4 days in!

Well, I'm 4 days into my new healthy eating and exercise plan for this year, and I'm feeling great! I worked out Sunday (day 1) and went a little too hard, got a build-up of lactic acid in my leg muscles and had to let that break down a little before I could push myself again, so I didn't workout Monday or Tuesday. (Also, I don't workout on Tuesday or Thursday because those are the days I work until 7pm, so I wouldn't even be able to get to the gym until 8pm and I'm usually in bed around 10pm. It was just too much, and I had to pick 2 days each week to not workout, so that just made sense.) Today, I went and ran on the elliptical. Because of my bad knees from ballet, I can't run on a treadmill or outside on the pavement, so I only run on the elliptical. I actually really enjoy running; it's a great way for me to get my frustrations and stress out. So I ran today, and did my first mile in just under 7 minutes and my second mile in just under 8! Pretty darn good, especially since the last time I was on an elliptical was in January and I ran 1 mile in 13 minutes! I feel so good and confident now, and that's exactly what I needed to keep going!

The dieting has been pretty good, too. I've had the opportunity to cheat (ugh, it seems like there are ALWAYS goodies in the teacher's lounge!) but I've been pretty good about it. Granted, I'm only 4 days in, but just on the food alone I feel healthier. I've had to play around a bit with the menu and pick some foods that work best for me, but so far so good. Tonight was french onion soup and paninis :) I just feel good. I'm feeling confident about all of this, and I'm not feeling like I want to quit or cheat--something that's very different than it has been in the past! I'm not going to lie, though: I pray for strength and support a lot, because I see this as something I can't do without God's help!

4 days in, and I'm still feeling confident. 2011 will definitely end 50 pounds lighter than it started!

And it begins

This will be a short post because I'm exhausted from today and because I still need to get my stuff together for going back to work tomorrow, but I wanted to record my first day of working out.

My legs feel like mush and standing up/sitting down (the process of) and using the stairs are my worst enemies right now! But I'm feeling confident and I refuse to give up just because day 1 was hard. It was hard, and exhausting, and my body hates me right now, but when I can fit into that size 8 dress at the end of the year then it will ALL be worth it! Just got to keep going and not give up.

I can do this!

Promises to Myself

This year, I'm going to try making promises to myself instead of resolutions. I hope that maybe I'll be less likely to break a promise to myself, and therefore maybe I'll actually follow through with them for an entire year!

I promise to work on improving my credit card score and being more financially stable by working on getting out of credit card debt.

I promise to treat my body better by working out and losing the 50 pounds that I've gained over the past 3 years, and to improve my self-confidence.

I promise to expand my boundaries by trying at least 1 thing every month that I've always wanted but have been afraid of trying (either a food I've been skeptical about, an activity that I'm scared of, or even an art class or something where I would normally be overly self-conscious).

I'm starting on the first one next month by starting to make double the minimum payment on my credit cards. I hate that I've got 2 credit cards (okay, one is canceled so I can't use it anymore and the other one is an AE card with a $150 limit so it's not like I'm shopping with them or anything) and that they've put me in debt, so I'm going to start trying very hard to get out of that.

Tomorrow I start my new membership at the Community Center and H and I are going to work out. I've also got a Fit Coach from WomensHealthMag.com that has set up an exercise and eating plan for me and I can't wait to start getting back in shape! I honestly feel so excited and ready to start all of this, and I am really looking forward to being able to wear my cute clothes again and feel confident about my body!

I haven't figured out what new thing to try this month yet, but I'm working on it. Last night I tried my hand at making sushi for the first time, but that wasn't really a "new" experience--H likes to make it, and we love to eat sushi so it wasn't totally new. Maybe I'll take a fitness class at the community center--normally I wouldn't because I'm too self-conscious that other people are judging me while I try to go through the class, but I think maybe that would be good for me. Get me out of my comfort zone while at the same time working on getting back in shape. Hmmm...

Hope that everyone had a great and safe New Year's Eve and that God blesses your 2011!