I think I love running now...

As you know, I've been on a major health/fitness/weight loss kick since January of this year. My workout routine has had a lot of variation over the months to accommodate my hectic school and work schedule as well as my abilities, but I've basically been trying to work out for 30 mins to an hour a day, 3-5 days a week. My strength training routine hasn't changed much in 2 years, but I've been experimenting with different forms of cardio to keep things interesting and figure out what I like. I started off with some amateur hip hop workout videos on youtube, moved on to more intense aerobics/dance videos, got really excited about everything Deanne Berry did for a while, and now I'm on to running with the very popular Couch to 5k program- and through some miracle, running has become my favorite.

I have never, EVER been a runner. In middle school and high school I absolutely dreaded the days that we had to run the mile and would always "run the straights, walk the curves" because i knew there was no way I'd get through it otherwise. I would see the cross country team running after school and question why on earth anyone would put themselves through that willingly while secretly marveling at their ability to run for more than a few minutes. I did begin going to the gym in high school/throughout college and could run fairly successfully on the treadmill, but I openly detested running outside. It was so much harder than running in an air-conditioned gym with your own little tv screen, and you couldn't just step off and quit whenever you wanted- you'd have to walk back to where you started.

There was always a part of me, though, that wished I could be a real runner- one of those people that is not only able to run outside for long periods of time but actually enjoys it. I decided to try couch to 5k simply because a bunch of people I follow on tumblr were talking about it, and I think it was one of the best fitness-related decisions I ever made. I'm not all the way there yet, but I'm actually on my way to becoming a real runner! I look forward to every workout, my endurance and stamina has increased exponentially in just the 5 weeks I've been with the program, and I think/talk about running and how much I like it pretty much all the time.

If any small part of you has any desire whatsoever to get into running, I seriously cannot recommend this program (and the smart phone app which is incredibly useful and only a couple bucks) enough. At the risk of sounding like every single other person who used this program and wrote or talked about it online: if I could do it and end up LOVING running, anyone can have the same results.

I'm halfway through the 9 week program right now, so I still have a few more weeks left but here is what I can tell you about the program and the first few weeks:

From what I can gather, the program is divided into three 3-week segments. The first 3 weeks are designed to basically just get your body used to the act of running without concentrating very much on endurance. The running segments are very short, but if (like me) you aren't used to running at all, they are still difficult. Not difficult enough to be overwhelming, but definitely enough to feel like a valid and challenging workout. The second 3-week segment is designed to transition you from running short periods to being able to run for longer periods. While the first three weeks were focused on getting your body into running-mode, I feel like the second three weeks are much more focused on getting your mind into running mode. By week 4, you are already capable of running but it may still feel difficult and mentally exhausting to push yourself to keep going. I definitely had to spend entire jogging segments during the fourth week convincing myself that I could do it and that I shouldn't quit. Right now I am on the fifth week, which has also been called the hump week or the "oh shit" week. My next run will be a full 20 minute jog that for the first time will not be broken up with walking segments- many people have felt that this week/jog is the big mental challenge of the program and once you are able to complete it the final weeks will feel relatively easy. The final three weeks are designed to simply extend the amount of time you are running (without any walking) until you reach 30 minutes and ideally 3.1 miles.

I'm not going to lie, I did not love running right from the first workout. I enjoyed completing the workouts because I felt like I was making progress and got a huge boost of endorphins each time, but the running itself felt like hell for the first few weeks. To make it easier, I would try to mentally trick myself by thinking over and over, "I love this! This feels soo great, I'm so glad I'm doing this!" while feeling like I was going to throw up and die. Around the beginning of the fourth week, though, something shifted and I no longer felt exhausted a minute or two into each run. I started feeling as though I could keep going at the end of each section and was able to get into a 'zone' where I didn't even think about the fact that I was running, I just ran and let my mind wander. And that's when the real excitement set in- I was running, I wasn't hating it, and I was actually kind of good at it! SO- that is all to say: if you try this program and have trouble pushing through each workout in the beginning like I did, just keep pushing and trying your best and eventually you will experience the same mental switch and begin to feel exhilarated instead of exhausted!


The most amazing thing about the program is the way it is designed really, really works. Many weeks I was so doubtful looking ahead to the next workouts, unsure I would be able to complete them. The first two weeks only have you running 60-90 seconds which sounds like nothing but actually feel exhausting in the beginning! I was terrified of week three, when I would be running 3 minute segments, and even more terrified for week 4 when I would be running 5 minutes at a time. Miraculously, though, the program really does prepare you in advance for each level of difficulty and yesterday I ran two 8 minute segments and barely felt winded! That's a far cry from week three, when I had to seriously struggle to get past the two minute mark.

SO now that I've rambled on for several hundred words about this amazing program, I want to finish by saying that out of all the benefits that running offers- weight loss, muscle tone, stamina, energy, a healthy heart and lungs- the most valuable thing I have received through running and in particular couch to 5k is an amazing amount of confidence. I never thought I would be able to run for 3 minutes at a time without stopping, let alone 20-30 minutes and yet this program helped me prove to myself that I can and that it will be fun, too. It has made me feel physically energized and toned and mentally motivated and strong-willed. If you don't want to run for the physical benefits, the mental benefits are more than enough reason to get started!

