Week 3, Day 2: No gum, Have videos

Dangit, I forgot my chewing gum. But my workout was good. Making my own playlist really does allow me to just run freely. I know that when the music changes I should change as well. And with each new song comes a spark of energy so it keeps me moving. I wonder what it'll be like when I am running for 10 minutes straight or even 20?

I guess I'd better conquer 3 first. Oh and I'll start running outside in about a week or so (granted the weather is nice). The loop around my house is 2.9 miles. That'll get me started running outside and it's a good distance to train on.

Anyway, by popular demand, concert videos:

BBD - Poison (yes that is me singing all crazy)


Aaron Hall (the craziness that is him)

Doesn't he like boys?

OK, so before I get on the real topic of this post, my workout was GREAT yesterday. I really had to step it up. I was challenged mentally as well as physically. Running for 3 minutes sounds like a little bit and in the grand scheme of things it really is. However, when I was running for the 3-minute interval yesterday, I kept getting bored, itching to look at the timer to see how long before I could go to the next step. I am beginning to notice more and more that this running thing is a MENTAL task. My brother suggested that I chew gum. I'm sitting here thinking to myself, I already listen to music. Chew gum? But he says that it works and he ran for almost 20 minutes today. I guess chewing gum is worth trying, huh? I'd better get sugar-free...

Now, the subject at hand. If you saw Making the Band yesterday, then you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. Why was Q kissing Dawn? Am I the only one wondering about this? Throughout the whole show they were flirting and making out. Is this what reality TV does to people? Nevermind, I know the answer to that question. Maybe he is finding himself. Maybe he is changing his image. Hmmm, what do you think?

Anyway, can't wait to buy those albums (Danity Kane and New Guy Group, not buying Donnie). I really like how they sound :-)

Making the Band 4

Season 2 starts tonight at 9pm Central!

It should be a good one.

Week 3, Day 1: That girl is POISOOOOOOON!

I LOVE me some New Edition and BBD. And they can still move like they did back when we were younger. I mean they are a lot older, look a lot better, and still got that NE swagger. Whew! They performed on Saturday with Toni Tony Tone minus Raphael Sadiqq, Guy featuring Aaron Hall minus Guy, and Keith Sweat. The show was good but BBD was great. And I was so close they could probably hear me singing all the songs. Anyway, Aaron Hall is a mess. Can someone please tell him that he is not 25 anymore? Why are you still bringing freaky women up on stage? That was way too much to handle, especially while he was showing his little bird chest. Anyway, I diverged...

So back to the task at hand, here is this week's workout
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
* Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
* Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
* Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
* Walk 400 yards (or 3 minutes)

I need the New Edition and BBD old school songs to help me along the way tonight while training! Check back for photos and video from the concert. And Aaron Hall, keep the stank out of your concert!

Week 2, Day 3: Uneventful

I went to the gym today after work - and it was very uneventful. It was just rainy, dreary, nasty outside (and I had just gotten my hair done). So the hairdo lasted thru the workout. I think I am on a roll with the 90 second runs. I am now ready to push myself to the next level. 3 minutes, here I come!

Week 2, Day 2: No rest for the weary

Tired. Sleepy. No food.

Maybe thats why my legs felt like jelly yesterday when I started my workout. I was so busy toward the end of my day that I forgot to eat. Since I work out around 4:30-5 I normally try to eat an apple or some other snack right around 3 or so. I had the apple in my purse and I was tempted to eat it on my way to the gym but I didn't want to catch a cramp - that would be even worse for the kid. So I just went without... And I felt it in every step.

Of course I forgot my towel too so I looked down at the timer on the treadmill multiple times. That made a short workout way too long. But, I finished the workout feeling great. I'm even pumped about getting to week 3.

How will I ever run for 3 minutes at a time? I guess that's nothing compared to 30 minutes at a time... Which songs will I listen to then? In a few days, we'll find out.

What Doesn't Kill Me Can Only Make Me Stronger

Day 4 went well. My workout gave me a boost of confidence - I feel like I can actually do this.

Some people have been asking about my playlist, so here it is (and yes, I know that I have my fill of Bey). She's a great motivator. :-)

(Warm Up) Stronger (Kanye West)- great motivation song to start the workout with
(R) Flipside (Freeway)
(W) Lost Your Mind (Beyonce)
(R) Big Things Poppin (T.I.)
(W) Upgrade U (Beyonce)
(R) Check On It (Beyonce)
(W) Heartbreaker (Danity Kane)
(R) Hollywood (Jay-Z f/Beyonce)
(W) Ring The Alarm (Beyonce)
(R) Show Me What You Got (Jay-Z)
(W) Freakum Dress (Beyonce)
(R) Suga Mama (Beyonce)
(W) Want It (Danity Kane)
(R) Just Fine (Mary J. Blige)
(W) Encore (Jay-Z)
(R) Get Me Bodied (Beyonce)
(W) My Love (Justin Timberlake)
(Cool Down) This Love (Maroon 5)

By the way, this playlist is actually 2 songs too long - but I couldn't decide which songs to throw out so I kept all of them. It's 3.5 more minutes of working out.

So, have you been working out? Running? Walking? Doing something? Need help? Contact me and we can motivate each other.

Stay tuned for 5K race information!

Week 2, Day 1: The second week begins

It's already been a week and here I am headed to do my 4th run/walk. This week should definitely be harder since there is a longer run interval.

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

I'm hoping I can keep up.

Week 1, Day 3: Welcome to the AAAAAA!

