2017 Summer Challenge

The blog has sat silent for quite a while now. The last time was 100 days before vacation to Jamaica, which was December. So...

I've decided to try my hand again at the blog and see if it can help get me moving again. I didn't do anything towards that last "I'm going to lose weight before vacation," in case you're wondering. I haven't really gained any more since then, but I haven't lost any either.

I thought I would aim for 5 pounds a month after I got home from vacation, which would have been January 2017, but that didn't happen either. I had motivation, but my sweet little Elizabeth kitten (she was 12) became deathly ill and passed away a week after we returned from vacation. Not how I wanted to return home.

I was to train for the Shamrock Dolphin Challenge in Virginia Beach this past March, but I was struggling to run. I chalk it up to the blood clots and pulmonary embolisms making my lungs much weaker than I thought they would be. I will not ignore the fact that I was/am out of shape and weigh more than I ever have, but the lungs were what bothered me most. So, I deferred the challenge until 2018.

Now, it is Memorial Day weekend and I am no closer to my goals than I was 100 days before vacation. I started thinking about this and decided to set a challenge to myself - lose a pant size between June 1 and August 31. I know that's three months, but for some reason it takes me forever to go down a pants size. I will lose shirt sizes quickly, but pant sizes just don't budge!

I thought about what have I been successful at in terms of losing weight. I have finally come back to Weight Watchers. I am not spending the money to officially join, but I've been a member so many times, I know how it works. I've always lost weight while on WW, so I'm going back to that on Wednesday.

While this challenge doesn't officially start until summer, I spent a good part of my day going through my work and workout clothes and doing three things - clothes that fit me go on hangers. Clothes that do not fit right now - do I like them? Yes - goes in the bin. No - donation. I've also thrown some clothes out because they are missing buttons, stained, etc. I'm hoping that by always having clothes that fit me easily accessible, I will be more inclined to feel better about myself. I'm going to restrain from buying any clothing, unless necessary - which might be pants, but I should be fine with shirts.

There you have it. My goal for the summer. I start Wednesday with the diet and workout routine. I will document everything here and hopefully by the end of summer, I will be down a pants size. Wish me luck!

Do you have any summer goals - weight loss, workout routine, read more books, eat in-season fruit, spend more time outdoors? Let me know!

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New Year's Day 2016

Hello! Happy New Year! I hope you met your goals and made all sorts of happy memories in 2015!

I am not going to sugar coat anything. I didn't post for long stretches in 2015. Mentally, I just wasn't in it. I ran three half marathons and a 10 miler in the spring, something I had never done. After the first two half marathons I qualified for the group Half Fanatics. All of which I am proud of.


In July I left the Archives, which I loved, to take a job with the Foundation that supports the historical organization. While I did this of my own free will for very valid reasons {full-time work/better pay/more mentally stimulating} I admit to missing the Archives. The positive is I only work one building over and I go through the Archives every day, so I still see my friends. But it has been an adjustment.

I helped plan my friends wedding in August and had the honor of photographing both the wedding and reception. It was a wonderful experience and I'm so happy that after 20+ years together they finally were able to marry.

I ran a fourth half marathon as part of a marathon relay team. It was a bad day for me. I had the second half of the race and by mile 8 I was done. I felt like crap that day due to mother nature {which had never happened before} and unfortunately I finished after the timing mat was removed. They were kind enough to wait with the finish arch and still give me the finishers medal and blanket. {That blanket rocks by the way.}

But, it's now 2016 and I want to get back to writing here again. So, I'm here. Over the next week I'm going to share what I want to accomplish this year. I'm again going to focus on a word. Which word? Come back soon to find out! ;-)

Thank you for reading this. Stop back soon for more!


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21-Day Fix

Hello All! How are you? How's your week been? Mine's been good - still fighting the cold I had since last week. Hoping it completely goes away soon!

Today hubby and I started the 21-Day Fix plan. We have both been a little too casual about our diets lately and I am not happy with how I look. In the last three years I've gained about 50 pounds. Yea...

