I made it!

This past Saturday I ran my first 5k ever. Yes ran. Ok I consider it jogging but I did not walk at all. I don't have an official time yet but I completed it in approx 45-47 mins. Which considering my weight and it being my first is awesome!

I am sure I looked quite silly while running but I don't care. It started uphill and ended flat. I ran up that hill jamming to Head Strong by Trapt and singing (I hope to myself) "back off, I'll take you on. I'm headstrong to take on anyone." And I made it up that hill and kept going. I knew I would be fine and I was.

I did not do this race alone. I ran with 2 friends from high school. Camille is a little faster than me and Jen but we pushed through and she was there at the end cheering for us. Me and Jen ran off and on together the whole time and pushed each other to keep going.

I spent a good part of the run with my eyes closed. I'm not sure why but it helped. I jammed to all my good fast music to keep me going. I'm sure I was singing most of the time, I hope not very loud though LOL. I know there were a few times I was doing some mini boxing moves while running too. Crazy what pushes you to keep going but it worked. My body did great. Even though I am not a runner and did not really train for it. My body was ready. I had very little pains except for a few mins of side pain at the half way mark and my calves started burning up the hill. But otherwise I had no problems at all.

We ran along the Jordan Canal the last leg and it was just beautiful and relaxing.  Towards the end we came around the corner and could see the finish line. I have never ran so fast in my life. I put my mp3 player on SandStorm by Darude and kicked it into over drive. Somehow.. .even after running 3 miles my body flew. I was leaping the center divide in the road as I crossed the street and cruised to the finish line. It was an amazing feeling.

I was number 251 but I'm not sure out of how many. But I finished my goals. I did not come in last. I finished it. I ran it all. And I did it in less than an hour!

Afterwards they had a parade that I sat with Camille and her family and watched. I got very emotional after my heart rate had come down and I had a moment to realize what I had just done. I had just run a 5k. Myself. At 225 ish lbs. I ran 3.1 miles. That was one of the best feelings ever.   (Sorry Camille for getting all sappy!) But it just proves that a) you can do absolutely anything you set your mind to) and b) your body knows what it is meant to do and given the chance will do it for you, even if you've abused it with food and weight most of it's life. It's still there for you when you are ready.

This coming Saturday, July 3, I'm running another ;)

The 100's week paid off!

I didn't quite hit my 50 lb mark but I was so close. .4oz away. I'm sure if I had taken my clothes off I'd have hit it LOL. But I did lose 2.75 more inches for a total combined inches of 33. .75 inches of that was off JUST my arms. All those bicep curls, punching, tricep pulls and more paid off that's for sure! That's a huge amount to lose off the arms because they are such a small area and there's not as much to lose as say around the stomach.  I can't wait to hit 50lbs and then some! WEE! I really can't believe I've lost so much. That's almost 1/2 a person!

In even better knews I am officially in the 29% range for my body fat %. That's in the healthy range but I still have a ways to go.   This morning I figured out my BMI. While I am still considered obese I am no longer scary obese. I'm slowly creeping towards that line of just being overweight.  I started at a BMI of 41 and am at a 34 right now. About 20 more lbs and I will be just "overweight".   

3 more days until my 5k. I'm excited but nervous too. My foot has been acting up and I'm not happy with it. Stupid thing. Who needs feet anyways. Today I'm going to do some water aerobics to give it a break and then hit the oh so glorious hot tub to get rid of some other body aches.   I was looking at the map of the 5k and it doesn't look too bad. It's basically from Taylorsville city hall down to the elementary school and then back. I can do that right?

Thought of the day

That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sorry for my lack of blogging lately. I have been working a lot and when I'm not working I'm trying to entertain my children entertained so they don't eat each other alive before school starts again. 

Anywho... This quote is so true! When I first started working out it was far from easy! It's still a challenge every day but I do things I would never have thought I could do. Last week was 100's week. YIKES! I never thought I could do 100 bicep curls in row, yes with no breaks. I never thought I could jog more than to the corner, let alone there, up a hill and back (6 times). This weekend I never thought I'd run/jog a 5k. I haven't done it yet but I can promise you I will do it. I am not a runner but it's a new challenge and next time I bet it will be easier! 

