Exercise- It happened to me once!

Yup... Running!

I've done it... but have fallen off the wagon this last month or two.  But what is this wagon that I fell off?  Was I on a bandwagon of some kind?  No way - I am not jumping on anyones bandwagon!!  So no falling off a wagon for me!  I didn't run for a while because I was feeling a bit off colour - I've had a cold and a stomach bug and so have each of the kids!  And then I just started avoiding it because it was easier.

I don't get it.. I LOVE to run.

I've entered into two races of a 5 race series, two races I missed, the first because it was before I started running, the last because I had an injury and was overloaded with uni stuff (yes, I was making excuses!).  There is one race left.. on the 10th of October!  Plenty of time to train and get that 30min goal happening!

As I have confronted all my excuses, I can commit wholeheartedly to acheiving this goal.  I will take care so as not to get an injury or fall ill as they are the only reasons I won't be able to do this!

I went for a run this afternoon.  It's on my runkeeper so I have evidence! lol  5.5km in 50mins doing 4min run, 2min walk and 5min warm up and cool down; 300cal burnt.

I'm happy!

Pre-season Task No. 2

Oh, yes, I have a few of those!

Internal Excuses
I'm scared. Feel the fear and do it anyway - a fear faced, will go away.
I dont' care. Yes you do, otherwise why would you be here?
I'm not that fat. You are living like a fat person - if you keep going you will be!
It doesn't matter. You matter!  What you eat matters, and keeping fit matters.
It's his fault for making me mad. Get over yourself.  Take responsibility.
I deserve a treat. You deserve to treat yourself with respect.
I want a treat. Treat yourself with a real treat - not with crap.  How is killing yourself slowly a treat?
I dont' feel well. you know that it is in your head, you feel like crap because you need to eat well and exercise - so do it!
I'm lazy. the only way that will change is if you change it, so get moving!
I'm tired. well hurry up and get it done, you will feel less tired and will sleep better tonight!
I don't want to. but you do want the results - so do it!
My body shape is horrible anyway, being thin won't change it. It's not all about body shape, healthy is the aim, and your body shape will change with exercise, but wont from starving yourself!
No matter what I do, it never turns out the way I want.  Oh, grow up!
I always fail, it's not my fault. It is your fault.  Take responsibility
I have food aversions. If you eat it, it will become normal - just try it.

External Choices in My Control.

It's raining!  Well do inside Cardio instead!
I've been asked to do Uni stuff.  Time Management!  There are alternatives - you can do something later on, or just get exercise done in the morning!
I have so much I should be doing - 3 kids with special needs requiring regular speech therapy and some extra supervision!  Well, do it!  Stop procrastinating!  It doesn't take that much time to cook and exercise each day.  You have time to do it all, just do it instead of sitting on your butt!
I can't afford it. Sit and work out the budget. If it really isn't affordable, is there an alternative?
My hubby bought it... you know you wanted it, stop blaming him!

External Choices out of My Control.

Kids getting sick.  Dont feel guilty - Do what you can.
Me being sick!  Just rest up and concentrate on getting healthy!


So what did I get out of this?

Well, the biggest thing I noticed is that the internal excuses list is a hell of a lot longer then the external excuses list! And the 'in my control' list is longer then my 'out of my control' list.  I really don't have very many good excuses as to why I am not doing what I need do!
I mean, yeah, I am doing honours full-time, need to maintain a home, budget, look after 3 boys with pick-ups and drop-offs at school, speech therapy, etc  but honesly, I don't do most of what I 'should' do anyway and spend way to much time watching tv and blogging! lol

I am so glad I have this here now.
I will continue to update this list and to return to it when I am making excuses and need to get my thought process back in line!

Thankyou Michelle Bridges!

The Emperor's New Clothes

Every time I look at buying clothes, I always say to myself, "When you lose some more weight..".  And when I do buy clothes, there is that little niggly feeling inside that says, "If you had of lost weight you could be buying something better.". 

So today, at the start of this challenge, I have decided to break with tradition.  I have lost about 10kg from my heaviest weight, and quite frankly, I am not that bad looking!  Yeah, I look like a candy apple on a stick but hey, that shape is gonna be me no matter what size I am!  So I bought some new clothes and I am going to show off what I hottie I am (though I am having a bad hair day!)!

