My abs are going to be INSANE!!!

Inspired by Jason's goal to do 100 push-ups, I am going to do 200 sit-ups! He mentioned that they have some different 6-week training programs on the site and I think the sit-ups one will be perfect for me! Plus, it's more fun to work towards a goal together, right? :-)

The program starts off with an initial test and continues a couple days later with week 1. When I completed my initial test I could do 51 sit-ups. This (barely) puts me in the 'good' range. I'm actually pretty surprised by this number; I would have guessed I could do around 30 sit-ups.

Initial thoughts: It's more difficult than I thought to exhale when sitting up and inhale when going back down... and count at the same time! I'm going to have to work on that.

Only 149 more sit-ups to go!!! :-D


PS - Programs on this site include 100 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 200 squats, and 25 pull-ups (which is coming soon!)

Weigh-in Wednesday

Sam:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Last week's weight (6.16.2010): 168.8 pounds
Current weight (6.30.2010): 169.4 pounds
That is a gain of 0.6 pounds for a total loss of 10.2 pounds!
What I did: What did I do? Well, a whole lot of nothing is the answer. I feel like I've been slightly under 170 for a while now and I need to get really serious about this if I want to see results. Yes, I've lost 10 pounds so far, but my goal weight is still 25 pounds away! Just keep swimming... just keep swimming...

Jason:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 216.6 pounds
Last week's weight (6.9.2010)197.0: pounds
Current weight (6.30.2010): 199.2 pounds
That is a gain of 2.2 pounds for a total loss of 17.4 pounds!
What I did: Weight gained = beer consumed / no exercise x 2 weeks
My leg has been feeling a lot better and I'm planning to go for a run this weekend. I've done day 1 of my 100 push-up challenge and I'm hoping for better results next week.

Yup, I'm totally doing this and then the pecs and I are going cougar hunting...

I decided this morning that I am going to do 100 push-ups! (all at once, not like over 6 months or anything like that) I remembered reading somewhere about a training program for this so I looked it up and found, hundredpushups.com. (An interesting sidenote, when I typed 100 and a space into google, "100 push-ups" was the first suggested search so apparently I am not the only person looking for this.) The hundredpushups.com site outlines a 6 week training program to work up to 100 pushups. While I think it will likely take me more than 6 weeks, I am psyched about having a new challenge and a new goal. I'll keep you updated on my progress and I plan to post a sweet video of me doing half-a-bazillion push-ups when I reach my goal. Stay tuned and wish me luck...

Health vs. Dieting

To me, a diet is:
- Depriving myself of foods I love
- Eating badly one day and ruining all my hard work
- A temporary solution

To me, healthy is:
- Redefining the foods I love
- Having a bad day (or week) and knowing that it's just part of the process
- A permanent lifestyle change

I've been on diets before and I didn't like it. How many of us can actually say that we have enjoyed being on a diet? It's not fun. What is fun is feeling good about yourself and knowing that you have control of the way you feel in your own body. That is what I'm going for here. I want to love the way I look and feel in my own skin.

I am on a journey that will take a lifetime. There is no quick fix and there is no easy way out. Knowing this is half the battle. I am changing myself and my habits in a good way.

So, tell me... Are you on a diet, or a journey?

Weigh-in Wednesday

Howdy blog readers! It's that time again -- Weigh-in Wednesday!

Two things before we get to the numbers:

1.) We really need to be better about not letting a week go by without posting! I have all these ideas in my head for posts... I just have to make them happen!

2.) Jason is in Florida and I am not. (Jealous Sam!) So this week it's just me weighing in. I think next week we are due for a measurement update too!

Sam:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Last week's weight (6.9.2010): 169.4 pounds
Current weight (6.16.2010): 168.8 pounds
That is a loss of 0.6 pounds for a total loss of 10.8 pounds!
What I did: Not much different than other weeks. I need to make it to the gym more for sure. This past week I was a no-show. I'm going to blame it on the fact that I've had a headache since Thursday. Frustrating. It will get better though because I want to go to the gym and I want to run.

