Month 1 Down, 11 to Go!

Well, here we are folks.  At the end of the first month of the year.  This day is pretty important.  I mean, if you look at the goals you accomplished in January, I think it sort of sets the tone for the rest of the year.

And my 2012 looks pretty stinking AWESOME right now.

I did a true "last chance workout" yesterday, knowing it was the last day of the month and my big weigh in was near.  I ran intervals in the morning with a friend, then did an hour of Zumba and an hour of Boot Camp last night.  Yes, I am thoroughly physically exhausted...but it was SO worth it!  I ran a few miles this morning before I weighed in.

My goal for January was to reach 185 again.  I had gained some weight over the holidays and felt like I was going to be stuck forever in the 180s.

Well today I weighed 182.2. 

This is the lowest I have weighed in 12 years.

WOW!  That's exactly how I felt.  And still feel.  The end of the 180s is near.

So then I was faced with a quandary, do I completely redo my goals or do I keep my goals and adjust the dates?  My goals are pretty fun as they are all tied to something, and are all even numbers.  I'm afraid to leave them as is, because that means I may not work as hard to stay on track if I know I have some wiggle room.  Yep, I can totally do that to myself.  This is why setting goals that mean something, and are actually attainable is so important.

You will absolutely not achieve something you don't think you can achieve.  I can promise you that.

Here are my adjusted goals:

Goals - 2012
Weight (starting weight 192.6 after holidays)	Deadline	Actual
185 pounds - 100 pounds lost (recoup after holidays)	1/31/2012	182.2 GOAL EXCEEDED!
180 pounds - wedding weight (105 pounds lost)	2/14/2012
175 pounds - high school grad weight (110 pounds lost)	3/13/2012
170 pounds -  less than my hubby (115 pounds lost)	4/10/2012
165 pounds - GOAL weight (120 pounds lost)	5/8/2012
Body Fat % less than 25%	3/31/12
Track food consistently (Body Bugg food log)	Ongoing	Ongoing
Exercise (or do something active) 6 days/week (BB)	Ongoing	Ongoing

If you compare to my goals at the start of the year here  you will see I've adjusted some of my dates.  It would be easy to cop out and say, well, I am just ahead of schedule and will stay that way.  Well, I have decided I am on a roll and not stopping.

I'm joining Courtney's Studio and plan on hitting up boot camp at least once a week - maybe even twice when I can in addition to Zumba classes.  And I'll keep running.

I know a huge part of my success this month is due to having started up at Courtney's studio, as I have pushed my body to a new limit.  It was time for me to shake things up a bit and change up my routine.  I'm hoping this will push me to lose this last 20 pounds or so of fat so I can then determine my next, longer term goals.

I am sitting here about 17 pounds from my original goal weight.  From 120 pounds lost.  I almost can't believe it.

But how sore my muscles are feeling is telling me I can believe it.

Take a trip down memory lane with me and read my back story posted in February 2010 here.  As I round this bend here I'm so thankful to have been where I have been.  And to be heading where I am heading.

Life is good.

Remember that post about Choosing Your Hard?  Well...my hard is working. And yep, its hard alot of the time.  But nowhere near as hard as it was to be unhealthy. Two years will pass like the blink of an eye.  It has for me.  I'm glad I started when I did.  It's never too late to change your own blueprint!  What are you waiting for?

~Clara

Choose Your Hard

I have seen this quote a few times; I can't seem to find where it came from, if you know, then let me know and I'll cite it...

Losing weight is HARD.

Maintaining weight is HARD.

Being fat is HARD.

CHOOSE your HARD.

This healthy lifestyle thing is by no means the easiest thing I've ever done.  But weighing 285 pounds wasn't exactly a picnic either.

Let's compare.

Hard was: not being able to bathe my 5 year old daughter.

Hard was: not being able to buckle my seatbelt on the airplane.

Hard was: trying to find something in a size 22-24 that didn't make me look fat.

