Sometimes we all just need a kick in the rear...

I have a serious case of the "blahs".

I know this is normal. Everyone has bad days but I just cannot seem to get rid of it.

I have complained to my sister about just not feeling as toned and small and healthy as I have in the past few months. I even asked a friend at work "Ok, tell me for real - do I look like I have gained weight?" knowing  that I haven't. And also knowing that it is totally normal to fluctuate a few pounds anyways.

 So -- after griping to my sister and some friends I decided to motivate myself with a blog post about loving your body in hopes that maybe someone else suffering from a case of the "blahs" will get a little kick in the rear from this too.



I am a firm believer in the whole "If you don't love yourself first..." idea. And usually it applies to people trying to be in relationships to make themselves happy when they aren't happy with themselves but I think it applies to so much more. Including loving your body. Period. 250 pounds. 120 pounds. Big hips. Big thighs. Big boobs.  No curves. Too many curves. Stick legs. Flabby arms. Muscles.

What the heck ever.

Your body is your body and if you don't love it at its worst, are you really and truly going to love it at its best. You may think you will but believe me, you will ALWAYS find some part that you are not happy with. Loving your body is not so much about saying "Yes, I really love my huge thighs," but about saying "Ok, God gave me some serious thighs here. So let me embrace these babies and put them to work and tone them up and they are gonna do amazing things for me, like squat 185 pounds!" Ok - that is personally what I have to tell myself cause I got some serious leg action going on- but take whatever part of your body you may think needs improvement and insert it here! I am not saying by any means that if you are overweight and want to change that you shouldn't because you have to love your body as is - I just mean love yourself period. Don't count on losing weight to be happy with yourself.



Also, remember where you have come from but don't let the old you hold you back. You HAVE to let go of the old you but you have to remember her. Does that make sense? Someone said to me this past week, "Emily, you don't see yourself like other people see you." And you know what, that is the honest to God truth. Now, I can look at pictures of myself now and be happy with myself and know that I have lost weight. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I am still that girl who was thrown into the obese category on the BMI and Body Fat charts. I catch myself going to grab bigger sizes when I'm in stores and them I remember that I am not that size anymore! I think we all store that old version of ourselves deep in the back of our minds and I think once in awhile she likes to come out and put negative thoughts in our heads.

So, push her back into the back of your mind and tell her to shut the heck up because you love your body and you are making some positive changes and you don't need any Debby Downers!




One of the greatest gifts I have given myself over the past few years is to see how AMAZING our bodies can be if we treat them right. Give them a little love and some good nutrition and some exercise and you will be amazed. A few years ago it would have been tough for me to pick up 50 pounds from the floor. Now, my 1 rep max for a deadlift is 230 pounds! To the non weight lifting readers out there - basically that means I can pick up 230 pounds of dead weight off the ground. Holy moly. So when I get down on myself I remember that feeling of finally picking up that weight.

Man. That is an amazing feeling.

And for those of you who don't lift, then I am sure there is some accomplishment that you have had recently that you have stopped and thought, "Wow, I cannot believe I can do that!". Use those moments to push you forward. And no matter where you are in your journey - be proud of that. Enjoy the journey because it is an amazing journey to do something for yourself.  Love yourself where you are at. If you have been stuck at a certain weight or if you can't do something particular at the gym, who cares. You have gotten this far and you are awesome for that and eventually you are going to lose the rest of that weight, or lift that weight at the gym that you could not get before, or run that mile faster than you ever have. So don't hate on yourself for what you haven't done but love yourself for what you have done.

Someone remind me of this post next time I get a case of the "blahs", okay?

- E

We're back!!!

Um, sooooo.....hi?

We have to apologize for being complete blog losers and abandoning it for so long but we really have no great excuses for our long absence. So we are sorry and we are going to try super duper hard to keep up this time cause we know our lives are exciting and you want to know about them. 

So we have not completely fallen off the fitness bandwagon even if we completely fell off the blog bandwagon. In fact, TODAY, I (Emily) finished my first 10k race!!

(Me @ Start line - it was 6:45 am and cold!!!)

Not sure if I have said this before but even if I have, it bears repeating: I do not like running. 

I'm slow. I average a 12:15-12:30 mile. My legs feel like 10,000 lb weights. I have big, muscular legs and apparently this doesn't work like I think it should. One would think my big muscles would just carry me along. Nope. Those jokers are Heavy! But - I like to challenge myself to so things I am not good at so I try to run. 

