Laura Lohr

Not Just an Alliteration

Fitness Friday New Year 2016 Edition

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Fitness&HealthFriday

Welcome to the 2016 Fitness Friday! This has been such an exciting month! We had a busy month, yet it was very exciting! I got sick halfway through December, which put a huge damper on things. I had to fake it when I was feeling awful, however I eventually felt better and had no regrets. We went on vacation over Christmas, which should have made my diet and exercise a challenge. It really didn’t. I’ve been so committed to losing weight and getting healthy, I was able to overcome anything that looked like an obstacle! I just completed the 6th week on Lindora* and things are looking really good!

Here’s my stats, as of Friday—-DRUM ROLL PLEASE….

Total weight lost since my first weigh in: 24.5 pounds!

Total weight lost since starting Lindora: 21.5 pounds!

I cannot believe how great I feel! I’m wearing clothes I haven’t worn in YEARS! It’s a fantastic feeling!

For Christmas, we went to Sedona and Grand Canyon. While we were there, we did some hiking, took lots of walks, and of course, did the Pink Jeep Tour.

Bell Rock, Sedona, Arizona
Bell Rock, Sedona, Arizona
Sedona Diamondback Gulch Pink Jeep Tour
Sedona, Arizona— Diamondback Gulch Pink Jeep Tour

We went hiking on the Boynton Canyon Trail and saw amazing panoramic views. We went to the Chapel of the Holy Cross and saw more amazing views :

Boynton Canyon Hike, Sedona, Arizona
Looking at Sedona, Arizona from the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Fantastic views!
Sedona, Arizona
Looking from the Chapel of the Holy Cross.
This is the rock we hiked. The trail is in Boynton Canyon, Sedona.
This is the rock we hiked. The trail is in Boynton Canyon, Sedona.
Striking a yoga pose, at the top of the Boynton Canyon trail.
Striking a yoga pose, at the top of the Boynton Canyon trail.

So, as you can see, Christmas break was no joke for us! We stayed active, exploring Arizona’s majestic landscape! It was so beautiful and such a peaceful way to celebrate our Christmas, as a family. Mr. Bear and I went to Sedona the Christmas before Allie was born. We had such great memories of our trip this was a different experience, to go as a family, rather than a couple, yet no less special the first time or this time. We have so many cherished memories and Allie was old enough to really appreciate it this time.

The Carlsbad Half Marathon is coming soon and I’m really getting nervous! I was sick for two weeks and didn’t run for two weeks. I only have two weeks or training left and I’m second-guessing myself, whether I’m ready for this. I’ve come such a long, long way from where I came from, the beginning of January 2015—when I couldn’t run a full mile without stopping. I’ve dropped more than 10% of my body weight, which makes it so much easier to run. I’m not dragging extra weight when I run. I don’t expect to run very fast—or, even to run the whole half marathon, nevertheless, it’s a start!

My goal is to complete the Triple Crown Half Marathon Series this year. This consists of three of San Diego’s most popular race courses: Carlsbad Half Marathon, La Jolla Half Marathon, and America’s Finest City Half Marathon (AFC). I’ve run the AFC a number of times through the years. In fact, the AFC 5k was my first 5k race I ever did and then I was HOOKED on running races! I know that the more I run, the better shape I’ll be in. I’m really excited about this year!

What did you do to stay healthy during the holidays? What goals do you have for 2016? What are YOU excited about in 2016?  

 

Happy New Year from me to you!

Disclosure: I have been offered a 10 weeks with Lindora, in exchange for sharing my personal opinions and experiences with Lindora. All opinions are my own. I only share information about products, companies, and services I believe will be helpful for my readers. I’m losing weight and following the plan on Lindora and loving it!

Fitness and Health Friday 4/24/2015

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Fitness&HealthFriday

I was invited to yoga and shopping by Athleta.  I was given a pair of compression running socks by Fitness Foundations in exchange for my honest opinion.  All opinions are mine alone.

WOW! How things have changed since I last posted Fitness and Health Friday! I have been doing something that resembles consistency. I’m so very proud and excited!

I finished week four of the Couch to 5k program this week and started on week 5. The  program only calls for running three days a week, but I prefer to run at least 5—so, I have! I have been running 5 days a week and swimming also. This is something amazing and I’m so surprised at how much I am looking forward to going for these nearly daily runs.

Beautiful Trail

There’s a beautiful trail that runs through my city. I’ve started running it in the morning with my loyal companion, my Vizsla Obi. We’ve been taking the trails that run along the river, which is tree-lined and peaceful. We’ve come across a turtle, birds, ducks, squirrels, a gopher, and probably a few others have been too shy to greet us. After our run, we head over to the dog park, where Obi is learning how to be a more independent dog. It’s been a great experience for both of us.

