Of all of my guiding principles, this is the one that keeps driving me. As stated in previous blog posts, I get bored easy. Focusing on improving keeps me engaged which in turn keeps me motivated. The beauty of running, is that there is always room for improvement. That is true with bicycling and swimming as well. No matter how far I can run, I try to push myself to run farther. No matter how fast I run, I push myself to run faster.
When I started off running 2 years ago, I couldn't even run 1/4 mile without having to stop and rest. After 2 months of training, I was able to complete a 5K with a 15:30 min/mi average time. Tonight I completed my first run of an 8 week training program leading up to a 10K race. My training run was a little longer then a 5K and I averaged 11:06 min/mi. That improvement certainly didn't happen over night. It took running a lot of miles, but it was that improvement that drove me.
My current training program involves speed training and focuses on improving my running pace. I have a goal to run the 10K in April with a 10:00 min/mi average. Every time that I reach a goal, I immediately set another one.
This concept can be applied to almost everything in life, and I try to do just that. Of course, not every run breaks a personal record, but I make sure that even those runs help me to improve for the next one. In this life, make sure that you are your toughest competitor. To be the best you, you have to beat the best you so aim high and keep on improving!
Monday, February 29, 2016
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Guiding Principles - Variety is Key
I find variety to be important in staying on track as it prevents me from getting bored or burned out with something. When it comes to diet, eating a variety of foods helps me to avoid cravings and also prevent burn out. I know many people that can handle eating the same thing every day. For example, my dad often eats raw carrots and celery for lunch every day. If I did that, after a couple of weeks I would never want to eat a raw carrot again. Another advantage of eating a variety of foods is it allows me to both sprinkle in foods that I really like but that aren't very good for me to help prevent cravings. In the same way, it helps me to include foods that I really don't like, but that are very good for me without having to force myself to eat them all of the time.
I have also come to learn the importance of variety when it comes to exercise and training. For the first year and a half, the only type of exercise I did was running. Although I was able to slowly improve my running over time, it wasn't until my focus changed to weight loss that I started drastically improving my run times as well as losing weight. Although running is still a big focus of mine, I have been including swimming and biking for my triathlon training. I have also started walking, weight lifting, and circuit training. By including a variety of exercises, I have been able to improve the health of my entire body and become a better athlete overall. Similar to what I mentioned with food, variety also helps prevent burnout of my favorite exercises and allows me to add in exercises that I don't care for without having to do them all of the time.
I have also come to learn the importance of variety when it comes to exercise and training. For the first year and a half, the only type of exercise I did was running. Although I was able to slowly improve my running over time, it wasn't until my focus changed to weight loss that I started drastically improving my run times as well as losing weight. Although running is still a big focus of mine, I have been including swimming and biking for my triathlon training. I have also started walking, weight lifting, and circuit training. By including a variety of exercises, I have been able to improve the health of my entire body and become a better athlete overall. Similar to what I mentioned with food, variety also helps prevent burnout of my favorite exercises and allows me to add in exercises that I don't care for without having to do them all of the time.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Guiding Principles - Avoid Extremes
Going to the extreme is something that I have done, as well as seen others do more times then I can count. I'm sure you know the feeling. One morning you wake up energized to change the way you eat, or start working out more. Maybe it is a New Years resolution, or maybe you watched an inspiring episode of Extreme Weight Loss or The Biggest Loser the previous night. It is that motivation that drives you to declare "I will never snack between meals again" or "I am completely done with junk food" or "I'm going to spend 2 hours at the gym every day" or even "I'm going to head outside and run a 5K" (even though you haven't run at all in years).
I believe in my past experiences, this is misguided motivation. What I have learned is that going to the extremes rarely lasts. After a couple of days without chocolate, I crave it so much that I stop at the gas station for a candy bar. Or maybe I use running that 5k as an excuse to have just 1 snack, that turns right back into my old eating habits. The truth is, there is no such thing as a sustainable extreme. The diet and exercise industry has convinced us that going to extremes is the only way to lose weight and stay healthy.
I have become a firm believer in starting small and building up over time. For example, when I started to focus more on my diet, I started by decreasing the amount of diet pop that I was drinking and also adding a fruit and vegetable to each meal that I ate. After those became habit, I started making my own breakfasts and lunches instead of eating out all of the time. Next I worked on reducing portion sizes at my meals and eliminating items that weren't needed. Now I am to the point that I am focus on snacking less often and I try not to eat after 6 or 7 at night. All of this happened over the course of 3 - 4 months and it has given me time to really get used to it. It has also shown me how little I actually need to eat to provide the necessary energy to support my exercise and training.
