Frustration...to INSPIRATION

The month of January has been a bit of a struggle for me with regard to my weight loss goals. I have lost 7 lbs, and while it is easy to say that that is a healthy weight loss pace, it still just feels like very little progress. Without making any excuses, I have had a couple of obstacles...two weeks of being sick or nursing someone else back to health...and this rainy weather here in So Cal making it more of a challenge to get outside and exercise.

However, I finally checked out a blog of a dear friend of mine, Danielle Copeland Bethke. She, too, set out on a weight loss challenge, and her results are nothing short of amazing! Her blog is so wonderful, detailed, personal, and INSPIRATIONAL. What I really loved were seeing her photos of a 5K that she ran, and how incredibly happy she looks in those pics.

Well...I thought...hm...what if I could get ready for a 5K, and join her on one! I found several links for a "Couch to 5K" training program. I have always been very active, used to really love jogging in fact, so I really thought that this might be the true kind of inspiration that I need to get on track and stay on track. I think that I need to focus more on my overall fitness, less on that hardcore weight goal.

I found one website that had a couple of variations of the Couch to 5K, and I selected the most conservative program. I know that I can blow the first few months out of the water, the first week is only walking a total of 50 minutes! I will probably have 50 minutes in by Tuesday. However, it is all about baby steps, and I know that if I follow this program, I will be ready for a 5K in 7 months (if not sooner). In fact, here is my exact schedule for month one, starting today:

Phase I Warm up phase Month 1 All Walking (Times in minutes per day)

Week M T W TH F S S TOTAL
1 Off 10 Off 15 Off 10 15 50
2 Off 10 Off 15 Off 20 15 60
3 Off 15 Off 20 Off 15 20 70
4 Off 20 20 Off 20 Off 20 80

Grand total: 260

So I will be tracking my progress with this goal in mind, and I hope to hear from those of you for whom this was a successful way to achieve your fitness goals, or if you would like to join me in my fitness journey! And I cannot wait to run a 5K with Danielle, too!