Roxanne - The plateau blues

Well fellow attempting-to-live-a-healthy-life reformers,
Today is another dark day.
I just can't seem to shake my life up enough to cause my body to lose weight, but I am not giving up.
Healthier is what I set out to be, and healthier is what I am.
I just wish that this weight would start slipping off my body and showing me a difference in my appearance . . .

Still not giving up.
-Roxanne

Roxanne - Small Acomplishments Count

Hi Everyone,
I hope you're having a great week.

This week definitely had its highs and lows for me. I started off the week really great, keeping my calorie intake below 1,400 two days in a row, but for the next two days I completely made up for it eating thousands of calories in junk food.
However, I am happy to report that I jumped back on the wagon food-wise on Saturday, and workout-wise on Sunday, thanks to my sister Allysin who gave me the death glare when I hmmed and huhhed at going to work out with her.
I also want to put out a shout out to my friend Katie, who has been encouraging me in this process as she works on being healthier and losing weight as well. Thanks for keeping me on track. And to the rest of the 'Eh' Team - Ashley and Adam who make sure that I work out at least two times a week.
Thanks for keeping me accountable, and for pushing me. I couldn't keep it up if it wasn't for all of you :)
So, my goal for this next week is to keep my calorie count under 1,800 every single day this week (and hopefully lower than that on most days.)
I also have a really great accomplishment to report - I RAN A WHOLE 5 MINUTES!!! I've never been able to do that before, but, I did it on Sunday, and now that I know I can I'm hoping to incorporate it into most of my daily cardio routines. It just proves that although there has been little outward change, I am healthier on the inside - and that's never a bad thing.
So a huge thanks to everyone who reads this blog and has believed in me. Thanks.
-Roxanne <3

Current Week Weight: 219.8
Last Week: 220
Weight Lost To Date: 15 lbs
Most Amount of Time Run: 5 minutes

Roxanne - Become A Doner . . . Our Inspiration

As most of you know the reason that this blog was started is multi faceted.
Reasons included:
1.) The Health Benefits for our entire family
             These included lowered blood pressure, better cholesterol levels, better sugar levels, and easier to control thyroid levels for different members of my family, on top of the obvious benefits of better heart, lung, muscle and overall physical and mental health.
2.) Weight Loss
             For myself, my parents and two of my sisters.
3.) To Help Motivate Us to Train For the Run For the Cure
             As was previously documented, we did not participate in the Run this year, but we hope to in the future. Cancer is something that affects almost every person's life. Even if we never experience it for ourselves, we probably know someone who has, and as a family we want to help put an end to this epidemic. For us it was for our Oma who died of stomach cancer, our Opa who died from skin cancer, and our Papa who died due to pancreatic cancer. It's also for our friends, Brittany & Branden, whose father is fighting a battle with cancer right now, and more recently, for our mom who has been diagnosed with skin cancer. Thankfully it appears that for us it was caught early enough that it can be removed and my mom will go on to live a normal, cancer free life.
             But what about all the people who aren't that lucky?
             Whose loved ones are fighting, or have fought losing battles against this disease?
Let's run for them. (runforthecure.com *NOTE: Run for the Cure is specifically for breast cancer research, but if we have breakthrough in on area of cancer research hopefully we'll see breakthrough in other areas too.)

But running's not enough.
You can help cancer victims and their families right now by becoming a doner.
Many people going through cancer treatments need blood transfusions and stem cell transplants.
Donating is a simple process that takes a minimal amount of time and effort, but by donating you could be helping to fight and save someone's life.
Be a part of this.
Please go to: blood.ca
And sign up to become a doner.

Thank you.
-Roxanne

Current Week Weight: 220.4
Last Week: 221.8
Weight Lost to Date: 14lbs
Most amount of time run: 2 minutes



After all - It's in you to give.

Roxanne's Update - Sometimes You're Disappointed

I find myself incredibly frustrated today as I complete my weekly weigh in.
No change.
Well,
No GOOD change.
According to my scale I've gained .6lbs.
But little fluctuations like this aren't a big deal.
The big deal is that I'm supposed to be losing weight, not maintaining my current weight.
And I did so well this week too!
Of course there were still some screw ups, but in the end the mathematics should still have calculated into about a half pound to a pound of weight lost.

Anyways, it's just frustrating to give everything you've got and find that you're exactly where you started.
Hopefully this week is better.
-Roxanne

Current Weight : 221.8
Last Week: 221.2
Total Weight Lost : 13lbs

Roxanne's Update - Can't Stay The Same . . .

Alright everyone!
So, it's Tuesday. You know what that means: weigh in/measure/re-evaluate and blog day.
Unfortunately I don't have any real change to report today.
This past weekend was Thanksgiving, and I thought I had done really well. And maybe compared to the past I did. I'm not sure.
But if I keep making changes, and don't give up, then I truly believe that one day I will meet with success. All I know is that I can't stay the same. It is no longer an option.
This week marks the beginning of meatless Mondays, and trying to lose weight by eating only soup and salad for lunch.
Wish me luck!
-Roxanne (@RoxyWiedemann)
Current Weight: 221.2
Weight Loss: 13.8 lbs

The Little Changes Add Up . . .

Hi Everyone,
So, as some of you know - we did our annual family photos a couple of weeks back.
I would like to show you this year's photo as compared to last year's photo of me.

The one with the sunflowers in the background was taken in August 2011
The other one was taken in early September 2012
As you can tell I haven't lost a ton of weight. In fact my body is still stubbornly holding to it's approx. 15lb weight loss.
But I've changed, and you can see it.
And I'm not just referring to the haircut.
You can tell just by comparing these photos that I'm healthier now. Perhaps not in the place I should be, but every healthy choice adds up and makes a difference and I'm healthier on the inside because of it.
And even on the days where I can't see it - I can look back and see that I am a different person now.
So, keep making those healthy choices - one choice at a time, and don't give up when you screw up.
-Roxanne (@RoxyWiedemann)

Current Weight: 221lbs
Weight Loss : 14lbs

WELCOME BACK!!

HAPPY FALL!

Fall is such an interesting season, you have this lingering of summer, and yet it's cooling down leaves are changing color (the part everyone likes about fall) and winter approach... the worst part about fall!

But whether we want it to come or not, it comes and I figure since we can't do anything about fall happening we might as well try to enjoy it. Now I sound a lot happier then I feel. I caught a cold this past weekend and so my nose is so stuffed up that I can't breathe, my head feels like it's going to explode from all the pressure in it, and I have a constant headache! I HATE colds. But those aren't the reasons I hate colds, I mean yeah that stuff sucks but I hate it because it slows me down, it makes me feel like I can't move or do anything, it makes me sleepy and just want to stay in bed. And that doesn't really fit intoo well with my schedule and my plans of getting in shape. Ugh... sufice to say, I am a little  (okay a lot) grumpy today.