As far as exercise goes, I learned a long time ago that starting too fast out of the gates will just lead to burn out and/or injury. Our bodies are awesome and can do some amazing things, but it is important to build them up over time. This is a big reason that I follow the training programs that I do, it allows me to increase the distance I run, slowly, overtime. It is true that a walk around the block won't burn enough calories to show a difference on the scale, but if one block today leads to another tomorrow and then eventually a mile or 2 a month from now then you are really onto something.
Sustainability is really what I am going for. When I decide to set a new goal or try something new, the first question I ask myself is, "Can I live with doing this forever?"
I believe in my past experiences, this is misguided motivation. What I have learned is that going to the extremes rarely lasts. After a couple of days without chocolate, I crave it so much that I stop at the gas station for a candy bar. Or maybe I use running that 5k as an excuse to have just 1 snack, that turns right back into my old eating habits. The truth is, there is no such thing as a sustainable extreme. The diet and exercise industry has convinced us that going to extremes is the only way to lose weight and stay healthy.
I have become a firm believer in starting small and building up over time. For example, when I started to focus more on my diet, I started by decreasing the amount of diet pop that I was drinking and also adding a fruit and vegetable to each meal that I ate. After those became habit, I started making my own breakfasts and lunches instead of eating out all of the time. Next I worked on reducing portion sizes at my meals and eliminating items that weren't needed. Now I am to the point that I am focus on snacking less often and I try not to eat after 6 or 7 at night. All of this happened over the course of 3 - 4 months and it has given me time to really get used to it. It has also shown me how little I actually need to eat to provide the necessary energy to support my exercise and training.
As far as exercise goes, I learned a long time ago that starting too fast out of the gates will just lead to burn out and/or injury. Our bodies are awesome and can do some amazing things, but it is important to build them up over time. This is a big reason that I follow the training programs that I do, it allows me to increase the distance I run, slowly, overtime. It is true that a walk around the block won't burn enough calories to show a difference on the scale, but if one block today leads to another tomorrow and then eventually a mile or 2 a month from now then you are really onto something.
Sustainability is really what I am going for. When I decide to set a new goal or try something new, the first question I ask myself is, "Can I live with doing this forever?"
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Guiding Principles - Use Common Sense
Other then a Personal Wellness class and maybe a couple of core coaching classes at UNI, I have no formal training when it comes to exercise and nutrition. That being said, I feel that, like most people, I have enough common sense to get by when it comes to diet and exercise.
Here are some examples of what I mean by using common sense:
Here are some examples of what I mean by using common sense:
- Thanks to my education on the food pyramid in grade school (is that even still a thing?) I know that it is good to include vegetables and fruits in my diet. Not only do they provide many vitamins and other good things for me, but they also help to fill me up so I don't eat as much other food.
- Smaller portion sizes are better then larger portion sizes
- Baking fish and chicken is healthier then frying it
- Nuts, granola, raisins and fruit are healthier snacking options then candy, chips, and chocolate
- Some exercise is better then no exercise
I could list a million of these, and I feel that all of them are straight forward. The idea here is to keep it simple and make the obvious choice. By focusing on small decisions like those listed above, it allows me to do many small things that add up to big results.
Guiding Principles - Introduction
Other then the Hal Higdon running programs that I use, I don't really follow any formal plans for weight loss and I go out of my way to avoid fad diets. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been thinking about how I could explain what I do and how it has helped me become successful. Below I have listed some general principles that I am following. Please note that this is not a guide for anyone else to follow, but instead an explanation of what I am doing.
Patrick's principles for weight loss and training:
- Use Common Sense
- Avoid Extremes
- Variety is Key
- Focus on Continuous Improvement
- Habits Over Will Power
- Long Term Over Short Term Goals
- Evaluate Priorities
- Surround Yourself with Support
Over the next couple of weeks, I will post a blog about each of these principles so be sure to check back often for updates.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Spring-like Weather in February
Garmin Connect
I was able to get outside today for a 5 1/2 mile run and it was awesome! That is the farthest that I have run since my last half marathon in October, and I'm happy to say that I am running quite a bit faster then I was at that time. I set a new PR mile time with 10:21 and also my 5K time with 33:58. Overall, I averaged 11:00/mi.