Weigh-in Wednesday

Sam:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Last week's weight (6.2.2010): 170.8 pounds
Current weight (6.9.2010): 169.4 pounds
That is a loss of 1.4 pounds for a total loss of 10.2 pounds!
What I did: Whoa! I am SO excited to hit the 10 pounds lost mark, and be below 170 pounds (which hasn't happened in a while!) Yay! I feel like this is a big win for me since I wasn't expecting to be down so much today. It gives me a lot of confidence for the following week. If I can do what I did this week and loose, I know I can do a lot more and loose more. I know it's not all about the numbers, but when the numbers are good, it feels good. :-)

Jason:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 216.6 pounds
Last week's weight (6.2.2010)198.6: pounds
Current weight (6.9.2010): 197.0 pounds
That is a loss of 1.6 pounds for a total loss of 19.6 pounds!
What I did: Wow, I feel like its been several weeks since I've actually lost any weight. I think a lot of my weight loss this week can be attributed to my activity level this weekend. Um, I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but I ran my first half marathon.:-) (Post Forthcoming...) Based on the distance and my current weight I believe I burned around 2200 calories (kind of insane, don't you think?)

50 Marathons in 50 Days

Tuesday night I watched an episode of 20/20 (a program I don't watch enough but almost always find interesting). The episode was titled "Superhumans" and showed interviews of people who defied their fears and put mind over matter to do things that would be impossible for most.

A woman who can hold her breath underwater for five minutes... A man who has trained his body to endure sub-zero temperatures... A man who can become fluent in a language in one week... and a man who runs, a lot.

Dean Karnazes runs marathons. He ran 50 marathons in 50 days. He started running one day and never stopped. It's pretty incredible but also pretty insane. He gets up early in the morning and runs a marathon distance before going to work. He runs a quick 10 mile endurance run in the afternoon, and in the evening... yup, you guessed it, more running.

An interesting quote from his interview: "I guess what I'm doing is a little bit extraordinary, I just don't think of myself as being extraordinary. I think the human body's extraordinary."

I want to feel like my body is extraordinary, no amazing, no really awesome, no, just good. I want my body to feel good. Right now it does not. I want to run a marathon, or 10, in my lifetime. I want my body and mind to be able to accomplish this together and I want to be able to call myself "a runner."

Wouldn't that be cool?

I'll get there... I swear I will.


PS - To learn more about Dean Karnazes visit his website, check out his book, or read the ABC News article.

Weigh-in Wednesday

We missed last week's weigh in. There isn't really an excuse except that we had company visiting (Sam's bestest friend!) and just didn't get to it. Fear not though, because we are back with another week of Weigh-in Wednesday... let's see what the numbers are this week, shall we? :-)

Sam:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Last week's weight (5.19.2010): 170.4 pounds
Current weight (6.2.2010): 170.8 pounds
That is a gain of 0.4 pounds for a total loss of 8.8 pounds!
What I did: As we said above I had a friend visiting from Boston last week. I made the decision to not eat all that well (she wanted to experience some great restaurants in MSP and I was willing to show her!) I was also busy and didn't get to exercise. This was something that I did knowing that it wasn't going to be good for my weight loss, but it was VERY good for my mental health. We got to spend a lot of time together and I didn't feel guilty about having a Margarita with my best friend or indulging on her amazing cooking.

Jason:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 216.6 pounds
Last week's weight (5.19.2010)198.4: pounds
Current weight (6.2.2010): 198.6 pounds
That is a gain of 0.2 pounds for a total loss of 18.0 pounds!
What I did: I have to say that I am actually excited to have such a minimal gain since the last Weigh-in Wednesday. I attribute my better than expected success to the fact that I had started running again after injuring my leg (I have since re-injured and am taking it a bit easy again in hopes that I can participate in the half marathon this weekend). I feel that I need to start using this blog for accountability as I have really been overeating (and alcohol-drinking :-).

Blogger Meet-up Recap

On May 20th I attended a Blogger Meet-up. I've said it once already, but I'll say it again...

They are also extremely nice and very welcoming. It doesn't matter if you have been blogging for 2 year or 2 months, they will welcome you with open arms... literally... most are 'huggers,' which I love. :-)

Together we donated 170 pounds of food to local good shelves. Thanks to Molly of The Snyder 5 for organizing such a cool event!

I chatted with some ladies I have known for a little while and some others who I had never met. It was so great to be able to get together with these ladies and be part of this amazing network.

Me and Mary of Fit this Girl!

- You should read Mary's blog because she is an awesome person who will motivate you to get moving and smile while you are doing it. :-) She's also a runner extraordinaire who is following her dreams and I respect that SO MUCH.

Me and Cindy of Healthy Heart Journey, and Jen of Prior Fat Girl

- You should read Cindy's blog because she posts adorable photos of herself and organizes cool events like the Walking Club.