My friends and I signed up to race in the Rock 'n Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon Series in Savannah, Ga. Mainly I was attracted to the Savannah part of this not the running part. (Probably the same reason I signed up to do my first official 5k at Disney!) Rachel and Laura did the 1/2 marathon and Megan and I do the new 1/2 marathon relay which means I did the first leg (6.2 miles) and then Megan did the second (6.9 miles).

(Laura, Rachel, Megan and I in front of Forsyth Park fountain)

We went to Savannah on Thursday and had a good time hanging out Thursday night and Friday. We went on a carriage ghost tour Thursday and ate at this delicious place in City Market. Friday we walked all over the place and had a huge Mexican dinner. Smart choice for a pre-race meal, probably not! But we got to dress up and have fun girl time so that is what is important.

(Me before our pre-race dinner)

This morning we had to wake up at 5 am to get ready. Start time was 7 am and we had to walk 0.8 miles to get to Bay Street and the start line. I was so nervous, guys!  Let me make it known that I did not spend tons of energy training for this because other things in my fitness life take a front seat (more about my new fitness adventures in another post) but honestly, I was running maybe 3 miles twice a week so I was so nervous that I would not make it longer than that!

(The 4 of us at the start line.)

It was cold - maybe 50 - and we checked our coats and our bags, so we jumped around dancing to the music until finally we were off! The relay runners got to pick which corral to start in so my friends wanted me to start with them. Bad choice. They have a much faster pace so they were in a corral who had a faster pace and for the first mile people flew by me and I am not going to lie, it got to my head a little bit! Once I got around people of a similar pace I felt much better about my run and even got to pass some people which is always good for a runner's ego, right?

The first part of my run was through a neighborhood and the residents were all so sweet and supportive. Even at 7 am people were out in their yards cheering us on. The second half was in downtown Savannah and they were also just as supportive. Tons of spectators yelling and waving and giving high fives and you just get so motivated that you yell and wave and give high fives right back to these perfect strangers! I felt like a celebrity! 

Mile 3 came and went, and I felt good! This was the part that I was worried I was going to want to stop, but I would just walk a little while after getting water and take off running again. Ok, maybe take off running is the wrong term. I would slowly "shuffle off" as Amanda would call it. Shuffling closely resembles running, if you are unsure of what it is. 

Mile 4 I ate some energy chews and felt so good. Was almost a little sad that my run was coming to an end. Almost. Saw some great signs around this point. Wish I had pictures but ain't nobody got time to get their phone out while running. One said "What you are doing is amazing!!" and another said " I am so proud of you, stranger!" So after seeing these signs and realizing, "Holy moly, I am almost done with my first 10k distance run!" I got overwhelmed and so proud and teared up a little. Yes, I cried while running. What?! Anytime I think of where I am now and where I came from, I get emotional. I think it's a good thing, right? I have worked hard and it has paid off!

So, back to the race. Mile 6 comes and goes and I AM DONE! I hand Megan the baton (yes we had to carry one like a real relay!) and she takes off. I get a banana and water and Gatorade and call my mom all sniffly and teary eyed to tell her I finished. 

Official time....1:21. Not amazingly fast but I am proud of it. My first time ever running that far! I still keep thinking "I cannot believe I ran for over an hour straight!" 

I headed to Forsyth Park which is where the marathoners, 1/2 marathoners, and those who ran the 2nd part of the relay were to finish and basked in the sun am listened to music while waiting on the other girls.

(Rachel and I in Forsyth Park waiting on Megan and Laura)

I am so proud of us all. This was Laura's first 1/2 marathon and she did awesome! And Rachel finished with her best 1/2 time and Megan finished despite recent injuries and still had an awesome race time, in my opinion. 

(Megan and I post race...we had 15 min to shower and pack and check out. And we had just finished running!)

After the race, I ate my body weight in carbs. And it was good. 

So, I'm looking forward to more races as tired as my little leggies are right now. It's not the running that I enjoy. The whole race I am thinking about how my legs hurt and I am tired and them when I finish I have this overwhelming sense of accomplishment. The finish is when I look back and realize I wasn't as miserable as I thought and I am proud for pushing through. 

I would totally recommend the Savannah run to anyone who can get to it in the coming years. First of all the city itself is beautiful. Secondly, the people in the city made this race for me. I seriously felt so supported by random people as I ran. The cheering really gets you through. 

