Busy day today, but I am determined to get back into my health and fitness... so even though it wasn't till  after I'd prepared dinner, and even though I had very little time... I still went for a run. 

Only 30 minutes today, but a run nonetheless. I'm aiming for 21 runs in 21 days lol.. lets see if I can do it. 

My other goal is to try and lose 8kg during that time, I'm not being ridiculously obsessed about that, it's a goal. If I lose 5, that's cool, if I lose 3 - well ok... but usually when I'm running I can lose around 400g a day - so 8kg seems realistic we'll see how it goes, but if I can achieve it I will be 1/2 way to my goal weight YAY!!

K

Well after a couple of months of no running - I am back!! To be fair I have done a few walks, but I haven't run in ages.

I've had some interesting times the past few months, not all good. I've felt lethargic, down, paranoid, emotional and lacking in confidence - and all felt beyond my control. I have been convinced for some time that I have hormone imbalance, and that's what is behind how I feel. Years ago I read about a product called 30+ Nu Woman that was a natural way to treat hormone imbalance. I found it at the supermarket but felt it was a bit pricey, well I got picked to trial it, a 2 month trial, and I have to say after a month on it I am starting to feel better. Hopefully this is the kick up the bum I needed to get me back on track.

The good thing is that during this time I haven't put on any weight - haven't lost anymore... but I haven't put any on. This makes me feel really great, and gives me some confidence that when I have lost all this weight I will know how to keep a balance to ensure I don't pile it all back on again.

So today I was determined to get back running. I am SO pleased with how it went. I ran for 15 mins before I felt my legs tiring, I then walked at the same pace for 7.5 mins as a recovery, ran again for another 15 mins and then walked another 7.5 mins to recover again. I finished with a final 15 mins run. So all up an hour of exercise and 5.23kms done and dusted - and I ran for a total of 45 mins! Oooh I can feel it in my thighs now though lol.

Well I have a goal in my head that I want to achieve over the next 3 weeks, there is a run/walk in August to aim for, there are plans afoot for where I want my weight to be too, because if I can get there I will be over 1/2 way to where I wanted to be with my weight and in 7 months. I knew this was a year long process and soon I'll be back on track :)

K 

Run ticked off again today - YAY.

Got into a nice easy stride that felt really comfortable and was achievable, so that's good. I am quite sore now though, feeling it behind the knees and in my hips. I am sure it is because I didn't do a very good warm-up and stretches first, so that is something to work on, I also may be going a bit hard out for someone going back into running, I maybe should have eased back in, but that's ok.. I'm learning and reflecting on it.

Tomorrow I might just go for a brisk walk, rather than a full on run, that may just help, then back to a run on Tuesday. I certainly don't want to lose the momentum.

My mind was all over the place today, attempting to solve the troubles of the world, I can report I have not discovered the answers.. bugger.. think I'd have to do a run of Forrest Gump proportions to do that, but ah well, it passed the time.

K

Nailed it again!! so feeling really good about myself.

It feels so good to be back on track.

Perhaps the break is what I might need every so often to keep me focussed on the end goal??

Funny what you occupy your mind with while running. Today I ran forming an opinion on the value of your big toe. For years I've read all about how our big toe defines us, it's what made us stand tall and walk etc etc but it's when you're running and you can feel the placement of your toe and then how it influences the rest of your foot as you run, that you truly appreciate it's value. Weird eh... 

While running I try and work out how fast I'm going over 100m and then what that means per km and it's funny how my brain just can't cope with maths lol 

I am trying to learn to find my pace by myself so that I can run at an even pace, rather than go hard out, then not cope and have to walk, I'm trialling songs in my head. So far the Irish Rovers - Wasn't that a party seems to keep me at the right stride - in my head I hear coulda been the whisky, mighta been the beer.... I tell ya, running really is some time to yourself you can think about anything lol

Ah well.. I'm feeling proud of myself and focussed on this next goal of getting under 90kg, it feels achievable and I am going to make it happen. Once that's achieved that'll be 19 kgs gone, I'll then set the next goal. I like these smaller achievable ones because they're more "here and now" and not way in the future. I tell ya, I am treating myself to a pedicure once it's achieved, running does not make my feet look very nice.

K

Well I'm back!

I have had a very busy few weeks and have done very little exercise wise.. so haven't had anything to bore you with ;)

But I'm back.

I haven't been totally useless, I did have a couple of runs, a walk and my daughter and I completed a 5km funrun last weekend in a mix of walking/running.

I was petrified to jump on the scales, I really didn't know what they would tell me, but I plucked up the courage and did this morning and I hadn't put on any weight at all, so YES!!! still have lost over 13kg's. The good news about that is that I know that when I finally get my weight down to where I want it to be I will know how to maintain it, I'll know how to create balance, if I indulge a little more today then I exercise a bit more tomorrow. I can't wait for the day when I have the mix right, where I can eat and drink, but will understand the counterbalance to that in terms of the exercise and diet to keep me on track. This does feel like progress from the other times I have journeyed into losing weight, I feel like I'm setting myself up for more of a long term commitment to weight loss.

I have gone back to running again as of yesterday, and that feels good. I ran 3.8km's yesterday and aimed for 4km today, which I did in 43 mins. I'm pleased with that, but I did go a bit fast again and I was struggling to finish. I think I need to decide whether I want to go the whole distance and just not worry about the speed yet, until I am consistently completing the distance, or I go for speed, get as far as I can and then try and get further and further as I get faster and faster.. Anyway I'll get it right eventually. I'm finding my stride and it feels really good to be off again. It's such a motivator, I've done heaps more today than I usually do and I'm sure it's because i built exercise into my day and had to be organised. Jumped on the scales afterwards and had lost 800g today alone - woohoo! I feel re-invigorated and it's only 6kg and I'm under 90kg, that's where I got to last time I seriously tried to lose weight, so I want to beat that, it feels achievable too - BRING IT ON!!!

K

Had a rest day yesterday, mostly out of necessity... was just busy.. 

