Here's to the first five!

My scale budged! Hoorah!

I'm excited to tell you the small changes I've made that worked for me, but first I have to say I had a little extra inspiration this week. My friend Bridgett, who is the epitome of class and has a very successful Mary Kay career did some spring cleaning in her expanse of a walk in closet. So, (envision me smiling and bouncing up and down) I got two trash bags full of cast off Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, and Ralph Lauren!! (even a 100 % cashmere sweater). I feel like I won the lottery. The only downside- a few of the items are a little snug. So I chuckled to see Jenny's post about the green pants... because I now have a pair of Banana Republic green capris I need to lose about 5 pounds to fit into.

Now down to business. Unlike Jenny, I am not very successful when I try to stick to a strict diet (Go Jenny for being able to though!) I find it's easier for me to get active and have a treat now and then. Here's what I've done the past few weeks that have made a difference for me.

1. I've started "running". 3 times a week when Dave gets home from work I'm waiting at the door suited up in my running shoes, an old t shirt, and some of Dave's Adidas swooshy pants circa 1995. So I begin clomping my way down my street (which is a pretty busy street in Clemson) all the while being passed by college chicks in spandex and college guys in well.. spandex.
This is the work out I do:
4 min walk ---> 1 min jog
3 min walk 2 min jog
2 min walk 3 min jog
1 min walk 4 min jog
5-10 min walk (cool down)
(I'd like to add that when I first started I was often passed by old women power walking while I "jogged")
I think it's important to remember that it is not all about speed or perfection. It's about getting out there, raising your heart rate, and feeling good about yourself. And it's not about pushing yourself too hard. If it works better for you to walk quickly for a few min then slowly, thats great!
I try to increase the difficulty of the "run" every few days and then sometimes I just need a day off to walk and clear my head. But, I always do a little victory dance at the end and congratulate myself for putting in the effort.

2. Pace yourself. Like Jenny said- its too hard to think "Oh I NEED to lose 40 pounds". It's a lot easier to say "Look, I've lost 2 pounds, I'm about halfway to my goal of 5. Yay me!".

3. Encourage yourself. I stuck post it notes around my mirror that say things like "You're beautiful." "You deserve to take care of yourself". I also made a collage of my fitness (and life) goals and hung it on my fridge. It has a picture of a girl at the beach in her swimsuit, another of a mommy and a baby and it says quotes I like and things I want to remind myself to do (take a walk, set a good example for Aiden...). I recommend this to everyone. It just makes you feel good.

4. Keep a food log. I have a gorgeous friend, Helen who is in fabulous shape, but she still keeps a food log, just so she can be conscience of what she eats. Even if you don't change a thing in your diet, I feel like just being aware of how much is going into your body makes a difference.

5. Reward yourself!!!! Now that I have lost 5 pounds, Dave and I got on the Victoria Secret website and ordered some hot (slightly more sexy than cotton briefs) new underwear.
But, I feel like I deserve a reward every time I finish a work out so, if I am able to run just a little bit faster or longer, or if I just do a really good job eating that day, I get on itunes and download a new song to work out to.
When you reach those big 5s or 10s, get a new dress (wink Vicky), a new shirt, or go get a friend to snap some up to date pics of your hot new look. (Then post them on here so I can see : ) )

6. I pod Groupie Love. I have found that listening to my I Pod really helps me to keep going. You can get new I Pods or any mp3 player at Wal-Mart. The shuffles are pretty cheap. The apple website also has certified refurbished I Pods that are very inexpensive.
Like I said, I reward myself with new songs which makes me excited about going for a jog so I can listen to them. You can also download books on tape and even videos on the new ones!

I am so excited to see and hear all of the good news about your weight loss missions! I hope these tips give you some encouragement. Thank you so much for all of your advice and support! We can do it!