Hitting the trail

Keeping at the hiking...today was my third 5 mile hike this week.  This time, to give my knees a break, I didn't wear my weighted backpack. They haven't been complaining...but I figure I better ease them into this nonsense, lol.

Patrick and I are having some fun conversations about gear, short backpacking trips, etc.  SO awesome.   We're waiting for our tax refund before we buy a few preliminary pieces of equipment, and then we can start sleeping out on the trail! Woohoo!

What's so interesting to me is that now that I have this goal, this passion about something...my other goals just fall into place.  Working out and losing weight has always been something I knew I *should* do...but eh, it's hard.  LOL!  But now that I'm comparing OUNCES in hiking gear weight, I have a very real reason to get my own weight under control. I've exercised 13 times since 1/4.  Feels great. I'm really proud, and it feels good in my brain to finally be going about this the right way.

Here's a picture of me from "the top of the mountain" today.

Happies & Crappies

This link-up is hosted by Sarah and Stephanie. I had such a good time last week, I thought I'd participate again!

Happies

• All A's on the assignments I've turned in so far.
• A nice little ice storm today that wasn't enough to pull down power lines, but was enough to give Shannon the day off school.  SNOW DAY!  We had a fire in fireplace all day, and have watched movies all day long!
• I ate really well (healthfully) this week!  Proud!
• My parents got an offer on their house (which has been on the market since June of 2010!) Please let this be it!

Crappies

• Patrick's migraines have been especially bad this week, and now he's sick with a bad ear infection, etc. Poor man.
• A very troubled woman in our community passed away this week...my heart breaks for her three girls.  The oldest is Shannon's age, and the youngest is 11.  The youngest is the one who found their mother, dead.  So sad.

Still continuing the trend of more Happy than Crappy.  Yay!

Motivation!

I swear. I feel like a fire has been lit inside me.  Patrick said, quoting Duck Dynasty "Boy this has really set your pants on fire, hasn't it?!" I cannot stop thinking about backpacking! I am SO excited.  Our long-term goal (10-ish years) is to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.  Our schedule, money, etc will take awhile to get to the point that we can BOTH commit to a 4-6 month endeavor.   Until then though...we are both SO excited to do 3, 5, 7-night treks.  I cannot wait!

Of course, we need to train for this.  Of course, we need to buy gear for this...which is not cheap, so it will be a very prioritized list, and it will need to be purchased in little bits here, little bits there.

I've struggled with my food consumption and motivation to "do something about it" for a long time now.  I've just had a "why bother" attitude.  But now? Now, I have a goal. A very physical goal.  The very truthful reality is the less I weigh, the less I'll be lugging down the trail, and over the mountains.  Suddenly, over-indulging is nowhere near as attractive! Exciting!!!

I'm telling you...my brain is just churning, and it feels SO good.  I was so caught up in my thoughts this morning on my way school that I realized I was driving the wrong way!  I was totally on auto-pilot and just cruising down the wrong street, lol!  Oops.

First "loaded" hike

I just did a 5.6 mile hike...with my big backpack on. I have a big internal frame pack that I used when I did the breast cancer walks. Not sure if it's the one I'll stick with for backpacking...but it's what I've got. So I'm using it for training purposes. I weighted it to 30 lbs...and went for it! My pace was a little slower than my normal pace, but not too bad! 

I learned a LOT though! There's a reason you don't hike in jeans, with regular undies on. OMG...chafing! I should have brought my hoodie, even though it was warm when I started. I've always just carried a water bottle with me...and poo-pooed the idea of a hydration system. But now, I'm rethinking that stance, lol. The biggest thing I learned is that I CAN DO THIS!!!

Also, Patrick has decided he wants to do it with me, which I completely love and think is SO rad.

Guess what

I've been thinking about something for oh...a year or two. I finally said something out loud today. I want to take up back-packing! Like...hike, camp/stay overnight, etc. Ultimately, I'd LOVE to do something like hike the Appalachian Trail, or cross-country, or the Pacific Crest Trail. I'm ALWAYS thinking about it, I am constantly reading backpacking/hiking blogs...and so I'm gonna do it! SO excited.

Happies and Crappies

OK, I'm a day late and (always) a dollar short...but I just ran across a cute, brand-new link up via Nicolasa's blog.

 It's called Happies and Crappies, where you basically post the good and bad of your week. I love a grateful mindset, so the Happies will be easy...and it'll be good for me to get the bad stuff off my chest. The link-up is hosted by Sarah and Stephanie. I'm looking forward to participating!!!

Happies

• A much easier workload in school this semester
• Getting Shannon's PSAT scores...equivalent to a 2240 on the SAT. OMG.
• The chance for snow this week
• I exercised three times this week, and drank 60+ ounces of water 6/7 days
• A good report from Dad's last PET scan

Crappies

• The snow fizzling out
• Feeling like I was fighting a virus off most of the week.  Blah

Well, I like that trend! More happy than crappy!  Woohoo!

Fighting the lazies

I don't know if I'm unmotivated, super lazy...or have an african sleeping sickness, but oh my word. I would be content to just lie in bed ALL DAY long.

Part of it is that this semester is SO much easier than last semester, work-load wise. Last semester was SO hard that by comparison I'm just breezing along now.

I really do think I'm fighting some kind of bug...but seriously? I have NO energy.  Blarg.

I did have a revelation today.  I'm implementing healthy habits, exercise and food-wise.  Last week I lost 4.2 lbs, which was great!  This week, I didn't lose any weight, which led me to start having all those negative self-talk feelings. The "here we go again" and "why bother" type of feelings. And then I realized...up until now, I've always based any weight loss journey on a week-to-week status. If I had a "bad" week, it felt like a failure.

I completely get the the changes I'm making are for a lifetime, and are not a "diet," but it never dawned on me that if I'm doing something for the REST of my life, I don't need to measure my success in weekly increments. Just keep at it, you know?

So...that said. I'm not going to have a regular weigh-in day. I'm just going to track as the pounds come off.

Migraine

Ugh.

Last night, I was watching a movie with Shannon and this yucky feeling came over me.  Half nausea/dizzy...and half just...BAD.  I went to bed without playing any of my bedtime games (helps me settle in).  This morning I woke up with a migraine.  Patrick and I were scheduled to serve communion at church this morning, but I had to stay home.  Sadness.

I slept the morning away (God bless migraine meds) and feel a bit better tonight.  I'm a little swimmy if I turn my head too quickly, and I kinda feel sore all over, but I think it's almost over.

I wanted to finish putting away the Christmas stuff today, but there's always tomorrow.

Happy New Year

2013 already! Whoa.  It came in with a whimper for us, as I became ill with a stomach virus  on New Year's Eve.  I was sick until the 3rd, which we re-declared NYE, and celebrated it then! Much better.

So now, here we are in a brand new year. I'm not really making resolutions, per se...but just reigniting my intentions toward a healthier lifestyle.  I'd like to eat far less processed foods, and move my body more often.

Many people choose a "word of the year" at New Years time.  Something to represent their journey, or a goal they want to pursue.  Something I have a hard time with is change, and I *know* this year is going to be full of some big ones.  Therefore the word I've chosen is ADAPTABLE.

Classes start for me again on Tuesday.  This term I'm taking Intro to Healthcare, Cultural Diversity in Healthcare, Psychology, and Intro to Computers.  Yes, really.  Intro to Computers.  I went to the orientation for it, and all I can say is OH MY WORD.  The first assignment is going to be learning to turn a computer ON.  I think I'll be able handle myself, lol.

OK, I'm starving.  Off to eat dinner...ttys!