I Ran...

Well...that's not entirely true - I jogged. I jogged for a total of eight minutes. And, for those of you watching at home -- that is the longest I've ever jogged in my life. A year ago, I was lucky to have been able to job for 10 seconds and last night I started the Couch to 5k Training. If you aren't familiar, it's a program that helps you by breaking up a thirty minute walk/jog/run. I did a short warm up and then alternated between walking for 1:30 and jogging for 1 minute. I had Monster with me and honestly, the little turkey held me back a little. I'm hoping that he was just tired from his lingering cough and it being after a full-day of school. When I jogged that first minute, I questioned what in the world I was doing. My brain kept telling me to stop and that there was no way I was going to be able to finish even day one. After the second, one minute, Monster was next to me and said "Hey, Mom - you're jogging. You lied to me; you said you'd never be able to jog and you're doing it!" I sort of laughed and said "I know, bud. I'm sorry I lied, but I never thought I'd be able to do it." At that point, I knew I HAD to finish it. I had to do it for myself...and, because I have this little guy watching me. He's starting to really notice that I'm losing weight and I'm doing things that I never thought I'd be able to do. 

Needless to say, it was not easy for me. I need to learn how to breath while jogging, but I finished it - I jogged every single minute the app told me to. Additionally, we walked to and from the park near our house. It is almost a mile, round trip. When I walked it a couple of years ago, just to and from and sat at the park, it was a huge endeavor for me. I never realized how hard it was until I walked it last night -- with no issue. Plus, I walked and jogged for about two miles while at the park. Last night, I had a huge sense of accomplishment. 

Today, I have some pretty sore legs, but my sense of accomplishment is spilling over to today. I'm nervous about doing day two, but I'm ready for it. 

Tonight, I have my Muscle Definition class and Aqua Zumba. I'm thinking about adding the 20 minute Stretch & Core class between the two - I could use a little help stretching. 

As always, thanks for reading!

Ramblings About Our Weekend...

If you follow me on Twitter (@LisainLouKY) you know my Monster man was sick this weekend. He missed Wednesday - Friday of school; they were on fall break Monday and Tuesday. As a result, I missed my Friday night and Saturday morning workouts at the gym. I should have put on a DVD or something and moved at home, but I used his sickness as an excuse to hang out on the couch. On Sunday, my body was stiff and sore and I couldn't wait to hit my Aqua Fitness class. Monster usually hangs out with his Grammy on Sunday's while I work out but she called with bad news that her cat was dying. She's been sick for a long time, so we didn't want Monster there. Exercise plans foiled again. 

However, it was a beautiful weekend here in Kentucky -- beautiful fall weather. So, I decided that Monster and I would pack up and head out to the Parklands for a picnic and a walk. The Parklands is beautiful and a great place to get in some exercise and gorgeous scenery. We looked at our options for hiking and decided to just take out and start walking on the Louisville Loop - my goal was to walk about three - four miles. We ended up on the Black Willow Trail (according the Parklands website it is 1.67 miles). It was a great walk - it curved around through the woods and near the creek. Monster was not too happy as we came around the back stretch - he was tired but he powered through and we finished. All in all, we walked a little over three miles. I wanted to walk a lap around the Egg Lawn Trail (0.70 miles) but Monster was D.O.N.E. I'm going to go back this weekend, I hope, for a solo trip. 

The most amazing part to me was that I finished it. I walked it all and could still go for more. One of the last times I walked there I could barely make it around the Egg Lawn Trail. I'm constantly amazed at how much different my life is now -- I'm getting healthy. I crave exercise. I enjoy exercise. If you've never been morbidly obese you won't understand the feeling of accomplishment that I have right now. 

Given the fact that I was able to walk the three miles pretty easily this weekend I am going to sign up for my first 5k. The Annual YMCA Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. One of my goals was to be able to walk in a 5k by the end of the year and I think this will be the perfect way to start my Thanksgiving Day. I have many things to be thankful for this year - taking control of my health is near the top. I plan to try to run some, if not all, of the 5k. I've downloaded the Couch to 5k app and plan to start training this week. If you're in the Louisville area and would like to join me in the Turkey Trot, let me know! I'd love to have a buddy with me. 

Thanks for reading! 

What I'm learning...

I would apologize for no update in about a week, but I don't want to feel obligated to post every day. I want this to be a space for me to talk through things, share my life, solicit help and/or support, and to share my story. 

In the last week, I've exercised every day except Sunday. Tuesday I am counting my hour of cutting the grass as a workout. 

Yesterday was my best day so far. I needed to snap a couple of photos of the bridge construction for a marketing piece I was doing for an upcoming conference. So, a co-worker and I walked the Big Four Bridge so I could take the photos. It was a beautiful day and a perfect way to add a little exercise to my day. Round trip, including the ramps on either side, it is a two-mile walk.

View from the Big Four Bridge of the construction. 

Big Four Bridge 

In addition to our walk, Wednesdays are my Muscle Definition and Aqua Zumba classes. I was able to up my weights during my MD class - I used 10 pound barbells and a 15 pound body bar. Since starting this class about a month ago, I've gone from using a 3 or 5 pound weights to 10. I also realized last night that some of the moves in Zumba that I couldn't do or had to modify at the beginning, I can do now. And, during a kicking session, I realized I could touch my toes! If I haven't said it before, I absolutely adore my Zumba instructor - she pushes me and encourages me. Yesterday ended with over 20,518 steps which equals to 9.34 miles. 

I'm learning that I can:

• push myself more than I think;
• moving my body is loads better than feeding it garbage; 
• this is a daily process and struggle;
• some days are better than others but I'm not giving up;
• lean in on friends when I need support

Most of all - this is for me. And for the first time in a long time, I'm feeling good about me.