Why I Run.

One foot in front of the other, pounding the floor or more like the sidewalk. 

"You can do this!"

"You got this!"

"Just 5 more minutes, pace yourself".

"Breathe in, breathe out... slowly".

...And you're done. You just ran for 45 minutes non-stop. You did it! You really did it. 

Remember how running fast for 2 minutes was all you could do? Remember, when you reached 7 minutes but nearly passed out after it? Yes, I do remember that. I was working on my time, but was really not doing it right. How do I know this? Last month while visiting family in Baja, my mother hired a family friend who happens to be called "Iron Woman" by all who know her to train me. She is a triathlete, she runs, she swims and she cycles. Her body is strong, confident and she is so inspiring. We began doing sprints, bodyweight lifting, TRX exercises and then we gave running a try. 

She saw me run and gave me great advice, not only that but she noticed how hard it is for me to walk fast. To run -for me at least, it takes a lot because my thighs rub against each other. My thighs in all honesty is where I carry most of my weight and it really isn't that easy. Lose skin plus fat plus movement not the best combination. However, I want to run. I truly do, I've been dreaming about it and attempting it since 2012 on and off. I will not give up, I have not given up on the idea because I know persistence all to well.

Two weeks ago my family and I decided we needed an outing at sunset, the kids and my husband geared up for a bike ride and me? I decided I was going to run, because I could. So I did. While they rode their bikes a few feet from me, I was struggling and hurting all over but I kept pushing. All I could hear was my mind telling me "you got this!" and so I did, one foot in front of the other. Others passed by us along the trail and some would smile at me, one man stopped and stared at me; I'm sure I know what he thought, but I don't like to assume so I continued to pace myself and when I felt I couldn't go any longer I set my timer so I would not keep thinking about how much I had until it ended and played some music, took a deep breath 1, 2 and 3 times. 

Suddenly the timer went off and 45 minutes had gone by, I did it! I got this!

55 minutes is the amount of minutes I can now run non-stop. Oh yes I am there. Today as I ran around the park I kept looking over at the benches in the shade, seemed tempting considering it was hot and I had forgotten my water bottle. I kept going, I promised myself I would go for a run and I did. I do not pay attention to what others say, yes I hear their comments but their comments just make me think how far I've come. They're just reminders of what I can do and where I want to be. I'm not the poster child for a runner, but then again I thought all you needed to run were legs and a will to do it. So here I am, yet again with my two legs and my will to run. 

Let's go! 

You got this! 

You really got this, because you are running 30, 45, 55 minutes and you are doing it with a smile, with pride, with joy!

My favorite workout app

I've been sharing on Instagram posts about my walks-runs and those include distance, timing, calories burned and fastest mile. One thing I love about having an app that helps me keep track of my walks and timing is that because I live in a high heat-humidity area I don't have to wear anything on my body that will irritate my skin. It is a simple app that was already pre-installed on my iphone and all I had to do was buy the chip that goes inside my shoe to keep count of my steps, this was I feel it is more accurate. 

Several people have asked me on my posts what app it is I use, it's simple it's the Nike+ app which works with a chip that is also made by Nike and goes inside of my Nike tennis shoes. The chip was a gift my husband gave me in July 2012 when I had just started my weight loss journey and I've been very happy with it ever since. I've compared it to other apps and products that keep track of your daily workout, the big difference for me is that I always have my phone with me and it fits comfortably inside the back pocket of my running capris so my hands and arms are free of holding any device, I can focus on my walk/run and not getting run over by cars {I'm serious...}. 

I love that it has several options that will let me choose how I want to workout among those options are:

Basic: This option allows you to workout freely, you decide how much time you workout, how long of a distance you will workout or how many calories you want to burn.

Time: Are you in a time crunch? I've been several times, so I simply choose this option which includes 20, 30, 45, 60, 90 minutes or you decide how long you want to workout. An alarm will sound notifying you time is up.

Distance: I started using this option 2 weeks ago, when I wanted to reach 5 km as a goal. I love that you can choose miles or km or even a half/full marathon workout!

Calories: You want to burn 700 calories? then you choose this option and workout until you reach your target. 

