I couldn't hold it for the 12 years the lady wanted us to, nor could I do all her fancy rotating, but I managed a plain old plank for two sets of 25 seconds. That actually felt like an accomplishment. Oh, and I was able to do the push ups--girl style still--but I did them. Not too bad for the 4th class. I am a little amazed at how quickly I have been able to progress, or maybe it really wasn't quick? I'm not too sure really. In 3 weeks of the body pump I went from flopping around during the floor exercises to being able to reasonably participate and not feel like I total fatty blob, like those people in the Wall-E movie.
I've been reading Pride and Prejudice in addition to the kooky diet book. I have a difficult time following the conversations at times in P & P. I find I often have to go back and double check who is "speaking" when it isn't obvious. I decided I wanted to go read (or re-read) as many classics as I could over the summer. Marian is cranking her way through my copy of Anna Karenina; I gave up on that book. Even with Oprah's cheat sheet book mark I couldn't keep track of the characters. Marian said the book was actually written as a serial and not a novel, and that if it had been designed as a novel she figures Tolstoy could have shaved 1/2 the pages off it. LOL.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Do you think I can go 52 miles today?
Last month I covered 134.85 miles in my workouts. This month I'm only at 82.03 miles. I should be increasing mileage at this point! This is all because of those two weeks at the start of the month with just two workouts per week, then the third week with four workouts but no time on the bike. The bike really adds mileage quickly, and last month I had four straight weeks of consistent run/swim/run/swim workouts and one day of biking each week. I wonder if I should take the afternoon off and go ride 40 miles? I don't even know if I'm physically capable of doing that--it would mean I'd do nearly a metric century today (I already put on 14 miles with my commute this morning) and the last time I did that (the 100 Miles of Nowhere last year, where I did a metric century on a high school track) I was complete toast by the end, even though I think I was in better shape at that point than I am now. So doing a metric century at this point and on roads that have hills and stuff? I don't think I'd make it. OTOH, while 52 miles seems like a lot of riding at my current fitness level, 40 miles doesn't seem that bad. I could do 33 miles on the nice flat Baltimore-Annapolis trail and then one loop around the airport. Or I could stop thinking about this since I have a ton of work to do and can't take the afternoon off anyway and just admit that I need to get in more training in July.
So it looks like I'm going to end this month with 40 fewer miles logged than last month, which essentially is an entire week of workouts that I missed. Maybe I can pretend I took a vacation?
Yesterday's swim was slow and awful. Actually it wasn't any more awful than usual. I just hate swimming and really didn't want to do it yesterday. My ability to make excuses is amazing--the pool is open from 12 to 2 and I was at an off site meeting that ended around 11:45, so first I told myself that I had to run some errands on the way back to work - which I didn't - so I wouldn't make it to the open pool hours, then I said that I had to eat lunch before swimming - which I did - and it wouldn't be safe to go swimming so soon afterwards (which is b.s.), and then I told myself that I could swim after work instead when I wouldn't be in such a rush. Then I realized that I was just trying to put off something I didn't want to do and wouldn't want to do any more at 5:00 than I did at 1:00 and I knew I'd be irritated with myself if I didn't go swim, so I sucked it up and went. It was no fun. I was glad when it was over.
So it looks like I'm going to end this month with 40 fewer miles logged than last month, which essentially is an entire week of workouts that I missed. Maybe I can pretend I took a vacation?
Yesterday's swim was slow and awful. Actually it wasn't any more awful than usual. I just hate swimming and really didn't want to do it yesterday. My ability to make excuses is amazing--the pool is open from 12 to 2 and I was at an off site meeting that ended around 11:45, so first I told myself that I had to run some errands on the way back to work - which I didn't - so I wouldn't make it to the open pool hours, then I said that I had to eat lunch before swimming - which I did - and it wouldn't be safe to go swimming so soon afterwards (which is b.s.), and then I told myself that I could swim after work instead when I wouldn't be in such a rush. Then I realized that I was just trying to put off something I didn't want to do and wouldn't want to do any more at 5:00 than I did at 1:00 and I knew I'd be irritated with myself if I didn't go swim, so I sucked it up and went. It was no fun. I was glad when it was over.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
You're all giving me your weight!
OK, maybe I didn't gain ALL your weight, but the three of you lost and I'm up significantly! I'm at 150.0. In our eight-day trip to Alabama (8-night, really 9-day, with two days lost in driving) I went running three times (though one of them ought to count for three or four days of exercise!) and ate terribly -- we went to the Melting Pot, to the movies (with popcorn!) twice, to Carrabbas (post-movie, and I ate pizza, so it's not like I went for something lean, and then I ate my leftovers for two days), and to Red Lobster (don't order the jambalaya -- it's really not any good. I ate the whole blasted portion over two meals, though). And in between I ate home cookin'. I came home feeling completely gross and lacking in energy.
I did try to get back on track when we got back; I'm eating a little less, but not tracking my calories yet -- though by not tracking I make it easier to cave in and eat a whole pile of tortilla chips, like I did last night. But I haven't had beer (and there's plenty in the fridge) and I'm not eating a lot of junk food. I made chocolate chip-marshmallow-banana bread on Sunday (the marshmallows were Cecilia's idea, and sounded good to me, but they melted and you can't really tell they were there) and have only had one slice. But my weight has been creeping up steadily over the last month or so, so I'm probably going to have to get more aggressive than just forgoing a slice of banana bread.
I've had NO enthusiasm for exercise, though; I called the gym yesterday and couldn't get an appointment, and did I go out on my own? Of course not! Less than 3,600 steps on the day. Today I got an appointment and put in 4 miles on the treadmill (making up for the run I missed on Saturday or Sunday), but I can't get anything on the schedule for the rest of the week because of conflicts. So on Thursday I'll go for a run in the neighborhood and on Sunday morning I'm going for the 14 mile run. I should probably go for a walk on Friday. I wish Cecilia were up for a bike ride, but we haven't made any progress on the bike with her yet, not even with training wheels.
Bright and Early
I woke up at 5:33am and thought "yay! I get to sleep another hour..." I woke up again at 6:08 and thought "Sigh, I'd better get up and finish packing boxes before the floor guys arrive." So I got up - but then I decided to take a walk since it was beautifully cool for about five minutes. I have to map my route. I have been doing a mile walk and really need to start making it longer. Yesterday I lapped some of the courts along the way - so that helped, but I am not sure how much. I decided to do a different route, but I don't actually know if it was longer or shorter. It took me slightly longer - but I was feeling very NOT energetic this morning, so I was probably walking slower.
I got back to the house, took a shower, and began moving stuff from the dining room and living room. I had moved quite a bit over the weekend, but there was more to do. The guys got to the house at about 7:35, and I really DID get quite a bit more done before they arrived.
In the mean time I weighed myself twice. The first time (right out of bed, eyes barely focusing) I was only down .6 from last week (if you will recall last week I was down nothing). So I was REALLY pissed off because that means I had a net loss for the past two weeks of a half a pound! That doesn't fit within the formula AT ALL!! I have had an average calorie deficit of 848.71 per day over the last seven days. The week before that it was 907.14 (Katie's birthday messed me up this week). So - if it really IS burn more than you consume, I should have lost a pound and a half each week. So I should be THREE pounds down - not half a pound!!!!
When I got back from my walk I weighed myself again and I had gone down an additional 1.2 pounds. Since this was more in line with what I wanted - 1.8 pounds since last week - I decided to keep that as my official weight - even though it probably isn't accurate. This also gets me down below 250 (barely!) and it brings me to 6 pounds lost since June 1st. Keep in mind however, that my June 1st weight was probably somewhat inflated by my period. BUT - that means that my weight this week may be slightly inflated from my period also - or maybe that won't be until next week, in which case I will lose all of the progress I made...
OR - I may lose all of the progress I have made because I am now eating Fischer's caramel popcorn!
I got back to the house, took a shower, and began moving stuff from the dining room and living room. I had moved quite a bit over the weekend, but there was more to do. The guys got to the house at about 7:35, and I really DID get quite a bit more done before they arrived.
In the mean time I weighed myself twice. The first time (right out of bed, eyes barely focusing) I was only down .6 from last week (if you will recall last week I was down nothing). So I was REALLY pissed off because that means I had a net loss for the past two weeks of a half a pound! That doesn't fit within the formula AT ALL!! I have had an average calorie deficit of 848.71 per day over the last seven days. The week before that it was 907.14 (Katie's birthday messed me up this week). So - if it really IS burn more than you consume, I should have lost a pound and a half each week. So I should be THREE pounds down - not half a pound!!!!
When I got back from my walk I weighed myself again and I had gone down an additional 1.2 pounds. Since this was more in line with what I wanted - 1.8 pounds since last week - I decided to keep that as my official weight - even though it probably isn't accurate. This also gets me down below 250 (barely!) and it brings me to 6 pounds lost since June 1st. Keep in mind however, that my June 1st weight was probably somewhat inflated by my period. BUT - that means that my weight this week may be slightly inflated from my period also - or maybe that won't be until next week, in which case I will lose all of the progress I made...
OR - I may lose all of the progress I have made because I am now eating Fischer's caramel popcorn!
145.8
Not nearly as impressive as Julie, but at least it's a bit of a loss since last week!
Yesterday's rain was perfectly timed--it came in just as I was debating going to the gym to run on the treadmill. 94 degrees seems to be my cutoff--below that and I'll run outside and above that I resort to the treadmill. I'm really looking forward to this heat wave breaking. It's just been miserable out there. But anyway, the rain came through yesterday and when it stopped around 3:00 I went out for a run in much cooler air. Cooler, but not drier--within a half a mile I was soaked all over even though the rain had stopped. The air was so humid that by the time I got back to the gym it looked like I had been running in the rain. The other thing I noticed out there was that even though it had rained pretty steadily for nearly two hours, the ground was still hard--no muddy squishy bits. It just soaked up the rain and looked for more. I finished the run with an average speed of 9:25 per mile, which seems to be the speed I've settled on after bringing it down from 10+ minute miles.
Yesterday's rain was perfectly timed--it came in just as I was debating going to the gym to run on the treadmill. 94 degrees seems to be my cutoff--below that and I'll run outside and above that I resort to the treadmill. I'm really looking forward to this heat wave breaking. It's just been miserable out there. But anyway, the rain came through yesterday and when it stopped around 3:00 I went out for a run in much cooler air. Cooler, but not drier--within a half a mile I was soaked all over even though the rain had stopped. The air was so humid that by the time I got back to the gym it looked like I had been running in the rain. The other thing I noticed out there was that even though it had rained pretty steadily for nearly two hours, the ground was still hard--no muddy squishy bits. It just soaked up the rain and looked for more. I finished the run with an average speed of 9:25 per mile, which seems to be the speed I've settled on after bringing it down from 10+ minute miles.
Officially...
down 6 lbs. I went to the gym last night and just did the cardio program on the elliptical again. Tonight is the Body Pump class I have been attending. I am looking forward to it, although not to the planks. Hopefully I will be a little less terrible at those this week.
I've been watching the ingredients list on foods and I found high fructose corn syrup in my canned diced tomatoes last night. For some reason I find this extremely annoying. People have been canning and jarring tomatoes for years, why do companies have to add HFCS to the product? When we jarred our own tomatoes at home when I was growing up we never added sugar or anything to them.
I've been watching the ingredients list on foods and I found high fructose corn syrup in my canned diced tomatoes last night. For some reason I find this extremely annoying. People have been canning and jarring tomatoes for years, why do companies have to add HFCS to the product? When we jarred our own tomatoes at home when I was growing up we never added sugar or anything to them.
