No matter how slow you go.

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I'll be honest . . .

Tonight I DID NOT want to run. It was cold, I am tired from not sleeping well last night, my calves are on FIRE and my body said "No, Angie, no!" But my heart knew those were just excuses, and I didn't have a legitimate reason not to get my butt outside and run. I've got a 5K next Saturday and really I should be further along in my training than I am right now.

Anyhoo... I did some burpees to warm up and I headed outside. I even said to Mike "I'm just going to go slow. I'm not really feeling it tonight." Usually I run the first mile and then walk a bit, run some more and walk, rinse and repeat . . . But once I got going, I felt God saying "Go, Angie, Go!" So I kept going, around my subdivision entrance, onto the school parking lot 1.5 miles away. I only stopped twice. Once to tie my shoe that had come undone and once to let the 18 wheeler pass before I crossed the highway. I figure that was pretty smart.

It was hard and my calves were still on fire most the time, but I used that time to talk with God. I don't take care of this body the best I can. I don't use self-control. I often give into my urges and have the hardest time telling myself "No." I'm reminded that this is something I will continually need to work on.

So, back to my run tonight! I know some of you might be crazy fast runners, but I'm not and I just have to celebrate that tonight I ran my fastest 3 miles ever . . . 35:41!

When I got back, Mike asked how I did and I just showed him my phone and he gave me a big high five. 

It felt good. And I'm so glad I listened to that voice in my head telling me to push myself. And no, I don't have a picture of me all sweaty and gross to show you . . . nobody wants to really see that.

Happy Running!

Weightloss frustration.

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I have to vent a little bit.

It's going to sound petty and vain and you'll be thinking "Get over yourself, Angie" or "Really? There are starving children in Africa and you're worried about THIS?"

or maybe you'll be thinking "Angie, you are my idol!" I really have a hard time judging my readers...

But I digress.

Since January 25, I have been on a conscious track to lose weight. Hubs and I want to start a family sometime in the future and I refused to add to my already overweight body. I'm on a mission to lose PRE-baby weight, unlike most my friends who are trying to lose post-baby weight. I didn't want the process to be THAT much harder, so I'm being proactive.

Also in January, I purchased my first smart phone [welcome to 2012, Angie!] and one of the first apps I downloaded was My Fitness Pal. From that point until about mid-June I worked out, tracked my calories, made smart meal decisions, drank more water and in about 5 months I lost 20 pounds. Then I slacked off, stopped running like I had been and just wasn't as mindful of what I was eating. I gained about 2 pounds back in the last month and a half.

But two weeks ago, I made a decision to get back on the horse. No more fooling around. I began REALLY tracking my calories, drank lots of water and I worked out 3 times last week. On Friday, I weighed in and had lost 1.5 lbs. Woo! Back on track and doing well!

This week I worked out 4 times (so far), drank over 100 ounces of water each day. And I was feeling really good. I weighed in this morning.

I've gained 2 pounds.

Argh!

I was doing so well the past 2 weeks. Worked out and burnt a ton of calories. Was under my calorie goal every single day.

What gives?

That question is rhetorical, of course. I'll get over it, put my big girl panties back on and move on. But this is exactly the point in a weight-loss journey when most people would say "It doesn't work" and give up. However, I've been in this exact situation before. And I know from experience that it will not always be like this.

Our bodies are so complicated. And especially as women, we may have a "fat day" or Heaven forbid a "fat week" where we just can't win [or lose, whichever way you look at it]. It could be a number of things.

After I had my little pity party this morning (that surprisingly, no one attended besides me), I ate my bagel thin with organic peanut butter and got ready for work. Today is a new day and I will lose those 2 pounds next week and THEN SOME!

Scale, you don't KNOW me. I'm someone's idol.

Amateur gardening.

I've never been much of a gardener.

Until recently.

As a child, "gardening" to me meant pulling weeds in my mom's flower garden and picking green beans and strawberries in my step-mom's garden. Essentially, it was a chore. It always seemed hotter than Houston, too! Bleck!

As an adult, "gardening" has proven to be meditation. A sense of accomplishment. A sense of PRIDE. Who knew I would grow to love gardening? Well, flower gardening. I have yet to tackle that vegetable garden thing. Maybe next year.

Before hubs and I got hitched, our current home [a quant little 2-story that happens to be for sale ::hint hint::] used to just be "my soon-to-be-husband's house." I had no vested interested in the thing. Post wedding, that all changed. That's when I decided I cared about how it looked. It was my home, too, and I wanted it to reflect my taste. 

