For some reason I have a really hard time doing simple math while running. On Monday I went to the gym and warmed up on the treadmill for a few minutes. I had Week 7/Day 2 run ahead of me, 25 minutes. I am pretty much done running on the treadmill I think. I headed out the door, saw my heartrate monitor said I had been working out for 7 minutes and tried to add half my run (~13 minutes) to 7 minutes so I would know when to turn around. I was supposed to run until my watch said 20 minutes, turn around and then run until my watch said 32. Somehow, during the run I screwed up the math and thought I had to run until my watch said 37 minutes. All those numbers are making me dizzy.
Bottom line, I ran 30 minutes. 30 minutes! It was a damn slow 30 minutes but ask me if I care. I don't. I started to feel tired during the last few minutes and that's when I figured out what happened. I took my garmin with me because I wanted to see my exact distance and pace but the battery was dead. Next time. After my run I did back and biceps along with some core work. I was running out of time so I could only do 2.5 minutes on the stairs, instead of 5. I recently read an article that suggested that if you're running out of time, don't worry about the clock, just go harder. I probably should have tried to push even harder than 50spm (steps per minute).
Today, Tuesday, I started with 25 minutes on the bike at level 6. It's supposed to be the "random" setting but since I upped to level 6 it always looks like a hill routine. I'm so sensitive to the psychology of these things and something about the predictable route makes it harder for me. Hopefully, when I go up to level 7, it will start being truly random again. But that won't be for a while. Level 6 kicked my ass today. I was counting the seconds for the last "hill" to be over.
After the bike I did chest and triceps. The trainer I'd met with suggested I should be doing regular pushups instead of the modified ones I do. To his credit I think his aim is to encourage me, "I know you're strong enough." But if I do regular ones I could maybe do 3 or 4. As it is I do 3 sets of 10 of the modified ones (as in 30, a far cry from 3-4). Today there were a couple of really fit women in my age range and they were really inspiring me. Then one of them uses a bench to do what? Modified pushups. Thank you! Later the other woman got up after doing core work, winced, and rubber her lower back. Reminded me that we all have our challenges. Thank goodness they don't read this blog, it almost sounds like I was staring at them.
Well, that's it. I've worked out Sun, Mon and Tue of this week so tomorrow is a rest day. Though it's my day home with the kids so I don't know how much "rest" I'll be getting. Then I'm planning to hit the gym Thur and Fri so I can take Saturday off because...
On Sunday I'm doing a 25 mile bike ride. It's accidentally symbolic because it's the same ride I did in 2008 when I was getting into cycling. Only thing is, I was about 17 pounds lighter than I am now. But that's ok, it's part cycling, part wine tasting, who cares how much I weigh, right?
By the time I was near the end of my run I'd somehow
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Stronger Every Day
That's how it's been feeling lately, like I am adding a bit more strength (and endurance) each day. It sure is rewarding. On Friday I went to the gym and did Week 7/Day 1 for c25k. Week 7 is the same as Week 6/Day 3, a 25 minute run. I ran outside again and it was ok, not a fabulous showing, but I felt good about it. I wasn't feeling strong enough to even attempt The Hill, plus it was hot out. Back at the gym I did chest/triceps/core for strength training. One thing that's not getting easier are the modified pushups I do on the smith machine. About a month ago I lowered the bar down a notch and I have been struggling ever since to get through all three sets of 10. Maybe I should drop down to three sets of 8 until I get stronger. You know I hate to suffer! I wrapped up with the stairs for 5 minutes and this time I was able to do the whole 5 minutes at 50 steps per minute! See? Stronger all the time.
My mom and grandfather came over for dinner on Friday night and boy did I eat! Mom brought steaks to grill and potatoes to bake and artichoke dip with crackers, and, and, and...you get the idea. After they left and the kids went to bed I went to a champagne tasting event at a friend's house. I vowed that, after that dinner, I would not drink any champagne. 1 - to save the calories and 2 - to keep me from indulging in the fabulous desserty food I knew she would be serving (including a chocolate fountain!). I stuck to my guns and did not drink, or eat, at all. It was sort of easy being I was so full from dinner :o
I ate light on Saturday not only because of the steak dinner but also because Saturday night we had a date night planned! Saturday was also a day off from the gym so I wouldn't have the calorie burn to help balance things out, though we went out for a leisurely hike/bike ride with the kids. Miguel pulled Myra in the wagon and Marek and I rode bikes (sort of, he was off and on his bike every 5 minutes). It was fun to get outside with the kids, as always. And, of course, I was feeling grateful for both the ability and the interest to do this sort of thing. Toward the end Miguel asked if I was tired, "heck no". Maybe a little bored at times with our .2 mph pace but not tired.
