New blog page

I have moved my blog! You can now find me HERE.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Couch to 5k

First off, I just want to thank everyone who has been reading my fitness blog.  I know it isn't always written well and I kind of go all over the place sometimes. I really appreciate all the support I have been receiving. You all have motivated me to keep going even when the going is rough.

I had a friend ask me if I have ever used a couch to 5k program and I have heard a few other friends talking about doing a couch to 5k program, so I wanted to talk about them for a moment.  I have done several different 5k programs in the last few years.

4 months after I had my son I wanted to get into shape. I used this couch to 5k program. It is a 9 week program that takes you from the couch to running (well jogging and honestly I don't understand the difference) 3 miles.  I really liked it because it started out really slow--running 60 seconds and walking 90 seconds, alternating for 20 minutes.  Honestly, when I started it that was almost more than I could handle. Jogging and walking for that 20 minutes was agony for me. I am sure there were times when I ran less than 60 seconds and walked more than 90 seconds. And I am not sure that I ever finished the program. Excuses always came up to keep me from running. This is a good program if you haven't been physically active in a while.

Last fall when I was preparing for my first 5k race I did this 4 week training plan. I had been working out more regularly and was in better shape when I started this program. Here is what this plan looks like: 

On the first day of this 5k training plan it says "run 2 miles easy". I'm not sure what that means but I know I took many walking breaks. I did stick with the program this time around. I think it helps when you actually sign up for a 5k race and have a date that you want to finish the program by.  I did ok with this program, but I didn't push myself as much as I should have.

Side note--through running for the past 8 months I have really come to find that a big part of running is mental. If I think even a small amount that I will not do well on a run, I usually don't. Even on my 4 mile run on Tuesday I was thinking a little negatively and I did horribly (even though I ran 6 miles on Saturday in almost the same amount of time). My advice to you is to give positive encouragement to yourself and focus on the accomplishments you are making.

The half marathon training program that I am using now has you starting out at a 5k running level (meaning being able to run 3 miles without stopping). I decided to do a 5k training program to prepare for it. this is the program I used to get ready for my half marathon training program. I even found a free 5k to run.  This program worked really well for me since I had been doing P90x prior to starting the training.  I liked that you ran for like 20/25 minutes during the week on on Saturday you actually ran a certain milage.  This last 5k was my fastest one so far.

There are so many 5k training programs out there. Do what works for you. If you are training on a treadmill you can try this couch to 5k treadmill plan. You also don't have to stick to the plan. You can adjust it to work for you. In my most recent 5k training I changed my running days from Mon/Wed/Sat to Tues/Thurs/Sat so that my husband could run with me.  I completely moved the days around in my half marathon training program to work around my family's busy schedule. It is ok to tweak the training schedule. And don't forget to stretch!! That is really important so that you don't get injuries. Stretch really good after you run.  Youtube has a lot of stretching videos if you need ideas.

"No one cares if you walk, they only care that you cross the finish line". It really is ok to not be perfect. It is ok to have set backs. We are only human. We can only do our best, and our best may not be perfect.  I hope these programs are helpful to you. If there are any other questions about going from a couch to 5k let me know and I will do my best to answer them! Happy running!

The Perfect Running Conditions

I tend to think that people like to run in the perfect running conditions. At least I do.  I like it to be cool but not too cold.  I like a little wind for when I am hot and sweaty but I don't like running in the wind.  I like flat, but I need to train hills.. Ok, I want IMPOSSIBLE running conditions.

I would have settled for okay running conditions today, but I chose the wrong time to run. I guess it is safe to say that no one should choose 5 in the afternoon to run, especially when it is 86 degrees outside. When I went outside it was cloudy and windy. It seemed like a good time to go.  I got the kids in the stroller and headed out.  I hadn't been running long when the sun came out and the wind slowed down.  My sister-in-law called me which really helped that first mile.  Even so my time was slower because I was pushing the stroller.

Oh that stroller.  I do not enjoy pushing the jogging stroller when I run. It is heavy. I can't move my arms like I usually do.  I have to wear workout gloves to push the stroller or I get blisters on my hands.  Also, when you have a stroller it means you have kids to push along. Along the run I was constantly stopping for something or other.  One of my miles took me 15 minutes to run. When I run on my own I run around 10:45 a mile. So it slowed my time by 5 minutes!

I know it was hot for the kids too. And they were hungry. And bored. So that didn't help my running conditions any.  My legs are not as sore as they were last week, but they seemed really tired today. They didn't want to lift up very high.  Each step I took they screamed "nooooooo! I wanna go to bed! Leave me alone!!!!" At one point I thought maybe I should end the run early, but then I was like "no, you aren't a quitter anymore!" So I finished 4 miles in 56 miles. I am not happy with the time, but at least I completed the 4 miles.

We all have good and bad running days. This was definitely in the bad run category.  I guess I will just have to make sure I run first thing in the mornings. I will give the kids lots and lots of snacks and toys and maybe turn on the "mute" button on them and stop for no one. I'm sure it will go faster if I do that. Otherwise my long runs will be really long.

6 Mile Run

I am woken up at 6:30 in the morning by my 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter. It is too early to get up, I think, as my aching body rolled over. I shouldn't have stayed up until one in the morning watching Netflix.  The kids are ready for you to get up but I am not. I closed my eyes and tried to get some more sleep.

7:30 came and it was time to get up.  I crept out of bed, still tired. My muscles were aching. Will I even be able to run 6 miles this morning?  I took my time getting ready.  I got in my running clothes and put my hair up tight. If it was too loose it would bug me the whole run.  I double checked my route before grabbing some water and a bite of banana.  By the time I was ready for my run it was 8:30 in the morning. 

It was humid outside and a little cool, great running weather. There was a slight breeze in the air.  My legs were sore as I walked down the sidewalk.  I got to the starting point of my run at the road.  I turned on all my running apps and my music. I was ready to start running. An old woman was walking down the road and passed me.   I felt slightly foolish when I started my run.  I limp-ran passed the woman. The muscles in my legs hurt.  They didn't want to run, they wanted to go back to bed.  On top of that I had started my run on a hill and my legs did not appreciate how hard they had to work from the get go. I knew it would take me a mile of running to get going, to pass the limp-running.

