Alright kids, a clean slate

Weightloss is definitely a numbers game - even if you don't want it to be. I think that's why I've been so lax recently - after having an FANTASTIC scale in my parent's room that was digital and did .2s and .6s of weight, the only scale was in the gym and out in front of everyone. I know I should just concentrate on how I feel and how my clothes fit to give me a boost for losing, but really, nothing's better for motivation then going "oh! 2 pounds lost this week!" Mom and Dad sent the old scale and while it's not horribly accurate, it'll do. So I kickstarted my motivation last night.

This past month or so has been really rough. At home, I had a really good routine. I knew what each day would bring. I'd usually have the same snacks. This semester it's just all over. I'm busy, I eat when I can and often eat too much. Snacking has become a HUGE part of my life and if it stays like that I just need to pick healthier snacks.

First I wrote out 28 reasons why I want to adopt a healthier lifestyle from the seemingly basic (being able to run up to the 3rd floor of our townhouse and not feel out of breath) to the pratical (running the 5K in November and hopefully one in the spring) to the all consuming (for lifetime health). I put them in an envelope by the side of my bed and drew one out this morning. Even if I don't exercise in the morning I'll have that thought in my head the entire day to guide my food choices and exercise choices. I wrote out post it notes for week 5 and 6 (3 post it notes each) of Couch to 5K and plan to write the day that I complete that exercise underneath because I've been kind of lackluster and have been on week 4 for LONGER THAN POSSIBLE.

Tomorrow I'm going to weigh myself for the first time in a month and that's a little scary. I was doing well before I came to school so I know with some determination, I'll be able to be successful here. So whatever that number may be tomorrow, I know it'll go down.

Clean slate now. Let's do this!

Love for the gym...

Yesterday was the first time I got to the gym for some weight training. And although I much prefer my home gym, I realized how much I really do like the gym. If I'm not running or walking around the track, I've basically got no cardio but at the gym there's a bike, ellipticals, treadmills that I can set to hills, and stair steppers as well as an isnane amount of weight machines and free weights. I'm in love. I did the elliptical and I just love being able to see exact numbers instead of ball parking how many calories I burtn for SparkPeople.

Also, yesterday I went for an easy Week 3 run with my friend Andy. I kind of encouraged him to come jogging with me and he kept up which is cool since he hadn't had week 1 or 2. However, I only broke a sweat during the last three minute jog so it was easy. He wants to continue jogging and hopefully when we push together throughout the weeks it'll be the workout I'm used to.