The importance of rest

My running partner and I feel great after completing our first week of 7(2:1) !! yay for us! I just love the fact that she lives across the street and so there is no driving involved. Alot easier to coordinate someone to come over for 21 minutes while we head out the door. That is certainly another benefit of being surrounded by in-laws :)

We both want to go for a run today but know that we should wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow we start 4(4:1). Running four minutes straight vs. two will make a big difference so it is important to allow our bodies to recover today. We are concentrating on our technique. We are doing well with the quick cadence (40ish left foot strikes in 30secs).

Rest is so important, even at this easier level. Enough sleep at night, and allowing your muscles to repair themselves is vital. Since we are going from zero to something we are kind of 'shocking' our systems so slowly but surely is the better approach. Besides...when a day later you are looking forward to another run that is a good sign that you are doing things right. What is not good is when you push yourself too hard and getting out the door (knowing it will hurt) is difficult.

So....Good running partner + Rest = Motivation!!!!

Water Logged

I can't emphasize enough the importance of water. Our bodies are 60% water. We use it for all sorts of chemical reactions and differnce things and it is the main way to rid our body of all sorts of bad stuff. Anyway if you are trying to change your eating habits the best thing and simplest thing to do is start drinking water. Find a water bottle that matches your outfit and carry it will you ALWAYS. Tea/ Coffee is o.k for the morning, and a glass or milk/soy milk is fine for supper, but don't and I mean DO NOT consume fillers that do nothing for you other than rot your teeth and mess up your systems. By this I am including any sort of fizzy drink, and pure juice. Juice you say?? that is right. Juice spikes your blood sugar and messes with your brain. kind of like eating a chocolate bar. You get hyper and then crash. So if you want some juice please make sure you water it down 50/50.
Don't get me wrong...I drink tea and juice and the occasional alcoholic beverage. But I make sure I get my 1 litre of water a day. If it is cold out I make sure I finish my water bottle at least once (500ml), If I am working out, breastfeeding, and it is hot...I stick to just water.
Trust me your body will thank you later.
And just so you know....contrary to popular oppinion water does not make you bloated. Salt does. In fact, that more hydrated you are the better your body is able to get rid of excess water and crap.
Rule of thumb..... If your pee is any darker than yellow margarine....keep drinking.

On another note...it is 30 degrees out here, but with the humidity it feels like 42. That is Celcius for you americans. I think that is between 90-100F. Anyhoo it is hot. We will be going for our third run really early tomorrow morning and jumping into a pool. If I did not have a running partner I don't think I would even move. I need to stay motivated as well as hydrated. That is proving difficult today.

Running partner = Accountability

Today Cheryl and I are going for our second run. At least we are supposed to. I just woke up from a long long loooooonnnnngg night with the baby and to be honest I feel like a truck hit me. And it is HOT. When I say hot I mean sticky and the air feels like we will need to swim through it. It is 8:30am and Adam has just taken off on a bike ride with the girls in tow, I just finished my tea and Peyton is still asleep. Now since I can't go anywhere until I feed the little man and my husband returns I must look out the window knowing I've got to get out there. Can we go later today you say? No for several reasons. I need to run on an empty stomach, the kids have softball in the afternoon and it will just get HOTTER!

This is where having a running partner comes in handy. You see iftwould be so easy for Cheryl and I to whine and complain and say that we don't wanna get out the door and sweat. Don't get me wrong, I am doing plenty of that right now......but.....
When you have six kids and a life between the two of you and it takes a little bit to coordinate a good time to get out together alone without babies......not going would be a shame. So we are going and not giving each other a choice. If we cave now we will cave later.

I've got another 14 minutes before Adam returns from his bike ride.
Thank God for running partners and accountability.

weight vs. shape

130 pounds this morning. That was a nice surprise. I have 10 pounds to go but alot of body shaping left. I can be skinny, but that does not mean I will look good in my bikini that is for sure. I can gain a couple pounds throughout the day in water weight so I always weigh myself in the morning, after I use the washroom, before breakfast and naked. oh....and I only weigh myself once a week on the same day. That is a much better indication of how much you actually weigh. To be honest I don't really care about the weight...really. It is the size and shape I am more concerned about. Muscle weighs more than fat and all I care about is looking good in that pair of jeans I used to wear. I just know that at 120 pounds I looked and felt great so I'm using it as a benchmark. If I fit into those jeans before I hit 120 I will consider that a success.

Reasons to Run

I am formulating this list as the days pass. I keep saving this blog entry and adding as I go. It seems as though the reasons I run are so numerous that I think of a different reason every day. So here is my list so far.....I am sure I will add to it as the days go on.



1) My skin looks great after a run.

