That Lightbulb moment

Closing out 2012 was an interesting adventure.  I knew I was going non-stop, I had just finished running my first full marathon, I dreamed of doing another one in January, but those plans fell apart.  Oh, most pressing, I felt like I was losing control over what I ate and how much weight I was gaining.  This was not a pretty moment in my mind.

You run, you run, you run, therefore, you eat, you eat, you eat.  But what does that balance look like?  As someone who has struggled with maintaining a healthy weight for so long, after losing 30 lbs I was determined not to gain that back.  I was running, wait...I'm a runner now (insert head slap), I'm getting more exercise consistently than ever before in my life.....and yet at the beginning of a new year I came to the realization that I gained 20 of the 30 lbs back.  I won't lie, it's come back differently, but it came back and I allowed that to happen  (ugh).

Frustrated, angry with myself, and totally dumbfounded I thought, but I burn a lot of calories, I should not have to stick to some stupid unrealistic style of eating every single day of my life.  After an amazing year of new endeavors, more athletic involvement than ever before in my life, and I gained 20 lbs back (probably over 18 months, not just 12, but still.)  I jokingly told my dad about a great gift idea we should all get and try and burn more calories than my brother (young, spry, super active General Contractor) each day.  Make it into a game.

Well, my hubby (the super skinny, supportive, athletic, loving one) was listening.  We had agreed on only exchanging ornaments for Christmas, as our kiddo has now reached teen years and we know what that does to a Christmas budget.  Christmas morning there was an extra gift under the tree, for me...at first I was not so happy, as I hate being out done!  But when I opened it and found my new favorite gadget (yes, I have to say I rank it higher than my Garmin) the anger dissipated and led to an all new level of enlightenment.

Meet the Fitbit One


This little gadget is SOOOOOO much more than a pedometer (everyone's initial reaction.)  It tracks so many important aspects to my overall health and has brought me to a new level of awareness.

I work in an office, with a desk and computer, meet with people, etc otherwise, I sit A LOT.  There is this lovely barometer of sedentary motion (my name for it) that looks like this:







This was a day I ran 4 miles and had a busy schedule.  Typically an exhausting day, but look how long I was sedentary---13 hours and 15 minutes!  I only burned 2,087 calories that day.  The joy of this device and the supporting software/app is that you can track what you eat and your workouts.  It takes a lot of movement to burn just 2,000 calories in a day.  Thinking back on what I was putting in my mouth, living in la la land thinking that "oh well, I ran, it doesn't matter".  WRONG!!!!!

All this to say, I love my new accountability partner!  It syncs to my phone and website, I can look at it throughout the day and decide if I want to sit on the couch or walk the dogs or ride my bike or just clean my house to get more movement in.

What running goals for 2013....that's a hard one!  I have one big race that I want to do, Tower of Terror 10 miles at Disney.  I haven't found my fall half or full marathon yet.  I'm going to run the 2014 Disney Full Marathon and we are working on putting together a Ragnar Key West team for 2014.  The one absolute goal for my running is to hit 1,000 miles.  I hit 704 miles in 2012, so it's not that far off to hit 1,000 miles!

I've decided 2013 will be the year I stop dieting.  I'm focusing on fueling my body with what it actually needs to be efficient and healthy and not focusing on a particular weight.  How about you?  What are your goals?