Goal for the new year - NOT resolution @BrooksRunning #newshoes #timetowalk #smallsteps

I don't like making resolutions.  I generally don't succeed.  Instead, this year I'm setting goals.  I finished out 2015 reasonably strong.  I made sure some things that have needed to happen were taken care of.  IE: Passports for the kids for our upcoming cruise, getting my son registered for the SAT/ACT, etc.  The problem with having "plenty of time" to get things done is they tend to slide until last minute.  I'm so tired of life happening TO me, that the first of my goals is to just get it done, whatever "it" is.

With all the fistula and related medical issues that happened to me last year, I haven't done much in the way of races or even just getting out to walk.  I'm still challenged visually, which makes running a hazard but my kids have said they'll go with me to help act as guides if needed.  So to get me started on the road, I bought a new pair of running shoes.  Love my Brooks shoes.  Normally, I'd go by Big Peach to get them or order them from Amazon.  This time I stopped by Hibbett Sports and picked them up.

I won't be running in the runDisney race this year, but I will be going to cheer everyone else along. My dad and I were slow on the uptake to getting in and didn't get in. I'm looking forward to going down and enjoying the parks and getting out of the RAIN! Now I'll need to make a choice as to what race I'll make my goal. I'm not in a rush, I figure it will be this Fall before I try a 5K.  I did join a friend's challenge on fitbit, maybe I'll actually be able to keep up.  Small steps.

Running to a 5K/10K - figuring out my goals

I'm planning out my schedule for next year.  I'm one of those that has to have a goal set (and paid for) to be able to make my way to it.  Setting personal goals is hard to follow through with when I have no accountability except myself.  I end up getting mad at myself or something happens and I easily get off track.  That's been the case for the last couple of months this  year.  It's only because I'm scheduled to run the Disney Marathon weekend 5K & 10K in January that I'm doing anything at all.  More to it, I'm practicing because my daughter is joining me and she needs the practice so she doesn't get hurt.

Beyond that, I'm signed up to do the Hot Chocolate 5K at the end of January.  Want to join me? You can sign up and just meet me there.  I want to do the Pretty Muddy next year too (I'll register for that later) and the Peachtree Road Race.  I'll have to do the lottery, though, on that one (so no guarantees).

I have no idea what other races will catch my eye in 2015.  I'll have to wait and see what I can afford to do on top of what I'm motivated to do.  I really need to work on my motivation.  Anyone wanna walk with me?

Friday's Fowl #birdwatching #exercise

When my daughter is at lab at school, I try to go walking. Normally, I'd go over to Sugarloaf Mills as a trip around the mall is one mile and it's air conditioned. This week, I did something different and walked over at Rhodes Jordan Park in Lawrenceville. I broke up my walk when I decided to do some bird watching while I was there.

Geese

There were a lot of these around the lake.  Black headed vultures.

Friday #Fitness #health #diving

I'm headed to the doctor's office today.  After the Peachtree and the pain in the side of my leg, I figured it was time to get checked.  I haven't pushed myself since then, though I have been walking.  I did notice, though, that even though I haven't pushed my legs are still feeling it.  I'm hoping to find out that I just need physical therapy.  I suspect that I'll end up with an x-ray.  Beyond that is pure speculation.

My daughter has her first springboard dive meet in the morning.  She's very nervous and excited all at once.  Join me in wishing her the best of luck.

Health - Digestion & Constipation

I know, lovely topic right?  At any rate, conversation has to start somewhere.  I'm one of those that has issues.  I'm either clogged or I'm loose.  Being clogged can be quite painful and I've already seen a doctor about it.  Her solution was drink more water, eat more fiber, and get more exercise.  She also did a colonoscopy just to make sure nothing looked wrong.  Lovely.  Unfortunately, those by themselves aren't quite enough for my system. 

For a while I just took a probiotic or ate a lot of yogurt.  It helped, but not necessarily consistently or enough.  It wasn't until I went to the ALIVE! expo and talked to a homeopathic doctor that I found a reasonable solution.   Dr. Gary Pack of Nutrient Medicine suggested adding a prebiotic to my probiotic.   Of course he sells his own supplies online.

I, on the other hand, being me, went to Amazon to find what I wanted.  I've been giving it a try for the last month and I have to say it has made a difference.  I'm not clogged and I'm not (always) loose.  I can't say I'm ideal, but at least I'm better than I was.  Now off to try more of what I learned to see what else I can fix or at least improve.

Friday Fitness

So, I didn't do so well in the month of May. I could blame it on end of school, leaving my job at GCA, or any number of other items. Fact is, I just didn't want to. I hit a wall and couldn't get myself motivated. Instead of doing a workout after my son headed off to school, I'd just watch the news or doze until time to get going for the rest of the day. Then I couldn't get in to walking the dogs later. Depression? Maybe. Stress? Definitely. Lack of motivation? Not really, at least not from external sources.