Hard was: seeing myself in pictures and believing that was actually me.

Hard was: smiling on the outside when I felt terrible, physically and emotionally, on the inside.

This picture still takes my breath away.  I didn't recognize myself in the white shirt when I saw it.  That was hard.

The results of the above hardships were leading me to being on cholesterol medication, alienating myself from my baby girl, continued and building self-loathing and eventually some very serious health complications.  That would have been really hard. 

Now my hard looks alot different.

Hard is: making healthy choices when people around me eat the foods of my past.

Hard is: being sore.  Just about every day, some muscle is aching.

Hard is: missing family time to get another workout in.

Hard is: getting up at 5am and going outside in 20 degree weather to get a run in before work.

Hard is: being between underwear sizes.

 My before picture July 2009...and September 2011 after a hard race.

I have chosen my hard.  Every day for the last two and a half years.  And while it is hard, no lie, sometimes there are days that it is easier than others.  I have learned to enjoy how hard it can be; challenging my body to do more, work harder, sweat more.  Knowing that sweat is my fat crying fuels me on to push myself to a new limit with every workout.

Why would anyone choose this hard?

 

Hard was running my fastest 5k (3.1 miles) in 32:16 (first race finished in 44:27).

Hard was running my first 10k race (6.2 miles), without stopping.

 

 All that hard work led to me buckling the airplane seatbelt...and having plenty of room to spare.

 All that hard work has led me to trade in my size 24 jeans for size 10 (and shrinking).

That's why I will continue to choose THIS hard.  The healthy eating, challenging workout schedule, pushing myself to achieve things I never imagined I could kind of hard.

I wouldn't have it any other way.  The sweat, tears, sprains, strains and imperfect journey that I've had.  It has all been worth it.  And so I'll press on.

Which hard are you choosing?

~Clara

Working it Out

I think everyone's workout schedule needs to be challenged every now and then.  This past week I pushed myself to the limit, and was really surprised with what my body was physically capable of doing.

You've heard me say that 90% of running is mental.  Physically, we can do more than we *think* we can.  But unless we believe it, we aren't likely to try it.

Last week I blogged about the new studio I was using for Zumba. {Courtney's Studio}  I have really enjoyed the intensity of the classes I've attended.  This past Monday I did Zumba after work, and I had already run a few miles that morning.  I ran intervals with my friend Tuesday morning, and then Wednesday packed my clothes to do Zumba Toning.  It is just like Zumba but you hold weights the entire time.  Towards the end of the class I felt a burst of energy, which I thought was weird.  After class I was chatting with Courtney and realized there was another class starting in a few minutes.  Boot Camp.

No one officially dared me to do it.  I mean, I just completed an hour of Zumba with weights, using the heavier sticks.

But I wondered, can I hang?  Can I do it?

I decided to give it a try.  After getting my class card punched I noticed the board that had instructions for what we would be doing that night.  We headed outside and I gulped.  Wow.  I really don't think I can do this.  Am I crazy?

Here is what a round looked like:

A 1/4 mile run around the building, then 15 jumps up and down from a 2 ft concrete landing.  Next, we were to caterpillar crawl (pushup position on a curb, then walking down the curb, about 40 feet, two times).  Next, 40 tricep dips, 80 kicks (same position as the tricep dip but on the ground - I can only kick one leg at a time and not fast), then 15 x squat jacks.

That was round 1.  We did 4 rounds.

After round 1, I really wasn't sure I could physically continue.  But I did.  At that point, muscles were spent, but it was mind over matter.  And I was going to finish.

After the fourth round, we had more to do inside - AH!  We did these crazy dive bomber pushups, where you have your butt in the air, then you go down into pushup position but pull up, almost like a sun salutation in yoga, and hover for 10 seconds.  My arms were SCREAMING.  I literally felt my arm bones shaking.  After a round of those, we ran across the room and did 30 jumping jacks, then ran back and did more pushups, 100 crunches, ran again, jumping jacks again, ran back, more pushups.  I mean, literally I wanted to lay out on the floor.

