I have subscribed to PrayFit for quite some time and today's story just really resonated with me. Please take a moment and read it:
http://www.prayfit.com/2014/08/its-a-runwalk-2/
Let me tell you my story...
For some strange reason, when I was in 6th grade I decided to join Cross Country when I moved to 7th grade. I know Mr. Haight was the coach and totally the coolest teacher in the school, so hey that was a perk, but I was not really athletically inclined. Yeah, I played outside with my siblings all day long every day of summer break, but I wasn't really into sports, so what was I thinking. To this day, I couldn't tell you.
But autumn came and I was on the Cross Country team. I was the slowest runner on the team, and I don't mean by a little, but rather by a lot. I think I ran a race at 20+ minutes. My last race of the season was a speedy 12:00 per mile. I just could. not. run. I was very disheartened.
A couple weeks later, we had to do our stupid physical fitness test in gym. Every single year for as long as I can remember, we walked around the track 4 times and that was our time... pitiful!!! But that year as we started walking, I was like, man, I can run this, at least a little bit. So off I went... I tested out that year with a mile of 7:38. Say what?!?!?!?!?!?!
The next year we switched schools and I never got back into sports... ever! Then I got sick and my physical fitness levels just dropped even more.
Many years later, I moved to VA and my mom and I started walking our road. Just 1 mile up and 1 mile back. I can't even tell you how long that walk was, somewhere around 45 minutes..... But we kept trying. Didn't seem to do much, but we went...
I got a job within an easy distance of a park. I wanted a 2 mile course to equal what I was walking at home. I used my pedometer at the time and kept adding extra loops to make 2 miles. I was walking it three times a week, averaging about 50 minutes. Somewhere along the line I got a smart phone with a GPS tracker. Come to find out my 2 mile course at the park was a lot closer to 3. The pedometer I'd been using was worth the money I paid for it.... Next I joined a group at church, had to be there once a week at 7 PM, so between work and church, I walked my course twice, 6 miles, plus 3 miles the other 2 days. Still walking... Still averaging 45 minutes for my walk. But slowly, surely, I started getting a little faster, making it a goal to run down the 'big hill' and one day.... I did it!
Then I decided to try to run one of the big races in the area, a fun run 10k. OMG! What am I thinking... But with a lot of hard work and great coaching, I ran that 10k, average pace 12:30! Not only that, but my momma walked the race behind me, unofficially, right on target for our practice walk the week before.
No matter the start, no matter the fight, no matter the test, if you persevere, if you keep fighting, you will make it!
My next goal?? To qualify for a seeded wave in the race... sub-60:00. I got this!!!! And so do you!!!!
Please subscribe to PrayFit for some amazingly inspiration motivation!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
Success!!!
Wow! What a wonderful feeling. Even the smallest little thing can feel like a giant leap in the right direction if you have been waiting, and let me tell you... I've been waiting!!!
As my Loser Peeps already know, I've been have a pretty good run of successes here lately, and I just wanted to share with all of you!
Using miCoach, I have been steadily increasing my speed on the treadmill over the last several weeks, from June 26 at only 1.4 mph to July 18 I maxed out at 5.0 mph. I will grant you that my entire workout was not at 5.0, but I still maintained that pace for more than a minute. To me, that is a huge accomplishment when a very few short weeks ago I could not break 20:00/mi.
I have been going to the gym, doing my strength workout, then my treadmill workout, and then going home and doing another 2 miles there as well. The last time I walked with my mom, we broke that 20:00 mile, but I just thought that she must have been pushing me really hard and it was a fluke. Thursday, I broke 18:00 by myself and was stunned! Friday, I went home after the gym and set out... My first mile broke 16:00. Now, let me tell you... I was grinning like a stupid fool because I am back! I may not be 100%, but I am getting there!!! My second mile at home that night was a little slower, but my overall pace still came out to be 16:16. Oh my... It felt so good! More like unbelievable!
For the last several weeks, I have been yoyo'ing between the same 2 lbs, up, down, down, up. Now I know that you should never see an immediate response to any type of fitness routine or diet. All of those 'burn x in y days' gimmicks are just that... not sustainable. Well, I finally got my reward for my hard work. Friday morning I posted a 5 lb loss! Yes, I have already started yoyo'ing again, but this is just a few lbs below where I was. Keep working and watch it come down more!!!
I have been using a Fitbit One for about 18 months now and absolutely love it! Supposedly, it is going to get you taking more steps as you see all of your friends above you. Well... I've always been real lucky if I could manage to break 20,000 steps in a week until I renewed my commitment. My very good friend A.P. and I tend to get a little competitive and as I started getting closer to his average of 35k steps, he started moving a lot more to stay ahead of me, but you see I was cheating... I was getting up first thing in the morning as he was driving to work and walking 2 miles, 4-5 days a week. I was going to the gym and getting on the treadmill for an hour and walking 2-3 miles, 2-3 times a week. And if I got home before dark, I would walk another 2 miles a day. My steps count quickly flew through 30k and up to 40k. Now, the 2 of us will still battle it out and bounce back and forth, but I checked standings one night and out of my friends, I was ranked 3rd... Wait what???? Now I know that my friend M.M. was unable to sync his tracker, but how did I get to third??? WOW! Then Saturday, I checked ranking and I had passed my very good supporter, G.P. (sorry....), but M.M. was back from his trip and was at 80k+ steps!!! How was I ever going to catch up?!?!?!?! Oh yeah, and one of the guys from church went on a mission trip to Brooklyn last week, and HE was sitting in position #1 with almost 90k steps. My jaw dropped as these 2 challenged me like never before. I guess I'm not getting #1 this week... Oh wait, my trainer decided to drag me out for a 6 hour, 12 mile hike and by the end of the day.... 30k+ steps later... I claimed victory! For the first time ever, I am sitting in the #1 spot. (I think I need more Fitbit friend, cuz I beat all these ones...)
Now I know, that all of this won't last and this is just a temporary high that I am enjoying, but let me tell you what...... I am going to enjoy it for as long as I can!!!!! So, please... get out there and start moving today... I need some Fitbit challengers! :-)
As my Loser Peeps already know, I've been have a pretty good run of successes here lately, and I just wanted to share with all of you!
Using miCoach, I have been steadily increasing my speed on the treadmill over the last several weeks, from June 26 at only 1.4 mph to July 18 I maxed out at 5.0 mph. I will grant you that my entire workout was not at 5.0, but I still maintained that pace for more than a minute. To me, that is a huge accomplishment when a very few short weeks ago I could not break 20:00/mi.
I have been going to the gym, doing my strength workout, then my treadmill workout, and then going home and doing another 2 miles there as well. The last time I walked with my mom, we broke that 20:00 mile, but I just thought that she must have been pushing me really hard and it was a fluke. Thursday, I broke 18:00 by myself and was stunned! Friday, I went home after the gym and set out... My first mile broke 16:00. Now, let me tell you... I was grinning like a stupid fool because I am back! I may not be 100%, but I am getting there!!! My second mile at home that night was a little slower, but my overall pace still came out to be 16:16. Oh my... It felt so good! More like unbelievable!
For the last several weeks, I have been yoyo'ing between the same 2 lbs, up, down, down, up. Now I know that you should never see an immediate response to any type of fitness routine or diet. All of those 'burn x in y days' gimmicks are just that... not sustainable. Well, I finally got my reward for my hard work. Friday morning I posted a 5 lb loss! Yes, I have already started yoyo'ing again, but this is just a few lbs below where I was. Keep working and watch it come down more!!!