June 2012 - Baltimore Women's Classic

March 2015 - Shamrock Half Marathon

Odd how both photos have me in orange... Anyway! That's not the point. The point is I weigh way more than I should and I'm trying something to change that.

I have a couple friends who have done it and had good results. Nothing I've tried lately has worked, so why not try something that talks about portion control and more real food than processed. I'm not a packaged food diet or shake kinda person {yes, I know the 21-Day Fix has Shakeology, I chose not to use it}. Give me a diet that talks about eating real food in real portions and I'm all for trying it.

So, today we started and for the next 21 days we will be eating real food in smaller portions. Breakfast was eggs with peppers and onions, 1 slice of toast with peanut butter, and half a banana. Not bad. All real and all good. I have my meals planned out through Easter currently. Over the next few days I will plan out next week as well. The planning is rough, but it does make things easier....knowing what I'm going to eat for each meal.

Let me say here and now that we will not be 100%. Our plan is to eat healthy 6-6.5/7 days. I know we may not see the same results as others with a day off, but in order to make this work as more of a life change than a diet, we have to be true to ourselves. We will want a beer. We will want a burger. We will want a doughnut. It may not be exactly the way it is planned out, but we need it to work for us.

We also start the workout portion tonight. The goal is to do the workouts, plus our training plan for the Wild Half Half Marathon in May. They are only 30 minutes each, which isn't much. We should be able to swing that. ;-) After work, first thing we work out.

Have you done the 21-Day Fix? What do you think? Tips? Suggestions?
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Motivational Monday

Happy Monday friends! How are you this day? How was your weekend? Did you get out there and do fun things?

This past weekend I ran The Love Run in Philadelphia. It was the second half marathon in eight days for me. Kinda crazy, right? The purpose, other than I really like Shamrock Marathon weekend and the Love Run? I wanted to qualify for Half Fanatics.

1. So, I set a goal last summer to run these two races back-to-back weekends to meet the Neptune requirement of two half marathons in 16 days.

2. I made a plan. I decided on the two races I was going to run to qualify. I chose Shamrock Marathon weekend {3/22} and the Love Run {3/29}. Then I planned out my training schedule.

3. The plan started in late December/early January, when I got to work. I started my training runs and some cross-training.

4. I had three+ months to stick to it. I'll be honest, I wasn't 100% dedicated. I lost three weeks of training to a severe lack of motivation. I didn't run, I didn't train, I ate horribly. It was a bad three weeks, but at the end I picked myself up and went back to it. I adjusted my runs, I started eating better, and I did what I could to make up for lost time.

5. This past Sunday I reached my goal. I ran the Shamrock Half Marathon on Sunday, March 22 and then completed the Love Run on Sunday, March 29. I hit my goal of two half marathons in less than 16 days.

Today's thought for Motivational Monday is we can reach our goals. It may not be pretty, but if we set a goal, figure out how to accomplish it, work the plan, stick to it to the best of our ability, we can reach our goal. Don't let a set back get you down. Decide what you need to get back at it and go! It's still possible!

What goal are going to set? What goal are you working towards today?


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Lent

How was everyone's Fat Tuesday? Did you get your pancakes in? I did! Hubby and I ate at Perkins last night and fought the Buttermilk 5 {the Buttermilk 5 couldn't care less about this competition. It's all in our heads.}. Sadly, I lost to the Buttermilk 5. I ate 4.5 pancakes. Sad...

So today is now Ash Wednesday. In the Catholic faith the first day of 40 for reflection, abstinence, and remembrance. I'm not going to pretend to be a consistent Catholic. I attended Catholic school for 12 years and married in the Catholic church. Do I go to mass weekly? No. I'm the important holidays type of Catholic. Yea...

