Health and Fitness Intro

I want to be 52 weeks more healthy at the end of the year.  What does that mean?  I am exploring that.
I went to the doctor in October because I have significant hot flashes and my feet get so hot at night that it wakes me up.  I was wondering if it was time to go on hormones or if there was some other solution.  I know that my hormones are a mess because I have a thickness, particularly around my waist, that I have never had before.  I can't diet or exercise enough to get it off or make anything but slight progress.  I am running 3-5 miles a day five days a week, lifting weights 3 times a week and carefully watching what I eat.  I have tried to go to a whole foods kind of diet-- with yogurt, cottage cheese, whole grain breads , oatmeal for breakfast, etc.  I feel  like I need a nap partway through the afternoon.  I don't like how I feel.

A month ago, Melissa told me about the Paleo diet and asked me if I wanted to try it for 2 weeks with her.  The diet is basically lean meats, lots of vegetables, some fruit, fats.  No grains, no dairy, no sugar.

I don't know that I agree with the philosophy but, I thought I'd give it a try.  Within the first week, my eczema was gone.  I have had eczema my whole life to some degree-- GONE.  My hot flashes and hot feet at night, gone.  Tired dips in the afternoon--gone.  My energy levels are higher, after 4 weeks, I had lost 11/2 inches off of my waist.  I don't have a scale so, I don't know what I have lost in terms of pounds, but, my clothes fit better and some are loose.  Progress so far:
torso-ribcage: 1 inch
waist: 1 1/2 inches
stomach: 1 inch
hips: 1/2 inch
thighs: 1/2 inch
arms 1/2 inch
calves:0

December 2
I bought some jeans when I was in Atlanta a few weeks ago.  They were a tiny bit snug but looked ok.  Now they are loose and I am going to exchange one pair for the smaller size!

I lifted today.  Now that we are back from Atlanta and settled in again, I am going to get back to 3 times a week of lifting.  I have also decided that I am not going to do long-endurance kind of exercise for a few months and see how that works. I am trying to do spurts of high energy.  Yesterday, I ran Zoey up and down the hill by our house-- it's a tough hill but not very long.  I am thinking that I should be able to run the whole way up it without stopping if I work on it this month.   I ran outside with the dog again today.  We took a different route but it still had hills.  I tried to run up the hills and just catch my breath before I stared the next sprint. 

I have been really following the eating plan carefully this week.  I have also been trying to do 50 push ups most days.  I can't do more than 15 in a row, but, it's a goal to get all 50 in at once.