Color Up 5K

So do you remember that time I said I was done with running?  I might have lied to myself a little. This last weekend I did the color run and had so much fun.  I think I liked it because it was all about having fun and there was no timer which meant no pressure.  I walked most of it and jogged a bit.  I have no idea how long it took me to finish and I don't care.  I finished and that is enough.

Before

 

After

So I guess I am saying that I could see myself doing more fun runs in the future.  

Have you ever done a color run?  What other types of fun runs are there?

Checking In

Hey y'all, I am still here.  I have been super busy at work and at home (family and school) and had to put the blog on the back burner.  I do have some things to share with you all this week and will be back posting starting tomorrow.  Stay tuned dolls and have a happy Monday!

Things My Daughter Has Said

The things kids say sometimes are crazy and random.  It either makes you almost wet your pants from laughing so hard or makes you want to die from embarrassment or slowly back away in fear.  Madelynn has been no exception to this fact.  For your entertainment I give you, Things My Daughter Has Said.

1. "When I grow up I wanna be a singer like Tom Petty."

2.  "Yea, my mom is always on the toilet."

3.  "I wanna be a grocery store girl when I grow bigger."

4.  "If my heart isn't clean then Jesus can't live there."

5.  "I am gonna marry a boy like my dad and they are going to be best friends and play video games."

6.  " Dad, when I get my purple gun I am gonna shoot those birds so they don't poop on our car."

7.  "Hey PopPop don't forget my purple smokes."

8.  " You smell that stinky funk?  I farted."

9. " These are my wrestling clothes, I am Nacho Libre and daddy is esqueleto."

10.  "Can we do a conga line after dinner?"

11. "Because I'm magical"

12.  Talking about her imaginary friend - "Anchor, yea he lives in the North Pole.  Ugh, he emails me all the time."

13.  My mom was describing this really crotchety lady that works at my sister's school and Madelynn pipes up with, "That sounds like my mom!"

14.  "Dad, I wish we had a rocket ship to go to outer space."

15.  "That car is being an idiot! They need to get out of our way!"

I could go on and on and I am sure I have forgotten some of the funnier ones.  I wish I had written them down.  

What are some funny, creepy, or cute things your kids have said?

Goal Oriented

So if you follow me on Facebook you probably saw this on Friday.

Well that came back to bite me in the butt because I did not follow my own advice this last weekend.  It all started to fall apart on Friday after work.  I got off work late around 5:45 p.m. and went to pick my sister up from a friends house.  She was coming to stay with us for the weekend because my parents were going out of town.  So by the time I got her and we went over to my mom's house to get her stuff she realized that she forgot her key.  So my parents had to turn around and let her in and we had to wait.  

By the time we finally got her stuff and I ran my last errand to get a lawnmower part for Brent it was almost 9:00 p.m.  So I stopped and got us pizza and called it a day.  When stuff like that happens I am still struggling with not letting one bad meal carry over into the next few days.  Needless to say my weekend was a mix of not super good choices and not eating enough.

But like I have said many times before I just have to keep going.  So Candra who blogs over at Camo and Lipstick prompted her IG followers (you can follow her @camonlipstick) to set some goals for the week. So here are my goals for the week.

1. Workout 4 times
2. Meet my calorie goal (approx. 2500 cal) everyday
3. Drink water only (no juice or tea)
4. Go to bed by 10 pm every night

My goals are simple and not overwhelming and will help me get back on track.  What are your goals for the week?

Running On Empty

I recently came to the realization that I am not a runner.  Me liking running is never going to happen.  Furthermore, the chances of me growing a pair and actually completing a half marathon this year...

When I am done with my runs I feel like crap.  I hear about this runners high and how you just hit this place where you feel amazing and you cry tears of joy.  {Ummmm yeah, that has not happened to me so I am still counting it as a myth.}  I mean high fives to all those who love running but it ain't for me.

