6 months

As some of you may know, I've been training for a half-marathon that'll take place this October. Today, for the first time ever, I went past the 10k barrier and ran my very first 11k. As I was running past an electronic sign near my house, I noticed the date. September 1st.

Well, what do you know, it's my six-monthaversary.

Six months ago, I decided to take up running. I decided to take the very embarrassing first steps to become a runner. Because, let's be real, the first month or two are just not cute. It's a lot of running short distances, walking, being out of breath, and wishing no one was around to see this go down. But I stuck it out and now here I am, six months later, comfortably running 11km on a Sunday morning. Just crazy.

I thought I'd post this to encourage those in the early stages of running, or really in the early stages of anything. Stick with it and it will pay off. Because in six months, you'll be glad you started today.

I know I am.

 

 

What? I also run so I can eat more!

Running: it's actually doable

I wish.

In most gyms I've been to, the first thing you see when you get in is the cardio machines. And in my case, on the cold January morning where I began my "journey", I saw treadmills. And on those treadmills were pretty girls wearing cute and colorful workout clothes, effortlessly running (you totally know what I'm talking about because they're at your gym too, aren't they?).

But I was chunkier, in my all-black workout clothes (trying not to draw attention to myself and my body), and I didn't think I could run. I got intimidated, and I headed for the elliptical machine. For almost two months, my cardio was the elliptical (and swimming once a week). Now, don't get me wrong, the elliptical is actually fantastic for weight loss. It's a low-impact machine that just melts the calories right off of you. But I got kinda bored. And I wanted to be one of the running girls.

Little tip I discovered while losing weight: information is everything. You can't just get up one morning, say "I'm gonna lose weight!" and think that it'll happen magically. You have to do lots of research to figure out a good eating plan, what exercise is best, how much weight you should be losing per week, what's a good goal weight for your height/size, etc. Well same goes with running! You don't just get on the treadmill and start running.

During my information quest, I came across what is called a "Couch to 5K" (or C25K), which literally takes a person off the couch and trains them to be able to run 5km without stopping. It's excellent for super beginners (which I was) and it can be completed in 8 short weeks. There are many different C25K plans available on the internet or as apps; I used this application.

I did make a mistake though: I was cocky, and I started at week 3 or 4 of the 8-week plan. And I got stuck on week 4 for 2 weeks, and then on week 5 for 2 weeks. Looking back, I see the importance of not skipping ahead and trusting the program, even if it looks too easy at first.

Having a program gave me the confidence to get on a treadmill and try running, even with others around. Yes, at first I was running 3 minutes and walking 3 minutes, but the fact that I was "on a plan" made me feel less self-conscious.

And sure enough, running slowly got easier. At the end of April, I finished the program, but I kept doing my 5K runs 3x a week. I was filled with this amazing sense of accomplishment, like I did something really good for myself. Probably high on this feeling, I decided to give the ultimate push and I signed up for a half-marathon in October. In the meantime, I had to reach the next goal: running 10km. I felt pretty good, so I decided to run with the "real joggers" and hit Mount Royal on a Sunday morning. And I ended up running a 9K that day, for the stupidest reason ever: I wanted to get far enough on the path to reach Beaver Lake, to instagram my running glory. It only hit me once I got to the lake, 4.5km into it, that I also had to run BACK after. Oops. I could barely walk the day after. The following Sunday, I ran a 9.5km, again up Mount Royal. Unfortunately, because I nearly doubled the distance I was used to running in such a short time, I injured myself and had to stop all running for a few weeks. Not so smart.

I did manage to recover in time for my 10K, which I completed successfully without walking! Kinda crazy to think that in February, I couldn't run for more than 5 minutes and now I have a 10km race under my belt!

Near the finish line, kinda lonely.

Now, I'm all about my half-marathon training. It took me a while to start, between moving to Toronto and two heat waves, but I'm finally into it! Once again, for those interested, I am using an application for my training plan. This app is great because it is meant for people currently comfortable running a 5K, it has pre- and post-run stretching exercises, and it doesn't involve running 6 days a week (trying to avoid more injuries here!).

I think my biggest hurdle with running hasn't been pushing through the pain, it's been pushing through the mental stuff. For instance, often after 3 or 4 km, I want to stop yet my legs don't hurt. It's a mental game. But what they say about runner's high is true. It's a great feeling, and you constantly want more.

And now I feel like one of the pretty, running girls.

