6 Miles

One of the teachers at the school I work for started a "Fall Fitness Challenge" this past week. It's a $5 buy-in, and for every four workouts you complete in a week you get entered in a drawing to win prizes at the end (the week of Thanksgiving). Plus, everyone who joined the challenge has their name on a board in this teacher's room, and for every workout you put a star by your name.

I decided to give it a whirl because I've been trying (unsuccessfully) for months to get into shape. So far, this challenge seems to be motivating me! I mean seriously- I would be so embarassed to have committed to this but not followed through, especially since (thanks to the star chart) all of my co-workers (and several students) would be able to plainly see if I'm being lazy.

So....I think in order to keep this momentum going, I should also be posting my progress here on my blog...however good or bad it is. This may sound boring, but I really think it will help me stay motivated! And now, as week one is ending, here is what I've done so far.

This week I:

• Ran a total of SIX miles! Woohoo!! This may seem incredibly lame, but for someone who hasn't worked out in years, it's a major feat! I'm only "briskly walking" on the treadmill, not running...it'll take me a while to work up to running I think.
• Resisted my usual Friday Starbucks treat- a grande caramel white chocolate mocha (holy calories, batman!). I'm not gonna lie...I only "resisted" because I got a late start out of the house and didn't have time to stop. Still, I think this counts.
• On at least two occasions this weekend, I chose ice water with a lemon over a soda. That was hard. It's not like I drink a ton of soda (maybe one or two a week?) but when I get a craving for a coke, it's soooo hard to resist.
• This morning I actually planned our meals for the entire week and put together a grocery list, and I'm planning to go grocery shopping after Sassy's nap. Usually our dinner plans are an afterthought. I end up stopping at the store on my way home from work, grumpily and exhaustedly wandering up and down the aisles looking for a quick and easy dinner idea. Then when I get home (completely starving and light-headed, I might add), I grab the first snack I can find- often a handful of potato chips or a cookie. This is not ideal for someone who is hypoglycemic.

I'm really excited to finally be working towards my goals! Speaking of which, my goals for next week: run at least another six miles, stick to the dinner menu, and remember to bring SNACKS to work so I don't have a mental breakdown on the way home from work from lack of nourishment.

Wish me luck and see you next week!

Chili Mac. It's Disgusting.

I love my conversations with Sassy-pants on the car ride home from daycare. We talk about our days, what we had for lunch, and what we want to do when we get home (today we were super excited to go home and sit on the couch...talk about an exhausting day).

Today I asked her what she had for lunch, and her response was, "Chili Mac. It's disgusting."

I couldn't really argue that one.

That kind of got me thinking...I feel like lately the lunchtime menu at Sassy's school has been slipping. If it's not chili mac (uck, I can't even think about it without making a grossed out face), then it's pizza, or corndogs, or ramen noodles. These, to me, do not spell nutrition. Don't get me wrong- they do serve fruits, vegetables and milk with every meal, and thankfully SP loooooves her veggies and milk...but I'm starting to worry that she's not eating as healthy as she should be at lunch.

At home we frequently do fish, salad, veggies...we try to stick to wheat breads, milk or watered-down juice...and when we're at home, SP eats very well. So, my question is- am I overreacting, or should I consider packing a lunch for her every day? I am out of the house for work by 6:30am every day, so if I did pack a lunch I would have to SERIOUSLY be on the ball. And I can't really think of many meals I could send with her that wouldn't required much preparation on the school's part.

Still debating this and weighing pros and cons with Handsome...not really sure what we're going to do at this point. It's entirely possible that I'm overreacting because it's not as if she's at an unhealthy weight, has any kind of health issues, or is not very active...I just feel like maybe we need to make a change.

Until then, she and I are going to continue our strong disgust of Chili Mac.