End of 2011

I have to say...I've done pretty damn well this year.

See below for the before and after picture: Christmas 2010 is atrocious to look at!

I've deadlifted 205# this year.
I've maintained CrossFit workouts regularly.
I've participated in racquetball leagues (and, overall, enjoyed myself).
I've focused on eating Paleo/Primal since Labor Day, with some mishaps around the holidays...which I refuse to beat myself up over.

So we end 2011 on an overly positive note. Now to go into 2012 strong -- and to keep it up.

PS, My student loan was forgiven: $5,000. Happy 2011!

Complicated life

My car has been out of commission for over a week, which means all of my routines are shot. I've been trying hard the past few days to get to the gym (after the most HORRENDOUS night of racquetball...ever), but I cannot wait to get my car back to reclaim it all.

I'm hoping for a happier, better update in a few days once the car is back.

Beginning of Week 8

I never updated about the timed mile: I cut down about 40 seconds of my mile from 9/19. CRAZY. We'll see if there is any improvement next month (can there be with that big of a jump after just one month?).

NT and I ran the Scream Scram on Friday night, which was a good time -- a bit slower than I wanted, and a bit more walking than I wanted, but we completed it under 45 minutes, which I should be happy about.

And so, I will do my best to be happy about it.

Is it time for a Before/After (erm, progress?) picture? I think so.

This is called Before -- this was December 2010.

And this is called "After/Progress":

Any differences?

I've joined a second league of racquetball -- so I'm now playing Sunday afternoons and Thursday nights. Pretty freaking excited about that, too. :)

The middle of week 7

Can I just restate how awesome I feel? I'm able to run for 25 minutes "comfortably," my body is starting to turn into something I can be proud of, and I've been able to deadlift 205 pounds!

It's remarkable, I think. Especially since last year, when I was just doing CrossFit constantly, I wasn't having the results I've had in the last seven weeks with CF + Paleo. It's just...so amazing.

So. Happy.

Timed mile run today!

Almost week 6...

And now at a loss of 16 pounds.

Also, down two jean sizes (say whaaaat?), and very very happy and energetic.

Yes, things are going well so far.

Eating, Running, Playing

I'm now a bit over one month of eating Paleo-esque, and I feel fantastic. I'm about to reach the 15 pound mark, as well. It would be nice to reach this by the end of the weekend.

A few recent wins:
1. Ordering pizza in our house for a friend and M-I-L, and not eating any (instead, tomatoes, a grilled peach, and a grilled banana).
2. Taking a field trip today and still maintaining Paleo eating (they had a station in the cafeteria specifically for non-wheat, gluten, and sugar eaters!).
3. Running for 20 minutes straight without any issues (breathing, leg pain, or otherwise). No inhaler needed before, during, or after.

Tonight was Week 1, Day 2 of our 10K running program. 10K. Can this really be possible?

Racquetball starts soon; not soon enough, but soon. I can't wait to get back into it and see how these gains in strength, endurance...and loss of weight...show on the court.

Week 4

Today is the beginning of the fourth week I've maintained a Paleo eating lifestyle (is it a lifestyle after 3 weeks?). Some stats:

I've lost 10 pounds.
I can totally tell I'm losing weight. Of course, I'm feeling impatient overall (I want to be thin...NOW), but it's happening before my eyes.
3 rep deadlift last night of 175#. This looks good in terms of me being able to DL 200 by January 1.
I'd like to bench press 100# by January 1, as well.

I'm joining 2 racquetball leagues in October. I enjoy it, and by joining leagues, I can assess how my CF-ing is going. Speaking of which, I need to do some serious box jumps to help my movement in rball. I'm beginning every work out with bench presses, and I'll end every work out with box jumps. We'll see how that helps!

It's My Birthday!

29 years young.

We went for a run tonight because I wanted to time my mile (so that I could have a way to compare to 30!), and I ran it in 11:54, which was 6 seconds faster than I hoped for...and probably 1:30 - 2:00 faster than I've ever run a mile before. CrossFit & Paleo are working...

1 Day from 29

I'm still waiting to hear back about my student loan; I've sent them additional information, so I'm not sure how long to wait before I call and ask for an update (it's been about a week so far). My loan is at $5,990 left to pay, so $5,000 forgiven would be fabulous. And I could pay it off by the end of the year, which is even better.

Should I establish other 29 --> 30 goals besides weight and debt? A certain amount of books to read? Hikes to take? Sites to see?

A post later may come...

Also, Day 14 of Paleo = I've lost 8 pounds so far. I'm 1 pound away from where I "ended" with WW in the Spring.

Major and Minor Updates

I'm about a week from my 29th birthday, so what better way to finish up year 28 than with a blog post?

Major updates:
* Well, I bought a house. My credit score had improved dramatically, I had the cash on hand (though not what Suze Orman would approve of...), and there was a perfect house. So, at the end of June, I closed on a house. I have one credit card left to pay off, which will be done in/by November.
* I sent in the paperwork to have (hopefully) up to $5,000 of my student loan forgiven -- being a teacher in a Title I school can have its ups, that's for sure! We'll see how much is ACTUALLY forgiven, though. Still waiting on that part...
* I started eating a Paleo diet last Monday. So far, I've maintained the "rules" fairly well (I DO still have cream in my coffee in the morning, though). Right now, I have 5 steaks thawing so that I can grill them and save them for the week...

Minor updates:
* Cyst burst this week, which was, to put it mildly, alarming. And excruciating. Ultrasound yesterday, so I'm not sure when the results will be in. I seriously doubt surgery is an option, though.
* I have picked up CrossFit workouts again -- very seriously. Same with running. And racquetball -- I will continue to be in racquetball leagues, as well, since I use the games each week as a "benchmark" of sorts with how the diet / running / lifting is working (am I getting stronger? am I able to jump in game 4? game 5? am I able to hit the ball as hard in game 4/5 as game 1/2?).

3 down, 1 to go

Reminds me of a softball cheer from my childhood...

But yesterday, I paid off the third of four credit cards. I can't believe it. Even better? I know that in a few weeks, the fourth will be paid off, as well.

It causes so much less stress to actually KNOW how much money I have and how much money I can spend on certain items/"categories." I know I can pay off this fourth card because I know how much I pay on everything else. And, you know, I'm working extra jobs to be able to afford EVERYTHING.

Off to racquetball. Time to REALLY get serious about the Fat Free part.

A mid-March update

My previous post was about how I wanted to have all of my credit card debt paid off by April 1 -- well, I'm going to be VERY close. It'll be more like April 10. But still.

I'm only a few weeks away from paying off my credit cards. I remember a year ago thinking, This will never happen. Never. And here I am, only $2,200 away from wiping the debt away.

I cannot adequately express how it feels. "Monumental" comes close enough.

Also, since January 2, I have lost 26 pounds. Thank you, WW, for helping me get on the path of where I want to be by thirty.

In August of 2012, I want to do a sprint triathalon. I think that would be a great way to say goodbye to my 20s...