Day 11

"I'm back in the saddle again!" I made it to the gym today! I even got there a little early because I really needed a release from school work. The workout really helped to calm me down & reduce my stress after school today. I managed to maintain my 30 sec. jog & 30 sec. walk intervals, although it was very difficult. My legs ached, I was sweating bullets, and I started to get a stomach cramp during the last 2 min. But I hung in there and pushed myself to the end. I can only hope that Day 12 will be easier. It's about what I expected after taking 5 days off. I have started to notice some definition in my legs. It's kind of cool. :) I also managed to do some arm weights & I have noticed myself getting stronger there, too. I think what I am most proud about, however, is that I had alot of excuses today. I could've used the excuse that I didn't sleep well last night & I'm too tired, or that I have too much school work to do, or its "that time of the month" for me & I just want to go home & crawl in bed. But I have realized that I could have an excuse everyday, but in the end, I really don't have any excuses. My health is my top priority & I need to make whatever adjustments I need to be healthy. I also weighed myself today & I weigh 231.8 lbs. I think that means I lost 1 lbs. last week! I also didn't eat out for dinner today. I think it helps that I am totally out of money, but oh well. I've only got four more days this week!

Day 10.5

It has been a terrible week at work & consequently a terrible week for workouts. It was the start of a new term & I'm teaching an extra class, so I only get a prep period every other day. I also had a couple of activities after school this week, so I wasn't able to catch up in the evenings. Saturday was the first day I was able to get to the gym this week. To add to the frustration, the gym was packed & I couldn't find a treadmill to workout on. I tried three ellipticals before I found one that wasn't broken. I was about 10 sec away from giving up and going to run in the rain. Eventually I found a good elliptical & got a good aerobic workout, but I don't want to count it because I didn't officially follow my training program. I also did some arm weights & crunches, and I weigh 232.2 lbs. Hopefully, this week will be better. I also signed up for a 5K training program online, offered through active.com. A friend of mine says active.com is a popular place for runners & races. I found it through the Salt Lake Marathon website. I will start my official 5K training on Feb 23rd (8 weeks before the race), so I have a month to get in shape. I am also going to set a goal to eat out for dinner less this week. I have been doing good with my breakfast & lunches, but dinner still needs some work. So, that is the plan. Wish me luck!

Day Eight, Nine, & Ten

I have been neglectful in my blogging, but not in my workouts! Last Thursday, Jan. 15, I worked out on Day Eight. I had a very good workout, where I was able to keep up the jog 30 sec/walk 30 sec pattern for all but one jog segment. Towards the end of my workout, I had to take a 1 min. walk segment to recover. I walked at 3.6 and jogged at 4.3 speeds. I also did some crunches, but now I can't remember if I did any weights. I don't think I did.

Saturday, Jan. 17, I also went to the gym. It wasn't a great workout however. I had pretty much talked myself out of going to the gym that day, but soon experienced feelings of guilt. I finally managed to get myself there, to find it very crowded and a stupid movie playing in the cardio cinema room. I grabbed the last treadmill with a personal TV, but wasn't able to find anything interesting to watch. I had left my iPod at home. After 10 min. of walking, I had to go to the bathroom. I was afraid to go, thinking someone would take my treadmill. Finally, I couldn't wait any longer. I left my sweater on the machine and hurried as fast as I could. Thankfully, nobody took my machine, but I had a hard time getting back into the workout. I completed the 30 min. but jog/walk segments were chaotic & unimpressive. I finally ended with a few crunches and left. Even though it wasn't a great workout, I still want to count this day because it took a lot of effort to accomplish what I did.

Today's workout went much better. Not only did I complete the workout with all 30sec jog/walk segments, but for the last 1 min. I jogged the entire segment. It felt great. I expected to be more tired then I was, but it was almost like a stroll in the park. I don't know if today was a freak day, or if I have really made good physical improvements. I guess time will tell. I walked at 3.6 and jogged at 4.3 speeds. I also weigh 234.1 lbs.

I suppose the next step will be to increase my speeds, and watch my diet. My diet has been terrible these last couple of days. I have been eating out too much & drinking too much Diet Coke. The only positive eating habit I have been able to fulfill is not drinking Diet Coke in the mornings. I want to make a commitment that I won't eat out this week, but realistically I know that won't happen. But I can try to eat healthier, smaller portions. That is something I can commit to.

Day Seven

Today was an awful day at work, but I was able to put all of that aside for an hour while I was at the gym. The running was good, and the walking was good. I had two intervals where I walked 1 min. instead of 30 sec. I also did arm weights and crunches. I don't really have anything else to say except that it was a good workout & a good stress reliever. I also weigh 233.7 lbs. My eating was good, except I caved and had Cafe Rio for dinner. On a good point, I got caffeine free Diet Coke at dinner again. Hopefully, I'll be able to go to bed at a decent hour.