10:00 Minute Mile!

Yesterday was a day off from the gym but still an active day.  I started with a couple hours of gardening - pulling weeds and planting a few new plants - before getting the kids out the door for some errands.  After the errands we went to Whole Foods to meet a friend and her kids for lunch (Hi Michelle!).  The cool thing was Miguel was able to come meet us.  Always nicer to have the whole family together.  I had a burrito with a whole wheat tortilla, chicken, black beans, veggies and salsa.  I was going to have avocado too but I figured with the mother's party that evening I should save the calories.  I wasn't sure how many points to give it so I went with 10.  In reality it was probably more than that. 

Back home and put the kids down for their naps while I started to get ready for the party.  Marek woke up from his nap with a huge fever and that made for some hectic last-minute readying. In the end I decided to wear a black skirt with a pink and white blouse.  For whatever reason I felt kind of "big", though I pushed that feeling out of my mind.  I had a plan to drink two glasses of wine and have one dessert.  I stuck with the wine but in the end had probably more like two desserts.  There were A TON of cupcakes, mini bundt cakes and various other yummy things.  I'm not sure how much I ate because I took a bite of several that I didn't like so I tossed 'em.  I also ended up grabbing a few bites of cheese and crackers and had two small slices of turkey breast.  I wasn't upset about my food intake, especially because I ended up eating just a bar for dinner before the party - mostly because the fever through a wrench in my food prep plans.  Here's a pic from the party, holding my raffle prizes (I won a restaurant gift card and a certificate for a 10" bundt cake).

I had a great time at the party.  All my mom friends overwhelmed me with compliments about how great I look.  It felt good to be recognized for all the hard work.  I've still got a ways to go in my brain catching up with my body but I'm working on it.  One of my friends gave me a workout outfit that doesn't fit her (Thanks Jackie!).  The top is too small for me but the shorts are great.  And hopefully the top will fit eventually.  I got home a bit after 10pm and pretty much went straight to bed.

I had to stay home with Marek today, he still has a pretty big fever.  Fortunately he's eating/drinking fine and other than being a bit lethargic he's showing no other symptoms.  I struggled with wanting to graze all day and I ate a couple of things that were not part of the plan.  Mid-morning I ate a bowl of the kids cereal and later I had a 1/2 of peanut butter/jelly sandwich that Marek didn't eat.  But I tried to skip the negative talk and just tracked it and moved on.

Miguel came home and relieved me to go to the gym.  I started with a 25 minute run on the treadmill.  It was hot and I just didn't feel like running outside.  The run was friggin' awesome!!  I started at 5.0mph, then went up to 5.5, my "normal" pace these days.  At the 10 minute mark I pushed it up to 6.0mph and I felt really good.  I decided to go for 10 minutes at that pace, which would mean a mile at 6mph.  I did and I still felt good enough to keep going.  I ended up staying at 6mph for the rest of the run, meaning I ran for 15 minutes at 6mph!  I felt so happy.  It feels so good to be getting speedier.  I think the treadmill, even with a 1% incline, is a bit easier than the reality of outside but I'm still pleased.  The first time I ran at 6mph I felt like my legs were moving like egg beaters, but today it felt smooth and doable.  Yay!

After the run I did legs/shoulders/core.  Everything went pretty smooth.  I came home and made myself dinner (the kids and Miguel ate while I was at the gym).  I had a salad with chicken breast and avocado.  Yum!  And a good balance with the day's earlier indulgences.  Well, that's it for me.  I'm super tired so I'm signing off.  Night all!

Morning Run

Yesterday afternoon I arrived at the gym feeling a bit tired.  Probably leftover from the super busy weekend.  And then I saw all the upright bikes were taken.  Gah!  So I rode a recumbent instead, which turned out to be a nice change of pace.  I had to use my glutes a lot more.  After the bike I did chest/triceps/core.  I was feeling spiffy so instead of normal planks I did ones with arm raises.  I didn't count reps, I just did them for 40 seconds, my normal plank time:

that's not me.  but i bet you knew that ;)

This definitely made for a challenge.  I finished up with some stretching and then went home to zone out until bedtime, I was tired as heck!

Today, Tuesday, was a busy day.  I had a PT appointment after work so I decided I should maybe do my run in the morning before work.  This way I wouldn't stress about it all day, worrying I wouldn't fit it in.  Also, the forecast was for another hot day, another reason to run in the morning.  I set my alarm and decided I'd make a game-day decision.  When my alarm went off I groaned.  But after a bit of self talk - mostly, "If you don't get up and do it now it might not happen today" - I managed to get up and head out the door.  It was chilly but not freezing.  I ran 3 miles and felt pretty good.  This is only my second pavement run in the Brooks and things seemed to go smooth.  I finished in 33 minutes, my normal/good time, which made me happy.  I stretched after the run but boy were my muscles tight!  That's the biggest drawback of exercising in the morning, you're just not all loosened up like you are come afternoon.

