2015 has been wonderful. I moved in with my boyfriend and his brother. We got a dog. I ran 4 half-marathons and my first marathon. I started working in a different lab group at work. I did my first powerlifting meet. We attended a TON of weddings. I went to Tampa, FL for the first time. I went to Disney for my 3rd time. We took a trip to Connecticut and Boston, Mass(both for my first time).
I didn't pay off my student loans...and I'll be saying that for at least another 10 New Year's Eves. I did not lose the weight I had planned on losing...I actually managed to maintain it from Dec. 31,2014 to today. However, I know that I am stronger, and it's likely that less of my weight is fat. I increased my squat,bench,and deadlift total from 385lbs to 630lbs, and that was with taking some time off to train for the marathon. I'll have my next Bod Pod done on January 9th. I was sitting at 31% BF in April, so we'll see what a little under 9 months has done for me...that brings me to some goals and my to-do list for 2016...Not making resolutions because everyone knows we stick to them for a few weeks and then forget about it. I like to make goals.
-Lift in at least 1 USAPL-sanctioned meet in the 72kg class
-Decrease my bodyfat to 16%
-Increase my total to 765
-Travel to at least 1 new destination
-Be a better friend
Welp...there they are. There are probably more that I can't think of right now, but these are on my mind right now.
Here's to a new year!! Time to make some memories!!
Bring it on, 2016!
Hoping this year brings everyone lots of happiness and laughter,
Ashley
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Where are you, Spring??
Well, at least it hasn't been more than 3 months since my last post...I'm making great strides in the "remembering to write a blog post" department. Not so much in the weight loss department, though! I've started back on the downward slope toward my goal again, but didn't lose much in February like I had hoped. Part of that is likely not working at it as hard as I could be, but I'm hoping that perhaps I am turning some fat mass into muscle mass. Pretty certain that I suffer from "I can't just eat one cookie" syndrome. I broke my Lenten promise of not eating "bad" food yesterday, and continued today because there were a TON of cookies left at the apartment. Time to get back to it tomorrow.
Currently, I'm drinking an orange-blackberry-strawberry smoothie to try to make myself feel a little better about the amount of crappy food I have eaten in the past two days. Really, just the amount of delicious cookies I have eaten. So much for starting March off on a good foot!! But, the important thing to remember is that tomorrow is a new day, and I can start back on the good path tomorrow. I've already told Josh not to let me skip out on my morning routine of waking up to head to the gym before work. I skipped my long run this weekend, too, even though it was technically slated to be a 3.1, I was going to do 9 miles. But, it's not the end of the world. I'll run my miles like normal this week, and get my long run in for next weekend. A little nervous about how I'm going to do at this half in Xenia in April, as I'm likely going to be nowhere near my first half time, but just gotta get back to the plan and remember that ultimately, it's about finishing the race, not about the time.
My strength training hasn't been quite as consistent in the past week, so this week should change that. I also need to start figuring out a schedule to follow for my marathon training. I desparately want to keep building muscle with strength training, but I also realize that I need to be very dedicated to my training if I want to finish this marathon in November. I'm still trying to believe that I actually signed up to run a marathon this year, considering how much this winter has deterred me from running outside. I cannot wait until this weather finally breaks and I enjoy being outside again.
The other day, I was thinking about how many wonderful people are in my life, and how many wonderful opportunities that are waiting to be explored. Right now, although I am incredibly happy with my relationships, I would say that I'm not satisfied with where I am in terms of a career or where I am in terms of my physical being. In the past year, I've discovered that we have to learn to be happy instead of content. Some might argue that they could be one in the same, but I think there's a big difference. I could say that I'm content, but there's always a voice in the back of my head telling me that I can push harder and that my full potential is still looming in the distance. Whether it be in terms of body image, career aspirations, or even in terms of spirituality, I think there's always something I can be doing to better myself. You might be thinking that I need to practice more self love or that I shouldn't be so hard on myself, but I think that if we want to reach goals, we have to be honest with ourselves. With that said, I don't sit around looking in the mirror, pointing out all of the flaws I see. I set goals for myself, and I work at them. I "fall off the wagon" here and there, but the ultimate goal is always set. I feel incredibly lucky to have found a relationship with a man that supports me in my pursuit of the goals I have set for myself, and that we can serve as accountability partners(or binging partners, in the case of this weekend). He loves me for who I am as a whole, and wants me to reach my goals because he knows that will make me happy. I hope that everyone can find the person in their life, whether it's a friend or significant other, sibling, or even a parent, who pushes them to reach their goals, even when it means a little tough love.
