Tag Archive | health

My Goal for this Year!

Feb13

20120203-194944.jpg

My Big Goal for this year is to run my First Half Marathon!

I would really love to do the Nike Women’s Marathon/Half Marathon this October. It is a Huge race with over 20,000 people expected. Eeeeeks! It’s gotten so popular that they do a lottery for individual spots. There hasn’t been an official date on when registration starts but the date for the race is:
Image

Even registering early right doesn’t guarantee you a spot. I plan on signing up on the first day but just in case I don’t get a spot I’ve signed up to do the Disney Half Marathon in September :-)
I’m doing it with a friend of mine and making it a Girls’ Weekend. If I happen to get a spot in the Nike Women’s event, I will still do it :-) It’ll be about a month and half after the Disney race so I should be ok.

I am so excited and nervous about doing a half marathon. The distance seems so intimidating right now. I have already started training for it. I plan on doing a few smaller races leading up to it to help prep for it :-)

2012 is going to a great year!!!

Beach Body Challenge Day4

Feb7

Day 4 of BeachBody Challenge

I started my day doing Tone It Up’s Valentine’s Day Workout x2. I added light weights to the first 6 exercises :-) It was a great way to wake up.

Breakfast was something that I’ve been thinking about for days.  You know when you have an idea on your mind and you’re just waiting to get it out? Yep, that was me making my breakfast. Took a couple egg whites, put it on top of Spinach and topped with sliced tomatoes and tempeh bacon. I sprinkled a little sea salt on top.

Egg White Tempeh Sandwich

I was very happy to have my Chobani Champions for my snack this morning.  Resisting the Chobani Champions every time I opened my fridge was a hard part of the cleanse. lol. The Champions are perfect for me because they are smaller portions and less sugar. I added Trader Joe’s Raw Almond Butter and Bear Naked Fit Granola.

Raw Almond Butter

Bear Naked Fit - Found it at WalMart :-)

Had a Shakeology Shake for Lunch. I couldn’t decide which recipe to try. So many choices!! I went with the Choco Raspberry because it was simple and I wanted to use up the last of my frozen raspberries. I put in a little more than a half of cup because there wasn’t much left.

Choco Raspberry Shakeology

It was sooooo good. I added ice cubes but I probably didn’t need to since the raspberries were frozen. Came out super thick – the way I like it :-)

Meal 4 was a Lemon Zest Luna bar. Wanted to have some energy for the gym.

Dinner – Tilapia w/ 1 cup of brown rice mixed with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and broccoli slaw.

100 oz. of water today!

——————————— Turbo Fire Day 2 —————————————

Today’s class was HIIT15/Stretch 10. I figured that this was going to be really intense – and it was! 3 Different HIIT workouts doing each 3 times in 15minutes. Insane!! lol. Thought my heart was going to come out of my chest after the first HIIT workout.  I followed the modifications because it was all a little fast for me. Not quite ready to do all those jumps but I will definitely be working on it. I was drenched in sweat even though I didn’t jump. Loved it! The Stretch 10 was the same as yesterday’s and I could feel all my sore muscles from yesterday and today. I see why tomorrow is a Rest Day.

I debated on Not doing anything else. I was worn out from the HIIT15. Ben decided to change his mind – again – and booked a last minute trip to Vegas early tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is a Rest Day for TurboFire but I was planning on having an Active Rest day. I usually do a bike ride and some booty toning exercises.  This last minute trip is going to make that difficult. I decided to hit the gym and do a 30 minute Hill program on the bike. My legs were dead from the HIIT earlier but I made it over 6 miles with the resistance up at 20 at the hardest part :-)

Gotta go Pack!

Beach Body Challenge Day 3

Feb7

Day 3

The Last day of the Shakeology Cleanse and the First day of Turbo Fire!!

Well I made it through the Shakeology Cleanse :-) I have to say that for a cleanse – this was probably one of the easiest. I didn’t expect it to be. How could 3 shakes, two cups of green tea and two servings of fruit (which are optional) going to keep me full?  The answer: Shaekology! These shakes will fill you up just with the water and ice.  I was allowed to add fruit to my morning shake, and that made it even more filling. They have a whole bunch of  recipes they suggest and I’m sure those make it more satisfying :-)

Chocolate Shakeology Menu

I am really looking forward to trying all these recipes out. This morning I added frozen pineapple and it was amazing!!

