Saturday, October 29, 2011

Diet Revolution

Want to kick weight gain in the rear?  Want to avoid the holiday bulge?  Here is my secret:
Eat 3-5 cups fresh veggies each day.

Vegetables contain fiber and nutrients that help keep you fuller longer and are LOW IN CALORIES TOO.  (High starch vegetables don't count-- corn, peas ect.)

My favorite football/stress snack is mini carrots.  I eat the carrots and watch the munchies fade away.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Could I TRI?

I had finished a marathon, but my Iron Man goal still haunted me!!!

Later that year, I received a book that sharpened my focus on my goal: Slow, Fat, Triathlete, by Jayne Williams. Here was a book that told me I could achieve my athletic dreams in the chubby body I had today! I read it, re-read it, and signed up for my first race: The Ice Breaker. (I should have been scared off by the name, but I thought, I'll be swimming in an indoor pool.  What ice will there be to break?)

I had a huffy mountain bike I rode around the neighborhood with my kids. No big deal, right. I can go 12 miles on that, I thought to myself. Boy was I wrong. On my first training ride, (2 times around a 5 mile loop) I stopped at about 4 miles and started crying. My legs hurt, I couldn't go any further. Luckily I was only a mile from home. I got off the bike, dried my eyes and walked home. An angel friend let me borrow her bike (one with working gears!!!) to train and race with, and before I knew it race day had arrived.
 Here is the race review I wrote the March 28, 2008

Overweight and Ready for Change


I had picked up casual running and swimming in college, but marriage and 4 kids had me swamped and I ate my stress away. I ballooned up to 207-- a ton of weight to carry on a 5'2” frame. 
Christmas 2007, I maxed out at 207 lbs.
 When a friend decided to run a half marathon, I thought I can do that. I picked a race, a full marathon, and began to train. A Sprained ankle didn't stop me. I recovered and resumed training. I loved the quiet of the a 4 hour Saturday run, alone with my thoughts, running through breathtaking mountain valley scenery. Running helped me eat better; running burned calories. I lost some weight – down to the 190's by race time. I finished my battle with the Top of Utah 2008 marathon in 7 hours 25 minutes. And that was running most of the way. The walkers passed me and cheered me on. But I finished.
Finish complete with my cheering section!