The cool air felt good on my face.  The "dance cardio" Pandora station was blasting in my ears, giving me a boost of energy.  If only my legs were as pumped up as the rest of my body. They were sore. Sore from running 3 times a week for the last 2 months. My right calve muscle has been really sore, and the cause of my limp-running.  As I ran my limping decreased and the muscles in my leg felt better as I ran farther.

At 11 minutes and 16 seconds I completed my first mile.  My body was all warmed up and my legs didn't hurt as much. I was still unsure whether or not I would make all 6 miles but I continued on.  I had reached a gradual downhill which really motivated me. I let the hill take me and I sped up a little bit.  I am starting to get a grasp on distances, and knew I was getting close to finishing my second mile.  On Facebook I posted my run with Nike+ running app, in which people could like or comment on my status as I ran and I would hear applause in my ear. I would hear clapping throughout my run and it really encouraged me. Thanks guys!

I ended mile 2 at 21 minutes and 53 seconds (this time it was a 10:36 minute mile) and was feeling pretty good.  I wasn't tired. I wasn't aching. I didn't even think "ok, 4 miles to go!" I just ran. And I enjoyed it. I listened to the music. I sang in my head. I was a little nervous--I had been running on a very public road and turned onto a running path that veers away from the houses. My paranoid part of me was prepared though, and I got out my pepper spray. I was ready for anything! To my relief there was no person or snake that passed me on my run across the jogging path.  It was a proud moment to go the whole path without stopping. In previous runs I had stopped many times on that path to catch my breath.

I hit the halfway point, 3 miles, at 33 minutes and 8 seconds.  My third mile took me 11 minutes and 15 seconds. I could have run longer but I was by a park and stopped for a moment, thinking I might use the restroom. Then I changed my mind. A friend told me I should train to not stop for bathroom breaks and I took her advice. I caught my breath and drank some water. I thought about eating the shot bloks I brought along but decided to wait until I got to 3.5 miles. After a quick breather and a little stretching I continued on for the last three miles.

The fourth mile was my hardest and longest.  I am not sure if it was because it was getting warmer, or because I knew I had three more miles to run... Maybe it was all psychological or maybe I needed an energy boost, I am not sure.  Around 3.5 miles I stopped to eat the shot bloks.  It was very interesting.  I was gel-like, but more solid.  It was very sweet. I chugged down water after eating it and continued on. I finished the 4th mile in 12 minutes and 9 seconds, running 45 minutes and 16 seconds total.  I thought to myself, "only 2 miles to go". I didn't dread the last two miles. I knew I could do it. I just had to keep going.

I ran the 5th mile in 11 minutes and 1 second. That brought my time to 56 minutes and 17 seconds. I was very happy with that seeing as just last Saturday I ran 5 miles in 1 hour and 2 minutes.  My Endomondo app estimated that I would finish my 6 mile run in 1 hour and 8 minutes. I wanted to beat that estimated time. I think the shot bloks I ate had kicked in because I did feel refreshed and energized.

When I started that last mile I was excited, but also ready to be done.  There was a downhill and I knew it would benefit me to take that hill fast, and so I did. And when I got the the flat part I ran it hard as well. I got really excited when I rounded the corner because I was close to the 6 mile mark. But not as close as I thought. I kept running though until my running apps said I had ran 6 miles.  As I ran I felt such pride in myself for running 6 miles. I didn't walk any part of that 6 miles, I ran it. I was in awe I think. I couldn't believe that me, a lazy mom of 2 who quits almost everything I start, not only completed 6 miles but ran it.

My time for my first 6 mile run was 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 49 seconds. I ran the 6th mile in 9 minutes and 32 seconds.  I was feeling good. I was feeling proud. I thought to myself "Yes! You did this! You are amazing!!" I think that is my fastest mile time in general.  I couldn't believe I had the energy to run the last mile so fast. I did think to myself "I could run longer but I am glad I don't have to." I felt so exhilarated.  I accomplished something that maybe even a few months ago I wouldn't have thought I could.  Today I ran almost half of a half marathon. Ha ha! So at least I know I can run, without stopping, halfway through my half marathon.

I feel really good about my first 6 mile run. It is the farthest I have run in my life and I am proud of this accomplishment. I not only finished the 6 miles but I beat the expected finish time.  By the time I finished my run my legs, which were aching at the start, felt good.

I stretched out really good after my run and then made a protein shake.  I also drank a lot of water. So that was my first 6 mile run experience. 6 miles in 1:05:49. My time is by no means the time of a racer. But I am not a racer. I am a runner.

Becoming a Runner

When it comes to running I have always second guessed myself. Am I really a runner or do I just wish I was? Can I actually run 3.1 miles (a 5k) without stopping? It usually takes me a mile to get into running. The first three minutes I am asking myself "Why am I running? Why am I doing this to myself?" In the first three minutes my body hurts. It is rejecting the movement in my legs. My body says "No! Stop running! Go back inside and lay on the couch, watch your shows..." I literally have to talk myself into running.

I think a person who thinks themselves a "runner" enjoys running. In training for my most recent 5k I didn't feel like a runner. I didn't enjoy running. Every run was difficult. I needed to talk myself through 3 miles.  When I ran my 5k I thought, "You know a half marathon is 4 times this and then some?" How on earth could I run a half marathon when I struggle running 3.1 miles. Even though it was tough I kept going in my training. I started running 3.5 miles as my regular run. My "long run" became 5 miles.  Then I ran 4 miles as my regular run. 

