January 24, 2010 we welcomed little Karlie into our lives. Now it's one year later and I feel that I can't honestly call those stubborn extra pounds "baby weight" anymore. I'm all out of excuses. It's time for me to be a woman, get a grip, grab the bull by the horns, climb that mountain, (insert cheesy cliche about conquering a goal here), etc. I've passed alot of my skinny clothes on to Kalie, and honestly I get flat out jealous that I can't wear them. I've still got a secret stash of a few articles of clothing that I dream to fit into again someday. Also, I'd like to lose my
It's time to get serious.
Here's the plan:
I want to be a runner. I hate running. So I figure I need to love running in order to be a runner. Right? Well I got some advice from a couple of people who actually find joy in running and here's what I'm taking from it.
~ "Stretching- I cannot stress this enough. For the longest time I didn't think stretching/sit-ups/leg-ups were that important, but once I started doing them it made a world of difference in making me feel better when I was running. A strong core helps you not get cramps, and if there is anything that is de-motivational it is cramps.haha"
~ "Music- find something super upbeat to listen to. I get new music pretty frequently just to change things up and then I try to just listen to the music instead of thinking about how my legs are feeling.lol Also, it's easier to say "ok, I am going to run for the length of two songs" than it is to say "ok, I am going to run a mile"."
~ "Drink Lots of Water- Drinking a lot of water the night before you run is very good and helps you feel better while running."
**Thank you Abby!
~ "Start small--set some goals. Then find some rewards. I was doing Dave Ramsey at the time, so they had to be affordable for me (a treat of iced coffee at Starbucks, a new pair of running shorts at Target, some new nail polish, etc.). If I ran three days a week for an entire month, I got a reward. If I could run for 30 min straight, I got a treat, etc. You have to make it fun for yourself!! And you don't want to set some insane goals that will be impossible to achieve right away--it ends up being demoralizing and much easier to sit on the couch :)"
**Thank you Danielle! And who doesn't love advice from a fellow Dave Ramsey disciple?!
So that's what I'm doing plus some strength training. I make sure to stretch for 10 minutes at the beginning and end of each run/workout, I updated the ol' Ipod with a new workout playlist (upbeat songs only), pulled my water bottle back out of the cabinet, and wrote up a reward calendar. I'm trying Danielle's way. If I run/workout for at least 30 minutes, 3 days a week, I get a small reward at the end of the week. If I do that for a month, I get a big reward! I'm 3 weeks into it and so far, so good! My distance and endurance has already increased! Plus at my next doctor's appointment, next to "How often do you exercise?", I can check "frequently" instead of "psh, yeah right."
Also, WebMD has a Food and Fitness tracker available. Every day, after I eat anything, I go online, plug in what I ate, and it counts calories for me. It also counts calories burned. And it counts e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. (For example - sitting on the toilet for 2 minutes = 3 calories burned, hairstyling for 30 minutes = 102 calories, and for all you mommies out there...childcare (sitting/kneeling) for 8 hours = 1,636 calories burned!)
Well, if you have any tips, any tips at all, whether related to running, eating healthy, strength training, healthy recipes, etc., do NOT hesitate to send them my way. I need whatever help I can get!
4 comments:
I'm proud of how hard you've been working, Babe! Keep up the good work; it WILL pay off!
1. Break up the MONOTONY. If you always run in the same place, try running in locations you don't normally frequent like parks, or a track. Keeps it fresh. New visuals give your mind something to do instead of focusing on the discomfort of the run.
2. Buy good RUNNING SHOES. I was one of the people who thought a shoe was a shoe...not so. One of your "treats" for yourself might be a good pair of shoes. If you have good shoes, and like them, go buy another of the exact same brand/style, so when you wear yours out, you already know your next ones will be right for you.
3. Strengthen your ARMS. A large part of the running motion is the pulling that your arms (especially the shoulders) do. They help propel you forward and make things easier on the rest of your body. Don't believe me? Look online at photos of top runners around the world. Any little shoulder exercise can help your running...and help you look good in a sleeveless T or dress for JP!!!
Good for you on making it this far already! I lost all the baby weight by doing workout videos - Insanity workout is the best, most effective workout I've ever done - then around Thanksgiving, I stopped moving, ate everything in sight and realized I, too, cannot call it "baby weight" anymore. :)
But back on track now with Insanity again! My advice would be:
1. If you don't love running, do something else! Find something you can do for the rest of your life. But I bet the better you get at it, the more you'll like it.
2. Track your progress. I got a body fat analyzer for about $17, and being able to see progress is the biggest motivator ever. If you don't have one of those, measure your waist/arms, etc, then remeasure them in 6 weeks. Don't worry about the scale - worry about inches.
3. Focus on the short-term benefits, like that amazing feeling you get right after you workout. I love how clear my head is after a workout, and how well I sleep that night. Or make your goal to lose a pound in the next ten days.
Keep us updated on how it goes! Good luck!
Good for you! The few things that have worked best for me (in addition to many that you listed) are these:
- Set specific goals. For me I usually have to keep a race in mind...so I can tell myself while I'm out running that I *have* to finish, so that I'm ready for the _insert race here_. If it's getting hard mid-run, I don't penalize myself for a little walking, but then I give myself specific distances or times, e.g. "I'll walk the next three telephone pole lengths to catch my breath, then I'll start running again" or "only 60 seconds to walk, then you better start jogging and keep it up for at least 5 more minutes!"
- If you can, sign up for those goals early and have a form of accountability. For races, that's easy - your $5 entry fee (or whatever) is in and you don't want to waste it, so you might as well run! AND you get a t-shirt to show that you met your goal! For other activities, having a buddy to join you is great. I go to the gym MUCH more often when I know a pal is going to be waiting there for me!
- I would recommend LogYourRun.com or something similar. It has similar info to the WebMD site but also allows you to map out routes. That was key for me when I was increasing my mileage. MilitaryOneSource also has a tracking program for free under weight loss tools. I signed up for that about a week before I found out I was pregnant...oops. :)
More than anything, keep your chin up! Just by lacing up those shoes and doing SOMETHING you're ahead of the game!
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