Monday, June 28, 2010
First brick
I had a *great* week with exercise last week--I got in two days of running and two days of swimming during the week, one bike ride at lunch (really slow--I was checking out some of the Columbia walking/biking paths which turn out to be really crappy, so I'll stick with roads from now on), and then a bike/run brick on Saturday. This was the first brick I've done this year--I need to start doing them every other week or so between now and the race. It's odd how you need to train your body to make that transition from biking to running. It took me more than a mile on the run to start to feel normal again. I did Emily's trick of running five minutes and walking one, which worked great until I hit the hills. Then I went to the plan called "run when you can, walk when you have to." At about the halfway point I caught up to two other women who were running slightly slower than I was but who were at least running the whole way. I kept pace with them (the chain grease tattoo on one woman's leg let me know they had also just done the bike) until the end, which overall kept me moving more than I probably would have on my own. My time wasn't great--1:15 for the bike and 35:43 for the run, but both of those were faster than my times when I was first doing this route last year, so that's some improvement.
Last week was also my first 40+ mile week in a while--43.58 miles to be precise, of which 27.7 miles were biking, 1.94 swimming, and the rest running.
As Amy mentioned, I've been dealing with on and off sickness the past five days or so. It's not horrible illness--more like morning sickness where I feel really sick and like I couldn't possibly eat anything for a while, and then I feel fine for a while, and sometimes eating makes me feel better and sometimes it makes me feel worse. I'm currently blaming the heat, but I've also blamed Indian food, intense workouts, and hormones. Could really be any of these. I'm currently in a "feeling fine" part of the cycle, but this morning felt really sick.
Last week was also my first 40+ mile week in a while--43.58 miles to be precise, of which 27.7 miles were biking, 1.94 swimming, and the rest running.
As Amy mentioned, I've been dealing with on and off sickness the past five days or so. It's not horrible illness--more like morning sickness where I feel really sick and like I couldn't possibly eat anything for a while, and then I feel fine for a while, and sometimes eating makes me feel better and sometimes it makes me feel worse. I'm currently blaming the heat, but I've also blamed Indian food, intense workouts, and hormones. Could really be any of these. I'm currently in a "feeling fine" part of the cycle, but this morning felt really sick.
Binge and Purge
So, Sarah, how are you feeling today? I ran my calories last night after we got home from Bonefish and I was almost 300 over budget! This actually isn't too bad - but most of the calories I ate were just at dinner.
So I still haven't been sleeping well. This morning I woke up at 5:30 and was feeling my dinner from last night - so I got up to use the bathroom. Then, since I was already up I decided to go out for a walk since it was already WAY too hot for humans. I then goofed off on Facebook until I was running late and had to rush around to get ready for work.
I am in the midst of sorting out everything in my house so when the guys come to tear up the floor they will be able to do so without breaking anything. So I did spend about 15 minutes running up and down the stairs with stuff to go into the basement from the kitchen (having already moved it to the kitchen from the dining room...).
I have this big problem... My new housekeeper is supposed to start working for me tomorrow, however, the house is so disorganized right now that I don't know if she will a) be able to get to things to clean them, and b) ever want to come back again. OTOH, I don't know what next week will bring and so it may be a bigger PITA to have her come next week. Sigh.
So I still haven't been sleeping well. This morning I woke up at 5:30 and was feeling my dinner from last night - so I got up to use the bathroom. Then, since I was already up I decided to go out for a walk since it was already WAY too hot for humans. I then goofed off on Facebook until I was running late and had to rush around to get ready for work.
I am in the midst of sorting out everything in my house so when the guys come to tear up the floor they will be able to do so without breaking anything. So I did spend about 15 minutes running up and down the stairs with stuff to go into the basement from the kitchen (having already moved it to the kitchen from the dining room...).
I have this big problem... My new housekeeper is supposed to start working for me tomorrow, however, the house is so disorganized right now that I don't know if she will a) be able to get to things to clean them, and b) ever want to come back again. OTOH, I don't know what next week will bring and so it may be a bigger PITA to have her come next week. Sigh.
"Unofficial" Weight Loss
But still I am very happy about it--I've dropped 5 lbs in the last 10 days with exercising. I made Peter get the trial gym membership and we went to two classes over the weekend. Both were at insane hours of the morning when I should have been sleeping in my cozy bed snuggled up with my beagle, but we went. I was SOO counting on him to bail at least one of the days. We did the Body Pump at 8 am Saturday, and the Spinning at 8:30 am Sunday. He is hurting from the spinning today; I apparently didn't work quite hard enough because I can only minimally feel it in my muscles, but my butt is KILLING me from the bike seat. You'd think all that fat I have would provide enough cushion...guess not...LOL. Quite the opposite--it smushed and now it is sore, but when I kept my muscles engaged it hurt less. I am certain you are all SO incredibly happy to know those details. :-) I also discovered that my cardiovascular system is mismatched to my fatness/fitness. I usually have a very low heart rate and very low blood pressure (both of which I consider a very lucky gift) and yesterday when I was biking I wasn't even out of breath at all, but when I tried to push harder my joints hurt, my feet hurt, etc. It was awful. I need to get my body stronger so that it can match the efficiency of my heart. I am going to wear Peter's heart rate monitor next time for biking; if I were to guess, I might have hit 120 bpm during Sunday's class. That is a little less than double my resting heart rate.
So we made some adjustments to our food based on that book I am reading. We ditched everything with high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient. Salad dressing is AWFUL. I am leery of the new ketchup we bought, but I will keep an open mind. We also bought grass fed beef and free range chicken. I feel like such a hippie/earthy crunchy/granola bar type. I'm still not 100% sure I believe EVERYTHING the book says, but it certainly has its points that are difficult to argue with. I'll try to do some counter research this week in the medical journals I have access to at work. I might also try to find some of the studies the book cites just to see if it is cherry picking statements or actually accurately summarizing the findings. We'll see.
I think I'm going to end up at the gym most every night this week again; I was on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule since that is when Peter has class, but now he wants me to go with him Monday and Wednesday but I don't want to give up my other classes. I really don't have much else worthwhile to do right now, so that works for me. I will just be psycho gym girl for summer.
So we made some adjustments to our food based on that book I am reading. We ditched everything with high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient. Salad dressing is AWFUL. I am leery of the new ketchup we bought, but I will keep an open mind. We also bought grass fed beef and free range chicken. I feel like such a hippie/earthy crunchy/granola bar type. I'm still not 100% sure I believe EVERYTHING the book says, but it certainly has its points that are difficult to argue with. I'll try to do some counter research this week in the medical journals I have access to at work. I might also try to find some of the studies the book cites just to see if it is cherry picking statements or actually accurately summarizing the findings. We'll see.
I think I'm going to end up at the gym most every night this week again; I was on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule since that is when Peter has class, but now he wants me to go with him Monday and Wednesday but I don't want to give up my other classes. I really don't have much else worthwhile to do right now, so that works for me. I will just be psycho gym girl for summer.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Connor and me
I think Connor and I have the same sleeping problem. Again last night, in spite of the fact that I was TERRIBLY tired, I only got about four hours of sleep. I spent about six hours in bed, but first I couldn't FALL asleep, and then I couldn't stay asleep. I woke up around six am and fell back to sleep and then was dreaming that I had gotten up and was starting to get ready, but I was wishing I had hit the snooze button - I went back to bed and was trying to figure out how to snooze it at that point when my alarm went off for real. So for real I DID hit the snooze (only, I couldn't find it...) and slept another 7 minutes. I am so sleepy!!
The floor guys came today and put in Katie's floor. They are doing the yoga room floor tomorrow. YAY!!!! This means I will (as soon as we get the stuff sorted out) have my exercise room. FINALLY!!!
The guys moved everything out of Katie's room into the yoga room and then, once they finished with Katie's floor they moved everything into Katie's room. Katie and I were discussing what they should do with it all tomorrow after they finish the yoga room - they asked for us to tell them which stuff went into which room. Katie said it should all go back into the yoga room so she can gradually put it into her room. I said the opposite! Just put back what will ultimate go in the yoga room (namely the treadmill and the exercise stuff) and leave everything else out. That way at least ONE room will be done. Katie won't let me do that. Unfortunately, she has work camp next week and so will spend the week working on Charles' house instead of ours. I think I may have them put the furniture back in her room anyway. There is no point in moving that back out only to have to put it back again.
I am thinking of putting short book cases in the closet in the yoga room. We are SO in need of shelf space in our house!
The floor guys came today and put in Katie's floor. They are doing the yoga room floor tomorrow. YAY!!!! This means I will (as soon as we get the stuff sorted out) have my exercise room. FINALLY!!!
The guys moved everything out of Katie's room into the yoga room and then, once they finished with Katie's floor they moved everything into Katie's room. Katie and I were discussing what they should do with it all tomorrow after they finish the yoga room - they asked for us to tell them which stuff went into which room. Katie said it should all go back into the yoga room so she can gradually put it into her room. I said the opposite! Just put back what will ultimate go in the yoga room (namely the treadmill and the exercise stuff) and leave everything else out. That way at least ONE room will be done. Katie won't let me do that. Unfortunately, she has work camp next week and so will spend the week working on Charles' house instead of ours. I think I may have them put the furniture back in her room anyway. There is no point in moving that back out only to have to put it back again.
I am thinking of putting short book cases in the closet in the yoga room. We are SO in need of shelf space in our house!
My new hobby
I went to the gym AGAIN last night. Something must be wrong with me, that is 3 nights in a row. I spent most of my time on the elliptical (old school type, not that one that contributes to my crippling) using the cardio program. I sweated my $%@! off. It was good. Then when I was done that, I hit the treadmill for a mile worth of intervals.
The painters are still working on the first floor of the house, so I went upstairs and started organizing my scrapbook stuff. I moved everything around so I have an entire closet to myself. In the process I made a huge mess, so now I have to put everything back into a place. After I run a few errands this morning, I plan to go back to working on that.
I'm really disappointed I can't make it to the scrapbook convention again this year. Oh well. Hopefully next year. Blah. That is what I said LAST year!!
The painters are still working on the first floor of the house, so I went upstairs and started organizing my scrapbook stuff. I moved everything around so I have an entire closet to myself. In the process I made a huge mess, so now I have to put everything back into a place. After I run a few errands this morning, I plan to go back to working on that.
I'm really disappointed I can't make it to the scrapbook convention again this year. Oh well. Hopefully next year. Blah. That is what I said LAST year!!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Ceramics
So, I started my ceramics class last night (to further my crazy old lady image). I did yoga in the morning and ceramics in the evening... 8-) It was a lot of fun. I took a semester in college. My professor wouldn't let us use the wheel for projects until after we took a pound of clay (about the size of your fist) and built it into a 6" tall vessel. This is considerably harder than it sounds. The hardest part of using a pottery wheel is centering the clay. Additionally, the vessel actually had to be taller than 6" because it would shrink as it dried - and so by the next day, when the teacher would see it, it would have lost anywhere from a quarter to half an inch in height. ANYWAY, I was one of only two students who accomplished this challenge MOSTLY because I was stubborn and wanted to prove I COULD (you keep your triathlons and marathons, THIS is the type of challenge I like!). (BTW - after I was approved to use the wheel, I never did again...) So, remembering how hard that was, I was kind of worried about this first class. Turns out, muscle memory last over 20 some years. I had virtually NO problem centering my clay. Now, I couldn't draw the clay to a six inch height yesterday, I did manage to produce three not hideous bowls. Yay me. I was probably about the second best student (I can't help it! I know it's not a competition, but arts and crafts are the one area where I CAN be the star student!) in the class. The first best was a ringer. She took a class on the wheel when she was in college - four or five years ago! Phift!