Today I was heading off early with my Aunts to visit with my Dads elderly cousin who was 87 today, so I got up at 6am, made birthday cupcakes, then went for a run. Upped the pace quite a bit today and managed to do 3.02kms in 30 mins. I was wrapt with that.

Weighed in this morning and my weight was the same as last week, so a bit disappointing, but at least there's no gain, and I'm not letting it get to me, I'll keep going! I weighed myself after I ran and I'd lost 400g lol, if I can do 400g a day it'll make a difference.

SO onwards and upwards :)

K

Gosh it's nearly 1am Sunday and I meant to post this yesterday (Saturday) but I had such a busy day I just didn't get the chance.

I was determined today to keep up my renewed commitment to my goal, I had so much to do and not enough time, but I put my running clothes on and just got on with things and as soon as I had the cheesecake out of the oven, and the relish bubbling on the stove, I snuck off and had a run. Because I was so pushed for time I could only do 30 mins, but I figured that was better than nothing, and I picked up the pace and ran faster and further than yesterday. I did 2.75km in 30 mins, if you double that its 5.5kms in an hour. So I think I was doing a pretty good pace and I was so pleased I could complete it. I'll be running the full 5kms in no time :)

So I managed to do it 2 days in a row. I feel forward focussed and positive.

Had a wonderful night out for dinner with good friends, and now, as 1am approaches I must go to bed - another really busy day tomorrow!

K

Well I feel like I've finally got my act together again...

I've had several weeks off from it all, I've only gained a kilo, so I guess that's not too bad, and shows I am still making good choices, but it has meant a slow down in my progress and it puts things backwards. I've worked hard to lose these 13 kgs and I decided today to re-commit to my weight loss, because I don't want to undo that hard work. In only 6kgs time I will be down at a weight that I last got to in 2004... I have the chance to be smaller than I have been in a long time. 6kgs.... I can do this! 

I've been trying to assess what distracted me from my goal, and there are a couple of things, firstly my clothes were starting to hang off me - and while that could be a motivator - a measurement of the work being done to take the weight off, it was actually making me feel quite depressed. Having things hang off me made me feel frumpy and dowdy and I was struggling to want to go out, get dressed etc. I have gone and bought pants that fit now and that has definitely helped, and I've been through my wardrobe to identify things that fit and flatter, so some progress. Tomorrow when the shops open I am going to get new pyjamas, because that's now the thing that gets to me, I guess because I'm naked under them, and the weight loss is making me look weird naked... the distribution of the flab isn't even, so it's not very attractive.. add pyjamas that are literally hanging off me and it makes me feel horrid. So new pyjamas it is, ones that fit. I'm confident this will help. Secondly, it's my lack of confidence in my ability, I have a psychological issue to get through.. I don't fully understand it, but I expect to fail, I don't believe in myself, I'm my own worst enemy, and it's ME I have to fight and overcome. But it's ME this is all for, so I'm only damaging myself if I don't sort it. My rational self understands it, but it's the underlying me I have to deal with!

I got back into my exercise today, and even now, 3 or so hours later, my muscles are still warm and tingly so I know I did them good. I ran 2.5kms solid without stopping, in 20 mins. I'm quite pleased with that given the lack of exercise in the past few weeks. I didn't stop there though, I picked up the pace and then walked fast for another 40 mins, completing 5kms in under an hour. SO now I need to commit to doing it again tomorrow, because then I'll know I'm back on track.

I know I've probably disappointed a few of my supporters in the past couple of weeks, but it was a psychological block I needed to work through. I'm not sure I've conquered it, I'm not sure I fully understand it, but today I showed I haven't given up... and I am sorry if I've let anyone down... You've all been so good to me, I couldn't do this without you :)

Another week has passed and I still am not doing the exercise I should be, currently there aren't enough hours in my day...

I have avoided the scales, expecting I will have put on heaps of weight, but today I was curious how much damage I'd done... so on I hopped, and I've lost another kilo... not sure how that happened, but I guess I have still been watching what I eat and drink so that has pulled me through.

I'm not naive enough to think I can get away with that for much longer, so I need to make a plan to get the exercise back on track. The next few weeks are going to be madness but I'll have to plan my days to cope with my increased workload so I just have to make sure I build exercise into that - it'll be the stress relief I'm going to need I think!

K

Ok well I must confess I have once again been procrastinating in regards to writing this blog. I so don't want to let down my supporters...

I am still struggling to get my mojo back, I can't get into any type of routine I have not been exercising as much as I should have. It's a mind problem. It's all in my head and I don't know how to shake it. I'm struggling...

It's not all bad news though. Last week was my birthday and I did celebrate it, I had cake and high tea, had friends round and drank wine (and whisky) and it was wonderful. 

Then on Sunday I went with my daughter and our lovely friends and did the 5km Colour Run. It was such a good day out in Wellington, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I loved every bit of it, we laughed and danced and just had a good time. On a personal level it achieved a goal for me - the first official event I have ever done. I felt like I could have done it again too, and there's no way I would have said that 13 weeks ago! 

I braced myself for the weigh in (no exercise except the Clour Run and birthday celebrations) but I had only put on a few hundred grams. So I decided that tomorrow is another day, I'd get back on board the bus and start again.. but I haven't. It's true this week has been complete madness, I have been so busy, but in truth I could have made more of an effort to get exercising.. I just didn't.

Well today I have signed up for another event - a 5km Mother/daughter funrun/walk. It's in May, so I'm hoping it will spur me on to get back into it since I have another goal to achieve.

Wish me luck.. you know this has happened everytime I have had weight loss success - as soon as I get to the 10kg loss I seem to self-sabotage. If any of you reading this have any psychological expertise as to what might be going on I'd welcome your thoughts, I'm blowed if I know what it is..

K

I've been avoiding writing in the blog - because I haven't got anything to write about... but then I realised that I need to capture that too, because my goal was to keep this journey real. I can't just write about my progress and not balance that with my struggles. I won't learn anything from this to help keep my weight off successfully in the future unless I talk about what challenges me.

