Down 5 lbs

I don't pull out my scale very often. I was getting frustrated over not seeing many changes since I started this challenge with myself at the beginning of the year. I can tell that I am slowly getting into better shape. I've been bumping up the resistance at the gym on the machines and not dying! :) Finally saw a 5 lb drop on the scale! That even comes after a weekend of celebrating my dad's bday on Friday and on Sunday having a card tournament, which was pot luck! I have to saw I did very well at the tournament on not snacking throughout the day and even staying away from pop! Go me!

Legs

My legs are beyond sore today! Thinking it's time for a massage or hot tub! I've been busting my ass at the gym this week...treadmill, biking, stairmaster, and weights. Tried running yesterday....fail! I had ankle surgery 2 1/2 yrs ago and was told I should probably never to run again-still trying to prove them wrong! I've been seeing some changes on the scale but not as much as I would like. I believe it's my eating habits that are getting me there. I have def been better at not eating out as much and I still haven't had any pop. Tonight we are celebrating my dad's bday, so I'm going to have a very light lunch and breakfast to make up for going out later. Seems like there is always something going on!

Spring Hiking Trip

Each year I try to go on at least one hiking trip. It's usually to CO but I have also made it to Yellowstone one summer. Last summer was kind of crazy so I just went on a small hike with the boyfriend in Iowa, hoping to make it for a long weekend trip to CO this year. Instead me and the boyfriend have been throwing around the idea of hiking the rim to rim at the Grand Canyon this May/Jun. 23 miles total. I'm honestly a little worried but he seems to think we will be just fine! So I'm thinking it's time to start kicking my butt into better shape! Gonna spend a lot more time on the stair master, doing lunges, and hopefully squats. Every time I'm on the treadmill I have it inclined so I'll bump that up even more as well. I have been to the canyon once before for a wedding but it was a fast trip and we didn't spend much time exploring the place. Since then I have had friends mention the rim to rim but no serious plans have very been made. I'm getting really excited so I hope we decide to take this trip!   Btw this is a very old pic!

Mileage Goal Update....

So last week I fell a little short of the goal I had set for myself. Friday I had planned on having plenty of time at the gym to hit my goal and actually surpass it. Little did I know that my plans for Fri were going to change...someone accidentally hit my car while it was parked at said gym.

So that cut into my workout time but hey, it could've been worse. They could've just driven off or the dent could've been bigger. So this week I am planning on making up those few miles that I was shorted. :)

Doughnuts

Little behind on blogging.....So last Wednesday I hit the gym before work then had a good breakfast. I get to work and my co worker says she's gonna run the the store for her breakfast quick. She comes back with doughnuts for everyone. I explain that I am full and don't want one. She says she thinks I'll get hungry later and sets one next to me on the desk. Challenge excepted! It sat there all morning and I never ate it. I told her multiple times she should put it away and save it for the next morning but she thought I'd eventually cave. I went to lunch and when I came back there were post it notes all over my desk....

 These were just a few of the many notes she left. Nice effort but I didn't cave. Pretty proud of myself! And it was a great laugh for the day !

Bad Days/Nights

Today I've realized that I have another habit to break. It seems like every time I have a bad day, be it at work or something else, I always feel the need to come home and have a few drinks or eat something that's horrible for me. I know you have to indulge sometimes but some days it seems like I want to do this every day. This happened tonight. When I got home tonight all I wanted to do was cook something unhealthy and have a beer or 3. ;) I was able to talk myself outta my first choice and made fajitas instead. I try to make these as healthy as you can but then I added a beergarita to the menu. If I hadn't already worked out twice today I would've considered heading to the gym to blow off some steam and sit in the hot tub. So I need to come up with a better solution when I have an off day.....

Weekends

I think the most trouble I'm going to have is on the weekends. There's always going to be something going on, whether it's someone's bday, some other sort of celebration, or a friend/family coming to visit. It's going to be hard for me to be good on the weekends. I generally take the weekends off from the gym to allow my body some rest. This weekend I had a bday party for a good friend. Dinner and drinks of course.

I'm happy to say I still haven't had pop though! I'm a sucker for Dr. Pepper but I also enjoy water and tea so I've been sticking to those. To make up for this weekend I biked 8 miles at the gym this morning. It was an uncommonly "warm" today, 48 degrees, so I also walked 3 miles on one of the trails. So I'm already half past my mileage goal for the week! Around town we are lucky enough to have a great trails system. Most are paved in town and the ones that run on the outer part of town are crushed limestone. Since it was sort of muddy I didn't want to take my bike out but instead walked.

Weight Lifting

Each week I usually try to lift weights at least twice. Nothing fancy just the machines at the gym, not the free weights. This morning there was a lady sipping her coffee while slowly using these said machines. Multiple people asked her to hurry up but she just ignored them and took forever between sets. I found this to be very annoying because my favorite machines are the Adductor and Abductor ones that works on your inner and outer thighs. She was at this station for over 20 mins. I don't always have the most time to get a workout in and esp during busy gym hrs, I found this to be very inconsiderate to the other people there. There are signs everywhere regarding gym rules. Even on each individual machine. I believe there is a time and place to enjoy coffee, just not at the gym!

Mileage Goals

So I've decided to set mileage goals for each week. As previously stated,

to keep my membership fee cheap at the gym, I have to make it there 3-4x a week. With work and other things on my schedule, I've been trying to figure out what a good goal for mileage would be each week. I've decided for the month of Jan I will try to hit 25 miles per week. I am already thinking after Jan I will have to increase this amount. I have been logging miles on the treadmill, bike, and stair master. (Tonight, I climbed enough stairs to reach higher than the Statue of Liberty.) I hope to add in some miles in the pool in the upcoming weeks.

Goals for 2014

It's that time of year again to set goals and try to keep them for the year. My main goal is to live a happier, stress-free life! To try to achieve this......making it to the gym and paying off some bills are my main goals. Also, building up my saving acct. and having more money to spend on just me! I saw something on pinterest recently that is called the $5 savings plan. Every time you get $5 bill you place it in a jar or away and save it for the end of the year, with the intention of spending it on yourself or on xmas gifts. I don't carry cash with me very often but since the first of the year I've added a few fives to my jar :) There is another savings plan that each week you add money to your savings, starting with $1 week 1, $2 week 2 and so on.

Getting in shape and eating better is another huge goal of mine. So far this year I have been better about not eating out as much and I haven't had a pop in almost a week! This fall for work we partnered with a local gym but to keep the membership price low I have to make it to the gym 3.5x a week. This is motivation enough to get my butt to the gym but I have also set mileage goals for each week. I did this two summers ago and I biked over 500 miles in less than 3 months. I have also joined a work group that is trying to hit 2014 miles before the end of the year.

My awesome boyfriend ;) also tells me I stress out and worry about too many things....things that may be out of my control. My goal is to find diff. ways that relieve my stress. I can tell going to gym is helping with this. I also find baking/cooking and reading stress relievers. I've recently also started making DYI crafts I've found on the internet and find this very relaxing.