Oreos

Man, I could really go for some Oreos right now.  They call to me from the kitchen pantry.  It is a siren song of chocolate cookie, cream, and milk.  How does food hold this much temptation?  

I ate Oreos for breakfast one day last weekend before a run (from Zombies).  Ugh, what a horrible mistake. I'm resisting the urge by holding myself to my run this morning.  Wish me luck!

On a side note, I googled images for Oreos.  No wonder we are a nation struggling with weight.  People created beautiful and terrifying works of Oreo.  

Zombies, run!

Zombies, Run! is an app for both Android and iOS phones.  In a future zombie apocalypse, it narrates a developing story as you run.  As Runner 5, you help the town of Abel by completing missions and avoiding the occasional undead.  The commentary breaks in between my regular playlist.  It helps me focus on smaller tasks as opposed to one long run.  

Strongly recommended.  I'll head out later today to complete another training session for the 5k app.  

Miles are good.

In the last two weeks, I covered over fifteen miles jogging.  Six runs completed.

I have conflicting emotions over this.  On one hand, I pride myself in the distance and the effort.  It's further than I have run consecutively in probably six months.  I pushed through the initial discomfort (understatement) to start gaining a sense of accomplishment.  Ah, the sweet spread of endorphins from exercise.

On the other hand, I struggle to keep perspective on the speeds and distances.  Having completed previous runs at faster or farther distances, I'm impatient to improve.  My body remembers the motions.  It stretches back to the challenges I demand faster than ever.  Despite this, I find blemishes in my performance.  Maybe this is the addiction of exercise?  These accomplishments only entice my hunger for more.  

Regardless, it feels great.  I feel great.  Yay!

Time for health!

Okay - I know people say they are too busy to work out, but I really was!  Nate and I spent the past two weeks preparing to move.  In between work, packing, and saying goodbye, we had little time for anything else. 

Now, the drama is over.  I started the day with a protein smoothie and an hour and fifteen minutes of weight lifting class at the gym.  Ahh.  I'm trying to convey how happy I am to be back on track.  Happy and sore!

Eating while traveling - yum!

The photo above does NOT depict the food of Malaysia or Vietnam.  Instead of produce, most corners had dishes with an assortment of fresh seafood.  

I ate to my heart's and stomach's content while traveling.  I couldn't justify guilt or restriction amid such interesting food.  I doubt I will ever eat better spring rolls.  I tried other foods like Bun Cha and some amazing satay.  Even despite my dislike of seafood, I gained a few pounds while traveling.  

Now home, I have refocused on the life and lifestyle I want.  

Home.

I have been to the other side of the world, literally.  What an adventure!  Nate and I visited Malaysia and Vietnam.  It was thrilling and exhausting.  

We biked on a remote island of Vietnam and kayaked in both Bai Tu Long Bay and Ha Long Bay.  I found that these activities helped me see more of the world in such a quiet, pristine way.  We got to places that you couldn't have seen without investing physical effort.  

One of my favorite places was in Ha Long Bay.  We kayaked to a remote lagoon where gibbons were playing through the trees and rocks.  Amazing!

I can't imagine missing those sights and experiences.  It inspires me to work harder and plan for future outings.  

Medical advice

Bam - how easy it is to get distracted.

Everything is changing.  Nate officially gave his notice at work.  I'm accepting the offer on our future condo.  I even interviewed this week.  And, we leave for Asia soon.

That's right, folks!  Hopefully, my interview will mean I'm ER bound again.

Going back to the hospital will be greatly helpful in the effort to stay fit and healthy.  Stereotypes exist of floor nurses with very large behinds.  I assure you that in a trauma center this does not hold true.  In my experience, ER employees tend to be more health conscious.  This change of environment should positively impact my overall weight and fitness.  It increases my activity at work and decreases my number of catered lunches.  What a win-win, yay!

One should not be so excited about packed meals and odd work hours, but I am.  We will crash at my sister's which gives me free, unlimited access to her treadmill and a housemate for a running partner.  

Change is terrifying and cathartic.  Here we go!





Reality TV!

Reality TV is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. This is part of why I'd like a treadmill in our future home.  If I'm not providing something positive for my mind, at least I'd be doing something positive for my body.  It's going to happen provided we have enough space!  

I like NBC's The Biggest Loser.  Yes, it has some definite flaws.  I understand that their rapid weight loss is not the ideal way to lose weight.  Also, the militaristic lifestyle is nothing like reality.  Regardless, I tuned in on Monday night for my girl Dani to win this season.  Yay! 

Goals - The Breakdown.

There is power of goal setting and proper planning.  Personally, academically, and professionally I have  been exposed to goal setting paraphernalia.  Most sources agree that when working towards success it is easier to approach many smaller objectives as opposed to one large task.  For example, it is easier to accomplish one week of exercising 30 minutes a day versus a more generic goal of 50 pounds lost.

I want to start setting weekly goals.  They may or may not be fitness related.  I would also like to set a monthly goal.  Each will be evaluated at the end of the designated time later.  This way I can focus on something positive but a little different than the week before.  Then, ideally, the sum of the small efforts will get me closer to the larger end point of health and happiness.  

... I also really like post-its.

This week I want to make a meal plan and follow it for dinner!

It always happens all at once.

It's so hard to keep life balanced when everything changes.  It is almost for sure that Nate and I will be moving and buying our first home.  We want to get a loft condo that still needs the interior finished.  I get to pick the cabinets, not just what I put in them!  

It all becomes so exciting and overwhelming...

