Life in the Midwest.

You know that moment when you’re reading a book and you just have to stop and bite your lip and squeal or sigh or close your eyes and wrinkle your nose and forehead and press the book against your heart and just like sit there and try to soak up the gorgeous literature via osmosis?

That’s my favorite part of reading. 

(Source: tommyshawsboots)

So HIIIIIIIIII.

Once again, life has taken me away from the computer. Sorry I’m not sorry.

News in my life!

1. Now training for 10k/eventual half marathon. Kicking names and taking ass.

Basically, I run every day. And I run longer - every day. Except that on occasion I give myself a “recovery day” and only run two miles. So yeah. Today was a total of six miles in two runs (it was hot… I figured this was safer). Yesterday was four miles at 10-minute pace.Today I ran a few 9 minute miles.

Goal? Run a 10k in under 60 minutes. I’ll get there - slowly but surely. I’ll be running a 10k in the next month. I know I won’t be at my goal pace, but I’ll at least be able to finish, and run the whole damn thing (without walking). It’s a good feeling. Gotta love the runner’s high - which is a phrase I didn’t truly understand until I hit my stride at mile two and didn’t let up until the end of the sprint home.

If only they could bottle that stuff.

I’m still eating under a net goal of 1200 calories a day (MyFitnessPal is a LIFESAVER) and I’ll be joining a gym once the paychecks come in. I want to lift weights. I want muscles. A long time ago I mentioned that I’m training for the eventual zombie apocalypse. I promise, I’ll address that soon in more detail. :)

2. I GOT A JOB.

LIKE A REAL JOB. LIKE IN MY INTENDED CAREER FIELD.

If you know a lot about me, you know I’m a journo. I love to write, and I’ve been panicked the last few weeks at the thought of trying to find a job and failing miserably. Well, worry no more! I’ll be starting at the Goshen News in a little under two weeks’ time. YAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

I’ll be covering their city beat, as well as general feature and enterprise writing. I’m so excited - I feel gratified, like all of the times I’ve killed myself for a story have worked out.

I go to bed exhausted and happy, and I hope all of you do the same. :)

SO…..

Graduation happened.

YAY!!!!!

And I have a job interview tomorrow.

(YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!)

And with all of that, I am unpacking stuff from my dorm room and throwing a graduation open house in two days.

(YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!)

Meaning that the internets have fallen out of my day-to-day habits. So… yeah.

But on the fitblr side of things, I ate healthily (and got plenty of walking exercise, though no set cardio workouts in) over Senior Week and this week. I plan on going for a run today, and I will be joining Pinnacle as soon as I have a steady paycheck. Let’s hope that everything goes well tomorrow!

unenlightened asked: Hey! I just wanted to ask im on day 2 of the 30ds and this morning i was in KILLER pain, i seriously mean KILLER pain. I went ahead and did it today and i didnt feel nearly as exhausted as i did yesterday and ive even got in 15 mins on my stationary bike. Did you find day one of the 30ds hard or am i just being silly? x

Day one was a BITCH. And every time you start a new level, the first day feels like hell. You’ve just got to push through it. I don’t recommend taking a break until day 7 of each level. You’ve got to get time in on doing the exercises to condition and train your body on the new movements. The day off around day 7 makes your body have to push again on day 8 - kind of a kick start, as I came to see it. Good luck!!!

becoming-yoga asked: Congrats on completing the shred!!!!!! *hi-5!*

Thanks so much! It was hard work, but I loved it in the end. :)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I DID IT

FSLKRHWELRNSLGKMASDFL aHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So, with that out of the way, let’s use some coherent words. I completed the 30 Day Shred today, just in time for my senior week festivities at college. I’m going to take the week off, and then I’m going to start another fitness program. I believe I’ll start Insanity, but I’m more thinking just to use the workouts, rather than follow the program rigorously, because I want to have more variety in my workout. I want to join a gym when I move back home, and I think I’m going to spend the summer focusing on strength training, as well as preparing for some races. The gym I want to join also has unlimited free fitness classes, so I’m planning on yoga and kickboxing at least 4 times a week. I’ve never run in a race before, and I’d like to change that. 

So, some stats. I started at 155, and now I’m down to 143. (WOOOHOO!!!) I’ve been keeping track of calories/nutritional intake, and I’ve also been combining the 30 Day Shred with extra cardio in the form of running, biking and power flow yoga. I’m also down a dress size - from an 8 to a 6 (my boobs shrunk!) and I now have a pair of size 4 shorts that I can wear. My UGW is in the 120s - I originally said 125, but I’m not going to force myself to get to that size. Muscle weighs a lot, and I’d rather have some ripped ass arms and legs than a size 2 jean. However, I am aiming for 130-135, and I hope to reach that in another month/month and a half.

Anyway, I need to thank you, fitblr community, for the endless inspiration to go run my ass off, or turn on 30DS - or at least put down the cookie. And I guess I should thank Jillian, too - she’s one hell of an ass-kicker.

Today, I’m only allowing myself to do the 30DS, and no other workout. I’m still feeling sick, and I want to be able to finish so strong tomorrow that I might potentially cause a natural disaster somewhere in the world.

So yeah. I call these “semi-rest days.” Like, I’m still doing a workout, but it’s short and I don’t kill myself with it. Level 3 is definitely no joke. Some of the moves have gotten easier, but I’m still panting by the time I finish. Those rockstar kicks at the end are KILLER.

But I just keep thinking….

TOMORROW IS THE END OF THE 30 DAY SHRED.

Tomorrow I’ll post a bit about my plans for workouts post-30 Day Shred, including what system I’m going with next. Yes, I think I’m going to do another structured workout system - it just helps me keep track of them, and to keep working out at the same caliber every day.

Time to hit the showers!

american-nomads asked: I'm only on the 4th day of the 30 day shred, and I usually run 2.5 miles a day. should I be running more? less? Thanks! :)

Well, I was running right around that when I was on level 1. However, it gets much harder. I would say listen to your body. You’re going to have rough days, and I wouldn’t push it. Today, for example, I only ran 2 miles after the Shred. Tomorrow, I might only do the shred, or just some light yoga in addition to it. Don’t be afraid to say, “I’ve done enough for the day!”

And make sure you’re getting enough nutrition! I recommend a daily multivitamin and as much water as you can stomach. And don’t forget that you need to be taking in around 1200 net calories - working out that much, you should probably be eating around 1700 to net 1200, if not more.

Good luck!!

Such a beautiful day out.

I did 30 Day Shred, and then went for a 20-minute run. The weather is splendid, and I’m one shower and about 30 solid minutes of work away from being done with my undergraduate career.

Let’s do this.

holycock asked: how much weight have you lost since you started the shred? and have you been doing anything else besides the shred?

I have lost around 12 pounds with the Shred, but I’ve been combining it with healthy eating (using MyFitnessPal to track my intake of nutrients and make sure I’m getting enough protein and fat) and cardio. I try to do an additional 30 minutes of cardio a day, whether it be running, stationary biking, power yoga or pilates. I don’t always get the second batch of cardio (normally 4 days a week I get it), but it’s been literally melting the fat off.

I would say I’ve gained a lot of muscle, too, so I know I’ve lost more fat than 12 pounds. If you’re thinking of doing it, do!! It’s worth it - even if you only do the 25 minutes a day, I’m sure you’ll see a difference.