Young and Thin

I ran the other day with my 15-year-old niece. It was quite the ego boost for me. She is young, 5'8" tall, a size 4 and looks like a human Barbie Doll...just gorgeous. But the girl can't run a lick! After talking/teasing her quite a bit about hitting the track with me (and hearing every reason why she couldn't run in front the football team), she reluctantly agreed. We, (aka me) ran 2 miles. She kept up for the first 1/4 mile and then flaked out on me. I decided that even though she is nearly 25 years my junior, I'm pretty happy about where I am. Again, fitness is a committment at any age. If you let your kids see you leading an active lifestyle, they are probably more likely to follow your lead (my 5 and 2 year olds do situps and pushups with me...it is really cute!) Feeling 'your age' can be determined by a ton of factors and I think I'd rather be fit and 40 (or close to 40) then ever be 15 again.

Week 1 down!

One week down!

It was hard work! The FAC really makes you work those muscles! My arms and shoulders till hurt from yesterday but I think I need to do more abs and back. Ran my 5 miles this morning in the nasty humidity and not a hint of a breeze but it's done. The weekends are my off days so I'll post more next week. Have a good weekend!

Practice with someone better than you

Huge shout out to Capt. Bryan Lewis this morning! Bryan is with the 315th AW is training for the Marine Corps Marathon, and after talking smack about our skills we decided to run together today. His pace is probably about a minute faster than mine. Well I didn't want to look like a shmuck, so I kept up. WOW! It was a great run--and all along I experienced the 5 stages from my article the Psychology of Running--but in the end I finished 4 miles with him and felt a new sense of accomplishment. If you're looking to step up your routine than find a buddy that is slightly ahead of you. Did you know that SJ has a runners group-- and they are at all stages of trng. That's a great start if you're looking for some people to help motivate, encourage, jump start oand/r excel your training!

Day 1- Diagnostics

After a night of tossing and turning I started my 1st day of this fitness plan with a 3 1/2 mile run. Had a protein shake, worked and then met Brandon at the gym during lunch. Time for measurements. This is where I stand as of 19 July 10:

weight- 135

neck- 12in

chest-35in

waist-26in

hips- 39in (gag!)

arm- 8.5in

calf- 13in

After all of that measuring we did a heart rate and flexibility test. My resting heart rate was 64, my 1 min step test heart rate was 92 and my 1 min recovery heart rate was 68. Cardio is good! My sit and reach was past my toes which is good! He then built me a folder of my personal goals, stats (complete with graphs!) and my "plan". I go back to see him in 4 weeks for measurements to see where I am.

I didn't get a chance to do chest and back today so tomorrow will be double duty with that in the morning and legs/abs after work. Also I get to see what my bodies metabolic rate is. Meaning Brandon has a machine that will tell me how many calories my body naturally burns doing nothing so we can determine with my work outs and that just how many calories I should be eating each day in 6 small meals.

Alright, I've laid it all out there......Wish me luck!

Today's post is about changing up your routine a bit...whether it be changing your workout slightly or just simply changing your music and scenery. Today I ran in the city. It makes the run more interesting having new sights to look at. I also added some Shakira to my iPod and I was really digging her beat today. Played one song about 4 times! I figure I ran about 4 miles today, but not 100 percent sure. Again with new sights to look at, and new sounds and smells to take in, it really made the time go by quickly. Plus there is very little humidity where I am-- and that was refreshing compared to our NC weather!

My First Blog

Okay, don't know how to start, so, I'll jump right in....Two weeks away from my 41st birthday. I plan on making this my healthiest year yet. I've already signed up to run the 10k portion of the Air Force Marathon in September, that's step one. Hopefully in October I can run the Army 10-Miler, and then be ready for my fitness test in November. I'm not in terrible shape, I can pass my fitness test, but, I want to do more than pass, I want it to feel like any other workout, I don't want it to kick my butt. I'm starting P90X today, and I've only heard great things about that program. I've done the pre-workouts on the video, and, dang, that's a workout!! I need to step up my running program, I've been a little lax the last few months. So, my goal right now is to create a work out plan, one that is reasonable with the demands of my life.

Last day before "the plan"

Sunday July 18... last day of eating what I want when I want. Part of my goal is to eat healthier. I know I've gained some weight around my hips and tomorrow will tell the true tale. Running 4 miles in the morning then hitting the gym at lunch for measurements and my work out plan.

Interval trng kicked my butt today. I've never done it before, but was told this is how time is shaved off your overall time. I typically run 3 miles twice a week and today tried to throw in sprints of about 50-85 yards every quarter of a mile. Talk about a workout! It was hard! SJ has a running clinic and I've heard great things about it. I might try that this fall, but for now, at least twice a week I'll try this type of trng. On Mondays I just run 5 miles in prep for the AF Marathon 10K!

First post ever

Okay.... so here we go. This is my first blog ever as well. As Major Mann said we were energized by visiting with Brandon Johnson in the FAC. I currently run and my waist isn't an issue but as time has worn on, I will be 38 this year, my strength just isn't there. I currently can not do 1 (yes I said 1) push up coming to a complete 90 degree angle. So, my goals: Loose 2-3 inches on hips/thighs, decrease run time by 30 seconds, do 18 pushups (my min is 14 and I won't settle for that), and max sit ups in the correct form. I am not training for the PT test. For me this is a body changing event. I am slender but not tone at all. I want definition. I meet with Brandon on Monday for all my measurements that I will post (gulp, laying it all out there) and he is building a training plan for me. Good luck to my fellow ladies. We CAN do it!

Here we go!

So this is my first blog post ever! But in order to reach the masses, and make a difference, I guess you have to be willing to communicate using various methods. Yesterday was amazing. We met with Brandon Johnson at the Health and Wellness Center and learned a lot about improving our fitness. I turn 39 this year, consider myself to be in good physical shape (now), and I am 5'7" (I'll tell you my weight once I weigh myself). My goals are simple for my PT test in November: lose 1.5" off my waist measurement (in April they measured me at 33.5), shave 30 seconds off my runtime to make 12 mins and improve my push-ups. They stink. I'll keep you posted on things I learn along the way to make these goals. Wish me luck!