But putting the grumpiness aside. Its been practically all summer. How are you guys? Have you guys been keeping up with your goals and fitness plans? If you answered no, join the club. However, putting it off is no longer an option. I'm putting my foot down and making 2012 my last fat year. ... Okay I typed it out.. now I have to live it out.

But actually, being out of shape is inconvienent for  my future career goals so this is actually happening. Now I'm not going to totally share what I am thinking about for the future, but I will tell you this: I plan on taking some sciences next semester, and I'm planning on switching colleges. You'll have to stay tuned to find out what I'm actually thinking about doing.

Well I don't really have much to say other than make sure you get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, wach your hands lots, and stay bundled up as the coller weather comes so you guys can avoid gettting sick!
Infinite x's and o's
- A


P.s. I read this really awesome quote the other day that I wanted to share. "You only become a WINNER when the pain of losing exceeds the pain and inconvenience of HARD WORK"

Roxanne's Update - The Colour Run & A New Year

Well, this summer was packed full and busy.
Everyday was an adventure waiting to be faced.
Some days held tears and a bit of heartbreak, frustration and disappointment,
But most days were filled with laughter, good friends, sunshine and inspiration.

The summer ended with me and one of my best friends, Ashley and another one of our friends, Jenna taking a trip to New York. We were there for three days, but the actual reason for the trip was a 5K that we had signed up for.
The Colour Run.
'The Happiest 5K on the Planet."
If you haven't heard of them before - check them out online or on twitter.

 

 

This summer was also the first time I have ever given blood. It has been on my bucket list for a long time, but I finally went with my sister, Allysin, and just did it.
By giving blood I have the opportunity to help save someone's life. How much closer to being a hero can I get?
Yesterday I went with Allysin and a couple friends from school to donate again. We're hoping to encourage more of our friends to donate in the future.

I want to encourage every person who reads this blog to do the same. To donate, or to find more information on donating please look up the Canadian Blood Services at blood.ca
You can make a difference.
After all it's in you to give.

 

 

My last piece of update is this: Unfortunately my family will be unable to participate in the Run for the Cure this year, but please look for us there in the future.
I will continue to update this blog, as I am still working on living a healthier life, and am attempting to lose weight. So look for weekly updates starting next week.
If you have any comments, advice, encouragement or questions, please feel free to leave them here, or look me up on twitter: @RoxyWiedemann.
Thank you all for your love and support,
-Roxanne 

Debating - Allysin

Hey
So I'm sitting here in my house just relaxing a little bit. This doesn't seem to happen often. So I thought I would try to enjoy it. I always seem to be doing something, going somewhere, you know just being busy. And then I think back on the week and say what have I done all week? And I'm never really sure but I knew I was busy the whole week. So it's my goal to start spending my time a little more wisely and actually being productive with my time. We'll see how that goes.
Anyways so I'm doing alright, still of course needing to run more than I am.. I hope one day I can actually blog and say I've done good with my running haha.
BUT now I've started my second job and that is as a lifeguard at the local military recreation complex. Which I LOVE working there, and my favourite part is the free gym membership that comes with it. But here I am sitting here debating with myself whether or not I should go to the gym. One part of me really just wants to sit and relax for this one morning. But the other part of me knows I should be going to workout for a bit before my shift this afternoon.
It's funny how your mind can come up with a bajilion different reasons why your SHOULD NOT go and work out.
To be honest its actually getting a little late to go to the gym, but here I am trying to tell you guys that you should work hard for what you want and I'm not doing that... SO with that being said I don't want to be a hypocrite so I WILL go to the gym, but I'm going to do it AFTER my shift only because I actually don't have time because I'll be late for my shift. BUT I promise to all my lovely followers that I WILL go to the gym AFTER my shift, unless there is legit an emergency and someone is dying. Which I doubt is going to happen, so wish me luck, and I hope you guys haven't given up on your dreams!
Infinite x's and o's
-A

The Walking Club . . . Roxanne's Update

So I apologize that it has been so long since my last post. As some of you may know - I am working at a camp this summer, and where I live I do not have any wireless so my posts may be a little bit hit and miss.
But I do have a couple things to share.
First, the wedding I was in went extremely well. Here is a photo:

And with it I want to give a shout out to two of my best friends: Cole (Brady) & B Shearer - thanks for your support, and also for actually reading my blog. I love you both, and wish you the best!

Secondly, my move to my summer job has gone well. I love being here with another one of my best friends, Ashley - and since we're both living on the campgrounds we have started a walking club. Tonight will be our third official night, but already we have grown by tons. It started out as myself, Ashley and our friend Rebecca. Then yesterday we were up to like ten people. It is pretty sweet and has given me the opportunity to get to know a variety of people that I work with at camp better.

Hopefully I will have a picture to show you all soon.

Looking forward to our Colour Run in August!
-Roxanne
PS - 220.4lbs as of this morning :)

THE COLOR RUN! - Allysin's new entry

OKAY do you ever get excited about something?
I don't mean like oh yay I'm having my favorite food for dinner type of happy/excited, I mean like you are STOKED! So stoked you can feel your insides shaking with excitement! Thats how I am right now.

My sister (Roxanne) and I just registered for the color run in New York City and I am sooooo excited! It's a 5k but it sounds like soooo much fun! I can hardly even keep myself composed. Here I am sitting in a coffee shop working on my computer and my face keeps twitching because i want to smile and just explode with happiness! Like AHHHHH! I'M GOING TO NEW YORK! It's only one of my top cities I really want to visit!
AND I'm going with three lovely girls from my school (one being my sister) and ahh! I'm so excited!
BUT
(thats a big but)... now I really need to do my runs... I'll be honest I have not been very dedicated since I came home... But now I'm doing two 5k's in one month I need to step up my game and really push myself this summer!
(Feel free to keep me accountable, and give me looks of shame when I haven't done my running I deserve them haha)

But now it's like fresh motivation. It's so good to find something that is going to motivated you and give you a fresh passion for your dreams.

Also it's good to write down the things you want to accomplish because this color run was on my bucket list to complete and here I am! I get to check this off... in a couple months that is haha.

So start accomplishing the things you want to do in life!

Happy running all you beautiful people
infinite x's and o's
-A

Allysin - Summer Update #1

I know it has been SOO long since I last wrote,  

and I don’t really have a good excuse for it. So instead I’ll just take the responsibility of it. The last time I wrote I had JUST come home from school and now a month later things are all coming into place I have two jobs lined up for the summer and am currently working at one of them. I have unpacked, and I’m all settled in with my family again. So things seem to be pretty good.

EXCEPT for the fitness aspect of my life. I am just so unmotivated now. Even sometimes at work I just feel so not motivated to do anything. The weather is nice and so normally that helps motivate me but lately I just don’t feel like doing much. I have gone for a few runs since coming home and they haven’t been great but better than not at all, and the other day I went for a swim (I’ve worked as a lifeguard for the past four years so I enjoy swimming) but I really wanted to take this summer and work on getting in shape. So far it hasn’t been going well. So Month number 1 is a write off, however I have three more months to focus on being active. So here goes nothing.