After my PT appointment I went to the gym to do weights.  I did a quick warmup walk and then headed to the weights - back/biceps/core.  I am really focusing on keeping my shoulders down, which is not easy.  I need to strengthen my mid-back.  After weights I did a quick stretch (and still felt a bit tighter than normal, I blame the morning run) and then headed home to my kiddos. 

I am tired.  Tired, tired, tired.  It's 9:30pm and I really want to watch Mad Men but I think it'll have to wait until tomorrow.  Incidentally, this is already week 3 so next week will be a recovery week.  Still haven't decided exactly what that will look like but I'm thinking maybe drop 2 levels for the bike and do walks instead of running.  For weights I'm thinking one light set instead of three.  We'll see, all I know is that I'm liking this recovery week idea.

I realized I never really commented on my weigh-in last Friday.  Up .4 pounds.  Two words: menstrual. cycle.  Enough said.  Oh!  I forgot to mention - I signed up for another event.  And this one is coming up in less than two weeks!  But I'm out of time so I'll have to share all that exciting info tomorrow.  Night everyone.

Busy Bee, That's Me!

Talk about an active weekend!  I hardly stopped at all other than to eat and sleep.  I went to the gym on Friday morning and rode the bike for 25 minutes.  Then I did back/biceps/core.  I had to go early because between my and Miguel's schedules that was my only chance to go.  I always feel tight in the morning and things are just harder it seems.  I don't know if I mentioned but I've been going to physical therapy for my shoulders.  They have started to ache most of the time and I don't want it to get worse.  So I'm not supposed to do any exercises that aggravate them.  But I get all crazed in the gym and can't skip stuff.  I went to the PT in the afternoon and they gave me some alternatives for now.

Saturday was a day off from the gym but not from running like headless chickens.  We took the kids to an open house at our local police station in the morning.  They got to check out riot gear, sit on motorcycles and pet the k9 officer.  Afterward we walked over to a street fair and let the kids jump in the bouncy houses for a while.  It was a beautiful day and the kids had a blast.  Home for naps (for them, not us) and I ran out and purchased more plants for my ever growing garden.  I'm kind of getting into this gardening thing.  It's amazing what can be enjoyable when you have the energy and feel comfortable and strong in your body.  I think I've always hated gardening because it involved getting down on the ground, using muscles and being in the sun.  All things I can handle just fine now. 

After the kids' naps we took them to a super-fun birthday party with more bouncy house action!  I even got in for a while, which was actually a lot of work.  The kids were piling on me and at one point I feared for my own safety! (wink).  I indulged in food and drink and used up all my extra points for the week.  I had 2 margaritas, 1 glass of red wine, a chili-dog and lots of snacks (pretzels, cheese puffs, etc).  Oh, and 2 mini cupcakes.  I tracked it all when I got home but struggled with a desire to keep eating.  But I wasn't hungry at all and really did NOT want to go into the red on my points.  I vowed to not eat another single bite of food, got a big glass of bubbly water and texted my friend Kristy for support (Thanks Kristy!!).  I made it through the evening without eating more food.  I can't tell you how good it felt to wake up Sunday morning knowing I made a better choice.  The party was a lot but not too much and I didn't go overboard by eating more at home. 

So Sunday morning, despite the alcohol, I actually felt pretty good.  It was going to be a hot day and I wanted to do an outdoor run so I decided I'd better get moving.  I went back to the same trail I did two weeks prior.  I did the same loop, but backwards.  It was much better in this direction, though it meant walking up one steep hill.  I ran for an hour and was able to do the loop three times in that time.  It felt so incredibly good to be out there in the morning air, running in sun and shade, listening to the birds - trail running is sort of magical.  If you haven't tried it I highly recommend it.  I'm lucky to live in this area with all these beautiful trails.  Here's a post-run picture:

Those are my Reebok shorts, size Medium!

After my run I met up with Miguel at the soccer field.  He had a game but took the kids early to play.  Once his game was underway I took the kids home for lunch.  Miguel got home when they went down for their naps so I headed to the air-conditioned gym to do weights.  I did legs/shoulders/core work.  I followed the PTs advice and dropped an exercise that was hurting my shoulders (lying shoulder presses). 