I have been using a Fitbit One for about 18 months now and absolutely love it! Supposedly, it is going to get you taking more steps as you see all of your friends above you. Well... I've always been real lucky if I could manage to break 20,000 steps in a week until I renewed my commitment. My very good friend A.P. and I tend to get a little competitive and as I started getting closer to his average of 35k steps, he started moving a lot more to stay ahead of me, but you see I was cheating... I was getting up first thing in the morning as he was driving to work and walking 2 miles, 4-5 days a week. I was going to the gym and getting on the treadmill for an hour and walking 2-3 miles, 2-3 times a week. And if I got home before dark, I would walk another 2 miles a day. My steps count quickly flew through 30k and up to 40k. Now, the 2 of us will still battle it out and bounce back and forth, but I checked standings one night and out of my friends, I was ranked 3rd... Wait what???? Now I know that my friend M.M. was unable to sync his tracker, but how did I get to third??? WOW! Then Saturday, I checked ranking and I had passed my very good supporter, G.P. (sorry....), but M.M. was back from his trip and was at 80k+ steps!!! How was I ever going to catch up?!?!?!?! Oh yeah, and one of the guys from church went on a mission trip to Brooklyn last week, and HE was sitting in position #1 with almost 90k steps. My jaw dropped as these 2 challenged me like never before. I guess I'm not getting #1 this week... Oh wait, my trainer decided to drag me out for a 6 hour, 12 mile hike and by the end of the day.... 30k+ steps later... I claimed victory! For the first time ever, I am sitting in the #1 spot. (I think I need more Fitbit friend, cuz I beat all these ones...)
Now I know, that all of this won't last and this is just a temporary high that I am enjoying, but let me tell you what...... I am going to enjoy it for as long as I can!!!!! So, please... get out there and start moving today... I need some Fitbit challengers! :-)
Thursday, July 10, 2014
15:00... Say What???
If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you have heard about miCoach by Adidas. It was probably one of the first fitness apps that I downloaded on to my phone. It was mostly love at first use (once I figured out how to adjust the speeds). I don't always use it, but I constantly find myself going back to it for my walking / jogging / running workouts. If you are interested in interval training at all, I cannot recommend it enough!
Today marks 2 weeks back in the gym and mostly I have met or exceeded my expectations from 2 weeks ago. My trainer has already given me a really good strength workout that works my body out well and I have been doing pretty good with my walking as well, following miCoach's Lose Weight Level 2 program.
Since I am doing my cardio on a treadmill, I have been using the heart rate version to track my workouts instead of by pace. My heart is definitely not the strongest muscle in my body. During workouts, I regularly hit 150, 160, even 170. Last year, I ran my entire race between 175 & 193. Not really a great heart rate to have as anyone in the medical field will tell you and to maintain that heart rate for the 75 minutes it took me to run the race? I'm lucky I didn't end up in an ambulance.
miCoach uses blue, green, yellow and red zones for training. The program I am using only uses blue and green. Blue is 127 bpm and green is 147 bpm for their lower limits. As my workouts have progressed over the last 2 weeks, I have seen my pace increase as I try to maintain 127 bpm. I started at 1.5 mph, 1.7 mph, 1.9 mph, then a jump to 2.3 mph and today I hit 3.0 mph to maintain 127 bpm. When I had to jump to the green zone, 147 bpm..... I kept increasing my speed until I hit 4.0 mph, 15:00 mins/mile!!!! Like OMG!!! And my foot was not really protesting... sore, but ok. If anything, my other foot was protesting more than my injured foot was.
I may not be ready for a race tomorrow, but I got this!!!!!
Today marks 2 weeks back in the gym and mostly I have met or exceeded my expectations from 2 weeks ago. My trainer has already given me a really good strength workout that works my body out well and I have been doing pretty good with my walking as well, following miCoach's Lose Weight Level 2 program.
Since I am doing my cardio on a treadmill, I have been using the heart rate version to track my workouts instead of by pace. My heart is definitely not the strongest muscle in my body. During workouts, I regularly hit 150, 160, even 170. Last year, I ran my entire race between 175 & 193. Not really a great heart rate to have as anyone in the medical field will tell you and to maintain that heart rate for the 75 minutes it took me to run the race? I'm lucky I didn't end up in an ambulance.
miCoach uses blue, green, yellow and red zones for training. The program I am using only uses blue and green. Blue is 127 bpm and green is 147 bpm for their lower limits. As my workouts have progressed over the last 2 weeks, I have seen my pace increase as I try to maintain 127 bpm. I started at 1.5 mph, 1.7 mph, 1.9 mph, then a jump to 2.3 mph and today I hit 3.0 mph to maintain 127 bpm. When I had to jump to the green zone, 147 bpm..... I kept increasing my speed until I hit 4.0 mph, 15:00 mins/mile!!!! Like OMG!!! And my foot was not really protesting... sore, but ok. If anything, my other foot was protesting more than my injured foot was.
I may not be ready for a race tomorrow, but I got this!!!!!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Life Struggles
I had a great plan in January to get my life back on track. I was gonna do it. Making changes here and there in positive directions, trying to move all of me towards my goals. Sometimes, that really is easier said than done....
I fell and severely injured my foot. Ended up wearing a boot / brace for close to 2 months.
Had a family illness that demanded my time and energy.
My car decided that it needed a total makeover to pass inspection.
I completely destroyed the budding relationship that I was in.
And of course, Gypsy season was starting up.
Sometimes, the universe just doesn't play very fair. I came entirely too close to cracking under all this pressure. Through the grace of God and some very amazing friends that would not let go of my hand no matter how hard I tugged, I struggled through.
In the middle of May I received a phone call asking me to go back to the job where my fitness journey began. I looked at the big picture, comparing my current job with the old job and all the positives and negatives involved with each. It did not take me long to figure out that I would be very interested in going back to the old job and get a second chance with my fitness journey.
I am back in the gym with an energy that I haven't felt in ages (also a really weird debilitating soreness that follows me home from the gym... lol). My recovery from my foot injury will be a very long road until I am anywhere near the 12:30 pace of my race last year.
I am getting my dietary choices back on track slowly.
I know I have a long road ahead of me, but you know what. As long as I don't quit, then I can't fail!!!
I fell and severely injured my foot. Ended up wearing a boot / brace for close to 2 months.
Had a family illness that demanded my time and energy.
My car decided that it needed a total makeover to pass inspection.
I completely destroyed the budding relationship that I was in.
And of course, Gypsy season was starting up.
Sometimes, the universe just doesn't play very fair. I came entirely too close to cracking under all this pressure. Through the grace of God and some very amazing friends that would not let go of my hand no matter how hard I tugged, I struggled through.
In the middle of May I received a phone call asking me to go back to the job where my fitness journey began. I looked at the big picture, comparing my current job with the old job and all the positives and negatives involved with each. It did not take me long to figure out that I would be very interested in going back to the old job and get a second chance with my fitness journey.
I am back in the gym with an energy that I haven't felt in ages (also a really weird debilitating soreness that follows me home from the gym... lol). My recovery from my foot injury will be a very long road until I am anywhere near the 12:30 pace of my race last year.
I am getting my dietary choices back on track slowly.
I know I have a long road ahead of me, but you know what. As long as I don't quit, then I can't fail!!!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Gave up Facebook for Lent (kinda......)
This post is not really about my weight loss journey... like, at all... but it is part of the Lost Cause journey and I have been composing this over the last several days and can't get it out of my head, which is why I felt the need to bite the bullet and just write it. I am sure I will upset some people with this post, and honestly, I don't care. A negative reaction is more than the passive reaction I am currently receiving.
Sometime in January I got so upset with one of my Facebook friends that I decided to take a break from Facebook for a bit... A couple of days or so... But as the couple of days progressed I started realizing that maybe it was more than this friend causing the break from Facebook. I would spend all day long checking my account looking for the newest and latest with everyone and posting about the newest and latest in my life. Going through my feed and pushing the like button a million times....
