Day 30 - Hooray!

Yay! Today is the 30th day and with this morning's workout, I've finished my first promise to myself. I feel great and have seen some great results, even though I gained 4.4 lbs this morning. Again, it's the sodium thing - I really have to start watching that much more closely! So, here's how I'm rewarding myself:

First, a new pair of running shoes. I strongly recommend going to a running specialty store, especially if you've never done so. I went to Big Peach Running Co. in Kennesaw. The salesman who helped me, Nathan, was great. He told me that he's on the running team for KSU, so I felt pretty confident in what he had to say. Anyways, first they had me stand on a machine that analyzes how you stand. It turns out I have mid to high arches (a good thing) and my balance is a bit to the right - which I know from using the Wii.

Next, they put me on a treadmill and video taped my walking and running. They do this to determine your pronation. That's how you land on your foot when you run. Do you land flat, on the inside of your foot, or the outside of your foot. It turns out that I am a neutral pronator, but I splay my feet out as I walk. Of course, I know this too (the splaying part) because my mom always used to tease me about it as a kid. I asked Nathan about this and he said it's normal and as long as you move forward in a straight line not to worry about it.

Next, he had me try on about 6 different shoes in an effort to narrow down my best fit. I narrowed mine down to two different brands. Then he put one on each foot (so you're wearing 2 different pairs of shoes) and had me walk, jog, run around for a bit. I'm really glad I took this step as the pair that was more comfortable initially turned out to be less comfortable once I was "working" in them. I ended up purchasing the Mizuno Wave Rider 12's for about $100. I think it's a great investment as I intend to keep the exercise routine going!

I also picked up a few other things that I'll need for phase 2 of my routine, in the 30 day shred. I went to Dick's Sporting Goods and got some 2 pound weights (my wife already has the 5 pound ones), a yoga mat, and a new pair of Umbro shorts that were on sale. Umbro is my favorite workout and exercise shorts.

Finally, today we're heading to the Georgia Renaissance Festival so that should add some additional exercise since we'll be doing TONS of walking. I just really need to make sure to keep the whole sodium thing in mind - particularly there!

Day 29 - back down a bit

Went out to Sushi with the wife last night. Dinner was delicious, but I forgot (again) how much sodium there is in sushi. Well - actually it's in the soy sauce, but still. I still managed to lose 2.0 lbs this morning, so that's a definite positive. I'm feeling great today. There's something to this exercise thing!

Yesterday, my wife told me that I look "skinny." That really made my day because it means even people that see me all the time are starting to notice. I still have a long way to go, but it's really working.

I'm also very excited about starting the new program on Monday, the 30 day shred. AND - I should be doing the "reward myself" thing tomorrow. All great stuff!

Day 28 - Up, but skinnier

The funny thing about today is that last night, I said to my wife, "I'm going to gain tomorrow." She said, "you don't know that, just relax and everything will be fine." I told here I knew I would gain because I ate a lot of sodium yesterday (check my food diary).

Wouldn't you know it, I gained 4.4 lbs. But I'm not worried about it, for 2 reasons. First, I'll probably lose it again tomorrow or the next day, and second, I lost an inch! Today marked the end of week 4, so I measured and did photos again. Yes I really did lose another inch. I'm down from 48" across my middle to 44" across. That's a H-U-G-E loss!!! That means I lost 4 inches in 4 weeks. Just unbelievable. I know it will get harder the closer I get to my goal, but I'm feeling great about it.

Also, yesterday my Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD arrived, so I'm all set for the next 30 days in my routine. I've decided my reward for keeping everything together for the 30 days that I promised myself, but it'll have to remain a secret for now. You'll find out after I reward myself!