The app is very easy to use and the information you get from using it is very helpful. At the end of each month I add all the mileage I've walked and when I see the total I use it as motivation to set a new goal for the next month. 

Someone's trying to tell me something!

Over the course of the last 6 months of 2012 I changed my lifestyle, eating habits and overall my well being. Not only that but my story, weekday challenges and triumphs were documented on this blog and other social media platforms.

The past couple of weeks I've found myself at a crossroads where one road leads me to continue on the journey and go well beyond what I thought was my ultimate goal and the other one that leaves me where I'm currently at and just stop here. It's funny how life has a way of letting us know what we are meant to do. Where we are meant to walk towards.

Last week was full of reminders and motivational encounters to let me know to continue on my journey and not to stop. The reminders were in different settings, in different ways. All of them were a kind reminder of how far I've come and how much I want to continue even if sometimes I lose my focus.

Yes family and friends' support mean a lot and keep me encouraged but sometimes we still need a little pat on the back or someone to tell us "continue on your path, you're doing great!". 

The first reminder was while shopping for groceries, a lovely lady reached out for a bag of Lavash Bread as I was trying to figure out between pita bread and Lavash. As I looked at her I asked what she did with the Lavash Bread as I'd never used it in my recipes. While sharing ideas she explained about ingredients and nutritional value, how this ingredient is terrible for your metabolism and that ingredient is easier to digest. She taught me in just less than 5 minutes a little about nutrition and how to read labels. Thank you to this kind woman for her words of encouragement. I am sure you might be reading this, so I hope you know you are in my thoughts. :)

My second reminder was completely unexpected, I've shared all about my pinterest board to keep me motivated and where I share all I've written about my weight loss journey. For the past 3 years I have enjoyed going on bike rides with my family, just last week I was on a 5 mile bike ride on my own while everyone was at work/school and I couldn't stop smiling even as I was pushing myself to go up a hill. The only distraction I had was my old helmet that kept jiggling and pulling on my hair. Which led me to search online for my future helmet, one I would like to get before our big move. As I pinned it to my board I did not think much about it, however a day later I received a comment on that pin that made my day and again reminded me to keep going! So I am still going, stronger and even more focused.

The last reminder was Friday morning as I logged onto instagram I got a notification about a comment on an image I shared over summer. It was none other than the star of my favorite workout video. She was so sweet and we even chatted over on instagram. How special you made me feel and excited to continue doing the samba to your routine. Thank you! :D

Documenting what I ate or what I did was not only intended to hold me accountable but also to perhaps inspire and motivate others. It was also a way to remind myself to keep going and when that going got tough, well I could/can just go to my iPhone and see images of what I ate, what I did, how much water I drank, how I exercised and other changes I've done.

I decided to continue documenting what I eat and shared how I'm exercising even when I can't do it as "me time", because even when the kids are home I can workout. I can certainly make it work. I just have to do it.

The most important reminder I am having is that if I trip or fall I can still get up, dust myself and continue on my journey because I want to and need to continue on this road. 

It's hard to believe how much one can accomplish by sticking to their plan and keeping their focus. I myself am amazed of all I've done and plan to continue on my journey as I'm halfway there. It's all about balance and knowing what to chose. It is not easy, my lifestyle had stayed the same for the past 11 years. But I am certainly willing and wanting to take it one step at a time. I can't say I won't eat something or chose wrongly because it would be a lie. The fact that I am giving it my best shot is the best I can do, focusing on what I've done and what I'm doing not on how much I still have to do. 

Still going!

I know it's been two months since last I shared an update on my weight loss journey, I have been receiving emails asking me to continue to share and well I have to admit sharing my weight loss was therapeutic for me and helped keep me focused.

It has been great feeling this energetic, wearing my new size in jeans :D and eating healthier. I have had my ups and downs just like everyone when they are turning around their lifestyle. However I feel great and whenever I lose my focus I go back to reading about my journey and find my inspiration and motivation. 

The Holiday season is behind  us and yes I have had some rough patches here and there, like getting sick with the flu or caring for little ones with the flu with sleepless nights and feeling beyond exhaustion I chose to go with the flow and if I didn't feel up to it I did not exercise. 