So, that's my recap. It may be totally not interesting but I was so excited about it that I had to share. Amanda and I are running the Turkey Trot 5k in Orlando on Thanksgiving morning so we will recap that as well! And look for some more blog posts soon catching y'all up on our lives! Thanks for reading!

Seriously, though. I ran 6.2 freaking miles today!!!

"At the time being lazy may feel good..."

I found this on The Berry's Daily Motivation. I have no idea where they got this from, but I'm digging it. The Berry and its Daily Motivation threads have lots of great motivation for exercise and getting healthy. Sometimes it includes real-life stories, and sometimes there are motivating quotes or posters like the one above. Check it out!

So E has been incredibly good as usual, but I have not. Finals hit, and I completely fell off the wagon (if you can say I was even on the wagon in the first place). So two Fridays ago, I started TurboFire. I do a lot better with scheduled, set workouts, so I thought this would help.

I completed the TurboFire schedule Friday through Friday. Yeah, yeah, nothing crazy, but that is good for me. I am the worst about following through with working out--obviously.

These are from TurboFire's Starter Class & Fire 40 Class. As you can probably tell from my average HR, I was dying.

Friday through Friday was 6 workouts. Then I missed Saturday through Monday because we went out of town for Wes' graduation trip. Sadly, I was lazy on Tuesday, and I didn't do it then either. That's 4 missed days! 

BUT I started back yesterday, and I'm sticking to it. I told myself that if I don't feel like TurboFire on a day that I'm supposed to do it, I will at least do the Couch-2-5k training. It can get boring sweating in front of your TV. Or, if you are like me, it can get hard to pump yourself up to do a workout that makes you feel like you are going to pass out or vomit. No, no not pass out in a bad way. I just mean TurboFire is really intense, so on those days where my body is not feeling right, it is hard to feel comfortable going into that workout.

This is from a Low HIIT 20 Class + 10 minute stretch. This class is basically low impact but high intensity in intervals. For example, we walk through a sequence, then for one minute you give it all you've got doing that same sequence. Then the sequence changes and you do it all over again.

That's all I've got. Wish me luck!

--A

What was that? Oh, that was rock bottom.

The title says it all. I've been kidding myself for quite some time now, but the power of my self-persuasion really came to the forefront today. I went to reset my Polar watch to the correct time. There were warning signs, but of course, I missed them:

• Had to find said watch, which was eventually located under my dresser? 
• Was having to reset the time in the first place!
• Couldn't remember how to adjust the settings.

Then, BAM! I hit user settings, and it said the weight that I supposedly am. But I'm not. You see, when we first got the watches we had to set our weight so that it could determine calories burned, yadda yadda. We got the watches in late December. It is now early April. That's just a little over three months. And I've gained just a little over six pounds. No, not pounds of sheer muscles but pounds of plain ol' Jane poundage. And yes, I know we shouldn't determine health/fitness/happiness by numbers, but let's be real folks--I was not telling myself the truth, and the truth reared its ugly head. 

I'm being dramatic when I say rock bottom, but it surely does hurt. So I put on my big girl pants and these neat socks my sister gave me, and I did a work out. For the first time, in quite some time. Lesson learned--stop kidding yourself.

--A

Macon Mud Run 2013

Has it really been over a month since we have blogged? Ooops, sorry about that! BUT...I have something great to blog about today!

The other day I participated in my first 5k....and not just any regular 5k but a mud run! I have been excited about it since they announced it last year, and my friends and I have been talking about it so much over the past few weeks.

I woke up early that morning and ate an apple and some peanut butter. I wasn't sure what constituted a good pre-race breakfast but that sounded pretty good to me. We were shuttled over to the Hephzibah Home where the race took place. (Hephzibah Ministries put the race on and the proceeds went to their cause. Check out their page for more information!)

We had decided on camo and black pants for our "costumes"...I think it turned out pretty cute! I did start to think about how hard it would be for someone to find us if we got lost in the mud!

Our start time was 11 am, the first wave to run. I am glad we were the first to go, less time to get nervous about it and the track was fresh. Well, as fresh as a muddy track can be!

The first wave was off and we ran around the parking lot and straight into the woods. The course at the beginning was VERY narrow and although we were all running at this point, it was probably not the best area of the course to run. It was a tough terrain, a lot of uphill it seemed, with stumps and tree roots everywhere. And yes, I busted my tail. Just once though....and I got back up so quick it almost seemed like a planned move!

