Thursday was for practice

I've definitely learned that with starting a new healthy routine you just can't start all at once. While my list of what I want to do to have a healthy life is long, I know they all can't be done perfectly every day.

Just putting on workout clothes Thursday morning when I woke up was a good change. After dropping of Kid #1 at school I walked on the treadmill for a mile (3.0, so 20 minutes) while listening to a Half Size Me podcast. I listened to these for 2 months last year and they really helped me - hearing people's stories are very inspirational.

I had breakfast at 10:00 - 2 vanilla Greek yogurt with blueberries and 1/2 a cup of granola - too much breakfast but I was measuring it - easing into it.

Work was pretty busy and I was in meetings from 10:00-12:30 so no walking breaks. I had leftover spaghetti with marinara sauce and cheese - probably too much and I ate it in front of the computer since I had a few hours of stuff to catch up on.

I only got 1 other walk break in and it was 10 minutes. And then the day went downhill from there. More meetings and work all afternoon. No walk breaks, no snack.

At 5:00 I went grocery shopping on an empty stomach - not the best idea. Seeing that it is Super Bowl weekend I was already buying some not-so-healthy eats for Sunday dinner and picked up 2 bags of Popcorn chips.

Dinner at 6:30 was a Lean Cuisine pizza....and then TWO bowls of chips :(

Days aren't perfect but today is a new day.

AND TOMORROW JANUARY IS OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

January From Hell

Like everyone, January feels like it is a million years long. It is by far my least favorite month of the year.  One and a half days to go and it is time to celebrate February. I always buy myself flowers over Super Bowl weekend. While New England has had lots to celebrate 4 out of the last 5 Super Bowls, I will admit it is kind of nice not having to stress about it and enjoy.

So like many people I had lots of intentions at the beginning of the year. I worked out on the first 3 days of the year. I tracked for the first 4 days of the year. And then nothing, nothing at all...except too much stressing and too much eating. The stress is work and living with a 13 year old.

I did have some fun. From the 8th to the 12th I went to Florida where I originally was supposed to run a Half Marathon, but do to illness, weather, work and the holidays I wasn't able to train above 8 miles. I haven't run since November 22nd. I am not upset I didn't get to run the Half Marathon. Our trip was fabulous, except for looking at the pictures of myself. The race would have been awful - It was incredibly hot. It was 74 degrees at the start of the race at 5:30 am. Instead we walked 13.1 miles our first full day and went to all four parks in one day. The other 3 days were a little more relaxing but still a lot of fun.

But life since we got back hasn't been a lot of fun. Thirteen years old is no fun and it stresses me out.

But I've got to take care of myself. In 15 weeks I am back to Orlando for a 50th birthday party and I can not look or feel the way I do now. So now I am under the gun and I usually do not react well to that.

I will confess I did something "bad" - I was supposed to have my physical in 3 weeks and I just moved it July!

So this is what I plan on doing
1) Going to WW on Saturday - no waiting until I lose the 5-6 lbs I've gained since November
2) Walk breaks at work - listen to Half Size Me Podcasts and wear my Fit Bit
3) Drink my water
4) Track my food
5) Exercise at 7:20 am even if just walking on the treadmill
6) To bed by 10:15/Up at 6:15
7) Menu plan/Food prep - cook my way through everything in our pantry/freezer
8) Weigh myself every day

My exclusions are small
A) Don't drink my calories (I actually went into the office 3 days this week and bought my lunch every day which included a regular Coke) - I don't drink much alcohol but I am okay having none for the next 15 weeks.
B) Stay away from processed foods - they are such a trigger - I've eaten way too much of that crap this month because I allowed it in the house. The kids are cranky when I don't buy much and I am sick of cranky so I buy it but then I don't stay away from it so then I am cranky! I don't know what is worse, them cranky or me!

Money is tight these days - Christmas will be paid off with payday tomorrow! But we've already put $ on the credit card for upcoming trips. So not eating out is a good thing! And even reducing our weekly grocery bill, which is usually $250, will be a huge help.

I want to get outside more. We have no snow right now, which is great, but us in New England know not to get too complacent, because February and March are often when we get pounded with storms.

Now I just need to get through today and tomorrow and then it is the weekend and February!!!!!!

