Thursday, May 14, 2015

Community Hope Center 5K

Several of my husband's co-workers recently competed in a Biggest Loser type competition. Over the course of 12 weeks, the participating employees lost a combined total of 169 pounds!! My sister lost 20 of those pounds - she has definitely found her groove :)  Additionally, I think we can say she has become a runner.  Last Saturday some of the employees participated in the Community Hope Center 5K to celebrate their accomplishment.

Pre-race family (and friend) photo. Guess which one is my husband :)


For those of you who like to play "Where's Anna's Husband?" For the record he is not #8 in the middle of the picture - that guy is 72 and placed 9th overall...you go, dude!!

This was a tough race for my husband. He had a cold with a cough that made sleep pretty difficult. Although he has been getting up every day to go walking with our niece, he hasn't been running as much this spring. I think that is about to change for both of us. As much as I want to take pictures and cheer, I don't want to be on the sidelines.

Looking good - I can really tell how much weight she has lost :)

And down the stretch they come...
My niece and her friend ended up coming in first and second in their age group :)  The girls purposely held hands as they crossed the finish line because they wanted to "tie"yet the official times showed more than a 10 second difference.
This was my sister's second 5K that she has been able to run the whole way. I don't remember her exact times, but in March she ran a 5K in 38+ minutes and this race she ran 5K in 35+ minutes - shattered her PR!

My Facebook challenge group has started a set of  four weekly challenges. The first week the challenge is to drink 100 oz.of water per day and to lose 1/2 a pound. I almost exclusively drink water so I thought it would super easy. I have been surprised by how much of a conscious effort I have had to make to drink the full amount. I drink a couple of glasses before work. At work, I normally drink most of a 16 oz. bottle of water in the morning and most of a second 16 oz. bottle in the afternoon. To get in 100 oz. I have had to finish both the morning and afternoon bottles and add in a third. Then when I get home I drink a couple more glasses of water. I try to finish well before bedtime - and I think you know why :)  I keep two 48 oz. bottles of water in the fridge and last night my husband poured me a glass of water from the "wrong" bottle. I ended up "having" to drink extra water because I just couldn't leave the bottle I normally have to finish with water in it. That's not obsessive, is it?

Several of us, in the challenge group have been struggling with our food. I have noticed this week that the water drinking has made me want to eat better too. I am actually been trying to reacquaint myself with MyFitnessStranger -  "the app formerly known as MyFitnessPal."  I have done well during the day, but the evenings still need work. However, it is a big step in the right direction. I was eating out and snacking (and not the good for me kind of snacks) way to much during the day.

I am not saying that drinking a 100 oz of water a day for three days has fixed everything, but I feel like I am doing something productive and it puts me in a more positive frame of mind.  In turn that makes me want to eat better. Who in the dumps thinks "oh hey I feel like eating better"? Having a little something to be proud of can be the catalyst for gaining confidence to do more.

I can confirm the "snowball effect" is real. I have noticed it when I clean house. If I just plan to spend 15 minutes cleaning, it almost ends up being longer. Once this is clean, I want to clean that. Now that I am consciously drinking water I "want" to eat better and eating better makes me think about exercise. I am going to finish out this week focusing on the water and working on getting my eating in check. Then next week's challenge is to get 30 minutes of activity a day. There will be walking :)

This week I discovered a new deli in a local grocery store. I was intrigued by a kale and Brussels Sprout salad. I don't think I had ever had kale before and the salad did look delicious. The salad had a little viniagrette, parmesan cheese and sliced almonds. It was good. While at the deli counter I noticed butternut squash/goat cheese lasagna. Last Thanksgiving I made a butternut squash lasagna that I loved, so I immediately wanted to try this one. It was very tasty although I am a little on the fence about goat cheese.


It was the type of meal that would give my husband a stroke if he saw it on his plate. It did remind me that this is no reason I can't prepare foods that I love (he hates) and bring them to work for my lunches. 
 
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My husband drew the names last night for the blogiversary giveaway....

Congratulations to the Winners!

Prize # 1 - One Crazy Penguin
Prize #2 - Desiree - Finding the Skinny Geek Within

We will be in touch about getting your prizes to you :) 

Thank you everyone for all your support and encouragement!. Your comments over the past year have made all the difference in me continuing to work toward my goal. 

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10 comments:

  1. I no I have said this before but UGH to all the squash. Gross. But, glad you found a way to get foods you love on your plate even if you husband would hate them. I have a tendency to do that when my husband is out of town.

    Can't wait to hear all about your next race!

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    1. My husband are almost always together except for work hours so I need to find a way to have things I like. There is only so much pizza a girl can handle :)

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  2. I seriously need to try that deli. I love kale, brussel sprouts, and squash!

    And I know exactly what you mean about the snowball effect. That's why I always think to start with one thing when trying to get back on track. Somehow everything tends to fall in place afterwards.

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    1. My snowball is far from perfect, but it is getting bigger :)

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  3. *Apologies if this is duplicated!

    I'm really looking forward to next week's activity challenge. I need to get moving more. I've been a slug most days since my half marathon. A week of 30 minutes-a-day will hopefully be a good jump start.

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    1. I agree that 30 minutes is going to "force" me out of bed and back to walking. If I can do it for a week I think I will continue :)

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  4. The water thing has been funny, I have not felt this focused for awhile and eating/tracking this week has seemed effortless. Have been doing things like having berries with Reddiwhip for dessert, and tea with cream is a huge indulgence this week as opposed to doing keg stands and downing burgers like I was the week prior. And are we not friends on MFP? If so, that ain't right.

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    1. I was surprised what a difference the water has made. I think it makes my body crave better food. My tracking effortless, but I have the desire to track...even the "bad" stuff.

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  5. I think I will follow in your footsteps and try to do 100 oz of water for a day for a week. I will let you know how it goes. :)

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    1. Jessica - I would love to hear how it works for you. 100 oz is no joke, but if it gets me moving in the right direction I can deal with a little kidney drowning :)

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