Easter Fun!

Over Easter weekend my family came to visit. It was their first time in Athens since Mike and I have been married. (Does that sentence make sense?) We LOVED spending time with them. Some of the highlights were showing them our apartment, eating some good food (even if I was really late getting it on the table), playing Rockband, and going on a mini-hike. My sister drove up after work on Saturday evening with the dogs. It was a welcomed surprise!!

My Dad being his goofy-self. He likes to make these kind of faces, and I love him for it.

31 Years together. Still going strong.

We pulled out the fine china for the first time for Easter dinner (complete with ham and potato salad).

Well, that was our weekend, folks. Good food and some great family time! (I'm super sad I didn't get a picture of all of us in our Easter finest). We all went to church together on Sunday morning too. Good service. I'm looking forward to our next fun weekend with them -- Memorial Day weekend here we come!!

Tomorrow, Mike and I leave for Oak Island (in North Carolina) for our 10K race. It'll be a great weekend at the beach and SO good to see Dave & Georjeanne (Mike's parent's).

Facebook Status

So, about a week ago, I posted on facebook a ridiculous request for advice , "I need to lose 7 lbs in two days!!! Any suggestions??" Please let me set the record straight. I did not try silly quick diets or stop eating for two days to drop seven pounds. I am very much so against unhealthy methods of weight-loss. I made this statement out of frustration and a competitive nature. The Biggest Loser Contest was ending in two days and I really wanted to win. On the day of that FB post, I needed to lose 7 lbs to be in first place. I decided to stick to my "regular" regimen of healthy eating and exercise those last couple of days to make it. That's been my regimen all along. I've worked hard, and it's worked.

So, how did I do? I didn't win first place. Actually, I came in sixth place. At first I was really bummed...I wanted to be in first and win the loot. But, then I realized, I wouldn't have worked hard or lost the 20 pounds (!!!) without the contest. At the end of the contest, there were only 3.5 lbs. between me and first place...that's how close it was. In total, as a group we lost 238.7 pounds! That sounds so impressive to me. :)

So, what have I learned over the past 3 months?
1. ...so much of being healthy is mental instead of physical. A positive attitude and correct perspective are so critical to a lifestyle/lifetime of healthiness.
2. I had to celebrate EVERY victory. Sometimes I didn't want to acknowledge a pound lost because it was only one pound. Or, I went to the gym, but my run on the treadmill was slow. You know what? That pound counts. Showing up to the gym counts!
3. I surrounded myself with people who would encourage me in my pursuit.
4. I set small goals (for example th 5K in February, and another one in March) instead of being overwhelmed by the big goal - (I want to lose 20 pounds).
5. I worked hard. I kept eating healthy even when I wanted french fries. I kept going to the gym, even when I wanted to be lazy or go straight home from work.

I want to keep reminding myself of these things over the next couple of months. Even though the contest is over, being healthy isn't! :)

In other news, Mike & I ran 4.7 miles yesterday!! That's the farthest I've ever fun without stopping. We've been training hard for the 10K we're running next weekend.