The like button.... Such an easy button to push... So and so is pregnant... 'like' Hey, he just went for a walk... 'like' Just bought a new car... 'like'
Like, like, like...
I just got tired of trying to come up with something that would incite a conversation! Like, words people... Heard of them?
So as the days slipped by from my temporary break and I started realizing how much of my time was being taken up by the 'like' fest... I started thinking about this break being a little bit longer.. Within a week or so, I made the decision that I was not getting back on to Facebook until after Lent. I didn't really realize that Easter was not until late April and that I was going to be off of Facebook for over 3 months... By the time I figured out that the Lenten season was no where near where I was... I was more than happy to stay off...
I went to an amazing conference for Airbrush Gypsy where I took a ton of balloon and magician classes. I started practicing henna a lot more. I have practiced my magic act. I have played with balloon sculpting and decor. I have practiced face paint. (Wow, this break from Facebook has been a serious boon for my value to Airbrush Gypsy!!!)
Unfortunately, I have not spent my new free time exercising and continuing my health journey as shortly after I made this decision, I fell and seriously injured my foot. I am facing a very long road to recovery, but that is another story.
My personal and family life have fallen apart in the last couple of months and not being on Facebook has allowed me more time to deal with those issues. You might be thinking that I could have used some support from Facebook during my difficult times. Actually, the amount of support I have ever received from Facebook has been lacking at best. I don't know if it is the quality of people that I have as friends, or what... But generally speaking, when I post looking for whatever variety of support, I know before hand who (generally a single response, or maybe 2 responses) is going to respond and very, very rarely am I wrong.
Speaking of support during difficult times, reminds me of the other social network that I belong to, although my presence has been as lacking from there as it has been from Facebook. The other network being something that my regular readers will be very familiar with... Lose It. For those who are not "Losers", there is no like button on Lose It. If you want to tell someone that they did a great job working out.... You say exactly that. There is no passive socialization going on!!! And when I ask for support on Lose It, it comes in abundance. I am continually amazed that these strangers that I have never met are more interested in my life than people who I see or talk to or have met.
Easter was Sunday (obviously...) so I wished everyone a Happy Easter, my first post in over 3 months... Received several likes. Scrolled through my news feed and saw so many Happy Easter messages, clicked that like button too. So easy to fall back into old habits... I quickly caught myself and since Monday, I try not to just click the like button but to post a comment. Trying to start a conversation, fairly unsuccessfully.
I have posted several times in the last couple of days and received several likes... Not so many comments.... I realize that it has only been a couple of days... But seriously people... The only people that commented on my posts are the same people that were in contact with me during my hiatus... Because, *gasp* there are messengers and emails and phones and in person visits..... A real social life? Like, really!?!?!?!?!
So what have I learned over the last several months? The probably Facebook is going to remain a lost portion of my life. It certainly is not adding anything to my life. It certainly is not taking anything away, except time and that is so precious and needed elsewhere...
Thanks for reading my (not so passive) aggressive rant about Facebook... Certainly not expecting the world to stop using Facebook, but give a thought to checking your newsfeed just one less time today... See if you can find the time to take a walk, pick up the phone and call an old friend, or start learning magic... [ok, not really on the magic... Leave that one to me! :-) ]
Sometime in January I got so upset with one of my Facebook friends that I decided to take a break from Facebook for a bit... A couple of days or so... But as the couple of days progressed I started realizing that maybe it was more than this friend causing the break from Facebook. I would spend all day long checking my account looking for the newest and latest with everyone and posting about the newest and latest in my life. Going through my feed and pushing the like button a million times....
The like button.... Such an easy button to push... So and so is pregnant... 'like' Hey, he just went for a walk... 'like' Just bought a new car... 'like'
Like, like, like...
I just got tired of trying to come up with something that would incite a conversation! Like, words people... Heard of them?
So as the days slipped by from my temporary break and I started realizing how much of my time was being taken up by the 'like' fest... I started thinking about this break being a little bit longer.. Within a week or so, I made the decision that I was not getting back on to Facebook until after Lent. I didn't really realize that Easter was not until late April and that I was going to be off of Facebook for over 3 months... By the time I figured out that the Lenten season was no where near where I was... I was more than happy to stay off...
I went to an amazing conference for Airbrush Gypsy where I took a ton of balloon and magician classes. I started practicing henna a lot more. I have practiced my magic act. I have played with balloon sculpting and decor. I have practiced face paint. (Wow, this break from Facebook has been a serious boon for my value to Airbrush Gypsy!!!)
Unfortunately, I have not spent my new free time exercising and continuing my health journey as shortly after I made this decision, I fell and seriously injured my foot. I am facing a very long road to recovery, but that is another story.
My personal and family life have fallen apart in the last couple of months and not being on Facebook has allowed me more time to deal with those issues. You might be thinking that I could have used some support from Facebook during my difficult times. Actually, the amount of support I have ever received from Facebook has been lacking at best. I don't know if it is the quality of people that I have as friends, or what... But generally speaking, when I post looking for whatever variety of support, I know before hand who (generally a single response, or maybe 2 responses) is going to respond and very, very rarely am I wrong.
Speaking of support during difficult times, reminds me of the other social network that I belong to, although my presence has been as lacking from there as it has been from Facebook. The other network being something that my regular readers will be very familiar with... Lose It. For those who are not "Losers", there is no like button on Lose It. If you want to tell someone that they did a great job working out.... You say exactly that. There is no passive socialization going on!!! And when I ask for support on Lose It, it comes in abundance. I am continually amazed that these strangers that I have never met are more interested in my life than people who I see or talk to or have met.
Easter was Sunday (obviously...) so I wished everyone a Happy Easter, my first post in over 3 months... Received several likes. Scrolled through my news feed and saw so many Happy Easter messages, clicked that like button too. So easy to fall back into old habits... I quickly caught myself and since Monday, I try not to just click the like button but to post a comment. Trying to start a conversation, fairly unsuccessfully.
I have posted several times in the last couple of days and received several likes... Not so many comments.... I realize that it has only been a couple of days... But seriously people... The only people that commented on my posts are the same people that were in contact with me during my hiatus... Because, *gasp* there are messengers and emails and phones and in person visits..... A real social life? Like, really!?!?!?!?!
So what have I learned over the last several months? The probably Facebook is going to remain a lost portion of my life. It certainly is not adding anything to my life. It certainly is not taking anything away, except time and that is so precious and needed elsewhere...
Thanks for reading my (not so passive) aggressive rant about Facebook... Certainly not expecting the world to stop using Facebook, but give a thought to checking your newsfeed just one less time today... See if you can find the time to take a walk, pick up the phone and call an old friend, or start learning magic... [ok, not really on the magic... Leave that one to me! :-) ]
Sunday, January 19, 2014
"What Will You Gain When You Lose" - Special K Challenge
If you have been here for any length of time, you know that I don't do diets, but that I am totally and entirely a lifestyle change girl.
Years ago, I actually tried the Special K challenge. For a cereal addict, a cereal challenge sounds fabulous!!! But when was the last time you checked the serving size on a box of cereal? Like 3/4 of a cup and 1/2 a cup of milk? This girl just likes cereal a lil bit more than that. And the meal replacement bars that they have? To seriously live off of just 3/4 c of cereal and 1 meal replacement bar, plus 1 regular meal a day, I don't know how any one can do that, but I can certainly understand how you can lose a pant size in 2 weeks...
But that is not why I am writing about the Special K challenge. I love the new 'What will you gain when you lose' aspect of the Special K challenge and it completely fits into my Lost Causes lifestyle.
So what do I want to gain?
I want to gain confidence. To know that I am my own person, to know that I can do this, to know that I am strong enough to survive, to know that I do look good!
What do I want to lose?
My insecurity... To constantly question if I am making the right choice, to wonder if I can achieve my goals.
