Month Four Sabotage

After being inactive in the exercise department for several weeks (other than a few snowshoeing adventures) and eating consistently over my calories, it dawned on me that I tend to sabotage my weight loss at month four.
 Last year when I starting working out and eating better for my New Year's resolution, I lost 20 lbs. and was able to run three miles. Then, at month four (April), I slacked off and gained everything back.

This time around, I re-started my weight loss journey in November and am starting to see symptoms of sabotage. I've been eating nonstop, not exercisig and not drinking my water. I have gained two pounds in the past week and need to put a stop to my behavior right now!

If admitting that you have a problem is the first step, then I'm considering this as my first step to fixing the problem.

A New Size Already?

Since November, I have been on a renewed mission to lose weight, eat better and get healthier. I've lost 27 lbs. so far and dropped from a size 14 jean to a size 12 jean.

Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, I was able to pull my size 12 jeans off without unbuttoning or unzipping them. This means...drum roll, please...that I might be ready to move into a size 10!

It has officially been ten years since I've been able to fit into a size 10, which is when I graduated from high school. At that time, I weighed about 150 lbs. Now, I'm trying to figure out how my body shape has changed so much that I can fit into a size 10 at 192 lbs. Not that I'm complaining, because I'm happy to be down another size.

Now, I'm wondering just how long it will be before I can fit into a size 8. I can't remember the last time I could fit into a single digit size. The even crazier thought is that with approximately 40 more pounds to lose, is it possible that I could end up in a size 6? I don't want to jump ahead of myself with these thoughts, but it's motivational to think that it COULD actually happen!

Vanity in the Making?

Lately I've noticed that I have been looking in the mirror and "checking myself out" more than I have in, perhaps, my entire life. Why? As I've lost weight, I love seeing the progress I've made and being able to pinpoint exactly where the inches and flab has come off. My comments to myself are no longer along the lines of "Oh, look at that fat stomach" or "Those dimply thighs are hideous." Instead, those comments have changed into "Wow, my stomach doesn't hang over the top of my jeans as far" and "I can run two miles without stopping thanks to those strong thighs." It's absolutely amazing how one's perspective can change thanks to a mere 20 lbs. of weight disappearing.

I just hope that when I reach my goal weight, I will always be able to remind myself about the progress and what I looked like at my heaviest instead of looking for the flaws. In all honesty, I love my body now because it can do things that it couldn't before and it can do some things that "skinny" people can't do. I've realized that just because someone is skinny, they aren't necessarily healthy or in shape. I now have friends who are smaller than me who cannot run two miles, cannot lift a 50 lb. bale of hay and cannot snowshoe for over an hour without being absolutely exhausted. But guess what? I can do all of those things.

So, if looking in the mirror and admiring myself frequently is considered vanity, I can accept that because I'm not looking for flyaway hairs or to negatively critique myself. I'm looking to see how my glutes are becoming defined and how flat my stomach is becoming. I can only hope that others who are on their weight loss journey can appreciate their bodies as I appreciate mine. Remember your progress and what you CAN do now that you couldn't do before!

Snowshoeing for the First Time

Yesterday, I went snowshoeing for the first time ever! I rented snowshoes at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park and snowshoed a one-mile loop to Hidden Falls, a waterfall located in the park. It was an absolute blast and wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. The snowshoes were "Alaskan style," so they were the really long wooden ones that were a bit difficult to maneuver, especially when turning. After a conversation with the Park Ranger, I'm looking forward to trying some more modern ones and may even buy a pair. It was a wonderful exercise where I got to burn approximately 700 calories AND enjoy the beautiful outdoors!

Back on the Treadmill...Again

On Tuesday night, October 13th, I finally got myself back on my treadmill, with whom I have a love-hate relationship with.

Whenever I get bored or lose motivation, I hate the machine that is always waiting for me in the corner of my basement. When I'm motivated and seeing progress, I love the treadmill and think about it often. Of course, just because I think about it, doesn't mean I spend quality time with it.

So on Tuesday, I finally decided I haven't been getting enough pure cardio into my workouts. I popped in a workout video; one I haven't tried yet but has been in my house forever, and hopped on the treadmill. I did intervals, switching between walking and running and changing the incline. I sweated but felt great running! I was trying to remember why I stopped shortly after discovering I can actually run earlier this year.

