So here it goes!!!! I made some awesome resolutions for 2011, and I'm excited to talk about my progress with all of them! WARNING - this is a LONG blog, but I really took the time to update EVERYTHING that needed to be addressed on my progress & goals, so its worth it!
My First Resolution was: I want to be HEALTHIER at the end of 2011 than I was in 2010 - whether this means weight loss, inches lost, muscle gain, more sleep - it doesn't matter, just healthier!!
How am I doing on this one? I think I'm doing well! Not as much progress as I wanted, but this year has truly been a learning experience for me in lots of ways.
January Starting Weight: 182lbs
July Weight: 176.2lbs (Total Difference 5.8lbs)
Measurement Changes (all measurements are in inches):
Body Fat Percentage: January - 27.37% July - 26.46% (0.91% loss)
Neck: January - 13.5 July - 13.5 (same)
Shoulders: January - 40 July - 39 (1 inch loss)
Bust: January - 37 July - 38 (1 inch gain - but I won't complain about boob size change!)
Chest (under bust): January - 34 July - 33.5 (0.5 inch loss)
Waist: January - 33 July - 31.5 (1.5 inch loss!)
Belly Button: January - 35.5 July 34 (1.5 inch loss)
Hips: January - 40.5 July 40 (0.5 inch loss)
Butt: January - 42.5 July - 42 (0.5 inch loss)
Thigh (upper/mid): January - 25.5/23.5 July - 25/23 (0.5 inch loss on both points)
Biceps: January - 13 July - 12.75 (0.25 loss on both arms)
Calves: January - 16 July 16 (same)
So overall - I am down 5.8lbs, 0.91% BF% and a total of 8 inches lost! I am totally stoked about this!! I'd definitely say that I'm healthier - I'm strong enough to lead multiple fitness classes a week and my body seems stronger than it ever has been! I can't complain at all!
Here's some progress pics I took and put next to the pics I took in January - I'm thinking I'm really leaning up nicely!
Alright - after all that - now I'm onto resolution #2, which was: I want to accomplish things I've never done before (such as a full unassisted pull up, run a 5K in less than 30 mins, etc)
I think I've covered this one for sure! In February, I went straight vegan for 4 weeks - which is something I NEVER thought I could do!!! It was a truly amazing experience and the stuff I learned is just incredible! That experience can never have been learned via books or research. As far as fitness goes, I am now able to successfully hold the Crane yoga position - which is AHH-some!!!
I haven't ran a sub-30 5K yet, but I'm training for it. The last time I ran the distance, I completed it in 30:30, so I'm totally close to hitting that mark! I'm also currently training for my first 10K race as well, which will be held this October. My current plan is to go back to the same 5K race I ran last year and beat my time - which is in mid-September! I think this is a possibility!!! All in all, I think I'm doing a good job on this resolution too!!
Resolution #3: I want to develop a healthier relationship with food. This one has (and probably always will be) a work in progress. The Vegan Investigation showed me that my body responds very well to high carb, lower fat/protein diets. When I started re-integrating animal products back into my diet again, I really REALLY struggled (which is why I don't have as much progress as I had wanted by now). After discovering a book that I'd bought months ago (just never looked at in depth), its helping me plan out an Omnivore diet that is really balanced and healthy. Binge days still happen and I'm still prone to stress eating - but I'm better than I was. I am able to understand my different triggers and work to overcome them before the binges happen - however I still have a downfall whenever I eat out (that's always the hardest time to stay on track). I am not able to calculate out all my metrics since January on the Bugg site (since there's some days in there I didn't track food) - but I do have all my numbers for June so here they are:
Average Cal Burn from 06/01-06/30 - 2,728
Average Cal Intake from 06/01-06/30 - 2,032
Average Deficit over the month - 696 calories
Only had 6 days where I didn't hit my 2.450 burn goal the whole month and only had 5 days where I ate at a surplus of any kind (one was only 77 cals over and the highest was 545 over) - Lowest Day burn was 2250 cals, Highest Day was 3,628 cals burned
I think this shows that I am getting better with food - I am getting more comfortable eating more (which for a recovering anorexic is HUGE!) and I'm still seeing progress - most of my recent weight loss was all in June once I got nutrition back in line, as I had a terrible pattern of losing/gaining going on for a few months earlier this year. Hopefully this will continue to improve over the next few months.
Resolution #4: I want to grow my hair out and donate it to Locks of Love. I have decided to go with the donation program through Pantene - but it goes to the same cause - creating wigs for cancer patients. I am still sticking with this one and I'm stoked! They need 8 inches of ponytail to qualify for a donation - I have over 5 inches in my ponytail right now and its still growing fast. Now that its long enough that I can pull it back, its totally easier to ignore it and just let it grow. I've had a few weeks where I just get itchy and want to see some instant changes (in the past I'd totally change my hair color) but I had to find other outlets for this - exercise, shopping, tattoos...whatever managed to shut up that little voice that wants me to dye my hair! haha! Its been over a year and a half since I've dyed my hair last and this blonde is 100% my own color! Some days I like it, and some days I get bored - I guess that's the downside of being accustomed to dying my hair so regularly in the past. Once my ponytail gets long enough - there will be the question of should I cut it super short so I can dye it again - or keep growing it out so I can still pull it back after cutting the donation hair...hmmm....decisions...
Resolution #5: I always have a goal to be a better person than I was at the beginning of the year - whether that means making progress emotionally, physically, financially or mentally, I just want to continue to develop as a person. Becoming stagnant doesn't help at all.
This one is a resolution I have every year - and every year I manage to succeed in accomplishing this one. Emotionally & Mentally are kind of the same, so I'm putting those together - I'm working on a lot of different things. I've noticed that my self esteem is directly linked to how I feel physically. When I overeat & feel like a cow - my self esteem goes down the crapper. When I treat my body well, I feel amazing - which radiates into all aspects of my life. This discovery is continued motivation to stay on the right track. My physical changes are all outlined in Resolution 1 (so I won't repeat all those) but I really think I'm kicking ass on those ones too. Financially, the hubby and I are shooting to be completely debt free by next Spring/Summer. I completely paid off one of my credit cards yesterday and it feels fabulous to have that weight off my shoulders! My next goal is to have another $1300 bill gone by the end of August (see prior blog about money stuff if you want more in-depth information on my debt plans).
Overall - I think that 2011 is shaping up to be a great year so far! I'm developing so much as a person and I can't wait to see what the next 6 months bring!!! Its going to be amazing, that's for sure!!
Today is a running day so I will post that workout later. The hubby is coming home for lunch and I need to figure out what I'm going to make. I'm thinking Asian noodles with Shrimp or Grilled Cheese....hmmm...how much do I feel like cooking...haha...I'll take pics if I make the Asian Noodles for sure :-D
Hope you all enjoyed this update as much as I did! I think sometimes its easy to get caught up in all the craziness of life and you lose perspective of what you actually are accomplishing. I think this blog was really helpful in showing me exactly what I've done this year so far and truly how much I'm developing as a human being! I can't wait to see what the next few months bring and now I'm super stoked to see how I do on all these resolutions in the next 6 months!!! Woot!!
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