Day 11: Procrastination

It's 10:30PM and I just finished exercising. I wasn't feeling good today, and fell asleep at 7pm. I finally forced myself out of bed and walked for 30 minutes. I need to snap out of it!

Day 10: Review

I made it to the double-digits!

My diet and exercise plan were going wonderful for the first week... I was actually down 3.4lbs on day 7! The last few days have been a bit of a struggle. I've been eating crappy food, and my motivation to exercise has gone down the tubes. I need to gain control again.

I am officially down 1.4lbs since January 1st!

Day 10 review:
137.4lbs
30 minutes bike trainer/271 calories burned

Day 9: Struggling

I did it again. I ate crappy food last night, and the I felt sluggish today. I didn't get on the treadmill until 7:30PM!

I am thankful that I made this challenge for myself, because I would have blown off the workout if I didn't have to report here.

Day 9:
137.2lbs
30 minutes on treadmill/259 calories burned

Day 8: Sabotage!

Yesterday my friend brought over some gourmet chocolate bars and peanut butter popcorn. I couldn't control myself, especially after the kids were in bed and my husband was out bowling. I have the hardest time with food when I am all alone. Ugh! I ate WAY too much :(

Today I could tell the excess sugar in my system was messing with me. Today was the first day that I felt lazy and I didn't feel like working out. I was sluggish all day, but I forced myself to get it done. I would have preferred to swim at the Y, but the weather kept us inside hibernating.

Day 8 Summary:
135.8lbs
27 minutes bike trainer (mom duties called me off early)/224 calories burned

Maybe some DDR later with Luke... I need to burn off more of that dreadful popcorn!

Day 7: Snow Day!

For days, St. Louis has been preparing for a winter storm today. It was all the talk around school and Facebook yesterday... will there be a snow day Thursday? The phone call came at 10:15pm Wednesday... NO SCHOOL!!! I am happy that they made the decision last night so that I wouldn't get a 5:30am wake up call this morning.

Of course as soon as the kids saw the snow, the first thing they wanted to do is sled. Ugh! Don't get me wrong, I love sledding - but the cold makes me miserable. You will never hear me complain about heat, even when it's hovering at 100, but frigid temps is another story. BUT I love to make my kids happy, and if they want to sled, then I will sacrifice my toes and go sledding!

My friend came over with her son and I bundled up the kids. We went to the local park with the big hills and it wasn't as crowded as it's been in the past. When we stepped out of the car I knew why... the cold wind took my breath away!

I soon forgot about the cold when I heard the squeals of delight coming from my kids:


We are back home in our warm house, and I'm happy that my workout was completed this morning, and now I'm free to cuddle up under the electric blanket and sip on some hot tea.

Day 7 Summary:
135.4
30 minutes bike trainer/307 calories burned

Day 6: Being IRONfit

A few weeks ago I was feeling dread at the thought of my upcoming (still 8 months away) Ironman triathlon.  That is because I hadn't worked out more than once a week in 3 months!  Now that I am on my 6th day of training, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  I am excited and hopeful for another Ironman journey!

Today I sat down and mapped out a training schedule for the rest of January.  "Official" training begins February 15th, but I need something to build me up to the 8 hours a week that the beIRONfit competitive program begins with.

I am beginning with week 4 of the "Just Finish" program, and by 2/15, I should be ready to get to work!  These first few weeks seem so easy... it's hard to believe this is an IRONMAN training program.  I am starting off with just 3 hours and 45 minutes of training a week.  Anyone can do that!  I feel like I can do more, but I am not going to.  Race day is 8 months away, and I don't want to get burned out too early.  I do these races for fitness and fun - I don't want to dread workouts, especially this early in the game.

Today I did my first brick workout since Louisville :)  I did a 20 minute ride on the trainer, and then a nice 10 minute jog on the treadmill.  It felt GREAT!  There is nothing I like better than the euphoria of a fantastic brick run (even if it was the shortest brick ever, lol).

