Week 12

Why oh why did the labor day holiday fall on the last week of the challenge for me? I have to admit, I fell off the good eating wagon this past weekend. I think a combination of stress in my personal life and holiday cheer got to me. It is bound to happen to the best of us. I continue to do well on my exercise but I had 4 days of out of control eating! Yikes! I refuse to get on the scale until the bitter end this Saturday but I may have done some damage. Oh well, it was bound to happen and is all I can do is look ahead to doing better today! I ran a 5K run on Labor day and my goal was to complete it in under 35 minutes and run the entire way. I'm happy to say that I accomplished both! My time was 34 minutes and change and I ran the entire way. I'm not going to win any speed contests with this time but it was a heck of lot better than my time last year. I've decided that I need to keep improving my running and ran a full 10 laps around the track by the gym today. It felt good. That first mile or so is hard as your lungs expand and take in the air but after that, it seems a lot easier and then it's concentration on putting one foot in front of the other. I want to start doing some sprinting and walking in more interval fashion as that is also a great way to do more in less time. Many argue that this is a better workout for those of us not interested in duration or marathon training but focused on burning fat. I'll keep you posted if that makes a difference! I'm happy that I'm in my last week of the challenge but know that this is not the end for me. I will continue to use the body for life method of training and eating and hope to be at my goal by the end of the year. Wow, that's not very far away. Just think, if you started now, you too could be at your goal. It all starts with your mind and your body will follow. I will post my final results at the end of the week and keep the diary going as I continue to strive for my ideal fitness!