Cooking: Rolling, Rolling, Rolling...keep that momma moving...Rawhide!

 Days fly by, don't they? Hours may drag, but days fly.  I feel a little ground hoggish this time of year. Eat, sleep, drive kids, work, repeat.   The short amount of daylight during  winter days makes it seem as if our days are short as well. The sun showed it's face finally here for more than five minutes this past week and I was at least able to be outside. I am jealous of my best friend whom I see park every morning to go run as I am off to work.  I miss morning runs.

This week was a good week for working out. I ran once, hit the barre twice and lifted weights one day as well. Yesterday, a friend and I took a 4 mile  hike, which was a therapy session for us both.  She is dealing with a divorce and I just vented about  my need to find things that are more my own. The hike was challenging enough that we felt it, but still easy and we both enjoyed just being  outside.

Exercising: Bikini or not

I am 41 years old. 

My baby sister is 36. 

We are both working out doing the same program. 

She is built like a personal trainer/cross fitter.

I am built like a 41 year old. Mom.

2 years ago...celebrating almost 40

I am loathe to blame age on our differences. Especially since I was a slug from November til March. However, it is is discouraging when I eat right and exercise. And those darn 6 pounds are still lazing around, mocking me every morning on the scale. 

I have made peace with parts of the situation. First of all, I am 41 and I can get into my jeans from when I was 26 and a slender girl. I also am really strong, especially my legs. My goal of 50 pull ups is becoming a reality. I can do 30 with the assist band on one knee. A rounder face looks like less wrinkled

via

All in all, I am okay. I worked in the yard and moved over 80 bricks today. My back feels great despite that hard labor. I pulled weeds and lifted bucket after bucket of cement and didn't bat an eye or call my husband. 

Life is good. 

Will I wear a bikini? 

More than likely, yes. 

I will just cringe when I take my shirt and shorts off and pray
that everyone knows I can wear my pre-child jeans.

Exercise: My break is almost over

Running became an addiction for me for a few years.

I ran a 5k, then a 15k, a few 10ks and then a marathon.I over trained for the marathon and ended up injured about mile 16 and walked the last 10 with the thought of " It's only 10 more miles." My pre-runner self would have rolled her eyes.

 

After the marathon, I was really hooked. I started running every race in town, just for the shirt. For awhile, my favorite distance was half marathon. I even ran one with a broken toe in the rain! I ran the Ragnar Relay (twice!) I organized and was race director for a 5k which is still in existence here in Chattanooga. 

 

 

Running was my "thing" that I had searched for all my life.

 

 

Then, I started having knee problems and dreading having to go run to train for whatever race I had signed up for. Running became a chore.  So, I stopped cold turkey. Not running has been great. My knees don't hurt, I don't feel guilty that I am not running, and I have had the same shoes for a year! 

 

But, lately, I have started missing it. Maybe just a little. Especially on those days when it is warm and sunny. And when I see blonde women running with cute pink shoes. I feel the siren song. Just a little.

So, I set a date to return to "my thing". March 15th. A Friday, five days before the first day of spring, two days before Saint Patrick's day, two weeks before Good Friday. 

I will put on my new running shoes (I am looking for bright aqua!) and my new running shorts and hit the road. This time, however, I am not doing it for a shirt or a medal. I am doing it to be outside in the warm sunshine and for the love of running and sweating. 

 

Exercising: What is that?

I have taken a more *AHEM* lenient attitude towards exercising.

I have been hoping this would happen so I have an excuse

I am uninspired in my path to fitness.

I am over running all the time. I do not love my gym. 

As I drove around in my car today, making deliveries, taking my kids to school and the orthodontist, I starting thinking about my exercise habits in the past.

What am I missing?

Whatever: Mainx24

Today is one of my favorite events in Chattanooga...

We start this morning and will end sometime tonight.

Very late.

We could go until tomorrow, for it is a 24 hour party.

Details Monday, but here are a few shots of last year's great fun.

Exercise: 100,000 pounds

Y'all know my husband is a beast. 

Literally, the strongest man I know.

Sometimes, I forget that he is human and I assume he can pick things up like trees and cars.

He inspires me to be "stronger" even though with him around, I really don't have to be.

That's right...he's strong!

We went to dinner Saturday night and I was explaining how I am stuck.

Stuck with "being healthy" as my only motivator for working out.

I am happy with my weight, he thinks I am hot, and I eat well, so I feel pretty great most of the time.

So, he suggested we make a goal together to run a certain distance and lift a certain weight.

Now running is easy for me. I am not fast, but I get it done.

Weight lifting is easy for him. He is strong. 

So, we agreed on 15 miles and 1,000 pounds for me and 5,000 for him.

Until he lifted 10,000 pounds on Sunday, just working out in our yard.

I laughed  until I added it up.  

Monday, I went to the gym and had an easy workout of 20,000 pounds. Literally, an "ease back into it" workout. I was amazed, as I always thought about leg press as 100 pounds. NOT 3,000 pounds.

So, I upped my goal to 100,000 pounds (same as his) and I am 28,250 pounds into my goal. I think a more realistic goal is 50,000. Tweaking, still tweaking.

So, with that goal, we are training yet gain for this. And lifting tons of weight. 

TONS! I feel stronger already.