Day 24

Whew, it's HOT out there today, folks! How am I going to keep on running this summer? 

Check it out, I ran a 7 minute mile today. 7 minute mile! WHAT??? My phone is saying 6:14 now, but when I was out running it read off to me 7 minutes, and that's almost believable. Almost. 

Breakdown:

I ran 2.6 miles.

Mile 1: 7:44 min/mile (best so far! Until...)

Mile 2: 7:00 min/mile (WHAT!)

Mile 2.6: 7:52 min/mile (this was all uphill and I was getting tired.)

I really should be burning more calories than my phone says I did during a run like this. Do they even know how hard I'm pushing? LOL

Nic is wanting to go running now to prove he can run as fast as me. I am positive he's still faster. Especially if he were pushing as hard as I am, he'd probably be running 5 minute miles. :-)  But maybe now he will actually be able to bear running with me on the next 5K. Instead of finishing 20 minutes earlier than me (OK, maybe an exaggeration), or fast walking beside me (he insists he wasn't mocking me). 

Well, until tomorrow!

Happy Fitness

Day 23

I finally got the nerve up to do the line dancing workout video. I wasn't quite sure I had all the moves right (and I didn't), but I kept moving anyway. I'll get it, eventually.

Whew, I'm sweaty! I didn't think it would work up such a sweat, honestly. But it keeps you moving the whole time, and lots of leg work, as you might imagine.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I'm glad the music is all instrumental. I like country music, but I'd rather not have songs not of my choosing for my kids to hear while I'm working out. Who knows what lyrics would be on it? So I'm not familiar with the songs, but that's OK, too. Mostly I just have to focus on the moves, and not the music.

Tomorrow is my rest day, and I'm all ready for it!

Until Sunday:

Happy Fitness!

Day 22

I made it through an afternoon workout (Turbo Sculpt), with pretty good energy! 

Maybe it's because I'm excited. I just bought (via my Dad) a tent trailer! I've been looking for a project trailer, and finally found one in my price range. Right in the town my parents live. It was very convenient. Well, for me. Maybe not for my Dad, but I think he's excited for me. 

Anyway, I spent the morning at the park with the kiddos and some friends while the cleaners were at our house. It's my favorite kind of day. My kids get energy out, and we come home to a clean house. What could be better? Maybe a personal chef?

Speaking of personal chef, it's time to make supper for me and the kiddos. At least with hubby gone I can make more simple meals, and nobody will go hungry. 

I'm still working on cooling down. That workout sure does warm up a person. 

Until tomorrow:

Happy Fitness!

Day 21

Well, folks. Back pain and low motivation today. But, I pushed through it to do a 20-minute Turbo Jam workout. Good cardio, and not a bad little workout for the time. Even Sunshine and Bug joined in for part of it.

I've discovered something about myself. I don't like, detest even, getting up and working out in the early morning. I don't like the idea of it, and I don't much enjoy it while I'm doing it. This is a problem during the summer time, if I wanted to go running outside, or even on the treadmill in the garage. Because it gets way too hot, way too fast in the summer. And I overheat easily. Wow, bad combination.

This time of year, I've enjoyed my workouts most when they occur around 9:30 or 10:00. Which is not always possible. Like today. So I put it off until almost 4:00 pm. By then, I'm tired already and not in the mood to change my clothes and work out.

So I guess I've discovered a small window. LOL! That poses a problem. I guess I need to make use of my strong will to work out during the not-so-fun times of day. And since I'm enjoying the results, I will definitely do that.

What time of day is your favorite to work out? What are your least favorite?

Until tomorrow (aw man, I can't work out during my window tomorrow either):

Happy Fitness!

Day 20

I made it halfway! And it's great!

I did Turbo Sculpt today. I'm keeping up better and better, even with children interrupting me. Ha! It's true, though. They think I'm completely ignoring them when I'm working out, but I'm just focusing enough that it takes me a couple of "mommy's" to figure out a little is talking to me. And trust me, the first one may be nice and sweet, but it escalates from there to hysteria by the second one.

