Developing Healthy Habits

It is time for me to really start getting into some healthy habits. I talk the talk but do not walk the walk, and enough is enough. If I want to be a good Naturopath I need to follow what will be preaching and live a healthier life.


Plus, I really want to be the healthiest I can be when I turn 40 next year. I am not talking about losing weight – I am so over wanting to lose weight, I just don’t care. I want to be healthy. If weight loss comes along with that then so be it. If not, then that is okay too. As long as I am happy and healthy.

So in order to do this I am going to start adding healthy habits and eliminating unhealthy habits every week.

Week 1 starts today.

+ Healthy Habit – drink 2L of water every day

- Unhealthy habit – stop eating potato chips. I am having a couple of packets a week again and it is no good.

I will check in periodically on this and each Monday add one more healthy habit and remove one more unhealthy habit. This is not a Challenge or an all or nothing thing. This is just me trying to develop an healthy way of life.

If you have any ideas of healthy habits I could be incorporating or eliminating, I would love to hear them.

xox

This & That

Like I said in my last post yesterday - I was planning on smashing it on the bike on the way home last night. The aim was 15kms. Well, I wouldn't say I smashed it, but I pushed it pretty damn hard. I had a headwind nearly the whole way home, and I pedaled hard. My legs were fatigued and I was puffing and panting (which I don't usually do as I normally just cruise along). By the time I got home I was absolutely dripping with sweat and I was completely buggered, but geez I felt good! I did 16.47kms. I have no idea how long it took me or what my HR was, and I don't care. I know I worked hard and that is all I care about at this point. :)

After dinner (vegetable fritatta - YUM!) I went out to check my tyres, which I do every few days.  This is what I found...

Of course, I am out of spare inner tubes, aren't I...  Grumble, grumble...

So Ross is off to the bike shop today to get a couple of spares and to fix it for me (I really must learn to do that myself one of these days). And I had to catch a tram to work. The good news is, the 1.8km walk from the tram to work, all up a very slight slope, did not hurt my Achilles in the slightest. YAY!  I am back to the Physio next Tuesday and I really really hope he gives me the go ahead to start hiking again.

I did pretty good with my food yesterday too. Had some ice cream last night but it fit into my calories since I did such a hard ride. I was actually hungry too, not just mindlessly eating, so I figured it was okay. :) Am still feeling motivated and feeling good about it all.  Hopefully it lasts.

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 53
Today I am grateful that I am no longer living in Qld where all that awful rain and flooding is. My thoughts and love goes out to everyone affected by it.

xox

Oh Dear...

I got on the scales today to get my yearly starting weight.  Oh my. Xmas has NOT been kind to me. Well, in actual fact, I have not been kind to myself over Xmas and it is very strongly reflected in that horrible number.

sigh...

But I have had an amazing week off and I am choosing not to regret it. I had a great time, ate some absolutely amazing food, and now I will work my butt off to shift that weight. I have a pretty big goal to work towards (not sharing what it is until it is confirmed) and I am hoping that having that in mind will help to keep me focussed.

100 Days of Gratitude - Day 50
Today I am grateful that I have the knowledge I need to get myself back into a healthy lifestyle.

xox

Fluid. Calories. Gym.

I am exhausted. Remember a few weeks ago I was having issues with Water Retention. Well, it's back. Yesterday I drank so much water to try and flush it out. And it started working. At about 11pm... Every 90 minutes in the night I was up and peeing. The good news is that my feet are close to being a normal size again... The bad news, I got next to no sleep and am exhausted.

A couple of weeks ago Ross and I went camping (as you may know). While I was there I had a lot of time to think - considering I couldn't go hiking. One of the things on my mind was my weight.

While I am mostly content with who I am, I can't help but wonder if one of the reasons I not only hurt my Achilles, but also why it is taking so long to heal, is my size. While I was away I decided to do something I always swore I wouldn't do - I decided to try one of those meal replacement diets for a few weeks to try to kick off my new weight loss efforts.

I got the Terry White Chemist ones (cheaper than Optifast) and gave it a go. Turns out I was right all along. Those things are just not enough food... The best I have done is 2 days, before succumbing to mind numbing hunger and bingeing like there was no tomorrow.

So, I am back on Calorie King. Not sure if I'm going to jump back into the forums, although I have said hello on the 50+ one already. My concern is that I will get obsessed again, and I can’t do that to myself or to Ross, it just isn’t fair. I am going to try and be easy on myself. Eat back my exercise calories, and mainly focus on good food and exercise (when I can).  I would like to lose about 18kgs before the Shave – this is a vanity thing, I want a slimmer face. LOL But to be honest, anything will be better than now.

