The 9 day marathon

In 9 days I have gone 26.5 miles. Which someone pointed out to me- is a marathon.

Somehow putting it into perspective like that makes the whole thing feel incredible! I feel like I could do anything, even get into the kind of shape where I could run a real marathon!

When I started this project I said it was a birthday present to myself, I am turning 27 at the end of the month.

And now I am thinking, I want to run a real marathon, before I am 30.

I just need to work on my time, 9 days is a little bit too long.

Look how far I have come!

I know I rarely double post in one day, but I just had to see how far I have come in my challenge (assuming I started at the gym)

I have made it all the way out of Calgary! (you know, if I did this all at once, and not on stationary workout equipment!)

So How about you?
Add up all the miles in your workouts so far for April, and figure out how far you have gone!

Pinspiration- Dinner style

I know I posted a while ago about how great of a motivator pinterest can be, since you can pin gadgets you want, or sayings that help remind you that you don't really want to eat that cake.

It can also be home of drool worthy cupcake photos, so when using pinterest one must tread lightly.

However what I want to focus on today are all the healthy ideas you can find on pinterest!

One of our major downfalls is pizza. It is quick, and cheap and convenient, and delicious. Even if it isn't quick or convenient, it is so delicious that- well who cares! It is also LOADED with calories, which is why this onetime staple of weekends has been forced to be an occasional treat.

But here are some ways to help keep pizza in our rotation, without busting the calorie budget (and since they are recipes that you make at home they are easy on the dollars budget too)

I have not tried this one yet, but I am thinking it just might need to pop up on the menu for the week:
Cauliflower Crust Pizza: 
There is a whole blog post, that is totally worth reading, but here is the gist:
CRUST:
1/2 LARGE head cauliflower (or 2+ cups shredded cauliflower)
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese (or try another kind!)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic (or fresh garlic)
1/2 teaspoon onion salt


(click the link for the step by step how to) 

I just love this idea! 

In a time pinch, I also love the crust alternative of zucchini! 

No recipe needed, since you just use zucchini in place of a pizza crust! It would be super easy to cut the zucchini in to circles and make pizza bites out of this too, perfect for a sports party in a calorie conscious way! 

So don't get too distracted by all the cupcake pins, there are healthy ideas too! 

100 miles of motivation

I think the 100 mile month is helping. Yesterday between a doctor's appointment and David having rehersal, we missed out on going to the gym.

Normally I would say "oh well" and just make sure I didn't go overboard on my calories, but thanks to the 100 mile month- I also made sure to take a good long 2.5 mile walk.

So I guess it is working! Anyone else have a success story?

7.3 miles down

Last night at the gym I was able to start making up for missing my hike! Thanks to my e reader and the recumbent bike, I made it 4 extra miles last night. I can already tell that this 100 mile challenge is going to be good for me. The miles seem to accumulate faster than the minutes do, and it is nice to feel like I have gone somewhere!

I made a new page that I plan to update with my 100 mile month progress (Up in the navigation bar) and I think I will check in here weekly.

I hope everyone else's April is off to a fit start!

How far have you gone lately?

With the start of the 100 mile challenge, I am excited!

This weekend I got a present, which I am hoping will help me fight off the boredom of working out inside a gym!

A Kobo e-reader!

My hope is that I can zone out while reading and trick myself into working out for longer.

Because I have a confession- I am already behind in my challenge.

This weekend we went to the mountains and my plan was to do a nice long hike on Sunday, but when we got up on Saturday the weather was so nice we decided to hike right away! So I did the miles, but since Saturday was technically still March, I am behind.

Good thing I have all night to bike it out at the gym!

How are you doing so far?

Almost April!

Hey everyone! It is almost April- here is a reminder that April is the 100 mile month! Just to recap here is the challenge:

Go 100 miles this month on your own steam, for the purpose of exercise.

It can be walking, running, hiking, swimming, or even the mileage from a stationary workout machine. If you do zumba, clip on a pedometer and count each step! If you bike count those miles up! You are earning them.

My plan is scheduled to start on Sunday and I am so excited to do this. It will be so nice to look back at the end of the month and feel like I have gone somewhere!

One of the ways that I push myself, is by earning a reward. If you knew my family you would say this is an "apple doesn't fall very far from the tree" scenario, since I was raised by a dad who believed we should earn everything, even if it meant walking past a bike every day, until all the chores were done! What that taught me, is that things feel great when you earn them. They mean more, and have infinitely more value.

This translates to two things that are helping me lose weight; In the short term there are calories.

 If I think of calories like money, something that must be earned before it is spent, then it makes the trade of workout for snacks much easier. The reason i gained all the weight in the first place, is that there is no credit limit on calories, you can borrow from your future until things are so out of control. And there is no declaring bankruptcy- you have to earn your way back out. But any financial planner can tell you, with a good plan and responsibility, you can pay down debt, so that is what I do at the gym every day. It makes the slice of pizza taste so much better, knowing that I earned it. The same way it felt great the first time you bought yourself with something from your babysitting money.

Things you work for, are worth more.

The other way the lifestyle of earning things is helping, is that once I want something, I know I can find a way to get it. If I tell myself that I can have something once I have lost a certain number of pounds, I know I want that thing. My latest motivation is skydiving.

I know, the thing that is motivating me, is a desire to jump out of an airplane. But I have done it before, and if you think you get an endorphin rush off a treadmill, you should try the adrenaline of skydiving. It is life changing. Last time I went, I was quite a bit thinner, and the place we want to go has a weight restriction. I was 50 pounds too heavy to skydive in November. Now I am 18 pounds to heavy.
I have 6 weeks, to drop those last 18 pounds, and I know it won't be easy, but I also know I can do it.

So Happy April! I hope you join me in this challenge, and I hope you share your results!