Day 6 Summary
136.4lbs
20 minute indoor trainer follwed by 10 minute run/270 calories burned

Day 5: My Diet BFFs

Whenever I am having trouble losing weight, I turn to my trusty old friend Jenny Craig.  Back on New Year's Eve 1998, I went to the mall in a quest to buy the new Boot Cut style jeans everyone had been wearing (yes, I'm usually the last to catch on to fashion trends).  I went to Lerner's (now NY&Co), and tried on a size 12 jean... it didn't fit.  Then I tried on the biggest size they carried, which was a 14, but it still didn't fit! I went to another one of my favorite stores - The Limited... nothing fit.  It was the wake up call I needed and I called Jenny Craig as soon as the office opened on January 2, 1999.  I weighed 173lbs and I had no idea!  The last time I stepped on the scale, I was 135lbs (about a year earlier). 

I followed Jenny Craigs plan and never ever slipped up.  By June 1st I was 131lbs!

Over the years I managed to keep most of the weight off.  Twice I gained back 20lbs, but Jenny Craig helped me take it back off, and now the most I've gained is 10lbs.

I can't always afford to go to Jenny Craig.  Thankfully I found SparkPeople.  SP is the best dieting/healthy lifestyle website on the internet.  It is free, and it is better than all of the paid sites I've used.  SparkPeople will even generate a nutrition plan for you to match your specific needs.  I use SparkPeople to keep track of personal goals, log nutrition, log exercise, try new recipes, and much MUCH more.  It even has Spark "communities" for any interest you can imagine.  I have been am member of teams for triathlon, Ironman, Jenny Craig, Illlinois, Women in their 30's, Marathon runners... and I've seen teams for gardeners, knitters, 100+ lbs to lose, etc.  It really is an amazing site!

I started my 365 Day Challenge Blog here, and then realized that I should be using the SparkPeople blog feature to get more exposure and support.  So I have been copying and pasting my blogs each day and posting them on SP.  Seems a little bit redundant, but I don't want to feel like I "quit" my blog, so I will continue to post in both places for now :)

Here's my SparkPeople link: http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=MAURA9900

Today I went swimming for the first time since I was in Hawaii.  It wasn't quite the same experience, but it felt great to be back in the water.  My arms were sore right away! 

Day 5 Summary:
136.8 lbs
30 minute swim/1400 yards

Day 4: 7 hours of my life... gone!

Those darn pigs!  The day started off great.  Today Luke and Fiona were back in school, I didn't have to work, and I didn't have to catch up on sleep.  I ran some errands and came home to clean and enjoy the quiet.

I wanted to clean the guinea pig cage, so I piggie-proofed the kitchen (or so I thought), and let the pigs play around while I went downstairs and cleaned the cage.  Just as I was finishing up, I heard what sounded like my piggie-proofing sliding on the floor.  I ran upstairs, but it was too late.  The pigs got behind the gate and were heading behind the counters.  One darted behind the counter as I cried, "NO!" And our new Chippy froze and stared at me.  I pleaded with him to come, but when I held out my hand he booked it behind the counter!

I got a flashlight and looked under the desk and behind the counter... no sight of them! Then I noticed a small opening under the counter, and could hear them under it.

By the end of the first hour I had a full salad bar waiting for them in an attempt to lure them out from under the counter!

Tick tock, tick tock... no pigs.  Finally Bam-Bam came out and grabbed some lettuce.  He spotted me and darted back behind the counter.  This game continued several more times, and before I realized 3 hours had passed!  The pigs stopped making noises, so I ran down to the basement and started banging on the vents to see if they managed to get in the vents.  Nothing.

I finally turned on the tv and then the pigs started making noise.  I'd mute the tv, but they would go silent.  I didn't think I'd ever get those little suckers out!  Finally I got put out a plate of hay, and set up a board to slide over the hole as soon as one came all the way out.  This worked perfectly and Bam-Bam was captured.  Unfortunely another 1.5-2 hours passed before Chippy made his way out.  But he was too fast for me and I missed him! He is a fast little fart!  I managed to get him the next time... SEVEN hours after he jumped behind the counter the first time.

Seven hours I wasted trying to catch those pigs.  I didn't do laundry, didn't clean, no clean dishes, no workout... no ME time!

These guinea pigs better start showing me they are worth the trouble...

I headed down to the treadmill at 7pm.  Luke spent the entire time I ran cuddling with both Bam-Bam and Chippy.  He looked at me and said, "Mom, I really love my guinea pigs."