One of the ways I am also keeping myself motivated with a Pinterest board I created called "I'm a work in progress" this board has my weight loss journey story and my favorite routines in addition to inspirational quotes or stories of others to keep reminding myself that I have, I can and I will continue on this. 

There are days that I don't feel like exercising and on those days I have managed to push myself and my will to doing at least two routines from my board or 25 ab crunches + 30 jumping jacks + 30 squats. After that I feel a little more motivated and end up doing more. That is quite an improvement from last June when I could barely do a jumping jack without gasping for air!

I have also been doing walks on the treadmill {whenever possible} and am proud to share that after the 8 months since my journey began I can now run a full minute easily on speed setting 6. :D Yes I feel so proud about that! My dream is to run for 20 minutes non-stop! I'm a minute closer.

If you are following me on Instagram you have noticed that I am enjoying cheese omelets for breakfast along with some chipotle chiles on top it is delicious and keeps me satisfied until noon. I use just one egg and a hand full of shredded cheese in it. 

For lunch I have a new found love: One can of drained tuna in water with a bowl of lettuce, some kalamata olives and some days I will add dressing others I will eat it as is others I will add some rosemary crackers just 3 to add more texture. 

Dinners are a bit of the same, my recipes and on weekends we usually do take out. But one thing is for sure I am not eating 4 slices of pizza! Only 1 - 2 and they are usually the ones with less bread in it, we have found one that also has less fat and 2 slices equal to 1 of the regular pizzas. We have also found a new love for Thai food and it is now brown rice and less on the amounts :D

Working on getting healthier and making better choices is now easier, there are still times when I crave the other foods and I will allow myself to try them. Portions are key and drinking water is key. 

Although I have not measured myself recently, I did weigh myself and here is what numbers I'm currently on:

Which means I am 24.2 lbs lighter. 

Oh and I finally got a new pair of jeans in my present size! Goodbye size 18!

Also cleared out my closet of clothes that were up to 4 sizes too big!

 I hope you enjoyed my update and keep supporting me, your comments encourage me and help keep me inspired :D

Say it LOUD... Say it PROUD!

It had been three weeks since I last exercised, I had promised myself that I would do it tomorrow but it was already TODAY! I didn't have anymore excuses, even though we had just driven in from a looong road trip over the weekend and were sitting in the car for over 10 hours with two kids. My eyes suddenly opened and as I saw a little bit of light I thought if everyone is asleep why not change into my workout clothes and JUST DO IT! 

I changed quickly without making a sound, I did not want to wake the kids up. I did not want to wake up my husband. I walked towards the door.... iPhone? check, keys? check, water? check, earphones? check, jacket? check... LET'S GO! 

As I walked down the steps onto the courtyard I noticed it was still dark, there was some a crispness in the air that was not there the week before. Could it be it will start to cool down -I thought. Then a few seconds later I'm at the gym! As I programmed the treadmill I couldn't stop feeling accomplished, proud of myself and I felt a winner. 

It's barely 6:30 and I'm already 5 minutes into my workout! I pumped up the volume and enjoyed working out to some music. Nothing gets me more pumped up to workout than some great music. On this particular morning I was craving some "reggaeton" and just like that I was well on my way.

That early Monday morning I remember tweeting, instagraming and posting on facebook how proud I was of myself, me at the gym before anyone woke up! On the way back home I was all smiles and ready to start the day, ready for whatever our week had in store for us. During the next couple of days I had my ups and downs, specially with weather changing so drastically my sinus' acted up... Yet I managed to get in at least 30 minutes of physical activity. I would put on some videos of people dancing on you tube and rock to them, other days I would just do some squats, jumping jacks and knee highs. On a rare occasion I did some burpees... never heard of a burpee? Oh my you are in for a workout surprise! it's a combination of a squat, push up and jumping jack, or something like it. Very challenging. 

