F.W.A.P. HalfWay GiveAway!

I know that this is the moment that you all have been waiting for! Who doesn't love a good giveaway?! I have reached and surpassed the halfway mark to my goal of 1,010 miles by foot this year. I have overcome many obstacles along the way -- including that broken ankle of mine and have lost a whopping 47 lbs since starting this year and 66 lbs since starting my fitness journey!

If you cannot tell -- I'm pretty stoked about this. It's all down hill from here!

Now to the giveaway. This Giveaway is free for anyone to enter as long as you follow the entry procedures. I hope that you win and that you keep up with your own fitness journey!

I'm biased, but I think this is a pretty good giveaway!
Enter now to win the F.W.A.P. HalfWay GIVEAWAY

(included in the giveaway is one pair of iLogic headphones, one Gold's gym 65cm exercise ball, one beaded jumprope, one headband, one 2010-2011 weekly planner/journal, and one $10 Subway giftcard.)

Please leave a SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY!!!

1 - Become a follower of my blog if you are not already and leave a COMMENT.

2 - Tell my why you want these prizes and leave a COMMENT.

3 - Tell me which post on Fit With a Purpose is your favorite and leave a COMMENT.

4 - Post about this giveaway on your blog, Twitter, OR Facebook account and leave a COMMENT FOR EACH W/Link.

5 - Tell me what your favorite simple exercise is (push-up, sit-up, squat, etc.) and leave a COMMENT!


The F.W.A.P. HalfWay GiVEAWAY will end on Friday August 13th, 2010. Winner will be announced the following day!

Halfway. Oops. Picture.

Hey there everyone! As you can see on the right sidebar -- I made it halfway to my goal of 1010 miles in 2010. With that being said - I have the HalfWay Giveaway post....to post tomorrow!

Oops.

I have all of the stuff for it, but failed to take a picture and would hate to start the giveaway with no glimpse at what you are getting. I will say though that this giveaway is for anyone to enter when it starts! Even though I do not have a picture of the giveaway items yet - Here is a picture of me in my office for you. I thought it'd be better than nothing, although some may argue that nothing would have been better! :)

Halfway Giveaway. Running the Eight Ball. pocket belt.

I wanted to go ahead and do this post now because my me and Carol are going to go out tonight and wouldn't have time later to do it. Well, I would have time, but don't want to spend my Friday night writing a post. I will though, however, be doing a 1.4 mile run tonight when we get home. Why would I do that you ask -- because I'll have reached 505 miles for the year. That means that I am at the halfway mark to my goal of 1010 miles travelled (by walking, jogging, running)!

I think that calls for a giveaway. You may remember the last giveaway I had (I like to think it was a pretty awesome giveaway if I may add - ask Katie J!). This giveaway is going to be equally awesome! The giveaway entries will begin tomorrow and their will be a post devoted to only it. You'll want to make sure you check it out because it will be pretty solid! That will be tomorrow!

Today, I asked on facebook how many miles I should run for my run today and I had only one answer - 5.2 miles by Steve @ 265andfalling. Thanks Steve! I ignored his suggestion though and only ran 4.02 miles. :)

I decided to run to a local landmark and then I would make a loop having that as my far out destination - that landmark was the Eight Ball water tower. Yes, my town has a water tower that is painted like an Eight Ball...you know, like in billiards. Just another normal thing around this town.

And here is your proof.
Prior to my run today, I really needed something to hold my phone. I like having my having my phone while running because I get to take the awesome pictures throughout the run. Another positive is that my iPod's battery was low, the mp3 player needed a new battery, and my phone just happens to be able to be used as a mp3 player. It all worked out except that my shorts don't have pockets. That's not a problem - go to the wife and ask her to make you a belt that has a pocket on it so that it can hold it for you while running handsfree! Perfect idea.

She was actually busy doing something, but I went to her craft room and placed her sewing machine in front of her and said, "sew!". Okay, not quite like that, but I found an old shirt of mine and with some of her materials - we made a homemade version of a runner's carry belt. Here's the steps that we took.

1. Cut an old black t-shirt sleeve off.
2. Cut sleeve in half and folded over to make a pocket using hem (terminology is not correct I'm sure) as top of pocket w/hole.
3. Sewed (of course with pink yarn b/c that's what was already threaded on the machine) on the inside of pocket the bottom seam and side seam which left top hole open.
4. Took gray t-shirt yarn (my wife makes yarn using old t-shirts, cool huh?) to use as drawstring of top pocket opening.
5. Took bottom hem of a green t-shirt and made that the actual tie-on belt and sewed pocket to belt.
6. Cut a hole in the phone pocket for headphones to come out of.
7. Tied the belt in a double knot and took off. Didn't feel it the entire run. Was pretty awesome and enjoyed the creative nature of it. And we made it using all recycled material. Neat huh?


Back to the running of the Eight Ball Tower. It made me think about a tip that you could use for running and to gain speed.

Use a landmark and take a timed easy run to it. The next time you run to this landmark, try to beat your previous time there. Continue with trying to get that best time to that specific landmark. If you are worn out by the time you get there - walk home. No big deal to walk. This is just an idea for you to try. If it doesn't help - don't do it - no harm done.