The first mud pits came quickly. After that, a few obstacles including an area where we had to climb over and under things, a tire obstacle and lots more mud pits!! They had told us there was a 4 foot wall to go over, but we never saw that. We did have to climb down in a ravine and have to climb out using a rope. It was higher than 4 foot and the rope was a small little rope! Thankfully, the guy behind me gave me a little boost and held the rope tight for me! (Thanks, whoever you are!)

They had two 8 feet deep ponds that we had to cross. The weather was nice outside, probably about 75 degrees, but let me tell you....the water was FRIGID. There was no easy way to get in the pond, it wasn't like a pool where you could wait on a step while your body got used to the temperature. It was calf deep and then all of the sudden you plunged in! It was a nice wake up though, and we went as fast we could through the ponds.

Near the end, they had some featured mud pits that spectators could watch us at. My friend Megan and her daughter Cadence were able to get some pictures here. Megan was supposed to run with us but had to sit this one out. We are looking forward to her joining us next year, and she and I are running a race at Disney in May. Look out for the blog on that one too! We were thankful to have her to take pictures though, and I think she enjoyed being able to come out and watch!

Here's a picture of me sliding down one of the mud slides into a pit. It was so much fun sliding down these hills. I think I would go out and slide down the slides today if they would let me!

Next we had to do a belly crawl in a muddy trench. I love my face in the second one. A couple times through the race we would come up on an obstacle (such as the place where we had to climb out the ravine) and I would say, "They didn't tell me about this part!!". Joking, of course. No complaints here, all of the obstacles were great.

And then, the grand finale. A GIANT slip 'n slide. What better way to end the race then sliding down a hill into the mud. They had covered the hill with a tarp and had this truck spraying water to keep it wet. We had planned on a great finish, all sliding down the hill holding hands. Well, our plan didn't go smoothly because somehow we seemed to find the one place on the hill that wasn't wet enough. Kim went sliding sideways and we all followed once we finally reached a wet spot. You would have thought we were wet enough from the mud to slide on down!

It felt so great to cross the finish line. I had finished my first 5k. We finished in 1:19, which I know is VERY slow for a 5k, but I think for our first mud run, this was a great time. Next time maybe we can improve on time because we will know more of what to expect. I honestly was not so much worried about the time, I just wanted to finish.

Let's just say, I was very proud of myself. It was a tough course, and I know that a year ago I may not have been able to finish it. I did not struggle with too many areas. I think the biggest area I struggled with was getting in and out of mud pits. I think those are the areas that slowed me down because I was a little nervous just to go jumping in (I had a fear of losing my shoes in the mud or getting stuck somehow) so I would slow down to get in the pit, then book it as fast as I could through the pit. Getting out of the pits always seemed a little slow too because you had to get your feet out of the thick mud at the bottom of the pits!

So, I learned a lot about mud runs and about myself. It was FUN to let loose and get a little dirty! I cannot wait for another one. I am already on the lookout! I really recommend everyone try a mud run...it is a fun time and a great experience to share with friends!

Hopefully it will not be so long in between blogs next time!
Emily

My Favorite Things

Have y'all seen the Oprah shows where she gives away her favorite things? And by favorite things, I don't mean she gives her audience members her favorite $10 pair of slippers from Target....she gives them RIDICULOUS things....I'm sure people leave there with a couple hundred dollars worth of stuff at the very least! Dane Cook's reenactment of Oprah is so hilarious that I just had to share!

I thought I would do a blog post about some of my favorite things, workout related of course. Unfortunately, I will not be giving out free things! But... I am always interested in what products/workouts other people enjoy so I am taking it upon myself to share mine...enjoy :)
Nike Free 2

Ok, I admit....I have a shoe problem. But the first step is admitting you have a problem, right? I have probably bought 6 pair of tennis shoes in the past year and LOVE every pair, but my Nike Free are probably the most comfortable pair I own.
Vibrams

Undoubtedly, Amanda will not appreciate this part of my post because she HATES the way these look. I admit, I was a hater. I still think they look incredibly silly but once I bought a pair and worked out in them, let me tell you....love 'em! I definitely do not condone wearing them around with a normal outfit....but I can appreciate someone who works out in them. They are awesome and you will work muscles in your lower legs that you NEVER knew existed. Advice from personal experience....wear them around the house for a little while and maybe just walk in them first. You will HURT if you go buy them and go run a few miles in them. Your feet definitely have to get used to them.


