The Plan: April 8 - 14

Since they say hindsight is 20-20, I figure I had best learn something from last week...
Based on that, I now know I need to front load my week and set realistic goals. With that in mind, I will aim to do one run/cross train activity a day along with other activity. This means I will have a bike, treadmill, elliptical or walk a day along with other activity (such as stepper, shred, dance, hike, etc.). I hope that this will set me up for better success.

April 8- April 14
Fitness
Bike - 3 times
Treadmill - 1 time
Elliptical - 2 time
Walk- 1 time
Stepper - 3 times
Circuit style training- 3 times
Other-

Wellness
Sauna - 3 times
Meditation - 3 times
Yoga - 2 times
Affirmations - EVERYDAY!!!

Aiming for BIG calorie burn  this week to...

WORK SMARTER, NOT LONGER (but work harder too!)

We will see how this week goes... Hope to get most of my work outs in by Tuesday, but we will see how next week goes!

xoxo - S

How did it go?

So how did I do this week?

April 1- April 7
Fitness
Bike - 4 times Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
Treadmill - 2 times
Elliptical - 2 times
Stepper - 4 times Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
Walk - 2 times
Wellness
Sauna - 3 times Monday
Meditation - 3 times
Yoga - 2 times
Affirmations - EVERYDAY!!! Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday


I also should have put in space for miscellaneous stuff like circuit training or shreds... or as Ellen would tell you the most important physical activity of all DANCE.
That's ok tho, that just means it was bonus!!!

As you can see, I started off with really good intentions.... and then as the week progressed, my time became less and less for training. With this in mind, I plan to learn and change up my plan for next week. I am going to make sure that I front load my week with lots of activity so that when I am in the thick of things with work and such,I know that I worked hard the rest of the week.

I also have to note I set a goal to burn 15000 calories in April
This weeks total : 1230... So I have quite aways to go...
But that's ok, gives me something to work towards.

5 weeks to go

So with less then 5 weeks to go, I have A LOT of training to do. I have not actually been for a run in WEEKS so I am really hoping that all the crosstraining I have done will have helped.
In an effort to get my butt on the treadmill, I have placed a challenge for myself in April of burning 15000 calories. So with this in mind, my fitness goals are going to be reved while aiming to maintain my wellness goals

April 1- April 7
Fitness
Bike - 4 times
Treadmill - 2 times
Elliptical - 2 times
Stepper - 4 times
Walk - 2 times

Wellness
Sauna - 3 times
Meditation - 3 times
Yoga - 2 times
Affirmations - EVERYDAY!!!

Time to really get everything in gear...
xoxo - S

This week...

What am I going to get up to this week?
Well I took somethign away from last week which is important: I need to set realistic goals around my training. I tend to set really lofty goals and then when i start to fail I kinda throw in the towel. NOT COOL!
So this week i am going to set more realisitc goals in the hopes that I keep with it to really get ready for the run. I also think that i need to have 2 areas of focus - fitness and wellness. Fitness : cardio + strength. Wellness: continued care and soul work (think meditation, yoga, sauna, massage)
Time to PUT UP OR SHUT UP!

Go me go!!!

So this week:

Fitness-
bike - 3 times
Elliptical - 2 times
30DS - 2 times
treadmill - 2 times
walk - 1 time

Wellness-
Yoga- 3 times
Meditation - 3 times
Sauna - 3 times
Affirmations - EVERYDAY!!!

Hope this all goes well!

xoxo- S

March 7-10

So this week

Monday - 30DS
Tuesday- Bike
Wednesday- bike, C25K, Elliptical
Thursday- bike

so not a bad week, but certainly did not hit the goals... that's ok tho... I think that i need to be realistic about what I am going to be able to do each week any ways.

Scary thing.... the run is now less then 2 mos away!!! EEPPSS!!!\

xoxo - S

Plan for the week...