I'm not sure what's going on with me. For years I have seemed to self-sabotage my progress as soon as I get positive feedback. For most people I think it would motivate them on, but for me I tend to retreat. Is it a self-esteem issue? I'm not sure.. Do I not really believe in myself, despite the progress I'm making, do I really expect to fail? I guess there are truths in each of those things.

I am so enjoying this body I'm in as I can feel the positive changes happening, I am SO grateful for the support I am receiving from people, the fact they have taken the time to say something positive, to encourage me, to share with me their knowledge, expertise and experience, yet my head is not in the right place this week.

I know what I need to do - I'm a logical person. I need to re-group, re-focus, concentrate on the positives. I know all these things yet there's a block - a resistance that I need to overcome. 

A friend posted this on Facebook tonight and I think it is exactly where I'm at:

So tomorrow's another day - I need to get back in the game.. I can do tis, but I need to believe I can do this!

K

Well couldn't wait for my exercise, had to do a quick update cos I'm excited!!

Weighed myself this morning and am just shy of 12kgs lost - will nail that by next weeks weigh in.. thats 26lbs lost, 26 packets of butter have come off my body woohoo!!!

Thought I'd check my measurements, as I haven't done that for 6 weeks.. 11cms (about 4 inches..??) gone from my hips, 9 off my waist, 11 off my thighs - 39.5 in total from my vital statistics (about 15 inches) It's a great motivator.

Will head out for my exercise soon after the housework, but was so excited I had to share :)

K

A strange thing happened today...

Lately I've been walking, not running. I've missed it and worried that if I didn't run again soon I would have to start again to be able to. So I set out to run again today. I ran for the first 10 minutes and then developed an awful cough. I tried to keep running but something was making me choke, I then walked while I sipped some water and tried to clear my throat but I thought I was going to throw up. I stopped for a but, drank water, blew my nose and thought I was right, walked for a bit more then ran again. I ran for another 10 minutes and then the coughing fit started up again. All up I managed to run for 30 mins, which I am really pleased about, but this awful cough made it difficult to keep going.

I have no idea what that was about?? Even now I can still feel a niggle that makes me want to keep coughing. 

I was really pleased with the way I ran, I had a good stride going, a nice pace and it felt really comfortable. Running feels more satisfying for some reason.. I get a warm burn in my muscles for ages afterwards that makes me think the fats coming off... I haven't weighed myself this week, I don't know why.. I've been good - walked 24 kms last week, all outside and over different terrains, haven't eaten or drunk anything I shouldn't, I am just not curious, which is unlike me. I might force myself to tomorrow, because if things aren't on track I need them to be so better I get on to it sooner rather than later!

K

It was a bit of a weird day weather wise today, but I was determined to get out after yesterdays blah day, so I put on my rain jacket and headed out. I needed my jacket more for the wind as it happened, although black clouds loomed above the whole way round.

I strapped my blister prone foot and am pleased to say it worked this time... except I got a tiny one on the side of my other foot, lol can't win!

I went a new way today and this had 2 reasonable hills - reasonable enough to feel my heart beat and for the back of my thighs to ache.. so a good workout. My body really struggles from being outside, it definitely requires more from it, I am guessing in the long run it will prove to be much more beneficial, as according to map-o-meter I am burning way more calories.

It felt good to get out and complete the workout. I think yesterdays fog has lifted I do feel a bit less down. I got back and weighed in and I'm back to my pre-weekend gain, so between now and Monday it's all loss :)

Thank you for your support and for putting up with me. I hope there aren't too many downs.. unless it's on the scales :P

K

I've been out walking in the sunshine the past couple of days, something I have been urged to do for sometime by my friend Fi, yes you were right, it is nice to get out there.. I'm up to 7kms and in just over an hour. I'm really pleased. I had family here for the weekend, which was lovely, I kept my resolve Saturday, but Sunday I gave in to temptation and I have paid the price with a weight gain on Monday....

Picked myself up from that on Monday and got back into exercise, focussed once again.

Then today arrived.

It's a low day today... I didn't want to get up.. have no motivation, and feel pretty low about everything. Thank goodness for the love of my cats.. George hasn't left my side and wee Hobbie is asleep on my chest as I type. I guess it's just one of those days, but it's also part of this journey - that there will be highs and lows. 

I have to work on my fragile self-esteem, I hear my dad chastising me from heaven.. I've never been good at accepting compliments and one of the only times dad growled me was when I brushed off compliments from others - he said that they had taken the time to bother to come and pay me that compliment and the least I owed them was to acknowledge them appropriately. So this week I received a couple about the hard work I've put in so far and I brushed them off. I'm sorry to those people, I didn't mean to brush you off, they did mean alot, but I am not in a frame of mind where I believe in myself.. maybe it's hormonal.. I'm not sure, but today is a low day..

Tomorrow's another one :)

K

Walking in the sunshine, sing a little sunshine song.. da dah da..

Gorgeous day for an outdoors walk today and Roz and I were on fire, 6.5kms. Neither of us took the time when we left but it was around 10am and I got back in the door at 11.20am so that's a good walk. According to Mapmyroute I burned 442 calories too. On the treadmill yesterday I was going 6km/hr and only managed to burn 312, so that was interesting. Really enjoyed the walk but the only bummer is I got 3 blisters.. 2 aren't too bad and will go away, but one is on the pad of my foot and it's actually really sore, bugger it. Ah well... no pain no gain (or loss) as they say.

Have family staying for the weekend and that's always a challenge to keep strictly to routines etc, but I can only do my best, I'm not going to beat myself up, just stay focussed on the end result. The weight is coming off quite nicely at the moment and I don't want to halt that.

K

Another good day of exercise. I'm developing quite a nice routine now and there's something really satisfying in getting it done and then getting on with the day.

