I used to be a runner. I was never really competitive, but I did run in several races through the years, everything from 5Ks to a marathon. My favorite distance was the half marathon, because it didn’t require the insane commitment to training that a full marathon requires but it’s still a challenge. In my de-cluttering efforts I recently ran across a stack of old race bibs and finisher’s medals… including a ribbon for 2nd place in my age group for one 10K.
Between work and life and countless excuses (at the heart of which is pure, unadulterated laziness), I stopped being a runner in 2005. And I gained weight. Then at the end of 2006 I started running again and by early 2007 I was a runner. I make a distinction because to me a runner is someone who needs to run like we all need to breathe. I had lost most of the weight I gained in 2005, I fit into cute clothes, and I was healthy.
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Tagged as: butter belly, running, ten in 10
Yep, you heard me right: A week without sugar. Can a girl who has eaten brownies for dinner really give up sugar? Better yet, why would she even try? I have no idea. Hehehe. Okay, to be completely and embarrassingly honest, I ate an entire buttermilk cake by myself… over two days. Well, technically over about 16 hours, but it was only a single eight inch layer. And it had cherries in it (cherries are healthy). But in addition to the cake, I also ate a handful or two of marshmallows with chocolate (think s’mores minus the graham crackers and fire). And all of this was really just the culmination of several months of carbo-loading in the form of pure refined sugar (and a little butter of course).
You see, I am addicted to the white stuff. So in a moment of weakness strength, I gave it up. That’s right, cold turkey. I reasoned that I needed to reset my sugar cravings. Kind of like the recasting Mireille Guiliano recommends in French Women Don’t Get Fat
except without the leek soup weekend and only concentrating on my biggest offender: sugar. I’ve been working out more and seeing progress in how my clothes fit, but my weight hasn’t budged. And in this moment of clarity I thought maybe, just maybe, eating a bit less butter and sugar might help. Maybe. I wasn’t convinced but thought it could be possible. So there I was, resolute and determined… and on Monday, I declared that I would cut out refined sugar from my diet for an entire month. Fruits and naturally occurring sugars are fine… and some natural sugar substitutes are okay in moderation (I mean, I have to have something sweet. I might implode if I have no sweets at all).
Then on Saturday, Dan and I had a couple of friends over for dinner. And they brought dessert: a chocolate cake called “Black Magic” with strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar. So I had a piece (or two)… it would’ve been rude not to have some. Did I mention the maker of this Black Magic is a pastry chef named Christine who also makes fabulous truffles? I’m not just saying this because I know her… NeoCocoa truffles are decadent and delicious just like truffles should be. I’m only human, people. What would you have done? That’s right, the sugar-free streak bit the dust. And it was totally worth it.
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Tagged as: agave syrup, brownies, fitness, french women don't get fat, good housekeeping baking, healthy eating, sugar free, sugar substitute, weight loss
I have completed week 1 of both the sit-up and push up challenges. Overall, this week was good. I hit some bumps toward the end but I’m ready to regroup.
This week’s highlights:
- lost 1 pound
- fit into another pair of jeans (it has been months since I could fit into anything but my fat jeans)
- even with only 1 pound of loss, I could see and feel a difference. Even D. said I was looking leaner (isn’t he a great boyfriend? :D )
This week’s lowlights:
- work was a bugger wreaking havoc on my sleep schedule which lead to exhaustion
- exhaustion + D.’s move lead to a lot of take out and mindless eating
So I’m ending the week on kind of a low note, bloated and bleh from the take out this weekend and utterly exhausted from work and helping with the move. But I am ready to reset starting tomorrow morning — back to my yoga and push ups, oatmeal and yogurt and other goodness. As for tonight, I am going to bed early.
I want to be healthy and eat well. And if I can do these things in 10 minutes a day and without spending a lot of money even better! So when I came across these challenges yesterday I thought I’d give them a shot. I’ll be posting occasional updates on my progress here…
one hundred push ups — It’s a 6 week challenge that takes about 10 minutes a day (every other day) with the end goal of you being capable of doing 100 consecutive push ups. It sounds like a macho goal to do 100 push ups, but then I thought about it in terms of 10 minutes every other day to make me stronger (arms, abs, shoulders) and that sounded like a reasonable goal. I completed Day 1 today (using modified “girlie” push ups).
two hundred sit-ups — Similar to the one hundred push ups, this is a 6 week challenge, takes 10 minutes a day, and in the end you are supposed to be able to do 200 consecutive “sit ups” (really they are talking about crunches). I will start this challenge tomorrow.
In theory I’ll be able to do 100 push up (girlie push ups, that is) and 200 crunches in 6 weeks… wish me luck :)
Tagged as: challenges, fitness