Snack – 1 c. of cherries (had to finish them off before they went bad)

Lunch – Shakeology  – didn’t spill it this time :-) Green Tea

Dinner – Chicken salad with spinach and broccoli slaw

Dessert – Shakeology

I will continue to have 1 shake a day during the challenge.

For more information on Shakeology contact BeachBody coach April Anaya at http://www.teambeachbody.com

——————————— Turbo Fire Day 1————————————-

Today was my first day doing Turbo Fire. I knew it was going to be challenging, but I guess I really had no idea what was coming. Lol. I started by watching the Intro DVD: Get Fired Up. Chalene explains What Turbo Fire Is, Why it works, and what to expect from the classes. I learned a lot from the intro and she is really motivating. It is the first time I’ve done one of her workouts. She had me pumped and ready to go.

Intro DVD

Fire 30 w/ Stretch 10 was on the schedule for today. I chose the “New to Class” option so I could get a break down of all the moves so it was a little bit longer than 30 minutes. I could have used a break down for the warm up. lol. Right from the start it was high energy. There is a modified version you can follow which I liked because it helped me to learn the moves better. Even with the break downs, I was a little behind. I’m not all that coordinated and the moves are choreographed with the music and I got confused a few times. It was still a great workout and soooo much fun. The moves are great and the music goes so well with it. A couple more times with the break down and I should be able to get it down :-)

Fire 30 Stretch 10

Stretch 10 was a really good cool down. I have a bit of an issue with flexibility especially in my left knee so some stretches were hard. I usually don’t like to do the cool downs in workouts, but I will be doing it with this challenge. I want to make sure that I don’t injure myself and hopefully it will help with my flexibility :-)

I am wondering if this Turbo Fire is meant to be the only workout I do for the day. I can see why it would be. It wiped me out. After I was done stretching I laid down on the floor for 10 minutes before getting up.  lol. I do like to run and I usually do 2-3 small workout sessions in a day. I don’t want to overdo it so I’m taking it easy and seeing how I feel.

Today I also did Tone It Up’s Valentine’s Day workout, 40 Tummy Tucks, and a 5;30 minute plank for my Plank A Day. I challenged myself to do 2 min on my hands then did 1 min side plank each side with 30 seconds of side plank crunches. When you’re in side plank on your hands doing crunches, you can Really feel it in your obliques! Went back to plank on my hand for 1 min and did 30 seconds on my elbows. I’m on Day 8 of the 150 Day Challenge :-)

Really looking forward to my first Turbo Fire HIIT workout tomorrow!

Starting My First Beach Body Challenge

Feb4

Today I officially started my first BeachBody Challenge.

I’ve been wanting to try a BeachBody Challenge for a while but have been putting it off. Price being the main reason and the fact that I was a little intimidated. Since I joined Tone It Up and started my new Healthy and Fit LifeStyle, I’ve gained the confidence to try a BeachBody Challenge. I met a BeachBody coach, April Anaya via twitter and decided to join her Fitness Challenge.

Beach Body Coach April Anaya

April started her BeachBody journey in 2009. She signed up to be coach to get the discounts. She’s lost 69lbs and has maintained it for over a year. What an inspiration! After her success, she decided to pursue the business side of being a coach to help others with their health and fitness goals. She presented me with her challenge and was very helpful in answering all my questions.

Her challenge has you pick from a bunch of different Beach Body programs. It depends on you and your fitness goals which one you pick. For beginners, she recommends Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs or Brazil Butt Lift.  She tailors her recommendations to your wants and needs.

You can also choose to do a Challenge Pack where you get a program plus a month’s worth of Shakeology. Yes this is more expensive, but you Don’t have to get the challenge pack if you don’t want to.

To Save money, you can sign up to be a coach and get a discount on the programs and challenge packs.  You do not have to become a coach in order to do her challenge.

So Why did I chose to do her challenge? Like I said I’ve wanted to try a BeachBody Challenge for a long time. I felt that I was finally ready to give their programs a shot. I was ready to invest in my health.  April has a great set up for her challenge. It’s a small group of 5 that keep one another accountable. We check in with our workouts and meals and help motivate one another. For more details about her Challenges please check April Out on Twitter: @mommywifey1

I chose to become a coach and take advantage of the discounts too. I also chose to do a Challenge Pack to try out Shakeology. For my program, I chose Turbo Fire since I love HIIT workouts and kickboxing. I probably won’t be doing the business side of being a coach because it’s just not my thing. I will take advantage of the discounts though and get more BeachBody programs once I complete TurboFire :-) I am always looking for new workouts to try out and BeachBody has a lot of variety.

