Marriage is awesome because you get a free training buddy. :D

Tonight was interesting, to be sure.  For the last few days I've not been doing so much of the running thing because my legs have been a little bit bratty and also (partially) because I was really dreading the next workout for C25K.  I've been doing a lot of strength stuff - wall squats, push ups, crunches, etc. which has been really good because I definitely need the strength training to help with the losing weight, but I really want to finish the C25K thing.

Since Matt's been working out as well but both of us hadn't been doing as much as we could or should have, I asked him if he wanted to come with me tonight.  He said he would and so we decided we'd do C25K together.  I'm basically starting it over, but that's okay.  I've done it all before and it'll be so much better if I have a training partner.

I was expecting that it would be easier than it had been at first (I swore I wasn't going to make it to the end of the program on the day that I started) but I didn't really even break a sweat until the third running set.  It was crazy!  Matt had about as tough a time with it as I did at first, so I just kept his pace and when he wanted to stop, I made him keep going.  I think he wanted to take a swing at me a time or two, but he kept going and finished the whole thing.  I loved that I was able to encourage him and keep him going and that doing this together was helping me to get out there and keep running.  For the record, I am incredibly proud of Matt for doing this.  I was proud of myself for the fact that I managed to finish every run that I started and I think it's a huge step for him to start running too.  Hopefully we can keep this going and eventually run a 5K together.  One of the wonderful things about being married is that you'll always have a partner and I am absolutely looking forward to doing this as a team.

We've also gotten much better about not eating out.  I think at some point before I mentioned that we'd made a new budget and we really limited the amount of money we would spend going out and it has made a huge difference.  We've really wanted to go out a few nights but we've stayed in every time and cooked at home.  It's so much easier to be healthy and eat good food (and lose weight!) when you're actually doing the cooking.  Hopefully things will continue as they have been because I think both Matt and I are in a really great place right now.  We'll just keep chugging along and motivating each other.  And if anyone has any great healthy recipes or suggestions for where to find them, I'm all ears!

Also, since I don't think I've talked about it in awhile, things on the German front are going well!  I'm doing Rosetta Stone pretty frequently and I think my handle on the language is getting better.  I'm also going to actually attempt to have a conversation in German with one of my native speaker-friends on Sunday.  I'm not sure how it's going to go, but I've already made said friend promise that he will force me to speak in German even though I don't want to and won't like it.  For some reason (I think I've already mentioned this) the idea of speaking in German to a native speaker scares the crap out of me.  I know that my pronunciation isn't that great and I hate every word in that language that uses the letter u or ü (which is like, 97% of the words in German) because it takes me a good 5 minutes to be able to get the pronunciation right and even then, I have no idea how the last time I said (or the correct pronunciation) it is any different from the first time I said it (or the completely wrong pronunciation).  So hopefully I'll do okay and will manage to get over my slightly ridiculous fear of speaking the language around the only people in the world who will actually be able to help me improve.

And on that note, I think it's pretty well past my bed time.  Goodnight all!

Tschüss! (See! Every word in German! They all have that stupid letter... :P)

Thoughts on running and other fun things!

I've been a little bit MIA lately, but not nearly as bad as I've been before.  Also, I've actually been doing the things that I said I was going to do, so I'm proud of myself.  I have one more day of Week 3 for Couch to 5K, which is really exciting.  Week 1 is three days of jog one minute/walk 90 seconds for 20 minutes.  Week 2 is three days of jog 90 seconds/walk two minutes for a total of 20 minutes.  Week 3 has been two repetitions of jog 90 seconds/walk 90 seconds/jog three minutes/walk three minutes.  I don't think I've gone into any of the workouts yet thinking I was actually going to finish them, which is kind of sad and speaks to the terrible shape I'm in but I have yet to NOT finish a workout.  There's this mental level that I get to when I'm running and every part of me is thinking that I could just stop but I just keep going because I haven't quit yet and I don't want this to be the workout that I do.  I never even realized I could push myself this much, but I kind of love that I can.  There's a picture that someone on Facebook posted that I didn't really understand until I started the whole running thing.  It says, "I don't stop when I'm tired, I stop when I'm done."