But for some reason I strongly adhere to making Lenten resolutions and keeping them. I don't know why, but I do. I have made up my mind for what I'm doing for Lent and thought I would share it with you:

1. Giving up sweets. No candy, cakes, cookies, pie, donuts, brownies, etc. {not sure what's left honestly...}. I've done this before. I know I can do it. I just know I've been out of control and need to be accountable.
2. Giving up soda. I had stopped drinking it except maybe once every couple of weeks. Somehow it has wiggled its way back into my diet. 
3. I re-joined Weight Watchers to focus on eating better. I have just gone nuts with my eating and I need help. My decision is to follow the WW plan as closely as I can each day. Follow the points and track. I won't be perfect, but if I focus on this I can do it. 
4. I would like to add something religious into my resolutions, but I haven't figured that out. I'll update if I do. Thinking of a devotional on the Kindle.

Are you honoring Lent this year? Are you giving something up? Are you adding something to your life? 
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February Goals

Well, we all know that January didn't go the way I wanted it to. I missed all my goals, which is slightly disheartening.

But, onward and upward. I've got a bunch of new goals for February. Gotta move forward, right?

On the positive side, I have already completed one of my goals for February! I entered the lottery for BSR - Broad Street Run. They will contact people on February 18 if they got in or not, so not much more I can do about it now. Hoping I get in because it will be the perfect last long run before The Wild Half.

I'm halfway through goal number four, as I've downloaded the ESP, Eastern State Penitentiary photos onto the computer. Now to just edit them. Pretty happy about that. It's such a small thing, but it makes a mental difference.

I will admit now that I have adjusted the 1500 calories for 23 days. I read in Runner's World's The Runner's Diet that to stay the same weight-wise you take your weight and times it by 15. To lose obviously you need to reduce the calories in or burned. Well, 1500 is really low for me at this stage, so I'm giving myself a range between 1500-2000 daily. I'm putting it out there since I wrote my goals before reading the book and making the adjustment. So far so good on this one too.

Maybe my lack of motivation in January could have been avoided if I had worked a bit on some of my goals. Maybe I just needed action to get out of the malaise I was feeling. Whatever the cause, I'm working on things this month. Hoping to meet a few of those goals so when I recap my February it's on a much better note.

Do you have monthly goals? Do you write them down?

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Motivational Monday

This morning Motivational Monday seemed to need a starting over theme. I missed basically all my January goals - some by one book, others by 32 miles.

I realized that with the start of February that I could start over again. I can set up new goals, continue with last months, and just change my attitude about it.

I'm not saying I'm happy with how January went. But, it's over. I'm not going to dwell on it. It's in the past and February is a whole new month. I can attain the goals I set up. They aren't crazy goals, they aren't insane goals - they are attainable.

It's never too late to try again. February will be a good month!

Do you have monthly goals? Are you starting over or continuing on your journey?

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January 2015 Review

Hard to believe January 2015 is already over. That went quick! It seems as you get older, the time really does fly by!

January did not go as well as I had hoped. Not by a long shot. I didn't make a single goal I set for myself. As a review, here are the goals I set for myself in January:

Here's a breakdown on each:

1. Lose 7-8 lbs: Gained 1.6 pounds
2. Run 48 miles: 16 miles {32 miles under goal}
3. Follow meal plan: Not 100%, but actually not too far off. Some nights swapped a meal from later in the week. Ate out a few times more than we should have, but overall stayed on track better than usual.
4. Read 10 books: 9
5. Post Eastern State Penitentiary photos: Still on camera

I will say that I missed a whole week of runs due to my back the first full week of the month, so I knew I wasn't going to hit that 48 miles for the month. But, then I just lost total motivation. I couldn't bring myself to go out and run. Some of it had to so with snow, some of it had to do with my work schedule changing around, but mostly I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I lost the desire to go out. I don't know what happened, but this whole running thing just wasn't it this month.

Kinda annoyed I missed my reading goal by one book. Bah! Last January I read 19. Guess that's tied to that whole I lost the desire to do it this month. 

Not sure why the photos didn't come off the camera. I honestly thought about it many times. It just never translated into me actually doing it. Maybe this month?

So, I guess February is a new month and a new start. The monthly meal plan is written out. I do need to go over goals for the month, but at least I kept the one positive thing going...the meal planning.

How did your January go? Did you meet your monthly goals?       

