It has been a little while since my last post. I have been rather busy with life. The good news is that I have remained active and losing the pounds! I want to first announce that I am officially under 200 pounds!!! I honestly cannot count how many times I have doubted myself on being able to lose the 35 pounds to get where I am right now. I was ready to accept that I was going to be a 200 plus gal, but I had to dig in deep and stick with this. I have been known for starting projects and not finishing them. My fear was that I wasn't going to be able to stick with a strict health regiment and have history repeat itself. But that is not how my story is going to end. My health journey has no end and when I change my thought process to this, it makes it easier to keep going. Every day I am always facing personal challenges. Such as.. Am I doing enough cardio? Am I able to stop snacking after 7pm? When am I going to be able to do this without even thinking?

The past two months have been my greatest with my fitness and health. I completed my second 5k in under 37 minutes which has been my best time so far. The 5k was the Early Rise n' Shine which the fee was covered by my work so my husband and I both signed up. This was his very first 5k which we both finished at the same time. I will have to say that the greatest secret to my success is to have someone to do it along with. We both gained the weight and now we are both losing the weight. It just makes sense right?

Joe and I finishing together

Group photo with the amazing people I work with.

My next major fitness goal will be this weekend where my parents, sister, myself, and Joe will hike the Caps Ridge Trail on Mt Jefferson. This is a 2.5 mile hike one way which sounds easy right? I wish but that would make a terrible fitness goal. Not this 2.5 mile hike is 2,700 ft elevation gain. The summit elevation alone is 5,712 ft. This trail is surprisingly considered the easiest because it only has moderate exposure plus it is the shortest in distance. What it lacks in distance makes up in literal climbing. I recently learned the hiking term "scrambling", which is pretty much a step down from rock climbing. It is a very physically demanding hike and I am super excited and scared. I am excited but really enjoy hiking. I love the amazing view you get at the top and the sense of accomplishment you feel when you reach back to the bottom. I am terrified because 99% of the hike is on a steep incline and a large portion is above the treeline so we will be fully exposed to wind and cold. I am hoping the weather will remain good and have a good view at the top. Considering Mt Jefferson is the third tallest mountain in NH plus being next to Mt Washington, there is a chance of being in the clouds. So let's keep our fingers crossed!!

http://4000footers.com/photo%20%20jefferson.jpg

I have honestly never been so proud of myself and what my body has been able to achieve. With Winter coming, I am afraid the holidays and the lack of being outside will hinder, but I cannot allow me to fall into old habits. Just not an option! Joe and I have been slowly building up a home gym in our basement. So far we have a weight bench that was donated by family friends. We purchased a barbell with weights. We also have yet to set up a weight machine that my grandparents gave us and we need to pick up a Boflex machine another family friend is giving us. So I have a good feeling that we will good plus we still have our gym membership to Planet Fitness. When there is a will there is a way!!

Our bench and barbell