Time to Re-Focus!

Just like that, I’m already halfway through my first month of Achieve! This week, I officially lost another 2.4 lbs at my meeting (5.2 lbs overall!), and I’ve lost 6.5 lbs from morning to morning since Day 1. Week 2 seemed a little harder and slower-going for some reason. This week we were able to add in natural carbs (i.e. potatoes, brown rice, wine, etc.), and I think maybe I took advantage of that fact a bit too much. I also felt like I had a few more cravings this week than I did last week. I still lost weight overall, though, and I'm sooo proud of that! :)

And increase the size of your WHY!

When we first started the class, we all wrote down a couple of our WHYs – our reasons for wanting to lose weight and be healthy. I think I discussed a couple of mine in my very first post, but it’s helpful to re-visit things like that! Motivation, here I come!

My WHYs:

1. Clothes getting tighter (or just plain not fitting anymore!)
2. Not feeling comfortable in my current clothes, because they're tight and show off all of my bulges :/
3. Losing confidence - I want to get back to the confident girl I was several pounds ago! I know she's in there!
4. Prevention of health care issues - I want to prevent things like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar before they lead to more serious issues like heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. As a health care professional, I'm VERY aware of the importance of prevention. I want to practice what I preach!
5. Having more energy - This is one of the main things that I've definitely noticed a difference in since I've started this new lifestyle. Up until 2 weeks ago, I would come home from work most days and just feel exhausted. Now, I'm drinking about HALF as much coffee and diet soda as I was before, and I've only taken a short nap one day out of the last 2 weeks. It probably does help that I recently moved 45 minutes or so closer to work! ;)

MY GOALS

Last week, I said that my goal was to lose 2 pounds at my meeting (which was yesterday!). Somehow, I ended up losing even more than that!. I'd like to make it my goal again this week to lose 2 more pounds. As I mentioned in my last blog, my other goal for this week (today until Monday, April 25th) was to workout at least twice for 30 minutes or more each time. I'm off to a good start! After work today, I came home and did a 30 minute Pound workout. If you don't know what Pound is, it's a super fun workout that uses lightly weighted plastic drum sticks. It REALLY works out your legs, but it's an overall full body workout every time! I love it! Some fitness centers offer it as a group class as well. Check it out at www.poundfit.com! I'm also looking into finding a Zumba class that I could go to once in a while. I'd really like to try to get in 3 workouts this week, but I'd be happy to meet my goal of two!

In no particular order, my favorite workouts are Pound, Zumba/dance, and running/walking outside. A couple of years ago, I started running 5ks. Well, we'll just say jogging. ;) My very first 5k was the Geist 5k in May 2013. I ran the WHOLE thing (except maybe 1-2 minutes uphill) with a time of around 31 minutes. I know that doesn't sound very fast to all you runners out there, but I haven't been able to do that since! I'm not even sure if I could run a whole 3.1 miles in the shape I'm in right now. My long-term workout goals are to be able to run a 5k in 30 minutes or less, and to run/walk a half marathon. I'd like to do both of those in the next 12-18 months. :)

My post-run beer at the Geist 5k!

Now, just for "fun", I'm going to add in one more goal for this week. I want to have SIX healthy days. I've been having 5, and even then, only one big one. My second junk day in week 1 was healthy except for a cupcake, and my second junk day in week 2 was healthy except for a couple evening cocktails at a local distillery. I enjoy taking advantage of my junk days, as I'm  sure is the same for most people! :) My only planned cheat day this week is Saturday. I'm going downtown Indy to see STEVE RANNAZZISI at Crackers! (Any fans of The League out there?!) I'm sure we'll be having dinner out at a restaurant and some yummy drinks at Crackers. Other than that, I'm going to TRY to stay focused and not have any more junk days. I'm far from perfect, though, so we'll see! 

What are some of your WHYs, goals, or favorite workouts??

Here's to re-focusing for another great week! Comments are always appreciated! :)