My Vizsla running partner---Obi!
My Vizsla running partner—Obi!

I got these new compression socks to wear while I’m running and I got a chance to try them out yesterday. I really, really love them! I’ll have to share more on this later though.

Compression Running Socks
Compression Running Socks

I finally bought myself a new pair of running shoes with some really cute colors. I hadn’t even realized how much I needed new shoes until I went out for a run in the old ones. Funny, my shoes sort of match my blog.

My new running kicks, in pink and blue!
My new running kicks, in pink and blue!

Saturday, I went to yoga and then went shopping for running clothes. It felt so good to get some cross training. Mr. Bear and I have decided to join a gym again. We haven’t been members of a gym since we bought our treadmill a few years ago. Our local gym, Chuze Fitness is offering a gym membership for both of us for $20 a month! I’ve been thinking about taking some classes throughout the week to cross-train when I’m not running. I would really like to get some yoga in, a few times a week. It’ll be great for Mr. Bear and I to lift weights together, like we used to do so long ago—before we became parents.

Nutrition has been a real struggle for me. I’ve tried to make dinner really count and be healthy, but during the day, it’s really a crap shoot. I’ve been trying to do a better job making good choices, but MAN! It is so difficult! I don’t drink, I don’t smoke. My biggest vice, is eating the wrong foods or too much of the right ones. This next week, I’m going to commit to eating breakfast every day. I bought some Kind bars to have on hand. I want to be sure I have no excuses for making poor choices.

Kind Bar. My breakfast.
Kind Bar. My breakfast.

My weight has stayed the same for the past four weeks. This has made me incredibly frustrated, nevertheless, I’m not going to let it change the exercise I’ve been doing. I know I’m building muscle and the weight will take care of itself. I’m working towards overall better health. That matters to me more than anything.

Did you have any successes this week that made you proud?

What were you passionate about this week? 

What are your plans for next week?

Fitness and Health Friday

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Fitness&HealthFriday

Today, I’m going to start a new series—Fitness and Health Friday. I want to be accountable on here, Dr. Readers, so I can continue this journey to a healthier me. I’d love it if others would link up in the comments with their own fitness and health posts, so I can visit. 

I’m so very proud of my behavior this month! I’ve made some really significant changes in my habits. I’ve been practicing clean eating, which is fantastic! But, the most significant change has been in my portion control. I’ve really been depending on my kitchen scale and my measuring cups/spoons for every item I eat. Chicken, fish, whatever, I’ve been making sure to eat the correct portion size, rather than eyeballing it. 

One of my proudest changes is that I’ve been eating breakfast. This is a really big change for me. I have never really been a breakfast eater. On weekends, I like to do breakfast, but most days, my idea of breakfast is coffee, tea, or nothing at all. Lately, I’ve been really working hard to choke down something, even if it is a Kind bar or a banana. I am taking some baby steps and I’m really excited about it!

As of today, I’ve dropped 6.5 pounds this month. I was hoping for a bigger loss. Nonetheless, my ultimate goal is to lose an average of 1 pound a week. I’ve met that goal and for that, I’m happy! I’ve noticed some big differences in how my pants and shirts are fitting. I’m going to use that as my guide. 

This week, I had my biggest non scale victory yet. I ran a full mile without stopping. This is HUGE! It has been a long time since I ran a full mile without stopping to catch my breath, time my shoe, get a drink of water, or to walk. I couldn’t believe I did it, so I tried again yesterday and GUESS WHAT?! I did it again! Holy moly! I’m making progress. When I first started thinking about getting back into running shape, I started small. I walked, with little tiny stretches of jogging. Sometimes, that would mean a 16 minute mile. I was mostly walking. Then, 16 minutes decreased to 15, then to 13, and now, as of last night, I clocked an 11:59 minute mile. I know that’s slow by most standards, but it’s progress and I’ll take it! I’ve been running, on average, about three days a week. The rest of the time, I’ve been going to boot camp.

I signed up for boot camp classes a few weeks ago and I LOVE the trainers! They are awesome. They have been pushing me so hard and I’m finally starting to workout without complaining, because evidently, complaining is annoying. Who knew? I’ve been going to boot camp about 3-5 days a week. It’s really tough for scheduling though. The schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays are such that it interferes with Allie’s swim practice or my Thursday commitments at church or Mr. Bear’s work schedule. I’ve been there whenever I can, however and the results are really rewarding. I’m seeing muscle definition. I am stronger than I was. I have more stamina. I feel amazing.

That is my week in a neat little nutshell. This first month of 2015 has kicked some major ass! 

How did your week go? What changes have you been focusing on to make you a healthier you in 2015?

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