Thursday, November 27, 2008

Soooo Tired.....

but I wanted to post my Turkey Trot time. This was my first ever marathon run/walk and I was totally smitten. Everyone was in such great spirits before, during and after and I really felt like I accomplished something awesome!

My official time for walking the 5k was: 55:23. Which beat my training time by almost 10 minutes! I guess it was the adrenaline and the people cheering us on. My mom and I finished together by running the last few feet and singing the Chariots of Fire theme song out loud. It ruled! Patherine was there cheering us on in her lovely blue Hello Kitty hat. Bless her!

I hope that more people will join us next year. It was loads of fun.

Must go now..... so sleepy.

Happy Turkey Day!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well tomorrow is the big day. They day that most of us who are dieting fear. A day of eating, couching, TV watching and eating some more. Sure, I will be doing some of that but I will also be participating in the Fredericksburg YMCA Turkey Trot! 5K's worth of butt kickin' good times.
I feel really good about where I am in my training. I have been doing over 4 miles on the Elliptical and 5K on the treadmill with some weight training and cardio classes thrown in. It will feel so good to be doing something active on the big day. I will more than likely post this weekend about my experience, which I know will be a good one, hopefully with some pics too.
I hope that all of you American readers have a safe and wonderful Turkey Day. And for those of you across the pond have an excellent day as well.... maybe sneak in a slice of pecan or pumpkin pie to toast to us Yankee's over here. ;)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Whew!

Hellllooooooo! Where the heck have I been? Not lounging on the beach in the south of France or sipping sangria in Spain.... I'm here in exciting Fredvegas. It may not be exciting but my life has at least been busy. The Turkey Trot is exactly a week from today and I am super psyched about it. I have been steadily training, except for a few days earlier this week when Auntie Flow was being a major butt munch but that aside I am doing well. I really enjoy having short term goals to strive for. After the Turkey Trot is the cruise and then after that..... I don't know but I must find something! :)

I am applying my previous goals to my daily routine and so far it seems to be working rather well. I am definitely getting more sleep now which has changed my mood dramatically. I am recording my calories and exercise on Sparkpeople. The only problem I had with it at first was when I plugged in my weight and how much I wanted to lose by a certain date it had me on a caloric intake of 1500 to 1700 daily. Well, I had a very difficult time keeping it less than 1800 and that was eating lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein and complex carbs. I spoke with my personal trainer friend and she about had a heart attack at how little they were recommending. With my height and activity level she suggested that I eat between 1800 on normal days and 2000 on active days. So that is what I am striving for. We will have to see how it goes.

The not eating after 7pm has proven to be a little more challenging than I would have liked. Sometimes I just don't get off from work and the gym until after 8pm and I don't want to mess up my metabolism by skipping dinner especially after a workout so when that happens I try to stick to light meals like salads and soups but I still notice a difference in that I don't sleep as well if I eat later. Especially since I am hitting the sack before 12am. I just went to the grocery store two days ago and spent over $100 buying nutritious foods so that I have plenty of wonderful options. Plus I have done some meal planning that will hopefully help curb my bad food choices and also keep some extra money in my pocket. :)

Still searching for an artistic outlet. I am looking on line and in the paper to see if something sticks out. I love photography but don't have a decent camera. I love to bake but that would kind of defeat the purpose of this blog. I would love to hear any suggestions of what I could do that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. My friends and I have a few plans to visit some of the amazing art galleries DC has to offer and I am sure I will find some inspiration there. I have been feeling a pull towards pottery but seem to be having difficulties locating a class in the winter time. Ahh, well.... no biggie. :)

I hope that everyone is doing well and that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Yes I Can!

If an African American male can run a history making campaign for presidency and WIN, then I should be able to get a handle on this healthy lifestyle change I am trying to implement. I have had set back after set back, all of which are self induced btw and yet I am still here and I still refuse to give up.

I got on the scale last night at the gym before my Bodyjam class and was rather disheartened to see 321.2. That is a 6 pound gain over the past two months. While I stared down at the number being reflected back to me I made a promise to myself, I will not take this to heart. I have been having stop and start female issues for about 3 weeks now and that may have something to do with it. The day before I weighed I walked 5K as training for the Turkey Trot. Plus, I can see on my body where I have lost some inches. Heck, since I have been doing weight lifting classes it could be a muscle gain but a fat loss. I just don't know.

I do know that my eating patterns are my downfall. I will have three really great days and then a few social engagements later and I am right back where I started. So I think I am just going to have to suck it up and try the calorie tracking and food journaling on Spark People. If there is one thing that President Elect Obama has shown me it's that you can't ever give up and as my friend Adrienne says, "You gotta have a dream to make a dream come true." My dream is to be the best Olivia I can be and right now I am pretty good but I know that a better me is just around the corner. :)

I work best on a schedule but with my line of work I need to work around the clients availability. But I still control the quality of my life. I have been thinking about goals that I can work on to help keep me on a schedule and here are some of them:
  • go to bed by 11:30 every night
  • get up by 8am every morning ( Sundays are freebies)
  • when working, exercise in the evenings
  • when off, exercise in the mornings
  • pack lunches and dinners (eating out is for social occasions)
  • do not eat meals after 7pm (only post workout snacks)
  • log calories and food journal before bed
  • find and artistic outlet to replace emotional eating

I am sure I will come up with many more things to cover but one day at a time. This weekend is full of clients, laundry and the Green Festival on Sunday which I am super excited about! I look forward to the inspiration that I will find there. :)

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Yes We Can!

Congratulations new First Family!!