New Workout DVD, Resolutions, and Books

1. I tried a new Jillian Michael's workout dvd yesterday and today that I really like. I checked it out from the library on Tuesday. It's her Shred It With Weights. You're supposed to use a kettlebell, but you can use a weight if you don't have a kettlebell. 

2. One of my New Year's Resolutions is officially done! My 2011 family blog book came in the mail today! Here's a couple pictures of it. It made my day to actually see and hold all the hours of work I had done in my hands. 

3. I'm getting my cycling certification tomorrow through AFAA (another one of my resolutions this year). I'm excited, but also a little sad that I'll have to skip my long run tomorrow. :( I'll be there all day. I could get up really early to run beforehand, but I'm not sure how hard the class is going to be, so I'm saving my legs for the class. It better not be really easy or I'll be bummed. 

4. I made these really yummy pumpkin spice granola bars last night. I'm going to be mean and make you wait until Wednesday's Eat of the Week post to share the recipe though. 

5. I finished another book. Running On Empty. I enjoyed it, and now I'm excited to watch the movie about it. I put it on hold at the library, so now I'm just waiting for it to become available. There's a few other running books on my reading list, but I think I'm going to take a break from running books for awhile and read something else. 3 running books in a row is enough for me for awhile. I tried reading the Hunger Games last year and gave up after 1/2 a chapter, but I think I'm going to try them again for my next book. 

Have you read the Hunger Games? Did you like them? 

What's your favorire home workout dvd? 

My favorite is probably still 30 Day Shred, but I like all of Jillian's workout dvds that I've tried so far. 

What's the last book you read, or the next book on your read list? 

Runners and Non-Runners Should Read This Book!

I just finished reading Kristin Armstrong's book, Mile Markers, and I loved it. It was funny, uplifting, and inspiring. I kind of want to read it again now. It's due back at the library next week, but I'll share a few snippets of her writing here before I turn it in. I'm also going to add her blog to my blogroll. (She keeps a weekly blog on Runner's World called Mile Markers.)

I Get To:

One of my favorite chapters in her book was the one on gratitude. In one of her posts titled "I Get To," she talked about her ultramarathon running friend who was recently diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease.) One day as she was trudging through a hard workout, trying to make it up a big hill, she caught herself thinking in terms of have to's. I have to make it up this hill, I have to finish this loop, I have to, I have to....Then she remembered her friend whose life was recently turned upside down by his disease and started thinking, No, I don't have to. I want to. I get to. I get to charge up this hill. I get to hit the gym after work. I get to make dinner for my children. I get to pick my kids up from school etc etc.  She ended this post with, "Think about it--If you stopped yourself every singel time you were about to say I have to and changed it to I get to, it might change your entire experience."

There's a little taste of her motivational and inspiring side. It's really does change my attitude towards anything when I think of it in terms of get to instead of have to!  My new goal is to think in terms of get to the next time I'm doing something I don't particularly enjoy. 

Here's a little taste of her funny side:

She was giving a speech on Spring Cleaning, not the house kind, the inside kind where you let go of unnecessary things you're holding on to. She brought some metaphorical visual aids with her that she dug out of her closet. All of them made me laugh, but I'll share this one: "Skinny jeans. Small enough that my daughter Grace could probably wear them, and she's 8. This is proof that I am unable to let go of my skinny-as-a-rail era. I keep the jeans around in case I ever get that skinny again, which hasn't happened yet. I have to be truly miserable to stop eating, and I haven't been that miserable since, well, back when I wore those jeans. Meanwhile, whenever I feel fit and fabulous, I try them on just in case, and all this does is to limit the amount of time I feel fit and fabulous. They need to go, but I keep them. This is proof that no matter how much I think I have evolved and made peace with my body, I can still manage to torment myself. 

I think a lot of girls can relate to this, including myself. :) That's why I found it so funny

There were so many other favorite parts in this book that were inspiring and funny. I wish I could have read it with a highlighter, but since it's a library book I couldn't. That makes it a little hard to go back through and find my favorite parts, but you'll just have to go read it for yourself now and find your own favorite parts! I know runners will love this book, but I also think non-runners would love it too because she uses running mostly as a metaphor to relate to all kinds of things in life that we all go through. 

What's the last get-to thing you did today? 

I got to put away my little boy's laundry. It's so funny what an effect one little word can have on my attitude. When I get to put away laundry instead of have to, suddenly I feel so lucky that I (1.) Have a little boy to put laundry away for,  (2.) Have a washing machine, and (3.) Have laundry period. 

Anyone holding onto anything in their closets/attics that should probably go? 

Living in an apartment the past year and a half has definitely helped me get rid of things that need to go pretty fast, so nothing is coming to mind right away, but I know there is some stuff lurking and hiding in there that could go! Going through our storage closet has been on my to-do list for two weeks now.