2) I love the adrenaline rush and subsequent calm feeling moments after I complete a run

3) However bad a day I am having it is always left on the pavement

4) I can eat whatever I want because my body burns fat more efficiently

5) I feel more confident in whatever I am wearing

6) I have so much more energy throughout the day and sleep better at night

7) I get to challenge myself. Push myself to my limits and overcome them

8) It is a way to be by myself. I do some great problem solving on my runs

9) I love that running involves me and a pair of running shoes. No fancy equipment.

10) It is a great example for my kids to make fitness an important part of our lives.

11) Running makes me feel alive

12) Fresh air is so good for the soul

13) My favorite thing is finishing a run to 'These 1000 hills' by Third day, as the sun is setting, hitting my face and a cool breeze is blowing.

First Run since October 2006!!

I feel great. Minus the fact that there is a six week old screaming while strapped to me at the moment....but I'll stay on topic here. Cheryl and I went for our first run. So far so good. We did 7(2:1) (see running program). My Uterus is slightly tender and I can feel my leg muscles, but that is just basic work out aches. It was nice to get out. Cheryl lives across the street so all we had to do was leave all six kids with Adam for 21 minutes while we ran down the road. We are going to take full advantage of Adam's paternity leave and the fact that we live across the street from each other.

I love running....it makes dealing with everything in life so much easier. It also allows me to eat chocolate truffles and consume bags of chips at a camp fire :) That is the real reason here.

Anyway, he is still screaming so I'll just post a pic Adam took when we got back

My six week running routine

O.K we are now at the six week mark which means I get to start exercising!!!! I'm very excited to get moving. I have a running partner and some spandex shorts and I'm ready to get out the door!
(Spandex is the best invention ever for holding in all the jiggle)
Although I began my pregnancy a pretty good runner (I could run 5km in 21minutes)...I am going to start from scratch. My body needs time to ease into the program and since I'm quite competitive this run/walk program will force me to take it slow.

The important thing in the beginning is to focus on technique. Proper technique will help prevent future injuries as I progressively increase the miles.
My running technique is as follows:

1)Quick pace of around 90 strides/mins. That means for every 30 secs my left foot hits the ground 41-42 times. This is easy to check with a watch. The quick turnover means I will keep my feet underneath me more, and not step out too long.

2) I want to strike on my forefoot ( the fatty pad of my feet). If you don't know what I mean...run barefoot on the floor and see where you land. you will automatically land on your forefoot. Trust me. This type of landing offers the lowest impact on your knees.

3) relax your shoulders. and keep arms around 90 degrees. Try not to twist while running. think of your arms moving forward and back. lead with your elbos....kind of like a train but not as circular

4) relax your jaw...and breath naturally. Don't force it.

5) keep a nice bend in your knee.

Perhaps I'll try to take a pic. of myself running later on so you get a better idea.

So here is the next six. weeks. I will start with a run/walk program.
Example 6(1:2) = repeat 6 times (run one minute: walk two minutes)
Run comfortably, checking posture and strides. Once we master the technique and after the six weeks are up and I can run a comfortable 25 minutes, then I will introduce speed work and intervals.

In a 10 week program I am going to start at week 4 (because I find this easy)

Tuesday,Thursday,Saturday,Sunday REST
Monday,Wednesday,Friday RUN
(Just run three times a week and make sure you rest the day after. pick whatever day suits you best)

Week Run 1 Run 2 Run3 Total Run time Total time
4 7(2:1) 7(2:1) 7(2:1) 14 minutes 21 minutes
5 4(4:1) 4(4:1) 4(4:1) 16 20
6 3(6:1) 3(6:1) 3(6:1) 18 21
7 3(7:1) 3(7:1) 3(7:1) 21 24
8 3(8:1) 3(8:1) 3(8:1) 24 27
9 2(12:2) 2(12:2) 2(12:2) 24 26
10 1(25) 1(25) 1(25)


ADDED TO THE PROGRAM.....

Biking in between running days. Half an hour (approx 10km). This helped strengthen my leg muscles to help my knee.

So I ran 3 days, biked 3 days, rested one day.

Please keep in mind my total work out every day was about .5 hour.

Soon!!!

One week to go before I can start exercising!!! I have to admit I am a little nervous. Now there are no more excuses. Cheryl, Adam's cousin that lives across the street is going to join me in my run/walk program so that will be a great motivation. I'm using a program that I use when I have not run in a while. It forces me to start slow and work on my technique before I run for longer periods of time. I love to race and am kind of an athlete so it bothers me to take my time. However this program will do just that.
I will put up the program next week for those of you who are curious and/or want to join me!!
The program only makes you venture out three times a week and takes about a half hour of your time. Cheryl and I will be getting together once a week to stay motivated. With six small kids between us it is a little unrealistic to coordinate our schedules more than that.