I had a hard time running 3.5 miles. That is only .4 miles more than my 5k, but I struggled with it. This week I ran 4 miles on Tuesday and 4 miles on Thursday. On Tuesday my 3rd mile was my fastest. I also felt the best during my 3rd mile. I felt as if I could run forever. Isn't that weird? One day running 3.5 miles seems impossible to me, and the next I am running 4 miles and feeling like I could go farther. Last Saturday I ran 5 miles. I went out too late in the day and it was hot. That made me slower and sweatier but I didn't feel exhausted at the end of the run.  I am feeling more and more confident that I can run a half marathon with the training program I am using.

 I cannot pinpoint the moment in which everything changed, but I have become a "runner". I enjoy running. I feel good running.  My body no longer screams "Stop, please, for heaven's sake stop running!" I get to a point where I think "I could run for a lot longer than this. Yes, I think I could run a half marathon!" Like I said before, it takes me a mile to get into it but after that I just go. I listen to music and sometimes want to start dancing but I save my energy.  Of course some days are better than others. On Thursday at mile 3 I thought "I hope I can make it home". 

Tomorrow I am running 6 miles, which is my longest run so far (or ever in my life!). I don't have a goal time to run the 6 miles. The training program I follow by Hal Higdon says not to worry about times in my training runs. And since this is my first half marathon I should make the goal to finish, not necessarily set a goal time to finish in. I am both excited and nervous to run 6 miles. I am excited because it is about the halfway point of a half marathon. I am excited to run 6 miles without stopping. I am nervous because I have yet to run that far my whole life. I am nervous to see how my body reacts to going that far, and how long it will take me to get into running. It is my first real long run.

I have read and heard to bring along sustenance on a long run. My friend told me about sport beans and gels. Essentially they are carbs and sugar and are supposed to give you a boost of energy when you are on long runs.  I went and got some sport beans (basically they are jelly beans) and a "shot blok energy chew".  The shot bloks have two servings, each 100 calories and provide 24 grams of carbs, 12 grams of sugar and also provide potassium. The sport beans are 1 serving packages of 100 calories and 25g carbs and 17g sugar.

I think I will try out the shot bloks tomorrow. I got the strawberry flavor. I will let you know how they are.  I am also open to other suggestions of food/energy boost to have on long runs.  I might try out a book on tape on one of my long runs as well.

Running is awesome! And I am proud to finally call myself a "runner"!

Half Marathon Training Update

Here is my first attempt at making a video blog. Check out how the half marathon training is going:

5 Small Steps to a Healthier You

You do not have to make a life change to become a healthier person. Taking small steps is always a good way to go. I have some great tips on small steps you can take towards a healthy lifestyle.

1) Whole wheat pasta--Have you been hearing lately that whole wheat is the way to go?  It is the better option when it comes to pasta. Why? Let's talk about Rotini for a moment. Rotini and Whole wheat rotini both have 210 calories per 3/4 cup dry serving. They both offer 7 grams of protein and have 2 grams of sugar. But whole wheat rotini offers 5 grams of fiber versus the 2 grams of regular rotini. Whole wheat rotini also has no sodium in it. That's a big plus seeing as we consume way too much sodium! Small step tip:If you don't particularly like the taste of whole wheat pasta, you can mix regular pasta with whole wheat. Go half/half and slowly add more whole wheat each time you make pasta.

2) Spaghetti Squash--Like spaghetti but don't want all the calories that go with it? Need some extra nutrients in your dinner? Spaghetti squash has the look and consistency of spaghetti noodles but is so much healthier! It also doesn't really have a taste so it will taste like whatever delicious sauce you add to it. Small step tip: Just boil up a whole spaghetti squash. Open it up, de-seed it and use a fork to "spaghetti" the squash. 

3)Water, water, water--You've heard it time and time again. Drink lots and lots of water. It really does benefit you! I personally don't drink coffee or soda so it isn't hard to choose water over other drinks. What is hard is getting enough water in.  The more sodium we take in, the more water we retain. The more water we drink, the more toxins/sodium we flush out of our system. Small step tip: Try to drink 10 glasses of water a day. Why 10? 10 glasses is roughly 80 oz of water. Drinking 10 glasses will make sure you are getting enough water and keeping hydrated. Your body will thank you!

4)Vegetables--Vegetables these days are becoming less important, especially with all the easily accessible processed food. We don't have time to cook, so we grab something on the go. One week I noticed I ate hardly any vegetables. All my meals were a yellowy/orange color. They weren't rainbow colored like you are supposed to have in your meals (you know, like green salads and orange carrots and red bell peppers, etc). Vegetables are micro-nutrients. They offer vitamins that your body needs. We can't overlook vegetables! Small step tip: Add at least one vegetable to every meal (I don't just mean corn or potatoes, those are a starch. I mean broccoli or bell peppers or green beans, FRESH not canned). If you have a hard time eating things like broccoli I see nothing wrong with putting some cheese on them if you have to. You will at least be getting those nutrients in from the fresh veggies.

5)Walking-- Exercise is good for the soul. And the body too.  You don't have to do an intense program like P90x or Insanity to get your body in better shape. Walking can do wonders. You can benefit from the fresh air, from your heart rate increasing. I know someone who lost 20 pounds just from walking. It doesn't take much effort and it can make you feel so good! Small step tip: Start by walking for 5 minutes a day. Getting your mail? Take a 5 minute trip to do it. Bringing in the groceries? Bring in one bag at a time to get those 5 minutes in. Gradually increase your time to 30 minutes a day if you can.

There is always more we can do to be healthier. Its is okay to take baby steps.

-Kate

Losing Weight Motivates...or does it?

*****Disclaimer: I have posted a picture of me at the bottom of this post to show how I have improved over the last few months. If you don't want to see me 'half' naked then don't scroll to the bottom of the post.*****

The end of the month is such a drag for me. That is when we run out of money for groceries. I haven't been eating the best lately. I have been eating out of the food storage pantry. That means tuna casseroles, spaghetti, meals containing "cream of" soups... Must I go on? I need to plan our money out better to make it go the whole month. For that matter I should probably plan out a whole month worth of meals. We would totally have veggies right now if I didn't splurge on foods earlier this month. Next month I will focus on how you can eat healthy without breaking the bank. I wasn't a good example of it this month but it can be done!

