Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

A lot of what holds me back at the gym is worrying about what other people think. I think about how sweaty and red faced I am after only 5 minutes minute on the treadmill and that I'm breathing like an 80 year old with emphysema. Well, both are true but why should I care? I'm there to work out and to push myself. Sometimes it isn't pretty but it's what it takes to make progress.

Tonight I told myself to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, but I was REALLY uncomfortable with it. The more I tried not to focus on my heavy breathing and wheezing, the more I thought I should just stop and walk.

Yes, I run slow, and yes, it isn't easy for me even at that pace, but I'm doing it. I got off the couch, laced up my sneaks and attempted to do something that doesn't come naturally. So there!

iRun

Got back into the groove today and did my sprints. My best was 0.25 miles at 10 mins/mi. I had to keep telling myself I could breathe later and I could anything for two and a half minutes. Not gonna lie, it was hard but I made it through. Tomorrow I go for a 2 mile run.

Time to get back on the bandwagon. I've been slacking for way too long and instead of making progress toward my goals I've gone backwards.

My "Everest" is the MORE Half Marathon in April. This year I did it in 2:50:18, 3 years ago it took 3:49:54. 2012's goal, 2:20.

I am officially in training once again. The half marathon is 5 months away and I have a lot of work to do, but I CAN do it.

Starting over is better than quitting...

At least that's what I'm telling myself as I struggle to get back on track. My goal tonight was to run two miles and I only made it one. I was able to do it in 10:47 but sounded like I was 80 years old with emphysema. I was wheezing and gasping for air but I finished. I guess that's something.

I have to start almost from square one which is a bummer, but I won't let it stop me from getting back to where I was. After I ran the mile I did sprints for a quarter mile each at 5.6, 5.7, 5.8 and 5.9. That pretty much used up any remaining oxygen in my lungs. It was hard but I pulled it together, remembered my mantra to FOCUS and am able to say that I achieved what I set out to do today. I haven't been able to say that in a long time.

"No road is too long for he who advances slowly and does not hurry, and no attainment is beyond his reach who equips himself with patience to achieve it."

Green Goddess

Those who know me know that you won't catch me eating salad unless it consists of iceberg lettuce, a slice of cucumber and French dressing. Years of disliking veggies is finally catching up with me and I had to find a way to start incorporating them into my diet.

I came across a great blog called Green Monster Movement that contains recipes for green drinks. A sneaky way to get in some much needed vegetables if I do say so myself. Last week I got myself the knock off version of the Magic Bullet, a high speed blender that creates the drink right in the glass so there's less mess to clean up.

I experimented with a concoction that I'm calling the Green Goddess and here are the results. I blended orange/carrot juice with some spring water, baby spinach and frozen tropical fruit (strawberries, pineapple and banana). Taste? DELICIOUS! The baby spinach is unidentifiable other than the color and it tastes like a tropical fruit drink.

Tonight I'm going to throw in a few baby carrots as well and see how many other veggies I can add without affecting the taste.

http://greenmonstermovement.com/

Om...

I have two mantras: Focus and Breathe. I use these particularly when running because I often focus on the wrong thing like pain, time moving slowly or my inability to catch my breath. Hence the mantra "Breathe." It's a reminder to myself to check my posture, slow my inhale, etc. and to focus on the goal and how far I've come versus how far I have to go.

I haven't been focusing on much lately and it's time to get back. I Signed up for a 10K months ago and didn't train. Yesterday I showed up actually believing I could run 6.2 miles when I haven't run more than 1 in the past two months and have only run 5 miles once in my life. Yes, it was delusional. And more than that I disappointed myself when I ran the one mile I was able to, took off my timing chip and race number and walked back to the start line not making eye contact with anyone along the route.

It was proof that you get what you give. No effort = no accomplishment. Lesson learned the hard way once again but I'm not giving up. Tomorrow I start training again and looking forward to the day next year that I run the entire thing.

Failing to plan is planning to fail . . .

Yep. That about sums it up.

I've never been one to not achieve a goal I set, even if it takes me longer than it should. But once again, I've allowed myself to become distracted and end up further from where I wanted to be.

This Saturday is the 10K I registered for a few months back. I haven't run in a month and the last time I did I went a mile. Needless to say I'm pretty disappointed that I've made no real attempt to achieve this. I've also managed to gain a few pounds that are slowing me down even more making me want to work out less and less.

On Saturday I will go out there and take however long it takes to finish. Then I will find another race in the spring and get myself back to where I need to be to cross this off my list once and for all.

Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down. ~Mary Pickford

There's no time like, tomorrow?

I'm an all or nothing kind of girl. When I slip up I throw in the towel and continue the slide.

This week started out well. I was planning my meals, bringing food to work, drinking water and going to the gym. Usually by Wednesday I start getting lazy and a lot of those things fall to the wayside. Today had a hard boiled egg, slice of toast and a protein shake for breakfast. But the day got too hectic and I had to "eat on the run," literally grabbing whatever I could because I didn't bring my lunch.

I ened up choosing potato chips, chocolate chip cookies and jelly beans as a not so well rounded meal. Then for dinner I had chicken nuggets, fries (baked at least) and blueberry pie for dinner. Skipped the gym, and now, not surprisingly, I'm exhausted.

Tomorrow will be better. I'm working from home so I'll eat a decent breakfast and lunch then swing by the gym later in the day. I have a plan, now I have to work it. I did ok the other days and I won't let one bad one ruin the whole week.