Date night was a calorie explosion! I had fish and chips for dinner (totally worth it, thank goodness) and took a dessert of banana pudding with nilla wafers and whipped cream to go. I ate the dessert during the movie. Sadly, it wasn't so worth it, too sweet for my taste, and I kind of wish I'd skipped it. Once I started eating it though, Icouldn't didn't stop. We saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was fun. It was nice to get out for an evening alone.
Today (Sunday) I planned to eat really light to balance out date night. I promptly forgot to eat breakfast and ended up eating a burrito around 11:30am. It was a curry shrimp High Tech burrito from their "healthy" menu. 429 calories (except more because I got a regular flour tortilla instead of the low-cal wheat version). All in all probably not bad for breakfast and lunch combined.
I went to the gym in the afternoon and rode the bike to start. I'd been feeling like I might be ready to push up to Level 6 (on the random route) so I gave it a try. Now, instead of topping out at Level 8, it tops out at Level 9. A new challenge indeed. But I was able to do the 25 minutes and felt good. Unfortunately I decided to make this level increase on a legs day so some of the subsequent strength training exercises were painful, like leg extensions. Ouch! Lunges again went well, only wobbled a couple times. I wrapped up with 5 minutes on the stairs at 50 steps per minute. And it wasn't even killing me. I'm putting the master in StairMaster! Hee hee.
For dinner tonight I again went light. I cooked black beans today so I had some of those, a 1/4 of an avocado and a couple slice of chicken breast. I'm feeling hungry still so I might have another little bowl of black beans before I go to bed. If I were only trying to maintain weight I wouldn't think twice but with trying to lose weight I have to be tight with the calories. Ah, what the heck, it's a bowl of black beans and I'm hungry. Like I said, I'm not into suffering!
My mom and grandfather came over for dinner on Friday night and boy did I eat! Mom brought steaks to grill and potatoes to bake and artichoke dip with crackers, and, and, and...you get the idea. After they left and the kids went to bed I went to a champagne tasting event at a friend's house. I vowed that, after that dinner, I would not drink any champagne. 1 - to save the calories and 2 - to keep me from indulging in the fabulous desserty food I knew she would be serving (including a chocolate fountain!). I stuck to my guns and did not drink, or eat, at all. It was sort of easy being I was so full from dinner :o
I ate light on Saturday not only because of the steak dinner but also because Saturday night we had a date night planned! Saturday was also a day off from the gym so I wouldn't have the calorie burn to help balance things out, though we went out for a leisurely hike/bike ride with the kids. Miguel pulled Myra in the wagon and Marek and I rode bikes (sort of, he was off and on his bike every 5 minutes). It was fun to get outside with the kids, as always. And, of course, I was feeling grateful for both the ability and the interest to do this sort of thing. Toward the end Miguel asked if I was tired, "heck no". Maybe a little bored at times with our .2 mph pace but not tired.
Date night was a calorie explosion! I had fish and chips for dinner (totally worth it, thank goodness) and took a dessert of banana pudding with nilla wafers and whipped cream to go. I ate the dessert during the movie. Sadly, it wasn't so worth it, too sweet for my taste, and I kind of wish I'd skipped it. Once I started eating it though, I
Today (Sunday) I planned to eat really light to balance out date night. I promptly forgot to eat breakfast and ended up eating a burrito around 11:30am. It was a curry shrimp High Tech burrito from their "healthy" menu. 429 calories (except more because I got a regular flour tortilla instead of the low-cal wheat version). All in all probably not bad for breakfast and lunch combined.
I went to the gym in the afternoon and rode the bike to start. I'd been feeling like I might be ready to push up to Level 6 (on the random route) so I gave it a try. Now, instead of topping out at Level 8, it tops out at Level 9. A new challenge indeed. But I was able to do the 25 minutes and felt good. Unfortunately I decided to make this level increase on a legs day so some of the subsequent strength training exercises were painful, like leg extensions. Ouch! Lunges again went well, only wobbled a couple times. I wrapped up with 5 minutes on the stairs at 50 steps per minute. And it wasn't even killing me. I'm putting the master in StairMaster! Hee hee.
