46 days

As of today, there are 46 days until my 30th birthday. Unlike many other people that are staring down their 30th birthdays, I'm not dreading it. My life is in a really good place right now and I honestly don't have anything serious to complain about. I have no reason to think that my 30s are going to be any worse than my 20s. Honestly? They're probably going to be way better because my 20s kinda sucked.

My goal for the next 46 days is to go into my 30s in the best possible shape I can be in. I've got a plan (I love having plans, I'm 100% Type A).

• When it's not raining and less than 90 degrees, I want to go for a walk before work (assuming I get downtown in time) and a walk during lunch. This morning I got 4000 additional steps in just by going for a 45 minute walk before work. I'll have to figure out what to do once the temperature gets high enough that walking outside at those time would mean being covered in sweat. Because no one at my office wants that!
• No going out before/during the workday for snacks. This is a dirty little habit of mine and it really needs to stop. I bring enough healthy food with me to work each day to survive the day. There's no need to get more.
• Solo meals out should only be pre-planned (and when it's not possible to get home for a meal). Meals out with others should be in moderation.
• I started working out with my personal trainer again on Friday (I worked with him for a time last summer). This is my birthday present to myself -- I'm committing to 2 months, and then we'll see where the budget is after that. My goal is to work with him twice a week.

I'd like to be at 219lbs by the time my birthday comes around (originally, I wanted to be at 199, but that's not realistic at this point).

46 days is not that long. It's less than 7 weeks. A lot of good can happen in 7 weeks if I just commit to making it happen. Here's my commitment.

A Successful Trip

Last weekend, I headed to South Dakota (where I grew up) for my little sister's bridal shower. I'm the Maid of Honor, so I was throwing the shower (with some serious help from my other sister and a family friend). Thankfully, the shower went off without any MAJOR problems.

This morning, I jumped on the scale. My eating hasn't been on point lately, so I had no idea what to expect. I was at 236.6. Slightly up from last week, but the same as I was two weeks ago. Overall, I'm fine with it. It's not helping my DietBet cause, but the fact that I've more or less maintained this month is pretty amazing in its own right.

What I was most impressed with, though, is that I managed to go to South Dakota and not gain a ton. My whole childhood was unhealthy. I was over 200 lbs in middle school and by the time I headed off to college, I was at my highest weight ever, 294. I can't blame it all on my mom/her cooking (or lack there of) because I know I did plenty of my own damage at convenience stores and fast food drive thrus -- but either way, South Daktoa was not a healthy place for me. While I've changed a lot about my eating and exercise routine since moving away, South Dakota (and my mom) have largely stayed the same.

There was plenty of unhealthy food for the taking -- and I did. There were two trips to Taco John's (yummm) and donuts and drinks and all of the things. But there was moderation. And balancing the unhealthy with fruits and vegetables. And making better decisions than I normally would have(#wycwyc anyone?). And, my favorite part? There was a sister run in there too. My older sister just had a baby in January and was recently cleared to workout -- so we took advantage of it! we did 3.5 miles in total (although there were a couple walks in there). I love that health and fitness is something that two of my sisters and I have embraced over the years and I love that it is something that we can do that still qualifies as bonding.

So I'm chalking the trip up as a success and remembering that Taco John's is a once or twice a year splurge and that it's OK.

#wycwyc

Man. It's been 5 weeks since I last updated? I suck at this blog thing. Life has been crazy, I haven't been super healthy lately (I've maintained, but not lost), blah blah blah. You've read it all before. Probably even on this blog.


Well, after a bad week last week -- seriously, it was just one thing after another -- I'm trying to get back on plan this week. I ate mostly on point yesterday and I got out for a walk at lunch and a short walk after work. And then Zumba. I KILLED it at Zumba last night -- I was on FIRE. I don't know what got into me -- but I was having so much fun. It had been probably 2 weeks since I had made a class (between ice storms and things popping into my schedule) -- so I was ready to have a good time, and I did! I love that I can be my ridiculous, bad-dancer self. I don't care. It's fun and I have no shame.

Anyway -- the reason I came back today was because I had to write about #wycwyc (wick wick!). Two bloggers I've followed for years (Roni and Carla) coined this term a while back and I LOVE IT. #wycwyc stands for "What you can, when you can" and means exactly that -- you do what you can, when you can. Whether it is "I can fit a 10 minute workout in between meetings" or "I'm going to have a small french fry instead of a large" or something entirely different, it's all about what works for YOU. It's not a new concept -- people have been doing this for years -- but finally, it has a name! And a hashtag! And a website!

Roni and Carla started a #wycwyc podcast which I also love. I love when blogs come to life. When I listen to the podcast, I feel like I'm just sitting there next to them, just three friends chatting. It's fantastic.

Well, I decided something. I decided to stockpile the #wycwyc podcasts and only listen to them when I get up for my 430/5am runs. I listen to a podcast on every run -- but what works for a 6pm run (Jillian Michaels, Dan Savage, This American Life) does NOT work at 430am when I'm still 90% asleep. When I have to get up that early to run (today it's because I have a networking meeting after work) -- I need that extra push. It's nice to have Roni and Carla along the way, reminding me that it's ok if it's not my fastest run or my longest run -- just getting out there is enough. 2 slow miles is better than no miles.

Now that spring is slowly creeping in, here's to more #wycwyc runs with Roni and Carla and more healthy days ahead.

Tell Me: What are you #wycwyc-ing today?