Here's the Plan Stan.......Get on The Bus Gus

I know that it has been a long time since I have been on here. First, a quick update: I rejoined Weight Watchers at the end of January. I have lost 8 pounds from then until now. I am kind of slacking off, so I am re-committing to tracking every day. I really like the new pointsplus program. I am eating healthy(free fruits!) and I usually don't feel deprived or hungry! I have been exercising sporadically on the treadmill since January. We lucked into buying a treadmill which is great but I like exercising outside a lot better. This winter has made it hard though. Winter has seemed like an eternity! I am hoping that spring is right around the corner......

Now for the reason for the poster on the side(I totally snagged this off this blog). Marc and I decided to enter a race together. For the last few weeks I have been bugging him to enter a 5k with me so that I would have a goal and motivation. Well after looking around he found this race. We think it would be cool to do this race because Marc's dad had melanoma. If you notice though, the competitive race is 5 miles. I want to do the 5 mile race. The thing is I haven't been running consistently. I would need to start the C25k all over again to work up to the 3.1 miles then I would have to work up to the 5 miles. Marc's quote this a.m. about it "You would really need to work to be able to do it." Well, duh! So my plan is this: I will be doing Walk Away the Pounds for the next week and a half because this week is going to be super busy, I have this chest cold I am recovering from, and the following week is spring break and we will be out of town for a few days(to a place in the mountains w/no treadmill). On March 24th I will start with W1D1 of couch 2 5k. I would actually end C25k with only a week to build up to running two more miles. So maybe it would be crazy to do the 5 mile race. No matter what I am going to start running/jogging again,YAY!!!
Edit: After some thought, I will start with week 3 day 1 on March 24th. I will try this and if I feel comfortable then I will continue training from there. That will give me more time to build up to 5 miles.

1 Question + 1 Random Question

#1 What do you think? Should I just do the 5k or do you think I could do the 5 miler?
*Now I am not sure what to do, I need to decide before it is time to register. I am not that experienced at races (I have only ran one other 5k). So any, words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Random Question: Are you on daylight savings?
*We are and I can't stand it. My eyelids feel all heavy today(like I said I am sick so this might have something to do with my eyes feeling like there are small boulders resting a top them) and we ate lunch at 2:30 in the afternoon. We are all discombobulated around here!

Peace & Love,
K

Great Give Away at Friends for Weight Loss

There is a wonderful give away going on at http://www.friendsforweightloss.com/. Head on over there to see what you could win. But I am really hoping that it will be me! It is what I need to get going either that I will need to start going to meetings! Any way, I will be back later to do some real blogging. Right now check out the link!

So You Had A Bad Day..........

I am just feeling blah right now. I think it is the holiday let down and the idea of going back to work. When I said this to Marc earlier today he just gave me a funny look like I am crazy. Maybe I am. I did have a wonderful break spent with family and friends. It just went too fast. Now we have 18 days of school until Christmas break (my lucky boys have only 15). Not that I am counting or anything!

Here are my goals for the week:

Exercise: Cardio x3, C25k week 1 and Jillian Michaels Shred 3 days wk 1


Eats: Track points every day this week. Measure portions. Drink 48 oz. of water each day. No eating after 8 pm.

Ready to start this journey! Any one care to join me?

Gotta go to bed, vacation is over!

Second Verse Same As The First

Wow, the last time I wrote anything on here was on June 29th, that is a long time. Time got away from me I guess or more honestly I am embarrassed to say that I just kind of fell off on my running. I did run the 5k on July 4th. I didn't run the whole time because of issues with my allergies/asthma but finished in 36:30. Then my allergies got worse and worse and summer got hotter and hotter and I just stopped putting the effort into the running. I am sad about it and every time I think about it I get that feeling of loss inside of me. A matter of fact, on the very rainy drive home from Cincinnati today, U2's "Beautiful Day" came on the radio and I got that feeling inside of me. That song is on either W8 or W9 of the running mix I would train with. It is like I am missing an old friend. Now it is winter and we do not own a treadmill. I guess if I truly miss it I would just suck it up and run outside after school. I don't know but I gotta do something.