I wanted to talk to you about weight loss. The world is under the impression that the number of pounds you weigh is what is important rather than your measurements. I disagree. Even at my skinniest (well skinniest as an adult, not a teen) I was "overweight". At my height I am supposedly at a healthy weight between 105 and 125 pounds. I was 135 before having kids and I didn't look fat. I am an hourglass shape. I am a Marilyn Monroe. I have a naturally bigger bust and a tiny waist. Well I did. When I stand on the scale I feel like a heffer, especially if I have been working out hard and eating healthy and haven't lost any weight. But when I measure myself and see that my body has slimmed down by inches then I feel pretty good.

That being said, losing weight does feel really good. I do both. I weigh myself and measure because I do want to see a difference in my body. Losing weight motivates. When I see that I have lost 5 pounds I feel motivated to continue on. When I see I have lost an inch in my waist but see no change on the scale I do feel like "man, but I wish I could lose more weight". Dang society! It did that to us. It makes us think the scale still matters a whole lot. I am trying to get myself to think more on the line of just measuring rather than weighing but it is so hard.

When I started this blog I was 154 pounds and I have no idea what my measurements were. In January I weighed 157 and started to measure myself. I am currently 145 pounds. I have lost 12 pounds! That is very motivating to me. Now let me tell you about measurements. I measure my chest, waist, hips, arms, and thighs. I measure my arms when flexed because I am trying to build muscle in them and want to see bigger measurements there.  I will share with you my measurements from January in the bust, waist and hips versus what I am now. Then we'll talk a little more.
January 14th, 2013
Weight 157.8
Chest 37"
Waist 32.5"
Hips 42"

May 3rd, 2013
Weight 145.8
Chest 35.5"
Waist 28.5"
Hips 39"

So what does this mean? I have lost 12 pounds. I am slimmer in my chest by 1.5 inches. My waist is 4 inches smaller than it was in January. My butt is smaller by 3 inches. That is pretty awesome.  When I look in the mirror I can see it. When I looked at the pictures I took today I don't see it so much. But I am looking at all my flaws, not at my improvement. Society tells me that I should look like this:

and not like this:

The above picture I found under plus-size models. That is sick! This woman looks great but she is a plus-size model. I know maybe I am going all over the place. The point I want to make is that we are taught by the world that we should look a certain way. Thin and pretty. Well I am 5'1". I will never look like bikini girl up there. I feel like I look like plus size model over here and there is nothing wrong with that. She looks great. The world telling her that she is a plus-size model is messed up.

Try not to focus on the number on the scale. That is my goal this month. Focus on the measurements. Focus on feeling good. Focus on feeding your body good and healthy foods.  It's not about the numbers. It's about being healthy.

And now here is how I am looking these days:

I guess none of these skinny women who wear bikinis have a scar from their appendectomy either! I rock that scar!

3rd Day of Detox and ready for real food!

One thing about detoxing is you can't starve yourself. You need to "eat" (or drink your juices). Detoxing mean you are getting the toxins out of your body. You don't really do that by not eating. I was lazy with my detox and didn't plan out all my meals so I was really hungry day 2 and 3 of my detox. Being really hungry also helps you go off track and tempts you to eat naughty food. I ate some of my kids' cinnamon toast because I was so hungry. I should have had more juices and veggies and fruits. Naughty Kate!

But it is ok. It is. I am recognizing where I went wrong and I am changing myself. I am not giving up because I had a set back. Today I am eating raw foods (this means I am not heating or cooking the food. It doesn't mean it is just veggies or doesn't have flavor). This morning I made raw nut granola. If enough of you are interested I will post the recipe. It is the same recipe I had the last detox I did.

For lunch I was lazy. I made a quick raw guacamole (haha isn't it always raw?) and ate it with not so raw Triscit type crackers from my natural grocery store. It satisfied me.  I have to remember that I am training for a half marathon and I do need carbs in order to run longer distances. 

Detox time again...

I have had a set back. My husband's mom and nephew just came to visit and I did not eat very healthy. My body was upset with me for eating so many carbs and so much fat.  How dare I do that! I did feel weighed down by the highly processed foods I was eating. I also have been feeling bloated and fat and just yucky! It is amazing what bad food can do to you.  It is also amazing how fast you can get addicted to bad food. Once I started I couldn't stop. I wanted to. I wanted to detox my body but I just kept eating pizza and all you can eat Chinese buffet and all that.  Blah! That's how I feel. So it was time to detox again and rid my body of the toxins I put in it last week.

I started my detox yesterday. I drank loads of water and some Naked and Bolthouse juices. I really need a juicer. You are all welcome to donate one to me if you want! Drinking store juice is not the best because there is always so much sugar in it (even if it is natural from the fruit).  If you juice for yourself, a) you know exactly what is going in and b) you can add a ton more vegetables and just a little fruit. Anyway, I ate an apple. I had some watermelon. I ate cauliflower and broccoli and carrots. But mostly I drank these juices. The juices I had were the Bolthouse Green juice and the Naked Mango one. Oh how my body rebelled against me. I wanted all the food I saw. I wanted to eat donuts and cake and things I usually don't even think about.  I wasn't hungry, but I was food lust hungry. Do you know what I mean? My body was fine nourishment wise but I craved food--the fatty and sugary food. My body was going through withdrawals!

I also walked 5.5 miles yesterday with my sister-in-law. It felt good to get my body moving. My legs are sure tired today! I did my running for my half marathon this morning and now I think I need to rest my legs. Blogging and catching up on some shows are a great excuse to put my legs up.

I am doing better with my detox today. I made a smoothie this morning. It had frozen berries in it, water, a banana, some of the green juice and the mango juice, kale, and spinach in it. It was good and it was filling. Today my plan is to continue to drink tons of water and to keep drinking the juices. I will also eat raw fruits and vegetables.  I have apples, bell peppers, spinach, parsley, and cilantro so I may have a salad for lunch but without a dressing on top.

