I have to admit, when my alarm went off at 5:15 that morning, I was having second thoughts. Questioning why I even wanted to do it in the first place.

Then, within the first mile, I suddenly had a terrible side-ache that forced me to walk before I was ready. I was so discouraged! I wanted to quit.

As I continued walking, it occured to me that when things get hard I give up too easily. Not just this race, but life in general.

I started to run again. Eventually, the side-ache subsided.

I found myself keeping pace with a woman in front of me. At first I didn’t pay much attention to her, but after a while I took a good look and was surprised to see how old she was.

And not to be rude, but she was old.

I couldn’t believe she was in front of me, setting my pace. I was determined that she would not, no way, no how, finish before me!

Determination was creeping in and I found a renewed surge of energy that pushed me ahead of her. The only problem was, I couldn’t hold onto it, and eventually she was back in the lead.

Again I felt discouraged. At this point I was nearly 2.5 miles in and for some reason my hips were killing me! (Note to self: next time, train longer than 2 days!!!)

I was walking along in pain and the words from Hewbrews 12:1 kept coming to my mind, “…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” That was it. Perseverance. Not just in this 5k, but all the time. Run with perseverance.

So I began running again. Keeping pace with the gray haired lady in the lime green tank top. She was a good bit in front of me now. I knew I couldn’t catch her. That’s when the second part of that verse hit me. “The race marked out for US.”

We each have our own race. She was running hers and I was running mine. Not that there was anything wrong with me competing against her. She was actually driving me to push myself and do better. But I didn’t need to win because I was younger. That wouldn’t have proven anything. Ultimately the only one I have to contend with is myself.

How many times do I compare my “race” with someone else only to come away discouraged and ready to give up? Thinking, “She has it so easy because her husband is in ministry” or “my kids will never turn out like that because I don’t know enough about the Bible” or “I’m not making a difference in the life of our church because I can’t…” Blah, blah, blah.

Enough with the excuses! My walk is just that…Mine. And I must persevere. Continually seeking and growing, looking to those around me for the push I need to finish strong.

I say less comparing and more encouraging! Who’s with me???

———————

Oh, and if you’re curious (because I know I was), when I looked up the results today the lady who beat me with a time of 36:20 was 68 years old. You go Girl!!!

Injury, you ask? No. Got down to a size 4? Not hardly. Can’t take one more minute of plank jacks? Well, yes, but that’s not why.

It seems that several weeks ago, someone spiked my coffee for whatever reason, I signed up to run a 5k on May 9th.

Did you know May 9th is THIS WEEKEND???

So instead of my usual 20 minutes of torture, I’ve been tormenting myself on the treadmill. Trying to work up to the 3.2 miles in 5 short days.

I know it sounds like I have a bad attitude about it, but I’m actually quite excited and a little anxious. I’ve been wanting to run a 5k for 3 years. The only reason I haven’t is because, being the perfectionist that I am, I didn’t want to do it until I knew I could do it “right”.

What is the “right” way, anyways? I’m ready to get out and just do it. So wish me luck or say a prayer around 7:30 Saturday morning. Or better yet, come on out to the cheering section, then help me to my car when I’m done! :)

Then she’s off to bed.

And I’m off to sneak a cookie (or two…shhhhh).

This may be why I’m not seeing dramatic weight loss. But I did loose one more pound this past week. I weighed in at 134 this afternoon. I also promised to measure my problem areas again, and true to my word I did that today as well. But sorry, no time for pictures. You’ll have to take my word that I’ve lost 1.5 inches on my waist and another inch off my boo-tay.

Woo-Hoo!!!

Now, on to something that might help y’all increase your water intake. We all know it’s good for us, but dang, it’s sooo hard to drink all that water every.single.day! I have found that adding fresh lemon makes my water a little more appealing. Then I ran across these delicious facts:

1. Adding lemons to water helps with acne (who would have thought at age 37 this would STILL be an issue for me???)

2. Lemon water detoxifies and stimulates the liver.

3. Improves digestion.

4. It also detoxifies the kidneys.

5. Lemons improve colon function.

I wish I could remember where I pulled these facts off the internet. I printed them out a while ago and the sheet doesn’t have the web address on it. But it was a good reminder to me to put lemons in my water.

And if you aren’t interested in keeping lemons in your water all the time, but want the “acne recipe” for lemon water, here ya go…

Squeeze 1 lemon to a cup or two of water and drink it first thing in the morning. Don’t eat anything for half an hour after to allow the lemon water to cleanse the entire body.

1. The sweating. MUCH more SWEATING!!! In level 1, I could work out and eventually jump in the shower. In level 2, I look like I’ve just taken a shower! Even my socks are squeaking in my shoes. It’s gross I tell you! Gross and sweaty!!!

2. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of times I am laid out on the floor, gasping for air saying, “No, I DON’T have 2 more seconds in me Jillian!!!” or “just 5 more my a$$”!!!!!

3. The need for a real actual sports bra. There is really no getting around that in Level 2. My delicates are not doing a proper job. And did I mention the sweating??? Who wants to jump around in wet lace? Bleh.

4. Unfortunately the soreness that left midway through Level 1 is back. It’s just in different areas. Mainly: ABS! Holy Moly!!! The night after day 2 of level 2 I rolled over while sleeping and the pain woke me up. Now that’s serious ab work!

Which I think is awesome, by the way.

5. And ya know what else is awesome? Another difference in these last 4 days is that I find myself standing taller and stronger. Although I haven’t seen a dramatic change in weight, I noticed for the first time today a difference in the way I look and feel.

6. Finally one change I’d like to see but haven’t yet, after 14 days, is that I’d like my dog to stop getting in my face anytime I do the floor excercises. Apparently he thinks I’m down there to play with him. Stop it Stafford!!!!!

So there you have it. Random observations on the first 2 levels of The Shred DVD. If you haven’t gotten to Level 2 yet, please don’t be discouraged. I am finally noticing positive results. I’m planning to take my measurements again when I weigh in on Monday. Check back and see what happens! :)

This morning I weighed in and there was no change. But last Wednesday, I had lost 3 pounds. Hmmmm…seems I have a situation that I need to address. Putting it on the to do list for the upcoming weekend.

Now, let’s talk The Shred. This week brought a lot more endurance and by day 8 I felt ready to move onto level 2. Unfortunately I caught some sort of stomach bug that same day so I held off moving up until day 10.

Today was day 10.

I’d tell you all about it but I’m still out of breath.

From this morning.

Where I laid in a heap on my bedroom floor groaning and clutching my arms. Which led my 6 yr old to ask, “Does it hurt Mom?”

All I could muster was a whimper.

Now it’s all I can do to stay awake long enough to write this post. I am EXHAUSTED! But strangely, I am looking forward to working out with Jillian again in the morning.

So what about you? Still Shredding? Loosing weight? Loosing inches? Check out The 30 Day Shred Challenge for encouragement, recipes, and more than a few laughs!

Okay, so I’m one week into The 30 Day Shred Challenge and I’m feeling pretty good. I’ll be honest though, last week was not easy!

My Shred DVD didn’t arrive until Wednesday, so the first 2 days of the week I simply watched my calorie intake and kept it around 1350. I learned 2 very important facts: First, chicken wings from Zaxby’s may seem like a mildly healthy lunch option, given they come with celery and are not deep fried. Chicken breasts are good, why not a wing? To my shock and disbelief, I consumed over 700 calories in 10 wings!!!! Dang! I might as well have indulged in a Quarter Pounder!

And second, one serving of ice cream is a joke. One night I realized I didn’t meet my caloric intake for the day and wondered if I could squeeze in a taste of Jeremy’s Blue Bell. And a taste is just about all it was! I measured out the 1/2 cup for it’s 180 calories and it barely covered the bottom of my bowl. All that did was leave me hankerin’ for more.

Lessons learned!

Now on to the video segment of this report. There’s not much to say except “Oh my Gosh, I almost died!” I’ve done the workout every day since Wednesday and the first 3 days were murderous!!! Jillian worked me out sooo hard and I was sooo sore! Climbing the stairs to my kids bedrooms made my legs shake and trying to lift my arms above my head to wash my hair was a challenge all by itself. Instead of lather, rinse, repeat…it was more like, lather, REST, repeat until it was clean, then I could rinse!

But I tell you what, by day 4 it wasn’t so bad and I even added in my 8 lb weights on some of the strength training excercises. The push-ups portion is still kickin’ my arse and the second set of jump roping on the first circuit makes me want to fall into a heap on the floor. I’m hoping by day 7 to complete the first 5 minutes without feeling as if death is imminent.

On a “lighter” note, I do feel good. Today I am only sore in the pectoral area (stinkin’ push ups!). My weight got down to 134 last week but I’m sad to say that after a weekend with the Easter bunny, my scale this morning read 136. So only 1 pound lost.

And I just have to mention how surprised I was that my family got involved in the Shredding action. Jeremy did the workout with me on the days he was home, and my kids joined us too. Their reaction to Jillian? “She’s the bossy lady”. :)

My weight isn’t the main reason I’m doing this challenge. My WAIST is!!!! Check it out:

Yikes! 35 inches!!! My jeans fit more comfortably if I unbutton them. As if I torture myself and wear jeans! I’ve got more of a yoga look going on these days.

And now for the worst part. I’m only showing this picture in hopes that it will embarass me into accountability:

That’s the profile of my BUTT! It looks pregnant! In case you can’t read the tape, it’s at 40 whopping inches! Now that is a good reason to try The Shred!