So, now I am allowed to go and use the studio whenever I want. And I have a bag of clay with my name on it! 8-) And a board with three not hideous bowls.
So what does this have to do with diet and exercise you ask? Nothing. BUT, but my inner thigh muscles and triceps were sore this morning. You have sit with the wheel totally in your crotch, which means you do have to keep your legs spread pretty wide the whole time. PLUS you need to keep your arms braced into the bend in your groin while at the same time pushing against the clay. It isn't strenuous at all while you are doing it - but after three hours in that pose you do start to feel it.
YAY! New hobby!!!
So, now I am allowed to go and use the studio whenever I want. And I have a bag of clay with my name on it! 8-) And a board with three not hideous bowls.
So what does this have to do with diet and exercise you ask? Nothing. BUT, but my inner thigh muscles and triceps were sore this morning. You have sit with the wheel totally in your crotch, which means you do have to keep your legs spread pretty wide the whole time. PLUS you need to keep your arms braced into the bend in your groin while at the same time pushing against the clay. It isn't strenuous at all while you are doing it - but after three hours in that pose you do start to feel it.
YAY! New hobby!!!
Nothing exciting
But I will post something just to post. Then you all can have that flash of excitement when you see a new title at the top of the page that you haven't read before :-)
I went to the gym last night again, this time dragging Peter with me. I made him sign up for the free trial. I am going to make him go to the body pump Sunday morning. I think he will like that.
So while he was getting the gym-newbie treatment last night, I did 25 minutes on the recumbent bike and then 10 minutes on some sort of elliptical that has that massive wheel on the front. I did NOT like that at all. It was straining my knees and my arches for some reason. I kept playing with the resistance but ended up getting off of it after maybe 10 minutes. I think I'll stick to the regular elliptical machines. I want to be more fit, not more cripple.
I went to the gym last night again, this time dragging Peter with me. I made him sign up for the free trial. I am going to make him go to the body pump Sunday morning. I think he will like that.
So while he was getting the gym-newbie treatment last night, I did 25 minutes on the recumbent bike and then 10 minutes on some sort of elliptical that has that massive wheel on the front. I did NOT like that at all. It was straining my knees and my arches for some reason. I kept playing with the resistance but ended up getting off of it after maybe 10 minutes. I think I'll stick to the regular elliptical machines. I want to be more fit, not more cripple.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Not over that phase
I mentioned yesterday that Connor had slept through the night two nights in a row and I hoped that indicated that he was over his month long habit of getting up in the middle of the night for several hours. No such luck. Last night he first refused to sleep in his bed at all--he took off the sheets and bedding Brian had just put on, then when I put them back on he wouldn't get in bed. He fell asleep in our bed and when I tried to move him he fought and fought and fought until I gave up and shoved him to one side to try to sleep (Brian was out walking Davey at this point). I had woken him up enough, though, that he spent the next 30 minutes scratching (he's itchy all over with a rash on his torso and face; the doctor says it's just dry skin but no amount of Claritin and moisturizer is making him less itchy). Brian came home and moved Connor to his bed, which Connor complained about loudly, then quietly, then eventually he got out of bed, dumped his bedding on the floor and moved back to our bed. So I moved to the living room sofa. Two hours later Connor was up (or maybe never fell asleep) and I spent 2:30 till 4:30 opening crackers for him and trying to doze. At 4:30 he went back to "bed" (slept on his floor; that's where his bedding was, after all!) so I got to sleep in my bed for an hour and a half before the alarm went off.
[Side note: Yesterday I heard that General McChrystal gets by on four hours of sleep a night and runs seven miles a day. What a wimp.]
The point of all of this is that I didn't get up early to run this morning, and now I'm dreading running later when it's 100 degrees and humid. This may be a treadmill day.
Yesterday's run and swim were among the fastest I've done all year, although I felt like crap by the late afternoon. I was tired and achy and my chest felt tight, which may have had to do with the air quality. While I was pleased that I could do both workouts on the same day with good times, the thought of adding 17 miles of biking to the workout makes me want to just take a nap. Of course, right now, just about anything makes me want to take a nap!
[Side note: Yesterday I heard that General McChrystal gets by on four hours of sleep a night and runs seven miles a day. What a wimp.]
The point of all of this is that I didn't get up early to run this morning, and now I'm dreading running later when it's 100 degrees and humid. This may be a treadmill day.
Yesterday's run and swim were among the fastest I've done all year, although I felt like crap by the late afternoon. I was tired and achy and my chest felt tight, which may have had to do with the air quality. While I was pleased that I could do both workouts on the same day with good times, the thought of adding 17 miles of biking to the workout makes me want to just take a nap. Of course, right now, just about anything makes me want to take a nap!
Two weeks in a row
Woo! I went to the gym again last night for the Body pump class. It was fun. I'm not as sore today as I was last week and I was able to do a few more of the exercises I struggled with last week. And the teacher's suggestion to do squats instead of lunges was perfect; my feet don't hurt at all today and I can definitely tell in my (massive) butt that I did 100+ squats last night. I cannot do a plank to save my life though. And that is what we end with, so I feel pretty weak and crappy when I'm done because I struggle with that, even after being pretty successful with the entire workout. I need to look up the proper form for modifying them while you are working your way up to doing them correctly.
I think I unintentionally ticked off my friend Amanda regarding the class though. Last week she loaded up her weights and after we got home she ran into Peter and she was telling him how her neck was killing her and how something popped in her neck. So last night as we were walking in I suggested she lighten up so she didn't hurt herself again...well...she flew into this whole "I can handle the weight it's just ..." blah blah something else. For one, I didn't want her to hurt herself, and two, her form is atrocious because she is using too much weight. To me, it is better to use a lighter set of weights and get the form right every time--that whole idea that "practice doesn't make perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect," like when you are learning a musical instrument. Am I wrong about that? Should I have not said anything? There is a guy in the class that does the same thing--he must have 50 lbs on the bar and he looks ridiculous straining with every move, making crazy faces, because after the 25th rep he is dying. I actually added a little weight last night for some of the sets. I think next week I will keep it on for all of them.
I'm not sure if I am going to go to the gym again tonight or maybe tomorrow night; I have a TON of stuff that needs done around the house. Our garden is out of control and needs attention. My upstairs is a wreck because I moved some furniture around so my scrapbook stuff can be better organized, but I need to actually organize it now. The painters started last night to FINALLY get my first floor taken care of. I can't wait. The colors look so incredibly good; I can't believe I picked them out. I am really excited for it to be finished.
I think I unintentionally ticked off my friend Amanda regarding the class though. Last week she loaded up her weights and after we got home she ran into Peter and she was telling him how her neck was killing her and how something popped in her neck. So last night as we were walking in I suggested she lighten up so she didn't hurt herself again...well...she flew into this whole "I can handle the weight it's just ..." blah blah something else. For one, I didn't want her to hurt herself, and two, her form is atrocious because she is using too much weight. To me, it is better to use a lighter set of weights and get the form right every time--that whole idea that "practice doesn't make perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect," like when you are learning a musical instrument. Am I wrong about that? Should I have not said anything? There is a guy in the class that does the same thing--he must have 50 lbs on the bar and he looks ridiculous straining with every move, making crazy faces, because after the 25th rep he is dying. I actually added a little weight last night for some of the sets. I think next week I will keep it on for all of them.
I'm not sure if I am going to go to the gym again tonight or maybe tomorrow night; I have a TON of stuff that needs done around the house. Our garden is out of control and needs attention. My upstairs is a wreck because I moved some furniture around so my scrapbook stuff can be better organized, but I need to actually organize it now. The painters started last night to FINALLY get my first floor taken care of. I can't wait. The colors look so incredibly good; I can't believe I picked them out. I am really excited for it to be finished.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Disappointing doughnuts
Two weeks or so ago I had a doughnut at church -- it was good but I was tasting it all day, which wasn't good at all, especially since I had a long run that day. Today there were doughnuts for breakfast (just plain glazed Krispy Kreme in a box, not fresh) and not only did it have no flavor, but about three minutes after I ate it my stomach growled -- so I ingested 200 completely empty calories. Depressing. I had a bowl of cereal afterwards just so I could feel like I'd had some food. No more doughnuts for me!
I don't have a weight for this week because I'm not at home. I did run 12 miles yesterday -- 12.08 in the final assessment on mapmyrun, at a 10:34 pace. The previous time out I ran 9:28 per mile over 3.3 miles (in 95-degree heat), and for longer runs I'm supposed to slow it down by a minute per mile, and, remarkably, I *did*! I'm amazed that I have that sense of pacing -- I've never been consistent in my life before. Afterwards my arches were in really bad shape, though, and today my right leg is sore the way it has been most of the year, but not over the past two weeks since I got my new shoes. I really like the way the gel feels when I'm running fast over short distances -- it greatly decreases the pounding on my legs -- but I fear that it's not good for my arches, and I also fear that there's nothing to be done about cutting back on the pounding when I'm covering distances of 12 miles or more. I think have insoles at home I can use to see if I can get more arch support while still enjoying the gel effect, but if they don't work I'm afraid I'll have to change shoes again -- and I only have about 25-30 miles on these.
Even without weighing myself, though, I'm certain my weight hasn't declined over the past week because I haven't been able to eat well. They STILL only have white bread here -- white burger buns, "Honey Wheat" bread with less than 1 g of fiber per serving according to the package, white rice, etc. Ugh. I feel so gross when I eat this way. And lots of fatty meats and overcooked and/or starchy vegetables and overdressed salads. How do people live this way? They do have fresh fruit around, at least, and I think that's where they get their fiber.
On the other hand, I ate TWO Fiber One cereal bars (very, very yummy) on the drive down here, which flushed my system out the next day, and then with a low-fiber diet over the next two days I had no intestinal grief on my long run (which is good because I don't know where I would have found a bathroom). So now I have an idea how to eat before long runs -- very high-fiber in advance, then low-fiber/high-carb in the short run. I'll try this again over the next few runs and see how I feel.
Daniel points out that men don't have the intestinal troubles with distance running that women have. I think it's the whole baby thing -- my body sees that it's under duress and assumes it must be going into labor (because why else would I be feeling so bad for so long?) and clears everything out to make room they way it's supposed to. However, it also kicks into high-stamina mode, which gives women the edge over men for the really long distances!
New American Diet
Did you guys see this book? Someone suggested it to me and I bought it thinking it was about "diet" as a noun (what we are eating today versus in the past) as opposed to "diet" as a verb (meaning some plan of action.) It is sort of a little of both, but I was hoping it was more of the first idea and was bit disappointed when I discovered it to be a split between the two. The book is focusing a diet plan around research that suggests the food we eat now (even veggies & meat) doesn't have the same nutritional make up as it did 50 years ago because of all the engineering we are doing to our food sources. Nothing new in the idea, the whole Omnivore's Dilemma and all those books hit the same topic. The book suggests eating certain foods only if they are organic, and certain others are ok if they are "conventionally" grown, so meaning they don't have to be organic. The whole gist (and I am only in chapter 3--I bought the dern thing I am going to read it now even if it wasn't what I was expecting) is that the engineering we've done to make cows fatter and plants grow faster and produce more is impacting our own abilities to manage our bodies. The chemicals and antibiotics, etc, hinder our cells ability to utilize nutrients that are fewer and far between in our food. It goes into detail on some of the cellular stuff; I won't lie--my eyes glaze over when the "words" are seemingly random sequences of letters and numbers. At that point I skim for the main idea :-)
On one hand I am not totally sure I buy into the ideas, but on the other I can see where the book is making a point, and it certainly does offer some explanations to my own weight loss struggles now as compared to how I was when I was younger. I never struggled with weight loss during high school--I was a little heavy, but still quite fit cardiovascularly, etc. The majority of the food we ate was also grown on my dad's farm, and he was as anti-chemical as they come. So I figure I'll keep an open mind and give the book the benefit of the doubt. I don't suspect it will hurt to attempt some of the suggestions. The first one is to avoid high fructose corn syrup like it is the plague. The person who recommended the book is much farther along in it than I am, and she said she discovered HFCS was all over the place, including in her bread. So I'm going to start hunting for it like a werewolf looking for vampires...LOL. I'm reading that STUPID Twilight series in parallel for something mindless that puts me to sleep.
