Life Is Beautiful

So. You have a job, a family, church and social obligations and you want to "get healthy," "eat better," and lose 30 pounds. Impossible.  Not enough hours in the day.  No time. Right? Wrong.  Impossible without compromise, to be sure.  But what things do you compromise?  What tasks do you delegate, which do you defer?  How on earth do you fit another "thing" into your day? Here are a few tips from a busy Me of how to fit it all in and succeed. Just Say No I know, cliche.  But it has to be done.  You can't coach soccer on Tuesday, lead AWANA on Wednesday, do Bible study on Thursday and grocery shop on Friday evenings and still have any time for workouts.  Sure, you can get up at 4:30am, but that's ONLY if you agree to go to bed by 9pm.  At the latest.  You must make your fitness a priority.  It must be scheduled and worked around.  You are worth it! Change Your Mind I hate broccoli...I can't run...I'm no...

I decided, at the last minute, to sign up for the 36th Annual Buffalo Run.  It's a 5 mile run through the beautiful and hilly Pioneer Park here in Lincoln.  Entry was only $15 and came with a really nice pair of running shorts!  I figured, even if I couldn't run it for some reason, that was a very cheap pair of shorts! Suh-weet shorts for the Buffalo Run! I've been sick with a cold for a couple of days, so I just decided to have a nice training run.  My long runs have been 8-10 miles for 3 weeks and then 5 on week number four to give my legs a break.  This fit in perfectly.  I had heard that it was a hilly course, but with my regular slaying of the Beast of North 27th Overpass, I felt prepared. I arrived early, as suggested in the pre-race email...but showed up at 7:15 for an 8:00am race.  Too early?  Not for this!  There were 300 people there already.  My mantra of "arrive early and get in line for the porta potties" prov...

I don't know why it's so hard to get along with my 12yo son, sometimes. Right now he's on a Leopard Gecko trip and it's driving me nuts. I'm not being callous - it's just that in the last 3 months he has been obsessively doing research on things that he wants to buy. How does he earn money? Babysitting for us. So who actually funds all of this? Us. First it was the Chameleon. He found out that he needed nearly $400 dollars for a suitable living space, nutrients and the animal itself. He even bought a custom made cage from Craigslist .com for $100! Well, he moved on from that when he discovered (or maybe started listening to his Dad & Mom) that the animal might be to fragile to keep in a basement in Nebraska. On to the guitar... This he saved for (I re-sold the cage on Craigslist .com) and a friend of ours took interest in his learning to play and chipped in a generous amount. To his credit, the kid IS practicing every day and interest seems to rema...

I love to cook and eat. These last 18 months have been a huge challenge for me. When our 4th child was born, I was way overweight, and having been on partial bed rest for most of the pregnancy, I was out of shape! In the fall of 2009, I stared walking on the treadmill and counting calories. I could only manage 15 - 20 minutes of walking at a time. I put my laptop on the shelf above the treadmill to watch DVD's on, but I just hated it. Couldn't stand it. Did it anyway. By a year later, fall of 2010, I had lost 40lbs, worked my way up slowly, and had been running quite regularly. So, I signed up for a 5k road race. The summer had been hot, I had worked my way up to an IT Band (overuse) injury, and was hoping to just finish in less than 40 minutes. I worked so hard all summer on my running and just wanted to make a 12:59 pace! September 2010, 5k, 39:49 (13:15 pace) In the next 6 months, I would loose 20 pounds and continue to run and lift weights. I did a round of P90X, ...

What do you do to cope with the stress of daily life? Listen to music Take a bath Watch a favorite TV show or movie Go for a walk Read a book Pray What about when things get really hard to handle? Talk to a friend or family member Go for a longer walk Read your Bible Eat Drink Isolate Stop talking Sleep to much Stare endlessly at TV that doesn't really interest you The later of the hard to handle list used to be my way to cope. Essentially, not coping at all. Just trying to weather the storms of life until it passed. How did that work out for me? Not well. Things do pass with time, but you never grow unless you learn to cope. While I disagree with the theory of evolution of species, Darwin did get it right when he asserted that "survival is ultimately dependent on the ability to change and evolve." Change in a positive direction is labeled "growth" - spiritual maturity. And if you want to survive your life, you have to change. Back to the question: What...

