There was Pizza at work :/

I've missed a couple of days writing about my health progress. But I will get you all caught up ;)

Monday was a good day eating. Due to the snow I got to work from home. I found that working in a more relaxed and controlled environment helped me to make better food choices. I ate all my planned meals with a little exception ... Starbucks!

But before my Starbucks trip I wanted to run a little. My gut told me it was going to be a dificult run but I didn't know why. Determined not to give myself any excuses, I leashed up the dogs telling myself I would at least go and give it a try. It was cold - about 28 degrees out and VERY windy. I walked the first mile hoping to warm up and get my body going. Then I thought that dropping off the dogs would help. So I parked them at home, set my watch for 5 min run then 2 min walks. I was to repeat this 6 times. But I still wasn't feeling it at all.

The terrain is rarely flat in my neighborhood. I'm usually running up hill or down hill. I started my first 5 min running going down hill... After 1 minute I started an incline. I talked myself through it... Minute 2 was painful. Minute 3 I found myself walking until I reached the top of the hill. The 5th minute I was running down hill. I felt like I had cheated. I was discouraged and my face was frozen in place from the wind.

I decided I should compromise my work out. I had to regroup. I was now in the middle of my 2 min of walking. I stopped my watch intervals and began to revise my plan.

What was my goal for that day? It was kind of to start my 3rd week of Chi Running intervals but my body was not agreeing with it. So what was plan B? I didn't have one...

I decided that it was important for me to know how it felt for me to run 5 min nonstop using my new Chi Running form. I walked to a road that I had never run on before because it looked a little flatter than my usual route. I started my music, started my watch and started my run. It seemed like the longest 5 min of my life.

I was frustrated with my body. I kept thinking about the stories I have read by other runners. I have heard several times that even the most fit athletes have bad days. I tried to remind myself that I am not exempt from that. I also started searching for something positive about my workout so I wouldn't take this disappointment with me for the rest of the day. I thought of how I walked a mile at a good pace, I ran for 5 min using my new Chi running form, and I didn't have any pain in the areas of injury.

When I got home to take a shower I went to take off my shoes. My legs were swollen. Maybe I was retaining water? Maybe water weight gain caused my workout to be a bummer?

*Monday's Treat: Starbucks Fat Free Peppermint Mocha Latte

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Tuesday I decided I needed a rest day. After Monday's bad run I thought maybe my body was telling me to rest. I went to work and had a good breakfast. It was a busy day and I had planned on eating a lean cuisine for lunch. I know lean cuisine is a far cry from a perfect meal but sometimes it's my best effort on really busy and challenging days.

One of my meetings ended right at lunch. I walked into the kitchen at work to find pizza. I was going in to heat my lean cuisine. The next thing I knew, I was eating a slice of cheese pizza at my desk. I didn't even feel guilty. Then I went for a second slice. I told myself as I devoured my pizza that I had to give myself a free meal once a week and that this was it. Then, after lunch,  there were chocolates (2 mini chocolates). I figured since I was on a roll I could have chocolates too. But I also made a promise to myself that the next day I would need to have a good clean day of healthy eating... Which brings me to today :)
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Today - Wednesday:

I originally thought of this blog as a way to journal my daily habits and progress. I thought that if I would write everything down, I would learn a lot more about my habits.

It's working!

Habit -  an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary (Marium-Webster dictionary)

I was just reviewing my last few days. What I have seen so far that concerns me is that 2 out of the last 6 days, I have given myself an "out". I have found myself treating myself on a whim. What I am afriad of is that this might be my habit that I haven't recognized all this time. Maybe this is something I do on a regular basis? Maybe this is why my 20 pounds have been so hard to lose?

Lots of questions today and not many answers. At least by writing this all down I will think twice next time when I think I deserve a treat! I will start tracking when I treated my self last in order to avoid this becoming a daily occurance.

So, today has been another rest day. Day 2 of rest. My diet is what I promised myself it would be. No treats! Pleanty of protient, low/healthy fats, whole grains and water.

Tomorrow we are expecting warmer weather and I have a half day at work. I am looking forward to stopping at the track on my way home to try my Week 3 Chi Running (5 min run/2 min walk intervals). This time on a level surface! This time no wind! This time the temp will be above 40 :D