Girls on the Run

Saturday's "Girls on the Run" 5K was amazing. It was truly inspirational!

If you're not familiar with GOTR, check out their website. www.girlsontherun.org

This is what their website says about their program:

"Girls on the Run® is a life-changing, experiential learning programs for girls age eight to thirteen years old. The programs combine training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development."

I was honored to participate in their 5K. I ran along side a good friend of mine, Jami Young, (which by the way- I'm SUPER PROUD OF YOU, JAMI!) as it was her first 5K. She ran/walked it in 40 minutes and 50 seconds. That's not bad time at all for your first run.

Both her and I kept getting choked up as we saw these young girls run their race with their loved ones, coaches, friends and family either running alongside them or cheering from the road. What an awesome program!

Please check their website out and if you're local, Menchies in Annapolis is offering 10% of all sales for the next 10 days to GOTR. How cool (sorry, for the pun) is that!?!?!?!

Encouragement

Today I'm running/walking another 5K with a friend. It's her first 5K and she's really looking forward to it. I'm really proud of her. 3.2 miles is a big step for someone who's getting started. She's been working really hard to move towards a healthier lifestyle.

A couple weeks ago I met with her and we discussed food. I loaned her a book about clean eating and getting the right fuel at the right time. I think sometimes people just need to talk their goals out with someone; they need to hear some encouragement and they need to know that other people struggle too.

My friend has seen my transformation. She knows that I've struggled before, but she saw how my hard worked payed off and how much I now enjoy my healthy life and body. She knows it wasn't easy...but it was definitely worth it.

Something I've recently seen is that its really hard to lose weight in a group setting. For example, the girls at my work thought they would all get together and lose weight. The idea was that they would keep each other on track--well, that didn't go exactly as planned. Once one fell off the wagon, the others quickly followed. This was almost 16 weeks ago, imagine the weight they could have lost by now. Think about how much better and happier they would feel if they had stuck to it...

I think what they lacked was "encouragement". They needed someone there who was making changes and seeing results. They needed to be pushed and lead into a direction of health and fitness. Without the support and encouragement of others, you will most likely fail.

So think about the people in your life. Are you encouraging them to reach their goals? Are you supporting their efforts? Are you running the race along side them and letting them know you are there?

Also, are you thanking those that have been there for you? I know I wouldn't have reached the successes I have if I didn't have my strong support system and the love and encouragement that I receive from those who care about me.

Make it Count

The other morning while working out, a fellow gym goer says to me, "You're really pushing it this morning." I reply, "I'm here aren't I, shouldn't I make it count?"Too often I see people in the gym, sipping their coffee and working their jaw jibber-jabbering more than actually working their muscles and I wonder to myself, "what's the point?"

I'm not at the gym to waste my time, I can think of a million and three other things I could be doing at 6:30 am; sleeping for one! When I go to the gym, I'm there to push myself to the limits, break my goals, feel the burn and make the change. Not every single morning do I have the energy I would like to have, but every time I'm there, I do my best to make it count.

I try and challenge my body each day. Run harder, run faster, squat deeper, lift heavier. You get the idea...its all about MAKING CHANGE and exceeding the previous efforts. A friend told me you only grow when you push yourself, I don't think they were talking about working out, but really more just about life. Isn't it true though, for either? We grow when we step out of comfort levels, push ourselves harder and make each moment of our life (or workout) count!

What will you do tomorrow to make it count?

Health Tip of the Day:

At times, you will not feel like exercising. If you're just feeling a little tired or low on energy, go ahead and try to complete your routine. The workout will likely boost your energy level and your mood.

Picture says a thousand words..

And not the words I want to hear. While looking at pictures of today's race, I was honestly surprised to see some belly fat. We all know that's been a problem area for me since having kids, but I'm at 129 lbs., feeling pretty good in my clothes and noticing a lot of progress in my recent weight loss endeavors. After seeing this picture...I'm even more determined to do something about the belly fat. I was seriously disappointed to see this and felt a little embarrassed that I'm still struggling with this area! UGH! We all have that one body part that just gives us grief!



So look for some posts about ab workouts, belly fat blasting and tummy toning. This girl is on a mission!!!

The Race

Today's race was incredible. The trail was much harder than I had expected and I later learned that it was just cut two days ago. It was pretty "new" and there was a lot of ducking, dodging, jumping, slipping, etc. The race was a 5K with 9 obstacles, as stated in the previous post, but what the map and pictures don't show is that many of the hills are steep, there were trees down every where and the path was very very uneven. Not to mention that it rained ALL NIGHT last night and everything was covered in slippery mud!

I ran the race with a woman that brings her children to my preschool, Monica, and a friend of hers, Pamela. They are both training for the Annapolis 10K that I thought I might run in June. They are pretty good distance runners. I didn't have much trouble keeping up with them, in fact, I felt that they lead a steady pace that I was very comfortable running. I'm used to running a little faster, but lately I've been going for speed not distance so I appreciated that they could set the speed.

Of all nine obstacles, the one that I feared the most was the rock wall. I'll be honest and say that I'm not the most coordinated person and I'm also afraid of heights. The wall wasn't too high, but I was covered in mud, it was covered in mud, and it was also at the near end of the race so we were tiring out. I ended up going up and over without any trouble, but that last leg of the race I was feeling very worn out and eager to see the finish line.

The final leg of the race was almost pure mud. I slipped and slid may way around the last hundred yards and found it very difficult to keep my pace up. As we neared the crowd and the finish line, Monica and I were side by side; we hit it hard and finished strong. Our husbands and my children were waiting with high fives and smiles. Pamela was just a few yards ahead of us. She was a rockstar, all of us did great, but she was really able to keep up the pace the whole way through. I think Monica and I started off a little fast and tired more easily.

