Results, goals and training plans

So every month, around the 4th (anniversary date of starting this whole journey) I'm going to try to post what I've accomplished and where I'm going. And when I do this, I'm going to keep in mind the importance of the following:

And on that note...up first is the results!

Hips: 37.5 - 2.5 inches down from when I started, but the same as last month.
Waist: 26 - 2 inches down from when I started and 1 inch down from last month.
Thigh: 22 - 1 inch down from when I started and .5 inch down from last month.
Bicep: 10 - 1 inch down from when I started and .5 inch down from last month.

So far so good! To be honest, I'd have liked it if my hips shrunk a bit more and my thighs too...so there's still work to be done! But I'm okay with that...it's a work in progress! Plus, I'm healthier and stronger than ever, feel amazing and confident and my clothes are all big on me now! :-D

So next up is the goals for the month. I learned with my running that if I don't have some kind of goal or target to work towards then I struggle/forget to do the things I should be doing. So here are my goals for September...some old and some new.

1. Go to Burnaby Hit 3x/week.
2. Run 3x/week.
3. Drink Starbucks Tuesdays, Thursdays and once per weekend.
4. Drink 8oz water 6x/day.
5. Eat breakfast daily
6. Add protein to my diet daily

I realize goals five and six aren't as specific as they could be. But I do have some ideas on how to accomplish them. For breakfasts, I have smoothies, cereal with yogurt, oatmeal and toast with fruit as options. I've also been researching sources of protein for vegetarians and realized I'm actually getting more protein than I thought I was. Some options for me are tofu, beans (including hummus), legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds, grains (quinoa, wheatberries and even in my multigrain bread), veggie burgers, yogurt (especially greek yogurt) and other dairy I occasionally eat, like cheese and veggies (avocado, broccoli and asparagus especially). So it's not as bleak as I thought it was! But let's face it, I still need to put more effort into including it DAILY so hence the goal! I might even finally suck it up and buy some protein powder (it's freakin' expensive) to throw into the mix on days where my protein goal is falling short! 

And finally, the training plan. The actual whole plan is 3 months long roughly. I'm only including the September part here...and it's as follows.

	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5
Sun	September 2 Run 15 mins Walk 2 mins Run 15 mins	9 Run 4 km continuously	16 Run 4.5 km continuously	23 Run 5 km continuously	30 RUN FOR THE CURE
Mon	3 Run 15 mins Walk 2 mins Run 15 mins	10 Burnaby Hit	17 Burnaby Hit	24 Burnaby Hit
Tue	4 Burnaby Hit	11 Run 18 mins Walk 3 mins Run 18 mins	18 Run 30 mins continuously	25 Run 30 mins continuously
Wed	5 Burnaby Hit	12 Burnaby Hit	19 Burnaby Hit	26 Burnaby Hit
Thu	6 Rest	13 Rest	20 Rest	27 Rest
Fri	7 Run 15 mins Walk 2 mins Run 15 mins	14 Run 18 mins Walk 3 mins Run 18 mins	21 Run 30 mins continuously	28 Run 30 mins continuously
Sat	8 Burnaby Hit	15 Burnaby Hit	22 Burnaby Hit	29 Burnaby Hit

Fingers crossed I stick to it! I know I'll have no problem meeting the Burnaby Hit part of my goals...I love it there! The tough part is going to be sticking to running when it rains...which means I might have to invest in some rain gear. We'll see. But for now, clear skies are in the forecast so I'm staying positive.

And those are my results, my goals and my training plan. I'm proud of myself for how far I've come and for what I've accomplished. I don't view my 'work to be done' as depressing anymore...I view it as a challenge and something to work towards. I feel great about my decision to lead a healthier lifestyle and to make my fitness a priority...and hopefully seeing me do well with it can inspire you to make some positive changes in your lifestyle! After all...3 months ago I was a couch potato junkfoodaholic, so if I can do it you can too!!