My kids, though, have agreed to start walking out at Stone Mountain park some mornings. It'll be fairly early due to the heat, but I want to start getting out there twice a week or so. I don't think I want to CLIMB the mountain, but certainly doing the 5 mile loop around is a good place to start.

I also want to explore a bunch of the parks in GA that I've yet to go to.  Get some hiking and what not in.  I need to replace my son's bike (he has 2 that don't fit) and maybe we can do a family bike trip. I'd love to try the trails at Callaway.

At any rate, here's hoping I do better than I have.  

Friday Fitness (and funny)

I've been letting Jillian Michael's kick my butt this week doing her Yoga Inferno dvd.  I figured I owed it to myself after taking time off last week.  I also did an hour of Rodney Yee's intermediate yoga Wednesday just to mix it up.  After that, I feel like T-Rex below.

#godirtygirl Getting Dirty and Loving it

It all started as a pretty day and I was all clean.  Even though I knew it would be warm, I knew the mud obstacles would be cold.  So I wore my shirt from last year's Dirty Girl.

Then we started the race and I crawled through the first mud pit.  Of course, I wiped my hands..

The obstacles kept coming.. and I kept conquering.

After 3.1 miles (5K) of course and obstacles (some with mud, some without), I'd had a wonderful time with my friends and came out looking like this..

I love the challenge of the Dirty Girl.  I don't run it (last year, it was too muddy to safely run), so I'm not speedy by any means.   I'm very tired at the end, but it's a great feeling.   It's fun to run with a group (yay Mud Puppies!), though I think next year we need our own shirt (and maybe a better name).

Fitness Friday

I'll admit it, I've been slack this week.  Hubs took us out to Tallulah Gorge last Saturday and we did the stairs down to the bridge and back.  I was fine after, but the next few days my calves really felt it.  Since I have the Dirty Girl tomorrow, I decided I'd just take it easy this week.  Doesn't help that my kids are on spring break, so my schedule is pretty well confused.

I haven't lost any weight and I don't see any changes to my measurements, so I've hit another plateau.  Really, I'm not working to lose weight so much as I am at toning up.  I'd really like to be able to do more of the kicks and moves in Choi more easily.  Guess it's time to change up my workout again.  Gonna see if I have enough weights to simulate a kettle bell and start working that in, I think.  I do love my yoga, though.

Alive! Expo coming April 26-27

This is a paid affiliate link.

I have attended this expo a couple of times now and have to say it's a very good one to go to.  A lot of good information and resources if you want to start working on your health and fitness.  There will be quite a few speakers to listen to and seminars to attend, with loads of exhibitors to check out.  If you use my link above, you'll save $5 on your ticket (which makes it a $5 ticket).  Well worth the time and effort to go.

Dirty Girl Mud Run - Join Me! @GoDirtyGirl

April 12th at Lake Lanier, join me running the Dirty Girl Mud Run!  It's a 5K mud obstacle course and LOADS of fun.   I ran it last year with some friends.  You can see some of the pictures on this post.

I've created the team called "Mud Puppies" and you can even use a DISCOUNT code: BLOGFRIEND to save $10 off of the registration.  I've set myself up for the 10:45a heat so that I have plenty of time to get there and get 'er done!  There is a charge for parking, so if you join me we can carpool and split the cost.

Friday #Fitness

If you watch me on Facebook, then you've likely already seen this.  But here is the list of my planned (already registered for) runs that are coming up.

3/22 - Run for the Rescues (Suwanee)
3/29 - Kile's World 5K (Chastain Park)
4/12 - Dirty Girl Mud Run (watch my blog next week for a discount code and join my team)
4/29 - Run the April 1/2 Marathon (doing the 10K) Snellville

7/4 - Peachtree Road Race (Atlanta Track Club member this year, guaranteed spot)

Let me know if you plan on joining me.

The softer side of fitness

When it comes to fitness, I believe there's more to it than just getting out and exercising.  Since I started my workouts in the morning after my son leaves for school, I generally have felt much better.  However, there are still days that I just feel wiped out.  I know that some of it can be contributed to stress.  Work stress, kid-related stress, general try to get it all done stress.  I know some of it is diet.  I've worked on "fixing" most of my diet, eating better (or at least more sensibly).  I've even evaluated things like the paleo diet to help myself out.  One thing, though, that I've known needed fixing isn't related to any of that.  It's related to getting GOOD sleep.

Stress, diet, exercise, can all related back to not getting good sleep as well.  What I'm thinking of though, is my bed.  After discussion with my husband (who doesn't sleep well either), we figured out that all of our mattresses were older than my son.  I have been waking up sore on various days, as has my husband. We finally got around to doing something about it, though.  We went out to The Dump and checked out their mattress sale.  We came home with new pillows and a delivery date. 

I won't have a direct relation between my fitness and a new mattress (or at least the days where I feel wiped out) for a while yet.  I'm hopeful, though, that it will make a significant difference in my over all health.

