Highs and Lows

So this past week had a HIGH and a LOW. My high is I have lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks with changes in portions and running/walking for 30 minutes every other day. I was really proud of myself. Although there is no visual change in my appearance, my pants were a little loose and the biggest plus as I felt confident. AND I ran for 20 minutes non-stop!!

I went to the doctor because I had this rash coming up all over my body. It started on my chest, then at the top of my legs at my bottom. I thought it was a heat rash so I didn't pay much attention. Then the rash near my bottom started to hurt and turn to sores. It hurt to run, walk, sit, etc. Then a rash showed up on my feet. With fear that there was something really wrong with me I took a trip to the doctor. When I went to the doctor and got on the scale I was 10 pounds lighter. I was so happy I wanted to walk back into the waiting area and shout it at the top of my lungs! Now ten pounds is a very small fraction of what I want to lose and how much I need to lose to be at a healthy weight, but it is a milestone. The verdict from the doctor was that I did have heat rash. The sores were a form of staff that occurs when hair follicles are blocked by sweat. I am on an antibiotic for two weeks to clear up the sores. The doctor was very proud of me for taking steps to change my lifestyle and encouraged me to keep "sweating my buns off" haha. However, the rash is not my low.

I said earlier that I ran 20 minutes non-stop. I even kicked up my speed to 5.0 for the last five minutes. I was so happy. I never thought I could do this... Then on Thursday I went to Zumba with Murph and Sandra. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the workout. I plan to incorporate a couple nights of Zumba into my workout routine. I definitely think I held my own with the instructor and the regulars. So at this high of 10lbs, 20 minute non-stop run, and a zumba class- I stopped! That is right I said I stopped!! I don't know why. Laziness, I guess.

So here I am a week later. I finally got back on the treadmill. I started day 1 of week 6 on Couch to 5k and it was so hard not to stop. I did have to slow down some but I DID NOT QUIT! I have weighed myself and I have still lost the 10 lbs. So atleast I didn't gain.

I am sure this will not be the first major lull in my journey and I am sure I will plateau at some point and become discouraged. However, I owe this to myself. I have a greater purpose in life than to just give up on things.

I will keep this up!

5 Weeks in...

So I am 5 weeks in to my new lifestyle. Trying to eat better and exercise. If I am being honest with myself, I KNOW I can do better. I have definitely decreased my calorie intake and stopped eating out of boredom. I do not think I am eating near enough or as often as I should. I know I am not drinking enough water and I have got to improve. I have stuck with my couch to 5k and if I skipped a day, I made it up the next day. 30 minutes of exercise every other day is not enough to yield the results that I want. Today, I have put off running. Today is day 3 of week 5 and I am supposed to run 20 minutes without stopping!! What!?! I am scared!! Day 3 of week 5 kicked my butt and I am not sure I can move up. I am going to try. It just may be tomorrow =)!

I know I should be proud of any weight loss and 8 pounds in a month is good! I will not reach my goal of 30 pounds (it was a little ambitious) I will keep trucking along.

I need to add in more cardio, some strength training, and toning. Leslie is kicking butt and is an inspiration for what I should be doing. I have also been reading Erin's blog and wow!! I hope one day I can experience her results.

Don't want to miss a thing...

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is hard to stop and enjoy every moment and opportunity given to you. Taking a family vacation is the perfect opportunity to refocus on what is important in the world. Our vacation this year couldn't have come at a more needed time.

We took a 3 day trip to St. Louis. We had not been to St. Louis since 2004 and we definitely needed a trip to Busch Stadium.
Shaun used Priceline.com to book our room. He put in our criteria and boy did we luck out! We stayed on the top floor of the Hyatt. It was located 1 block from the arch and 4 blocks from the stadium. The best part was that it was only $70 a night!!

On our way in to St. Louis we stopped at the City Museum. It was awesome!!! It was an old building with architectural structures that you could climb through and looked like art. It had buses, planes, and cages suspended from the building that you could crawl through. There were slides and caverns and a ferris wheel. I highly recommend a stop at this museum when you visit St. Louis. I missed out on some of the fun, but I enjoyed taking pictures.

After the museum we checked into our hotel, had dinner, and went on a carriage ride around the stadium. This was the 1st time Shaun and I had been on a carriage ride. It was great to share this 1st with our kids!!

The next day we went to the Arch. The kids lost interest pretty quick. So off we went to the Magic House. It is St. Louis' Children's Museum. The kids and I had a lot of fun, however daddy wasn't feeling all the screaming kids. This was definitely a stop for daddy after a trip to a brewery. (i will remember that for next time!) Then we stopped at Union Station to take Liam to Hooter's for the 1st time. However, it was no longer there. So, we fed the fish and headed to the hotel to get ready for the ball game. Sandra got us the hook up on seats for the game. (See how close we are) Daddy was soooo excited and wanted to watch batting practice. We got to the stadium at 5:15 for a 7:15 game. The kids did great!! They made a Build a Bear in the Stadium and had a hotdog, cracker jacks, and cotton candy. We watched the Cardinals win!!! and Albert Pujols hit 2 homeruns!!

Our last day in St. Louis was spent at Six Flags. The kids rode everything that they were big enough for, I couldn't believe it!! I have always LOVED roller coasters, but I thought I was going to throw up!! I got so dizzy. We enjoyed the day riding roller coasters, playing at the water park, and watching the parade as the park closed. It was a long and fun and tiring day, but TOTALLY worth it!



So next time you start to lose focus on what is important, pack up the car, forget about the rest of the world, and enjoy some time with the one's you love!!