Today my husband got up at 4:30am and went to the gym. He was actually home around 7 when my alarm went off - rather when my 2yr old rolled over for the 47 th time since I brought him to bed with me at 6am, and smacked me in the face thereby waking me up at 6:58...2 minutes before my alarm went off. 5am appointments at the local Y are such a hot commodity that we take turns. Me on Tuesday and he on Wednesday. With his days off in the middle of the week, it works. Which brings me to the next random point - Shift bid = success. Go shout it on the mountain, for the first time in 3 years, my husband will have Saturday and Sunday off every week! The hours are pretty awesome to - 8:45 to 5:45. So cool as we go in to warmer weather - no more trips to the Y or pushing play in the basement. We will once again be taking turns for the coveted 6am trail run! WOOT !! I love pajamas. Really, it's like a sickness with me. Did you know that Shopko has THE best clearance prices on PJ...

Just a recap post to remind myself of the progress of my New Years Resolutions. And, okay, a little toot of my own horn for some extra special hard work that I did this week. I realized at the end of last week, that I had run 50 miles in January. With one week left (and an 8 miler on the schedule), I wondered if I could make it to 70 miles for the month. That meant that after I burned myself out with speed drills yesterday, I still had to run a mile and a half to make 4 miles, and that today I had to squeeze in another 4 at the expense of not eating dinner until 7pm. Boy, did I flub that one up. NOT enough fuel in the tank for that run. But I made it, and now I can say... I RAN 70 MILES IN JANUARY! God is good and chubby girls really CAN run! So, on to my resolutions. One, was to eat less sugar. I think I have done that...I mean, I don't track sugars but my "crap" intake has been greatly reduced. I quit eating protein bars after being irritated about the second ...

...the diet or the exercise? It seems like when making a lifestyle change, this is the crossroads we find ourselves at. You can't start both. Honestly. Just how realistic is it to quit eating Doritos and watching American Idol on Sunday and then on Monday begin snacking on broccoli and hitting the gym instead? The reality of making too many changes is that it might last a week or two. Tops. I've heard it said that "you can't out exercise bad eating habits." But let me put forth this as well - if all you do is eat right - you might loose weight, but your cardiovascular system will not benefit - and trust me - you need that. You need to exercise to turn your body into a calorie burning machine. Here's a thought. Scrap the broccoli (for now) and concentrate on the removal of the hook from you butt that binds you to your couch. They have TV's at the gym - our YMCA has them on each and every cardio machine. Buy a pair of headphones for $5 and you ca...

I took this from my Home Schooling-Running-Momma friend over at Wanderer In a Strange Land . Yes, actually, there are more of us out there...including my compadre at Random Thoughts of a Wanna Be Runner . It seems more crazy women than myself find solace in running! Now this survey is as the question relates to your training, whether it be running, biking, dance, weights, etc. In my dreams, I ...can run fast and far. My legs feel long and strong and my feet never seem to quite make contact with the pavement. My favorite book is ...Arena by Karen Hancock - not a running book, but my fave nonetheless. My favorite movie is ...Spirit of the Marathon, but I just saw Hood to Coast and that one might replace the other. My breakthrough was ...when I started seeing actual progress. I came back from a 4 mile run and was faster than I had ever been without feeling wiped out. My favorite run is. .. Speed Work - I feel so accomplished (exhausted) when I'm done. My favorite season to run i...

Welcome to the New Year! What a fantastic opportunity we have to start new. I know it sounds cliche - but making resolutions isn't all that bad. The key is to start slowly or just build on what you've already started the year before. Don't take on to much! One of my main goals for this year is to limit my sugar intake. It seems simple, but it's a slippery slope for me. Taking a closer look, I can see that even my protein bars have a second ingredient of "evaporated cane juice." Sneaky. I don't do sugar substitutes (one of last years goals), so I need to really think about when my body actually needs sugar. I've read that for the first hour after a hard workout, eating or drinking something with carbohydrates (sugar), to replenish glycogen in the muscles and protein to help build it back will speed recovery. Some choose chocolate milk (skim), some count on recovery drinks. I prefer 1 cup of skim milk with 1 tablespoon of honey. Good, simpl...