#Fitness Friday

I picked up a new DVD the other day to put into my cycle of workout dvds. Given my preference for Yoga, I thought I'd get one that did more flexibility or core. I ended up with Jillian Michaels and her Yoga Inferno. At the end of the segment, she asks you to think about WHY you're doing this. If it was to be healthy, then what is healthy? After much thought (and given the kids I have), I came up with this:

Now, I think I'll go back to bed and recover.

Fitness Friday #fitfluential #rundisney

So, technically it's fitness friday. I can honestly say that other than the Disney 1/2 marathon this past weekend, I haven't done much.  My knee and my back haven't been thrilled with me since we finished.  My back has hurt more than my knee the past few days.  W-Fri I did my yoga flexibility work out.  I figured stretching will help, but I'm starting to think it's got another cause than just the run.  So, I'll try other solutions and see what happens. 

In the meantime, I'm working on a comparison.  I took both my Fitbit ultra and my Jawbone UP down to Disney and wore them while I was there.  I'll let you know what came of that next week.  Next weekend is the Hot Chocolate 5K, who's joining me and my family?

Fitness Friday (pin-spiration)

Friday Fitness - 5K run planning

I'm starting to plan my runs for next year.  My last run of this year was cancelled (by the event folks themselves), so my next runs are next year.  I still plan to do the 1/2 marathon at Walt Disney World in January.  I'll do that one with my dad.  He's decided that after this 1/2, he's going to scale back on distance.  He's thinking maybe the Tower of Terror 10 miler instead.  I liked the idea of the Expedition Everest 5K (an obstacle/scavenger hunt run).

I've only picked two other runs to register for at this point.  The first is the Hot Chocolate 5K.  My daughter is going to do that with me.  That one is a couple of weeks after the 1/2 marathon, so I'm keeping distance small comparatively.  The other I found out about at the Pet Expo.  It's a Run for the Rescues in March.

I'll likely do the run in Kennesaw to benefit Wounded Warriors as well.  I'd like to keep them fairly close to home, though. So I don't see me driving to Hampton to do the Color Run or the Foam Run.    I'll have to see what comes up over time.  Most of the races I did this year aren't listed yet for next year.  I like running for causes as well.  If you see a race mentioned you want a partner for, just let me know. :)

Friday Fitness Update

I'm still doing my morning workout after my son takes off for school (usually, any way). I'm not seeing a huge difference, but I can say that I've gotten slightly smaller in the waist. As an experiment yesterday, I put on a pair of jeans I haven't worn in a while as they were too tight in the waist. They were snug, but not tight. It was reaffirming that I'm doing SOMETHING right, even if it's not all that I should be doing.

I've been using an UP Jawbone band to measure how much I walk. I take it with a grain of salt as to how it measures my sleep. It's a good day if I get 5000+ steps. I need to up my game to get ready for the Disney 1/2 Marathon in January. Now if it'll stop raining long enough for me to get out there and walk more.

Friday Fitness

It's been a while since I made a Friday fitness post, so I figure I'm overdue.  I fell off the +Fitness Rebooted bandwagon, in fact I've been bad about exercise in general.  About the only thing I've maintained on a regular basis is walking the dogs.  I decided last week that I could change that, so I did.  Since I'm getting up at 5:30a with my son week day mornings anyway, I figured I could take the time to do at least 30 minutes of SOMETHING before starting my day.  So, once he's on the bus (by 6:20 or so), I start up a DVD and do a workout.  Mostly I've been doing Yoga, trying to help my hip flexibility for the kicks in Choi.  I'll eventually start alternating a cardio/strength workout with the Yoga.  For now, I'll stick to the yoga.

I am still walking the dogs, trying to go farther each day.  It depends on when I get away from work and how hot it is as to how far we go.  I'm also doing the Choi classes (usually, any way).   I didn't do the Big Peach Sizzler over the Labor Day holiday.  I had signed up, but hadn't done any walking and wasn't interested in hurting myself.  My next "big" thing is the Pretty Muddy in October.  I don't have any runs scheduled from there until I go down to Florida in January to do the 1/2.  I've got a lot of work to do.

Friday #Fitness

Today is recovery day after yesterday's 10K. The next online challenge starts Sunday. I was bad about following anything this month and I can guarantee that I can feel the difference. So, it's back on the fitness challenge and preparing for my next 5K (Color Me RAD).

I have also started addressing some issues that have prevented me from doing some of what I want to do. Once I get any real information on a solution, I'll get down to the details. For now, we'll leave it with I'm uncomfortable running (for more than just the reason of my knee) and I'm looking to see what I can do about it. Doctor visits have been scheduled, so I'll work from there.

Hopefully, too, I'll be better in generating content from my journey that you may find helpful. I'm still working toward the WDW 1/2 marathon in January. I'll be doing it one more time with my dad and am definitely looking forward to it. I like the Galloway approach to running, I just have to actually DO it. So, onward and forward, hopefully no more excuses in getting it done.