My video hasn’t arrived yet but I’ll be looking for the UPS guy this afternoon. I’ve got my fridge stocked with fresh fruits and veggies, and healthy snacks in the pantry. Because being prepared is half the battle, ya know.

I’ll check in again next Monday with an update! Good luck to everyone else who is shredding with me!

So “The Shred” starts in 2 more days and already The Sisterhood is giving away cool apparel. Follow the link for your chance(s) to win a fun workout shirt or tank top by One More Mile.

And when I say “fun”, I’m talking about slogans like “Will Run for Margaritas”, “Find Your Happy Pace”, and “Running My Mass Off”. Doesn’t get any cuter than that!!! So go now and enter…contest ends Friday, April 10th.

My friends who read this and know me personally will say, “What? I haven’t noticed. You look great.” And that’s why you are my friends.

But you know, everyone has a standard for themselves. How they should look and feel. Mine isn’t even that high, and I’m still not achieving it!

So something needs to be done. And something WILL be done. Yesterday I greased the belt on the treadmill. Today I was thinking of eating healthier, but then I realized I had to finish off a carton of ice cream and a bag of Cheetos first. Wouldn’t want to be wasteful.

Do you think I need to change my mindset? Part of the problem here lately is indeed food. More specifically, the kinds of food we have around the house. And you would say, “Ummm…hello? YOU buy the food Jodi”. This is true. But with the budget cutbacks we’ve had around here, I can no longer afford to go to the store weekly for fresh fruits and vegetables. I can’t buy the leanest cuts or the organic varieties I used to purchase.

I’m currently relying on the super processed, preservative loaded, canned goods that can sit in my pantry for years. Or on my hips. Whichever comes first.

So I write this today as a sort of accountability. The day I sat down and put in writing how much of a fat slob I am becoming. Or something like that. Starting now tomorrow, I will eat regularly and sensibly. I will try my hardest to get in some sort of exercise, even if it’s just running around outside with the kids. And I vow to go to bed at a decent hour (which shouldn’t be a problem now that the Olympics and the political conventions are over).

That’s it. Seems simple enough. I’ll keep you posted.

Well, let’s see, my Live Well Wednesday post is being written on Thursday. If that’s not an indication of what kind of week I’m having, I don’t know what is!!!

First of all, some good news on the South Beach Diet. Week one produced great results. Jeremy was down almost 15 pounds! WOW!!! In addition to limiting his food choices, he has been playing basketball and softball. And frankly, he’s a guy and we all know how easily they can drop weight! I’m so proud of him!

I didn’t do too bad either. My total loss for the week was 3 pounds. I gradually started adding in carbs last week but kept sugar out of reach. One day I made a turkey sandwhich on whole wheat bread with mustard, lettuce, and tomato. It was delicious and very satisfying. So imagine my surprise when I walked into the pantry just looking for anything to eat! It all looked good!!! I decided that bread definitely triggers cravings for me so I will be staying clear of that.

Something else I noticed was at the retreat over the weekend. Like I said, I had abstained from sugar. But on Saturday morning I saw the yummiest looking raspberry danish. It looked like the perfect accompaniment to my steaming cup of coffee. So I indulged. For the next several hours I was dizzy and lightheaded. I am certain I was on a sugar high. I have vowed to myself 1. to never forget that feeling and 2. never grow accustomed to feeling that way again! Blah!

I came home from the retreat with a cold that has again turned into a sinus infection. Or maybe it was an infection to begin with…I don’t really know how that works. All I do know is that I have been sick a lot in the last 6 months. Each time has started out with cold symptoms that seem to settle in my chest and leave me coughing up greenish yellow stuff that tastes bad. (Nice, huh?) And it takes me FOREVER to get over it.

I am thinking of going to the doctor for some “real” anitbiotics. You know, the ones I’d have to take for 14 days and are sure to kill the germs that quite literally have me by the throat! The last 2 rounds of antibiotics I’ve taken have been those handy, dandy Z-Paks. It’s nice to only take them for 3 days, but I seriously wonder if that’s why I keep getting it and getting it and getting it. The germs are just not dying! But considering my last trip to the doctor, I will be searching for a new physician to prescrible something for me this time.

So considering the sickness, my South Beach plan is not as good as it was last week. And my morning quiet times have been sporadic. I missed BSF yesterday and am really bummed about that. We were going to discuss Matthew 26 where Mary pours the expensive perfume on Jesus and Judas about has a coronary! I really wanted some clarification about those versus, because the practical side of me tends to go with Judas on that one! Obviously I needed some teaching!!!

Right now I’m trying to just stay positive and get through this week. The laundry is behind, we only homeschooled twice, I don’t think I’ve cooked a meal all week, and really all I want to do is get in bed. Press on Jodi!!! PRESS ON!!!!