First off, this starting this week, my weeks will be running Friday to Friday. That means this week will be a short week, but that's ok. I am doing it my other workout plan is running Friday to Friday and trying to keep both straight is making my head spin!
So with that in mind, I really only have 4 days to plan for this week (Monday- Thursday) ...
So what do I hope to do this week.
Well, I really need to get on the running this week. I also really need to start focusing on my leg endurance.
With this in mind Here's my plan for the next 4 days
2 c25k's (20-30 mins each)
1 walk (40 mins)
1 elliptical (20-30 mins)
2 30ds (25 mins each)
3 bikes (30-60 mins)

I am hoping that this will start to work on both my cardio and muscle endurance. 
Wish me luck!
xoxo - S

Feb28-March 6

So here  is how I did this week...

Let me start off by saying my ass/hammies are sore (in a good way)...

Monday - 50:45 treadmill (walk/jog) 3.12miles
Tuesday - 26:00 elliptical 2.10 miles
Wednesday-
Thursday-
Friday-
Saturday- 22:00 elliptical , 10:00 treadmill (walk/jog)
Sunday - walk/hike

plus
bike work Tuesday, Wednesday
30DS- Wednesday

So I didn't quite hit my goals as planned, but i like to think of the possitives, like I did change things up a bit this week. And at least i was trying.
So here's to next week and lets hope that things only get better from here!
xoxo - S

Archived Rants - March

March 2, 2011
OMG! I am so effin sick of people who fail to take other peoples situations into consideration!!! Don't lie, you know the type... they come in make these HUGE generalizing statements and then pretend their poop smells like roses.... My current favorite "You just need to eat better" as they scarf down their supersized double value meal from the fast food place du jour.... I don't mind getting suggestions or people who want to help out... it's the critics who forget that not everyone is exactly the same. Try to remember for like 30 seconds that you are not the center of the universe and that just because you say it's a certain way does make that true...
For anyone who has provided me with genuine awesome advices or has listened to me bitch and offered support, THANK YOU... you are unfortunately in the minority

xoxo - S

March 7, 2011
My rant of the day is towards that damn Jillian Michaels... Why you might ask (especially since if you read this blog you know I do the 30 day shred)? Cause her effin' workouts work... I pretty much spend the 30 minutes (or whatever the workout is) hating her because the workouts are so intense. But i feel amazing afterwards because i know that it was a good burn. I also have a whole new vocabulary for my workouts cause of her. I also now feel bad wehn i don't give a work out 100% effort. grrrrr So this rant is for you JM, because I love to hate you...
xoxo - S

Time to get back on the wagon...

Wow, last week was BRUTAL. Between having a cold, the weather being cold and having no motivation, did not hit the treadmill even once. YIPES. And then to top it all off my running buddy is out of commission for at least a few weeks.... So now It needs to all come from me. So what does this mean???

Well, this is what I posted on MFP
"Not gonna be happy about the scale this week
However, I also know what happened... brutal cold, no motivation and WAY too much partying last weekend... all together not a recipe for success. But no excuses, i made bad choices and I know it's not going to be good on the scale... Just gotta stick with it and drink H2O!
I also need to do a MAJOR grocery order this weekend cause having nothing in the house leads to me picking junk EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

...

However, I must move on!!!
So for this week:
I found an AWESOME 6 week yoga plan that requires 30 mins 3 times a week so I want to start that
I hear ya Teresa, I need to add weights too - so I am thinking some resistance band work this week..
Of course getting back on the C25K wagon (since i am doing it Monday-Monday as my week I could even get 6 runs in by the time i post next week... note that said COULD! )

My goal was 155 by March 1.... so we will see how it all goes... No matter what, 145 by April 1!!!

WOOT WOOT!!!

