Spring into Action Week 1 Check in

Boy what a busy month it has been so far!  Training at work has really thrown a wrench in my workout time, cooking time, sleep time.... time in general.  You get the picture :)  Looking forward to Monday when I'll finally be back to my actual schedule and no more rush hour traffic!  Makes all the difference :)

So here goes!  With March comes the newest challenge by the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.  This time around it's a little more of what I've seen before.  We were to make teams and we're competing using our weight loss as a whole against other groups.  I grouped up with my buddy from last year's kickoff Shrinking Jeans challenge.  My Chunky Monkey partner Melissa! :)

We kicked it off with the Shamrock Shuffle virtual 5k!  We got together down in Tempe with her husband and her dog and we walked around the lake a bunch of times.  The weather was gorgeous, the sun with the breeze lifting off the water, it was very enjoyable!  I had a really nice time catching up a bit.

Our first week's mini challenge was yoinked from the Shrinking Jeans suggestions.  We decided to take pictures of our food each day to observe how we're eating and where we can make improvements.  I really had fun doing it.  My weekend for sure shows my mood and where things got a bit bumpy when I got bad news.  But as I have learned many many times, one or two meals don't discredit all the hard work I've put in!  I hummed and hawed a bit before making the decision to share my bad days with the Shrinking Ladies group.  I felt that it was more about me being honest rather than anyone else really caring what I'm eating day to day so I went ahead and shared.  And here are the 6 days I kept track of:

 This current week's goal is to work out for 40 mins for at least 4 days.  I have already put in day 1!

Other good news would be I'm down just shy of another 1/2 pound. :)  They're coming off a lot slower now but I'm more than alright with that since I've lost what was really important to me.  From here on out, I'm still working hard, eating right, and paying attention, but I'm not stressing about whether I will yo-yo since I know that the last 2.5 months have made changes in my body for the better.  The longer the habits stay, the more I'll benefit from them no matter what the scale says every week.

I hope everyone out there is doing well.  I went from having a meltdown (over a change of doctors, postponing/cancelling a procedure) to being honky dorey again for the most part.  I'm very grumbly that I won't actually meet the doctor performing my procedure before it happens, but it was that or wait for an unknown amount of time (months) for my doctor to possibly come back.  I wish her well in whatever she's dealing with and now I'm back to hoping for the best (crossing my fingers for answers) with my surgery to figure out my abdominal issues that have been plaguing me for over a month.

It's the tough times that make it all worth it.  I know the strength acquired in hardships.  I've been through many of my own as have all of you.  They are essential to life itself.  How else would we learn?  Just remember that bad times will end and there's no reason to fret or stress too much.  It's bad for your health! :)

Where Did Feb Go?!

Well gosh!  It's a week into March already and every post I meant to write in the last two weeks just never happened!!  I will keep this one short, sweet, and simple as a check in since I've got a lot on my mind and stuff to do today!

Let's touch on my February goals really quick just to rip the bandaid off...

• 100 miles for the month.  I was a part of the FB group 50 Miles in February and set a personal goal to double that!  Well with all my mishaps of being sick and in bed for most of Feb, I did not hit 100 BUT I did go over 50! I totaled 61.75 miles even with my cold and mysterious abdomen issues!  While I didn't hit my goal, I feel it's still a win since I exceeded the 50 :)

 

• Biking 4 times a week.  Well that would have been lovely, but we'll just go ahead and wipe the slate on all my other goals.  All of my bed rest and necessary resting in general just threw a wrench into everything.  I only biked 3 times in Feb and 2 of those times honestly shouldn't have happened. : /
• Push ups and Planks.  Didn't happen.  I had to stop using my core muscles in workouts when my abdominal issue poked it's head out.  So I'm hoping to get back into the push ups as soon as I get some answers.

 On to my measurement sheet.  Since January I've lost.... 7.5 inches and 19.5 lbs as of my last Wed Weigh in!

I can't express how excited I am to hit one of my overall goals next Wed!!!

LOSE 10 PERCENT!

I need to lose 20lbs to lose my 10% in order to help manage my pre-diabetes :D  I feel great about all I've done and can't wait to continue to see the scale move and watch my pictures change!!!

This is the first of each month so far.  **oh and holy cow over 1000 people saw this picture on fb!!!!**

As far as March goals go, I'm going to just try and stay active this month.  I've been doing pretty good so far.  I started using the gym at my apartment complex and I've been getting in a good chunk of time on the elliptical every other day!  I just increased my time to 45 mins from 35 and I'm loving it :)  I'm still walking every day at work.  I don't always get in my 2 miles but that's just because I'm in training all month and it's sort of a time crunch training. : /  But it's the thought that counts!  I'm still up and as active as my body will allow.

I'm currently signed up for 4 5ks through the end of May.  This weekend will be the Shrinking Jeans virtual Shamrock 5k!

I am really looking forward to getting into another one!  It's been far too long since Jan 1st and my MS 5k!  April brings a mud run with a cousin and I hope it's as fun as the pictures make it look!

In May I am signed up for a Foam Glow and a Domestic Violence virtual 5k.  I will also be signing up for an Autism virtual 5k here shortly. :D

I go in at the end of the month for an outpatient procedure to see what's up with my abdomen issues.  I'm hoping this will provide more answers.  I really like my doctor and I appreciate that she's really listening to my concerns and she's ready to jump in and figure it out!!  Just can't wait to feel 100% again!

My journey this time around feels a lot more personal to me than I expected.  I started out with a ton of motivation and excitement.  February kind of trampled all over that.  But I find my motivation still alive and kicking.  I'm just not able to juggle all my priorities of sharing, blogging, etc as much as I'd like.  I feel like I'm totally on the right track and appreciate all the love and support I've gotten thus far! :)  Hope everyone else is doing amazing and I love seeing everyone's progress and support through the Shrinking Jeans Group!  Let's keep it up!!!