Starting the year out alright

Well, the first thing I did this year wasn't great. I went to bed at 10:00 on New Year's Eve - I just don't feel the need to stay up past my bedtime, especially when I worked all day Tuesday and need to be at work on Thursday. I had when rotating holidays are on Wednesdays! I decided on a whim to step on the scale. It was horrible, horrendous. 239.6. The last time I weighed myself, a few weeks ago, was 232. I wanted to cry. But just one piece of data. I had eaten a lot of frozen appetizers the night before (to clean out the freezer) and the Christmas candy has been staring at me from my work space. It has either been eaten, throw out, or moved so I have a fresh view from my kitchen island.

Like last year I started the year out with a walk around the reservoir. Last year it was in the 50s and no snow so I got in 2 laps and made plans to get trail running shoes and eventually run it which I did! This year there was a couple of inches of snow and ice so one lap took 45 minutes so I stuck to just one. But got in 5,000 steps in the process.

After my walk I went to the grocery store to get a few things. I have decided that I am going to try to photograph every thing I eat to try to keep myself accountable. Not that I am going to post everything. I had taken a picture of my oatmeal before I ate it so it was prettier, but while I was eating "breakfast" I found an app that records the timestamp so I tried that out with my half eaten meal.

I made a soup that my mom used to make for Christmas day - I had some leftover pancetta to use up but I had too much meat and the soup was just too salty so the rest may get thrown away. Some people sware by soups but I doubt - I feel like the saltiness, even when I use low sodium broth, just makes me feel bloated.

In the afternoon I jumped on the treadmill for 5 minutes to get my steps to 10K.

I asked my husband to make his chicken parm for dinner. Since I am not in the habit of photographing dinner, of course I didn't. And.....I had three helpings :(  I went into the meal way too hungry and his parm is so good (full of garlic). I should have stopped with 2 helpings. Okay, I should have stopped with one. We did have a salad as well (and I purposefully forgot to tell him I bought garlic bread) so it wasn't all bad. Of course I made the salad because he usually doesn't include vegetables with his meal planning.

I did something new last night - I left my phone downstairs. I never used to sleep with my phone next to my bed until about 5 years ago when I started running at 5 am and wanted to know before I got downstairs if people had bailed (which ended up being more often than not so I stopped trying to meet up with people). It really is such a time sucker and everything I read says you shouldn't be exposed to the phone light right before bed. I got into bed around 7:00 and read books - no phone, no tv. It was wonderful.

When I started working from home I realized I could work out between getting kid #1 to school and either dropping kid #2 at the bus stop or driving him to school, but due to the work project I hadn't been able to do it. But I decided to give it a try today.

I turned on the original 21 Day Fix - Total Body Cardio Fix. I was able to get it done, get my son into the car to drive to the bus stop (he can't really walk since the sidewalks are covered in snow and ice), and then jump into a quick shower before sitting down at my computer.

Of course I am procrastinating working by writing this - while it may feel like a Monday to some, it really is a Thursday, so we just have to get through 2 days!

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.

Nothing this week except 8 miles

After a fantastic week last week, this week was a big dud.

I started out last Saturday going to my WW meeting and learning about the new program. I was 230.4 Saturday morning.....And I haven't weighed myself since.

We went out Saturday night to the Melting Pot for my mom's birthday - I was going to try to be good, but went too hungry - I had 3 alcoholic drinks, 4 courses. I drank a lot of water as well, but woke up Sunday feeling so dehydrated.

I had a productive Sunday and did some food prep - cooked whole wheat pasta and sweet potatoes and hard boiled eggs. But really didn't eat well during the week. Work continued to be crazy so I was starting work at 8 am and not getting my work out in. I didn't track. I didn't wear my FitBit, I didn't get in steps. I may have been okay with my water.

What I did do was run 8 miles this morning. I ran incredibly, incredibly slowly. And it was 45 degrees and I was a little overdressed and it was humid so my water went more quickly. But it is done.

Originally I was going to do 9 miles this coming Wednesday, but work is too busy and I always do a second grocery store run the day before Thanksgiving to get the perishables. So I will be doing the 9 miles on Friday. That will help me curb things a bit on Thanksgiving. I don't love Thanksgiving food, but this will be extra incentive to keep my plate to one helping.

And the reason for my Friday run this week? I get to see this tomorrow!

And the week to come? I am not making crazy promises.
-I will have some treats tomorrow but will also try to get in some extra water and I will walk a lot even after my 8 miles today
-Sunday is my big grocery store run so we are in the process of getting stuff out of the fridge to make room for all the holiday stuff, so my normal food haul will be small
-I will get in a run on Monday or Tuesday
-Lots of water, less grazing
-Get on the scale at least once