We ended with a Zumba song - some guys attend the boot camp and were cracking on Zumba - so Courtney showed them it wasn't easy...and we got props then for doing both classes in a row.

That was one of the hardest 2 hours of my LIFE!  But I felt so accomplished afterward.  Really there should be an "I survived boot camp" t-shirt.  I would so buy one.  Sweat wicking material of course...

I ran Thursday morning as much as my sore quads would let me. I took yesterday off of exercise.

This morning I did Tae Bo for 45 mins, burning around 400 calories.  I needed more of a burn and wondered, hmmm, could I run after that?  I headed outside with my puppy and gear and decided, "I'm going to run 5k today."  Mind you, I've only hit 5k once since before Christmas!  I wanted to stop a few times, but I kept going.  I ran that 5k.  Slower than my personal record, but I did it!

I believed I could do it.  And I did.  SO much of this journey, the eating well, the exercise, everything, is successful based MOSTLY on how willing you are to believe you can do it.

So I've decided I will have 3 days/week that I "double down" on my workouts.  Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Here's what my new schedule will look like along with expected calorie burn (based on estimating what my Body Bugg would read):

Sunday: Run 3-4 miles. (600 calories)
Monday: Run 2 miles in the morning, and do an hour of Zumba at night. (350 run, 500 Zumba)
Tuesday: Run intervals (speedwork). (350-400)
Wednesday: Zumba Toning and Boot Camp. (600 Zumba and 500 Boot Camp)
Thursday: Run 2-3 miles, or whatever my legs will allow after boot camp. :) (400)
Friday:  OFF - rest day.
Saturday: 45 minute video workout followed by 3-4 mile run. (400 video, 600 run)

I'll increase my distances on the long runs by a 1/2 mile/week so I can work back up to 10k distance again.  This plan should burn me around 4,000+ calories a week (in addition to my basic metabolic rate).  Hoping this shows some RESULTS.  Realizing this won't be easy to stick to, but I am excited to give it a try.

Will let you know how it goes this next week!  What are you doing to get your activity on schedule?  I do much better staying on track with a plan.  What's your plan?

~Clara

PS - I never think "pushing through pain" when its real, I'm hurting myself pain, is a good thing.  Muscle soreness and pain is one thing, but you can tell the difference.  Don't be afraid to push yourself, but be smart too!

Mid-Month Check-In

So a good friend pointed out that I hadn't posted in a long time...wow, so sorry!  :)  It has been quite a busy month, but one with lots of progress in the health and head area, so lets get right down to it.

I'm not sure how public I made this at the time, but let me just share that when I arrived home from the 2 week work trip/vacation to Disney, I climbed on the scale and it said I weighed 196.6.  Yep, I'm being completely serious here.  I was hovering around 185 still when I left home...so that is an over 11 pound gain in a little over 2 weeks.

WHO gains 11 pounds in 2 weeks?  THIS GIRL!

Seriously, I was bummed.  And I literally felt rotten; all the way home from Archer I was nauseous and felt bloated.  25 oreo truffles at new years will do that for you.  Yep, a 2 week food hangover.

I sort of went completely and totally off plan.  It started with being sick and in a hurry to get out of town for the 2 week period and all the craziness that goes along with both of those things.  I had "debugged" myself (i.e. removed my body bugg) for a week or so before leaving town as I felt I needed a break from the guy wagging his finger at me and accusing me of sneaking oreos.  Then we were traveling and it was easier while not tracking my food at all to just forget about tracking it.  And eat very strange, untrackable things.  Like cheesecake.  Cinnamon rolls.  Coffee mixed with a packet of hot cocoa and tons of hazelnut creamer.  And ice cream...twice in one day.

Picture a full slide to the bottom of mud mountain, then it erupted and I was buried.