Another week starts tomorrow, and I'm ready to charge into it with a great attitude and make some progress in the gym. The Arnold Sports Festival is next weekend, and I'm looking forward to 3 days of free protein samples and lots of muscle-y people walking around motivating me to keep up my work in the weight room. Hope everyone has a great month, as there's no way I can promise I'll write another post until April.
All the love and laughter,
Ashley
Currently, I'm drinking an orange-blackberry-strawberry smoothie to try to make myself feel a little better about the amount of crappy food I have eaten in the past two days. Really, just the amount of delicious cookies I have eaten. So much for starting March off on a good foot!! But, the important thing to remember is that tomorrow is a new day, and I can start back on the good path tomorrow. I've already told Josh not to let me skip out on my morning routine of waking up to head to the gym before work. I skipped my long run this weekend, too, even though it was technically slated to be a 3.1, I was going to do 9 miles. But, it's not the end of the world. I'll run my miles like normal this week, and get my long run in for next weekend. A little nervous about how I'm going to do at this half in Xenia in April, as I'm likely going to be nowhere near my first half time, but just gotta get back to the plan and remember that ultimately, it's about finishing the race, not about the time.
My strength training hasn't been quite as consistent in the past week, so this week should change that. I also need to start figuring out a schedule to follow for my marathon training. I desparately want to keep building muscle with strength training, but I also realize that I need to be very dedicated to my training if I want to finish this marathon in November. I'm still trying to believe that I actually signed up to run a marathon this year, considering how much this winter has deterred me from running outside. I cannot wait until this weather finally breaks and I enjoy being outside again.
The other day, I was thinking about how many wonderful people are in my life, and how many wonderful opportunities that are waiting to be explored. Right now, although I am incredibly happy with my relationships, I would say that I'm not satisfied with where I am in terms of a career or where I am in terms of my physical being. In the past year, I've discovered that we have to learn to be happy instead of content. Some might argue that they could be one in the same, but I think there's a big difference. I could say that I'm content, but there's always a voice in the back of my head telling me that I can push harder and that my full potential is still looming in the distance. Whether it be in terms of body image, career aspirations, or even in terms of spirituality, I think there's always something I can be doing to better myself. You might be thinking that I need to practice more self love or that I shouldn't be so hard on myself, but I think that if we want to reach goals, we have to be honest with ourselves. With that said, I don't sit around looking in the mirror, pointing out all of the flaws I see. I set goals for myself, and I work at them. I "fall off the wagon" here and there, but the ultimate goal is always set. I feel incredibly lucky to have found a relationship with a man that supports me in my pursuit of the goals I have set for myself, and that we can serve as accountability partners(or binging partners, in the case of this weekend). He loves me for who I am as a whole, and wants me to reach my goals because he knows that will make me happy. I hope that everyone can find the person in their life, whether it's a friend or significant other, sibling, or even a parent, who pushes them to reach their goals, even when it means a little tough love.
Another week starts tomorrow, and I'm ready to charge into it with a great attitude and make some progress in the gym. The Arnold Sports Festival is next weekend, and I'm looking forward to 3 days of free protein samples and lots of muscle-y people walking around motivating me to keep up my work in the weight room. Hope everyone has a great month, as there's no way I can promise I'll write another post until April.
All the love and laughter,
Ashley
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