What do you want to gain?
What do you want to lose?
Years ago, I actually tried the Special K challenge. For a cereal addict, a cereal challenge sounds fabulous!!! But when was the last time you checked the serving size on a box of cereal? Like 3/4 of a cup and 1/2 a cup of milk? This girl just likes cereal a lil bit more than that. And the meal replacement bars that they have? To seriously live off of just 3/4 c of cereal and 1 meal replacement bar, plus 1 regular meal a day, I don't know how any one can do that, but I can certainly understand how you can lose a pant size in 2 weeks...
But that is not why I am writing about the Special K challenge. I love the new 'What will you gain when you lose' aspect of the Special K challenge and it completely fits into my Lost Causes lifestyle.
So what do I want to gain?
I want to gain confidence. To know that I am my own person, to know that I can do this, to know that I am strong enough to survive, to know that I do look good!
What do I want to lose?
My insecurity... To constantly question if I am making the right choice, to wonder if I can achieve my goals.
What do you want to gain?
What do you want to lose?
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Day 4
Slept through yesterday morning's workout... Spent all day at the hospital with my grandfather, but made it home before dark for once. Decided that since I skipped 2 previous workouts.... Last night I plugged it in for 45 minutes on My Fitness Coach. The recommended target area was core. If you have been following me for any length of time, you know I hate core, don't have core, and am I really considering a 45 minute core workout? Yes, yes I was. Yes, yes I did.... Fyi expect crunches, crunches, crunches, got a change of pace crunches, and don't forget crunches... And my crunches barely get my shoulders off the ground... Someday.... Oh well, that is another post. I did my crunches and the rest of the 45 min workout.
Although I considered sleeping through this mornings workout, I got up and did it.... And looking forward to doing it again tonight....
Just one step at a time, one workout at a time, one sore muscle group at a time.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Day 2 and Already Quitting
Beep beep beep.... Shut up!
Buzz buzz buzz.... Ugh!
"Voodoo" by Godsmack starts playing... No!
Blinding lights turn on... I'm not getting out of bed! ! !
I'm not really a morning person.... I'm really not a 5 am person... After a night of my cats keeping me awake and not being able to get comfortable and my head hurts and my biceps are screaming and I don't really need to get up do I? ? ?
You can see yesterdays post already wearing off....
I don't know what got me out of bed, but I did albeit late... Up to the house and workout.... Felt great! Even out ran the trainer on EA Active 2.
Tonight is a WiiFitRoutine.com workout.... And my snooze fest this morning meant no body weight challenge so doubling up on that tonight...
If I can't keep my head in the game, expect to see more of me.... Obviously I need the accountability.....
Sunday, January 5, 2014
A New Year
I started writing this with the intention of posting it on New Years day... Unfortunately, my Wii Balance Board decided that it did not want to cooperate with me. I decided not to change the theme of this post because although it is January 5, I know some people have already forgotten their resolutions from last week. Or already messed up and are saying, 'Oh well, there is always next year, or tomorrow, or next week, or...' We are a society that likes to put off until tomorrow stuff that we should have done yesterday. I am a member of this same society. If I wasn't then the life I am living today would be much different, but I am, and here, and so are you, so let us continue with this belated blog about the new year.
I am not a New Years Resolution person. I don't think that there is any difference between tomorrow, yesterday, or today, except how you see it, how you react to it. The fact that I weighed in today for the first time in 4 months, is purely a coincidence.
It has much more to do with the fact that for the first time in years I have hope for the future, and my potential role in it will be made much easier if I can lose more of this fat that just keeps hanging around.
Up until recently, this journey has been mostly easy. I started walking, bought a Wii, lost 30 lbs. Joined a gym, lost another 4% body fat. I might not have been right on target, but I was doing pretty fabulous.
Then I decided to get a "real" job... I now leave my house at 6:30 in the morning and get home at 6:15 in the evening. While I don't work "in the hood", my office is close enough that it was recommended to me to not walk at my lunch hour. Actually, don't even get out of your car! By the time I get home and find something to eat, or if I am really ambitious, make something actually healthy, I am exhausted and ready for bed. Where am I supposed to fit fitness?
I know... Make the time! It is all so much easier said than done...
I've tried getting up at 5:00 to go to the gym... And I can do it, if I am REALLY committed, but then I feel rushed... Literally 20 - 30 mins to work out after being used to spending hours at the gym... It just doesn't make me feel good like it should... Not enough endorphins released, or something... I'd much rather just throw on my sneakers and head out the door for a long exhausting run that do a bunch of running around... But it is dark, and the road I live on is... well not the safest road to be running on after dark. Not talking about the danger of walking at work dangers, but more like falling into a hole, severely injuring myself, or some other such nonsense and since I am still fighting to recover from my overly ambitious and cocky attitude from those damn tires 8 months ago... Further injury just does not sound like my idea of a good time...
It has much more to do with the fact that for the first time in years I have hope for the future, and my potential role in it will be made much easier if I can lose more of this fat that just keeps hanging around.
Up until recently, this journey has been mostly easy. I started walking, bought a Wii, lost 30 lbs. Joined a gym, lost another 4% body fat. I might not have been right on target, but I was doing pretty fabulous.
Then I decided to get a "real" job... I now leave my house at 6:30 in the morning and get home at 6:15 in the evening. While I don't work "in the hood", my office is close enough that it was recommended to me to not walk at my lunch hour. Actually, don't even get out of your car! By the time I get home and find something to eat, or if I am really ambitious, make something actually healthy, I am exhausted and ready for bed. Where am I supposed to fit fitness?
I know... Make the time! It is all so much easier said than done...
I've tried getting up at 5:00 to go to the gym... And I can do it, if I am REALLY committed, but then I feel rushed... Literally 20 - 30 mins to work out after being used to spending hours at the gym... It just doesn't make me feel good like it should... Not enough endorphins released, or something... I'd much rather just throw on my sneakers and head out the door for a long exhausting run that do a bunch of running around... But it is dark, and the road I live on is... well not the safest road to be running on after dark. Not talking about the danger of walking at work dangers, but more like falling into a hole, severely injuring myself, or some other such nonsense and since I am still fighting to recover from my overly ambitious and cocky attitude from those damn tires 8 months ago... Further injury just does not sound like my idea of a good time...
But I did finally figure out a way to wake up, put on my sneakers, and burn some calories. Just yesterday, I finished setting up my Wii in the main house living room. It is after all where it was set up before I moved into the city. I did try to workout in my apartment on the Wii, I really did, but even after rearranging my bedroom to get more workout room, the best I could manage was about 4' x 6'. Sure I can do push ups, sit ups, etc, but Zumba? Let me tell you it ain't pretty.... So we are set up in the house... I will have to keep it quiet as to not wake everyone up, but I lost the first 15 lbs just like this! I know it works! I know I can do it. And this time around I have a lot more than just Wii Fit to get me going. I am going to have variety in my workout!!! EA Active, My Fitness Coach, Jillian Michaels, Zumba, Wii Fit Plus, and if I just want to have some fun then there is even Wii Sports & Wii Sports Resort.
I have been wishing for some time that my gym did classes, but I guess that is part of the price of a more expensive and bigger gym. I still love my small and intimate gym, just wish I could get there more often.
In the last 2 days, as I have been setting up the Wii, I have decided that I do have classes and no I cannot miss them.. Every morning I will get up for class, every night after getting home I will do class before bed. I can do this. I will do this.
My friends from Lose It are rallying around me once more, and in actuality, they never left. They were there, waiting for me to come back. Waiting to enfold me back into the love and hope and encouragement to keep moving forward. And my Loser friends that have moved into my 'real' life??? Are more than any person should have a right to expect. It is absolutely amazing the love that I have received as I have moved closer to this day over the last several weeks.
