Thunder and Rain

That's what I woke up to this morning. So I turned my alarm off, rolled over, and then got up at 6:30 anyway with a perky toddler! Oh well, such is life.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to my first week 3 run. Wish me luck!

PS- Not doing so hot cutting out the sugar at night..... again, such is life!

The Trouble With Raw

I've been doing really well during the day sticking to my raw plan. This weekend was a huge milestone for me because I've been notorious on weekends for falling solidly off the wagon and having to recommit on Monday morning. This weekend I stuck to it! Honestly, I like the idea of giving my self a meal every week during the day that I can plan for and not be raw. I can't ever kiss brunch goodbye totally! But usually I fudge a little and start my weekend on Friday, thus giving up raw all weekend until Monday.

The result is sudden and surprising. I talked to my friend about it because I was very surprised at how quickly my body had adjusted to eating raw after just a few weeks. I find that if I eat how I used to during the day I'm much more sluggish and tired, my tummy is more inclined to be upset, and once I start on the sugary stuff I just want more and more and more (you get the picture).

Actually, the sugary stuff is what prompted this post. My most recent trouble with raw is two-fold. First and foremost, when 5-o'clock rolls around I can be pretty hungry. And then when I start eating it can be hard to keep my portions reasonable. This isn't a new battle, the battle of portion control. It's just a little more challenging when you're that much more hungry. And I do know the fix for this one- eat more during the day. Duh! But it's easier said then done. I've gotten into the habit of eating very lightly during the day and having my main meal at dinner. Plus, sometimes we are really low on fruit (like right now) and it's hard to just find something quick to grab. Again, this is an easy fix- plan better. Duh! I know, I know. I'm working on it!

My second issue is sweets. Candy, cookies, cake, ice cream, etc. All that yumminess out there. When I started raw it was during lent and I had given all of that up. I did pretty darn good too! A few slip-ups here and there, but nothing catastrophic. After lent, I decided to keep that up except on (you guessed it) weekends. Unfortunately, as soon as I start on Friday or Saturday it is VERY hard to stop on Monday. Better planning would also help this issue because if I have yogurt or granola bars in the house then I have something to reach for instead of the Easter candy bucket (which I raided last night). So I think I'll recommit to my plan for giving up sweets again and allow myself 2 sweet treats a week. Then weekends won't become the food free-for-all they have been!

And that, my friends, it my trouble with raw :)

That Was A Toughie!

My 3-year-old son just learned to say that and it's the cutest thing you've ever heard. He says it when we're playing Mario on our Wii and we both die. "That was a toughie mom!" So cute!

I got up this morning after snoozing my alarm twice (just another 10 minutes....please!), tied my shoes and headed out the door. I am on week 2: workout 2 of the training plan and the first workout of week 2 was great, it didn't feel that much more challenging, nothing hurt while I was doing it, etc.

Today was another story. My knees were a little sore right from the beginning but they were feeling better by the end. But by that time other things were hurting and I was tired! It didn't feel all that great at all! Here are my theories about why it was harder. Number one: I did one extra jogging set because my husband is home today and I didn't have to worry about being back. Number two: I took a different route which includes a rather large hill that I go both ways on. Number three: I took yesterday totally off and didn't even take a walk. Maybe all of that combined made for more struggling this morning.

On the other hand, I guess if it never feels hard then it probably isn't building up my endurance and muscles strength. Right? And I'm excited for this evening because my sister wants to try it with me. She also says she can't run but she's up for a trial I guess! She's convinced she'll be dying by the end. She even told me she doesn't want to eat before we go because she thinks she'll puke. I don't think she realizes how early on I am too and how do-able this is. So I'll show her! And then hopefully tomorrow when I finish with my morning out I won't be saying "That was a toughie!"

Small Successes

I am easy to please. Well, don't ask my husband what he thinks! I guess I should say that I feel like I'm easy to please because simple things make me happy. Let's make a list:

-McDonald's happy meals.

-Sleeping until 8 am.

-$5 shirts from Target.

-A thick Sunday paper.

-Morning coffee.

See? Simple.

