I was doing the 30-day shred or yoga (or both!) every day.

Except last week.

Jackson and I spent a week with my dad...which is always so much fun, but also I tend to feel like calories don't count at Pop's house. But I actually did pretty well eating wise. I did get one good swim in while I was there, but that was it as far as working out. But, I still managed to lose 1 pound! So I'm officially down  8 lbs. (I lost a pound the week before too.) So, yay for not gaining!

Running (for the first time in my new fancy shoes!) felt so good! I've missed it, which is weird. I hit a really good stride tonight. I picked up where I left off instead of starting over, and even pushed a run through 2 of my walks.

(my app messed up and said I only ran 0.9 miles. that is wrong, I ran the same route I always run. It was 2 miles.)

Official stats:

Distance: 1.9 miles (I'm just going to call it fair...)
Walk pace: 15:18/mile
Run pace: 14:38/mile

I felt: awesome! First run in two weeks, and I feel like I knocked it out of the park! Glad to be back!
The weather was: Hot. 94 with a pretty nice breeze. And it was dusk, so it was pretty out!
Best song(s) from playlist: Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People and Someone Like Me by Laura Jenson (Armin van Buuren remix)

Times were a little slower than last time, but I fully expected that. I'm glad to be back on track! Will be doing a run tomorrow and then I'll be on my Monday, Wednesday, Friday runs again, with the shred and some yoga in between. 

We have a lot going on around here too. We have weddings we'll be filming coming up, our son will be 3 on the 24th and his party will be on the 27th and the school starts again. Busy, busy! 

I'll be back with my stats tomorrow. 

It's good to be back!

shoes and a weigh-in

Well, I finally got some new running shoes this weekend! I'm so excited. We went to Luke's Locker and I got my gait examined (that sounds weirder than it is...), and I found a great, comfy and even cute pair of shoes.

My plan was to get up this morning and run, but my sweet, early riser of a son decided to get up at 5:15. I managed, after a brief meltdown, to get him back into bed and asleep for another 45 minutes or so. So, when my 6:15 wake-up call came, I obviously wasn't feeling very motivated. So instead, hubs and I did the 30-day shred tonight. It felt great, since I haven't worked out since Thursday!

I also weighed in this morning. Down another pound. It's a little slow going, but it's better than a gain. Total loss so far is 6 lbs. I'm thinking of trying the Paleo diet. Has anyone tried that? Any luck? I'm interested.

Hoping to be up and running early in the morning. Wish me luck!

the shins

not the band, although, they're great. but I'm talking about my shins. they're being mean to me. or maybe I'm being mean to them? I'm not sure. But either way, they're-a-hurtin'.

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I ended up doing the shred again last night (twice in one day! I'm patting myself on the back as we speak), and after the 2nd round, I was in some P-A-I-N. There's not a huge amount of running or running type exercises, maybe 6 minutes total, but it did me in. So, no run this morning. I'm feeling kind of sad and discouraged, because I really want to focus on my running, but it hurts too bad.

The plan is to get me some new shoes when we can, and just go from there. Until then, I think I'll try my older shoes and see if that helps. If it gets worse, I'll stick to the shred, yoga, and hip hop abs.

five fifteen

that's what time my almost 3 year old son came and got in bed with us this morning. and when he gets in bed with us, that means no one is getting any more sleep. so, instead of getting up and doing my run an hour later, I laid there, with a wriggling boy, trying desperately to cling to one more minute of sleep. I maybe got 10. total.

So, instead I just did the 30-day shred. It felt good too. Last night I was feeling really nauseous, so I skipped my run last night (grr), but I'm feeling better today. Much better since I finally worked out.

I will set my alarm for the morning, so say a little prayer that a little person, who shall remain nameless, doesn't climb in and force me to cuddle instead. I really hate that! :)

and here's a little pinterest love, just for fun! (follow me HERE!)

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the weekend

this weekend was not what I would call productive. well, I guess I should say Saturday wasn't...

friday Jackson and I took lunch to daddy at work. when we do that, there's relatively no nap for the boy. He falls asleep for the 20 minute car ride there, and that's it. As we drove to dinner Friday night (sushi...it's a weekly thing around here) I was shocked to see that he had fallen asleep in his carseat. This boy will fight to the death to stay awake. I was even more shocked when he continued sleeping until we woke him up about 10 minutes before we left the restaurant. Good news is, it made for a nice, adult dinner date...just with a sleeping toddler in the booth.

pooped.

Saturday we hung around in our pj's until after naptime. Then in the afternoon we loaded up and went to a bounce house place in the mall. This was our first visit, and for $6 and lots of energy burned, I'd say we will definitely be going back. Jackson had a blast!

We had Italian food for dinner, and after that I forced myself to do this yoga dvd. It felt awesome. 

