"i felt like running."

"i love running...but i remember when i didn't...running was about doing things i didn't think i could do."

-me

oh dear, did i just quote myself????

my apologies.

are you sick of me talking about running yet?
then you must not have taken the challenge.
look. my friend bree.
she's not sick of hearing about it anymore.
wait, did i just use comparing one person to another to motivate you?
i'm sorry, i know that doesn't work.
what i meant to say is i've seen some of your posts on running.
that you're trying it.
loving it.
growing from it.
check out bree's post today. click here.
and put on your runnin' shoes!
i wasn't even the one who motivated bree to run.
i was just one of her crazy friends that liked running.
"em, i don't run."
i know, but you should, you'll love it!
tonight's a great night.
the weather's warm.
leave the kiddos with your hub,
the school books on your desk,
the "things to do" on the list.
and then tell me about it.
or blog it.
whichever.
i promise you'll feel super!
and prettier too;-)
and if you've never read any of my running posts,
click on the link below.

oh, and if you're really up for a challenge you can join bree and i july 24th for the deseret news 10k!!!! (bree, are you registered yet??? or am i gonna end up doing this alone;-)

yes, i'm serious, we'll meet you there.

and run together:-)

click here to register.

and then tell me so we can cheer each other on getting ready for the race;-)
...
are you reading with us yet?
click here to get started!
based on a true story???

the story of a runner who hated running

i just ran 4 miles.
with the pork loin in the jogger.
i know, most of you "don't run."
remember when i wrote about it here?
i used to not run.
i used to HATE running.
i know, you've heard this before, but today i was running.
and thinking of all of you "non-runners."
trying to find the words to motivate you to run.
b/c it brings me such empowerment.
there's just nothing more powerful than an empowered woman.
agreed?
yes.
so i thought about why i didn't like running.
in the 7th grade they made us run the mile on fridays.
oh how i LOATHED it.
my best friend, tara, she was this stick thin runner.
she did the mile in 6 or 7 minutes.
it was amazing.
i huffed and puffed in at around 15 min.
it was embarrassing.
i wished i was faster.
so came high school.
early bird P.E.
my friend skye convinced me i should take it with her so we could be in choir.
so glad i did, but i am not a morning person.
so on tuesdays and thursdays we had to run this cross country course.
i have no idea how long it was,
but it felt like 10 miles.
i still LOATHED running at this point.
then it was off to college.
i wanted to be thin, so i took up running.
but i wanted to eat lots too. hello dorm food!
i think i ate tater tots with ranch and ketchup (ew, i know) at every meal.
oh, and the monstrous salads with lots of cheese and ranch.
so i went through this phase where i ran so i could eat lots.
but then i just got frustrated,
so i stopped eating and ran lots.
got reeeeeeeeeeeally skinny.
so unhappy though...skinny is supposed to make me happy right?
haha, that's funny!
so i kept running, but started eating again, but still was unhappy inside.
then i got close to God and got reeeeeeeeeeeeeally happy:-)
then i met sean.
then i got reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally in the running.
ran a half marathon in rexburg, idaho. one of my top 10 favorite memories.
then i had a baby.
started swimming.
missed running.
oh bless you devoted goddesses who are still reading;-)
started running again.
and here i was today.
rascal flatts in my ears.
pork loin in the jogger in front of me.
sun shining.
long stretches of pavement ahead.
running down this monstrous mountain i had just run up
(okay, it was just a small hill, but with a 26 pound baby in a jogger it felt more like a mountain)
i felt on top of the world.
and i remember how i hated running.
how i love it now.
so i smiled:-)
how did i get here?
i trained myself to persevere.
and i thought,
"isn't that what life's all about?"
training ourselves to persevere through our challenges.
i'll bet you would feel great if you got out there and did something you didn't know you could do.
like running.
go ahead!
i dare you.
what's the worst that could happen?
at least you could blog about it;-)

have you tried it!!??!!

i am currently on the breastfeeding diet.

it is an amazing thing.

have you been on it?

it goes like this...

eat everything and anything you want

and lose astounding amounts of weight.

when i posted my 200EIGHT post i mentioned losing 45 pounds.

ok people, i had a baby, so 35 of it was the actual weight i gained while pregnant.

the other 10 i attribute to breastfeeding and genetics (thank you mother).

i had so many people comment on wanting to know my weight loss secrets...

breastfeeding!

now, this is probably not something many of you are currently doing;-)

so i figured i would share what my personal trainer taught me in rexburg.

