Gettin' my sweat on

"You're crazy"

"Who do you think you are?"

"You can't do this."

"You never finish anything."

These are just some of the things i hear in my head as i continue my everlasting battle with the bulge.  Do you hear those things too?  I don't think i'm alone in this.  But, somehow, someway, i manage to push them to the back of my mind and try to scream these things even louder...{in my head, so as not to alarm the folks who might be within ear-shot}

"crazy determined!"

"I'm worth it!"

"oh, yes i can!"

"watch me!"

I made a GIANT committment to my fitness goals and registered to walk in the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon. 

Yup.  You read that right.  And, yes...i may be crazy.  I've never even walked a 5k.  But, i'm going to do it.  In fact, my hubs Mark is doing it with me.  We are 13.5 weeks out from it and on are following the Hal Higdon training program that our good friend and seasoned marathon runner, Joy gave to us. 

I have been submerging myself in all things motivating...pinning fitness motivation like crazy, reading inspirational weight loss blogs like Mama Laughlin and Runs for Cookies, praying for God to move my feet and pouring over the last 12 months of my Fitness magazine issues.  The weather has been unseasonably awesome up to this point, which made getting outside and walking easy.  I have been taking advantage of it.  But, now, it's actually winter-like again.  And, i HATE the cold.  I so wish we had a treadmill or a gym membership, but we don't.  And, i'm not going to let that keep me from attaining my goals.  I feel like i do so great throughout spring, summer and fall and then, once the cold weather hits, i put the brakes on exercise.  So, I have become a pro at improvising... 

• A gym membership is not in our budget right now.  But, i can still use the indoor walk/run track at the local community center, because that is open for free public use.  On super cold days, you can find me there. 
• On milder days, i have been trying to find different routes to walk and i am LOVING the imapmywalk app on my iphone.  It literally maps my walk, tells me how far i've gone, and how fast i got there.  (i know there are awesome pedometer apps out there, but truth be told, i'm not brave enough to input my weight yet onto my phone, which is required if you want to gain all the benefits of those apps)
• My church offers a free fitness class once a week, which is led by Beachbody fitness coaches. We do a lot of P90 and P90x stuff, Hip Hop Abs, Turbo Fire and Turbo Jam.  It's hard stuff.  But i feel so good when it's done.  I LOVE to sweat.  The sweatier the better.  I like to envision that my fat is melting!!!  Even though it's only once a week, i love the way it breaks up my walking routine.  It's a nice change up.
• Joy took me to the YMCA with her yesterday to walk on the treadmill.  She had a bunch of free passes and i'm going to try to go with her once a week.  Another change up...yay!  I LOVED the treadmill...it felt great even though i felt like i was walking on a moving sidewalk for a while after i got off. 
• I'm anxious for the warmer weather, when i will get my bike out again.  I have tried in the cold weather, but my eyes tear constantly, even with sunglasses on.  Then i can't see and i'm just an accident waiting to happen.

My hope is to walk/lightly jog the Mini.  However, ultimately, i want to become a runner.  I can't even believe i just typed that.  That's crazy.  The only running i've ever done in the past is running to the store to buy ice cream.  But, this is my goal.  Perhaps, next year i will run the Mini.  eek!  In the meantime, i need to stay focused.  I need to figure out how to cook healthier.  I hate cooking, but i do need to find some simple ways to make healthier meals for my family of 5.  Also, i'm in search of a great sports bra {for busty girls}, because what i've got now isn't cutting it.  If you've got a recommendation, let me know! 

Wow, this was a long-winded post.  But, i'm a believer in putting it all out there...you guys are always so supportive of me.  And, i'm just trying to keep it real.  Really real.  So, if you're fighting this battle too, we're in this together.  We can do this!  Let's go!  Let's get healthy!!!! {If you were here, this is where we would high five or fist bump or somethin'...  but, you're not, so consider yourself virtually fist bumped...}  xo

Comments

[Erin @ Vale Design]

Go Lori! I am so proud of you! Taking the first step is ALWAYS the hardest. You will LOVE the mini! Bands and positive people everywhere. Big fun :) I know your determination and you can do it! Try some Giada cookbooks and Jaime Oliver. Healthy, but not bland or boring. Easy recipes. I have some you can borrow if you would like. Good luck L! I will be mentally cheering you on! Love ya!

[Carolyn@Sweet Chaos]

You go girl!! You're doing awesome! I have a treadmill, and you are welcome to use it any time. Although it might need some dusting first :) I can give you a key, and you can use any of our equipment whenever you want. Maybe you'll motivate me to use it, too!

[kristina]

I am SO proud of you, Lori! You CAN do it! I love folks who keep it real. I love you. :) Rooting for you all of the way, my friend! BIG hugs! :)

[Jen B]

Lori, I love your can-do attitude! Having someone to 'train' with is an awesome motivator as well as someone to be accountable too :-). I can totally identify with your struggles on the exercise/weight/food fronts. I'm totally going to check out the blogs you mentioned. I have a couple of Champion spandex sports bras from Costco that are pretty good--they really kind of smoosh you in, lol. I'll be cheering you on from here, virtual fist bump!

[Sarah]

They're expensive, but both my friend (who was a D cup before having her baby) and I (C cup) love the underarmor bras. They are the only ones I've found that I can actually run in with out hurting. Addias has pretty good ones too, but I seem to bounce more in them (might be a sizing issue).

[Sarah]

Oh, I also wanted to suggest www.sparkpeople.com. They have some fantastic resources for trying to lose weight.

[Marci]

I love your blog & your art! I also am battling the bulge & really appreciate your honesty. Keep up the great work!!

[Alyssa]

Hi! I just stumbled on your blog via Pinterest and was amazed to see that you're in Indy! Small world. I am also a (wanna-be) illustrator and a mama of 3 and am (hopefully!) running in the Mini and have been using the free track at the Monon to train. My neighbor and I get there at 5am 2-3 days a week and run about 2 miles or until her hip gives out. Her scheduled run is in april in FL, and mine is in May. The real challenge will be to find time to exercise when a big goal isn't looming ahead! Good luck with your training and keep on keepin' on! Thanks for the super cute valentines ideas. You have a big heart. :)

[Karin R]

I am with Sarah above. I have lost 25 pounds since September using Sparkpeople.com - love the site. It is free. Eased me into the "food revision" one step at a time and helped me figure out my triggers, so I know what to watch for. It also helped me work out my daily calorie usage and gives me a range to shoot for. Best part is that they have an app on my phone that will track my calories, so wherever I am, I can input portion sizes, etc., to stay within my calorie limit. I eat about 100 calories a day fewer than I use, so it's not fast weight loss, but it's something I can live with long-term, which is what I need.

For sports bras, I went to herroom.com. But where I am, I don't have a lot of sports-bra-shopping opportunities :-) Anyway, herroom.com had some great selections. I ended up ordering four or five and keeping my two favorites. You can search by bra size, then click on various bras to see whether they are high impact, low, etc. Worth a try anyway. It's worth the money to have a great bra when you're running.

[Lori McDonough]

thank you, all for your encouraging words and your suggestions and tips. I appreciate all of it so much! It is fuel for me when i feel like skipping a workout! YOu are the BEST!!!! xoxo