Over the river and through the cold

to a house full of cough and fitness videos we go! Kleenex's and cough medicine are all over our house as well as used airline tickets from two trips in the last 5 days. No wonder it was difficult for me to keep my perfect streak going. So after pridefully challenging my brothers onto perfection, I got sick with a head cold, went on a weekend trip to St. Louis and had an 18 hour travel and work day to Baltimore in the last week. Since last Wednesday I've only done two of the 7 workouts.

I did Chest & Back on Monday and Yoga X (the whole 90 minutes) on Halloween night. I did do 20 minutes of the Plyometrics video before my son asked for my attention (and my legs were so sore just from the warm up that I fear what the whole DVD will do to me). I also ran 1.5 miles while pushing Lincoln in his stroller last Thursday (which was a feet since I did have a head cold).

I'm back on track and feel strong. That Yoga workout was intense and was way harder then any class I've ever taken. I was amazed at how far I could stretch at the end. I was able to hug each one of my legs when they were stretched out straight.

The Lone Workout

Talked to my brothers tonight and we are all on day three of these P90X workout routine. We were all staring at another massive arm weight lifting work out and NOT wanting to do it. Both brothers said to me on the phone that they were going to call it a rest day because their body needed the rest and that I should just take it easy to.

How could I pass up this chance to rub it in their faces by still doing the workout!

So at 9pm I put in the DVD, grabbed my heavier weights and went to town on 1 hr of shoulder, back, bicep, and tricep lifting. Yes, I am now to tired to even use the mouse on the desk, which might be a problem when I go to work tomorrow. But it least I still have my pride and no I haven't caved already on this program. Unlike some slackers I know who owe me a make up workout sometime in the future!

This program is fun and energizing. It is a great lift to be doing something completely different with my exercise routine. Now I just need to get the diet part right and I should have successful first 30 days. My fingers are getting too tired to type now though due to the arm fatigue so I better go to bed. At least I can go to bed without feeling guilty, unlike some slackers I know who caved on day three of 90!!!!! So sad.

Second day of PS 90X

I'm on my second day of PS 90X. I've done two 1 hr workouts - chest and back on Sunday, and Cardio this morning. I was skeptical that the Cardio would work me out as good as a good old-fashioned run would. But since my brother made me a nifty schedule I'm sticking to it. And the Cardio work out got my heart rate to my running heart rate, can you believe that. And I was inside out the rain the whole time.

My arm and back muscles are really sore from the workout on Sunday and I'm feeling relaxed after my Cardio workout this morning. I have to thank my brothers for doing this with me, because I would have slept in this morning if I didn't know my brothers were up working out.

I'd like to thank everyone who is reading my blog as well. I hear rumors that lots of folks in my family and some close friends are checking in on my and reading up on how I'm doing each day. Please leave a comment of encouragement if you have the time. It will be as if you are another one of my mentors holding me accountable to my commitment to get fit.

Now its a quick wipe down with a towel and a clothing change and I'm off to work.

Drum roll please

I weighed in at 159 pounds, which means I've lost 7 pounds in two months. Now I need to set my sights on the 140s! I weighed 148 on my wedding day, so that would be a nice milestone to reach again. It is a big deal that I'm out of the 160s actually since I have been in the 160s for the last 4 years, with only one short exception. I hope to retrain my body to never think that is a good equalization point.

My brother has also challenged me to a 90 day intensive work out program called PS90X. I took the before photos today which were humbling. I plan to do this and am buying the weights needed. I hope this will push my body onto an even lower level.

Attached is the only before photo I'm willing to share on-line.
I call this one my "game face." Bring it on little bro. I ain't scared of your stinking 1 hour a day workout program.

I think it should push my weight down in the 140s before Christmas, which would be awesome because at this time last year I was in the 190s! 50 pounds in one year is awesome especially when I think about what a year it has been, of becoming a new Mom and struggling with my thyroid not working. Way to go me!

Oh and the YMCA gave me a T-shirt, book on the YMCA and a water bottle for working out so much in the month of September and tracking my workouts on their computer. Yeah for me! I think I ended up finishing 7th in their month-long competition. Rock on!!!

Biggest Loser Weigh In

I'm heading to my favorite gym that has my favorite scale so that I can do my monthly weigh in. Here is the history to this below.
Aug. 13th at 166 pounds
Sept. 15th at 164.5

I'm hoping for below or around 160 today.