I hope that you have a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend as well.
I was able to get outside today for a 5 1/2 mile run and it was awesome! That is the farthest that I have run since my last half marathon in October, and I'm happy to say that I am running quite a bit faster then I was at that time. I set a new PR mile time with 10:21 and also my 5K time with 33:58. Overall, I averaged 11:00/mi.
I hope that you have a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend as well.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Reaching Milestones
Today was a big day for me. At my weigh in this morning, I finally dropped below the 270 lb mark, weighing in at a feather-like 269 lbs! That means that I have lost 77 lbs since my heaviest weight of 346 lbs and I feel great.
Around Thanksgiving I had set a goal to be 260 lbs by the end of February. I knew at the time that the goal was very ambitious, and at this point, I am not expecting to drop another 9 lbs in the next week and a half. I am very proud of how well I have done and am excited to share my next goal. On May 7, my beautiful sister-in-law, Jessica, will be getting married and I would like to be at least 100 lbs down by that day (246 lbs or less).
Around Thanksgiving I had set a goal to be 260 lbs by the end of February. I knew at the time that the goal was very ambitious, and at this point, I am not expecting to drop another 9 lbs in the next week and a half. I am very proud of how well I have done and am excited to share my next goal. On May 7, my beautiful sister-in-law, Jessica, will be getting married and I would like to be at least 100 lbs down by that day (246 lbs or less).
 |
| Me at 269 lbs! |
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
New PR and Regaining My Focus
The past week or so, I have lost some of my focus. It has been a combination of weather, stress at work (and a little at home as well), and disappointment on the scale. I didn't have an issue getting workouts in, although my intensity in the gym took a hit. I'm glad to say that I snapped out of it today as I was able to break 2 personal records in 1 day! First, I swam my farthest distance, 825 yards, in 30 minutes over lunch, my previous record was 800 yards in the same time. Then, I ran a mile in 10:22 on the treadmill, my previous record was 10:30. Those successes were just what I needed to break out of this mini-funk I was in.
If you ever find yourself losing focus or starting to doubt yourself, find something that you know you can succeed at and push yourself. Sometimes all it takes is a little success to get your mind right and get back on track.
If you ever find yourself losing focus or starting to doubt yourself, find something that you know you can succeed at and push yourself. Sometimes all it takes is a little success to get your mind right and get back on track.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Long Weekend and Improving Weather
Lucky me! For some reason, my company decides to give us President's Day off each year. With Erin at work and the girls at daycare, I decided to head out on a walk during the late morning. After the cold temperatures and snow last week, the upper 30's felt like a heat wave today. I ended up going on a 6 mile walk and realized just how much I had been missed being outside. Spending time outside is probably my most favorite thing ever. In fact, wanting to spend more time outside is a big reason that I decided to get back into running a couple years ago. That walk today really got me fired up to start training outside again.
Speaking of training, I'm excited to share that I found another 10k race to replace the 10k that was eliminated from the HyVee Road Races. The Great Plains 10k will be run on April 23 in downtown Des Moines. My sister-in-law and her future husband ran the race last year and liked it. My 8 weeks of training starts on Monday, Feb 29 and I will be focused on increasing my speed.
For those who are interested, I use the popular Hal Higdon training programs and have had great success with them. There is A LOT of good information on his website and he has training programs for everything from a couch to 5k all the way up to advanced marathon training and everything in between. Here is a link to the program that I am starting with: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51123/10K-Intermediate-Training-Program
Speaking of training, I'm excited to share that I found another 10k race to replace the 10k that was eliminated from the HyVee Road Races. The Great Plains 10k will be run on April 23 in downtown Des Moines. My sister-in-law and her future husband ran the race last year and liked it. My 8 weeks of training starts on Monday, Feb 29 and I will be focused on increasing my speed.
For those who are interested, I use the popular Hal Higdon training programs and have had great success with them. There is A LOT of good information on his website and he has training programs for everything from a couch to 5k all the way up to advanced marathon training and everything in between. Here is a link to the program that I am starting with: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51123/10K-Intermediate-Training-Program
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Success is Contagious (Guest Post)
Witnessed at my house this week: waking up early to
exercise, signing up for races, exercising during nap time, lunch hour at the
pool, and spending the evenings exercising.