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8 Mile...7 Mile Run

All last week I fought back pain. I talked about it in my Friday post and had been dreading my 8 mile run for Saturday. Not for my normal reasons of having to run 8 miles, but because I was scared my back would go crazy and leave me crying on the side of the road cursing myself for trying to run {I'll end your curiosity now...I didn't end up crying on the side of the road cursing myself}.

I went out  a bit later than I wanted. I had hoped to get out about 9:00 - 9:30 a.m., but I didn't actually get out until 10:15 a.m. Eh. It was cold no matter when I was going to go out, so really what did it matter?

What fun running temps! LOL! I'll be honest, I kinda feel like a badass going out in temperatures like this. I had so many layers on though {wear all the clothes!} - two pairs of pants, knee high socks, a cami, short sleeve shirt, long sleeve cold weather shirt, two jackets, a hat, gloves, and over the ears headphones that cover the entire ear. Running in the winter is my favorite time to run. I much prefer running when it's cold because it keeps me from getting too overheated.

I started out with my fingers in so much pain. It wasn't until I was 1.5 miles in that my fingers felt normal. I ran slow. But, because of the back issues I decided to just go slow and see what happens. I ran in the boring neighborhood that I hate having to run long distances in, but it's only a mile from my car at the furthest if my back kicked in.

Happily I felt good for almost the entire run. I was slower than I would have liked. Not 100% sure if it was due to being careful about my back, all the ice/snow that people hadn't cleared from their sidewalks I had to walk through, or I'm just this slow. I'm hoping it's 1 & 2.

I had some technology issues at mile 4 that I had to stop to fix. Stupid technology. Then off to finish my 8 mile run. Until about 6.75 miles in. I started to have left leg pain as I ran, which turned into a limping run. Since the pain was on the same side as the back pain, I got to mile 7 and called it a run. I am sure I could have gutted out another mile, but I didn't want to make whatever the injury was worse. So, I walked at least a quarter mile back to my car in temperatures that are not conducive to walking. LOL!

So, I finished my shortened run. Not happy with the time, but at least in less pain overall than I thought. I didn't think I'd get two miles in, so seven was pretty nice.

Did you get out this weekend? What it a cold run?



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Friday Weigh and Check In - January 9, 2015

Hello! How are you? How was the first week of 2015 for you? Mine did not go as planned. Then again, when does life go as planned, right?

Last Saturday hubby and I spent several hours working on cleaning out our weight room/gym. It had become a catch all for a year and wow was it messy! My goal was to clean it out so I can drop my gym membership. We have a weight bench, treadmill, elliptical, and Nordik Track, plus a few smaller things in there. It is a good home gym. Unfortunately, I spent too much time and it bothered my back. I have back issues and it has been hurting me all week.

With my back bothering me and knowing what it means, I have been very hesitant to follow my workout plan. I am afraid of making it worse. So, workouts this week have not happened as scheduled:

1. Monday - Kettlebell Workout {no}
2. Tuesday - 2 mile run {no}
3. Wednesday - Bootcamp Workout {no}; 40 minute stationary bike/upper body weights
4. Thursday - 2 mile run {no}
5. Friday - Stretches

And with all this back pain and nervousness I ate my feelings. I had planned out the week's dinners in advance, which was awesome!

1. Veggie chili - Out to dinner at Arooga's {Potato soup/Half Caesar salad}
2. Cheese quesadilla with salsa
3. Turkey Meatloaf
4. Veggie chili
5. Veggie lasagna

I realized Monday I forgot to get the base mix for the chili, then hubby wanted to go out for new running sneakers. It was easier to eat out at 8:00 p.m. than to come home and eat dinner at 9:30 p.m.

But, in between meals I ate whatever I could find - candy, cookies, chips, crackers, etc. If it was here, I ate it. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't stop myself. Really disappointed I did that. But, there is nothing I can do about it now. I did it, I own it, I'm putting it behind me.

So, how did the week work out? Believe it or not, I lost 2.6 pounds this week. I'm a bit shocked by this. I'm not sure if it's accurate or not, but I'm gonna take it because it makes me feel good about myself. LOL!

