It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Finished with my Christmas shopping and Christmas cards. I must say that it's a nice feeling. I still have the wrapping and the traveling to do and the 5 more days of work (afternoon shifts, my favorite!) to get through, but I think I'm almost ready.

The one thing I do need to work on is my game plan to avoid the stress and anxiety that comes with the holiday season. I intend to bring my sneakers and workout clothes so that I can hit the road for some exercise which should help some. But I need to figure out how to handle the rest of the stress that comes with the holidays. After all, I'm a nervous person by nature...

Anyway, I welcome your thoughts...

Happy Friday!

LP

p.s. - I know that the song title is "It's beginning to LOOK a lot like Christmas", however I'm hoping that by changing it in my blog post I can ward off the snow that is supposed to fall this weekend... I am NOT ready for another snowstorm :(

Interactive Blog Post

Hi guys -

It's a very chilly December morning and I am getting ready to go for a walk/run. Naturally, I am procrastinating like a champ! I know that once I get started, I should be good to go. That, and if it is too bearable, I'm always less than a half mile from my house (I run up and down the neighborhood streets).

Now that I have my ipod, I love to run with the rocker girls of the 80s-90s -- you know... Pat Benatar, Patty Smyth and Scandal, Heart, Lita Ford... There's nothing like hearing "Hit me with your best shot" or "The Warrior" to make one feel empowered.

But what about you... what music keeps you going through your workouts? I imagine that eventually I'm going to want a "plan B playlist" and maybe you'll inspire me.

Anyway, have a wonderful weekend!

LP

With a little help from my friends...

Good morning! The sun managed to come out today (after the deluge last night) and I got to hit the road! I'm back to walk/running... (maybe it will help me to lose the 20lbs I said I wanted to lose before I tried running again). Anyway, it felt good! I did 5 miles in about 75 min... not too bad!

So the friend I managed to inspire while slacking on my own journey (see previous post) is helping me get back on track... We've been checking in on each other daily about going to the gym and our food choices. I am so grateful to have wonderful friends like you all - who give me encouragement when I need it most. Thank you so much for being a part of my journey.

Happy Wednesday!

LP

Nothing like a little guilt...

So, yesterday I received this text from a good friend of mine:

"Hey, guess what? I worked out this am at 5!!! I've never done that before. Thank you for inspiring me, Laura"

While I was proud of my friend for making healthy changes, I couldn't help but feel a little bit bad for myself. It must be that Catholic guilt... it's hard to hear that I am inspiring others when I am barely doing what I need to do myself.

I guess there is only one way to fix that, now is there???

Happy Thursday!

LP

Catching up...

Hey guys!

Can you believe December is here? Sometimes I just don't know where the time goes...

I haven't been the best about blogging lately so I figured I should check in.

I had a lovely Thanksgiving with my family. My parents, sister and niece Jasmine came up to Richmond to celebrate the holiday with me. It was such a delight! Jasmine is getting so big and she is quite the character... but be careful what you say, because this one hasn't developed a filter yet (she told my neighbor's daughter that her room was a mess and that she needed to clean it up... yikes).

Holidays are great, but for me the indulgences of the celebrations tend to linger too long. It's probably a product of not being in the habit of being good right now. Luckily for me, it takes 2-3 weeks to make a behavior a habit, so there is hope I won't repeat this pattern for Christmas. I think I will be well-prepared because I'm starting today!

Training with Sean is back to running smoothly... since I can't get ready there for the time being and I don't do very well working out at night, it was a little rocky for a while there. Thankfully, Sean is working with me on this -- which means on the days that I have to be at work at 7am, we work out at 5am. This gives me enough time to go back home and get ready. I really appreciate his flexibility with this, because I am so not ready to go it alone yet...

So, the 1st of December was the first day to sign up for the Monument Ave 10K. I decided that this is going to be my next race. It will be on March 27, so that gives me PLENTY of time to start training... I want to be able to run most if not all of this one!

Anyway, I think that's all I have to report... have a wonderful day!

Happy Tuesday!

LP

Coming clean

I think it is a well-known fact that doctors make the worst patients... We know too much and sometimes we think we know what's best. In addition to this, there is an anxiety or fear of bad outcomes that can manifest itself as denial.