Wish me luck

Infinite x’s and o’s

-A

Roxanne's Update: What Fitness Looks Like

One of the hard things with culture is the fact that it is constantly trying to tell you who you are or how you should look. In the North American culture that I live in it tells me that to be considered to be beautiful, healthy and in shape then I must be supremely thin with long lean muscles, but at the same time I need to be carefree - able to eat what I wish with the guys and to step out on any whim looking stunning - - - "Easy. Breezy. Beautiful Cover Girl" right? Everyday I am told over and over that if I want to be accepted or loved then I must lose 100 lbs. If I want to be happy and if I want to be happy with myself then I need to emulate these beautiful models that we see in advertising and other forms of media.
Maybe we have been lied to on what we need to be?
Perhaps it is time for a new definition of healthy? Of being fit?
Now please note that with this being said I am not saying that I don't need to lose weight. I understand that there are health reasons for why I do need to lose some of the fat deposits covering my body, and I am still working on that area of my life.
But maybe I don't need to be as hard on myself as I have been in the past when I'm not dropping a pound a day.
Perhaps there are other better ways of judging the changes in my body?
Did you realise that today was the fourth day of doing the 30 Day Shred DVD? And did you realise that I can now to most of the ab and strength work without a second thought? (Although my knee gives me hassels on some of the moves.) Now it's only the cardio I struggle with. But I'd like to see you do 2 minutes of cardio while carrying an extra hundred pounds, and I know that if I'm dilligent then this too will get easier. And do you realise that yesterday I walked a combined amount of approximately 10 km?
See I'm changing.
And although the scale today again stubbornly read 222.0 lbs I know that my body is a different make up then it was a year ago. I know I am stronger and fitter and have more energy. I know I am healthier, and although the scale is not agreeing, I know I am much closer to reaching my goal.
And it is because of this that I am not giving up.
And maybe this is a more accurate representation of what fitness looks like. A progression toward a goal of health, not a picture which culture constantly shows me. . . .
-Roxanne

Roxanne: Ugly Betty (Or a post on transformation)

Well folks. Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have recently moved home from college where I have a lack of internet, so at this moment I am sitting in a Starbucks across from my sister Allysin as we both try to catch up on our online world and the billions of notifications that several days away seems to entail.
The truth to be told, I am uncertain as to what week I'm on right now, but this I know - that if I were a more driven and dedicated person, then I should be running a 5K by now - or at least a whole mile. But, I am not. I am only a normal young adult with a small amount of motivation, but I think the important part is that I keep trying. And now as I think about it I realize that I could never be happy returning to my completely sedentry life. I like being active. Sure I wish I was more so. I wish I was one of those people who were born with a hyperactive metabolism and a passion for movement, but I wasn't, and now I am choosing to teach myself a love for it. In the words of a value campaign that I have come to respect:

Everytime I make a wise desicion, or get up and excercise or play sports with my family or go for a walk to think I am changing who I am, and sometimes it's not easy. Sometimes you wonder if maybe you should just stay the way you were. Perhaps you will never change so it is better to stay where you are. Change is scary.
But change is also good.
In the weeks just prior to finishing school for the year I began watching the ABC TV series Ugly Betty. So before I came home I bought the final three seasons and spent my first four days of my break watching them.
Was I completely happy with the way things ended?
No, not really.
I really wish they had tied off the loose ends better that would have given it a "happier" ending. I wish that Betty & Daniel would have kissed.
But all that is beside the point.
Ugly Betty actually taught me a lot about change and fear, about insecuirity and working beyond what you think you can do.
The TV show follows Betty who is considered "ugly" by the fashion industry in which she works. Slowly you see the shy, unconfident girl that she was change and transform. She steps into herself and begins to live up to her potential. She doesn't lose who she is, but she grows and transforms.
In one of the episodes of the final season Betty researches bug jewllery. In it she visits a designer with a love for bugs and especially butterflies. The designers has Betty watch a butterfly come out of the cacoon. During the conversation Betty is sad that the caterpillar is lost, and the designer reassures her that the caterpillar is not lost, it's still inside that butterfly - it's just that the butterfly has now become what it was supposed to be. At one point the designer states, "It's gotta be scary to change into a whole new thing."

This is where I feel I am now.
It's almost as though by actually following through with this and losing all the weight I intend to that I will become a whole new thing.
A whole new person.
And that scares me just a bit.
This new person can no longer use her weight as the excuse for why certain people don't like her, or as to why she doesn't have a boyfriend yet.
This new person will need to be disciplined and can no longer justify her bad choices with excuses.
This new person will be someone different then who I have been in the past.

But at the same time I can't keep being who I used to be.
Scared.
Unsure.
Doubtful
Excuse filled.
I'm already different, but I'm not quite fully transformed.
But - I'm headed that way.
In the words of a tweet I read the other day "Sometimes you have to step outside the person you have been" -@herewecollide
I hope I really do transform in the next few months because I am ready for something different.
For a different fight.
I'll keep you posted.
-Roxanne (@RoxyWiedemann or #2012fresh)

Home for the Summer! - Allysin's new entry

WELL HELLO EVERYONE!

So it's been a long time since I've wrote... Which usually means I haven't been doing all my running. Which is true, things got really busy between quitting my job (to come home for summer), major papers, exams, and moving back home, all of this kind of paid a toll on my working out and running. So that means I really need to step up my game now.

It kinda sucks not having run for the past couple weeks because that means that starting up again is going to feel like starting over! UGHHH no fun, but completely possible. And now that I'm home I do not have the comfort of using a treadmill anymore. And for those of you who don't know, I live in the country on these nice hilly roads... So running is going to be sooooo much fun (sarcasm). Nah I'm just having a negative attitude and I need to change that. Unfortunately the weather is not exactly in my favor. This past weekend we had SNOW! it was a SNOWSTORM at the end of APRIL! (That doesn't usually happen) and then it's been rainy and just gross out. But I'm praying for some nice weather that will help motivate me to go outside and run.

If you guys have any encouragement or motivational things to say to me, now would be a good times to say it haha.