I'm winning.

I'm currently winning around four battles.

One is with my heal pain (slowly but surely it is going away after lots of money spent on painful deep tissue massage on my left leg).

Secondly, I'm winning in the battle to get my body to loose weight again. I lost 2 pounds this week and am down to 162.5!

Third, I'm winning in a contest at my YMCA for working out the most in September and logging in my activity on a computer at the gym. Actually I am in fourth place is the YMCA contest. I was quite surprised to see my name listed "#4. Sarah Woodward" on the contest poster next to the computer earlier this week. I've already one a T-shirt, yippee! And now my name is on a poster!!! How is that for motivation. Not sure what I win if anything if I stay in the top 5 or actually win the whole thing. But it doesn't matter. I know I feel great working out each morning. This morning I swam 15 laps and I just feel so relaxed now. Tomorrow I will attend the 1 1/2 hour yoga class that kicks my butt into shape. I'd love to keep this up and if I kept losing weight at this pace I would be down to at least 145 by Christmas.

Fourthly, I'm eating healthier to. This morning I had my Grape Nuts, blueberries and soy milk. For lunch a sauteed eggplant, squash, apple and red pepper in some salsa. It was super yummy and I only ate about a cup of it. I might skip dinner or have a smoothly. It is the combination of eating way less and exercising every day without fail that is finally leading to the weight loss. That and taking my thyroid medicine faithfully.

All this exercise has really helped me keep my cool at work too. It has been stressful the last few weeks but since I workout before coming in in the morning I feel relatively relaxed no matter what comes my way.

Feels good to be a winner! I know my real motivation too. It will be good to always be active for this little guy.

The Health Account

"I weighed in at the gym yesterday, Aug. 13th at 166 pounds. I'll weigh in again in one month, around Sept. 15th. If I keep swimming everyday until then, and eat smaller portions, I should shed some pounds."

Okay. So I went back to the exact same scale today, on 9/15 and I weight 164.5! Now that is only a loss of 1.5 pounds but I am starting to feel some success in other areas as well. The past two weeks I've gotten up and to the gym by 6:30am where I have either swam or circuit trained or run on the elliptical for 30 minutes. So the 1.5 pounds I lost was definitely just in the last two weeks. Another big up is that I found a massage therapist who can make my heel feel better by rubbing my calf muscles really hard, like so hard I cry. He did this on Thursday and the next morning I got up and ran 2 miles and felt great. I guess all along my heel was really related to my calf muscles being all bound up. Now it will take some regular massage and I should be healed!

So I feel hopeful, energized and jazzed about my fitness right now. And I really think I can make it back into the 150s by Christmas. Which would be wonderful. After that I'll have the 140s in sight.

I'm also reading a really good book I got at the library about health called: "50 Simple Ways to Life a Longer Life." I like reading stuff like this about how to really make my life a healthy one. Some tips I've picked up are: eat a low-calorie diet, eat fish, drink tea (black, green, and white hot tea specifically), exercise and eat fruits and veggies, volunteer, and let go of stress.

One paragraph really go me jazzed as it listed all the benefits of regular exercise:
1) it strengthens the heart
2) reduces risk of heart attacks and strokes
3) lowers blood pressure
4) prevents arterial plaque buildup
5) strengthens bones
6) lessens your changes for osteoporosis
7) lessens chance for Type 2 diabetes
8) reduces your changes of getting breast, prostate, and colon cancer
9) fights stress and anxiety
10) lessens depression
11) gives you superior memory and thinking skills
12) lowers your risk for Alzheimer's disease
13) improves self-esteem
14) helps you get a good night's sleep
15) helps you maintain an ideal body weight

All these benefits and the "American College of Sports Medicine reports that" only "3 to 5 workouts weekly, of 30 to 60 minutes each, deliver the vast majority of health benefits." Even just walking that amount delivers some of the benefits above. And the more you put into it the more of the benefits you get.

One fitness nut for 90 years has been Jack La Lanne and he puts it this way, "Your health account is like your bank account. The more you put in, the more you can take out. The only way you can hurt the body is don't use it." listen to some of his inspiration videos...http://www.jacklalanne.com/multimed.html

Thanks Jack! I think I will invest in that account. It pays good dividends.

