Plans and Decision Making

So I've got a few friends started on What If... lists of their own. I'm still super excited about small group tomorrow. I still have to decide what on my list I'm going to really focus on for the next week. I'd like to look into painting at the children's hospital. I need to do some research regarding what it is I want to do (determine if it's healthy/feasible/etc) and then, if that all checks out, find out who I need to talk to in order to get permission and really make this happen. If it worked out, it would be a really neat way to get myself painting again while also volunteering within the community. However- I'm hesitant in that area because I simply do not have the time in my schedule right now to commit even one day a week if I WAS able to work it all out. However, I know we're supposed to step out of our comfort zones with this dare. So perhaps I can at least take the first few steps towards getting my idea organized. Set up a time to go talk to someone perhaps? If I get the details worked out I could plan on actually starting mid-June when my schedule calms down a bit.

However, the "what if..." that I choose (for this purpose) also needs to be something that I can actually make progress on in a week. With that in mind, I'm thinking about perhaps either trying to get up earlier each day, or trying to run everyday. If I ran in the morning before work I'd be killing 2 birds with 1 stone!

We'll see. I've got a little while longer to think about it.

In the mean time, I got to hang out with some friends I haven't seen recently today, so that was nice. We met up for pizza and got to catch up. And I'm ending my day with a movie with my boyfriend :) Jumanji. Haven't watched this movie in forever. Used to be a fave of my family's though. It was one of our go-to movies if all else failed. Hopefully it won't disappoint tonight...

What if...?

So I know it's been forever. I totally f-a-i-l-e-d at the whole keeping this going thing. I thought a million times about coming back and posting, but either it had been too long and I had too much to say, or I felt so guilty for staying away for so long that I couldn't bring myself to write anything, or a million other reasons. But an email I got today has inspired me, so here I am. My small group is doing a short "What If" study for the next couple weeks and I am already IN LOVE with it. We read this post (http://donmilleris.com/2010/03/25/the-single-most-powerful-question-you-can-ask/) and were asked to come up with our own list of 5 What If's. Then we're going to read them to the group and follow up on them in coming weeks. Well, I got started, and just like everyone that commented on the post, I couldn't stop at 5. And I wanted to share. So here they are. I have a feeling I've just created a list I'll be adding to for years to come.

What If...
What if I started a journal and KEPT it?
What if I got up earlier (on time) each day?
What if I stopped watching tv?
What if I looked into painting at the children's hospital?
What if I started my newsletter?
What if I really started baking?
What if I painted a little bit every day?
What if I refused to jump to negative conclusions?
What if I ran everyday?
What if I called my family just to say hi?
What if I stuck to my budget?
What if I finally cleaned out my closet?
What if I wrote a book?
What if I went on a mission trip?
What if I volunteered at church again?
What if I went to church every week?
What if I prototyped my invention?
What if I learned Spanish?
What if I learned guitar?


(ps- if you want an update on all the things I originally started this blog for, here's the short list:
-I failed at keeping up P90X first time around but am ending Week 8 of my second attempt tonight- this time with a friend.
-I have marginally improved my eating habits, including a few crash diets, and am now roughly 8-10 pounds (depending on the day) lighter than when I started this blog.
-I typed out my budget yesterday and created a Google Doc to help me stay on course. Hoping this Friday (payday) will be the start of that.
-I renewed my determination to get to the doctor's today and printed off info about my health insurance plan.
-I have made 0 progress on the cleaning out the closet front or the church attendance/volunteer efforts. Hence the listings in my What If list.)


What would be on YOUR "What If" list?

Day 10- Small Accomplishments

Wow have I been busy this week! Back to work on Tuesday with a more-than-normal workload to cram into a shorter- than-normal work week. But there's just one more day and I'm hanging in there. I saw 2012 with my boyfriend on Tuesday after my workout, and really enjoyed that. Another movie with great visual effects. Had small group last night and per usual didn't get out until 10 after chatting away.

My workouts are going well. Kenpo X on Tuesday kicked my butt! I never knew martial arts were such a cardio workout! I had to press pause several times in order to catch my breathe, mop my brow and grab some water! But I definitely knew I was going to benefit from that afternoon! I'm still feeling the burn in my calves and triceps. Yesterday was my rest day, and this evening starts Week 2 back with Core Synergistics (eek!) I'm hoping I'll be able to make it through a few more of the push up moves this time around!