I love: summer totes

Things I stuff in my bag:
-wallet
-umbrella
-sunglasses + case for sunglasses
-a pouch with kleenex, lipstick, hand sanitizer, hand lotion, mascara
-my laptop
-school stuff
-my lunch
-various snacks
-a water bottle
-my phone

So you see, a tote is just non-negotiable for me. Otherwise we're talking one overstuffed bag. Here's a few cute summer ones I have my eye on...

This bag is made from recycled sails. How cool is that?

This is the classic "Boat and Tote" from L.L. Bean. I had one last year (which I had to let go due to an unmanageable ginormo stain) and it is THE. BEST.

The pop of color on this tote is so prepster. Love it.

Stripes are cute too!

Totes can be leather too. AND have color. I happen to love this kelly green one.

Neutral colors go with everything, which makes this one a winner.

Food-lovin' Fridays: chocolate + weight loss = problem

I am a chocolate addict, there is just no denying it. When I was young, my mom used to hide her chocolate bars, but I would sneak into the kitchen, open every drawer and cupboard til I found them and ate them (leaving always one square or one piece, because in my impeccable reasoning, leaving some would mean my mom wouldn't notice). As I moved in on my own, chocolate became even harder to resist. I mean, do they have to put the chocolate right in your face when you leave the grocery store? It should be hidden, much like cigarettes.

Anyways, it's clear this chocobsession (see what I did there!) had something to do with my university weight gain. So I knew when I started my weight loss journey that it could become my kryptonite if left unmanaged. Since my strategy is lifestyle changes, not a diet, I knew I'd have to incorporate some chocolate here and there to avoid depriving myself and then binging. And I found an excellent way to do that: chocolate chip muffins. Just enough chocolate to appease my cravings and good little snacks or desserts. Plus they're just so cute and fluffy.

Of course, muffins also aren't exactly the go-to weight loss food. I did nonetheless discover two little recipes that do the perfect balancing act for me: they are pretty healthy and decently low-cal (about 150 calories per muffin, depending on size, amount of chocolate used, etc. of course) and frankly if they will shut up my chocolate obsession, I'm willing to overlook the fact that I'm not eating a carrot.

So here are my two lovely finds for you:

1. Banana bread (I make it in a muffin tin to cut down on bake time, so we'll count it as muffins)

Health bonus: it uses unsweetened applesauce instead of oil!

2. Strawberry chocolate chip muffins (I've also made this with raspberries and white chocolate chips)

Health bonus: a lot of experts agree we should be eating berries every day so... DONE!

But once in a while, that just isn't enough and when that happens, you just gotta...

Dear People of the Gym

• Dear incredibly skinny girl who I see every day doing the exact same workout on the elliptical: I assume you want to lose imaginary weight but there are other things you could try at the gym beside the same machine for the same amount of time at the same intensity. Also, go eat some fried chicken, you look like a slight breeze would knock you over.

• Dear "pretty girls" of the gym: someone has to explain to me how midriff-bearing shirts, booty shorts, a full face of makeup, and hair down is comfortable when trying to work out. Are you here to find a boyfriend or to get a good sweat on? P.S. Your mascara is running.

• Dear guy trying to intimidate me out of using my machine: bitch, I can lift too! And yes, I know what a set and a rep is.

• Dear people of the gym overall: guys, meet cardio. Ladies, meet weight training. Enough said.

• Dear muscleheads at the gym: LOLOLOL at your muscle shirts, grunting, and overall attempt to be badass. Problem is, when I see your skinny little legs and your giant upper body, you just look hilarious.

• Dear guys who try lifting that giant bar above your heads like at the Olympics (I clearly don't know the technical name): stop dropping it so loudly. It feels like the gym is collapsing and the apocalypse-like feeling it gives me is not motivation to run faster on my treadmill or lift heavier on my machine.

• Dear people of the gym: I can clearly see when you're lifting more than you can handle. I'll continue finishing my sets and slowly building up my ability to lift heavier, you continue to live on the edge and risk dropping those 100lbs on yourself and enjoy cracked ribs/broken back/various other problems.

• Dear chubby/seasonally plump all year round/curvacious/larger people: believe it or not, you keep me motivated. I see you working hard and you make me push myself a little harder. (What, I can say nice things too!)

Food-lovin' Fridays: The Great Carb Debate

80% of getting healthy and losing weight is related to nutrition. So let's talk about food. On Fridays.

Today I want to address the frenzy that surrounds carbs. But before I can do that, let's talk basics.

