The One With the Walking and Spa Water

My work out adventure is proving to be more difficult than I thought, so I decided to tweak it a little. I read online you can burn a substantial amount of calories just by power-walking for a couple hours a day and it actually engages more of your muscles than running or walking leisurely. It made more sense for me to start with the more intense walking for long distances than the beginners running program...not sure why.  I'm thinking about investing in a pedometer so it's easier to keep track of my movements.  I find walking up and down the 1/2 mile long driveway here to be somewhat therapeutic. It's fresh air and wide open space I wouldn't have easy access to if I lived in the city....for now I have to enjoy my surroundings because I know this only a temporary thing (thankfully)!
Since it's rainy and pretty dreary outside this evening I think I'm going to spend some time adding to my track list for my work outs. I figure if I have 1- 1 1/2 hours worth of tunes to keep me focused then it will make my work out time go by a little faster. Maybe I will post them later.

Long term thinking, maybe building up an endurance is a better first move than forcing myself to extend my time moving faster. All things considered I increased my "run time" for almost a full minute compared to last week and I figure I can go about 1/4 of a mile at consistent pace after the 6th work out. It doesn't sound like much, yeah, but I can feel the difference and see it in myself.  I feel like I look happier, and much less puffy than I was before. The addition of "spa water" has been fantastic so far...it's just sliced cucumber and lemon seeped in a glass pitcher. It adds a little flavor to the water, and  turns out the combination is a natural diuretic and it definitely works!  

I've also noticed my face is FINALLY close to free of break outs, even though I wash my face every day. My problem area has been concentrated to my chin and last night I went to bed after dinner with my mom & aunt I woke up to an almost clear face...not sure what changed but something did (and I'm happy with whatever it is)! My chin area has been horrible recently and after diet adjustments, exercise changes, and forcing myself to stick to a routine until it becomes habit (like waking up, washing my face, and eating something for breakfast within a half hour of when I roll out of bed) I feel better.

Right now, I feel pretty good about myself and I am starting to feel more confident in my own abilities. I just have to keep positive and more importantly press forward, one step at a time. Good things will come my way soon--I know that much. I have worked way too hard to be stagnant and struggling forever.  LIVE WELL <3

The One With the Tunes List

I admit it, I've never been a fan of running/jogging....it just hasn't been my go-to thing for any point in my life. Then again I haven't forced myself to tie up my shoes and get out there to move faster than a power walk.  Until now.

Since I'm on a self improvement kick, I thought I would finally test my will power and learn to like it...or at least force myself to do it more often. Who am I kidding, the endorphin high (so I've heard) could be fantastic...and any little bit of happiness I can get will work wonders on my overall attitude.  A friend of mine talked about the "Couch to 5K" work out plan, which  takes intervals of walking and running and increases over the 28 work outs..so by the end you should be able to run for a full 30 minutes. I'm not out to be a marathon runner or anything but right now I can focus on myself as I wait for the rest of my life to fall into place. I also noticed 28 work outs done every day instead of the 3 times a week might increase the likelihood running becomes a new habit. ....

I did the first work out and it was hard for me to stop and start every 30 seconds looking at my phone's stop watch so I came up with a play list of up tempo music and slower stuff. I plan to adjust my speed with each song change. It'll take some time to work up to full songs but I figure as long as I'm moving for the entire playlist it will get easier...until I reach the full length run.

So what's the playlist you ask? ....Drum roll please....

1) Don't Stop Believing - Journey (warm up)

2) Stronger - Kelly Clarkson

3) Stand- Rascal Flatts

4) Cruise - Florida Georgia Line

5) Beautiful - Christina Aguilera

6) Raise Your Glass - P!nk

7) The House  That Built Me - Miranda Lambert

8) Country Girl - Luke Bryan

9) She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5

10) Here I Go Again - Whitesnake ( Cool Down)

The track list is a total of 38 minutes....which is more than enough to keep me busy for a while. I spent a lot of time listening to different tunes and picking the ones I liked best/ kept me motivated. I pay attention to the lyrics just as much as the beat and I also like variety of genres so I think this mix is pretty good.  As I run more I might change out some of the slower songs for faster, to keep me motivated.  On that note, I should finish downloading the track list to my MP3 player and mentally prepare myself for the continuation tomorrow. Wish me luck (and for wings on my feet haha)!!

<--- P.S. A little wisdom for the day and something to think about.