Today I was walking at 5.6km/hr for 5 mins, ran for 5 mins, but then my legs felt the strain of running at that speed 2 days in a row so I opted to walk today and run tomorrow. After 30 mins at that speed I turned it up to 6km/hr and went for it. Got my km's to 10 mins, which I've been aiming to do, so really happy with that.

Ended up completing 5 km's in 52 mins, felt good, now I feel like I'm starting to mean business. I used some hand weights to complete a quick session working on my batwings. 

Weighed myself afterwards and have lost a significant amount from yesterday so that is satisfying!

I saw on Facebook yesterday that a friend from school has lost 25kgs, how awesome is she!! I look forward to getting there myself. I was thinking about it while I was exercising.. where I'd be at 25kgs lost, I'd be just over 1/2 way to where I need to be. I was doing the math and I can't believe I'd weigh in at that, it's been a long time! so as of this morning I've lost 11.3kg (24lb, 14oz) I'd love to go round to the supermarket and pile up 11 blocks of cheese and take a photo, it's surreal to think that much has come off my body. It's still so flabby and yuck that it's clear there is alot more to come off. I'm pleased with the start I've made to this journey, 1/4 down!!

K

Well what a week it's been. Lots of good learning for me about me and my body though.

I exercised really well for the first part of the week, but then had a few stressful things going on that I had to attend to and there just wasn't time to work out, not an excuse, a reality... then we went away for a long weekend as a family. I took my exercise gears - fully with the intention of exercising while I was away, but the reality of being out of your routine kicked in. It's really difficult because I need to exercise for an hour, and then with a shower etc after, its another 30-40 mins and when you have places to go and people to see its difficult to fit it all in. So after day 1 I just accepted it wasn't going to happen and I needed to manage my weight by being careful about what I ate and drunk. I didn't want to be that person that drives everyone else crazy with the "I can't eat that" "I can't drink that" - boring... so I just made sure I made good choices and balanced things, like at the party on Saturday night Paul bought me a glass of bubbles and a long tall schooner of water..

Well it worked because I still lost weight this week - only 200g, but it's a loss and good to know how I can maintain my weight loss once I'm down to my goal weight - have a good time, but exercise a bit more and have some balance and I'll stay where I want to be.

Today's exercise was a mix of walking and running at 5.6km/hr. I walked for 5 mins, ran for 5 mins, alternating. I felt really good that I am now able to do this speed consistently. another week and I'll up it to maybe 6km/hr, as I was doing 5.8 last week, perhaps I'll walk the 6km and run the 5.8... just till I'm doing that comfortably. I did 5km's in 52 mins 47 secs. I'm consistently doing the 10 minute km's now, or just over 10 mins...

I'm really proud of this.. and I'm humbled by all the support I have been getting. There are some very special people in my life who help me get through this.. Thank you xx

K

Well it's been a great week weight loss wise :)

I have been really thoughtful about what I eat, I've reduced my water intake from 2.5l a day to around 2l as I felt I was retaining it, and that seems to have helped. I haven't exercised as much as I should have, but the few times I have I have made the most of it. I've enjoyed having a good walk on Fridays with my friend Roz too.

Today I got my km down from 12 mins per km to 10 mins 30 secs. I completed 5kms in 52.25, I usually do it in 1 hour 3 mins. So I was wrapt. I kept going to complete the hour and did 5.8km. I didn't run the whole time, just to clarify, I did a mix of run and walk.

So the result of all this is that I had a good weight loss this week, and I have now lost 10.2kg (22lb) in total - woohoo, my short term goal was to reach 10kg losses, rather than concentrating on the 40kg I need to lose, in that way I wouldn't get disillusioned by the enormity of what lies ahead, and now I've achieved that first goal. I feel really proud to say that, this is the most motivated I've been in a long time to lose weight.

I am also proud to say that I have made it to double digits... I haven't been here for a long time. It feels so good to say that...

K

No running today... I slammed my toes on the rim under the coffee table, was very nasty and cracked, Paul even heard it, it's so, so sore, gone black and bruised and it feels all stiff and I can't put too much weight on it, grrr. Think I'll head to bed and read a book and try again tomorrow...

K

Well, not exactly the loss I'd hoped for, but a loss, and a couple of factors may have influenced that, so I think it possibly was more of a loss than was recorded, but hey, a loss is a loss, woohoo!!

It was stinking hot in Palmy today and  while that's awesome on some levels, it's not so much when it comes to running..

I ran at 5.4km/hr, faster than ever before, I did that on purpose because it was too hot to go for an hour, so I thought I'd run for 30 mins but run faster. It seemed to pay off, I was able to do it and I haven't got any aches and pains. I'll try and build on that speed over the next few days, as after 8 weeks it's time to build on speed as well as distance..

I'm pleased with my fitness, I want to do some work on actual problem areas now too, like my batwings and that shelf round my middle that seems to have lost inches but lacks any tone... I'm working on how to achieve that..

K

Fantastic weather this weekend and soooo hot!! this meant it was very difficult to get the motivation to run.. but I did. I am so close to getting to that magic weight I haven't been for 10 or so years that I just had to do it - heat or not.

Jumped on the treadmill, music cranked up and ran. I was running at my usual 4.6km but I felt like I was lagging, that my legs wanted to go faster. I was worried that I might not be able to complete the whole 40 mins if I cranked it up a bit, but I was starting to get annoyed with it, so I put it up to 4.8km and thought I'd just see how I go. I haven't run at that pace, for that long before. I'm really proud to say that I did it, woohoo!!

I noticed today that I'm not puffed. My legs get fatigued but I can breathe fine, so that felt good.

I'm so hopeful that tomorrow might be a great weigh-in, perhaps not quite at the 10kgs yet, but out of the 3 numerals, and into the 2!! Wish me luck :)

K

I've decided to be brave and give you a Week 1 and Week 8 comparison - what do you think??

I am way overdue for an update, so sorry to my loyal readers, lol

It's been a funny old week and I wasn't sure what I would write to be honest. I probably should have put something because this blog is to record the ups and downs, the challenges to overcome, so that I have a record of what I went to on this journey, to help me keep it off when I succeed.