I also finally got the workouts to the girls in my small group. Sounds like 3 or 4 of them are going to be joining in the fun! I've already heard from 2 of them that did today's workout together this morning. It's so nice to have people in your life following such a tough program right along with you. They're exactly a week behind me, so for the most part we'll still be doing the same workouts on the same days. We're already joking around and looking forward to the "beachbody"s that we're going to have in a few months!

Heading out of town tomorrow after work for a birthday celebration for my boyfriend's grandfather. Should be lots of fun, but I'm not sure what kind of workout opportunities I'll have. So I'm planning on getting up super early tomorrow AM in order to get in Cardio X before work. I'll try to get in a run on Saturday somehow since I'm missing the 10K group, and then hopefully I'll be back in town on Sunday early enough to pop in Yoga X.

I'm also not sure how closely I'll be able to follow my meal plan while I'm on retreat with the whole fam, so I'm just planning on making the healthiest choices available to me, and doing the best I can. I'm staying away from the all-or-nothing approach I've taken in previous attempts where I've given up on the whole program as soon a I slip up one tiny time. I'm focusing instead on doing the best I can and making as many little accomplishments along the way as I can. For example- I said "no thank you" to popcorn during Tuesday's movie. Last night's snack at small group was cupcakes. I didn't have one! And at today's staff meeting our boss provided various flavored popcorn. And once again, I didn't have any! So I'm holding tight to these little steps and hoping they snowball eventually!

A friend showed me a really inspiring article today and I just cannot wait until I start seeing results in my own life! I'm determined to see this through. A group at my work is also focusing on Health and Wellness and they've asked me to give an informal testimony during our next staff meeting about a bootcamp I went through a while back, so I'm sure I'll be talking about the programs I'm in now as well. Who knows-- maybe I can inspire some of them to step it up with their goals too!

Day 6- Afterburn

Well I was definitely burnt out Friday by the time I hopped in bed.

First of all, I have never really gone shopping before for "quality" running clothes, so when I showed up at Dick's all I knew was that I wanted some running tights/pants, some long sleeve shirts, some gloves, and that it all needed to be Dri-Fit. Wow- was I unprepared! Things were organized more by brand than type of garment, so I spent an hour wondering around trying to sort out who had what for how much, what the difference was between cold-compression and hot-compression, whether I needed relaxed or regular fit, and a million other choices I didn't know I had until then. I tried calling my friends that are more experienced runners, but didn't reach anyone. In the end I dropped quite a bit on a pair of Nike regular fit Dri-Fit running pants that were "specifically designed to keep me warm," 2 Reebok Dri-Fit long sleeve shirts, Under Armour gloves and ear warmers, as well as various new undergarments. Hopefully that's all I'll need for a while!

After running by Publix and stocking up on healthy options for the coming weeks, I got home and got right to that day's workout. The cardio routine turned out to be much more enjoyable than the core workout the day before, if for no other reason than I was actually able to perform all of the moves, and therefore felt like I was getting more out it. My supplements were waiting on my doorstep when I got home, so I had my first P90X Recovery drink after that workout. It was better than I expected! Tasted just like those Flintstones orange flavored push-up pops I used to get from the ice cream truck when I was younger.

I was in bed by about 10 to try and get a good night's sleep before my first run in the morning. I had started feeling a little sore earlier in the day (a good sign that I actually did get more out of the core workout that I had thought) but that night every time I went to roll over I was in agony. lol. Hopefully my body will get used to it fairly quickly.