I hope you guys are all doing better with your goals than I have been the past two weeks.
infinite x's and o's
- A

Roxanne - Week 13 Update

Hey Everyone!
I hope you had a fantastic Easter weekend :) Here is my weekly update:
Longest Run: 2min 30seconds. - Truthfully I think in the past and even now it's my mind that keeps me from running longer. I get bored and mentally think I'm tired, but I'm still breathing, so I should be able to push longer. I'm hoping that running outside during the summer will help me with this.
Time Run During A Workout: 4 min. 30 sec. during a 20 min workout
Distance Walked/Run This Week: 1.02 miles + generic walking outside to stores and friend's houses
Total Weight Lost: 16lbs
Last Week's Weight: 221.0lbs
Weight Loss: 2lbs
Current Weight: 219.0lbs
Goal: 200lbs by May 20th

So you may be wondering how I picked the date May 20th as my first goal date.
The reason I picked this date is due to the fact that on that day I will be standing in my good friend Brittany's wedding. This wedding is not the only reason I want to lose weight, obviously my current weight is a detriment to my health, self-esteem and relationship development and would need to be lost either way. However, this wedding did give me a fairly significant marking point and this is why I picked it.
And I'm really glad that I've lost the 16lbs and 3 inches that I have managed to lose up until this point.
But this weekend brought me news that makes my weight loss even more important.
My friend Brittany emailed me and informed me that the order for our bridesmaids dresses had never been processed, and they had never called to inform her. Instead with only just over a month left before the wedding Brittany had called them to figure out why we hadn't recieved our dresses yet. And this is a huge bummer because they were gorgeous dresses. And with ordering them I was gaurenteed that it would fit as I had sent in all of my measurements.
So now with the time crunch and the lack of my bridesmaid dresses, my best friend is now having to buy them in store and bring them with her when she flies in 6 days before her wedding.
I won't get my dress until 6 days before her wedding.
Now all you thin girls out there may be reading and thinking - what the heck is wrong with that?
When you're overweight you get used to things not fitting. So you often don't have the cutest clothes, and I tend to dread dress shopping as dress sizes tend to be smaller than other sizes. So now I'm absolutely paranoid that my dress won't fit when she brings it which would be awful.
So I'm going to be working extra hard to lose weight. Cutting out as much junk food as possible and excercising as much as I can motivate myself to. If I can actually meet my goal of 200lbs by this wedding I would probably be one happy, happy person.
Wish me luck!
-Rox - @RoxyWiedemann #2012fresh

The dress we were supposed to wear except in coral . . .

Roxanne - "Oh Jill, you're killin me . . ."

Today I was at my friend Katie's house and thus participated for the first time ever in the Jilian Michael's 30 Day Shred, and man is it good.
Sure I am totally exhausted,
My arms hurt,
My thighs hurt,
I had that weird thing where I almost fainted again . . . BUT, I actually feel accomplished, and I feel like I actually had a really great workout.
Jill herself struggled with weight issues as well before becoming the fitness guru that she is today.
So - if you're working out at home, grab some hand weights and try the 30 Day Shred. My friends say that it actually really works and you can really see a difference in a short amount of time.
And with this wedding coming up in May, that's just what I need, so you may hear more about Jilian in my future posts :)
Keep taking steps - it's worth it!
-Rox #2012fresh @RoxyWiedemann

Roxanne - Back to Running :)

So today I finally ran again.
And I absolutely loved every second of it.
Man I love the feeling of moving my body.
I guess somedays I just forget. . . .

This is what I want to do to celebrate my birthday this year :)

Roxanne - Week 12 Update - The day I discovered breakfast :)

Hey Everyone.

So, here's my update for the week . . .
Longest Run: Umm. . . Non-existant. Oops.
Time Run During A Workout: See above
Distance walked/run this week:  3 miles
Total Weight Loss: 14lbs
Last Week's weight: 222lbs
Weight Loss: 1lb
Current Weight: 221.0lbs
Goal: 200lbs by MAy 20th, 2012

Okay so as you can see by the stats the end of the year crunch is catching up with me. Last week and this week are my two major paper weeks, however, by Thursday all of my major papers will be completed and then one fairly normal week - one week of exams then a couple weeks of glorious freedom at home before starting my job at the camp for the summer.
However, with my running stats being low, and weight stats still plateaued between 220 and 222lbs my life stats are high. This past week I started eating breakfast everyday, and quite seriously - it has changed my life!!
I have so much more energy, and I don't get crazy cravings to eat in the evenings (although I somedays do - but it's more out of habit than desire now.) I don't need sugar the way that I used too. And on top of all that I eat a lot more calories in a day now that I eat breakfast, but it doesn't seem to effect my weight the way it used to. At the beginning of the week when I first began eating breakfast I was a bit concerned because I was gaining weight, but in return I gained so much energy. But I knew that losing weight is part of my end goal, and I couldn't put that in jeopardy. So I told God about my conundrum - the fact that I loved the energy, but that I couldn't continue eating breakfast if I couldn't lose weight doing so.
And voila!. Not that I'm losing weight at an incrdible rate, but I can eat breakfast and lose small increments of weight. And the best thing is that this system is maintainable :)
My friend Chris explaained to me that the reason I now have so much energy is due to the fact that eating breakfast in the morning is what starts your metabolism for the day. . . I think that at the beginning it just took a couple days for my metabolism to speed up to compensate for this new routine - as until this past week I haven't consistently eating breakfast since I was like 11.
Anyway, that was my lesson for the week.
My goal for this week is to work on not snacking in the evenings and see what happens.
All the best this week friends!
Sorting out my life one step at a time.
-Roxanne <3

Roxanne - Update week 11 (with pictures! :P)

Hey everyone,
So this week I shot some pictures of friends from school and at the end there were obviously a couple shots with the photographer. And I can actually see the difference :) My legs look so athletic, and I can see I've lost weight.
Next 20lbs - you're coming off too!

This first picture is from our family photoshoot in August right before I came to school:

This second one is from this week's photos.

And here's to more progress in the future. This week may have been a complete write off, but all of my hard work is not going down the drain!

Roxanne's Week 10 Update

Update:
Longest run: 1min. 30 sec.
Time run during a workout: 6 min
Distance walked/run this week: 11 miles approx.
Total weight lost: 15 lbs
Last week's weight: 219.4
Weight Lost: none 0.6lb gain
Current weight: 220.0lbs
Goal: 200lbs by May 20th.

It is also sweet to note that I have lost about 3 inches since my bridesmaid dress measurements a couple months ago. Unfortunately I'm not sure that I'm going to hit my first goal mark of 200 lbs by May 20th - but every little bit helps. I just wish I could get my butt off this plateau lol.
Anyway, I'll keep you all updated. Hope that all of your goals are going well.
-Roxanne

This is a picture of my friend Caitlin who has lost 65 lbs in the last year and a half . . . definitely inspiring.

SPRING IS HERE!

Finally!
                I've been waiting for soooo long to say that! And finally I can! Spiring is here!...Sort of. haha.
It was plus 14 degrees this past Wednesday, however last night (Friday) it was minus 13 so... that wasn't very spring like. But tomorrow it is supposed to be plus 11 and stay around that temperature for the rest of the week! Like I said SPRING IS HERE!


                Now I love spring. And there are a lot of reasons why. First, I love summer and spring means summer is almost here. Second, my birthday is in the spring. (Not till May 20th, but still it's spring) and thirdly, it's like everything becomes alive in the spring. Animals come out of hiding, flowers begin to bloom, things start to become green again. And even people just seem more alive and excited and happy, love often comes in the spring. I just really like Spring a lot!