I had agreed to be parteners with Stacie and I wasn't going to let her down. So all week we would tweet each other: "Water!" "run" "jog" "pushups" "what's for dinner?" and motivating eachother really put everything into perspective! I joined this team to get healthy. To lose weight. To wear a much smaller size of clothes and I am not going to give up now! 

As I watched what I ate, drank more water than I was drinking the weeks before and kept myself active on Saturday morning I decided it was time for a weigh in. Had all my work paid off? Had all that water instead of soda and all those low fat meals paid off? 

And then... the moment of truth, I was on the scale and I looked down. What I saw was beyond achievement. It was beyond what I had expected.... 

I thought to myself: Say it LOUD! say it PROUD! 

5 lbs down! 

I kept getting on and off the scale, I could not believe it! and then it hit me... I was dancing and jumping from joy. I had reached one of my goals, I was now officially 20 lbs lighter!  It took me 4 months but I had done many changes, I had stuck to it and it was certainly paying off. 

Whenever we lose weight we say it loud and proud, but when we gain we are always shy about it. This time I was loud, proud and confident. I had lost weight and it was certainly going to show.

My updated measurements are:

Neck: 15"  before 16"

Chest: 41 3/4" before 45"

Arm: 14.5"  before 16.5"

Waist: 41 3/4" before 46.5"

Hip: 49" before 53.5"

Thigh: 28" before 32"

As you can see I'm losing my most noticeable weight/inch loss is on my waist and thighs. 

Have you ever felt this way? 

A very special feeling that means we have been hard at work. 

Alphabet Veggie Challenge {week 5}

We are on week 5 of our Alphabet Veggie Challenge and last time we choose a letter it was the letter:

While we took some time to visit beautiful Baja Mexico I found that the vegetable I wanted to try was:

You guessed it! Radishes! and yes I had them in the raw, just washed and cut the ends and sliced them or as a whole to accompany my meals. One of my meals of choice to enjoy it with was 'carne asada' tacos as well as 'quesadillas' and let me tell you it adds a little kick and flavor to any meal!

I am now a Radish fan :)

I found when shopping for Radishes they have to be a deep shade of red and in addition leaves should be bright green and the texture can not be soft to touch. Some of the radishes I purchased were spicy, but others were juicy and sweet. 

And now onto the next letter for week 5! 

Let's get creative with our vegetables and try them in different ways! 

Remember to share with us what vegetable you tried this week.

The Veggie Alphabet Challenge

When was the last time you ate fresh vegetables with your meal or as a snack? As I am changing my eating habits, eating more fresh vegetables, drinking more water and exercising regularly. I'd like to invite you on a special challenge, I am calling:

This week's letter! 

The Veggie Alphabet Challenge

It's very simple to participate, all you have to do is visit every Monday when I post the new letter of the week and then you have to find a vegetable that its name begins with that letter, prepare it or enjoy it fresh and raw and leave a comment of how you liked it or what it tasted like. 

You may also post a picture of your vegetable prepared on our Facebook Page, so others may learn your recipe.

 Easy, right?

For example, if I say letter "A" then you would visit a local farmer's market or grocery store and in the produce section find a vegetable that starts with the letter "A" i.e. Artichoke, Avocado, Asparagus, Aubergines. 

How did I prepare it?

So last week I purchased and cooked for the first time ever fresh Artichoke. I used a medium sized stock pot and filled half of it with water, sprinkled 1/2 tsp of crushed black pepper, sprinkled 1/4 tsp of salt, drizzled the juice of 3 key limes and drizzled 1/2 tsp of olive oil. I then boiled it until it was tender and served.

How did I eat it?

I pulled out each leaf carefully and sucked on the end of it that was connected to the "heart" when I got to the "heart" or middle of it I enjoyed cutting it into little pieces. I did not expect the texture to be so soft. 

What are the benefits of eating Artichokes:

High in Antioxidants

Helps prevent cancer 

Great for your liver

Promotes better digestion

Aids in reducing Cholesterol

High in Fiber

I am changing my eating habits to get healthy, lose weight and feel great. Read more about why I am doing this here, here and here.  This is a sponsored post as part of the  Shaklee Corporation’s Team #Cinchspiration Campaign. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. All opinions are my own.