Today I flew in to HOT-lanta to take care of some business and it is FREEZING! Not just cold, freezing. My flight left late because of weather in Houston so I am already making excuses about why I cant get on the treadmill tonight. "I'm too tired", "it's too late", "I haven't eaten", "I want to play with the baby". The excuses are overflowing.

So I get to Toya's house and rest and relax for a few minutes. I play with the baby and he slowly falls off to sleep a little while after. So there I am. Me, Toya and Tone just sitting aorund talking. And I remember my overall GOAL. I want to actually RUN the 5K. And it takes everything in me to decide to put on my clothes to workout.

Thanks To Isha, I was able to create my own iPod playlist and have the songs switch when I am supposed to walk and run. So, I get on the treadmill, turn my iPod on and guess what? It freezes up. My iPod is frozen! "If it ain't one thing it's another..." (I hear that in my head) What the hell? It is of course the excuse of all excuses not to run. So I had to take a break to go look online to figure out how to un-freeze my iPod. The instructions were clear and it didnt take too long (move back and forth from 'hold' position, then push 'menu' and center select button at the same time - in case you ever need it). Again, I was ready to roll.

Having the iPod playlist made my workout so much better. I didnt have to look down at the screen to figure out when to change and I could focus on my overall goal. The workout itself was actually ok too. I guess I am building up a little stamina. I guess the true test will come next week when I am running for 90 seconds instead of 60. Let's see how it goes. I'd better make the next playlist now.

The best salad since... EVER!

Recipe:
50-50 mix of baby spinach and mixed greens bag salad
corn
peas
mushrooms
crumbled feta cheese
diced boiled egg
diced avocado
dried cranberries

All topped off with Kraft Light Red Wine Vinaigrette.

It's to die for... Not in the mood to make your own? Head to Panera Bread and get the Orchard Harvest salad. It's different but from which I got the inspiration.

I didnt say it was low calorie, but definitely lower than the fried chicken that I could eat. :-)

Week 1, Day 2: Drop down low!

Today was my second 5k training session. On day 1, I had forgotten my iPod so I was completely focused on the clock. This time I knew which speeds I would be running so I could get a little loose. I started off strong after setting the timer for 25 minutes. I turned on my Beyonce to get me hype. I did my warm up and started the running/walking intervals. I did the first couple alternating cycles and then I seemed to have gotten a little too loose.

Listening to my music, I must have forgotten what I was there for. I was walking and then I just completely forgot when I was supposed to start running. Had I already been walking for 30 seconds or a minute already? So I am re-counting down from 20 minutes in my head as I am listening to "Get Me Bodied" extra loud and I got all out of balance. Apparently, I didnt have my Ipod strapped on properly so it went tumbling down on the treadmill and ended up on the floor while I was left with the earbuds dangling, not plugged into anything.

Soooooooo, I had to push the big red STOP button on the treadmill in the middle of my workout (losing my mileage count and calories burned), get my iPod from off the floor, plug my earbuds back in, figure out which song to play and the volume to play it at, restrap the iPod holder, reset the treadmill timer (who knows exactly when I got thrown off) and figure out whether I was actually supposed to be running or walking...

This is way too much to have to deal with. Maybe I am better off without the distraction of Beyonce...

Seems easy enough? Not so fast...

IT.WAS.BRUTAL!

That's how I would describe my first day of training. For a couch/Tivo potato like me I thought I was gonna die.

So I walked in the gym all pumped up and ready to go. Given that most of the time I just hit "Quick Start" on the treadmill, I had some quick learning to do. I had to figure out my good jogging speed and "brisk" walking speed. I settled on 3.5mph for walking and 5mph for jogging.

So I set the timer for 25 minutes (5 minute warm up and 8 sets of alternating jogging/walking for the remaining 20 minutes). The brisk walk got the heart pumping, not too much but just enough for me to believe I was actually moving. I completed the first four alternating sets and was thinking to myself... "I can do this".

Then all of a sudden it was like I got hit by a brick wall. Remember I am by no means a runner. I prefer the elliptical trainer. Well, actually I prefer the couch - but I have a little wager going on and since I looooooove my Tivo, I make it a point to at least get on the elliptical while I'm watching TV.

So back to running into that brick wall... I still had 10 minutes to go. All I kept thinking was breathe... walk... run and dont stop for 1 minute. It got to the point where I could not even look at the timer. I forced myself to look away until I thought I was almost done with the running part.

And guess what? It worked. I finished the whole 20 minutes without giving up and giving in. I felt so good afterwards. Now I am not really a sweaty person either, even when I work out. But today, hmmm, that was another story. I was drenched. I guess I havent worked this hard in a while. And 1.5 miles is not bad either. Thats what I covered today.

At any rate, stay tuned. I wonder what training Day 2 holds.

Week 1, Day 1: The Race Is On

So, I happened upon a site Couch to 5K and was immediately inspired to get moving. What better way to lose weight than to run? And even better, I have recruited a few people to train alongside me. :-) We're planning to run a 5k in early May. This will be interesting. I am not a runner and have not really run anything since junior high school track team sprints. I was never one to run long-distance cross-country although I've always admired the people that did...

Today is my first day of training. It seems easy enough to do:
Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck!

First post in a few years

It's been a loooooooooooong time since I've blogged. My life has changed so very much. It's all been amazing. I'll fill you in on the details as time progresses.

But for now, it's 2008 and time to set new goals, resolutions, whatever you call them.

Here are my resolutions:
1) Lose weight (inevitable)
2) Cook and eat healthier meals
3) Take a sewing class
4) Foster and cultivate relationships

I'll keep you posted on how I am doing.