This week I have to admit I'm feeling pretty skinny. I'm still 133 pounds but I'm fitting into more clothes and finally put away most of the maternity gear. Of course I'm wearing skirts so don't ask me to try on a pair of pants. That won't happen untill the fall :)

See you next Sunday June 24th at the six week mark!!!

Foods I feel Good about

Healthy food I could eat every day

SUSHI.....in fact I am craving some salmon pretty bad right now
Smoothies (usually with soymilk,soy protein,bananas,berries,and spirullina)
Green juice (spirullina,wheat grass and other stuff mixed in juice)
Baby spinach
Goats Cheese
Wraps with tofu,avocado,spinach,cheese and tomato...o.k and a little mayo
Harvest Crunch cereal
Almonds non-salted or roasted (did you know roasting removes the good properties??)
Fresh Garden Strawberries.....very yummy in my smoothies
Vanilla Soy Milk
Fresh Salmon and Asperagus on the BBQ
Toasted Tomato sandwiches on 12 grain bread
Chicken with sliced potatoes in olive oil on the BBQ
Red Wine...a glass every once in a while is good for your heart....and your marriage ;)
Really cold water
Apples and grapes
Avocado
A dark Chocolate Truffle....Dark chocolate is also good for your heart...and your marriage ;)

So there are a ton of other bad for me foods I could eat every day. But I'm really hungry right now and I'm going to concentrate on the good stuff :)

The Dance

One step forward...Two steps back. That is how I always feel my good eating habits, mood and weight loss goes. I have been doing pretty good. Feeling better with more energy to burn. Last night hubby left for softball and left me alone with cookies and chips. No I'm not blaming him...just explaining myself.

Four very yummy cookies and way too many chips later I felt so crappy. Why oh why did I do that??? Oh well. Today is another day and I will start over. There is no sense in fretting about it.

Eating at night like that is so much worse for a few reasons.
1) Your metabolism is slower at night and the better chance of it sitting on your hips
2) You are slowing down and going to sleep so you physically won't do enough to burn it off anyway because you don't need the energy
3) Your sleep is disrupted because your body working at breaking down the food
4) For me personally....I wake up hungrier in the morning and get really bloated from all the salt

So lessons learned...I will try to keep those in mind for next time.

smoothies are yummy!

I have been trying to stay away from too much coffee. I'm back to just tea in the morning and then I'm working on finding my energy through really healthy eating and a lot of water during the day.
I have been getting a little dehydrated from too much coffee, a little bit of wine, and too much salt from snacks at night. The heat does not help either so enough of this. I get bloated and tired when I don't consume enough water so I've been focusing on taking good care of my body.

I find a shake in between breakfast and lunch does the trick.
Strawberries, a banana, Vanilla soy milk, soy protein powder, vanilla yogurt, and so green juice (apple juice mixed with spirulina and wheat grass).

Yummy. The key to is to make sure I get enough protein to keep me satiated for a while. If I allow myself to get too hungry I'll reach for more sugar to 'perk me up'. When I stay away from sugar my moods stabilize as well. I don't experience those sugar highs and lows.

Two more weeks and I get to start exercising. I must admit I'm a little nervous about it. It feels like it has been so long! I guess it has really.

Untill then I will keep trying to sleep and eat right. That is all I can ask of myself right now.

week 4

Still 133 pounds after almost 4 weeks. My weight loss has stabilized now. So that means I have 13 pounds of fat to lose. I will post a belly pic soon. I am still in maternity clothes....seriously did I REALLY fit into those itty bitty clothes in my closet?? really?? hmmm

I am exhausted at this point with the kids and the new home. I am trying to sleep and rest but who are we kidding here?

My uterus still hurts so I am not pushing myself physically.

My consumption of coffee has to slow down...did you know that caffeine raises your cortisol levels and causes you to retain fat? I knew that but I can't function without it so I will have to deal with it for now. At least I am still breastfeeding so that fat should come off eventually.

All in all I'm just tired. Oh...my friend returned the bathing suit that I am wearing in the picture. I tried it on for kicks.....why ??? oh why did I do that to myself???? remind me to just keep those maternity clothes on for a while longer :)

plugging along

I'm not on the internet in our new home yet so I can't post any pics. So far the move has been strenuous...alot of unpacking and cleaning...and taking care of three little people. I am tired but trying to rest as much as possible. I forget to eat sometimes but am trying to eat well. Still working on my kiegle exercises :) and drinking loads of water. I don't look pregnant at all, but my clothes are still pretty tight. I think I am skinnier than I am. I'm reminded as soon as I go to put on my old summer clothes. Oh well.

Peyton is now almost three weeks old if you can believe it. I am now 133 pounds and have 13 pounds to lose. I will start exercising at 6 weeks. (short walks)

Right now my uterus is still sore when I over do it so just getting through the day is good enough for now.

on that note....I am tired and I'm going to bed.

please pray for energy for me.