The Power of One

The Power of One. It is the theme of the new challenge at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.
I signed up for the new challenge as soon as it was posted. I was doing so well with the last one, and my team was amazing. We ranked each week! I knew I needed to sign up.
Right now, I'm feeling quite discouraged. I know I can get through it, but I have had a rough couple of days and right now am resting, not even ready to start a challenge. I have hurt my hip/lower back. I know the right thing to do is to keep it iced and rested, but it sucks starting a challenge with an issue like this. I am going to stop feeling sorry for myself though... I am going to look on the bright side and think, just a few more days and I can get back in the groove. If I do well eating and hydrating, I should be able to flush out all this extra gunk buildup I have from the holidays!!!
SO - On we go… The Power of One…
Here's what I think of when I reflect on this challenge:
"I may only be one person, but I can be one person who makes a difference." 
That is actually one of my favorite quotes. I took a photo of it at a museum many years ago and I used to keep it hanging in my office. 
I think I will look for the negative (that's how long ago it was taken) and get it blown up and framed. I think this will be a good theme for not only this challenge, but this year. 2011. The Power of Me!
The beginning day of our challenge we are to post our Healthy Living Goals, not only for this challenge, but for the new year. I have so many I just don't know where to start. I've heard that when making goals, it's best to break them into small achievable items and to make them very specific.
That means, me saying I am going to be healthy by the end of the year. well, that isn't going to cut it even though that is exactly what i want.
Goal 1. Be done with the first 6 weeks of the Couch to 5K training by the end of this challenge. (I will restart it in 2 weeks. - after I get to see the dr on Monday I will confirm this)
Goal 2. Finish the C25K training and then move on to train for the 10K Zooma I am signed up for in June.
Goal 3. Run the full 10K in June.
If I can do these three things, I will most definitely be able to accomplish things that I would normally put here. Like lose 5-10 pounds, eat healthier, fit into my old clothes. You get the picture.
I have more goals that are not fitness related, but challenging in other ways. Number one is to outline and prioritize that list. I have 4 hours to sit in a car on our route to visit the family in WV this weekend. Though I doubt it will be excellent for my achy back and hip, it will be a good time to work on the list!
Happy day one of the Power of One Challenge everyone. 
I can't wait to workout with everyone again and get back in the groove!

Goals-Goals-Goals

I have so many goals, it's hard to focus on just a few for the Holiday Hoedown over at Shrinking Jeans, but I am going to give it a shot.


The Holiday Hoedown is a challenge and I am participating with a group of 6 women that have never met. We are the Winter Wonders and are getting to know each other virtually. Already it's been great fun. (Come Cheer Us On!) Tomorrow wraps up our first week. It is time for the first weigh in along with a few other items. First being to post our week's workout minutes. As I sit here writing this, I have completed 203.36 minutes, and I have 40 minutes til #tworkout time on Twitter with the @shrinkingjeans group. It's always fun and a challenge at the same time, plus tonight there will be another round of prizes. I have to tell you that if you haven't had the pleasure of a workout with them - they are great and I've won a $20 Subway Fresh Buzz card working out with them, so it's worth it in more ways than one!

Okay, enough of the chit chat. Time to focus. I have been working really hard at trying to get in shape after foot surgery in 2005, my 10lb son was born in 2006, and then finding out that there was a thyroid issue going on. Hypothyroidism to be specific. It all made sense, all the symptoms, maybe 10 in all - besides the weight problem. Other worse symptoms that I had to pay more attention to. Months of back and forth with the dr finally came down to that. I got to the point where I was feeling better, but I just couldn't continue with working out for long periods because I would get so drained. I bugged the dr more and got specialists and now it all really makes even more sense. I just wasn't being medicated correctly. I had Hashimoto's which is more intense and apparently there is a lot of fluctuation with the hormones. It's still hard for me. I still get huge bursts of energy and go for a few weeks and then all of a sudden it's like the floor dropped out and I am drained. I have to sleep and I mean SLEEP. It'd been not only physically hard for me, but mentally. It's definitely one of the big goals I have. I want to drop some of the excess inches so I can feel healthier. It's one thing the dr has told me I really need to do.

That shares the first goal in a very roundabout way, but I think that tells you who I am and why this is so hard.

In addition to that goal - I want to:

- Drink 64 oz of water a day

- Workout at least 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes

- Keep training for the C25K and do the virtual 5 K in January
(and after that, continue and train for the 10K in June - Zooma Annapolis. I really want to run the whole race this time, and not just half!!)


Those are the top 4 goals for me.

Besides the health aspects for me, and how it will benefit me for years to come, I want to do this for my family. I need to be healthy so that I can keep up with an active 4 year old, and a very outdoors and active husband.

As for how I am doing this, I am using a spreadsheet along with other components like SparkPeople, Daily mile, Lolo burn and of course Shrinkingjeans #tworkouts to keep me going. I figured out that not just one thing is going to help me get there.


Okay all - it's time to do the aforementioned #tworkout. I have 15 minutes to clean this up, warm back up and get moving!
http://shrinkingjeans.net/2010/11/welcome-to-the-holiday-hoedown-prominade-people-prominade/