I guess I am getting a little ahead of myself here though. If you read the title of this post and you know me then you can probably guess what is coming..........I am going to talk about how I have gained weight, how I need to do Weight Watchers again, and how I need to get an exercise routine. This is what I keep saying over and over again in my life heck it could be verse 10 same as the first. Obviously something is not working because I shouldn't be having so many do overs with this area of my life either that or I am really slow learner. Usually when I start feeling like all these issues need to be worked on I jump right in and just try to do what I always do but this time I have really been thinking about the why, how,what, and the things I know. I want this to be honest, realistic, life changing, on-going, satisfy(in the sense of contentment), and healthy. So without further ado here are the things I have been thinking about.

Things I know:

• This is going to take time and there is going to be trial and error. It has taken me several months to gain this weight. It will take several months to get it back off and a life time to keep it off.
  
• This requires work and preparation. I will need to plan my exercise and my meals. I don't want to become obsessed with food, points for foods, and planning exercise but for awhile it will probably need to be that way.
• I need to allow myself the privilege of taking care of myself. I am not being selfish if I take time to exercise. It does not mean that I love the people in my life less if I put my needs first every once in awhile. A matter of fact, it is a way of showing love to them because I want to be healthy so that I will be around for them later in life.
  
• I need to find a way to deal with stress, my emotions, and other people that doesn't involve food. If I am stressed(i.e. at work I will eat candy bars, at home ice cream), if I am happy/sad I eat, and if I don't know how to deal with people I eat. Food has to stop being my soother in these situations. Exercise will obviously help a great deal with the stress. I also think a journal would help with the emotions and people.
• I want to feel better. Remembering what it feels like after a run, that feeling of accomplishment and happiness, that is what I need to focus on. Remembering the day in PetSmart that I picked up the 20 pounds of dog food and thinking this is what you have lost(now gained back, no wonder I feel crappy). I know putting fruit, vegetables, less fat, water, and wholesome foods in my body makes me feel better. I need to focus on those things.
• I would really like to be a role model for my husband and sons. If I start changing my habits then maybe they will look up to that and make changes too. My hope is that we become a healthy, active family.
• This is about the most absurd time to start anything. Christmas is 4 weeks away. I already know of 6 different gatherings that we will be going to that will have food. But not starting now would be absurd too because there are always going to be situations to deal with. Get over it and just deal. I know how to cope in those situations!!!
• I am going to need to join TOPS so that I have the weekly accountability of getting weighed by someone. I need that, I wish I didn't but I do. I have been "trying to do it on my own" for several months and it is not working. I need accountability. I am considering going to weight watchers for a week just to get the low down on the new program but I think I can probably just look around the internet after next week and find what I need. TOPS is a lot cheaper. Hopefully, I will get stickers or something if I lose each week. I am just like a little kid when it comes to that kind of stuff :o).
• It might be hard to exercise for a while after my surgery(I am going to have sinus surgery in January) but I can still watch what I eat. Plus, it is November right now January is a month and a half away. So get your butt in gear girl!
• I CAN DO ANYTHING that I put my mind to and with the Lord's help. I CAN DO THIS!!!

So these are the things I know. I also know that it is 4 in the morning(I guess Marc going to Wally World for deals was good for me getting this post written) and that I am tired. Either tomorrow evening or Saturday I will write about how I am going to do this. I have probably written about those goals before too but seeing words written out are powerful to me. The bed is calling my name. I will leave you with a quote from the book "The Traveler's Gift" by Andy Andrews:
"I am saying that outside influences are not responsible for where you are mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, or financially. You have chosen the pathway to your present destination. The responsibility for your situation is yours."
"Our thinking creates a pathway to success or failure."

Well Marc is home. Nighty Night!

Ready to Run!