Anyways, I've had an active couple days, but without formal exercise. I'm headed back to the Body Pump class tonight.
On one hand I am not totally sure I buy into the ideas, but on the other I can see where the book is making a point, and it certainly does offer some explanations to my own weight loss struggles now as compared to how I was when I was younger. I never struggled with weight loss during high school--I was a little heavy, but still quite fit cardiovascularly, etc. The majority of the food we ate was also grown on my dad's farm, and he was as anti-chemical as they come. So I figure I'll keep an open mind and give the book the benefit of the doubt. I don't suspect it will hurt to attempt some of the suggestions. The first one is to avoid high fructose corn syrup like it is the plague. The person who recommended the book is much farther along in it than I am, and she said she discovered HFCS was all over the place, including in her bread. So I'm going to start hunting for it like a werewolf looking for vampires...LOL. I'm reading that STUPID Twilight series in parallel for something mindless that puts me to sleep.
Anyways, I've had an active couple days, but without formal exercise. I'm headed back to the Body Pump class tonight.
Not as bad as expected
I was 146.6 today--up a pound from last week. But I haven't been weighing myself all week and I've been eating WAY too much and didn't get any exercise over the weekend at all, so I was expecting to have gained more than I did, so I was happy to see that I had only gained a pound. Perverse. I know.
Last year at this time I was in Ireland and beginning my three weeks of inactivity that set me back in my triathlon training. While only working out four times last week seems bad (and no time at all on the bike for several weeks!) it's better than nothing at all, and is twice what I did the previous two weeks, so if I can increase my activity this week I'm doing o.k. My running times have been consistently faster than usual, too. All those sprint workouts apparently did the trick--I was averaging 10 to 10:20 per mile a month ago, and now I'm averaging 9:20 to 9:40 per mile. Yesterday I missed my lunchtime run (sitting at my desk waiting for a phone call that didn't come until 5:00), so I vowed to go out in the evening, which of course I didn't do, so I got up early and ran this morning. If I could get myself up early every day it would be ideal--it's so much cooler at 6 a.m. and less traffic (so fewer pauses at intersections) and best of all, you're done for the day before you've had your coffee (except today when I was making up for yesterday--I still have to go to the pool today!). Connor, miraculously, slept through the night both last night and the night before, which also makes morning workouts easier. We've gone through a four week period where he was only sleeping through the night once a week. I'm hoping the last two nights are an indication that he's over that phase. Sleep deprivation sucks.
Last year at this time I was in Ireland and beginning my three weeks of inactivity that set me back in my triathlon training. While only working out four times last week seems bad (and no time at all on the bike for several weeks!) it's better than nothing at all, and is twice what I did the previous two weeks, so if I can increase my activity this week I'm doing o.k. My running times have been consistently faster than usual, too. All those sprint workouts apparently did the trick--I was averaging 10 to 10:20 per mile a month ago, and now I'm averaging 9:20 to 9:40 per mile. Yesterday I missed my lunchtime run (sitting at my desk waiting for a phone call that didn't come until 5:00), so I vowed to go out in the evening, which of course I didn't do, so I got up early and ran this morning. If I could get myself up early every day it would be ideal--it's so much cooler at 6 a.m. and less traffic (so fewer pauses at intersections) and best of all, you're done for the day before you've had your coffee (except today when I was making up for yesterday--I still have to go to the pool today!). Connor, miraculously, slept through the night both last night and the night before, which also makes morning workouts easier. We've gone through a four week period where he was only sleeping through the night once a week. I'm hoping the last two nights are an indication that he's over that phase. Sleep deprivation sucks.
Well That's Disappointing
I lost no weight this past week. I was the exact same weight this week as last week. I guess that isn't too much of a surprise. I really thought the bulk of my weight loss the last week or two was because of my period ending. Well, I thought that for the the first week - last week I actaully thought that I might have lost some real weight. I guess it WAS real weight, because I didn't gain it back this week, however, I thought that since I was being very careful monintoring my intake vs. my burning I would see weight loss. I guess I was hoping to be proven wrong. I know all along I have been saying that based on what I was consuming and what the CHARTS say I should be buring, I should have lost weight - however, I didn't. So - now based on the monitor I have been wearing all month - I can see that I am burning considerably more than I am consuming. The past seven days I had an average deficit of 729 calories per day. You are supposed to burn 250 calories per day to equal a half a pound per week weight loss. So, I should have seen between a pound and a pound and a half weight loss this week. And I didn't.
Maybe today is just a bad day. I will weigh in again tomorrow just to make sure. I don't want to get caught in the weighing myself obsessively trap again, and so I haven't weighed since last Tuesday. However, I have been queasy for the past two days - so maybe my body is retaining (more) water or something. I was up sick for quite some time on Sunday night, so if anything I would have thought I was NOT retaining anything. I don't know.
Anyway - I have continued with my salads for lunch habit. I have actually been enjoying them lately - although, I think that was a strong contributor to my sickness on Sunday night. I need to get more sleep. I am averaging just over six hours per night - which, being an average, is much less than that most nights since I usually do close to 9 hours on weekends. However, this past weekend I only got 4:17 on Friday night since I went to be very late and then the workmen next door started up at 7:30am. AND I had a restless night. I am feeling very groggy now. I got just about 6 hours last night.
And exercise. I need more exercise.
Maybe today is just a bad day. I will weigh in again tomorrow just to make sure. I don't want to get caught in the weighing myself obsessively trap again, and so I haven't weighed since last Tuesday. However, I have been queasy for the past two days - so maybe my body is retaining (more) water or something. I was up sick for quite some time on Sunday night, so if anything I would have thought I was NOT retaining anything. I don't know.
Anyway - I have continued with my salads for lunch habit. I have actually been enjoying them lately - although, I think that was a strong contributor to my sickness on Sunday night. I need to get more sleep. I am averaging just over six hours per night - which, being an average, is much less than that most nights since I usually do close to 9 hours on weekends. However, this past weekend I only got 4:17 on Friday night since I went to be very late and then the workmen next door started up at 7:30am. AND I had a restless night. I am feeling very groggy now. I got just about 6 hours last night.
And exercise. I need more exercise.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wimped out
I was fairly sore yesterday from the body pump class and to my surprise it got worse throughout the day, I guess from how long I sit at my desk without moving. By the end of the day it was a struggle to get up. I went to the gym early and tried the bike, but opted against the class since it is 55 minutes long. I was concerned with keeping up, plus all the ups and downs you do during a spinning class. But it wasn't a total waste, I did spend 25 minutes on the recumbent bike doing random hills and 20 minutes on the elliptical on the cardio setting. I am fairly sore still today, but I will not be able to exercise today so that should give me time to recover.
I also got to watch the body pump class at the Owings Mills Brick Bodies and it was L-A-M-E compared to the one at the Reisterstown BB that I attended Tuesday. I am so glad I went to the Reisterstown one; I doubt I would have been itching to go back after the OM class. It was a different routine, and the teaching did not keep the flow of the class moving the way the teacher in my class did. I can definitely appreciate that; I think if I had taken the OM class the hour would have dragged by because of all the starts and stops.
I also got to watch the body pump class at the Owings Mills Brick Bodies and it was L-A-M-E compared to the one at the Reisterstown BB that I attended Tuesday. I am so glad I went to the Reisterstown one; I doubt I would have been itching to go back after the OM class. It was a different routine, and the teaching did not keep the flow of the class moving the way the teacher in my class did. I can definitely appreciate that; I think if I had taken the OM class the hour would have dragged by because of all the starts and stops.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Swimming, swimming in the swimming pool
Ugh. Second swim of the week completed, and I should feel elated--for the first time ever I went 22 laps nonstop all freestyle. This is what I've been working towards since I first jumped (well, eased gradually) into the pool nearly two years ago. What's bugging me is that it turns out that freestyle is no faster and may even be slower for me than alternating breast stroke and freestyle--I finished the 22 laps in 27:24, but when I've timed myself on alternating freestyle/breaststroke, it's closer to 27 minutes even. Next week I'm going to try the same workout, only I'll stick with the alternating strokes nonstop for 22 laps and see how my time is. And going all freestyle wears my muscles out faster. Normally after swimming I feel pretty good but right now my arms are kind of like jello. I think alternating strokes, because it uses different muscles, is easier on my body.
OTOH, yay me! Not only nonstop freestyle for 22 laps, but I kept up my breathing pattern the whole way (breathing every three strokes). Last year when I'd try freestyle nonstop for any length of time I'd have to switch to breathing every second stroke. I'm also pleased because I took it easy the last two weeks and don't seem to have suffered any reduction in endurance as a result. So from now on when I have crazy busy weeks I'm going to make sure to get in at least two workouts no matter what so I don't lose all of my conditioning.
OTOH, yay me! Not only nonstop freestyle for 22 laps, but I kept up my breathing pattern the whole way (breathing every three strokes). Last year when I'd try freestyle nonstop for any length of time I'd have to switch to breathing every second stroke. I'm also pleased because I took it easy the last two weeks and don't seem to have suffered any reduction in endurance as a result. So from now on when I have crazy busy weeks I'm going to make sure to get in at least two workouts no matter what so I don't lose all of my conditioning.
I survived!
I went to BodyPump and lived to tell about it! As I've mentioned, I am SO intimidated by these group classes. I used the lightest weights there were and I managed to make it the whole class. There were only a few things that were impossible--the lunges, the rotating side planks, and the push ups. The lunges strain my plantar fascia in both feet--the front one from bearing the weight and the back because of the width of the stance and the angle, so I talked to the instructor after class and she suggested that I do squats in place of the lunges. I struggled with the other two items solely because I am fat and weak. I am definitely going to go back next week. That was the fastest hour of exercise on the planet.
I am planning to try the spinning class tonight. I used to enjoy these the few times I was able to make it, but my schedule has always prohibitive. I am trying to attend 2 classes a week, and exercise somehow two other days, whether it be just at home or in the 'hood, or going to the gym.
On a side note, St. Anthony came through for me on the lost hard drive. It was in the lab at school. Whew. The earth would have wobbled on its axis if I had lost that. I am backing up my lectures now as I type this. I would have cried if they were gone, and all my lab assignments that I have fine tuned over the years. Cried may be too weak of a description...WAILED is probably more like it...
I am planning to try the spinning class tonight. I used to enjoy these the few times I was able to make it, but my schedule has always prohibitive. I am trying to attend 2 classes a week, and exercise somehow two other days, whether it be just at home or in the 'hood, or going to the gym.
