Word for 2016

Happy last day of 2015! As I said yesterday, I can't believe the year is over. I am one of those people who likes the idea of a new start with the changing of the calendar. The new year seems like the perfect opportunity to "start new" and to make changes to necessary to our lives.

The last couple of years, thanks to social media, I haven't so much made resolutions but chose a word/theme for the year and set up goals for myself. 2014 was PEACE - I was coming out of a very hard year and needed peace all the way around. 2015 was HEALTH. As I reflect on the last two years, I can see that these words/themes have rung true and helped keep me focused and grounded through the year.

The word I've chosen for 2016 is INTENTIONAL. I want to live intentionally in all aspects of my life. I want to plan and make choices that I stick to. I want to plan for the future. I want to prayerfully choose to be filled with peace and healthy. Just because it is a new year, it doesn't mean those words slip away - I plan to intentionally add them into my daily life.

Do you make resolutions? Goals? Do you have a word for 2016? Share with me! I'd love to hear what you are planning for 2016.

For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

End of 2015

Tomorrow is the last day of 2015. Wow - where has this year gone? It seems like it has flown by. I think back to when I heard adults say this when I was a kid and wondered why they thought that -- now, I feel like I blink and another year passes.

This time last year, I was still trying to get back on my feet after having the wind knocked out of me and my life turned upside down. I was better than the year before, but still not good. {Am I good now??} I was miserable all the time - I hated the way I looked - I couldn't keep up with Monster. Heck, I could barely get up and down the steps of the basement to do laundry. I was 85 pounds heavier than I am right now. EIGHTY FIVE. That's more than what Monster weighs and he is almost too heavy for me to lift. This time last year, I had just re-joined the YMCA and was slowly adding in a couple of classes. I had no idea I would walk into an Aqua Zumba class on New Years Eve last year and have it completely change my life. The class was fun. The instructor - HILARIOUS, encouraging, fun and good at her job! I was alone, with no plans for NYE, and that choice was exactly what I needed to make the changes I needed.

I added more water fitness classes to my schedule and quickly falling in love with this form of cardio. I think I've said this before, but these classes are not like the gereatric classes that you may think of - the instructors I go to are motivating, encouraging, and have been instrumental in helping me get this far. In addition to my water classes, I've added in a muscle definition class for strength training and the occasional Pound class

While I didn't hit a goal I had made a couple of months ago - to lose 100 pounds by now, I am pretty proud of how far I've come. I am a little frustrated with myself - I had not set any goals at the beginning - was just happy to see weekly progress. I feel like when I set actual goals I did a little self-sabatoging. So, as I sit here with one day left in 2015, I am reflecting on this year and thinking forward to 2016.

Year to Date Progress: 

• Weight: lost 85.2 
• Inches: 23 inches total (arm, bust, waist, hips, thigh, and neck)
• Completed my first official 5k 
• Walked Five miles in one walk

Christmas '14 and '15.
Please note I'm not a fan of seeing my baby get bigger!!  

I have not only lost weight and inches from my body, but I have gained some confidence, stamina, and a lot more strength. Some days I still don't see progress because I have a long way to go -- I'm guessing around 115 pounds will put me to my goal weight. Honestly, I'm not sold on an exact number - I feel like I will find my weight range when I get there. Mainly, my goal is to be healthy - body, mind, and spirit. But, I take look at photos and can see a big difference.

December '14 and '15

As I wrap up 2015, I can't help but be grateful to all of you who have said kind words to me, supported, encouraged, and held my hands - in real life or virtually - as I work towards a happy, healthy me. And as cliche as it is, I am looking forward to a new me. I can't wait to look back over the year next year and be even happier. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Wishing you all the happiest of new years! 

My First 5K and Looking Back Over the Last Year...

I can remember last year, scrolling through social media, wishing I could do the Annual YMCA Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. This year, I made that wish a reality. Monster, my friend, Sam, and I got ourselves up early and walked my first 5K. To say I was a bit nervous would be an understatement. This time last year I couldn't even walk a mile without hurting and being completely worn out. This year, I walked over three miles and could have done more - easily. As silly as it may sound to some of you - I am proud of myself. My results were 56:48. While it was a lot slower than I had hoped, I finished - and I was not the last to cross the finish line. And for that, I am grateful and proud.

Before the Turkey Trot 

Waiting to at the start line.

Finished! 

We finished.

Crossing the finish line. 

Seeing my sister and nephew at the finish line. 

 My sister and nephew surprised us by waiting for us at the finish line. It was such an awesome surprise.

Isn't this the sweetest thing ever?!? 

This last year has been a real journey in trying to find me - I've felt really lost at times, but I'm starting to find me and my voice. I still don't like what I see when I look in the mirror, but I like it a LOT better than I did a year ago. I've taken a few chances and have been both rejected and accepted by some that surprised me. I've got a great group of "real life" and online friends that have been instrumental in encouraging me and supporting me - those of you reading this - thank you! I am honored and appreciate your support.

To date, I have lost 85 pounds and I've lost the following inches since I first took my measurements on March 16, 2015:

Arm: 3.0

Bust: 6.5

Waist: 3.5

Hips: 4.0

Thigh: 4.5

Neck: 1.5

I have also gained a lot of strength, endurance, confidence and new, smaller clothes. :) 

(L) November 2014 and (R)November 2015. My race shirt is an XL and the one on the left is a 4x. 

(L) Thanksgiving 2014 and (R) 2015

As I've said before, thank you for your support and encouragement over the last year. It is appreciated more than you'll know!

Transformation Tuesday

Over the last couple of weeks, about once/twice a week, I have been changing clothes and going for a walk downtown before going to pick up Monster. I have mapped it out from a couple of blocks to 2.5 miles as of today. I was able to walk that in 45 minutes today, and that included dropping off and picking up some signs that I used for a conference I was in charge of last week. 

I was in a really cranky mood all day - just blah. Everything was getting on my nerves, I was tired, moody and just wanted to eat. As soon as I changed into my workout clothes, sneakers and put in my headphones my mood started to lift. Within about three blocks, the sunshine and moving my body, my mood started to lift. As I was walking, I started to think about the last year and how far I have come in my fitness. Some folks would think 2.5 miles is nothing, but I would have never been able to walk that a year ago. I've lost 87 pounds to date and I exercise at least six hours a week, most weeks more than that. Last week, I logged over 50 miles for the week! I am so proud of myself for the work I've put in. 

I'm really starting to notice the changes in my body too. 

I need to take my measurements this weekend. I'm hopeful that the scale has moved a little bit down since I didn't lose anything last week, but my eating has been terrible so I'm not holding my breath. But, tomorrow is another day...I will make better decisions than I did today. And, that in itself is a transformation from the past. 

Until next time,

- Lisa 

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.