After the gym I had a quick shower and then headed to the mall in a last-minute effort to find a dress.  My mother's club social is coming up this Wednesday and I still don't have anything I really like.  Shopping continues to be a whole new experience.  I can walk in any store and find stuff that fits - even what I consider teenage stores like Express.  I ended up buying a black pencil skirt at H&M and might wear that with a blouse to the party.  It's cute but it's a little work/professional instead of party/casual.  We'll see.  And I have a food/drink plan for the party.  I used up all my extra points over the weekend so for the party I'm going to focus on why I'm there (to socialize) and limit my drinking to two glasses of wine.  I will eat dinner at home and limit my eating to fruit and one dessert item.  Doesn't that sound reasonable? 

The Lost Points

It was a hot day on Monday and by the time I got around to my run in the late afternoon the sun was in full force.  I still decided to run outside because I was itching to get my new shoes outside.  I started out with a plan to run for 25 minutes, my normal cardio time.  I began running and everything felt wonky - my calves felt twitchy and I felt like I was breathing harder than normal.  Didn't help that the wind was blowing in my face.  So I told myself to ignore the first-mile drudgery and just keep running, which I did of course.  Things started to turn around a bit, and while they never got good, it was good enough to stretch my run out to 3 miles.  My calves ached for most of the run but nothing serious and they were not sore later, which was good.  At about mile two, I started to feel like I was getting into the groove of these new shoes.  I had to tweak the way I land to avoid an unwelcome "thud" when my foot hit the ground, and was making softer landings for the last part of the run (I think - this could all be in my head after all).

I thought the run was MUCH slower than my previous normal but in the end I finished in 34 minutes - only 1 minute slower than normal.  Not bad considering the new shoes and the friggin' wind.  Of course seeing I was only 1 minute over I thought, "darnit, could have pushed myself a bit more."  Probably good that I didn't though, I don't want my calves to cramp up.

After the run I did back/biceps/core.  My back had been hurting all day, a leftover treat from all the gardening I did on Sunday.  But as my workout went on it actually started to feel better.  There's not much that a good workout can't cure.  After strength training I did some good stretching, which I needed.  My hamstrings were really tight again.

I earned 8 points (1 more than usual due to longer run) and ate 5 of them, so I regained 3 lost points, leaving me at -6.   On Tuesday I went to the gym after work and did the upright bike for 25 minutes followed by legs/shoulders/core.  My legs felt pretty good, I think the adjustment to the new shoes is nearly complete.  The last test will be a long run.  I don't have any plans to do one soon though.  I'd packed a low-point lunch and ate well enough all day to bank all 7 APs.  Whew, back in the black! 

Wednesday was a real test.  I was PMSing and struggled with an urge to eat a giant bowl of cereal.  But I talked myself through it.  "Just because this is what I did in the past doesn't mean I have to do it now."  "I can be in control."  I said these things to myself, doubled down on the fruit and veggies for snacks and managed to get through the day without going over my daily points.  I can't remember the last time I survived PMS without a single "bad" food decision.  Yay me!  Big pat on the back for that one and lots of affirmations of a job well done.  I think resisting the craving felt better than the cereal.

I started today with one AP leftover from Tuesday.  I went to the gym after work and did a 25 minute run on the treadmill, maintaining a 10:50 mile, which makes me perfectly content.  Then I did chest/triceps/core for strength training.  That added 7 APs to my day for a total of 8 left on the final day of my WW week.  Good thing because I was hungry!  I had black beans, latin cream (like a salty sour cream), tortillas, pico de gallo, and avocado for dinner.  Later I had a 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt.  It was all very satisfying and I am going to bed tired and with a full belly.

Since I am in the midst of my menstrual cycle I'm not expecting a loss tomorrow.  If I can manage to stay the same weight as last week I'd see that as a success given that I usually gain during my cycle.  Last month I was up two pounds the week of my period.  Staying the same weight would almost be the same as a loss.  I'll just have to see what the scale holds for me in the morning.  No matter what, I won't let it get me down because nothing could take away the success I've had this week.

End of the week Points tally.  Notice the "0" under weekly remaining - no longer a negative!

Oh!  Before I forget I need to go register for the Tri for Fun in June.  It's almost around the corner!  I have big plans for this tri.  I'm hoping to beat my original time when I did it in 2009 - 1 hour 35 minutes.  With all my new running skills I just might be able to do it!

Weight Watchers Activity Points: Weekly vs Daily

A quick explanation for those who are not familiar with Weight Watchers (WW).  The whole thing is based on points, which I'm sure you already know.  Similar to counting calories.  But you can also "earn" points through activity, called Activity Points (AP).  Once you've earned an AP you have the option of "eating" that point.  Lots of different opinions out there about whether or not you should eat APs but most of the time, I eat mine.

