Fit with Ruthie

So.. here I am trying to cool down from my run. I did 2 miles this morning in 26:24 ,.. almost the same time I did on Monday.. I REALLY wanted to quit with half a mile to go but I didnt.. I kept telling myself.. my body was fine.. it was my brain that wanted me to quit.. I am amazed how much metal power it takes to run/walk long distances. I guess I need to start doing some visualization to help me stay more focused. I can tell you that I have not lost weight but I am changing my shape and feel a lot stronger than I did two weeks ago. I am getting close to being able to get a full workout in and hope to give that a try next week. I have decided to run/walk a 5k the first part of Feb. with Cat. It is out in the hills so I worry about my feet handling a hilly run but it will be a great first 5k to do with Cat. Yesterday I had two moments that were a challenge nutrition wise. I scooped out 12 scoops of ice cream (two for each of the kids) and I REALLY wanted some.. but .... I ate raisins ...

Like, When I can do these totally awesome feats of fitness I know I will be a Bodacious Babe! Run 5k without walking Do 50 military style pushups (currently able to do 12 after a upper body workout) Do 100 hipups Where do I sit on the Babe-o-meter? I am trying not to have a cow here but I would have to say on a scale from one to ten.. a 3 :)

Here is a video of Gabby running at the Cross Country meet :) I have more video from my other camera but i cant get it to load :( i will try and get it another way :)

I have read that visualization is a key to reaching your goals. I have used other's before and afters in previous challenges but this is the first time have posted them on the blog. They say.. pick a photo of what you want to look like and look at it every day. Your mind is a powerful tool. :) Here is a photo of what I want my abs to look like after challenge 4. Maria Ramos from Washington — Body for life Grand Champion 2002 Here is a photo of what I want to my legs look like after Challenge #4. She was a runner up in a past BFL Challenge.

Well I am still at it.. The decision to create this blog was a great one.. I have not been this focused in about four years! I thought I would update you on what I have noticed so far with my program. 1. I have so much more energy! I use to feel tired/sluggish in the afternoons and get an energy spurt at 4ish.. but now I have energy all day. 2. My feet have not been hurting. (I have medical issues with my feet and so far so good!) 3. I have not had tea or sodas for 4 days straight! Water is the way to go! Funny thing is I have not had a craving for tea or sodas! I think it is because of the supplements I am taking. 4. I have noticed I am more thirsty, and I CRAVE water! (who knew) 5. I am sleeping better, without the aid of the sleepytime tea I use to take. 6. The kids have been motivated to get active. Cat ran a mile without stopping on the treadmill yesterday! 7. I have eaten so much better, have meals that are healthy. I have had fruit and a shake every morning after my workouts and...

I have always loved watching the Ironman on TV.. tonight was a rerun on 2005s race.. there I saw a man with ALS finish, an 80 year old man FINISH.. and a woman named Sarah.. All I have to say is WOW! IF you have time.. read about sarah.. here is an excerpt .. but her bio tells a story of a little girl who never got to play.. oh.. She is an amazing person.. .. My previous post was "what gets you out of bed"... tomorrow morning.. it will be the images of Sarah running around in my head.. What's my excuse? I have none.. Raising the Bar Never one to aim low, Sarah chose the Ironman, a 2.4-mile swim, 112- mile bike and 26.2-mile run, as her competitive goal. The Ironman is one of the toughest races in the world for anyone, but Sarah has to be tougher than the rest to finish; she expends 40% more oxygen and twice the energy than people with two legs. Every stroke, every peddle ,every step has to be fine-tuned to perfection. It is amazing that she even qualified for a coveted Ir...

So what gets you out of bed in the morning? me? ..I would prefer a heated robe and slippers while I sit and eat my bacon, eggs, and pancakes. BUT.. this is reality.. I can tell you what has kept me in bed.. a cold room and warm sheets (now I must explain if it isnt 90 degrees in a room I feel it is cold).. a night when I didnt sleep but 2 hours straight, and kids that come and snuggle. (I would say a snoring husband.. but he says he doesnt snore..) What I find interesting is that I can wake up at anytime of the night and if I am hungry.. go and get a snack.. no problem..I used to motivate myself to get out of bed because a Dr Pepper had my name on it in the fridge! .. I can also make a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night.. no problem.. but when that alarm goes off.. and I know I MUST get out of bed and stay out.. I have a problem with that.. SO.. whats a girl to do? I decided to set the arlam on my cell phone.. it wakes me up before the suns up to a cheerful ring.. instea...

So .. here is the question.. how much should a person weigh based on their height? When I was in highschool I weighed around 115lbs.. when I got married (15 years ago) I weighed 120lbs.. After I had my second child I weighed 165lbs and was a size 14 after my third 176 lbs and was a size 16. I did the bfl program 4 years or so ago and weighed 135 and wore a womens size 6. Today I am 140lbs and a womans size 9. So.. which is the right size and weightfor my body or does it even matter? I have found a few website to calculate my body frame size. I thought I was medium frame.. ends up I am small frame.. going on what I calculated the weight I should be (at 5'4" tall and a small frame) should be 114 to 127lbs. BUT I am a believer that muscle weighs more than fat! I understand that if I am gaining muscle I will weigh more.. and that will be great.. I dont have an issue with that.. but I would prefer to not be 140lbs and most of that extra be fat instead of muscle. If I end the prog...

(boy howdy this puts the pressure on!!!) Ok so here I am .. I must say this was difficult for me to do.. Its one thing to share your before pics AFTER the transformation.. yet another while you still look like this.. UHG.. some people might wonder why black and white.. .. well it just made me more comfortable, I will share my color photo when I share my afters in 12 weeks. So why show these pics.. Well.. its facing reality for me.. its admitting I have let myself go and its owning the fact that I dont want to be out of shape anymore.. I also feel some of you will say "oh.. you dont look that bad!.. or .. you shouldnt worry so much about it" .. but you see for me it more about how I feel.. I have NO energy and if I have a choice.. which I do.. I prefer to not be lugging around any extra pounds.. Witih that said.. here I am .. with my measurements to say.. I have the power to change. (and so do you by the way) OH my.. I cant believe I am posting these! my love handle go a littl...

Modification: The act of making something different, or in my case, "someone" different. (ME) I have created this blog site to motivate myself, yes.. this is mostly selfish of me ( I figure if a few friends and family see my before pictures and are aware of my journey I will be more motivated to stick with it..I have my reasons for this which I will get into on a later post). But I do hope in some way I can help inspire others to change as well. I will post my before, "in progress" and after pics here as well. I will share with you my goals for weight loss/management, increasing my stregth and energy levels. My goal is to be open and honest about the challenges of becoming fit and healthy. My Body Modification Blog is going to be more than just about changing my body. It will be about changing my life in more ways than one. I hope you will jump on your own Bod Mod journey with me ... If I can change, anyone can! People have decided to get fit using all kinds of met...