Feeling Faithful

So, this has been a great week for me. I'm feeling so faithful to my program and to the possibility of eventual success! I was reading the GI Diet book this week and ironically discovered that I was already completely following this diet without even knowing it (since I have focused on a vegetarian diet.) I am still using the guidelines from the book and allowing myself to continue to eat a healthy diet and exercise accordingly.

My real successes over the past week or so have been my dedication to no sugar and chocolate. I have totally kicked my chocolate habit and also done without any sugar. I feel so much better already and think that it will really make a difference in the long run. I was so tempted by ice cream and some of the very best chocolate that were offered to me this week, but I politely declined!!! (Not like me at all.)

I am determined to get back into good shape........We hiked three days this week so that was really good and really hard + I ran three days this week.

Just staying focused and trying to make progress one day at a time......

12 Week Challenge

Today I started my 12 Week Challenge. It got a little delayed since I have been so sick this week, but I felt well enough to run this morning so I kicked it off well.

Basically I'm going to follow the Body For Life fitness program that I did back in Korea - basics of running/cardio ,weight lifting, and eating healthy. Nothing really crazy, but just being dedicated and focused.

I am proud to announce that so far I have held true not only to my "No Chocolate" stance, but I have also been faithful to limiting my sweets intake. I have also been more faithful to my yoga - which I thoroughly enjoy having the privilege to do out on the front porch!!!

I don't suspect I will make any actual progress for a few weeks, but just knowing that I'm committed makes me feel good.

Goals and a New Beginning

Don't dream it, do it!!! - Be Committed

My short-term goals for the next two weeks: Stick to my running program and give up all chocolate for two weeks.

My mid-term goals for the next three months: Increase my yoga to no less than four times per week and start a new weight lifting program.

My six month goals: Lose 10lbs and get my arm muscles toned back up.

My long term Year Goal: Lose 20lbs of body fat and get back the toned muscles that I desire for my all around better health.


Some changes to make in my daily diet - I am giving up chocolate for two weeks initially to kick my sugar habit and then I want to really start limiting my intake of non-neccissary sweets and snacks. Also, to help lessen cravings, I want to lower my intake of carbs (mostly breads)

I will be posting weekly in the future as best as can be - mostly just to encourage myself to stay faithful to my personal committment towards a healthier and happier life. =)

Starting Over

Hey, girls!! Hope your summers all went well. It seems like everyone has been making amazing progress and I'm so proud of each of you for sticking to your plans and working out and eating right! You go girls!!

As for me, well, I had a very challenging summer. While they had promised us a full on salad bar and fruit and healthy food every day, it turns out that it was just a load of crap to get us to come out there! The food was probably some of the worst food for your body that you could eat being that everything was drenched in heavy cream etc. I did my very best to avoid most of it, but it was hard since there was nothing else to eat! They would serve us old stale food and pretend like it was great. It sucked. Anyway, needless to say that despite my very best efforts I definitely gained weight this summer - about 10 lbs!!! - I'm so sad about that because I thought I had been doing pretty well, only to come home and weigh myself and find out otherwise. How sad!!! I decided that rather than beat up on myself and feel sad and depressed I'm just going to move right on past it and start over again from the beginning.....

So, here's to new beginnings - Cheers -

This summer I did a TON of hiking and walked and ran between 5-10 miles a day. (Yes, apparently that wasn't enough!)Since we are soon to move again I feel a fresh new energy that I will be able to get back in shape in no time. I am devoted to eating totally healthy and giving up all snacks and goodies for a long time. I just want to loose some weight because I know that I have strong muscles underneath it all from all the running and abs etc. that I have been doing.

I got up at 7am nearly every morning and did a half hour ab routine with my friend Hannah and then walked a ton every day too. Plus I was running and hiking and doing yoga. I want to continue being faithful to this sort of routine, but definitely adjusting the type of food I take in. Maybe some of it has to do with hormones or getting older too? I don't know. When I look back on my summer I thought that I had really done well in spite of what we had to work with.....I guess you never really know unless you have a scale to keep track! ha.....