Until tomorrow - and the awesome HALFWAY GIVEAWAY post - be blessed.

Guard Giraffes. Park Running Pictures.

So, I'm rarely asked all the time about where I run. I thought that today would be a good time to show you some of where I run. It is usually nothing out of the ordinary until you run by bushes that are trimmed to be in the shape of giraffes. Again though, nothing out of the ordinary in the town of 3,000 right? Ha!

This morning I decided that it would be good to start the day out with a short run. It was actually mid-morning and I had already been busy, but there's always time for a short run right? I actually changed it into a tour of the town I live in attempt to find odd things about this place. I think the best was the above picture - guard giraffes.

I had a pretty slow start to this challenge, but have picked up some steam as it continues. I'm looking for this month to hold the most miles in my attempt to hit 1,010 miles this year. I am just under halfway there and we have already been though 7 months. I've got quite a few miles left in a short period of time. Looks like I have some extra initiative I guess.

Another part of most of my runs travels through one of our parks. It is a nice place to be as you can see in the below picture. The not so large body of water is about 1/2 mile around.

I don't typically run around it time after time, but I do travel around it to get to the other side of the park. It's nice on the eyes and it is close to the 1/2 way mark around the normal 3 mile route I take.

I still have a workout to complete tonight. With that said, enjoy the rest of your night or the rest of your day (if you're reading bright and early!).

What will you accomplish today?

Sickly Skinny. Insight Letter. Weigh In Picture.

I think we all have those times when we just run out of steam when it comes to blogging - I hit that last week and didn't post at all for a week. It's back though. It's clicked again and here I am.
Lately, I have had people tell me that I look sickly skinny (and I am no where close to that), but do believe it is because they are the ones that knew me when I was big. Mac at getfitslowly did a post about this and I agree with him. People that have known me big will have an opinion on how I look and at how I will look when I hit goal weight. It may not always be a positive opinion. I never thought of it this way, but people will now poke at me telling me I need to eat more or that I am too healthy. It's weird to think that.

Can it be that my weight loss has them feeling inferior or has given them personal convictions about their own weight?

Either way, I know where I need to be and I will not stop. The challenge that I have been hosting has been going well and I have reached the 180s again. I finally feel that I've found my groove again in weight loss. No more maintaining! I haven't felt like this in a couple months - glad to have it again.

I wrote a message, as I try to do often, to those that are participating in the challenge. I thought that it applied to all of you reading as well, so I have posted it for you.

Hey Everyone!

Week 3 can be very challenging for a lot of people during this six week challenge. Some have dropped out after just two weeks in prior challenges and I hope that this is not the case with this one. Last week appeared to be a tough week for many of you - myself included. We all have different things going on in our lives that play a part in how active we are in our pursuit of better health.

I just wanted to give you some insight and also to challenge you to take a closer look at how this can make a difference in how you live your life.

I use to weigh 255 lbs. That is, according to my BMI chart (which many insurance companies go from - ridiculous I know), 85-100 lbs overweight. I was unhappy with how I looked, unhappy in what I could and couldn't do, and unhappy in how I felt physically. I was good at hiding it though and you wouldn't have been able to tell that I was unhappy. Something clicked though and I wanted to change. I saw a picture of myself that was taken during school. I thought to myself, "that's what I look like?". At that point, I gave up my mountain dew addiction. I lost 15 lbs the rest of that year and all I did was give up Mountain Dew. This year - starting January 5th, 2010 - I have been disciplined, self-controlled, and motivated to get to 170 lbs. I've lost just over 50 lbs this year and feel pretty great. It's amazing the difference in how I hold myself, how I feel, and how bright the future seems.

I don't write this message to boast on my accomplishments or successes, but to show you that you can do this despite how difficult it feels sometimes. Success builds on success and you can overcome the difficult periods with discipline, self-control, and motivation to be what you were meant to be. We were not meant to be lazy, fat, or a slave to bad habits. Choose a healthier life and see just how far you can go.

I have 19.6 pounds to go to hit that goal weight and I will get there. I want to help you get to where you want to be too. Don't view this challenge as just a way to win money or something that is temporary, but as an opportunity to build a strong foundation to a mountain of healthy successes.

Week 3 will be our best week yet if you set your mind to it. Focus and follow through.

- Seth

There you go. Here is my last weigh-in picture for the challenge.

Health insurance. Health Scores. Weigh-In Picture.

health insurance.

My wife and I had been without health insurance for a while and we finally found something that was affordable and decent. It might not be the greatest health insurance, but it works for now. I was a little nervous as I signed up for the insurance because of my experience before. It's no secret that we work on a limited budget and we try to make the most out of our money. My experience before with signing up for health insurance is that after I was quoted an amount - and sent in the application - we received back that the risk assessment came back higher and our payment would be 100+ dollars more per month than what was quoted. I asked them why --- it was because of my weight. I've lost some weight if you have not been able to see from my pictures and I am able to say that it did not affect the risk assessment. We were approved. I like the way that sounds.

health scores.

It kind of makes me think about credit scores and such. Well, there is a health score and so many people do not care about their health score until they have a health scare. It's actually quite a bit alike (credit score & health score). Think about it.