When you live with someone who has made healthy living a priority, it is
contagious. As my husband has increased
his drive to get healthy, it is challenging to sit idly and watch. His passion and drive have inspired me to get
up and move….though not quite as much as him!
We surround ourselves with people who have our same hobbies,
religious beliefs and occupations.
Watching Patrick transform himself physically has taught me that the key
to success at anything is to have people around you who will serve as role
models, motivators and cheerleaders.
Since we now have a home gym, I have the chance to work out with or next
to Patrick. When we are both working
hard it is so much easier to give a few extra minutes, an extra few reps or go
a little bit faster.
I hope to continue to make a habit of finding people who
will push me to be my best at everything.
I hope that I can also be that person to someone else.
- Erin
Friday, February 12, 2016
There is Always Enough Energy for One More Workout
So last night, I was just finishing up my 2nd hour in the gym. I had done my core training circuit, 2 miles of speed training on the treadmill, 45 minutes on the bike, and was about to do a 30 minute cool down of walking. It was at that moment that my wife, Erin, came down the stairs and asked if I wanted to do a circuit with her. What?!? Seriously, I've got nothing left over here, and you want me to do more?
Although she gave me a chance to get out of it, I agreed to do it before calling it a night. It did make me think about how amazing the human body and human brain are. Although I thought there was no way I could complete that circuit, I did it and I am better for doing it. It also showed me the value of having someone else to be held accountable to. 2 hours of intense activity is good, but 2 hours and 15 minutes can be better. I am grateful for what Erin did last night and I look forward to the next time!
My challenge to you is, the next time you don't think you have anything left, dig down deep and push through. You will come out the other side better because of it.
Although she gave me a chance to get out of it, I agreed to do it before calling it a night. It did make me think about how amazing the human body and human brain are. Although I thought there was no way I could complete that circuit, I did it and I am better for doing it. It also showed me the value of having someone else to be held accountable to. 2 hours of intense activity is good, but 2 hours and 15 minutes can be better. I am grateful for what Erin did last night and I look forward to the next time!
My challenge to you is, the next time you don't think you have anything left, dig down deep and push through. You will come out the other side better because of it.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Being a Role Model
Over the past 4 1/2 years that I have been a dad, I have learned that no matter what you tell them, kids just want to do what their parents do. Along the way my oldest daughter, Abigail, has really noticed the change in routine. At first it became her nightly question to Erin and I, "Are you going on a run today?" At the time I just thought it was cute, but now I realize that we were beginning to instill in her the importance of fitness and health.
Late last summer, as I prepared to head out for an evening run, Abigail asked if she could come. Although that 5 mile run would have been a little long for her little legs, I told her that I would try to find some time for her to run with me. I'm ashamed to say that as summer turned to fall and my races approached, I never found the time. The main reason for this is that I was hardly able to complete my training routine and couldn't imagine adding onto that. Going into winter, I promised her that we would start fresh in the spring and get her signed up for a race or 2 next year.
As fall turned to winter, Erin and I started taking more and more trips to the gym. Abigail quickly became curious so a few weeks back, Erin decided to stop by the gym on the way home so she could see what it was all about. I believe Erin said her favorite part was the drinking fountain.
Over the past few weeks I have transformed our basement into a home gym. Last Saturday, when we got home from my sister's house in time for nap, Abigail told me that I should take a nap too. I responded that I wish I could but I have other things to do. Without missing a beat she said "I bet you have to get a work out in." My heart melted, as I realized she really does absorb more then I sometimes think she does. She then asked if she could try out the new gym sometime. After explaining that she was too little for the machines, I told her there were plenty of things that she could do down there. Last night Abigail worked out with me for the first time...
Late last summer, as I prepared to head out for an evening run, Abigail asked if she could come. Although that 5 mile run would have been a little long for her little legs, I told her that I would try to find some time for her to run with me. I'm ashamed to say that as summer turned to fall and my races approached, I never found the time. The main reason for this is that I was hardly able to complete my training routine and couldn't imagine adding onto that. Going into winter, I promised her that we would start fresh in the spring and get her signed up for a race or 2 next year.
As fall turned to winter, Erin and I started taking more and more trips to the gym. Abigail quickly became curious so a few weeks back, Erin decided to stop by the gym on the way home so she could see what it was all about. I believe Erin said her favorite part was the drinking fountain.
