Halfway There!

I was stuck in this stupid, ugly, rotten, hopeless plateau.  I wasn’t losing weight. I wasn’t losing inches. I was only losing confidence.  Questioning my workouts, my eating, my beverage in-take….questioning everything I was doing [or not doing enough of].  I pushed myself harder and as a result I got nothing but a shin splint and shooting pain into my knee.  Which, of course, led me into a week of no running in order for my leg to recoup and heal [after seeking expert advice]. 

I’ve learned a few lessons during this last week. 

Lesson 1:  I need to be patient with my body during these intense changes.  This is new for me.  Although it has become so routine and normal for me to eat healthier [within my calorie allotment] and to work out on a regular basis, I forget that in the big picture, this is still new.  It’s only been five months.

Lesson 2: I need to push and challenge myself, but stay within my body’s [current] limits.  So maybe running up a big hill isn’t the best idea for me as a newbie runner.  Next time, I’ll challenge myself with sprints or a longer run.  Quite honestly, Zumba/Latin Dance kicks my ass [quite literally], so I think I can lay off running up hills for the moment.  [Thanks Randi for dragging me along to class in the first place!]

Lesson 3: I need to listen to my body.  I’ve been trying to listen in terms of food to eat.  For example, if I’m craving milk, I drink milk;  If I crave certain fruits, I eat them; and if I crave bad stuff [like greasy food or sweets], either Patrick will make me a delicious at-home version or I allow myself a small portion that will satisfy the craving.  [But I still won’t allow myself to eat fast food – giving that up for all of 2011…and maybe forever, I’m starting to not miss it….finally].  Anyway, where I find the lesson here, is I need to listen to my body in terms of exercise.  When I’m feeling tired and over-worked, I need to take a break.  Period.

Yesterday was fantastic.  I decided to take a half day off of work and sleep in.  I woke up to an empty house [kids are with their Dad this week and Patrick was at work].  I showered, got dressed, styled my hair and did my make-up.  Was ready to head out the door, but first I sat at the computer for a second to update my status on Facebook.  It was so quiet.  So I made a pot of coffee and relaxed for a bit.  Then I was realized I could get so much done!  I changed my clothes, put on a bandana and took the day off work!  I mowed our entire lawn [what a sweaty, dirty calorie burn.]  It was an amazing ME day.

Lesson 4:  I need to drink more H20.  Last week in my frenzy to determine “WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY BODY?!” I decided to drink more water.  I haven’t really set a daily goal, I just know want to get up to the recommended 64 ounces per day [as a minimum].  Currently I’m around 40-64 ounces depending on the day.  Sadly, that’s far better than I was doing [which was an embarrassing 4-8 ounces per day…if that]. 

In short, although I do miss running, this past week off has been good [and it helped me break that pesky plateau!]  Yea, you read that right.  The plateau that started this whole two weeks of lessons learned, gone.  I lost 3.5 pounds and now I'm officially half way to my main goal.  I have lost 30 pounds and 30.5 inches.  HALF-WAY through the year [Happy June.] and HALF-WAY to my Goal. 

P.S.  As I sit here on our back porch, sipping a Goose Island 312 [135 calories] and finishing my blog, I realize how wonderful life really is.  


Silver Jeans….here I come.