**I'll forewarn you that because I haven't blogged consistently in awhile, there may be extra thoughts meshed into what could multiple blogs but I'm shoving it all into one, unorganized blog, sorry!**
About three weeks ago it hit, finally. The mojo to get fit and healthy hit me hard. BANG! The very next day I was eating right, counting calories and I went to the gym - yep, even added the gym to the mix! We joined a small gym way back in June of 2011 and I was going 3-4 days a week until I went to the beach and then I left my energy to work out back on the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks.
But here I was (and am) at the gym again! I started going back to the gym on the days Hannah has school. I use the time she is there to workout, shower and study at the library. It saves me a lot of running around and am able to finally get some school work done!
So I like to run - I think I may even love to run. I feel awesome during and after a good run, but because I'm way out of shape I can only run but for so fast and for so long and so after running/walking a mile I have only burned 100 calories - what a major disappointment! So the first two weeks at the gym I took up the elliptical trainer and boy can you sweat on that thing! I love it - I can burn 250+ calories in just a 30 minute "run". Plus I can really get my heart rate up and sweat - which makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something! I thought I could get my endurance up and then switch over to the treadmill, but my sister asked me if I wanted to do a 5K for her church to raise money for their mission trip. Needing the inspiration and knowing the importance of fundraising for missions, I said sure! I'm committed now and will be RUNNING the 5K in April!
Using the Couch to 5K app on my phone (which I'm not a huge fan of, so if you have one to share, let me know!) I started "training" last week. I have to say I was quite shocked at how easy it went! I was running in one minute intervals with a 90 second walk in between. There were 8 intervals, so I ran for a total of 8 minutes - yay! I could have actually kept going but didn't want to overdo it. I didn't burn as nearly calories but I'm trying to remember that I'll get to the point where I can run longer and faster and can actually burn some calories. The second day I had some "tummy trouble" and had to keep getting off the treadmill so I gave it up, took a shower and headed to the library! The third day I had to be at work so I missed out on the gym completely that day, bummer!
So now I'm in week 2! Today it was 90 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking. The 90 seconds were actually just perfect. I could have probably gone a bit longer and completed more intervals but I didn't push it. I was disappointed that it was only 6 intervals, but I won't complain! I'm sure the time will come soon when I'm ready for it to be over! But I was quite surprised that I was able to pick it up easy and that I wasn't that out of shape.
Hey girl, that's awesome! I actually loved the C25K app when I used it, but I do see that it's changed with the last update. As you know, my running has been restricted for the last 4 months - I haven't been "allowed" to run more than 1 minute at a time for 16 weeks. I finally got full permission to run 1 mile straight, 3 times this week. I did it on Sunday and was so surprised I could actually do it! The elliptical does burn more calories, but the running can make you feel like a rock star. Keep it up!!
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