Over the past few weeks I have transformed our basement into a home gym. Last Saturday, when we got home from my sister's house in time for nap, Abigail told me that I should take a nap too. I responded that I wish I could but I have other things to do. Without missing a beat she said "I bet you have to get a work out in." My heart melted, as I realized she really does absorb more then I sometimes think she does. She then asked if she could try out the new gym sometime. After explaining that she was too little for the machines, I told her there were plenty of things that she could do down there. Last night Abigail worked out with me for the first time...
 |
| Learning to do burpees |
 |
| Learning to do burpees |
 |
| Box jumps |
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Dealing with Expected Failures
I am sure that everyone can relate to not quite reaching a goal that you set. Since this year is focused on losing weight, I have set some very challenging, yet attainable goals, for timelines. One of those goals was to have my weight below 270 by today. I can tell you right now, that I wasn't able to reach that goal. Worse yet, I knew a couple of days ago that it probably wasn't going to happen.
I weigh myself 2 times a week, every Wednesday and Sunday morning. Over the past 4 weeks, I have dropped weight each time I have stepped on the scale, at the rate of about 4 lbs per week. Coming into this week I was sitting at 274.4 lbs and knew it would be a challenge to reach my goal. On Wednesday I was down to 272.4 and hopes were high. However, life happens, and just because I am working on my weight, does not mean that I can put life on hold. My week ended with supper out before a daddy daughter dance on Friday, eating out again for Erin's birthday on Saturday night, then a party with pizza and snacks following dinner.
Now I won't go into the "rules" of my dieting here, as I think everyone needs to find what works for them. I will say that extreme restrictions and depriving myself is not part of my plan because that is what leads me to binge eat later. I was very proud of my choices when eating out all of those times, and my exercise and other eating was spot on for the week. That being said, I just knew that with the extra food leading up to a weigh in would not bode well on the scale. In fact, at one point last night, Erin and I had even discussed skipping the weigh in all together since I knew it wouldn't be representative of the work I put in. After thinking this through, I thought better of it. I got up this morning and put in a solid hour and a half in the gym and stepped on the scale to see a weight of 273.2.
Was I disappointed? I sure was, but this journey isn't about a single weigh in. This journey is about long term progress. Knowing that my weigh in was not going to be great, I could have thrown it all out the door. I could have skipped my weekend work outs, eaten a 14 ounce rib eye steak with steak fries (which is what I really wanted) instead of 1/2 a chicken breast and a plain baked potato. I could have gone to the party and eaten half a pizza, but I didn't. By thinking through the situation ahead of time, I was able to accept the failure for what it was, a minor blip on the radar, and I was able to prevent it from turning into something much larger. I guess you could even say that I was able to turn the physical failure into a mental success.
I weigh myself 2 times a week, every Wednesday and Sunday morning. Over the past 4 weeks, I have dropped weight each time I have stepped on the scale, at the rate of about 4 lbs per week. Coming into this week I was sitting at 274.4 lbs and knew it would be a challenge to reach my goal. On Wednesday I was down to 272.4 and hopes were high. However, life happens, and just because I am working on my weight, does not mean that I can put life on hold. My week ended with supper out before a daddy daughter dance on Friday, eating out again for Erin's birthday on Saturday night, then a party with pizza and snacks following dinner.
Now I won't go into the "rules" of my dieting here, as I think everyone needs to find what works for them. I will say that extreme restrictions and depriving myself is not part of my plan because that is what leads me to binge eat later. I was very proud of my choices when eating out all of those times, and my exercise and other eating was spot on for the week. That being said, I just knew that with the extra food leading up to a weigh in would not bode well on the scale. In fact, at one point last night, Erin and I had even discussed skipping the weigh in all together since I knew it wouldn't be representative of the work I put in. After thinking this through, I thought better of it. I got up this morning and put in a solid hour and a half in the gym and stepped on the scale to see a weight of 273.2.
Was I disappointed? I sure was, but this journey isn't about a single weigh in. This journey is about long term progress. Knowing that my weigh in was not going to be great, I could have thrown it all out the door. I could have skipped my weekend work outs, eaten a 14 ounce rib eye steak with steak fries (which is what I really wanted) instead of 1/2 a chicken breast and a plain baked potato. I could have gone to the party and eaten half a pizza, but I didn't. By thinking through the situation ahead of time, I was able to accept the failure for what it was, a minor blip on the radar, and I was able to prevent it from turning into something much larger. I guess you could even say that I was able to turn the physical failure into a mental success.