So today is my re-commitment to a healthier me, because after all that is what I want to be right? Not a Barbie doll, but to be beautiful to my groom on my wedding day, to be able to present him with a beautiful and even more healthy baby? I know that this all can't happen overnight, but someday, I want to have it all, so today, this is what I can do, this is what I will do, this is what I must do!!!!
Weighed in this morning.... Let's just leave it at this is the highest weight ever entered into Lose It.... But it is not my highest weight ever so I can come back from it!
I will start logging my meals better
I will start exercising for 1 hour a day
I will start posting more often than once in the last six months
I will keep moving forward
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Make Your Own TV Dinner (or Lunch)
I can't tell you the number of times I've had a conversation with someone about eating healthy and changing food habits. When talking about work lunches, an almost equal number of responses of Lean Cuisine, or some other variety of frozen meals.
I get it. They are easy, affordable, don't take up a ton of room in the fridge / freeze, and it is made by Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice or whatever so it has to be good for me, right?
An example of a Lean Cuisine meal:
Chicken & Veggies
Calories: 240
Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 30 mg
Sodium: 648 mg
Fiber: 3.6 g
Protein: 20 g
I know some of the nutritional data is missing, but I pulled this from the Lose It database.
Last year, when I moved in with the most awesome roommate (I know you are tired of hear about her, but really!!!!), she introduced, to me, something that will change the way I cook for the rest of my life. She would have these cooking parties, usually at 3:00 AM, waking me up as I hear the sounds of pots and pans clanging in the middle of the night, but the next morning, I would wake up to anywhere from 3 - 6 huge meals, individually portioned and packaged, some in the fridge, some in the freezer. And we wouldn't have to do much cooking until our 'homemade TV dinners' ran out!!!!
I would do this, and could easily go 3 weeks without needing to cook a lunch or dinner!!!
I will say that only having the 2 of us living in the apartment and having a general agreement on most things made this much easier. If I were to try this now, living back at home with anywhere from 2 - 4 other people in the house, there would be a massacre over space in the fridge and freezer, and probably a free for all on my food and I would be doing it all over again tomorrow...
But still, I have adapted and now make some seriously killer 'TV dinner (lunches)'.
I found these nice divided containers at the local grocery store. Maybe $4 for 2. I recommend you buy enough to last a full work week. The containers I bought have a 1/2 section, a 1 cup section, and a generally large space.
The food chosen has a lot to do with the food I like to eat and my own calorie budget of over 2500 calories. Someone with a smaller budget of 1500 - 2000 calories, would need to make some adjustments.
Let me tell you, hitting 2500 calories in a day is not an easy thing to do without hitting up the nearest fast food joint. And that 240 calorie Lean Cuisine listed above.... Doesn't do squat towards hitting my budget!!!! Also, check out the sodium level. Over 600 mg for only 240 calories!!!! That is 2.7 mg of sodium per calorie! The average sodium budget is 2300 mg. With just these 240 calories, I have used almost 1/3 of my days sodium!
I always start my lunch with some fruit. Fresh if I can, but honestly, canned is cheaper and last longer... (Ugh! The pros and cons of canned food!) 1 serving of fruit is 1/2 cup. Why stop there? I fill the 1 cup section with fruit. 2 servings of fruit, right off the top! :-)
After fruit is veggies right? I generally switch it up between various frozen veggie varieties. Someday, I may precook fresh veggies, but honestly, just about anything I use is going to be better than TV dinner veggies. Again, 1/2 cup is a serving, so lets make it a full cup. It goes into the large space.
Next we need protein and lots of it! I aim for 20% of my diet to be protein and that takes a lot of protein! 4 oz of chicken. I find the freezer section to be my friend again. There are several options of precooked chicken, whole, sliced, or diced. After I finish up the current bag of frozen chicken I have, I will be switching to fresh chicken, precooked using my own recipe so I can change the flavor from week to week.
I don't think that is enough protein for me though and I am an egg-aholic, so I scramble up 2 eggs and add it to the large section as well.
This week, in an effort to add more calories, because I was still too far from my 2500 budget, I added a little bit (1/2 cup) of instant rice. In the future, this may change to brown rice, but I haven't gotten along with brown rice up to this point, so I am not sure we will be friends in the future....
I also love dairy, especially cheese. If I could eat cheese every day, all day, I would! Love cheese! So I add a mozzarella cheese stick to the top of the large section.
And because I have behaved up to this point and ate my yummy and healthy lunch, I add just 1/2 cup of pita chips to satisfy any salt or crunchy craving I may be experiencing.
My TV dinner (lunch):
Calories: 788
Fat: 27 g (31%)
Cholesterol: 489.4 mg
Carbs: 83.8 g (42.8%)
Sodium: 1011 mg
Fiber: 3.4 g
Protein: 41.2 g (26.2%)
I could still use to add some more calories into this. I think ideally, about 1000 calories would be very solid. The cholesterol is higher than the Lean Cuisine, but cholesterol is not something I am overly concerned with. Sodium is only 1.28 mg / calorie. Over 50% reduction from Lean Cuisine! I included the percentages so that we can see that protein is 26.2% of the meal. That is very healthy for my chosen lifestyle of at least 20% protein.
Obviously this is not the perfect meal for everyone, but it takes me 30 minutes to prep my meals for the week and I get to eat like this, instead of the offerings from the fast food joint across the street? I am certainly very happy with this.
Hopefully you will give it a try. Please let me know what you use. I may just borrow your idea and use it in my lunches next week. :-)
I get it. They are easy, affordable, don't take up a ton of room in the fridge / freeze, and it is made by Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice or whatever so it has to be good for me, right?
An example of a Lean Cuisine meal:
Chicken & Veggies
Calories: 240
Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 30 mg
Sodium: 648 mg
Fiber: 3.6 g
Protein: 20 g
I know some of the nutritional data is missing, but I pulled this from the Lose It database.
Last year, when I moved in with the most awesome roommate (I know you are tired of hear about her, but really!!!!), she introduced, to me, something that will change the way I cook for the rest of my life. She would have these cooking parties, usually at 3:00 AM, waking me up as I hear the sounds of pots and pans clanging in the middle of the night, but the next morning, I would wake up to anywhere from 3 - 6 huge meals, individually portioned and packaged, some in the fridge, some in the freezer. And we wouldn't have to do much cooking until our 'homemade TV dinners' ran out!!!!
I would do this, and could easily go 3 weeks without needing to cook a lunch or dinner!!!
I will say that only having the 2 of us living in the apartment and having a general agreement on most things made this much easier. If I were to try this now, living back at home with anywhere from 2 - 4 other people in the house, there would be a massacre over space in the fridge and freezer, and probably a free for all on my food and I would be doing it all over again tomorrow...
But still, I have adapted and now make some seriously killer 'TV dinner (lunches)'.
I found these nice divided containers at the local grocery store. Maybe $4 for 2. I recommend you buy enough to last a full work week. The containers I bought have a 1/2 section, a 1 cup section, and a generally large space.
The food chosen has a lot to do with the food I like to eat and my own calorie budget of over 2500 calories. Someone with a smaller budget of 1500 - 2000 calories, would need to make some adjustments.
Let me tell you, hitting 2500 calories in a day is not an easy thing to do without hitting up the nearest fast food joint. And that 240 calorie Lean Cuisine listed above.... Doesn't do squat towards hitting my budget!!!! Also, check out the sodium level. Over 600 mg for only 240 calories!!!! That is 2.7 mg of sodium per calorie! The average sodium budget is 2300 mg. With just these 240 calories, I have used almost 1/3 of my days sodium!