Heal Injury

Not sure if I'm moaned and groaned about my endless heal injury which has left me just swimming this summer. I miss running. I miss how easy it is to just get out the door and run, without having to plan a drive to the gym. All the doctors and friends who have given me ideas on how to fix this, haven't fixed it yet. I'm so tired of it aching whenever I push myself. So today I went and bought brand new running shoes just in case I get better and perhaps to help it get better. I ran one mile on the treadmill before my heal started to hurt. i'm pouting.

Two Days and 30 laps down...

I don't want to jinx anything here so I'll just say that I've made it to the gym two days in a row for a 15 lap freestyle swim. All thanks to the care giving of my husband who has either brought our son to the pool, or watched him at home. I hope to keep this streak of swimming everyday going as long as possible.

I took my brother's advice and stopped weighing myself every day. I weighed in at the gym yesterday, Aug. 13th at 166 pounds. I'll weigh in again in one month, around Sept. 15th. If I keep swimming everyday until then, and eat smaller portions, I should shed some pounds.

Come and Get the Mommy!!!!

I had a rest day after my great swim. Then I made it the gym last night with baby in tow. I went straight to the elliptical trainer and got in a 1/2 hour of exercise.

I went to check on my baby at the YMCA child care and he was a total mess, sobbing in the child care providers arms. I told them to come and get me right away if he cries!!! I swear these people think that Mommys don't want to see their crying babies. Don't they know that we are instinctually built to want to hold our babies when we cry - its part of the evolutionary process. Jeez!

When I dropped him off they reassured me that, "Don't worry we will only come and get you after he cries for 10 minutes straight. We won't bother you." I gently explained that I am the type of Mommy that wants to be "bothered" by my crying baby. "Come and get me right away, I don't want him to cry for 10 minutes." I don't think I was listened to. It is time for me to get pushy. Next time I go in there I'm going to say to at least two of the workers, "If he cries I want to know about it. If you can't get him to stop crying quickly, he needs to nurse and unless you are willing to nurse him you better come and get me RIGHT AWAY! - or I will complain to your boss." The "I will complain to your boss" part is the only new addition. Hopefully it will get my point across more fully.

It took me a whole nursing session right there in the child care area to calm him down. It makes it hard for me to feel motivated to go the gym when it causes "harm" to my baby every time. But in this heat going to the gym is my only option.

Today, I'm going to go swimming on my way home from work so that I don't have to subject my son to child care again. Argh!!!!

Good Swim

I took a rest day yesterday. And swam 15 laps today in the pool. I tried a new breathing technique where I waited three or four strokes between breaths. I usually breath every other stroke. Waiting to breathe really pushed me and made the workout feel much harder. I'm bummed that my foot doesn't seem to be getting any better, just a lingering soreness in the heal, which means I should NOT be running. But it looks like my renewed effort to eat less and exercise this week may have lost me a few pounds. It's hard to say though because our home scale varies by 5 pounds every day I way in. I don't think its very good. I'll have to do weigh ins at the gym. I'm shooting for 150 or lower, I'm still around 168. This is the exact weight I was at when I got pregnant in Dec of 2005. So NOT BAD for having a 9 pound baby just last September. But I have my hyper-thyroid to thank for most of my weight loss. I want to be a better starting weight for the next pregnancy, which is NOT right around the corner, to any family members that may be wondering!

Heat Equals Sweat Equals I'm Awesome!

So it is 95 degrees here with 53% humidity, which makes it feel well over 100 degrees F. After a brief excursion outside into the heat with my 11 month old son (we played in the hose water), I opted to exercise at the gym.

My foot is still not healed enough to allow me to run, so I got on the eliptical for 30 minutes and then pushed myself through a 30 minute circuit training workout. The gym was somewhat warm, or maybe I'm just out of shape, but with my IPOD cranking I was just drippin' sweat everywhere.

I really felt like I pushed myself even though I'm "injured." And this workout reminded me NOT to buy into the fallacy that if one part of you is sort of hurt, you might as well not exercise at all.

I was motivated to get out the door and exercise again after watch the footage of the Ironman Tri on T.V. today. People were finishing who had only one leg, or were 76 years old. I thought, ummm, I think I can exercise a bit, if they can do that.

What a lazy butt I have been!!!!

It felt good to get out the door, in the gym, and pushing myself again. Now I just need to plan a schedule to make this a normal routine! Wish me luck.

And here is a picture of the cutest boy in the world, my son.