I had a doctor's appointment today. It has been about a year and a half since I had been and because my weight has been going in the wrong direction, I didn't want to have to tell my doctor what a bad job I've been doing with consistently taking my meds or following my diet. In fact, my PCP tricked me into coming in... she asked what I was doing on the 24th and when I said that I had nothing going on, she made me an appointment.

I must say that it is a relief to actually have gone... My blood pressure (off my medication) was a little bit high (142/72) which means that it is not time to come off the losartan. I still need to do labs (since it was an afternoon appointment I wasn't fasting). Actually, the labs kind of scare me a little - I'm really afraid of getting diabetes. She offered to check my A1c, which I declined. Maybe if I had been good about my diet over the past 3 months, but since I haven't I'm afraid of what the results may be. For now, a fasting glucose will be sufficient. I'll let you know how things turn out once I get them done.

But I feel great... I'm motivated to keep going.

Happy Tuesday!

LP

Coulda, woulda, shoulda...

***Warning, this post is kind of negative... I'm hoping I'll turn it around by the end.***

A year ago yesterday, I had my last good assessment. I was down 97# and oh so hopeful. I couldn't wait to reach the "hundred pounds gone" mark and knew that it was in reach. I also had daydreams about when I would finally be a healthy weight, and I was confident I would get there by my goal of my 35th year... I felt invincible.

A year later and 35 lbs (in the wrong direction) later, I have to ask myself -- WTF??? What happened? How could I do this to myself again??? If only I had a chronicle of my journey... Oh yeah, I do... I decided to read my own blog to see if I can figure out what went wrong.

I was a rockstar for the first 9 months. I journaled almost everyday, stuck to the rules without straying (except cheat days), and was faithful to my cardio. I vaguely remember the sense of pride I felt when I got in an extra workout in or when I would refuse dessert at work or food brought in by a drug rep because it didn't follow the rules.

And then I got a little arrogant... I made that goal of reaching 100# by Thanksgiving (something that was too aggressive to safely do). I became obsessive and super-strict in a way that was not only not maintainable, but I think caused me to rebel a little.

Once I stopped working towards that assessment, I started to give myself slack and started to gain. Well, that was a slippery slope. I made attempts many times to get "back on track" (yeah, I lost count of how many times I have used that expression here). I would give myself a pep talk and be all optimistic only to fail and get discouraged only a few days later. I have still to this day not been able to get back to even writing things down consistently (which is the first step).

I've tried a ton of other things to help me -- different journals, seeing a nutritionist, strategizing with Sean, making goals for races, I even had a life coach -- but none of this stuff has been able to fix whatever broke in me last year. I'm so frustrated because I know I can do this (I was doing it and it worked), so what is stopping me now??? Most of all, I am so angry at myself for throwing away all of that hard work!!! I'm really afraid that if I can't fix the problem, I am going to be back where I was before I started this journey or even heavier. This would be unforgivable!

So, where to go from here???

I'm not giving up. I can't do that to myself. If it means starting over everyday, then that is what I have to do. If you have any ideas of something I can do to regain that drive I once had, I'm open to suggestions...

Sorry to be a downer...

Happy Saturday!

LP

Back to work...

So, my new found enthusiasm continues (yes, I realize it has only been 2 days). Yesterday I was super sore. My shins really hurt and it was difficult to walk around the hospital. But after a good stretching session this morning, I'm back! I did an upper body workout with Sean and then took a walk around the Fan - when I drove it, it measured 2.5 miles.

Tackling my nutrition is going to be more of a challenge... I've been pretty far gone for a while so I guess the good news is that even small changes will be a step in the right direction. I'm starting first with journaling and eating 5-10 servings of vegetables and fruits a day. After I master those, I'll add a new rule back in. I'm just not ready to give up the coffee and the diet cokes that I added back to my life at some point over the past year... I know that they need to go (or at least be drastically cut back), but there are other things that I can work on first.

Who knows? Maybe I'll be back to losing in no time...

Happy Monday!

LP

Race Day

So as I alluded to in the past couple of posts (and then hinted at by my long silence), things have been rough the last few weeks. My training fizzled -- and I was seriously considering backing out of the 8K. After much encouragement from my friends, I decided to go for it. That is, after Megha made me promise that we would walk the whole thing.

