It's a Dance Party!

Do you remember those high school and junior high years when you went to dances and had a blast?  I would dance with my friends, have a great time, and then head home and crash because I was exhausted.  Well, I go to a dance every Wednesday night, have a blast with my friends, and then head home exhausted.  The only exception is that there are no cliques and the usual HS drama :)

Picture this....The lights are low, your friends are all there, the music is really loud and everyone is singing along.  You dance like there is no tomorrow, but no one is paying attention to how you dance...You just dance.  Doesn't this sound like fun?  It is, and it is called ZUMBA.  I mentioned this in a past post, but every Wednesday, I take a zumba class at Pointe of Grace.  The owner of the dance studio, Kim, is the instructor and she is so much fun.

So, the question is, if I am training for a 5k, then why am I doing zumba?  Well, the question has a few answers.  The first answer is quite simple and honest. 

1. I think that running is, quite simply...boring.  Ok, I can hear my friends Kira and Brie gasping in shock that I just said that out loud.  I think that you have to be a very special person to love running, but I am not that special...lol.  When I do zumba, I pay more attention to the music and movements than I do the clock.  And, believe it or not, I actually laugh, joke, and even smile while I zumba.  It is quite simply....fun! 
2. I tend to work harder at zumba. When I jog, my heart-rate stays in the 140-150 range, and I jog for approx 30 min. When I do zumba, my heart-rate stays in the the 160-180 range for a constant 60 minutes.

So, the next question is....why am I training for a 5k if I don't like jogging?  Well, again, there are two answers to this.

1. While I am working to make myself healthier, I need a goal.  A 5k is a simple goal that can be easily attainable for anybody, however it pushes me.
2. This time around, we are working towards running the 5k together as a family - minus my husband who works really long hours and thinks I'm crazy. So, as a family, we go outside and spend time together. In my past post, you should notice that we have a blast doing this.

The only time that I really can do zumba is Wednesdays and some Saturday mornings.  So, I have tweeked my 5k training schedule.  It looks like this:

• Mon - 5k training
• Tues - REST
• Wed - Zumba
• Thurs - REST
• Fri - 5k training
• Some Sats - Zumba
• Sun - REST

This works for me, and I am still increasing my endurance.  So, find what works for you.  I would love to hear what works for you too.

Have a GREAT day!  One foot in front of the other or dance like there's no tomorrow.  Either way, you accomplish the same thing.

Week 2

Week 2: "Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes." Couch to 5k Program

I had to take a week off due to a very bad cold I had last week.  It felt like my lungs were literally on fire and I had no voice for 4 days.  So, back on the horse today.  Today, I started on Week 2 and got my kiddos involved.  The kids had today off so we had girl scouts, making messes, and more playing on the agenda, but by 4:00, I thought, "What are we doing inside?  It is gorgeous out!"  So, we all went outside and played.  We also did "training".  It was fun and the kids loved it.  It was nothing special and we didn't have to go anywhere special.  We just ran/jogged/walked up and down my driveway repeatedly.  The kids were obviously faster than me, but we just high-fived each other as we passed one another, and the babies had a blast trying to decide who to run after.

Most importantly, we had fun!

By the way, I've decided that on my Wednesday training day, I will be doing an hour of zumba.  I feel like I'm still getting the cardio, and I'm switching it up a bit.  Can't hurt, right?

Ok, remember, one foot in front of the other!

Zumba or Bust!

After my training day on Tuesday, I decided to be ambitious and go back to zumba on Wednesdays.  I am hooked.  It is fun to dance (or at least attempt to dance) to really great music.  Before you know it, the class is over and you are sweating up a storm.

I love to go to Pointe of Grace because the instructors are great and fun.  Plus, the people that take the class are regular people just there to have fun and make themselves healthier.  Kim, the owner of the studio, was my instructor on Wednesday and she did something fun that I had never seen done before.  She turned the lights off (mind you, this is at 6:00pm), but there was a lonely light in the middle of the studio and Christmas lights over both of the mirrors in the front and the back of the room.  At first, I thought she was crazy, but then I realized she is a genious!  Whenever I went before, I would always stare at myself in the mirror and the bad self talk would start. "Man, look how fat you are compared to the others".  "Look at that jiggle".  "How did you ever let yourself get that way?".  I would still have fun in the class, but I was always comparing myself to others and comparing myself to what I "should" be. 

So, when Kim turned off the lights, I was intrigued.  I wasn't looking in the mirror at myself.  I wasn't even looking at the other people and comparing myself to them.  I was focused on the moves, making sure I could keep up in the dark, and having fun.  Honestly, I think I worked harder in that workout than I had any other time I had gone.  It was a blast!  My daughter takes dance classes there every Wednesday, so I have committed to go there every Wednesday for zumba.  I need to set aside some time for me.