- You should read Jen's blog because she is incredibly honest and has an amazingly inspirational story.

Me and Darcie of Gust Gab

- You should read Darcie's Blog because she posts cool things like her 'Summer Bucket List' (totally stealing this idea for myself) ...she also posts adorable photos of her two kids... who are adorable. :-)

Me and Allison of O My Family and Jen of Grow with Graces

- You should read Allison's Blog because she's an honest and funny mommy blogger (see this tweet) and because she has a sweet giveaway going on right now that you should definitely go check out!

- You should read Jen's blog because she's doing the Couch to 5k Program too (woo!) and because she posts things like 'Thankful Thursdays' which I may have to do in my other blog (perfect for scrapbooking and memory keeping!)

Some more great ladies I got to meet and talk with (but didn't get photos of!)
- Liz of Random Thoughts of a Lutheran Geek
- Robin of Just After Bedtime
- Suzi of Pink Vanilla Cupcakes
- Angie of Fumbling Toward Family

I got to the event around 6:00pm. I told Jason I should be home by 8:00pm. At 9:00pm, I looked at the clock and literally couldn't believe I had been there for 3 HOURS! Times goes by fast when you're in good company. :-)

A Blogger Meet-up for a Good Cause

Tonight I will be attending a Blogger get-together with over 40 local blogging ladies.

This will be my second big blogger meet-up in Minnesota. I have gotten to know a few of these ladies over the months I have lived in the area and, let me tell you, I am reminded every day that bloggers are among the nicest people ever. Pair that fact with the 'Minnesota-nice' nature of the people here and the outcome is overwhelmingly welcome and encouraging and, best of all, FUN!


The meetup has been organized by Molly who is an advocate for the Child Hunger End's Here charity organization. Us bloggers will be bringing non-perishable food items to donate to local food shelves. I just love when good people get together to do good things. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. :-) We'll all be getting together at Nye's Polonaise in Minneapolis. [Find a list of attendees here.]

I can't wait for this get-together to be able to connect with some of the bloggers I met at the last meet-up, as well as meet some of the bloggers I follow but haven't met yet (but feel like I know already!)

If you are in the Twin Cities area and would like to contribute to the End Child Hunger cause, you are in luck! Area bloggers have rallied together to donate items for a local rummage sale where all sales will be donated. And you can go!!!

Minnesota Bloggers Rummage Sale

SATURDAY, MAY 22

8 AM-1 PM

1227 MONTREAL, ST. PAUL

HIGHLAND PARK SHELTER

For more information, check out Molly’s Blog.

Easy, right? Go and pick up some good stuff and help out a good cause! (I, unfortunately, will not be able to attend the rummage sale since I had to work, but I will be making my donation together at the meet-up because I am all about supporting a good cause and helping those in need.)

To all my blogger friends who will be there tonight, I can't wait to see you!

Weigh-in Wednesday

Sam:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Last week's weight (5.12.2010): 172.0 pounds
Current weight (5.19.2010): 170.4 pounds
That is a loss of 1.6 pounds for a total loss of 9.2 pounds!
What I did: Wow, I am pretty excited about this week's weigh in (I am that much closer to 10 pounds lost!) I think I can honestly say that I did a lot less snacking this past week than other weeks (I have a big problem with snacking!) I could have also worked out more (a lot more) but I will get there.

Jason:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 216.6 pounds
Last week's weight (5.12.2010)199.6: pounds
Current weight (5.19.2010): 198.4 pounds
That is a loss of 1.2 pounds for a total loss of 18.2 pounds!
What I did: I've had a bit of a frustrating week. I'm still nursing my left leg injury and really being deliberate about taking it easy. I haven't run in a week and a half which has had 2 negative effects: 1) I haven't gotten much exercise 2) I've been home an extra hour in the evening which means more time for snacking. I will continue to take it easy though since I don't want to push myself too hard and make my leg injury worse.

My Soul is Happy

[Comic by Andrea Dunleavy.]

Today I got up and put on my workout clothes.

Then I had breakfast and drank a glass of water.

Then I tweeted "I will go to the gym today... I WILL go to the gym today. I WILL GO TO THE GYM TODAY!!!"

Then I went to the gym!

It felt really good. Even though the arch of my right foot was hurting halfway through, and even though someone had set the TV at the gym to Maury ("the lie detector revealed that you are NOT the father!" ... seriously? I don't care!) I felt GOOD and I felt like, if I could go to the gym today, I could go everyday... twice a day, three times even! Ok, not really, but it was good and gave me confidence.

