School, Sew, Run

These are the 3 things I have been up to lately...

School - I got accepted into Graduate School! Starting in January I will officially be a student again! I am very excited! Lately, however, I have begun the task of figureing out how to manage my new student-status along with my other responsibilities such as working full-time, being a caring and present spouse, and of course continuing my sewing. I know I will have to use my time more effectively, which ultimately is a good thing. I am also a bit concerned with weather. Indiana winters can be a pain. I am thankful that I have dear friends I can stay with if weather is bad. I also plan on saving up vacation days in case I get stranded in Indianapolis for a day or 2. If weather is awful, and I can't make it to class, that will have to do. I value my education (and the money I spend on it), but I value my life more! So no need to worry Mom and Dad! :)

Sew - Oh man, I have been a crafting machine lately! I've been finishing up a project involving crinkle- stuffed animals. This project took for.ev.er. Small tedious projects are not my thing... but it did improve my hand stitching and applique. I still haven't figured out the blind-stitch, but I will eventually. Anyway, I finally finished the project a few days ago! Hooray! I am now on to making making masks for a masquerade ball the the husband and I are going to through my work! After that I am making a gift for a friend that is getting married, and then I will make my first dress for myself! I have everything bought for it - I just need to make it! I also have a friend getting married in December and will be throwing her a shower/hen night and helping with wedding decorations. I can't wait! Obviously Sewing will have to take a back seat to school, so I hope to get a lot of it done in the next few months!

Run - I am up to running 18-20 minutes and walking 16! I am pretty proud of myself! I haven't noticed a change in the way my clothes fit, but that is okay. I have been eating too much bread and chocolate... so it is my fault. I like having more energy though.

On another note, my former roommate from college just got married in Barbados and I couldn't be happier for her and her spouse! I watched the video of their nuptials during work today. I cried, smiled, and laughed; all the hallmarks of a good wedding in my book. I know their marriage will be even more beautiful! Congrats Rose and Joe!

The Secret is Revealed..

I've been keeping a secret from you; and if you know me at all you should know that I cannot keep secrets about myself for very long. Starting last week, I decided to do something that will alter my life completely.

I started running.

I know, it surprised me too. I was thinking about how proud I am of Rose for deciding to run Triathlons for her charity of choice, PAWS Chicago. Some of you don't know Rose, but she is the kind of girl who gets things done; basically, she is not like me at all in that respect. I have about a million things I want to do but haven't done. And I have no problem coming up with excuses for things I don't want to do. Just ask the husband.

And then I read this article about belly fat and running. The article was geared towards a beer belly, but belly fat is the same, not matter if it got there from too much chocolate or beer. We all know that my belly is significantly larger than the rest of my body. When I gain weight all the fat collects in the middle creating a pseudo-pregnant look. I have been asked if I was pregnant more times than I can count. A few months ago I got asked if I was preggers 3 times in 1 day (I haven't worn that dress in public since). I don't blame people for thinking that I am pregnant - after all, I really do look like it! Also, I am the heaviest I have ever been... and its all at my waistline. Luckily, I have somehow avoided gaining the extra triglycerides and cholesterol I had last year around this time. Whew.

I also saw this infographic a few months ago about how sitting for long amounts of time everyday is really unhealthy. This was disconcerting as I sit for 8 hours a day at work and then go home and sit some more. Sloth is by far my favorite deadly sin.

So I was thinking about Rose. And the fat belly article. And the sitting infographic. Plus I cant fit into a lot of my favorite fall dresses, which really cheeses me off. So I decided to try running. After all, it is the most effective way to lose my belly fat. It is also a form of exercise I have ever tried willingly. And it is free.

When I told the husband of my plan to go running in the a.m. his eyes about popped out of his head. It was so funny... I couldn't help but laugh! I then called Rose and told her it was all her fault. She gladly accepted the blame. She also gave me some pointers on starting to run.

So every other day for the past week I have gone running in the morning before work. I walk to warm up and then run as far as I think I can and then I push myself a bit more... and then I walk again to cool down. I stretch in front of my apt building and that's that. The whole process takes about 20 minutes. I do plan on increasing my time and running as time goes on, but i'm taking it slow for now. I don't get the instant endorphins some people talk about, but I am not as tired in the mornings!

I am thinking about trying the 'Couch to 5K' running/walking schedule. It is basically a combination of walking and running 3 days a week starting out, and it tapers your walking and increases your running incrementally as your body adjusts to the exercise. A lot of overweight and obese people have good things to say about it, so I am willing to give it a shot.

So, wish me luck! Here's to a healthier me!