It was a lot of fun... Another friend, Aimee, from work joined us too. We talked the whole way and it was over before we knew it. We were soaked and freezing, but proud of what we accomplished. We even got medals of participation! Here we are at the finish line...

The evening after the race, I went to my neighbors' house for a "Runner's Victory and Remorse" party. You see, my neighbor Jack rocked the marathon this year! This is even more amazing considering that 13 months ago, while training for the 2008 marathon, he had a heart attack! What an inspiration, right???

There was an surprising side effect of doing the race yesterday (the soreness this morning was expected... I think it was the push I needed to get back on track. I woke up this morning and started my food journal again. I looked up the date of the Monument Ave 10K and am seriously considering doing that one, too. I'd like to lose 20 lbs before I start running again, but I learned that there is value and a sense of accomplishment that goes along with walking the race as well... who knew???

It's a wonderfully sunny day here in Richmond, VA... something that is a welcomed change after our very rainy week... it's enough to lift anyone's spirits!

Happy Sunday!

LP

Gratitude challenge...

Still trying to get out of my funk, but I'm getting a little better each day. One of my friends from college and now Facebook gave me a great idea. Until Thanksgiving, she is posting a status reflecting something for which she is grateful. I've decided to steal her idea and challenge myself to do it, too!

I'm going to will myself to be happy, if it's the last thing I do!

Have a wonderful day!

LP

Nothing positive to say...

I've been struggling... Maybe it's the change of the weather and maybe I'm hosting my very own pity party, but I've been pretty down lately. Wards left me exhausted, both physically and emotionally. I'm so tired and I'm tired of my crappy, boring life. I really need a change!

I haven't been running and I've barely doing the other things I need to do. Needless to say, I won't be running any races... I may walk it. We'll see...

Hoping this funk will lift soon!

Happy Wednesday!

LP

False start...

So much for getting back on schedule with the running... I think the big problem is I've been thinking that I would do it in the evenings. (I should know better). I really need to add it to my morning routine (and then if I do it again in the evening, then even better!).

But, since after today I am off for the next 11 days, I really have no excuse not to get it done... I don't want to let down those who have agreed to do this race with me (and I don't want them to back out either!!)

Happy Humpday!
LP

More updates...

It's been a little rough of a week with the hip hurting and trying to find a time to run...

9/30 - running day: I only managed to do 15 minutes of run/walking before the hip acted up. I finished off the workout with half an hour of walking. 45 minutes in total covering 3.1 miles.

10/1 - non-running day: 20 minutes on the elliptical machine and a lower body workout with Sean

10/2 - just a full-body workout with Sean

10/5 - upper body workout with Sean

... I decided to rest the hip for a little while and not run over the weekend. Thankfully, today I am pain-free! The running starts again tomorrow. Of course, I need to learn how to stretch properly so that I don't hurt myself again...

So I found out my friend who was planning to run the race with me has to work... boo!!!

BUT, I have 2 friends who have agreed to run it with me... yay!!!

Happy Monday!

LP

Wow, that stinks...

So, apparently in April I was able to jog for 5 minutes straight... I even blogged about it. Wow, what a huge setback that I'm having difficulty running 2 minutes...

Oh well, I guess I have to build back up to it again!

LP

Training update...

Plugging along...

9/27 - rest day. no cardio

9/28 - running day: run/walking around the neighborhood... mainly 90 sec jogging with 60 sec walking. I started out attempting 2 minutes of jogging, but I lasted 2 cycles. I only lasted 18 minutes (see the obstacle below...) Finished up the 40 minutes with walking. Lower body workout with Sean.

9/29 - non-running day: walked 1.2 miles (3 times around the block) and then an upper body workout with Sean.

Another obstacle:

I've been having right hip pain after running. Feels like it's muscular since I have full ROM of my hip... I'm hoping that it's just my body adjusting to new exercise. I did have to stop running short yesterday, and today I took it easy with the cardio today. If it doesn't get better soon, I'll have to make an appointment with a doctor.

Added benefits of the running?

- I'm getting back on track with nutrition. I haven't noticed any changes in the scale, but I'm not focused on it.

- my time running is great time to reflect on whatever is bothering me... I've found it to be a great stress reliever.

