Looking ahead to 2020

The title of this blog is "Getting Fit Again in my 40s" but in mid-August I will no longer be in my 40s. But I am going to spend the next 7 1/2 months feeling more fit, even if the scale doesn't reflect it.

While I am disappointed about not running my half marathon, I am by no means giving up running. But I am going to concentrate on 5-7 miles max and enjoy it and push myself. But I am not going to jump into those distances not having run since the 3rd week in November.

So this is what I want 2020 to look like:

1) Beachbody workouts
2) Spinning videos on our bike in the basement
3) Walking on the treadmill during the day
4) Stretching and yoga
5) Getting my water in
6) Sleeping from 10:00 pm - 6:00 am
7) Not drinking my calories (except Shakeology)
8) Eating a variety of foods - less sugar, smaller portions, more fruits and vegetables
9) Post more to be accountable
10) Get back to WW
11) Find someone to be accountable to each day

What you don't see above is a number - Numbers in time never work for me. Yes, I need, need, need to be under 220 for the first time in 5+ years (and I'll hope for way more than that) but the scale isn't a top priority right now (even with going back to WW after I go to Disney).

I also want to
A) Get outside more - hiking, walking, taking pictures, just enjoying not being inside
B) Work on my camera skills
C) Watch none or less Hallmark movies - they suck the time away - if I am going to watch TV (which I want to watch less of), I have a list of movies and shows to watch
D) Read more books (my problem is I so easily fall asleep while reading!)
E) Use what I own more - craft supplies, books, kitchen foods and gadgets, hiking/outdoors supplies


What do I have in store for 2020? Actually not a lot.

We all have milestones - I am turning 50, me and my husband will be celebrating 15 years, my daughter will be finishing middle school and heading to high school, my son will be finishing elementary school and starting middle school (my brother will celebrate 55 and my parents would have celebrated 60 years).

I have one concrete trip to Disney coming up in January, one hopeful trip to Disney in May to celebrate a 50th birthday of a friend from high school, a trip to California as our family summer vacation, hopefully some time away with my husband while the kids are at camp, perhaps a road trip with my son, and hopefully a weekend away in December to celebrate Christmas activities in Vermont.

I have no races planned, no hikes that we will definitely do (though I do want to do some), no big things to look forward too (the trips will be fun but nothing compared to our kid-less trip to Wyoming this year). So it is a good year to be - To enjoy life, to make some positive changes that can last a lifetime. But I need to come up with things to occupy my evenings - I don't want to just mindlessly play on my phone or watch tv. I can't really do photography in my house, in the dark. I like to write stories so I may get myself a new laptop so I can sit in bed and write. And I want to not just sit around on the weekends but yet we don't want to spend a lot of money - 2019 was a little hard on the pocketbooks.

Feeling good, mind, body and soul - That is my motto for 2020.

Bye Bye 2019, Hello 2020

Today is the last day of 2019 - I am so ready to start a new decade, if that means bringing on a new decade of age.

I don't know how much I weigh today but if I guess it is what I weighed a year ago. I am not thrilled with that, but most of that is due to lack of activity at the end of the year. For the most part I was active in 2019.

I started out the year with a warm walk around the reservoir.

I did lots of Beach Body in the beginning of the year - I was very good at getting up at 5:30 am and working out. I also walked 10K steps every day for the first 6 weeks of the year.

I tried to get out along the reservoir as much as I could during the winter, even in the snow

I started out the year at WW and lost 10 pounds very quickly....unfortunately the 10 lbs did not stay off

I dunked my feet in fountains on our family trip to Virginia/DC in April.

I hiked with part of the family (and solo)

I even did 1 20-mile bike ride to commemorate 20 years at my company

I got in lots of runs (more on that later), even in the heat

The trail is still my church - I find such peace there

Me and the husband took a much awaited trip to Wyoming without the kids

I got to dunk my feet in snow in July

I ran my 10K in Rhode Island in October

And I got in so beautiful runs on the trail, topping out at 8 miles (more on that later)

And then came November 22nd. And I haven't run since.

In 2019 I ran 59 times for a total of 215.0 miles.

I planned on doing a 1/2 marathon in January in 10 days, but once Thanksgiving hit, due to exhaustion and illness I didn't run over Thanksgiving weekend. And then it snowed 18 inches and while the snow didn't last, holiday obligations and work obligations and holiday stress and holiday excitement and work stress took over and I didn't run in December. There were a couple of times i wanted to but it was like 5 degrees and I didn't want to run the risk of getting sick. But I am not giving up running!

My body has not felt good in December - all the holiday stuff and work stress will do that do me. But tomorrow is another month, another year, another decade. Time to do better, but what "better" means is for a different post!

Quick Check In: No running and more

So yeah, the last time I posted was Friday November 22nd, the last time I went running. That being said, obviously there is no way that my Half Marathon is going to happen, but I am okay with that.

But what have I been doing since November 22nd (sorry no pictures, I've pulled them off my phone and I am too busy at work to retrieve them off my computer)

--Saturday November 23rd I went to NYC for the day by myself. I saw Christmas decorations being put up, I went to the Tenement Museum, I strolled for 14 miles.

--I originally was going to do 9 miles the day before Thanksgiving but work has been so incredibly busy, I wasn't able to go into work late. Thanksgiving was fine - not my favorite holiday. Despite me eating pretty well, I woke up incredibly dehydrated on Friday and it was only 18 degrees so the 9 miles didn't happen. My husband and I drove to Maine for the day on Saturday - so 9 miles didn't happen then either. And then Sunday it was about 5 degrees and I wasn't feeling great, so 9 miles didn't happen then either. I figured I was okay to do 10 miles the next weekend, but....

--Monday and Tuesday it snowed 18 inches. The kids didn't have school for 2 days. It was cold. I was working my butt off. I had zero motivation to try to run in the cold and with snowbanks. I was waiting for my period so I was feeling really off.

--Saturday December 7 there was still tons of snow and I had shopping to do and I think it was this day that I officially declared to myself that the Half Marathon wasn't going to happen. Sunday December 8th I took my daughter to NYC for the day (yes, trip #2 in 2 weeks) to meet up with friends. While I didn't walk 14 miles, it was still a fun, long, tiring day.

--I've been working from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm every work day for the past month and this week isn't going to be any different.

--This past weekend my daughter had a party Friday night and into Saturday where we did some Christmas activities, Saturday I finished ALMOST all of my shopping and wrapping and Sunday I officially did finish both! I had hoped to get in a run on Sunday, just because I MISS it! But it was the only day I could sleep in for the foreseeable future and I had been up in the middle of the night stressing about work. And it was good I didn't go because it was so incredibly windy!

--Sunday I did step on the scale for the first time in forever. 232.6. While yesterday was full of holiday cheer and this coming weekend will be as well, that doesn't mean that this whole week will be a free-for-all even though we have TONS of junk food in the house.

--I will be back after Christmas to recap our festivities and then talk about getting on track, because for me, getting on track starts on December 26th. While I am still going to Disney, just not running, there are 2 weeks between Christmas and our trip and I want to jump start my healthy new year, not wait until after we get back because it will be almost mid-January by that time.