Anyway, that's my latest update - sorry to disappoint, but life is just like that sometimes - I WILL eventually make my goal, it's just a very LONG time in coming...Never give up, and start fresh every day! I love you girls and enjoy hearing about where you are at as well! Any suggestions for me to get this weight off would be much appreciated, but I'm just going to stick with the old fashioned "exercise and eat less" philosophy for now.....Tomorrow is a new day!

Four Month Challenge

So....As I am leaving on Sunday for four months at Kennicott Glacier Lodge I wanted to wish you all a wonderful summer and a happy farewell for now.


I really don't expect to have any internet connection during my time at Kennicott and for SURE will not have a scale to keep track of progress etc.....So......As a result I decided to go on a four month challenge.....

Here's how it's gonna work. In between work hours I am committing myself to packing (hiking with between 20-40 lb backpack) hiking, walking, and running and at night I will do abs and yoga to relax. Due to the type of food available to us there I am also planning to go on an all vegetarian diet again.

We will see how my body has improved - hopefully - and whether or not I'm ready to physically handle the challenge of the long hikes in New Zealand when we leave in September!!! Here's hoping....

This past year has been HUGE for me as far as changing "on the inside" and I totally look at myself through different eyes now.....The completion of this whole journey though is to also have my outward body transformed into a healthier version of me!(The physical change has not yet happened) It's my goal and plan to really focus on getting into great physical condition while I'm away for four months - what better time to really focus on myself and get where I need to be!?

Kennicott, here I come....

New Found Commitment

So, just wanted to post some of my new goals and commitments:

Definitely decided that while I've made accomplishments in the realm of running, I have done nothing by way of actually losing weight over this past year. While I really don't care that much about the actual weight lost, I do want to get in better hiking shape this summer. (And obviously it's easier to hike if you have less weight to carry around! ha) So......Off to the new training grounds I go.....

For starters my new commitment is to hike with a weight pack at least three nights per weeks. That is in addition to my running program.

Also, adding back my ab work out every other day and continuing my yoga nightly.

Biggest challenges and changes to make for me: NO MORE SUGAR!!!! Giving up chocolate and sweets except for maybe once every two weeks....GOT to cut down - I'm out of control!! Apparently I treat myself daily these days - not cool!!!!

My legs are definitely stronger (unfortunately that also has made them BIGGER so that part sucks)I feel great and I'm proud of where I've come, but now I need to set new goals and move forward!


Long Term Goal: Hike comfortably 5-6 miles with pack by September
Run 4 miles regularly for cardio work out by September
Short Term Goal: Add my ab routine into my weekly workouts and get back down to 29in waist by the end of May.

Tok Trot

Pictures will come soon, but I wanted to post real quick about the race and just for a moment take time to say that I DID IT!!! It wasn't fast, it wasn't anything special, but I DID IT!!! =) The bummer was that my shins had been bothering me and my left one started hurting really bad at the 1/2 mile marker - not a good sign!! - I worked through it and the pain from that finally went away around 3 miles then came the foot pain...my right foot was hurting so bad (not sure if my shoe was tied too tight or what but my muscles on the top of my foot were NOT happy) I just kept running because I could not bare to let myself down and I refused to walk. I had convinced myself that I could finish without walking and was not about to stop! I was running so slow that at one point a guy who was "power walking" passed me!! YIKES..ha.....It was pretty funny at the time. Anyway, end of story is that I FINISHED and I am so incredibly proud of myself. My 5K time was 39 min which is about what I ran it in Korea (I think in Korea I did a 38:54) and then my 6.2 mile finish was 1:21:02 (My goal was to finish in 1:20 so I was pretty close) I thought was going to puke at the last minute so I think that's why I slowed down! ha.....So far, no vomit so all is well on that front! haha.......Now for a long shower.......Love you girls, thanks for the encouragement!!!