I had a couple other goals this week - laundry, clean off the photos/documents from my old laptop and put on the external hard drive, download my Eastern State Penitentiary photos, start editing the ESP photos. Haven't done a single one. Blaming it on my back. I have been so low about it that I haven't done anything but putz around.

I need to get over this. I may be in a bit of pain, but there are things I can do. I've got to do them. I can still do something today and I have until next Wednesday before I'm back at work. I can get some of this done before then.

Goal: 50 pounds

Weight Loss/Gain: -2.6 pounds

Total: -2.6 pounds

To Go: 47.4 pounds

 How did the first week of January 2015 go for you? Did you meet your goals? Are you happy with it? Are you taking steps to correct any missteps? 

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2015 Resolutions

My photo from the Revel in Atlantic City, NJ

 

Happy 2015! How are you? Did you have a nice holiday? Mine was lovely - Christmas, 13th wedding anniversary, and New Years. Not a bad holiday season at all.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want 2015 to be. I hit a milestone birthday this year {which I am not happy about - I don't like birthdays that end in a 0, no matter what the first number is}, so I want to make this year special. How? Not sure yet, but I've got a few things I'm thinking about.

But, for now my big goal for the year is to lose weight. Yea...yea...I know. Everyone has that as a goal. I always have it as a goal, but I realized something last week and I think things finally clicked with me. I'll share what another day, but for now I have a goal of losing 50 pounds. I decided to do it in 5 pound monthly increments. That seems reasonable.

And 50 pounds is a pretty lofty goal, so I'm breaking my large goal into smaller monthly ones. Here are the ones I have for January:

As posted in my calendar

 1. Lose 7-8 pounds. I know I want 5 pounds a month, but I figure I can swing an extra couple pounds the first month. Hopefully...
2. Run 48 miles. Currently training for two half marathons in March. 48 miles are for my training runs.
3. Follow meal plan. I wrote up a monthly dinner menu because I fail so much at healthy dinners. I figure having something planned out gets me off the hook.

4. Read 10 books. I had a goal of reading 100 books in 2014. I reached that goal with 36 hours to spare. If I had planned out my reading a bit better {hello only one book in April}, I wouldn't have had to read 10+ books in December.
5. Post ESP photos. For my 13th wedding anniversary hubby and I went to Eastern State Penitentiary, where I took lots of photos. I want to edit and post them to my photo blog. I have been neglecting it. I want to get back to taking photos and posting them.

These are my goals so far. I know I'll be adding to them.  But, these are a start. I want to be flexible throughout the year and take advantage of opportunities as they come up.

What are your goals? How are you planning on achieving them?

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Motivational Monday

The last few weeks I have been focused on one thing - reading. I set a goal at the beginning of the year to read 100 books. Yes, 100 books. Just a few. Recently, I heard a reader will read an average of eight books a year, so to set a goal of 100 is kinda crazy. But I did.

And for the last few weeks I've been reading my bootie off! I am this close to my goal. I reached 96 books last night, which ties me for how many books I read last year {2013}. Four more books to reach my goal.

But, how is this motivational? Well, I suppose the fact that I set a goal in January and I'm almost there is motivational. I had months where I did really well {19 books in January}, but also had months where it didn't go so well {one in April...if I had only read a few more books that month!}. Now we're 12 months into the goal and I am almost there...I kept at it even when I had months that didn't go so well. I made up the lack of April in other months.

What I'm trying to say is this, while I love to read {your goal might be something else}, it is motivational staying the course, finishing a goal. Reading may not seem like a goal to some, but to me being able to say I read 100 books in one year is incredible. I was able to do something I love and feel accomplished. I read some amazing books {and some not so much}, but I followed through. I did what I said I would.

That's what motivation is all about. Setting a goal, following through to the end through the highs and lows of it. Some days you feel like you'll never reach your goal; other days you can't believe how easy it is. But, day after day you slog on in the hopes that at the end, you will accomplish what it was you set out to do.

So, by December 31 I will be able to say I read 100 books. That is my goal and that is what I will accomplish. And by doing so, I prove to myself I can do what I set out to do, no matter what obstacles {internal or external} come my way.

