Abs are made in the kitchen

Week one of training is complete!! Todays run was the toughest as I was out late last night, I had a great time, danced for hours, but didn't get alot of sleep.  My motto is, if I have fun, it doesn't stop any of my plans the next day! Tired, groggy and on little sleep I put my shoes on and headed out the door.  After days of overcast weather, having the sun beating down on me gave me a renewed sense of excitment and motivation.
I was scrolling through facebook the other day and one of my friends had a picture of the inside of their fridge, where in organized containers they had the next few days of food all sorted out.  Underneath she wrote, abs are made in the kitchen.  The statement has been ringing in my head for a week now.  When we think about food it inspires different thoughts for diffferent people.  Not everyone is looking to have a six pack ab set, so why would what I'm talking about matter?  The fact is that 80% of our results in any fitness goal comes from what we eat, that's a staggering percent.  I am not perfect, I enjoy ALL food, I cheat like everyone else.  My best advice is plan.  It takes two minutes to write out what you are going to eat for dinner in a week.  Get the family involved if you have kids or plan your dinners around the leftovers you can use for lunches the next day.  My schedule is all over the place, I work most nights through dinner, so I need to think of things I can cook mid day that I will be able to warm up after work and the kids can heat up and eat after school.  I am learning that in order to have the energy to attack each day with as much passion as I can, that what I eat directly affects that.  Planning is empowering, when you take control of what you are eating you are telling yourself and your body that you are worth it.  Two minutes of planning is equal to a week of feeling healthy, happy and successful.

NO EXCUSES!!!

Biggest Loser has it right this year... no excuses is their theme and rightfully so.  I have been a trainer for 6 years and have heard every excuse in the book and it is starting to piss me off!!!  In all honesty, it isn't only about training that I feel this way, there has to be a fight for what you want, in work, in relationships and especially in your fitness goals.
I have decided to run a half marathon this June, scary as all heck to me since I have never exceeded more than 7 kms at one time, I don't have ANY winter running gear, I am a single Mom with 2 kids and 3 jobs.  Do the math... it seems a little daunting.  BUT, here's the thing... I have always wanted to have the satisfaction of saying that I ran a half marathon.  I want to set out to do something, put together an action plan and have the feeling of success and elation when I have completed it.
My plan is to blog my adventure to my race date, June 3 2012.  I will be running the Women's Half Marathon in Niagara Falls, Ontario.  I have only done one race in my life which was the Warrior Dash (that's a whole other story!!), a 5 km run with obstacles, so I don't have a lot of experience in long distance running.  I'm nervous, excited, apprehensive, but mostly motivated to set out to do something that will have a major effect on how I view my training and myself.  I will make no excuses of time, weather, clothing or nutrition.  If I fall down on the slippery road or sidewalk in my running shoes, I will pick myself up and keep going.  THIS IS MY YEAR... THIS IS MY RACE!!