My challenge this week from bootcamp is to workout with someone else. So if anyone wants me to work out with them just say the word! I would love to join you.

that was harder than I thought

Today I went through my drawers and closets and pulled out everything.... ok not quite everything... that had a 3x or a 22 or 24 on it and threw it in a box. It was SO hard to do!!! I know these pants fall off of me and the shirts are too big. I know I will NEVER wear that size again but out of everything on this journey THIS was the hardest thing to do. I still have some smaller 3xs in my closet and some 20 pants. Why? I have no clue other than if I get rid of them ALL i will have nothing to wear. Shirts can be a little loose but the pants? Not so much. I'd prefer them  not to fall off in public LOL 


If I figure out why this is so hard I'll let you know. Or if you know why please fill me in! Also.. anyone want some clothes? LOL

Round 1! *clang*

Today was another very challenging workout. I still can't believe I made it all the way through it. None of us could get up off the floor after it was over LOL We had a "sub" trainer today. She's one of the girls that teaches my fav classes at Gold's so I knew I was in for a butt kicking.

Today's work out is called 10 rounds. You go through 10 rounds of exercise. Each round adds a new one.

Round 1
10 push ups

Round 2
10 push ups
10 jumping squats

Round 3
10 push ups
10 jumping squats

10 tricep dips with 1 leg off the floor

Round 4

10 push ups
10 jumping squats
10 tricep dips with 1 leg off the floor
30 sec jumping jacks

Round 5
10 push ups
10 jumping squats
10 tricep dips with 1 leg off the floor
30 sec jumping jacks

20 bicep curls

Round 6

10 push ups
10 jumping squats
10 tricep dips with 1 leg off the floor
30 sec jumping jacks


20 bicep curls
30 seconds running on the step

Round 7
10 push ups
10 jumping squats
10 tricep dips with 1 leg off the floor
30 sec jumping jacks


20 bicep curls
30 seconds running on the step

10 arm lifts (lift straight in front of you and down then out to the sides and down. That's 1 rep)

Round 8
10 push ups
10 jumping squats
10 tricep dips with 1 leg off the floor
30 sec jumping jacks


20 bicep curls
30 seconds running on the step

10 arm lifts (lift straight in front of you and down then out to the sides and down. That's 1 rep)
30 sec jump rope (no rope required)

Round 9
10 push ups
10 jumping squats
10 tricep dips with 1 leg off the floor
30 sec jumping jacks


20 bicep curls
30 seconds running on the step

10 arm lifts (lift straight in front of you and down then out to the sides and down. That's 1 rep)
30 sec jump rope (no rope required)

24 lunges on each leg (no breaks!)

Round 10
10 push ups
10 jumping squats
10 tricep dips with 1 leg off the floor
30 sec jumping jacks


20 bicep curls
30 seconds running on the step

10 arm lifts (lift straight in front of you and down then out to the sides and down. That's 1 rep)
30 sec jump rope (no rope required)

24 lunges on each leg (no breaks!)
50 crunches with legs or knees in the air


This is a huge test of endurance. It would be easier to do with a friend to push you on the the next one and to finish all 10 rounds! If anyone ever wants to do it with me let me know!  I had to write it all down yesterday before I blocked it from my memory though hehe.

Protein bars

So remember how you should eat protein with everything? Well sometimes that's just hard. I know most people anymore are busy and eat on the go a lot. More than we should really. I love protein bars for a quick pick up me and to curb that hunger at 3pm. One thing I learned that I had no idea. Women should not be eating more than about 15g of protein in a serving. Some of those bars/shakes have TONS. Those are for men who are trying to bulk up. Most women would rather tone than bulk up. So if you keep it around 10-15 g you'll be great. Anything more... it will most likely give you some indigestion. Yeah I found that out the hard way by eating a bar with 20 g of protein. Oh man did that suck, especially cause it didn't kick in until I was the only person at work. It was a long few hours! Our bodies don't process protein the same as men, or as quickly, resulting in runs to the bathroom.  So just watch your protein content and calories! Some are over 500 calories. Those are the most important things when using protein bars as a snack. Surprisingly some of them are pretty good.