That's how I felt.  What was I to do?  I'm hoping to be an inspiration to people!  To one day be known as a "fit" blogger.  I had it figured out, didn't I?  What the heck?  How in the world do I explain myself?

Let me skip quickly to how this horror story ends, then we'll discuss what I learned; I just can't bear all this negativity.  Two days after that terrible weigh in of truth, I was down 4 pounds.  A week later, I was down 11 pounds total.  How?  By literally just going back to eating mostly clean and tracking my food and activity.  Sigh.  Um.  It works.

Freaking duh.

So my realizations from that slip up, slide down, then sprint back to the top:

1) I'm not perfect, or even close.  Well, that was obvious to begin with, but I've prided myself in being real with you all and while it took me a few weeks to let you see the ugly that really happened, you need to know that its not about perfection.  If it was, I would never have made it this far.  While not proud of my behavior, I learned from it; and maybe my honesty will help you learn something too.

2) Eating badly = feeling badly.  Now, this isn't just emotionally.  Of course, I felt guilt while eating some of those foods at first; then I felt justified, then, when the crumbs were all that was left, I felt sick.  Like, literally, physically sick.  I haven't felt that way in a long time.  Bloated, and just blah.  I don't want to feel like that intentionally ever again.

3) When I don't exercise intentionally, I don't eat well intentionally.  This I've said before, many times, when I'm not active, I don't eat as well. It's that direct link between food and exercise; where I see food as fuel when I'm actually using it as such.  Now, we walked a million miles at Disney.  Imagine how much I would have gained had I been sedentary!?!?  You can actually see some of the bloat in my disney pictures.  I'll have to post one for you.

4) The story doesn't end until I (or YOU) decide its over.  Every failed diet, every out of control holiday season, every messed up eating plan, every poor decision, yes, these things add up.  But our diets don't fail us, we fail ourselves.  Just because I had a bad few meals, that led to a bad few days, that led to a bad few weeks that led to an 11 pound weight gain...doesn't mean I give up and don't look back. I picked myself up, dusted off, took some metamucil to clean out my bogged down system, and got my tail back in gear.

5) Eating well = feeling well.  Um, yeah.  I felt like a new person just a few days later, once I had begun detoxing - and all I did to detox was add my green tea back in and begin eating mostly clean again (meaning mostly whole foods, not much processed, etc.).  I feel incredible right now.

In workout news, I began a new Zumba class this week, right down the street from where I work.  I was attending a great class in my town for over a year, but it is coming to an end soon (or at least my favorite instructor won't be there) so I decided I needed a change.  Some of my co-workers have attended Courtney's studio and recommended her classes.  Last week, I packed my bag and gave it a try.  I had heard her classes were large (I'm used to maybe 15-20 people) so I was a bit intimidated.

The room was huge, they had just moved to a new space, but it quickly filled up.  Easily 50 or more people there.  I wondered how we would hear her.  Nevermind that, she is loud enough to hear over the music.  :)  And crazy energetic.  The first song started and it was like a song I knew but on speed!  WHOA! I was so sweaty at the end I had to remove my shirt and replace it with my long sleeved warmup shirt.  Everyone was having a great time, shouting out, singing along, it was hard, painful and crazy fast but WHAT A WORKOUT!

I had run that morning so my legs were really tired by the end, but I felt great.

Wednesday I tried out Zumba Toning.  She has these toning sticks that are like weights but have sand in them.  I thought maybe it would be slower than the Monday's class, given its toning.  WRONG.   Zumba Toning at Court's studio is like crazy fast Zumba WITH WEIGHTS.  Yikes!  By the end I could not lift my arms, and the Zumba sticks I used were only 2.5 pounds each (I typically use 10 pound weights for free weight work).

Tomorrow I'm going to purchase a punch card and put Zumba with Courtney on my schedule for 2x/week officially.  It takes me less than 5 mins to get there, and not only was it fun, it was an incredible workout.