For dinner tonight I again went light. I cooked black beans today so I had some of those, a 1/4 of an avocado and a couple slice of chicken breast. I'm feeling hungry still so I might have another little bowl of black beans before I go to bed. If I were only trying to maintain weight I wouldn't think twice but with trying to lose weight I have to be tight with the calories. Ah, what the heck, it's a bowl of black beans and I'm hungry. Like I said, I'm not into suffering!
Friday, September 23, 2011
I Lunge You Very Much
This is a good week! I went to the gym on Sunday and Monday. Day off Tuesday and then back at it Wednesday and Thursday. More on that in a bit. First, I want to share a few pictures from my beach outing Wednesday. The weather forecast was for HOT, darned HOT, and I love going to the beach on those super hot days. When we first arrived at the beach the fog was still holding on tight but it wasn't cold. Besides, the kids probably wouldn't have cared if there was snow on the ground! They dug in and started having fun immediately. Myra ate a bunch of sand and Marek loved playing in the waves so much that I had to carry him out screaming and crying when it was time to go.
How cute are they?! We had so much fun. It was a little hectic trying to contain the two of them myself but thank goodness my mom friends were there to help keep an eye too (Thanks Sara and Monique!!). Notice the sand around Myra's mouth? She had some beachy poops at daycare yesterday. :/
After the beach we grabbed some food, despite my already having eaten a PB&J for lunch on the beach. I ate a BLT and fries. I wish it was a bit more peaceful so I could have enjoyed it more, but it was still good. To balance that out I had a bowl of Special K for dinner. Speaking of Special K, I only lasted a few nights on my plan to eat it for dinner for a week. I made some bean soup and I had to have that for a couple nights. On Tuesday we went out and I had a hamburger (side salad, no fries!) for dinner. Even with all that, I was still hoping for a loss this week. I felt I was doing a decent job balancing high calories meals with lighter ones. Speaking of that, I went to lunch yesterday and made unnamed horrible choices (hot dog with chili and cheese, onion rings). I planned to have Special K for dinner but a friend came over and I couldn't feed her cereal so we had black beans, zucchini (fresh from her garden, thanks Catherine!) and brown rice. Aside from a dollop of cream on the beans it was a very healthy meal.
Let's talk about an area where I'm having more success - the gym! Wednesday I did c25k Week 6/Day 3, a 25 minute run. I did the run outside in the evening and boy was it nice. I even crossed paths with a deer who very slowly moved out of my way and then stood stone still as I passed, "If I don't move, she won't see me". I tried to run up The Hill but only made it about halfway before I turned around. If I didn't have legs/shoulders due up for strength training I might have pushed it. The run felt really good and, bam!, Week 6 is done, which means no more walk breaks. Weeks 7, 8 and 9 are 25, 28 and 30 minute runs respectively. And with these "longer" runs I burn more calories, which is good too.
Back at the gym it was time for legs - I skipped the butt blaster and went straight for the lunges and damn if I wasn't good! My balance could use some work but I felt plenty strong to do the lunges. I did 3 sets of 8 walking lunges. I gave them up for a time because they were too darned hard. It felt really good to accomplish them again. On Thursday I only had about 40 minutes at the gym. I did my full 25 minutes on the bike but I could only do 2 sets of my back/biceps workout and skipped one exercise altogether. Got my core work in though, and a lightening quick stretch before I left.
Regarding my back, I have been purposefully tightening my abs whenever I do something that I think will stress my lower back, mostly when I pick up kids, but also if I bend over or anything. I figure it's probably helping on some level. My back has been doing alright, not all good but no serious pain either. I still need to call my doctor to see what's involved in maybe seeing a chiropractor. Also on the health front I have been taking Vitamin B complex and iron now and then when I feel my energy lagging. I can't say I've noticed a big difference but it seems like I'm not having as many of those tired days I was having.
And, finally, the really good news!! I have finally LOST 10 POUNDS!!!! I had a feeling I would be down in spite of all the food, I just felt lighter. 189.0 and 41% body fat. Weeks like this make me not mind so much about the one step forward, two steps back plan I seem to be on. This week I have a possible champagne tasting, a definite date night and a couple potential park picnics so I'll have to be somewhat disciplined with myself if I want to hang on to the 180's - and I do.
A big thank you to my supporters. I really do appreciate each and every comment of support, encouragement, tips, etc.
