My Fast Is Over; Down 6.2 Lbs.

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During Lent’s 46 days I was on an intermittent fast, eating only between Noon and 10:00 p.m. So how did it go? Surprisingly easy with only a few minor bumps in the road. Easy, because I never felt deprived or starved. I fully expected hunger pangs and headaches for the first few days, but neither happened.

intermittent fast resultsWeight Loss – About 1 Lbs. Per Week
During the 46 days, I lost 6.2 pounds. But if some of you worry I lost the weight because I starved myself, let me assure you that’s not the case. While I don’t track calories, my diary app – My Fitness Pal – does. On average, I consume between 1,200-1,800 calories a day. During my intermittent fast, I averaged 1,200 – 1,650 calories. Well within the range I normally eat. Read More

I Ran My First 5K…Now What?

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The big action shot of me crossing the finishing line of my first 5K where I ran the entire 3.1 miles. I am awesome!

The big action shot of me crossing the finishing line of my first 5K where I ran the entire 3.1 miles. I am awesome!

Woohoo! I ran my first 5K race without walking or stopping to catch my breath. I finished in 45:33 minutes. My plan – run at a consistent, easy pace. I wanted to have enough gas in the tank at the end to finish strong. During past races, my competitive streak got the best of me and I started out fast but ended up walking by the time Mile 2 rolled around.

Not today. I stuck to my game plan and it worked.

It’s funny, but I never saw myself as a runner. Yet today, like most run days, I had a big smile on my face. That little voice in my head that tells me “I’m too tired to keep running” disappeared. Not once did I ever think about stopping. I felt relaxed and just enjoyed the morning run. Read More

Flabby Arms Challenge III: 30 Days & Nights Of Push Ups

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If I want to do a Spartan Sprint I need to work on my upper body strength to get through the race's tough obstacles. So I'm starting the 30 Day Push Up Challenge this morning.

If I want to do a Spartan Sprint I need to work on my upper body strength to get through the race’s tough obstacles.

After my trainer killed my arms with 10 pound dumbbells, I decided I needed to put more emphasis on my upper body. So today I started the 30-Day Push Up Challenge. As I want to do a Spartan Sprint by late 2015/early 2016, its time to kick my upper body training up a notch.

How am I suppose to climb ropes, walls and swing on monkey bars (through fire!) without strengthening my arms, shoulders, chest and back?

That’s why I picked push ups as my next challenge. They’re great for your shoulders, arms, chest, abs, back, neck and triceps. It’s a basic exercise that all of us can do since no equipment is needed.

To increase the difficulty of the challenge I’m doing two sets of push ups — one in the morning and another in the evening. Overkill? Maybe, but I’d rather do a second round than sit on my butt.

Muscles push ups work. Image from MDHealth.com.

Muscles push ups work. Image from MDHealth.com.

I must say my push up form is bad…really bad.

While I can do 10 unmodified push ups (yay!!!), I’m finding it difficult for my chest to hit the floor. What I’m trying to do is get my elbows to a 90 degree angle (not there yet).

So by the end of the challenge, I looking at doing 80 push ups in near perfect form. Piece of cake!

Weight Loss True Grit

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got gritIf you are trying to lose weight, you need to ask yourself if you have the “grit” to do it. Grit is what sets apart the truly successful from the rest of us. I’ve started thinking more about grit — and if I have enough of it to get to goal — after watching a Spartan Up podcast featuring Dr. Angela Duckworth, a top expert on all things gritty. Read More

Weekly Weigh In: Shed 3 Pounds To Close Out Great Week

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I capped off an awesome week with a weight loss of 3 pounds. That pushes me into the 180s! The march to the 170s begins now!

I capped off an awesome week with a weight loss of 3 pounds. That pushes me into the 180s! The march to the 170s begins now!

When I stepped on my doctor’s scale mid-week, I was so happy I entered the 180s. But the next day I started worrying about my weekend weigh-in.  Ah…I hate the fact that damn scale still can do this to me. Since I talked with my doctor about setting a goal weight, I’ve got numbers on my mind. So it is understandable, but I can’t let it dominate (i.e., derail) me.

Anyway, I worried about today’s weigh-in. At 189 pounds I barely snuck into my new weight range. I could easily go back into the 190s if I didn’t keep my focus.

Well thanks to a lot of running, walking (the weather gods were kind to me), and listening to motivational podcasts this week, I kept that focus and tracked everything.  Thanks to that constant vigilance, I did some course correcting before potential problems hit (man, I love cream in my coffee). The result, I lost 3 pounds this week.