I'm also running every other day or so.  I'm working with a friend who is training for her first 5k, she is on week 3 of the program and we meet a few times a week to run.  On the other days I was running a bit less, like intervals or just 2-2.5 miles.  New shoes and making sure my foot was ok, as well has having lost some serious conditioning during my hiatus from my healthy lifestyle.  I finally ran 5k this morning and felt great.  Slower than before, but I'll get faster again.  With time. :)

I have noticed my body shrinking again. I'm already down to 183 something and my goal was 185 by month end.  I'm excited that I should blow that goal out of the water and then need to readjust the rest of my monthly goals!  I tried on my size 10 jeans I've been saving and sure enough, both pairs fit.  They are still more snug than I'd like to wear out, but they fit!  I cannot remember the last time I was a size 10.  I believe it was high school.

I'm very excited about my new routine, and I think my body has somehow shifted into serious fat burning mode; I'm taking FULL advantage of it until the next plateau.

Hope your January and your goals for the year are also off to a good start!

~Clara

Goals...Made SMART

So as I was considering my last post about goals, I was thinking, maybe I need to add a bit more information on how the goals I posted are SMART.

If you have ever taken a leadership class or training at work, you've heard the term "S.M.A.R.T. goals."  It's all about setting goals that make sense.  You can have great intentions, but they will never become your reality if you don't set up specific actions that will get you to your goal.  You won't ever reach the top of Mud Mountain if you don't make your goals realistic.  You will struggle in meeting goals if you don't attach a timeline, or measurement to them.

Many times people set goals that are too lofty, and believe it or not, I've been guilty of this too!

After I reached my 100 pounds lost on August 31, 2011, I was a little bit lost. I still obviously had about 20-30 pounds to lose...but I had not set many goals if any that were SMART past my 100 pound mark.  I think part of me never believed I would actually arrive there.

That said, I am going to make sure my goals don't fall by the wayside this year.  Here is a breakdown of my goals again, along with the detail below of how I am making them "S.M.A.R.T."

Goals - 2012
Weight (starting weight 192.6 after holidays)	Measure	Deadline
185 pounds - 100 pounds lost (recoup after holidays)	Scale	1/31/2012
180 pounds - wedding weight (105 pounds lost)	Scale	2/28/2012
175 pounds - high school grad weight (110 pounds lost)	Scale	3/31/2012
170 pounds -  less than my hubby (115 pounds lost)	Scale	4/30/2012
165 pounds - GOAL weight (120 pounds lost)	Scale	5/31/2012
Body Fat % less than 25	24.9/Body Bugg	3/31/2012
Track food consistently	Food Log	Ongoing
Exercise (or do something active) 6 days/week	Body Bugg	Ongoing
Running
Improve 5k time to less than 30 mins	29:59 or less	6/30/2012
Improve 10k time by 5 minutes (to 1:06 or less)	1 hr 6 min or less	9/30/2012
Train for a half marathon	Begin Training	6/30/2012

Let's break down S.M.A.R.T.:

S stands for Specific:  Goals must be very specific.  "I want to lose weight this year"  or "I want to finally get healthy" are not good goals to set.  If you notice, my weight loss goals are pretty specific. I've broken it down to 5 pound increments.  Obviously, my overall goal is to lose 25 more pounds...but since 25 sounds so BIG to me, and not very specific, I'm breaking the goal up into more manageable 5 pound chunks.  I'll lose a bag of sugar a month.  :)  Now with my running goals, you don't see a goal saying "get faster."  Duh.  Every runner wants to get faster.  I want to reach very specific speed goals this year and with this to shoot for, I have a good focus and aim for myself athletically.

M stands for Measurable: Goals have to have a measure.  Even if I had my 5 pound chunk goals set like above, if I didn't have a way to measure it, it would be useless.  Now, its easiest to measure weight, all you need is a scale.   It's also pretty easy to measure getting faster in racing; the clock says it all.  It will be easy to check off a box each week that I've exercised for 6 days and tracked my food on my Body Bugg program.  The good part is these goals all correlate.  If I exercise 6 days a week, track my food and stay within my range, and continue to run, I will meet my other goals.  Some goals feed into other goals.  The measure is very important.