I am signed up for a color run on April 26th and I am still going to honor that commitment but I am not going to kill myself trying to finish it.  I am going to have fun with my friends and run (code for jog) when I can and walk the rest of the way.

  
During my contemplation of running, I also figured out that weight lifting is for me.  I get in there and get 'er done and finish feeling ready to kick ass and take names.  I mean I am exhausted at the end but it empowers me.  So from this point on I am going to focus on weight training with a little cardio sprinkled in the mix.

What types of workouts empower you?

Letting Go of the Secrets

When I started this blog several months ago I wanted to be completely honest with you all.  I won't lie some of the things I have shared (like progress pics in tight fitting clothing) have been hard.  This past weekend I made the decision that I wanted to tell all of my secrets.  As hard as it is to share this information I have to smile through the adversity.

I have decided it is time to share my stats with you all. When I started this journey in August I weighed 344.8 lbs.  My current weight is 313.9 lbs although I have fluctuated between 311-315 for the past 4 months. I started out a size 26/28 and am now wearing size 22/24.  I would really like to get down to a size 18 by the end of the year.  

When I first started I was so ashamed/scared to share my weight because I feared the unknown reaction of the strangers who might come across that info.  Now I don't care because I am doing something about it.  I figured that hiding that number is giving it power over my life and I don't need that in my life.

Since I have struggled the past few months I decided to updated my progress photos and my measurements (I could kick myself for not doing measurements in the beginning).   Below are my updates.

Measurements 1/2/14
Bust - 52.5"
L Arm - 18"
R Arm - 18.75"
Waist - 52.5"
Midway - 53.25"
Hips - 59"
R thigh - 29.5"
L thigh - 27.5"
R knee - 22"
L knee - 20.5"

Measurements 4/5/14
Bust - 52"
L Arm - 17.75"
R Arm - 17.75"
Waist - 50"
Midway - 51.75"
Hips - 57.25"
R thigh - 28.25"
L thigh - 28"
R knee - 21"
L knee - 19.75"

Left, 12/31/13 Right 4/5/14

Left-12/31/13, Right- 4/5/14 (I can see the most difference in my body in this pic)

Left, 12/31/13 Right 4/5/14

Although my weight is essentially the same I have lost 9.25 inches all over my body.  So there ya have it.

What are you letting go of this week?

The importance of music

Finding the motivation to workout is a real struggle for me every week.  With that said, I have to find things that get me pumped to get my sweat on.  My music is definitely a key factor in my workouts.  When I switched phones in December I put some of my music on my phone quickly one day and have been listening to the same handful of tracks for a few months.  Last week I decided I need to sit down and get my music situation straightened out. So this last weekend I bought a few new tracks and added some new music to my phone.    I find that different types of music motivate me differently.  For example, rap/hip hop and hard rock make me want to lift all the heavy things, while music I can sing to (classic rock/pop and newer music) helps me get through my runs.

So I organized a few playlists so I could choose the right music at the right time in order to keep me motivated during my workouts.  I have shared my playlists below (I play them on random so I don't hear the same artist back to back) so you can see what I am listening to and maybe find some music you want to add to your mix.

Playlist #1 - Rap

1. Eminem - No Love
2. Ice Cube - Today was a good day
3. Fugees - Ready or Not
4. Juicy J - Bandz a Make Her Dance
5. Nelly - Shake Ya Tail Feather
6. Rick Ross - Push It
7. Rick Ross - Hustlin
8. Ying Yang Twins - Badd
9. Ying Yang Twins - Shake
10. Nelly - Number One
11. D12 - Purple Pills
12. Nelly - Grillz
13. Youngbloodz - 85/Billy Dee Interlude
14. Youngbloodz - Presidential
15. Young Jeezy - Soul Survivor
16. Young Jeezy - And then what
17. Young Jeezy - I Luv It
18. Ying Yang Twins - Salt Shaker
19. Three Six Mafia - Side to Side
20. Three Six Mafia - Poppin My Collar
21. Three Six Mafia - Stay Fly
22. Snoop Dogg - Drop It Like It's Hot
23. Kanye - Heartless
24. Kanye - Stronger

