I'm finally feeling more like myself again. It was a long haul of sick kids, working long hours, and losing sleep over the last week and a half. Things are getting back to normal around here. My second oldest, Patrick (14), stayed home today. He's got a sore throat that kept him up all night. We watched "Despicable Me" together, then he told me that I should go for a walk. He's very good at helping to get me motivated again.

It was sunny and 51 when I got outside. I decided walking wasn't enough, but jogging too long would hurt my body. I'm back up to 180, and I know my "workouts" recently haven't been that intense. I did intervals as follows:

0.5 mile walk then finished with intervals of 0.25 mile jog/0.25 mile walk until I had completed 2.5 miles. My total time was 42 minutes, that's under a 17 minute mile. My total jogging distance was one mile, with no shin splints or heel pain.

So I feel I'm back on track, at least a little. I'm trying to figure out a good plan. So far here's what I have:

1. Alternate cardio and resistance days. I don't have time for the 1.5 hour extended workouts anymore.
2. Get outside while I can. That always lifts my spirits.
3. Change up my cardio when I'm stuck inside: elliptical, Zumba, and the other Kinect game. Maybe I'll buy some DVDs too. We should also be able to fix the pool again soon.
4. Aim for 20-40 min of workout on most days. Ten minutes should be on Sundays.
5. Back to low carb eating with fewer vacations. I "reward" myself with food too much. I need another reward system.

Thanks for your support to all of my Spark Friends! You all are helping to get me motivated again!