Day 1 of Session 2

Happy Monday everyone! I have had a pretty productive day so far. I woke up at 5:20 a.m. and my friend Katie and I were out the door for out 1.62 mile run before 5:50. We went slow and steady because this is her first time running in a really long time. She did awesome though, and we made it home in pretty decent time.

Then I made some Proatmeal with almond milk for my 7 a.m. breakfast and made my sevenpoint2 shake with greens, coconut milk and peanut butter and took it with me for my 9 a.m. meal at work. My mid-morning snack was 2 cups of strawberries, nummy! For lunch I had a hot pastrami sandwich on a 4 inch wheat bread with red onions and spicy mustard paired with 100 calories worth of cashews. My afternoon snack was 2 vegetable and brown rice stuffed grape leaves and 12 ozs. of pure coconut water. I finished my calorie intake for the day with white meat chicken and 3 ozs. of beef, lettuce and yogurt. I have also already consumed my 8 glasses of water for the day but will probably get another 2 or 3 in by days end.

This is my day one of INSANITY. I do my fit test tonight at 8:30. I am excited but also nervous. I know I can do it. I am very strong willed, dedicated and motivated to make this change in my life. My friend Katie and my Husband will be joining me for my Insanity Workouts so that we can support each other. I can't wait to see the changes in them and in myself!

Thanks for stopping by and checking on me, I love the support and accountability that followers to my blog provide me ;)

TTFN!

Jenn

Ok, so I just want to apologize for neglecting my blog for the last few weeks. I am sorry. I have been super busy.... I got a new job, went on vacation and even met my 5k goal! Yay, I am so proud of myself and all the work that I have done. My time for my 5k wasn't amazing, nut it was respectable for my first real 5k and I averaged 11:36 seconds per mile. I am very happy with the results.

I am the smallest I have been in years. I am officially in a size medium, both top and bottom and I lost an entire shoe size! I have more energy than I can remember having in a very, very long time and I am so excited to actually WANT to exercise. So, you may be wondering what the next step for me is, well I am gonna keep going. I am about 25 - 30 pounds from my final goal weight. I have lost roughly 60 pounds since January and there is no way that I am going to stop now!

Today is my day 1 of week 1 in a new 10 week system. For this leg of my exercise journey I have enlisted my friend Katie as my running partner. She was motivated by my success and had started her own weight loss journey and asked if I would let her partner with me. I was so happy to have her! So, this second part of my exercise journey will be a lot less complex than the last segment, but it will not be easier.

I will be doing a 10k training program that will require me to do varying length runs 4 days a week. The last part of my system will be doing the INSANITY work out. This is 6 days a week and is gonna kick my trash. But I am serious about wanting to get rid of the last 30 pounds and why shouldn't I get totally ripped at the same time? So here I go again, heading straight into another grueling training system. Why do I keep doing this to myself? Oh yeah, because I Am Worth It!!!!

TTFN,
Jenn

Week 6 Day 5 Exercisin' Update

So, I went running today for the first time this week. I was soooo sore Monday after my crazy long and painful hike in Zion, that I had taken a few days to re-coop. Problem #1, I was still kinda sore from Monday. Problem #2, I gave myself a new addition to my route being, as always, too much of an over achiever. Problem #3, I hadn't run in 4 days. This was the most pain I had been in in a run since Week 1. I lost count of how many time I honestly wanted to just sit down on the sidewalk or even better, turn around and head home. But I eventually made it home on, mostly the route I had planned. And, despite my sad sad pace time, I went further in one run than I ever have before. Now I just need to work on picking up the pace so that this 5k at the end of the month doesn't totally kick my trash. I survived today, I know tomorrow will be better and I know I can do it. I will not give up, I will stick with this (even when it is so hard I want to cry), and all because; I Am Worth It! TTFN, Jenn

Week 6 Weigh and Measure

This last week I have passed a few milestones. I finished a 20 minute straight run without dying which is great because I had never done more than 8 minutes at a time. Then, today, Charlie and I went this morning to Zion National Park and did an almost 9 mile hike in about 4 hours. During the hike we climbed 5835 feet in elevation and on the way back down we ran for the last 2 miles. My totals this week were pretty good. I lost 3.75 inches and 1.2 pounds. WooHoo! TTFN, Jenn

Week 5 Weigh and Measure

Alright folks, so today is officially my Weigh and Measure for week 5. That means that I am (drum roll please) actually over the half way point of my 9 week program. I have to admit that it has been kind of hard keeping up with my full routine b/c there have been a lot of personal and professional issues the last couple of weeks. But, I am still staying strong. I have, NOT ONCE, skipped my running workouts and it is all paying off. Most of the time it pays off more on the measuring tape than on the scale, lol, but that just means that I am steadily gaining muscle mass and the fat IS shedding, it just is a little hard for the scale to catch it because the muscle weighs more than the fat.