Ok, so there's my massive endorsement of the couch to 5k program. If you are at all intrigued by the idea of running, you should absolutely start out with this! Maybe in the next couple weeks I'll do a post about my favorite running/fitness clothes/gear which have made running that much more comfortable and fun :)

<3 Em

Exercise Motivation!

Putting up a poster of some unachievable ideal is NOT one of my tips, but I just thought this picture was so cute!

I've been a bit of a gym rat recently, and it's made me think about and notice some things that can be really helpful in staying motivated. I, like most people, spent most of my years thinking of working out as an unpleasant chore... but by changing the way I work out and adjusting my mindset, it's become one of my favorite things to do! Exercising is so important to our health and it's really something we should all be doing, so if you're having trouble getting motivated, consider some of these tips!

1. Do something you enjoy. Simple, right? If going to the gym bums you out, don't go! Find a different way to get your heart pumping. Take a dance/aerobics/bootcamp/yoga class, go out for a run around your neighborhood, rent a video (there's tons out there, even obscure ones like striptease workouts!), play a sport... there are tons of ways to work out. I personally love the gym equipment and I especially love doing weights workouts, so when I don't feel like going to the gym, I just think about the weights I'll get to do and it makes me happy to go!

2. Find a comfortable environment. I like running on treadmills and ellipticals, but I hate dealing with all the macho douchey boys that seem to live at the UA gym. I'm stuck with it for now, but I made sure my next apartment complex has a fitness center so that I can work out basically at home and usually by myself. Some people like working out amongst lots of other people, but I prefer to do it alone. Do what you like best, and don't settle because if there's anything you don't like about your workout environment, you will probably later use it as a reason not to exercise.

3. Make it entertaining. If the workout itself isn't entertaining enough to distract you from being tired, find something that is. The UA gym has cable tvs attached to every treadmill, elliptical, and bicycle machine- crazy right? So I usually watch an episode of the office or it's always sunny in philadelphia or something while I'm running, and it keeps me entertained. Most people don't have that option though, so make sure to make a good playlist or bring an entertaining book (audio books are great!). If you're bored while working out, you won't enjoy it, and thus you won't want to continue with it. So make it entertaining!

4. Schedule exercising into your daily routine. think about working out as something you need to do, not just something you'll do if you have the time to get to it. Schedule an hour or two into each and every day of the week for working out. If you start looking at exercising as a part of your everyday schedule, rather than something you try to squeeze in if and when there's time, you're bound to be more apt to actually go for it.

5. Enjoy the burn. Everyone knows that exercising comes with pain... the trick is to stop thinking of it as pain and start thinking of it as progress. I've been there, on the treadmill, thinking "this totally sucks, I can't go any further".  But I push myself. I tell myself, "the hell you can't. you CAN do this!" and I sweat, and my calves burn, and my heart races, and my breath quickens... but instead of hating it, I enjoy the sensation of pushing myself to that extreme. Going beyond your comfort zone means that you're learning, you're strengthening, you're progressing. Instead of hating that feeling you get when you're working all your muscles and you just want to quit, enjoy it because it means you're strong, you have willpower, and you are making you body fitter and stronger... not to mention, the feeling when you finally do let yourself quit at the end of the workout is so fricken amazing... and the longer you go without letting yourself quit, the more amazing it is.

6. Make it  hard for yourself to not workout. Keep everything ready, so that there's no reason to not go out and exercise. Keep your workout clothes always folded at the side of your bed. Keep your water bottle filled and in the fridge. Make sure there's always a good playlist or movie or book on your ipod, and keep it charged. If you work out in the morning, set an alarm and don't let yourself hit the snooze button. Let everything in your life allow you to be able to work out and get rid of any possible obstacles.

7. Work out a fitness plan. Going to the gym and not knowing what that hell you are doing is one of the best excuses to leave and not come back. Educate yourself. Know how and what you want to work out and know what kind of cardio you want to do. I'm following a pretty basic self-made plan that combines cardio and weights and works out your abs, chest, back, legs, arms and shoulders. You can check it out here, but I also urge you to construct a plan that works for you. Maybe it's just me, but making plans and lists and outlines excites me... so making a workout regimen makes me doubly excited to work out.

8. Listen to your body. Yeah, this means stop running on the treadmill when you feel like you're going to pass out or throw up... but it also means don't ignore the pains or bubblings or rumblings in your belly after you eat. If I learned anything from eating vegan for a while, it's that your body will tell you what is up. This might not seem like a motivation tip, but it really, really is.  Do me a favor: try to eat only fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and if need be some low fat dairy and meat for a week. after this week, try eating some chips or soda or something else completely devoid of nutritional value... and listen to your body. If you are anything like me, you will not feel good. In fact, you will feel like crap... and this will hopefully make you realize that your body has something to say about this whole healthy living thing. So listen to your body, eat what it wants you to eat... because what it wants you to eat will make you a zillion times more energetic, happy, and excited to work out. Now how's that for motivation for ya?

