As a type-A personality, I totally agree with this quote!!!

“Running is ideal for type-A personalities who prefer routine, structure and a little self-competition,” says Jessica Smith. With a no-nonsense attitude and motivation to burn, you enjoy a no-strings workout that lets you enjoy the scenery (and solitude), anywhere at anytime. Plus, you can harness your [...]]]>

As a type-A personality, I totally agree with this quote!!!

“Running is ideal for type-A personalities who prefer routine, structure and a little self-competition,” says Jessica Smith. With a no-nonsense attitude and motivation to burn, you enjoy a no-strings workout that lets you enjoy the scenery (and solitude), anywhere at anytime. Plus, you can harness your own momentum to clinch that runner’s high. Make sure to invest in a supportive pair of sneakers.

From: What Does Your Workout Say About You? By Melissa F. Pheterson

HT: Building Cathedrals

While buying a new pair of sneakers at a local running store the other day, I saw a shirt that simply said, “Because I can..”  I had to buy it because it perfectly describes why I run – because I can…  It is something that I could never do even in my overweight youth [...]]]>

While buying a new pair of sneakers at a local running store the other day, I saw a shirt that simply said, “Because I can..”  I had to buy it because it perfectly describes why I run – because I can…  It is something that I could never do even in my overweight youth and it is certainly something I couldn’t do 90 lbs. ago.  So I thank God that I can run, because I can!!!

Hope(17), Lenny(13), and I ran another 5K today. Poor Lenny who was in the front group was misdirected by a policeman and ended up running much more than 3.1 miles. You should have seen the look on Lenny’s face when he crossed the finish line …with his slow mother. It was priceless. Hope came in in front of us both and teasingly refuses to acknowledge that Lenny ran farther than she did!!!

In spite of pouring rain AND thunder and lightning, Lenny (13) and I competed in our first 5K race today.  Mercifully, the rain stopped just as the race began.  How’s that for answered prayers!!!  Lenny placed 3rd in his age group with a time of 25:49 and I was thrilled with my time [...]]]>

In spite of pouring rain AND thunder and lightning, Lenny (13) and I competed in our first 5K race today.  Mercifully, the rain stopped just as the race began.  How’s that for answered prayers!!!  Lenny placed 3rd in his age group with a time of 25:49 and I was thrilled with my time of 37:51.  The rain actually took the pressure off, because my focus went from worrying about my time to just enjoying my run.  I was even able to chat with a couple of the runners along the way.  I started out slowly and continued to speed up as the race progressed (as my favorite running coach, Jeff Sabol, recommended!!!).

We both had fun and we’re looking forward to our next race later in the month!!!

Len (my favorite photographer) and the other children stayed home due to the weather, so you are stuck with a couple of terrible pictures taken on my camera phone.

Well I did it.  Hope, Lenny and I ran in my first running race yesterday.  We ran a mile and Lily did the 1/4 mile fun run.

Peter and Lily before Lily’s race:

Lily, looking a bit nervous before her race

Lily’s big finish!!!

Hope [...]]]>

Well I did it.  Hope, Lenny and I ran in my first running race yesterday.  We ran a mile and Lily did the 1/4 mile fun run.

Peter and Lily before Lily’s race:

Lily, looking a bit nervous before her race

Lily’s big finish!!!

Hope was such a good sport to run this race with no prior preparation

I was pleased with my time of 10:51

Lenny ran in the men’s race and ran his personal best for the mile:

Here’s the happy bunch after the race:

I know, I know, it has been a long time since I have blogged.  I didn’t start out taking a blogging break but somehow, I got out of the habit of posting.  So anyway, for those couple of you who might still check this site, I thought I’d write a post about what [...]]]>

I know, I know, it has been a long time since I have blogged.  I didn’t start out taking a blogging break but somehow, I got out of the habit of posting.  So anyway, for those couple of you who might still check this site, I thought I’d write a post about what we’ve been up to…

Well about me…  I am happy to have this school year behind us and am enjoying some much needed time off from the usual rat race.  This spring I let things get way too busy.  Everything that we did was wonderful but I had trouble keeping up with the mayhem in a peaceful manner.  Note to self:  Don’t let that happen again!!!

About 16 months ago, I started a journey of trying to get my weight and my health into a better place.  I began (and continue) that journey at a local Diet Center.  I have lost 85 pounds thus far.  That number seems surreal to me even as I type it but I am thrilled to be the thinnest I’ve been in nearly 20 years and 25 lbs. thinner than when I got pregnant with Hope almost 18 years ago.

I have learned many things at Diet Center.  They have taught me that I cannot change my past mistakes.  I can just start out right now, right this minute doing the next right thing.  I don’t need to punish myself for a food faux pas.  I just need to do that next right thing. 

I go in to Diet Center about 3 times a week for 15 minutes or so for individual diet counselling.  And the support of my counselors (Ellen and Meg) has meant the world to me.  They have shared my triumphs and my falls.  They have encouraged me to persevere when I wanted to quit.  They have been there for me through everything.  And I can’t thank them enough. 

They even encouraged me to get off my lazy rear and get moving.  Of course they put it in nicer words!!!  With their encouragement, I have gone from a couch potato to somewhat of an athlete, who actually looks forward to exercising —well most of the time.