This week's workouts have been especially tough but I've managed to do all of them and I have seen some visible improvement every single time.  For the first few workouts, I consistently beat my time.  The last couple, there were a couple of flukes with the time or the GPS on my phone so I haven't had a time to compare my previous times with.  It's been okay however because, for example, today I ran the entire three minutes without stopping for water.  I don't know if it's because it was cooler or there was more of a breeze or what, but on Tuesday I had to stop during both three minute runs to get a drink.  I've also noticed significantly less cramping in my sides, especially toward the end of the workouts.  I feel a little ridiculous for not being able to run for three minutes without cramping, but I have gotten horrifically out of shape and the important thing is that I'm working on it and doing something about it.  I used to have to run a mile twice a year in gym class and if I could run, I don't know...a nine minute mile when I was eight, I should be able to run a nine minute mile now that I'm 23.

In other news, the eating healthy thing is going decently as well.  Matt's jumped completely on board with all of my crazy schedules and we've been doing a much better job of not going out to eat.  I think that with both of us exercising, we're finding that we're capable of pushing ourselves to do much more than we would in the past.  There was a night this week when neither of us wanted to cook (or clean up after cooking and eating!) and we were about 30 seconds away from going to Runza and neither of us faltered and we both kind of looked at each other and were like, "I'm not going to be the first one to crack..." and we ended up eating at home, which was great because the food was delicious and about 100 times healthier than Runza.  Plus our pocketbook is happier too, because based on the number of times I've eaten there since I moved back I'm pretty sure I could have financed their entire Nebraskan operation.

So overall, things are going well!  I'm looking forward to continuing to succeed (hopefully) and to meeting all my goals.  I've also created something of a timeline, so hopefully that all works out.  Only time will tell, but if things continue to go as they have I think (Matt and) I will succeed!

Tschüss!

Mit einem vollen Bauch schläft man schlecht; und was man abends isst, macht dick.

Since this blog is about learning German and losing weight, I decided to combine both by having the post title in German so that only like, 3 people who read this actually know what it means. :D

I found the phrase in my German book while reading a short explanation of German/Austrian/Swiss eating habits.  The translated phrase would be: "You sleep poorly with a full stomach and what you eat in the evenings makes you fat."  It's a really interesting concept and, judging by the American obesity rates compared to those in Europe and the timing of meals here verses there, I would bet that it's true.  I've been to Austria twice and I'm pretty sure that in both visits I saw approximately one person who was obese; most of the people there are twigs.  It obviously has something to do with the generally more active lifestyle and the fact that any additives (preservatives, food colorings, etc.) have to be approved by the government before they can be used, but the timing of the meals is important too.

The idea is that your metabolism slows down the later it is during the day, so if you're eating your biggest meal of the day when your metabolism is the slowest, you're not going to burn off those calories nearly as effectively as you would if you ate a large lunch and a small dinner.  It's also difficult to work off a big dinner before bedtime whereas with a big lunch, there's plenty of time left in the day to get in a nice workout.  Since I don't have the time to make (or eat) a big lunch, I've taken to trying to snack on healthy foods throughout the day so my metabolism is always going, but to kind of dwindle toward the end of the day.  I'm also trying not to eat anything after dinner.

Eating healthy and exercising, I'm finding, go completely hand in hand - if I'm exercising I want to eat healthier for the exercise to be more effective and if I'm eating healthier, I want to exercise more to see faster results.  As long as I'm in the circle I'm good.  Hopefully it stays this way.  I just need to keep my motivation up and I'm doing pretty well at that.  Currently I'm very motivated by the idea of seeing people who I haven't seen in a long time and looking different enough that they have to do a double take.  I think that the numbers going down on the scale will only keep me going!  And with that said, I need to get my workout in tonight before I collapse in a pile and fall asleep on the living room floor.

Tschüss!

Post-run thoughts

If I keep up this running thing, my number of blog entries is going to go through the roof.  I started Couch to 5K tonight.  I bought the app from the iTunes store and it was worth every one of those 99 pennies.  It lets you listen to music and tells you when you need to walk or run so you don't have to worry about timing it yourself.  It also has GPS so it tracks your speed.  I did 2 miles tonight in 30 minutes - decent for my first time.  That's not what I really want to write about though.

