Challenging Myself

Earlier this month, I shared my goals and many of them were health/fitness related.  I've been working all month to take steps to cross some of those off my list.  I've been keeping all our meetings with the trainer, keeping a sticker chart of days that we exercise, and I've lost over 10 pounds this month alone!  Things are going well!  February is going to see me challenging myself even more.

We only have time with our trainer for about 5 more weeks.  The last couple of weeks have been good, but I let her know that we could be pushed a little more.  I want to take advantage of her while I have her, and I want her to push me.  And push she did yesterday, we had one hell of a workout & my arms felt like jello afterwards... so much so that it hurt to turn the steering wheel once I got into my car!  I want to be challenged, so I'm looking forward to that.

I've also pencilled into my calendar three 5Ks in 3 months.  My goal is to be able to run one this year.  I don't know how much of these three will see me running, but I will give it a try!  In April I'm planning to participate in the Illinois Marathon's 5K (you even get a medal for finishing & you end on the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium--the football field at the U of I--I'm very motivated by these factors!).  I'm hopeful that a friend of mine will have interest in completing it with me.  Last summer we discussed doing it & training with the C25K program.  I've sent an email her way about it, so we'll see what her thoughts are.  Regardless, I'm doing it!  In May then is a local 5K called the Kirby Derby.  Eddie's goal this year is to be able to walk a 5K, which is a feat for him since he's walked with a crutch for so long & not been able to walk long distances in a long time.  He's planning to do the Kirby Derby with me.  I can't wait to see him succeed!  It will be such an accomplishment for him!  Then finally, in June, I'm planning to do a Race for the Cure up in the Quad Cities with my friend Jenny.  We've done it two years, then missed last year due to scheduling conflicts, but this year we're hoping to do it together again!  I also emailed her about C25K & hope that she'll take me up on my offer to jog at least part of it!  Three 5Ks in three months!  Woo!

I've also joined an online challenge.  A blogger I read, That Wife, is hosting a weight-loss challenge. It goes from February-September, and the person in the challenge that loses the largest percentage of weight gets a 2-hour photo session with her (she is a photographer!) and a disk of images to go along with it.  I'm lucky enough that she is living in Chicago right now, so if I won her challenge I could get some amazing pro-pics done with Eddie in the Windy City!  Another of my goals from my list up there is to get professional pictures taken, so what a great way to incorporate my fitness goals with some of my other goals!  If you're interested in joining her challenge, click her link up there & check it out!

I'm feeling good about all the challenges the upcoming months hold.  I had a really successful January and I can't wait to see what February holds!