Burpees!!!

I hated these when I first started doing them in training. They were hard! I have grown to be very fond of burpees....and I have read many articles citing that a burpee is one of the best things you can do in a workout! In case you are unsure of what a burpee is, YouTube it or check out the picture above. You can do them on the ground or on an exercise step....maybe use the step to begin with because it is easier when you don't have to go all the way to the ground. You can also do them on a medicine ball, just have to make sure you have some balance going on before you go jumping your legs back!
Spinning
I am not a lover of cardio. And by cardio I mean running, walking on treadmill, getting on elliptical and just going for an hour. BORING!! I enjoy workouts that include cardio and strength (such as burpees and mountain climbers and such) but I have no attention span when it comes to "traditional" cardio. Until I started spinning. The gym I go to uses the Les Mills classes and their spin class is called RPM. Finally worked up enough courage to go and was hooked. It's 50 minutes of intense cycling and they say you can burn 600-900 calories. Now of course, the calorie burn is not a definite. I wear my Polar HR monitor and have burned anywhere from 450-550 calories. I love it because it is a group setting so you get the motivation of having other people struggling with you but it is personal enough that you don't feel like everyone is watching you and you can go at your own pace. You turn up the tension/resistance on the bike and so if you aren't feeling it that day or are new, you don't have to turn it that much. On the flip side, if you are looking for a challenge, you can really crank it up and push! And no one else will even have to know. Try one if you haven't yet.

My Spinning Shoes

Since we are talking about spinning.....my Giro spinning shoes are one of my newest favorite things. Now you can wear your regular tennis shoes to spin class (not your Vibrams though...ouch!) but if you are really into spinning and plan on continuing, I would recommend buying some shoes. They have clips that you have to buy and have installed on the bottom that fit specifically for the pedals on the bike you use. My shoes have  Shimano SPD clips because that is what works for the bikes at my gym. I am not an expert on these so I don't know if these specific clips work for a lot of different bikes....so I would check before you buy! But you can turn up more resistance when you are actually clipped to the pedal and it is much easier to sprint while you are standing/climbing on the bike. You can actually "pull" the pedal around (if you think about pedaling as a push down/pull up movement) and it makes for a totally different ride in my opinion.

My Heart Rate Monitor

I have a Polar FT4 that I got for Christmas. Polar makes many different ones and there are lots of other brands but this is just what I know about mine. If you are like me, you like seeing that what you are doing is working. This shows your heart rate (and at the end your max and average heart rate) and calories burned. I love seeing how many calories I have burned. I will look at it constantly during my workout and at the end of my workout be amazed at what I have accomplished. It will really make you push yourself harder. It's also cool to see what exercises really get my heart rate up (Pushups do it for me!) and also how fast my heart rate recovers while doing interval training.



There are so many more things I could share with you and maybe I will do another post at another time with some more! I am always trying new workout clothes and shoes and always learning new things at the gym (and improving on old things enough so that they can move from my "I hate it" list to my "favorite things" list).

What are some of your favorite things? Favorite work out clothes? Workout? Please share!!

Keep spinnin', spinnin' and spinnin', spinnin'

Have you ever caught yourself doing something incredibly embarrassing, and you realize that right at that moment about every other person in the room caught you too?

Well it happens to me often. Like the one time when I was doing my first couch-to-5k day, and I found myself singing aloud with my music. That doesn't even take into account the wonderful air drums that I was playing then, too.

I don't really have a point to my posting, except to say "Do what you've gotta do." If you need to sing, do it. If you need to dance, go right on ahead. Or if you're a bit more quiet than me and need to just think to yourself, go for it. To me, working out is insufferable if I'm not having fun or have some pretty heavy structure. So when I workout by myself, I need something to amp me up to keep me going. It is very easy for me to get on that treadmill and get off way before I should. How do I stay on? I found that distracting myself with music and dancing works.

Now with all that being said, don't annoy your fellow workout-ers. I can only imagine being by someone like who I was the other day. I would not have been entertained by them at all. Just do it in your head--I promise it works just as well. Today, I did my second day of the C25K, and that's what I did this time. It's like I said in my spinning post before--if you've got a mantra, shout it out (just in your head)!

