In the past two months Daniel has spend a little over four weeks of the time in the field for training. It is the first time in my entire life that I have been alone for an extended period of time and it felt amazing to know that I can be that independent. He also recently completed a Security Plus class for work that is really hard to pass and he did so well on it that they are giving him the opportunity to take the certification test for free. I am so proud of him and he really enjoyed working on that class.
Other than just working and enjoying being together I am at the beginning of an exciting journey: one to a healthier me! I have tried to get into the swing of working out on and off but it would just never stick longer than a month or so and I have always had terrible eating habits but now I have made the conscious decision to change all that. I am only two weeks into my healthier me but I am so proud of myself so far.
Two weeks ago I decided I was ready to start trying to run. I know it's a great calorie burner and I think it is something great for Daniel and me to do together. That first day our goal was just for me to learn to concentrate on my breathing and work on my stride (which it turns out didn't even need fixing). I honestly didn't think I would make it one lap around the track, let alone multiple, but I was determined to try. So we started out walking a few laps (our track is small and each lap is about 1/12 of a mile) while Daniel talked to me about the correct way to breath while running. When it was time to run I worked hard to remember what he said and next thing I knew I had run 3/4 of a mile with way less problems than I expected and when he asked if I wanted to stop I told him I wanted to do a full mile. I completed the mile and then he had me sprint a lap. I pushed hard and ran as fast as I could and by the end of the lap I thought I might lose it but I didn't.
I was so excited and proud of myself! That was literally the second time in my life that I had ever run a mile without stopping! I know that was a lot of detail just to tell you I ran a mile but it really was such a huge accomplishment for me that I felt it needed full details. Daniel kept telling me how proud he was of me; I was on cloud nine the rest of the day. I ran a mile 4 more days that week for a total of 5 miles in my first week; not too shabby for someone who had never truly been in shape before! This week I started a new pattern, one day I work on my speed and the next day I work on my distance. I am already at 5 miles for the week and have one more day to go. Daniel is also teaching me how to lift weights so that I can tone my muscles and get stronger! I am really excited about our plan and even though it's too early for physical results, the mental results are awesome. I feel so good about myself and each little accomplishment makes me want to push myself even harder.
I have a lot of short term fitness goals but I also have a major goal too. One that will take time and also money. My ultimate goal is to run the Disney Princess half marathon in Disney World! On the fitness portion of the journey, thanks to a friend, I have found an awesome piece of technology to help me out. The company is called Fitbit. They have two items already on the market and one that will be released in the spring. They all do pretty much the same thing but the new one, that Daniel and I have both already pre-ordered, has the convenience of being a bracelet instead of some type of clip and I really like that. This little piece of technology does so much. It tracks your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, active minutes, hours slept, and quality of sleep all of which can be synced onto your computer and/ or smart phone. I know for me seeing all of those things will help to keep me motivated and I am really looking forward to it getting here!
On the eating habits side of the getting healthy journey I am working just as hard and possibly even harder. As many of you know I have always been very picky and therefore don't make great food choices. I am really trying hard to try new things and always do my best to try them multiple times before I say I don't like something new. I had never really had fish before and now we are eating salmon at least once a week and we have shrimp occasionally too. I try really hard to have as many veggies in my meal as possible, but fruits are more of a struggle for me. I have also cut back to soda only once a week when we go out on our date nights; I'm not sure yet when I will go back to not drinking soda anymore but I think for now just once a week is going to work best for me. I definitely have my days where I have something I shouldn't have or eat more than I should but I am working very hard to make better food choices on a daily basis. I know this part of my journey will always be the hardest for me but I am working hard on it.
I know this was a lot of writing just to tell you that I am working on becoming healthier but it is such an important part of my life right now that I wanted to share it with those who care enough about me to read this blog and maybe even help motivate someone along the way. I am sure I will be talking about it more as time goes on so bare with me if you find this a boring subject because as the warm weather works its way here I will have more to share than just about work and working out. It has still been too cold for us to really do much lately but as the spring slooooooowly works it's way around here we will eventually start making trips that are worth posting about. We also have a few people that will be coming to visit this summer and I will have lots to share when that time comes. Until then I hope that you all aren't too bored with my updates and continue to keep checking up on us! We miss all of our family and friends back in the states and can't wait until we have the opportunity to come for a visit!
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