Summer lovin'

Tuesday = 3 hard, sticky, sweaty (but slow-ish) miles after work.
Wednesday = rest. AH.
Today = ~3.5 miles a 5:45am, which felt harder than the 7 I did last Saturday.

Tuesday's run sealed the deal for me - I need to run before work. It's been near or just above 90* most of this week, and I'm not enjoying running after work. With the heat, I feel more sluggish and like I cannot move. On top of that, I hate that my evening runs cut into time with my family and makes the whole evening rush even more "rush-y." I'm now newly committed to getting up early (5:15) and punching out my mileage first thing.

Today was day #1 of early morning running, and it was pretty tough to get out of bed. On top of that, my legs were definitely feeling the burn right from the start. Afterwards though, it was nice to know that my mileage for the day was done and as a bonus, I got to *feel* the achy muscles all day (a feeling I love!).

Although I'm only about 5 days into it, I'm feeling proud of myself for being more mindful about my eating. I have been very, very hungry at times, but I haven't caved. I've learned to distract myself instead of eating something, and even if my body isn't showing signs, I feel better and more svelte.

Progress on my challenges:

Today was day #1 of the Smoothie A Day in May challenge - I made a delicious smoothie for breakfast that had skim milk, a scoop of Optimum Nutrition 100% whey protein, half a banana, 4 fresh strawberries, coconut, and some ice. It was filling, but by about 10:30 I was really, really hungry! Tomorrow I plan on having a similar (smaller portion) smoothie as an afternoon snack.

Photo A Day:

Day two: skyline
{of my cozy little rancher on the hill}

Day three: something you wore
{a ruffled dress and wedges - it was hot today!}

So far so good, eh? It's fun to take part in these - it gives me a little extra mission for the day!

Good reads for today:

Clean eating for dummies {via Lindsay's List}: Makes it sound so do-able!

Just because you make money doesn't mean you know what to do with it {via The Thousandaire}: Reminder to get on that budget/money saving bandwagon!

My reasons

Quickly, here are my top reasons for working out and getting healthier/more fit:

To start with, I'm going to be 100% honest and you can think what you want, but my first reason is pure vanity - I want to look GOOD. For my husband, for myself, for all other moms out there. I'm nearing 30 and although I know I'm still young, I'm very aware that youth is fleeting and that there are many, many more attractive young women out there. I'm not - I repeat, NOT - worried about my husband straying or anything like that, but I want him to be proud to have me by his side. Additionally, I want to be able to shop wherever I'd like and wear whatever clothes I want to wear {especially a cute bikini at the beach!}. And since I'm officially in the "mom" stage of life, I want to be sure I never slip into looking like a typical minivan driving, mom-pants-wearing, soccer mom {yes, I know there are plenty of hot-looking moms like that, but you know what I mean!}.

Secondly, I want to be healthy. I'm terrified of aging, especially the thought of doing so in a debilitating way {our families have dealt with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's - two horrible ways to spend your last years on Earth}. I want a strong, healthy body so that I know I've done what I could to ward off preventable diseases {diabetes, heart disease, etc}.

And finally, I want to set a good example. As a mother, of course I want to set the best example possible for my son, stepdaughter, and any other children that may come into our lives. I've also found that you never know who looks up to you and who's looking to you for guidance - so it's important to live by example no matter who is watching. {whoa, I sounded kind of wise there, no?} Someday soon I'm going to elaborate on this topic a lot more, especially because the root of my {and probably many, many other peoples') weight/food issues is deeply rooted in this topic.

Why do you want to live a healthy lifestyle? It's okay to admit that you want to look good ;-) I won't judge!

Favorite reads of the day:
Breastfeeding Expectations (via Life as Mom) - I couldn't have said it better! Her experience with breastfeeding was SO similar to my own, and she approached it with the same mindset I had. Nursing Valentino for over 2 years is one of my proudest accomplishments in life, and I would do it all over again in heartbeat (and I plan to with our next child).

Smoothie a day in May (via The Fitnessista) - Definitely jumping on board with this tomorrow! I think this will be a great way for Valentino and I to start the day.

Weekend re-cap and April goal wrap-up

In true weekend fashion, this weekend flew by. There was a lot to catch up, but we accomplished a lot and mixed in fun and family time, too. I was super surprised to return home from work on Friday to a beautifully mowed lawn/pruned bushes, as well as a completely re-chipped backyard {our backyard is too shaded for grass, so instead of dirt/mud, we have wood chips which need to be refilled about once/year - see picture below!}. Despite feeling tired from a hard week at work, as well as keeping an eye on Valentino since he stayed home with him, Vic had seriously busted his butt to make our yard look much, much nicer! Once I got home, we went to Home Depot to buy some trim to complete the neat-ness of our yard, then we enjoyed a pizza dinner at Amante Pizza {so good!}, followed by a stroll through Fresh Market and a delicious cookie for each of us. It was a simple, but very nice evening.

The boy LOVES to help out around the house!