-You are free to do more without limitations.
-People are more willing to trust you b/c of the care you put into yourself.
-Through the many studies, it's almost safe to say that better treatment comes with a better score.

I don't think it's much of a stretch to see that better health scores allow more freedom to get what you want rather than settling for less. Just an idea.

weigh-in pic.

Week 1 on the challenge I am hosting is over and it is off to a great start for many people! I am including in this challenge and am off to an okay start. I knew that week 1 wouldn't be as stellar as others because of my recent birthday. I knew that I was going to indulge in some things that I wouldn't typically - I didn't go overboard though. Here is my weigh-in picture from yesterday.

Week 1 Weigh-IN

Opinion on Health Score and Credit Score - Share it!

B-day. Running Form. New Shoes. Goulash Coolash.

My birthday is tomorrow. I like my birthdays simple. I don't have to have a lot of things or a party; I just like to hang out and have a good time. My wife gets frustrated with that, but that's how I have always been. My friends who are missionaries to Germany are currently in the states and will be here at my house tomorrow - on my birthday! I love it. I'm so excited to see them. It's been a very long time, but I have a feeling that it'll just pick back up like they had never left. I can't wait to hang out.

other news.

On Wednesdays I go to a nearby town and hit up the local Starbuck's. I love coffee and they have some stuff that I really enjoy. I also get my money's worth as I stay there for a few hours enjoying the entire environment and do some great studying. One of the things that I got to study up on today was (and it's no surprise) - running.

Running Form.

I read up and watched some videos on the proper form of running and the benefits of tuning into your body while running. Look for a post coming up on some of what I have learned. I utilized some of the tips in my run today and my run was great!

One of the things that I will talk about is the necessity to keep your body going forward. One thing that I know I struggle with is that I tend to swing my arms across my body and not front to back. When I do that - it causes a misalignment in my running and affects the entire form. The idea is to use your arms, but that they go straight in the direction that you are going (not like a punch, but a simple bend in your arms and going front front to back). Another aspect of this alignment is to make sure your feet are facing straight as well when running. I used this information today and it was strange because I normally swing my arms across. Who knew something so small could make a difference!

New Shoes.

After I finished my awesome coffee I headed over to a nearby sports store. I took my time as I looked at the running shoes. I had purchased some new shoes a while back, but they were hurting my feet. This time I did my research and I think I walked away with some pretty awesome shoes. I used them tonight, and tonights time was the best I have had on that particular course. I ran the 3.04 miles in 29'33" @ a 9'41" pace.

The run felt good.

Goulash Coolash.

I also wanted to give a shoutout because she helped me out when I was in a bind. She doesn't know it just yet - but she did.

I was in need of a meal to make for me and my wife and something rather easy. I put a tweet out there asking for a quick meal and to my surprise - got zero replies, at least not at that time. I read many blogs and one that I know who posts recipes is Tonya @ Unlikely Success Story. I always comment on her meals and if I could, I would hire her as a chef for my family :)
I found a recipe called Goulash Coolash and it seemed easy enough to make -- so I made it.

It was delicious! My wife does not like Goulash, but she loved Goulash Coolash! Thanks Tonya for the awesome recipe and just to give you the respect - I took a picture of it. I didn't do the mixed vegetables, but it turned out delish!

Goulash Coolash

What is the best thing that has happened to you this week!

Challenge #3 Pic. Genious Creativity. Stoked.

Seth Tyler's Weight Loss Challenge # 3 starts today and I am taking part in it. What does this mean for you that read my blog? That means that you will again be seeing my day to day struggles and successes as they come for the next six weeks at a closer viewpoint. When I take part in this challenge, I focus hard. I love the fitness and weight loss blogosphere and this is where I come to get stronger mentally - so I need you especially the next six weeks.

The first challenge I took part in, I lost 17 lbs. Here I am a month and a half later having maintained that weight. I did dip just under the 190 lbs mark, but it is a day to day battle on whether the 180s shows its face. Throughout the next six weeks - I plan on ditching the 190s completely and be close to getting rid of 180s. I'm ready for this challenge.



My starting weight Picture

In a month I will be officiating my sister's wedding. That will be four weeks into the challenge and I'm thinking that the lower 180s will be in store for that day.

There is still room for a couple more participants as of Monday, July 19th, to join in on the challenge. You would need to let me know by 10:00pm Central Time tonight.

Running this morning was killer again. The heat and humidity will not let up. I ran mid-morning and have come to the realization that in this weather - walking breaks are smart. I did take some pretty cool measures to beat the heat.

I made a visor. I like to wear hats when I am running, but in this heat - I can't do it because I am then only retaining that heat - which would lead to an overheating and exhaustion. I took an old Kansas City Royals hat of mine and cut the top of it off. It worked great. It was still so hot today that my visor was dripping with sweat though.

At least that part is over with today (I love running, but hate heat index of 110 or whatever it was). I do still have a workout to do today - some P90X! I'm looking forward to the challenge and am determined to rock it!

Discipline pushes limits.

and that is the truth.

What thing are you stoked about that has you pushing yourself harder?!