...

if you really want to see results try the following

...

-30 min. of weight lifting 3x per week

this means 3 sets of 10-12 reps for toning.

do upper body and lower body, rotating each time,

mon: lower muscles & cardio

wed: upper muscles & cardio

fri: lower muscles & cardio

sat: just cardio, no weights

it's important to give your muscle groups a day off.

-30 min. of cardio

yup, that's it!

make sure you do the weight lifting first, then the cardio.

this is important so you will be burning fat while doing your cardio.

-start your day off with water and protein to kick start your metabolism

eggs & cottage cheese are great, but it does not have to be animal based.

soy is fab!

this is a great time to exercise, before eating,

but any time during the day is great.

-eat every 3-4 hours

never

go more than 4 hours without eating, ever!

this should be about 4 meals a day, but small meals

...

sample menu

...

breakfast: 2-3 eggs (eggs whites if you are watching your cholesterol) or cottage cheese with fruit

(just make sure it's some kind of protein)

lunch: 1/2 sandwich (try to get fiber & protein enriched bread), fruit, & veggie

snack: 1/4 c. peanuts or almonds (or any protein: like a string cheese, ademame soy beans, avocado w/lime & salt) & veggie or fruit

(do NOT skip this snack!!! this keeps your metabolism going)

dinner: protein, carb, veggie

dessert: stick to one sweet thing a day,

so if you have this after lunch then call it a day;-)

-breads are not bad

(sorry mr. atkin, just don't eat them at every meal;-)

-try to stay away from soda all together,

yes, this means diet soda too

(sad, i know, but research is showing that diet soda increases your cravings for sugary things and ends up hurting you in the end.

try cutting down to 1 diet soda a day, and then moving to 1 every other day or on special occasions like dinners out.)

none of these tips will work without the following:

stop eating when you are full!

this means eating slowly (try to always be sitting down) and drinking water with every meal.

i drink 4-5 liters of water a day, but before i was breastfeeding i tried to get 3-4 liters.

start off with 1 and work your way up:-)

(try to skip on juices and gatorades.

they usually have sugars that end up as empty calories.

some gatorades are ok, just read the labels first.)

remember, the number on the scale is not going to make you any happier than you are today

b/c

it's not about the weight!

"running"

running is one of my favorite past times. i remember when i hated it though. these pictures are from when i ran a 1/2 marathon in rexburg, idaho (13.1 miles peeps). it was amazing. the farm fields are beautiful in the summer. i clocked so many miles on the black pavement while we lived there, and i changed as a person. for me, running was about doing things i never thought i could do.

i remember the reason i started running. i thought i was fat. gasp! i know, that word almost sounds like a bad word in our culture. seriously, from age 14-25 i spent all of my energy on how to get un-fatted. i even remember buying TDP (teen diet pill) from a seventeen magazine in middle school. i paid $80 in cash and completely forgot about it. about 5 years later i got a check in the mail for $81.50 (or something like that) b/c a court had prosecuted the company for charging for a product and never sending anything. it felt like winning the lottery...and reminded me that i was still "running" that battle.

i can remember not liking my legs. i LOVED my sister's legs. seriously, she still has great legs...but so do i;-) as i look back at old pictures i am amazed that i thought i was "ehem" fat! i have always been a skinny person, but in my mind that was just not the case...until now. did she just say she thought she was skinny!?! how conceited!!!

no really, was anyone else trained to think that way?

thank the good lord above for brennan and sean.

really, thank you God.

for the first time in my life the first thing i think when i wake up is NOT what do i weigh this morning...

it's, "what amazing things will i do today."

now THAT'S living.

p.s. happiness has nothing to do with the number on the scale (in case you are "running")

p.s.s. for more information on happiness email me @ emilygibson82@yahoo.com