Training Log Tuesday: 1/2-1/8 and New Books

Training Log Tuesday is a summary of my workouts for the week so I can look back on them someday and see when and what I did for my workouts in different stages of life. 

And like usual, here's the color code: 

Running=Red

Swimming=Blue

Biking=Purple

At Home Workout DVD's=Orange

Elliptical=Green

Walking=Pink

Free Weights=Grey

Monday: P90X abs (15 min.)/2PM. 11 mile run outside (1:34 min/8:36 pace)/2:40PM. 

Tuesday: 30 Day Shred Levels 1 and 2 (40 min.)/8:30AM.

Wednesday: 4 mile jogging stroller run (37 min/9:15 pace)/8:30AM.

Thursday: 6.5 mile track workout: 1.5 mile warm-up, 5x1000 @ pace 6:28, 6:29, 6:15, 6:11, 6:17, 1.5 mile cool-down.)/10:30AM. 

Friday: 30 Day Shred Level 3 (20 min.)/ 8AM. 6 Week 6 Pack Level 1 (30 min.)/8:30AM. 3 mile stroller walk/10AM. 

Saturday: 12 mile run outside (1:37 min/8:08 pace)/6:45AM. 

Sunday: Rest

Total Running Miles: 33.5

I've been spoiled lately by my husband's 4 day work weeks for the holidays. It's been fun being able to get some extra running in without the heavy jogging stroller! I'm still enjoying running 4 days a week and doing strength training workout dvds 2 days a week. I would like to add some more ab work in though on my running days. I just signed up for a 25K (15.5 miles) race at the end of this month, so I think I'll stick with that schedule until the race. 

Then I think I'll start training for my first sprint triathlon! (I'm still really nervous about the thought that I might actually do a triathlon this year. I've always wanted to try one someday, but it's so weird that my someday might be just a few months from now. It all depends on how the swimming thing goes, but hopefully my first tri will be in April.)

I picked these two books up at the library today because I'm almost done with my first book, Kara Goucher's Running For Women. So far my New Years resolution to read one book a month is going great. I'm really surprised that it only took me a week to read my first book. Maybe I'll be reading a lot more than one book a month! I found that the perfect time for me to read is while I'm watching B play at the playground. When it's cold we like to go to the indoor playgrounds at Chick-Fil-A and MsDonalds. I'm not sure if it's technically legal to use their playground without buying their food, but we do it all the time. He loves playing there for hours, and I'm so glad I have something to do now while he plays. 

Now I get to find some motivation to fold this massive pile of fun, and hopefully find some motivation to do that ab work I mentioned wanting to do. The laundry motivation is already found. Two hours of Biggest Loser tonight will do the trick, followed by one hour of Parenthood. I actually purposefully saved up all three loads of laundry to fold during Biggest Loser tonight so I wouldn't have any guilt for watching 3+ hours of TV in a row. Tuesday night TV is the best. 

What's your favorite TV show right now? 

Do you feel like you have to multitask to watch TV?

Only sometimes. I never multitask during 24 though (Scott and I are watching all of the old seasons in order together). Those are way too intense and you have to watch them in the dark. 

What's your next race?

An Obsession and My 2012 Resolutions

I'm obsessed with to-do lists and planners. I make a to-do list every day either when I wake up, or before I go to bed at night. I've always loved having a planner and crossing things off throughout the day. When I first became a stay-at-home-mom, I didn't think I needed a planner anymore because the "deadlines" of school and work were gone, but then I realized I function much better when I use a planner, or at least a to-do list, no matter what's written on it. Whatever it is that I need to get done that day whether it be cleaning toilets, grocery shopping, or even the simplest things like making a phone call, writing it down completely increases my motivation to do it. Sometimes I have to write it down about 20 times before I actually do it, but eventually I'll do it just so I can cross it off and stop re-writing it every day. Folding the laundry seems 10 times more exciting to me if I know it means I'll get to cross it off my to-do list at the end of the day. I know, I'm a little weird. Good thing my husband's the exact opposite, because we balance each other out pretty well. I've never known him to have a planner or make to-do lists. I remember thinking he was absolutely crazy for not having a planner in college. I didn't know how he kept his mind from exploding trying to remember all his assignments and due dates. 

Anyway, along with my to-do list obsession, I also love setting goals. I've been like this ever since I was little, so my dad tells me. 

I finally chose some resolutions for 2012. I've had so many of them floating around in my head for awhile now, but I decided to narrow them down to 12. 

Here's my 12 Resolutions for 2012:

1. Improve photography skills by taking the free classes that came with my camera and reading at least one book on photography. 

2. Publish and order our 2011 family blog by the end of February. 

This was a page from our 2010 book. It's a lot of work, but it always feels like Christmas the day it comes in the mail!