It hasn't been a bad week, I had a great weight loss again, 2.2kg and despite not exercising for a few days I've already lost a kg this week.. so that's all good, but for some reason I have had no energy, I've wanted to curl up and sleep, I've struggled to do anything. A friend has suggested I have a multivitamin and I think that's an excellent idea, so I'm going to try that and see if it's the boost I need.

I did go for a good hours walk today with my good friend, who has had an amazing weight loss herself. We pounded the pavement and it wasn't till we got home and took our jackets off that we realised how hard we'd walked, and it was outside Fi :) we're going to do it next Friday too, so that's great.

A few posts ago I told you how I'd read that it takes 4 weeks to feel a difference when you're losing weight, 8 weeks to see a difference yourself, and 12 weks for others to start noticing, well I'm in my 8th week and yesterday I was in town and met up with someone I hadn't seen since before Christmas and she didn't know I'd been doing anything, so independently asked me what I'd been doing, as she said I was looking great, so I'm ahead of the game and it felt really great to be noticed like that.

So the weekends coming, I intend to run both Saturday and Sunday and I am looking forward to Monday's weigh-in, because I think I'm going to be a weight I haven't been for nearly 10 years... woohoo... bring it on!!!

K

YES!!! I am back on track - sneaky weigh in this morning and I am less than I was before last week, so I have got away with having a bit of a less disciplined week. I really needed that to be the case, I took a risk because I think if I'd weighed in heavier I would have felt defeated and it would have been really hard to go again today...

So I jumped on the treadmill - my goal was to run 40 mins today, to beat the 30 yesterday. After 10 mins I had to pause - lesson learned, don't drink copious amounts of water before a run.. interruption over and back into the running. I'm really proud to say that I achieved my goal!! I walked for 5 mins to warm up and then ran continuously (apart from the bathroom break) for 40 mins. It felt so good to achieve that. I did 3.5kms, so I'm not breaking speed records, but that's ok.. I want to firstly achieve the distance then build on my speed - so tomorrow what do you reckon to 50 mins... can I do it?? I'll be happy to do the 40 mins again because I don't want to overdo things, I'm here for the longhaul, but it'll be good to aim for it and see how I go... stay tuned :)

K

Well this post is overdue, I've been a bit remiss this week... the expected happened and I did put on weight at the weigh in... it was expected but still a bit disappointing. I have been fairly good eating wise, I have had a little wine, but not excessive, but I guess what I've learned is that even a little has an impact. It will sound like an excuse, but I don't mean it to be, but I have been really busy with my mum, aunties, my dad's elderly cousin and my cousin this week. I wouldn't change that for the world, as that's precious time, especially with life being so short.. but it did mean that I was much less disciplined about my exercise. Running outside last Sunday also left me with a pain in my hip and cramping in my knees - I shouldn't have gone so fast, but it didn't feel fast.. Anyway that's what my week has been like...

All that being said I picked myself up today and made a commitment between now and Monday's weigh in to give it my all and do my best to shift what I can and then start the week afresh, I'm not giving up on this, in the past I would have, I have to admit that yesterday I felt I'd undone too much of what I'd achieved and I felt a little hopeless, but then I put things in perspective.

Today I did some stretches, then walked at 4.6km/hr for 5 mins, and then I just decided to run until I couldn't run any more, and I did.. 36 mins, the longest I've run for so far, I did 3.2km in that time. I'm pretty happy with that. I wanted to go 40 mins, and I nearly did, but I started to lose balance so I went back to a walk. I then kept going till the hour was up. I completed 4.7km in 60 mins and burnt 260 calories. Tomorrow I'll try and run at least 40 mins...maybe more lol

K

Well as alot of you already know from Facebook, I headed outside to run today, getting out of my comfort zone and leaving the secure anonymity of my treadmill in the garage... I decided to give it a go for a couple of reasons, my friend Fi has been encouraging me to give it a go, as she said why not do it while the weather is good, there'll be plenty of time for the inside treadmill in the dreary cold winter. But the clincher was that I needed to do it so I didn't wake up the household at 6.30am on a Sunday morning.

I have mixed views on outside running.. I started off so well, ran for 15 mins straight and was surprised at how far I'd got, however I was supposed to do 25 mins, and my legs just threatened to give way on me, I walked for a bit (not wanting to give up) but then each time I tried to run again my legs just didn't seem to want to carry me. I felt a little bit like I'd failed, but then I thought, no, you're still out here, you're still exercising for an hour, and you're conquering your fears. Fi tells me I possibly was going much faster than I do on the treadmill, I'll drive and measure how far I ran and then I'll know, but it could be the case because on the treadmill whether I run or walk I am still doing the same speed, whereas today I certainly was running faster than I walked...

I'm having a lovely time with family, (my Aunt and I took my Mum to meet my Dad's lovely elderly cousin) this weekend and that has included a bit of freedom with my food so I don't think the scales will be overly favourable tomorrow... but that's ok because this weight loss process is going to take time and there will be weeks where celebrations happen and things aren't strict, that's life, what I have to do is make sure I get back on track, not give up, and the lesson for me will be knowing how to get a balance - how to indulge now and then, but maintain weight with exercise.. so what will be will be, I won't stress about the weigh-in, I'll use it as a motivator :)

K

UPDATE: well - just used map-o-meter and put in my route, it says I did 2km in 15 mins running, I usually do that in 25 mins, so yes, I did run faster than on the treadmill... that explains it lol

Busy day today so fitted in a run in between. I've been slowly increasing the speed I run because eventually I'd like to run 5km in 30 - 40 mins, now that is a wee way off and in the near future if I can run it in under an hour I'll be thrilled. To do that I would need to run a km in 10 mins, I've been averaging 12 min km's but today I ran 2.5kms in 25 mins, so I'm happy.

