Motivation Monday!

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So, I've decided to start a new thing here at See Millie Tri.


Monday Morning Motivation!  

I want to use this new piece to demonstrate that no matter what your size, age, or ability, YOU are capbale of that 5k you've been considering, or the Aqua Bike that you're just not sure if you can complete..  perhaps you've done some 5ks or you've biked some and you want to foray into something else.  You can!  There are SO MANY people out there right now committing to running races for charity or their own personal satisfaction.  They took the first step.  They said-  ok, I'm doing this.  That first step is the hardest part.  Yes, the training is going to be hard, but once you get going, you'll be a steaming locomotive- destined for that finish line.  Today's motivator, is my friend Sarah.  Sarah is a mid-twenties professional, grad student, and soon to be bride.  With wedding day weight loss as her primary goal, Sarah decided to bite the bullet and sign up for her first 5k.  In her own words,  here is her experience...

I can’t remember a time where I haven’t been overweight. I was teased for being the fat kid growing up. As I got older, the teasing stopped. At least to my face…as far as I know. I started my weight loss journey in high school. My first try was the Atkins Diet. I lost weight. I felt great. But the second I got a carb in my mouth, it was over. Of course now we know that the Atkins Diet isn’t the best. In my early 20s, my best friend, Jeremy, and I started our own diet. And we lost weight. I was down about 40 pounds. I started dating! I got comfortable! The weight came back…with 10 more pounds of its friends.

In 2008, I ballooned to my highest. I joined Weight Watchers. I fell in love with Weight Watchers. I love 60 pounds. Then life got in the way. I had gained all but 13 of those pounds back. So…jump to January 12^th, 2011. I joined Weight Watchers for the second time in my life.  I’ve been doing great…I’m down 10 pounds. I plan to look fabulous at my June wedding :)

So when Mille asked me to write a guest entry on her blog…I was flattered. But why? Two weeks ago, I ran in my first 5k. Based on my history, it should not come as a surprise that the old me would not believe that the current me would have ran in a 5k. It was the “Save the Boobies – Steps for the Chest” 5k. I initially got involved in this when a co-worker pressured me in to signing up. This co-worker is a very good friend of mine. She is very much in to fitness, has run marathons and doesn’t have an extra ounce of fat on her body. “It’ll be fun!” she says. My response was “I’ll probably die.” I signed up for this 5k pretty closely to the time I joined Weight Watchers again. So, I hit the gym. I did not train like I should have for this 5k. I trained by using the elliptical, using the resistance training. I did not do any actual running to train…which seems kind of backward. Had I done that, I believe my time would have been better. But, despite my lack of running,  I had a great time. I actually got a high from it.

Since that 5k…I’ve been working very hard at the gym. I have even signed up for my next 5k on April 10^th – Broadway Bridge Run for Special Olympics in Kansas City. I’m very excited about it. My goal for this next 5k is to beat my time for my first 5k which was 43 minutes. This time, I have been going to the gym – about 4 times per week. I run on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Right now, I run for as long as I can, take a 2 minute break and then back to running. I can run well over a mile now without stopping. My goal is to get to 2 miles before the race. For the first time, I’m very excited about getting in shape. Running in 5ks. Going to the gym.

 I’ve never been a runner. When I did Weight Watchers in 2008, I did start running in my neighborhood. But I was never running miles and miles at a time. So, this new training that I’ve been doing hasn’t been too bad. I’m still about 50 pounds overweight but can outrun some of the skinny bitches at the gym :) Right now, I’m not doing any workouts outside of my running training. After this next 5K, I plan to incorporate weights to tone-up.

The motivation for getting in shape is not for superficial reason. Sure, it feels good to look good. But my main motivation is my health. Heart disease is a big problem in my family. I really don’t want that to affect me. I want to be around a long time to share my life with my future-husband. And I want to be around for my future children.  If Millie will let me, I will write about my experience at my next 5k.

So-  what is it that YOU want to do this week to push yourself.   Even if it's not signing up for a race.  Maybe it's starting a workout routine, or even cutting out pop?  This week, take that first step towards a healthier you.