I am looking for a gym. One that has Zumba and Yoga. The only reason is that I want to do both in the new year, and a gym membership that offers both will be cheaper than a casual rate to 2 separate places each week. I have found one that offers both at good times right near where I live, but I will probably be moving within the next 4 or 5 months so that may not be overly ideal. There is a couple in the city, but none of them have both options at times that suit me, so that may not be so good.  There are a couple near work, but will I travel this far on weekends to do a class? I don’t know.

I need to keep researching and hopefully I will find the perfect gym with all the things I need at a price I can afford in a perfect location. At least, I can keep dreaming…

100 Days of Gratitude – Day 15

Today I am grateful for the fact that I have so many choices in my life. I am truly blessed.

xox

Test Results

I got all my blood test results back yesterday, and I have to say I am pretty pleased, and also surprised.  The reason I went to the doctor is that I was getting symptoms that I was concerned about.  Firstly I was concerned about my sugar levels as I was pee'ing a lot, and with my history of pre-diabetes in the past and my family history I need to be careful.  Also I was getting hot flushes and a few other things symptomatic of menopause.  Even though I am only 37, with my history, early menopause would not be a surprise.  So we got bloods done.

Sugars - perfect.  Still no signs of diabetes or the pre-diabetes that has shown up in the past.  All good there.

Oestrogen - Perfect. In fact, all hormones spot on.  No menopause.

Thyroid function - perfect.

Cholesterol - spot on.  This was a surprise as I have not been eating that well, but it is right smack in the middle of the good range, with my good cholesterol being high and my bad cholesterol being low.

Vitamin B12 - perfect

Vitamin D - Still low, but a significant improvement from last time, so I will keep taking the supplements for another year and get tested again.

Iron - borderline.  Not anemic, but getting low.  The problem here is that I can not usually take supplements as they make me constipated.  But I have a low dose children's supplement that is "guaranteed" not to cause constipation.  And I am taking only half the recommended dose.  So we will see how that goes.  Plus I will make a conscious effort to increase the green veg and legumes in my diet and try and get there naturally.

Overall I am incredibly pleased.  Most of the symptoms I went for originally have stopped or slowed, so she said to just give my body a few more months to adjust to being off the Pill and to adjust to the fat that the anxiety and depression seems to have gone as well.  If things are still hinky in 3 months I will go back, otherwise I will just let my body sort itself out.

Considering I have not necessarily treated my body properly this year, this is an outstanding result for me, but yet another kick in the butt to remind me that I do need to look after this body.  I only get one in this lifetime, I need to care for it.

100 Days of Gratitude Day 2
Today I am grateful for my health.  My body seems to be doing really well despite how I can treat it.  So I am grateful for that and determined to start treating it the way it deserves to be treated, with love and respect.

xox

Achilles Update

Well, the Achilles is still very sore.  Incredibly sore actually.  As such I have not yet got back on the bike as the pressure is hurting it.  I am back to the Physio next Tuesday so hopefully I can get some sort of relief.

I am sure it is not helped by the fact that I am retaining so much water at the moment that my feet literally feel as though they are going to burst through the skin.  I have never felt such incredible pressure in my feet before.  I have also never seen them quite this big before.  Even my thongs are tight...

So today I am trying to drink as much as possible and try to stay as far away from sodium as I can.  Hopefully I will start to "release" some of this water soon which will hopefully take some of the pressure off.

Any tips for getting rid of this water will be gratefully accepted.

xox

Back to Work

Yesterday marked the return to work.  The pile of work on my desk was 5 men high.  sigh...  Okay, so that was an exaggeration, but it sure feels like it when you are plowing your way through...  It is not so bad being back I guess.  I am a hell of a lot less grumpy and stressed than I was 2 weeks ago.  But I still wish I had a job I loved. Ya know.

I jumped on the scales yesterday morning.  Based on the agony in my legs I would say I am still retaining water.  Add to that the amount we went out and ate delicious fattening food last week.  And the scales weren't overly kind.  But then, starting this in my holidays was probably a bad idea.  :o)  But I am back into it now and am looking forward to a week of healthy mindful eating.