There are 16 days left in 2014, what goal will you accomplish before then?

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Motivational Monday

Welcome to December! I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that we have hit the 12th month of the year. It seems like yesterday it was spring and I was prepping for deck dinning, a trip to TX, and pulling out the t-shirts/capri's.

But, it is the last month of the year and while today's image is running related, I think it pertains to anything. Especially since we're in the home stretch before 2015. The first of the month is like a clean slate where we can see our failures/slip-ups from the previous month and find ways to change them. What did you wish to accomplish in November that didn't happen? Well, hey look, it's December and we can set new goals and meet them.

Sure, I know it's December and the holidays. It isn't always easy to read that book, practice the piano, get that run in, eat the salad. December is the month that we can make excuses for. They say you gain about 5 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. It's an easy time of year to let the tide of the holidays sway you, but do you want to be out to sea when January hits?

So, let's start making some goals for the month. They don't have to be insane or too challenging, but having them in place means you are thinking about staying on track. Maybe just keeping your goals in the forefront may help you accomplish them in this crazy month.

What goals will you set this month? What do you want to accomplish before the end of the year?

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Motivational Monday

I've been thinking a lot about this lately. I wish to lose weight. I wish I followed my training plan better. I wish I had the will power to not eat crap. I wish I had wishes to let me lose the weight without any effort.

So far, this hasn't worked so well. I wish and I wish and I wish, but I am still where I was before I started all the wishing. I think I can do it, then I sabotage my efforts. I just can't stay on track. I know I can do it. I've done it before, then fell back into bad habits.

And this is the result

This was taken Sat. at a wedding I attended. Sure, I'm leaning forward so not the most flattering angle, but that doesn't explain my face. In the last 2.5 years I went from being about 10 pounds from my goal weight to being 50 pounds from my goal weight.

So, I need to start standing up for myself more often {meaning standing up to me from me}. I have to tell myself the candy isn't going to get me to my goals. I have to tell myself skipping workouts isn't going to get me to my goals. I have to tell myself waiting to eat dinner will not get me to my goals {I snack uncontrollably unless I eat dinner at a normal hour}. I have to tell myself allowing others desires to eat/go out/etc. come before what I need won't get me to my goals. I need to stand up for myself. I need to ask for help. And I need to take advantage {not in a bad way} of those who are willing to help me.

Do you have a wishbone rather than a backbone?

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Motivational Monday

It is. Trust me. I had a career in fundraising for nine years and honestly, hated it. I only got into it because I was four months out of college and had no luck with getting a job. I have a B.A. in Communications, focusing on public relations and that's what I wanted to get into. I had three interviews in the non-profit fundraising field in a week, all were for entry-level. One  of the interviewers asked me in because I interned at a place he loved to go (told me flat out I wasn't qualified for the job and wouldn't be offered it), one the position wasn't entry-level and I didn't have the experience for, the third I got the job.

After five years there, we moved 100 miles away. I got another job as a fundraiser in my new town, but it was awful. I then changed jobs to a third place, again doing fundraising. While at the third job, I started getting a M.A. in American Studies because I wanted to change careers. I wanted to do something in public history.

For the past three years I have been volunteering/working in the public history field, but not how I would like to be. Today, I have an interview for a temporary job at the place I currently work for in a position I want to do for a living. While I will be out of a job in about 12-14 months, I will have 12-14 months of experience in my field that I do not have now...if I get the job.

I'll be honest. I have no confidence I will get the job. There were 80+ people who sent in a resume and I am estimating they are interviewing at least 10 people for it. While I have worked with the interviewers for 3 years, I doubt they see me with the skills to do the job. But, if I didn't apply I would have regretted it. At least I am trying to move towards my goals, even if I don't accomplish it today.

So, go out there and do something you would regret not doing! No one says you're going to be successful, but if you live with no regrets you will have a happier life for it.

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Les Mills Combat

Last week I was talking with a friend who is a Beach Body Coach and who included me in a challenge group she organized in Oct. We were chatting about working out and how I know I need to get into better habits. I'm better than I was a year ago, but still I can improve.