A stands for Action Oriented, or Actionable: There HAS to be some kind of action attached to your goal.  If I said I was going to lose the weight and it just magically happen, there would be no need for fitness bloggers. Instead, something has to be DONE in order to reach the goals.  In my case, some of my other goals are the actions that will achieve the weight loss goals.  Tracking my food consistently and exercising 6 days/week are solid actions that will help me reach my weight loss goals.  Good nutrition and consistent training will also help me reach my running goals.  The actions are: eat well and clean, track my food, and exercise 6 days a week.  That's alot of action.  The point of this part of the acronym is that action leads to achievement. 

R stands for Realistic: Goals have to be realistic!  This point is vital.  If you ignore everything else in this post, remember this: setting goals that are impossible or too hard is setting yourself up to fail.  REAListic.  Because you are a REAL person.  With REAL life situations coming at you.  If this healthy lifestyle is really going to be a lasting lifestyle, then you need to plan reasonably and realistically.  It feels way better when you can actually celebrate a goal achieved rather than rushing yourself, failing, and gaining more weight when you drown your sorrows in brownies and ice cream (been there...).

T stands for Time-Bound or Timely: Be sure your goals have a deadline set to them.  If you just loftily say you'll lose weight this year, you may not decide to "get serious" until its too late in the year to achieve what you wanted.  If you procrastinate like me, you will get your year long goals in order in time for the holidays...bad timing.  So set some realistic time frames for yourself, but set something.  And remember, your timing might be different than others' timing.  Maybe you will lose weight faster or slower than me.  This is YOUR journey and YOUR time.  Dust off your calendar and get to planning.  I've found it way easier to break the amounts up into monthly, last of the month weigh ins.  Just simpler to keep track of.  Figure out what will work for you.

By all means, your goals don't have to be specifically weight related.  Set a goal to fit into a certain pair of pants, or a smaller sized shirt.  This can be tougher, as you may go down one size every 15-20 pounds (like me) or it might be even less.  So this one can't necessarily be a bonafide SMART goal, but it should be part of your total experience, or benefit of your successful results.

I read somewhere that you losing weight is not a goal, it is a result.  That definitely has some truth in it.  If you make goals that center around HOW you will get to your weight loss goal, you WILL lose weight if you follow those steps.  At first, I wasn't ready to set specific goals.  I just wanted to make small changes and kind of ease into this healthy lifestyle.  That worked for me.  As time went on, it became clear that I really needed more set goals in order to push through the finish.  That's totally up to you.

As for me, I'm super excited about my goals; and I hope you have learned something about setting yours.  I'm going to bed, with all my food tracked and an early morning run planned.  I saw a post on Facebook about someone who was sluggish and unmotivated with this winter weather...she challenged others to join her in a 7 day running streak.  Ramping down mileage to reduce risk of injury (rest days are vitally important) but getting out there every day.  I'm going to do it!  So excited about it. I'm also trying out a few Zumba classes with some co-workers next week in Dothan near my work.  I'm looking forward to that as well and know that the running tied in with that will wear my tater out; but will also burn some much needed holiday fat off of my body.

So what say you?  Ready to be a SMART-y pants like me?

You can do it!

Clara

Start at the Beginning...

And when you get to the end, stop.

Sound familiar?  I think its a line from Alice in Wonderland.

Sometimes goal setting can feel that way; like you're in a ginormous room and everything seems so big, confusing, rushed, and impossible.  Every goal you've dreamed up looks way too big to scale, too large to fit into your brain and your plans, too impossible to even seriously consider.