The after effects of the Rogaine are still with me.  Sunday night I could barely move.  Yesterday was marginally better.  The good thing about yesterday was I went for a few short walks, to get the mail etc, and it made a significant difference to the feeling in my thighs.  Today I am tight but not incredibly sore.

The results are also up on the web site and surprisingly Ross & I did not come last in points.  I am stunned and very pleased by that!  LOL  The next event is in March and I can not wait to do it again.  :o)

xox

More Tarot

Last night I went back to the Tarot Teachers house to finish the Tarot Workshop we did not get finished on Saturday.  Everyone was there which was really nice.  We finished the workshop by doing basic spreads and readings.  It was really interesting and by the end of it I was starting to really understand how all the cards fit together.  It is more than just knowing what each individual cards means, it is also about knowing how the different cards fit and what they mean when they crop up together.  I am getting better at understanding the symbols which is great.  I am going to have to really practice so that I can start doing readings for my friends.

One thing that came up in my spread - quite strongly actually - is that I need to take better care of my health.  I have been pretty slack lately with my food mainly, but also with exercise.  I really need to take stock.  I keep saying "I'm Gonna" but I never do.  Now it has come through very clearly in my cards that this is something that requires focus, and it needs it now.

xox

Cigarettes!

That is what Grandad has starting yelling out in his sleep.  And of course, every time he does, one of us has to get up in case he is in the kitchen looking for them.  He's wily.  Half the time he can't get up on his own, but when he wants a smoke, he can get up and he can do it quietly...

My doctors visit last night was good.  We got the icky stuff out of the way then we had a chat.  She is aware of the events in my life over the last 15 months or so and has been concerned about me teetering over the edge and into a depression.  I will be honest, I have been concerned about it myself sometimes.  She gave me some good ideas to try, herbal teas, vitamins etc, but is also prepared to give me something stronger or refer me to a counsellor if I need it (counsellor first though).  I have not taken her up on that, but it is good to know the option is there and that my doc is taking me seriously. 

One thing she did say is that I need at least one night of uninterrupted sleep a week.  I have sleeping tablets that she prescribed me last year.  I'll be honest, the bottle isn't even open.  I have never had one.  But her suggestion is that I take one on a Friday or Saturday night and let the others listen out for Grandad.  I talked to Ross & MIL and they are happy with that, since I do take up most of the slack at nights.  I am nervous about taking a sleeping tablet, but I will give it a go this weekend.

I didn't end up getting out for a run last night though.  And I also didn't ride in to work this morning.  I am struggling so much with the cold this year and I slept in this morning. 

I got through in record time though, traffic was light due to school holidays, so I spent half an hour writing before I got stuck into the pile on my desk.  I have started Chapter 3 now.  It is coming along and I am starting to get a real feel for the character.  One of the sub plots has begun and about half of the characters have been introduced.  And the main thing is, I am enjoying it!

OK, I have a crap load of work to do so I better get stuck into it.  Till tomorrow...

xox

100th Post!

It has only taken three and a half month to make it to 100 posts!  YAY!  Thank you to everyone for their support.

Just a quick one today.  I didn't quite meet my goals yesterday.  I didn't ride to drop of the Guide keys, because I didn't go to drop off the Guide Keys.  Ross has picked up some more temp work so I decided to take him out to dinner to celebrate.  We went to the Markets (fancy, I know) and stopped out our favourite vego place.  Ross ran into an old friend there which was cool.  We picked up the veggies for tonights dinner then rode home.  It was a great night.

I have been going really well with my food and exercise this week.  I feel a lot more focussed.  There has been a blip in there, but nothing too bad.  I really want to start shifting this weight again so hopefully I can stick with it this time.

I have decided on weekends to just set 5 goals for the whole weekend, so here goes.

Daily Goals
1)  Stick to my eating plan
2)  Drink my water
3)  Do some housework - I don't care what, I just need to do some
4)  Exercise.  May need to be indoors due to the heat, but I want to do something each day
5)  Knit another square

My daily goals don't seem to have a huge amount of variety at the moment.  But right now these are the things I need to be doing, so they are the goals.

Have a great weekend everyone!

xox

Update, Book Review, Game Review

Update

First things first. Thank you to everyone for your kind wishes, love and support. I had the procedure yesterday. I am home and my main feeling at the moment is relief that it is all over. I am really tired, and a bit tender. But otherwise okay.

It is weird, but I am hanging to get back on the bike and to start running again. I plan on going for a few walks on the weekend and take it from there to see when I am ready to get back into it.