Playlist #2 - Rock

1. Audioslave - Be Yourself
2. Butthole Surfers - Pepper
3. Carfax Abbey - Cry Little Sister
4. Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
5. Marilyn Manson - Heart Shaped Glasses
6. Marilyn Manson - The Dope Show
7. Black Veil Brides - In the End
8. Nine Inch Nails - Perfect Drug
9. Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box
10. Orgy - Blue Monday
11. Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song
12. Offspring - Gone Away
13. Offspring - Come Out and Play
14. Offspring - Self-Esteem
15. Limp Bizkit - My Way
16. Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams
17. CKY - 96 Quite Bitter Beings
18. Three Days Grace - I Hate Everything

Playlist #3 - 70s, 80s and 90s mix

1. Alice Cooper - I'm 18
2. Billy Squier - My Kinda Lover
3. Bob Dylan - Knockin' on Heaven's Door
4. Bob Seger - Old Time Rock and Roll
5. Bob Seger - Night Moves
6. Bob Seger - Mainstreet
7. Bob Seger - Turn the Page
8. Bob Seger - Her Strut
9. Bob Seger - You'll Accomp'ny Me
10. Boys Don't Cry - I Wanna Be a Cowboy
11. Breakwater - Release the Beast
12. Color Me Badd - I Wanna Sex You Up
13. Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
14. Duran Duran - Reflex
15. Duran Duran - Planet Earth
16. Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
17. Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
18. Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good
19. McHammer - Can't Touch This
20. Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al
21. Peter Gabriel - Shock the Monkey
22. Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
23. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
24. Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
25. Quaterflash - Harden My Heart
26. Queen - Another One Bites the Dust
27. Radiohead - Karma Police
28. Rick James - Super Freak
29. Salt-N-Pepa - Push It
30. US3 - Cantaloop
31. Weezer - Buddy Holly
32. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down
33. Tom Petty - Free Fallin
34. Tom Petty - Mary Jane's Last Dance
35. U2 - Pride
36. Pink Floyd - Another Brick on the Wall
37. Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin
38. Cars - Moving in Stereo
39. Talk Talk - It's My Life
40. A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran
41. Talking Heads - Burning Down the House
42. Tears for Fears - Head Over Heals

Playlist #4 - Newer Music

1. Awolnation - Sail
2. Capital Cities - Safe and Sound
3. Capital Cities - Kangaroo Court
4. David Guetta - Titanium
5. Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body
6. Depeche Mode - Precious
7. DJ Laz - Move Shake Drop Remix
8. Drake - Hold On, We're Going Home
9. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
10. Foster the People - Helena Beat
11. Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
12. Foster the People - Waste
13. Foster the People - Houdini
14. Foster the People - Miss You
15. Katy Perry - Roar
16. Lana Del Rey - Born to Die
17. Lana Del Ray - Radio
18. Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness
19. Linkin Park (Reanimation) - Pts. of Athrty
20. Linkin Park - Faint
21. Little Boots - New in Town
22. M.I.A - Paper Planes
23. M.I.A. - Bad Girls
24. Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis - Thrift Shop
25. MGMT - Electric Feel
26. MGMT - Time to Pretend
27. MGMT - Kids
28. Missy Elliot - Gossip Folks
29. Missy Elliot - Work It
30. Modest Mouse - Float On
31. Nelly Fertado - Maneater
32. NKOTB - Remix (I Like the)
33. Sean Paul - Temperature
34. Shakira - She Wolf
35. The Cardigans - Erase and Rewind
36. System of a Down - Lost in Hollywood
37. 30 Seconds to Mars - Do or Die

What are some songs that keep you motivated during your workout?