Anyway, later I decided to work on the moves for the line dancing video. I think I'll need to do that a few more times before I'm comfortable trying the actual workout. It's a bit complicated for this simpleton.

Well, Squirt is calling, and Sunshine isn't answering, so I need to sign off for another day.

Here's to halfway!

Happy Fitness!

Day 19

Another good day running!

Yes, I know it's probably not the best to run two days in a row. It was certainly harder. My legs were more sore. But I may not get another opportunity to run outside this week, so I decided to take it.

Despite being more sore, and walking a portion of the first mile, I still had a great run.

Mile 1: 8:00/mile
Mile 2: 7:21/mile

I cut it shorter than yesterday by a block so, only two miles today.

I'd say that's pretty AWESOME!

I was certainly ready to stop by the time I walked for cool down.

Well, until tomorrow:

Happy Fitness!

Day 18

Whoa. Just to warn you, I'm going to yell in excitement with all caps for a minute.

WHO AM I AND WHAT HAVE I DONE WITH...WELL, ME???

This morning I had the most awesome experience of this whole challenge! I can't even believe it, still. I did something today that I thought, even this morning, would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to EVER do, even in years and years of fitness training. 

I ran 2.67 miles. All of it under 8 minutes per mile. UNDER 8 MINUTES PER MILE, Y'ALL! It was the most amazing experience, ever. You can't tell that I'm really excited, can you? Even hours later. 

Let me tell you something. My normal time is somewhere around 12 minutes per mile. Yeah, I shaved off MORE THAN 4 MINUTES PER MILE. WHAT???

CROSS TRAINING WORKS! 

And I didn't even have this as a goal. Not even close. I hoped to someday, after years of running, get to running a 10-minute mile. That would have been fast for me. Let me break it down for you:

Mile 1: 7:22 min/mile

Mile 2: 7:47 min/mile

Mile 3 (actually .67 of a mile): 6:27 (WHAT?) min/mile

Never, in my wildest dreams.

You know the best part? Yes, I was pushing, and I was tired. But I could have kept going. It was actually sustainable, for a while. I wasn't dying. I didn't even have a side stitch (thanks to some breathing techniques I learned from Runner's World Magazine). I was out of breath, my heart rate was up, but I was smiling, and even laughing, because this was amazing!

OK, now you've heard my excitement. I still can't believe it. I'm stunned!

Now, on to be a productive member of my family today. 

Until tomorrow (who knows what tomorrow will bring?):

Happy Fitness!

Day 17

Hey, Ya'll! I'm almost halfway finished! Am I creating a healthy habit yet? I sure hope so. It still isn't feeling quite natural, some days it is forced.

Today, I started early. My right shoulder-blade area is sore from bowling last night. Yeah, one game...I haven't been for a year. And that muscle isn't particularly strong. Though I'm working on it, with the Turbo Sculpt.

I tried the Cardio Party again today. 43 minutes of cardio workout. I was dripping sweat, having a hard time keeping up. I think I did better this time than the last time I tried it, though.

This week, I ordered a line-dancing workout video. It should arrive today. I'm interested to see how it works. I've tried line dancing...maybe one time? I thought it was fun, so it could be a good workout.

Well, 17 days in, and I THINK I'm starting to see some results. It's hard to tell. I can't wait to see more!

Tomorrow is my rest day. Until Sunday:

Happy Fitness!

Day 16

Turbo Sculpt!

This time I had weights. Just three pound weights, but I did notice a difference.

That was my 40 minutes of procrastinating quiet time. Then I had the brilliant idea (ha!) of putting on a classical music video (Classical Baby) for the kids, lay some blankets and pillows down, and hope they'd have some quiet time, or even nap. Bug is currently sleeping...But I think it took a whole two times through the video. Sunshine got some quiet down time, so that's good. Still, I can hear the tired in her cries when she gets hurt. She's much more clumsy when she's tired. I wish she would just realize how much she needs sleep.

Not much else to report. Hubby will be home soon, so that's great! I'm so tired of flying solo on this parenting thing. And I miss him, too. Maybe in the three or four days he'll be home, I can get outside to run, before I'm again confined to the in-home-or-garage workouts.

