Half marathon training week 3!

Oh goodness I am waaaay behind on getting this up! I have also fallen slightly behind in my training, but I'm not stressing too much over it. It's this darn cold! I'm really hoping the temps will stabilize above zero soon so I can attempt these long runs outside. This third week of training was particularly difficult because the long run was actually long!

Another exciting thing is that I found a 10K to run on the exact day my training plan wants me to do one! It was at this race last year where I PRed my 5K time. It was a beautiful flat course along lake superior so I'm totally excited to get back there again!

Week 3

Day 1: Cross training - 40 minutes on the stationary bike

Day 2: Easy run
-Run, easy pace, 35 minutes
-Cool down, 5-10 minutes
-stretch

Day 3: Cross training - Mid-week body blast class!

Day 4:  Intervals - Ended up doing my runs at 6.0 mph (fast for me!) then walking for my recovery
-Warm up, 10 minutes
- Run, threshold pace, 2 minutes, recovery run, 1 minute. Repeat 5 times.
-Cool down, 5-10 minutes
-stretch

Day 5: Rest day

Day 6: Cross training - My beloved elliptical while watching Grey's Anatomy <3

Day 7: Long run - This left me WIPED! It really felt like a huge jump in the training plan but I guess I'm used to the C25K. I can say that I felt SOOOO accomplished when I finished it though!
- Walk, brisk pace, 10 minutes
- Run, easy pace, 30 minutes
- Walk, brisk pace, 5 minutes
- Run, easy pace, 30 minutes
- Walk, brisk pace, 10 minutes
-Cool down, 5-10 minutes
-stretch

In other news, this book is great! If you're looking for a good laugh I'd highly suggest it :)

Have a great weekend!
~Sarah

Looking back, moving forward

Looking back, 2014 was a huge year for me. I finally took control of my health and started moving (literally) in the right direction. I lost over 80lbs, gained countless relationships, and accomplished tasks I once thought impossible. Sure, I struggled... but I pushed through. Now that the new year is here it's time for those new challenges and resolutions. 2014 was probably the first time I was aware of my goals throughout the whole year and I truly attribute that to this blog and my few followers keeping me accountable. Even though I didn't accomplish all my goals within the year, giving up is no longer an option for me. I will acknowledge my accomplishments, move the goals I didn't reach in 2014 to the '2015' list, and add a few more for good measure. :-) Thank you all for your endless support and love.

Looking back: Accomplished in 2014

- ran a mile without stopping 1/16/14

- lost 50lbs 2/19/14

- I am no longer morbidly obese 2/24/14

- raced another 5k 4/12/14

- ran 5 miles without stopping 5/31/14

- lost 70lbs 7/11/14

-  Stopped shopping in the plus size department 8/10/14

- moved 365 miles in 2014 8/25/14 

Looking forward: 2015 goals 

- lose 85 lbs

- lose 100lbs 

- Reach 'potential' goal weight of 150 *121lb loss

- Hit my step goal continuously for 30 days in a row 

- Run a mile in under 10 minutes
- Race my first 10k 

- Race my first 1/2 marathon
- Complete Jillian Michaels 30 day shred 

- RUN 712 miles in 2015

- Complete a beachbody 'Piyo' program 

- Get out of the obese category

 - Get out of the overweight category

Again thank you so much for everything. I can't wait to see what 2015 has to offer. This is MY YEAR! 

"Enjoy the journey, fight for the finish" - Me

Day 5: Goal setting + my 2014 goal updates!

Not much has been more motivating to me in this journey as goal setting. I love setting goals and since I'm competing against myself it gives me the extra drive to get going without the temptation to compare myself to others. Like most of us out there, I have always made lots of fitness and weight loss goals around the new year. In the past I've done great for about the first month, only to to eventually give up and let them fall by the wayside.

This year I did things a bit differently and so far have had great success sticking with my goals and keeping them in mind. Here are the steps I followed that (so far) have worked great for me!

