This week

Sorry. Couldn’t come up with a better title πŸ˜›

I am so thankful for running. I tried walking threeΒ and a half miles during my lunch break earlier this week. Made it to exactly 3 miles and I went over my lunch break. I was literally walking the whole time and it felt like a drag. That’s when I realized how grateful I am for running, especially intervals, because it makes the distance go by faster.

I’ve also gotta add that most days, my walking pace and my running pace are a good bit higher than when I first started. And I’ve discovered new places that are good for running and walking… and places that have water fountains! πŸ™‚

I ran in the morning yesterday. I took my “lunch” at 9 and went for a run. Unfortunately it was already hot and humid… too humid for me… so it felt like a drag. I was trying to run 3.1 miles but I also had a timer. I ran the time but I couldn’t finish the 3 miles running so I finished the rest walking. And it took longer than I expected.

Still I felt great afterwards.

After work I drove to the GHS Family Y. Getting out of the car, especially after walking a bit, I felt like I had re-injured my left leg. I kept walking on it for some time but I got worried. Got home and looked it up. 3 possibilites: shin splits, rolled ankle, or too much pressure on the top of my foot from tight shoe lacing.

I’m hoping it’s the latter, because that’s how it started out feeling like. I’m still doing RICE and I will still do the run but I won’t push myself. I’ve also loosened the lacing on my shoes.

I’m praying it’ll feel better tomorrow. Regardless of what tomorrow brings, though, I’m thankful for RBL. The community it brought is amazing. I love the sense of belonging and the sense of sharing with my team through the ups and downs. I will miss RBL. ❀

Making progress

I see the numbers on the scale trending downward. Some days I find I’ve lost a good bit then the next day or two I find I’ve regained some, but the general trend is downward.

Between the initial weigh-in and this morning, I’ve lost 15 pounds. πŸ™‚

I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts, especially about investing, weight loss, and anxiety. A common theme I’ve found – especially between investing and weight loss- is that the day-to-day numbers only matter to someone who’s only interested in the short term. Say you’re interested in making money this month or this quarter, then you’ll be watching your stocks’ prices day by day. If however you’re on a journey, for 12 years or 50 years or the rest of your life, the number day by day is just noise to you. What you watch for is the trend. And what you know about the company’s practices and any changes in management. Also what the true value of the stock is, regardless of the economic situation.

Same with weight loss. While I still weigh myself almost every day (some weeks), the important thing is the trend downward. And what I know about the way clothes fit and the way I look and what changes I know I’ve made in my eating and exercise. If I know I’ve been sedentary but eating like I’m very active I know I’m delaying my weight loss progress. If I feel awful because I’ve been eating very hearty foods or huge amounts of non-fiber foods, then I know I’m heading in the wrong direction. If I’m sitting there watching TV with a tub of ice cream in my hand, I know something’s up. And I need to take action before things go wrong.

For now, while I’m not losing as fast as I would’ve liked, I see I’m trending down again. And that feels good.

Thank you

I’ve had a rough day today but I smile when I think of you guys. I really want to thank all of you who’ve supported me on my journey. I love the at home team. It’s great to hear your stories and your support and great to have a group of people to share life with -sad moments, happy times, and victories- someone who will lift you up in prayer.

My body said enough

I was planning on walking 19,000 steps today & 20,000 tomorrow. I’ve been walking almost every day even when I don’t run. I want to keep my metabolism & energy up & to lose weight faster. However, after my first long walk today I felt pain in my left foot.

At first I dismissed it until I finished my walk then I got in my car. I thought that’s just from walking more than usual on rough surfaces and maybe the shoes I’m wearing have something to do with it. Tried to relax my left foot in the car as much as I can until I get home. When I got home my foot started to hurt more and I began to locate the pain. It’s my ankle. I don’t think I twisted it but I must’ve sprained it by walking on uneven surfaces, especially with my weird strides and these shoes.

I’ve been wearing my worn out running shoes, knowing they’re too worn out for me. I bought a new pair but they started to hurt my feet and I haven’t had a chance to go by the store again (I’ve been walking a lot instead, ya know?).

Well now it’s catching up with me. I must breathe deep and let go of my plans for a weekend on my feet. I’ll let God guide my footsteps (literally & figuratively).

Oh and I’ve gotta get a better pair of shoes.

Podcasts

Doug suggested that I would try listening to podcasts while running. He saw I was struggling while listening to music and he knew I needed something to take my mind off running.

It works.

And I’ve learned so much from the podcasts I listen to. I learn about finances, the news, the stock market, and weight loss. I’ve learned that it’s normal for people who’ve lost a lot of weight to gain it all back plus another 10 pounds – pretty much what happened to me in 2015 & 2016. It’s the body overreacting and trying to get me back to the same weight I was at before. That’s why I should have a plan & a support group for both weight loss and maintenance once I get to a nice weight.

When you’re running, I recommend listening to comedy or to something you’re interested in/intrigued by (interesting biographies, interviews, tips for investing, Car Talk, whatever does it for you).

Keep at it!

My past 3 post-run photos

And after I did my run at the Y this Saturday I went to Ballet class. The instructor did a great job, and it wasn’t like what I expected at all. It was more like a combination of yoga, pilates, and Zumba and no ballet shoes required πŸ™‚

It’s the little victories that keep me going.

I thought this article was interesting. :)

We walked off three stone in four weeks! How five Mail readers beat the bulge by walking 5,000 steps a day | Daily Mail Online

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2380025/We-walked-stone-weeks-How-Mail-readers-beat-bulge-walking-5-000-steps-day.html