Training

Well, this is it. It's my last official week of training before the 10K next Saturday. I'm very excited about my progress as today I ran 5 miles! (I ran the first 2.5 miles without stopping and then walked and jogged the remaining 2.5.)That's a pretty good idea of what it will be like because I plan to run the first 3.1 miles and then walk/jog the last 3.1 miles.

As I was out running today I was thinking back to where I was just 5 years ago...I stepped on the treadmill for the first time when I was living in Manhattan, KS. It was that day that I ran my first 2 minutes EVER! ha.....While I've had a lot of ups and downs and year long breaks in between I think I'm finally coming to a place where I can actually consider myself a runner. =)Today I ran for 30 minutes! While I'm still at a slow turtle speed, I'm actually enjoying the challenge and feeling great about the accomplishments I've made.

While I could easily compare myself to my many friends, both here in AK and on the web who have been so amazing at loosing weight and are just my heroes in that regard; I have to step back and take a moment to close my mind off to that possibility. The purpose of our blogs and our sharing with one another is not so that we can compare ourselves to one another; but rather that we can encourage one another and spur one another on towards becoming healthier and stronger women. Each of us does that in such a different way. For me it's definitely not through weight loss, but at the same time I'm totally happy with where I'm at because I feel like I have accomplished SOOO much over this past year. I have come a long way and it's been a struggle to get here, and I'm just glad I've made it this far! I feel happy and healthy, and strong. =)

Weight Loss: I guess a few weeks ago it was a "Fake out" because my four pounds only stayed off for like three days. My body seems to keep fluctuating between 144 and 147 lbs. Each day it is something different, so I guess as long as I stay in that range I'm making progress! ha.....

As for the detox and Bromalite. What a rip off - lucky for me I only did the free trial! ha....I have had no adverse reaction to any of it and I feel great, but definitely haven't seen any huge life altering results. No huge weight loss, no "flattening" of my belly! Nada!.....Such is life, at least maybe I have done some good for my colon!? ha

I am still doing my vitamins and stuff and that has made me feel great. Haven't had soda in over a month and am down to coffee only on occasion and not every day. Trying to give chocolate up again too - anyone want to join me on that challenge?! - I've been eating a lot of spinach and tuna and trying to make healthier adjustments all the time.

So, all in all, I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made this month. I do want to get back into my daily yoga. (I confess I've been lapsing to only a few times a week.)

Mantra: I am happy, I am healthy, I am Whole!! Consider yourself in this present moment.

Four Miles...

Just wanted to post because today I ran four miles!!! The first 2+ miles I ran without stopping (25 min.) then I walked for about 10 min. and then ran the rest of the way home. I was so full of energy and felt so great and it was such an awesome day!! I'm well on my way to making it to the 5K mark before the Tok Trot on April 18th. I really want to challenge myself to do that, but at the same time not push too hard.....I definitely think I run better outside!

Also, I started my Bromalite yesterday so I'll let you guys know what I think. No problems so far....

Progress

Well, I'm not entirely sure where the progress has come from, but this has been a really great week for me. I am four pounds down weighing in at 144 this morning, and I have managed to run 20 minutes straight twice this week!! (That's huge for me because my max has been 15 min...)

So, it seems that the detox is going really well, although I don't really see how taking a few vitamins and swishing around oil in your mouth for 20 minutes can really make such a big difference. I guess it just seems so simple...It would appear, however, that these few adjustments are exactly what my body needed. I feel great and really have been able to tell a difference in my body. I do have a few days here and there that I have these odd aches and pains and stuff, but I was told that it is all a part of the detox process so you just have to press on and keep being faithful to your program. I am hoping my Bromalite comes in this week because I want to give that a try too.

Mantra for the week: Be faithful to who you are at all times.