What I got with my Challenge Pack:

TurboFire Program w/ Bonus DVD

30 Day Supply of Chocolate Shakeology

Thin Kitchen Recipe Book

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Day 1

My group is suppose to start on Feb. 6th with the Shakeology Cleanse. I decided to start Today because I will be going to Vegas on Tuesday (the 7th) and I wanted to have the cleanse done before I left. I figure the cleanse will be easier to do at home. I will be following the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan while doing this program but incorporating at least 1  Shakeology Shake every day :-)

The Shakeology Cleanse has me drinking 3 Shakeology Shakes, green tea twice a day, lots of water, a lean salad for dinner and two servings of fruit for added calories. I was really worried when I looked over it because it didn’t seem like I’d be getting much to eat. I told myself that it was Only for 3 days and I Can Do It!

For my breakfast shake I added half a frozen banana. I have to say that I was not expecting the shake to be so creamy. I figured it was the banana. It was very chocolaty – but not too sweet. It was very filling. I really wasn’t hungry afterwards. My cravings just came out of bad habit. It has been a struggle all day  to not eat anything else besides what is on the cleanse. I had a cup of grapes for my snack. My lunch Shake had no fruit and it was still very creamy :-) When I got a craving, I’d drink some water. The shakes really do fill you up and I was not hungry. Just a lot of tempting things around from the boys and the hubby :-)

For dinner I had a salad made with spinach, tuna and broccoli slaw. I need to go restock on my veggies.  Instead of having my third shake before dinner, I decided to have it after dinner – kind of like a dessert. I couldn’t finish it all. I got through most of it, but I was honestly Full.

It’s recommended not to do intense workouts during the cleanse. Luckily today is my active rest day. I went for my usual hour long bike ride in the morning. At night I did 20o crunches, 100 pushups and a challenge from Blogilates 100 Chest pulses. I also did a 5 minute plank.

I also went over the Turbo Fire Schedule and planned out my workouts for the coming week. I wanted to see what I’m suppose to do for the first week and make sure that I pack what I need. I am determined to stay on track with this challenge even while I’m in Vegas :-)

A Very Fit February

Feb1

Well after my December Goals got derailed because of getting sick, I was able to get back to normal through Tone It Up‘s Tonedin12 Challenge that started at the beginning of the year. I was disappointed that I couldn’t follow through with my  goals, but I brushed it off. Couldn’t do anything about being sick and taking care of 3 other sick people.

My goal for January was to get back on track. The Tonedin12 Challenge really helped get me back into my routine. It took me a little while to get back to my intensity level I was at before I got sick. It was really hard to get back into doing bootycall workouts.  That and eating 5 meals a day. Fortunately, I only gained a few months over the holiday season – the one perk of being sick. lol.  This last week has been the best week for me. I’ve been able to kick my workouts up a notch.

And now I’m ready to keep on pushing! February is going to be a Very Fit month for me. I will be following through with the end of the Tonedin12 Challenge – ends on Valentine’s Day. I have no doubt that Karena and Katrina have something great for us after the end of the challenge.  Even if it’s not right after the challenge ends, there’s still their February Calendar filled with challenges that I always try to do :-)

TIU February Calendar

My big Fitness goal will be starting the Beach Body  TurboFire series. I signed up to do a fitness challenge through Beach Body coach April Anaya. We start on the 6th. It’s a 30 day challenge and there is a small group of us doing it together. I am really excited. I’ve always wanted to try TurboFire out. I think that this challenge will help keep me on track with it.

I will also be training for my first half marathon coming up in September. Today I officially registered to do the Disney Half Marathon with a friend. Even though it’s still a long way away, I want to get started on training. I was hoping to do a 10K this month but it looks like I’ll have to wait until March. I’m really excited about this month and this year. So many exciting things coming up.

September 2, 2012

Getting Ripped with Jillian

Dec30

I did it! I completed Jillian Michael’s Ripped in 30 Dvd!! For the longest time, I was very intimidated by Jillian – even a little scared. lol. She is tough! I’ve tried a few of her workouts onDemand and always got discouraged. Part of it was that I was expecting too much of myself. I really wanted to be able to do the workouts as perfectly as possible. I blamed how tough her workouts were as the reason that I didn’t do well.

