Changes have come slow for me. This has caused me to be frustrated because when I'm working hard I want to see results. Whether it is housework, school work or my own body I want to see that what I am doing is creating a difference. A cleaner house, good grades or smaller size in body. This past year I have worked very, very, VERY hard at exercising and eating better in order to be healthier and lose weight. It has been a slow, slow, SLOW process. Slower than I like and I have found it very frustrating! My poor family has had listen to me vent about my frustration about how slow this has been and how nothing is happening. My husband has been saying for months that I look different, that he can see changes. But when I look in the mirror I still see a fat stomach, saggy arms and a double chin. I have tried really hard this year to have my picture taken. Sounds simple but when you are a heavy person the standard operating procedure is to avoid the camera at all costs. It's better to be behind the camera taking pictures than in front of it so that I have to see how bad things are.
Joe took my picture when we were at the hotel for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. It was a pretty good picture and I like it a lot. When I was working on my blog about the race I was scrolling through my pictures on my computer and saw a picture from last April at the Eugene Half Marathon. Hmmmmm, I thought, that seems a bit different than the more recent shot. I pulled both pictures up and looked at them side by side on my computer screen. Holy Crap!! There have been some significant changes in the past year. They had come so slowly that I didn't realize how significant they were. I was so focused on the slow pace and the fact that the results on the scale weren't what I wanted that I had failed to acknowledge how far I had come.
I pulled up pictures from April and July of 2013 and January 2014. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
I still have a roly poly tummy and saggy arms. But they aren't as big as they were. I could argue it is better tank tops that hid the flaw but I don't think so. I can really see the differences between April and January. I am fitter and have more muscle tone. I can do more than I could a year ago. I have made progress, almost in spite of myself. :-)
I got to thinking about how much 38 pounds really is. I decided to see what I could gather that would total up to that amount and see how it felt to hold it. Here's the result:
I am holding a 10 pound sack of flour, a 5 pound bad of potatoes, one 15 pound hand weight and four 2 pound hand weights. I didn't hold them for long, it got heavy fast. Crap! I used to lug that around ON ME!! You won't hear me saying I have "only" lost 38 pounds anymore! I have lost 38 freaking pounds!!!! Yay me. :-) I need to start giving myself more credit for what I am doing instead of focusing on what I can't do yet. But then, I think God has been helping with work on that aspect of my personality pretty much my whole life. I am a work in progress in more ways than one!
I didn't run last week. It was the end of the semester which I find stressful. Add that to homework and I just didn't make it happen. I did go on my first bike ride since last October on Saturday. That was very fun. I rode about 13 miles. The weather was sunny and about 50 degrees, a few clouds. There wasn't much wind. I got to ride with three other awesome women and my hubby. Joe said he was riding with his harem. Lucky guy. :-) I did better than I thought I would and my legs feel fine today. My back has a couple of sore spots and I have a couple of spots that are tender on my sit-down. I still don't know how Ironman competitors sit on a bike seat for 112 miles! I'm not sure how I'm going to do it for 50 miles this summer. We shall see.
This is a short one for a change. There's been a lot going on so working out has been difficult. Monday is back at it. I have a trail run later this month. I don't know why I sign up for trail runs when I suck at them so bad but I keep doing it. I will be trying to get at least one hill run a week in this month and next because I also have the Shamrock Run in Portland coming up and that has a very significant hill in it. It will be fun to see if I can do better than last year. I sign up for events because if I don't I won't have the motivation to get my ass off the couch. I have done a race without training and it wasn't pretty. I HURT after for days! I do not care to repeat that experience! I can see doing a 5k without training but for me, anything longer and I better be putting time in on the pavement.
What are you going to sign up for to be your motivation? If I see you out there I promise to give you a big smile and a high five!! :-)
Joe took my picture when we were at the hotel for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. It was a pretty good picture and I like it a lot. When I was working on my blog about the race I was scrolling through my pictures on my computer and saw a picture from last April at the Eugene Half Marathon. Hmmmmm, I thought, that seems a bit different than the more recent shot. I pulled both pictures up and looked at them side by side on my computer screen. Holy Crap!! There have been some significant changes in the past year. They had come so slowly that I didn't realize how significant they were. I was so focused on the slow pace and the fact that the results on the scale weren't what I wanted that I had failed to acknowledge how far I had come.
I pulled up pictures from April and July of 2013 and January 2014. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
I still have a roly poly tummy and saggy arms. But they aren't as big as they were. I could argue it is better tank tops that hid the flaw but I don't think so. I can really see the differences between April and January. I am fitter and have more muscle tone. I can do more than I could a year ago. I have made progress, almost in spite of myself. :-)
I got to thinking about how much 38 pounds really is. I decided to see what I could gather that would total up to that amount and see how it felt to hold it. Here's the result:
I am holding a 10 pound sack of flour, a 5 pound bad of potatoes, one 15 pound hand weight and four 2 pound hand weights. I didn't hold them for long, it got heavy fast. Crap! I used to lug that around ON ME!! You won't hear me saying I have "only" lost 38 pounds anymore! I have lost 38 freaking pounds!!!! Yay me. :-) I need to start giving myself more credit for what I am doing instead of focusing on what I can't do yet. But then, I think God has been helping with work on that aspect of my personality pretty much my whole life. I am a work in progress in more ways than one!
I didn't run last week. It was the end of the semester which I find stressful. Add that to homework and I just didn't make it happen. I did go on my first bike ride since last October on Saturday. That was very fun. I rode about 13 miles. The weather was sunny and about 50 degrees, a few clouds. There wasn't much wind. I got to ride with three other awesome women and my hubby. Joe said he was riding with his harem. Lucky guy. :-) I did better than I thought I would and my legs feel fine today. My back has a couple of sore spots and I have a couple of spots that are tender on my sit-down. I still don't know how Ironman competitors sit on a bike seat for 112 miles! I'm not sure how I'm going to do it for 50 miles this summer. We shall see.
This is a short one for a change. There's been a lot going on so working out has been difficult. Monday is back at it. I have a trail run later this month. I don't know why I sign up for trail runs when I suck at them so bad but I keep doing it. I will be trying to get at least one hill run a week in this month and next because I also have the Shamrock Run in Portland coming up and that has a very significant hill in it. It will be fun to see if I can do better than last year. I sign up for events because if I don't I won't have the motivation to get my ass off the couch. I have done a race without training and it wasn't pretty. I HURT after for days! I do not care to repeat that experience! I can see doing a 5k without training but for me, anything longer and I better be putting time in on the pavement.
What are you going to sign up for to be your motivation? If I see you out there I promise to give you a big smile and a high five!! :-)
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