When you break goals down, however, they aren't as scary, or confusing as Wonderland.  It's when you try in your mind to go from Biggest Loser to Supermodel overnight that your unrealistic expectations fail you.  When you imagine that this shake, this pill, this cleanse, this one thing will FINALLY be IT and you will never struggle with your weight again, and be able to eat what you want and and and...and you wonder why your first week being healthy didn't produce such results.  And then you quit.  Why bother?  It's too hard.

But if you decide it will take you a realistic amount of time, say a few years, to go from obese to a healthy weight, and determine that there will be sweat...tears...setbacks...challenges...yet you DECIDE you will DO IT anyway, no matter how LONG it takes or how HARD it is...

Then, my friends, you will see success.  And a shrinking profile in the mirror.

How do I know this?  I'm living this.

I have been at this for 29 months.

Sound like too long?

Well, in 29 months, I've traveled this far:

And guess what?  It's still not easy.  It still takes work, planning, dedication, sweat, tears, commitment, soreness, rest, and support from my family.

While it seems to be taking forever, I honestly can't look at these two pictures and be frustrated with how long it has taken.  I can only look at them and be glad I've made my goals SMART.  Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic and Time-Bound.

All of that leads me to sharing with you my new fitness and health goals for 2012.  I'm very excited about these goals and hope you share in my excitement.

Goals - 2012
Weight (starting weight 192.6 after holidays)	Measure	Deadline
185 pounds - 100 pounds lost (recoup after holidays)	Scale	1/31/2012
180 pounds - wedding weight (105 pounds lost)	Scale	2/28/2012
175 pounds - high school grad weight (110 pounds lost)	Scale	3/31/2012
170 pounds -  less than my hubby (115 pounds lost)	Scale	4/30/2012
165 pounds - GOAL weight (120 pounds lost)	Scale	5/31/2012
Body Fat % less than 25	24.9/Body Bugg	3/31/2012
Track food consistently	Food Log	Ongoing
Exercise (or do something active) 6 days/week	Body Bugg	Ongoing
Running
Improve 5k time to less than 30 mins	29:59 or less	6/30/2012
Improve 10k time by 5 minutes (to 1:06 or less)	1 hr 6 min or less	9/30/2012
Train for a half marathon	Begin Training	6/30/2012

You will notice that my weight goals are broken down into small, manageable chunks.  Pardon the pun ...but realizing that my last 30 pounds or so are going to come of more SLOOOOWLY than the first 100 have...I needed to be realistic about it.

I am also not someone who loses 2 pounds a week.  I'm just not.  And I'm completely cool with that too.  Since I know my body so well, why would I set goals that were not possible or likely for me to achieve?

Not only are my goals weight oriented, but also my athletic pursuits have their own goals.  When I became a runner, I imagined just being able to run a 5k without stopping would be it, then I'd be satisfied.  I never dreamed I would LOVE it so much...run 6/5k races, finish my first 10k race and be contemplating half marathon training.

Gulp.  Now I said it out loud. Now it shall be so.

I'm so jazzed about this year.  I'm feeling great this week, being back on track with my food and enjoying the taste of nature's foods and eating much cleaner than I had been for awhile.  It feels awesome and I know my goals are attainable with being back on track with my exercise and my good, consistent eating habits.

If you are looking for good consistent eating habits, read my Food Guidelines post from February of last year.  I'm going to tweak it a bit later this week and repost as I've learned even more about nutrition and the like this past year.  And even more about myself and how I can be most successful.

Your journey may not look like mine; but hopefully I can inspire you to get started and be true to yourself when you set your goals.  Set yourself up for success, not for failure.  Be honest, be careful and be realistic.  Then, be successful.  Two years will fly by before you know it and trust me, it is so worth being on this side of that journey.  I feel like I'm running downhill and I have tons of energy to spare, even if this is truly one of the hardest parts of the journey.

Leave me a comment if you have a question or visit my facebook page.  I'd love to have you follow my blog as well. Knowing there are countless people out there who are reading my story really motivates me to get off my tater and achieve these goals.  I can't do it alone.  Join me!

~Clara