Kicks

My new running shoes.

Brady making up his mind about them.


My feet are big and my doggie is little.

Running begins Monday.

Yes, the format of this post sucks. Blogger hates me right now and after an hour and a half, this is the best I could do.

Achieve the Dream #5

Yesterday, I talked to someone wonderful. Someone who wanted to help me. The call was unexpected. The news was unexpected. I couldn't believe how everything fell into place.

Yesterday, everything turned out better than expected. The fact that I am single worked to my advantage. The fact that I have one income and the level it's at, worked to my advantage. Yesterday, all the things that had been holding me back turned out to be the best things I had going.

I got my pre-qual.

Thinking of Running - #4

Originally my plan was to quit smoking now, start running in the spring and get back on my elliptical (which is currently in storage) sometime in between. My logic was that I'd have a few months to regain some lung function and have the elliptical to help get my stamina up. But now I'm thinking of starting sooner. Like as-soon-as-I-can-order-a-pair-of-running-shoes-sooner.

I think it would be good to have something to do instead of smoking and something that I'd get better at the more I didn't smoke. A big part of the reason I didn't want to start right away was the fact that I was afraid I'd embarrass myself. As a smoker, if I tried to exercise, I'd wind up red faced, sweating profusely, and trying to catch my breath for about twice as long as I'd actually worked out. It was gross and embarrassing. It went on for far too long. I was a child the last time I could really do anything mildly strenuous. It's time that changed. I don't want to bring that into my 30's.

So, my game plan is to get to the park before work, when it's less crowded. If I wake up at five, I should have enough time to walk to the park, run for five minutes (my first goal), walk home, walk Brady (who is unfortunately too small to run with me) and get ready for work. If I like running and decide to stick with it and progress, I'll switch to a night time routine as I get more confident. In the mean time, I'll have to switch to decaf after breakfast and be in bed by 10.

But will I stick with it? Who knows! The point is that I try. I will stick it out until I reach my first goal. Is my first goal too much? Too little? I have no idea! I'll see. Maybe I'll only be able to run for two minutes and then walk or trot or hobble the next three. Maybe I'll be able to push myself to the full five minutes in the first week. Unlikely, but who knows? The point is that I try. If I hate it, I'll find something else. The only thing I'll lose is the cost of my sneakers.

Motivating factors:
My current daily routine: 218 calories burned = one hour of walking (3.5mph)
With running: 223 calories burned = 26 minutes of running (5mph)
Time saved 34 minutes. Plus, I'll be able to wear heels (#30 - dress more fashionably on a day to day basis) to work again (rather than walking shoes), I'll be toning more and getting my lung function back. Maybe I'll even like it so much, I'll join a group which will help me be more social (#29).

Wish me luck!

Monday...

So, today I’m feeling a little less than super motivated. I went out for my birthday over the weekend and might have had a little too much to drink. Spent yesterday sleeping off a hang over but even today I’m still kind of blah.

So, I think it’s a good day to work on positivity (#27).

I have wonderful friends and a great family.
I have a good job.
My doggie loves me.

#19

One year left!

So, I'm turning 29 at the end of this week and I've been thinking of resurrecting this blog for quite some time. I was 26 and writing this from a student lounge on the campus of my school when I wrote this list. I was a little nervous that I'd come back, read this list and be overwhelmed by all the hopes and dreams I had back then that I may have since abandoned. It was quite a nice surprise to see how many things I've accomplished or am in the process of accomplishing. So here's the old list, with my new edits in italics:

1) Quit smoking (Well, I'm working on it. Today is day 2, yet again. I will say that smoking is something I am determined NOT to bring into my thirties.)

2) Pay off my student loans (Should be done by January '12 or March '12 the latest)

3) Dye my hair RED (Actually, I'm probably going to get highlights)

4) Join a gym and get in shape for the first time ever (Start running.)

5) Buy a starter apartment (Should be able to start looking as soon as the student loan is paid off!)

6) Learn to live on a budget (Done! Mostly)

7) Cultivate a taste for Scotch (Done! I'm a single malt girl!)

8) Improve posture (meh.)

9) Consistently get up when the alarm goes off the first time (Abandoned.)

10) Get my teeth whitened and veneers (Abandoned. I'll settle with OTC and getting the nicotine stains out as best as possible)

11) Improve my credit to the point where #5 will be possible (Done!)

12) Go to Mardi Gras (Abandoned. I think it's over rated)

13) Learn Spanish well enough to understand people on the train (Probably not going to happen)

14) Enroll in the 401K (Done!)

15) Enter, and perhaps complete, grad school (On hold. Maybe I will, maybe I won't)

16) Take care of my skin

17) Get hobby that doesn't qualify as a vice (In the running: sewing or pottery)

18) Learn to type (I know, I know...) (Meh. I manage)

19) Own a real pet (Done!)

20) Straighten out my identification situation (Done!)

21) Bring my voice down an octave (Meh.)

22) Get back into yoga (Probably not but I'd still like to)

23) Take up a martial art (or at least try a few classes to see if I like it) (Again, maybe, maybe not.)

New:

24) Sort out my love life.

25) Learn to drive

26) Volunteer with Brady for dog therapy.

27) Work on being more positive about myself. (That originally said, "be less negative")

28) Be able to get through the weekend without abandoning healthy eating.

29) Be more social.

30) Dress more fashionably on a day to day basis.

So, I think that leaves a pretty good list of things I can and will do in the next 367 days!

Wish me luck! I'll try to remember to update!

Edit: Also, stop procrastinating!!!

Peaks and Valleys

Okay, so I'm on my 2nd day of my fifth week of being cigarette free. I'm on the patch which has made it ridiculously easy to quit smoking. I mean almost painless. I don't even want to smoke at all. That said, I'm still a nicotine addict cause I haven't gone through withdrawal, yet. It makes me realize what my addiction really is.

In the past, after going through withdrawal, I'd still kind of want a cigarette. I'd still be pulled towards them. I'd still feel something about them even months later. I thought that this was just habit because I had already detoxed. Now I realize that it wasn't. My body will always crave nicotine. Right now, I have no urge to smoke. None. And it's weird. I smell smokers and it just smells like smoke. Not good or bad. Not tempting or repulsive. I just smell it. I wonder if this is what it's like for you guys?

Well, trying to kill this 15lbs I gained hasn't gone as well. In fact it hasn't gone at all. I eat right and don't lose an ounce. I've been so hard on myself. I'm pretty sure I've been harder than I usually am when I'm losing weight, but nada. I'm going to walk home from the junction tonight cause I know that I need to be more active and then it will come right off, right? Plus I'm PMSing and ate 2 chocolate bars today! But they both deserved it! So anyway I have to work it off just to break even....