First Run Since December!

So I've been power walking for 40 minutes a day, most every day, since the first of the year. And I've lost 10 pounds, which is my first real weight loss in over 4 years, so yeah, I'm kinda THRILLED about it! I mean it; I'm ecstatic!

Today during my power walk session, I decided to jog a little to see how I feel, for the first time in months. And guess what? My legs felt stronger than they've EVER felt, and my hips felt like they were in a comfortable neutral position, which has never been true. My hips (and thus my back and legs) have felt like they were off-kilter and tilted outward instead of in a nice neutral position.

But not anymore! I ran probably 1/4 of a mile and felt SO great! It actually felt EASY! I'm pretty sure running has ever felt "easy" for me, but it did today! My body felt like it was strong enough to handle running and like I could continue running for a good long while if I wanted.

What an amazing feeling! And who would've thought that I could repair & strengthen my body by power walking? But I've been feeling like I've been gaining massive amounts of muscle in my glutes, hamstrings, and calves, not to mention that my lower-back pain has completely disappeared since I stopped running and began power walking.

So I'm going to incorporate jogging back into my workout regimen sparsely at first, and then continue with it as I get stronger! So stay tuned!

Oh I almost forgot! I'm doing to do some bragging here: I can hold a Plank for 2 minutes and 15 seconds now! My eventual goal is to be able to hold the Plank pose for 5 minutes; and I'm almost halfway there!


Photo caption: the picture below is my walking/running buddy, Levi! Look at those huge ears! :)

Can It Really Be True???

Hello faithful readers,

Guess what???? I've lost 10 pounds since I began power walking for 40 minutes most every day in January! You heard that right, folks!

Ten. Glorious. Pounds. Lost. By me.

I'm beyond thrilled. I'm ecstatic! You know how fitness experts always say that once you begin working out hardcore, don't be surprised when your weight number on the scale stays the same, or even increases? They say not to freak out if the number on the scale doesn't decrease right away, because you're building muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. So I suppose it makes sense if the number on the scale doesn't decrease right away. But it had been between 4 and 5 months for me.

I've been power walking most days of the week for 40 mins each time since at least January, possibly earlier, and I'm JUST NOW seeing legitimate weight loss.

I had been noticing for awhile that the muscles in my legs seemed to be getting stronger and more defined, and that's because I was building muscle by all that power walking. And strong muscles are a GREAT thing, but what can I say? Perhaps I'm a bit vain, but what I'm most thrilled about is that number on the bathroom scale going down.

I'm losing REAL fat, for the first time in almost 5 years!!!!

My goal weight: 155 pounds
My current weight: 198.5
Starting weight: 208
Pounds Lost: 9.5

I've been aiming to eat around 1,750 calories a day, limiting my sugar and increasing fruits & veggies, and power walking 40 mins at an intense pace.

I've been losing around 1.5 pounds per week, and I hope it continues! Praise The Lord for FINALLY experiencing healthy weight loss!

The Plank--One of My Favorite Exercises!

 I stumbled upon a blog called Running for Dummies the other day, and I wanted to share the love with all of you beautiful people.  This is an awesome site and I found a helpful blog post about doing the Plank exercise, and Tips for Holding a Longer Plank, which I'm totally going to try as soon as I finish this post.  :)

I'm also going to do a plank challenge and try to perform one long plank everyday, to see how long I can hold it.  The author of RFD says that she holds the plank for as long as she physically can every single day, and now she can hold a plank pose for upwards of 7 straight minutes!  Wow that's insane!

I haven't timed myself in a long while, but I'm probably around 1:30, so I've got quite a ways to go!  And I'm off to plank!  I'll post my results here! 

Walking for Weight Loss!

Ladies and Gents,

I'm proud to announce that I have lost 4 pounds!  I haven't seen this number on the scale in several months now, so I'm very thankful that all my workouts, cutting calories, and going to bed hungry every night have paid off a little bit!  Now to just keep going!

I've been a bit derailed this past week though, because I came down with the flu and took several sick days off from work.  But aside from some lingering severe sinus headaches and pressure, I'm almost back to 100% health.  I'm hoping to get back to my daily power-walking schedule here really soon!

Escali Health Monitor Digital Bathroom Scale (Google Affiliate Ad)

Kick My Butt Workout!