Sunday morning I had a photo shoot with a super cute little 1 year old boy, and then we hit brunch. The rest of the day was actually busy and productive. I got the meal plan for the week together, went to the grocery store, did some laundry (with lots of help from my guys!), and hubs even got some organizing done. All in all, it was a laid back weekend. And it was good.

Today is my official weigh-in day and I'm down another pound. It's a little less than I was hoping for, but we went out for lunch and dinner all weekend, so I'll take what I can get. Good news is I'm down 5 whole pounds! I even got my cute little 5lb star on my weight watchers tracker!

I didn't get up and run this morning, but after the boy goes to bed I will be hitting the neighborhood hard. Wish me luck...no new running shoes yet. I hope my shins are nice to me! I'll be back tonight with my stats.

day 2, week 2

Even though I really wanted to keep sleeping this morning, I made myself get up (after one snooze through) and go for my run. I felt pretty strong at first, but my shins started hurting pretty bad about halfway through. I pushed through, but I was still in a fair amount of pain for about 20 minutes after I was done. I looked it up and it says aches and pains are pretty normal when you first start running. Maybe I need some new shoes? Has anyone had any experience here? Any advice or tips?

I did a pretty great run though. Fastest run time yet! I also found a new route that is the perfect distance. No backtracking, which is nice.

Official stats:

Distance: 1.9 miles
Walk pace: 16:51/mile
Run pace: 11:43/mile (2 whole minutes per mile faster than last time!! Fastest yet!)

I felt: motivated and strong at first, then sore towards the middle.
The weather was: 79 degrees with no breeze
Best song(s) from playlist: One More Time by Daft Punk and Single Ladies by Beyonce

I'll be doing one more run either tomorrow morning or evening. Have a great weekend!

I shred(ed) instead

when my alarm went off this morning, I knew I wasn't going to get up and run. I was so exhausted all day yesterday, and went to bed earlier than usual. But, it just wasn't happening. So, I promised myself that when Jackson went down for his nap I would do the 30 day shred. So, that's what I did. I feel much better since I worked out. I haven't in 2 days, and I could totally tell. This morning I was so sluggish and even after 2 cups of coffee and a ton of water, I couldn't stop yawning. I constantly have to remind myself how much better I'll feel after I work out! That's my best motivation right now.

I also have a new favorite snack I want to share. It's super easy, and feels so sinful to me. It's about a tablespoon of semi-sweet chocolate chips and about 10 whole almonds. I get my chocolate fix and some natural energy and lots of other good stuff from the almonds. All for 4 Points! It's very satisfying, and so yum!

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What are some of your favorite quick snacks?

Tomorrow morning I am definitely getting up and going for a run. Happy Thursday! Yay for the weekend (almost)!

unexpected surprises

well, the past few days have been full of unexpected surprises. the first was, on Monday my husbands intern gifted me with BRITNEY SPEARS tickets!!

She won them on the radio, and when her plans fell through, she did the NICEST THING EVER and just gave them to me! I LOVE Britney, and I am NOT ashamed! My best friend ended up taking a few days off work, and drove down on a whim to go with me. It was so much fun! Britney puts on an amazing show. A night to remember, for sure! Thanks again Hollie! I can't even tell you how grateful I am!

The second unexpected surprise is I weighed in this morning (even though I know it's not my official weigh-in day. I don't care, I'm a habitual weigh-in-er) and I'm down 4lbs! So encouraging, and now I am refreshed and ready to stay on track!

No work-out yesterday. It was a day full of Britney preparations. Today looks like it's going to be a day of Britney recovery, but I may squeeze out a hip hop abs session after the boy goes to bed tonight. I will be doing my run tomorrow morning, so I'll for sure be back tomorrow with stats.

Happy Wednesday, and keep on dancin' til the world ends!

day 1, week 2

I just got back from my first run of week 2. For anyone who isn't familiar with the c25k program it looks something like this:

5 minute warm-up walk
90 second run
2 minute walk
alternate for 20 minutes
5 minute cool down walk

so, it's a total of 30 minutes.

I felt good this morning. strong. I ran with my head up and shoulders back. and I ran through!

Official stats:

Distance: 1.9 miles (not quite as far as last week)
Walk pace: 17:49/mile
Run pace: 13:41/mile (not great, not horrible)

I felt: motivated and strong
The weather was: 79 degrees with a nice breeze
Best song(s) from playlist: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk


Week 2 Weigh-in: -.5 lbs. (yes, a half of a pound, but I will take what I can get!)
Total lost: .5 lbs.

Only 88 days until the BIG DAY. I'm using this little bit of inspiration to keep me going.

Happy Monday!

swing batta, batta

well, my schedule changed a little for the weekend, but I'm still on track. I decided to take Saturday off instead of Sunday. I didn't get up and run this morning, but I am going to do hip hop abs tonight after baby bedtime, and I have been counting my points like a crazy person!

so, instead of talking about what I didn't do, I'll give you a little peek at what we did do.