Keep it up ladies!!!
Hope everyone had better weeks then me so I can steal your plans

xoxo -S "

So that is pretty much the plan... I have been TERRIBLE about drinking enough water and i NEED to make sure i am getting at least 8 glasses (2L) of plain water everyday. I know I can do it, i just need to commit to it.
I also need to commit to doing cardio everyday. I know I can do it and in the long run it will make my habits better. So I am thinking that 3 c25k runs a week (well maybe more til I catch up from no week 2 runs....) and 2 5k walks a week with one elliptical day... and of course a day off...
I also want to do more stretching and yoga every week. Along with strength training.
I know this sounds like an awful lot, but even if I only get 20-30 mins of cardio in, I can still do 30-60 mins of stretching/yoga or strength a few times a week. I think that an hour like 4 times a week is MORE then reasonable. Really, if i can't do that... I am not going to be able to get ready for the 5k in May...

So that's the plan
3 c25k
2 5k walks
1 elliptical
some yoga, and strength.

TOTALLY gonna rock this!!!!

Thanks
xoxo- S

Music!

I have been asking for tunes to run to and I have been getting responses. I also found a website! So check it out, and keep the tunes a rolling in!
I was also told to throw on 3OH!3 and Ke$ha with their non-stop tunes. And heads up, the new Lady Gaga has a mix that's awesome!

Musicfor every workout

Running Mix #1
01. Wake Up Call (Maroon 5)
02. Love Today (MIKA)
03. Tick Tick Boom (The Hives)
04. Flathead (The Fratellis)
05. When Did Your Heart Go Missing? (Rooney)
06. Rehab (Amy Winehouse)
07. Crank That [Travis Barker Remix] (Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em)
08. Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
09. Ruby (Kaiser Chiefs)

Running Mix #2
F**K You, Cee Lo GreenBonkers, Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden
Bad Romance, Lady Gaga
Check It Out, Will.I.Am & Nicki Minaj
Sexy! No No No..., Girls Aloud
Burning Up, Madonna
Gonna Make You Sweat, C&C Music Factory
Heartbeat, The Knife

And try mixing any of these bad boys together!

Harder to Breathe Maroon 5
SOS Rihanna
Firestarter The Prodigy
Another One Bites the Dust Queen
Girlfriend Avril Lavigne
Pump It Up Elvis Costello
B.O.B. OutKast
The Rockafeller Skank Fatboy Slim
Here It Goes Again Ok Go
She Wants to Move N.E.R.D.
Runnin' Down a Dream Tom Petty
Around the World (Radio Edit) Daft Punk
Crocodile Rock Elton John
Have You Got It In You? Imogen Heap
Narcolepsy Ben Folds Five
Days Go By Keith Urban
Miniature Disasters KT Tunstall
The Sweet Escape Gwen Stefani
Unwritten Natasha Bedingfield
Hella Good No Doubt
Put Your Hands On Me Joss Stone
No One Knows Queens of the Stone Age

Thanks everyone for your input!
xoxo-S

Bump in the road

Alright.....So maybe I got discouraged. This just goes to show how many moods/attitudes you can go through in a week.
I managed to do exactly what I did not plan on doing:
A - Not logging into MFP for 3 days straight
B - Did not do my first run of the week on time
C - Ate junk on all my days off

So now we are back on track. Luckily this time it didn't hurt me too badly. Still around the same weight. Don't feel bloated, and I think I may have lost some inches. I thought I would be majorly set back, but maybe I was given a grace period and will be punished for my next time pulling the same thing haha.

Since I have been doing interval running for a few weeks now, and Sarah has kindly shown me this website C25k, I have put myself at week 3 of 9 weeks for the C25k training. It is going well, I'm feeling quite strong even with the setback of not working out for a few days. I think I put myself at about the right time. My shins are hurting quite badly so this is probably a sign that I should get to a chiropractor and buy those fabulous special shoes for runners as well. New goal, get the right gear so I can continue running with no major gaps.

So anyways, apparently Sarah is doing a lot more research than me considering she is finding all these sweet sites. I really should start doing a bit more research. Another goal, do some more research on training for running properly.