I really hope there are no pig adventures in the near future ;)

My mission for tomorrow: hit the pool!  My bathing suit might be a little snug, but I'm long overdue for a swim.

Day 4 Summary:
137.2
33 minute treadmill run/?? calories burned (forgot HRM)

Day 3: RIP Oreo

Our poor little piggy, Oreo, passed away today.  Last night he felt cold, so I had him lay on my chest for an hour while I stroked his little head.  Every time I stopped petting his head, he let out a soft whimper.  I managed to get him to drink from the syringe, but he still looked pretty sad at bedtime.

This morning, he looked much better!  He was drinking from the cage water bottle, he took a bite of romaine lettuce and a few bites of carrots.  An hour later Daniel told me he heard Oreo make a few squeeks, then Oreo jumped around in circle, and fell over dead :(

The kids were sad, but were anxious for me to replace Oreo with a new guinea pig.  My heart was broken, especially after our bonding time last night.  But, off to PetSmart I went.

As soon as I walked in the door and whispered that I had a guinea pig fatality, we were whisked away from the crowd.  They didn't have any more piggies, so I got a refund.  Then I went to PetCo to see if they had any pigs, but they were also out.  I called PetSmart in Belleville, but they wouldn't get anymore in for 2 weeks.  Finally I called and found 2 guineas at PetCo in Edwardsville... but when I got there, they were already sold!  Luckily, I passed a PetSmart and had Daniel call them.  Two pigs.  I went into the store and saw one brown fuzzy looking pig, and a black fuzzy one.  They were really cute!  They were both "pigging" out on hay, so hopefully that meant they were healthy.  I bought the black one.

When we got home he ran circles around his new house! He is a fast little guy! Luke and Fiona have named him Chippy.  Hopefully Chippy will have a long healthy life.  My heart still breaks for sweet little Oreo...

Good thing I got my trainer ride done before O's passing.  32 minutes on the bike and Yeeouch! My "saddle" needs reconditioning ;)

Day 3 Summary:
137.6lbs
32 minutes on bike trainer/304 calories burned

Day 2

I think I'm going to have to suck it up and start running outside in the cold again.  Our basement is just too depressing!  I ran for 30 minutes while the kids watched their favorite show, Phineus and Ferb.

In other news, our family finally has some pets!  We adopted two guinea pigs on New Year's Eve, and the kids are in love.  I thought we should name the brothers Phineus & Ferb, but Luke said that would be too embarrassing.  They named them Oreo and Bam-Bam.  Unfortunately, I'm worried about poor little Oreo.  He used to run around so fast when he was trying to hide from us.  Now he is barely moving.  I'm afraid maybe he was squeezed too hard by a someone's little hands.  I haven't seen him eat or drink in the last 24 hours, so I'm afraid for the worst.  I may head over to Walgreens and pick up a dropper or syringe to get some water in his mouth. Poor little guy!

The piggies live in the basement... so do the kids ;)

Day 2 Summary:

136.2lbs

30 minute treadmill run/320 calories burned

Day 1: The Challenge

What a perfect day to set a new goal for self improvement! Last night I started watching the movie Julie & Julia, which inspired me to start my own blog and challenge. I am a 2x Ironman triathlon finisher who has fallen off the exercise wagon since her last race four months ago. While training for my last Ironman, I missed many workouts due to vacations, illnesses, and just plain old laziness... which resulted in a less than stellar performance on race day.  A daily blog will help keep me accountable to those training workouts.

The challenge has officially begun.  In an Ironman race, athletes can swim, bike, run, walk, or crawl to the finish line.  I don't walk during a race (except through aid stations) because I'm afraid that once I start, I won't be able to stop.  Hopefully I'll never have to crawl!  So that is my challenge - 365 days of swimming, biking, or running (walking only as a last-resort if I'm sick or injured).

Happy New Year!

This was my first workout of 2010 - riding on my indoor trainer in the dungeon.  Hmmm... maybe I need to make the basement look a bit nicer if I'm going to post pictures of myself riding indoors in the winter.

Day 1 Summary:
138.6lbs
25 minutes spinning/215 calories burned