I am going to be the same way for my running program. I am going to let the small success make me happy. I've actually already started. Here's another list, my list of small successes that have made me smile when I think of them.

-I've gotten up 5 days in a row by 5:30 a.m. for my workout.

-I'm into the second week of my program and I'm still feeling good- no sore muscles!

-I've gotten lots of great positive feedback when I tell people about my running plans.

The key to reaching my goal will be all about excitement over my small successes!

The Number Game

I suppose it is assumed that if a woman my age is out trying to run then one of the reasons is to aim for a healthy weight. Pretty safe assumption....

I'm no different than anyone else. I'm always trying to lose just a couple more pounds. After my first baby, I never got that last 15 pounds off, and I started my second pregnancy with more weight to lose than I should have. The good news is that pregnancy #2 weight came off quick and easy and now I'm working on pregnancy #1 weight. Maybe because it's older its more stubborn? I know my 3-year-old child is more stubborn than my 10-month-old child. Perhaps the same holds true for my stubborn chubbiness around the middle!

I've been playing around with the same 5 pounds for the last couple months. Up and down, and more up and less down. Seems like I can't breakthrough to below the 140s. The closest I've gotten is 141.4. Today I was 144.2. But that is down from just a week ago.

What I really wish is that I could just be content with keeping track of how my clothes fit and how I look rather than watching the scale. That I could just be happy with my increasing level of physical fitness. I think that would be so much healthier than tying my success and self-esteem to a digital reading. But I've always put stock in that reading and that probably won't change. I'm like an addict- I can't stop playing the number game!

Out of Bed

Well, I did it. I managed to get out of bed this morning. I have decided that to trick myself into getting my feet on the floor and walking to the bathroom I will tell myself that if I get in there and still feel dead to the world and unable to open my eyes then I can get back into bed. Once I'm actually standing in my bathroom it seems silly to go lay back down. Thus, out the door to workout.

I felt really good in the beginning today but by the time I got home the nausea had set in. Perhaps it was the heat (it is hotter than Hades out there) or perhaps I should drink more before I leave. Who knows? I'll try more water before the next workout day on Friday.

Tomorrow is listed as a day of rest. The big questions for me is whether I do nothing, which I feel may lend itself to not staying on track like I want to, or whether I will at least get up and take a walk for 30 minutes to stay in the habit of doing something in the morning. I remember reading an article that mentioned resolving that argument. I know I need to rest the muscles but I also want to nurture my 'baby' habit! I'm off to find the article so that I can decide before tomorrow morning whether or not to get out of bed!

And Finally

Wow, 4 blog posts in one day. But I think a blog is like a new plant. In the beginning you have to water it like crazy, or post like crazy, to get it to grow and thrive. Then, when it's got roots and some staying power, you can let it slide a little and still come back to enjoy it. So here is my 4th and final post today.

I will do my walk/run in the morning.

Yes, this means I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. on a day when I usually get to sleep-in till the kiddos wake up in order to be done by the time my husband leaves for work. Yes, I said I was going to do this on Monday and then didn't (my hubby snidely asked how my run was that morning...). And yes, I am lacking in support from most of the people in my life, because most of them don't know I'm trying this. I mean, most of them don't know that I am going to do this! That's why I had to write it down- then it has to happen, right?

And now I am done posting for the day, finally!

The Goal

So let's lay it out on 'paper.' What do I want to accomplish and when? This is what I need to be accountable. I'll be honest, a personal trainer, particularly one who was at my house at 5:15 a.m. to get me out of bed, would be the most effective way to be accountable. But I'll settle for this blog/journal that I haven't made public...yet.

I am working with a training program for couch-to-5k that I found online. They set workouts 3x a week for 9 weeks and by the end, you'll be running 5k. I would prefer to workout 4x a week and I'm planning on doing that, thus shortening the actual weeks down to 6ish. I want to stay healthy, so I'll pay close attention to my knees especially and will take downtime as needed. But my aim will be 4 walk/runs a week. This will put me well within range of my first running goal.

#1) Complete a 5k run by the end of July.

