Welcome 2014, starting the year the right way!

Happy New Year everyone.  I hope you all had a fun, safe New Year's eve!  My husband and I had a great night having dinner with some friends and playing games with them and their two teenagers.  we all knew we were getting old when at 11pm, we decided to call it a night.  My hubby and I had been up since 5am as we both worked and it was just too long a day.  It was not fun to realize that not only are we getting old, but we were feeling old as well!

I don't like to make resolutions as to me they are never realistic or defined. ie.  I want to lose weight,  want to exercise more, etc. They are good for some people but I need to be able to set parameters around it so that's what I have done instead.   For my birthday in December my husband got me a medal holder to hold the medals I have been earning from my races, as well as a gift certificate to a local run store.

It reads "Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever"

This past week, I redeemed that gift certificate for a running clinic.  I have joined the learning to run 10K clinic. 

That's right a 10K clinic!  Besides continuing on my weight loss journey in 2014.  I also set the goal to participate in 14 races. I know crazy!  But that's the goal I have set and barring any injuries I should be able to do it.  So why a 10K Clinic and not a 5k?  I have signed up to do the BMO 8K in May.  With that goal in mind the man at the running store suggested I do the 10K so that I would be completely ready to do it.  Training for a 5k is different then going out there and doing 8K so that's the reasoning behind it.  Whether or not I actually sign up for any 10k races is yet to be seen :)

For the 1st time in my life, January 1st dawned and I was up bright and early and joined about 300 other crazy people for a 5k race in a local park.  It was a cold and foggy morning when I first arrived but before long the fog was rolling out and it was just cold and damp.  But it was a beautiful run!

Motivational sign on the path :D

                                          

Crossing onto the docs that go over the water connecting the paths.

Not quite a full 5K but I'll take it!

I  am so excited to see what 2014 has in store for me.

Planning for a Challenging Weekend.

This past weekend was a long weekend here in BC and it made for me a few challenges.  First of all, it was my husband's birthday weekend which included lunch out the day before his birthday, and Birthday dinner at his favorite restaurant The Keg.  It was also his cousin's 25th Wedding Anniversary party and BBQ.  Then we also had to have birthday cake.    A lot of challenges with a lot of not necessarily good for me food so this is what my plan was, account for everything, get a lot of activity and don't sweat the small stuff!

Saturday morning - as soon as I got up, I got dressed, and grabbed the dog, to my delight my husband decided he wanted to come with us for our walk so the three of us headed out for our 5km walk.   We did our 5km in just over an hour.  Not bad for an early Saturday morning walk with my husband and the dog, without music. 

After we were done our usual Saturday morning chores it was time to take my hubby for his pre birthday lunch.  I knew that I was treating him to lunch  at Ledgeview Golf Course Bar and Grill.  I had been there on Friday for a cheque presentation for work and they are featuring a sandwich that the proceeds get donated back to CBCF so I knew we were going to have lunch there so I could try out the Cranwich, which was absolutely delicious!  It's a  Roast Turkey Sandwich served on Cranberry Bread with a side of Seasoned Fries.  I planned for the Fries, and they were worth the points they took to have them.  They were hands down the best french fries I have ever had!  If you live in the Abbotsford area, you have GOT to TRY them out!  Kevin at the Ledgeview Golf Bar and Grill, truly is a fabulous chef!  Here is the link to their website if you're interested, http://www.ledgeviewgolf.com/blog/?page_id=4537

The Cranwich at Ledgeivew Golf Bar and Grill, you have to have this!

As my husband's cousin Kevin and his wife Judy were holding a 25th Wedding Anniversary Party on my husband's actual birthday, I also took him to dinner on Saturday evening.  For his birthday dinner he chose to go to the Keg,  I looked up the points online before I headed out and I knew that I was going to be going over my daily points allotment, but strangely I was all right with that.  I knew that I had them and although I try not to use the weekly points I figured this weekend, I was going to have to dip in to them.  Birthday dinner at the Keg was great, I made the bet choices I could, including passing on the rice and potato and ordering double steamed veggies instead.

A birthday toast!  Happy Birthday!

Sunday Morning dawned bright and early and away we all went on another 5km walk to start the day, with it being another jam packed day of celebrating I knew I had to get my activity in.  Once again, my hubby joined Angus and I on our walk.  I have to say, I loved having Gary along for our walks, usually he's on a bike ride when we're walking on the weekends but it was great to have him along.  I do have to admit though, I need my music to keep my pace up.  The weekend walks were a little longer than they should have been due to walking without my music.

A man and his dog finishing up a Birthday 5km walk.

On Sunday afternoon Gary and I headed into Langley to Kevin and Judy's place, it was fabulous to be able to celebrate their anniversary with so many family and friends there.  It was wonderful to see Gary's cousins and Aunt and to meet some great new people and say hello to other's we have met over the past several years.   There was  a great selection of food at the BBQ and I had to really keep myself in check.  I made a plan to have a salad before we left for the BBQ so that I wouldn't be overly hungry and I could steer clear of temptation.  Gary brought his iphone with him and with the WW app I was able to track my food right then and there so I would know how I was doing for points.  I knew full well that I would probably have to dip into my weekly points again but all in all I did really well!  I only had to use 3 weekly points towards  a piece of birthday cake.

Birthday Cake on the front deck

On Monday morning as it was a holiday, you probably know how I started my day.  Gary went for his bike ride and Angus and I suited up and headed out to meet Gary where he parks the car for his bike rides.  I decided to do intervals and low and behold Angus was cooperative for the most part.  I decided that instead of using timed intervals, I would use the power poles on the road.  I would run/jog (I never know if I should say I'm running as someone has pointed out previously that I do more walking than running) from one pole to another, walk to the next pole and  I alternated that way for the majority of the road.  I was absolutely thrilled with our time!  We did the 31/2 km's in just over 30 minutes.  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/354146596  (I forgot to turn my watch off when we got to the car so I'm going by the moving time on the page not the actual time.  Oops)

All in all it was a great weekend, over 14km's were walked including intervals, and I had a plan in place for all of the celebrating that was going to happen.  If there's one thing I've learned so far on this journey is that failing to plan, is planning to fail.  I don't want to fail, so I will always have a plan!

Accountability

 Definition of ACCOUNTABILITY
: the quality or state of being accountable; especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions

I didn't realize until today how much I need to have that accountability in my weight loss journey.  Without realizing it I didn't know how much I depend on my husband to help me be accountable.  My husband is away on a business trip this week, he's been gone a couple of days now and will be home in a few more.

I have found the past two nights that I have been snacking despite not being hungry.  I used to snack all the time in the evening.  Popcorn, rice cakes, etc.  I found myself tonight counting out mini rice cakes for a snack at 8pm and as I was doing so I stopped myself and asked why?  Why was I preparing this snack?  Was I hungry? Was I bored?  Why was I going to eat.  It was then I realized it.  I wasn't hungry, and I wasn't bored, but I didn't have anyone else to be accountable to.  

I have the points plus for the rice cakes so that's not a big deal, but why was I wanting a snack of rice cakes?  My husband is away, he would never question why I was making myself a snack but I wouldn't have one without being hungry.  It makes me wonder how many other times, I've eaten something or not eaten something because of being accountable to someone.  

I joined Weight Watchers meetings because I needed the accountability.  To know that someone was weighing me in, made me accountable for the choices I was making through the week.  I know that is part of the reason why I'm doing so well. 

Accountability - it's a good thing!