How cute are they?! We had so much fun. It was a little hectic trying to contain the two of them myself but thank goodness my mom friends were there to help keep an eye too (Thanks Sara and Monique!!). Notice the sand around Myra's mouth? She had some beachy poops at daycare yesterday. :/
After the beach we grabbed some food, despite my already having eaten a PB&J for lunch on the beach. I ate a BLT and fries. I wish it was a bit more peaceful so I could have enjoyed it more, but it was still good. To balance that out I had a bowl of Special K for dinner. Speaking of Special K, I only lasted a few nights on my plan to eat it for dinner for a week. I made some bean soup and I had to have that for a couple nights. On Tuesday we went out and I had a hamburger (side salad, no fries!) for dinner. Even with all that, I was still hoping for a loss this week. I felt I was doing a decent job balancing high calories meals with lighter ones. Speaking of that, I went to lunch yesterday and made unnamed horrible choices (
Let's talk about an area where I'm having more success - the gym! Wednesday I did c25k Week 6/Day 3, a 25 minute run. I did the run outside in the evening and boy was it nice. I even crossed paths with a deer who very slowly moved out of my way and then stood stone still as I passed, "If I don't move, she won't see me". I tried to run up The Hill but only made it about halfway before I turned around. If I didn't have legs/shoulders due up for strength training I might have pushed it. The run felt really good and, bam!, Week 6 is done, which means no more walk breaks. Weeks 7, 8 and 9 are 25, 28 and 30 minute runs respectively. And with these "longer" runs I burn more calories, which is good too.
Back at the gym it was time for legs - I skipped the butt blaster and went straight for the lunges and damn if I wasn't good! My balance could use some work but I felt plenty strong to do the lunges. I did 3 sets of 8 walking lunges. I gave them up for a time because they were too darned hard. It felt really good to accomplish them again. On Thursday I only had about 40 minutes at the gym. I did my full 25 minutes on the bike but I could only do 2 sets of my back/biceps workout and skipped one exercise altogether. Got my core work in though, and a lightening quick stretch before I left.
Regarding my back, I have been purposefully tightening my abs whenever I do something that I think will stress my lower back, mostly when I pick up kids, but also if I bend over or anything. I figure it's probably helping on some level. My back has been doing alright, not all good but no serious pain either. I still need to call my doctor to see what's involved in maybe seeing a chiropractor. Also on the health front I have been taking Vitamin B complex and iron now and then when I feel my energy lagging. I can't say I've noticed a big difference but it seems like I'm not having as many of those tired days I was having.
And, finally, the really good news!! I have finally LOST 10 POUNDS!!!! I had a feeling I would be down in spite of all the food, I just felt lighter. 189.0 and 41% body fat. Weeks like this make me not mind so much about the one step forward, two steps back plan I seem to be on. This week I have a possible champagne tasting, a definite date night and a couple potential park picnics so I'll have to be somewhat disciplined with myself if I want to hang on to the 180's - and I do.
A big thank you to my supporters. I really do appreciate each and every comment of support, encouragement, tips, etc.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Won't Back Down
I feel like I'm joining the ranks of nagging pain sufferers. Throughout the day I find myself wondering things like, could it be my mattress? am I sitting too much at work? this or that exercise? picking up the kids? weak abs? abs too strong? In reality it could be a bit of all these things to varying degrees. I wish there was a simple thing I could "fix" to make it all better. One thing I am starting to suspect is that exercise mainly helps.
Oh, and another thing, sort of a "duh" moment. I need to lose weight. I am carrying around an extra 40 pounds and that has to be hard on my back. I think it was all the thinking about the back pain and what I could do to fix it that led me to realize losing the excess weight will help a lot.
So I went to the gym on Sunday. I was doing Week 6/Day 2, two 10 minute runs with a 3 minute break in between. I dreaded the treadmill so I almost immediately decided to run outside. I ran outside and man, it was hot! At one point I decided to go up a hill, whew, that was a challenge. I meant to take my garmin and wear it during the run so I could see what my pace was but I forgot. Hopefully for my next run, a "long" run, I will remember it. After the run I did back and biceps. None of the exercises were particularly painful for my lower back but I did do more stretching than normal between exercises. The stretching actually felt really good. I did the five minutes of stairs. I was feeling strong so I upped the pace to 50 steps per minute. After 2.5 minutes I dropped it down to 45 steps per minute. I left the gym feeling pretty good and I was glad my back was holding up.