On Saturday I will be running in my first 5k. I am excited and a little nervous. I ran tonight for 30 minutes straight which according to C25k should be 3.1 miles. When I got home, I stretched then the family and I went out out looking for Roscoe(my running partner who forgets to run back home with me, "Squirrel!"). We also measured my distance. I ran 2.5 miles in thirty minutes. Now I felt good while doing it and I could have ran more so maybe I won't be in too bad of shape on Saturday. My goal is just to run the whole race. I am a little nervous because I will be running with a couple of friends. I am unsure of their speed(they may run faster/slower than me) and if they will want to run the whole time. Marc says I should be up front with them and just tell them my goal. He said I need to decide if I am doing the race to be social or to reach a goal. Hopefully, it can be both.

It is funny because I was thinking tonight about how much weight I could be losing if I was really watching what I was eating along with the running. I think eating an ice cream cone after finishing tonight probably defeats the purpose. I have talked about Weight Watchers before but the thought of measuring and counting points for food seems so tedious to me. My new goal should be to eat fruits, vegetables, and non-processed foods. I do have The Eat Clean Diet book to read. Maybe that will help.
I am also wondering if Jillian's 30 Day Shred would be easier this time around if I stuck with it. I really feel like my endurance is a lot better since starting C25k. To be honest last week I did week 7 didn't run for several days and just went to week 9 because of the 5k on Saturday. I was able to skip week 8 and not tell a difference. I think I really need to come up with a plan combining running and other exercise, working on consistency, speed for the running, and perseverance. So I guess I have some goals:

• run the whole 5k on Saturday
• continue running on a regular basis, work on speed
• incorporate other exercise into my routine be consistent
  
• eat 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, research a new eating plan

So there you go!

I want to finish up by saying how much I enjoying running! It is a great release for me and I feel so good after wards! Some things that has helped me is the music that I run to and facebook. There is a lot of people who read my status updates and kept me accountable. So thanks! Running has shown me that if I make up mind about something, don't give up, and work hard that I can do anything!

A Letter That A Bigger Person Wouldn't Feel The Need To Write

To Whom It May Concern,
I just wanted to write and say "Thank You". Thank you for turning my family's life upside down almost two months ago. When you decided to fire my husband for misuse of company e-mail without any warning or reprimand even though he had worked for the agency for 12 years without any form of written reprimand in those twelve years, I am sure that you had the best interests of the employees and the youth in mind. After all this "misuse" was my husband sharing his faith and encouraging an employee. Yes, that rates right up there with an employee looking at porn at work or sending inappropriate messages to another employee. So here is the first thank you because I now know what would considered inappropriate e-mail in the future. I am sure you have done a stellar job of checking on other employees in the agency and their e-mail accounts in the past two months. You know, employees who should be supervising staff or the youth and are instead on facebook, twittering, texting, or checking e-mail. I am sure they will be fired too.

Another thing I want to say thanks for is the fact that we are doing a much better job of being aware of our money now. The first thing we had to decide when this happened is that our children would not be getting the swing set that we had been promising them for two summers. Wow thanks for saving us that extra expense and fun. I am sure your children are enjoying something new since you got promoted since you made your decision about my husband. I guess my children are learning a life lesson yours never will, sometimes you have to do without not by your choice but by choices made by other people. We are really trying to be better thinkers finding ways to save money and do things for free this summer. One other thing, you know that our new insurance sucks? I mean it causes me to be sick to my stomach at the thought of one us getting sick because we would be in a big mess with the bills. So thanks for making me appreciate our health.

It has been so nice to get up every day and wonder if this will be day that he gets a call from someone who wants to hire him. Jobs are scarce but this is something you don't care about obviously. The stress, worry, and sleepless nights have helped me stay on a schedule for running because it keeps those things at bay. Too bad Marc doesn't do something like that, I think sometimes he will get ill from the pressure he is under(which in turn has do with the new insurance because that would mean a bill). I am sure you are sleeping well. What would you have to feel guilty about besides packing up my husband's office and firing him because of your own agenda. I mean I am sure you never think about the consequences of that one decision, why would you? I mean you didn't think of it at the time.

