Half Marathon Training Coming to an End

For the last two weeks, my best friend Michelle has been visiting us. She came down to meet Olivia and spend some time with my family! For that reason, I have not had a lot of time to write blog posts! I'm sorry for just disappearing like I did! Honestly, I did not think life was going to be that busy while she was here, but I was wrong.

Olivia, Michelle, Jon, and me

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In other news, I am so excited that my Heels and Hills Half Marathon is in just 5 days!!

 

  

It's hard to believe that I have almost made it through my 8 week half marathon training program! I have worked so hard over these last 8 weeks and I know that it will be worth it in the end!

For me, I'm not focused on how fast I can run this race. My goal is to run/jog my half marathon without stopping to walk. If that means I have to run slower to accomplish that goal then I will do whatever it takes to keep going. Trust me, it hurts more to stop and walk then it does to just keep going.

This coming Saturday is going to be very busy with my Weight Watchers meeting, graduation, and traveling 2 1/2 hours to get to our motel, the night before the race. Please keep me and my family in your prayers as we travel to the race. Pray that Olivia will be a good traveler and not get too cranky with the lack of naps she is going to get this coming weekend! Pray that I will have the endurance needed to complete this race. Pray that I won't compare myself to anyone else and just go at my own pace!

Next week, I look forward to having lots of pictures to share with with you from my very first half marathon!!

Weekly Weigh In - Slow and Steady

I'm so excited, because my very best friend is in town! Michelle has been living and working in Okinawa, Japan for over two years. She's finally come back to the States and traveled all the way to Texas, so that she could meet Olivia and spend time with our family! Our time is short and we are trying to enjoy every minute that we have together!

This past Saturday, I weighed in at Weight Watchers and was excited to see that I had lost 3.2 pounds! On top of that, I am finally back in the 140's after gaining weight over the Easter holiday!

As I continue to try to lose my baby weight, I am reminded that losing weight takes time. It is hard to be patient with the weight loss process, trust me I know! Remember that I am losing weight too!

Here are a few things to keep in mind...quick fixes don't work! If a weight loss program sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Healthy weight loss with Weight Watchers is defined as 1/2 pound to 2 pounds per week.

The first time around, I lost 90 pounds in 13 months. However, I was only 24 years old and didn't have any kids! I had more time to focus on myself and my weight loss journey. This time around with my baby weight, I have lost 30.2 pounds in about 7 1/2 months. I am 29 years old and taking care of a new baby! Life is different now and it is harder to lose weight.

Does that mean that I should quit? Absolutely not! It's even more important that I reach my weight loss goals, so that I can be a healthy example to my daughter!

I know that it's hard, but don't rush through this process. Please take time to learn about yourself and your body. If you don't do this, you will never learn how to keep it off for good!

You probably already know these things, but maybe today you are like me and needed this kind of reminder!

Slow and steady wins the race!

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Running is Hard Work

I am training hard for the Heels and Hills half marathon. I have about 3 weeks until Race Day and I cannot wait!!

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Most days I get up early in the morning and go for a run before Jon leaves for work. This is the best time for me, because I can run while Jon is home with Olivia. It's nice to be able to get out and spend some time by myself, before the rest of my day begins. It is ideal, but please understand that there are some mornings when I'm tired, sore, and just do not feel like getting out of bed to go for a run!

This morning, was one of those mornings, when I didn't feel like going for a run...so I didn't.

I'm training for a half marathon, so I cannot skip my runs. Each run is important to get my body ready for Race Day. So, just because I did not get up early to run doesn't mean that I was going to forget my run all together. Instead it meant that I had to rearrange my schedule so that I could get my run in before the end of the day. On top of that, Jon's going to be home really late tonight, so I knew I would need to take Olivia running with me.

After Olivia ate breakfast, we left the house to go for a run.

Honestly, it is so hard for me to run with Olivia! I'm not a strong runner and I use my arms a lot when I run, so trying to run and push Olivia in the stroller at the same time is extremely difficult!

Training for my half marathon has been hard work, but it is worth it! I have more energy. I sleep better at night. I feel better about myself, because I am getting in shape. I am also giving my body the extra boost it needs to lose those last few pounds of baby weight that I gained with Olivia.

Don't be afraid of some hard work! Maybe you don't exercise at all, so start small. Just remember that any kind of movement is better for you than none at all!