On a side note, St. Anthony came through for me on the lost hard drive. It was in the lab at school. Whew. The earth would have wobbled on its axis if I had lost that. I am backing up my lectures now as I type this. I would have cried if they were gone, and all my lab assignments that I have fine tuned over the years. Cried may be too weak of a description...WAILED is probably more like it...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
146.2
Down from last week, thank goodness, but not through any of my doing!
I only managed to get out for two runs last week (both with pretty good times, too), and I was back at the pool yesterday for the first time in two weeks. Now I'm trying to convince myself that I need to go for a run, but I'm having difficulties listening to myself. I've been so wiped out the past few days--really just dragging and headachy and finding it hard to stay awake. Some of this is Connor's doing (he's now slept through the night four times in the past three weeks) and some is my own schedule (last Girl Scout paperwork will be turned in tonight; I spent most of nine hours on this paperwork on Sunday!), and I've been turning to sugar for quick bursts of energy. I was at a work retreat today until 2:00 and of course that involved cookies and brownies. At least I skipped the danish. If they didn't serve these things I bet no one would miss them, but if they are there, I'll eat them. So I'm really tired and I don't want to move.
I only managed to get out for two runs last week (both with pretty good times, too), and I was back at the pool yesterday for the first time in two weeks. Now I'm trying to convince myself that I need to go for a run, but I'm having difficulties listening to myself. I've been so wiped out the past few days--really just dragging and headachy and finding it hard to stay awake. Some of this is Connor's doing (he's now slept through the night four times in the past three weeks) and some is my own schedule (last Girl Scout paperwork will be turned in tonight; I spent most of nine hours on this paperwork on Sunday!), and I've been turning to sugar for quick bursts of energy. I was at a work retreat today until 2:00 and of course that involved cookies and brownies. At least I skipped the danish. If they didn't serve these things I bet no one would miss them, but if they are there, I'll eat them. So I'm really tired and I don't want to move.
Down Again
Thank goodness. I would have been really annoyed had my weight NOT been down this week - because, as I said, according to my armband I have had an average calorie deficit of about 850 each day. However, yesterday, it wasn't so good. I have pretty consistantly burned about 2600 calories per day - but yesterday it was only about 2400. Then, I ate more than I usually do. Not a lot more, but we had welcome orientation yesterday, so there was left over breakfast foods. I had mostly the fruit - but half of a cinnamon roll (the bready kind, not the gooey, sticky kind) and a bottle of grapefruit "beverage". Those two combined pushed my sugars for the day way over and left me with only a 400 calorie deficit.
I once again let the day get away without exercising. I really need to walk, or go to the gym, during the day. By the time I get home at night it is WAY too hard to get motivated, and kind of too late to do anything. Last night Katie had dinner ready almost as soon as I got home - so we ate. And then while we were still digesting Sam called and needed help picking out paint colors for her kitchen. I love Sam, and I love picking paint colors, but the two combined is torture. She wanted to do green, but the counter tops they have picked just don't look good with green - or at least not the shade that she was looking at. I kept saying she needed to go with a warm golden color - almost tan - but she really wanted green. So I found a green that didn't look too awful and she was hummmming over it. She totally understood that the green needed to be much darker to offset the counter - but she was afraid it would be too dark against the floor (which she didn't have a sample of, so that made it harder...). Finally, I said - if it were me, here is what I would do - and pulled out a beautiful gold tan (August Moon) and a DARK blood red (Crabby Apple) and a bright white. And said to do the red below the chair rail (on one and a half walls) the tan everywhere else, and the bright white on the trim (base boards, chair rail, crown molding and door frame). She loved that. So did Mike. So I left - at 10:30pm. This morning I got a message from her saying that she still loves the colors, but isn't sure about the tan. Sigh. She is over thinking it... She needs to just make the decision and be happy with it.
So I think I need to walk first thing this morning... only I am afraid of my ankles hurting again. Maybe I will do my shin exercises and the heel raises and see how it goes...
I once again let the day get away without exercising. I really need to walk, or go to the gym, during the day. By the time I get home at night it is WAY too hard to get motivated, and kind of too late to do anything. Last night Katie had dinner ready almost as soon as I got home - so we ate. And then while we were still digesting Sam called and needed help picking out paint colors for her kitchen. I love Sam, and I love picking paint colors, but the two combined is torture. She wanted to do green, but the counter tops they have picked just don't look good with green - or at least not the shade that she was looking at. I kept saying she needed to go with a warm golden color - almost tan - but she really wanted green. So I found a green that didn't look too awful and she was hummmming over it. She totally understood that the green needed to be much darker to offset the counter - but she was afraid it would be too dark against the floor (which she didn't have a sample of, so that made it harder...). Finally, I said - if it were me, here is what I would do - and pulled out a beautiful gold tan (August Moon) and a DARK blood red (Crabby Apple) and a bright white. And said to do the red below the chair rail (on one and a half walls) the tan everywhere else, and the bright white on the trim (base boards, chair rail, crown molding and door frame). She loved that. So did Mike. So I left - at 10:30pm. This morning I got a message from her saying that she still loves the colors, but isn't sure about the tan. Sigh. She is over thinking it... She needs to just make the decision and be happy with it.
So I think I need to walk first thing this morning... only I am afraid of my ankles hurting again. Maybe I will do my shin exercises and the heel raises and see how it goes...
148.0
My weight is staying in the same ballpark of the upper 140s -- I'm not going to lose weight unless I start cutting calories, and I haven't been enthused lately. Why is it I can only focus on either exercise or diet, but not both?
I went for a 4-mile run yesterday. I had had three days off over the weekend -- I meant to run on Sunday but there wasn't a good opportunity -- so I felt every step. It's amazing how stiff I get from such a short break! But I hadn't lost any stamina; when 4 miles was my "long" run two months ago it took some work, but yesterday I ran the course without having to think about it. It helped that I was still listening to that stupid book -- it's just interesting enough to be a distraction, but not so intense that I miss anything important when I'm focused on aspects of the running. I wonder if I can find other vacuous books like this one to listen to on long runs? I can't seem to manage podcasts because I miss too many details!
Another day
The weekend was rough for exercise; we had so much going on. Then last night I had an advisory board meeting for the program I teach for at CCBC and that lasted until 10 pm.
Tonight I am hoping to work up the courage to go to the Body Pump class at the gym. I've never done that one before, and group exercise classes tend to be insanely intimidating to me. The new schedule starts today so it will be a new routine. The one thing that could mess it up is that I am in the middle of a major panic regarding my portable hard drive...I think I left it at school last week. At least I hope I did, and I hope it is still there. If that is lost forever...well..I just don't even want to think about that.
Tonight I am hoping to work up the courage to go to the Body Pump class at the gym. I've never done that one before, and group exercise classes tend to be insanely intimidating to me. The new schedule starts today so it will be a new routine. The one thing that could mess it up is that I am in the middle of a major panic regarding my portable hard drive...I think I left it at school last week. At least I hope I did, and I hope it is still there. If that is lost forever...well..I just don't even want to think about that.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Hot weekend but ...
It seems being smushed into rollercoaster cars helps you lose weight -- actually I think it just reminded me that I need to lose some and how to suck it in when those bars come crashing down on your gut.
Anyhoo, I went to Hershey Park this weekend -- a tad steamy -- and walked that whole place several times over. Went with a couple of girlfriends and their 7-year-olds and a 4-year-old. Brave kids -- happy to ride rollercoasters, meaning I had to be brave, too. Luckily I survived.
Plus, I wasn't the least bit sore from walking around for two days. So I'm not in horrible shape.
Loop rollercoasters apparently knock off more pounds than those wooden coasters. So try my rollercoaster diet -- ah, so many translations.
The one thing about amusement parks is it makes me feel thin -- lots of big, big peeps sweating it in the heat. Saturday was pretty hot but Sunday was more like a sauna. If I was up there to get a massage at the Hershey spa then, fine. But I wasn't. I spent the day melting and apparently melting off a few pounds. I know this because my pants were looser this morning.
I did enjoy a couple of kiddie soft-serve ice cream cones but didn't eat too badly otherwise. Plus, I don't tend to eat much in that kind of heat.
Tuesday is supposed to be gorgeous so I'll get out in the morning and get some exercise ...
Arm Band
I forgot to wear my armband last night. You are supposed to wear it overnight and you are supposed to not have it on for more than 23 hours straight... Which makes it tricky, because the logical time to take it off is when you are not doing anything - which is usually right before you go to bed. So, last night I forgot to put it back on. I am frustrated by this because it tracks your sleep patterns, which I find facinating. You can see all the times you wake up... I need to try it without my breathing mask, and see if I wake up more often. I wonder how it does it... Maybe all it is tracking is when you are restless. One night this past weekend, it had me awake for like a half an hour in the middle of the night - and I have no memory of that. Anyway, last night I noticed my arm twitching around the band. I started thinking that maybe I should read more about how the thing works (which I haven't yet done) so maybe a night off isn't a bad thing...
I packed my own salad today. I have been buying salads everyday for the past week or so - which gets to be expensive. I kept thinking that I should make my own up... but I like interesting salads, with stuff in it. So, last night I packed three salads in bowls - with lettuce, blueberries, strawberries, toasted almonds, and fresh mozzerella - and little containers of raspberry vinagrette. It is good. The lettuce is really tough and kind of bitter, which is annoying - and so it isn't QUITE as good as the version of this salad that Santoni's sells - but it isn't bad.
Katie is done for the summer - which means I have to cook my own breakfast. Last summer I didn't at all and it was REALLY bad. However, this year - over the past few weeks Katie had conflicts in the morning (going in late, retreats, concerts, overslept, etc.) so there were several days that I was cooking breakfast - which was a good thing, because it wasn't so hard for me to do it today. I decided too that I had to get off to a good start so no matter what, I had to cook today. So I did, and it was good.
I didn't exercise yesterday. I intended to. Sam Schaefer and I were going to go walking first thing in the morning - but by the time we were up and about it was too stinking hot! Then she called two seconds after I went to the grocery store last night to see if I wanted to walk with her and a friend to The Cow (wouldn't have been worth it to walk just enough to consume an Italian ice...). Then Katie and I ate dinner - and I packed my salads - and the evening was pretty much over. I didn't remember exercise until I got up this morning and thought "Now, this morning would be nice for a walk..." So, I am back to my no excuses effective today.
I packed my own salad today. I have been buying salads everyday for the past week or so - which gets to be expensive. I kept thinking that I should make my own up... but I like interesting salads, with stuff in it. So, last night I packed three salads in bowls - with lettuce, blueberries, strawberries, toasted almonds, and fresh mozzerella - and little containers of raspberry vinagrette. It is good. The lettuce is really tough and kind of bitter, which is annoying - and so it isn't QUITE as good as the version of this salad that Santoni's sells - but it isn't bad.
Katie is done for the summer - which means I have to cook my own breakfast. Last summer I didn't at all and it was REALLY bad. However, this year - over the past few weeks Katie had conflicts in the morning (going in late, retreats, concerts, overslept, etc.) so there were several days that I was cooking breakfast - which was a good thing, because it wasn't so hard for me to do it today. I decided too that I had to get off to a good start so no matter what, I had to cook today. So I did, and it was good.
I didn't exercise yesterday. I intended to. Sam Schaefer and I were going to go walking first thing in the morning - but by the time we were up and about it was too stinking hot! Then she called two seconds after I went to the grocery store last night to see if I wanted to walk with her and a friend to The Cow (wouldn't have been worth it to walk just enough to consume an Italian ice...). Then Katie and I ate dinner - and I packed my salads - and the evening was pretty much over. I didn't remember exercise until I got up this morning and thought "Now, this morning would be nice for a walk..." So, I am back to my no excuses effective today.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Hula hoop!
