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

Yesterday ended up being a rest day because we had a great family day out at the races and I was so pleased with myself because I only drank water and I only ate a little cheese (no crackers) and some bacon and egg out of the bacon and egg pie - no icecream, dips etc etc. Got home and had to pack the kids for their trip away for 3 weeks, so I decided that would be my rest day.

So today was day 3 of week 3 of my running training. The running is getting much better so I'm really pleased about that. so it was 5 mins brisk walk as a warm-up, 90 secs running, 90 secs walking, 3 mins running, 3 mins walking, 90 secs running, 90 walking, 3 mins running, 3 mins walking and 5 mins wind down.

I had the i-pod cranked up on random shuffle and by coincidence when I got to the running sections Welcome to the Jungle came on and then ABBA's So Long - both with great beats for 3 mins of running lol, then the likes of Roger Miller's Engine, Engine number 9 was just right for 3 mins of walking (don't judge me for my eclectic taste in music haha) It's amazing how energizing it is when you find songs you know and you can really get into to, although singing along is confined to in my head, cos the puffing makes me very tuneless...

K

My energy levels must be improving I was on to it today.. cleaned and cleaned till I got a "glow" on lol.

As today was an off day for my running programme I was still keen to do something vigorous to keep up my progress.

After a good long stretch I jumped on the treadmill and started walking at 3.8kms/hr increasing it up to 4.6 by 5 mins. For the next 25 mins I walked really briskly at 5kms/hr, swinging my arms. I concentrated on my posture, holding my tummy muscles in, and that helps me concentrate on my thighs rather than my shins and achilles. It really made a difference and was much more comfortable.

I'm not giving up on this, I'm in it for the longhaul, this dawned on me today when I had to do housework and 5 loads of washing and baking and I missed my exercise, I wanted to do it. YAY! that's where I was hoping I would get to.

K 

Weighing yourself is a double-edged sword.

I have always resisted weighing myself too often when losing weight and believed once a week was the way to go so that you don't get disheartened if things aren't happening when you expect it, but then last week it proved to be a good idea because I saw I had put on weight and I could ramp things up a bit and get back on track. Well now I'm confused as to what is best. I have been tracking myself and I've only lost 100g since Monday. I have truly been good.. have been doing my exercise, drinking 2.5l water a day and watching what I eat. I do feel a little down that I'm doing all of this and not seeing much reward at the moment, but I knew when I started this that this is a long journey. it's still a loss and there are still 3 full days till weigh in.

Today was another running programme day, so it was a repeat of the 5 mins warm up, I did it at 4.4kms/hr. Next was run for 90 secs, walk for 90 secs, run for 3 mins and walk for 3 mins, then repeat that again, and finish with a 5 min warm down. I have found that stretching before and after really helps. Todays run was getting much easier so thats good. Running really isn't something that comes easy to me, and it's never been something I was good at, but I feel good that I'm doing this and giving it my best.

K 

Late one today - I usually exercise in the morning but thi morning the tv was playing 4 1/2 hours of Gone with the Wind and I'd never seen it. It then took up a bit much of my day lol

Anyway I didn't want to miss out on my exercise so I still committed to do it, just after tea.

It's different exercising at night, it seems quieter and more exposed for some reason. There were moths and mossies to contend with too lol.

So tonight I cranked up the music and the treadmill and after some stretches and a warm up I walked my tush off at 5km/hr. It was a challenging walk to keep up that speed, but I did it, I could feel it was a workout, and I feel good afterwards, although still hot, even after a shower lol.

Good day of eating too, Ryvita with cheese and tomato for breaky, ham salad for lunch and steak and salad for dinner. Drank more than 2.5l of water too. Feeling good!

K