              But now I have something new to look forward to in the spring. Running! WOOHOO! On Wednesday I went for my first run outside. It wasn't as good as I hoped it would be, but not as bad as I expected. (if that makes sense) I did like a five minute warm up walk, twenty minute run, and then I just walked for a while and enjoyed the scenery which altogether was an hour. Running not on the treadmill is definitely harder than the treadmill let me tell you that! But there are things I really enjoy about running outside, I like the wind, and I like the scenery. It's weird I have never been much of an 'outdoor' type of a person but lately I love outdoor activities. Like I really want to go camping. I joke around with my friends and tell them I want to be more adventurous. They just kinda laugh at me when I say it, but I really mean it. Like I want to go on portage trip, and I want to go kayaking really badly (I used to teach kayaking, but just stopped for no reason) and I want to eventually go on a 850 km bike trip of the whole niagara escarpment. I don't know I just want to do more. And not just say that I want to do these things. I really want to go and do them!

Anyways, the run was tiring, but good. And I'm glad I finally got to go outside and with this week being warmer, hopefully I'll be doing my runs outside a lot more!

Infinite x's and o's,
Allysin

You can do it!

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF YOU JUST BELIEVE!
            So basically I think you can do anything. You just need to believe you can, and put some effort into it and BAM you did it!

Take running for instance. Our bodies are made to move. See its all in our heads. Our brain likes to mess with us and tell us we can't do it. But you know what you start thinking you can and ignoring that voice in the back of your head saying you can't and then you get up and start putting one foot in front of the other. Then you move your feet faster and faster and suddenly WOW LOOK AT THAT! YOU ARE RUNNING!
I actually love going for runs! I mean before I go I'm like, man I don't feel like it. And you know even when i'm running I'm like ughh I don't want to do this. BUT AFTER I'M DONE I'M LIKE, I FEEL SO GOOD! I JUST LOVE RUNNING!

So I started taking these vitamins the other day, and I think they are giving me side effects. Like at every meal I take two bites and I'm just like no.. I don't want this. I just don't feel hungry. And then I keep getting these headaches, and other weird things.
                I mean maybe it's not the vitamins, maybe I'm just overreacting... I'm not sure. I'm going to give it a few more days and see what happens, but then after that I might have to stop taking them. What do you guys think?? Do you think I'm feeling this way because of the vitamins??

infinite x's and o's
Allysin

Roxanne - Week 7 Update

Okay, so first off just let me appologise that it has been two weeks since I last wrote an update.
It has been a busy couple of weeks with just starting to get into all the essay writing and reading, plus I have been working part time for the last week aand a half. . . . But at the same time I feel so blessed. Life is so good. I have incredible friends and aquaintances in my life. People who care about me and encourage me. People who cause me to laugh on a daily basis . . . Truthfully I wish everybody could know the people I know.
I wish I could share with all the stories and dreams and character of the people who are a part of my life.
On the work out side of life - my school has started a two week healthy living initiative, when for two weeks you focus and sign off on everyday of those two weeks establishing a new healthy habit. Through this I have obviously been working out more. And I've noticed the last couple days that it's barely even been a thought in my mind. I just put on my work out clothes and my runners without even questioning whether or not I'm going to work out today. IT's just part of my everyday. End of story.
And I can tell.
Running is starting to get easier again . . . even if it is only gaining 5 seconds a spurt a week. Breathing isn't hard, and I can feel that my legs aren't complaining too much either - now I just need to get past my mental road blocks . . . and also that thing with my heart. When it feels out of control. . . that's why I'm only gaining slowly. The last time I tried to push it too far it made my heart feel weird and my body feel really faint and sick, so I'm just going to work up slowly, and hopefully that will give my heart time to adjust to the fact that I'm making it work a little more than it's used to.

Update:
Longest run: 1 min 20 seconds
Time run during a workout: 5 min 20
Distance walked/run this week: 17.11 miles approx.
Total Weight Loss: 16lbs
Last Week's Weight: 221.2
Weight Loss: 1.8 lbs
Current Weight: 219.4
Goal: 200 lbs by May 20th

This Year We Have ONE More Day To: . . . .

Hey Everyone,
So - You may remember that I'm sort of a non-profit-aholic. I LOVE love love (!) hearing the stories of organizations that are making a difference for people who may not be able to help themselves.
I love researching them
I love following them
I love reading their ideas . . .

Mostly I just love that these organizations give the opportunity to ordinary people (such as myself) to be a part of it.
To be a part of their movement.
To be a part of the miracle
The healing,
The difference.
Of making life better for people.

And as you may remember. This blog is about more than running, or losing weight. It's about supporting causes that deserve it and making a difference in the lives of people around us.

One of my favorite organizations is The One Campaign.
I follow them on twitter (@ONEcampaign)
Their mission is to put an end to poverty.
And I'm not meaning the "bummer I can't get every whim that I get in my head" kind.
I mean the "can't eat-can't feed my kids- can't buy shoes, or other needed clothing" kind.
I think that's a movement worth being a part of.

Today they tweeted a ONE act a week challenge. (http://one.org/blog/2012/02/24/one-act-a-week-use-your-extra-day-to-make-a-difference/)
It was their Leap Day challenge.
They put forth an unfinshed sentence and asked you to complete it. It says:

This year, we have ONE more day to ____________.

My answer is going to be: budget, so that I have more money to give away to people who need it, or at least organizations that help the people who need it.

Why don't you take a couple minutes to decide what you're going to do with your ONE extra day to make a difference. Don't be flippant about it . . . . You never know who you could help.

-Roxanne

When Life Sucks - Allysin's New Entry.

Can I just be honest with you guys....

           So yeah I just want to have a moment of honesty. Sometimes Life really just sucks. You know? I mean sometimes it's not because anything really happened, sometimes you just feel... upset.

          This is how I have been feeling for over a week now. Nothing specific happened. I mean I did start a new job and it's taking up a lot of my time, and I'm not really getting all my work done for school right now. But my philosophy is it WILL get done, just it might get done at 3:00 in the morning of the day it's due. I didn't want to do that this semester, but apparently its inevitable in my life. I'll try not to make this blog entry too long or depressing because who wants to listen to that? But I really feel like I need to be honest. Lately my life just feels.... sucky.

            I try to encourage myself by saying, 'it could be a lot worse' I live in one of the most blessed countries in the world. I have two parents who are still married after 25 years. I have completed high school and am now getting a post-secondary education. I have clean drinking water. I have so many things and yet I still feel so down. I think sometimes we just need to be allowed to have a week where life just sucks. So I have taken this week as just that. Truth is I have still been doing all my runs, and that actually might be the high light of my week. Because although I feel like life is kind of crumbling around me I have stayed committed. Not only that but the endorphins released during my runs usually help cheer me up.