Then I went home and had lunch and did some blog reading.

Then, even though I already worked out once today, I went to a yoga class. I got a Groupon for a month of yoga at CorePower Yoga and finally decided to put it to use.

Then I was going to be late for the class so I almost didn't go.

But then I did go and it was SO good.

I had to take child's pose once to re-align my breath and I had bunches of trouble with tree pose (and I won't even mention crow pose! Definitely something to aspire to.) but it was GOOD stuff.

And now, my soul is happy.

This is my soul -------------> 8^) (Apparently my soul wears sunglasses...)

If only all my days off from work could be like this.

Do any of you practice yoga? Have you ever tried it? Do you want to join me? :-)

Background: I have been to yoga classes before but have never really made the effort to make it part of my everyday life. The thing is though, I have always really enjoyed yoga when I had taken classes. I hope this will be the start of a beautiful, life-long friendship with yoga.

Organic Spa Magazine (Free!)

I recently came across an offer for a free digital subscription to Organic Spa Magazine. After some research on the magazine (which I had never heard of) I thought it was worth checking out. I thought I would share this offer with you before it expired (not sure when). I haven't gotten my first digital issue yet, but I read some articles on the website and enjoyed them. (Check out back issues here.)

Some articles you may enjoy:
- Tips for Staying Motivated
- 10 Little Known Facts About Tea
- Lunch Hour... Exercise Power
- Enjoy Your Food

I am particularly interested in the 'wellness' section of the magazine. I'm not as into fashion or beauty (which is another emphasis) but maybe you will find it useful. :-) Other categories include travel, green home, and natural beauty.

Sign up for your free digital subscription here.

Weigh-in Wednesday

For the first time on this blog, we are going to record our measurements. We will be including our measurements for Weigh-in Wednesday once a month to track our progress. Since this week is the first time, we will just include our current numbers. Last month we will get to see if we have lost or gained inches! For more on how to take your measurements to track your weight loss, check out this article.

Sam:
Weight:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Last week's weight (4.28.2010): 172.3 pounds
Current weight (5.12.2010): 172.0 pounds
That is a loss of 0.3 pounds for a total loss of 7.6 pounds!
What I did: Well, I'm back from vacation. I was visiting family and friends on the East Coast for the last week and a half. I'll be honest, I'm really really surprised to have a loss at all (even a small one) since I ate pretty much anything I wanted when I was away (I know, bad Sam) and didn't exercise AND it's my TIM. I know that the choices I have made were not great, so I will continue to train for my 5k as well as eat more healthy because in the end, I know that will get me results I am proud of!

Measurements:
Bust: 41.5"
Chest: 36.0"
Waist: 32.5"
Hips: 42.5"

Jason:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 216.6 pounds
Last week's weight (5.5.2010)199.6: pounds
Current weight (5.12.2010): 199.6 pounds
No change from last week for a total loss of 18.0 pounds!
What I did: I have not run as much this week as I had been since I came up a bit lame after attempting a long run on Saturday. (I've been limping since then and have had a bit a pain when putting full weight on my left leg.) I am hoping that a week of rest will help. I also have been making some not so great eating choices and have been neglecting to pay close attention to portion sizes. (I'll be better this week. I promise. ;-) )

Measurements:
Chest: 40.0"
Waist: 39.0"
Hips: 43.0"

Weigh-In Wednesday: The Jason Edition!

Sam is traveling this week (Yes, I'm jealous!) so no weigh-in for her. My details are below:

Jason:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 216.6 pounds
Last week's weight (4.28.2010): 199.8 pounds
Current weight (5.5.2010): 198.6 pounds
That is a loss of 1.2 pounds for a total loss of 18.0 pounds!
What I did: Wow, What can I say? I am now two weeks in a row below 200 lbs. (Let's keep it that way, ok?) I have continued to run regularly and have been very mindful of portion control. I have been having to cook for myself this week but have been doing alright with it. (I am very helped by the meals we prepared at Let's Dish before Sam left.) I am thrilled that I lost weight this week despite a weekend Cinco de Mayo party where more than a few "liquid calories" were consumed. I have also been much more snacky this week than I typically am. I attribute this to boredom as I have been alone at the apartment in the evenings. Snacking when I am bored is a nasty habit that's been a real struggle for me.

It's Official!