Yesterday was my "hula-hoop-a-thon" with the Girl Scouts and I fully intended to not participate. Every time I've tried to hula hoop in adulthood I've succeeded only in looking like a total dork and not being able to keep the hoop up.
But yesterday I succeeded in looking like a dork AND in hula hooping for a while. I was so pleased with myself that I kept going for ten minutes or so (it fell a few times during that ten minutes - unlike a couple of the other kids who could keep going all day probably), then decided that it counted as my exercise for the day.
Two other moms were also successful--we all attribute it to the new hoops I got, which are water filled and seemed to stay up better than the cheapy empty ones.
But yesterday I succeeded in looking like a dork AND in hula hooping for a while. I was so pleased with myself that I kept going for ten minutes or so (it fell a few times during that ten minutes - unlike a couple of the other kids who could keep going all day probably), then decided that it counted as my exercise for the day.
Two other moms were also successful--we all attribute it to the new hoops I got, which are water filled and seemed to stay up better than the cheapy empty ones.
Boordy Farmers Market
So yesterday was the start of the farmer's market season at Boordy. I went up and picked up my produce. I got rainbow chard (which I hate) and beets (which Katie hates) and spinach and garlic scapes. I can't help it with the chards and beets. They are so PRETTY! So Katie is going to try to figure out a way to cook them to make them more appealing to eat.
It was a madhouse. I was shocked. It used to be just a few cars there each week - but yesterday there were at LEAST 50 cars and tons of people. There was a pretty good folk singer playing a guitar and people sitting on the lawn picnicing. It was neat - but I had to get back to work. I did buy some locally roasted coffee, and got a sample of organic milk (chocolate). I wished I had brought more money because there was a lady selling eggs - but she won't be there for the rest of the month.
Yesterday my armband said that I burned 2840 calories. I consumed 1716. So that means I had a calorie deficit of 1124 yesterday.
It was a madhouse. I was shocked. It used to be just a few cars there each week - but yesterday there were at LEAST 50 cars and tons of people. There was a pretty good folk singer playing a guitar and people sitting on the lawn picnicing. It was neat - but I had to get back to work. I did buy some locally roasted coffee, and got a sample of organic milk (chocolate). I wished I had brought more money because there was a lady selling eggs - but she won't be there for the rest of the month.
Yesterday my armband said that I burned 2840 calories. I consumed 1716. So that means I had a calorie deficit of 1124 yesterday.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Fun
I have nothing to say so I will post a cartoon...
http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/041910/five-hundred-reeses-pieces.gif
heeheehee
http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/041910/five-hundred-reeses-pieces.gif
heeheehee
Walking, walking, walking...
I don't think walking is enough cardio for me. I don't think it gets my heart rate up high enough. I just took a mile walk here at work. There was a fair variety of terrain, but even so, I don't think my heart rate rose much above my resting rate. HOWEVER, and here is the rub, I know I need to work harder to get my heart rate up, but my BODY can barely manage the walk!! Seriously! I almost couldn't make the mile because my ankle muscles were KILLING me! I also have a blister on the back of my heel - but that has nothing to do with physical stamina.
So what do I do? Maybe my heart is getting up higher than I realize... but I don't think so. I know if I could run for part of it that would help - but I could barely WALK... Sigh.
Yesterday was crappy for food. I had a piece of fudge, junior mints, cheese curls (not in all one sitting) and sushi for dinner. All told, however, according to my arm noose (really hurts, I think I need a bigger arm band) I burned about 1000 calories more than I consumed. My average (for the three days I have worn it) is an 864 calorie daily deficit. So, if THAT is true, I should lose a pound and a half this week (if I keep up at this pace, which I see no reason why I shouldn't). I guess we will see...
So what do I do? Maybe my heart is getting up higher than I realize... but I don't think so. I know if I could run for part of it that would help - but I could barely WALK... Sigh.
Yesterday was crappy for food. I had a piece of fudge, junior mints, cheese curls (not in all one sitting) and sushi for dinner. All told, however, according to my arm noose (really hurts, I think I need a bigger arm band) I burned about 1000 calories more than I consumed. My average (for the three days I have worn it) is an 864 calorie daily deficit. So, if THAT is true, I should lose a pound and a half this week (if I keep up at this pace, which I see no reason why I shouldn't). I guess we will see...
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
A week off
As of today it's been a full week since I got any formal exercise. We just had two absolutely beautiful, sunny, warm-but-not-hot, low humidity days and I was stuck in meetings and running errands and not able to get in any exercise at all. Today was the first day that I could, and of course it's raining!
So I planned to go to the gym and suck it up and just run on the treadmill, but when push came to shove, I just couldn't make myself do it. The treadmill is so awful and boring (and it doesn't help that I haven't updated my iPod for a while so I'm out of podcasts) that I decided I'd rather just get wet, so I went running in the rain instead.
It wasn't really raining--just a little drizzle, so in many ways it was more pleasant than running in the sun--no squinting and baking, and very little sweating. I did my usual lunchtime tempo run, but tried to push myself a bit (I read recently that if you aren't able to exercise as much as usual, you should make the workouts you do harder; since I didn't have more time I just had to put in more effort) and it paid off--I did the run several minutes faster than I've done it all year. I ran at a pace of 9:16 per mile (my normal is somewhere between 10 and 10:20 per mile). Of course my heart rate was also higher than usual, but only by a few beats per minute. I doubt I'll be repeating that any time soon--I'm sure it was a perfect storm of being rested after a week off, comfortable because of the temperature, and willing to push myself harder than usual.
Tomorrow I have Claire's IEP team meeting in the middle of the morning so I won't be able to get a workout in then (and scouts after work, of course), so I'll have to go hard again on Friday.
So I planned to go to the gym and suck it up and just run on the treadmill, but when push came to shove, I just couldn't make myself do it. The treadmill is so awful and boring (and it doesn't help that I haven't updated my iPod for a while so I'm out of podcasts) that I decided I'd rather just get wet, so I went running in the rain instead.
It wasn't really raining--just a little drizzle, so in many ways it was more pleasant than running in the sun--no squinting and baking, and very little sweating. I did my usual lunchtime tempo run, but tried to push myself a bit (I read recently that if you aren't able to exercise as much as usual, you should make the workouts you do harder; since I didn't have more time I just had to put in more effort) and it paid off--I did the run several minutes faster than I've done it all year. I ran at a pace of 9:16 per mile (my normal is somewhere between 10 and 10:20 per mile). Of course my heart rate was also higher than usual, but only by a few beats per minute. I doubt I'll be repeating that any time soon--I'm sure it was a perfect storm of being rested after a week off, comfortable because of the temperature, and willing to push myself harder than usual.
Tomorrow I have Claire's IEP team meeting in the middle of the morning so I won't be able to get a workout in then (and scouts after work, of course), so I'll have to go hard again on Friday.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Down-doobie-doo-down-down
For the first time in 1000 years I was down on a weigh in day. Granted, I am not down as much today as I was yesterday - and I am not down as much from last Tuesday as I would be from last Thursday - but none-the-less I was down 1.6 pounds from last Tuesday. I have a strong suspicion that my downage is from the fact that my period was about to start last week, and this week it is over - but I am going to take what I can get at this point.
This morning I woke up about 20 minutes before I needed to get up and so instead of rolling over and going back to sleep, I got up and walked for about 25 minutes. Yay me!
Yesterday was my first day wearing my GoWearFit thingy. I uploaded the data last night and it showed that I burned 2286 calories. I consumed 1646. So, according to GWF I am on a weight loss trend. We shall see.
This morning I woke up about 20 minutes before I needed to get up and so instead of rolling over and going back to sleep, I got up and walked for about 25 minutes. Yay me!
Yesterday was my first day wearing my GoWearFit thingy. I uploaded the data last night and it showed that I burned 2286 calories. I consumed 1646. So, according to GWF I am on a weight loss trend. We shall see.
Ugh.
So much for losing three pounds yesterday. I was 147.6 today. And I never got out for a run yesterday--Connor had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon and with no car, Brian couldn't take him so I had to leave early to get him to the doctor, which meant no lunch break so no exercise.
Today is just as much of a loss already. I spent the morning trying to get my SIL a rental car--taking her to the credit union where her company was supposed to have sent a travel advance and then to the car rental place, but there was no advance there for her so I took her back home (where she's waiting for the company's finance office to open at 11:00 a.m. our time - they are in Nevada) until they work that out, so I was an hour late for work, then I have to leave at 11:30 to get home for a meeting with the autism waiver people. I hope that coincides with Maureen getting the travel advance so we can get her on her way. And tonight is the last G.S. service unit meeting, so my whole day is shot.
Today is just as much of a loss already. I spent the morning trying to get my SIL a rental car--taking her to the credit union where her company was supposed to have sent a travel advance and then to the car rental place, but there was no advance there for her so I took her back home (where she's waiting for the company's finance office to open at 11:00 a.m. our time - they are in Nevada) until they work that out, so I was an hour late for work, then I have to leave at 11:30 to get home for a meeting with the autism waiver people. I hope that coincides with Maureen getting the travel advance so we can get her on her way. And tonight is the last G.S. service unit meeting, so my whole day is shot.
Monday, June 07, 2010
So this is what I get....
....for my low mileage week last week. I ended up exercising only twice, then went to Encampment where you pretty much spend the whole weekend eating--ice cream social, Pop Tarts for breakfast, big lunch, snack, big dinner, s'mores, more Pop Tarts, then eggs and biscuits and sausage for brunch, then home where you're too tired to do anything more than pull the smelly clothes out of the bags and dump them in the basement so you order pizza for dinner. I was only able to eat one piece after everything else I ate all weekend. A couple of years ago I wore my pedometer to Encampment and figured that I walked about 9.5 miles on Saturday (or maybe across the whole weekend?) but that was back when we were camping further away from things--our current campsite is more centrally located so there wasn't nearly so much walking involved.
So the end result is that I was back up over 147 this morning. Some of that, at least, is water weight--my fingers are puffy around my rings--but I don't think I have nearly three pounds of water weight. I'm also kind of scared that with four days off with no exercise at all it'll be hard to get back to it today. I'm planning a run at lunch today (thank goodness for cooler, less humid weather!) so we'll see how it goes. I wonder if I can lose three pounds today?
So the end result is that I was back up over 147 this morning. Some of that, at least, is water weight--my fingers are puffy around my rings--but I don't think I have nearly three pounds of water weight. I'm also kind of scared that with four days off with no exercise at all it'll be hard to get back to it today. I'm planning a run at lunch today (thank goodness for cooler, less humid weather!) so we'll see how it goes. I wonder if I can lose three pounds today?
Ow. Ow.
This past weekend was Encampment with the Girl Scouts. It was a lot of fun! It was incredibly hot and humid - and it seems like every time we had to be somewhere it involved a steep hill. I have bruises all over my body (I am not sure why that is, I don't remember actually banging anything - it may have been from sleeping on the lumpy ground...), I have a blister on my big toe, and my calves and lower back are VERY tight and sore - but otherwise I feel pretty good. I wasn't as tired at the end of this weekend as I was in the fall, and yet we did a whole lot more I think. I did go to bed last night at 9:45 - which I think I really needed. I slept great. I woke up several times, but had no problem falling back to sleep.
I started wearing my GoWearFit last night. I probably SHOULD have worn it over the weekend - but it only arrived on Thursday and I didn't have the time to figure it out before we left on Friday - so I waited until I got home.