Swimming

So my brother is on me to post again, and sometimes I wonder how often folks even read this thing. BUT since I love my brother Eddie, and he cares about how I'm doing, I will post something. I hurt my foot and I'm pouting. I can't run until it heals really good. So I've taken up swimming again. This past week I've gone swimming only twice but they were great workouts because I went with my friends who are teenagers. They liked to keep racing and beating me in 25 yard sprints. This isn't something I usually do. I usually just go slowly across the pool completing about 15 laps. Which according to a calorie calculator burns around 200 calories (like running 2 miles would). It makes me feel great. But yesterday I think I did around 12 laps, with a lots of sprint laps thrown in there. I then picked up my son from the YMCA daycare and got him in the pool with us. It was lots of fun introducing him to kicking, blowing bubbles and splashing.

Enough talking. I'm up early so I'm going to head to the gym to lift a few weights before work. Love you bro! Sarah

My Virtual Trainer

I'm doing a trial run of the Runner's World Personal Trainer and its giving me weight workouts and cardio workouts on every other day. It's good because it is getting me to do different weight lifting and stomach strengthening exercises, and getting me out the door to the gym. It isn't good in that its inflexible and if I get creative with my workout there is no easy way to note what I did that varied from what is asked me to do. But so far its fun and effective. Today I need to run 45 minutes on a treadmill, and if since I will be traveling tomorrow I should do that work as well if I have time.

New Motivation

I ran the Sactuary of Hope 5k this past Sunday. It was a trail run Challenge Course which markets itself as the hilliest 5k in the nation. I ran it in around 52 minutes with a very friendly 58-year-old women as my pace partner the whole way. Her name was Jan and she kept turning back to this 29-year-old and holding out her hand to help me up the steep hills. The hills were constant up and down, severe grade, over slippery grass, mud and bark trail. But that really is no excuse to be in the shape I am in. Having a very nice but older runner drag me through the course, made me realize that I'm only young once. I should push myself further in my training, and get back it much better shape. I haven't been able to walk up and down our stairs without howling in pain the last few days. This has been a humbling experience, but I'm ready for more and that is a good thing!

Failure and then Success

I only made it six straight days of running 2 miles a day. Then I took four days off from running for no really good reason. But today I ran the Amy Thompson 5k and set a new Post Pregnancy Personal Record. Somewhere around 34 minutes and 30 seconds.
I was averaging 11 minute miles. And this was a hilly course on a humid morning, with a crowded field of runners. I could have dipped into the 10 minute mile range had it been less hilly I think.

This week my goals are to take my thyroid medication faithfully, so that I have the energy to get out the door and exercise. I am now focusing my eyes on my several future 5k races. One is June 16th, a little charity race for an amazing interfaith retreat center, called the Sanctuary of Hope. Then I run my first trail 5k in July. I hope to put up better and better times at each event.

Cheers!

20 day update

Day Five: Monday, May 21st ran to Waldo Pizza on the Trolley Trail from our house. I was very slow due to it being eight hours since I ate or drank anything. This was a full 2 mile run with hills. Husband and baby ran with me!

Day Six: today, plan to run Loose Park. or do another late night run with husband.
Oops never mind. Didn't get to the park yet again. But I did set a new record for myself, I will call it the nursing cool down. Had to go for a run at 10:30pm because I put it off all day. Husband came with me and pushed baby in the jogging stroller. 1.25 miles into the run we are three blocks from home and baby wakes up very confused and crying. I take him out of the stroller and nurse him while we walk the rest of the way home. I guess I was burning lots of calories doing a nurse/walk; I wonder how many... ;)

Cheers!

20 days, 2 miles a day

Attached is a picture of my team at the Brew to Brew on April 1st of this year and me at the hand off point. I always want to be in shape enough to run a 5k with no problems or do other road races like this one. I will be running a 5k on Memorial Day with family.

So here is the summary of how my current goal to run for 20 days in a row, is going.
Day One: Thursday May 17th, 20 minute run around Overland Park midday.
Day Two: Friday May 18th, 30 minute walk/run around Crown Center during my lunch break.
Day Three: Sat. May 19th, 25 minute run around neighborhood at 10pm, I gutted this one out, really wanted to just go to bed.

Day Four: Sunday, May 20th, ran 1.5 miles, out and back route from my house. I bit hilly but makes for a quick 20 minute or so run.



This does take planning and focus...