Ladies and Gentleman! It is official. As of yesterday, May 2, 2010, I am officially registered to run my first Half Marathon. I will be running in the Team Ortho Foundation Half Marathon on June 6. (There is also a full marathon and a 5K being run the same day.) Their website has a handy countdown on it that lets me know I have just 33 days, 10 hours, and 33 minutes to finish my training and preparation. My goal is to complete the 13.1 miles in 2.5 hours (a pace of 11:26 per mile). I'd be happy to have the company if anyone is interested in joining me! (Just register at the link above and make sure to let us know!)

Weigh-in Wednesday

This week was a pretty good one. Not amazing, but good! Let's get to the numbers:

Sam:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Last week's weight (4.21.2010): 171.4 pounds
Current weight (4.28.2010): 172.3 pounds
That is a gain of 0.9 pounds for a total loss of 7.3 pounds!
What I did: I had a lot of long shifts at work this past weekend (which meant many hours on my feet) so my running was put aside in favor of my feet really hurting me after each shift. I also have to be better about bringing food with me to work instead of hitting up the food court on my breaks (bad Sam!) I'll get better, I just need to get a routine going (my job is fairly new to me.)

Jason:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 216.6 pounds
Last week's weight (4.21.2010): 200.6 pounds
Current weight (4.28.2010): 199.8 pounds
That is a loss of 0.8 pounds for a total loss of 16.8 pounds!
What I did: Today I weighed in at 199.8. This the first time I have been below 200lbs for at least 6 months. I have spent the better part of the last 5 years above 200 only occasionally dipping below that level. I am excited this time as I believe I will continue to improve as I continue running, eating healthier, and making smarter choices.

Jason Got Run Over by a Reindeer

A post in which I celebrate some success, talk about some fears, and discuss a close encounter with nature:

-I completed my first 10 mile run this past Sunday (11:23 per mile = 5.3mph). I used the interval method that I discussed in my previous post. It felt awesome and I feel like I have reached a milestone in my training. I am now 5.5 weeks away from running my first half marathon and I am really starting to think that I may actually be able to do this. The best part is that I actually look forward to running, I'm excited to be able to go at the end of the day and find it to be incredibly stress relieving.

-Tomorrow Sam and I are going to spend some time at Let's Dish!. Let's Dish! is a store where you go and build meals that you then take home to freeze so that they can be easily prepared when it is time for them to be eaten. I'm really looking forward to it and plan to get a week's worth of relatively healthy foods that I can prepare on my own. This is especially important as...

-Sam is leaving on Friday for 10 days. I am really excited for her to get to go back to Boston to visit friends and then on to Vermont for a few days to see family. While she is in Vermont she is going to celebrate a really exciting milestone in our friends' lives as she joins them for a baby shower. Honestly, though, the idea of her being gone for so long scares me. :-( I'm nervous that I will be unmotivated to do anything and that I'll resume some bad habits (I get very snacky when I'm lonely and bored.) I'm also nervous that the serving size of the Let's Dish meals will feel really small and I'll end up eating too many calories because I'll go back for seconds. I'm also not looking forward to making them for myself (I hate "cooking" even if its just heating things up in the oven). I guess in the end I'm just going to miss her horribly and thinking about her being gone makes me realize how grounding she is to me and how much more at ease I feel with her around.

-And now a quick story about running in nature: I have been running on paved recreation paths that circle some local ponds/lakes. Usually I love seeing the wildlife along my route as I frequently see squirrels, ducks, turtles, etc. A few weeks ago I saw a bald eagle which was really cool. On Sunday, as I was about 2/3rds of the way done my run I came around a corner and saw two large dogs running straight at me. Only these turned out to not be dogs but a pair of deer approaching very quickly from across the field that adjoins the path. (I know deer and dogs look nothing alike, it was a hazy day, I was getting a bit tired, and I didn't have my glasses on.) I had a moment of panic as these deer were heading straight towards me. Thankfully they veered off to the left and crossed the path about 150 feet in front of me. And then, just as I caught my breath and decided it was safe to run again I noticed a third deer standing in the middle of the path just watching me. We had a bit of a staring contest (I totally won.) and when he decided to run off I continued my run constantly scanning the tree line for any other approaching beasts. Jason + Large Animals = Chicken!

My apologies for the long, rambling post. I have a lot on my mind as you might have guessed.