I am only going to count one official weight each day - and that is on Tuesday - but I can't help weighing periodically in between... I was up from Tuesday on Thursday, but then today I was three pounds down from that Thursday weight. I just hope it stays that way for tomorrow - official weigh in day for the week.
I keep telling my self that starting to exercise again is like quitting smoking... Each time I went back to smoking after stopping for a month or two, I had to start the process ALL over, and the beginning phase was always the hardest. So, exercise is the same way - it is hardest to get the ball rolling. Yes, I am more gung-ho about it - but it HURTS so much more in the beginning...
Katie and I had no eggs or bread this morning, so my food schedule is already off...
I started wearing my GoWearFit last night. I probably SHOULD have worn it over the weekend - but it only arrived on Thursday and I didn't have the time to figure it out before we left on Friday - so I waited until I got home.
I am only going to count one official weight each day - and that is on Tuesday - but I can't help weighing periodically in between... I was up from Tuesday on Thursday, but then today I was three pounds down from that Thursday weight. I just hope it stays that way for tomorrow - official weigh in day for the week.
I keep telling my self that starting to exercise again is like quitting smoking... Each time I went back to smoking after stopping for a month or two, I had to start the process ALL over, and the beginning phase was always the hardest. So, exercise is the same way - it is hardest to get the ball rolling. Yes, I am more gung-ho about it - but it HURTS so much more in the beginning...
Katie and I had no eggs or bread this morning, so my food schedule is already off...
Ow.
So somehow skipping exercise Saturday caused me to have some sort of issue with my calf muscle. I swear my entire right leg from the knee down just needs replaced. My stride yesterday was about 5 cm because it hurt so bad. We finally got home after spending the day in PA at Sandra's and I put a heating pad on it for a while, and once it felt a little looser I stretched it out. It is better today, but I am going to have to do the heating pad thing again tonight I think.
And speaking of Sandra, WOW. What a resilient person. Evan is just the sweetest baby, and Terry and Sandra are just so tickled with him. It was very cute to see them dote on the baby. Evan is tiny, just over 5 lbs, but other than just being light he didn't have that floppy newborn feel to him. But then again, I guess he really is 5 weeks old so why would he. He gobbled up his bottle while we were visiting, and was pretty ticked off with the whole process of being burped. He was moving his head all around, scrunching his face up and making cute baby noises.
Between us, I am NOT a fan of those two awful dogs being anywhere near that baby. Sabre cannot be trusted; she seems very jealous. Sandra is doing very well; her wound from the emergency surgery is still open and she has these strange retention stitches that look like ziti--yes, like macaroni. No joke. I've never seen anything like it; it really looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie, like some scary Halloween jack o lantern mouth. She showed me a photo; it was one of those things that was awful but fascinating at the same time. She is taking it all in stride, and so is Terry. He told her not to laugh too hard or else she'd bust her gut. Haha.
And speaking of Sandra, WOW. What a resilient person. Evan is just the sweetest baby, and Terry and Sandra are just so tickled with him. It was very cute to see them dote on the baby. Evan is tiny, just over 5 lbs, but other than just being light he didn't have that floppy newborn feel to him. But then again, I guess he really is 5 weeks old so why would he. He gobbled up his bottle while we were visiting, and was pretty ticked off with the whole process of being burped. He was moving his head all around, scrunching his face up and making cute baby noises.
Between us, I am NOT a fan of those two awful dogs being anywhere near that baby. Sabre cannot be trusted; she seems very jealous. Sandra is doing very well; her wound from the emergency surgery is still open and she has these strange retention stitches that look like ziti--yes, like macaroni. No joke. I've never seen anything like it; it really looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie, like some scary Halloween jack o lantern mouth. She showed me a photo; it was one of those things that was awful but fascinating at the same time. She is taking it all in stride, and so is Terry. He told her not to laugh too hard or else she'd bust her gut. Haha.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Another good run
When I was in Poland I lost a week of training. I've been looking for a week when I felt good enough to skip the short run and move on to the next long run, and today was apparently it. So I did about 10.5 miles -- from home to the end of the Huckleberry Trail (except the extremely steep final hill -- it's pretty short, and I didn't need it for distance, and I dreaded not only the run up but also the descent) and back again. My phone's GPS gave out at 6.18 miles -- it's a bug in the New Balance application (the freebie version of the MapMyRun app) so I don't know the exact mileage (I'll figure it out on the website sooner or later), but it should have been just over 10.5, and I finished in under 2 hours. It wasn't a stellar run, but I managed to keep up the 4 minutes running/1 minute walking pattern all the way to the end, which is way better than I did 3 weeks ago on the 7.5 mile run. Now I only have to do the same thing as this two and a half times over, and I have a marathon. Ugh!
Friday, June 04, 2010
Come run with me and you'll have fun ... and a challenge
Yeah, have fun laughing your butts off at my bouncy bouncy running form.
So yes, I went running again this morning. Here's my plan right now -- pick a spot to start and finish and push myself to do that. No watches or mileage measuring. Just run. Then walk some, too.
On top of that I've got a batch of exercises I'm doing -- planks, bicycle sit ups, bicep curls, shoulder presses, etc. I put a few different ones together (groups of 3 work well) and do two sets of 10 or 12. Then if I can only do one group of 3 exercises I can focus on those three.
I'm actually feeling pretty good. I've avoided running because of my knees but, so far, they and my hip feel good. Yay! I really think my hip problem has come from inactivity.
Also I'm wondering if any of you have tried jump roping. I've done it as part of my workouts and it is hard. It's one of the best calorie burners out there. So if you need a routine that's fast and a calorie killer give it a try. I've got some routines that don't involve "Made a mistake and kissed a snake how many doctors did it take?" I have to admit elementary school rhymes are helpful in blocking out the pain.
I've got an early morning Saturday with the farmers market then dinner with some of my TC friends. We'll miss you Sarah. Then Sunday I want to ride the bike. I recently bought a new pump to get enough pressure into my tires so I hope it doesn't rain. Argh.
Also -- I have an idea -- seems like we all get into routines and get a bit bored or frustrated or whatever. So I wanted to see what everyone thinks about trying something new this summer. I've never done a yoga or pilates class even though I have books for them. I've also wanted to check out one of those rock climbing focused gyms. Just a thought for fun and focus!
Everyone keep up the good work and try not to wake up your neighbors! haha
Grumpy
Peter made me get up and run before work today. We were up before our anesthesiologist neighbor. That is too early in my book. Once (if) my crankiness wears off I will post more.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Body parts don't fail me now ...
Seems like that's my daily thought -- what might be achey today. Generally I have to say I feel pretty good while exercising and most of the kinks work themselves out after I'm warmed up.
Honestly I think the more I can mix cardio, weights and stretching the better off I am overall. I have definitely come to understand the importance of lifting -- building muscle strength separately from cardio makes so much difference in how I perform every day tasks as well as strenuous exercise.
Now speaking of exercise -- after working all last weekend I headed down to Shenandoah to camp with friends. On Monday we took off on a 5-mile hike -- we had a 7 and 4 year old -- so that's a good aim for us.
We were moving along at a nice pace and getting close our destination when *BOOM* thunder and driving rain. The trees added some protecting but we were drenched. I didn't mind getting wet -- it was warm out. But we hoofed it back uphill about two miles pretty much without stopping as the rain poured down and the thunder clapped. Of course, two miles down the road, no rain. So that was a good test and I felt really good.
I used to hike a lot more but have found my weekends just fill up fast -- and I don't have kids. It's nice to be outdoors and exercise and I'm going to try at least once a weekend to get somewhere and hike.
On Wednesday I decided to test out my new running shoes -- so I did a short run then a bunch of walking and running again. Not my usual routine -- in the past I've built up to the running by walking -- two 20-minute walks a day -- gradually up to 45 minutes. I never had trouble doing those walks but I think it helped me mentally to graduate my performance.
Now I'm mostly testing out what my knees can handle. I feel good today and am planning another run soon -- the trails near my house are mostly shaded so it's not too bad heatwise.
As far as good goes -- it's not too bad -- I ate a couple of bad things over the weekend but I had a nice salad yesterday with lettuce that's growing in a pot on my deck and did a smoothie this morning with yogurt, blueberries, bananas and strawberries. Plus I tossed in some flax seed, cinnamon and vanilla. Yum.
But with fresh veggies starting to hit I'm trying to focus on getting into a good eating routine. I can operate pretty well when I put myself on a schedule.
So onward and upward.
Day - three?
Yes, three, if Tuesday was day one. I ate my whole big salad. It made me sick last night, but way before bedtime - and again this morning, but only after I was up. So that is an improvement. I think I am going to have a chef's salad today. It has been years since I have had one. I know they are no longer trendy (Cobb or Chop Salads are the trendy ones now).
Yesterday I only did my yoga. It is 90 minutes and I was VERY sweaty during it. My heart rate does go up (I was paying attention yesterday) but not as much as it would if I were jumping around.
Anyway - I kept my calories at 1502 yesterday (gross, not net). I think the salad for lunch made a big difference. My calories on Tuesday were 1800-ish and I was HUNGRY at the end of the day. Yesterday I my stomach hurt from eating. Today I have only had breakfast so far, but again my stomach was hurting before I finished my two eggs and piece of toast. I finished the eggs and threw away what remained of my toast.
Yesterday I only did my yoga. It is 90 minutes and I was VERY sweaty during it. My heart rate does go up (I was paying attention yesterday) but not as much as it would if I were jumping around.
Anyway - I kept my calories at 1502 yesterday (gross, not net). I think the salad for lunch made a big difference. My calories on Tuesday were 1800-ish and I was HUNGRY at the end of the day. Yesterday I my stomach hurt from eating. Today I have only had breakfast so far, but again my stomach was hurting before I finished my two eggs and piece of toast. I finished the eggs and threw away what remained of my toast.
No running today
I need to go out at lunch today to get Claire a bag for Encampment, so I decided to go running this morning, which would be more pleasant anyway since it wouldn't be 90 degrees out yet. Connor had other ideas--he woke up at 3:00 so instead of running I was following him around while he took two baths in the 4:30 to 5:30 hour, watched some Grinch, and played with toy cars. Of course he went back to bed at 6 a.m., by which time it would have been too late to run anyway and I was too tired to even try even if I did have the time.
His sleeping is out of control right now. We put in his new mattress a week and a half ago and since then he has slept through the night exactly two times. Every other night he either won't go to bed at all, or he'll go to bed but wake up at 3 or 4 and refuse to go back to bed. It's driving us crazy, and since it seems to be related to the mattress and not to the normal things that wake him (being sick) there isn't anything we can do. We can't put his old mattress back at this point--the thing is 27 years old, has a big hole in it, and you can feel all the springs.
Anyway, so at this point I'm at one run and one swim this week. I think I'll either try again tonight after the kids are in bed to go for a run or try to get up early tomorrow for a run, just so it won't be a completely pathetic week. For some reason three days seems like real exercise while two days feels like I'm not really trying.
His sleeping is out of control right now. We put in his new mattress a week and a half ago and since then he has slept through the night exactly two times. Every other night he either won't go to bed at all, or he'll go to bed but wake up at 3 or 4 and refuse to go back to bed. It's driving us crazy, and since it seems to be related to the mattress and not to the normal things that wake him (being sick) there isn't anything we can do. We can't put his old mattress back at this point--the thing is 27 years old, has a big hole in it, and you can feel all the springs.