Overall, it's been a good day. Sunshine and Bug had horseback riding lessons this morning, and for some reason they were done after less than five minutes up on the horse. That was unusual. But I'm not going to force it, I want it to be fun. So we stayed around while they learned some horse safety and said hi to some of the other horses with the instructor. Hey, there's value in that. :-) We didn't get our full hour in, but like I said, I'm not going to force it.

Well, until tomorrow:

Happy Fitness!

Day 15

Whew, I almost didn't make it today.

We have been going, going, gone. All. Day. Long.

I was supposed to watch a friend's little boy this morning, and they were going to drop him off just as we were leaving to take Squirt to her well-check appointment. He wouldn't get into the car with us. So they drove him to the clinic, hoping they could leave him with us there. No dice.

After well-check, it was on to our normal Wednesday activities. Story time at the ABC, then Del Taco for lunch with Kristin. We did come home for a couple of hours after lunch, for the dreaded "quiet (lack thereof) time".

Then it was off to a meeting at Tobi's house to continue planning VBS snacks. And from there, my sister, Daphne's house, for a good supper of Mexican Dogsled Pizza. Yes, that's right. It's a taco pizza, for those who are wondering. The name has stuck for us for many, many years.

Finally, home to get all three kiddos to bed.

I wasn't going to miss day 15, but with three kiddos in bed on both sides of the house, I needed to find a workout I could do quietly so they wouldn't keep awake.

I found one online. 5 reps of the following:

10 pushups, then jumping jacks until 1 minute
10 spider lunges, then jumping jacks until 2 minutes
10 jumping lunges, then jumping jacks until 3 minutes
10 walkouts, then jumping jacks until 4 minutes.

I may not have made all five reps. Don't judge, it was hard. I just stretched for a while to compensate for time. Yikes! Not my favorite workout, though. I probably won't do it again.

It's time for me to turn in. These nights have been rough, so I need all the sleep I can get.

Until tomorrow (that's not far away):

Happy Fitness!

Day 14

No, I didn't forget to workout today. I almost didn't get a chance to blog about it, though. Even now, I'm not sure I'll get a chance to finish. So here it is:

I ran on the treadmill this morning, while Sunshine and Bug were at their preschool and Squirt napped in her car seat. Well, she napped for most of it.

I ran the first 10 minutes at my normal, SLOW, pace. "I'm slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter."

At 10 minutes, I upped the pace by a whole mile per hour, and did that for five minutes. Then I went down to half a mile per hour under my normal pace to walk and cool down. Did you get all that? OK.

I was dripping sweat. Dripping. That five minutes of pushing really worked me!

So then I made a bottle for Squirt, fed her, showered, and ran some errands before picking up the other kiddos.

The afternoon has been...well, today is one of those days. At the end of the day, if the kids are fed and alive, then it's been a success. Nothing else.

On that less-than-positive note, until next time:

Happy Fitness!

P.S. Prayers appreciated for the successful day part.

Day 13

Who loves Mondays? I don't.

Well, usually they just seem like any other day of the week. Really! Today, though, I'm looking at four whole days with just me and the kids. Days and nights. I realized yesterday that I was subconsciously stressing out about it, when I just couldn't handle the littlest interruptions in my activities.

We can do this. Last time was *ahem* less than fun, but that doesn't have to dictate this week, right?

I decided to do my workout early this morning. And by early, I mean 8:30, or so. I know, crack of dawn. Hey, I had to get all three kids situated first. How'd that work for me? you might ask. I'll tell you. Squirt woke up when I was about 10 minutes into the workout. Bug was hitting me from behind, then rolling onto me, then whining at me that he couldn't see (the workout video) because he was behind me, then asking to be picked up mid-squats. Sunshine watched, argued and fought with Bug, cried about wanting play dough, etc.

I guess early isn't always best. And what I think is them being situated, really just means they need more of my attention. As I'm sitting here writing, Squirt is screaming for attention. But it's not a mad scream, she just likes to hear her voice. You have to watch her face to see if she's happy or mad, because the scream sounds exactly the same. Lovely, right? It sure gets old, fast.