Yesterday turn out well. Got up at 7 and threw on my new running gear. Grabbed a protein bar, banana and water for after my run and was out the door by 7:30. The first several minutes at our meeting spot were spent introducing all the leads and going through a brief overview of the program. We broke down into pace groups ranging from 10-15 minutes (we're talking about 10K mile times). My friends and I decided to be ambitious and joined the small number of people in the 10 minute group. Our first day's run was only a mile, and I made it to end ok, if a little winded by the last hill. But I'll have to seriously think about whether that's a realistic goal for me long term. We're allowed to move up or down a group depending on if we're having a good or off day each weekend, but I'm assuming I'll make more consistent progress if I pick a target time and stick to it. Each group did a run/walk ratio depending on their training target. Our group was 3min/1min. I'd love to have a 10min mile for a 10K by the end of this program. That'd have me finished with the full thing in a little over an hour. I'll keep yall updated once I decide what I really want to aim for. Unfortunately I'll be missing next week's "magic mile" cuz I'll be out of town. This is a timed mile run that they use to help you decide what you should be aiming for. I'll see if I can time myself where I'll be and talk to them about it afterward.

They gave us a schedule of the program, and we work up to a full 6.2 mile run eventually. It also included our homework runs. We're expected to run/walk for 30 min every Mon-Thursday, with Sundays and Fridays off. Like I expected, I'm going to be busy these next 3 months!

(By the way- my new running gear worked out well. I was wondering when I first showed up if I needed a second layer, but by the end I was glad I wasn't wearing one!)

Next I headed over to my parent's place. We've been trying to see Avatar in the 3-D IMAX version for a few weekends now and keep having bad luck. First time it was sold out, the next time my mom was too sick to go, and Friday night when they tried to get tickets the IMAX machine was broken! But they fixed it and we were the first people to show up for the 11:30 showing yesterday, so we got the best seats in the house! And for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, I agree with my friends- it's definitely worth seeing in that format. The new 3-D image was very cool. And again- like my friends told me, the plot's pretty predictable, but it's still very enjoyable and the visual effects are well worth it, in my opinion.

After all that I headed up to my boyfriend's place. Got in a short nap on the couch before doing my Saturday P90X- Arms/Shoulders and Ab Ripper X. Though I didn't sweat as much during this workout, I could definitely feel it in my muscles. Still waiting to see when I'm going to start feeling the after effects!

Today I start my 2-day fast. Had my first chocolate shake this morning. That and water's all I get for the next 48 hours, and hopefully that will help kick start my weight loss goals! The instructions for the fast suggest you take it easy while on the program. No exercising, or at least be prepared to stop when you feel your blood sugar level running too low. So I'm going to attempt today's Yoga X later this evening and see how it goes. Luckily I've got tomorrow off for MLK day, so I'll be able to take it easy through the end of the fast. Might try and go see another movie- Mom said 2012 was worth seeing on the big screen, so if it's still playing anywhere I might try for that.

Welp- that's all caught up. I'll check in later and let you know how the fast went!

Day 4- Supplies

I have a very full schedule for the rest of today, so I'm going to check in now in case I don't get around to it later. Here's what the rest of my day looks like:

- Get off work at 4:15 (work work work until then)
- Go pick up some cold-weather gear for tomorrow's 8am run (eek!)
- Head to the grocery store armed with my P90X list of acceptable foods
- Go home and unpack all of my new stuff
- Pop in today's P90X workout (Cardio X)
- Shower and get in bed early in order to rest up for tomorrow!

Then tomorrow I'll have my first 10K training run ALONG WITH my P90X workout! Crazy huh? I guess I better get used to it. I'll let you know what all this training program is going to entail tomorrow after I find out myself!

VUMR6NNDEMTK

Day 2- The Beginning of a New Beginning

I mentioned in my last post that there are several areas I plan on improving this year. Here's the short list:

• improve my personal fitness through both diet and exercise
  
• redefine my budget and take control of my finances
• make my rounds at the doctors' offices (for the first time since I've had health insurance)
• improve my church attendance and research volunteer opportunities
• clean out my closet of both clothes and other assorted junk

For now, I'm focusing on that first bullet point. I'm proud to say that I have already taken several steps that will help ensure an active lifestyle for at least the next 3 months, if not longer.

Tomorrow I will be starting P90X Lean. For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, this is a 90-day program that focuses on all of the basics- cardio, strength training, nutrition, etc- and is based on the theory of muscle confusion. (You can learn more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P90x and here http://www.p90x.com) The "Lean" part of it just means that I'm doing a version of the program that focuses more on losing weight and toning up than it does on bulking up. I'll be doing 1 hour workouts 6 days a week with the 7th day being either for rest or the stretching routine.

