Treadmill: 2.67 ml/30 min/367 cal - walking hills/running sprints

Breakfast: coffee/cream 0 points
granola bar (before treadmill) 3 points

Brunch: wheat round/turkey/cheese/banana peppers 2.5 points
spinach/carrots/romaine

Feeling good after working out on the treadmill.

Writing it all down here. Got to get Rene' on this!

Well, I lost 1 pound today. It was kind of discouraging, but I am talking to myself instead of listening to myself. I had made some great choices this week and only had 2 cheats, so I'll live with it and press on, right?

I have worked out with weights 3x/wk and run/walked on the treadmill (doing canyon run) 3x/wk. I have lost 4 inches in 2 weeks time and my jeans feel better. I was able to cinch my belt one more notch. All of that counts for something, right?

I am going to not let the scale define me, but press on to HEALTHFULNESS! That's my goal, not a number on the scale.

Now, off to work out.

I weighed in today and was disappointed in my .6 pound loss. Not sure why I am disappointed. Here is what I have done right this week:

~ implemented and stuck with my weight training
~ implemented and stuck with my run/walks
~ eaten healthier foods
~ made wise choices

Here is where I have lacked:

~ not journaled food once!
~ not checked labels (which means I am probably UNDER-estimating what it costs me)

So this week, my only goal is to get myself writing in my health journal!! That's it! If I can't do that, I won't make my goals.

2 steps forward, 3 steps back. Although this week, I do really feel like it was 3 steps forward, 2 steps back.

"Do not give up what you want most for what you want at the moment."

Workouts going well. I rested on Monday because I worked a reception for our new youth pastor and his wife to celebrate his ordination. We worked Friday afternoon, 13 hours on Saturday and 9 hours on Sunday. I was exhausted, but it was a good kind of tired, so I slept in til 10 on Monday and then rested my body.

On Tuesday, I worked out with weights for an hour. I upped the weight in some of the exercises or did more reps. All is recorded in my health journal.

Today I did the canyon run again on the treadmill. It is 40 minutes, 2.66 miles, burned 416 calories. Felt good. Walking the hills at 5-8 incline at 4mph is still difficult for me, but I was able to review my Colossians from 1:1-2:14 and then learned 3 more verses. That is a real benefit to my time on the treadmill! I am really learning Colossians and being able to hide God's Word in my heart.

Hopefully, the scale will show something tomorrow that indicates that I have been working hard.

My weight training took me about 55 minutes today. It was easier and I experimented with heavier weights where I thought I could. I'm sore, but it's a good kind of sore. Loving this new routine. I've done it four days in a row which is not much, I know, but I have had a busy week and it has been a success for me because I had to reschedule some things to make it happen early in the mornings. :)

Looking forward to a weight loss next week. I gained 1.8 yesterday at the weigh in (over two weeks). It's because I have not monitored my food intake and have written NOTHING down. Not good. The food journal comes back out today. I have to make time and put more effort in or this weight will NOT come off.

Praying for God's help as I seek to be diligent.

Did the Canyon Run on the treadmill today. 40 minutes, 2.62 miles, 404 calories burned. It consists of walking hills (5-8 incline) and running sprints (5-6 mph). Feeling good except for my left foot hurting on the ball of my foot. That's a new pain for me. Started yesterday.

Butt sore from working out yesterday. Probably those squats.

Weight Training Started

After months of no weight training, I have started back. Let me start from the beginning on how this started.

My sister, Rene', and I are reading through a book together entitled: The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person by Judith S. Beck. We are doing WW together and this book is so good in retraining my thinking about food. We are loving it. There are 42 days of "homework" to do and we are doing them together. It is so much more fun with someone. It has really been motivating.

So Day 9 which I read this week was to choose an exercise program. I have enjoyed getting back into running, but know that I need to be doing a weight training program as well so as to build muscle to increase my metabolism. So I am going to walk/run 3x a week and weight training 2-3x/week. I hope to maintain my motivation. Right now I am starting out with weight training MWF and walk/runs TTHS.

The weight training I am doing in set up as a circuit training in 3 different sets. Each circuit includes upper body, lower body, and abs/lower back. Each section includes 3-4 exercises doing 2 sets of 8-12 reps each. It took me an hour to go through the 3 circuits. It revealed (again) how sadly weak my upper body is. But I feel great now that I am done. I can't wait to do it again on Friday morning!

I need to measure today since I am starting. I am always encouraged by the loss of inches when I work out with weights. I am going to go do that now before I shower so that I don't forget.

Can't wait to see what happens over the next few months. I hope to post here about my losses.

Still pressing

I had a good week around here. On Thursday, sweet hubby and I went to Easy Runner. We have both been having pain in our feet and thought maybe it was our shoes. I learned a lot about my feet and a good shoe. Those guys know their stuff! I was buying the wrong size for running and found out that I probably have a condition that I can't remember the name of right now, but I need to stop going barefoot. I NEVER wear shoes when at home! NEVER. That has to stop and I have to have a pair of shoes that will support my arch better while I am at home. So they told me what to look for in that pair of "home" shoes. I bought those shoes the next day at a store where I could find them cheaper. But they feel good when they are on my feet.

On Friday, I went for my first run in two months. It was painful, but I know I will have to work through it to a degree. I walked first, then ran, then walked again. I only ran a total of 1.3 miles, but it was a start. I also walked my big hill twice. And did I tell you we concreted that huge hill that had deep ruts in it from the rain?! Yeah! No more having to watch my step so carefully.

So back to running I go. Slowly, but steadily. There is something so addictive about it. When I am not running, I am thinking about running. It is not that it is fun when I am running, but I am totally addicted to how I feel afterward! That is one of the greatest feelings, we well as what it does to my scale.

Last week, I dropped 4.8 pounds. I was very excited since I had gained during August. I had a rough month in August with two deaths and taking my oldest son to college. But now I am back on track and desiring to eat well and exercise. My sister is my health partner and moving well in her own race toward good health. It is so much easier to do it together.

Blessings!