I'm back in action!

Lately, I haven't been running at all. Last weekend was my first 3/4 mile run in over a month and it took me 8m. 44s. to complete. A bit slow from my normal mile time. I don't know why but I'm just so down on the whole exercise thing sometimes. I feel like my interest in physical fitness is always at like 95%, but my motivation ranges from 0-100%. I need to work on that.

Today, I had NO intention of running. I didn't even think I was going to take a walk longer than it took my son to get some fresh air, but I did. And I feel great.

It was around 6p.m., after dinner, and I was not wanting to study anymore, so I cleaned him up and stuck him in the jogger, and headed to the fair grounds to do some laps. I like this idea a lot, running/walking at the fairgrounds, because then I can see my goal directly in front of me, know exactly how much more I have to do to reach my goal, and there are always people there to push me to go harder and faster.

That's what happened today. There was a big crowd at the fairgrounds and when I got in the gated off area, I just took off. I really didn't think that I was going to run, but I just felt the urge and desire! I made it one full lap, and about 1/8 into the next one, when my brain was pounding. It was 90 degrees out and I am out of shape. Either way, I am proud of my effort. I feel a bit spastic in my movements but I think that has something to do with this AWESOME body weight work out I did while Jr. played in the grass on the side of the hill.

My resistance training:

4 sets of 6 situps with legs crossed in the air, arms at side. Hold the 6th, and breath out for 6 seconds.
10 squats
10 burpees
25 jumping jacks

repeat 8 times.

That equals:
192 situps (i did 8 extra, just to reach my goal of 200)
80 squats
80 burpees
200 jumping jacks

 #Ripped. #Tight. #Soretomorrow.

While I was taking the time to do this on the side of the track, I saw a heavier girl walk around once, then the second time I saw her, she was running. IN my head, I was just screaming, GO GO GO, and I am sure she could tell by the big smile I had on my face. Way to go. Don't let the ones that are passing you, get in your way, or prevent you from moving forward. Get out there. Every little bit counts, even my 3/4 mile.

Anyways, I followed up with some glutamine, vitamin C and inositol when I got home. I did 1/2 a scoop of Chai Vega, and now I am about to hit the rack for some well deserved, severely needed SLEEP. Your body NEEDS time for recovery. Today, though, was amazing. I had a complete RUNNERS HIGH!!!

Good night, runners. Seeya on the flip side.

...Amelia...

FITNESS: A beginner runner with one goal.

I am Amelia and I am a beginner runner. My goal is to become LEAN!!

 9 months ago, I had a baby, and I came out of the hospital weighing 174lbs, a sight I hope to never see again in my entire life. I was overjoyed with my son, yet dismayed how my body had handled the pregnancy (or rather, how I handled the pregnancy....oreos are not my friend anymore.)

Saggy boobs, stretch marks and 50lbs of extra fat made looking in the mirror a night mare and finding clothes to fit and make me feel good a chore. So, for the past 9 months I have been working my ass off (literally) to get back into my bangin' body that I had when I was 20. Honestly, it was about 3 months ago that I really honed in on my diet, physical fitness, and lifestyle, so I wasn't completely honest, but due to stress and other things in life, I couldn't devote my time to being healthy until now.

Currently, I weigh a nice and healthy 132-138lbs...I always get different answers on different scales, so I think I am going to stick with the heavier weight to make the weight loss that much more amazing! This pic was taken last weekend, and honestly, I feel HOTT, but now all I can think about is LEAN!!!

I started reading about running and how it has so many wonderful benefits, not to mention it's 100% free, which is nice cuz I'm a broke college kid. My mom always warned me that running kills your knees...blah blah blah, but it finally hit me that I have to try it out myself to see if I like it.

In my youth,  i hated running because I was bad at it and mostly because I never thought I could do it. I was overweight, teased by my gym teacher and made to look like a lazy fat kid. Now, as a 22yo getting ready to embark on an adult life, I want to embrace my body as a temple and never say "can't" again.

Bart Yasso is kinda like my go to running guru. He is the CEO of Runner's World Magazine and he tweets so often about how to improve your running skills, that I just couldn't not try it any longer!!

The thing that really kick started my training was a pic of my big brother, Paul and his friends and wife running in a 5k, without even training. Now, he did play soccer for his entire youth, but come on! No training at all??? My sister-in-law invited me to a health fair at their community village and one thing was a 5k, so I decided to commit to doing it and get motivated.

I found a plan to help train for a 5k in 1 month, even though I have about 5 weeks until the event, but it gave me an extra week to start even slower and see where I was on a fitness scale. Turns out I can run a mile under 11 minutes, which knocked my socks off, to be honest!!

So, here is my training schedule for this week:

pre week:
Monday: walk 3, run 7, walk 1 run 7 walk 3 @ a pace of 5 on the treadmill
Tuesday: fluidity bar work out  intermediate (cross training)
Wednesday: walk 3, run 10, walk 3 run 10 walk 3
Thursday: fluidity bar work out intermediate or swimming (cross training)
Friday: walk 3 run 10 walk 1 run 10 walk 3
Saturday: fluidity bar work out intermediate (cross train) or maybe a rest day
Sunday: rest day

I will do everything in my power to stick to this schedule, if not, i will come back and cross the things out I didn't do.

So, all of you out there who do not think you can start a running schedule....Shut up and just do it...

Oh, and go by yourself a pair of Nike free 2+. Seriously the best running shoe ever. EVER.

<3