60 Minute Workout Challenge -- You go girls!

A few (ok, more like 200+) other ladies joined Jen on Tuesday for the 60 minute challenge. Jen challenged all of us to be active for 60 minutes while she spent 99 minutes on a stair master (yes, that implement of pain that we all love to hate). A bunch of the ladies who completed the challenge blogged about it. Here are some inspiring ladies kicking butt in the challenge and every day! You go girls!

Sarah @ Sarah gets Healthy -- One Hour Challenge

Tania @ The Road Back to Being Me -- 60 Minute Challenge

Violet @ One Hundred in Twenty-Eight -- 60 Minutes of Sweat

Amber @ Running Couple -- 5 mile - 60 Minute Challenge Run

Kelly @ Kelly is Losing Weight -- Jen & Tony's Challenge

Bree @ Bees Knees Life -- 60 Minutes

Brandi @ Mama Laughlin -- Prior Fat Girl's 60 Minute Challenge

Janna @ Happiness is a Journey -- Wildflower Edition of C25k

MB @ Finally Figuring it Out -- 99 Minutes

3 minutes... 1 minute... 3 minutes... 1 minute...

As I mentioned yesterday, a big component of my effort to get healthy has been a regular running routine. Well, running may be a bit of an exaggeration. I have found that I have had good success with what our good friend Corinne has dubbed "wogging". Wogging, as you may have guessed, is a combination or running/walking/jogging.

I have been able to consistently improving my speed and increasing my distance over time by pushing myself to do longer and longer intervals of running/jogging and try to minimize the amount of time I spend walking.

Until tonight... While helping Sam look for an iPhone app made for the Couch to 5k program she has started, I came across the Run/Walk method by Jeff Galloway (more info can be found here and here.)

I decided to give it a try by forcing myself to take a one minute walk break for every three minutes of running. I felt myself pushing harder (and running faster) during my runs knowing that I was only a couple of minutes away from getting to rest. The result... my fastest mile yet and the quickest I have completed 5 miles to date (10:23 per mile = 5.8mph)!

I am going to try this method again on Sunday when I shoot for 10 miles (my first double digit run, EEK!) I'll let you know how it goes.

Weigh-in Wednesday

Today is the first installment of Weight-in Wednesday! Where, every Wednesday, we will tell you, yes you, how much we weigh! No really, we're going to tell you. We know it won't be easy to reveal such information to the world, but it is an important part of our journey. We are not happy with where we are but, this is the first step, and it's an important one. So, here goes!

Sam:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Current weight (4.21.2010): 171.4 pounds
That is a loss of 8.2 pounds!
What I did: I am more conscience of what I eat (but still have to get a lot better) and I also started a job a few weeks ago where I am on my feet the entire time. This is a huge factor in this number, which, honestly, just started to go down in the last couple weeks.

Jason:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 216.6 pounds
Current weight (4.21.2010): 200.6 pounds
That is a loss of 16 pounds!
What I did: I have been running more and more, building up my endurance for a half marathon. Currently I run 4 times a week -- 3-5 miles during the week and 9 miles on Sunday.

** Please keep in mind, these numbers have been going up and down over the past 4 months. We started wanting to be more healthy at the beginning of the year (like many many other people) and have been tracking our weight since then. Please don't think that we are being crazy and posting huge losses right off just because we can... we just want to let everyone know where we started. :-) We will be measuring our total weight loss, as well as the weight lost/gained in the previous week from now on. **

Well, that's it! Stayed tuned every Wednesday where we weigh in and reflect on what we are doing right (or wrong) and how we can improve.

Couch to 5k - First Impressions

Have you all heard of the Couch to 5k program? It's basically a plan to get anyone ready to run a 5K by slowly building the endurance required to actually do it, without overdoing it. You see, if you start training too hard, you could get burnt out or even hurt yourself. Couch25k helps you to know exactly how much to push yourself.

Today, as part of Jen's most recent challenge to work out for 60 minutes, I decided to start the program. The first week of the program only takes about 30 minutes, so I hopped on the treadmill, did the program for 30 minutes, and then walked briskly for the next 30 minutes. I tell you, it wasn't easy.

Typically, the hardest part about exercising for me is actually going to the gym to exercise. Once I am there, I'm usually good to go. This time I pushed myself a little harder but, in return, I got more out of the hour I spent there. Funny how that works, huh?

Despite the fact that I have never run in my life and that my ankles were killing me at some points, I will continue with the program. Jason runs now and I want to be able to run with him, for fun. I figure, we always have fun when we do things together, so this will be no exception. Bonus points if working out is actually fun, right? :-D