Saturday, January 1, 2011

Kathy Week 53: Hello 2011!

Dear 2011,

Ready or not, here you are, a brand-spanking new year filled with 365 mornings just waiting to surprise me! What kind of year will you be?

It's kind of hard for me to believe that Katie organized The Skinny a whole year ago! I've been a bit AWOL for the last while, but I'm ready to get back on track with my health goals again.

Remember this photo?

Ouch! One year ago today. Weight: 151 lbs. The weight can creep up so easily, no?

By summer I was here:
So much healthier and happier! My weight was just below 130 in this photo.

Today it's in between those two: 134 on the scale this morning, and for the last 2 or 3 weeks. Not as much fun as 127, but a whole lot better than 151.

Katie and I have both mentioned in earlier posts that we have love-hate relationships with the scale. Yes, it's a useful tool for monitoring one aspect of our health. But on the other hand, both of us have experienced times when worrying about the scale/calories/numbers has taken over our lives. How to strike a balance??

So in this new year, I've decided that I will continue to monitor my weight with a daily weigh-in...it's been a morning habit for years...but my focus is going to be on counting miles, not calories.

That's right, I said miles, as in, I want to be a runner.

When I mentioned this to one of my grandkids last week, he immediately wanted to know if I would be running a marathon. Ah, um, hahahahaha. I don't think so. Like I said to hubby today, I don't know if you can call what I do on the track "running," exactly. I huff and puff. Today (32 degrees plus a breeze outside) I only ran for 1/4 mile before I was beginning to wheeze a little and I just didn't have any oomph. I walked the rest of the mile.

But I'd like you to know, 2011, that I want you to go down in my history as the year I became a runner. Last week I ran a mile or more, on three different days, even though one of the days was rainy! I looked online for tips on how to run in the rain, and you know what? I didn't melt, I didn't freeze, and my shoes dried out just fine in front of the heater vent, with newspapers stuffed inside.

The forecast for most of the week here is clear and cold, but my goal is to get out and run at least a mile, at least three times during the week. I'll be checking in again next Saturday to let you know how I did. Until then, welcome, 2011!

Sincerely,  Kathy


PS - Dear Skinny readers - What are your goals for a healthier 2011?

3 comments:

Polly @ Pieces by Polly said...

I've heard that training for a marathon is one of the best things you can do for your body...but actually running the marathon is not very good for your body.

Sylvia Louise said...

Becoming a runner sounds like an awesome goal! I'm excited to hear how it goes!

alee said...

I promise it gets easier...just keep it up!

We'd love to hear from you!

Want to write a guest post for The Skinny? E-mail Katie at kathleenann08 (at) gmail (dot) com.