The Gift that Keeps on Giving {Weekly Summary}

Weight: 216 lbs.
Weekly Change: -2
Overall Change: -3 from "starting weight" of 219
Next goal weight: 214
BMI: 31.0 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: Forgot to measure but probably still 38.5 inches
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 18
Total Workouts: 3!!!
Total Running Time: 33 min.
Total Running Distance: 2.75 miles
Longest Single Run: 12 min./1.0m (broken up with walking)
Progress on Training Plan(s): I'm finishing Week 6 of this Couch to 5K program .
Progress in Sit Up/Push Up Challenge: Up to 26 push ups and 52 crunches
Injury Report: Increased pain in the busted toe; sometimes it throbs and other times there are these little prickly pains under the nail. The pain does not seem to correspond directly to running, so I'll continue to ignore it unless it gets worse.
Last Week's Goal(s): Half and half!! I FINALLY MANAGED TO RUN THREE TIMES IN ONE WEEK!!! Can you tell I'm a little excited at this accomplishment? :) And as predicted, it was the jogging stroller that helped make the third run possible: I took the baby with me to a nearby park while the rest of my guys were occupied at a t-ball game on Saturday. Seriously, the stroller was the best Mother's Day Gift ever!! My other success last week was not missing two consecutive days of my push ups and crunches. I'm finding it a lot easier not to do it EVERY day because the muscles get sore, but I'd at least like to do it every other day, and I'm finally settling into a routine like that. Not much progress to speak of with blogging or biking...better luck next week?
Next Event Goal: My perspective on this has changed a little for the moment. Instead of being excited about future races, I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the idea of even attempting a race. Running is such a struggle right now and it feels like it is going to take forever to get into decent shape. I know I'll get there eventually; it's just that it feels so far off in the distance that it's not worth even thinking about races and such right now.
Next Week's Goals: Even though I accomplished the 3 runs and the consistent crunches & push ups, I want to repeat those goals this week. I'm also striving, again, for more blog posts, and sincerely hope to get working on the whole biking thing this weekend. There's one newbie to the goal list this week! I'm participating in yet another challenge (this is starting to become an addiction!). It's called the Global Corporate Challenge, and I'm on a team with six of my coworkers, trying to log the most steps every day for 16 weeks. This Thursday, I will strap on my super-stylish (and not at all annoying -- ha!) pedometer, and get moving! Hopefully this challenge will motivate me to add more exercise, even if it's just walking, on the days when I don't run. Until I get myself on the bike or back into the pool, I'm really not working out enough to lose weight or get fit as fast as I'd like, so anything that encourages cross-training is GOOD! Plus there are prizes, and my team is totally gonna win. :) For this week, my only GCC goals are to get ready (figure out how to operate the pedometer and navigate the website) and get started. Next week I'll have a better idea of some specific goals I'll want to set.

Analysis: Let's see, I can't remember if I mentioned that I FINALLY RAN THREE TIMES IN ONE WEEK!!! Oh, I did? My bad. Well, at least now you won't forget. I really wish it hadn't taken me so long to get to this point, but I can't dwell on that frustration anymore. Now it's time to focus on making three runs the default for every week unless I have a REALLY good reason to skip one. And I really need to branch out and add other exercise on my non-run days. I'm getting sick of losing and gaining the same two pounds over and over again. At first I wasn't really concerned with my weight because I wanted to focus on running and I knew the weight would eventually start to come off. Well, since I've been progressing so slowly with the exercise, nothing has really gotten going with the weight loss, and it's time to start worrying. I'm sick of still having to wear my "fat" clothes, and I'm sick of feeling flabby and huge and unattractive. It's time to start paying much more attention to the fuel I'm putting in my body, making healthier choices much more often than I have been. I think I've mentioned before that I don't "diet" -- the psychology of it just doesn't appeal to me or work for me. Instead I try to make good food choices *most* of the time, limit emotional eating to when I need it the most, and keep a general sense of moderation and balance in my diet. This approach requires constant self-control, a virtue that has been in short supply with me lately. I'm realizing I need to start working on that now if I ever want to start seeing results. I'm just not exercising enough to justify eating the way I do. Maybe I will add an item to the weekly update to address my eating progress. I'll think about that throughout the week and make a decision for the next summary.