I did the Turbo Sculpt workout video today. So 40 minutes, or so. That one is becoming a favorite. It's slow, really works, and I can actually follow it.

Maybe tomorrow I can get on the treadmill while Sunshine and Bug are at preschool. It may be my only chance for running this week.

Until then:

Happy Fitness!

Day 12

I never know how to start these things. So I'm going to just jump right in.

Today, I got to run again. Outside. Just a taste before I'm confined to working out in the house (or treadmill in the garage) for another week. It sure felt good. Hard, hot, dusty, but good. 

I took Sunshine out with me at first. She did pretty good for a 4-year old! With a little more practice, I would take her on my next 5K. As long as I didn't expect to run the whole time, and it was a pretty easy course. She is only four, after all. We didn't go all that far (maybe a half mile or less), and she got to experience some first-time runner symptoms. Like an achy jaw. We only walked for a very short distance, and she was able to run the rest. 

After I dropped her off at home, I went out for another mile. Just a loop around my neighborhood, which if I go all the way up the hill on the gravel/dirt road, is exactly one mile. So, you may have guessed this, but I'm slow. My pace was 11:06 for the mile. Actually, that's pretty good for me. Um, yeah. Slow. I need the "Slow Runners Make Fast Runners Look Good: You're Welcome" shirt. There are a few others that would describe me well, too, but one at a time is fine. Ha!

When I got back home after that mile, Bug wanted to go out. We ran around the nearby cul-de-sac. I wouldn't take him on a 5K. He didn't make it very far, and though he was "not tired", he wanted to be picked up. I refused. Give him another year or two, yet.

Another day, another good workout. I'm so glad I'm feeling better. I still could use some more energy, but who couldn't? Except the kiddos. Don't give them any more.

Until next time:

Happy Fitness!

Day 11

Feeling good on this Friday morning!

How about you?

I just finished the Turbo Jam 20-Minute Workout. Sunshine was calling it a Burnout. I wouldn't say that. I think after this many days of completing it, I'm getting better, and have more stamina through the workout. That's nice to see!

I wanted to do the Turbo Sculpt, but I figured I shouldn't since I did that yesterday.

Maybe Sunday I'll be able to go running again. Sunshine wants to run with me sometime, and I would like to take her out and see how far she can make it on her 4-year-old legs. It could be fun. Maybe the short loop around the neighborhood.

I'm glad it's Friday, anybody else? I hope Bug's fever is gone for good, because I'd like to make it to church tomorrow.

Tomorrow is my rest day, so until Sunday:

Happy Fitness!

Day 10

I'm a quarter of the way done with my challenge!

Today, I did the Turbo Sculpt again. 40 minutes of slow torture (though it's called Turbo Sculpt, they go slowly for maximum muscle BURN!), but it feels so good when I'm done. I love feeling like I'm actually doing something when I work out.

My energy level seems to be UP today, praise GOD! And my vertigo level is DOWN (not gone, but better). Also, praise GOD!

Squirt got fidgety about halfway through my workout, and I had to break to help her out. Only long enough to give her a pacifier. After that, Sunshine helped keep her happy until I was done. Bug slept through it all, which is a blessing, since he was up four times last night and he's sick.

On a side note, Squirt chose last night to once again sleep through the night. Too bad we were up so much anyway.

After I finished the workout, Sunshine wanted to watch it again. I came into the living room to see her working out to the 20-Minute workout. Nothing cuter than a 4-year-old girl throwing punches and moving to the music. I wish I could have gotten it on video to share, but she stopped just before I got my camera. I did, however, get a good laugh from Squirt on video, one of her first laughs! It's the most precious thing.

Well, on with the next three quarters!

Until next time:
Happy Fitness!

Day 9

Greetings!

It's Wednesday, and that means the week is half over. So why is my energy completely depleted? I should have half left, by my calculation. Well, I never was a wiz at math, anyway.