3. Get my cycling certification and renew AFAA certification. 

4. Eat vegetables at least 2-3 times/day. Always for lunch and dinner, and either for breakfast or snack. 

5. Break my need for sweets after meals. Not just desserts, but sweets in general. I don't eat desserts like the one below very often, but I have a really bad habit of thinking I always need something sweet after lunch and dinner. 

6. Learn to swim at least 800 meters without stopping. (I've never been a swimmer, but I took a few lessons last summer and learned the basics. I could maybe swim about 50 meters right now before I would feel like I was suffocating and needed to stand up to breath. Hopefully I'll be able to practice and get more comfortable in the water this summer!)

7. After #6 is done, complete my first sprint triathlon and see if I like them. If I decide I do, then I want to complete an Olympic distance triathlon too. 

8. Be in bed by 10:30PM 5 nights a week. 

9. Make my daily prayer and scripture study more meaningful and thoughtful. 

10. Read at least one book per month. 

I reas this one last year and loved it. The next two books on my list for this year are Born to Run, and Kara Goucher's Running For Women. And yes, I will read other books besides running ones. :) 

11. Have at least 10 minutes of quiet time per day where I don't do anything but think and relax. Even when I sit down to eat, I'm usually multi-tasking. I think lunch time will be a good opportunity for my 10 minutes of quiet time. Instead of reading while I eat, I'm just going to sit and eat! Nothing else. 

12. Work on my inner calm. I know this sounds funny, but I want to practice staying calm on the inside when B is being difficult or throwing tantrums, or when anything else might be stressing me out. Even when I don't show my impatience or stress on the outside, I can feel it boiling on the inside. I really want to master not letting outside circumstances affect my mood on the inside. If I can master my mood on the inside, I know my mood on the outside will automatically be the way I want it to be. 

While I'm at it, here are a couple blog goals I have for the year:

1. Write my About Me page.

2. Make a separate recipe page with links to all my "Eat of the Weeks."

3. Fix my comment section so I can directly reply to people's comments.

4. Write my running story.

5. Move my blog to Wordpress. 

6. Make a facebook page. 

7. Add facebook and twitter buttons to my blog. 

Are you a planner/list maker? 

Tell me one of your New Years Resolutions! 

It probably goes along with my list obsession, but I love reading other people's goals!

11 Goals From 2011

A few days ago when I was going through my night stand, I came across the little piece of paper from 2011 where I had written 11 goals for the year. It was kind of fun to re-read them and see which ones I did, and which ones I didn't do. 

Here's My 11 Goals From 2011:

1. Learn iMovie and make two movies. Well, I sort of started making one movie, but didn't get very far. However, I did learn a little bit more about using iMovie. I learned how to edit simple home videos and upload them to the blog. Just for fun, here's one of them. It's B trying to do 30 Day Shred with me. 

2. Replace judgmental thoughts with positive thoughts. Kind of hard to measure this one, but I tried!

3. PR at the Boston Marathon. Nope. I did train harder and get in better shape than I've ever been, but race day wasn't my day, or I guess I should say race week wasn't my week. You can read about the Boston Rundown here. 

4. Become certified in exercise instruction and start teaching. I did get certified through AFAA, but decided to put off teaching until my kids are older. B was not a fan of the gym daycare, especially at the time I got my certification. 

5. Have a full and meaningful Fast every Fast Sunday (once a month). I did much better with this. Fasting has always been hard for me because I like food, and I get grumpy when I'm hungry. I feel like I'm getting much better at it though. 

6. Learn more about sports so I can enjoy them with Scott. Um, I'll be honest, I could have done better. :)  We did go to a couple Spurs games, and a couple hockey games, and I even took B to watch a couple of Scott's intramural basketball games at his work. Those were all fun, but as far as enjoying sports at home, not so much. I'd rather be doing almost anything else than watching sports at home. I'll keep trying to at least be informed about the basics though. :)  

7. De-clutter. I did do a lot of this. I sold some stuff we didn't need on craigslist, and made several small trips to Good Will throughout the year. However, this job will probably never feel done, especially while we're living in an apartment where every inch of space is like gold. 

8. Work on my marathon scrapbook. I ditched the marathon scrapbook and started this blog instead. :) 

9. Publish our 2010 family blog. Yep! (I have a family blog, and I use blurb.com to make it into our family journal/scrapbook each year.) I need to get moving on 2011's book now! 

10. Invite new church members over for dinner or dessert. I might have done this once or twice, but I could have done better! 

11. Do pilates twice a week. I made this goal back when running was pretty much my only form of exercise, and this was me trying to incorporate some cross training into my workout schedule. I did pilates twice a week up until the Boston Marathon and actually learned to like pilates and cross training! After the marathon I backed off on running and fell in love with all sorts of different types of cross training. 

 What was one of your resolutions from 2011? 

I love reading other people's resolutions. It's motivating, and inspiring. 

I'll post my 2012 resolutions soon, so you can all help me to be accountable for them. I just need to finish deciding what they are first!