Monday Weigh-In & New Exercise Goals

Hope you guys enjoyed the cruise recap. Thanks for all of your sweet comments! It's time for the Monday weigh-in:

Monday Weigh-In
Last Week: 138.4
This Week: 137.6
Pounds Lost: 0.8
Total Lost: 32.4


Earlier in the week I had gotten down to 136.2 (which is equal my lowest Monday weigh-in so far) but I splurged a bit over the weekend, so I wasn't too disappointed to see 137.6 today. I'm glad that the cruise weight seems to be coming off quickly!

So I thought I'd post an update on my exercise goals and thoughts on staying motivated to stay active! Obviously exercise plays into my weight loss, and I've talked about staying motivated towards that goal before, but it is also about more than that. I know that my exercising has helped a lot with the weight loss, but in reality it was changing my eating that made the difference. I had exercised a lot before without ever seeing significant weight loss. But I do know that exercise will make a big difference in how I look and feel at a given weight. Being 130 pounds and fit will be much more satisfying than being 130 pounds and weak!

So that's one part of it, but exercise also gives its own rewards in terms of setting and achieving goals. Around two years ago, I signed up for an Olympic distance triathlon with 5 months to train. Up to that point I had not really been exercising much, and definitely not consistently since high school (or really since ever?). Knowing that you are committed to a race will definitely put you into gear. And telling a lot of people about it helps keep you honest too! But in reality, I totally was not sure that I could do it. I think I've mentioned this before, but I had never considered myself to be the type person who exercised. So I even surprised myself when I trained for and completed the triathlon (with a lot of walking during the run, might I add!). I was constantly telling people that if I could do it, anyone could do it - and at 5'2" and 170 pounds, that was probably true! Finishing the triathlon was definitely a huge confidence builder that contributed a lot to my success in losing weight this year.

Houston Triathlon - September 2010

Remember: you are so much stronger than you think!

I know that seems cheesy, but it is so true. Your body wants to be fit (even if your mind wants to eat Cheetos) and even though you will be sore or tired sometimes, it is so rewarding to achieve a goal - whether it be to finish a race, or just to run a mile without stopping (this was a major milestone for me!). I still remember the day I ran 4 miles without stopping in my neighborhood - it wasn't a race, and no one was there to document it, and I have no idea how long it took - but I do know that it felt awesome to do something I thought I never would do. And your body will be so much healthier for it!

Gusher Half Marathon - March 2012

So all of that being said, I've been trying to figure out what I want to do next. I thought it would be a easier to keep up exercising after the half marathon than it has been. I have been fairly consistent (when my life has been on a normal schedule) - but it doesn't feel nearly as satisfying as reaching a milestone in a training plan. I don't necessarily need an upcoming race to keep me motivated, but I do need to feel like I am accomplishing a goal! So I've decided that I'd like to run another half marathon in the fall, and this time under 2 hours (about a 9 minute mile pace). I haven't picked a race yet or a date, and it's a bit early to take on a half marathon training plan, but what I definitely need to work on this summer is speed! So I've picked out a 5k and 10k training plan to cover the next 10-12 weeks that hopefully will help me train a bit faster at those shorter distances. (Right now I'm constantly stuck at 10 minute miles... for a 2 mile run or a 12 mile run haha, makes no sense!) This also fits right in with one of my second quarter goals - to run 3 miles at a 9 min pace on the treadmill.

My 26th birthday this Friday, so I figured I'll be cheesy and symbolic and kickoff my training then I've also decided to make a long term goal for the year - I want to run 1200 miles. Sounds like a huge number - it's 100 miles/month - but I think I can do it! And since you all know how I love a good excel spreadsheet, you can rest assured that the run tracker spreadsheet is ready for action starting Friday :)

Anybody else setting fitness goals? Summer is a miserable time to be outside here in TX, but other places I'm sure the weather is great for exercising! I'm so encouraged when I see some of you posting about your races and other fitness/weight loss accomplishments on facebook and your blogs - let's keep motivating each other!!