Healthier Me vs. Fat Me

It's kind of funny that I'm doing this post today b/c I feel that I'm fatter than I was a week ago after the Holiday food! Here we go though.

Healthier Me vs. Fat Me

8 min mile VS exhausted after 1/2 mile
26 min 5k VS what's a 5k?
190lbs VS 256 lbs
definition VS my fat being fat
Happy VS Not Happy
active VS sedentary
Medium to Large VS 2XL
for real VS pretending
knowledgeable VS knowledgeable [interesting how we know what to do but fail to do it]
productive VS lazy
Victory VS defeated

I'm coming up on my 1 year blogoversary. It's been an awesome experience and I can only look forward!

Keep your head up and eyes focused. You will succeed.

keeping control. Meet my new friend.

Meet my new friend.
I love being able to get my runs in. I've had to do the runs on the treadmill, but b/c of my membership at the local YMCA - it's been a lot easier to get solid runs in rather than on my less sturdy treadmill. I started this journey out on Wilma [my treadmill], but have made a new friend at the Y. I have no name for this treadmill though - I need one -- any suggestions.



This treadmill can handle me going at 8 something pace for a long time - mine at home cannot. I'm sure Carol doesn't like it when she can hear me running hard on the treadmill from the other room.

keeping control.
This week I've really focused on making the smart decisions when they come.

I've given up soda completely this week. I'm only three days into it, but I've done it before and was successful so I'm not worried about this one. Every now and then, I like to give up things just to know that i can do it and it doesn't have control over me. I just like to keep control.

What's new with you all?!

Weigh In Pic. Run with the Wind 25k

Run w/the Wind 25k.

I've started training for 'Run with the Wind 25k'.

The race is just over 15 miles and it's going to be stinkin' cold b/c it's in the middle of February!

I have zero cold weather running gear to go with the race. That's okay though, I'm sure by February 22 I will have some. To be honest, I'm not sure what type of running gear I need to have to run in the cold weather. Are there any cold weather runners out there that can point me in the right direction?! Possibly even throw some not used running gear my way!

So, it'll be my longest official race since I started running and will be the 3rd race of the year. The first is a virtual 5k that I am putting on through my weight loss challenge and the 2nd is an official 5k.

Weigh In Picture.

I was being a copycat to another challenger's weigh-in picture, but I don't own a robe so I borrowed my wife's :)

Have a good night!

refusing to move, fail, stop, go

Why not feel the way that you want to feel?
Why not be who you desire to be?
Why not take control of situations?
Why not make a difference?
Why not live healthier?
Why not be stronger?
Why live in regret?
Why not forgive those who have wronged you?
Why wait until tomorrow when you can do it today?
Why wait for good to come to you when you ARE good?!
Why let someone else determine your worth?
Why let it be harder to climb the stairs than forget the extra cookie?
Why be a slave to food?
Why be a slave to anything?
Why not be the best in anything?
Why not try?
...
...there may be times that you fail
...but when you succeed
...it's because you have refused to fail
...and fought hard to live
...
there's nothing stopping you...

but you.

You ready for some inspiration?!

Have a good day!

Taking what's yours.

I've been reading the book Racing Weight.

I came across a section talking to beginners in fitness/endurance sports. I'm allowed to quote out of a book right? Here goes.

"Perhaps the greatest psychological barrier to exercise, after lack of exercise enjoyment itself, is lack of self-esteem, and the attending demons of self-doubt, pessimism, and fear of failure. Lifelong non-exercisers are often ashamed of their bodies and convinced they cannot accomplish anything positive with them. There are many effective methods of battling these internal barriers. Recognizing that they exist is the first. Once you recognize that your expectation of failure in exercise is a self-fulfilling sympton of low self-esteem, instead of a rational deduction based on solid evidence, it will suddenly seem worthwhile to make every effort to destroy this illusion."

We often prevent ourselves from doing what needs to be done in order to get where we want to be.

Why do we do this?

We're scared of changes.

I challenge you to step outside of that fear, low self-esteem, and fear of failure in order to learn, achieve, succeed, and live free of negativity.

Starting Weigh-In picture. Bringing it home.

Starting weigh-in picture for challenge #6!

Gonna bring it home.

Bitter Cold. Inside Running. Excitement

...and it begins.

The 6th online challenge that I've hosted starts tomorrow! I am totally going to own this one. I have yet to own my own challenge! Ha! I'm pretty excited about this challenge.

You know those feelings that you get when you know you're going to rock something out?! That's what I have today. I'm ready for the next six weeks!

I'm going to go back to counting my calories to make sure I get enough and up my running to get more mileage. I'm going to slowly up my mileage back to where I was a few months ago. I don't want to just jump back up to higher mileage in fear of hurting myself. Because of the weather, I don't get to run outside...and I miss running outside.

I do miss running outside. I think the high today was 20degrees. It was cold. I am not a fan of cold weather at all!

I am thankful though that I have a treadmill, but I really can't stand running inside. It's okay, I'll manage and I'll ROCK challenge out.

What are you all excited about as you end the year out?!

Being the difference maker.