My weight does not define me!

I hate stereotypes. I really do. I was catching up on my DVR today and watching So You Think You Can Dance and a larger 18 yr old girl got up and danced beautifully. She was not your typical tiny dancer. Mia Micheals was moved to tears because she's also a larger woman who has struggled with weight. She said she got no jobs due to her weight. Are you kidding me?! Mia Micheals couldn't get a job cause she was fat. I hope one day there will be a change in our world, especially because sadly obesity is becoming the norm.

Is it healthy to be overweight? Definitely not. I wouldn't be trying to lose weight if it was. But that doesn't mean people don't try.  It's not easy to lose weight. It took 28 yrs to weigh 275 lbs. It's not going to come off tomorrow. I have had my ups and downs and lost weight, gained it back and then some, lost it again and gained it back and even more. I know that this will be something I have to do the rest of my life to not only LOSE the weight but to keep it off. I will always be working out and watching what I eat. Am I thrilled? No. I wish I could eat whatever I want, whenever I want and not gain a pound. Unfortunately, that's not my reality. But I hate that I (along with many others) are defined by what they look like. Oh she's the fat girl. I want to be Shannon, not the fat chick. And who's to say I can't be amazing? Fat does not make you a lesser person, less talented or less smart. I am no dancer. I love it but I am so not coordinated enough LOL But who's to say I couldn't try. That's all you have to do is try.

Speaking of trying. I just officially registered for my first 5k today. I'm running (or some form of it lol) with a friend from high school. We ironically met in gym class where we had a teacher that LOVED to make you run. We both hated it! Yet 15 yrs later we're doing a 5k. I'm scared, excited and determined to do it. I have 3ish weeks to get ready... I guess I better get my butt in gear LOL I know I won't be first, I don't expect to be, but I am going to try and I will finish it.

Anywho, I really hope that people can move forward some day (soon would be nice) and accept people for who they are and what the bring to the table and not what they look like.

working out with friends

In my opinion there is nothing better! I got to work out with some friends at Zumba last night and I had so much fun. I love sharing something I love with my friends. I'm not sure they loved it as much as I did, but we got an amazing work out! Working out with a friend makes things go by so much faster too! That class was over before I knew it.

If anyone is local and ever wants to hit the gym with me just let me know! I would love to go with you :)

vacation workout

(originally typed on May 23)

We made it to California last night at like 2:30am . Holy tired!! When I finally mustered up the energy to wake up I talked myself into a run/jog/walk. We are in California city aka BFE. As I went out the door tristan begged to come with me. It was so nice to spend time with him and get a work out in too. He makes me do more too. This is where we wandered

We were out there in the desert for close to an hour just enjoying the solitude. Tristan had a blast and would challenge me to race him. Usually it was "hey mom I'll race you to that bush" Which made me laugh because the only thing out there is sage brush LOL But it was fun racing him and he does really well keeping up. I learned that I can run quite fast now. We met a little friend on the way back too. Can you see him?

Quote of the Day

Awesome quote from Steve Young

"The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before."

This is something that keeps me going. I don't consider myself highly competitive but I always like to know that I did 1 more rep than I did last time or 1 more mile or even 1 more minute. As long as you are improving yourself each day, who cares what anyone else is doing, how fast they can run, if they can do more or less than you, or even if they look better than you. You are making YOU better and that's what matters the most.

Weigh in from this week after a week long vacation in California. I was very nervous because I didn't eat the best. I ate the best I could though.

Weight: 231
Upper Arm: 11
Chest 40
Waist: 36
Abs: 41
Hips 44
Thigh: 19.5
Lower Thigh : 15
Body Fat: 32%

Total lost: 0lbs (but none gained!)  4 more inches

Total since I started: 10lbs and 23 1/2 inches!

That means in just over 1 yr I have lost 45lbs and 42 1/2 inches!!!! That's just mind boggling to me.