The Struggle Is Real

Last night was a rough one as far as sleep was concerned. After getting sucked into the end of a book {because that's when it gets really good don't ya know?} then realizing that my FitBit was dead and frantically running around my place looking for the charger. And deciding once said charger was found that I couldn't sleep without my FitBit to track my sleep so I started a new book to pass the time. Before I knew it it was almost 1am and I was just deciding that I better get to sleep with a half charged FitBit if I wanted to run in the morning.

Fast forward to this morning, I was so close to saying f&%$ this shit and sleeping in. But I dug deep and thought about what all of my supporters would say to me if they knew I was being a lazy bum and wanting to stay in bed instead of run on a perfectly good Thursday morning. I am pretty sure I dragged my own self out of bed at that point. {I'm picturing a ghost like version of myself being up and pulling me from bed.}

And now that it's over I am so glad I just got up and did the damn thing. I do not doubt the power of a work out after what just happened in roughly 30 minutes. I went from being dead tired and grumpy about pulling myself from my nice warm, comfy bed to run to being in such a good mood that I thought today was Friday. {Because good moods on work days are only appropriate on Fridays, right?}

This map looks so much better than the one I posted from the actual app to Instagram, no?

Shameless plug time...if you want to follow me on Instagram and see what I mean about the difference in the way the maps from Nike+ look you can follow me here.

And thanks to the pretty button at the beginning of this post you know I'm linking up to share my non-scale victory today. If you haven't picked up on it yet my NSV for this week is that while the struggle is real each and every morning I decide to get up early and start pounding the pavement I'm doing the damn thing! Crazy what actually {dare I say} enjoying my work out can do. Sure my runs haven't been exactly on schedule right now but I'm still getting them done and not totally hating the experience. Much better than I could say for the 30 Day Shred.

What's your NSV for the week?

Catch Up + #backthatazzup

TGIF friends!  I'm sure you will hear read that a gazillion more times today because it's just how bloggers start off Friday posts.  But I am especially happy it's Friday considering yesterday I was almost late for work...again.  Waking up at 9am gives me a mini heart attack since I need to leave my house around 9:15am to make it to work.  The weekend = sleeping in for me!

I'm not really sure where I am going with this post so please bear with me.

Lately it seems like I post on Mondays and Tuesdays because those are days that I've scheduled posts from Sunday night.  I always have good intentions that I will blog during the week, usually at night after dinner.  But then it doesn't happen.  Even when I have my laptop I end up getting caught up on reading and commenting on blogs and then it's time for bed before I know it and I haven't written a post.

I would love to plan a week's worth of posts out on Sunday and schedule them all so I don't have to blog during the week and can just enjoy other's posts.  But at the same time I know that is not realistic for me.  I don't have a lot of topics I could write in advance about.  A lot of my stuff comes to me during the week.  And sadly blogging at work is out of the question lately.

I am definitely blogging for myself so there is no need to remind me of that.  I just can't seem to make time for blogging...or I don't want to?  It's like the weight loss thing all over again, if I want to do it I should just do it rather than making excuses for why I am not.

Speaking of weight loss...I wanted to weigh myself Wednesday morning but my Wii hasn't been working with the downstairs TV.  First I thought it was just the power source (don't even get me started on that) but I fixed that issue and then discovered I couldn't get a picture on the TV.  I don't want to move the Wii back to the living room upstairs because that's the most used TV in the house which makes it hard to find a time when I can use the Wii without feeling guilty about hogging the TV.  My best course of action I think is to clean my room so I can move my Wii into my bedroom.  Cleaning my room isn't necessary for moving the Wii itself but it is necessary if I want to use the Wii Fit in there.

And because I didn't weigh myself I didn't post for Weigh In Wednesday.

Thursdays are Non-Scale Victory link up days...again I meant to post because I've been drinking 10 glasses (80 fl.oz.) of water and having NO Mountain Dew (or any soda) every day this week, minus Monday.  Coming from a Mountain Dew addict that's a pretty huge victory!

At least I'm here for Whitney's #backthatazzupfriday link up.  Sorry that you guys got such a random post from me to go along with the awesomeness that is this link up.  I'll work on it for next week. :)

I have definite plans to make a work out play list and you know I will be putting this song on it!  How can you not love 3 of country music finest men teaming up to sing one great song?!