This whole thing has made me more eager than ever to start living my life to the fullest. It is like a switch has been flicked inside of me. We have a lot of obstacles in our paths still, but there is nothing stopping us from getting out there more and doing all the things we talk about. It is time to live.

Book Review

Last week on my Retail Therapy expedition I bought the book “Running Hot” by Lisa Tamati.

Spending so much time waiting around in the hospital for the last couple of days has meant I have finished it already. If anyone is in need of motivation to live your life to the fullest, this is the book for you. This woman is my age. She broke her back in hear early 20’s. Since then she has cycled half way around Europe. Canoed down the Yukon River in Alaska/Canada. Hiked across the Lybian Desert through a controlled military zone, sneaking past soldiers and outposts. And ran in several Ultra Marathons including the famous Badwater Marathon in the US. Throughout all of this she also became a qualified jewellery designer and has an amazing inventory of beautiful jewellery.

This truly is an incredible read. The things that this woman has done is astounding. I highly recommend grabbing a copy of this amazing book.

Game Review

Now this is something I would not normally do. My husband and I have a DS Lite. Although I got it mainly for myself, Ross is really the one who uses it. However I recently got a copy of “The Biggest Loser” for the DS.

Can I just say, I am loving it. There is calorie counting (although American and limited), recipes, daily exercise routines, quizzes, challenges, hints and tips. It is actually really interesting. I have set up an 8 week challenge for myself. You weigh in weekly, it offers an exercise and stretching routine for each day (which I have not been able to do yet, but will start as soon as I can), gives you a calorie allowance, and has quizzes etc to do. I will still use Calorie King to count my calories, as the game is quite limited, but need to then input them, plus calories burned into the game. At the end it gives you really cool graphs and charts (which I love) plus you get Bob & Jillian cheering you on. It’s a bit of fun, and I am hoping it will give me a bit of a boost for the next 8 weeks.

That’s all from me for today. I am back to work tomorrow. I wish I could have taken a few more days off, but I need to make some money so I need to get back.

xox

Updates and Decisions

Firstly I would like to say thank you for the care and support the blogging world has offered me.  I am honoured that people who do not even know me have offered their love and support while we deal with our current situation.

I spent today at the Women's & Childrens Hospital, am home tonight, and am back tomorrow to have the D&C procedure done.  I am extremely nervous, however my MIL used to work in the day surgery area, and has let her old collegues know that a VIP (Very Important Patient) is coming in tomorrow and needs extra special treatment.  At least I know I will be taken care of. 

On to other decisions, I have decided to forgo the Weight Watchers and invest that money into a gym membership.  While I like the info I am getting from Weight Watchers, the points are a pain in the butt.  I have to convert all of my recipes to points, and I am back to looking everything up.  I know my calories and am comfortable with them.  I just haven't been doing it.  So I can spend $17.50 per week on a weigh in and 20 minute chat, or spend $13 per week on a gym membership that I can use every day if I want.  I aim to use it just twice a week, and continue with my outdoor training.  It means the weather can no longer be a hindrance to my training.

So that is it for me.  I will be back in a few days when I have recovered.

xox

Tupperware, Weight Watchers, Shopping, Eating & Running

Last night I picked up my Tupperware from my party a couple of weeks ago.  I got so much stuff.  About half of what is shown here, I actually got as hostess gifts, so it was all free.  I love it all and can't wait to start using it.

This morning I jumped on the bike and headed to my first Weight Watchers meeting.  It was pretty interesting.  I like the concept of the points.  They are based on kilojoules and saturated fat.  Plus there are some 'free' foods.  They also identify a lot of 'filler' foods which are foods that are deemed to be quite filling based on their points value.  They give you quite a lot of information in your first week.  I have sat down and read it all.  So the decision is that I am going to give this a shot for a couple of months and see how I go with it.

I got weighed in when I first got there.  Fully dressed, with shoes, after drinking water.  I weighed in at 1kg more than my starting weight for this year, so I am behind the 8-ball for the year already.  I have put my scales away and will go by the WW weigh ins.

During the meeting part of the meeting they talked about a few things, but 2 things stood out to me.  Firstly, they talked about tasting your food.  Not just eating it or shovelling it in, but actually tasting it.  Slowing down, and enjoying each mouthful.  One suggestion is to use a smaller fork so you can't pile so much on.  Also things like sucking nuts one by one instead of throwing a whole handful in your mouth.  Things I will need to work on.