This is my outfit for my graduation coming up in a couple of weeks, and a dinner party next week.

A nice summer dress for day parties and going out for dinner.

A new work outfit, these were a little on the tight side!

And a nice casual shirt (I had the skinny jeans from last year!) for playtime!

I also picked up some sucky-in undies (which really work!), a nice push-up bra, and the white shoes and bracelet in the pics are new as well.

All up it was about $250 for the lot, not too bad but way over budget!  Worth it though - I feel great about how I look and keen to look after myself better knowing how great it feels to be proud of your body!

In case anyone is wondering.. my stats at this point are:

height: 155cm
weight: 60kg

Excuses and Reasons

For every excuse I have, I have a reason. An excuse for why I can’t, a reason why I can:



1. My three boys.

Being a mum is hard work, and my boys take a little extra care - speech therapy, occupational therapy, doctors visits, school consultations, plus the extra ‘homework’ therapy. I use them as an excuse all the time, I can’t do things because I have to put my kids first. But they are also the reason I can. How can I not set them a great example, how can I not set them up with great food habits for life - food that is good for them and will help them rather then fill them with additives and preservatives that will make life harder for them. Goodness knows I know how much food can affect how you feel!

My kids give me strength and a reason for living, and living well! I need to be healthy and fit to keep up with them for sure!

2. Mental Illness.

I have a social phobia which makes life a bit interesting! I used to have agorophobia - I was pretty much housebound with fear and it has taken a lot to recover from that. Part of that - both why it happened, and how I recovered - has been linked with food. I was underweight when I first started to get sick, living on coffee and cigerettes and a meal and a half each day. As the panic attacks felt like ‘hunger’, I have linked food and anxiety so I am now an ‘emotional eater’! I hate being hungry, I hate that weakish feeling! I have obviously used this as an excuse - it can even get me out of a workout when I start to feel a bit sick! But it is also the reason I need to get this under control. If good eating is a habit, I won’t end up with the same lifestyle that got me sick in the first place! Exercise is also great for me - and great for reducing stress and dealing with the stress hormones that build up.

It is time to let go of past fears and embrace my future. 

3. I'm studying!

I am in my final year at university, doing my Honours Project, and it is stressful!  It takes a lot of time, often requiring some last minute timetabling changes to fit things!  And of course I feel a bit guilty about having to pick up the kids and get other things done so having to say 'no' for fitness seems like pushing the boundaries a little too far.  But I need this, exercise helps me cope better with the stress, keeps me mentally alert and focused on the task at hand.  I can schedule better to make time as well!
From a potential work perspective as well, I know my supervisors value and respect fitness goals, and every bit helps when it comes to getting a job at the end of this!


Excuses rob us of power and control over our own lives, they turn us into victims.  I have the power to choose my fate... but am I brave enough to take on that responsibility?  I am not a victim.  I will choose.


Thanks for reading!

Monday, 12th July 2010

Well, last week went downhill from there. I have been gassy, had indigestion, and been crampy all week. No exercise was done at all!

Here's hoping this week pan's out better!

Just a quick report in for the evening... I have just got back from a 25min run, with a total of 45mins to do the full 5ks (so 20mins of walking).  300 odd calories burnt!  Yey!

Tuesday, 6th July 2010

Well today started off wonderful... with the scales telling me I was all of 58.7kg!  Yey!

However, I didn't do my run last night (I have a mild virus so am making excuses!) and I haven't been keeping track of my food.  I went a little wild tonight with some KFC and a Macca's sundae but I will make sure I do some extra exercise.

Just had to write that down for accountability!

Monday 5th July 2010

So I didn't keep my food diary going over the weekend, however I have scored a loss of 600g - I am now 59.4kg!  So happy the scale went down! lol

This weeks goal:

Get into the 58kg range with a 500g + loss

This weeks running program:
Monday.. 25min run
Wednesday... interval training
Friday... 35min run

Walk on the other days, and I will do some crunches and squats on those three mornings as well!

Food wise I am doing okay just in not indulging in a full block of chocolate every night! lol But I would like to get more vegies and salad, and keep my protein lean.  I need to get my fibre up as well - I like the benefibre stuff, and I really like the yakults.  oh, and I need to up the water of course, but it is winter!

Quite happy with the progress so far!