I was on the treadmill this afternoon, doing the ultimate boring task of running 4 miles while standing still, when my sister text me that she was thinking of me via this song. I thought it somewhat poetic that I was indeed, quite literally, running down a dream! Although I am not a fast runner, I want to be! I practice, I take advice. I am working very hard on my body fat percentage reduction (okay, not AS hard during the month of December). I think about how slow I am and it makes me want to quit sometimes. But the fact is, I ran 4 miles today. I RAN 4 MILES TODAY. I may have run them slower than most people, but I did it and that's all that matters to me! Dreams are funny things. So relative, so individual to station and experience. Someone may dream of just having enough to eat, while I dream of running as sub 2:30 half marathon. Some may dream of going to college, some of meeting a super star. Some dreams may take focus, hard work, and much time. Others may be reli...

I love going against the grain. I have been described by people that know me as somewhat...intense. I love a challenge, and the best way to motivate me is to inform me that what I am attempting is quite impossible. So it has been with my exercise and nutrition ventures. Running, lifting, doing more and more! Now I have decided to take on Tony Horton's P90X. I've been contemplating for some time, but with only 90 days left in 2010, it's time! Maybe, just maybe, I can loose these last 30lbs in that time. I have started a little blog to journal my experience - come along and see what's going on. http://pixie-p90x.blogspot.com/

I had a blog topic in mind that was thought provoking and new. It has been boiling in my brain for a few days, but my kids started fighting this morning, my head exploded, and I've since been unable to retrieve all of those pieces. So I will just tell you about my ever exciting life instead...hey - wake up! Had to get rid of half our garden yesterday. The rhubarb will grow back, the tomato plant was on it's way out (dunno what happened to those this year) but the Brussels I will miss. I had a healthy growing family of wasps living in and around the foliage. This particular patch of vegetation is around our garage, and right next to our play ground. At first a wasp or two didn't bother me. I tell the kids - don't bother it, it could care less about you. Then there were 3 or 4, I thought - oh well, they are just bugs. The other day we were all out there in the wading pool and I counted 7. They were much to interested in my sweet skinned babies, so they had to go....

In the last few years I've started paying more attention to my body and it's needs. This has probably been the best tool for best health that I've run across. Everyone is different - you read that all the time. But there are many "recommendations" that seem to lump people into categories by age and weight - fine - but you still have to listen up to fine tune for your uniqueness. I'm a sleeper. I LOVE to sleep. I could seriously sleep 10 hours every single night. I could go to bed around 10pm and sleep until 8am, no problem. My husband, on the other hand, nearly shudders at the thought of languishing under the covers for that amount of eternity. Hubs is good on 6 or so hours, I need 7-8. I need food. Now, if you use a basic weight loss equation - you need 10 calories per pound of body weight for maintaining your weight. For me - that's 175 x 10 = 1750. To loose one pound per week you need to have a calorie deficit of 3500 (or 500 per day). So 17...

I wonder where the term "sweating my butt off" originated. Furthermore, is there any validity to it? If ever there were a cliche that I wished were true it's this one! I headed out for a 3 mile "do-over" this morning and the weatherbug app on my phone said 87 degrees. When I stepped out the front door the only word I can describe the atmosphere with is "thick." I used to only bring hydration with me on runs over 4 miles, but lately I've needed a full 20oz bottle of electrolytes on all of my runs. A few months ago, we purchased this Nathan Hydration Belt . This thing has been well worth every penny this summer! If you do any walking or running out in the heat, this little baby will be your BFF. There are fancier models, but this one does the job. There was a slight conundrum with the spout leaking. I normally fill it with water, or Sustain the night before and refrigerate for use in the morning. Last night, my brilliant husband solved the...