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How are you going to be active today!?

If you want to see the running schedule that I am following, please click here.

Weekly Weigh In - Recapturing Your Enthusiasm

I am proud to say that after my almost 5 pound Easter weekend gain, I was able to lose 1.4 of it last week! It took a lot of hard work and determination, but it feels so good to be back on plan! It also helps that I did some meal planning (which I will write more about later), went to the grocery store and stocked up on pointsplus friendly foods. I'm also getting in lots of activity pointsplus as I train for my half marathon.

I love being a Weight Watchers leader! I enjoy being able to encourage my members throughout their weight loss journies and help them reach their goals! My favorite part about being a Weight Watchers leader is being able to continue to be enthusiastic about the Weight Watchers program and weight loss in general.

Why is that important?

After you've been on Weight Watchers for a while, or any weight loss program, everything starts to become familiar, routine, and maybe even boring. This can be very discouraging as you are trying to lose weight and stay on plan!

The best part about being a Weight Watchers member and attending a weekly meeting is that for 30 minutes a week you are in a room filled with people just like you! Some people are already at goal or almost there, other people have been coming for a while, and then you have the new members that are scared and excited all at the same time! Those new members usually bring so much enthusiasm that it overflows into everyone else each week. It reminds members of how it first felt to follow the plan and helps keep them going throughout the next week.

My Mom did this for me this past week, as I was fighting to get back on plan after Easter.

If you follow my blog's Facebook page, Living a Changed Life, you have seen me post this picture of my Mom's weight loss progress. Isn't my Mom doing great? She is losing weight with good old fashioned diet and exercise!

Everything is new and exciting for my Mom, because she is just starting her weight loss journey! Her enthusiastic attitude overflowed into my life this week to help encourage me to go back on plan and get back to basics. Normally, Mom's asking me for advice, but this week I tried a few things that she suggested, because they have helped her stay on plan!

My Mommy's weight loss progress

Have you lost your enthusiasm and excitement for your weight loss program? Maybe you need to talk with someone that is just starting their weight loss journey, read success stories, or read your old journal entries. Do whatever you have to in order to recapture some of the enthusiasm that you have lost along the way!

Half Size Me Podcast

Happy Monday! I hope that you all had a great weekend. Yesterday, I ran over 8 miles as part of my half marathon training! I am proud to say that I finished my run without stopping to walk. However, I'm even more excited to share with you that I earned a total of 16 Activity PointsPlus! I'm still sore today, but it's worth it!

My before and after pictures

Today, we are going to do something a little different! A few months back, Heather from Half Size Me contacted me and wanted to know if she could interview me about my weight loss. Of course, I said yes!! During my interview, I had such a great time talking with Heather about my weight loss journey and the lifestyle changes that I have been able to make and maintain. She was such an encouragement to me!

My interview is being featured, as a podcast, today on Heather's site.

Please head over there now to check out my Half Size Me podcast and feel free to share it with your friends!

If you have a chance to listen to it, leave me a comment and tell me what you liked about it!

My Half Marathon Playlist

 

I have just 4 short weeks until I participate in my first half marathon!! Training for this Half Marathon has been hard work!! Honestly, there have been many days where I just didn't feel like running, so I made excuses and hit the snooze button. However, overall I've been able to make running and exercise a priority in my life again. It feels so good!!

I love this playlist, because Jon helped me put it together!! My playlist is full of fast and upbeat songs. It has been so important for me to have an awesome playlist to listen to while I am running, because it helps keep me motivated. When I want to quit, God always provides the perfect song to help keep me going!

As you will see, most of these people are Christian artists, because that's the kind of music I listen to on a daily basis. God has convicted me about my music on more than one occasion. The Lord has asked that the majority of the music I listen to, be music that glorifies Him. These songs get stuck in my head all the time, because I listen to them so often, and I want to make sure that what's going into my mind is not going to get in between me and my Lord!