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Non-Scale Victories: Fruit & Gym Time

It's Thursday again which means it's almost Friday so it's almost the weekend and it's time for another post about my non-scale victories of the week.  As I was FaceTiming with Lex for the first time ever Wednesday night (loved chatting with you girl!) we briefly discussed what we would be posting for our NSV for this week and neither of us really knew.  Since then I've done a little thinking and came up with one new one and one you've seen before if you've been around Living n Learning by Amy for a week.

(Side note -- Hello & welcome to all of my new followers.  I'm sure you followed me for a chance to win some awesome giveaways I'm a part of this month but I hope you like what you read and stick around!)

On to the NSV for this week I have two.

My first is that I accepted Lex's challenge to pack snacks and fruit to go with my lunch at work on Wednesday after going wild with crap food on Tuesday.  Not only did I accept this challenge but I knocked it out of the park!  Because I didn't workout yesterday morning I wasn't starving at work but it was great to have healthy snacks available when I was feeling hungry.  I am repeating these snacks (maybe grapes too or in place of an apple or banana) today so I have plenty of options to fuel my hungry body post workout!

My second NSV for the week is continuing to go to the gym.  I've gone a total of three times now and I'm liking it a lot.  Not only am I working towards having victories on the scale but I'm also feeling great following a workout and I'm working on breaking my bad habit of using the snooze button.  So far so good this week and I haven't used the snooze button at all!  I've been working on the C25K (couch to 5K) program at the gym which is a total of 30 minutes consisting of a warm up walk, then alternating running and walking segments, followed by a cool down walk.  By the time I get to work today I will have completed week 1 of the program.  My goal is to get my gym schedule better aligned so I can complete a week of the program in one week rather than what happened with this first one.  (I started on Thursday of last week and am just finishing it this week Thursday.)

Talk to me...

What is one of your non-scale victories for the week?

Don't forget to link up with KJT & Lex!

Non-Scale Victories: Gym Time!

In addition to it being Random Thursday which I posted early this morning it is also the day to link up and share my Non-Scale Victories (NSV)!  This is my favorite NSV of all the ones I have posted about so far.

My NSV for the week was definitely going to the gym this morning and completing 30 minutes of cardio.  This was huge for me because I hadn't been to the gym in at least a month or two, if not more.  I completed week 1 day 1 of the C25K (couch to 5K) program and while it was a little rough for a number of reasons the important thing is I went there and I did it!

I have to thank the blogging world for helping me get to the gym.  Reading about Katie going to the gym to work with her personal trainer, Lex hitting the gym for Zumba classes and Halie's work at the track with running has really motivated me to get back to the gym.  If these ladies, and all the rest of you out there, can be getting to the gym for whatever is your thing for workouts why can't I?  There was no reason why I couldn't so I just did it and I feel great about it physically, mentally, and emotionally!

The biggest reason I wasn't getting to the gym I think was that I was not mentally committed to going.  I would think about it and talk about it but what did I ever do to really commit to going?  Nothing.  Yesterday I told Lex and my friend Diane that I was going to the gym the next morning.  I told my mom about it.  I told my aunt I would be stopping by her house to use her shower and get ready for work.  I told the Twitter world.  All of those people I told knew I was going to and how would I feel if I didn't go and had to answer to them as to why I didn't?  Truth is telling that many people really made me accountable to the words coming out of my mouth.  Actions speak louder than words and I wanted to make my actions support my words.

I am pretty sure the words coming out of my mouth changed as well.  In the past I would always say, "I'm going to try to, I might, I think..."  But yesterday I said, "I am."  I was no longer thinking about or unsure if I would.  I was committed!

Something else I did to help get over the mental road block was sleep in my gym clothes.  It removed a step I would have to do in the morning in order to get out the door.  Now had I packed my bags last night I would have made this morning even easier, lesson learned.  Having everything ready will make it so easy to pretty much roll out of bed and go.  And when it's that easy how can you not, right?!

I definitely want to continue this because I have been feeling awesome since I made it to work this morning.  I proved to myself that I can go to the gym in the morning before work, get myself ready afterwards, and make it to work on time.  I have no reason to stop so I'm not going to!

Talk to me...

What is one of your NSV for the week?

Non-Scale Victories: Zumba!

My first post of the week (finally!) and it's going to be a good one because I am linking up with the lovely KJT & Lex for Non-Scale Victories.