           But even with my body filled with endorphins and my brain filled with the knowledge that I am super blessed, at the end of the day sometimes I just want to curl up and cry. Sometimes I feel like I'm still missing something. I mean I have everything I could possibly need, and yet I still feel like my life isn't complete. Does this make sense to you guys? Can you guys relate?

           I feel like I really just need some encouragement lately, which is funny because I'm doing a challenge to encourage people for 21 days. And yet I find I'm the one who is needing the encouragement.

            But you know what? Happiness is a choice and I'm choosing to be happy and content with my life. (However if you wanted to send me a note of encouragement I would greatly appreciate that, I could really use it) Alright the sob story is over. I just wanted to get that out there, that sometimes its okay to say that life isn't going great.

          Drop me a comment if maybe your life isn't going that great. Or drop me a line of encouragement either one would be great. It would be awesome to here that maybe I'm not the only one that is have a tough time with life right now.

Keep running though everybody! Your goals and dreams are NOT impossible.
infinite x's and o's
Allysin

Dreaming - Allysin's New Entry

Yeah I know it's been a little while....


                   I told you guys, I'm not very good at staying committed to things. But hey I'm trying my best. (Well maybe not my bestest, but I'm working up to that)

                 Anyways that fact I haven't written in a couple weeks is not the point of this blog. Because although continuously writing is not my strong point adding distance and time to my runs has become my strong point. This week I ran my first full 5 km's on the treadmill. THATS RIGHT! I DID IT! I mean I'm nowhere close to being done all my running, but hey it's a big step! I ran 5 km, in 40 minutes making my longest run time 30 minutes with a 5 minute warm up and cool down.
 
                 Everything I read said it should take AT LEAST 8 weeks to be able to run 5k. But I successfully did it in four weeks. And not only did I run 5k one time, I've ran it twice! And this week coming I will be running it more. (I kind of took a few days off this past week, probably not the best idea I've had) But starting tomorrow I will be doing daily runs again. (Except on sundays, I figure it God can take a day of rest so can I)

                  Once the warmer weather comes I'll be switching to outside, just the thought already makes me cringe. I feel like it will be a lot less motivational not having the clock and distance right in front of me, but then maybe the scenery will help motivate me.

                   So I hope you guys haven't given up on your goals. Look I KNOW it can be tough! I know you do not always feel like working for something. I know you want to find an easy way to get there. I know you have a million 'reasons' (which I like to call excuses) of why you're putting it off. I know because I have been there. BUT JUST STOP IT! No reason you can come up with right now will be good enough to convince me that you should stop pushing yourself towards your goals. We don't saying we're 'pushing ourselves towards our goals' because it's easy. That would 'we're rolling ourselves towards our goals'. You have to work to push! You have to use your energy and PUSH yourself. It's not always fun. Ten minutes into my run I normally think, 'this is boring, I don't want to do this anymore' but thinking like that did not help me accomplish running 5km's for the first time this week.

                If your goal is to have a healthy lifestyle so you can live a longer life with your wife/husband, children AND grandchildren then start practicing it now! Because eating that bag of potato chips and watching a movie with your kids might seem like fun now. But guaranteed your kids would rather that you had spent time outside playing a sport with them while eating carrot sticks, and still be able to have you around to see their kids. So you can make every excuse you want. But when you are in the hospital saying your goodbyes to your kids at age 45, because of high blood pressure or diabetes you're going to regret making those excuses now! You will wish you could go back years earlier and start making those healthy decision. Stop wasting your life. Because before you know it, your whole life will be gone and you'll be left with a lot of regret.

               Your dreams might seem big. Maybe you want to be the first person in your family to graduate university. Maybe you want to lose over a hundred pounds. Maybe you want to become a doctor and discover the cure to cancer. Your dreams might seem so out of reach, but it doesn't mean you should stop reaching for them. I know there is stuff in my life that I want, and I want to look back and say I did everything I possibly could have to reach my dreams. I know this blog entry is getting long, I'm sorry I'll try to end it soon.

               I want to share with you guys some of my dreams. I don't normally share my dreams with people. For a couple reasons, the first, I'm terrified that people are going to judge me and think that my dreams are stupid. The second, I have changed my mind so many times in my life about what I want that when i share what I really want people don't believe me anymore, so I just stopped sharing it. But I think in a step to overcome my fear and actually going for my dreams I want to share what my dreams are.

First off I want a family. I want a husband, and I want children, I even want some form of a pet (even if it's just a fish). I say that I don't really need these things and that I would be fine if I just committed myself to my work. It's not true, I desire to have a family of my own. And I desire to have a family where my husband and I choose to love each other everyday and to never give up on us even when things are tough. I want my children and I to have an open relationship where they can talk to me about everything that goes on in their lives because they KNOW I will ALWAYS love them. And I want my parents to be healthy enough to play with my children. I want my dad to walk me down the aisle. I want to see them both live long and healthy lives.

Secondly is career centered. I want to start an organization that reaches out to many people who feel hopeless. I want to start a cafe that inspires young people to reach for their dreams in every form of art. I want to do seminars in high schools where we talk to the students about self worth, I want the students to KNOW that THEY ARE WORTH SOMETHING! I want to start a retreat/camp for troubled teens. Where they would have a chance to build HEALTHY relationships. I want to start a wedding planning business that not only finds ways to fit a couples budget and give them the wedding of their dreams, but that also offers premarital counseling to give the couple the MARRIAGE of their dreams. And lastly I want to fight against sex trafficking in not only third world countries where everyone knows this is going on. But in North America where it goes on unnoticed. I want to offer each one of these groups of people hope. I want people to know that they are here on earth for a reason. That no matter how bad life seems there is ALWAYS A REASON TO KEEP GOING!

              I have a lot of other dreams but these are my biggest. Sometimes they seem too big. They seem to far off, and impossible. But I know that these dreams are in me for a reason. And I don't know if I will ever accomplish all of these. But I do know that when it comes time for me to die, I sure want to be able to say that I did everything possible to see my dreams come to pass. I hope you do too!

Infinite x's and o's
Allysin

Roxanne - Week 5 Update

Hi Everyone.
So, this is going to be just a quick update due to me being superduper busy today and tomorrow . . .

Update:
Longest run: 2 min. 10 sec.
Time run during a workout: 8 min. 20 sec.
Distance walked/run this week: 3.18 miles approx.
Total Weight Loss: 14lbs
Last week's weight: 222.8 lbs
Weight loss: 1.8 lbs
Current weight: 221.0
Goal: 200 lbs by May 20th, 2012

Thanks so much everyone for the support. I haven't weighed this little in almost 4 years, so definitely making progress. Now I just need to start cracking down on the running a bit more.
Hope all is well.
Feel free to update us on your lives and goals as well. We would love to hear from you!
-Roxanne <3

Roxanne - When Quiting Comes Close.

