nightmares

I had no less than three terrifying nightmares last night and awoke from each sweaty and with a racing heart. Here's the little I remember of each...
1) In some weird house/building with a bunch of other people, trying to get away from the "evil" thing/person that was trying to kill me. It was a given in the nightmare that my life was over- there was no way I was going to win.
2) Driving my car somewhere. Every time I tried to brake, it would take significantly longer than it should have. I kept being stuck in traffic and needing to stop, but despite fully engaging the pedal, my car would very slowly slow down which always resulted in me hitting the car in front of me. At one point I was reversing, and the same thing happened- I rolled back into someone. Every time this happened, I had that prickly adrenaline feeling and felt like I was going to throw up.
3) Something to do with swimming/drowning/dying and being chased by something evil.
I'm not excited about what these may mean, especially all three in one night.

Fitness challenge update. Week one.

The first week went relatively well, though I had to squish some stuff in since I forgot the week ends on Thurs. My c25k week is Mon-Sun, so it can get a little confusing. Here's how I did with regards to my goals:

1) Minus 7.7!!!! I'm using my wii fit as the official measurement for the duration of this challenge. I didn't have time to weigh in on Friday, so my numbers will be a bit off. Plus, I don't think I actually lost that much, so hopefully it won't increase this Friday!
2a) I planned my meals and made my list on Sunday, went shopping on Monday, and did my cooking on Tues and Thurs. Tues meal was an asparagus, tomato, cottage cheese and ww tortilla bake thing. It was far better than I anticipated. Tonight I made a stir fry (lemon, asparagus, chicken, onion, garlic, broth), but didn't eat it yet. I'm bringing it to work tomorrow night since I have a packed day and won't have time to cook.
2b) This starts tomorrow.
3a) I'm right on track with this- finished week 6 day 2 today.
4) Cooper had a great week of new walk locations. We got three in! I may up my goal to 10.
Walk 1= A visit with Nora and Pax- we did a three mile loop near them which included Tufts, Davis Square, and a nice bike/walking path.
Walk 2= A wooded trail near my parents' house where I spent tons of time as a kid. Cooper balanced over narrow bridges and generally loved every minute of it.
Walk 3= Brookline reservoir. A one mile sandy/gravely loop around the water. One of my favorite places to run.
5) Class= I went to my favorite class last Friday- sports drills. I love this because we do fun stuff that changes regularly and involves more than the typical step or aerobics class.
Swimming= Laps on Weds. Will adjust my goal to specify 1/2 mile distance each swim. Totally doable.

This coming week seemed like a good one for me to try the no carbs goal, so I've stocked up on the stuff I need. I've also decided it's finally time to make myself like cottage cheese once and for all. I've tried several times before, but still am not a huge fan. By the end of this week, I'll have eaten enough of it to either like it, or never want to see it again.

fitness challenge

Our friends at the hose introduced "the hose spring fitness challenge" which began on 4/1/11 and ends on 6/30/11. All participants were invited to come up with 1-5 personal challenge items which they then work towards and share their progress throughout the time span. Woohoo! I'm all about this type of challenge, especially because it focuses on personal challenges while still offering a prize (ie- winner=competition!). Here are my 5 picks:

1) Lose 15+ lbs
2) Eating:
a) Cook at least 2 healthy meals/week which I'll plan and shop for in advance (I already make massive vats of  soup regularly which I then live off for a while, but figured I should mix it up a bit).
b) Make it through at least one week with no carbs- just protein and veggies.
3) Running:
a) Finish the couch to 5K program (I'm currently on week 5 of 9).
b) Sign up for a 5K and run (or jog) it. This is tentatively scheduled for 6/5/11.
4) Take Cooper to a minimum of 5 new long walk locations (like ponds, hiking, etc- not just a new route in the neighborhood).
5) Lap swim and take a class at least once/week.

I figured I'd write an update at the end of each week (which will be Friday-Thursday) to keep me (and anyone who cares) on top of it. You're all welcome to join us as well- just add your goals in the comment section and get cracking!