The other thing was portion size.  This is, and always has been, one of the biggest problems I have.  I always fill up my plate.  A suggestion was made to use smaller plates.  My plates are massive.  So after I got home, Ross & jumped in the car and headed to the local 'House & Garden' store to see what they had in the way of funky looking side plates.  I decided I wanted a bunch of mis-matched different sized plates.  They had a sale on Maxwell & Williams, so I picked up these 2 little ones.

Ross then suggested we check out the local Salvos store.  I got a few different plates there.

A couple of small bowls.

As well as this Maxwell & Williams single serve baking dish for only a couple of dollars.

On the way home we had to stop at the supermarket, so I ducked in to the Cheap As Chips next door.  I found these gorgeous little dessert dishes.  I only got 2, but I think I will go back and get another couple as they would be great to serve up to dinner guests.

So after sitting down and working out the Weight Watchers Points values for some of my recipes, I was over the moon to discover that my Mexican Lentils were only 3.5 points per serve.  So dinner was baked potato with Mexican Lentils and light Cheese.

With a side salad - which is a completely Point-free salad so I loved that!

I have also made a decision on my running.  I am not pushing myself enough so I am going to attempt C25K again.  I downloaded the tracks and will put them on my mp3 player at work on Monday.  So 3 days a week as of Monday, I am going to run.  And hopefully in 2 months I will be able to run for 30 minutes.

Tomorrow marks the end of my 3 month trial of vegetarianism.  I have a lot of thoughts about it so I will check in sometime in the next day or so and let you know whether I have decided to stick with it.  Till then...

xox

Thinking about things...

I got posed a question in the last few days.  It was on a weight loss forum I visit.  We were talking about success - or lack thereof - with our weights in 2009.  Then this came up....

"What are you doing to make 2010 different to 2009?"

It got me thinking.  What AM I doing different this year?  The answer - Not a whole lot.  My eating is still all over the place, my exercise sporadic at best. How on earth am I doing to achieve my goals and become the person I want to become, if I repeat the same behaviors over and over?

I need to DO something.

One possible answer...

I am going to go to a meeting this weekend and see if this is for me.  I know that the point system is pretty much the same as counting calories - I get that.  The difference is going to a weekly meeting.  Being with others who have been there or are there right now.  Listening to the information presented.  And having to front up each week and get on the scales in front of someone.

Maybe this is what I need right now?  Only way to find out is to go and give it a shot.  Wish me luck!

xox

Putting it Out There

Last night I gave my 2 posts from yesterday and the comments I received a lot of thought.  I know I am getting stuck 'in my head' which is usually when I collapse in a heap.  The result of discussions with the boy and deep thinking is that I will not be joining the gym - I can not afford it.  Also, I don't like gyms.  Never have.  So would I use it?  No, probably not.  I will save up and buy a treadmill when we are living somewhere more permanent again.

As for all the other accountability stuff, I know that the only person I am accountable to is me.  I know that I constantly let myself down.  And I know that if I don't find a way to fix this, I will never reach my goals.

A few weeks ago when I started my training programs I mentioned a large fitness goal I had in mind that I wasn't ready to share.  I am still not really ready to share it, but I am thinking maybe I should.  This is something I don't know if I will ever be able to do, but something I want to try.  And if you all know about it, it may be the mental kick I need to keep moving forward.

So here it is...

I want to run a Marathon before I am 40 (just under 3 years).

Am I insane?  Yes.  Considering I can currently only run for 1 minute and we are talking about running for 6 hours.  But there you go.  Now you all know so I have to get my butt into gear...

Thank you everyone for the comments yesterday.  I really did listen to what you were all saying and it really does mean a lot to me.

xox

More on Accountability

Further to my post this morning about Accountability, I have been thinking.

I know I said I wouldn’t do it, but…

I am thinking of joining a gym again. I need something to keep me accountable. There is a womens gym down the road from work. They have a personal trainer package which gives you full access to the gym, plus once a week/fortnight/month you see a trainer. You get this nifty little training diary and between visits you are expected to have achieved certain things (based on your goals etc).

I am thinking that this may be what I need to get me doing what I need to be doing. It would definitely give me the Accountability if I know a trainer will be assessing my progress once a month.

The gym also has Pilates & Yoga, both things I was wanting to learn this year. As well as other classes including RPM.

The only thing holding me back, is that it is $24pw for the once a month plan… sigh…

xox

Muscle Soreness

Now that I am back into the swing of things with my training, I am discovering one nasty little side effect of it all - muscle soreness. 

