The last couple of days have been really great for me.  Sunday was such a beautiful that I was outside for almost all of it.  I started my morning with a 6km walk/jog with one of my dogs.  When I got home I went for a 3km walk with my other dog who can't jog.  In the afternoon the hubby, kid and I went to Gatineau Park and went hiking for 3.5 kms on part of the Trans Canada Trail.  It had a couple of crazy steep hills and I could really feel it in my glutes!  After our hike we had a wonderful supper at Soup'Herbe, a vegetarian restaurant just outside of the park.  For a treat afterwards, we went for ice cream.  I couldn't have asked for a better day.  It felt so good to soak up the sun and to be so active.

Yesterday I started my day with a 5.5km walk with a friend.  If you have time in the morning, I highly recommend starting your day off with a brisk walk.  Even if you can only get out for 10-20 minutes in the morning, it is SO worth it.  It will help to energize you throughout the day.

Today was kind of a grey day so I didn't get out in the morning.  I did however, go to my running class this evening.  We did 5-10-3-10-5 (walk-run-walk-run-walk) tonight, almost 5kms.  I brought my dog along with me which is always a big motivator for me to run further and longer.  I've also found that running while listening to music makes a big difference in the distance I can run.  When I'm not concentrating on running, being distracted by some great tunes, I can run further and usually run faster as well.

This is my running play list right now, Rolling in the Deep (Adele), Give Me Everything (Pitbull), Shake Señora (Pitbull), Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack), Party Rock Anthem (LMFAO), and Take Me Away (Danny Fernandes).

Choose some upbeat music that keeps you motivated.  It will help you keep pace and encourage you to keep those feet moving.

My hubby made a great soup for dinner tonight.  Here's the recipe.

Well, I've been up for 5 hours and I'm beat!  After my kid went to school I walked my dogs 5.5kms.  We made good time and finished in about 55 minutes.  Then I had a dog client (I'm a dog trainer :) and I jogged with him for 5kms and walked 3kms.  So I'm up to 13.5kms so far today.  I think that's enough exercise for one day.

For breakfast I had a yogurt cup and then a banana after my jog/walk.  For lunch I had a small bowl of vegetable soup, a spinach/mushroom/avocado salad and a cup of tea.  If you're not a fan of tea, I highly suggest you reconsider.  It is great for curbing cravings and giving your mouth something to do rather than eat.  It's also a great way to add more water to your day.  I LOVE David's Tea.  It is absolutely amazing.  They have the most delicious teas that you can imagine with flavours like Read My Lips, Forever Nuts, Mango Tango and Cinnamon Hearts.  Right now I'm drinking Read My Lips and it is divine!  It has peppermint, chocolate and red lip sprinkles in it.  YUMM :)'

Tonight for dinner I'm making breakfast burritos.  A recipe I found on Pinterest.  Tomorrow night it's veggie burgers a baked spring rolls.  I can't wait to make these.  They look so good.

Till tomorrow!  Remember that the difference between your body today and a week from now is what you choose to do in the next 7 days.

I haven't been feeling well the last couple of days which is why I haven't posted.  I took a break from exercising for two days and today I'll get back at it.

On Tuesday evening I started my Learn To Run class at the YMCA.  We did a fitness test to see where we are physically.  We will be running for the next 6 weeks and then retest ourselves on week 8.  If you're looking to keep track of your physical improvements, here are some of the components of the fitness test.  You can do them and then retest yourself after several weeks of exercise to see how you've improved.  For overall physical fitness, it is a better way to judge improvements rather than the number on the scale.

1) Abdominal strength - Hold a plank position for as long as you can.  Make sure your butt is level with your body.  When you can hold it no longer, mark your time.  I was able to hold mine for 1 minute, 45 seconds. (Don't compare yourself to me! I'm putting my numbers down so I can remember my times and see how I improved.)

2) Leg strength - Do as many squats as you can in a row.  Make sure you have proper form and do not let your knees go overtop of your toes.  I did 90 squats (and my legs were KILLING me for two days afterwards!)

3) Endurance - Hop on a treadmill and run or walk 1km as fast as you can. If your treadmill is in miles go to a distance of .62 miles. I finished my kilometer in 6 minutes and 14 seconds.

4) Heart rate - Do step ups for 3 minutes.  This one is not a race.  Pick an easy pace that you can sustain for 3 minutes.  After your finished, count your heart beats for 1 minute.  My heart rate was 150 beats.

5) Flexibility - Laying flay on the floor, bend one knee and then bring the other leg straight in the air above you.  Grab hold of your leg and pull towards your torso, keeping your leg straight.  You wan to check the angle of your leg.  Mark down if you are less than 90 degrees, at 90 degrees or greater than 90 degrees (most flexible).  I was greater than 90 degrees.

If you've been thinking about starting to run/jog, there are many great apps out there that you can use to get you going.  The one I really like is called Get Running and it has a picture of a running shoe.  If I remember correctly, it only cost a few dollars and I think it was worth it.  It starts you off at short running intervals with walking in between and you slowly increase your running time.  It also allows you to play music over top of the program.

Today I'm going to go for a run outside (3kms), walk the dogs (5.5kms), do an arm workout and some abs as well.  What are you doing today?

Weigh In

Happy Monday morning!  Today is weigh in day.  I don't feel like I did nearly enough this week.  I ate things I knew I shouldn't and I ate them every day.  I will have to do better this week.  Here are my numbers...

	Beginning	Week 2
Weight	180	175
Chest	39.5	38.5
Waist	38.5	38.0
Hips	43.5	42.0
BMI	31.9	31.0

Overall I am down 5 lbs and 3 inches.  Not a big change from last week, but I am still moving in the right direction.  This week I'll be doing more weights and abs while continuing my cardio.  

I've joined a running class to help improve my outdoor running and I'l also be taking a yoga and pilates class during the week at my local YMCA.  I'm starting to enjoy my workouts and am looking forward to them rather than making excuses why not to do them.