Today, I tried the Ab Jam on my Turbo Jam workout video. It lasted about 43 minutes. I did not last that long (at least not at full intensity), and neither did my kiddos. As with the first day of the challenge, they were chagrined that I was not giving them 100% of my attention. They're complete lack of napping may have something to do with it.

I think I will stick with the 20 minute workout and the Turbo Sculpt. I can follow those, but got completely lost on today's workout. On top of that, I didn't really feel any work in my abs, which was the whole point. Well, maybe my technique isn't perfected, but until it is, I'll stick with what I can do.

What I really want to do is run, but I want to have my energy and balance back before I do. The longer this goes on, the harder this challenge is becoming for me. I'm sure the only reason I've persevered this long is because of you, my faithful-few readers. So for that, I'm grateful.

Until next time:
Happy Fitness!

Day 8

Greetings.

I've actually had more time today feeling better, so that's a blessing! I was a parent helper at the homeschool coop today, and the last class is Karate. If I didn't have a baby strapped to my chest, I may have joined in and used that as my exercise for the day. But alas, I had to find another time.

So I just finished. This time it was Turbo Sculpt...though I have no illusions that this body will ever be sculpted, it certainly works all the muscles! Whew! And it was double the time, so can I count that for tomorrow's workout, too? Ah, if only it worked that way.

Prayers for more stability are appreciated! I really appreciate those who have mentioned that they are praying. It sure wears on a person to feel this way so much, but I think it's getting better.

I'm a little pressed for time now, so until next time:

Happy fitness!

Day 7

Monday, Monday. Can't trust that day.

I have to be honest, this vertigo is kicking my butt. And seven days of it is really wearing me down. But this isn't a medical journal, is it? The way my symptoms started the day after I began this challenge, you'd think it was. 

This morning felt like a circus in my house, one I attended, or even directed, all in a fog. That's what a week of dizziness has done to my brain. I have about an hour in the afternoon each day that I feel like I can get something done. But that's not enough to run a household, is it?

The refrigerator repair technician arrived, just at the same time my two children decided to disrobe, and run around the house, while I tried relentlessly to corral them back to some place of privacy and convince them to get their clothes back on. He ignored it all, thankfully, and went right to work. I now have a working refrigerator again (it was an embarrassingly-easy fix), and I've been slowly working on cleaning it, and re-claiming my counter space from the lost food items and refrigerator shelves. I now have a sparkling-clean refrigerator, and very little food. 

On to the point of this little post, though. With my foggy brain, and my circus morning, I didn't have the time in the morning to get a workout in. So that had to wait until the kids were done with their quiet time. Which is when I was going to run an errand. Oh, but why do today what I can put off until tomorrow? Or the next day. 

As I'm still unsteady and foggy, I opted to do a workout video again instead of running. I did the 20-Minute workout on the Turbo Jam video. I should be getting pretty good at it by now, but I still fumble around. Oh well, my heart rate was up and I was sweating, all signs of an effective workout.

And that errand? I suppose it can wait a day or two. I just hope I have a bit more clarity by then. 

Well, until next time:

Happy Fitness!

Day 6

Hello, Fellow Fitness Seekers,

Are you getting tired of that line yet? I think I may be. I'll have to try something else out on you tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms out there reading this!

So where to begin today? This was certainly a challenging day, on multiple counts. Not horrendous, but challenging, nonetheless.

Yesterday at church, I was approached by a PT friend who had been reading my updates regarding this fitness challenge. She offered a treatment for the vertigo, if I would like to try it out. So we did that today. I'd prefer a treatment like that over taking pills all the time, so it's worth a shot. I should know by 48 hours whether it worked or not.

And hey, at least I know someone is reading these things!

After the treatment, she said I should keep my workout low key today. No running, bending over, etc. Speed walking should be good, she said. So I went for a walk. But I made one big mistake: I took all three kids. While we did walk for about 20 minutes, I can't say that I got any exercise. Unless exercising my patience would count for this challenge, and I decided it does not.