I have never felt more like quiting than I do today.
Life's tough.
And it seems like whenever it throws something at you - it sure does like to throw an avalanche.
In one day I have been told that I am not wired to do the job I'm in school for
- I couldn't make it through my run because I was struggling to breathe
- I gained a pound and a half
- and I found out that my best friend and I weren't as good of friends as I thought.
It's been a long time since I've felt this lonely . . .
A long time since I have felt like this much of a failure. . .
What happens if I can't do this?
What happens if I don't succeed?
What happens if I can teach myself to run 5k?
Or lose 100 pounds?
What happens if I can never look in the mirror and be proud of myself?
What happens if I can't conquer?
Win?


I don't know.
But I can't give up.
I can't.

If I find out the answers to these questions.
It's not going to be because I quit!

I'm no quiter.

I may be a failure - but I'm no quiter.
I can't give up.

I'm fighting for this inch . . .

NOTE: This video swears once.

Life Throws Their Things - Eve's new update

Hey!
Life throws things our way for reasons, and sometimes it seems like its the worst thing EVER, but really these things.... these times...... they are here to help us see what we could be - what we should be. When Allysin told me about this run I really thought she was gonna give it up. I didnt really want to do this, but ever since then I started to see the things that I know I could do better at. I know that I havent made like a huge difference in my life or anything, but I know what I can change in myself and my lifestyle.
         I dont really think that I have a huge impact in this world, but running this can help so many people, and its like, I can try to help save a life by running this thing, even though I didnt want to do this very much. I hope I will be ready for this.
Sincerely
~Eve~

Pachrick

 I want to run so I can be first with my family. So I'm going to run back and forth to practice.
-Pachrick
(Pachrick is the youngest of our family at six years old, and he wants to RUN FOR THE CURE)

Things are looking up - Christine's new entry

 For the last few years I've been trying to figure out how to bring a family back together after the stuff in life have pulled them apart and bit by bit it seems God is showing us that He can bring healing and wholeness where the enemy has torn people apart. In Septemper He taught me to give every fear into His strong hands and trust Him to work in every circumstance to bring good. At Christmas Allysin's idea to run this race began to bring out a united idea to work together and is helping to bring hope and courage to all of us. I can hardly wait to see where our family will be by September.
Blessings
- Christine

A Smile As Big As the Moon + Week 4 Update

This evening I watched this movie.
It's entitled A Smile As Big As The Moon.
And I want to encourage everyone to rent it, Itunes it, buy it. Whatever. But it's one of those movies worth watching.
It's inspirational.
Right after watching it, I tweeted this: "If I`m not going to be the one who saves a life or changes the world then I want to inspire someone else to do it."
And that's where I find myself. This is the kind of person I want to be. . . I either want to do something amazing and transformational with my life - or I want to help other people to.
I want my life to count.
I want my sister Beth to realize that she can do more than people say she can.
I want my sister Eve to find the bravery within herself.
I want Hannah to prove that quirky-ness and love can make the best kind of person.
I want my brother Pachrick to conquer set backs and be the hero he dreams of being.
I want my mom and dad to be happy and purposeful.
I want Allysin to keep pushing because she's so driven that she can acomplish anything.

But I'm kind of scared.
I'm scared I'm the kind of person that gives up on work because I'm used to life being easy.
I'm scared that I'm the kind of person who quits instead of pushing harder when things get tough.

I don't want to be that kind of person - because those kinds of people don't change things. Those kinds of people don't inspire other people to change and reach for their best.
I don't want to be that kind of person.
And that's why I want to do this. This run, this life style change - this weight loss.
I want to prove to myself that I'm not a quitter. That maybe I can acomplish more than I think.
That perhaps my life can be an inspiration. That I can do something that counts.
I want to prove to myself that I'm stronger than I believe I am . . . .

Update:
Longest Run: 2 min 5 seconds
Time run during a work out: 8 minutes 20 seconds
Distance walked/run this week: 7.11 miles approx
Total Weight Loss: 12 lbs
Last Week's Weight: 227.0
Weight Lost: 4 lbs
Current Weight: 222.8
Goal: 198 lbs by May 20th, 2012
Reminding myself to look beyond myself. . . .
-Roxanne  (@RoxyWiedemann or #2012fresh)

When "Failure" Happens . . .

Hey Everyone,
So some of you may have noticed that I didn't post my weekly update this week. The reason I didn't post was due to my disappointment in myself. Last week started good, but I stopped doing my morning work outs at all and my evening workouts were sporadic or non existant. So, by Monday of this week came around I had gained about 2lbs.
In that moment of 'failure' I was faced with a choice. . .
See, here's the thing - if I want to lose weight; if I want to run - than I can't eat whatever I want, whenever I want the way other people can.
I can't take days off working out.
But that's my choice.
I need to decide what it is that I value.
So I picked myself up, and started back into my workout routine, and hopefully my Monday update will reflect that.
Sometime failure happens, and you need to choose whether you're going to learn from it or not.
You need to choose what you're going to do with it.
With new determination,
-Roxanne

Victories - Allysin's new entry

Hey Everyone!
               So I just wanted to share some exciting stuff. Yesterday I was talking with a friend of mine, and she was just encouraging me with my running. This is what she told me, 'our bodies can do it just our minds think we can't.'  So I have been running every other day and yesterday would be a day that I wasn't running. So  I went to gym and was going to walk, I walked on the treadmill with a high incline for half an hour. But as I was nearing the end of my walk and I decided why not push myself a little harder and do a bit of a run. So after I finished the incline walking I began to run and I ran for a full ten minutes and then did a five minute cool down.
          Feeling a lot more motivated today I went to go for my run and decided to see how hard I could push myself today. And guess what! I did a five minute warm up, ran ten minutes, walked another five minutes, ran another ten and then did a five minute cool down. So in total I ran twenty minutes. And the distance I traveled then was 2.4 miles which is 3.8 kilometers so I've almost run my five km.
          Still have a lot of work to do BUT I've made so much progress and I know I can push myself. I know my body can go further than I did today and I can't wait to see just how far I can push myself.

Thanks for all your support!

Infinite x's and o's
- Allysin

Allysin - Week #3 Update

Well Well Well....

         Its week number three. I heard somewhere that it takes three weeks, twenty-one days, to make a habit. So running everyday should be a habit, except oh wait... I haven't been going every day. I go often enough, at the very least three times a week. But I want to go more, sometimes I feel like I'm getting worse instead of better. But I'm going to push to get better. I want this, I really really want this. I want to have pushed myself, and I want to have set a goal, and I want to have achieved it!

        My cold was definitely a major set back, I mean who feels like working out when you can't even breathe? But after a few days of being sick I was starting to be able to breathe again and I managed to get myself back to the gym. I haven't gone as often as I wish I had of, and I haven't been eating as healthy as I should've been, but I don't look at my failure and give up because of it. I look at my failure and say 'okay, this time I've got to do better than last time'. 

        I switched up my running times to a five minute warm up, 3 minutes of jogging to 2 minutes of walking for half an hour and then a five minutes cool down. I think it's a little more easy to break into than the five minutes of walking five minutes of jogging I was doing before. 