I always start my lunch with some fruit. Fresh if I can, but honestly, canned is cheaper and last longer... (Ugh! The pros and cons of canned food!) 1 serving of fruit is 1/2 cup. Why stop there? I fill the 1 cup section with fruit. 2 servings of fruit, right off the top! :-)
After fruit is veggies right? I generally switch it up between various frozen veggie varieties. Someday, I may precook fresh veggies, but honestly, just about anything I use is going to be better than TV dinner veggies. Again, 1/2 cup is a serving, so lets make it a full cup. It goes into the large space.
Next we need protein and lots of it! I aim for 20% of my diet to be protein and that takes a lot of protein! 4 oz of chicken. I find the freezer section to be my friend again. There are several options of precooked chicken, whole, sliced, or diced. After I finish up the current bag of frozen chicken I have, I will be switching to fresh chicken, precooked using my own recipe so I can change the flavor from week to week.
I don't think that is enough protein for me though and I am an egg-aholic, so I scramble up 2 eggs and add it to the large section as well.
This week, in an effort to add more calories, because I was still too far from my 2500 budget, I added a little bit (1/2 cup) of instant rice. In the future, this may change to brown rice, but I haven't gotten along with brown rice up to this point, so I am not sure we will be friends in the future....I also love dairy, especially cheese. If I could eat cheese every day, all day, I would! Love cheese! So I add a mozzarella cheese stick to the top of the large section.
And because I have behaved up to this point and ate my yummy and healthy lunch, I add just 1/2 cup of pita chips to satisfy any salt or crunchy craving I may be experiencing.
My TV dinner (lunch):
Calories: 788
Fat: 27 g (31%)
Cholesterol: 489.4 mg
Carbs: 83.8 g (42.8%)
Sodium: 1011 mg
Fiber: 3.4 g
Protein: 41.2 g (26.2%)
I could still use to add some more calories into this. I think ideally, about 1000 calories would be very solid. The cholesterol is higher than the Lean Cuisine, but cholesterol is not something I am overly concerned with. Sodium is only 1.28 mg / calorie. Over 50% reduction from Lean Cuisine! I included the percentages so that we can see that protein is 26.2% of the meal. That is very healthy for my chosen lifestyle of at least 20% protein.
Obviously this is not the perfect meal for everyone, but it takes me 30 minutes to prep my meals for the week and I get to eat like this, instead of the offerings from the fast food joint across the street? I am certainly very happy with this.
Hopefully you will give it a try. Please let me know what you use. I may just borrow your idea and use it in my lunches next week. :-)
Monday, July 15, 2013
Single Digit Pant Size
Last week was a tough week for me. Had some self confidence issues, some perception issues, some guy issues. Not sure that this week will be any better, but a couple of conversations with friends and a blog by my roommate from last year have the blog wheels spinning in my head.
Quick, or not so quick, recap:
November 2011 - I was facing size 20 pants and refused to make that purchase, so I bought a Wii and Wii Fit, discovered I weighed 225 lbs, my highest weight ever!!!!
April 2012 - Joined Lose It, discovered I weighed 215 lbs. Decided on a goal weight of 150 lbs
After joining Lose It, I dived head first into the forums, read everything I could. If I was going to make a concentrated effort to lose weight, then I was going to do it with all the ammunition I could find!
Fall 2012 - I hit 200 lbs and everyone kept telling me that I looked so good and I didn't need to lose anymore weight, but I was still so far from my goal! And still looked so fat! I started doing more research and got into body fat percentages. I don't know what percentage I first picked (should have been somewhere in the high 20's), but the weight that corresponded to it was 165 lbs. I felt that changing my goal was ok to keep me still looking feminine, without draining myself mentally trying to hit a number that was never going to be possible!
December 2012 - I hit my low weight of 194.9 lbs, 25 lbs lost! Amazing!!!!! I, also, bought my first pair of size 14 pants in ages!!!!
January 2013 - I joined the gym and promptly picked up 5 lbs and kept gaining weight!
February 2013 - I lost 2% body fat!
March 2013 - I lost a total of 6"!
April 2013 - I lost 1% body fat!
May 2013 - I lost 1% body fat!
June 2013 - I lost 1% body fat! I now weigh 210.3 lbs!!!
I am less than 5 lbs from when I started Lose It and with an average of 3 lbs gain a month, I will reach my start LI weight by the end of the summer and it is very likely that I will exceed my high weight by the end of the year!
I am never going to be able to hit 150, 165, or any other weight, because as I continue with my training, I am continuing to build muscle and that old adage is true: muscle really does weigh more than fat!
I am gaining inches in all the right places (arms and legs) and losing inches in all the right places (waist and hips).
After abandoning my weight goals earlier this year, I started thinking about what other goals I could come up with besides just my 18% bf goal. I decided I wanted to fit into single digit pants! My trainer said, 'You might not lose anymore weight, but we can definitely trim size!' I was excited!!!
Last week, she asked me how many sizes I had lost since joining the gym. She couldn't believe that I said none!!!! We started talking about my progress (which has been amazing!) and all of a sudden it dawned on me.... All of my power is in my legs and we keep emphasising my leg work and I have gained inches in my legs and the pants in my 'not quite yet' bag won't fit over my legs...
Guess what??? My bodybuilding efforts, my increased inches in my thighs, currently at 21", will never fit into anything smaller than a 14 - 16!!!!
So yet again, I am searching for a new goal... A new way to define my end game... Today I don't know what that will be... But remember... Just because you can't hit that number on the scale, does not mean that you are not winning this fight!!! There are lots of ways to measure success. You just need to find the one that works for you!
Quick, or not so quick, recap:
November 2011 - I was facing size 20 pants and refused to make that purchase, so I bought a Wii and Wii Fit, discovered I weighed 225 lbs, my highest weight ever!!!!
April 2012 - Joined Lose It, discovered I weighed 215 lbs. Decided on a goal weight of 150 lbs
After joining Lose It, I dived head first into the forums, read everything I could. If I was going to make a concentrated effort to lose weight, then I was going to do it with all the ammunition I could find!
Fall 2012 - I hit 200 lbs and everyone kept telling me that I looked so good and I didn't need to lose anymore weight, but I was still so far from my goal! And still looked so fat! I started doing more research and got into body fat percentages. I don't know what percentage I first picked (should have been somewhere in the high 20's), but the weight that corresponded to it was 165 lbs. I felt that changing my goal was ok to keep me still looking feminine, without draining myself mentally trying to hit a number that was never going to be possible!
December 2012 - I hit my low weight of 194.9 lbs, 25 lbs lost! Amazing!!!!! I, also, bought my first pair of size 14 pants in ages!!!!
January 2013 - I joined the gym and promptly picked up 5 lbs and kept gaining weight!
February 2013 - I lost 2% body fat!
March 2013 - I lost a total of 6"!
April 2013 - I lost 1% body fat!
May 2013 - I lost 1% body fat!
June 2013 - I lost 1% body fat! I now weigh 210.3 lbs!!!
I am less than 5 lbs from when I started Lose It and with an average of 3 lbs gain a month, I will reach my start LI weight by the end of the summer and it is very likely that I will exceed my high weight by the end of the year!
I am never going to be able to hit 150, 165, or any other weight, because as I continue with my training, I am continuing to build muscle and that old adage is true: muscle really does weigh more than fat!
I am gaining inches in all the right places (arms and legs) and losing inches in all the right places (waist and hips).
After abandoning my weight goals earlier this year, I started thinking about what other goals I could come up with besides just my 18% bf goal. I decided I wanted to fit into single digit pants! My trainer said, 'You might not lose anymore weight, but we can definitely trim size!' I was excited!!!
Last week, she asked me how many sizes I had lost since joining the gym. She couldn't believe that I said none!!!! We started talking about my progress (which has been amazing!) and all of a sudden it dawned on me.... All of my power is in my legs and we keep emphasising my leg work and I have gained inches in my legs and the pants in my 'not quite yet' bag won't fit over my legs...
