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054. Participate in the Couch to 5K program.

I can now officially say that I am a runner.  I'm not a hardcore runner.  And I don't run every day.  But I can run, and that's all that matters in my book.  Back at the end of December, when I started my weight loss journey, I was pretty much going to stick to walking on the treadmill, riding the stationary bike, and using the elliptical.  However, back at the beginning of April, I decided that I wanted more.  I was already losing weight exactly like I wanted, but I wanted to do something to push myself a little bit further.  I wanted to move out of my comfort zone.  So, I decided to start running.

I have never been a runner, so I didn't know how to run.  If I wanted to run well, I needed something to help me train.  I did a google search, read comments on virtual forums, and scoured the internet for some advice.  Finally I found the answer!

Enter Couch to 5K.

Couch to 5K is a training program that teaches you how to run (5 kilometers or 3.1 miles) in a short 8 weeks.  I didn't think I'd be able to accomplish this task, but throughout this whole journey, I constantly surprised myself with my accomplishments.  During this time, I ran my first mile since high school.  I also ran my first (ever) mile in under 10 minutes.  It feels amazing to do things that I have never been able to do.  And I'm not going to ever look back!

To make this journey a little bit easier, I downloaded the Couch to 5K app on my phone and used that.  This was great!  I highly recommend this app if you are interested in learning how to run.  The app is free.  The program is eight weeks and you are supposed to run three days a week.  Each session has a five minute warm up walk and a five minute cool down walk.  The following are images from my first session.  You can see the time that had elapsed, the time that was remaining for the entire session and the time that remained for the current activity.  The program has you alternating between walking and jogging for different amounts of time.  You start small and build your way up.  You can also play the music in your iTunes library on your phone, which I really enjoyed.







There were many tough days during this journey.  Many days that I didn't want to finish.  Days that I didn't think I could finish.  And days that I never want to re-live again.  However, I'm happy to say that the ONLY session that I didn't finish in it's entirety was the very last session.  But, I was okay with that because it took me the entire 8 weeks to get to that point.  And I was running my first 5K (which I'll blog about soon) that Saturday.  I didn't want to push myself too hard before the 5K and I truly was only a few minutes short of the ending time.  I just physically wasn't able to complete that session.

Now, I can officially say that I am a graduate of the Couch to 5K program and I am a runner!


Do you run?  Have you ever run a 5K?  I'd love to hear about it!

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Easiest Crockpot Chicken

**This is a Pinterest recipe that I discovered.  The original recipe can be found on Tatertots & Jello.**

Who doesn't love a great new chicken recipe?!  I'm always up for trying something new, especially if it is fun and easy!  This recipe is the best of both worlds.  And it's super delicious.  This recipe is for the Easiest Crock pot Shredded Chicken which is perfect for tacos!

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
1 can of salsa
1 can of corn (drained)
2 tsp. Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoning
4 limes - 2 squeezed and 2 for garnish
1 can green chiles (4.5 ounces)

Recipe



Put chicken breasts in the crockpot.  Mix all ingredients together.  Pour this mixture over the chicken.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours (if fresh) or 6-7 hours (if frozen).  Serve chicken in tortillas with your favorite toppings and enjoy!



Seriously, I told you this was an easy recipe.  This is great for those who don't like to cook!  Your whole family will love it!  Trust me!


The yummy avocado salad pictured above is coming in another delicious post!*

What is your favorite crock pot recipe?  I really need to utilize mine more!  And if you aren't using the crock pot bags as seen in the photo below, you need to.  Enough said.


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Labels in the Kitchen

I love these clear containers to hold my dry ingredients in the kitchen.  They come from Wal-Mart and are a great product.  However, they always seem to hold something white and sometimes, it's hard to tell what is what.  So, I decided to label them - I just wasn't sure how.


I typed up my labels with a pretty font - I used Xiomara - and printed them out.  I then cut ripped out the labels and used my Sharpie paint pen to trace over said labels.  Pretty simple and simply pretty!