The only true thing I do want to thank you for is this: I thank you for my new appreciation for my husband. No he doesn't have a job right now but that doesn't matter because he is a person of morals, standards, and integrity. He is a man of God, who stands up for what he believes in. He works hard every day looking for jobs that don't seem to be there, all with keeping his chin up(most of the time). As parents we have a great responsibility to raise our children in a way that they will become upstanding adults in society. I am proud to say that our boys have Marc as a role model. You might consider what you are teaching your children with your actions. Heck you might think about what you are teaching the troubled youth you are working with. Too bad you don't have my husband as an employee any more. He is worth more than you can even fathom. It is your loss and a future employers gain.

I know you have already let all this go, I am sure you did two months ago. I just hope that now I can too.

Thanks,
Kim

****Yes this is still a blog about exercise and health. Part of being healthy is letting things out and not keeping them inside. I promise I will write a post soon about C25K. I can run for 25 minutes straight now and I am hoping to enter a 5k soon. Thanks for letting me vent! Peace!

Thanks A Lot...........

Lately, my family and I have been going through some difficult times. Things have been hard. I really feel like I am being tested and judged in a lot of ways. There have been days where my eyes have burned from tears that were waiting to be shed. My heart has felt heavy and I haven't always dealt with the tough times in the best way. The "Good Christian Girl" would never admit what I am about to admit so that either means I am not a "Good" girl or it means really none of us are. This not so good girl has been have thoughts like this during the difficult times: "Thanks a lot God". Now it would be great if the tone of that was praising, joyful, respectful but the truth is the tone is more angry, resentful, and hurtful. Read it again with those words in mind. Thanks a lot God. Yep, not very good or Christian like. I know this so then I start feeling guilty, shameful. I was carrying that guilt and shame along with the hurt and anger around like a boulder for a couple of days. I started feeling heavy emotionally and physically from the weight of it all. A boulder is heavy. Especially one that is there because you are mad at God! Now I have been working up to running a 5k and my last training day for that week was around this time. I kept putting the run off all day. Why would I want to run when I had a boulder on my back? The weather was windy and intermittent rain had been falling throughout the day. Well, there seemed to be a "window" of clear weather so I set out to get the run over with. Every thing started out fine and then it was time for my first run. As soon as I started I felt the first drops of rain. Now I could have turned around and went back home, it wasn't that far but I told myself a "real" runner wouldn't quit. So I kept going. Instead of getting better it just kept getting worse. The rain was blowing in my eyes so I couldn't see that well, my clothes were soaked and heavy, it was cold, and really uncomfortable! But I didn't stop. I kept going. "Real runners don't quit. A little rain is nothing." Then just like it started it suddenly stopped and the sun came out. I wiped the rain from eyes and I saw how beautiful my surroundings were. The sun warmed my face. It sparkled on the road causing me to smile. Although the sun was sandwiched between two fierce, black clouds it was shining with brilliance. Then a voice whispered across my soul "Real Christians don't give up either. A little trouble is nothing. I can handle it if you just let Me." I probably would have stopped right in my tracks if I wasn't exercising. My body didn't stop but my mind did. It stopped whirling with guilt and worry instead I just felt at peace about it all. My life is kind of like my run that day. I started out with a plan of running in dry weather and ended up running in a sudden downpour. In my life I have a plan of how I think everything and everyone should be. Then God may put a downpour in my life(maybe stress or work issues or a child who doesn't behave or finances) to show me that life isn't how I plan it but how He plans it. My job is to not to give up, to follow His will, and to trust. Sure there will still be storms but even in a storm there can beauty if I just wipe the rain from my eyes to see. The sun does appear after a storm. I want to be there with my face turned upward, arms held high saying with adoration every time "Thanks a lot God."

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1