So I brought them home, and went out again. Now, I've never really figured out how to speed walk. You would think I would have this down, since I grew up with a Dad that was 6'6", and I have a 6'5" husband. I really should be used to walking fast. But I can't claim to be. I did my best, and I did feel like I got some benefit from it. But I have to say, I would rather run.

Along with today, I got some exercise in last evening. We didn't have enough people to play volleyball, but the three of us "warmed up" anyway. And I was quite warm by the time we finished. And it was fun. Bonus!

Well, day 6 is done. Only 34 more days to go.

Happy Fitness!

Day 5

Hello, Fellow Fitness Seekers,

I made it to day 5!

Even though it is day 4 of vertigo, and I felt more at risk for falling today than I did yesterday, I decided to brave the treadmill. I'm glad I did. Yesterday's workout had me sweating, but today's run had me sweating even more. I think that's a good thing.

Bonus: I went on a long walk yesterday evening, as well. I didn't time it, and I wasn't booking it, but the fresh air really helped my head clear of the vertigo, at least while I was out there.

So tell me, if you're doing a challenge, where are you at now? What activities are your favorites?

And locals, join me for some volleyball tomorrow night after sundown! We can get in a bonus day (I won't count it because I love playing the game).

Until Sunday:

Happy Fitness!

Day 4

Hello, Fellow Fitness Seekers!

I think I'm giving up on making the post title a creative one. I'll just stick with this, at least it's consistent.

Well, day four is here. I could also say day three of vertigo is here. So I wasn't brave enough to get back on the treadmill, and I did a 20 minute Turbo Jam workout instead. Hey, the carpet is a lot softer to land on than the treadmill, if I were to lose my balance and fall. Just looking at things positively.

This workout was more intense than yesterday, since we were "done" learning the moves. So I can't keep up, no big deal. I still was sweating at the end, and that's a positive thing.

It occurred to me this morning that I should have taken a "before" picture, but I didn't. I also didn't start when I thought of it, so I guess you will have to take my word for it. I did step on the scale yesterday, primarily to see how much Squirt weighs now. (She finally broke 10 lbs!)

It also occurred to me that I might want to explain why I started this challenge, and a little about it.

Why did I feel that I needed a fitness challenge? Well, because I was happily being a couch potato, and not really liking the results of that.

Why did I chose 40 days? I decided on a whim to do this challenge. When I thought of a time frame, I had two options rolling around in my head: go through the end of May, or extend it a couple more weeks to my birthday in June. I chose my birthday, but when I counted out the days (not including Sabbaths), it came to 39 days. That number is too odd for me (a little particular, am I?). So it became 40. What's one more day, anyway?

What do I hope to accomplish during this challenge? I don't know for sure. I can't wait to see what changes will happen to my body/mind/soul as I continue this. Mostly, I just want to prove that I can do it, and start a healthy habit in the process.

So what would be YOUR reasons to do a fitness challenge? Comment below and let me know!

Happy Fitness!

Day 3

Hello, fellow fitness seekers!

Once again, a not-so-creative post title. Today just wasn't the day for creativity.

I mentioned in yesterday's post about the vertigo that came on that morning. It happened twice in the morning, and I believe I said it's been a year since I've had any episodes. Looking back (at my expired medications), in reality it has been almost two years. Time sure does fly when you are busy!

So, after the two morning episodes, I went and picked up my kids, brought them home for lunch and quiet time.  I laid down with them for quiet time, and was hit again. Twice. And then I just couldn't get it to stop, and I was suffering from motion sickness. I actually had to ask my husband to come home early from work to help with the kids, supper, etc. It was miserable.

Thanks to my brother-in-law, who has also suffered with vertigo, I got a patch that is supposed to help reduce the vertigo and motion sickness. This was after taking some of my expired medication.

I was afraid to lay down, because that's the most common time that I get hit. But I did, I could only lay on one side, though, which makes for a very difficult night's sleep. And I was worried...how could I do a simple 20 minutes of fitness with this hanging over me?

When I woke up this morning, I was still very unsteady. I had to hang onto the bed, walls, etc. in order to walk anywhere in the house. Gradually it has become less obnoxious, but still there.