MG #1 was pretty successful this week. Below, I've got a picture of my 4 workouts. Here are the details:

• Sunday - spin class with Molly (50 minutes)
• Tuesday - first day C25K (30 minutes)
• Thursday - spin class with Molly (40 minutes)
• Saturday - second day C25K (30 minutes)

--A

Love/Hate Relationship.

Those dang spin classes get me every time. Yesterday, my friend Molly and I went to a spin class, and I was really pumped. The last time I went, I barely survived. As in, I faked turning the knob the ENTIRE time and rarely was able to stand up and ride, simply sitting on my rump and still panting like a dog. I was a mess. But I was thinking that this time, I'd do a lot better. 

And I did. Just a little, but it's progress! This time, I was able to turn my knob, though I still faked it a few times. I was also able to do the stand-up-and-act-like-you're-going-up-a-hill move, even though I know in real life I would have just gotten off and walked. No lying though--all honesty here--I had to really cheer myself on. This is embarrassing to share, but it is true. If you can do all that spinning without shouting little mantras in your head, then more power to ya! You are incredible!

At one point, I was sure that my legs were going to just fall off my body and lay on the ground. And at another point, I was sure that we were almost finished because I was sweating and feeling a bit numb, but we were only 10 minutes in. Then, she had us stretching while standing on one leg, and all I could think was "Are you serious!?!" My little leg was shaking like a leaf. That's when I was certain my tush was about to meet Mr. Ground. I mean, these spin classes are serious, even if you don't do it full-out. I love it because it is an intense workout, where I KNOW that I'm going to get some work done. At the same time, I hate it because it is an intense workout, where I KNOW I'm going to pass out, walk out of the room for fear of embarrassment, or both.

But you know what--it felt good when I left. I may have been hating myself through it, but afterwards, I was encouraged. So worth it. Go be encouraged!

--A

In case you can't read the captions:

Top Left: Post Work Out (talking to Molly outside then driving home)

Bottom Left: Work Out! (Spin then stretching)

Right Column: How I felt after...

Goin' to the chapel...

and we're gonna get married!

Ok, so it may look like I enhanced that sparkle in the ring, but I didn't! It was such a bright, sunshiny day that it did it all by itself. 

Talk about a new source of motivation. Though I'm wanting my changes to be more lifestyle and not temporary, it really does help to have a more definite thing to work towards, a more specific deadline. Even though my mini-goals are weekly, it's different when you have something in the back of your mind to keep you a little more accountable. 

With that being said, I did not achieve all that I wanted to this week. I did not work out four times. Bleh. I won't make this long because there isn't really much to say, except I need to push a little harder. I need to stop being lazy, quite honestly. And I definitely need to stop overusing the idea of "tomorrow." I'm not sure about you, but it is really easy for me to say--ehh, I'm really tired today, so I'll do just a really, really good workout tomorrow. Then tomorrow comes, and I say it again. 

But instead of guilting myself right now (because I'm really good at that), I'm going to be positive and know that I'll pull it off. And honestly, writing this was embarrassing enough as it is!

(found on Pinterest - http://marathonsweetheart.com)

--A

Fall down 7, get up 8...

I hate running. Hate. It.

I see all these people running and enjoying it and talking about how it is their time to clear their heads and blah, blah.

Not how I feel.

Give me a bike...I can dig that. Weights, sure! But for the life of me I cannot seem to get into this running thing.

I want to. I don't want to run miles and miles every day necessarily because I don't feel like it is great for my body. I do, however, want to be able to do some races. It just does not come naturally to me and it takes WORK.

Last year a friend and I started a couch to 5k program and we were doing pretty good with it until February when I pulled/tore a calf muscle running. Seriously, I thought someone shot me in my calf when it happened. Once I recovered from that (in my lovely boot, thanks to the ortho doc) I got my wisdom teeth out and as previously mentioned t Amanda, had a really awful time. Ended up with dry socket and was miserable for almost 2 weeks. I think I tried to run once or twice after that but I felt defeated because I couldn't pick right back up where I left off. I'd lost some of the stamina that I had built up, so I just stopped.

A group of my girl friends have decide to do the Macon Mud Run this year in March, which is a 5k. So, I gotta start running. I am determined to succeed this time! I want to prove to myself that I can do it.