The variation that comes with the muscle confusion approach is one reason I'm so excited about this program. I think it will really help keep me interested/motivated. I can say with certainty that one of the reasons I've dropped out of other workout programs is the repetitiveness. When I get to a point that I know a workout routine really well, it gets dangerous for 2 reasons. First of all, I get bored. This is never a good thing. Secondly, I start to dread what I know is coming next. Not necessarily because it's a hard move, but just because I know I stiiiiillll have x minutes left before I'm done. I personally need to keep things fresh. Some people thrive when they know exactly what they're doing. And there's probably something to be said for being able to pace yourself when that's the case. But I need to keep things upbeat and exciting and new. When I feel myself starting to get comfortable with a routine and settling into it, that's the beginning of the end for me. With this program, each routine only gets recycled every 7 days. And even that only lasts 3 weeks before it gets switched up again.

I originally chose to start tomorrow because 2 girls in my church small group were going to be doing it with me and they were getting their copies today, but it turns out they won't have theirs for a little while longer. I have decided to go ahead and start anyways and hopefully they'll be able to start soon and only be about a week behind. The more I look at the workout schedule though, the more I think starting on a Thursday is going to work out better than I planned (as opposed to starting at the beginning of the week as I probably would have done if I hadn't been trying to coordinate with others). By starting on a Thursday, it means that my long workouts (some sort of strength training paired with the ab routine) is going to fall on Saturdays when I have plenty of time. Yoga will be on Sundays, which seems like a good way to unwind and prepare for the coming week. And Wednesdays will be my rest/stretching day which is when I have small group after work and am normally pressed for time.

So tonight after small group I'll be taking my official "Before" pictures and all my body measurements and recording them in my worksheets. I've ordered a few supplements to help with the workouts: a protein recovery shake to be taken within 60 minutes of each day's workout, a meal replacement drink to be used as part of a 2-day fast to help jump-start my diet, and a 2-part supplement program that's meant to help me burn more fat during my workouts.

Team Beachbody (the parent company that P90X is sold under, along with all sorts of other workout programs and equipment) also has a huge online support network that I've linked into. You build a profile, post your before and after shots, log your workouts and progress, etc. Anytime you get online there are guaranteed to be other people online working out at the same time as you. You can schedule workouts together and touch base afterward to help motivate each other. It's just one more way I've found to hold myself accountable. I've already made some connections that have led to great advice and resources, and I've scheduled my first month's worth of workouts!

In addition to P90X I've signed up for a 12-week 10K training program (http://www.active.com/running/atlanta-ga/atlanta-10k-training-program-2010). I made a New Year's resolution to run 1 5K a month in 2010 and asked one of my good friends to join me in this and she suggested we sign up for this program in lieu of Jan-March runs. As I would be running more for less than it would cost to sign up for 3 5Ks this sounded like a good plan for me. So starting this Saturday I'll be getting up for an 8am run every Saturday until March 27th. It also sounds like we will have "homework" runs to do during the week. Between these runs and my P90X workouts, I'm thinking that some days I'm not going to have any time to sit on the couch! Which is a good thing!

I get paid on Friday, which means I'm going shopping after work then! First of all I need more groceries. Time for my pantry makeover. I was going to do that earlier this week, but ran out of time and funds. And as I'll only be on the the second day of P90X at that point, I won't have done much harm before then. I'm sure I have SOMEthing healthy at home to get me by until then. The other thing I have to go get is some cold weather running gear. I normally just wear guy's running shorts and some sort of tank top, but I don't think that's going to cut it in the current temperatures! So I'll be getting some dri-fit running tights, pants and long sleeve shirts. I also need a headband to cover up my ears and some running gloves. And a running jacket if I can afford that after everything else.

So that's what I've got coming up! I've got a few other things already in the works for farther out, but more on that later. As for deadlines, my family has a trip to St. Thomas planned for early June. So I have approximately 6 months to get in shape to where I feel comfortable once again in a bathing suit. If I get really motivated, that almost gives me time to do the P90X program 2 times through!

I can't wait to update yall on my progress with both these programs! Wish me luck!