Today, Monday, I went to the gym and did 25 minutes on the bike, followed by chest and triceps. My back felt pretty good throughout. It's still hurting a fair amount during the day but getting better each day. I really believe that if I didn't go back to the gym when I did my back would have gotten worse and worse. I don't know what the answer is but I'm pretty sure inactivity isn't it.
Oh, and another thing, sort of a "duh" moment. I need to lose weight. I am carrying around an extra 40 pounds and that has to be hard on my back. I think it was all the thinking about the back pain and what I could do to fix it that led me to realize losing the excess weight will help a lot.
So I went to the gym on Sunday. I was doing Week 6/Day 2, two 10 minute runs with a 3 minute break in between. I dreaded the treadmill so I almost immediately decided to run outside. I ran outside and man, it was hot! At one point I decided to go up a hill, whew, that was a challenge. I meant to take my garmin and wear it during the run so I could see what my pace was but I forgot. Hopefully for my next run, a "long" run, I will remember it. After the run I did back and biceps. None of the exercises were particularly painful for my lower back but I did do more stretching than normal between exercises. The stretching actually felt really good. I did the five minutes of stairs. I was feeling strong so I upped the pace to 50 steps per minute. After 2.5 minutes I dropped it down to 45 steps per minute. I left the gym feeling pretty good and I was glad my back was holding up.
Today, Monday, I went to the gym and did 25 minutes on the bike, followed by chest and triceps. My back felt pretty good throughout. It's still hurting a fair amount during the day but getting better each day. I really believe that if I didn't go back to the gym when I did my back would have gotten worse and worse. I don't know what the answer is but I'm pretty sure inactivity isn't it.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Day 4 of Back Pain
Three days in a row with no gym was making me downright grumpy. When exercise is also your main stress management tool, not exercising gets stressful. So yesterday (Saturday) I decided I had to go to the gym regardless of my back. I planned to stop doing any exercise that irritated my back. I walked on the treadmill for a few minutes and my back was hurting a bit but it was tolerable. Then I did the upright bike for 25 minutes on Level 5. This didn't seem to hurt my back at all. I started on my strength training routine, legs/shoulders/core. I thought maybe the reverse hack squats would hurt my back but they didn't. What did hurt my back was the "butt blaster" machine. I can't say I was disappointed to skip this one, I hate it anyway. I might have to stop doing it altogether. Maybe I'm ready to go back to lunges.
The main thing I got out of going to the gym was a mood boost. I felt so much better leaving than I did when I arrived. Three days in a row and I start to worry I'll never get back to the gym, will gain a bunch of weight and end up on the couch and depressed. One gym visit and I'm back to feeling optimistic about the future.
The Special K for dinner experiment is interesting. One thing I'm finding is that I enjoy eating my biggest meal of the day at lunchtime. I also think it's helping to break my evening snack habit. Though last night I was feeling hungry a couple hours after having the cereal. I convinced myself that my afternoon snack wasn't big enough (a banana) and ate a string cheese to compensate. I also ended up eating part of a dinner roll. Hopefully by the end of this week-long experiment I will have stopped snacking altogether after dinner.
Ok, it's off to my day. I'm taking Marek to a birthday party today. It's a pool party so another bathing suit. Hopefully that will keep my eating in check during the party :) My back is still bothering me but I'm pretty sure I'll go to the gym later anyway. Just stick with the plan to stop doing anything that hurts. Hopefully running won't hurt!
The main thing I got out of going to the gym was a mood boost. I felt so much better leaving than I did when I arrived. Three days in a row and I start to worry I'll never get back to the gym, will gain a bunch of weight and end up on the couch and depressed. One gym visit and I'm back to feeling optimistic about the future.
The Special K for dinner experiment is interesting. One thing I'm finding is that I enjoy eating my biggest meal of the day at lunchtime. I also think it's helping to break my evening snack habit. Though last night I was feeling hungry a couple hours after having the cereal. I convinced myself that my afternoon snack wasn't big enough (a banana) and ate a string cheese to compensate. I also ended up eating part of a dinner roll. Hopefully by the end of this week-long experiment I will have stopped snacking altogether after dinner.
Ok, it's off to my day. I'm taking Marek to a birthday party today. It's a pool party so another bathing suit. Hopefully that will keep my eating in check during the party :) My back is still bothering me but I'm pretty sure I'll go to the gym later anyway. Just stick with the plan to stop doing anything that hurts. Hopefully running won't hurt!
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