My First 5k! at the 2012 ComfortCare Annual Stride for Life

My journey toward improved wellness and the Tough Mudder Meetup group has lead me to work toward running a 5k on May 12 to support ComfortCare Women's Health! 

You may be wondering, what is "ComfortCare Women's Health?" In short, it is a Christian-based organization in which the the bulk of their patient counseling occurs for women with unplanned pregnancies. 

Z & A are now 4 and 2, and they were definitely "planned"; however, I honestly cannot imagine what my life would be like without them! 

As you may know, I had a planned home birth with Ahila. You might imagine how important to me it is for women of all ages be educated, informed, and therefore empowered. So, this year I am running my first ever 5k to raise money for this wonderful organization. On a selfish note, I hope to improve my health while I'm at it! 

Can you give to this cause on my behalf and support my run? I appreciate your support! Even a small amount can go a long way. Thank you so much! 


Visit my fundraising page here: 


2012 ComfortCare Annual Stride for Life

Looking for Tough Mudders

Back in February, I received a notice about a Meetup group inviting me to train for a Tough Mudder event in September. The recommended training seems grueling, much less the event itself. I'm still soul searching and considering the event itself, but have begun participating in the training group to get my exercise butt into gear. Anyone care to join us? Wanna get muddy??? We're working toward building our running endurance right now and are looking forward to a 5k coming up in May. More on that later!

Below are some clips about the Tough Mudder event.

Fitness Update

I've been able to get on the bike for 15-20 minutes every other day since March 20! YES! A few more weeks and hopefully I will have some semblance of a habit in place?

I can already feel my legs and heart getting stronger. Sometimes the BIG HILL feels impossible but every time I manage make it to the top!

A Wellness Goal Made Public

Twice this week I have made it 10 minutes on Jason's old 10-speed bike on our very hilly road. My legs were on fire afterward, and I could hardly walk down the stairs! But of course the accomplishment felt wonderful after having too many months years of mushy muscles!

"They" say it's best to tell your friends of your goals, or otherwise make them public, to keep yourself accountable. So... here I go. I'm officially making known here of my goal to keep up the biking at least 3 times per week. YES, I can do this and be a good example for A and Z. Three times per week is attainable. Carving out enough time in the day [for myself] can be tricky these days, but I figure 10 minutes is more than 0 minutes!

(Doesn't it take 21+ days to form a habit?)

What Have I Been Doing Already? 
I have also done some Yoga/Pilates DVDs. Those are nice when some Zen time is needed but don't quite give me that invigorating cardio workout for my heart. I've tried doing some stairs in the house or on the deck (while kiddos nap) for cardio but talk about boooooring! Pushups have also helped my back and posture somewhat. Go figure! ;)

What other ideas do you have for exercising on a budget? 

Inspirations
I should note some of my inspirations. A friend has a very inspiring blog, "Fat Little Legs," where she details her journey to lose 100+ pounds, with good ol' diet and exercise. Sarah, you rock!! I also recently found Jillian Michael's podcast [iTunes] which has given me another good kick in the pants in the areas of wellness and exercise!