As a kid in school, I NEVER finished a mile run, even though we had to do it twice a year. I always preferred to "power walk" it. I was a thin, tall kid who was probably very able to do it, considering I rode my bike and rollerbladed everywhere. I don't know if I didn't want to sweat or if I thought it was just too hard, but I figured since I could walk it in 13-15 minutes, I didn't need to run it!

When I started my fitness journey in January of this year, I worked my way up to being able to run 3.10 miles (5K) without stopping. Then, I did the worst thing for me...I stopped working out completely. Why? I have no idea. I'd love to say I didnt have the time, but I think it was that I didn't think it was important to make the time and I was losing motivation because the scale wasn't showing any progress, even though my clothes were telling me otherwise.

 This time around, I'm determined to keep up the exercising. I need to push myself to fit it into my schedule, even if it means getting up earlier in the morning, and I really need to focus on staying within my allowed calories for the day. Unfortunately, I've always had an unconditional love of food.

 Here's to another mile of running logged on the ever-faithful treadmill!

Hiking

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went hiking at Afton State Park. We hiked for one hour and forty minutes, which burned a whopping 1126 calories according to my heart rate monitor. The hills were challenging (and there were plenty of them), but we kept at them at a steady pace with breaks as needed. It was amazing to me how many calories I burned doing something that didn't seem that hard.

 Of course, if I rewind my mind to about a month ago, I can recall just how difficult our first attempt at hiking was at Frontenac State Park. True, the trail there was much steeper and contained steps rather than a gravel trail; however, I feel that my fitness level and stamina has increased greatly.
Earlier this year, we decided to get annual state park stickers so we could explore some of our state rather inexpensively. We've used the permits several times and recently discovered that the parks offer a hiking club where members hike on their own but log the miles and passwords. There are rewards at various mileage markers, including a plaque showing your accomplishments and free night stays in the campgrounds.
 Although it is late in the year, we still plan to join this year and want to spend the rest of the fall hiking and accumulating points. It's so much easier to exercise when you have a goal and a purpose.
 For us hiking is a great way to explore our state, get outdoors, exercise and spend quality time together. We've tried biking and other activities but hiking is easier, burns as many calories and we can see so much more, as most of the parks have double the hiking trails as they do biking trails.

Hiking 101

August 3, 2009

Let's hear it for another first for the year!

Yesterday, my boyfriend, his son, and I went hiking at Frontenac State Park. I can honestly say this is the first time I've been on a true hiking path in the woods. It is a beautiful park that overlooks Lake Pepin. The weather was in the high 70s with sun, blue skies and a light breeze.

I should have realized the hike wouldn't be a complete piece of cake when we started by going down a long series of half rotted wooden steps. But, it was a beautiful day and there weren't any bugs biting, so we forged ahead. The trail became more difficult as the hillside became steeper. If you looked down to the left you could see the waters of Lake Pepin lapping the shore. If you looked up to the right, all you could see were trees and the sunlight poking through them.

We continued on and learned about the limestone that was mined in the park in the 1930's. The views were spectacular and we could see why earlier settlers had established "Old Town" on that sight as well.

Every time we came to a trail map, we would assess where we were and which fork in the path we should take. Eventually, we thought we should start heading back to where the car was parked, or it would be a longer hike than we originally intended. When it came to choose between the "1/2 Way Trail" or "Campground" trails, we thought we'd take the "1/2 Way Trail" which sounded easier, as the campgrounds were quite a distance from where we were.

Though we won't know whether we took the easier trail or not, I'd like to say the one we took was no stroll through the woods. It immediately began climbing the hillside and became steeper and steeper. There were stairs that would climb straight up, twist, and then climb straight up again. I started out at a rather fast pace, urging the others to continue without stopping. I thought stopping might make me lose my nerve or become tired faster. Every time we reached another landing, we thought we were almost to the top. Every time, we were wrong. When we had about three sets of stairs left, my calves were burning and I did not believe I'd be able to make it any further.

After taking a break for several minutes, we continued on and finally reached the summit. Thankfully, the rest of the way back to the car was flat and paved. The boyfriend teasingly said, "Guess we're not going to trade all of our biking gear in for hiking gear, huh?" I then told him we wouldn't this week, but that we should try the hike every weekend to gauge my athletic progress. We'll see about that, though!

As we're planning our trip to the next state park on our list, I can't believe that I'm being turned into such an outdoors person. What surprises me even more is that I'm starting to like it and am enjoying being active on weekends, rather than sitting in the house watching television. It looks like my state park permit is going to be one of my best and most used purchases of the summer.