There are two ways to track your APs throughout the week.  You can either track them by day or by week.  If you track them by day, you only have them available for eating the day you earned them.  If you don't eat 'em, they disappear.  However, if you track them by week, any remaining (non-eaten) APs roll over to the next day - until your WW week starts over, then they disappear (mine starts over on Fridays).

I used to track by day and sometimes I'd leave some on the table.  If I went to the gym and earned 7 APs I might eat 5 of those and leave 2, for example.  The next day those 2 would be gone.  But after this past weekend I was in the red (and still am) on my points for the week.  So I decided to change to tracking them weekly so I can catch-up on my points and get back in the black before Friday.  At first this idea seemed like cheating but then I went on the WW message boards and asked what others do (and if they change back and forth from daily to weekly).  Here are the responses I got (btw, the numbers under the screen names are the writer's starting weight/current weight/goal weight - as you can see, some are under their original goal weight):

PODKEY

213.6 / 156 / 165

I always do mine weekly. I don't intentionally play catch-up but I find that weekly does more accurately reflect my weight losses long term. then again I am extremely active all the time any way.

 . . . . . . . . . .

JESSPER17

270 / 134.2 / 135

I set it to use them the day I earn them and haven't changed it. I kind of view it as scale games to move it around but it's really up to you.

 . . . . . . . . . .

CHEMISTWENDY

190.6 / 152.4 / 155

I have it set for weekly...I get a fair amount now (over 50). I've considered doing daily but I think that will lead to me wanting to use them...I feel less pressure to use them and it keeps me in the mentality that eating and exercising is collective and the goal is an overall deficit..even if every single day you're not at a deficit. If that makes any sense.

 . . . . . . . . . .

RICKLOC53

244.8 / 207.4 / 155

I keep my APs weekly. Typically earn over 50 in a week - in my worst week I only ate a little less than half. My goal is to use DPs only. Have never eaten any WPs in 281 CDOP. I exercise at least 60 minutes/ day, every day. I like weekly APs just to see how many I have and as a security blanket in case I ever got REALLY hungry. Hasn't happened yet.

 . . . . . . . . . .

GODDESSGAMMAGIRL

111 / 48.8 / 62.2

I always leave mine weekly. I do sometimes have to play catch-up -- I'm 10 WPs in the hole right now, but I expect to earn another 19 APs before weigh-in on Thursday -- and I'm fine with that as long as I keep losing.  Honestly, I don't really bother changing my settings a lot. I just leave them as is and do what I'm going to do.

 . . . . . . . . . .

SABELLAK

247.4 / 162.4 / 169

What Podkey and Wendy said.  I'm crazy active, and sometimes there is just no way that I'm eating those points all in the day they get earned, but I might crash and burn later if they aren't there. This happened with my marathon last fall. I think I only at about 55 points that day because I was just too tired to bother, yet I'd earned 46 AP.  Sunday and Monday, I ate more than usual by some. Then Tuesday hit. Went. off. the. freaking. rails. 92 point day. Which I clearly needed. I just didn't need it the day I earned all the points, though I did earn a lot that day as well, as I'd gone hiking.  My more normal activity patterns are a mini-version of that. The heavier exercise days aren't usually the ones where I'm starving. That happens a day or two later.

Lots of good advice/information there.  I bolded some of the stuff that influenced my decision to change to weekly and probably leave it that way for good.  So, as it stands now I am -9, which I can make up by not eating all my APs over two gym days.  That seems easy enough.  I usually earn 7 per gym visit.  I have three more gym visits planned - today, tomorrow and Thursday - before my week starts over on Friday.  I am looking forward to getting this week, most especially this past Friday, behind me.

A quick word on my last post.  Two of the four comments I got (Thanks Kristy, Nicole, Irene and Meg for the support!) mentioned the word honesty.  And that got me to thinking.  You might think that because I keep this blog and blabber on about my eating and exercise, you might think that means I have little concern for what others think.  And I guess oftentimes that's true.  But I'm still human, and I sometimes cringe when I share particularly unflattering details.  I wanted to leave the McDonalds out, and I actually thought about doing that.  But I couldn't, I knew that hiding it meant harboring the shame.   

shame/SHām/Noun.  A painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.

I am conscious of  eating the McDonalds being foolish, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it "wrong" necessarily.  It was more of an unfortunate decision.  One that I will probably make again in life.  Wrong is just too black and white.  You might find this analysis tedious and unnecessary but I am believing more and more that this is key to making permanent change.  Rooting out these underlying thoughts about my eating behavior, identifying a language and phrases that reinforce the way I want to think about eating - it's important.

I also couldn't hide my mistake because I felt to do so would make my whole blog a lie.  Maybe that's a bit dramatic but it's how I felt.  I haven't hidden the ugly stuff yet, so why start now, right?