The other day I went through my Dashboard & Google Reader with hopes of cleaning out some of the blogs that just fail to blog or deliver a positive vibe. It was a much more time consuming task than I thought that it was going to be. It was kind of disappointing as well.

I think that most of us here that blog within the genre of weight loss/fitness have a couple things in common.

1. We blog to keep ourselves accountable to what we do, eat, don't do, and don't eat.

2. We blog to help others stay accountable to what they are doing in like manner.

and thirdly [yes I know that a couple typically means two]...

3. We can't believe how much interest others have in our boring lives :)


Outside of that third point -- we do most of this for some area of accountability to take place. As I started cleaning out my blog subscriptions, I was amazed at how many people had quit. I think I stopped following 100+ blogs...[most of which had quit and made their already short journey shorter...]

I couldn't believe it.

I was pretty floored actually.

It showed me how blessed I was in the result that I got from this blog. That may sound strange, but this blog has been a huge contributor in keeping me on the straight path. It's challenged me b/c there were times that I didn't want to be honest that I was.

I think I was able to keep a solid, positive vibe b/c of that accountability.

There are going to be a ton of blogs in this fitness area popping up in the next couple of months all searching for that accountability that most of us have.

I am challenging my readers to take one fresh newbie under their wing and help them become successful. I think some of us were able to continue on our own and some of us had to be pushed along by the couple readers that we had.

I'm going to go out and say that I think you can change someone's life by being their positive influence having never met them. Take the challenge and be the difference.

Continue with your journey, but continue on in their journey.

Leading by example.

27 days and some odd hours. That's where I stand.

I've noticed that while I am eating healthier food - I'm eating more of it. I've got to find that middle ground that I once controlled in order to hit this goal weight.

Is it life or death whether I hit that goal? No.

Is it something that I would love to be able to say that I've accomplished? Yes!

I am a competitor. I am fierce. I want to be #1.

To reach 175 lbs translates into being the best that I can...that's what I want. No matter what I am doing -- I want to be the best. That's my competitive nature taking charge.

Another thing I want to do is to help others in their struggles with weight.

For me, in order to help others means that I must be able to control myself and be the best.

I'm a firm believer in lead by example.

Words, whether spoken or written, mean nothing unless they are backed up by action.

Be the example, make a difference, and watch as it helps those around you.

A short Cold Run! House gym. Stats.

I always enjoyed the movie, 'Cool Runnings' - today, along those same lines and a play on their name [minus the Jamaican Bobsled team], I enjoyed a cool running.

I have 28 days left for me to be celebrating my 1 year anniversary. January 5th, 2010 is when I first really started trying to get fit and I'm getting there. I have a ultimate goal weight of 170, but I'm shooting for 175 by Janurary 5th, 2011. That'll make my total weight loss at 80 lbs (61 lbs in 1 year).
I'm excited for it and will continue to work for it!

I mentioned that I have been transforming one room in my house into a little gym. Below are some pics of my progress so far!

Another thing that is happening is the start of the newest challenge of Seth Tyler's weight loss challenge! It will be challenge #6! Of all the challenges [mine and others branching off - we have lost over 800 lbs! check those stats out here]

For you cold weather people - What do you do for workouts when it's freezing outside??!

As Tony puts it, "The Mother of All Workouts"

I had such a good workout yesterday that I wanted to post about it.

JUST DANCE.

I'm a hunter and once I was finished hunting [no luck last night] I went home, ate dinner, and lounged around.

I have been getting accustomed to lounging a bit more since I was sick and such and that is just not me. I don't like to do that for to long. I still needed my workout for the day, but was lacking the motivation to do it. Not sure why.

I got on facebook and updated my status asking if any of my friends in my town had any Wii games that they were wanting to let my wife and I borrow for the night. A friend from church brought some over and one of the games was Just Dance.

I'm up for anything.

We put the game in and despite it's girlyness -- it was a lot of fun and such a workout. We had a friend try to get us to play it when they were in the states, but we went against it. Sorry Alyssa [I'm only sorry if that was the game]!

It was fun.

It was a workout.

It made me sweat too.

What Kind of Unusual Surprise Workouts have you had?!

Published credit? Countdown. Hit me up!

I've cleaned my 'gym' up this past week and it's looking pretty smooth.

I'll put a picture of it up a little later. I enjoy having it at home, but it needs a lot more to become a gym.

The countdown is on and I'm moving strong! I'm stilling fighting the itchy poison ivy, but it hasn't stopped my production on the eating and fitness front!

Also, I've been working with my other blog a little bit more. Are you interested in changing lives? Hit me up and see if we can put a weight loss challenge together in your area. It's a little bit of work, but it pays off. How so?

Well, it comes back to bless you later on.

I was told about an article that was done on a past challenger of mine that was being showcased in a Missouri-wide newspaper because of her efforts in changing her health! It's not much, but she gave me some 'influence' and 'motivator' credit within the article.

It's an awesome feeling to be a part of such a life change!

Read it for yourself!

I hope you are moving in a positive direction as well!

What is your biggest goal for DECEMBER?!