I DID IT!

On January 20, 2013, I completed my first half marathon...at Disneyland (of course)!   A little slower than I would have liked but still a huge accomplishment of which I am extremely proud!

 

our group

hubby1 and me

 

mine and girl1's finish times

in search of a healthier me....part 8

It's fun to look at old blog posts.   This morning I realized that I started the quest for a  healthier me in June, 2009.   It really doesn't seem like it's been that long.   I'm happy to report that I have lost almost 40 pounds in a very slow, but life changing way.   I have made small changes and when they have become routine, I have added another healthy change.   

In 2009, I was obese.....hurt all the time...and made excuses for not exercising.
In 2012, I am 4 pounds away from a normal BMI (although my doctor says that I am healthy and that BMI is just a number to be used as a guideline not a rule).

In 2009, I could walk a 24 minute mile.
In 2012, I run an 11:35 minute mile.

In 2009, the thought of completing a 5K was terrifying.
In 2012, I am 65 days away from running my first 1/2 marathon and am VERY excited about it.  (My second 1/2 will be about 30 days after the first..woohoo!)

In 2009, my family thought it was cute that I was working out..."good for you"
In 2012, my family and many of my friends are engaged in regular exercise programs.   Several are running the 1/2 marathon with me.    All of this without nagging....they saw what being healthier did in my life and decided to make some changes for themselves.

Gotta say...it's been an incredible 3 1/2 yrs!

in search of a healthier me...pt 6

It's been awhile since I've posted about my search for a healthier me and I'm happy to report that I have continued to exercise regularly and try to eat better.   I've lost a total of 28 pounds since starting this adventure 16 months ago.   I feel great and I think that's more important to me than any number.

I have continued using the EA Sports More Workouts (and would recommend it to everyone) and this weekend, I added the 'couch to 5K (C25K)' plan to my workout.   I am utilizing the "get running" app to help me reach my goal of being able to run a 5K.   I haven't signed up for any race ....I just want to see if I can do it.  

I've completed two of the workouts and was pleasantly surprised at how easy they seemed.   Basically, for the first week, you start out running for 1 minute and walking for 1.5 minutes.   You repeat this 8 times during the workout.    Each week, you increase the amount of time you spend running and decrease the walking time.  By the end of 9 weeks, you should be able to run for 30 minutes.

I'll keep you posted...

in search of a healthier me -- part 5

Actually, we've now decided to search for healthier mii's.    My friends and I are tired of turning on the wii fit and having our little mii look all cute and thin and then BAM!! a front butt appears while the wii board says "that's overweight!"   So we've formed a facebook group and we're holding each other accountable to fitness goals.  Everyone has set their own workout routine and checks in once a day.

Some of the gals decided to post before pics.  I'm always up for a good laugh, so here's what I posted.

January 2009....excited that there's a celebration just for me.

June...about 4 days before I got serious about exercising.

January 2010....after losing 24 pounds and 2 pants sizes.

Excited to find my "normal mii."