Last night my ride to the chiropractor was HARD.  It is actually 17kms, and I had 50 mins to make the trip (which includes around 10-12 sets of traffic lights), which is a fast speed for me.  What I hadn't factored in to the equation was the strong head winds coming off the ocean.  OMG I thought I was going to die.  I couldn't miss my appointment as my hip has been playing up causing pain in my left leg, so I just had to suck it up.

By the time I got there (about 3 minutes late, not too bad) I was completely buggered.  The good thing was that my muscles were so warm that Mark was able to do my adjustments quite easily and I do feel a lot better for it.

But by the time I got home the muscle soreness was seeping in.  My legs were already a little sore from Monday nights walk/run and the hard ride just added to that.  I actually had trouble sleeping last night from the stiffness in my legs.  They are a little easier this morning, but still quite stiff.

I am hoping that this is just because I am starting the training and the soreness will eventually become a thing of the past.  If not, I will need to find a way to deal with it.  I have a walk/run tonight that I will be doing no matter what.  Maybe I will have a hot bath after to try and get some of the stiffness out of them.

Does anyone have any good tips for dealing with or reducing muscle soreness?  I would love to hear them.

xox

Healthy Habit a Week Challenge

I got this idea from the Escape from Obesity blog. And I love it! Basically you pick one new healthy habit to cultivate each week for a set period (I am going for 10 weeks). At the end of the 10 weeks you should have 10 brand new healthy habits that will hopefully stay with you.

My first weeks healthy habit is to drink at least 1.5L of water a day. If I have Monday as a start day I am doing well already, as I drank 2.25L yesterday, and am nearly through my first litre for today.

Week 2 I think I will work on getting my 2 pieces of fruit a day as this is something I really struggle with. After that – who knows! I will sit down on the weekend and try and work out what other healthy habits I want to become part of my life.

xox

Protein for Vegetarians

This is a topic I have been giving a lot of thought to lately. I thought I was doing okay with the protein, but since I have started logging my calories again and paying attention to my nutrients, I am realising that I am not doing as well as I could be.

My biggest falling down is lunch at work. We only have a small fridge for 4 staff, and we have a microwave, but nothing else I can use to cook or prepare food. I have been having fruit & yogurt, which is great, but where’s the protein? Then I am exhausted by the end of the day when I need to get out and do my exercise.

What I am thinking of doing is a big cook up this weekend. Make lots of bean and legume dishes which I can freeze, and bring in to be zapped at lunch.

However I do like cold lunches sometimes so I need to give this a lot more thought. Any suggestions on how I can incorporate protein into a cold lunch would be greatly appreciated.

xox

Back to Training

A few weeks ago I attempted to start the training program from Nicole Cooke's Cycle for Life book.  Due to Xmas festivities and illness, that went kaplooey.  I had made a decision to restart come January 4 2010, and to also incorporate a program to start running, doing the cycling and running on alternate days.

As I was riding to work this morning - in the lovely rain that we so desperately need - I wondered why I was waiting two and a half weeks to start this, when I could start now.  I have no festivities after work at all next week, then I have a whole week off.  Let's get this show on the road!

So I have worked out a training plan (will post spreadsheets in the sidebar at some point) that gives me 2 clear goals.

Cycling
I want to be able to ride 50kms again.  I don't care how long it takes, I just want the endurance to do it.  I have based my training loosely around the one set out by Nicole Cooke, but modified it so I will get to where I want to be.  I am not starting from zero fitness level here.  I can comfortably do 10kms in half an hour.  I can still ride over 25 kms in a day.  So it is just a matter of building on that.  For the most part my cycling will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Running
I am using the word running instread of jogging (although it will probably be more of a shuffle) because running is what I want to ultimately do, so I am going to start using the word.  My first goal is to be able to run 1km without a break.  Yes, this may seem like a small goal, but I can not run at all right now, so I figure 8 weeks to get me there should be do-able.  I need to be careful.  I am still carrying SO much extra weight and I do not want to risk injuring myself, so I am starting small.  For the most part I will be walking/running on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

Fridays will be my day off.  I am also going to try and put some swimming and yoga DVD's in there as well, just to round out what I am doing. 

I do have a major fitness goal in mind that will take quite a long time to prepare for.  It is not something I am prepared to share right now.  But let's just say that this is the first step towards this larger goal.

xox