Nutrition is made up of macro and micro nutrients: macros are carbs, fat, and protein, while micros are vitamins and minerals. Theoretically, you don't need to keep track of your macros to lose weight, because weight loss is pure and simple math. That's right, you thought math was behind you forever, BUT IT'S NOT.
To lose one pound, one must have a deficit of 3,500 calories. So you could burn 500 calories every day doing some grueling exercise (because 7 days x 500 calories = 3500 calories) or you could eat 500 calories less. [For the record, I did a mix of both.] But here is the thing nobody really discusses: say you eat wayyyyy more protein than your body needs. What happens? It will get stored. And what do we mean by stored? We mean extra poundage. So no thanks, body storage.

Thankfully, it's pretty hard to majorly max out on protein. Most people don't eat enough protein. But carbs, and fats... they can be deadly. And some geniuses saw that and decided to invent diets like Atkins, which is low low low carbage.

I understand that different lifestyles require different macro distributions. Take Eddie and I for example: I have a stronger emphasis on carbs since I run a lot, and he eats more protein since he is building (a mountain of) muscle. However, I don't get the low-to-no carb thing. I just don't.

In February, an acquaintance from school was complaining at an event that all there was for lunch were sandwiches. When I asked her why that was an issue, she told me she didn't eat carbs. Well I have two problems with this: 1) she was eating an orange as she's telling me this, and hello oranges are pretty much nothing but carbs and 2) I know for a fact she is a cardio addict at the gym, and cardio demandddddssss carbs.

So what is this really about? Why do we think eating a sandwich is gonna make us fat but eating an orange with the same amount of carbs won't?

I'm not gonna give a huge bio lesson on why our body needs carbs, mostly because I'm not up for a "how the body works" refresher. Instead I will just say we need carbs. For lots of important stuff. And since I know that totally convinced you right there, I will add that lowering your carb intake alone isn't what will help you lose weight. Exercise and a balanced diet will. Emphasis on balanced. And if bread and pasta scare you, well there are other delicious sources of carbs: oranges, mangos, sweet potatoes, legumes (like black beans, kidney beans, etc.), raisins, apples, bananas, carrots, grapes, rice, etc. etc. etc.

And to shut everyone up on either side of this debate (because I don't want to argue with the fanatics), here are 4 recipes that have become regular recurrences in my meal plan - 2 are low-carb and 2 are not:

Sweet potato fries // Black bean burger // Portobello Pizzas // Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Confessions of a former fattie

A year or two ago, I was glancing at old pictures of the young me in a family album. Besides the embarassment of my former incredible awkwardness, I was shocked to notice that I used to be quite thin. Lanky even (but that might be because I was so incredibly awkward). So I asked myself the age old question: WHAT. HAPPENED.

University happened. Those years, for a million different reasons, were my cow-in-a-pasture years. Getting all fattened up. Then I graduated in December and I won't lie, I was 40lbs heavier than my pre-university weight. Sure, I've had people tell me "you can't expect to weight what you did at 18" or "it's because you're so tall" or even "you don't look that big". Well in December, it all kinda felt like excuses. Let me throw in the disclaimer here that I don't think curvy women are ugly or gross or anything. My friend and I watched the following commercial about 50 times wishing we could look like that:

But that isn't me. With my extra 40lbs, I felt sluggish, uncomfortable in my clothes, and very self-conscious. Not curvacious and sexy like Ashley Graham in the commercial there. Also I'm sure Ashley Graham gets up three flights of stairs without dying. In December, I couldn't.

Then my very fabulous, fitspirational friend Tara posted this picture with the caption "a year in jeans":

That would be size 14 jeans and size 6 jeans, if you're blind. And she's a 4 now.

It just BLEW. MY. MIND. If she could do it while raising two young (adorable) children, being a wife, and working/studying, what was my excuse as a single, recently graduated girl?

And really, that was it. From one day to the next, I went from eating crap and doing nothing to tracking all my calories and macros (proteins, carbs, and fat), hitting the gym 6 days a week, and drinking the recommended amount of water per day.

I'm now 33lbs down, but muscled up! I'm able to make better nutritional choices, though really I prefer to track everything because as a person suffering from mild OCD, I actually kinda enjoy it. I took up running and am now prepping for a half-marathon in October (more on running later). I had a trainer draw me up a strength training plan too and I now have the best biceps I've ever had.

I got my confidence back (and my smaller clothes!) and I feel a lot healthier (bonus: my skin looks like I live in a spa). Now it's a patience thing. Because, like my bestie Eddie put it when I asked him how long this would all take (he's basically my personal trainer/nutritionist/life coach), "It's gonna take your whole life."