2nd Weigh-in

Wow. I've been slacking big time when it comes to updating my blog. The past two weeks have been pretty bad on the diet and workout fronts. I haven't been doing too much at all. For the most part, I've been maintaining my weight, and I haven't worked out in two weeks. I totally need to get my ass back on the wagon this week. No more messing around, and no more excuses! 

Anyway, I'm happy to report that I weighed myself recently, and I now weigh 170 lbs. I've lost five pounds since Thanksgiving! Yay! I just got my period this week, too, so it's possible that I'll weigh a bit less than that after I'm finished with it. My goal for next month is to lose between three to six pounds. I think I'll be able to do it. I got new sneakers for Christmas, so I hope to start exercising again. I plan on starting the Couch to 5K Program in two weeks or so, so that should help bring the pounds off, especially when I get to the point when I'm able to run more than I walk. I can't wait!!!

Soreness and Pain

Since I was in my early teens, I've suffered from periodic knee pain. It's not always brought on by exercise, though exercise has been known to exacerbate it. For the past five or six years, I've also suffered from lower back pain as well. My spine doesn't hurt, but the muscles around it do. Looking at the illustration below, it would seem that my iliac crest and my thoracolumbar fascia are what's hurting. 

When I touch the sore areas on my back and near my knees, it almost feels like they're bruised on the inside, even though they're (probably) not. When my back hurts, though, my knees almost certainly do as well. I'll often feel pain in my ankles, too. It almost feels like my muscles are too tight and are causing my back and legs to become misaligned. Regardless of what's causing it, it's really annoying, but it doesn't hurt enough for me to see a doctor about it yet. More often than not, Tylenol does the trick. What worries me, however, is that running is known to irritate sore muscles. I really, really hope my back pain doesn't get worse when I start running more. That would really bum me out because running is something I've been looking forward to doing.

Anyway, does anyone have this problem? If so, what do you do to help with the pain? I think I need to work on strengthening my lower back and my core. I really need to start weight/strength training soon. 

There Will Be Cake

Tomorrow is my godson's second birthday party, and as was stated in the title, there will be cake there. I'm not going to go crazy, but I am not going to deny myself a small piece of cake. Many people who have successfully lost weight -- and who've kept it off, most importantly -- have cheated on their diets on occasion, and I intend to do the same. I think it's fine as long as I don't make a habit out of it. After all, I was thin for most of my life, and I never turned down a piece of cake or a cookie every now and then. I'm sure I'll be fine as long as I don't over-indulge. We'll see how it goes.

I don't want to post a long entry tonight because I'm pretty exhausted. My weekend's been okay so far. I went for a five mile walk on Thursday, so I decided to take yesterday off to give my legs a rest. Today, I resumed my exercise regime and walked three miles. Same old stuff. I really love walking and running, and I can't wait to start the C25K program in January. Come spring or early summer, I'd like to think that I'll be blogging about my first 5K race. :-)

Moving Around More

Last Friday, I wrote that I'd indulged a bit on Thanksgiving and that I needed to move around a bit more to make up for that. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself because that's exactly what I ended up doing. On Friday/Saturday, I spent three or four hours cleaning and putting up Christmas decorations, which I followed with a mile-long walk with my dog. On Sunday, I took a two hour bike ride, which I enjoyed in spite of the freezing temperature. My eyes were actually watering from the blistery wind, but hey, it wasn't too bad because I got to see some pretty sights along the way. 

Ice is starting to form on the lake.

The ice isn't very thick yet, but brrr!

Anyway, I figured I should try to get some good cycling in before it gets too cold outside. I haven't cycled much since summer, and I could definitely feel the difference in my legs. I'm also much slower than I used to be, but oh well. It's supposed to be more temperate later this week, so I hope to get another ride in soon. My goal is to walk/run for a half an hour three or four days a week and to go cycling for at least an hour once or twice a week. When it gets too cold to go cycling, my plan is to start the Couch to 5K Running Program. 

In my last post, I also wrote that I was nervous about getting on the scale this week. While my official weigh-in isn't until Wednesday, I cheated and weighed myself yesterday. To my delight, I weighed 174.4, which means I've actually lost a half a pound since Thanksgiving. Yay!