the one where I talk about my fitness

Years ago, I used to qualify myself as an athlete. I was fit, kicking ass and taking names and generally in great shape from volleyball.

That was about nine years ago. It was when I was 18-20. Then, I entered college, stopped playing volleyball and working out and fell in love with the laid back college life.

Did I run? Sure, maybe a mile or two. Did I attend the 15-minute abs routine? Of course, with all my new friends in tow. Did I go out every Thursday through Sunday? You better believe it!

It wasn't until I was coming up on my 22nd birthday that I realized I needed to get back into shape. I started running, decreased my drinking and voila! I dropped 20 pounds and was slim again. It was a piece of cake.

So, I'm now 27 and will fully admit I weigh the most (yes, the most) I've ever weighed in my life. I'm convinced my body has changed because the weight isn't falling off like it used to. Before, I never adjusted my eating and just increased my exercise. It isn't working now.

I weigh 159.2 pounds. There. I said it. For all of you who are rolling your eyes and thinking, "that's nothing," well it is for me and my 5' 6" frame. I'm most comfortable when I'm 135 and borderline between a size six and eight. I've had enough and am making the right choices to get back to that weight.

Earlier this year, I signed up for the half marathon and completed it. Savvy Avenue Cleveland ran a special on personal training sessions with Brian at Body Creations. We've completed three sessions together and I'm repeating our workout (to the best of my ability) on my own and mixing in running and a kickboxing class for my cardio.

Since my friends are also trying to lose weight and get healthy, we share our eating habit tips back and forth with each other. It's summer so I want ice cream every day. After watching Food Inc. vowing I'd never eat any type of meat again, I'm making better and smarter food choices. I'm only buying local and organic chicken and grass-fed beef. I buy organic vegetables and fruit and stocking up on almonds, greek yogurt and healthy snacks. I've also downloaded a few cooking apps on my phone like Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, Epicurious and All Recipes.

With all that said, I'm not going to deprive myself of chocolate or ice cream, but need to make sure I'm not over indulging in these treats.

Maybe if I'm as brave as Renee, I will post before and after pictures. I have them and look fondly at my svelte past body, but I'm also completely motivated to get it back.

This is my fitness journey. What is yours? How do you stay in shape and stay motivate to reach your goal?

terms of endearment

A post-it note plastered to my mirror from the BF.



I couldn't remember my bike combination yesterday. (Yes, I have a bike because I'm getting into shape.) He bought a lock for me about a month ago and I never wrote the combo down. (He told me once when he first bought it and I've never had to lock it up.) Yesterday when I went for a ride, he tells me to lock it up if I go in the Metroparks to run.

As I'm jumping on my bike....
Me: I don't know the combination.
BF: Didn't you write it down?
Me: No, didn't you?
BF: No, I told you what it was when I got it.
Me: Well, I don't remember that. It was forever ago and you just told me the code once. I need more repetition than that to remember some random 4 digit code.

This was stuck to my mirror so I wouldn't forget and probably not blame him for not telling me.

marathon runner

Yesterday, I decided to get in with the spirit of the Olympics and head for one long ass run/walk over to my friend's house. The BF had just returned from his 72-hour non-stop bachelor party in Chicago. Since he was going to occupy the living room for the next 12 hours and I was "moving too fast" around the place for him, I decided to run over to my friend's house. Truth be told, I'm really out of shape. I mean, it's bad. I'm 25-years-old and a 12-year-old could beat me in a mile. Hell, I bet I can't even run a 10-minute mile. (OK, it's not really that bad, but this last month has thrown my work outs for a loop. I was doing so good before!)

I leave with no cell phone (yes!) and start running to her house. I figured I wouldn't be back for awhile because it's about 3 miles to her place and the BF would be passed out, so no one would need to reach me. By the time I visited with her neighbors, drank a gallon of water and ran back, even though they insisted on driving me home.

(Editor's note: Hello! My whole point is to get back into tip-top shape.)

Anyway, it had been almost two hours since I left and I had no idea of time because I was in my own little world, listening and singing along to Rihanna. I walk up to our place, dripping in sweat because I thought I was Jackie Joyner Kersee and the BF is walking out of our place, looking around for something.

Me: Nearly out of breath, "Heeeyyyyy."
BF: "Where have you been?"
Me: "Um, being an Olympic athlete."
BF: "I called Michelle and she said she hasn't seen you. I was going to drive around and look for you."
Me: "What? Why would you do that? Where would you even start?"
BF: "I don't know, but you've been gone for two hours and scared the shit out of me."
Me: "Awww, you were going to search for me."
BF: "Yes. Who goes running that long?" Then he notices my condition, "Wow- you are a sweaty mess."

Who said getting in shape was pretty?