• Set multiple, obtainable goals - for instance, instead of setting out with my only goal to lose 100lbs, I set multiple, smaller weight-loss goals. For me this helps keep me from getting discouraged because I am soooo far away from achieving it. Plus, it is SO motivating to be able to check things off my list! 

• Make your goals 'public' - This is pretty much the whole point of this little blog I have here. When your goals are public you are holding yourself accountable to whomever you decide to share them with. Your goals are usually a very personal thing, so I use the term 'public' lightly

• Set daily or weekly goals that will help work towards you main ones - Little things like getting your 10,000 steps in a day, or refusing to take the elevator this week at work can help you work towards many of your health and fitness goals! 

• Write them down and keep them visible! - Out of sight out of mind right? 

• Take pride in your accomplishments, and don't get down if you don't accomplish everything - When I am finally able to cross a goal off my list it gives me such a sense of accomplishment. However, there are some goals on my list that I probably won't get around to this year. O well, they'll make perfect 2015 goals! If I accomplished everything then they were too easy right?! 

**And now my updated 2014 goals! I was able to cross a few more off my list and am getting closer and closer to some more of them! Come at me December 31st!

Weight Goals 

1. Lost 15 lbs 12/4/13
2. Lose 20 lbs 12/8/13
3. Lose 50 lbs 2/19/14
4. Lose 70 lbs 7/11/14
5. Lose 85 lbs 
6. Lose 100 lbs
7. Reach goal weight of 150

Fitness Goals 

1. Run a mile without stopping   1/16/14
2. Race another 5K   4/12/14
3. Run 5 miles without stopping 5/31/14
4. 365 miles for 365 days 8/25/14 [403 miles so far in 2014!] 
5. Run a mile under 10 minutes [Current time 11:46!] 
6. Race my first 10K 
7. Complete Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred 
8. Go running with my husband and actually make him try
9. Complete an overnight backpacking trip 

General Goals

1. Get out of the morbidly obese category 2/24/14
2. Stop shopping at the plus size department 8/10/14
3. Get out of the obese category

Happy goal setting!

-Sarah

July food and fitness goals

Hello! It's so hard to believe that it's July already! I'm loving the 60 and 70 degree weather that we've been having lately :) This has to be the most comfortable summer I've ever experienced! July also marks the 1/2 way point for our 2014 New Years resolution goals. I recently updated mine here, and am proud to say I have completed about 37% of my goals. I consider this a victory because I don't think I've met ANY resolutions in the past.

Here are my food and fitness goals that I hope to accomplish this July

Food:

1. Track all my food intake honestly and accurately! This month I have started to slack with my food logs. Tracking is really important for me not only so I can see what is and isn't working, but so I can share the information with my nutritionist as well. No more 'accidentally' forgetting to track those late night treats or my grazing snacks during the day. Those calories add up! If anybody is interested in friending me on MyFitnessPal my username is skuiper317  

2. Continue to experiment with lower carb intake. So far I have been able to cut back on my carbs slightly, but they are still heavy in my diet. This month I am going to experiment a lot more with low carb options and continue to listen to my body. I plan on putting my new spiralizer to good use! 

3. Be mindful of portion sizes. For a gastric sleeve patient I have a much larger capacity than most. In some instances I find that I can eat almost double of other sleevers. (yes I'm guilty of the comparison game) I tend to get really stressed out about this and worried that I messed up my tiny tummy. This month instead of focusing on how much I CAN eat, I am going to focus on how much I NEED to eat. I don't need to leave every meal feeling super full. 

4. Find at least one healthy meal that my husband enjoys enough to eat regularly. I'm married to a super picky eater who is NOT a fan of salads or vegetables. He is no where near overweight and while he is supportive of me eating healthier, it has been difficult to find healthy meals we both can enjoy together. Traditionally, he does most of the cooking, but this month I hope to do a lot more in attempt to find healthy meals for the both of us! 

Fitness:

1. Run 3 days a week. I've been slacking on my running lately but I have a 5-mile race coming up! Time to continue with my Couch-to-10K program! 