Earlier this spring when the weather suddenly got nice (mid-March?!), I had a vision. But this was what I was starting with. Check out that mess on the side of the house in front of the windows. YIKES!

Actually what I started with was much worst. These photos were mid-project when I realized I never took official "before" pictures. The front bed was almost completely taken over by lillies. They're evil flowers... 

It was bad. Like jungle bad. You see, my husband has owned the house for over 8 years. He's very tidy. Clean. Keeps the house in order inside. 

But he enjoys gardening as much as I enjoy washing dishes. 

Dreadful.

No worries. Angie to the rescue!

I started by sectioning off the flower bed using sticks and string. This helped me see where to pull weeds/grass and where to leave it. (Keep in mind at times it was so overgrown that it was hard to decipher between lawn and flower bed.)

I kept pulling and digging and transplanting. It became addicting. I could picture what I wanted it to look like and I kept going. Something great about gardening is... its free! Sans the cost of mulch, it's really just a ton of sweat and hard work - a great workout! Some of those weeds were stubborn!

We made a trip to Menards to see about mulch. They had a sale on the red stuff, Ruby somethingorother, so we bought a ton. It was only about $3.50 a bag so really not all too much.

I filled that in all along the front and along the side of the house. 

Then I added rocks along the bed to define it. My dad has a plethora of rocks at his farm - again, FREE! 

It's amazing how much work went into getting it just that far. I had mounds and mounds of weeds and sticks and junk and a few trips with the wheel barrow. 

[call me if you'd like some rose of sharon starts]

I worked until a certain point along the side because at the time what needed done was more than I wanted to tackle. I had done so much, and I needed to take a break. 

At one point in the process it was very obvious from the road what was done vs. what still needed done...

About 2 weeks later I started back up and tackled the rest! I'm very proud of how it turned out. I had it all done in time for our house to go on the market in May. (this picture is still missing the rest of the rocks, but now they're there and it's lovely)

Comparing this year to how it looked last year for sale, I'd say it is quite the improvement! (plus it helps that the grass is greener 2nd time around)

What I've learned.. Gardening is fun. Gardening is a workout. Gardening makes your house look pretty and tells buyers that you love your house, and so should they! It's an adorable home.

If you're in the market for a smaller 3 bedroom, 1 bath home with tons of charm inside and out, contact me. We're ready to upgrade to something larger that is more fit for a family :) 

Happy Tuesday!

Get in shape.

In the spirit of trying new things and learning new workouts and ways to get fit without clocking over 30 minutes on treadmill, I've embarked on a workout video adventure. What have I learned?

I've learned that I hate Jillian Michaels.

Okay, HATE is a strong word. 

I really really reeeally dislike Jillian Michaels.

And I wish she would shut up.

HA! (It's nothing personal. I just don't deal well with people telling me what to do when I'm in a stressful situation. And basically, that's what all workout videos are about.)

I've also learned that I'm stronger than I thought.

And I've learned that there is a "sweet spot" in our living room a.k.a. the floor joist where I can do jumping jacks and jump rope and not shake the whole living room (in our over 100 year old home). If I try jumping at all and I'm not on the joist, the picture frames start to shutter in mere fear of Ms. Michaels, or so I like to think.

Regardless of my feelings toward this woman that I really don't personally know, she is whipping my booty into shape. I'm currently doing the 30 Day Shred that I purchased over a year ago, that has been sitting on my DVD shelf collecting dust. So far, I've done Level 1 a handful of times and can already tell I'm getting stronger. The exercises are not as hard each time and I am panting less like a sick dog and more like a normal woman just getting her heart rate up!

Mike finds it entertaining. And my cat, she just plops down on the carpet in front of me and taunts me. 

Tomorrow I'm thinking about bumping up to Level 2. 

We'll see.

Last night, I had Mike take "before" pictures of me (these may or may not be seen by anyone else on the planet besides us two). Never a fun moment to look at a photo of yourself in a sports bra and athletic pants, but what better motivation, right?

I'm thinking of getting prints of these pics made and putting them in the fridge. Or in the cupboard. Or carrying one in my purse. For right now, they'll stay on my camera. But I'm serious about this "get in shape" thing and I'm excited to get stronger and feel better.

What are you guys doing to get OR STAY in shape?

Happy Exercising!