Anyway, so at this point I'm at one run and one swim this week. I think I'll either try again tonight after the kids are in bed to go for a run or try to get up early tomorrow for a run, just so it won't be a completely pathetic week. For some reason three days seems like real exercise while two days feels like I'm not really trying.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Take that, you free-range, organic, homegrown egg snobs!
They all pretty much taste like eggs.
I read this and had to post it here since it's been a topic of conversation recently.
Still, I think it would be fun to keep chickens myself. Davey thinks so too. Tasty toys!
I read this and had to post it here since it's been a topic of conversation recently.
Still, I think it would be fun to keep chickens myself. Davey thinks so too. Tasty toys!
You know what I would love?
I mean besides to magically lose 100 pounds and to be suddenly in great shape? I would LOVE it if vegetables didn't make me sick!! In the past four years or so I have started to LIKE vegetables. Some of them I REALLY like - but invariably the make me sick to my stomach. Oh, not right away - usually it takes about 2 to 6 hours to kick in. Which means if I had them for dinner I am awakened in the middle of the night.
Yesterday I was SO GOOD - mostly. I had 6 servings of fruits and vegetables (I had counted to seven yesterday, but now I only remember six - grapefruit juice, grapes, apple slices, veggies in my risotto and a double whammy of green beans. At 4:11 I woke up and purged it all. My question is, do you have to count the calories if they go straight through to the toilet? BUT - since it was twice my normal amounts of fruits and vegetables, I continued to be sick through the morning. Sigh. I am back at it though. Right now I am eating a giant green salad with strawberries and blueberries, almonds and fresh mozzerella (which I can't spell for anything). It is already making me cramp up. Sigh. It is very tasty though.
I did another 10 minute DVD last night - and made it the whole 10 minutes this time. Although, I seriously considered quitting at 8 again. I wore shoes this time, but my ankles were still killing me. They were killing me in yoga too.
I started thinking how much better at yoga I would be if I was thinner. I mean, there are many poses that I am pretty good at - but I keep thinking that if my belly, breasts and thighs weren't in the way I would be much better at ALL of the poses (except maybe plank - my wrists really can't take that...).
I have decided to start chewing gum again. I am pretty sure my triple chins aren't because I stopped chewing gum, but it might help to tone up all of those layers.
Oy, the hills!
Instead of running at lunch yesterday and then running errands on my way home, I switched it around and went for a run after work so that I could run on the triathlon race course at Centennial Park. I hadn't done that course since the race last year, and I had conveniently forgotten how hilly it is! Of course I knew it, but my mind was remembering the two bad hills and one deceptive hill and forgetting the rolling terrain for the rest of the route. Overall I didn't do too badly, though. Or at least I managed to run (jog/trot) all but two portions of the route (one small section on the first bad hill and a longer one on the second bad hill). My pace was slow, though--10:27 per mile--and my muscles are sore today, which might have as much to do with taking three days off over the weekend and not stretching well after the run as it does with the hills.
I'm off to the pool in a half an hour--my only swim this week (yay!). I'm thinking of switching up my training so that I swim only once a week instead of twice (this week is just because I don't have the time) and I add a run or ride to the training instead. It's not just because I hate swimming, but also because no matter how much I swim I don't seem to get any better or faster, so what's the point?
I'm off to the pool in a half an hour--my only swim this week (yay!). I'm thinking of switching up my training so that I swim only once a week instead of twice (this week is just because I don't have the time) and I add a run or ride to the training instead. It's not just because I hate swimming, but also because no matter how much I swim I don't seem to get any better or faster, so what's the point?
A little late
I forgot to do my own post yesterday! I was 148 yesterday, which I was not happy to see. Today was 147. I'm stuck in this range. I am decidedly exercising (9-mile run on Sunday, 40 minutes on the exercise bike Monday, 30 minutes on the treadmill and 15 on the elliptical yesterday, an appointment today) but I'm not making any effort on my eating. On Sunday we had a homeschool family dinner, which for some reason meant twice as many desserts as usual, and I sampled (by "sampled" I mean "ate full portions of") several. On Monday we cooked out at home (Memorial Day, dontcha know) so of COURSE we had chips -- too many of those -- on top of burgers and heavily buttered corn on the cob, and I ate a lot of ice cream for dessert. Yesterday we ate the cookout leftovers, which meant MORE chips, though no ice cream. Every day I carefully measure my breakfast, as though I'm going to count calories, and then every day by mid-afternoon I've lost interest. I need a kick in the pants.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Day One - again.
So - this is the first day of my new plan... So far I am not impressed. My weight is up - again - but lower than it was yesterday, but that doesn't really count. I didn't eat well all weekend - but I didn't eat much either. I did have mussells on both Friday and Saturday for dinner - but they were counter-balanced by the drinks I had with them (Carrabas on Friday and Bonefish on Saturday). I made risotto on Sunday (I added veggies and beans to it) and had that for dinner on Sunday and lunch on Monday. Other than that I mostly just grazed, but there wasn't a lot to graze ON.
Exercise needs a LOT of work - but I am working on it. Saturday I walked up a hill. And couldn't breathe. We were at Wolftrap and parked pretty much as far away as you could get - but it wasn't THAT far. I was fine for the entire walk there (which again, wasn't THAT far!) but the first hill (which wasn't THAT steep) left me completely breathless. We had to stop at the top of it for me to catch my breath.
So Sunday I said, OK, do something that will get you heart rate up - even just for a few minutes. So I started jogging in place (BTW, Livestrong says I burn 19.2 calories per minute jogging in place). I set my timer to five minutes. Initially I was going to do three minutes, but changed it to five in the end... which was good - It was hard to make it to three, but I could and continued to five. My heart rate WAS up - it took a while to calm it back down.
On Monday I was going to start my day with a nice walk - only it was alreay 90 degrees out. Why does it always seem that when I want to start to get in shape we hit a heat wave??!? So I put on the AC, my exercise clothes and one of my 10 minute solution Carb Buster routines. I made it to 8 minutes.
I want to know if it is true that it doesn't matter if you do all of the exercise all at once, or if spreading it out over the day is OK. I have read mixed reports on that. I ran several laps around my house yesterday too, but only for about a minute each time.
Julie, I don't know what my exercise plan is yet. I guess I should make one. My PLAN was to do another 10 minute video to see if I can make it to the whole 10 minutes. This time I want to wear shoes. My biggest problem yesterday was that my ankles were KILLING me. I think shoes would help with that. Do you go to Brick Bodies still? Maybe we could make a plan. Even if it is one day a week...
This weekend I am going with Sarah and her troop to Encampment. From what I understand that is exhausting, but not aerobic. It has got to be better than the whole bunch of nothing I normally do.
I am back on the no excuses plan.
Exercise needs a LOT of work - but I am working on it. Saturday I walked up a hill. And couldn't breathe. We were at Wolftrap and parked pretty much as far away as you could get - but it wasn't THAT far. I was fine for the entire walk there (which again, wasn't THAT far!) but the first hill (which wasn't THAT steep) left me completely breathless. We had to stop at the top of it for me to catch my breath.
So Sunday I said, OK, do something that will get you heart rate up - even just for a few minutes. So I started jogging in place (BTW, Livestrong says I burn 19.2 calories per minute jogging in place). I set my timer to five minutes. Initially I was going to do three minutes, but changed it to five in the end... which was good - It was hard to make it to three, but I could and continued to five. My heart rate WAS up - it took a while to calm it back down.
On Monday I was going to start my day with a nice walk - only it was alreay 90 degrees out. Why does it always seem that when I want to start to get in shape we hit a heat wave??!? So I put on the AC, my exercise clothes and one of my 10 minute solution Carb Buster routines. I made it to 8 minutes.
I want to know if it is true that it doesn't matter if you do all of the exercise all at once, or if spreading it out over the day is OK. I have read mixed reports on that. I ran several laps around my house yesterday too, but only for about a minute each time.
Julie, I don't know what my exercise plan is yet. I guess I should make one. My PLAN was to do another 10 minute video to see if I can make it to the whole 10 minutes. This time I want to wear shoes. My biggest problem yesterday was that my ankles were KILLING me. I think shoes would help with that. Do you go to Brick Bodies still? Maybe we could make a plan. Even if it is one day a week...
This weekend I am going with Sarah and her troop to Encampment. From what I understand that is exhausting, but not aerobic. It has got to be better than the whole bunch of nothing I normally do.
I am back on the no excuses plan.
I hate weighing in after a long weekend.
I was insanely productive this weekend--I finished the cardboard boat, organized all of my Girl Scout paperwork, helped set up the pavilion (which didn't make it through the winter very well--we're going to have to get new walls for it soon), made vats of vermilion face paint, made a bunch of swaps for Encampment, cleaned up all of the corners of the house where clutter accumulates, bought all of the last minute things we need for Encampment, sewed a year's worth of patches on Claire's vest, finally got plants put out in the garden, finally packed away all of the winter clothes (hey, we were wearing them until last week!), and did all of the laundry (and put it away! That's a small miracle to not be living out of laundry baskets this week!).
What I didn't do was exercise or watch my diet. I wanted to go out on a long ride yesterday but decided my time would be better spent with scout stuff--that all has to be done in the next couple of weeks and I don't have any more days off before our awards ceremony and year end reports. So this is going to be a low mileage week--I'll get in workouts today, tomorrow and Thursday, but on Friday I'm at an off site meeting in the morning and early afternoon and then leaving for camp.
My food was also awful this weekend--pancakes and bacon, hamburgers and chips, ice cream, lots of snacks--all the usual holiday weekend stuff and I didn't hold back in any way.
So I was shocked that my weight today was down from last week by a small amount (I was 145 this morning). It wasn't the lowest I've seen (I was into the upper 144 range late last week), but at least it wasn't a gain! If I can maintain this over the next couple of really busy weeks I'll be happy, and then I can start focusing on losing again over the summer.
What I didn't do was exercise or watch my diet. I wanted to go out on a long ride yesterday but decided my time would be better spent with scout stuff--that all has to be done in the next couple of weeks and I don't have any more days off before our awards ceremony and year end reports. So this is going to be a low mileage week--I'll get in workouts today, tomorrow and Thursday, but on Friday I'm at an off site meeting in the morning and early afternoon and then leaving for camp.
My food was also awful this weekend--pancakes and bacon, hamburgers and chips, ice cream, lots of snacks--all the usual holiday weekend stuff and I didn't hold back in any way.
So I was shocked that my weight today was down from last week by a small amount (I was 145 this morning). It wasn't the lowest I've seen (I was into the upper 144 range late last week), but at least it wasn't a gain! If I can maintain this over the next couple of really busy weeks I'll be happy, and then I can start focusing on losing again over the summer.
3 miles...
I ran the one mile loop in the neighborhood Saturday, Sunday and then walked it Monday. Then I went to the pool in the 'hood afterwards. Sunday the water was way to cold to get in, but yesterday it was warmer and I was hotter. I swam a bit and then lounged a bit. And being able to do both of these activities very easily made me very pleased with where we live. There is also a trail I can get to more easily now that the new bridge on Dolfield is open.
I am thinking of either resting today or maybe just going for a long walk. I had intended to run yesterday as well, but I have been experimenting with various insoles for my foot issues. Yesterday I put gel insoles in my sneakers. Never again. At one point the pain was so intense I contemplated sitting on the curb and waiting for Peter to come look for me.
I am thinking of either resting today or maybe just going for a long walk. I had intended to run yesterday as well, but I have been experimenting with various insoles for my foot issues. Yesterday I put gel insoles in my sneakers. Never again. At one point the pain was so intense I contemplated sitting on the curb and waiting for Peter to come look for me.
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