Because I pushed it a bit more at zumba the night before, I woke up yesterday extremely sore, and because I didn't do the normal rest between training, I decided to give my body a rest yesterday.  I will do my 30 minutes of training today.  Tomorrow morning, I'm going to freeze my butt off and run/walk a 5k that my church is putting on.  I'm not even close to being in shape for it, but I really want to see where I'm at so that I have something to compare it to at the 5k on April 27th.

Now, what got me started on this journey last year was reading a blog about a lady named Katie who started walking and then running, to lose weight.  I figured that if she could do it, then I could do it to.  Her blog is honest and encouraging.  In the middle of the year, she started training for a Ragnar relay in Florida with 11 other people that had lost over 100 lbs.  The race happened this past weekend and will be a documentary called "From Fat to Finish Line".  They were also featured on the Today show yesterday.  Here is the link to the Today show piece.  One of my favorite quotes was from Rik who said, "Just put one foot in front of the other."  That is a great mantra to live by.

So, until tomorrow, "Just put one foot in front of the other".

5k or Bust - A do-over

    It has been quite a while since my last post.  I would like to say that since then, I've lost 100 pounds, I've run a marathon, and I can bench press 150 pounds.  In all honesty, I haven't run since May, I've gained 20 pounds, and I can lift two toddlers at once.  However, I am proud to say that I have found a love for zumba.  I don't do it as often as I would like, but I honestly think that it has helped keep my cardio up. 

    That brings me to now.  I want to do another 5k (without getting sick this time), and I want others to do it with me.  Through this journey, I've realized that ANYONE can run, jog, walk, or crawl.  We just have to do it.  As a solution, my children's school PTO will be hosting a 5k on April 27th and we are trying to get families out there with us. 

    Has anyone been watching this season's "Biggest Loser"?  I'm super impressed that they are trying to combat childhood obesity.  That topic is always on the forefront of my mind as I am trying to teach my children good eating habits verses picking up on my bad eating/exercising habits.  So, as my 9 year old daughter and I were discussing this upcoming 5k, she told me that she had made two New Year's resolutions for this year. 1) Train with me for the upcoming 5k and run it in April. 2) After the running, train on bikes for the 42 mile route in the El Tour de Tucson in November.  This will give us something to train for and work towards all year long.  I realize that for me, I am the one that seems to hold my children back.  This time, I won't allow that to happen.

     Back to this 5k run in April.  One thing I am super excited about is teaming up with the schools' PE teacher to prepare the kids for this run.  On the parent side, the principals are putting training schedules from the Couch to 5k program on their newsletters to parents.   My hope is that parents and children will work together to increase their fitness levels and have fun while doing it.

     So where does that leave me?  I started my training today.  5 minutes of brisk walking, alternate between 60 sec of jogging/90 sec of walking for 20 minutes.  It is hard taking that first step, but I did it.  This time around, I'm not really going to focus on losing weight, although that would be a great consequence.  My goal is to have fun with my daughter while conquering those goals that she layed out for us. 

     By the way, I invite any and all people, to do this with me...wherever you are.  We can all support one another.  So, if you are doing this with me, please comment here or on my facebook, send me a note or call me, I would love to hear.

Ok...Ready, Set, Go!

A Difficult Decision

I will not be running my race tomorrow, and I did not come to that decision lightly.  I feel that this is the best decision for me and for those around me.

Last Sunday, my youngest son started the family out with the flu bug.  It lasted 2 days.  Tuesday night, my oldest son came down with this same bug.  It hit him hard, and he is struggling from it.  Well, low and behold, yesterday afternoon, I started with the bug.  Thankfully, it didn't last long with me like it did with my boys.  However, I am still having a problem drinking and eating.  To give an example, I am literally down 9 lbs in one day!  As much as I would like to say it is my hard work, I have to say it is that I am not hydrated enough.

So, up until tonight, I was actually planning on going to my race.  Whatever this bug is, it is nasty and is hitting many families in our school district.  The school and the district have sent out formal letters saying that this is highly contagious and to stay home 48 hours after the last symptom.  I don't want to risk anymore people getting this and I don't want to not have fun tomorrow.

Thus, I have made the decision not to race.  However, I actually did my first 5k last week.  I just didn't race to accomplish it, and Kira is my witness that I did it.  I will not quit here...I will look for another race to be had.  I also signed up for groupon for Zumba classes today.  I am super excited for that especially during the heat of the summer.

Trial Run

These pictures were taken last Thursday, April 12th. I am trying to make sure I take pictures at least once a month. I am starting to get more people mentioning how good I look and asking me how much weight I have lost. Well, I am still at only 15 lbs. I am telling people that, right now, I am not losing weight, I am redistributing it. My shape is changing.

This is my least favorite view, but my butt is my "largest assett" and it needs to be shown in hopes that it shows that it is shrinking.

All last week, I was nursing my knee, but because I didn't want to lose my endurance, I have been walking. Well, these pictures were taken after a 2 mile "walk" in 38 min. It was not easy. Kira kicked my butt. I always feel amazing after I excercise, though. My knees and feet were really hurting the next day so I just rested.