This week I had a pretty huge non-scale victory in my opinion.  I tried out an actual Zumba class!  This was my first workout in quite some time and it has only made me want to workout more!  It was free tonight just to see what kind of interest there would be in the class and the location it's being offered in.  If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen that it's taking place at a bar (which has a ballroom).  Thanks to the large interest that was shown in the class there will be more!

My mom heard about it through a coworker who takes the instructors Zumba class already (not sure where though).  I actually saw it on Facebook and didn't think much of it until my mom asked if I wanted to try it.  We tried it together and because I was talking about it on Twitter (my personal account) a friend of mine joined in as well.

It was fun and even though I couldn't do all of the moves or keep a rhythm going I still worked up a sweat and am already feeling some soreness (yay!).

As I mentioned there was a large interest shown by the number of people who showed up tonight, and more were interested in coming but weren't able to tonight.  So, beginning on the 21st Zumba is being offered at Homestead from 6:30-7:30 for $25 for 7 weeks, or $5 per class as you go.

My mom decided to pay the $25 for the 7 classes.  I decided I would pay the $5 when I decided I wanted to go.  With working 30 miles from home, and this bar being in my neck of the woods, being able to make a 6:30 start time when I don't get done with work until 6 is pushing it close, especially with how the weather has been making road conditions less than ideal.  I would also miss a class due to my vacation to Maryland to see Chelsea.

The fact that it's hosted close to home is a definite plus.  I am definitely not saying I won't go again but I didn't want to commit to 7 weeks when that may not always be possible.

I am in a great mood thanks to my workout tonight and am really considering getting up and going to the Y tomorrow morning before work!  Evidently all I needed to do was workout once to make me want to workout again!

Talk to me...

What was one of your non-scale victories for the week?

Non-Scale Victories #2: Pepsi Next, you are my friend!

I'm linking up again with KTJ and Lex to recognize my non-scale victories.  Katie does a great job of explaining them so I'm going to borrow what she wrote about them.

"Too many of us base our success just on the number we see on the scale, but there is so much more to it! All the little changes we make are helping us make a healthier lifestyle. Whether you lost weight this week or not, let's celebrate your non-scale victories! So whether you said no to that birthday cake in the office, ran a 5k, or tracked your food every day this week. . . it is time to celebrate!"

So let's get to it!

Pepsi Next, you are my friend!

If you know me in real life you know I love me some Mountain Dew.  But let's be honest 170 calories in one can is a lot of empty calories that I'm not getting any benefit from.  I have been doing a really great job of not drinking Mountain Dew during the week, and limiting myself to just one can of soda per day.  Not going to lie, I am addicted to the caffeine.  And not because I need the pick-me-up it offers most people but simply because it's been a part of my diet for so long I get a headache when I don't have it.  Seriously, I can drink Mountain Dew right before bed and have no problem falling asleep!

Cutting soda cold turkey is HARD!  So rather than trying to do that I've just made the change to a better alternative.  Pepsi Next is only 60 calories per can and has lower sodium and sugar content than Mountain Dew (or other regular sodas).  I'm not saying it is healthy because it's not, but it is better than Mountain Dew for the most part.  Thanks to my new friend I can still get my daily dose of caffeine but with a little less of everything else.

I see this as a stepping stone to cutting back on my weekly soda intake even more, like less than one a day.

Talk to me...

What is one of your non-scale victories for the week?

Non-Scale Victories: Breakfast & Lunch

Two link ups in one day?!  Yup, I went there.

This is the first week for the Non-Scale Victories link up with KTJ and Lex (be sure to check them out!) and I am so excited for this.  Non-scale victories are just as important as the scale victories.  And honestly sometimes the non-scale victories keep us going on our journeys.

I had to think long and hard to come up with a non-scale victory because I haven't been putting as much effort into my weight loss as I would like to, or should.  I have no one to blame but myself for that of course.  But I was able to come up with something.

Every day that I have gone to work so far this week (I had Monday off) I have eaten breakfast and packed a lunch.  At my previous job it was so easy to "forget" to pack a lunch and decide to go out or order in.  I don't have the luxury of having food nearby and I don't have a lunch break so it forces my hand to pack a lunch.  But it is a good thing!  Packing my own lunch is easier on the bank account and  once I get my butt in gear can be healthier.

Talk to me...

What is one of your non-scale victories for the week?