We went to a Rangers game! It was so much fun. Jackson had a blast. He had his first taste of cotton candy, tons of popcorn, and his favorite...a sucker! It was a little hot and humid, but we kept the water flowing and we made it 2 whole hours. This is definitely something we will do with our boy again.

I'll be back tonight with my workout stats for the day.

Happy Sunday!

day 3, week 1

Well, I heard my alarm this morning.

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Not that I think I can consider myself a runner quite yet, this felt very true this morning. I hit the snooze once, and then finally drug my lazy bones out of bed and went for a run. I felt a little slow this morning, but surprisingly increased my run pace. Walk pace was way down, for whatever reason. But, I'll take it anyway.

Official stats:

Distance: 2.0 miles
Walk pace: 17:36/mile (way too slow)
Run pace: 13:07/mile (fastest yet!)

I felt: slow and sore.
The weather was: 86 degrees with a nice breeze
Best song(s) from playlist: SuperBass by Nicki Minaj and Call on Me by Eric Prydz


Even though the C25k program is only 3 days a week, I plan on doing day 3 again tomorrow morning, and then using Sunday as a full rest day. 


Happy Friday!

day 2, week 1

y'all. I totally did it. I did the 30-day shred when the boy went down for his nap, and after he went to bed tonight,  I did my run. I am stoked about this! two workouts in one day...a week ago I wasn't even close to getting anywhere near one workout. So, this is a step in the right direction. The first 10 minutes of my run I wasn't sure if I was up for it. It was still close to 100 degrees out and I didn't feel like my legs would go, but I pushed a little harder, and got it done. A little increase in walk pace, and a little decrease in run speed. I think I pushed too hard the first half, and was at a slow jog the 2nd half. I'll try to manage my energy better tomorrow. I'm still patting myself on the back right now...

Here's the proof...

Official stats:

Distance: 2.1 miles
Walk pace: 15:45/mile
Run pace: 14:21/mile (a little slower than yesterday, but it's only my 2nd day!)

I felt: not great at first, but so proud that I pushed through.
The weather was: HOT! 97 degrees.
Best song from playlist: Beggin' by Madcon

Now I'm off to shower, and to wind down for the evening. Hot tea & The Hunger Games. 

6:15 will come early...as long as I hear my alarm.

what a way to start the day

Today is day 2, and already my alarm clock is my enemy. I thought it didn't go off, but I guess I just had the volume turned down too low to hear. So, at 6:45 am I woke up and realized I missed my alarm, and my window to get my run in before my husband had to be ready and off to work. I am planning to do the 30-day shred while my kid naps, and then maybe this evening go for my run.

Since we're talking about starting the day I thought I'd share an article about breakfast I came across. HERE

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Breakfast is hard for me. I'm rarely hungry and prefer to just have a cup of coffee, but I am trying to force myself to eat a healthy breakfast. I'm not usually up for full on cooking in the morning either, so the quicker the better. I usually do oatmeal, or sometimes yogurt and granola, but they're both pretty sweet, and granola is a little high in calories.

So, tell me... what are your go-to healthy breakfasts? Do you feel fuller longer if you eat breakfast?

I'll be back tonight with my work-out stats for the day.

day 1, week 1

I just got back from my first run. I feel awesome! I ran every time I was supposed to, and never felt like I was going to die. Which is a victory in my book. I actually tried to start the C25k program a few months ago, and the first few days I couldn't run every time. So, I'm feeling great this morning!

Official stats:

Distance: 2.1 miles
Walk pace: 16:11/mile
Run pace: 13:55/mile (could use a little more speed I think)

I felt: awesome!
The weather was: 76 degrees, perfect
Best song from playlist: Encore by Jay-z

My little guy is still asleep, so I'm going to enjoy some quiet time and some coffee.

Day one: DONE!

the plan

The race: Lake Joe Pool Pumpkin Run

The date: October 8, 2011

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Before I go to bed tonight I will set my alarm for 6:15 am. I am going to get up before anyone else in my house, and go for a run. Well, a run/walk, if you will. I am officially starting the Couch to 5k program and beginning my training to run my very first 5k! I'm excited and nervous. Motivated and scared. But, this has been on my to do list for far too long, and I am determined to accomplish my goal.

Along with training for the 5k, I am trying to get healthy and lose some weight. I will be doing weight watchers as well as training, and doing other forms of exercise (30 Day Shred, Hip Hop Abs, etc.) on my "rest days". I am so looking forward to feeling better about myself!

This blog is sort of a way to keep me accountable. I'll blog every day with my C25K run stats, or I'll talk about whatever form of exercise I did that day. I'll also share any health blogs or articles I come across, and maybe even a few recipes!

Thanks for following along! Please feel free to leave any tips or recipes you're loving right now in the comments!