A Life Changing Decision
So after talking about it for several months, Erin and I finally decided to take the plunge and turn our basement into a gym. Healthy living and fitness has become a life style for us and I love every second of it (well, maybe not every second, but most of them). The benefits of having a gym at home have already started to pay off. The ability to use exercise equipment after the girls have gone to bed or during naps when the other spouse is out of the house is worth the cost alone. However, the real perk here is that Erin and I now have the ability to work out together more often.
It is nothing fancy, but enjoy the pictures below of our newly transformed basement.
It is nothing fancy, but enjoy the pictures below of our newly transformed basement.
 |
| Getting things cleaned up and freeing up space |
 |
| Putting down rubber flooring |
 |
| New treadmill and weight rack added, floor finished |
 |
| SA Smith Machine purchased several years ago |
 |
| Working on filling in the hex dumbbell rack |
 |
| Horizon T7 treadmill is the highlight of the gym |
 |
| Vision U40 upright bike rounds out the gym |
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Finding the Time
So I used to think that I didn't have enough time to spend exercising, and I can't even estimate how many times I used that as an excuse. The truth is, the time was always there, I just wasn't making it a priority.
It has taken some time to figure out a balance, but I have finally gotten to the point that I find plenty of time in my schedule to get my work outs in. Most mornings I try to get a half mile walk in with my dog, Hunter, before getting the girls ready and heading to work. As mentioned in a previous post, I swim a couple of days a week over lunch at work.
The most important component of me finding time is having such a supporting wife. We both have an understanding of the importance that fitness plays in our lives. With that, we are sure to be open and willing to give up time on weekends and evenings to let each other hit the gym or go for a run. Better yet, we have decided to invest in a home gym (more on that in a future post). This allows us to not only spend more time together, but also allows one of us to work out when the other is out of the house during the kids naps or after they go to bed.
I have noticed the priorities have worked themselves out as well. The primary thing that has taken a hit from my time spent running or at the gym is watching TV or spending time extra time on the computer (things that were probably bad for me anyway). There has been a slight hit to time spent with family, but my hope is that by improving my fitness, I will live a longer life and more then make up for any lost time.
There is always time, you just have to make it.
It has taken some time to figure out a balance, but I have finally gotten to the point that I find plenty of time in my schedule to get my work outs in. Most mornings I try to get a half mile walk in with my dog, Hunter, before getting the girls ready and heading to work. As mentioned in a previous post, I swim a couple of days a week over lunch at work.
The most important component of me finding time is having such a supporting wife. We both have an understanding of the importance that fitness plays in our lives. With that, we are sure to be open and willing to give up time on weekends and evenings to let each other hit the gym or go for a run. Better yet, we have decided to invest in a home gym (more on that in a future post). This allows us to not only spend more time together, but also allows one of us to work out when the other is out of the house during the kids naps or after they go to bed.
I have noticed the priorities have worked themselves out as well. The primary thing that has taken a hit from my time spent running or at the gym is watching TV or spending time extra time on the computer (things that were probably bad for me anyway). There has been a slight hit to time spent with family, but my hope is that by improving my fitness, I will live a longer life and more then make up for any lost time.
There is always time, you just have to make it.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Motivation
Motivation is an interesting topic to discuss. Honestly, as long as I'm moving and improving, it doesn't really matter to me why I choose to do it. In fact I would expect my primary motivation to change from time to time. Every thing we do, every action that we take is tied to some sort of motivation. I go to work each day because they pay me to do so. I play board games because it is fun and entertaining. I obey traffic laws because I want to stay safe and not get a ticket.
My motivation for running and training is probably not what you would expect. Most people would probably guess that I do it for the health benefit, and more specifically weight loss. However, from the start, I have always viewed weight loss as a positive byproduct of running. In fact, my primary motivator for weight loss right now is to continue to progress on my running goals. Others may say that my kids and family are probably my motivation. Although they do motivate me to keep going, I still view that as a secondary motivation. Another secondary motivation for me is to have time to myself and to decompress and reduce stress.
My primary motivation these past 2 years has been the challenge of running itself. To add to that now is the challenge of swimming and biking, and the endurance needed to do all 3. Those who know me, know that I get bored easily unless I have new and challenging things to keep me entertained. What I love about running, swimming, biking, and really any other type of exercise, is there is always room for improvement. Run/swim/bike faster, run/swim/bike farther, run/swim/bike more challenging routes. There is never a dull moment, and each training run, swim, or bike serves the purpose of getting better.