On top of the mud run, I am doing a Disney race in May with another friend. So excited about this one!! I figure maybe if I add something I totally love (Disney) with something I don't (running) I can convince myself that it is actually fun!

So, I am trying...once again. Not gonna let it defeat me. Not everything in life comes easily. Actually, most things don't. So if you fall down, get back up and try again!

- E

Is there anything you can't do or have a hard time doing that you wish you were better at? Can be workout related or life related?

Just call me Chameleon.

Adapting to my circumstances.

Yes, I know that it has been over a week. But I've got something to say. No, I did not already "fail" my resolution. I had to take a detour and make some little revisions--hence the Chameleon. Why?

Well one Thursday, my teeth began hurting so bad that I cried and just laid on the couch. All day. This rarely happens--not my teeth hurting (which they really don't do often), but I mean me crying. It was bad. I was talked into going to the dentist--an emergency appointment the next day. And voila! I'm put on antibiotics, medication to mediate the pain, and strict instructions to get wisdom teeth out ASAP. I'm telling you. I attempted to exercise on the medication--bad, bad idea. I knew I needed to reevaluate until I could get the teefies fixed.

Luckily, I was able to get in with JW's dentist to extract my wisdom teeth the next week. Needless to say, I've been out of being able to do a "real" workout. I attempted to make small changes by parking far away and taking the stairs, but I decided to move on to my other mini-goals that were workable with  what was going on with me. I drank more water (MG 3) and ate more fruits--mushed (MG 6). Not ideal, but I knew that I had to adapt. Not exactly how I wanted to start out the New Year, but life happens.

Life Happens. That is what this blog is all about. Figuring out how to make good health decisions while living a real life. Hello, everyone (or most everyone) has to get the wizzies out. And people deal with the recovery differently. Some are better the next day, and some aren't better for two weeks (Ahem, E).

I just wanted to update you with my little bump in the road. I am feeling much better, so I'm going back to my original MG of exercising more. Here's to adapting and moving on!

--A

By the way, check out this blog The Petite Athleat. E and I LOVE her, but she's been getting some flack lately. She's actually part of what made us want to start this little shindig--very inspiring and real!

To Resolve or Not to Resolve...

That is the biggest question going around right now. Do I make a New Year's Resolution or not? There has been a good bit of criticism on making resolutions, saying that many people fail by the next week. Others say that resolutions are not the changes that we actually need to make--meaning they are only temporary and not permanent changes.

So I was trying to decide if I wanted to make one, and I decided that I do. To me, making a resolution for this year is a step in the direction to making a lifestyle change. Basically, I'm resolving to follow my resolutions, taking it a step at a time, toward a large lifestyle goal in the end. For me, it is much, much bigger than a simple New Year's Resolution. I plan to have a large goal, with smaller resolutions throughout the year, in order to obtain that big one.

I looked up ways to stick to your resolution, and I decided to follow one of Forbes' models.

Pick one goal (though it can be multi-faceted). 

My ultimate, lifestyle goal: to become a happier, healthier, more fit person (broad goal, right?).

Put your goal in writing.

I'm doing that here!

Set Action Commitments.

Basically, these are short-term commitments to your larger goal. (Mine will be re-evaluated as I go. In the following list are things I would like to implement one at a time. When I am comfortable, I'll add another. Don't worry--you'll be updated.)

Goal Setting Partnership

This is basically making me write down if I achieved my goal or not and having someone there to see it. I'll be doing weekly check-ins with you and my sister right here!

REWARD!

This is TBD, but it will be something for myself like a pair of shoes, maybe a pedicure, or something along those lines.

So, I have started with Mini-Goals 1 & 2. I'll check in with y'all a week from now to see how it is going. When I'm ready, I'm going to pick up another goal. Most likely, I'll pick up 3 pretty quickly, so I don't pass out doing MG 2. 

Now, I'm sure some of you are saying "What? Four times a week--that's nothing!" And some of you are saying "Four times--that's more than I can do." I decided on four times a week because it is a pretty hearty goal for my current lifestyle and schedule. With classes, working, and co-curriculars, four times a week is really pushing it. But I knew that in order to make an actual change, I can't just do something easy. It must be challenging.

This is where E and I will vary a lot. Our lifestyles are different, so our goal/resolutions won't be the same--if she even chooses to resolve in the first place. Just know: do what fits you, your lifestyle, your goals and desires. Do what you do. 

--A