The truth was, I wasn’t ready. Physically and most importantly, mentally. I let my self doubts and excuses keep me from giving my workouts everything I had. Once I learned that I was the one who had control over how my workouts went, I had more success with my workouts. I decided in November to challenge myself to completing an entire Jillian Michael’s DVD.  I was very lucky to have a friend who send me Ripped in 30.

I actually started to last week of October with Week 1. I did the workouts for 6 days – taking  one day off (from the DVD but I did do other toning workouts). In between Week 1 and Week 2, I took a break while I was on vacation.  I started right back up  with Week 2 when I got back. I think my body was worn out from intense workouts prior to my vacation so the break actually helped me do better with Week 2.

I  Love this DVD.  I definitely got stronger – especially in my arms. I always started with the modified version or copying Jillian and worked towards the advanced versions.  I didn’t always get to the advanced version by the end of the week but I did do better in all the exercises. Jillian was funny and of course tough, but she was also very inspiring. A lot of of her closing words after each workout really had an effect on me. I’ve gone from fearing her to being inspired by her. I definitely want to make sure that I Show Up in my Life Every Day and give Everything in my Life the same dedication and focus that I give my workouts. Thank You Jillian!

Overview: Here’s a few of my favorite moves and how I did. This is Not the entire workouts – just small bits.

Every workout started with a warm up – then 20 min workout with 3 Circuits – ended with a cool down.

Week 1 – Favorite warm up was the Half Squat with Knee grab. Stretching and stabilizing.

Circuit 1: I stuck with the modified pushups but did the Advanced version of the Skaters. The Hollow Man was pretty tough even the modified version. I think I was able to keep my shoulders for about half the time.

Circuit 2: Love the good morning exercise and the running man. She had me laughing when she called it an “80’s Throwback” and to “Bring out the leg warmers.” I was able to to do the Side Plank with both feet straight but stayed on my elbows.

Circuit 3: I was able to increase my weights on the chair pose with rear fly and do the advanced version of the Single Leg Hop – although I can’t get as high as the girl did. I was able to do the advanced version of the reverse crunch with a regular crunch.

Week2: Love the Toe Tap to the Center and Down for the warm up.

Circuit 1: Pendulum lunges with Serving Biceps was a lot of fun. I worked up to the advanced version. Also did the advanced version of the plank jacks. My goal was to stay in plank for the whole 2 minute cardio session and I did! The opposite leg to opposite arm crunch was great :-)

Circuit 2: Did the advanced version of the Side Lunge with Leg Raise – great booty workout. Crow PushUps were really hard for me to do so I did the modified version. The Ab Extension and Hold were also really hard and I stayed with the modified version.

Circuit 3: Loved the single leg with a curl. I don’t think I got my leg as high as the advanced version but I worked on keeping my leg up and off the ground. The sit-up move at the end was tough. It took me the whole week to finally get the move right.

Week3: It gets intense with week 3. Even the warm up was tough.  The leg raise to knee raise to quad stretch definitely worked my balance.

Circuit 1: The bear crawl and duck walk was killer on my legs! She hammers the legs even more with squat jacks. I was already sweating before this circuit was even over. The plank tucks at the end were tough.

Circuit 2: Even more stability work with single leg squats with curls. The roll ups were a lot of fun to do. I worked up to keeping up with the advanced version :-) My heart raced during the squat jacks. I started with the modified version of the opposite arm opposite leg crunch and leg raise. Adding the weight makes a difference!

Circuit 3: She beat up my arms in this circuit. Pike pushups and single leg dips! I had to stick to the modified version for the split jumps. Those are killer on my knee. Her modification worked great because I still got a good work out without stressing my knees out. The pike ups were pretty hard for me so I kept to the modified version.

Circuit 4: I personally think this is about the same intensity as week 3. They were both pretty  intense workouts. The warm up had my favorite waist line crunches :-)

Circuit 1: Loved the yoga moves in the beginning. Leave it to Jillian to use yoga for strength training :-) Felt like a cheerleader doing the kicking jacks. Plank walks definitely work the core.

Circuit 2: For the pushup and renegade rows, I did as many as I could in plank then dropped to my knees when my arms got tired. Of course there had to burpees! lol. I made myself do the advanced version. I had to stick to the modified version of the v-ups though.