After a horrible night of sleep - Valentino was very restless; he woke up twice {1AM and 3AM}desperately wanting to watch cartoons - Saturday started off with an exhilirating 7 mile run {~1:15, which is sub-11 min/mile - albeit slow, it makes me happy} while Vic finished installing the trim in the backyard. It was a cool, cloudy day, so a trip to the mall was in order. We strolled around and I ended up finding a few things for Valentino at 77 kids {my favorite place to shop for him!}. I also needed more Optimum Nutrition protein powder, so I picked some up on sale at GNC. When we got home, Valentino and I planted the impatiens in the front garden bed, as well as his zinnias in the yogurt cup ;-) We ended the night with Chipotle - double chicken burrito for him, chicken burrito bowl with brown rice for me, leftover pasta for the kid.

Sunday morning, I had grand plans to be super mom - clean the house like crazy, do all the week's shopping, take Valentino to the library, prep food for the week, bake muffins. Let's just say I did half of that. I was exhausted from staying up too late and I had a splitting headache made worse by a mischevious little boy. I did dishes and laundry, then we headed to Old Navy and Target to do some shopping. I got some serious deals at both places. For $42 at ON, I picked up 5 pairs of socks, 2 tanks, and 2 tees for Valentino, plus a super cute dress for me. At Target, I signed up for the Target RED debit card {where you get 5% off of your purchase when you use it - score!} on top of coupons and I ended up saving over $22 {on things I would've purchased without the discounts anyway}. After dropping off the groceries and eating lunch outside, Valentino and I stopped at the library to return/pick up books - the kid LOVES the library! We came home and I literally worked up a sweat cleaning up the house - putting away winter clothes, rearranging drawers, folding 83,209 articles of clothing - washing dishes, vacuuming, cleaning up toys. It all needed to be done so bad - none of us could stand all the clutter and "projects-in-waiting" that were hanging out in every corner of my house. All in all, YES - there was/is/will always be more that needs to be done in our house. BUT, it's presentable and usable for now.

On the eating front: This is day two of being super strict, sticking to a "plan." Yesterday I was so conscious of everything I ate. Grilled chicken for dinner instead of hot dogs. No popcorn/cookies/food while watching TV. I went to bed hungry - stomach growling HUNGRY. I know that's what I need to do to lose the lbs though. So far today has also been successful, and I am VERY committed to staying "clean" {okay, now I totally sound like an addict. a food addict, that is}.

Today I have a 4.5 mile run scheduled after work, then we're having a grilled turkey breast, mashed potatoes, and broccoli for dinner.

Since it's the last day of April, I'll wrap-up my goals:

1. Lose at least 5lbs. In progress... I'm down about 2, but that's from Saturday morning until now. I don't really count that.
2. Keep to the 1/2 marathon training schedule. Partial success... I've stayed on schedule with my long distance runs on Saturdays {even while on vacation}, and for the most part I've done 2 additional runs/week, so I'm mostly keeping up. BUT, my intention was to totally stick to the plan.
3. Add money to savings. SUCCESS! I've added a fair amount each paycheck, and I smile in pride when I see our savings account balance. YAY!
4. Get stuff DONE. SUCCESS! I purchased a calendar to use for meal planning, and so far we've stuck to it. I put away our winter clothes. I planted flowers. All small things, but it feels good to get them DONE and off the list. Still on that list - get my car fixed. Doh.

Tomorrow I'll post May's goals -- after I brainstorm what they should be :-)

"If it's important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse."

Late Friday Love Post

My little family and I were on the road this past Friday (headed to Southern MD to visit family), so I didn't get a chance to post my "Friday Love." Without further adieu:

Four things I (was) loving this (past) Friday:

1. Visiting Family. Valentino has three cousins - 2 older boy cousins (8 and 11 years old) who live in Maryland from Vic's side, and 1 girl cousin (3), who lives in Michigan and is from my side. He doesn't get to see any of them very often, so it's always exciting when the opportunity to get them together presents itself. We were invited up to Vic's brother's house in Maryland, so we spent the weekend hanging out with family. Valentino was a shadow to the boys (as well as his Uncle John!), and he was spoiled with attention and gifts. We all had nice time catching up and Valentino was not at all ready to come home.

Valentino riding his cousin's Gator

2. Keepin' on. After a successful start to the week, Wednesday-Friday were a bust. I'll admit it. BUT I was committed to completing this week's weekend run on Hal's plan. Thankfully, it called for me to enter a 5k... since we were away at my BIL's house, I didn't do that, but I did run just slightly over the 5k race distance on Saturday morning (~3.74miles). It felt great to get the run in and not use being on "vacation" as an excuse.

3. Enthusiasm for menu planning. I've read several great ideas for menu planning, and I've decided to take the plunge into long-term menu planning. I feel that I'm in tune with our schedule and what we like to eat, so I'm going to use some fore-thought to shop smarter and plan better, which I'm hoping will slim down our food expeditures. I'll start by purchasing a dry-erase calendar for the kitchen, and writing down our meals so that I have a clear visual of my planning (and Vic can easily look at the board to see what we're having and how he can help).

