Working Through It

My knees and ankles are still very sore.  I think it's more muscle pain than joint pain.  I decided that I would just walk on Tuesday instead of run.  When I got there, a couple other ladies from the ward were there, so I had walking buddies.  We did two laps around the water park which took about 50 minutes.  They were keeping a good pace and I was hard pressed to keep up, but I was still glad I went.

Wednesday, I helped a friend move stuff out of her kitchen so it can be remodeled.  It was killer on my knees, but still got my heart rate up!  Thursday, I couldn't go walking due to circumstances beyond my control, but the break was nice.  And Friday was fitness class.  I like that it changes up my routine when I go to fitness class and it's fun to workout with friends.

This morning it was raining so I decided to give myself a day off and see how my knees were doing by Tuesday, but my friend called around 11:30 which was all the encouragement I needed.  We had a great walk without kids and it was nice to sneak out of the house and do something for me.

On the food front, I've been doing okay.  I love myfitnesspal and being able to enter in my calories and it does all the work for me!  Also, cutting back on snacking has helped me control my sugars.  I've had great numbers in the morning with only a couple highs during the day.  I like that when I exercise, it gives me a little more wiggle room in my calories.  But even when I don't exercise, I still feel like 1710 calories is not starvation.

I haven't seen a lot of weight loss this week, so I keep reminding myself to be patient.  I know that it will come in time, especially if I am consistent in good food choices and exercise.  Saw this on FaceBook today and loved it!

A Surprise or Two

This week, I continued with the week 1 routine.  Tuesday was a good run and I happened to see a friend along the way which made me smile.  I missed my Thursday run because I had made plans before starting this routine.  Saturday, Jim surprised me by asking if he could join me!  It was fun having a buddy, even if we didn't talk too much along the way.  He was a good sport and stayed with me.  After Saturday's run, I have had a lot of pain in my ankles and knees.  It feels mildly sore in my ankles, but my knees really hurt.  Not too sure what brought it on or what to do about it.  I'm hoping by Tuesday I'll be able to run again.

My other fun surprise was an email from my sister, inviting me to join FitnessPal.  It's a website that tracks your calories, weight, and exercise.  You can also see how your friends are doing as it updates their progress.  The funny thing was that I was looking for an app that would help me count carbs in my food and was going to download the same one just last week!  We are both trying to lose about 20lbs before Jules' wedding in June.  It's been really fun to see each others' progress and encourage one another.

Week 2

I survived my first week of running-okay walk/jogging.  I was able to work my way up to 8 cycles of jog/walk by the last run of the week.  So I decided to stick with that routine for another week.

It was nice having two whole days to let my body rest.  I realized this morning that I wasn't sore for the first time in a week!  I also did fitness class on Friday last week, which was fun, but a different kind of work out.  I really love how running works your whole body the whole time.  This week I won't be at fitness class and I made plans for Thursday morning, so I'm going to have to fit in a run at a different time.  Hmmm....

As far as eating goes, I did a horrible job for most of the week.  By Sunday, I was able to rein myself in a bit.  I know I can do better!!!

First time

I am not a runner.  I'm just going to start out by saying that.  However, I think it is a great way to get fit and I want to be a runner!  I think this program will help me get there.  The first week starts with jogging for 60 seconds and then walking for 90 seconds for 20 minutes with a 5 minute warm up and cool down.  I did the math and that works out to 8 cycles of jogging and walking.  I got through 6 before my throat did the thing where it burns and I can taste blood.  I know, gross.  You're supposed to do this routine for the first week, but I think it will take me two weeks to work up to all eight cycles.  And that's okay.

I enjoyed the area where I walked.  There were lots of other people walking or jogging, but not too many.  There is some up and down, but I think that's a good thing.  Also it was rather windy.  I got to know the route a little bit and I think I will change where I start out on Thursday.  Time to hit the showers!

Getting Started

The goal: Lose 20lbs by June 23rd.  I would like to lose a total of 40lbs this year.

Starting Weight: 193.2lbs

The plan: For exercise, I am going to do The Couch to 5k running plan three times a week.  I will also attend fitness class when schedule allows.  For eating, I am going to continue with Slimfast for breakfast, protein bar for lunch and regular dinner.  I am going to add to that 5 servings of fruits/vegetables per day.  Also, one serving of dessert.