Stress.

Stress and I have a working relationship that I can accept most days.  Most of the time, I put my head down and overcome the challenges presented to me.  But, I would argue in some circumstances I choose not to manage it at all.  Rather, I prefer to avoid my stressors while escaping to the security of my bed covers.  My instincts don't scream fight or flight; they scream pizza and a nap! 

This is exactly what happened yesterday at the beginning of a daunting week.  Several things are developing in my life beyond my control.  So, instead of exercising and eating a nutritious dinner, I consciously chose to order pizza and take a nap.  The pizza tasted great and I have never not liked a nap.

Am I sorry?  Yes, a little.  Guilt didn't overwhelm me when I stepped on the scale this morning but I was annoyed.  I control my decisions and my food.  I knew that deep dish pepperoni perfection didn't align with my immediate goals.  I should have balanced my needs for heaven slices with more exercise not less.  Maybe a salad would have sufficed instead of additional pieces of pizza.  Maybe. 

I don't regret indulging, rather I regret over indulging.  

Victory!

 

 

Nate and I have played sand volleyball on Friday nights for over a year.  Our team is placed in a league that competes over several weeks and culminates in a tournament.  On tournament night, we have placed second more times than I can remember.  Finally, after all this time, we won!  And better yet, we get t-shirts as evidence of our success.

 

Fit happens on nights like that.  I played over three hours of volleyball and enjoyed every second. 

 

 



 

Speaking of results, I weighed in the 170s for several days in a row now.  This reaffirms that the weight loss is not a fluke which I always skeptically expect that it is.  Hopefully, this next 8.4 pounds disappears as smoothly!

 



Running.

I was not born a runner.  Through high school and into college a mile tested my greatest endurance.  Who could or would want to run any further than that?  My participation in other sports only supported the idea that running was punishment. 

My first run with Nate was spur of the moment.  We ran with another friend.  It was awful.  I lagged several steps behind for an undetermined distance.  At one point, Nate even jogged back to me to slap me on the tush.  I vowed never to exercise with others again. Frankly, I resigned to a future of ellipticals.

Somehow, many months later, I agreed to another run with Nate.  I explained my concerns and challenges to him.  His talent seemed so natural.  He ran so effortlessly.  How could he understand that this was so hard for me?  My calves burned like I ran in stilettos and my lungs stretched as well as denim might.  I mentioned he's amazing, right?  He stayed by my side walk or shuffle the whole time. 

So, I agreed to another run and then another.  He'd encourage me to the next hill top or stop sign which I would never reach.  I bought a heart rate monitor to make sure I didn't surpass some threshold where my heart exploded.  Slowly, very slowly, my skill improved.  I ran one mile.  Then, I could run one mile a little faster.  And so it continued until one day we ran seven or eight miles. 

We stopped really running for a long time and didn't start again until I somehow got the idea that I wanted to run a half marathon.  Again, Nate trudged through training with me.  It's a long story for another day.  To my amazement, my body really could run 13.1 miles (the day after the race I felt like I was hit by a car). 

Now, I find myself looking back to running.  How did this happen?  I remember hating running!  It still hurts.  I struggle to build my mileage again, but now I know I can do it with enough time.  The voice of doubt is quieter. 

It's about more than the scale.

Nate, my amazing husband, and I are going on an amazing adventure.  In five weeks, we begin a trip to literally circle the globe. 

We have family currently living in Malaysia.  When we visit them, we will also take a quick jaunt up to Vietnam.  Did you hear that?  I'm jaunting to Vietnam!  A year ago I would have laughed at the notion of traveling some place so foreign.

Now, because the worst grade I ever got was in geography, I am showing you a map!  I may or may not have had to look up these locations.

In Veitnam, we opted for a tour that includes two days of bike riding in Hanoi and one of kayaking in Bai Tu Long Bay.

With this trip around the corner, losing weight is about more than numbers.  It is about doing stuff!  It is about the confidence, ability, and desire to travel.  It is about taking pictures not only of the scenery but also of me.  It is about wearing sleeveless shirts in humid, sweaty places.  I want to do these adventurous, active, and awesome endeavors every day with no regrets!

Goal setting.

 

How do you set a good goal?  Or rather, how do I set a good weight goal for me?

I am 5'5".  In the past seven years, I weighed in the 140s to almost surpassing the 200 pound mark.  The first time I focused on losing weight, I aimed for 135.  I don't know that I have weighed this little since elementary school.  I remember an instance in junior high gym class.  It involved an archaic scale in front of my other classmates and ~145 pounds.  Maybe 135 is not the most realistic target from the get-go. 

I researched various healthy recommended weights for my height and age.  And, here is what I've decided:

CURRENT
-2/23/13-
183 lbs
34.5% body fat

GOAL
150 lbs
25% body fat

My goal should put me on the high end of a normal body composition.  Maybe I can revisit the 135 goal weight as I approach 150 pounds. 

Wish me good luck and, more so, a large dose of hard work!

Will you?

The denim deities have spoken.  I have ruined two pairs of pants in maybe a little over a month.  The zipper broke on the first pair.  The second pair split through the seam.  This may be a reflection of poor craftsmanship, but I'm interpreting these omens differently.  The jeans are harbingers of doom.

Here I sit to acknowledge their warning. 

I don't weigh the most I've ever weighed.  I am not the most out of shape I have ever been.  But, I will be if I continue down this path.  And, this isn't about being less overweight than before.  It's about being fit, being proud,  being what I know I can be.