Far From What I Once Was.

   Well, I can not believe nor want to accept that I am going to be 26 years old one week from today! Kind of crazy I think. But the one thing that makes getting older much more bearable is that I honestly feel better than I ever have. I consistently catch myself trying to refrain from posting about my workouts on Facebook and Twitter because I know that it gets old and people might think that it is an "attention ploy." But then again, I love working out, I love running and I love when my friends post positive updates! With all of the negativity swarming this election, a friends' workout summary is quite refreshing!

   I met a woman at the gym today that not only inspired me to work harder toward my fitness goals but reminded me that progress comes in a variety of different ways. You may not always see the number on the scale change every week or your pant size drop overnight but it is the ease in your run that wasn't always there and the extra push you give yourself that proves to you that all of the work is paying off. Knowing myself how hard it is to work at it every day, it was astonishing to meet someone today that lost 125lbs in less than a year.

 

    I never really realized until I got serious about my health that being healthy wasn't just something you did Monday-Thursday. Being healthy for me was going to mean giving up my french fries and tiramisu, Cheescake Factory and Outback, pancakes and waffles. (And not just for a month either) Does it suck? Well, it definitely did at first! Lindsey give up french fries? That is a cardinal sin. No, but really....It feels great to be able to go to Chick-Fil-A and order grilled nuggets and a fruit cup. That was never me but I am happy to report that this is the improved me.

  

   (Yep, this is very true. Of course you will eat that Hershey bar you bought from the store, just don't bring it home)

   I completed my very first "all running" 5k on 9/22/12 in 28:47 minutes. It felt amazing! Being able to participate in an event that will change the lives of others' was definitely a feeling that I want to feel many, many more times before my life is complete. I can not wait to improve my time and be able to work toward a longer race. I never thought I would say this but....I love to run!

 These past couple months have truly brought me so much closer to my fitness goals and once again I owe it all to inspiration. A lot of people keep me inspired and while I know that the motivation and inspiration truly has to come from within, we all need those people in our lives who keep us on track and moving forward.

   Here are some more things that helped keep me motivated:

In It For The Loooong Run!

      This week has been one extremely emotional week for me and there have been a thousand things I felt like giving up on, running being at the top of my list! But honestly, running is the one thing that has been keeping me grounded and I just won't give up on it.

      A week ago Jeremy and I were talking and I was telling him how excited I was that I got my mile to 10 minutes. I jokingly said, "wow I could do 6 miles in 60 minutes." Although I never expected it anytime soon, I did honestly hope that I could work up to it. His response kind of shocked me, Not gonna lie. He kind of chuckled and said, "yea riiiight." Jeremy has been one of my biggest cheerleaders so I knew that I had to prove him wrong. Monday I stepped on the treadmill and ran a steady 5 in 50. Although, I knew I only needed to do 10 more minutes I psyched myself out and gave up. I was def excited about my accomplishment though and texted him the pic. His response, "Told you, you couldn't do it. Nice try though!" 

     Holy madness! I was "raging" as my little brother calls it. Well, for every day following I stepped on that darn treadmill and failed. Tuesday I only made it 3.5, Wednesday 4, Thursday zero (Jason Aldean Concert), Friday 4, Saturday 4, and Sunday a whopping 2! Every failure honestly was more and more discouraging. It angered me that I could get so close and let myself fail.

 Well, guess what I did today?!?!

     I finally did it! Sometimes it really takes someone telling you that you can't do something for you to get out there and do it. I can't even explain how good it feels. Beyond amazing, that's for sure. 

     I have thought a lot about motivation this week, what motivates people? Emotions motivate me. I can run the best when I have a lot on my mind but more-so because I think about all of it and forget that I am running. My really good friend Jess is a huge inspiration to me too. She has lost over 40lbs in less than 4 months and looks amazing! She rocks and seeing her accomplishments truly helps me work harder to achieve mine. I think about her a lot when I run. Man, if you had seen us on a lunch break about a year ago you would never believe it was the two of us. (Now she has me turning down 5 layer Chocolate Cake.) Sometimes it really helps to surround yourself with people who are working toward the same goals. She has definitely gotten me back on track.

     So, no more rambling but I do just want to leave you with all the stuff that motivated me this week! :)

Yea, so as you can see...It took a lot to keep me motivated!

Run, Run, Run...

One day during the summer of 2011, I was driving in the car with my parents and two brothers Anthony & Alex. We were all coming back from dinner and Anthony made a proposal to all of us that we start a weight loss competition. I don't exactly remember how the proposal came about or the exact details of what he proposed but I vividly remember my response. "Absolutely not, I am not at a point in my life where I can handle that right now." 


That day changed my life.


I still feel like I am forever indebted to Anthony for his challenge. He not only made me, what seemed at the time to be a ridiculous proposal, but he immediately discredited my response. He told me there was not a better time to do this than now. And knowing how competitively natured I am, he even used reverse psychology and told me that there was no way I could win. Well, count me in! 


June 6th, 2011 we started the competition. August 26th, 2011 we finished the competition. Between the five of us that competed, we lost 120lbs. I didn't win the competition but I came in second behind Jeremy with a grand total of 35lbs in 3 months. 


But, I didn't just lose 35lbs. I discovered a new passion and love for running. If at any given point in my life, you ever asked me if I liked running, I would have most definitely laughed. I ran when I was a cheerleader but ONLY because it was required, I hated every second of it. 

Honestly, this was me! And I smile every time I see this because it really hits home. I can't imagine my life without running now. I still get really tired and I have days that it is the last thing I want to do but when I put on my running shoes and get passed my 2 minute warm up, it is game on! When I run, I know that I am running for me. It is the one thing I do religiously that I am not competing with anyone but myself on. If I quit, I am only quitting on myself. If I double the distance I originally planned to do, I am only doing it to show off to myself. 


Anthony saw something that I was just to stubborn to see. He saw his little sister giving up on herself. Today, I am not anywhere near the physical condition I hope to be at, but I can tell you that I finally feel like ME again! 


"I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday!"