Guess what??? My bodybuilding efforts, my increased inches in my thighs, currently at 21", will never fit into anything smaller than a 14 - 16!!!!
So yet again, I am searching for a new goal... A new way to define my end game... Today I don't know what that will be... But remember... Just because you can't hit that number on the scale, does not mean that you are not winning this fight!!! There are lots of ways to measure success. You just need to find the one that works for you!
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Self Confidence
I have no problem telling you that I have an extreme lack of self confidence. I can talk a good game and hide it sometimes, but I know deep down inside I am fat, ugly and way too damn tall for a girl...
Yes, as I have gotten older, I realize that I'm not really fat, just a big girl, and certainly getting smaller as the days go by, but I will never have a 28" waist again and will definitely never see 100 lbs again. I'm not really sure that I would want to go back to being that small. Finding clothes that fit was next to impossible!!! I spent most of junior high wearing mens pants because woman's pants either fit at the waist, or they fit the legs... Never both!
I know I am not really ugly, just not classically beautiful and I certainly can dress myself up to look passable. I have a great hair stylist now that has definitely taken my hair from drab to fab. Also, not cutting my own hair and coloring out of a box, might have something to do with the increase in attractiveness of my hair. My face, my teeth, my body, well... I am doing what I can, but I am not on any Vogue waiting lists for the next cover model.
In regards to being too tall... I used to love it... Getting told that if I kept going I would make a fabulous basketball player... being able to reach the top shelf... wearing heels and hitting 6' tall... It was really awesome being freakishly tall as a kid... But I never did get tall enough to make a decent ball player and my talent level is somewhat lacking... hitting 6' tall doesn't seem as important now that most everyone I know is under 6' and I don't like feeling like a giant...
All in all... I just add up to a mess...
And then men come into the picture...
Since moving to the South, doors get held open more often, and friendly smiles abound much more than in the cold North. Not trying to tear NYS down, just stating simple facts that life really does have a different speed down here... If you break down on the side of the road, multiple people will stop to see if you are ok, instead of just driving past... Random people will wave as you drive down a back country road... I really have fallen in love with the South and don't know that I could ever move back to New York.
But guys... From the dirty construction worker looking at me like I am naked to the older gentleman that gets a spring in his step because he got to hold open the door for a pretty young thing, I just don't feel like I deserve their attention! And then you find that guy, that just takes your breath away... He is so gorgeous, and built like you can't even believe! And he stops and smiles at you and asks if you are having a good day... And all you want to do is melt because you can't believe that he is looking at you...
And then... He leaves and you wonder why he even saw you... You know you are nothing special... And he was off the charts hot...
These are the moments that are happening more often to me...
It doesn't matter that I lost 30 lbs of fat. It doesn't matter that I am starting to allow myself to dress more like a woman. It doesn't matter this or that or any other thing in the world... What matters is that when I look in the mirror, I still see the flabby arms, the muffin top, the side boob... All of it just continues to point to, why me?
Earlier this week, I wore this grey sleeveless shirt I have. I don't know the material of the shirt... Maybe polyester on the sides with a cotton stripe going up the middle in the front and the back. Because of the different material types, the middle always stretches to accommodate my curves. When I first bought this shirt, over 3 years ago, I actually never wore it because I didn't like how fat it made me look. Today, I wear it with pride, because the curves that the shirt shows, are the curves that a woman is supposed to have. This same day, I also wore my black pinstripe dress pants, size 14, recently bought in December. They are the smallest pair of pants that I am currently wearing and I just feel awesome wearing them. Overall, the look I presented, was a well put together business professional, and I felt good. When the guys looked my way that day, I was like, yes, sir! This is me!!! At the end of my day, I ended up on a date with a guy from the gym, who just made me feel amazing because he thought I looked amazing!!!
My confidence issues will probably never go away completely... But if those days, like the one earlier this week, keep happening... I might actually start to own this body that I am building and on that day... I hope I have the presence of mind to say, 'Yes, ma'am! This is me!!!!'
Yes, as I have gotten older, I realize that I'm not really fat, just a big girl, and certainly getting smaller as the days go by, but I will never have a 28" waist again and will definitely never see 100 lbs again. I'm not really sure that I would want to go back to being that small. Finding clothes that fit was next to impossible!!! I spent most of junior high wearing mens pants because woman's pants either fit at the waist, or they fit the legs... Never both!
I know I am not really ugly, just not classically beautiful and I certainly can dress myself up to look passable. I have a great hair stylist now that has definitely taken my hair from drab to fab. Also, not cutting my own hair and coloring out of a box, might have something to do with the increase in attractiveness of my hair. My face, my teeth, my body, well... I am doing what I can, but I am not on any Vogue waiting lists for the next cover model.
In regards to being too tall... I used to love it... Getting told that if I kept going I would make a fabulous basketball player... being able to reach the top shelf... wearing heels and hitting 6' tall... It was really awesome being freakishly tall as a kid... But I never did get tall enough to make a decent ball player and my talent level is somewhat lacking... hitting 6' tall doesn't seem as important now that most everyone I know is under 6' and I don't like feeling like a giant...
All in all... I just add up to a mess...
And then men come into the picture...
Since moving to the South, doors get held open more often, and friendly smiles abound much more than in the cold North. Not trying to tear NYS down, just stating simple facts that life really does have a different speed down here... If you break down on the side of the road, multiple people will stop to see if you are ok, instead of just driving past... Random people will wave as you drive down a back country road... I really have fallen in love with the South and don't know that I could ever move back to New York.
But guys... From the dirty construction worker looking at me like I am naked to the older gentleman that gets a spring in his step because he got to hold open the door for a pretty young thing, I just don't feel like I deserve their attention! And then you find that guy, that just takes your breath away... He is so gorgeous, and built like you can't even believe! And he stops and smiles at you and asks if you are having a good day... And all you want to do is melt because you can't believe that he is looking at you...
And then... He leaves and you wonder why he even saw you... You know you are nothing special... And he was off the charts hot...
These are the moments that are happening more often to me...
It doesn't matter that I lost 30 lbs of fat. It doesn't matter that I am starting to allow myself to dress more like a woman. It doesn't matter this or that or any other thing in the world... What matters is that when I look in the mirror, I still see the flabby arms, the muffin top, the side boob... All of it just continues to point to, why me?
Earlier this week, I wore this grey sleeveless shirt I have. I don't know the material of the shirt... Maybe polyester on the sides with a cotton stripe going up the middle in the front and the back. Because of the different material types, the middle always stretches to accommodate my curves. When I first bought this shirt, over 3 years ago, I actually never wore it because I didn't like how fat it made me look. Today, I wear it with pride, because the curves that the shirt shows, are the curves that a woman is supposed to have. This same day, I also wore my black pinstripe dress pants, size 14, recently bought in December. They are the smallest pair of pants that I am currently wearing and I just feel awesome wearing them. Overall, the look I presented, was a well put together business professional, and I felt good. When the guys looked my way that day, I was like, yes, sir! This is me!!! At the end of my day, I ended up on a date with a guy from the gym, who just made me feel amazing because he thought I looked amazing!!!
My confidence issues will probably never go away completely... But if those days, like the one earlier this week, keep happening... I might actually start to own this body that I am building and on that day... I hope I have the presence of mind to say, 'Yes, ma'am! This is me!!!!'
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
A Long Recovery
I don't know how I let the entire month of June pass without a post, but here I am.. Thank you to everyone who checked in on me in the last month... Sorry I wasn't here for you...
Once again... Still going, still fighting and still trying to win this battle!
Remember that tire that I loved flipping so much? I discovered it has a rather nasty side... Or at least my sciatic nerve discovered it... 2 months later, I am still working on recovery... Last week I did start working back towards a normal routine, but my hip is still very weak and some of my stretches still hit a painful spot. My cardio has been reduced with strict instructions to keep my heart rate below 130, which if you remember my race, know how difficult that has been.