        Sometimes I don't feel like running but it's in those moments that I have to remind myself why I am doing this. I'm not doing this just for me, I'm doing this for something that is WAY bigger than myself I am doing this to raise awareness, and to help fund finding a cure. A cure to a disease that thousands of people are terrified that that either they will be diagnosed with or their loved ones will be diagnosed with. A disease that thousands are afraid to lose someone to. I want to be someone who helps bring hope to a situation that seems hopeless.

Infinite x's and o's

Allysin

Roxanne - Week 2 Update -

Hi Everyone!
So, this week has definitely been an adventure. See, changing how I am - changing how my body is used to living isn't easy. Some days it's a real fight.
And some days I gave up.
This past week on Thursday and Friday I kinda gave up on my life changes. I stopped caring what I ate and only did my one work out each day - and just so that I could check it off and say that I did.
But
I didn't let myself continue to give up.
In the past I've always looked at my mistakes and seen them as insurmountable. I would think that since I had already made a mistake that I should just give up trying. But, I was wrong.
This is worth trying for - and of course somedays I'm going to mess up. I mean, this is a pretty big change for me, but at the end of the day it is going to be well worth it.
And with every good decision it gets easier to make good decisions . . . right?
That's what I'm hoping.
But even if I have to fight for every minute, for every rep, for every run. for every pound lost - I'm going to.
I'm going to do this.

Update:
Longest time run: 3 minutes (up a minute from last week, and PS - running is getting SO much easier!)
Time run during a work out: 8 1/2 minutes in 40 minutes
Distance walked/run this week: 12.83 miles approx.
Total Weight Lost: 9 lbs
Last week's weight: 228 lbs
Weight Lost: 3 lbs
Current weight: 225.8 lbs
Goal: 198 lbs by May 20th, 2012

If I can make progress - so can you!
Fight for it.
-Roxanne

Set Backs - Allysin's new entry

OH NOOOO....

                Well the joys of living in Canada is that there is this lovely time called winter where we get a beautiful thing called snow. Snow can be so beautiful, and can be fun to play in. However, it is also very cold. Which is exactly what I have, a cold. Yesterday night I knew I needed to go for a run, it had been two days. I was feeling very unmotivated and very tired but I need to show some dedication and push myself on those days that I don't feel like going. So I got ready and went to the gym and got on the treadmill to start running and it seemed like everything had gone wrong. First of all I realized I had forgotten my keys to get back into the dorms in my room, and I didn't bring my phone so I had no way back into the dorm but I figured I was already out so I'd figure all that out after I finished my run. Then as I began to do a warm up walk I my muscles felt super weak and just not right but I was thinking that it was probably I just didn't want to go for a run and I would make myself anyways. Then after my warm up I began my first five minute set of running and my socks began to fall off in my shoes which was extremely uncomfortable but I would wait till I was done my five minutes and fix them. Then after about two minutes of running my chest, throat and right down to my lungs were hurting so much, almost burning. The only way i can think to describe this is like when you run outside and its winter and it feels like everything freezes inside your throat and it hurts a lot. Thats what it felt like only I was inside. Well I pushed myself to finish those five minutes, then walked five minutes and really had to force myself to do another five minutes run but after that I was feeling so weak and my throat hurt so much I had to call it quits. So I did twenty minutes out of my thirty minutes but it was hard. 

                This morning I woke up again with a really sore throat, a stuffy nose, a bit of a cough, and barely any voice. I guess I really am sick. So until my cold goes away I'm going to be taking it pretty easy on the running and stuff. I might do some biking or just walking so I stay in the routine of going to the gym but I'm not going to make myself more sick by running. 

                Truth is we all have set backs, we all have things in our lives that try to stop us from reaching our goals. No matter what you are trying to do you will have things that will tell you that you will not succeed, and there are going to be days where you believe it and you feel like you can't succeed. But when those days come we need to make a decision are we going to allow those moments to stop us from living the rest of our lives successfully? 

                My answer is no, I am not going to allow persons, thoughts, or just plain bad days ruin the rest of my life for me. I know what I want and I am going to push past everything to get there. 

                I hope that when the time comes and you feel like you can't do something and you won't reach your goals that you will continue to pursue them, Don't give up!

infinite x's and o's

- Allysin

New Beginnings - Chris's new entry

It seems that my life is all about new beginnings these days, new year, new job, new directions. So its as good a time as any to start a new life style. Better eating, drink more water {if only I could have a portible ice cube maker so my water could be cold all the time ahhhh}more exersize. I was so impressed with the change I saw in Roxanne after only a couple of days of following her new goals. It has inspired me. I will make healthier lifestyle choices! Lets start with sleep. I tend to go to bed 1-2 am especially when John is on afternoons then up at 6:20am. I tell myself I can sleep when I'm dead but I think it would be easier to make healthy choices if I had more sleep = more will power. So my first goal is to go to bed by mid-night every night. OOPS its 12:30 now guess I better go - good night
Blessings,
- Chris

Allysin - Week One Update

Well...

                It's been quite awhile since I have actually written I guess I should get on this. After all this was my idea, and as I mentioned before I'm not the greatest at following through on my ideas. So I NEED to keep up with the blogging. The truth is I have been running, I just haven't written about it. But I need to stay dedicated and follow through on the things I said I was going to do, and writing at least once a week is part of that. 

                Like I said I have been running, I started to do a little bit of running in the fall. So I started this week doing five minutes of walking, five minutes of running for half an hour. At the end of the half hour I have traveled  two miles, which is 3.2 kilometers. Look I'm over halfway of the 5k! Next week I plan to move it up just a bit and run for six minutes and walk for four. I've been really motivated this week and definitely living at school with my sister and watching herself push herself is super encouraging. I'm so proud of her!

               A friend of mine was talking to me about running one time and said the hardest part is learning to breathe, once you figure out the breathing you can run for miles. So my goal for the next couple of weeks is to really focus on my breathing while I'm running. My friend also said that it takes about five minutes for the endorphins to be released into your body so if you ever feel like quiting within the first five minutes, DON'T DO IT! Just wait and push yourself for five minutes and you'll find yourself starting to enjoy it! 

              So everyone be encouraged, when I started running in the fall I could barely run for two minutes,  (And let me tell you, I did not work very hard at my running in the fall) and here I am running five minutes at a time. And look at me, I'm committing to blogging! I HATE COMMITMENTS! But I'm doing it! If there is something that you want to do in your life, then DO IT! Because when you are lying on your death bed do you really want to look back at your life and say I wish... or if only... You fill in the blank with whatever dreams or goals you have for your life. Stop pushing it off, make 2012 YOUR YEAR! Do something with your life that you have always dreamed but never thought possible. Do something scary, do something crazy, and do something that seems impossible. Just don't waste your life, it only happens once.

infinite x's and o's 

- Allysin

This video always encourages me, I hope it motivates you to be GREAT!