13.1 Running Mix

1. Alligator Sky by, Owl City

2. Awake My Soul (with Lecrae) by, Chris Tomlin

3. Barlow Girls by, Superchick

4. Beautiful by, Group 1 Crew

5. Beautifully Broken by, This Beautiful Republic

6. Born Again by, Newsboys

7. Born Again by, Third Day

8. The Comeback Kid by, B. Reith

9. The Devil Is Bad by, The W's

10. Ever Ever After by, Giulia Ottonello

11. Eye On It by, TobyMac

12. The Flame In All of Us by, Thousand Foot Krutch

13. Funky Jesus Music by, TobyMac

14. God's Great Dance Floor by, Chris Tomlin

15. God's Not Dead (Like a Lion) by, Newsboys

16. He Said by, Chris August

17. Hello, My Name Is by, Matthew West

18. His Kind of Love by, Group 1 Crew

19. Hold Me by, Jamie Grace

20. How You Live (Turn Up the Music) by, Point of Grace

21. I Need a Miracle by, Third Day

22. I Will Not Be Moved by, Natalie Grant

23. I'm For You by, TobyMac

24. Ignite by, Fireflight

25. Keep Me Breathing by, Ashes Remain

26. Lay Me Down by, Chris Tomlin

27. Let's Go by, Group 1 Crew

28. Me Without You by, TobyMac

29. Mighty Fortress by, Jesus Culture

30. My Brain Says Stop, But My Heart Says Go by, FM Static

31. My Stereo by, FM Static

32. No One Like You by, David Crowder Band

33. One Girl Revolution by, Superchick

34. Ooh Ahh by, Grits

35. Perfect People by, Natalie Grant

36. Procrasinating by, Stellar Kart

37. Ready or Not by, Brit Nicole

38. The Real World by, Owl City

39. Reckless by, Jeremy Camp

40. Run To You by, Third Day

41. She Walked Away by, Barlow Girl

42. Shooting Star by, Owl City

43. Showstopper by, TobyMac

44. Sometimes You Can Forget Who You Are by, FM Static

45. Speed Of Love by, Owl City

46. Stronger by, Mandisa

47. Stuck Like Glue by, Sugarland

48. Suitcases by, Dara Maclean

49. Touch The Sky by, Julie Fowlis

50. True Love's Kiss by, Giulia Ottonello

51. Twenty Seven Million by, Matt Redman & LZ7

52. U Don't Know Me Like That by, FM Static

53. Waiting for Tomorrow by, Mandisa

54. We Are The Free by, Matt Redman

55. A Whole New World by, Stellar Kart

56. Noise by, Colton Dixon 

Learning from a Bad Weekend

I finally have internet again! All weekend we were at a lake house without any internet and yesterday, the internet was down at my house, which was so frustrating. It feels good to finally be back! I really hope that you all had an amazing Easter weekend!! Let me tell you a little bit about mine...

Orginally, me, Jon, and Olivia were going to go camping over Easter weekend. However, that didn't work out. Instead, we went away with our friends to a lake house for the long holiday weekend. Like I said, there wasn't any internet or cell phone service. It was the perfect change that we needed from our normal day to day routine, so that we could relax.

I am sad to say that I didn't do a very good job of staying on plan while we were gone.

I should have, because I planned the menu! However, Pinterest got the best of me and I made a lot of recipes that were not Weight Watchers friendly. In addition, as soon as I left my apartment, my vacation mindset kicked in. I felt like I deserved a break from making healthy choices.

I brought healthy snacks for myself, but I did not choose those foods to eat! Instead, I ate what everyone else was eating.

Also, being gone all weekend meant that I was not able to weigh in at Weight Watchers. It always throws me off when I am not able to have an official weigh in with Weight Watchers. Not knowing what I weigh makes me eat like crazy, because I assume the worst (that I have gained weight). Those negative emotions then drive me to eat more than I ever wanted to in the first place!

By the end of the weekend I felt awful! I felt sick to my stomach, because I am not used to stuffing my face like I did. I also felt shame, because I know how to make better choices than I did.

Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know that I am not perfect! I am struggling to lose my baby weight just like the rest of you. I had only been 9 pounds away from my goal weight, but after this weekend, I'm pretty sure I will have more than that to lose.

Now what? I'm going to forgive myself and move on. I'm going back to the basics of the Weight Watchers program: tracking what I eat, drinking water, and exercising. These are just little things, but they will make all the difference for me!

Do you need to get back on track? Did you have a bad Easter? Christmas? Thanksgiving? How much longer will you wait before you start to make healthy choices again?

On a happier note, here are some pictures of my family that were taken on Easter Sunday!

Jon and Olivia after church on Easter Sunday

Me and my baby girl