4. My love runneth over. Sometimes I look at my sweet, thoughtful, beautiful son and I can't believe he even exists. He is truly the most perfect thing I've ever encountered in my life. His love of learning, his creativity and zest for music, and the way he can make us laugh and smile is amazing. I feel so lucky that I've been blessed with this little man.

Rockin' out with a microphone

Today I'm feeling glum, and I'm not sure why. I'm pretty sure this post (which I read first thing this morning) is to blame. I really wish there was some way to make it work for us, but at this point in our lives, it just wouldn't. The drive to get to that point is strong, and my wheels are always turning to figure out how to make it work, though :-)

Fitness Update

Workouts since I last posted about working out... (last Wednesday - I'm a slacker):

Wednesday and Thursday - nada. I was zapped.
Friday: All intentions on going to a cycling class at 5:45 at the Y. That didn't happen, but an 11 mile (51 minute) hill session did!
Saturday: Seriously active day. 6 mile run (1:21 - pathetically slow), followed by a 2 mile (at least) hike, then a 1 mile fast walk back to our car, THEN lunch and walking around Cameron Village. Great day outside!

My boy and I on our hike

Sunday: "Rest" day. If you count running errands all day and entertaining a 4-year old boy and cleaning the house "REST."

This week is off to a good start. Monday was supposed to be a 4 mile day, but it was rather warm (and let's be honest - my favorite sports bra was dirty!), so I swapped Monday and Tuesday's workouts and only ran 2 miles (in about 21 minutes). It's weird that 2 miles seems so quick and "easy" now! Tuesday was 4 miles (~47 minutes), which was pretty difficult - I was tired from working all day, plus it was fairly warm out. I was a sweaty mess at the end.

Unfortunately I'm facing the monthly bloat and both the scale and my clothes are reminding me at the moment, on top of my ravenous appetite. But I'm trying to keep myself in check - if I can get through this, the rest of the month should be smooth-sailing!

Here's to keeping up the momentum!

I work OUT.

Workouts this week (so far):

Sunday: Rest, unless you count grocery shopping and 34234 Easter egg hunts as exercise.
Monday: 8.33 mile "hill jam" bike ride (~38 minutes, 13.0mph avg. speed)
Tuesday: 3.9 mile run (~45:15 = slow, but super hard to get through for me)

I am physically pretty tired after the past two days - today I may do a short (~2 mile) run after work, but we'll see. It's kinda chilly out!

Personal victories:

1. Both workouts took place after work - traditionally, I only workout in the AM. That has become increasingly hard for some reason, so I've started to try it out in the PM. Not my preferred time - it takes away from what needs to be done in the evening - but I gotta do it.

2. Not going overboard on Monday at a bridal shower @ work which consisted of millions of delicious-looking desserts.

The scale showed a couple pound loss this morning, but I'm not going to count that as anything. I have to keep this momentum and mindset, so that I feel less like this at the beach:

Half marathon training - Day 1 & an Egg Hunt

Yesterday, I started training for a half marathon again. I'm planning on running the Captrust Half Marathon on 6/3. The race leaves from North Hills, then goes down to the Raleigh Greenway. The course is relatively flat, which I know is hard to come by in this area. I think it will be a good first half for me, but I am bummed that they don't award a completion medal - it would be nice to get one to commemorate my first half marathon!!

My run was an embarassingly slow 5 miles (58:31), but I haven't steadily run in quite a few weeks, so I know my time will only improve from here on out. I'm following Hal Higdon's Novice 1 half marathon training plan, which means tomorrow I'm headed out for another 3.5 miles tomorrow morning. I'm excited to follow the plan and to go the distance on race day. Growing up, I NEVER would've guessed that I would want to accomplish running 13.1 miles at once! Now I look forward to it. I'm also working on getting in shape for the summer - hopefully sticking to this training plan and cleaning up my diet will get me where I want to be.

Valentino and I met up with some friends this afternoon for an Easter Egg Hunt and picnic at the park. Growing up, I always loved Eastertime (especially egg dying and hunting!), so I really enjoy watching my son get excited about it! The weather was perfect, the park was nice, and Vic was able to stop by and eat/visit with us - it was a really nice time with great kids and friends!

Dashing for the eggs!

 Posing like a model with his eggs

Look what's inside, mom!

Vic used to always chuckle every holiday when I said "I just love Easter/4th of July/Halloween/Christmas" - he'd say "You say the same thing no matter what holiday it is!" I've come to realize that I really just enjoy every holiday (except Thanksgiving, honestly - it's so boring!), especially now that I have a child to experience it with - he brings such a new and exciting meaning to each holiday. And now with Pinterest, there's never a shortage of fun projects, activities, or recipes to draw inspiration from to personalize the holidays! {Sidenote: I seriously love pinterest!}