My mum's here to stay for a few days, coming home from England, so that means lots of family time, and tonight we had a wonderful meal out, I tried hard to choose good foods to stay on track and did have a small glass of wine, but had several glasses of water too. I would guess it will impact the scales, but I feel ok about the fact that I managed the situation and I didn't go overboard. At my Aunts today I didn't have wine when offered, which is just not like me lol so I can do this, which I think is good for the future, once I shed the weight, to moderate my intake and balance it with exercise. I read in a magazine today that exercise is not just a tool towards weight loss, it's a whole long-term lifestyle change, so I have to think about what I am going to do even when I have got to my goal weight. 

K

Been a tough few days for people I care about and I am so amazed by how brave they have been in their loss. Life is so fragile and it's a privilege to be in it. 

Today my daughter is back at school, so in an attempt to get back into a routine I was up at 6.40am and off and running by 7. Today was another biggie... I had a 5 min warm-up at 4.8km/hr, up from 4.6 last week - the goal is to keep increasing the speed each week. I then had to run for 25 minutes - OMG, I wasn't ready for that... I thought it would be like the last 2 weeks where it built up to the long run on the 3rd day of the training week, but no, we were right into it! I seems daunting, but once I get into a rhythm it isn't that bad. The last minutes are tiring and I find it important to talk to myself to keep going, I say things in my head like reaffirming my goals, picturing how I'll feel at the end of it, all this occupies my mind as the seconds and minutes tick down. 

I check in occasionally on my pulse while I'm running and it seems to sit regularly at 165 - 171 beats. If I remember rightly the optimal range for fat burning is around 155 to 165.. so I am confident I'm feeling the burn... lol

I have a few challenges in the days to follow, so I will need to strategise how to deal with those, but thats what this is all about, making changes to my lifestyle so I have better health :)

K

I decided to do some weights today, my measurements aren't really changing much at all, so I thought some weights might help to concentrate on the areas I want to see changes happen to. I just used hand weights and concentrated on isolating particular muscles, with the help of toning bands. I need to build up my strength in my arms particularly...

Today was also weigh-in day and I am really proud to say that in 6 weeks I have lost 7.3kgs (16lbs) which I think is over a stone.. It was a bit colder today so I put my jeans on and they are too big, still wearable, but not for much longer lol 

A friend shared on Facebook the other day a post that said when embarking on a weight loss journey it takes 4 weeks for your body to feel different, 8 weeks to notice a change in your clothes and 12 weeks for others to notice... so I think I'm in a good place in that regard.

K

Exercise hasn't been my priority the last few days, so I have not done as much as I should have. I have stuck to eating well though so it's not a total let down... The thing is, in the past an interruption would have made me give up I would talk myself out of it, rationalise the reasons why it was ok to give up... tell myself I'm not that bad... allow myself "treats" for the progress to date.. but I haven't. I got back into it today and I'm going to stick to it.

So today was a 5 minute warm-up followed by 22 mins of running, up from 20 mins last week and I ran it at 4.6km/hr up from 4.4km/hr last week. I thought I would fail... but I didn't. I told myself I had to do it - for those who would give anything to be able to run again.. I have the privilege of being alive and well and able - so I had to keep going. While I was running and wanting to give up I realised that I was actually just tired, I wasn't hurting, so I pushed through it and completed the run. I then walked for 33 mins to complete the hour.

Here's to keeping on... keeping on :)

K

Back into running today. Todays programme called for 5 mins warm-up followed by 10 mins running, 3 mins walking and 10 mins running, then 5 mins warm-down. I completed this at 4.6km/hr, on track to slowly increasing the speed each week, till I'm running at 5km/hr, which is my goal. I felt a bit sluggish running today and I really had to encourage myself to keep going. I would imagine this is a direct result of the pie I consumed last night, but I couldn't help it, it was a Jimmy's pie, a legend I grew up with and I haven't had one for 6 or 7 years, maybe longer! The pie was amazing, but clearly had an impact on my body as I'd put weight on since yesterday too, not much, but a good lesson to keep on track with what I'm doing food and exercise wise.

I kept walking for another 30 mins to make a total of an hours exercise. I do think I need the hour to make a difference. 

I'm feeling positive and focussed, part of keeping myself going today was envisioning myself finishing the colour run so it's a great motivator :)

K

Feeling really excited tonight, I've entered my first event - The Colour Run, a 5km event down in Wellington that looks like heaps of fun, with no pressure, although I'm confident I can complete it. I've signed my daughter up too and one of my really good friends is keen so we nearly have our team together. I would never have contemplated this 6 weeks ago, and now look at me! SO it's set for the weekend of my birthday at the end of March, seems fitting, I feel so excited I'll have something to work towards and the sense of achievement at the end will be awesome. Two of my friends in Australia have completed it and it looked so awesome so I am so pleased it's come here.

The scales told me I'd lost another 500g this morning so I'm feeling like a fat burning machine lol, may that continue.

A walking day today, so it was 30 mins at 4.6km with a warm-up and warm-down. I figured I could get away with just a half hour workout because I am way on track with my weight loss and I had lots to do today.

Thanks for all your support and encouragement, I really appreciate it!

K

Busy couple of days and I just didn't get a chance to blog yesterday - wasn't helped by Mother Nature sending us a message to let us know she's still there, it was the most scariest earthquake I've ever felt, that's for sure.

Well another big run today with 5 mins warm up, followed by 5 mins running, 3 mins walking, 8 mins running, 3 mins walking, 5 mins running and then I kept walking till 60 mins was past. I sped the treadmill up to 4.6km/hr, next week I'll do 4.8 and then the following I'll get to 5km, which is where I want to be - YAY!

Yesterday was weigh in day too. When I weighed in I had lost 800g since last week, but I must have still been retaining water, having drunk my 2.25l a little bit later Sunday night, because when I weighed in this morning I'd lost another 900g and I really don't think I did that in one night... So total weight lost this past week is 1.7kgs for a total weight loss to date of 6.6kgs!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!! on my way to achieving that first goal of 10kgs lost. Bring it on!!