Happy Tuesday!

LP

"Running" update

Until I start a spreadsheet of my own, I'm going to put down my training here:

9/25 - non-running day: 30 min HIT training on the elliptical - level 5

9/26 - "running" day: 20 minutes alternating between 90 seconds of "running" and 60 seconds of walking. Finished off with another 20 minutes of walking. (did 1.6 miles in the initial 20 minutes and 2.7 miles overall).

- I think today's workout needs to be repeated before going on to the next level... I was doing fairly well until about 15 minutes in and then I couldn't maintain the "running" for 90 seconds. Definitely don't think I'm ready to conquer 2 minutes of running in a row.

Obstacles: this darn viral URI... I could swear I heard myself wheezing at about 18 minutes in. :( Hopefully, this cold will leave me soon.

You may have noticed my quotations whenever I use the word run... I assume they'll fall off when my confidence is higher, or when I believe what my efforts actually fit the definition of running...

Have a good one!

LP

The balancing act...

Achieving balance is something that is always a challenge for me. I often have an "all-or-nothing mentality" about things and so I'm either super-strict or super-slack with no middle ground. Add it to the list of the million things I am working on improving...

HOWEVER, I think I did a good job avoiding that wrong thinking over the past few days. While I have cheated each day of my birthday celebration (which this year happened to last 2 days), I have done a good job of getting right back on track. And even on those days, I made really healthy choices with the exception of my cheat dinners (eggplant parm and birthday cake on the 24th and a restaurant spinach salad w/chicken and some of my friend's creme brulee cheesecake on the 25th). Most importantly, today I got up and instead of beating myself up for cheating twice, I had my healthy breakfast and am going for my "run" now...

Who knows... maybe I'm growing up ;-)

Have a wonderful weekend!

LP

Day 3 -- things are a little better :)

Today I hit the road... I walk/ran around the neighborhood - running 60 seconds (no handrails to hold onto this time) alternating with walking for 90 seconds for 20 minutes and then afterward I walked for another 20 minutes. I covered 2.7 miles in 40 minutes... it's a starting point, right?

Two obstacles I've discovered while running on the streets:
(1) DOGS -- Not the biggest pet person, but dogs barking at me (and potentially chasing after me) scares me quite a bit. I encountered 1 barking dog today (he didn't chase), but it put me on heightened alert for the rest of my workout.
(2) I got a BLISTER :( -- I went to get fitted for running shoes, but when I got home, I noticed that my new ones were remarkably similar to my current sneaks (which quite frankly aren't that old). I decided to bring them back and talk to the salesperson, but in the meantime I would use my old sneakers. They have never given me any problems before, but today I got a blister... OUCH! Guess I'll have to go out and buy some band-aids, because a little blister isn't going to stop me now.

I'm pretty excited about my training for this race (even if I do walk most of it). It's nice to have a new goal to focus on rather than numbers on a scale... who knows, maybe this is just the thing to get me back to making healthy choices all around.

Starting my 35th year on the right track...

LP

Day 1 -- how many calories are in humble pie???

... because I just had a big piece of it!

I started training for the 8K. My neighbors are runners and they are helping me devise a plan to prepare -- I am to start with 20 minutes of alternating between walking for 90 seconds and running for 60. I'm supposed to "run" 3 times a week and only one of these can be on the treadmill... doesn't sound so bad, right?

Wrong! Even though I have been doing cardio consistently for 18 months, I could barely get through this workout. I started out with my treadmill workout - walking at 4.0 and running at 5.0. I found that I can only run for 45 seconds before I have to hold on to the handrails. My initial plan was to continue to walk for another 10 minutes after, but luckily Sean was ready for me so I had to go train.

I know that I am still sick and that may have made it a little harder, but I really thought I would be better able to handle the workout... and this is just day 1!

But I'm going to stick with it and I look forward to updating you on my progress...

Happy Tuesday!
LP

Time for my annual freak-out...

So, it's that time of year again... soon to be another year older. And while there are plenty of things that I have accomplished, I find myself thinking about all of the things that have just not happened for me. My life at 33 is nothing like I imagined it would be, and I can't help but be a little sad...

So if you see me this week and I'm a little bit off, you now know why...

Have a wonderful week!
LP