The Swallow Flies: And, I'm Back

I don't know what the heck happened, but I stopped blogging for a while. It was likely a mix of things: being busy with summer school and my sister's wedding, dealing with (good but stressful) life changes, starting school again, etc. Couple all of that with the fact that I have been less-than-motivated to work out and eat healthfully, and you have a pretty sorry excuse for a healthy-living blog.

So, rather than take the time to write every night, I just...didn't.

But, I am in dire need of an accountability system at the moment. Despite doing a couple of two-a-day kickboxing workouts, my exercise regime has been less-than-stellar lately: I tend to start off the week fairly strong -- and then take a few days off for whatever reason. My eating has followed suit: the week will start off great, but then I'll pass out candy to my kids and have a piece (or two or three) myself, and then I'll go out to eat with The Boy or grab a glass of wine with BFF, and then it seems like all hell breaks loose and I say "screw it" to the ol' diet.

I have made a few goals, though, that I am hoping will get me back on track. I feel like I have major commitment issues with healthy living unless I set short-term goals and see progress fairly regularly. And, I have trouble sticking with my meal plan and exercise schedule unless I put it in writing, hence the blog starting up again.

So, here are some goals:

Lose 15 pounds by January 1, 2013. I set this goal toward the end of September, so I had just over three months to do so. This is more than manageable, as one can healthily lose 1-2 pounds per week. If I lose one pound per week from now to January 1, I will have lost 11 pounds total. I haven't stepped on the scale since I made this goal, but I plan to weigh myself on November 1st to see how far I have to go.
Run the Lincoln Half Marathon (May 4), Dam to Dam (May 31), and possibly the Drake Half Marathon (April 27). I need to recommit to a running schedule. I have found that running is the most sure-fit way for me to lose weight and to tone my core. The ab work that we do at Farrell's has really been hurting my back lately, and I'm sick of having a tummy. So, that leaves running to get rid of the extra flab. The first of these races is six months away, which is more than enough time to appropriately train for that distance.

I worked on this goal this weekend and ran five miles -- the furthest (and fastest) I have run in months. And, I didn't feel all that bad.

And, I ran in these brand new puppies: Brooks PureCadence2s, courtesy of a contest I won from Meals & Miles. These shoes are awesome.

Drink at least 100 ounces of water each day. My mom got me hooked on an app called WaterMinder. Essentially, you track the ounces of water you drink, and the total ounces show up as a badge on the app. It sounds silly and ridiculous (like, why do I need reminders to drink water?), but it really helps me a lot.
Exercise a minimum of six times per week. I am saying "times" instead of "days" because I am planning on adding in a few two-a-day kickboxing workouts or a couple of days with a Farrell's workout in the morning and a run in the evening. If I do three two-a-days, I believe I deserve a day off. Granted, I don't think two-a-days will happen too often, but just in case...
Stick to my meal plan five days per week. As long as I can stay relatively healthy during the week (with maybe a glass of wine thrown in here or there), I think that I can be somewhat non-restrictive on the weekends. I rarely go super overboard and indulge like a crazy person, so I think that two days of not being super strict will be fine.
Blog. Again, I'm hoping to get back to writing at least five days per week. Cross your fingers I can actually stick with it this time...

I'll update you on the week's workout and meal plan tomorrow, but for now, I'll leave you with a few photos from our friends' surprise (!) engagement party this weekend:

This is my Des Moines "family," the people with whom I eat dinner every Sunday, my best friends in the whole world. I love them all more than words can explain.