Let's talk about sweat

I have a weird thing about sweating.

I think it's awesome.  When I go for a run I determine if it's a good or bad run based on how much I'm sweating.  When I sit outside in the summer I like feeling sweat running down my back.  Sweating makes me feel healthy.

That's weird right?  I feel like it's getting all the toxins out of my body, like I'm purifying myself while I drench in smelly sweat.  It really doesn't make sense at all.

I say this because I've been driving my unair conditioned car around in Oklahoma summers for 2 years now.  I'm usually sweaty and gross before I get someplace, luckily I live close to work and can borrow Mems' car for longer trips. 

I sit in my car with the sunroof open and the windows down and just sweat it out.  It's theraputic really.  In my head.  My heat fried brain is probably delusional. 

I know sweating won't make me thin, but I figure I better embrace it.  And get a car with air conditioning.

Work Out Week Off

I worked out 9 times last week.  In 5 days.

I scheduled my self 4 days where I worked out twice, because I apparently hate myself.

I was exhausted and over extended by the end of the week, so I took a week off.  My last workout was Saturday morning when I ran a personal best at a 5k to benefit my alma mater.

I just couldn't bring myself to get up when my alarm went off at 5:45 on Monday morning or any morning after. Instead I've been getting a little extra sleep, eating a little less good for me, and not stressing out over it.

I took guilt away from myself.  For a week.  I ate pizza, I had ice cream.  I didn't drink as much water as a I normally do, and I didn't eat as many veggies.  Don't get me wrong, I love my veggies and I don't deprive myself on the diet I've been following lately, but I just needed to lose the structure for a bit.  I needed to give up control.

It was pretty amazing, but I'm going to skip Weight Watchers on Saturday morning and get back into the swing of working out and sticking to my diet again next week.  I just needed to chill.

I don't want to pull a DJ Tanner.  (I have no clue why there's a random laugh track on here)

5K Fun!

I ran a 5k on Saturday.

I know, I run a 5k every other day on the treadmill, but this one was outside!  And it was tough.

I love running on my treadmill.  I get less sweaty, I control my pace more, and I don't have to deal with those pesky hills that hurt my knee.  But this was a 5k to benefit my former high school (Nathan Hale) and we got some awesome t-shirts that say 'Fit as Hale' so I signed up.

Sidenote- going to Hale was a lot of fun when cheering our really bad teams on, "We're going to beat the Hale out of you!" 

So I did it, I put on my Tshirt and pigtail braids and set my iPhone to my training program and took off on the 3.1 miles through my neighborhood.

I started out strong, but it's been a crazy long time since I ran outside.  I'm legitmately obsessed with the treadmill.  Some of the intervals went better than others. 

I walked a bit more than I wanted too, but I was also running faster in my running legs, which BTW is not very fast.  At one point in the 5k a small child skipping was ahead of me, but I eventually passed her.  Suck it!

I also passed the 20-somethings in their cute tiny running outfits who didn't make it past the first hill running.  I did not beat the apparent track team that all sprinted off at start and were probably halfway through The Avengers before I was even halfway done with the run.

But finally, I finished and huffing and puffing sprinted past the finish line and checked my time.  37:15!

The last time I ran a 5k outside (over a year ago) my time was around 43 minutes and when I run on the treadmill every other day my time is usually 38.  I shaved time running outside!

Elated and exhausted I grabbed a banana and started my walk back home, oh-did I mention I walked to the 5K cause it was near my house?  That was fine before the run, not as much fun the way back.

By the time I meandered home I had a message from one of the other 5Kers that I'd won a medal and she picked it up for me and would give it to my mom.  I won a medal?

That made no sense, but she told me I was 2nd in my age group.  Best I can figure is there were 2 people in my age group that ran.

It did look nice on Bella Boo.

Back on track

My bad week at Weight Watchers is over. 

I was back on track this week at my weigh in, I lost 1.8 pounds.  Not quite the 3 that I gained last week, but at least I have the scale going back the right way.  I was still not eating as good as I needed to this week, but I kept my workouts up, even boosting them.

Now that the week is starting over, I'm back on track.  Veggies purchased, workouts scheduled. 

This is also a crazy week schedule-wise, so it will be interesting to see how I balance it.

Any tricks for balancing a busy schedule and workouts and eating healthy?

WW lesson: Motivations

My entire life I've wanted to be able to wear a pair of jeans with a white tank top and not have to wear a jacket to cover my stomach.

Whenever I've lost a chunk of weight the first thing I do is put on my favorite jeans and see if I can do it, or if my stomach is still too poochy.  I told people when I get married (at City Hall) I want to be in the perfect comfy jeans and a white tank top with simple flats.  It's an obsession.

I tell you this story to talk about motivation.  This week in Weight Watchers we talked about what motivated us to join.  Most people chimed in with health reasons, issues with food, etc. I kept quiet.

Until my new WW hero piped up 'I joined when I was 23 because I wanted to land a guy.'  I felt a lot less guilty about my aesthetic reasons for signing up.  I just want to wear a tank top, damn it!

The meeting did help keep me on track and motivated.  I had a crappy weigh in, I gained 3 pounds.  I blame my two meals out on Friday and my gooey chocolate dessert and two Cosmos.  But I had a really crappy Friday.  I think we've established I'm an emotional eater.

So in my pissed off state the motivation aspect of the WW meeting was much needed and hit at a perfect time. I was discouraged, upset, and bitter over a crappy week of life and WW, but I left thinking of that damn white tank top.

So I'm back at it again this week.  Tracking, running, yoga.  Let's see if I lose that 3 and a couple more pounds.

Uncomfortable layers

I'm almost positive I'm having an emotional breakdown.

For the last week or so I've felt on the verge of tears or a breakdown, from boys breaking my heart to insecurities over my body to family stress.

After my most recent psuedo-breakdown I started thinking.

Are these emotions coming up as the weight comes off for a reason?  It's obvious that part of my weight issues stem from emotional eating, putting on weight to get away from dealing with issues bothering me.

Just like I became cynical and bitchy to keep people at arm's distance, I put on weight instead of working through emotions.  So will every five pounds I lose bring up the issues that put it there?

The next time the scale goes down will I work through my last break up?  Or guilt over Pops' death?  Can I handle that?  I hate crying.  I'm not a cute crier.

In my quest to lose this weight I never thought about anything other than the aesthetic implications of it.  I never considered I'd be forced to actually deal with all my issues, I just wanted to look cute. 

I guess I'll get well adjusted on my road to hitting goal.  I better stock up on Kleenex.

Let's talk yoga

Yoga is taking over my life.

With the exception of this week I've been going twice a week for a month now.  My handy Y offers a class Monday and Wednesday nights for an hour and 15 minutes.  Now that I've missed a week I've realized that those two and a half hours a week keep me sane. 

Let's talk about some yoga life lessons I've learned.

• Yoga keeps my crazy brain calm.  That time spent calming myself and focusing on my breath and posture makes me stop thinking about the 7,000 other things that are going on in my head.  I call myself functioning ADD, but I really need those calming moments or I want my head to explode.
• When you do yoga you become addicted to looking up the names of the weird yoga poses you do and posting on social media to be braggy about how bendy you are, at least I do that.
• Also, yoga lends itself to doble entendre dirty tweets, i.e. 'I didn't know I could put my foot there.'
• Yoga is fun to do in the outfield at softball practice.  I apologize to my softball teammates.
• I'm getting really bendy.

I also set a yoga goal:

Feathered Peacock Pose

One day I will do it.  Yes, I will.