Friday night, I texted my girlies and told them I was going to do a trial run on my 5k. My 5k is on Saturday and I was getting really nervous about it. I wasn't sure I was able to do it. So, I decided to face the fear right then. So, Saturday morning, Kira and I went out at 7am (she started alot earlier because she ran to our starting place - show off :) ) and started my 5k trial run.

Kira and I discussed starting out the first mile strong with a run, walking the second mile, and ending strong on the 3rd mile. The first mile went great and I got into a good rhythm. I even pushed it to the end and dry heaved on the side of the road. Brie says that is the mark of a true runner...being able to puke on the side of the road. Just for fun, I checked my heart rate and it was up to 150 beats/minute. The second mile, we slowed it down and walked. That was my favorite part since I like chatting so much. Then, the third mile, I was at the point of calling Kira bad names in my head. She is really a good friend and "coach" and I am thankful for her patience with me. Nevertheless, in the end, I completed my first 5k and my time was 1 hour and 2 minutes.

My goal for Saturday is to run and keep running as far as I can and finish in UNDER one hour.

The next "trial run" I need to talk about is getting rid of dairy in my diet. Last week, I was watching Dr. Oz and he talked about milk alergies and sensitivies. He mentioned that an asstounding 60% of people have a dairy senstivity or alergy. My ears perked up when he mentioned some of the symptoms.... weight gain, lack of weight loss, joint pain, migrains and headaches, IBS, etc. I have been suffering from joint pain in the last year and have had many of the other symptoms. So, I decided to try the 3 week Anti-Alergy Diet. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/anti-allergy-diet

So far, it is going great. I'm really not seeing any difference right now, but I am starting to realize how much crap is in the food we eat. I am having to read every label. Some breads have milk, some don't. It is found in canned foods and even deli meats! Who would have thought that? I was making tacos the other day and was about to put my favorite taco seasoning in. I looked at the ingredients, and it contains whey! Goodness!

I will keep you updated on how it goes. I'm taking it a bit easy this week with my running, in preparation for Saturday. I will post pics and details. Keep up all of your good works. I love hearing your own stories. Please spread the love to others too.

Perspective

Where is Tatiana?  That is a good question.  To put is quite simply, I have been avoiding my blog and thus avoiding hard things I don't really want to look at.  So, lets look into what I have been doing these last couple weeks.  First off, I need to say...I HAVE NOT QUIT. 

     A couple of weeks ago, I was hitting a great stride.  Actually, it was two weeks ago today that I was out running and I ran 25 minutes straight or a mile and a half straight.  It fellt so good.  So, on my off day, I went out and worked on putting my garden in.  Same for Wednesday.  Let me tell you, if you want to strengthen the back of your legs, put a garden in.  My hamstrings killed!  Well, I don't know what happened, but it caused my left knee to really hurt and swell a bit.  Last week, the swelling went down, but it still hurt.  It hurt to walk, but it hurt even more to run on it.  So, I haven't run.  BUT I have kept walking.  In fact, Brie mentioned before I got injured, that I needed to lengthen my running stride to go a bit faster.  So, I decided to try that with walking.  I openned my hips and let my legs take me around the park.  I was amazed!  I cut my .4 mile lap time down by 2 minutes! 

     So, this brings me to today.  I am itching to get out an run, but still my knee feels weak and it still hurts.  I still went out and walked, though.  I called it my therapy session.  I love Kira and Brie because they help me think through situations without trying to forcibly tell me what to do.  Kira walked with me while Brie watched the older kiddos.  I started to cry a bit while talking to Kira.  I'll admit it.  I'm mad.  I am mad at myself for getting hurt.  I am mad that I have a race 2 weeks away and I don't know how I will manage it.  I am mad because I wanted to run the whole thing and I know I could have, but now I will have to walk some/ maybe even all of it.  I am mad that I like to eat and my weight and lack of weight loss seems to show it. 

     Kira tried to put a few things into perspective for me.  The biggest thing was that my race was not an end all.  It was a goal to accomplish, but sometimes goals need to be adjusted.  My goal was to run the whole race on April 21st, but now my goal is to run/walk the race and FINISH it in under an hour.  This is allowing me to make a new goal....find a race in October (any time before that would be too hot in So AZ) and run the whole thing with a new time goal.  Second, my next goal this week is to work on my food choices.  Also, I have lost 15 pounds but have seemed to plateau already.  BUT I wish I could possibly count how many people have come up to me saying how good I look lately.  My body shape is changing.  My calves are starting to get a little definition and my large butt does not wiggle as much any more.  I need to change how I see myself.

     Thank you to my family and friends who give me so much support.  I haven't written for so long for fear of letting people down.  I was letting myself down so I didn't want to let anyone else down as well.  BUT I'm changing my perspective.  I'm changing my goals.  And, you know what?  It is ok.