2. Attend a bootcamp class. I purchased a punch-card for this class early this summer but have yet to attend one. Time to get my butt out of bed super early and get a great workout!

3. 10,000 steps a day! I track my steps on my Garmin Vivofit. 

4. Plan my workouts, put them in my calender, and do them! I love planning :-) time to treat my workouts as appointments and become more consistent! 

Also, I have made a Facebook page dedicated to this blog! Please feel free to stop by, check it out and give it a 'like'. On Facebook I'm a lot better at updating about my day-to-day journey and I also share a lot of great things from other sources such as recipes and motivation :)

https://www.facebook.com/projecthealthandfitnessblog 

What are your short term food and fitness goals? 

With love,

Sarah 

Update: 2014 goals

At the beginning of the year I set some goals for myself. I'm usually one to forget about my goals about a month in, so I'm trying really hard to keep on top of my updates. I also find that checking back in helps me when I am struggling, and I have been struggling a lot lately.  Being only about 4 months into the year I am actually feeling pretty accomplished and motivated as I look at this list. I still have a good amount to go, but I'm making progress.

Weight Goals 

1. Lost 15 lbs 12/4/13
2. Lose 20 lbs 12/8/13
3. Lose 50 lbs 2/19/14
4. Lose 70 lbs [Current weight loss at 61 lbs] 
5. Lose 85 lbs 
6. Lose 100 lbs
7. Reach ultimate goal weight of 150

Fitness Goals 

1. Run a mile without stopping   1/16/14
2. Race another 5K   4/12/14
3. Run a mile under 10 minutes [current time 13:37]
4. Run 5 miles without stopping 
5. 365 miles for 365 days [Days so far in 2014: 120, Miles completed: 160]
6. Race my first 10K 
7. Complete Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred 
8. Go running with my husband and actually make him try
9. Complete an overnight backpacking trip 

General Goals

1. Get out of the morbidly obese category 2/24/14
2. Stop shopping at the plus size department 
3. Get out of the obese category

Have a great night and happy end of the semester!

2014: A New Year a New Lifestyle

As this year rolls around I find myself thinking about all my past failed new years resolutions. I am determined that this year will finally be my year of change; my year of successes. This 'project' of heath and fitness has turned into so much more. It is not just a project because projects have endings. I want so much for this to be lifelong and I plan on working my ass off (literally!) to make it so. I have been so encouraged by everyone around me and had so much more support than I could ever have imagined. This year as I write out my health and fitness goals, I am not doing so expecting to fail. I am so blessed and couldn't thank you all enough. 

2014

1. Hit my 100lb loss mark. (67 to go!) 

2. Run a mile without stopping

3. Run a mile under 10 minutes 

4. 365 miles for 365 days

5. Run 5 miles without stopping

6. Race another 5K

7. Race my first 10K  

8. Complete Jillian Michaels 30-day shred

9. Backpack Pictured Rocks

Here's to a new year and a new lifestyle! God bless! 

2012 !

HAPPY NEW YEAR! This is the time of year that most of us um... "larger folk" make a resolution to lose weight. Yep, i have probably done this since I was 12 years old! So this year i'm not going to make a "New years resolution" because frankly they always fail. For this year, I am going to make some goals. Some of these goals are  for 2012, but the ultimate thing I am going after is a lifestyle change. So yes, I am going to make a list, :) but this isn't just for the new year... It is for the rest of my life. These are some steps that I hope will help lead me down the road to health and fitness..

And the Goals Are... 

1. Run 365 miles in 2012! ~ Will be tracking via dailymile.com 
2. Finish a 5k race
3. Complete a Jillian Michaels 30 day challenge (30 days straight! complete with before and after pictures and measurements ;)   ) 
4. Incorporate more veggies into my diet!
5. Reduce my sugar intake
6. Do something EVERYDAY.. even if it means just going for a short walk. 

Yippie :) So far things have been going pretty well and i'm excited to start the new year. It is been awesome to have support.