And my rant for the day is.....I HATE it when people talk about working out with me, and then bring it up daily, and then when I ask them to work out they say no, or that they will and they don't, or forgot, or didn't bring the right clothes, or are tired. Stop bringing up that you will work out with me haha. I get excited and it's a let down. For those of you who know me I QUITE enjoy company when i'm working out and almost never have it. So please do not tease me, it makes Alessia sad haha.

**Alessia**

And so it begins....

So I just got in from my first C25K run...
It was ok actually. I can see why it works. Normally i would just stop running when i had nothing left and walk til i thought i could go again. This way, you are told when to run and when to walk and for how long. Means no extra long breaks or short runs. For anyone who doesn't know what it looks like, this was todays run:

00:00-5:00: Warmup walk
5:00-6:00: Run
6:00-7:30: Walk
7:30-8:30: Run
8:30-10:00: Walk
10:00-11:00: Run
11:00-12:30: Walk
12:30-13:30: Run
13:30-15:00: Walk
15:00-16:00: Run
16:00-17:30: Walk
17:30-18:30: Run
18:30-20:00: Walk
20:00-21:00: Run
21:00-22:30: Walk
22:30-23:30: Run
23:30-25:00: Walk
25:00-30:00: Cooldown Walk

That was for a total of 30minutes, 1.77 miles, 334 calories burned...
The music today was pumpin'! I will however need to break my music into 30 minute segments as i will never get all they way through any of my play lists other wise!
However, I am now sleepy and required a nap!
XOXO - S

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

This will get me there!

Well maybe not, but it's awesome none the less!
K guys, you ned to check this shit out... OMG it's brilliant! I might even be able to justify buying my own treadmill now!


Coach Jenny's Treadmill Desk from Jenny Hadfield on Vimeo.

I already have a peddler (see image below) that I use at the desk or couch right now, but it would be awesome to be able to change it up a bit! Way to up the "sit on a ball at your desk" ante!


Drive Peddler!!!

C25K starts in 2 days!!!! keep me honest!
xoxo - S

New Plan....

OK, ok, I admit it... This week I have sucked at this whole running thing... Have no fear tho C25K is here! I am going to be doing the treadmill version as the weather will most likely be terrible for the next 9 weeks anyways, but hope to get outside sooner than later!
So I will be chronicling my 3 runs a week over 9 weeks starting Feb 13... and before you scream that I should start NOW... I actually can't until the weekend but more importantly... that's exactly 12 weeks away from our run!!!
So I hope you'll follow me, and encourage me and most importantly hold me accountable to my 3 runs a week! As y'all know by now, I sometimes need a push, no a shove, as a reminder!
xoxo - S

Small steps...

So this past week was more than a little set back... that would be like saying the titanic had a minor flood...
This past week was BRUTAL.
and so far this week is not shaping up to be much better.
Don't get me wrong, a least I have put in at least a coupe of honest workouts so far this week. But not one run ... YET
I was trying to figure out what is getting in my way. And really, it's me. I can put out whatever excuse I want, but in the end I am the only one stopping myself!
And that sucks... how do you get away form yourself? Or at least a poor mindset?
I need to look at small goals. Forget the big picture - I need to make one goal a day.
So Feb 8th's goal is - To go for a 30 minute run.
That's it, that's all.
One day at a time, one goal at a time, one km at a time
XOXO - S

Inspiration?

So.....after 6 days of quite successful eating, I am now craving some very bad foods.
But.....I have managed to hold of. I will give myself a cheat day on Thursday so that I make sure I don't binge.

A lot of people at work seem interested in my work out plans. This week alone I have inspired two people to resume working out. One has started working out after their midnight shift, the other has asked if we can work out together after work. I thought it felt nice that people are noticing I'm trying really hard and wanting to join in.

I asked someone today for some advice on training for a run. I guess I have been panicking a lot more than I need to. Apparently we can easily run 5k in the time frame we're giving ourselves to train for it. This gives me some renewed hope. The good thing about this run is that we can allow for some walking in between because there are so many people of different abilities that enter this run. This makes me feel a bit better, it's a great run to start out on. I learned today that the first so many people get a rose. I WILL GET A ROSE haha This is my goal.

