Monday, March 5, 2012

2012 Goals Update: Health & Fitness

Last time I updated you on our Housekeeping/Decluttering goals...now it's time to fess up about our Health & Fitness progress. (2012 goals linked here)

Brian and I have both lost 9 pounds each so far this year! That's about a pound a week. How are we doing this?

Well, Brian has started adding more running to his week, in addition to the mixed martial arts and cycling. He's really upped his running miles and it's paying off.

Brian also just earned his blue belt:


My journey has been more painful. I try to be consistent in eating healthy and exercising, but I must say the scale is very fickle! Some weeks I gain a pound, others I stay the same, and others I lose 2-3 pounds with seemingly no rhyme or reason. But I'll take it, because it's going in the right direction.

I've also been really struggling with increasing my running speed. Since about mid-January I've had a string of colds that have sent me coughing at all hours and that has made it difficult to run. Last week I got a really bad sinus infection and had to take a week off running altogether. Today I ran for the first time in over a week and it was slow going.

I increased the time and resistance on my elliptical workout at the gym. I tried to take a Zumba class, but it was already full by the time I got there after dropping off my son at pre-school. That's still on my list to do.

Something new I started a few weeks ago to shake things up is to track my weekly miles. I started writing down my miles from running, walking (exercise walking, not walking around the house or store), and elliptical. My goal is to get to 30 miles every week. The first week I did it I reached 29.21 miles. Then last week when I was sick I did less than 10 miles. I'm crawling my way out of this sickness and hope to hit 30 miles this week.

For me, food intake accounts for about 80% of my weight loss success or failure. So even if I exercise my butt off for the entire week, if I eat like crap there's no weight coming off. Not going out to eat really helps keep the calories in check.

Does anyone else have health/fitness goals this year? How's it going??

3 comments:

  1. I started running in the fall-I have Never run before-and we are doing a 1/2 marathon this spring!!!! I use mapmyrun to get mileage, and log it in my calendar. I lost 7 lbs easily this fall and many inches-I wish I had measured...but now am at a plataeau, but I am generally happy where I am at. My running partner and I call it our "therapy"
    Good luck to you also, Nancy!
    Heather Borgren

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nancy have you tried myfitnesspal.com ? There is an app for your smart phone of you have one but you can also just use the computer. I have been using it and I have become more aware of what I am eating as a result. BTW I really love food. It seems to work for me.
    Joy

    ReplyDelete