Brand New Day

     The last week has seen a lot of action. Training for the 4 Mile, actually running the 4 Mile, way too much excitement. So how do you come down from all of that? First you panic. I was so tired from the event but afraid that suddenly I would stop. I got up early on Monday (my work from home day) to run. Not just run because I am training for an event but just plain running for exercise. After my work day I took my bike out to the track. I have been neglecting my bike. I decided to have a leisure ride. My ride lasted an hour. I rode until my butt was numb.What was I trying to prove?
   Two weeks ago my chiropractor introduced me to kettle bells.. He was so proud of me because I learned how to do the exercise after one tutorial. He chose the 20lb weight. I never lift 20lb weights so I was a little apprehensive. The workout I tried was when you swing the weight between your legs and then lift it up to shoulder height while popping out your core. It felt like a good hard workout because I was sweating immediately. I have to warn you that my inner thighs hurt like the devil for three days straight everytime I sat down and stood up. Yesterday, he showed me how to do squats holding the 20lb weight in one hand while holding the opposite  arm up. Dr. B is going to try to teach me a new move every week. Next I am going to buy myself a 20lb kettle bell for home.
            This week's meeting topic is about managing your time for your weight loss journey. You have to make time for yourself. I'm a mom, I know all about this. I had to learn to make time for me. Sometimes you get so use to looking after other people that you put yourself on the bottom of your own to do list.  Here are some  ways my leader Melanie says we can....
Make Time For Success
-Analyze your day
-Set priorities (What would help you be successful today?)
-Enlist the help from others
-Have a plan for the entire day
-Make an aapointment for exercise
-Prepare additional food for cooking future meals
           So this week, why don't we see if we can  live up to the make time for success rules this week.

This Week's Activity
Tues. all day = 4pts
Wed. walk 30+ blocks to work + all day+ jog 1.6 miles = 14pts
Thurs.Walk 30+ blocks to work + all day = 8pts
Fri. all day = 4pts
Sat 4Mile event + walking around city = 18pts
Sun. Walking around running errands = 4pts
Mon. Jog 1.6 miles + all day = 11 pts
TOTAL = 63 pts

This Train Don't Stop

           Today was the day of the Fitness Magazine 4 mile event in Central Park. My WW homie Cindy and I signed up for this event. Cindy ran a 4 mile run previously but I did not. I was hoping to run a few 5K's before I tackled the 4 Mile but I sprained my ankle while training for my second 5K of the season and was grounded for a long time. My WW leader, the fabulous marathoner Melanie, once suggested that since Cindy and I were pretty good at 5K's we should do a 4 Mile. But I was chicken because, one I didn't build up my running resume and two I did not have enough faith in myself to be able to run that far. When I went online to sign up there were no upcoming 5K's so I bit the bullet and signed up for the 4Mile.

Me and Cindy before the race

             If you have been reading my blog, you know I have been very apprehensive and doubtful. Even when I woke up this morning, my faith was shaky. Everyone else around me was so encouraging, I felt that I had to try. I met Cindy at the event. We were talking about the possibility of not being able to run the whole thing and saying we would walk when we needed to walk and run when we could. So when the horn sounded, we started jogging. Cindy is faster that me, so I waved good-bye as she ran ahead. A short while in, I felt so tired and slow. I also felt like I made a mistake signing up. When I train, I like running up hills but when I hit the first hill today, I struggled all the way up. It was early in the run, and I felt defeated, but I kept on running.
              When I got to the first mile marker, I was amazed that I made it that far. My time was 19:42 minutes. Boy was I slow, but I decided to keep running until I was too tired; then I would walk. But I kept running. When the next hill came along, I decided to walk up. At the top of the hill I started running again. I only saw one person from the race and I realized that I was way behind, running at my pace. Before long I hit the 2Mile mark at 29:10 minutes. I was tired but I decided to keep running. Now there are people running past me that are not even in the race. Groups of men, moms with running strollers and I am just slowly jogging at my pace. From time to time the race volunteers would cheer me on. Thank goodness for them because I really needed that encouragement. Suddenly on my MP3 I hear Elton John singing "This Train Don't Stop", so I decided that I would keep running. When I came across  hills, I walked up the hills again and started running at the top. I found myself at the 3Mile mark at 52:46 minutes.
              I thought about walking half of the last mile but a voice in my head said keep running. So I did at my pace. The next thing I knew I was at the homestretch. Cindy, who finished at 59.14 minutes, was there with her boyfriend Pete encouraging me to keep on running. So I did. I crossed the finish line at 1:05.22 minutes. I can hardly believe that because during my practice run/walk I finished at 1:12 minutes. Not only did I run almost the whole race, but I shaved time off my practice time.

