The Blonde Diaries

I’m trying to establish monthly goals to motivate me to stay on the diet and exercise track. Last month, I developed this idea halfway through the month so I was only able to go with it for the last week and a half. My goal for July was to run 3 miles a week in total and to try and run 3 times a week. I was very surprised I was able to do so well. There was one week where I actually ran 4 days with 2 days back to back. That is pretty darn good being that I am so not a runner and am restarting this whole running thing.

This month I want to continue my progress and I am planning on setting my goal to be 4 miles a week and trying to run 4 times/days a week. Anything over 4 miles or 4 days will be a little bonus but I would love to make it back to where I was a few years ago when I could run 2 miles straight (30 minutes – I was slow at the time) and I would like to do that more than 2 times a week like I was doing in the past. I will let you know how it goes. So far I am at 1.5 miles from Saturday and 1.6 miles from Monday.

I am always looking for a new way to add fun into my fitness routine. The latest idea I had thanks to brainstorming at work for a connectivity event is paintball. I know! Sounds a little out there but when you think about it you are running around, ducking, and shooting at people with paintball guns. Part of adding paintball to any fitness routine will include buying the proper equipment such as BT Paintball guns, masks, and coveralls so your clothes don’t get painted various shades in the process. I found the Ultimate Paintball website to be very helpful in getting me started with all of the basic items needed to go “paintballing”. There is a section labeled paintball gun packages which include the gun, masks, paintballs, carrying cases, air guns, etc. Basically everything you didn’t know that you would need. There are multiple levels of packages to reach all budgets so you just have to figure out your price point and then pick the package that corresponds. If you are in the market for paintball equipment check out Ultimate Paintball here as they will get you set up and going very quickly.

I swear everything I finally make myself start running again I get terrible blisters. Last night was no different except this time I got some mega-blisters starting right after the ball of my foot and traveling up my arch. I don’t really understand why I keep getting blisters. I have shoes that are designated “running” shoes by Adidas and I purchased socks I thought would help cushion my feet but apparently that is not good enough!

From what I have seen online there are ways to prevent blisters when you run such as:

• Making sure your shoes fit – running shoes should run 1/2 size larger than your everyday shoes.
• Making sure your shoes are not too tight or too loose.  They should not move around in your shoes while you run
• Apply a thin layer of vasoline or body glide to your feet to keep the friction down between your feet and your socks.
• Wearing appropriate socks for running – you don’t want bunching nor do you want socks that will hold moisture in
• Don’t run in shoes that have not been properly broken in.

I think those last two bullet points might be my problem in this case.  I am wearing what I think are cotton socks which apparently are a no-no in the running world.  I need moisture wicking socks so my feet will stay dry.  I also need to figure out how to break in my new running shoes without running.  Seems kinda odd but I guess I’ll work on it.  I’m not sure how to solve that problem but I will figure it out.  I will also be finding those socks when I go to Academy this weekend so that I can try and prevent blisters when I wear my broken-in cross trainers.

Do you have any other suggestions??

I normally stick with my promises pretty well. The only major exception is when it comes to showing up on time, cutting back on beer, and going to the gym. Not sure why these things are so hard for me but they are! No matter what I do to change/improve myself I always revert back to bad habits and mind sets. What is the old saying “bad habits die hard” or “old habits die hard”? Either one would work in my situation.

Once again though I have vowed to change. I promised Mike that while I might verbally fight him to go to the gym (ie whining and negotiating) I will go. I will not be a downer and absolutely refuse to go but I’m not going to get excited about going for the moment. Right now going to the gym and working out feels like a chore to me but Mike is getting great pleasure out of going. Thus the big ordeal at the apartment each and every night with him wanting to go right away and me wanting to relax after work and possibly eat dinner first.

So far this week I have been true to my word. I have pushed back a little with wanting to go later in the evening but I have been good and I have made it to the gym. We haven’t missed a day since last Thursday and have spent some quality time at the gym. I am feeling much better and less sore after my workouts as well which is the first step in helping me learn to enjoy the gym as well. Heck I even ran my mile today with just a 30 second water break. That is pretty darn good if you ask me. I just need to figure out this blister issue on the balls of my feet and I will be able to continue on to maybe a mile and a half or two miles at a time.

With all of the celebrating Mike and I have been doing lately I have fallen off of my weight watchers bandwagon. It seems like there is always a reason to go out either together alone (recent engagement, Mike’s promotion, setting our date, etc) or with our friends (30th birthdays, people coming into town) and normally chips, queso, chicken wings, and beer are heavily involved. Needless to say I’m having quite the problem losing weight!!! I have been battling the same 5 pounds for 2 weeks straight. They aren’t real pounds, rather water/salt retention that goes away after 2 days of non-stop water but nevertheless I’m battling them and not the 20 I really need to lose!

So today I have been looking for free websites to help me stay on track and get in shape. So far I have old faithful -> Dottie’s Weight Loss Zone Message Boards and my magazines. I found a few sites that are promising and I just need to bookmark them and make myself check them regularly -> Fitday and Calorie King. I also plan on actually making the recipes HungryGirl sends me each day instead of saying “Oh those look good” and then filing the email into my HungryGirl email folder. Each of these sites are free so if you are looking for some motivation or ideas give them a try.