I did it! in 2010

As I sit here on the next to last day of 2010, I feel like I need to reflect back on this year to note what I've accomplished. It's been a long, slow journey--just as I wanted it to be--but because of that, it's easy to forget the things that I've done that I never thought I would be able to do. So, like Shannon H's I did it! lists (except a little different because I'm just reflecting back on the past year, not projecting future accomplishments like Shannon), here I go:

I did it! in 2010

• Completed the Couch to 5k running program
• Completed my first 5k, and then one per month for the rest of the year (except December)
• Organized and hosted a 5k event to raise money for a worthy cause
• Cut a mama string by putting my oldest son in kindergarten
• Took Tayan, who is 5, running with me
• Inspired other people to start running
• Decided that January 2014 will be my first credit card debt-free month since I was 18
• Organized a Combined Federal Campaign, raising over $5000 for charities
• Completed 15 hours of graduate classes towards my masters degree
• Realized that my biggest weakness is pride
• Learned a lot about being a leader and working as a team in the Aspiring Leader Program

and in 2011, I'll be able to say these, among other things: 

• Completed a Half Marathon
• Completed a Masters Degree in Public Health
• Started taking piano lessons
• Am one year closer to being credit card debt-free in January 2014

I am frankly thankful to be alive, because I feel that there is a whole lot more that I can do on this Earth. I am thankful that my family has been well, that my kids are healthy and happy, and that my husband loves me. I'm thankful that we both have jobs. There are so many things I couldn't list them all... but when Phish plays Auld Lang Syne tomorrow night, I will hold up my glass with happiness and gratitude that I have been given this blessed life for one more year.

P.S. That's weird, I totally forgot to note two important things: I finally got below 200 pounds, and I finally got back into size 14 pants. I'm sortof glad I forgot those at first, but they are important, so I'm adding them now. :) 

Size 14 pants!

For the first time in my adult life--since I was in high school--I bought a pair of pants last night that are size 14. I'm wearing them now, and they fit great! I almost bought a pair of size 14 jeans too, which fit me, but very snugly... they were too expensive though. I wanted to buy them just to prove that I could, and knowing that I could wear them snugly for a few months before they would fit perfectly... but I left them in the store. It was a good decision, but I'm so looking forward to buying my first pair of size 14 jeans, too.

Oatmeal is a great start!

I've got to get focused. Had pizza last night for dinner, and 4 wings... after having Chinese food for lunch. I have to stop the madness! And I have to get to training seriously for the half marathon I'm doing in June (I know it's a long time, but I have a lot of work to do). 

Even though it's been over a year since I stopped at a fast food place for breakfast for just myself, it was extremely hard not to do so this morning. I was groggy from a Nyquil hangover, wanted coffee, wanted carbs, wanted just something to get me through the early morning. Kept telling myself "you have delicious oatmeal at work, you have delicious oatmeal at work..." and somehow managed to drive by all the biscuit places on the way here. And the coffee places...

So breakfast was: 

1/2 cup old fashioned oats, made with water

hefty shake of cinnamon

one packet of Splenda

and I'll take a Nature Valley Trail Mix bar with me for my work this morning. 

This morning I'll definitely be getting some exercise going out to the farm (I work in agricultural research) to exchange data cans. It will mean trudging through a foot of heavy wet snow. Probably should have done it yesterday when it was still too cold to be wet, but here I am. Gotta go clean off the truck... 

Have a great day, everyone! I'm going to have one, too!

What if I LOVE Christmas cookies?

I've been stressed this week. There's no need to candy coat it, just stressed. One of the things I've been stressed about is my eating and workout habits. I've been wrestling in my mind with the idea of "foods that I love," which are often foods that I really should have no part of. One of these types of foods is Christmas cookies, and another one is decadent cheese sandwiches at one of my favorite restaurants (which thankfully is several hundred miles away, but I will be there next weekend). I have to wonder, could I ever envision my life without some of my very favorite foods, like Christmas cookies... or insanely delicious but nasty cheese sandwiches?

I considered emailing Roni about this, but I pictured the advice before I even asked it. I think the advice would generally be "everything in moderation," and she's right. In addition to keeping moderation in mind, I should plan ahead. For instance, I can make Christmas cookies, but don't keep a lot of them in the house--give them away. I can experiment with a new cookie that has healthier ingredients than the usual ones that call for 1lb of butter. I can go to Melt and order that insane cheese sandwich, but split it with Bryan, and get a side salad (not sure if Melt even sells anything remotely like cold lettuce in a bowl though). And last but not least, I can exercise. I should step up the exercise for this season actually, just to make sure that I'm at least doing the best I can to stay sane through the holidays.

Next, I thought I'd look at a blog post that reflects how I was feeling a year ago. I found this one: "Movin Right Along..." In this post, I was updating after a few weeks of being away, including a trip to Universal for Thanksgiving, and not really saying much about the upcoming Christmas season. I don't think I was much worried about it last year. I think I was so caught up in the throes of losing weight hand over fist that I didn't worry much about a few cookies here and there.

This year is different, because I'm not losing weight hand over fist. Instead, I've been pretty steady on the weight front for many months. My body and mind seem to feel fairly comfortable at the weight I'm at right now, even though I have 10-15 more pounds to lose to get to the BMI level that gets me barely in the upper ranges of "normal" weight. So this year, I'm thinking more about how I'm going to get through this for the rest of my life, and that idea has scared me ever since I first started thinking about it. It's a tough thing, to have a plan for health and fitness that's going to get you through your entire life.

In the end, I know that the only choice is to "just do it." It always comes back to that. I can sit around and whine about not doing workouts, not running, not eating the healthy food that I've surrounded myself with... but unless I get off my butt and stop whining about it, I will never get to where I need to go.