RunningManda's Blog

Hello! My name is Amanda. I am addicted to a good time.

Honestly, I am! I do have an addictive personality. My favorite “past time” is having a few beverages, eating good food and socializing with friends and family. To save this introduction from being a novel, I’ll give a few random tidbits about myself and why I started this blog.

I’m 29, married and have two sons who are 10 and 6.

I’ve gone up and down on the scale (gained 100 lbs when I was pregnant with my first son!!!) but since I found the Weight Watcher lifestyle, I have been (and am currently) an average body shape: 5’4”, 128 lbs.

Smoker/drinker for about 15 years, but quit smoking in Sept 2009.

Became a “social smoker” in early 2010.

I’ve always been a “partier”. With the kids being more independent, it’s easy to get together with other couples and while all of our kids play together, the parents get to have some fun as well. Grilling out, drinking, boating, drinking, having a bonfire, drinking. All of it goes together for me! I don’t consider myself an alcoholic, but I will admit that I have almost always had more of an emphasis on having fun and enjoying life over being healthy or trying to have a fit body.

But, recently I made a change in my life which has really made me re-evaluate some ways I’ve looked at life before: March 20th, 2011, I quit smoking. FOR GOOD! No more social smoking. And, to avoid smoking, I’ve been alcohol free since then, as well. SHOCKING, I KNOW!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to turn all Fancy Nancy and become anti-alcohol or anything. I’m still looking forward to being able to have a few drinks soon. It’s just that right now when I even think about alcohol makes me think about smoking. And, I’m dedicated this time. Although, I will say, when I do start drinking again, I am NOT going to indulge like I have before. Without drinking, the weekends last longer now.  I am able to get up earlier, get GOING earlier, and get more done. I thought I would find more time to finally finish the last two books in a series that I’ve been on, but I’ve been busier than ever! It’s great.

So, without smoking or drinking to concentrate my addictive behavior on, I’ve been focusing it on going to the gym and eating better. I started doing yoga on Saturday mornings. Oh wait, let me re-start that: I started GETTING UP EARLY ENOUGH, without a hangover, to do yoga on Saturday mornings! I’ve been to the gym every day since I quit smoking. I haven’t lost any weight, but my husband says he can tell a difference in looking at me. I do feel better, that’s true. While I may not be overweight or obese, I’m still not “fit”. I want to be toned. NOT MUSCLY – EWWWW! But, I want to be toned. I want to feel not just okay, but FANTASTIC about myself in a swimsuit. I look good in clothes, heck yes, I’ll admit I do, but underneath could definitely use some toning. I want to be long and lean and have been focused on getting into shape. I saw that a friend was doing C25K and posted on facebook that she just completed week 4. Always a sucker for programs and meeting goals, I decided to google it and see what it was about. It’s a running program that gradually gets non-athletes, such as myself, into long distance running.

So, to come full circle to where I’m at now and the reason for the blog: I’ve decided I want to start running. I can’t run for CRAP without having to gasp for air after just a few minutes. And, it would be a FANTASTIC way to tone my thunder thighs and meet my fitness goals. Good ol’ AT&T. Amanda Thunder Thighs. That’s actually what my dad use to call me when I was younger (in a teasing way; he’s a great guy!!!!), but it’s so true now.

So, this is my intro. Yesterday was day one on the C25K and it was great. Didn’t last too long, was very easy to complete and still left me feeling accomplished. I will maintain this blog not only on my C25K journey, but also on my smoke free, better life living and better quality journey, as well. Please comment and let me know what you think! Also, follow me on twitter! My handle is @runningmanda

Thanks for reading!