Each week I dread the scale and each week I am pleasantly surprised. There was only one week where I had a really hard time looking at the results. Another thing that I have done is I made sure when I started all this in January that I took pictures. So this past week I took pictures again and was able to compare them side by side. Let me just say WOW! I am still not happy with where I am at physically, but I am super happy with how far I have come and the differences my body has been able to achieve. My hard work shows and that makes me happy. I honestly must have been in such denial because I truly never believed that I was as heavy as the side by side pictures proved. Close friends (and only a few of them) have seen these pictures and they can attest to how much of a difference there is in me. I am definitely not in a place where I can share those with you now (I have only just been able to admit to myself that I looked that bad), but when I am through with this journey I plan on posting my before and afters so that you can all see what hard work can do for you.

I Am Worth every drop of sweat and sore muscle. I was doing my daughters hair yesterday and she told me that I was getting skinny and looking pretty. She is 7, I know that she knows I am working out but it was wonderful for her to say that she actually saw a difference in me. I am so excited that I am giving them a healthier Mommy, one who will be around to make their lives miserable and amazing for many many years to come.

This week my results were great! I lost another pound, and I lost 6 inches overall! I am seeing muscles form that have been lost for years behind mountains of jiggle. I get so excited every time I see a new chisel or line starting to form. It is reaffirmation that my work is paying off.

TTFN!

Jenn

A Dose of Not So Tasty Reality

So, in the last couple days I have come to a realization that was pretty sad to conclude. I have mixed feelings, but I am deciding to share it with all of you so that I can admit fully to myself the reality of it. Lets just say it is a classic case of lying to yourself (we all know what that's like).

When I started my overall journey in January I was too afraid to get on the scale right away. I worked really hard for a couple weeks, lost enough that I could see a difference and then got on the scale. Well the results were still REALLY depressing so, I told myself that that was my starting weight and I would never see it again and moved on. Looking back over the last week and in some discussions that I have had, I was forced to stop lying to myself. Yes, it is great that I have lost practically 30 pounds since that awful weigh in in January. However, that number on the scale in January was NOT my real starting number. As it sadly turns out (and may I say, it was like a kick in the gut when this was realized) I was actually 20 pounds heavier to start with than I had let myself accept.

My first reaction? Well, that was shock, denial, nausea, and attempts at excuses. My second reaction? I am a strong capable woman who has finally realized her self worth and; is willing to let hard work, in an effort to enjoy her life and family, be what defines her now. I have worked too hard to be ashamed of where I started. I am proud of where I am now and who I am becoming. And, I will never see that other woman again!

The reality is: I Have Lost 50 Pounds Since January and I Am Proud of Me Because I Am Worth It!

Thanks for all of your support and love,

Jenn

Week 4 Day 3 Exercisin'

I actually survived tonight. I was pretty scared because my workouts intensify this week and I am running twice as much as I was before and the overall workout is 7 minutes longer. But, I finished less out of breath than usual. Granted, I didn't push myself very hard speed wise b/c I wanted to insure that I finished on my first attempt, but I was also battling a sore/ tweaked ankle from a hike yesterday, a bruised hip also from said hike, and shoes that are really starting to hurt my left foot. I am super proud of the results overall.

While I am really sore, it feels good to be reminded that there are muscles in places that I forgot about and the rock climbing yesterday gave me some serious ab work that I am still feeling today. I truly love seeing the changes in myself and in my body. I never thought I would actually look forward to running, and I still don't, lol. I actually kind of dread it more and more as it draws closer during the day, but, once I am running I am in love with it. I feel like I have purpose and a goal and I love that that drives me to do better and better. I Am Worth It and I am going to be healthy, happy and skinny before I know it. :)

TTFN,

Jenn