Friday weigh in

So today.  weighed in....drum roll....

I lost 0.8 lbs!

Pretty good considering it was a busy week and I didn't workout the last two days due to feeling a little under the weather. I had a fun filled weekend planned so I opted for sleep to help my body recover.

I ran across the graphic below to remind myself to celebrate every success. 

67 celebrations to go! 

Staying Healthy while Traveling P.1

What do you mean staying healthy? I'M ON VACATION!!! Time to relax, spend time with friends and eat whatever I want!

Wrong. That's the exact attitude that had me hating myself after the fun was all over and I gained back whatever I had lost plus alpha.

This time, I'm going with moderation. Will I have a few drinks, sure will. Will I sample some local food, darn right. But every meal doesn't have to be filled with crap.

I'm at the airport right now enjoying an iced cold water because flying dehydrates you! No pre flight beer or appetizer, I packed my own snacks. If I'm going to splurge, it'll be with friends, not sitting by myself in the airport.

Now on to the magazines I've been saving to read! Eric and Rebecca, here I come!

Inspired

I watched Extreme Weight Loss last night for the first time and Wow! How inspiring to see a guy with one arm accomplish so much in a year. It was also humbling to see that something so simple like riding a bike, meant the world to him. The things we take for granted!

It also reminded me that there's no excuse not to get healthy. Too busy, too tired, my dog is being crazy, the weather sucks, I'm sore, etc etc.... it's just crap.

If this guy can do it, so can I!

Love and Hate at 5am

This would be an accurate portrayal about how I feel about mornings....

I have hated mornings for as long as I can remember. Just ask my dad about waking me up as a kid. The only time I came close to consistent was back in Cincinnati when I'd meet up with Rebecca for the gym. But that was only after she gave for crap for being a no-show (which I rightly deserved). 

Well guess what? My lovely new puppy has forced me back to mornings. 5am to be exact. And the worst is 5am on a Monday. 

I heard the alarm go off this morning and the excuses started. I'm tired (because I didn't get my butt in bed early last night), I'm sore from lifting (because I didn't stretch long enough), I'm not ready to start the week yet, and ugh it's Monday. I contemplated sleeping in till 5:30, changed my phone alarm, and right as I was dozing off, I heard it. 

The puppy whine. Not the "I'm mad you locked me up and I'll get over it in 5 mins" whine, it was the "I gotta go" whine. And you know how I feel about cleaning up messes. Yes dog, I'm up. 

But once I got up, routine took over. Took puppy to pee, workout clothes on, grabbed my breakfast (that was prepared the night before along with my lunch), fed the puppy, grabbed my already packed bag, and drove probably half asleep, eating breakfast to the gym. 

Once I hit the gym, I'm all business. I don't have time to mess around because I have 1hr before I need to be back home, get Molly's walk in, shower, and get to work on time. 

Monday's cardio was a 45 min easy run

Done! Sweaty yet satisfied!

The best part about morning workouts? It's DONE. I get on with the rest of my day and don't have to worry if a dinner with friends comes up or I actually have to work late. I walk into work in quite a good mood and if I didn't love coffee so much, I'd skip my morning cup. I have also found that I am more consistent in the morning and the gym is empty, so all the equipment is waiting for me to use. 

Here's some good tips for the morning.....don't knock it till you try it. Studies have shown that people who work out in the morning are more consistent and consistency is the key to success. 

And so it begins

Swimming today @ 237.8 lbs 

I decided to start documenting my journey because I wanted one place to keep all my thoughts. Getting to a healthier weight is my new years resolution and we are half way through the year. It's amazing how quickly time has flown and I wanted to re-commit to what I started. I don't want to let December come this year and feel regret because I didn't make progress. 2013 is MY year! 

So let's talk goals...

Right now, my goal weight is 170lbs and that is tentative. I have not been that weight since high school, so who even knows if that's realistic for me. But for the sake of tracking, it's 170lbs :P 

In addition, I have some non-weight goals because at the end of the day, weight is really just your relation to gravity. And for me it's not about being a certain size, I want to be strong and capable of doing things that demonstrate strength such as: 

1. Be able to do a full push-up 

2. Run a 10:00min/mile 

3. Hold a plank for 2:00min

So how in the world do I plan to accomplish all this?

I'm a numbers girl (hello engineering degree), so I'll be watching my calorie intake with MyFitnessPal and exercising 5-6 times a week.

I think that about wraps up my start point. I am excited and so ready to welcome change with open arms. It's mind blowing to think of all the time and determination I have put into my education, career, friendships, but somehow missed putting the same effort into my health.