K

Today was a biggie... I had to psyche myself up for this, and if I'm honest I held onto doubt even with all the will in the world. I've been telling myself this is all about my attitude, that if I don't believe I can do this, then I won't, so I tried to override those feelings of failure and focus on achieving this goal - to run for 20 mins, non-stop, no walking. I got up this morning and said to myself YOU ARE GOING TO DO THIS! But I didn't believe it..

Anyway, I just got on the treadmill and did it!! I DID IT!!! I didn't break any speed records, but today was a psychological victory and I ran 20 mins at 4.4km/hr without stopping and without walking. As I began I told myself it's only 8 - 9 songs (most are over 2 mins) on the i-pod, so to begin with I didn't look at the timer, I just ran and made sure I kept running. I glanced down and saw there was 13 mins left and thought WOW, keep going... My legs ached the last 2 mins and the last minute seemed the loooooongest minute.... but I got there.

I kept walking another 30 mins after I'd finished my programme so I could complete the hour.

Woohoo... now to do it a few more times and work on getting faster..

K

Ooh hard day today, my friend Fi told me week 5 in the running programme was a bit of a killer... I knew this was my biggest challenge to date and I prepared my head for days to get through this and conquer it, and I did! WOW...

Todays programme was 5 mins brisk walking warm-up, 8 mins running, 5 mins walking and 8 mins running, then 5 mins walk to cool down. I did things a bit differently to do an hours exercise, I walked for 15 mins before I started the programme at 5km/hr, I then walked 5 mins, then ran 8 mins at that same speed, walked the 5 mins at 5km, then started to run the second 8 mins at the 5km but felt my legs start to buckle and I found it difficult to keep the pace, so rather than give up I reduced the speed to 4.6 and kept going. It was more important to me to complete this than it was to try and be fast, but give up. So I am really pleased that doing that meant I completed the run. I then walked again for the 5 mins to complete the programme. I finished off with 15 more minutes of walking to complete the hour :)

I have such a sense of achievement, and as I sit here and write this I can still feel a satisfying burn in my thighs...

So with my sense of achievement I delved into the forgotten realm of the back of my wardrobe and pulled out a pair of summer jeans that I used to LOVE, but haven't been able to wear - and they fit!!! I was so excited!! YAY!! BRING IT ON!!!

K

Weird day today... I don't know whether it was the relentless wind and cloudy day, or an accumulation of busyness... but I just wanted to cuddle up and sleep... I lay in bed all morning and I would've stayed there, but I knew I needed to exercise, so that became my motivation to get up and get going. Eventually I rolled out of bed, put my exercise clothes on and that seemed to help me find some mojo - managed to clean the kitchen, sort the dishes, clean the litter boxes, make the bed etc etc. Now I didn't just bore you with that story for no reason... I want this blog to be real - to capture what I go through, the rollercoaster of this trip, the point of the blog for me is to be able to monitor progress, look back and read these posts and see what has changed, because that will help me keep going, cos it will be a long journey, but it's started! So it's not all roses and achievements, there are struggles and challenges, it's the getting through them that counts :)

I did get on the treadmill, turned the i-pod up loud and walked for an hour, really swinging my hips and getting into it, helped along by Ozzy Osbourne Crazy, Crazy Night... I was strutting it out, swinging my hips, marching my arms, singing out loud, woohoo (so glad no-one can see me...) 

Back to running tomorrow :)

K

Well I ended up having a day off yesterday - not that I intended it to be, but that's just what happened... I haven't left the house for over a week except to visit some friends on Sunday, I haven't driven my car since before Christmas - so I set out yesterday morning for a number of errands I had to do, including groceries... By the time I got home and had lunch it was 3pm, then I set about creating a surprise in my daughters room, since she's back next week and to top it off had a cat club meeting, so day gone!

Today's another day, and this week things really up their game in the running programme, so I was so proud to nail today's running, so today it was a brisk 5 min warm-up then straight into 5 mins of running, then I had 3 mins walking before another 5 mins of running, 3 mins walking and 5 mins of running. I then walked another 30 mins to complete my hour of exercise. It went really well, I felt good and the running was achievable. I truly can't believe I'm doing this... obviously this programme is really good at assisting the body to get used to the increase in exertion, because to go from couch potato to where I am now is just mind-blowing for me.

One of my tips to pass on I realised today is that posture is really important. If I hold my tummy muscles in I support my lower back so much better, but also the emphasis goes on my big thighs, rather than my delicate ankles, and I can feel the workout so much better, it's like the body points to all the flabby bits and says "you lot have to go" lol. The scales told me this morning that my muscles have increased 10% in these past 4 weeks, so I am really pleased with that, but interestingly the fat % hasn't changed... I am definitely a work in progress.. pants are looser though so Woohoo, bring it on!!!

K

WOOHOO Happy Dance, Happy Dance...

2.2kg (4lbs 13oz) lost this week!! YAY - A!!! This is it.. All it took was 1/2 an hour a day more exercise. So clearly I'm an hour a day kinda gal. So a total of 4.9 kgs off in 4 weeks.

My measurements are a bit all over the place though, I'm thinking that is because I'm taking them myself and it's hard to get accurate readings so I might get Paul to do it for me from now on. I can definitely tell things have changed because my exercise clothes aren't as clingy.

Walking day today. One hour walking at 5km/hr. I'm off to do it soon, and today it will be with a particular spring in my step lol.

K

Well the day is nearly over, I almost forgot to do my blog, had a busy day, then a lovely evening with good friends.

I did get time to workout though, and it was a running day. I managed to nail my programme again, it is incredible how good that feels.

So completed 5 mins of brisk walking at 4.6kms/hr, ran 3 mins, walked 90 secs, ran 5 mins, walked 2.5 mins then repeated that again. I felt quite tired in my legs on the second round and I did have to draw from within to keep going. I've got quite good at self-talk. I draw on my goals, I mentally picture how I'll look and feel when I get where I want to be. I draw strength from the people who are supporting me, and from writing this blog. It's become important to me if for no other reason than I feel like it keeps me going, I have to have something to write about...