I also have some carrot juice in the fridge but I think it is nasty! I may make another smoothie later with avocado so I might add some carrot juice to that. I feel good. Detoxing my body and eating whole foods makes me feel so much better. I feel energized and healthy. I will continue to share this week's detox with you. Later this week I will make some more raw meals. I will post pics along with recipes.

Man, Olive Garden sounds so good right now! Hahaha. Mind over stomach!

My 3rd 5k

Last Saturday I ran my third 5k. The town I live in had a free 5k so how could I pass it up? I should actually start by letting you all know that I am going to run a half marathon this summer. There. It is official and I can't back out now! I found a training program that starts off running at 3 mile increments.  So I needed to train up to running 3 miles at a time. I went back to the program I used for my first 5k. It is a four week program that gets you up to running 3.1 miles (or a 5k). It just so happened that I found a free organized 5k to run just a few minutes away.

Let's back track to my first 5k. I ran my first 5k last October here is Texas with my husband. This is the training program that I used to get ready for the 5k. I ran the 5k in 33:38 minutes.  In my practice run I ran it in 36 minutes so I was really proud that I ran it faster than I practiced. I felt good about it.

My second 5k was in Utah. We were visiting for Thanksgiving. I ran this 5k with my husband, sister in law and brother in law.  When I say I "ran" it with my in-laws in means we were all in the race. We didn't run together. I am a lot slower than them! My husband always stays with me even though he is faster. I really appreciate that. It was a lot colder in Utah than in Texas. It was pretty cold. I also had strep throat. And I should also mention that I could feel the difference in altitude. It is harder to breathe up so high.  I ran that 5k in 34:34. So about a minute slower than my first 5k. You know what though? I am proud of getting that time seeing as I had strep throat and was not feeling the greatest. To me that is an achievement, running a 5k.

And now back to my 3rd 5k. I am most proud of this one. I ran with my husband. My brother and his wife also ran the race. And a friend of mine ran with her daughter. It was so fun. I felt most prepared for this race because I have been working out pretty consistently since January. Like I mentioned before I went by that 4 week program I did for my first 5k to prepare for this one. I modified it to fit my schedule though. I was doing my runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  I ran this last 5k in 31:47. My best yet! I would love to get my 5k under 30 minutes. I am sure I will be able to. I am proud of the 31:47 though, I really am. It feels good to beat my other race times. It also feels good that I am not continually getting worse.

When I think about it, a half marathon is 4 times a 5k. 4 times!! I am not ready for a half marathon at this point.  But I will be come July. I am excited. I am excited to get my body in running shape. And I look forward to running 13.1 miles and doing it for myself. It will be a great accomplishment!

What I've Been Eating and the Way I Feel

Since I started eating really clean and healthy I have been feeling really good.  I feel like I have more energy. I feel better about myself. It is also easier to make healthy food decisions. I see the naughty food and I don't want it.  I haven't eaten a lot of meat or a lot of grains. It has been mainly fresh fruits and vegetables and nuts. I made a pizza with a cauliflower crust. It did have some cheese in it. The next morning I felt awful! I know it was the cheese. I went the rest of the day without eating any processed food and I felt much better. It made me less likely to want any processed food back in my system. I have slowly added meat and grains back into my diet. I have been taking pictures of my meals and I wanted to share them with you:

This is my dinner on Saturday.  I cooked up some wild rice. In the oven I baked salmon, onion, and cherry tomatoes.  I added some spinach and sprouts to the dish, as well as yellow tomatoes.  I put just a little bit of feta cheese on top. I seasoned the salmon with lemon juice before cooking it.  And the onions and cherry tomatoes were seasoned with balsamic vinegar.  The dish was very filling and flavorful. I have not been adding any salt to my food.

This is a Chocolate Mousse with Vanilla Creme parfait that I made from a raw food cookbook.  It was so good! The mousse is made with avocado, dates, maple syrup, and 100% cocoa.  The vanilla creme was made with cashews, water, and vanilla.  The strawberries are a must with this parfait! It was delish.  I do need to say that it is not a low-calorie treat. But it is healthy.  A healthy treat. I think it is ok to indulge yourself, to have a dessert now and again.  The chocolate mousse and creme topping offer healthy fats and protein. The strawberries are a good source of fiber. 

Sunday morning again there was something that didn't agree with my stomach. Maybe it was the feta cheese. Maybe it was the salmon. I don't know. Maybe it was the rice. 

This was my dinner on Sunday.  We had wild rice left over from Saturday. I cooked chicken and onions in the crockpot with a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  I added sprouts and yellow tomatoes to the dish and some pine nuts. It was good. I was nervous about eating the chicken. But I only had a little on my plate.

I felt good this morning so I think I did ok putting the chicken in my body.  I plan on eating meat. Like I've said before I am not going vegan or vegetarian. But I am not going to eat meat everyday either. I have been reading Bob Harper's book "The Skinny Rules". He talks about his path of being a vegan and then becoming a "reluctant omnivore".  He mentioned that our bodies do benefit from animal proteins. Just not everyday. He also talked about eating whole grains and not eating carbs after lunch. I have heard my mom say that as well.  A lot of times we think of eating salads for lunch and rice or other grains for dinner.  I am going to start eating more salads at dinner and carbs for lunch.

This was my lunch today. Whole grain rotini cooked al dente. Yellow tomatoes. Sauteed onions and zucchini. And pine nuts. It was ok. Not enough flavor but I was a bit lazy.

I also have been drinking a lot of water. We need to stay hydrated! Sometimes I feel like I have to constantly pee. Sometimes I need to remind myself to drink more.

I think tonight's dinner will be a salad with tuna.  Yum!

A Much Needed Update

I know it has been too long since my last post.  I am pretty disappointed in myself.  The whole reason I started blogging about my fitness is because I wanted there to be a blog where someone wrote the good and the bad days. A blog where someone wrote about the set backs. Well when I started having set backs I didn't want to blog about them hahaha. What a hypocrite! Well I'm back and I'm better than ever.