9. Tell everyone. usually I don't advocate peer pressure, but this can be a good place where it's helpful. Tell your family, your friends, your boyfriend that you're starting this uber cool workout plan and your going to stick with it. If they know you're supposed to do it, not doing it will make you feel guilty... which usually isn't a good thing but in this case it can help you stick to keeping your goals! It can also be especially helpful to invite someone else to come along and workout with you. I prefer working out alone, but having a friend who is depending on working out with you every day is a sure-fire way to keep you going.

10. Last but not least, cut yourself some slack. No one wants to work for a hardass, so you're not going to want to work out if you're too hard on yourself. set reasonable goals for yourself and slowly set them higher as your skills improve. give yourself one or two days a week where you don't need to workout, or swap a couple workouts for fun activities like hiking or swimming. The most important tip I can give you is that working out should be FUN, so don't push it to the point that you aren't having fun anymore. This is something you're doing for YOU because you LOVE yourself... so don't turn it into a chore or a punishment. Kick your own butt, but in a nice, self-assuring way. get it? :)

Happy working out, all. If you have any work-out motivation tips of your own, be sure to put them in the comments! We (especially me) are always in search of things to keep our hearts pumping and legs working :)

So I know I already said this yesterday, but...

I am sooo beat! I've totally been kicking my butt at the gym this week. I feel like every single muscle in my body is tired or sore... but it feels really great, in a weird way. I really need to start going to the gym early in the morning though, because lately I've been going around 6 or 7 at night and then I get home and just want to crawl into my pjs and get into bed and not leave for many, many hours. I think if I go during the morning not only will I be more energized, there will be fewer annoying douchebag guys in there. People who work out early early in the morning are there just to work out and don't care about impressing anyone else... and that's exactly what I want :)

me, incredibly, incredibly tired from all this crazy working out and school stuff. blegh, ready for vacation!!

So Stewart's mom came down yesterday and left today, and as usual when hanging out with members of stewart's family, it was an interesting experience. Not that they aren't all lovely people, but his mom's side of the family are all conservative christians and I'm a liberal who believes that religion doesnt have a 'right' or 'wrong' way to be practiced- a sentiment most of them downright refuse to believe. I'm still perfectly pleasant, but there always seem to be at least one or two instances where I have to hold my tongue and just smile and nod. I'm happy that Stewart turned out the way he did- or else I probably never would have ended up dating him haha.

The whole reason she was down here, though, was to help us check out some houses around Tucson. Stewie and I are hoping to move out of our crappy messy apartments and find a nice, quiet, little house where we can be in more control over how things go down. Stew's mom is thinking of maybe buying a foreclosed 3 or 4 bedroom house that we like and then while we're living there we can rent out the other rooms and pay less on rent ourselves. Or, we might just rent a cheap 1 bedroom on our own. Both sound like good ideas- if we got roommates, stewie and I could interview them and make sure we like them, and if we just live by ourselves I can feel confident that no ridiculous messes are going to be made, rent is going to get paid on time, and I'm not going to have to share the kitchen or living room with anyone else. Besides stewart, of course :)

We basically looked at houses all of today and it was pretty fun seeing them... some of them were ridiculously messed up though! I guess thats what we get for the price range we were looking at... but I'm talking like holes in the walls, decaying exposed floorboard, and trash all over the place. Blegh. I went home feeling like I wanted to take a shower- similar to the feeling you get after rifling through a goodwill outlet store (one of the ones where they don't wash the stuff first, they just roll it out in bins).

A couple looked pretty good though, and as I was looking at the homes (and their fenced in backyards) I got really excited about getting a pet besides my pet beta fish, zia! I would love to have a little puppy or kitty of my own to take care of... although I know it will probably take a lot of time and money to get to a place where I can support one. Still, it's nice to dream.

Well it's getting to be pretty late (haha, 9:20... I'm getting to be such an old fogey), so I think I'm just going to curl up in bed and watch a good show on netflix or hulu... hooray for no class tomorrow!!! I couldn't be happier. Harry Potter weekend, here I come! lol.

Lots of love!!
Em

My Workout Routine

Me all ready to go work out... blegh I need
new workout clothes! Xmas list for sure :)

This post is going to be a comprehensive week-long workout routine. I'm posting it mostly for me, so that I can write down everything I want to do and make sure I stick to a schedule, but any of you are welcome to read it and use it too if you don't already have something you like- feel free to leave me some of your own tips, too! I'm definitely not a workout connoisseur. 

So, this post will have three parts. Part one will be a weekly schedule that's sweet and simple without any lengthy definitions. Part two will be a list of different weight training techniques to work out each body part mentioned in the schedule. Part three will be explanations of each particular weight training technique mentioned in the list, so that if I (or you) don't know/can't remember what to do for a certain workout, we can remind ourselves! Alright, lets get going :)