Circuit 3: One of my favorite things is how she always works multiple muscle groups like Single leg bootylifter with chest flies :-) I really like the double jump rope. The ab workout for this circuit is my favorite. It works everything. Sit Up, lay down, leg lift, toe touch, then back down.  I do it all the time outside of this DVD.

Of all the motivational/inspirational things she says in this DVD, what she says at the end of Week 4 really impacted me the most. I would lie there after the workout and listen to what she said every time.  “Inhale the possibilities…” “Exhale the self doubt…”

She also has a meal plan you can follow for the 30 days. I stuck with Tone It Up’s meal plan.

So if you couldn’t tell, I would recommend this DVD for anyone looking to get into shape. I recommend Amazon.com for a good price but you can find it at Target and anywhere workout DVD’s are sold. It’s great for any fitness level. Don’t let her intimidate you. She knows what she’s doing :-)  It’s all about the effort you put in that determines your results.

Pop Pilates Meet Up

Dec4

I was lucky enough to be able to go to Cassey’s Pop Pilates Meet Up this weekend. It was held in the city which is about a half hour away from me. I was nervous to go for several reasons – 1. I’ve never really done a pilates class before (besides Cassey’s videos at home), 2. I was going by myself, 3. It was in the city which always makes me anxious. I’m fine up until I get off the freeway. There’s just so many people in such a small area and I get lost very easily. I’m also not great a parallel parking.

I left a little later than I would have liked. I’m one of those people who like to be early in case anything happens. So I was rushing to get there on time. I actually passed the place and had to go around – which took some extra time. And then it came time to park. I was lucky to find a spot on the street. I was grateful that my car is compact and that the lady behind left as I was attempting to parallel park so I had more room :-) I got there about 10 minutes late. Luckily, they hadn’t started the class yet.

There was quite a few people there – mostly ladies, but a few guys too :-) I found a place to put my matt and waited. Cassey was there saying Hi to people and she came over to me. She is such a sweet person and gave me a hug. She asked where I was from and when I told her, she mentioned that her friend, Reina was from there too. Her friend and I talked while we waited for the class to start. It was so nice to meet someone from where I live that had the same interests as me. We run along the same trail and probably have passed each other. 5 minutes later, the class started and we went to our matts.

I really had no idea what to expect. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be too advanced since I am very much a beginner with Pilates. I can’t remember the whole routine, but it was great! The workout was also broadcast live through BlogTV so people at home could join in :-) I’m camera shy so hopefully no one at home could see me. lol. After a stretching warm up, we went into ab and core. I remember that this was killer! I started sweating from the first move. lol. My whole mid section is extremely sore from this workout. Everything from my abs, to obliques and even my back. It hurts to stand up, sit down, and especially getting out of bed. I sneezed and it hurt. That’s how kick ass the workout was :-)

We also did some booty and arm exercises. I had a cramp during one of the booty exercises, but worked through it. My booty is very sore today too. I could feel it during my 4 mile run. The half cobra pushups worked my triceps. It’s hard to believe that such small movements can really work our muscles.

Cassey was great. She kicked our booties! She is a really good instructor and I would love to take any class she teaches. The music was great. Loved how we did the Wiggle during the LMFAO song. It was an hour workout that just flew by because it was a lot of fun. We ended by doing a few burpees and took a group picture. Cassey hung out to take pictures and talk with us. There was food and Miracle Noodles for us to enjoy. My parking meter was expired and I had to leave shortly after the workout ended to get home to my kids, but I did take the time to Thank Cassey and take a quick pic with her :-)

Cassey inspires and motivates me. It was such a wonderful experience meeting her. You never know what it’s going to be like meeting someone you look up to and watch on YouTube. You always wonder how they are in real life. Cassey is just as wonderful as I thought she’d be. Beautiful and very kind. I’m hoping she does more meet ups and that I’ll see her again soon :-)

Looking through some pics

With the Beautiful Cassey at her Pop Pilates Meet Up

December Goals

Dec3

Set Your Goals!

I love setting goals for myself.  It has really been the key to keeping me motivated to stay on track especially with my workouts.  I have long term goals, monthly, weekly, and daily goals I set for myself. I work better when I have something to work towards.