How about you? What in your life motivates you to better yourself? Feel free to share in the comments section below.
My motivation for running and training is probably not what you would expect. Most people would probably guess that I do it for the health benefit, and more specifically weight loss. However, from the start, I have always viewed weight loss as a positive byproduct of running. In fact, my primary motivator for weight loss right now is to continue to progress on my running goals. Others may say that my kids and family are probably my motivation. Although they do motivate me to keep going, I still view that as a secondary motivation. Another secondary motivation for me is to have time to myself and to decompress and reduce stress.
My primary motivation these past 2 years has been the challenge of running itself. To add to that now is the challenge of swimming and biking, and the endurance needed to do all 3. Those who know me, know that I get bored easily unless I have new and challenging things to keep me entertained. What I love about running, swimming, biking, and really any other type of exercise, is there is always room for improvement. Run/swim/bike faster, run/swim/bike farther, run/swim/bike more challenging routes. There is never a dull moment, and each training run, swim, or bike serves the purpose of getting better.
How about you? What in your life motivates you to better yourself? Feel free to share in the comments section below.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Good days are great!
So today was one of those days, my diet was on point (if anything, I probably should have consumed a few more calories) and I just couldn't stop myself from exercising. I started off the morning with my usual half mile walk with my dog, Hunter.
Due to the impending snow storm, I decided to hit the pool over lunch today and swam for 30 minutes, which is my longest swim yet. I also used my new kick board for the first time. Knowing nothing about it, I randomly had set 200 yards as my goal with the kick board, but I barely made 75 before having to call it quits. Now that is a let workout!
I knew it would be the last day to run outside for awhile so when Erin got home I headed out the door for a 3 mile run. I was enjoying the weather so much and felt so good that 3 miles turned into 4.
After the girls went to bed, Erin and I headed downstairs to complete a "Busy Mom's Circuit". My friend, Joni, had asked if anyone wanted to do the circuit 3 times a week for the month of February with her and of course I volunteered, and Erin followed suit. She assured me that I could do it even though I was not a busy mom and I figured that most busy mom's I know look amazing, so why not try something new. It only took us a little over 10 minutes to complete, but it was a good combination of exercises (I will post the circuit below).
Erin headed off to the gym, so I jumped on the treadmill for a couple of miles of incline walking to cap off my day.
I don't know what it is about days like today. Maybe it was the nice weather or a good day at work, but whatever it is, I love days like this!
Busy Mom's Circuit (Not just for busy moms)
25 Jumping Jacks
10 Crunches
30-second Plank
25 High Knees (I think this means per leg, but I'm not sure)
7 Burpees
15 Crunches
10 Squats
5 Push Ups
10 Crunches
30-second Plank
10 Squats
25 Jumping Jacks
1-minute Wall Sit
5 Push Ups
25 High Knees
30-second Plank
Due to the impending snow storm, I decided to hit the pool over lunch today and swam for 30 minutes, which is my longest swim yet. I also used my new kick board for the first time. Knowing nothing about it, I randomly had set 200 yards as my goal with the kick board, but I barely made 75 before having to call it quits. Now that is a let workout!
I knew it would be the last day to run outside for awhile so when Erin got home I headed out the door for a 3 mile run. I was enjoying the weather so much and felt so good that 3 miles turned into 4.
After the girls went to bed, Erin and I headed downstairs to complete a "Busy Mom's Circuit". My friend, Joni, had asked if anyone wanted to do the circuit 3 times a week for the month of February with her and of course I volunteered, and Erin followed suit. She assured me that I could do it even though I was not a busy mom and I figured that most busy mom's I know look amazing, so why not try something new. It only took us a little over 10 minutes to complete, but it was a good combination of exercises (I will post the circuit below).
Erin headed off to the gym, so I jumped on the treadmill for a couple of miles of incline walking to cap off my day.
I don't know what it is about days like today. Maybe it was the nice weather or a good day at work, but whatever it is, I love days like this!
Busy Mom's Circuit (Not just for busy moms)
25 Jumping Jacks
10 Crunches
30-second Plank
25 High Knees (I think this means per leg, but I'm not sure)
7 Burpees
15 Crunches
10 Squats
5 Push Ups
10 Crunches
30-second Plank
10 Squats
25 Jumping Jacks
1-minute Wall Sit
5 Push Ups
25 High Knees
30-second Plank
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)