Back Into Running Rhythm

I ran 3 times this week at the gym.  I do it on the treadmill since that has more give and less pounding on my feet, especially my reconstructed ankle.

The first time I tried this I hurt and ached for days.  Now the pain and swelling is not as severe and I can do this every two days or so.  Now its time to make a walk/run schedule like I had last year.

The Running Journal and Complete Book of Beginning Running.

My plan is to use a warm-up walking period of 5 minutes since my ankle can be stiff until I get it moving along at a good speed.  Then I will use 20 minutes on the treadmill and block off when and for how long I will run in between bouts of cooling down.

Today I ran for 4 bouts of 45 seconds each with about 3-4 minutes between.  I didn’t track it exactly.  But now I want to track so I can see improvement and push myself as I progress.  If I hadn’t already been getting into shape through Beachbody and ChaLEAN Extreme, there is no way I could come right out and run 45 seconds the first time.  I am getting stronger and not stopping now.

Contact me for more information on coaching through Beachbody, or check out       my site.  Thanks!

I Ran Again

I haven’t run in nearly 7 1/2 months and I actually did it yesterday.  And that was a big step for me.

Going to need a new pair of good running shoes.

I had been working on my own version of a walk/run C25K last summer before I broke my ankle in 3 places on August 15th.  It has been a very slow and arduous journey back to walking, and I still have times when the pain and swelling flares up and I limp.

But I started back to the gym about 2 weeks ago, and have been working out at home

ChaLEAN Extreme

 

using my Beachbody ChaLEAN Extreme program, and just felt ready last night to try a brief run.  And I do mean brief.  I think it lasted about 15 seconds and I did it twice.  I just wanted to celebrate once it was accomplished.  No balloons fell from the ceiling of the gym and I probably looked like a dork with the big grin on my face, but I didn’t care.  I had just run.

Running had been a goal I set for myself to complete before the end of March and I did it.  Fear of the pain, or perhaps falling down, had prevented me from trying sooner.  But now it seems that conquering that fear has lit a new spark in me, and I plan on creating a new C25K program to start April 1.

Studying to be a health coach through IIN has changed me from the inside out, and I’m liking the positive changes.  Hoping there are more to come soon!

My FitnessPal App

Anyone reading my blog knows I like gadgets, and I’m trying My FitnessPal for at least a week to check it out.

I have been working out steady following my ChaLEAN Extreme program but I am not shedding the pounds.  I have lost some inches, but the numbers are still important to me, and at my weight, they should be moving downward.

I have NEVER been a fan of calorie counting, but it truly may be what I need to see if the “healthy” foods I’m eating actually are as healthy as I think.  So the test began today.

The calorie goal for me is 1210 calories based on my age, height, weight, and activity level, which is still sedentary.  As much as I’d like to say I’m more active, it’s not true.  Lying to myself is something I’m just not going to do.  So I made sure to add some exercise in to increase my allowable calorie count for the day.  I added 330 calories extra through exercise.  It was probably a bit more but my darn Mio watch was just not cooperating with me and I couldn’t get an accurate calorie burn by wearing it.  I followed the numbers listed in the database.

Already learned I need to move my butt much more and should be hitting at least a minimum of 500 extra calories through exercise daily.  Even if I don’t use all of them up in food, they are there as my cushion.  And most of my food choices were good, but bagels are not such a good choice, especially cooked in butter…Fats were a bit too high today.

I plan on working this app for at least 7 days.  If I like it and get used to logging then I may extend the time frame.  Already learned something new today for sure!

Motivation to Workout

I so didn’t want to exercise this morning.  I had a hard time getting to sleep last night with thoughts racing through my head.  Finally fell asleep around 2:00 am.  And I had to get up before 7:30 to wake my son for a bowling trip with his friends.  Not a cheerful person this morning.

But I got up, woke him, made his bagel sandwich to go and sent him on his way. Then I folded laundry, read 2 chapters in a motivational book and listened to a lecture from my online Integrative Nutrition class.  Then I was thinking, why am I putting this off?

The book I am reading is Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy and is all about procrastination.  I should have written the “what not to do” book on that subject since I have been an expert most of my life.  And it’s the reason I’m reading the darn book in the first place!

So on went the bright blue sneakers and I completed the Push 2 circuit of the ChaLEAN Extreme program.  Once I was done I was asking myself, “Why put it off?  If you don’t want to do it, then do it first and get it done!”  Brian Tracy would tell me that exercising was one of my biggest frogs and I have to eat that one first.

My Assortment of Hand Weights (the little red one in the left corner belongs to the dog)

Done!

My Mio Watch

My Mio Motiva Petite

I have had this Mio Motiva Petite for more than a year or two, but when I took it out recently it just died on me.  So time for a new watch battery.

I popped the battery in (size 2032) and she was as good as new.  I did have to reset all of my personal info into it again, but it was time for an update anyway.

Used the watch for my workout tonight, which was Chalene Johnson’s ChaLEAN Extreme Burn It Off! and Recharge.  The two had a combined total time of almost 51 minutes and I burned over 500 calories!  That’s quite a workout.

Mio Motiva Calories Burned

I still would love, love, love a Nike Fuel Band, but for now the few dollars it cost for the new battery is about all I am willing to spend at this time.  So the Mio is just fine for now.

The pounds have been stubborn to come off, so any help I can give myself in understanding my calorie burn is a definite plus.

My First 30 Days Up Tomorrow

ChaLEAN Extreme

My first 30 days are up tomorrow and I am anxious to see how I’ve done.  I have been working hard at staying on track with my workout and eating goals, but I am worried that my hard work will not show on the scale.  Or on the measuring tape.  I already did lose a few inches, but the pounds have been so stubborn and I haven’t lost an inch since I started.  I actually gained a pound or two!

My Mat and Handweights

I will also have my daughter take new pictures of me in the various poses I did for the first set of pictures.  I hate looking at them, but without proof in a picture it is really hard to see progress.  Pictures have always been difficult for me since I don’t feel comfortable with having my picture taken, but perhaps it’s because I know I don’t look my best.  My hair is a mess, my double chin is showing, or I have acne on my chin.  There’s usually something I can find fault with.

But I am so over feeling I have to be perfect in every shot.  I am who I am, take me or leave me.  What you see is what you get.  I am a work in progress and working towards a better me.  Not perfect, but better. (At least take the double chin and acne away…I can deal with a bad hair day!)

My New 90 Day Challenge

ChaLEAN Extreme

I am ready to restart a new challenge and have a goal of losing 30 pounds in the next 90 days!  There, I said it so now I have to work my butt off for it to come true.

I am now a Beachbody Coach and will be starting my Chalean Extreme program today along with my Brazil Butt Lift.  Working through these programs will allow me to become familiar with them, and of course help me slim down!

Starting my coaching at a bigger size allows me to completely understand the issues new exercisers face, along with all their challenges.  I am willing to do my very best, which may not be every move every time, but I’ll try and that’s all I can ask of myself.

So if you’re interested in beginning an exercise program and would like a personal coach to help cheer you along in your progress, please send me a message or check out my website.

Measurements have been faithfully logged (and thank goodness I’m not looking at them for another month!) and I will weigh in weekly and post on the blog.  Please join me in sweating and eating my way to a healthier me!