Simply Positive Sunday Post

Well if you read my last post you know I have been woking on having a more positive outlook on EVERYTHING.  Well I think I made a little progress this week (How positive would it be if I said otherwise!?!? ahahah).  As blessed as I am I don't know why I sometimes have a hard time seeing the brighter side of things.

I think the biggest struggle I had this week with being positive was in relation to my  weight loss goal from last week.  If you are one of those people that gets tired of hearing me yack about this, you might as well exit now. :) Anyways, I did really well sticking with my calories but seems I need to throw away my scales.  Two and a half years ago when I first started making dramatic changes in my diet and physical fitness life, the pounds fell off at about 3-5 per week! Granted I weighed much more and I was eating significantly less and working out significantly harder and more frequently than my body was use to at the time, but gosh it was nice to step on those scales every week and see the numbers drop!  These days it seems my body might have gotten a little more use to the working out.  I now have to work much harder to see the numbers drop. 

 Positive notes that I decided on for these issues: 1. I lost 1 pound this week!!! 2. My body can do so much, work so much harder, go so much further than it ever could before 3. I love how strong and rejuvenated I feel mentally and physically after a good workout 3. I have really enjoyed sitting down at mine and Brandon's kitchen table and enjoying yummy, healthy meals every night this week.  4. I know my body is appreciating and benefiting from the healthy fruits, veggies, and proteins that I have had more of this week. So that is why instead of throwing in the towel and doing the normal unhealthy things I might do when I get frustrated I'm gonna keep on truckin.... :) 

Positive Activity for the week:

My friend Lindsay and I signed up to be St. Jude Heros for the St. Jude Half Marathon!!! I'm so excited!!! I ran my first half marathon in Oxford this past February.  It was a TOUGH race!  Oxford is a very hilly town and even though I trained here for 16 weeks, my body still felt as though I had been thrown out of an airplane and landed smack on my feet. I completed the race in 2:37.  I came in last (19th) out of my age group.  POSITIVE NOTE: I RAN 13.1 MILES (walked/ran the last 1.5) and crossed the finish line (This finish line is at the top of a MOUNTAIN!) feeling like a CHAMP!!! Well mentally.  Physically I just fell out on the grass and stayed there until my mom helped pick me up and took me in for some fuel. So this next race is in 19 weeks on December the 3rd.  I'm looking forward to a lot less hills and racing somewhere new even though we will be training on the wonderful hills of Oxford.  I figure the training will just make the race that much easier.  Here is a look at the training schedule we will start on September 12th (12 weeks until race day): 

Training Schedule by Hal Higdon

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	2 m run or cross	3 m run + strength	Rest	30 min cross	4 m run
2	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	2 m run or cross	3 m run + strength	Rest	30 min cross	4 m run
3	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	2 m run or cross	3.5 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	5 m run
4	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	2 m run or cross	3.5 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	5 m run
5	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	6 m run
6	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest or easy run	Rest	5-K Race
7	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	3 m run or cross	4.5 m run + strength	Rest	50 min cross	7 m run
8	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	3 m run or cross	4.5 m run + strength	Rest	50 min cross	8 m run
9	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest or easy run	Rest	10-K Race
10	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	9 m run
11	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	10 m run
12	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	3 m run or cross	2 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Marathon

Until we begin this training we will just work on doing some 5k races and trying to get in a few 2-3 mile runs each week. Some people say to me, "Why do you do this, it's awful on your body!"  I say, "Not so!"My body feels better than ever, AND running is not bad for your knees! It is actually good for your joints to be mobile and more damaging to be sedentary and carry extra weight. 

"Together, the findings lend support to the theory that osteoarthritis, which affects nearly 20 million Americans, is caused mainly by genes and risk factors like obesity (obese men and women are at least four times as likely to become arthritic as their thinner peers), rather than daily exercise or wear and tear of joints. In fact, a "normally functioning joint can withstand and actually flourish under a lot of wear," says Fries. Because cartilage — the soft connective tissue that surrounds the bones in joints — does not have arteries that deliver blood, it relies on the pumping action generated by movement to get its regular dose of oxygen and nutrients. "When you bear weight, [the joint] squishes out fluid, and when you release weight, it sucks in fluid," says Fries, explaining why a daily run or any other workout is useful for maintaining healthy cartilage."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1948208,00.html#ixzz1T5VzpPrZ

It is however important to strength train and make sure the muscles around your joints are strong and stretched! This will reduce the likeliness of stress fractures.  ANYWAYS back to subject... Not only will we get to run our bodies into great cardiovascular shape but we will also be raising money to help the children at St. Jude Children's Hospital.  I can't think of a better organization and one close to everyone's heart to raise money for.  The fundraising goal is at least $500 by the November 15th deadline. If I can find 50 people to give me $10 I'll meet the goal set by St. Jude.  My personal goal is to raise $1,000.  You will be hearing more about this soon! Get your wallets ready people! How can you say not to such worthy organization?!? 

Positive Surprise of the Week:

Brandon and I are going to Hawaii over Thanksgiving Break! We get to go visit our friends Lea and Andrew that just moved there about a month ago.  We will be celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary and Thanksgiving on the beautiful island of Oahu. We have discussed how lucky we are to get to travel and see and do the things we get to see and do. Traveling is one of my most favorite things to do.  I have never been farther west than California and never to an island in the Pacific.  I believe you should take great opportunities when life gives them to you so here we go! 

Positive thoughts on everyday life: 

School starts in 11 days!  I have a job.... in OXFORD! I have the best mom, mother-in-law, husband, and coworkers who have helped me get my class looking fabulous and in great order for my new 1st graders. I'm naturally nervous about the changes but I know God blessed me with this opportunity for great reasons.  I can't wait to learn from my new 6 year old teachers.  I know they will be a blessing to my life! 

Goals for the week: 

Get house cleaned before school starts.

Make time for quality time with Brandon before life gets super busy.

Continue goals from last week. See last Sunday's post if you care.

Continue to be positive.  "Remember the best. Forget the rest!" -Nana