Days 5 & 6 - Oh boy...

Yesterday, I did a walk/jog for Day 5. I had a committee meeting and then had trivia later, so I ended up going to the Lansing City Market to catch the River Trail.

1.92 miles

26:43 minutes

179 calories

4.3 miles/hr

Today is Day 6. Between long hours at work, making sure I stick with the Couch to 5K and a lack of sleep, I am looking forward to having most of the weekend to catch up on sleep and clean the apartment a bit. My body is a bit exhausted, and I'm trying to get used to being a bit sore.

I'll finish week 1 of the Couch to 5K tomorrow with another 1.5 mile walk/jog and then start week 2 with a 30-60 minute walk. I'm hoping the weather is somewhat decent over the weekend.

Eventually, the food intake will have to be addressed, because I seem to be going through a junk food phase right now. But, that's for another time.

Day 4 - One thing at a time...

As I've been trying to get into the habit of walking/running with the Couch to 5K program, I also downloaded an app to my phone called MyFitnessPal. It's a way to keep track of what I'm eating and where my calories are coming from, and also a weight loss management tool. It tells you how you'd do in 5 weeks if every day were like today.

Well...while I'm doing well on the walking/running part so far, the food part is not coming together. I'm doing fine for a 2,000 calorie diet, but not so much for the target 1,600 they have me at.

But, I'm ok with that. I've decided I can only focus on creating one habit at a time.

Now, I just need to figure out how to get music on my phone...

Day 3 - Leaving the apartment complex

So, today was Day 3 of my Couch to 5K. Yesterday was a rest day.

Days 3, 5 and 7 call for 1.5 miles running. Unfortunately, I don't think I am quite ready for running that much yet, so I mostly walked and alternated some jogging (though minimal and more like "plodding"). I actually went 2.1 miles today and LEFT THE APARTMENT COMPLEX!

Today's stats:

2.11 miles

31:45 minutes

15:03 minutes/mile

197 calories

4.0 miles/hr

I noticed on the first workout I had, I logged it wrong, and the calories should have been lower. I'm testing a few different apps on my phone to keep track of stuff and hopefully will settle on one soon.

I have a feeling Thursday is going to be tough. I'm hoping to make my comeback to yoga tomorrow night (barring any issues). But after sitting down after tonight's workout, I could feel how tired I was. But, that's two days from now...

It's been awhile...

So, it's been almost a year since the last time I wrote on this blog. Lots of things have happened between then and now (like getting a job, getting a new to me car and other stuff). But I come back today because I'm starting a new adventure.

Today was the first day of my "Couch to 5K" effort.

This was the first week schedule I've been given:

Week 1 Dist /Time Training Effort
Day 1 20-50 min Walk Easy
Day 2 Rest or short walk Walk Easy
Day 3 1.5 miles / 2.4k Run Easy
Day 4 Rest or short walk Walk Easy
Day 5 1.5 miles / 2.4k Run Easy
Day 6 Rest None None
Day 7 1.5 miles / 2.4k Run Easy

I decided to start today because it works well with my schedule for the week. Things have been crazy at work and I've been working a lot of hours, and in addition, have lot of other stuff going on. I need to somehow remember to take time out for me.

I downloaded an app called Endomondo to my phone, and it keeps track of distance, time, calories, avg. pace and the like. So, for today's results from my walk:

2.10 miles

34:19 minutes

16:20 minutes/mile

258 calories

Stuck

This week has been similar to last week - feeling a bit stuck. However, there's been a bit of forward movement. My apartment looks a bit less cluttered and I got rid of a lot of stuff.

But as I get on the scale each morning, I'm noticing a trend - I'm hovering around 170, +/-1. Huh, that seems like it could be a political poll result. The interesting thing about this revelation is that so far, I'm ok with it. I know I need to get back to riding my bike and going to yoga, but other than that, I'm not freaking out that I'm not losing anything (I think I'm a bit happy I'm not gaining anything!).

So - the question I've been trying to answer is how to get motivated. I don't have the freaking out motivation to lose weight (by getting on the bike, etc.), but I want to start being active again...so says my brain.

I also need motivation to clean my apartment more (finally started again this week), submit even more job applications (I feel like it's never enough, especially lately) and I need to start being more productive with my time (instead of wasting away online doing NOTHING).

As I'm on my search for motivation - where do you find yours?

Things I've learned while unemployed...

It's funny - I thought about writing this blog post earlier today, but time didn't allow me too. Though, it seems quite appropriate to write after today's events.

Without further ado - things I've learned while unemployed:

- The mounds of stuff in my apartment doesn't decrease, no matter how much stuff I throw out!

- Somehow, no matter what, parents are always there for you.

- Sometimes, crappy stuff happens, but it could have been worse.

- It's not easy to be without your car.

- I need a routine!

- You have to trust the right thing is happening, regardless of how horrible it feels.

- Sometimes, the people you think will be there won't; sometimes help comes from unexpected places.

- I love my dog more than she can comprehend. She's a good listener.

- It's still my duty to help my community no matter what is going on with me.

It all may not be much, but it's something. There's a lot of things to learn from experiences in life, and I'm at least trying to make lemonade out of lemons.

Pet Photos with the Easter Bunny - Lansing Jaycees

Today brought me to a new project in my home chapter, the Lansing Jaycees. For a few years, the idea has been kicked around that since the chapter owns a bunny costume, why not use it to do photos? And since we have lots of animal lovers in our chapter, why not pet photos?

This year was the year we finally pulled the trigger. With the help of the Animal Placement Bureau, we were able to host an event today and the chapter raised over $500 to donate to Animal Placement Bureau and the Spay/Neuter Clinic at the Capital Area Humane Society.

We had three different members pose as the Easter Bunny throughout the day, and lots of members and community members bring their pets. There were mostly dogs, some cats and even a hamster!

It was great to see so many people bring their pets in and the variety of pets! Great job on a fun new event!