Motivation Plan

Ok. I'm still working on the plan to motivate myself. I want to make it difficult so that it's worthwhile and I am training to the best of my ability, but I think I also need to cut myself some slack because "the best of my ability" today is way different than it was last year...especially because squeezing in workouts has become a major luxury. So I am going to focus on the things I have a difficult time doing (working out, eating healthily) and give myself points when I do them. I was going to take away points when I do something bad (like drink soda, which I have been doing more and more often) but I think I need positive reinforcement, not punishment. I was also thinking about giving myself points for things like getting sleep and taking care of myself (like taking time for myself everyday) because I have been really bad at doing those things, but let's face it – most of that is out of my control now AND getting a workout in is probably going to by my "taking time for myself".

That being said, here is my rough plan of "points" for now.

1 point items

• doing a run
• doing a cross-training workout
• eating a healthy lunch
• eating a healthy dinner
• completing a week's worth (defined as 5 days between Sunday and Saturday) of workouts
• weighing in at under 140lbs (weigh-ins will be on Friday mornings)
• maintaining a 29 inch or lower waist (measured each month)

2 point items (these are bigger challenges for me)

• completing a hill or speed workout
• eating healthy snacks during the day
• completing a long run
• PRing on a race

Bonus points (can only be earned once and are one point each)

• completing my first post pregnancy marathon
• completing a run over 2 miles with the BOB without any walking
• completing a race without walking
• completing a race over 4 miles without walking
• completing a race over 5 miles without walking
• completing a run over 6 miles without walking

And here comes the best part: what these points are good for!

Mostly these are just things I want that I will not buy for myself. My first level is a Speck laptop shell which is worth 60 points. Next is a pair of nice running sunglasses – 120 points. For 180 points I can take a quilting class at the City Quilter that I have been trying to find an excuse to take for 3 years. And the créme de la créme? An ipad. This is for when I BQ. Yes, I know this may take me years. And I reserve the right to change it to another expensive gadget when ipads become obsolete.

This whole thing might flex too. I will have to see if it works for me/if I feel rewarded enough or if it is too easy.

Starts this Sunday!

No More Muffin Top!

Why is it that every time I run a marathon I feel like I can slack off for about a month afterwards and load up on all of the bad food I've been avoiding without working out and without consequences? That is like, the OPPOSITE of what I should be doing.

I do this every year though. And then I get this gross muffin-top that makes me crazy.

Usually though, it is much longer than a month before I do something about it. This time I pretty much decided to stop after this Sunday, when I loaded up on fried food and alcohol. I felt bloated and gross for days afterwards. Yuck. I've already gone back up to my largest size. (I vacillate between 3 sizes during the year.) In a MONTH.

So Sunday night I decided: no more muffin top!

Here was the plan:

• Get back into running. It does not have to be every day, but at least 3 times a week.
• Add in some combo cardio-weight training and plyometrics
• Add in at LEAST a day of yoga for stretching
• Keep a food journal
• PLAN meals out of the Prevention cookbook which has healthy AND tasty options

So far, I have found out that yesterday (when I thought I was good and skipped the 3:00 treats at work) I overconsumed by 500 calories. BUT on the plus side, I had the perfect balance of fats/carbs/proteins, which is a HUGE step in the right direction for me.

I have also found out that I am not a fan of fat-free balsamic vinagrette (low fat is okay though).

I NEED gum to keep me from stress-eating.

Also, I am VERY SORE from doing a double workout yesterday. Yes, I actually got up in the morning to do the Jillian 30-Day Shred (the plan is to do all 30 days over a short period of time, like possibly 2 months, if I am not so SORE like I am now). Then at night I ran with Bill.

I didn't think I worked out that hard, and I was only using 5 pound weights during the workout, BUT I was concentrating on good form and THINKING about which muscles I was using. It must have made a difference. Either that or I am in totally awful shape.

Tonight is Yoga. And for the first time in my life, I am looking forward to it.



P.S. Believe it or not, I can touch my toes now. That's from NOT running. (Running = fit me, but Not Running = more flexible me)

Confession

Yes, I haven't really been running much lately. I haven't even really been thinking about running lately.

I've just been so busy. Which means that I actually SHOULD be running because it is good for me.

I signed up for a subscription to Runner's World though...does that count?

It is going to be very hard for me to run tomorrow, because when I get busy like this, the thing I look forward to the most is sleeping in. Even if I set my alarm with the best intentions, I wake up before it even goes off and turn it off. So tomorrow is going to be difficult. Because I really really want to run. I also don't have my group to get my butt out of bed (OK, not literally. I WAS part of a rowing team in college and about 8 of us had to call this one girl to make sure she really actually was up so that we could have practice. But I meant more in a figurative sense...just having set practices makes me go to them.)

It's ridiculous. I AM JUST NOT MOTIVATED.

I actually thought about joining the tail end of the Thanksgiving Day 10k group, but I would miss most of the practices because of all the travel I am doing for work.

I need to find a good solution.

How does everyone else stay motivated?