What is your best kitchen organization tip?

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A Quick and Simple Fix

Now that summer is in full swing, I've got a lot of blogging to catch up on!  I've already been busy continuing to make my house pretty.  It sure hurts my wallet, but it's so much fun and is way better than living within a bunch of white walls.

Need a quick, easy and cheap way to update a room?  Simple.  New curtains.  My bathroom had such lovely curtains already, but unfortunately, they did not match my decor.  So, I bought a new curtain from Walmart for under $10!  I used my already existing curtain rod and saved even more money!  This one is a little longer than I really would have liked, so I just tied it up on the side for now!

Check out the difference!  It's amazing how one little curtain can help the design of a room!


Now it's your turn!  What is your favorite, quick, simple and cheap design tip to help the decor in your house?

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057. Go Down Two Clothing Sizes

Victories on the scale are great.  But I also really enjoy the non-scale victories.  Like this one I had a few weeks back.  In fact, it's taken me so long to share, that I'm almost not even in this size anymore!  That's pretty exciting!

At the beginning of this school year, I was in a size 18 jeans from Old Navy - my favorite place to buy jeans.  I was wearing size 18 from most stores - and even the occasional size 20.

I can now happily say that I am wearing a size 14 in jeans from Old Navy!  I can't tell you when the last time I was in a size 14 was.  It's been a looong time.  Way long.



Sorry these photos are sideways.  I was having enough problems going on while writing this post, and just couldn't dare spend enough time to get the images rotated.  I'm sure you've had a day like that lately, so don't judge! :)
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Accents

I'm in the middle of decorating my living room.  It's been a long process - and it's a slow one - due to lack of time and money.  But I'm loving the way it's coming.  There's sort of a natural, beachy theme going on in this room.  Here are a few shots of the accents (including the wall color) that are in the room.  Maybe one day it will be finished!


What is your favorite room in your house?

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June Goals

A few days late.  But better late than never, right?  Here are my goals for June!


What are your goals for the month of June?

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May Goals Recap

Well, the month of May is officially over.  And really, it's been over for a while! I had planned to write this post on June 1, but you know how things go!  Hopefully, within the next two weeks, I'll have much more time to devote to the blog!  I've got some good things in store for the blog - an overhaul of my posts, so to speak.  Until then, here's a quick recap on my goals for the month of May.  Ready to see how I did?!

Lose 10 Pounds - Well, I did lose weight this month.  Not as much as the 10 that I had hoped for, but I'm not complaining.  I'm so happy about where I'm headed on this weight loss journey, that, even though ten pounds was the goal, the 7 pounds that I lost this month is a winner in my book!

Finish the book I'm reading - and read another - I did in fact complete this goal!  I finished reading Arranged by Catherine McKenzie (which I loved!) and read Cruel Summer by Alyson Noel (which was a great summer read!)  In fact, I read Cruel Summer in it's entirety in ONE day, five hours to be exact!  That crossed another goal off my 101 Goals in 1001 Days list, which I'll blog about one day soon!

Create a monthly budget - waaay overdue - Failed!  It's on the list for June!

Survive the start of SOL tests - Well, we survived the start, and now that June has started, we've also survived the finish of these tests!  Oh boy - I don't like SOL testing!!

Continue to run and train for the 5K in June - Done and done.  I didn't run like I had been running, due to the busyness at work.  However, I did continue running and training, and as of today, the 5K is in less than a week.  How did that happen!?

Enjoy the outdoors more - Now that the weather is nice (well, it's actually skipped ahead to being extremely hot, but that's beside the point), I have been enjoying the outdoors much more than I had been.  I really have my hammocks to thank for this goal!  It's been so nice to go outside on a nice day, lay in the hammock and read a book.  Yep - this is what my summer is going to look like!

I think I did pretty good for my first month of goals!  Here's hoping that June is just as successful!  Do you set monthly goals?  How did you do during the month of May?

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