A lot has changed since the end of January. I must tell you that I am no longer doing P90x. It is a great program, don't get me wrong. But it is very time consuming. Each workout is at least an hour long. My husband was too busy with school to keep doing it with me and it was hard to motivate myself to do it alone. In week 5 of P90x things started going downhill.  We got sick. Week 6 we had people visiting. Thing after thing, reason after reason came up and our P90x workouts kind of fizzled out.

It is ok though. I have been re-evaluating my eating habits and workout habits. I was starting to get fit on P90x when we were really doing the program. But I never lost weight. Right now that is most bothersome to me.. the extra weight I am carrying around. I don't like seeing it. I don't like feeling it.  I want it gone! I have always heard it is 80% diet and 20% working out.  I needed to change the way I was eating if I wanted to loose the weight. No more mint oreos (which are my FAVORITE!! But let's be honest here. Every time I ate them I got a stomach ache. So if they were causing me stomach problems every time I ate them, they couldn't be good, could they?) No more deserts every night, or even every week. But it is so hard to make a healthy change. I needed a kick in the pants to do it.

My family started a health challenge at the beginning of this year. My brother and sister-in-law have lost a lot of weight since January. They are doing great! They inspire me so much. And also make me really jealous because even though I was working out I didn't feel like much was happening. I wasn't loosing weight. I wasn't eating great. I wasn't feeling great. I was jealous that they were doing so well and I wasn't.

So what made me change? Because I have changed. It wasn't my mom (who IS an inspiration to me) telling me I should eat this and that and not eat this and that. It wasn't my brother and his wife who are eating and exercising and losing weight and getting healthy. In part it was myself. Waking up one day and kicking myself in the pants. And in part it was a few documentaries I came across on Netflix: Hungry For Change and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.  I won't go into detail about them right now. If you get a chance, watch them for yourself.  They opened my eyes. And I decided to  make a change. Not just go on a diet. But to make a lifestyle change in the way I view and eat food.

I am not becoming a vegan or a vegetarian. I am not going 100% raw. I am simply taking processed food out of my diet. I am not eating foods that have chemicals in them (you would be surprised how many foods are filled with chemicals). I am not eating foods with added sugar (like foods that don't even need sugar but have it in them....). Well.. I am just trying to eat whole foods and fruits and vegetables. 

I decided to start off my healthy eating change with a detox. I needed to get rid of the toxins in my body and also get rid of the cravings I was having to sweet things.  I wish I had a juicer. Watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead made me want one. Alas, I don't have one nor do I have the money to buy one. That made my detox a little tricky. I wanted to do part juice part fruits and veggies for my detox, but how could I juice without a juicer? At the store I found a juice brand called Naked. They had a few juices that had only fruits and veggies in them--no added sugar and no preservatives or chemicals.  The only down side is they had more fruits in them than I would have liked.  It was better than nothing though, and better than starving myself. I didn't want to starve myself. I just wanted to get the junk out of my body.

I did 3 days of juice/fruits and vegetables.  I drank tons of water. I had a cooked sweet potato. I made a yummy salad from detoxifying veggies such as cucumber, parsley, cilantro, spinach.  I ate apples, cantaloupe. I was satisfied by what I was eating. The first day was hard. I felt "hungry". I wasn't really hungry. I wanted naughty food. I wanted sugar. I wanted Twinkies (weird because I NEVER want those). I wanted pizza.  It is funny because if I hadn't been on a detox I probably wouldn't have even thought about pizza.  I wanted all these things but I DID NOT QUIT. I DID NOT CHEAT. I kept thinking "Why did you do this detox, Kate? To be healthy. To get rid of the junk!" And that helped me.

The second day was better. But I had to go to the grocery store to get more veggies.  It was so hard to be in the store. The cakes looked so good. The chips looked good. My body was saying "Screw this detox and give me some good food!!" Mind over matter.  I repeated the words I would hear Gina from the Biggest Loser say, "Pain is temporary. Quitting is forever." I also knew it wasn't what I wanted. I want to be healthier.

The third day was hard because I did not prepare myself for the day. We had a play date planned and I did not bring food for myself. I was very hungry that day. I did eat a bite of my daughters peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I don't think that ruined my day.

I decided to do a raw food day for the fourth day of my detox.  It was a good day. I found a raw food book from the library and chose recipes from it to make.  Every meal tasted good and sustained me. I had a raw nut granola for breakfast with almond milk.  I ate this walnut pate on tomato for lunch. I had a mock rice pilaf for dinner with lots of veggies on the side. The meals were so tasty.  Again I drank a lot of water.  I lost 5 lbs from those four days of detoxing.  That felt really good.  

Today is my first day off the detox, but I am sticking with eating healthy foods (minimally or no processed foods.)  I made the raw nut granola again for breakfast. I made a quinoa curry for lunch.  I made pizza with a cauliflower crust for dinner. That was really good.  Since I have started my detox I haven't had any meat.  I have had hardly any dairy. I feel really good! I feel like the junk I had been putting in my body was weighing me down.  I feel like I have more energy. I feel more motivated to get up and move around.  I feel a difference in my body.

As for exercise, I am still working out even though I am no longer doing P90x.  Actually, I really want to run a half marathon. I found one in July and I have started a training program. I run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I cross train on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Fridays I do yoga.  I am really excited about the half marathon.  The other day we ran 2.5 miles and usually I would stop several times or quit altogether. This time I felt like I could do it. After doing this detox I feel better emotionally and mentally. I feel more positive.

The most important thing in the world to me is my spirit. It dwells inside my body.  It is important to have a healthy body to hold my spirit. I can't weigh down this body I was given with crap, no matter how good it tastes. One of the documentaries I watched said our bodies were not made to digest these highly processed foods. I believe it! And I am going to continue eating healthy. Like I said before, I am not going to become fully vegan, or vegetarian, or raw.  But I also think it is good to eat vegetarian meals, and vegan meals, and to eat raw now and again.