Two Miles a Day, to infinity and beyond.

My Coach from when I ran my first marathon, is an inspiring ultra-marathoner, named Koach Karl. Karl is currently running 26 marathons in 26 days around the Kansas City area to raise money and awareness for Team in Training.

I saw him on his tenth day on May 10th and was inspired. I figure if another human being can run a marathon A DAY for weeks in a row, I can at the very least run two miles a day for at least as many days in a row as he can.

Karl had to stop after 10 straight days of marathons.
I am going to make it my goal to double his 10 days.

I therefore commit to run 2 miles a day for 20 straight days.
I've already completed 2 days, as I started this endeavor on Friday, May 17th.
I will take my first day off on June 6th, IF I need it!

I ran on May 17th, during my lunch break while I as down in Overland Park. I ran probably 1.5 miles during the midday heat.

I ran on May 18th, during my lunch break around Crown Center, up and over the WWI memorial. I need to make this a daily habit, and next week should bring all my gear to work with me and start and end from the same place. I am a creature of habit and it would be especially good to start this workout habit within my workday.

Today I will run later tonight, right before dinner.

To many this might not seem to be a big task, to others it might seem insurmountable. The goal here is that I want to become a person who is consistent and disciplined about something. If I make it past 20 days and increase my daily mileage to 3 or 4 miles A DAY, that is even better! I figure trying to set these daily endurance records is a way to motivate myself to be in better and better shape.

Update on my thyroid: I decided to take the medication to help with my hypothyroidism. I have my first doctors appointment on June 1st, and I will ask lots of questions about whether all this is related to just having my first child.

Update on my anxiety: Slowly but surely God is calming my heart about being in my house on my own. The burglary earlier this month made me very jumpy, but I figure I can't be afraid all the time.

Cheers!!!

Sarah

RE: Roadblocks

This past month I've gained back 10 pounds.

I've been hit with two roadblocks:

1) Hypothyroidism - apparently my thyroid was hyper, which helped me lose all that weight and has now swung to hypo (underperforming). This condition can lead to rapid weight gain. I've diagnosed myself with post-partum thyroiditis, which occurs to 10% of women after having a baby. Doctors don't talk much about it but it basically means our body goes on a hormone rollercoaster for awhile before calming down after 12-18 months. Then our thyroid returns to normal functioning. My doctor instead called me on my cell and said, "Your thyroid is underperforming and now you must take a pill for the rest of your life, because hypothroidism is a life-long condition." When I called him back and asked if he had ruled out post-partum thyroiditis he said you can never rule anything out and that if I was unhappy he would refer me to a specialist. I am so frustrated that I can't get anyone to talk to me about post-partum thyroiditis, which is what most women say happened to them when they brought it up with their doctors. After much research on my own I decided to take the thryroid hormone prescribed by my doctor until I get to see a specialist on June 1st. But I am really just hoping my thyroid will come back on its own in its own good time.

2) Anxiety - I was hit was a big dose of anxiety after I was a victim of a first degree burglary in early April. I heard footsteps on the stairs at 9:30pm at night. I was in bed with our baby and my husband was talking to me. I stood up and yelled and my husband ran towards the stairs. The burglar ran out of the house, thank God! But now any noise makes me jump and showering and relaxing when my husband is not in the house are impossible. I find I just like to go over to friends houses or stay outside gardening.

With both these roadblocks sapping my energy and cluttering my brain, running has been far from my mind. Although perhaps it should be at the front of my mind, as a life preserver helping me to escape. John "Penguin" B. has a quote on this matter:

"Lately I've noticed that in times of stress I reach for my running shoes. Earlier in my life I might have reached for a cigarette or a beer or food or the company of another person. And, when I once would have turned outside myself for help in tough times, running now allows me to turn inside.

I've noticed, too, that in times of celebration and joy--when before I would have reached for something to eat or drink--I now reach for my running shoes. I find myself running when I'm happy as well as when I'm troubled.

Through the activity of running, more than through the sport, I have come to be a much better friend to myself. Through running I have learned to console myself, congratulate myself, and be accepting of myself.

There are times in my life, though, when there are not enough miles to run. There are times when the movement of my feet seems like the only measure of control I have in my day, in my life. On those days--on the days when circumstances conspire to show me only the worst of who I am and, more discouraging, the worst of who I am becoming--my running shoes become life-preservers."