So here we are at the end of the race. Muddy, tired, happy and glad that the race and obstacles are over. I think we'll definitely do another one, maybe not soon for me, but I know that having a crowd together to do one will be fun! I'm not so intimidated anymore with the obstacles. :)

Terrapin and Hare 5K

Here we go! I've been invited to participate in the Terrapin Adventures "The Terrapin and the Hare 5K" race tomorrow. Since all my friends bailed on me for Warrior Dash, I'm going to go ahead and participate in this run with a woman I know through my preschool. She's one of the coolest ladies I know and I think it will be incredibly fun to do this with her. Check out the link below to see what we'll be up to! I'm sooooo nervous and incredibly excited. Wish me luck! Hopefully I have pictures tomorrow!


http://www.terrapinadventures.com/

The scale is moving.

Blythe's Facebook post is "Patience is a virtue". PERFECT TIMING! I've been pretty patient with the scale. My clothes have been fitting better, I felt tighter, but nothing was moving. Then BAM! This week, I lost 4lbs! I'm thrilled. I have about 4 more to go...we'll see how long it takes to get there!

Helping Others

One of my biggest joys with my new healthy lifestyle is helping others. I just started my 3rd "Biggest Losers Challenge" for a group of friends and I met with a girlfriend today to discuss her diet and exercise plan. I love that I can help inspire and motivate people and I also know how hard it is to make that life change.

The girlfriend I met with today doesn't have too far to go to reach her goal. 13 lbs total is all she is aiming for and we've got 12 weeks to do it. I know she can do it and I'm here to support her 100%. Nothing feels better than reaching goals, but helping others reach their goals comes pretty darn close!

Monday

I've never been so excited for Monday to arrive. After the weekend I've had, I cannot wait to hit (HIIT) the gym tomorrow! I've got to burn off all the crap I've eaten over the weekend. I can honestly say that my body is feeling the difference. Its almost like its screaming, "don't you dare put one more unhealthy thing in me!" LOL!

In all seriousness, I wasn't too terrible this weekend, but once you get used to a strict nutrition plan and clean eating, you can really feel the difference when you put sugary or processed food in your system. After weeks of not eating sugars, processed foods, refined wheat, and then binging with wedding cake (which seriously was probably one of the better ones I've tasted!) and then candy from my annual Mother's Day trip to Hershey Park, http://runningonaas.blogspot.com/, etc. I'm hurting today!

For tomorrow, I think I'll start with a full body jump start and then do about 20-25 mintues of HIIT. My legs are already twitching thinking about it. I just need to detox. I'm really looking forward to the Monday morning music and time to myself; that's what it truly is...my moving meditation. So, I'll pop my earbuds in, jam to some of my favorite tunes and push heavy weight tomorrow. Bring it.

Temptation

Holy smokes have I had some serious temptation in our home! The above candy buffet was my latest party creation. I had put this together for my niece's wedding and I've had it set up in my house for the last several weeks. Thank goodness the wedding was yesterday and I was finally able to rid my home of the sinful sweets!

Included in the buffet:

Gumballs
Reece's Pieces
Peanut Butter Cups
Swedish Fish
Lollipops
Candy Necklaces
Rock candy
Mike and Ikes
Chocolate Shells
Candy Buttons
Good and Plenties
Gummy Worms
Gummy Bears
Chocolate Basketballs
M&Ms
Skittles
Mints
Hot Tamales
Twizzlers
Hershey Kisses
and Miniature Candy Bars

Whew!!!! I've never been glad to have this out of my house! I'm actually pretty proud of myself; I'm not really a big candy person, but my husband is and I was tired of getting dirty looks (lovingly of course) for keeping this temptation in the home. Not to mention, my children each have an incredible sweet tooth.

So tomorrow is Monday and we're officially a candy free home. Thank goodness!

Tanning to Tone

Let's face it, everyone looks a little better with some color! My husband always jokes that I'm the whitest filipino he's ever known...there's some truth to it; I definitely got my father's genes when it came to skin tone.

I am NOT an advocate of fake baking or tanning beds. Save your skin, you only get one! I am however a big fan of spray tans. There is a great little tanning salon here in Annapolis that does a Mystic Tan for $25, it only last a week or so, but its great for a quick "pick me up" or if you're in a jam and need a tan; not to mention its safe for your skin.

I immediately look more muscular and tone with a tan. I've gone a couple times already this spring and I'm loving the look!

Take Notice

So my scale has barely moved, but that doesn't mean that there isn't loss! The scale is an easy way for me to measure myself. You stand on it and in 15 seconds it tells you lbs. body fat %, BMI, etc. Easy peasy! It hasn't budged in weight in weeks.

However, I'm definitely losing inches. My wedding rings swirl easily around my fingers, my pants slide up over my hips without hesitation and there's a little room at top too! I'll take it! I feel pretty good where I'm at, would love to be a few lbs lighter (vanity sake!) but I'm definitely taking notice to the changes that I see and feel!

HIIT IT

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) never lets me down!

I didn't feel like "running" a distance today, so I jumped on the treadmill for 20 minutes of HIIT. Two minutes walking, one minute sprint, rinse and repeat for the duration of the time. WOW! Sweat dripping, heart pounding; this workout is HARD. I missed it. I think I'll stick to HIIT every day this week and see if I get any results! I'd love to lean out a bit this week and I think its TOTALLY possible!