It’s that time of year when it’s a little bit harder to stay healthy and fit.  It’s a hectic time for me. I’ve got birthdays and the holidays to deal with. I never have enough time and I feel like I am always in a hurry.  I can get overwhelmed with all that I have to do and get stressed out. In the past, I would have just thrown out any hope of working out and eating healthy. But I don’t want to do that this year. I really want o stay on track with Nutrition Plan and continue to workout.

So I’m hoping that my recent practice with goal setting will help me out. I’ve done two 5K races and reached both personal goals on my time. A lot of my fellow Tone It Up team members have set up a challenge to run every day this month. I would have joined them but I knew that my schedule wouldn’t allow it.  I am currently finishing up my goal of completing a Jillian Michael’s workout DVD (Ripped in 30) – will have a post on my experience up soon. After looking over my new TIU calendar and my schedule for this month, I came up with two new  goals to focus for December:

1. Drink 100 oz. of water Every Day! This might seem like a pretty easy thing to accomplish, but for me, this is a big challenge. My Vegas trip threw me out of whack with staying hydrated and I have had a very hard time drinking enough water. So I’m hoping this gets me back on track and helps keep me from over eating during the holidays :-)

2. Lift Weights at Least Twice a Week! Now that I’ve pretty much reached my goal weight, I’ve decided that I wanted to put on some muscle, especially on my arms. I was lifting once a week with Ben.  We have one day a week where both boys are at school and he’s off of work so we can workout together.  I was shy about lifting because I don’t have much muscle and I was ignorant in thinking that weight lifting was going to make me too muscular. From ToneItUp and the many other fitness sources I’ve come across lately, I’ve learned that building muscle helps burn fat and women don’t get bulky like men without supplements. I’ve really come to enjoy lifting weights and want to really focus this month.

I started on Dec. 2nd and will end on Dec. 31st.  I will definitely let you all know how it goes :-)

2011 Thanksgiving 5K

Nov28

Like so many of my fellow TIU team members, I did a 5K race on Thanksgiving. Ben and I both did the Run to Feed the Hungry Race in Sacramento, our home town :-) It was for a good cause and a great way to stay on track with our fitness goals.

It was a little hectic training for the race. Balancing training and preparing for the holiday was a bit tough. Gio’s schedule changed to half days the whole week before Thanksgiving. This meant that I had a 5 minute window between picking his brother up and picking him up from school. And that I had Both boys at home. Ben and I had to trade off doing our runs and workouts. Despite the craziness, we both managed to get our training in. And I was able to cook for pretty much an entire day for the holiday.

I was kind of dreading this race. I kept hoping that the forecast for rain would change, but it didn’t. This is a big race for Sacramento. There was 27,000 people doing the race. My goal was to beat my last time of 25:30 and I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to because of all the people. My First 5k was small in comparison (only about 1000 participants).

We were up at 6a. Ben’s dad decided that he would bring the boys and cheer us on. Of course, the one time they decide to sleep in is the one day they can’t. Lol. They were not happy to get up with us. But the idea of playing in the rain cheered them up. There is just something about the rain and puddles that kids love :-) We were worried about parking so we headed out early. We got there about an hour before the race started.

Sleepy Seppe ready to go.

It was crazy! There were so many people! I’ve never seen that many people in one place. We parked about a couple blocks away from the finish line. We had to walk around to find out where to pick up our bibs and shirts. And it rained the whole time. I was freezing cold and wet before the race even started. I was suppose to meet up with my friends and brother but there was just so many people there that we couldn’t really find anyone. We headed towards the finish line to find a spot out of the rain that the boys and Ben’s dad could wait at. Java City was open and we were one of the first people there so we grabbed a table and waited for the race to start.

Enjoying Hot coco and a cinnamon bun

Ready for the race!

I had a Luna bar and Zico for breakfast and was glad that the coffee shop had clean bathrooms to use :-) I really didn’t want to use the porter potties by the start line :-/ I was getting a little anxious. It was a big race and it was raining. I was really worried about slipping and falling. I was worried about not reaching my goal. I’m not a super serious race person but I trained hard and I really wanted all my hard work to pay off. There were two types of bibs handed out – one for those that were being timed and one for those not being timed. I had to pay extra to be timed.