I admit, I said it. The one thing that always boils my blood when other women say it - and boy do they say it! The sentence that I made sure to say in front of my sweet husband, because he would have never believed I had uttered the words otherwise. Somebody, please slap me around...I verbalized... "I am SO bored." That's right folks. After sitting in nearly the same spot for the last 10 days, I have exhausted all the offerings of the printed and projected modes of entertainment. I have caught up on all the old magazines I didn't have time for when they came. I have watched more Sponge Bob, Avatar - The Last Airbender , and Wonder Pets than one person ever should. I think the kids and I have all lost IQ points. My rear end is beginning to take on the texture of the couch and my field of vision is so limited that I almost forgot that we have a garden out back. I have long pleaded with the Lord for rest, and after the busiest darn June on the history books, I go...

What could I (a 34yr old woman) possibly have in common with an 18yr old young man? Well other than the same Mom and Dad...not much. My youngest sibling is a great kid, athletic, intelligent and good hearted. Okay - maybe we have more in common than I thought... ;) Recently he told me he would like to run the Lincoln Marathon with Dave and me in May of next year. I am SO excited to hear that he has an interest in running! With the marathon being 10 months away, I'm very confident that he will be able to train for and run the whole thing...it's me that I'm worried about! I found a 5k in his city on Labor Day weekend and downloaded Hal Higdon's 5k Training Schedule to give to him. He's a football player, so he is good at following a nutrition and training schedule. Last night we did some texting back and forth to talk about how our training is going. Mine - at a standstill right now - but his is coming right along! I guess I'm just stoked to have somet...

When setting out to lose 88lbs, there were some things I did not do. For one thing, I diminished the amount I needed to loose. I never told anybody the real number when I started, but only began to share my journey when I was about 20lbs down. There was one thing I did do. I set smaller goals to make it not seem like such a big job. My first goal was getting under 200lbs. The next goal was making it halfway. Next up was 50lbs down. My next goal in sight is 15lbs away and is "Wedding Weight." Sometimes things get stale and I cut out any treats until I break the next decade of numbers. Little rewards have come with my Mini-Goals. A hair cut, some new workout clothes, a DVD. But here I am at well over the 50lbs lost marker, and I'm actually afraid of the reward I set for myself. A few sessions with a personal trainer. Why? Well, the main thing is the time it will take away from my family. Fitness endeavors take time. I get up at 5:30 to workout, so I don't ...

Back from vacation - what a fantastic journey! Drove 2,500mi round trip and not so much as a flat tire. Thank you Lord! Here's a link to the pictures I took. Summer Vacation 2010 My goal was to continue on my exercise regime and track my calories and LOSE weight on vacation. Well, life has different plans sometimes. I ended up getting a terrible cold and losing my voice for much of the trip. I didn't feel especially ill, but couldn't talk, coughed a lot and had a hard time catching my breath. Combine that with some pasta and 2 nights of ice cream and there you have it...up half a pound. Fortunately, this week is a test of my endurance and will likely help me to counter last week. Our church's Vacation Bible School is this week. I am playing a costumed character in a couple of skits and have also decided that I should hang out in the music room. They are doing some neat moves along with the singing that looks nearly like an aerobics class. Can you say calorie...

Wow. This day has proven to me that I really am healthier and more fit than I was a year ago. I can't believe I survived it all! First of all, let me say Thank You Lord for allowing me to get a full nights' sleep again last night. Without that, I'd have been sunk. The day started before 6 and went a little like this: Up and out the door for 3 miles, home to shower, make breakfast, serve 8 kids, (chug coffee/inhale my breakfast). Break up multiple fights between 2 school agers and wonder why I home school. Read stories, change diapers, put babies down for naps. Clean kitchen, wash dishes, get babies up, serve snack (apply makup /curl hair). Clean, clean, clean, read books, play with blocks. Make lunch, feed babies, coax toddlers to try something new, clean everyone up, change diapers, put down the first set (sing nigh-nigh songs), then the second set, then the third. Get kids all up from naps, sweep and vacuum before they start tearing up the living room again, br...