Just to update...

I totally did both sets of push ups on my knees (got a bit of carpet burn!) during the 30 DS! I definitely find it a LOT harder after running, but I guess that's just part of the challenge for me. "These abs don't come for free" as Jillian would say!

Now the new challenge- getting up tomorrow morning and doing day 6 before work. We'll see...

I'm still here!

Since my last post, I've been super busy, but still working in the 30 day shred video and working some more running. I ran with the local running group yesterday, in fact. I joined a 30DS challenge group on myfitnesspal.com to help keep me honest with that. I started it on May 1st and in theory, we'd all finish the video on May 30th. I've already missed 3 days, but I have found that it is getting ever so slightly easier! In fact, just today, I felt the urge to do some push ups. I've been doing the 30DS ones against a television on my floor (about 2-2.5 feet high). Those are still HARD- especially since we have to do them continuously for 30 seconds in two bursts in the very first circuit. Well, today, I got down on the floor and found I could do 15 "girl" push ups (meaning, on my knees, instead of my toes.) Fifteen!!! I've never been able to do any push ups (except maybe when I was a kid??) Incredible! I geekily shared my joy with my boyfriend who I was skyping with at the time. :) (He also seemed pleased for me!)

Talk about some motivation! I look forward to seeing if I can do the girl push ups now while doing the video. Which I will be doing later tonight. After I go for my 4 mile run.... This will be day 5 on level one. I do find that I am starting to say things along with Jillian! Which I think is why I needed a couple of days away. This time next week, I should be well into level 2, though. I am a little nervous about that, but I am trusting that by the time I get there, I will be ready. I am already starting to see a lot of improvement (albeit not visual- yet.) My goal is to finish one round before I leave for France with the students on June 9th (which means no more missing days!) The main advantage of the DVD is that I can just start it up in my living room and save the time I'd have to spend driving to the gym and back. Plus, it means I get to sleep in just a little longer versus the mornings I run. I eventually want to try doing both every day (well, most). Something to work up to!

30 day shred- Day 1!

Well, in an effort to try something new (and not always have to go through the pre-running routine that takes so much time), I finally started Jillian Michael's 30 day shred DVD. I bought it last summer when I first started losing weight for realz and made the mistake of trying it right after running and weights at the gym. Uh, it's a bit harder than it looks!

It was nice not to have to go anywhere to workout. That is new for me. I generally enjoy the "comraderie" of the gym. I find it motivating, plus they have lots of equipment that I simply don't have or have room for in my apartment. I also got to sleep in just a little later because the workout is short compared to my morning runs.

I enjoyed the DVD a lot more than I thought I would! I really like how she is switching it up every 30-60 seconds. It keeps the boredom away. Plus, since it's non-stop, I really feel I can get maximum benefits. Here I sit at work, a good 2 1/2 hours after finishing the workout and my arms and legs (but especially my arms) are burning still! I hope I can lift them tomorrow, because I want to go for day 2!

Tempeh BLT

Made myself an awesome veggie BLT today using a new product I picked up recently called tempeh smoky maple bacon.  It was so good for lunch, that I had the exact same thing for dinner!!

What you need:
2 pieces whole wheat bread, toasted
4 tempeh bacon strips
tomato slices
lettuce
low fat mayo (I used olive oil mayo.)

Heat a small pan with 1 tsp olive oil. Once it's hot, put in 4 tempeh strips. Cook on medium for 2 minutes on each side. While the tempeh is cooking, make the toast, slice the tomatoes and cut up lettuce. Spread each piece of toast with a thin layer of mayo. Layer tomatoes on one piece and the tempeh on the other. Put the lettuce in between and enjoy! I had a nice simple salad of romaine hearts, grape tomatoes, English cucumber and red pepper with Bolthouse blue cheese dressing. YUM!

Here we go...

I've been working on losing weight since about mid May of last year, 2010. Since I started, I lost over 25 pounds! I had the luxury of being able to go to the gym to lift weights and run every day last summer. I watched what I ate and counted calories via myfitnesspal.com. Good old fashioned exercise and moderation really worked! Even when I got back to school as a teacher, the good habits I'd established carried me through getting back to a work routine. Then came the holidays and increased demand for after-school tutoring. I've been spinning my wheels ever since. I stopped having the time to log my food as often and even though I was still running regularly and training for a half marathon, the scale just wasn't budging.

This semester has been even busier, with more tutoring than I've ever had! I'm really exhausted and struggling to get up at the required 4:30am just to get a few miles in. Mainly, this is due to getting home late in the evening and not being able to take care of everything before 10. I am still wound up and am not falling asleep until 11pm or later.  I still haven't figured out that part of the equation- getting to bed- and to sleep- at a decent hour while still making and eating dinner, cleaning up, preparing for the next day and *gasp* relaxing a little on the couch.

I have been working on getting back to logging my daily food intake (even when it's not so pretty) and sticking to a regular morning work out routine. That has been challenging due to getting sick for over a week, making it necessary to recover (ie. sleep) instead of work out. I think I'm finally better, so this is the week! I will try to log my food everyday (as well as eat healthy foods, including homemade dinners) and I will stick to my predetermined work out schedule. I would like to get to spin class at least once this week and do a weight training session at least once, preferably twice. I will use this blog to record my progress (good and bad.. hopefully more good!) on my way to losing the last 14 pounds or so by August.

So there you have it- my goals and purpose. I've still got plenty of other things to keep me busy on a day to day basis, but I am determined to fit in what I need to do for ME everyday. Here we go...