“Many fine things can be done in a day if you don't always make that day tomorrow"

What's on YOUR Bucket List?

I like the idea of having a "bucket list" and checking off goals as I accomplish them. When's the last time you did something new for the first time? When's the last time you did something that scared you?
The answer to both questions for me is jumping off a diving board a few weeks ago. I like to test my limits and push past my fears, but it isn't always easy. My motto is "Feel the fear and do it ANYWAYS." I have a lot of things still on the list and hope I get to check all of them off.

My Bucket List

Surf a wave - I've taken one lesson and it didn't go well...

Swim with dolphins

Ride in a hot air balloon

See as much of the world as I can (Africa, Hawaii, and Prague are on the list)

Wear a two piece bathing suit

Skydive to celebrate turning 60

Run a 10K

Run a Half Marathon

Things I've checked off the list

Learned to drive a stick shift (forced myself by buying a brand new car I could barely drive off the lot)

Driven cross-country and visited many cities including New York, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Dallas

Been to London, Paris, Bermuda, Aruba, Turks & Caicos and adding Germany to the list next week

Learned to swim (took my first lesson four years ago)

Worked in New York City

Found my dream job

Snorkeled

Ran a 5K

Completed a half marathon twice

10K...And I'm Not Talking Gold

What happens when you take your eye off your goals for even a minute? You end up like me with a 10K looming in four weeks and being nowhere near prepared for it.

In April after I ran/walked a half marathon I set a new goal to run a 10K this fall. I could already run 3 miles so I figured with 5 months to train it would be a breeze. It would have been if I stayed focused, worked at it and revisited my vision board from time to time to reaffirm why I'm doing it. But I didn't.

Instead, shortly after, I regained a few pounds and noticed that it wasn't as easy to run anymore. Since it was difficult, I started running less and eventually started skipping the gym altogether. Gained a few more pounds then registered for the race two months ago thinking that would motivate me. Nope. I slacked off even more until the other day when I realized the race is now four weeks away.

Having never run six miles in my life, and the farthest being five, which I did one time over 15 years ago, I'm thinking there's not much chance of accomplishing it this go round. Yes, I could/probably will walk some of it, but the goal was to run the entire thing. I know that I can walk 6.2 miles. Now there's no one to be mad at but myself as I sit here having to relose weight I already lost and start almost from the beginning as now I can only run two miles continuously.

Thankfully I'm persistant. I never give up on a goal, which may or not be a good thing sometimes. I will refocus and find a race in the spring along with the half marathon which I hope to run almost all of next year.

"Do or do not. There is no try."

Week 1 Recipe - Veggie Burger

One of the reasons I don't like to cook is because I find it impossible to follow a recipe. I like things more 'abstract' and tend not to be precise with measurements, or measure at all. A handful of something looks like a half cup to me. I also end up eliminating or substituting ingredients a lot because I either don't like it or can't eat it.

I found today's recipe on a great blog side called Oh She Glows. This woman is a true foodie who experiments with vegan and vegetarian recipes and makes them look terrific. I figured I'd give a whirl. What could go wrong?

I started chopping and "measuring" and throwing the ingredients in a bowl. After mixing them I realized I didn't saute the onion and garlic...oops. I eliminated the almonds and tamari because I'm allergic and eyeballed the spices. Started frying one up and realized I forgot to add the sunflower seeds. OK, that's 3 ingredients now missing.

My burger was looking kind of dry and dense so I topped it with salsa. No flavor whatsoever. I only cooked one so I added salsa to the rest of the mixture along with the sunflower seeds (see photo). This batch looked a little better so I will try it again tomorrow night and report back. If it doesn't work out, I'll look for something a little less complicated for next week.

Eye on the Prize

For as long as I can remember, I've always set goals for myself. And I've always achieved them, with the exception of eating healthy and more recently, losing weight. It's obvious that bad habits formed over many decades are hard to break.

We all know that small changes add up and equal big success over time. My problem is patience. I don't have any. If I don't lose 5 lbs the first week, I throw in the towel and go back to my old ways. But my food allergies are forcing me to make changes that have me kicking and screaming. No cream in my coffee, no pizza or macaroni and cheese. Most every product in the grocery store that isn't an unprocessed, whole food contains soy or milk in some form. For a junk food junkie, this is a death sentence. How can my only options now be in the produce aisle, a place I have avoided like the plague for most of my life?

The key to success for me is going to be making small changes over time. I can no longer cheat and eat the foods I'm allergic to without consequences. My body is tired and telling me it's time to clean up my act and start treating it better.

Goal #1 - Eliminate diet soda. I'm on day 4 and doing ok. I've swapped out my morning Coke Zero with water and Crystal Light. Pretty painless. Even I'm surprised.

Goal #2 - Stop putting cream in my coffee. This one has been a thorn in my side for over a year. I've tried every substitute available and they are really BAD. Believe it or not, non-dairy creamer isn't truly dairy free. It contains casein, milk protein, and is what I'm allergic to. Soy-based creamers are out. I used to drink it black but can't reacquire the taste. I tried SoDelicious Coconut Milk Creamer for the fourth or fifth time and can finally tolerate it.

Two accomplishments so far. I'll keep looking forward and keeping my eye on the prize. I CAN do this.

Next up:

• Be more consistent with exercise



• Cook from a recipe once week