Fat-Free Friday

I want to throw the scale out the window for SURE this week. Grumble grumble.

Anyway...I'm not really here to complain. I'm here to tell you that I am going "pretty camping" this weekend. What is "pretty camping"? It's what my friend calls camping when you have the luxury of NOT staying in a tent. In our case, we're staying in my in-laws' fancy schmancy trailer. It should be fun - even though the weather for the days ahead isn't looking good!

I'll check in with you all later next week...

Crafting Again

Oh, man. I have SO many creative projects planned for between now and Christmas. I even ordered a bunch of the materials already, so there is no going back. I would love to give details, but since they are gifts, I can't tell you too much. But let's just say that there is sewing and painting involved!

Between this and my running training schedule, I should be busy enough to prevent myself from licking my fridge clean at night. Hopefully. Definitely.

Here are some recent, not-too-complicated things I've made recently for kids.

Lalaloopsy Bank:





Eye Spy Bag (for which I have no picture yet)

Toy Car Carrier:




They were fun, and not too time consuming to make.

Interested in a tutorial for any of them? Let me know!

Frozen and Rock Star Photo Shoots

I finally got the CD back for my daughter's Frozen photo shoot and my son's Rock Star shoot. I am so excited to share them!

Behold:

















I hope you enjoyed them :)

Running My Little Heart Out

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I am happy to report to you that I have been keeping up with my running schedule. On Saturday, I even got in two workouts - a half hour class in the morning, followed by my scheduled run in the evening. It feels really good to be back in the fitness swing of things, and I just hope that I don't get lazy and slack off again. I'm really starting to remember how much better I feel when I exercise often. I sleep better, and I am less tempted to eat junk! (Also, my doctor bugged me again to make sure I keep at it, for mental health reasons. I better listen to him! He's the one with a medical degree!)

I must admit, though, that my "long run" (only a 5k of mostly running and some walking) almost killed me. I was really trying to keep my speed up and really had to dig deep just to keep going and not quit. It didn't help that it was a morning run - I do NOT perform as well in the mornings!!! I much prefer evening runs!

I even took a sweaty photo of myself to share with you all, but my computer isn't letting me upload it right now. Hrmph. Next time!

Edit: my computer is now working. Here is my ugly sweaty picture:



And here is a MUCH better picture from later that day:



That's all!

Fat-Free Friday

This Fat-Free Friday is about the Case of the Mysterious 2-Pound Weight Gain.

Look, I’m not going to lie to you and pretend that I ate clean all week, shoveled 5 servings of vegetables into my mouth each day, and avoided treats at all costs. You know that’s not me and would see right through that. I did, however, eat better than I have been. I did exercise more. And I did start drinking more water. When I peeked at the scale during the week, I thought that maybe I was going to maintain my loss from last week. At the WORST I thought MAYBE I’d be up half of a pound.

So, needless to say, when I stepped on it this morning and saw that I had gained nearly two pounds, I wanted to throw the darned thing out the window.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I gritted my teeth, got changed, went for my scheduled run, ate a fibre-filled breakfast, and resolved to try to lose 2 pounds this week. It’s going be a tough one, with a birthday party this weekend and an out-of-town, have-to-eat-out type of day tomorrow. But I will try my best.

I am hoping that part of the gain was due to my body re-adjusting to exercising more consistently. Maybe my muscles are retaining water or something. One can hope!

Because let me tell you…I NEVER want to see the 180s* on the scale ever again!

Here I go…



* I don’t now want anyone to feel bad if their weight is in the 180s or higher. It does not mean that you are fat and not beautiful. I am just speaking for myself, and I am sick of that darned number!

Off I Go!

Can I possibly explain to you how much I am enjoying following an actual running training program?

(Okay, so it’s only been two days. Shush.)

I am finding that I really like having a new goal each day – it’s definitely taking the pressure off of me feeling like I need to nail a 5k in my fastest time ever, right now. As I said before, I am hoping that this training program will make me a faster and better runner. Last night I did the same circuit as the night before and knocked 45 seconds off my time, so…obviously I’m not slacking off yet!

I was supposed to start the week with strength training, but the weather was so gorgeous that I went straight into the running. Today the weather is looking sketchy, so I think I will be doing my weights at the gym this evening.

Eating-wise, I’m getting better. I’m still enjoying some ice cream and summery foods, but I’m really trying to cut down on that. And fast food, my goodness! It has really been a fast-food summer so far, but I’m improving on that as well. It’s much better for the waistline AND for the budget!

I hope that you are all enjoying your summers so far, staying happy and healthy!

Starting Over with Running

If you are a longtime reader of mine, you know that, as far as exercise goes, running is my one true love. I never would have thought that an exercise I formerly hated - that I formerly believed my body just COULD NOT DO - would become a passion of mine. Unfortunately, I lost a bit of that passion over the winter and spring. And while I was so excited to recently get back into the running game, I found myself struggling much more than I could have imagined.

I - who last summer knocked out a few 10k runs - struggle to finish 2.5k. When I did manage to complete a 5k the other week, I felt like I was dying. I was frustrated. I felt like quitting. I felt like a failure for letting myself slack off so much.

But, last night I had an "aha" moment. I realized that I am still much further ahead than I was when I started, and all it would take is a little more work to get back to my old running ways. I've never followed any kind of "plan" before, but I decided that maybe now was the time to start.

I found this one that I had pinned recently on Pinterest. It basically gives you a schedule to follow to go from being a non-runner to running a half marathon in 18 weeks. Now, I don't think I want to train for a half marathon anytime soon (maybe in a few years), but I liked the format of the schedule.

I decided to skip the first three weeks of walking and start at the "run one minute, walk 2 minutes" part. Yes, I can certainly run more than one minute at a time, but I hope that by following this program, I will be able to become a faster and stronger runner. So, that's why I am starting from (mostly) the beginning.

I am excited for the challenges that lie ahead, and I can't wait to update you guys on my progress!

Fat-Free Friday Quickie

No, not THAT kind of quickie! Get your mind out of the gutter!

I'm still on holidays, and thus still taking a mini blogging break...but I did want to update you all to tell you that I lost 1.2lbs this week. I'll take it! Especially since I had way too much salt yesterday...but nevermind that. The point is, my habits are getting better, and I'm getting there!!!! Can't wait until I'm back in the 160s...hopefully before the end of summer!

Vacation Week

So, as the heading says, I am on vacation this week....FINALLY! It feels like forever since I had a solid block of down time. We are not going anywhere fancy, although we do have a few day trips planned. Later this month we are testing out camping (in my in-laws trailer) for a few days, and I'm already excited about that!

Although I am trying to step things up on my blog right now, I have to say that it's not going to happen this week. Part of my vacation will mean some time away from the computer, so I hope you can all bear with me! I am hoping to stick to my healthy eating and exercise plan as best I can, and I will let you know how I do next week.

Before I sign off for the night, I want to send a sincere apology to my American friends and neighbours for forgetting to wish you a happy Fourth of July. I hope you all stayed safe and had fun!

Laying it Out

I have officially started Skinny Meg's 12 Week Challenge. In doing so, I thought it was time to come clean with just how much I've let things slide.

There is no holding it in anymore. My weight has continued to climb, and when I stepped on the scale this morning, I was not totally surprised with what I saw. And when I decided to measure myself, well...I wasn't surprised with those results either.

Here are just a few "before" stats:

*Deep breath*

Height: 5'9
Weight: 182.2, meaning my BMI is currently 27 :(
Arm: 13.5
Chest: 38.5
Waist: 32.25
Hips: 46.25

I am really looking forward to seeing those numbers going DOWN. Anyone else joining the challenge?