Somehow I need to find a better workout video. Something that encorporates Zumba or dance or something fun. This is quite a difficult task, which is something I did not expect. Any suggestions anyone?

Well anyways this week has begun my real running, not just cardio exercise. I started at 2 minutes running 2 minutes walking. I am upto 3 minutes running 3 minutes walking. My goal for this upcoming week is 5 minutes running 3 minutes walking. I feel like working my way up in intervals is the best way to do it. Hopefully by the time it's warm enough to run outside I'll be a much stronger runner.

Here's to keeping up my running and healthy eating for the upcoming days off!

Week 2... Well how about "Week 1, lets try it again!"

So the weekend was a bust as far as training was concerned. As far as my birthday was concerned... well "Let them eat cake!"
However, now is time to get back on the wagon. This week I plan to get in 3 30 min runs using a 3 running 1 walking ratio (maybe more if I am feeling ok about it... who knows!). I also want to make sure that I am doing lots of strength training so that my legs are ready for the run. This week I am going to be incorporating some short kickboxing workout DVDs to help work my legs and change up the cardio routines. I am also going to make sure to hit the bike this week for the same reason.
Being the beginning of the month, I figured it was a good time to start fresh and make sure that I set out with a fresh new way of looking at this training. So while it should be week 2, we are going to reboot this (for me at least!) and call it Week 1 , this time with feeling! ;)
I will keep y'all updated throughout the experience.

If you would like to know more about how I am going about my running plan, please feel free to check out my personal blog Sarah's Closet, specifically check out this post First Goal of 2011.

I will also try to post links to runs and programs that we think might be helpful or interesting.

xoxo - S

Archived Rants - February

Feb 1, 2011
So what is up with people who go to the gym but don't really work out while they are there? Like hanging out on the treadmill and TEXTING for 50 minutes!!! WTF I mean it's not like there are other people there who might actually want to work out. Seriously, if all you are going to do is chat to your peeps while doing 1.5 mph then please, go to the mall and do a few loops and stop waisting everyones time.
And before I get people being like " well maybe that's all they can do is 1.5" that's fine, then be serious about why you are there and PUT DOWN THE PHONE!!!
The worst part about this is?... these are the same people that I am jealous of cause they are the skinny bitches that i think should eat a cheeseburger... Hmmm maybe i should get texting during my workouts ;)
xoxo- S

Feb 7, 2011
My rant it towards two "people" - specifically
1) Mother Nature
2) Old Man Winter

Seriously you two! Would you please get on the same page. I want to end this treadmill bullshit and start running outside... however until you two learn to get along, that wont be happening.
So I am begging you - PLEASE STOP SNOWING!!!

that is all
xoxo - S

Feb 10, 2010
My rant of the day has very little to do with running and a whole lot to do with perception.
More importantly, how people deal with what they perceive.
If you don't know what's going on for another person, then who the hell are you to judge what a person looks like? Unless you have spoken to them about it, then why do you think it's ok to assume you can pass judgement on another human being?!
Specifically, I am looking at you bitchy high school girls who gave me a bunch of dirty looks while I was eating a burger today while you were picking at your fries and salads. Ya, I had a burger. And guess what? It was more nutritionally well rounded than your meal... so stop glaring at me!
Ya that's right... BACK OFF!

Running with a Dream: Alessia's Rant of the Day

Well......I guess I'm a bit late considering I really believed i'd have the ambition to begin my blogging last night. Just goes to show what outside stress does to you.
I am proud to say I am back on track after a couple of very disappointing days off that included my best friend Wendy's.

