marathoner

Hi guys, just wanted to tell you that all is well on this end.  I hope all my buddies are doing well and I intend to come in here to check in on everyone as soon as humanly possible.  Right now, I need your insight!

My wonderful boys accidently deleted my entire music library from my iTunes, lucky I still have about 600 songs on my iPod, but my shuffle which I use on my runs has been wiped clean….luck would have it that my DS is on vacation and took my iPod so I need to add some music to my shuffle ASAP….soooooooooooooooooo I want to know….what moves you?  What’s on your iPod?  What music pumps you up during exercise?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Who knew that tiny little stickers from the dollar store would get me to peel myself off the computer chair and motivate me to go to the gym?  Who knew that I would be anxious about missing ONE workout because it would mean losing one sticker and not reaching my goal of 21 stickers for the month?  WHO KNEW?  Well, Anj did!

I have been scratching my head, trying to figure out WHY I have not been able to get back on track since I veered off during the Holidays.  I understand Dawnie…we want it, we know what we need to do to get it, and yet, something holds us back.  Obviously that something is ourselves, but why? 

Who knows?  The answer will probably come to me later OR not at all, right now I’m not caring very much because ALL I care about right now is getting my 21 stickers!  Thank you Anj.

This weekend I caught a cold/flu bug and decided to skip the gym yesterday.  This means that this week is going to be a long workout week—instead of 3 workouts in a row with a rest day in between the next set of three, I am going to exercise for 4 consecutive days before I take a rest day.  Buddies, I need you to pull forces with me and push my butt to make it through the week.  My hope is that this cold/flu bug doesn’t kick my butt to the point of knocking me out…so keep your fingers crossed as you remind me that I have to meet my goal for the week.  PLEASE!! 

Anj asked me why I couldn’t exercise while I have company—here’s the deal—usually when company is over we do the tour guide bit….we leave as early as possible and we stay up late.  I hardly get any sleep when we have company, so getting up earlier than my guests is not really an option for me.  HOWEVER, I have been thinking and thinking and thinking some more and I will do everything in my power to go for a short run while my guests are still sleeping.  I absolutely HAVE TO do it—if the scale isn’t moving any closer to my goal weight, I want to feel I accomplished something big this month….and I know that once I earn my 21 stickers, I will feel empowered.  I know it sounds silly, but Anj can attest to the power of the stickers….I know, I feel silly even writing it, but it’s true.  If anyone wants to give it a try…I highly recommend it!

Wishing everyone a great week!

Tanae—-welcome back! Let’s get this done once and for all, shall we?

Or maybe even better—365 chances to get a little closer!

I have to admit that even in KNOWING that I will reach my goal in 2009 and even though I know I will do so for life, I have been feeling a bit discouraged and overwhelmed as of late.  Nothing really has changed, the drive, the motivation, the tools are all there.  The problem? I can’t seem to pick up momentum!

Every morning I wake up with the best of intentions.  Every morning I tell myself, TODAY IS THE DAY, when I will follow my plan to a “T” and every day, I go to bed deflated and disappointed at myself for not only not making any progress, but for digging myself into a deeper hole.  Buddies, this is NOT meant to be a downer of a blog.  My feelings are raw, I know, but I have a positive message to share with you guys.

We have 52 weeks (well, more like 51) to get closer to our goals.  We have 354 opportunities to make the right choices.  I am not shooting for PERFECTION!  I am seeking BALANCE and PROGRESS in ALL areas of my life, not just weight-loss!

I was sitting at home reading everyone’s blogs SERIOUSLY considering repeating to myself what seems to be my mantra these days—”tomorrow.”  I would track my food, exercise, eat my fruits and veggies, take by vitamins….when?  TOMORROW.  So today, not only will I skip everything that is good and healthy, I will also eat all the chocolate and ice-cream in sight! I will prop myself in front of the boob tube and have a “last binge, I mean MEAL.”  If any of you find yourselves in this mess, raise your hands!

Well….I have no idea what my caloric intake for the day is, since I did not track my food, but you know what I did do instead?  I got my butt off the computer chair, dutifully changed into my workout clothes and headed to the gym.  I was mad at the world because both my boys were acting out and I was ANGRY!  But was I angry at my boys or was I simply taking it out on them?  Yes, the thought did cross my mind—I’d be better off alone! 

I got on the treadmill and vowed to take it easy….the last time I showed my face around here was on December 19th and even though I worked out at home to some DVD’s, I was sure I wasn’t going to be able to keep up!  To my surprise, I kicked butt!!  I took all my frustrations and all my anger out on that treadmill and now, I am smiling at the world.  I feel hopeful, optimistic…I am on a runner’s high!

The moral of the story is this:  In the last few months, I have learned that exercising and eating healthy not only helps me reach my weight-loss goals, it lifts my mood, my spirit! 

For the first week of the year, I lost ONE lb.   My weekly goal is 1.3 lbs.  so for not having exercised, I think I did pretty darn good!  The goal for this week is 1.6 lbs. weight-loss.  Somehow, I know that I can do it….somehow, getting on that treadmill reminded me of how wonderful it feels to move my body.  It reminded me that it is worth it to track my food and get my veggies, vitamins and fruits in!  It reminded me that even though I seek balance in all things, taking care of my body makes it that much easier to take care of my mind.  Somehow, I can’t even remember why I was mad at my boys to begin with! 

So….1 week down, 51 more weeks to go!

Finally, thanks to our super star buddy Nancy, I am thinspired to change one ugly habit this year…eating infront of the boob tube.  So, Nancy, you asked me if I would count the days and the answer is YES!  I am also going to reward myself with a sticker for everyday I accomplish my goal!  Thanks for the idea Anj!  Buddies thinspiring buddies, that’s what this website is all about.