She suggested a few things and I looked at the Beach Body website. I saw the Les Mills Combat program and thought it sounded interesting. I really like the kickboxing classes at the Y I've taken and I did karate for a couple years in high school. I thought this might be a good thing to have at the house...since my Tae Bo videos are VHS and we are lacking a VHS player. LOL!

Starting Monday, Nov. 3 I will be starting Day 1 of the program and I've already put every workout in my planner. The 60-day Warrior program goes all the way through the end of the year perfectly.

Here's to a successful two months, plus a November challenge, 5 races, and the start of half marathon training!

Have you done this? Did you like it? Did you have success?

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Motivational Monday

There are all sorts of quotes that say the same thing. This one struck me because when I sign a wedding card I write, "May today pale in comparison of all your tomorrows." It struck a chord with me.

It's funny. I'm always trying to find the key to losing weight, being happy, having a good job. There's gotta be something, right?

I overwhelm myself by trying to  change all sorts of things and in reality, it might just be some small thing daily or just making one better choice today than I would have made. Life is full of choices, some big some small. I'm starting to think those small daily choices have more power than we imagine.

So, here's to making better smaller choices each day that add up to all the things we want from life.

What small, smart choice will you make today?


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Motivational Monday

This is so true. There are approximately 7 billion people on planet Earth and 319+ million in the United States. What are the chances that you or I will be the best? I'm not putting me or you down, but statistically the numbers are stacked against us.

But, can we be better than we were yesterday? Last week? Last month? Last year? Hell ya! That's doable. We can learn more, give more, be healthier, run faster, lift more, be happier than ever before. Those are within our control.

So today, figure out what you did today that was better than yesterday - did you start a new book? Volunteer some time? Pay it forward in line at Starbucks? Run half a mile longer than you ever have? Picked carrots over potato chips? Made your bed before being told to? That's being a better you than yesterday and that's what makes us our best.

What can you do today to make you better tomorrow?


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Motivational Monday

For this precise moment in time, this is exactly where I am. I am not happy where I am and I do not want to stay here.

I have decided that the whole eat crap/don't workout/gain weight/wear clothes I'm not happy with-don't fit right is not where I want to be anymore. I will say, it never was where I wanted to be, but...

So, I am deciding to move on. Get back to doing my workouts, changing my meals for the healthy, lose weight, and start fitting back into the clothes I look good in. It won't be easy, but not everything worth doing is.

What are you going?


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Hard decisions

This past week I celebrated my birthday. I've always loved my birthday, who doesn't? LOL! It's the one day a year that's all about you. We spent the day at the Baltimore Aquarium and dinner at the Owl Bar. Both were lots of fun! And I spent the day with my hubby, who is oh so good to me.

But, it made me think about things. I guess I'm at the age where people have those mid-life crises. I'm don't think that's where I am, but this birthday did make me think about my life. That's why I posted the above photos. The one of the left from 2012 was me at the Baltimore Women's Classic. I love that race and have run it five years in a row. The one on the right is from this past August 2014 at Chickie's and Pete's Boardwalk Run 5k. Can you see the difference?

I can. It's so obvious to me. I have let my workout desire and my diet just crash in the last 2 years. Horribly.

I've gotten to the point where I'm having trouble finding clothes I own that make me look good. I just look fat. Yes, it's relative. But to me, having been 40 pounds lighter, I look fat and I don't like it.

I need to make changes. I've been saying this for two years. But, after trying to find things that flatter me for two weddings in the last three months, not liking how I looked on my birthday, and knowing I have a wedding next month and gasp! half marathon training coming up, I gotta do it.

I have a notebook to keep track of my food, water, and workouts. I had a running trainer for the month of September that helped me get back into a workout grove. I need to keep moving with the workouts and add in healthy eating. I'm in a challenge group for the next 21 days and I'm going to put my all into it. I blew off the warm-up week, which is my fault, but I can come back and rock the actual challenge.

So, what have you put off doing? What do you need to work on to make yourself happy?


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