So good...so good...I got you!

 I started counting calories and upping my daily workouts a bit in the beginning of April.  I didn't really have a specific goal in mind, weight or size-wise,  I just want to be...fit.  I wanted to feel good and be able to do stuff.  Like run a 5k.  And hike.  And do push-ups. 

And here, for the first time, are some stats.  Please don't think that I'm bragging or bemoaning or anything like that.  I'm just stating what's going on with my body and certainly not passing judgement on anyone else's.  Health certainly doesn't correspond with size!  I just wanted to document what's up here because 1. I suck at keeping a journal...this blog is pretty much it most weeks, and 2. it's motivating to put this stuff out here for you guys...keeps me honest :-)

At 5ft, 8 in. tall, my starting weight, back in April was 160 lbs. and I was pretty consistently wearing a size 12.    I was already excersising moderately 4-5 times a week (ususally alternating days of 30-60 min. of cardio or strength training).  I don't feel like I was out of shape, really, but I wasn't watching what I was eating (or drinking)...at all and I wasn't pushing myself in my workouts.   I could only do 2-3 push-ups before I was cheating and going down on my knees. 

Since April, (I think I've mentioned this before, heh) I've been journaling every. single. thing. I put in my mouth here which might sound a bit obsessive but its actually kind of fun. And addicting.   After a few days of doing this, I learned (duh) that I could eat more of stuff that was better for me, i.e.,  fruits and veggies and non-fat dairy as opposed to cookies, breads, fatty delicious Tillamook cheese, etc.  

For example, a huge salad, complete with spinach, avacado, baby carrots, tomato, cucumber, 2% monterey jack and salsa and even a little bit of light sour cream for lunch was under 300 calories!  And filling!  And super delicious! Add a couple of homemade masa corn tortillas and I'm stuffed and in at about 400 calories.  Compare that to a lunch I might have had pre-calorie obsession of turkey sandwich with the before mentioned delicious full-fat cheese, mayo, and much smaller serving of veggies and maybe some chips and a piece of fruit and there is a HUGE difference, calorie wise.  And overall feeling-wise.  I've discovered that I just plain feel better when I eat the salad... the turkey sandwich/chips lunch would tend to make me kind of heavy and bloated or something.  I just don't need that much food.   But I would eat it because it was there.  And because that's what my 230 lb. 6'2" husband was eating.  See if you can spot the error. 

As of this weekend, I'm at 148 lbs. and fitting into 8-10's, depending on brand.  (We went to Old Navy, Target, and Macy's over the weekend to get the husband some shorts and I tried on pants just for shits and gigs.)

More importantly, I have achieved my bigger goal of feeling good.  I can now comfortably run 4 miles.  I can do this grueling workout with relative ease.   I can do "real" pushups (not a lot, but even 10-15 push-ups off my knees is better than where I started!)   I have energy and a certain clarity of mind that I feel is directly related to increasing the intensity and duration of my work-outs. 

My shoulders and arms look...dare I say...muscular.  Ish.  And my legs are firmer.   My collar bone stands out a bit.  I'll probably never lose the little "I've had a baby paunch" around my middle, but that doesn't bother me because HELLO I created a person out of thin air and housed and fed him there for 9 months.  My little tummy is a fucking badge of honor and honestly, I want to keep a little roundness there to remind me of how connected we once were and of the amazing shit a woman's body, MY body is capable of.  

Most of this shit may be totally obvious to you and you very well might be sick of reading about it.   But.  This journey so far has been a huge adjustment for me and kind of all-encompassing.  I've had to change the way I see exercise (fun! and challenging! and stress relieving instead of a boring chore that has to be completed) and how I see food (fresh, delicious fuel to be savored as opposed to whatever crap is there to shove into my pie-hole.)   I'm now planning on running a 5k in 2 weeks.  And I'm totally excited.  I'm also going to walk a half-marathon on July 4th.  Because I can do it.  And because its in a beautiful place and will be fun. 

I feel good, you guys.

Take it to the Limit...

First of all, I'm ECSTATIC that I decided not to register for the first 5K race of the season tomorrow.  It's cold, snowy, windy and gross outside (and supposed to stay that way) and I'm positive that I would have awakened tomorrow morning and muttered a terse "fuck you" before defiantly turning my face back into the warm bed.  And then I would have been out the $20 for registration and t-shirt.  So THANK GOODNESS  laziness won out and I can now spend my $20 on doughnuts or something.

 In all seriousness, the running is going really well so far.  I've been going 3 mornings a week since the roads (mostly) cleared up and Ruby goes with me which is fun.  (2 mornings a week, I still do some sort of strength training).  I've never run with a dog before and its nice to have company.   Plus since its still dark when we're out there and as I seem to have a moral objection to buying any clothing in hues other than black or gray, she kind of acts as a huge,fluffy, white moving reflector.

We're averaging 3.5 miles nowadays and I think I'll stick with that distance for a while and just try to improve my time.  Right now, it's taking me about 40 min so... (you do the math)  I'm really slow.  Running like 12 minute miles.  Heh.  But I'm out there!  I might increase to 4 miles just to have a nice, round number but I'd really like to work on getting at least a little bit faster.

During the winter, I forget about the meditative, enriching aspect of running outside.  Its just not the same when you're on a treadmill watching CNN or a rerun of some HBO series.  Running outside, pounding the pavement, matching your footsteps to your breath, is so much...freer.  And more real, somehow.  I feel like I'm out there, on my own and its up to me to get back home.  I can't just quit whenever I want, jump off the treadmill and into a hot shower.  If I've carried myself 2 miles out, I've gotta go 2 miles back. 

All that aside, I'm still glad I stopped myself from the 5K this weekend.  There will be plenty more over the spring and summer and as much as I'm enjoying getting back into running, and even though I've been doing it in the dark, early morning, doing it in the ice cold snow on a Saturday just sounds like punishment.

Gawd, I'm a wimp :-)