What I really want to write about is everything that was going through my head as I was working out.  There have been a lot of things on my mind lately and it is amazing how a long walk/run can just make everything clear up.  I used to hate running when I was in grade school and high school, but it is so very therapeutic.  I understand now why people love it so much.

The biggest thing on my mind was just being back in Omaha.  The weather was perfect and the sun was setting and it was absolutely beautiful.  It made me remember why I wanted to move here.  I know that some are under the impression that I wanted to move back to be closer to people here or further from people in Peoria and that is absolutely untrue.  I wanted to move here for what Omaha could offer me - and Matt agreed with me so we took steps to come here.  I think at first when we moved I was really bummed because I had basically the same job I left Peoria to escape and it made me not appreciate being back here as much.  Now that I have the job that I do and I love what I'm doing every day and Matt and I are expanding our horizons and trying to get involved and take advantage of the fun opportunities Omaha presents, I couldn't be happier.  Hopefully that just continues with the exercise and the learning German and the other things I'm trying to do to better myself.

I was also thinking about the running thing a lot.  I was listening to my music as I was running and right when I felt like I was running out of steam, the song "The Champ" by Nelly came on.  I don't know if I relate to it so much because it was ESPN's song for the bowl season last year or because there's just something about it that rings true for me, but it makes me want to just give 1000%.  I asked on Facebook if anyone had any song suggestions and I'm going to put them all on my playlist, but I think the one song that's going to always have to be there is this one.  when I listen to it, it just becomes so easy to push myself harder.  I think that's what I absolutely love about running: when it comes down to it, it's you vs. yourself and no one else matters.

I had this entry a lot better planned out in my head, but it's late now and my head is not quite as clear as it was when I was running, so this bit of ramble-yness will have to do, with the exception of this last thought: It's pretty obvious why no one asks the players what they're going to do next after they win the CWS.  They don't need to go to Disney World to finish living out the dream.  They're in Omaha - they don't need to go anywhere else.

And with that, I'm going to go study a bit of German and get some sleep.

Tschüss!

Goal/Reward System

Hello blogosphere!

I am back (again) after a ridiculous absence (again) because I can't seem to find the motivation to do this.  I no longer have the time excuse, what with my new job (Child Support Enforcement worker - I love everything about it!) and therefore my new schedule (8:30am - 5:00pm - I love everything about this too!).  I have time to do all the things that I need to do, but I also have time to do all the things I WANT to do, and therein lies the problem.  I am so excited to be able to go out and do all of the things that I've wanted to be able to do for so long that my mindset is basically "DO ALL THE THINGS".  Unfortunately, all of the things that I need to do are being neglected.  My goals - my German learning, exercise, healthy eating, getting the house to where we'd like to to be - are all gone by the wayside, basically.  Even though I've tried a hundred different things to motivate me, none of them have worked.

The other day when I got on the scale however, I really, really, really didn't like the number I saw.  People have been telling me that I look better/thinner/whatever, but I don't see it.  All I see is the number on the scale, and at some point I became happy with the fact that I'd lost 15 pounds and even though I WANTED to lose more, I was content.  This was a problem that managed to fix itself when I got on the scale and saw it was inching closer and closer to where I was before and I had a minor panic attack and, oh HEY - THAT'S where my motivation was hiding.  And the great thing about it is that this one number on the scale not only kicked my butt in gear in the weight loss arena, but in every area that I want to improve.

(For the record, this is also slightly motivated by the fact that when I worked at the jewelry store in Bellevue, it was really cold all the time and my wedding set was WAY TOO BIG because my fingers were shrinking with the cold, so I decided to have them sized down and now they're WAY TOO SNUG and really uncomfortable and I would really like for them to fit comfortably and I don't want to have to take them back to have them sized up because 1) they're shiny (and also I have an emotional attachment to them) and it makes me sad when they're gone and 2) I don't want to have to go back and tell them I asked for the wrong size.  Whatever works, I guess.)

