You Can't Stand Still to Move Foward

Here we are March 2012 (left) vs. January 2013 (right). I may wear belts all the time now. It's been a long time since I've had a waist like this. Really liked my outfit today, I wouldn't have done a picture otherwise - and the skirt is a Medium! I may be at least almost average size!

So, You Can't Stand Still to Move Forward. That kind of goes without saying, doesn't it. And you can't do the same thing expecting different results. I have been on nearly the same workout schedule for the past few months and although the weight is still coming off I feel the need for something more ...challenging. I want to feel myself becoming stronger, faster and have more endurance. After all that's what (for me) keeps it interesting. Hitting new 'firsts', surpassing goals and being surprised by something I can do today that I couldn't do yesterday.

I have adjusted my training schedule with this in mind and only give myself workouts in which I can measure improvement. It's sort of like having a competition against myself, and being a Leo, I do like competition. For the last few weeks (three I think), this is what I'm doing.

Monday : Run 5k (treadmill or hopefully outside when it's not too frigid)
Tuesday : Insert class I haven't done before (for the last two weeks, it's been Spin Circuit)
Wednesday : CrossFit
Thursday : CrossFit
Friday : CrossFit

Does it look like I'm doing the same thing Wednesday - Friday? Well it is the same class, but it's different everytime. I was recently talking with someone about how people are becoming almost addicted to CrossFit, and I see why. If you have a great instructor (which we're incredibly lucky to have a work) this class can and will push you to your boundaries - and in my case that's nearly passing out and feeling reluctant that you're standing at the end of the class. For most classes it's a certain set of different exercises and you try to complete them as fast as possible. This class format allows me to motivate myself more. I mean, I can do anything for three minutes! I'm doing CrossFit three days in a row, no matter how sore I am from the previous day's class and this has been a great challenge. I am finding new muscle groups - like last week on Wednesday, when we did power cleans for the first time. If you're at all interested in what that looks like : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH_dLhZ2fj8. Now while I'd like to think I look like that when doing it, I don't. I was doing these with 65lbs total (45lb bar plus 2 10lb plates). We did 10 rounds total of 10 power cleans, 10 push ups and 10 squats for time - guess who was the first one finished in the class? That would be me! My competitive nature helps me push myself extra hard. I was so sore in my back and my shoulders for two days after - but I had never felt this whole muscle group be sore before.

Ok, so enough of the workout talk. What else this month? We started some seeds for the garden which I'm pretty thrilled about. Mostly broccoli and other veggies that take 5+ months until you can harvest them. We didn't get broccoli until August last year so we started them earlier. Oh and Noah made his first batch of soap! So instead of me grating bar soap and making it in to liquid he did it up with some nice oils, water & lye. Long process but the result was awesome - it sent me in to a cleaning spree Saturday morning scrubbing down everything from cabinets to stove knobs. What can I say, that stuff cleans!

I'm at about 4lbs down total for January (67 total). Slow going, but any progress is good progress so I'll take it!

Resolutions, the easy way & back to my roots!

Happy New Year. It was both exiting and sentimental to say farewell to 2012, it was a great year but I know that I have the power to make 2013 even better. My big resolution this year is to lose another 50lbs (110 total, whoa) and it's been really easy starting that one as I had already been on the weight loss path for the last 10 months.

I'll be the first to say that the holidays were a rough time for me. With everything going on, not enough sleep and little down time I was definitely not as 'on par' as I would have liked. But that's OK. Having a bad week is ok - a bad month, maybe not. I took my first 'rest time' from training in about three months and while normally this should be a full week, I took four days off from working out. It was plenty. I definitely noticed that I had increased energy for the first two weeks of January and nailed some pretty intense workouts.

I made some smaller resolutions that will help me get to my 50lb goal. First, I really wanted to quit coffee but  I find that sort of unreasonable for me (there are just some days I need it!) I made a small resolution to drink more water. I have really been slacking on this one for the last few months. Ideally, I should be drinking half my body weight in ounces of water daily. I maybe drink 50% of what I should in a day. For the last week I have been carrying my 32oz water bottle around everywhere and have been able to down three of those a day.

This year I really want to work to get my entire beauty routine chemical free. Although many of my household products are homemade, I'm still somewhat lacking in the makeup and hair dept. I knew I had to rid myself of the worst of it - hairspray. I am attached to this stuff, the aerosol kind (ya, I know). Even though I was just doing a little finishing spray, the particles still linger awhile in the air and coat my skin and hair when sprayed on. I was pretty convinced there was not going to be an ample replacement for this product. I tried the first recipe for homemade hairspray I found, mostly because it was SO easy:

1 cup nearly boiling water
4 tsp sugar

I was doubtful to say the least. Sugar water, there is no way that could work as well, right? Well once again, nature proved me entirely wrong, wondering why I had waited so long to try it. It has an incredible hold and does not weigh my hair down - even with the water. The cost to make it is rather ridiculous too, just pennies.

