First Cold of the New Year

So although I planned to be at the gym yesterday and also on Friday night, I didn't get there. Friday night we were experiencing near blizzard conditions, and I decided that I would just jump on the elliptical here in the basement. (I didn't.)

Yesterday morning, I woke up to a full blown viral infection of some sort with a runny nose and post-nasal drip making my throat sore. By lunchtime, I was experiencing chills and body aches. So I did not go run, ride the bike, jump on the elliptical, or anything else that translates into exercise. And today, I decided to skip church and get more rest in hopes that by tomorrow I will be up to working and going to the gym.

How's your first week going?

The second day of the New Year

Back to work...sigh...and I was just getting used to sleeping in!

I ate well today even though I didn't plan ahead. And I kept my deal with myself to go to the gym even though I was a bit tired. I put in 30+ minutes on the treadmill (including 10 minutes of running in intervals...I have never been a runner), and another hour on the elliptical. No weights today, but I plan to cool off from the spinning class tomorrow night with the arm machines.

Day three of the New Year??? It's gonna be great...now where did I hide the kids' candy canes???

One day at a time to the goal

Having made my weight loss goal, I am now in the lifelong phase of keeping the weight off. It seems to me that the key to being able to keep it off, is to keep a goal ahead of me. Since I am at a healthy weight, my goal has to be based upon something else.

My next goal is to walk the Bloomsday race in May. I have been in Spokane for five years at two different times, which means I've had 10 opportunities to walk/run this race. But I never have. (Okay, so at least two of those 10 times I was far enough along in a pregnancy to make it not as feasible.)

For those of you outside of the Inland Northwest, you just may not know what Bloomsday is. So you may be struggling to understand how walking Bloomsday is my next goal. It is a road race (12 km/7.46 miles). It starts downtown and heads west, winding along the river and then up DOOMSDAY hill, then meanders through the courthouse area and back downtown.

Anyways, it's an almost 8 mile walk/run. I will not be ready to run with the Elites this year, by any stretch. But I am committed to walking it under an hour and a half, perhaps I will even decide to jog most of it and do it under an hour. That hill will kill me, I know, but I'm going to do it.

With today being New Year's Day, the gym at the YMCA was closed. So the kids and I went to the iceskating arena for a Christian Skate Party. Two hours of solid movement in the cold. Hmmmm...I wonder how many calories I burned doing that??? It doesn't really matter. What matters is that I've made the commitment to exercise 5 days a week, and I found a creative way to get it in today even though the gym was closed on my regular day.

What is your goal?? How do you plan to get to it??

STAY ACTIVE: 2 hours iceskating