Me and Cindy after the race

Cindy and Pete

              After the race, we went to lunch at a diner. While I was walking to my bus, I made two stops. First I rewarded my non-scale victory with new handbags. Then I wandered around a posh yarn store which really makes me miss my knitting and crocheting so I truly need to get back into it.

              I am so happy that so many people encouraged me to keep going from my family to my WW family because I really did not think I could do it. But I did and I am so proud of my accomplishment. Oh, and I will keep on running.

Long Train Running

          So I made it to Day 4 of the "Four Magic Days" of eating clean. No candy, cake , cookies or strawberry Hagen Daas ice cream has passed my lips for four days. I have had WW bars at the end of the day as my treat. I cannot believe how hard it has been. I also cannot believe how easy it has been. I was so out of control that I was angry at the thought of giving up the things that I had been doing the last few months. But after a day or so, my body did not have a problem with it. This brings us to the emotional portion of the journal. Why did I do it?
           Earlier on Facebook a few of us were having a conversation about why we feel the need for comfort food. In a past we identify certain foods with a warm gooey feeling inside. Maybe our parents rewarded us with cookies and candy for doing a good job. Maybe after a bad day you sat down with a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Food is fuel that our bodies require to live but food is also a powerful sedative. How many times have my hubby and I eaten and then curled up in a fetal position too tired to turn off the light. I love food but I have to realize that all foods are not good for my body. But there are times when I have a bad day at work or hear some bad news and I walk right into the mega pharmacy and purchase a bag of peanut butter M&M's and let it ride. My problem is still there but for 30 minutes or so, I don't care until I get on the scale.
          The next item from the "Get Off Your Butt..." article is to FIND INSPIRATION. Of course I am inspired by my fellow meeting attendees who achieve great goals after working so hard. I love the show, The Biggest Loser where people who have not exercised in years are forced into action by hardcore yelling and screaming trainers. Tomorrow is my 4 mile event and I am a nervous wreck because I did not improve my jogging time over the summer. But I am one of those sappy people who cry when these people are able to do a 1/2 marathon or even walk a 26 mile marathon and have come so far. Tomorrow I will take my large butt through a 4 mile race ( I use the race loosely as I am only trying to beat myself).

We Will Rock You

           So I am in Day 3 of the WW "Four Magic Days" quest. I have to admit I like it. Tuesday was the first day and I didn't even know it. But I had eaten on plan and decided that it was Day One.  But yesterday was Day 2. It was kind of rough. What made it rough was the realization that party time was over. I was not going to do "whatev", I had to do what is right. I did not pack lunch because I did not have a cucumber in the house. I am mortified by a salad that does not have  cucumber and lettuce in it. My reasoning is that lettuce and cucumbers are mostly water. You can use them to bulk up your salad and add the extras like protein, dressing and fruit to build up your tastes.
          Anywho, I chose to go to Subway which is a major advertiser on the Biggest Loser so how can I go wrong. I chose a six inch flatbread roastbeef sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green pepper , olive and honey mustard. WW tracking says the sandwich is worth 8pts + I added 1pt for the tiny bit of olives the sandwich maker adds. On my way back to the office I purchased a bag of barbecue Pop Chips worth 3pts. But sitting right there at the register was one of favorites, Lindt chocolates. I purchased two pieces.  When snack time came around, I opened my desk drawer of fruit and grabbed a peach AND the chocolate. I was very busy and the emotional part of me felt like eating the chocolate. I took a pictures of the peach and the chocolates and sent it to my homies Tam and Cindy , asking which snack should I eat. They did not answer me. I took that as a bad sign and put the chocolates back in my drawer and ate the peach.
          I told this tale so that you would know what made me angry. Obviously I knew that I was trying to have "Four Magic Days" and that the chocolate was a very slippery slope for me. All I kept thinking was why can't I eat the chocolate. The answer was there all along Dorothy. Deep down inside , I knew. I knew that I had been making bad choices for some time now. I would have some good days and some not so good days but never four consistant days of goodness. I owe this to myself to stay on the path of righteousness and not eat the chocolate FOR NOW. After all, WW Points Plus program is not about depriving yourself of decadent things but learning how to fit them in properly. I had lost my way and I am trying to get it back. This is Day 3 and I actually feel good. I am not angry anymore.
       Part of the article regarding getting out of a slump was to have ONE GOAL. My one goal for right now is to eat on plan for one week. ONE WEEK. ONE GOAL.
       I picked up my number for the 4 mile event for this weekend. I am very nervous about not embarassing myself. But I think I would embarass myself more if I didn't try.

