Tribute to Rain ☂

Gotta love Led Zepplin. Well, once again, no yoga X-training yesterday. I should do something to stretch, even if I have to jump on the mat and pretend I know what I'm doing. I can't find the style I'm looking for, a combination of Ashtanga techniques and something slower. Running is wonderful! I love it! It is such a free, empowering feeling to know your body is getting you somewhere, despite the fact that I'm not a good runner. I will go later today, although it's raining.

I'm new to California, but even I can't believe all the rain. I hear my patients say they have never seen this much rain here. It's pretty funny how people here react to it. I run into many Californians who ask with a serious face, "Is this what a hurricane is like?" I just laugh and shake my head. They have no clue! All these storms would be considered light showers back home. I adore rain, but I was so excited to get that California sunshine I hear so much about.

Our Earth is changing I think; what a cool thing to witness. A little scary too. I'm not big on global warming. I think we are very much damaging our Earth and need to change the way we live ASAP. I love this planet and would like to keep it healthy. However, I don't believe the degree of emergency they are stressing at the moment....apocalypse and such. It is normal for Earth to change; it always has and always will, until the end anyway. Since when is this planet a constant? I believe people waste too much energy and time worrying when time and energy would be better  companions of action and living, myself included.

Meals are going well; however, I'm still battling sweet cravings. I think my family is trying to sabotage me. My dad(in-law) brought in Samoa and Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies and displayed them right in front of me. Sigh....of course I caved. Damn this age and its processed, delicious, deadly food! Curse it all! I need to retrain my palate...hardcore. 

On a good note, I've lost 4 lbs. since I started my running regimen, probably water weight. I've been peeing like a pregnant race horse! TMI-I know. Starting Monday, I will post my "stats",  which are weight, inches and my food journals. Pretty soon I would like to start orienting my posts around how I feel physically AND emotionally when I'm running, yoga, etc. I'm still new at this, and organizing the waves of word vomit takes practice. Have a wonderful day! Namaste

Houston, we have a problem...

Okay. I'm noticing a trend here. I was so naive when I thought..."It's simple! Just eat better!." Meals are not so much a problem as snacking is. I definitely have to keep a food journal. I'm so used to just grabbing a handful of this and a few of that every time I walk by the kitchen, which is seriously about 100 times a day. I'm taking on WAY too many empty, unconscious calories. So, I'm keeping a food journal and everything, I mean EVERYTHING, that passes my lips gets jotted down, even if it's a nibble. That way I can actually see on paper what it is I'm eating. Alright. Now that that's out of the way.

I didn't do any Yoga yesterday,which is a bummer. I was at a dead run all day and my wimpy back is still wining. I went to a patient's home yesterday to bathe her and do her nails, and for the whole 2 and a half hours, I was leaning over. Leaning over her bed, her wheel chair, her sink...yada yada.  I'm such a wuss. I had no idea how weak my back has gotten over the past couple of years void of surfing. The difference is really amazing, and depressing, to me. I knew I was in trouble when my muscles started quivering 20 minutes in, but I adore my job and my patients. So, it's worth it. When I got home, I laid out in the sun and watched my husband fuss with a brick wall he's building around a tree in the front yard. He's quite a perfectionist; so, it's entertaining to watch him bustle around fixing problems I can't even see. After getting in a warm, sunny nap, I helped him: carting bricks, mixing concrete and mortar, hoeing and planting...more bending over. lol

I should have done Yoga last night. It would have seriously helped me not be so sore and tight today, and I'd probably be in a better mood :). I did find a daily Yoga routine geared towards runners and the muscles we use.  However, I still haven't found one to implement my X-training. I'll keep looking. I'm also trying to find a good mixture of Ashtanga and a softer style that applies techniques of power yoga and soft yoga. I've posted some more info in the links about weightloss and the Runner's Yoga routine I do daily. Catch ya later! Happy running!

Day 1: Executed. 729 more to go...

Day 1 was great! The weather was sheer perfection! I got in a good long walk. I had intended to run some, but I got caught up in chatting with my hubby. Before I knew it, we were back at home with our route completed. So, I intend to get some running time in on Wed. My program suggests I run 1 minute, then walk 1 minute. I was a little concerned; I noticed my knee was aching slightly. So, I will try wrapping it when I run next. 

The rest of the day was fun! We went to a park and read in the breezy, sunshine for an hour. I'm reading Jane Austen's Emma. Then, we walked around in town so I could try and capture some good photos for my deviantart site. I got some good ones. 

The real problem I ran into was when my sweet cravings hit hardcore around 5:30 pm. I was scouring the house looking for anything with any degree of sugar. I would have been ashamed if I hadn't been so crazed. I ended up raiding our cookie dough a little :( Grrr! This is not easy! Oh well, moving on. Overall, I had a wonderful day and am looking forward to a good week! I haven't gotten my stats together yet; so, I'll post those soon. 

Later!

P.S. Thank you Mel! She is my first follower, and her blog is awesome!!! It has given me a lot of great ideas about how I want to proceed with my training. Check her out here: http://meltriestorun.blogspot.com/ 

A picture I took today. It makes me feel serene :)

Go Big or Go Home...

Alrighty! I'm so ready to get moving! Tomorrow, I'm staring my new regimen....a little scared, a lot excited. Many have taken it upon themselves to make sure I'm fully aware that they think I'm psyched out of my head for wanting to run a marathon, but it's been a dream of mine for some time. And what better time to get started than right now. I can't even run a full minute without stopping;  so, I'm starting at ground zero. I suppose since this is my first entry I will give a small introduction of myself and why I'm doing this. 

My name's Michelle; I'm from Lake Jackson, TX. My favorite things to do are surf, read and talk. About 4 years ago, I moved from Texas to Provo, UT to attend BYU University, and yes, I'm one of those "crazy Mormons." Haha! We're not nearly as peculiar as most people believe. AND, like myself, the majority of us are super friendly:P When I moved to Utah, I was a very fit, healthy young lady of 118 lbs. My profile picture was taken a couple weeks before I moved; I surfed and did yoga everyday to keep in shape. 

Turns out, I was not nearly as prepared for being landlocked in the cold as I thought.....In fact, I down right hate it! Ugh! My first winter (and every winter since) was miserable and only bearable because I lived down the street from the best hot chocolate providers in town, 711 convenient store. Needless to say, with week after long week of bundling up on my comfy couch and drinking hot chocolate by the gallon, I began packing on the lbs. It was very gradual at first, and over the last 4 years, it has continued to slowly creep up on me until I've gained around a 100lbs past my normal weight. I've tried many times to get back in control; I often contemplate the fact that I can scarcely believe I've let this happen to myself. I never thought I'd fall victim to excess laziness and overeating. I'm here to tell you my friend that no one is safe!

But, don't despair; there is hope. I'm also here to prove that anyone can turn their life back around with a steadfast plan and scratch resistant resolve. I will post my weekly weight and success along with daily updates on problems I encounter and obstacles I conquer. I decided to keep a blog during this as a sort of journal and motivator for myself.  


My plan consists of three days of running, two of extended yoga routines and one long run on Saturday. With a rest day on Sunday. I'll post my weekly stats tomorrow. Well, gotta hit the hay. Tomorrow the torture....I mean....fun begins. :P Later!
   ←Previous 2006 vs. Current 2009→