At 187 lbs., I am firmly in the 180s now…but don’t intent to stay their very long. My new mini-target is 179 lbs. Why? When my weight reaches 179, that means I’ve lost 45% of my total weight since this journey began. Just 8 more pounds then onto the next mini-target. Yay!

The last time I took an “after” photo, I was 30 pounds heavier. So I think it’s time to take new measurements and a new “after” photo. Nothing takes away the power of the scale like photography and a good old fashion tape measure.

First Hike Of The Year: Manassas National Battlefield

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Near the end of our first hike of the year. My hubby wanted a photo of me but I suspect he wanted a bit of a rest. As for me, I wanted to go another 5 miles.

Near the end of our first hike of the year. My hubby wanted a photo of me but I suspect he wanted a bit of a rest. As for me, I wanted to go another 5 miles…I settled for yard work after the hike.

My hubby recently started back up at the gym. I’m so happy he’s jump-starting his weight loss and fitness goals. As part of his new routine, we went on our first hike of 2015:  Manassas National Battlefield. The park is just a couple of miles from our humble, little love shack. Besides learning about history, the park offers a perfect hike to toughen up his tender feet.

Working Up A Sweat On The Trail
I love hiking. Not only does it get me outdoors, it’s a great exercise without the cost or noise of a gym. Yes, I love my gym. But with hiking you get a full body workout. Sharp inclines, scrambling over rocks, carrying a pack, river crossings – you work every muscle, test your balance and get your heart rate up. Read More

Hiking Fest ’15

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Hiking Raven Rock in 2014 after climbing 1530 ft to the top of the 2nd peak. This trail defeated me last year, but I'll finish it this summer.

Hiking Raven Rock in 2014 after climbing 1,530 ft. to the top of the 2nd peak. This trail defeated me last year, but I’ll finish it this summer.

Spring starts tomorrow! So of course we’re expecting snow. Despite winter’s last grasp, I thought it was time to plan some day hikes for me and the hubby. Turning to my trusty Hiking Virginia guide, I’ve picked out 10 initial hikes (we’re so doing more than 10 this year!) that meet our agreed upon criteria.

Hiking Criteria
My hubby made some demands for these day hikes so that we BOTH enjoy these outings.

1. “Cannot be One Of Your Crazy-Ass Intense Hikes”
Translation: My husband recently kick-started his workout routine, so no trails so tough he can’t walk the next day. Fair enough. Only one trail listed rates as difficult (mwahahaha!). Read More

Putting Your Weight Loss Frustrations Into Perspective

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Are you discouraged with your current weight loss efforts? Are you thinking about giving up because the scale isn’t moving? Have you beaten yourself up when you eat the wrong thing?  Do you feel defeated after doing everything right but only lose less than half a pound in a week? If you’re frustrated with your weight loss journey, this post is for you.

I visit a lot of online weight loss forums and often I read complains about weight stalls, gains or small losses.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been there.  If I had to name a reason why my weight loss journey is successful this time around, I’d say I don’t give in to my frustrations. I learn from them and make adjustments.

Meet Mark Webb (check out the video before reading further).

How many of us would sign up to run a marathon the day after losing a leg? Read More

Celebrate March Madness By Toning Those Flabby Arms

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March Madness starts tomorrow for me. My next 30-Day Challenge focuses on those flabby arms of mine. Lots of push ups, mountain climbers and triceps this month.

March Madness starts tomorrow for me. My next 30-Day Challenge focuses on those flabby arms of mine. Lots of push ups, mountain climbers and triceps dips this month.

Yesterday was the last day of my Little Black Dress Challenge. Overall I didn’t do too bad. About 10 days in I gave up on doing the routines twice a day. My abs wouldn’t allow it. I do need more work on mountain climbers and burpees as my form isn’t that great. Nonetheless I love the challenge and may want to do it again, but later in the year.

March Madness: A Call To Arms!
Tomorrow I embark on a new task – building and toning my arms. March 2 begins my 30-Day Arm Challenge. This challenge includes just 3 exercises – triceps dips, push ups and mountain climbers…again! Read More

Intermittent Fasting For Lent

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My new breakfast during Lent! I'm doing an intermittent fast for the next 40 days. Photo courtesy of amenic181 and FreeDigitalPhoto.net.

My new breakfast during Lent! I’m doing an intermittent fast for the next 40 days. Photo courtesy of amenic181 and FreeDigitalPhoto.net.

In my past weight loss adventures, I’ve tried fasting to no avail. Besides being hungry all day and night I ended up gaining the weight right back over the next few days. What was the point of that?

Turns out it wasn’t the fast that was the problem. It was me. There are really two ways to head into a fast – healthy or going full-throttle jackass. Guess which way I went? Read More