And I am motivated to get this blog going again. I will be posting the recipes I find. I will be telling about my struggles and victories. Tomorrow I run 3 miles so you will be hearing how that goes. Thanks for supporting me in my pathway to being HEALTHY and fit!

Feeling the Changes

I am now in week 4 of P90x.  I can't see too much of a change in my body when I look in the mirror, but I can FEEL a change. I can feel my muscles getting stronger. It is a really cool feeling. Where there used to be flabby fat it is much more toned.  When I walk I can feel my leg muscles. I know it takes time to SEE the changes. I am really glad I can at least feel the changes. That motivates me to keep going.

I am not a sweat-er. I don't sweat very much. I don't know why that is either. I always want to sweat but I mostly just seem to get red in the face when I workout.  But today during our workout I sweat like crazy. I was dripping sweat!! And what did it take to do that? Core Synergistics! In week 4 of P90x you change up the workout routines a little. We did yoga yesterday and we did Core Synergistics today.  It is killer.  You just go go go. And its core work. And you use weights.  And my whole body was hurting.  And I was sweating.  Sweating like crazy. We used mats and when I laid down my body stuck to the mat. It was awesome.  It felt good to sweat. It felt good. My whole body is still sore from this morning's workout.  I want to curl up on the couch all day.  I will try not to but I want to.

On another note, I am doing well in my family's health challenge.  I have been in 1st place two weeks in a row! But I am only in first by 20 points so I need to BRING it this week!

P90x week 3 day 1

I am into week 3 of P90x.  I am tired. All the time.  This workout program is killer.  I can feel a difference in my body though and I know I am getting stronger.  I haven't been writing down everything like I should be. I need to start so I can see how much I am improving.

I decided to take my picture every two weeks.  I see little changes here and there but not much of a physical difference. Here I am in all my glory:

Aahhhh! I definitely don't look like a model. But there it is. It is good for me to visualize how I am doing.  I've just got to keep going and I know I will start to get definition in my muscles.  Only time will tell.

P90x-Week 2 Day 2

My body is sore. It hurts.  Especially today. I did the week 2 day 1 workout last night and I couldn't even get up to my alarm this morning.  When I did get out of bed my whole body ached.  But you know what? It hurts so good.  It took me a little while to get going today.  My husband left for school around 9am and I was still in my pajamas, sitting on the couch watching The Bachelor.  I think in my head I planned on being a vegetable today.  But then I watched The Biggest Loser and decided not to be lazy.  I got dressed. I even did my hair today.  I ate some healthy meals.  I played with my kids. I organized my desk which has been messy for a while.  I did several loads of laundry.  I accomplished a lot once I got my big lazy bum off the couch.

I want to back track a little bit.  Yesterday I weighed myself and I gained 2 pounds. I am now 157. What? I don't understand how that happened. I ate healthy and worked out hard and drank a lot of water.. If I was on the Biggest Loser I would have been sent home.  Hopefully this week I can lose some.  My overall goal isn't to lose weight, it is to get fit and healthy. But I also think I should lose weight in doing so. That just didn't  happen last week. I need to remember that muscle weights more than fat.  Here is an example:

This picture shows the same weight of muscle and fat

This picture is really motivating to me.  Even though muscle weighs more than fat it takes up less space.  So if I turn my fat to muscle I will be smaller. That is encouraging.

The scores came up for my healthy challenge. I am #2 out of seven people. I should be proud of that but I really want first so I need to do better this week.  I WILL do better this week.  I did the Plyometrics workout tonight and I worked out hard.  I am proud of how I did tonight. It is a hard workout but I kept going and I didn't give up.  Go me! haha.

Tomorrow will be hard but not brutal. It is arms and shoulders.  Bring it on.

First Week of P90x Complete and Health Challenge Update

My body is sore and I didn't want to get out of bed this morning, but I am proud to say I completed my first week of P90x! This program is brutal! I feel like everyday I was excited to workout and as soon as it started I was like "No! no! I can't! It hurts! When is it over?!" but I kept going and I am proud of myself. It helps to have my partner in crime supporting me by being my workout buddy.

I do have a confession. I didn't get my P90x workout in on Thursday, which was a 1.5 hour of yoga. I chose to go on a date with the hubby to see Les Miserables and couldn't find 1.5 hours in the day to do yoga uninterrupted by my kids. But I did workout that day. I found a 30 minute kickboxing video and it was pretty good. I did, however, do the yoga along with the Legs & Back workout I was scheduled to do on Friday.

Friday was a killer day for working out.  I did 30 minutes of the Legs & Back workout in the morning and the other 30 in the evening along with the yoga.  The yoga kicked my butt! I didn't realize that it would be so grueling. I love yoga.  I have taken many yoga classes. I substitute taught a few yoga classes in my community.  I do not love doing yoga after I have already worked out my legs.  But I am glad I did it.  I didn't want to say I didn't do a P90x workout on my first week.

I am feeling pretty good about myself this week.  I have been eating really well (with the exception of eating candy at the movie but I ate the serving size when I normally would gorge on many servings so I am proud).  I have made a few "clean eating" dished this week. That basically means I made dinner the way people did back in the day--from scratch. And the meals were delicious!

On Monday night I made Curry Pineapple Turkey Rice Bowl which was SO GOOD! Click on the link for the recipe.  On Tuesday I made Taco Salad from the same website and it was also really good.  I had a lot of vegetable options to pile on top of the meat and I used this meal as an excuse to have Tortilla Chips Hint of Lime in our house.  On Thursday and Friday we had Shrimp Jambalaya which is a family favorite and only 158 calories per cup! It is so flavorful! Yesterday we treated ourselves to some Sushi. Yum! I feel proud of the way I ate this week.  Every meal I try to have 2 or 3 vegetables on the side to eat.