Last summer, I read a book called The Secrets of a Former Fat Girl by Lisa Delaney.  The author talked about her own journey from fat girl to fit.  She believes that in order to change the same old messages in her head, she had to change how she perceived herself.  In a nutshell, she began running and started to think of herself as an “athlete” rather than as a “fat girl”. 

When I read this book, I found her logic and her story inspiring.  However, at my weight (even having lost 25 lbs at that point with Diet Center) I knew that my body wasn’t ready to run.  So I started with “baby steps” (as Flylady would say) and began walking.  I walked and walked and walked for months until finally I started to slowly begin to run. 

I found a training plan online for transforming oneself from a couch potato to a 5K runner.  It was late February when I began my running and slowly but surely I have been able to increase my running time up to 35 minutes straight plus warm-up and cool-down walks.  I even joined the track club with my two middle children, Lenny and Lily.  Who would have thunk it???

I am a slow runner but I am running nonetheless.  And as Lisa Delaney predicted, it has helped me to start to change the way I view myself.  It is only a beginning but I have high hopes of running my first 5K race this fall.  I may very well be the last person to cross the finish line but who cares as long as I finish!!! 

AND BEST OF ALL, I AM NO LONGER ON BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION!!!  I had to write that in bold letters!!!  I feel as if God has blessed me so greatly with all of the positive support he has brought into my path.  God is indeed good!!!

Well I know that this update was all about me but it’s getting long and I’ll close for now.  I’ll fill you in on the children and Len next time!!!  Thanks for reading…

Oh one more thing, I am (reluctantly, sheepishly) posting these before and after pictures in hopes that it will encourage you in your journey towards health and fitness.  I hope it helps to see how far I’ve come.

OK, I admit it.  The last couple of months have been a wonderfully crazy blur, full of many blessed events (hence the reason that I have been blogging so infrequently and also the reason that I encouraged you to add me to your Blogreader —Bloglines is my personal favorite).  While wonderful, these last few [...]]]>

OK, I admit it.  The last couple of months have been a wonderfully crazy blur, full of many blessed events (hence the reason that I have been blogging so infrequently and also the reason that I encouraged you to add me to your Blogreader —Bloglines is my personal favorite).  While wonderful, these last few months have left me feeling a bit out of sorts with our lack of a real daily schedule and our overstuffed house, which never seems to stay picked up for more than 5 minutes!!!  In fact I feel as if my head has been spinning and in danger of falling off altogether!!!

Needless to say, I really needed this vacation!!!  Vermont is always a place where I find inspiration and peace.  Being here in God’s beautiful nature show always makes me long for simplicity and order in my life and the life of my family.  Being among the trees and on the lake seem to give me clarity of vision that I can lose at home, if I’m not careful.

Having just recently finished Shopping for Time, I have been enjoying “sitting at Jesus’ feet” these last three or four mornings before my family has arisen from their blessed slumber.  This has meant getting up at 6 a.m. while on vacation (I know, I know, I can hear you groaning!!!).  I consider this preparation for when I get home and push up my wake up time to 5 a.m. (Now I hear you really moaning!!!).  This time away and my early mornings spent at Jesus’ feet have made my path clear to me.

Like it or not, 5 a.m. is a necessary evil.  It is the only way that I can have my quiet time, get my housework back on track, and still find time for exercise which is a must for getting off / reducing my blood pressure medication.  These are all things that I used to do thanks to Flylady but have lost sight of in the recent past.  I am grateful for the Control Journal that I put together a while back which makes it easier to get back on the straight and narrow. 

I have spent a couple of hours over the last few days working on a schedule to fulfill all my goals.  I know it will need some tweaking and I will need some patience as I put the plan into action.  Something that I have been learning over these last several months is that when I stumble, I need to just brush myself off and begin again.  Sometimes this means asking the Lord’s forgiveness and forgiving myself.  But when all is said and done, I need to get up and try again (preferably without beating myself up too severely).  So in this spirit I continue this blessed journey.  Now without further adieu, here it is:

Morning Routine 

5 am     Get up

            Make bed

            Go to bathroom

            Vitamins/Medication

            SITTING AT JESUS’ FEET

5:45     Brush teeth

            Apply moisturizer

            Dress

            Hair

            Make-up

6:00     Empty dishwasher, if necessary

            Breakfast, newspaper

            Diet Center food planning

            Daily planning, check calendar, update “to do” list, plan day/errands/goals

            Menu planning, grocery shopping planning

            Puzzles, clip for later

7:00     Defrost meat for dinner, dinner prep

            Breakfast prep for children (CHILDREN”S BREAKFAST at 7:30)

            Put out hotspots

            Wash breakfast dishes

            Shine sink

            27 Fling Boogie, time permitting

7:30     Walk, while children have Breakfast

8:00     Heather & children: Daily jobs

Monday: Change sheets, vacuum and dust bedrooms

Tuesday:  Dust downstairs, vacuum upstairs hallway, vacuum thoroughly downstairs

Wednesday:  Blue bathroom

Thursday:  Upstairs bathroom

Friday:  Kitchen

Daily: 27 Fling Boogie and Zone work, time permitting

8:30     Children’s Individual Chores while I check email, read, blog, correspondence

9:30     Rosary & Beginner’s Bible

10:00   Basic School plan with children

12 pm  Lunch prep

12:30   Lunch

I ask for your prayers as I put this into action next week.