I knew that I should not try to run on the treadmill in my current state. So I have agonized all day: do I skip day 3, or what exercise can I do like this?

I decided that I did not want to skip day 3. So I pulled out an old exercise video I have, Turbo Jam, and did the "learn & burn" segment, which goes about 25 minutes.

Sunshine and Bug were watching. I'm sure it was a very amusing show. I don't have any rhythm. (White girls can't dance? - Totally true for me!) I felt less accomplished with this workout than I would running (on the treadmill or outside), but I do feel it was worthwhile. I didn't miss a day (yet), and I'm sure there is some benefit. We'll call it cross training.

Now that the humiliation is done for the day, thanks for reading!

Happy Fitness!

Day 2

Hello, fellow fitness seekers!

Maybe I could be more creative on my post titles...but wow, that's a lot of effort!

So I made it past day one! Hooray!

My #fitnesschallenges of the day? I woke up with vertigo this morning. Something that hasn't happened since last year when I was diagnosed with Menier's Disease (excess fluids in the ear canals, which causes vertigo). Hello, old arch nemesis, I did not miss you at all.

But by the time I dropped Sunshine and Bug off at their once-weekly preschool (homeschool coop), I was vertigo-free, and thanking Jesus for that, since their preschool is downstairs and I have to navigate those stairs carrying Squirt in her car seat. Whew, that would not have been fun if I was still unsteady!

I thought it would be easy to run today, since I had no older kiddos. Then I remembered I had a meeting during the morning free of them, with the snack director for VBS, who I'm helping this year. But lucky thing, I finished that meeting in time to come home and run on the treadmill, with Squirt sleeping the whole time, to boot!

After my run, I jumped in the shower to cool down. Hello, vertigo. Ugh, I thought I was done for the day. Oh well, I still made it. One more day down, only 38 to go.

Now I'm off to pick up the kiddos, and let the races begin.

Happy fitness!

Day 1

Good afternoon, fellow fitness seekers!

Today I made a rash decision - to exercise every day for forty days. I will be taking a break once a week on Sabbath, so this personal challenge will go from today, May 4, through Thursday, June 18.

If you're like me (and I assume I'm not alone, so some of you are), you've started fitness programs in the past and some of them lasted longer than others (one day, anyone else?).  They say if you share your goal, you are more likely to achieve it. On the other hand, I've also heard that if you share it, you already feel like you accomplished something, and you don't achieve as much. So which is it? Good question. One I don't have an answer for, but I will by June 18 (limited sample size that this is).

So today I started by running on my treadmill this morning. Only 20 minutes, which is my daily goal. This was my Facebook post when I was done:

"I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes and my kids thought they were going to die. ‪#‎fitnesschallenges‬"

Allow me to explain. 

Our (very old, dilapidated) treadmill is in the garage. There's just no other place in this house for it. And I have three young children. So, imagine me going out to the garage and asking my three children to be OK while I run for 20 minutes. Do you think they'll be OK? Well, you already know the answer. 

Sunshine (the oldest) came with me to the garage. She wants to be close to me. I hear Bug (the middle) crying in the house, while Squirt (the youngest) is doing just fine. 

About 8 minutes into my run, I ask Sunshine to go into the house and check on Squirt. She tries, but the door to the house has been locked. She starts crying and freaking out. I try to calm her while I continue running, at least until I'm halfway done. Then I stop the treadmill and try, without success, to get Bug to unlock said door. Giving that up, I opened the garage door and marched us around back, where the door was unlocked, and came inside to teach Bug how to unlock the door when asked to do so. 

I get back on the treadmill and both Sunshine and Bug come with me to the garage. While Bug is happily reading a book while sitting on his scooter, Sunshine is now crying uncontrollably because she cannot put on her helmet by herself. All the while, Squirt is playing happily on her playmat in the house.  

All that being said, I had a pretty good run. It felt good to complete, though with all the happenings it actually took longer than 20 minutes. I guess in the chaos of being a mom of three youngins, I should just expect that much. 

So who's with me? I'm going to feel great on my 34th birthday!

Happy fitness!