I am doing well in my health challenge.  We turn our scores in today and tomorrow we will find out who is in the top 3.  I have no idea how I fare to the other competitors. I know I have more points than my husband but starting tomorrow he will be biking to and from school so I need to kick it up a notch if I want to have more points than him.

I am really glad I have this challenge to motivate me to want to be healthier. Not only want to be healthier, but it motivates be to make healthier choices.  Yesterday we decided to have family movie night, so we went to the store to get some movie snacks. I chose to get the Chex Mix Muddy Buddies.  It was a 10.5 oz bag. It has 10 servings in it. Each serving is 1/3 cup. That isn't very much.  During the holidays my husband and I downed one of those bags just the two of us in like 10 minutes.  Last night I portioned out one serving and took my time eating it.  It satisfied me and I didn't go back for more. Not only that, I didn't find myself craving more. Whohoo! There is hope for me yet!

Tomorrow is my first weigh in.  I will post pictures along with my weight (whether I lose or not) and I will let you all know what I ranked in the challenge. And let me just say I love that Sunday is a day of rest and I don't have to work out today. My body needs rest, for tomorrow is the first day of week 2 of P90x!

Health Challenge and P90x Day 4

I need to start posting everyday on how I am doing in both the health challenge and P90x.  I am doing really well! I have been eating healthy, drinking a lot of water, and exercising to the P90x videos.  On Monday I did the P90x fit test, which I really should have done on Saturday and started the first workout video on Monday... oh well. On Tuesday I did the Plyometrics video which was a killer on my legs and butt. The whole day yesterday I thought I was supposed to do the yoga video but it was actually Shoulders & Arms and the Ab Ripper. I was pretty disappointed that it wasn't yoga.  But it was a really good workout.  My whole body feels sore this morning.  I'm writing down my scores, though they won't make much sense because I forgot to write down the exercise I was doing but they were all arm exercises and I wrote them in the order the video did them, so it's more for me to come back to and see how I am doing as I go along through P90x.  Here they are:
Shoulders & Arms P90x workout:
10 lbs 8 reps
10 lbs 16 reps
10 lbs 8 reps
10 lbs 10 reps
10 lbs 14 reps
10 lbs 5 reps/5 lbs 5 reps
5 lbs 12 reps
25 modified chair dips
5 lbs 11 reps
5 lbs 12 reps
15 modified chair dips
5 lbs 12 reps
5 lbs 16 reps
5 lbs 6 reps
5 lbs 16 reps
5 lbs 16 reps
5 lbs 10 reps
5 lbs 12 reps
5 lbs 16 reps
5 lbs 8 reps
5 lbs 16 reps
5 lbs 16 reps
5 lbs 8 reps
5 lbs 16 reps
5 lbs 11 reps
4 reps left arm
7 reps right arm
5 lbs 16 reps
5 lbs 6 reps
12 reps left arm
16 reps right arm

In the P90x program I will do this work out again for the next two Wednesdays. I am excited to see how I improve.  I would have liked to use the 10 pound weights but my husband was using them because we only have 5, 10, and 25 pound weights.  I guess we need to get some 20 pound weights.

It was a good arm and shoulder workout. It is good to have a break from cardio and do weights.  After that I did the Ab Ripper and... IT WAS INSANE!!! My abs were screaming! When they say ripper, they mean ripper. I felt like my abs were ripping apart. It hurt so much! But it is so worth it..

I am ready for yoga today.  It is an hour and a half so I will do it after the kids go to bed. It will be so good to stretch out all my muscles.  Whoo!

Health Challenge

My family has decided to have a Health Challenge for one year.  This challenge is to help motivate us all to be healthy.  We get points for exercising, for eating healthy food, for being physically active in a social setting, etc.  We get minus points for eating bad food.  We are all putting some money in a "pot" of sorts and after a year the person with the most points will get the money. That is definitely motivation for me.

Yesterday we started our competition.  I also officially started the P90X program yesterday.  My husband and I took the fit test yesterday and today we did the Plyometrics video. It. Was. Crazy! It is an hour long workout of death.  It is like doing those workouts 3 times in a row. It was intense.  I don't think I gave it 100% but I did work hard and I know I will feel it tomorrow.


I am not happy with my body at this moment in time. I am 5'1" and 155 pounds. I haven't been able to get the baby weight off.  I want to motivate myself to change.  So I am letting it all out there folks. I want to document this year to see how my body is changing.  I know that if I eat healthy and exercise I will lose weight and get fit.  Good bye donuts, chocolate, and nutella! You do not belong anywhere in my life!  You are the fat makers! haha.

Doing a Quicky

I procrastinated in working out today but I finally did it.  It was a short one. But I got it in. "That's what he said".

Holiday Hiatus

Ok so I took a sabbatical from working out the last two weeks.   I got sick and family was in town and it was Christmas time and excuse, excuse, excuse.  I got lazy. And I ate naughty food. And I loved it!  I did get some fun fitness presents as well.  I got a pair of Nike Flex running shoes from my mother -in-law and they are beautiful! She also gave me a pair of yoga pants.  My husband gave me two 5 pound weights. I am really excited about those because I was in need of 5 pounders when I did the P90x arm workout.  My brother-in-law's girlfriend gave me an interval timer and my mom gave me a pedometer.

The pedometer is awesome.  It tells me how many steps I am taking, how many miles I am walking, and how many calories I am burning.  I realized that I do not move around enough during the day.  Some days I don't even walk 1 mile during the day.  So my goal is to walk 3 miles during the day not counting my workouts.

Now that the holidays are over I am ready to get back on track.  I have made some fitness goals for myself. Along with my 3 miles worth of steps a day goal I also have a goal to workout every weekday this year, and not miss a day.  I started today.

After we put the kids to bed my husband and I did this little workout:

Yes it was only 4 minutes but it was a good start and it was hard. At the end I was out of breath.  I can't believe how much not working out for two weeks takes a toll on your body.  Where did my muscles go?  I need to get myself back on track and in a good place.  Here's to being fit and healthy in 2013!