1000 minutes in January!!!

I can't believe it but I did it! I worked out 1000 minutes last month and at the end of it I was exhausted but proud. What was great about this goal was, on days when I would normally have taken the bus or just taken Rumble downstairs, I walked. I walked 3 miles to and from the downtown office one day, and took Rum for longer walks just to get my time in. My sister also introduced me to yogatoday.com, an awesome website that let's you stream new yoga videos each week.

I've also settled into a pretty good eating plan. I manage between 1600-1800 calories per day and have reduced my "cheat" meals on the weekends. One great thing I tried this weekend was Jimmy Dean's D-light breakfast bowls. I feel like I've had a big breakfast when really I've only taken in a little over 200 calories. I've also stocked up on the fat free yoplait yogurts. I go for one whenever I have a sweet tooth.

I put on a few pounds early in the month and as of today, have lost 1.5 of them. So I am going into February at 156.5.

So my goals for this month. First, another 1000 minute goal. Second, to lose 5 pounds. Third, to begin really training for a 5k. A friend sent me a link to a couch to 5k program that I can download to my ipod (thanks Mana!) so next week I begin training. I've also signed up for a 5k in late March/early April.

So all in all, a really good start to the year. I feel awesome and am excited about my goals. And as always, thanks to everyone for your continued support.

So my goals

319 minutes down - 681 to go

Where to start??? For starters, I'm up 1.5 pounds this week. Other than that, last week went really well. I was back in the gym, cooking at home and bringing my lunch. I also discovered that my goal to work out 1000 minutes this month was way more aggressive than I originally thought. But I'm not going to wuss out - I've just started finding creative ways to work out so I don't kill myself. Long walks with Rumble, yoga, running, weights - every minute helps!

This week has started out well. I made a rockin pot of chili to bring for lunch this week and have been making super yummy salads (grilled chicken, grilled veggies, honey balsalmic dressing YUM) for dinner. I adjusted my sparkpeople.com settings so they were more realistic as well. I'm just not ready to live off 1500 calories a day but I can manage 1700. The weight may come off more slowly but hopefully my progress will be more consistent as well. I've also signed up for yogatoday.com - it's this really cool website that lets you stream one free yoga class per week so I get to try all kinds of new yoga classes - YEA

What else? I think that is it for this week. As always, thank you for your support and wish me luck this week!

Happy New Years!

Overall the holidays were good to me! My travel was easy, I managed to work out (ok only once but hey) and I didn't gain any additional weight! YAY! So I am starting this year off at 156 pounds, three pounds heavier than this time last year.

And today I was back in the gym, bright and early. It wasn't easy - I had gotten used to sleeping in till 8am and starting the morning off slow. Today, I was up at 5:20am (just a little later than I was hoping) and at the gym by 7am. I packed my lunch and bought enough groceries to get me through the week.

I've revamped my goals for this year. Instead of weight loss only goals, I've set up monthly goals that include also include nutrition and fitness. This month, my goal is to work out 1000 minutes. If I get there, my blond hair will be going brown for the winter ;-)

I've also set up some medium and long term goals.

Medium = run a 5k. I signed up for the Race to Wrigley in April.
Long term = lose 20 pounds this year and get myself in shape for my November trip. I found this awesome trip - one full week hiking and kayaking in Hawaii. Add a day or two at the end for some spa treatments and I have a prize worth working towards!!!

All in all, the year is off to a good start. Thanks for sticking with me and as always, for your support!