And next up, back to my natural color. I'm allowing myself one hair color application to match to my natural color and then that's it, no more! I'm swearing off the stuff on my head. Plus, I kind of like my natural 'dark golden blonde'. So I took the plunge. Out with the bleach blonde and in with what my hair is really supposed to look like. I'm still getting used to it. Here it is: Before and after...oh ya and those curls are holding with sugar water, after 5 hours:

It does bring out my features more and convinced me that this the way it is supposed to look. I've probably known this for awhile now but it took some time to get the red out of my hair (with the blonde) so I could go back to darker blonde.

For the first time ever I did three consecutive CrossFit classes this week (along with two runs). I'm really trying to switch it up a lot so I've dropped Spin (for now) and am concentrating on faster running speed and CrossFit (because the workout is different, everytime).

In 2013, I'm down about 3 lbs, for a total of 65! Although I feel progress is slow, I feel a lot stronger even than I was a month ago. Exited about the possibilities of 2013.

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!

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 :)

Bruised knees & back pain is a good thing...Seriously

Oh, November. You're dark and cold. I'd like to get up and run in the mornings sometimes, but when I wake up at 6am and it's completely black outside with frost on the ground, it's hard to get motivated. Even though for most of last week I had a cold sticking around - you know, they kind that likes to flare up just enough at night so you can't really get decent sleep - it was a good couple of weeks. The scale is my friend again. I've been steadily dropping weight every few days. I've figured out that I can have about 200 calories worth of something after dinner each night - either a glass of raw milk or a few glasses of wine (I don't drink towards the beginning of the week), but not both. Having both a few days week is what was causing my weight to stand still. So, I pick and choose my indulgences every day so I still feel like I'm not so restricted and am able to keep the weight loss progress.

It's been sort of a weird month. It seems like every time I get mad because the scale isn't budging, I start getting more compliments about how good I look. It's odd how things come in to alignment like that...it seems as if the world keeps giving me more reasons to hang in there and move forward, even when I feel like I'm standing still in this battle.

CrossFit continues to be my greatest love/nemesis. It hurts, [literally] but it's a ton of fun. Thursday's class was a kettle bell back workout and boy did I feel it the day after, no wait - four days after!. My lower back muscles were so sore [in a good way] that I had to mentally prepare myself for standing up, sitting down or bending forward in general. It's four days later, and I still feel like it's a bit of a challenge to stand up straight. But I still hobbled my way in to Friday's CrossFit class, which made me forget about what muscle group was sore in the first place [sit ups!!!]. With it's high competitiveness [against yourself], that class is definitely what I need to keep moving forward and progressing, even with getting a nasty bruise on my knee from burpees. I don't care. Sore feels good. I had someone ask me why would I enjoy such an intense class that leaves me so sore [let's be honest, nearly immobile] the next day. It was an easy answer. You can allow your mind to triumph over your body to make it do what you thought it never could before. So, soreness is not unlike getting reward or praise from you body, it's the actual physical feeling that you accomplished something above and beyond your normal fitness realm.

Workout This Week:

Monday : Spin & Sculpt = 510 calories

Tuesday : 3.1 mile treadmill run = 472 calories

Thursday : Bodypump + 10 mile run = 462 calories

Friday : Cyc[Psycho]Tone = 570 calories

Workout this week :

Monday : 3.1 mile treadmill run = 470 calories

Tuesday : Spin circuit = 520 calories

Wednesday : Spin & Sculpt = 450 calories

Thursday : CrossFit = 520 calories

Friday : CrossFit + 10 min treadmill run = 484 calories

Last two weeks down another 2lbs - about 56 total. Cool thing, took in one of my shirts this week; about an inch and a half off each side - this shirt was snug on me in September when I bought it. Yay for sewing machines and extending the life of something I literally just bought. I figured out if I have a day that I'm feeling kind of big, it's probably because the clothes I'm wearing are a little to big for me. Five minutes on the sewing machine and a glance in a mirror gets me back to the 'hey, I look pretty good' mindset.

I'm pretty exited to be where I am now. I ordered a few dresses for a friend's wedding last week, both 14 dress size. One was pretty huge, the other was snug but fit. But hey, I'm in REGULAR size now, not plus! Let's flash back for a minute. The last dress I ordered was a 22 plus size. The dress I wore when I got married six years ago was a 20 plus size (and it had a corset back which gave me more room). 14 regular size is pretty damn good. Unfortunately I didn't like either of them, so I ordered another. The dress selection around Vermont is not too stellar so I'd rather try the hit & miss approach with online shopping.

I hope everyone has a happy, healthy Turkey day. I look forward to not making it an excuse to misbehave. Mine will most likely be pie-less and stuffing-less. Bring on the turkey, veggies and mashed potatoes, though! I have plans to do a treadmill run Thursday morning so a little bit more of a 'hearty' (not over-indulgent) meal will be fitting. My Boston family hasn't seen me since last Thanksgiving, like almost 60lbs ago. I'm exited for them to see all the hard work I've been doing!