Yesterday I decided that eating healthy was priority, and of course slept until the last possible minute, so I had the wonderful dilemna of either looking well groomed for my job, or.....going to the grocery store to stock up on healthy food before the snow came. I thankfully chose eating healthy and decided to forgoe the hairstyling for the day. Headbands are a wonderful invention for just these types of days.
I have found out very quickly that it is a very time consuming event to grocery shop for healthy food. Those consumers are tricky little buggers. They lie a lot. What's really less fat is added carbs and what's really lower carbs is higher fat. It takes a smart shopper to be able to decipher the tricky language on food products. I would recommend always giving yourself extra time to shop if you're reading labels because you could be there all day.
So while I was on my grocery run I decided to wander over to the exercise video section. You know the videos where everyone is excited to buy them because we all swear on our lives that we will OF COURSE follow through with actually doing the video regularly once we've bought it? Yes that one. This time I decided I'm seriously ready and bought this Dancing with the Stars Cardio Dancing Video. Well I get home and it was like watching Latin Dancing for 5 year olds. I don't even think one bead of sweat ran down my face. How can they call it a cardio video if you can't even break a sweat? Serious disappointment. I will most certainly be returning it for one that opens a can of whoopass on me.

So anyways.....thankfully I have managed to shed the extra weight I had put on over the Christmas Holidays. Now I can continue with the original weight loss plan before the Holiday extras. So far so good. Just need people to nudge me on my days off. I think that's where all the temptations go down, when I don't have anything scheduled. I get bored and lazy. Not a good combo when you need to exercise and eat healthy. Boredom equals unnecessary eating and laziness equals skipping out on your exercises. But this just teaches me to set up a really good plan for myself on my days off to make sure people are motivating me.

Well.....tonight is P90x. I'd say it's the easiest way to burn a lot of calories in an hour and also I find it pretty fun because there's so many different muscle groups you can choose from and many of them don't require much other than chairs and retention bands.

Oh and my rant? I wish people would stopp telling me I look fine when I say I'm going to try and lose weight and get healthy. Be supportive would you, people? Sheesh haha

Thanks for reading!

Week 1...

Week 1, not going so well.... I have had nothing but the best intentions this week to hit the treadmill but.... well it's been so nice out that I have wanted to enjoy it before it gets cold again... and I need new running shoes.... and it's not like I haven't been working out - I just haven't been running....
Yes, I know how many excuses I have just listed. And yes I know the excuses are not going to get me running a 10k... Honestly, I think I am scared to fail. and whats the best way to avoid failure - not to try at all. So for the rest of this week, I will at least get on the treadmill and walk for 30 mins each day (YUCK!).
To be honest, I cannot wait til the roads are nice enough to run outside... this treadmill stuff SUCKS!!!. However, I did set up some new play lists on my iPod, so maybe that will help. I am also hoping that once I get new shoes (today maybe?!?) that I will be motivated to hit the treadmill more...
So wish me some luck and motivation this week.
And if you have some good music mixes or song suggestions for me while running, please pass them on!!!
xoxo - S

Yes it is now here!!!

That's right folks. We actually got the blog all together to chronicle our dream of running a marathon!!! Soon you will be able to follow our (sure to be amusing) stories from our adventures of getting prepared for this monumental event! Check back often, we promise to keep you entertained!

Archived Rants- January

January 26th, 2011
I am not really sure how this got so big, but I am excited to have a buddy with the same goals as me. Right now I am freaking out about getting my cardio in gear so I can do the 10k in May... My crazy partner is already talking half marathon!!! YIPES!!! It's really nice to have someone to do all of this with now tho, and someone who is in the same starting spot as me. I don't know bout the rest of you out there, but there is nothing harder then agreeing to do physical activity with someone who you KNOW is WAY farther ahead then you! I mea you wants to be the wheezing dead beat at the back... I mean being the dead beat with a buddy is WAY better (power in numbers or something, right?!).

Rant part of he day... WTF is up with the skinny toned bitches on MFP who weigh like 110lbs are 5'6 and still want to lose 15 lbs...
EAT A FREAKING CHEESEBURGER!!!
That is all!
xoxo -S