Detox

Okay, so I met this new provider this week who encouraged me to do a detox (She is definitely not the first to mention this.) To really just clean my system out and see if I can better absorb vitamins. It seems that I am vitamin deficient mostly probably due to the lack of sunlight etc. She seems to think that these deficiencies have caused my kidneys and liver to not function properly thus straining my thyroid. All of this together has kind of just led to some poor health problems for me and is probably related to why after a year of working out and eating healthy I still haven't been able to lose any weight. I'm still weighing in at 148. =)

So, I'm doing a trial to see if I start feeling better and start seeing improvements to my health.......I'm trying this "oil pulling" technique with coconut oil in the mornings (look it up online if you are curious, it's pretty interesting. I will let you know what I think. So far, so good.) Drinking Psyllium Husk in the morning. Taking 10,000 IU of Vitamin D and also 2.5mg Melatonin at night. Other than that just keeping with my normal healthy diet and exercising as normal. I also signed up for a free trial of Bromalite, and will let you know what I think of that once it comes in. =)

I'll keep you posted on how I feel. It's been two days since I started it and I feel really great right now, so I guess that's good. =)

15 Degrees is Too Darn Cold...

While common sense should tell ANYONE that running outside when it's 15 Degrees isn't a great idea, it seemed innocent at the time. The sun was shinning and Travis was headed out to run. Since I managed to do okay yesterday with minimal soreness it was so beautiful that I said, "You know, I think I'm gonna go for a run too."

Off I go and once again did really well for the first mile or so (Not sure the exact distance, but Travis said it's a little over a mile to the Alaskan Highway - with round trip being somewhere around 2.1 miles.) Here's the kicker....my shins and quads were sore from yesterday so I slowed down to a walk for a few minutes and then realized that it wasn't a good idea because with the sweating I had done I was now freezing! =) So, despite my discomfort I began to run again. The wind was picking up and really blowing hard (Yes, weather changes around here within minutes.) As I turned down the road to run the last quarter mile or so the wind was REALLY kicking up and I was freezing my butt off. I felt like I was running for my life! haha...Travis would definitely get a kick out of this if he were to read it (Which is why I don't let him read this blog! haha) He runs when it's 30 below and snow and ice are building on his lashes - NOT ME!!!

Anyway, I did manage to make it safely home and now am very content to be in the warmth of my cabin. =) I write this to say one real observation.....Like many things in life, sunshine can be deceptive!!!

I DID IT!!!

It's Saturday and a very nice, calm 20 degrees outside. Because it's rarely this nice I decided that today I would challenge myself to run outside for the first time this winter.

I headed out in my usual gear (It's usually cold in the garage where I run, so I figured I would be good with what I usually wear.- Cotton yoga pants, a synthetic long sleeve shirt, zip up sweatshirt, and cotton gloves. To this I added a stocking cap) I took off down the road and it was SOOOOO cold. Oh my gosh, the wind was beating against my face and my eyes were watering. I was thinking, "What kind of idiot does this?" I was so tempted to turn around and head back home and hop on my treadmill. The snow was like running on a sandy beach and my feet were slipping quite a bit. I pressed on and after the first quarter mile I turned down a side road that was much better packed down. By changing directions I was sheltered from the wind and immediately warmed up. I started feeling great and just kept running. I was going at an alarmingly slow rate, and yet felt really great about where I was at. I was breathing in the fresh air, enjoying the crisp winter day and just feeling great!!! I ran the entire first mile without stopping for a moment and then continued running the mile in return with an occasional 30 sec rest. I could not believe the challenge on my lungs and muscles in my legs that I don't usually use. The most amazing part was that when I reached my front steps I felt alive and refreshed and OH SO PROUD!!! I know it's not a huge accomplishment, but I was starting to feel like I wasn't really getting anywhere with my running, and after today I know that eventually I really will be a good runner!!!

All this to say that while running in Alaska is challenging, it is not impossible!

MANTRA: Love and accept yourself in the present moment.