I would love to be able to double that by my birthday. That's a 10k by September. Too much too soon? Maybe. I think I will wait to set my next goal until I reach my first goal. That's not usually my style. I am a planner! I love to plan plan plan. I love planners, I love writing everything in my planner. I love writing things I've already done in my planner so that I can cross off things in my planner. That can set you up for failure though. When I'm falling behind in the 70th goal while still working on the goal #1 it makes me quit before even giving myself a chance! So, not this time. This time I will be a reasonable planner and focus on one thing at a time to give myself the best chance to reach the goal!

Why Running?

So it started with a dream. How cliche! But really, I had a dream where I was running...for a really really long time...and I felt like I could run forever...and I really liked how that felt! When I remembered it the next day it just occurred to me that I could work towards that. Not that I want to be able to run forever, or even run a full-blown marathon, but maybe I could train and run at least 5k. Maybe from there I could work on running a 10k. And who knows from there!

I don't come from a running family. My husband just told me today that he has no desire to run...ever. He says that that's why he has a car. My dad has been heard to say that if human beings were supposed to run we would all have 4 legs. So needless to say, it isn't in my blood. I have one lone aunt (shout-out to Janet!) who has done the Chicago marathon and as I read more and more I realize just how awesome of an accomplishment that really was and just how underwhelmed most of the family was when she did it. I'll take this moment to say AWESOME JOB Janet! But other than that, not much running in this family! I've even had a physical therapist tell me I might not be able to run. Something about soft knees or soft cartilage or soft something (Yes I am an RN, no I do not deal with knees or cartilage. I work further north...) So these are all the reasons that I shouldn't run, with the biggest one being that I have always said I couldn't run.

Let's just forget all about those and move on to the reasons I want to run. Okay, I admit, I feel like runners are in an elite club and I really want to join. They seem to have their own language, way of moving, body type, etc. I've already mentioned my desire to be healthy. This will only help! I didn't mention how much I want to set a good example for my kids by exercising and eating right. That is a huge motivation to me. Plus, and this is a big reason, I am turning 30 in September! THIRTY! Yikes! So I've got a career I love, co-workers I also love, my wonderful husband and kids, what else do I need? This is it, this personal goal that first and foremost I am setting for me. Time set aside to focus on me and something that I want to work towards.

I know this is going to be hard. I also know that I'll probably never feel the way I felt in that dream when I run. I'll be breathing much heavier, be more red in the face, and way sweatier than I was in that dream. But I know that the sense of accomplishment that will come with achieving this new goal will be huge and that is why I'm running!

Why Raw?

Why raw.... that is truly a question with many answers. For some it's all about the science behind going raw, the amazing health benefits, and changing their lives for the better. I agree with all of those reasons although I'm certainly not a 'hard-core' raw foodie. Why do I eat raw for 2/3 of my day? To put it simply, I think it's easy and I know it's healthy.

I was introduced to raw eating through a friend who has been doing it for 3+ years. She drastically changed her lifestyle and eating raw was part of that change. She does raw until 5pm and then has a normal dinner. I was always intrigued by the diet and I even entertained trying it a few years ago. It wasn't until recently that it really appealed to me and I've worked towards 2/3 raw ever since!

If you know me, than you know I love food. I'm married to a chef- hard not to be a foodie in this household. But ever since we added a second baby, with the toddler at about 3, it's been busy on top of busy. As much as I love food, what I really love to have time to sit down and eat, to really enjoy what I'm eating. This just isn't possible in my days now. Remember that scene from Christmas Story where he says his mom hasn't had a hot meal in 'x' number of years? That's how I feel a lot of the time. And when I do get the boys down for a nap simultaneously, which is a rare and precious thing, I almost always just want to lay down and nap myself! So since I'm not taking the time to prepare and then sit and enjoy a meal, why not just grab something healthy and quick that just also happens to be raw?

So what do I actually eat during the day? Well, please remember that I'm not a raw purist....I still enjoy my coffee in the morning. From the time I wakeup until about 5pm I usually stick to fruits, raw almonds, and raw bars. For now, that is satisfying and works for me. When I get bored with that I'll probably start doing more exploring and perhaps write about it! But it has to be fast because that's why I'm raw!