What's with the name?

What's with the name? In my mid-twenties, I had essentially gone through one kind of life and am starting to enter another. The people that are probably going to read this blog know exactly what I'm talking about - but for those who don't know, here's a brief rundown . Cheers to Chapter 2! A journey in health in many ways, and to be the best version of myself I can possibly be. I am also a blogger for GreenMommas.com. This is my blog.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

2012 in Numbers


It's the end of 2012. A year in which I finally met some resolutions I had been trying to in so many other years. My first goal was to lose 60lbs - I did just that, ending the year -63 lbs lighter than I was in March. A goal I set in October was to run a 5k, I checked that off my goal list within the first few days of December. I was inspired to try to put my year in to a list of numbers, like my company did at a recent meeting. This year flew by, so I think it would be neat to list it out this way, so I can see what I did really accomplish this year. 2012 was 'my year' in many ways, both in my personal and professional life.

182 Fitness Classes

137.8 miles tracked on RunKeeper (mostly runs and one bike ride)

63 pounds lost

52 gallons Raw Milk

28 varieties of Veggies/Fruits organically grown

25 Blog Posts

16 Chemical products replaced (household & beauty) with 100% natural ones

5 pant sizes down

2 mountains climbed

1 5k Race

When writing it down like this, it looks like a huge accomplishment - which it was. Honestly, I feel like a different person than I did at the beginning of this year, but more importantly I feel highly-equipped to live a long and chronic-disease free life. This list was compiled by making small changes and decisions, one at a time, with the common goal of being a healthier person and having a healthier family.

I think I'm ready to set some goals for 2013 as I've really found out what I am capable of this year. I want to run at least 5 more races next year. Sounds like a lot, huh? Well, I've already signed myself up for the Maple Streek 5k running series, which is 4 races over 4 weeks in May. Then maybe we'll throw in that Santa 5k at the the end of 2013 as well. For time - May I'm setting a goal of under 30 min. I would really like to get my time down to 26/27 minutes by the end of the year. I'm sure I can do it.

I've also got another 50lbs to lose! I'm more than halfway to my goal in 10 months so this should be a breeze, maybe I'll hit it by the time summer starts. I really want to be in the best shape of my life by the time I hit the big 3-0, but that's still a year and a half away, so completely possible.

Are you ready for a photo montage?

Here's some 'BEFORE' pics from XMas 2011, and then March 2012:



And this one I can't get over : June 2012 vs. December 2012 (so proud of him too!):


And here is the 2012 Before/After shot:


Bring on 2013, I'm ready!

Cheers to a fantastic New Year!





Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Firsts: Exercising on Thanksgiving and 5k!

November Progress : 
-6lbs / -58 total


Turkey day has come and gone, and while there was some indulgence, I lived through Thanksgiving week and managed to lose a pound. How? I did my research, I guess. I packed my gym bag along with my other necessities for a two day trip south of Boston. While we got in late Wednesday night, we (my lovely sis/fellow road-tripper) were greeted by takeout my dad had picked up for us at the local Italian joint. I chose chicken and broccoli - safe enough, no? Oh, I wasn't aware it was going to come with nearly a pound of penne! I ate all my protein and veggies first, and munched on a few pieces of the Italian pasta goodness, but finished with about 3/4 of the pasta still left in the dish. Win #1. I kid you not, that took some serious self control, I LOVE pasta.

Thursday morning. The night before I used my maps app to figure out that there was a park right across from the hotel. I convinced my sis to come with me for a pre-turkey run. Wide awake at 8:30, we made it to the park by 9, running a few laps in the park (and I should mention my fastest mile ever since I have been tracking them). Win #2 - but this was a significant one. I have NEVER exercised on this holiday. I nearly always travel to Boston, but I have never used the hotel's gym. I made it a point this time to plan ahead and just get it done. This made it easier to eat healthy as we headed over to my aunt's for the giant meal.

I passed on stuffing, crackers, pumpkin bread, wheat sheaths (basically a large pan full of egg-washed bread). On my plate were green beans, a slice of turkey and a small serving of mashed potatoes. Instead of having pre-meal snacks that are more like a meal in themselves, I munched on a few shrimp, holding my hunger adequately until mealtime. This thanksgiving (although taken with a few glasses of white wine) was surely different. No seconds, no breads, no pie. But I didn't need or miss them. My buzzed self had a bite or two of leftover cannoli back at the hotel (ya, did I mention that Italian takeout included cannoli, too?). But all in all, I controlled myself. Sitting across from my ballerina step-sister at dinner, who made similar food choices made it easier, as well.

Of course, the holiday was laced with it's share of compliments like "Jessie, where did you go?" and "you are looking so thin" (I don't know if this was a compliment, healthy would've been a more appropriate adjective), and relatives inquiring about my exercise routine and my upcoming 5k. But, for the first time in a long time, I braved several camera shots of myself and my family. I wasn't afraid of being shocked at what I looked like in the photos; in fact, I actually really liked some of the photos taken.

This week's workout :

Monday : Spin & Sculpt = 440 calories

Tuesday : Bodypump + 5 min run = 480 calories

Wednesday : Short walk (1.5 miles) = 210 calories

Thursday : 3 mile run in Quincy! = 340 calories

Saturday : 3.1 mile run = 480 calories


This Week's Workout :

Monday : 3.1 mile treadmill run = 450 calories

Tuesday : Bodypump = 410 calories

Wednesday : Spin & Sculpt =490 calories

Friday : Cyctone = 520 calories

Sunday = Santa 5k! + 2 mile walk = 720 calories

So, the Santa 5k. There is nothing quite like being all dressed in red, in a sea of red. Over 2000 Santas raced and in short, it was joyfully incredible. I had never run the actual route before but had made sure to do a 5k run about once a week for the month of November. The race stated and I was pretty pumped. I got my stride pretty early, weaving in and out of people and pushing myself to run up the massive hill that was Battery Street (wowsers!). I thought for sure because of that hill I was not going to meet my goal of under 35 min. I stopped to lower my heart rate twice, I think, for not more than 15 seconds after I got up the whole hill section. Racing is a completely different atmosphere than just running by myself. It was easier to pick up the pace, turning corners and seeing everyone cheer you on. The home stretch up Church street was the hardest part, I think. Slightly uphill but really pushing myself to finish strong. When I stopped at the end I was pretty glad I hadn't eaten breakfast because I'm pretty sure my stomach nearly turned upside down. Maybe I pushed myself a little too hard but that's my style, I guess. And my time : officially 33 min, 39 seconds. I am so proud of myself. That's nearly 13 minutes faster then when I first attempted it early this year. What a rush the entire race was, can't wait for another one (although there might not be one as cool as this one). Here's some pics from the event :



I'm in the snowflake pants in the top photo. It's all of the Dealer.com racers (ya, I was a racer!). But I think I finally understand what running a race is all about. A little competitiveness, an adrenaline high and a great reason to get your body moving. I checked a goal off my list before the end of the year, as well. Consider me hooked.

Before I sign of on this post, it's end of month so I guess I should wrap up with stats! November I lost six pounds, down 58 total! Another inch off my waist, and one off my hips. I've learned not to let the scale dictate my progress so much. How I feel has become increasingly more important to me, and I'm liking what I see in the mirror more & more. I'll even pose for pictures now. Changes, indeed, in the best possible ways. I get you all another pic at -60, not so far away now!

Sorry, this was a long one. So much to share :)