They had separate starting places for timed and non-timed racers. I headed up to the front and put myself at the 8min/mile pace marker. It was obvious that people didn’t care about the pace markers because you could tell that there were people who were not being timed in the timed areas. I separated from Ben but he could have easily joined me. I think a lot of people were up front just to be on camera since the local tv station was there broadcasting the race.

Making our way to the start line – View from where Ben started.

Up by the 8min/mile pace marker

Getting a little closer to the start line.

cold and wet :-(

5K Walkers/Joggers heading down J Street

I always get a rush when the count down starts. I told myself that I just had to do my best and see what happened. It wasn’t raining as hard but still raining when the race started. I was able to start off at a jogging pace and got around a large part of the pack. I was hoping to catch up to my brother (who is a very good runner) but it felt like there was never an end to group of people in front of me. The route was really nice and simple. No hills. People were lined up along the streets and cheered the runners on. I really liked that there were mile markers posted. At 2 miles I sped up a bit. As soon as I could see the balloons for the finish line, I sped up some more. There was a teenager running next to me at the end and I made it a point to beat her. lol. I did see my brother at the end of the race. He finished about 5 minutes ahead of me. One day I’ll catch up :-) Ben finished about 5 minutes after me. He wasn’t timed but he did go faster this time around.

Finding Ben at the finish line.

My Results:

Chip Time: 23:40

Chip Pace: 7:38

Gun Time: 24:03

Gun Pace: 7:45

256th Overall (of 2,247 – number of those timed in the 5K)

48th Female (of 1,124)

6th (of 132) in my Age Group

So not too bad for my second race :-) I beat my last time and set a new personal best. I am very happy. I’m thinking of finding a 10K to train for in the next couple months. I’ve really come to enjoy races.

Fruit at the “Post Race Party” – pears, apples, bananas, oranges

They also had bagels, granola bars, and peanut butter cookies.

Line of people waiting to get their goodies.

Bag we used to carry the food and water.

My shirt and bib

Ben’s shirt and bib – he got the only shirt that was different from Everyone else’s :-)

SlimDown Round 2 Results!!

Nov1

Yay!! I finished the Slim Down :-) And this time I didn’t cheat once.  I was kinda nervous stepping on the scale this morning. I was shocked with the results: 105.4 lbs! My goal weight! Ok, technically I’m .4 lbs away, but hey close enough, right? lol.

Here’s my After measurements – it was another pleasant surprise for me :-)

Weight: 105.4 lbs.

Waist: 25 in.

Hips: 33.5 in.

Chest: 31.5 in.

Thighs: 19 in.

Total Weight Lost – 6 lbs.

Total Inches Lost – 3 inches

Yes! I am very excited and motivated.  I was not expecting to be at my goal weight until the end of the year. Now I can move on to my next goal of putting on muscle :-)

I have come a long way since I started to follow Tone It Up.  I found them May of 2011, joined the team at the end of July and started with the Nutrition Plan in August. All together I have lost a total of 12 lbs since August.  15 lbs since May :-)  There are really no words to explain how happy I am right now.  I feel so confident, strong, and toned.  My journey with Tone It Up has proven to me that I Can Do Anything I put my mind to. I Can set Goals And Reach Them :-) It’s great to believe in myself.

Here’s my Before and After Pics from Both Slim Down journeys:

Before and After

So what now? New Goals!! I have a 5K that I will be running on Thanksgiving for Feed the Hungry in Sacramento.  A 10K hopefully in January and I just signed up for the 9 mile course in the Big Sur International Marathon :-) My Big goal: Run the Nike Women’s Half Marathon next October.  The Big Sur and Nike Women’s race are still a little intimidating to me right now but I know that if I keep working hard and train, I’ll be able to do it :-)

I am off to Vegas for a week tomorrow night to celebrate my 30th Birthday :-) But I will be working out and eating healthy.  I may be on vacation but there is No way in hell I’m throwing away all this hard work.  Just looking at the pictures has really reminded me of how far I’ve come and I don’t ever want to go back.  I want to keep moving forward and continue living a healthy lifestyle.

I forgot to mention it in my twitvid today, but Thank You! Thank You ! Thank You to Karena, Katrina, and my whole Tone It Up family. I honestly would not have been able to get here without all your support, advice, inspiration, and motivation. Sometimes I feel alone because I don’t have anyone near me who is on a similar journey.  I am so grateful to all my Tone It Up sisters on twitter who keep me going every day :-) It’s so nice to know that I am not Alone. Love You All <3