Do you see that video over there on the right side of my blog, toward the top of the page?  Well my friends, that is an equipment-free, 3.5 minute-long video showing simple body-weight exercises that will tone muscles, get your heart rate up, and burn fat!

I've been doing this video this week for the first time.  The video instructions say to do this workout on 3 non-consecutive days of the week (for example: Mon, Wed, Fri).  The point is to perform the moves as a circuit (no rest in between moves), then rest for 1 or 2 minutes, then complete all the moves non-stop again.  Do this cycle of all the moves without resting, a total of 3 times. 

And you try to do each move for 1 minute.  

Let me admit that, after trying to do each move for 1 whole minute, that I only got about halfway through the video before I had to stop because my muscles were shredded and I was gasping for air. 

I did this workout again today, in lieu of jogging in below freezing temps and snow, and held each move for about 30-45 seconds instead of a whole minute.  I got 3/4 of the way through the video this time before having to give up for the night! 

Let me add that I am praising this video simply because I believe in it.  I am NOT getting any financial (or otherwise) compensation from Women's Health Magazine for this.  None.  This was just a "free" video they had on their site for bloggers to put on their blog.  That's it.  But this workout really is great and is truly difficult. 

Some of these moves are tried-and-true, like burpees, jumping jacks, and pushups.  Most other moves were new tweaks of moves I've seen before.  But what I love so much about this workout is they are moves that I can do in my bedroom, no fancy equipment required, just using my own body weight and gravity as my tools.  I also love how uncomplicatingly simple these exercises are, and the lady performing them in the video does a fabulous job of concisely explaining and demonstrating them. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this workout!  Please try it and tell me what you think!  Were you able to perform each exercise for 1 minute? 

Love 'em or Leave 'em Race!

February is quickly approaching, and that means one thing:  My good friend Stacy and I are running the Love 'Em or Leave 'Em 5K race in Seattle on February 9th, 2013!  This will be our very first race of the new year, and I'm very excited about it!

I'm especially excited for this race, because it has given me a specific goal to train for.  That last 5k race Stacy and I completed was in July I believe.  Over the Christmas holiday break, I took almost 3 whole weeks off from running--YIKES!!!  But I ran last night for the first time since Christmas, and I gotta tell you that I felt great!  I'm very sore today, which was to be expected, but I was able to run for 35 minutes, which I was not expecting.  I figured I would only be able to run for about 15 minutes or so, since it was my first time back in awhile.  So I think this 5K race will go just fine and it's always good for me to have a motivating reason to get out there and run, especially when the weather is rainy and dreary ALL THE TIME, like it is here in Seattle in winter. 

I just want to stay inside by the fireplace and drink gallons of coffee, but I've got a race to train for! 

photo credit: http://promotionevents.com/valentines/index.htm

Still Here and Still Running!

Hey, ya'll!

It's been far too long since my last post here, and for that I apologize.  I was working 2 part time childcare jobs, but now I'm down to one.  I really enjoy interacting with the kids, but it's exhausting!  (As anyone with children can tell you; that kids take a LOT of work!)  And there are 12 kids at the daycare where I work!  I'm not alone with the kids either; there's always at least one other childcare provider there, and usually 2 others.

Anyway, I've been exhausted but somehow have gotten back into running.  I'm getting used to it again, so my body doesn't have as many aches and pains as it once had.  Which is great!  Although right now, I'm battling a painful case of shin splints.  I'm icing my shins as I type this!  But there's almost no back or shoulder pain anymore, and no more foot arch ache at all, which is such a blessing!
I'm really enjoying running!  I was able to buy a new running outfit that fits me better, so I'm much less self-conscious now, and I look like a hardcore runner!  This inspires me to run harder and be better.
Growing up in Ohio, in the winter months, it was bitter cold and below freezing most of the time, and I was a wimp and could not stand to try to run outdoors.  But here in gorgeous, gray Seattle, I run outside almost every day and I love it!  It's typically in the 40's here in the winter, unless it's snowing, then it's a bit colder.  So I'm usually cold on my runs when I first start, but in no time I'm toasty.  Facing the extreme weather is no longer a daunting, intimidating, dangerous task!   Although, I have yet to get used to the idea of the sun setting at 4:30pm around here in the winter!  So I've been wearing my cool little green flashing LED light clip during those times.  Safety first my friends!