Tomorrow's weigh in day and I really hope I will be reporting much more favourable results, all indications are good :)

K 

Another great day exercising, I just walked today, but got the treadmill up to 5.4km/hr which is the fastest I've walked so far, so tat was good. I just did 30 mins today at that speed, mostly because the treadmill really is smelling funny and I'm worried I'm burning out the motor, so I must get Paul to check it for me for tomorrows run. The last thing I need right now is for the treadmill to break down!

It dawned on me today that I'm kind of at a pivotal stage, I know I have been giving it my all and have committed to eating well and drinking water, now I need to start to see that my hard work is worth it. I need to keep motivated. I did experience a little of that today, my exercise clothes aren't clinging to my tummy the same, so that's great! SO bring on more of the same I say!

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit - well I'm over that now and exercising is just becoming part of what I do in a day. Exercising for the hour has made a difference but I'm not sure what happens when I start to slow the weight loss as an hour is really all I can spare, I guess I speed up?? Plenty of time for me to sort that though I guess :)

Back to running again tomorrow and then weigh in Monday...

K 

Losing weight - committing to exercise, it really is a "head thing". I am discovering that my attitude really influences my success.

I have never committed to exercise this much in my entire life. Today I used some negative energy I was feeling to really push myself, and it worked, I felt better and I thought things through as I ran.

So today I walked for 15 mins first at 4.4km/hr, because of my desire to do an hour a day I then completed my running programme then finished with another 15 mins walking.

I am so proud that I managed the new increased running again today. It was a repeat of Tuesdays run, and I did it and it felt ok. Next week things really get ramped up, instead of running the same programme over the 3 days it increases the running more and more each day. This scares me a little, but as I said at the start, my attitude will ensure my success, and I am going to do it, by next Saturday I will be running 20 mins without walking. I am turning my fears into motivation, I have decided I AM going to do it!

K

I had a rest day today, although I didn't actually rest. My kids are away at their Nanna's for a few weeks so I have taken the opportunity to clean my house, in the hope that it will actually stay clean... I mean proper clean, all surfaces, skirting boards, lightshades, walls, floors and everything in between. I have been flat out, and the house looks and smells so fresh and clean. Our bedroom is the nicest I've seen it in a long time. Still heaps to go and it really is a work out. But I'll be back into running tomorrow.

On a separate note, we had a very yummy dinner tonight - salmon (tinned) and salad with quinoa and brown rice (mixed) I mixed my salmon into the quinoa and it was SO good. 

So not much else to say about today, but I will be back into the running programme tomorrow running the same programme as Tuesday. I'm actually looking forward to it!

K

Thank you Metallica....

I was feeling tired today, still determined to exercise, that wasn't the issue, but I heard myself making excuses and bargaining with myself to not do the whole 60 mins, "if I can just do 30 mins that will do", "if I do 40 mins then I'll have a break" you know how it goes...

Metallica kicked in on the i-pod with their song Broken, Beat and Scarred - 

"You rise, you fall, you're down then you rise again
What don't kill ya make ya more strong
You rise, you fall, you're down then you rise again
What don't kill ya make ya more strong"

"Rise, fall, down, rise again
What don't kill ya make ya more strong
Rise, fall, down, rise again
What don't kill ya make ya more strong"

Well that resonated with me, I have 2 healthy legs, and while they might be tired, they work, so that was it, I am grateful for the use of these legs, so I need to use them and be strong.

So I got through it, 60 mins of walking at 5kms per hour. Just quietly there has been some movement on the weight loss front too, but you can wait for Monday to find out just how much - ooh exciting.... ;)

K

I DID IT!! I DID IT!!! I DID IT!!!

I spent all day building up to it because I was so unsure if I was going to be able to do it, it seemed like an impossible ask - but I did it, I can't tell you how good it feels.

My running programme today was a 5 min brisk walk to warm-up, then a 3 minute run, 90 sec walk, 5 min run, 2.5 min walk, 3 min run, 90 sec walk, 5 min run then 5 min cool down walk. I cannot believe I did that.

It was quite good once I got into a comfortable rhythm. I just kept picturing myself in a months time, 3 months time, 6 months time, and next year. I pictured myself where I wanted to be and kept pushing myself to keep going, in my head I was telling myself this was the path I had to go to get to where I want to be. And I did it!

When I finished my running programme I kept walking, because I want to try and do an hours exercise a day, so I ended up doing 4.35km in the hour. I feel really good.

K

My weight loss continues to evade me... I put on 100g this week. I'm not entirely sure what is going on, but I have faith that it will come right. I've exercised 6 out of 7 days, drunk 2.5l water and eaten sensibly. All this after doing none of that beforehand, so it has to get better, this is not the time to falter, in fact it's time to beef things up.

I really want to join up with the Manawatu Striders walking and running group and they start next Tuesday and each Tuesday for several weeks. It's a 7km course. Of late I haven't even gone close to that so I am not sure if I can manage it. I probably could but would it be in a respectful time? or would everyone have packed up and gone home....?

Anyway I thought today if I can walk 5kms within an hour I could build it up to 7kms before Tuesday 14th, so off I went. I walked for 60 mins and I did 5.15kms. I was so proud of myself I cried. I was doing 12 minute km's - I'd like to get it to 10 mins so it will only take me 70 mins to complete the course - eventually... If I can do it in 1 1/2 hours I'd be pleased. 

Tomorrow I'll do my running programme and in the alternate days I'm walking, heading for 7kms This will surely make a difference - if nothing else I will know I am doing everything I can.

I'm not faltering my friends, don't worry, I am committed to this, I just have to understand this is a long-term thing and keep with it, and I need to find the right balance of diet and exercise and what works for my body, I'm just not there yet. I saw the Chawners on tv last night and had a terrible fright to discover I weigh the same as one of them.. they're eating crap, not following advice, not exercising etc etc and I am NOT one of them, or like them, so I CAN do this!

K