So, friends read my blog but then email me or call me with questions so I thought I would answer a few on here just in case you wondered the same thing.
Q. Do you do any special diet?
A. Not really. I focus on eating lean proteins, shopping the perimeter of the grocery store, and making meals that I want to eat and that my family would want to eat. I watch portion sizes and stay away from Candy, highly processed/refined foods, foods high in carbohydrates and sugars. I have cravings which I will occasionally give in to but for the most part, I eat lean and green.
Q. What do you do when you work out?
A. I am training for my first 1/2 marathon so I work out 6 days a week. On Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday I run. during the week I run 3-5 miles per day depending on the day and on Saturday I do whatever my long run is. This coming Saturday is a 7 mile run. I do all my running currently on a treadmill (I know, it's as grueling as you think it is) but hope to make the transition to outside sometime mid-march. On those days I also do abdominal work when I am done. On Tuesdays and Fridays I do resistance training and focus on my arms, chest, back, abs, glutes, and hamstrings. I use all free weights and my own body resistance and do it in circuits. I get my inspiration off of sites like pinterest and before I head to the gym have a pretty good idea of what I am going to do when I get there. it normally takes me an hour to get everything done.
Q. Do you have a play list you listen to?
A. I do not. I listen to Pandora on my iphone. They have some workout stations so I set it to one of those and start moving.
Q. What pace do you run at?
A. Comfortably I can run at a 5.7 on the treadmill. My goal is really to run comfortably at 6.0. I'll get there. When I started in January, I had a hard enough time with a 5.0 pace so each day is easier.
Q. Is it hard to track your food?
A. No, not at all. I track it on 'myfitnesspal.com'. It's a great app and site and recommend you check it out if you are looking for an easy way to look at what and how much you are eating. I am certain there are other apps, I just found this one and really like it.
Q. Do you have goals beyond your weight?
A. I think you have to otherwise it's a sick obsession. I have goals for jeans I want to fit into. I have a pair hanging in my closet just waiting for my waistline to shrink and fit into them. I have goals for running distance/time for example, I wanted to run a 5K in under 30 minutes - on the treadmill I can do that but I want to do that in a real event. I'm always putting goals out there, it gives me something to continually work for and keeps me motivated to keep working at it.
Q. Why have you failed before and think this time is different?
A. I try not to focus on my previous failures but I will say this - You have to be more than motivated. Motivation is what gets a person to take action but it's determination that makes you keep working toward your goal. So, I focus on "small wins" and celebrate those and take the rest as lessons learned. I don't base my success on anybody else but myself and my actions. There is a saying that says, 'if you fail to plan, you plan to fail'. I try to put the right things in place so that I don't fail. Examples:
- Set my clothes out the night before to go to the gym in the AM
- Put healthy snacks in my bag and keep them at work so I don't eat cake or candy when I am hungry
- I tend to drink more water when I have a straw so I keep straws around so that I drink enough water
- Use my fitness pal to track my food so I know what I can and cannot have - I will also look items up before I cook or order them so I know if I have enough calories left in the day
- Tell friends and family about my goals so that I have a good support system
- Find motivational quotes that keep me focused and in a positive mind set
So, that is it for now but if you think of something, you can always feel free to give me a call or email.
