Welcome to Day 76

Wow, the end of November! The month, and year, have really flown by. I'm happy to report I had one of my better months, exercise minutes-wise, even if not a great month on the scale. 856 minutes this month ... only January was higher with 1046. June and August came close with around 800. The rest...eh. I have made my 200 minute goal just 15 weeks this year. However, several weeks were at 170 or more, so it's a start and possibly one of my more active years in the past few.

A nice chunk of that time was the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. I rocked the 10k, in my barefoot shoes. Sure, I had some aches and pains towards the end and for a few days afterwards, but knowing I could go that far, and even shave about a minute off my time from last year (despite heat and humidity) was a great feather in my cap for November. It gave me hope and encouragement that I can get on the healthy track again.

See for me, that's what this whole adventure is about. Trying to take care of my body so it takes care of me. It's not for vanity (though, I would love to look totally hot in a swimsuit for our second honeymoon next summer-who wouldn't??). It's not a diet. It's living my life to the best of my ability. And realizing that eating the right things and making time for exercise can enhance all parts of my life, not just the physical. Even just the past few days, I've noticed a lift in my mood, slightly better nights' sleep, and increased productivity.

So with just 31 days left, I won't make my "70 days off or less" goal. But I can aim for 80. I'm not sure if I will start off 2011 weighing less than 2010 (I'm technically up about .4 right now). But I can workout in a more effective way that if the scale doesn't move, it's because I will have the baby muscles back in 4 weeks. And I'm going to really dedicate myself to tracking what I eat, especially since the new Weight Watchers allows for nearly unlimited fruits and veggies.

I'm already seeing changes. I was hungry before bed last night and ate an apple. I had a banana for breakfast and another apple this afternoon. That may be more pieces of fruit in 2 days than I've gotten in some weeks! See, I'm not as perfect as I may seem ;) I did even eat a cookie at the holiday party tonight (but stopped myself at one!!).

I think the key to a healthy lifestyle is constantly recommitting yourself to the big picture, then figuring out how to make the details work in the execution. And with that, I will also spend the next 31 days dreaming up big goals for 2011.

Whip it, into shape

It's time for me to get serious again about fitness. We have 61 days left in the year. In the past 2 months' flurry of activity, I have not made my fitness a priority, and it shows. I've gained back the 6ish pounds I lost after summer vacation in June. I'm sore from lifting weights Saturday. I got winded on my walk/run Sunday.

I dislike that it takes me feeling sluggish to become "scared straight" again, but I am only human. I'm also not pleased that after a good July and August, September and October were my downfall. Sure, I know those are my busy months. But I could have planned better to combat that. I leaned on the activity in my life like a crutch, and I'm feeling the effects.

And sure, I have the thyroid issues now that I wasn't aware I had before. But all the more reason to get things back into check, right?

So I've already started this morning tracking what I eat and drink. No matter how bad it looks, I'm writing it all down. It helps make me really think about what I stuff my face with, and if it's worth the exercise I'll need later to work it off.

I am at 69 days off exercise this year. That's a little shy of my 65 goal and pretty darn close to the 70 I took off last year. If I workout every day remaining, that's 63 straight (counting this past weekend). That's really not that bad. If my goal is to lose weight, I can't really afford to miss a day right now.

I am going to the gym after work. I'll do the same tomorrow. I'll work towards switching that to the mornings after my schedule eases in 12 days.

I will hydrate. I will hydrate. I will hydrate. In fact, I'm going to fill my mug as soon as I post this.

I will start 2011 better than I started 2010. So who's with me? What will you do in the next two months to make your health a priority? Let me know and let's support each other.