I’ve been sticking to the 1800 calories for the most part and I’m averaging 13 miles per week on the treadmill. I’ve been doing Pilates and weights a couple of times per week. Because I’ve been keeping track of my workouts and weight on excel, I can see what has helped me lose the most. It also shows me that I’ve been making progress even though it may not look like much when looking at the numbers on the scale. I was pretty excited by the inches I’d lost (and gained) in two months. I’ve also lost nine pounds since my last update.

I noticed that the most weight loss comes from doing the free weights exercises at least three times per week so that is my current goal. I’m aiming for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If I can get some in on the weekend or on Mondays as well that will be a nice accomplishment.My big hurdle with doing this is that I have to lock myself in the office in order to do these exercises because that is where the internet connection is to watch the videos on exercisetv.tv. Sometimes my kids get really unruly during that time and I come out of my workout to confront some mess that’s been made in my absence. My plan to address this is to make index cards of the workouts so that I don’t have to be in front of the computer to do them. This way I can do the free weights in the same room as my children and not have to worry about any surprises.They’re very intrigued by my exercising and try to copy me. This is good preparation for when I start teaching them Tai Chi. I believe I’ll be ready to start that once I reach my running goal.I’m still making progress towards my goal of running 20 minutes straight at 6.0 miles per hour. Here are the latest numbers:Treadmill Times3.5 mph: 10:006.0 mph: 13:005.5 mph: 07:003.5 mph: 05:003.36 miles363 caloriesaverage heart rate: 16045 minutes totalI’ve been waking up at 5:30 a few times per week which is how I’ve managed the 13 miles. So the next challenge is to make sure to go to bed before 12:30am so that I can have the gas I need the next morning without napping.What has helped me love the process of reaching my fitness goals is:1- Music. Music or watching a movie (for weights and Pilates) really takes away the potential for boredom and consequently not pushing yourself as hard. I can get lazy when I’m bored with the activity. While treadmill running is fulfilling and fun with music, it is really boring when you’re staring at the gym tvs without sound or staring at the calorie counter on the treadmill. I’ve never stopped exercising out of boredom but I do get tired faster without the entertainment. Some people might say, “Why not try running outside, it’s less boring?” Well, the truth is I’m rather clumsy. The treadmill keeps me from falling to the floor when I misstep (which is pretty often). Last week I tripped on the treadmill on three separate occasions in 35 minutes. The treadmill saved me from falling. If I had been outside, I could’ve gotten hurt and then been out of commission for a few days, resulting in having a harder time getting back into the exercise routine.2- Reading. During the warm up and cool down on the treadmill, I like to read inspirational, self-improvement books. Reading before the challenging running part gives me some wonderful self-talk while I work out. Sometimes I get so into the book during the cool down that I end up walking more than I had planned. I choose one book to read that is only read during the workout so that this tool can be motivating. This also helps me look forward to the next workout when I can get back to the book again. Right now I’m reading Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Esther and Jerry Hicks.3- Tracking. Keeping track of what I’ve done in an exercise log has helped me see that progress is being made even though it may not have seemed like it. I can see on paper how much stronger I am and how much more stamina I have. Having a clear picture of where I currently am has been really motivating. For instance when I notice that I have lost another pound or that I can run a minute faster, I’m less likely to skip working out so that I can “keep” the progress I’ve made. From my experience I have seen that it’s quite easy to gain that pound back just by missing a couple of days at the gym.All in all, I’m quite proud of myself and appreciative of how healthy my body is. Some people have to overcome some very real physical hurdles before they can get to this level of fitness. I’m blessed that I’ve just had to overcome some mental ones. I’m loving my progress and I’m beginning to love the process. Loving the process is key, it’s what gives you the energy to make progress.