Starting Over

         This week's meeting topic is called "the magic week".  But magic is an illusion. This week is about hard work. The work is harder for me because I have not been doing very well with the scale part of my journey. I know , I know. The number on the scale is not that important with one exception; when the number on the scale keeps creeping up instead of down. That is what has been happening to me the last few months. Back in April I was down 48lbs. THISCLOSE to 50lbs loss. But as of yesterday's weigh in I am only down 39lbs. This makes me feel kinda sad. I have to admit to all the things that I have done to bring myself to this point. What was I eating? How much was I eating? Was I eating for comfort? Was I tracking sporadically? 
           I became complacent and lazy with the plan. I thought that I didn't have to work as hard but apparently I need to work harder. Last year I was diligent about writing down everything I ate. I mean seriously, I would write it down right after I ate it. Now if I remember to do it every few days I'm lucky. My WW homies, Cindy and Tam, have developed a plan to take pictures of everything we eat and send it to each other. But that does not take away from tracking the old fashion way. I need to do basic tracking 101 too.
             Our leader Melanie outlined all of the things we need to do to follow the plan properly.
-Stick to your DPT(daily points target)
-Confirm your points plus values
-Track
-Portion correctly
-Choose power foods
-Follow the good health guidelines
-Treat yo yourself by using your 49pts bonus
-Be active
              Melanie has issued a dare. She is daring our group to do WW Points Plus Plan to a T for four days in a row. I did not realize that I was a slacker. But I am. I admit it. You know the moment when your teacher would say pop quiz and you know you did not study? It's time for me to put on my dunce cap and go back to the very beginning. A very good place to start.
              I was reading this zen website and it had a list of things to do to get your butt moving. Check the list and see if it could be helpful to you.
http://zenhabits.net/get-off-your-butt-16-ways-to-get-motivated-when-youre-in-a-slump/
              I am working on a running event this weekend. It is a 4 mile run. I started training as much as I can but I have not been able to jog 4 miles straight. I realize now that I will have to walk quite a bit. I was jogging when I came home from work this evening and it felt like the hardest thing in the world just to jog 1.6miles. But I am going to keep it moving. It's not important that I run the fastest or that I run consistantly. I know I can walk four miles( especially thanks to Tam's 5K plus events). It's important that I just keep trying and that I finish.

Darren, me, Tam, Bob and Cindy

Looking up at Empire State Building

Chrysler Building

Grand Central Station at dusk

Finish Line;Cindy, Pete, Bob, Tam, me, Darren

and Jake

             Speaking of Tam's 5K Social Walk, we did do one on September1st. It was a small group but we had one new walker with us this time. My hubby Darren. We did a basic walk around the area so there's not alot of pictures.

THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITY
Tues - all day - 6pts
Wed - all day + 30 min WW dvd - 6pts
Thurs - all day - 3pts
Fri - all day - 4pts
Sat. Jog/walk 4 miles - 7pts
Sun - 0pts
Mon - Jogged 1.6miles + all day - 6pts
TOTAL = 32pts
             My chiropractor, Dr. B. showed me how to do a kettlebell exercise in his office last week. It was using a 20lb kettlebell with two hands, swinging it between your legs and picking it up while popping out your core. I have to say it was a real experience. I was definitely working up a sweat . The downside was my inner thighs were really sore for three days straight. I am definitely going to try again. I like that my doctor is showing me how so that I do not hurt myself(in a bad way).