Anyway, as I was laying in bed this morning I couldn't stop thinking about how I wanted to go back to living better and it occurred to me that I needed a system - a goal/reward system.  While knowing that I would be much healthier or knowing that I'd be fluent in German or knowing that I'd have a clean house and a polished yard are all nice in and of themselves, they are not enough motivation for me.  Therefore, I'm instituting a system for self-improvement.  I'm going to take away all of the things that I enjoy doing and only allow myself to do them if I meet my goals.  Runza? Gone. Facebook? Gone.  That trip to Austria we're planning? Yep, that's only happening if I meet my goals.  (And that's a little motivation for the husband to keep me motivated.)  Why HELLO motivation, my old friend!

So far I have my "Self-Betterment" chart mostly done for the first four weeks.  I have a very specific daily workout plan which I need, and I have a weekly goal list which includes German practice, yard work, house cleaning and other chores, etc. (I've included the housework in this chart because I think that having a clean, organized house and a great looking yard will make me feel better.) I have a set number of hours per week to work on each of those with the exception of the chores - Matt and I are working together to create a chore list that will be posted with my goals/rewards calendars with the chores we need to accomplish each evening.

One thing I made sure to do with my workout schedule was to use Sundays as a day of rest (sort of).  Matt LOVES taking walks and asks me at least 4 times a day if we can go on a walk.  I HATE going on walks unless we're walking somewhere specific for a purpose.  Since I would like to get my cardio in daily and because I know he loves going on walks, I've made Sunday a walk day where we go on a walk anywhere he wants.  It'll probably drive me crazy, but getting to spend that time with him should make up for it.

I'm also going to make a healthy eating chart.  I haven't worked out everything for it yet (I got distracted by being excited to write a blog entry) but the goals there are to go through the cookbooks we have and get online and search websites for new recipes.  I think one of the things that drives Matt crazy is that I'm a picky eater.  It's not from unwillingness to try new things, but from trying new things and just not liking them.  I'm going to try to branch out at least a little, though, and eat foods that I'm not crazy about to broaden my horizons and see if I might like them if we cook them differently.  (Matthew: No, this does not mean I will eat mushrooms.  That will not ever happen.)

Once I get the healthy eating goal chart thing finished, I'll probably write more about that too.  In the meantime, I need to finish up my charts and get ready for the College World Series!!  (The best 10 days of the year, no question.)

Tschüss!

Fitting into the Fairmont

So obviously I've been majorly slacking as far as the blogosphere is considered, which isn't good for my waistline oder mein Deutsch.  I haven't been writing since I've had nothing to write about - at least not related to either of the two big topics of this blog, now that the move to Omaha is (almost entirely) complete.  I could probably write a book about the move, but that's for another day.  Today, I am writing about one of my favorite pieces of clothing that I've ever owned and why, although I will never really wear it again, I am bound and determined to fit into it again.

The piece of clothing is, naturally, the Fairmont.

Pictured in all its Fairmont-y glory

I was actually digging through the dungeon at my mom's house looking for a caulking gun when I found my old skirt.  Since most people look back and wish they could still fit into the clothes they fit into in high school, I figured that this was a good goal for me.  Since I'm back in Omaha now and Runza is readily available, the weight loss thing has sort of plateaued and I need new and better motivation so I'm hoping this will suffice.  Granted, I will still have a some more weight to lose even after I can fit comfortably in my old (and favorite) skirt, but it will be exciting to say that I can fit into my high school clothes again!

Hopefully I can regain my motivation and lose the weight that I've been trying (not so successfully as of late) to lose!

Tschüss!

Update

Apparently people think that I need to write more posts because I've been majorly slacking lately.  Sorry about that!

Life has been crazy hectic as of late.  I haven't worked on my German in ages and the weight-loss thing is slacking too.  However, Matt and I have both signed up at a local gym and we are really excited about it.  It's very hard to do strength training at home, so I'm really happy to actually have access to weight training equipment.

The reason for the slack-age is that we are in the process of buying a house.  We close on the 19th, so the past few weeks have been absolutely insane.  It's been a lot of stress, but I imagine that on the 19th when we get the keys, it will have been 100% worth it.

So I apologize for the total lack of blog entries, and for this one being basically pointless, but I will try to right much more frequently once everything with the house is settled.

Tschüss!