I am doing a traditional 4 day split with each day focused on specific areas of my body. I am, so, not used to this at all. My training, from the first dumbbell I picked up, has been focusing on compound movements. Each day I have 4 exercises, 15 reps of each, 4 - 6 sets. So far, the only day I have been able to hit 6 sets is legs and that is because that is where all my power is!!! Yesterday was a chest day. I was lucky to hit 10 reps, 4 sets!!! And today... Ouch!
That seems to be my favorite word lately... Ouch! From my inner thighs, glutes, entire ab area, to pecs... Ouch!
But I am one of those strange people that refuses to give up and actually loves the pain. Although is it really pain? Or is it progress in your body? Muscle being torn down and rebuilt, bigger, stronger?
I will take a full week of muscle soreness and longer over the 2 month plus recovery from the injury sustained from the tire. Believe me when I tell you there is a difference and it is a difference each of us need to identify and learn when to quit and when to keep going.
Even when I could barely walk, I was still at the gym, still working on recovery for my hip and strengthening my upper body! I changed my plan, but refused to quit. And today, I am back working my hip, albeit at a much lower weight...
With muscle soreness, I can work through it, or stretch it out and still work without fear of injury.
Another battle that we each have to face is how easy it can be for us to slip back into old ways. I had a very fun Fourth of July weekend including 2 Airbrush Gypsy shows, a girls day out, a Despicable Me 2 drive in theater party, and going to see fireworks at the lake. A great weekend free of most any worries and stress! But I didn't have a lot of time to do housekeeping chores, like laundry... So when I got to the gym yesterday, I discovered I didn't have any socks in my car. I started shooting myself because I remember pulling a pair of socks out of my gym bag that morning and putting them in the dirty clothes. Why, oh why, did I have to pick yesterday morning to be the day to clean out my bag... Man I am so stupid.... Oh well... I guess I'll just go home and do laundry so I can come back tomorrow... NO! You are going to go to the store and buy socks for the 4th time this year and come back to the gym for your workout!!!!!
It is so easy to come up with an excuse not to walk through the door... AND I was parked in front of the gym!!! Less than 100' from the door and I was ready to just go home...
Remember, no matter the battle, that the war is key... We can do this! We will do this! And together... we can do anything we want! Just keep going, keep fighting, and keep trying!!!
Once again... Still going, still fighting and still trying to win this battle!
Remember that tire that I loved flipping so much? I discovered it has a rather nasty side... Or at least my sciatic nerve discovered it... 2 months later, I am still working on recovery... Last week I did start working back towards a normal routine, but my hip is still very weak and some of my stretches still hit a painful spot. My cardio has been reduced with strict instructions to keep my heart rate below 130, which if you remember my race, know how difficult that has been.
I am doing a traditional 4 day split with each day focused on specific areas of my body. I am, so, not used to this at all. My training, from the first dumbbell I picked up, has been focusing on compound movements. Each day I have 4 exercises, 15 reps of each, 4 - 6 sets. So far, the only day I have been able to hit 6 sets is legs and that is because that is where all my power is!!! Yesterday was a chest day. I was lucky to hit 10 reps, 4 sets!!! And today... Ouch!
That seems to be my favorite word lately... Ouch! From my inner thighs, glutes, entire ab area, to pecs... Ouch!
But I am one of those strange people that refuses to give up and actually loves the pain. Although is it really pain? Or is it progress in your body? Muscle being torn down and rebuilt, bigger, stronger?
I will take a full week of muscle soreness and longer over the 2 month plus recovery from the injury sustained from the tire. Believe me when I tell you there is a difference and it is a difference each of us need to identify and learn when to quit and when to keep going.
Even when I could barely walk, I was still at the gym, still working on recovery for my hip and strengthening my upper body! I changed my plan, but refused to quit. And today, I am back working my hip, albeit at a much lower weight...
With muscle soreness, I can work through it, or stretch it out and still work without fear of injury.
Another battle that we each have to face is how easy it can be for us to slip back into old ways. I had a very fun Fourth of July weekend including 2 Airbrush Gypsy shows, a girls day out, a Despicable Me 2 drive in theater party, and going to see fireworks at the lake. A great weekend free of most any worries and stress! But I didn't have a lot of time to do housekeeping chores, like laundry... So when I got to the gym yesterday, I discovered I didn't have any socks in my car. I started shooting myself because I remember pulling a pair of socks out of my gym bag that morning and putting them in the dirty clothes. Why, oh why, did I have to pick yesterday morning to be the day to clean out my bag... Man I am so stupid.... Oh well... I guess I'll just go home and do laundry so I can come back tomorrow... NO! You are going to go to the store and buy socks for the 4th time this year and come back to the gym for your workout!!!!!
It is so easy to come up with an excuse not to walk through the door... AND I was parked in front of the gym!!! Less than 100' from the door and I was ready to just go home...
Remember, no matter the battle, that the war is key... We can do this! We will do this! And together... we can do anything we want! Just keep going, keep fighting, and keep trying!!!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
The Road Less Travelled
In the second fattest country in the world, I choose to become a healthier me.
Only 1 out of 3 people choose to be Christian, and I am.
So where am I going with this?
This last weekend was my 3rd year at Bolar Mountain. I always go to the beach and the outlook on the way to the store and the boat launch that has cell phone service and always make the mile long trek up to Grouse Point Overlook.
Prior to starting this journey, when faced with the decision to go a whole mile to an overlook or to take a unknown trail hike, what decision would you have made? Yes, I drive out to the middle of nowhere just to escape the craziness of my life, but in all reality, all you really care about is that crazy awesome picture that says I did it! So off to the overlook you go!
I'm not against this at all! That's what I have done the last 2 times at the park. So why am I writing about it? Because this year when faced with making the trek up to the overlook to get that great 'I did it!' picture, I turned left onto my 'less travelled road'.
The trail I took was little more than a footpath through the woods: mossed over and covered with leaves from last fall. Sometimes way too much of an incline up or down depending on where I was. Hoping and praying that the soft ground wouldn't give out from under me, leaving me sprawled on the forest floor. I made my way down into a ravine, wondering if I was even in the right place, following blue patches on trees as my only clue that I was still where some other humans had been before. Following a creek bed, several feet deep, seeing the harsh savagery of nature as trees came down, sliding down the mountain until something stronger stopped it, seeing the little flowers springing up in the middle of nowhere, saying I am strong enough to survive, even here.
I turn a corner on the trail and am greeted with a sight that makes me so glad my mother is not with me. A narrow and long bridge springs up to greet me, and if that isn't enough, there is a plank missing as well. I start out across this bridge, feeling not unlike Indiana Jones, and waiting for the bridge to collapse from underneath of me. As I get nearer to the missing plank, I feel the bridge moving under me more and more, and all I can think about is I am ready for my big role in the movies, it is going to collapse under me and I am going to fall several hundred feet, screaming the whole way until you hear a faint splash... In all reality, if my mother had been with me, she just would have climbed down into the creek bed and crossed. I was probably all of 4 feet off the ground, but I was still not impressed with the swaying bridge.
Unbeknownst to me, the bridge was the least of my worries. No sooner do I step off the bridge, then I start climbing, and by climbing, I mean digging in with all I had to get back up out of the ravine! Eventually I do make it out of the ravine (obviously) and quickly find myself on a type of service road. I was actually somewhat disappointed as I followed this road instead of an actual trail. I mean what is the point of a road less travelled if someone actually built the road????
At the top of the road, I was greeted with another choice: continue on the loop I have been travelling or what? Another overlook? Why not? I am already here, aren't I?
OMG!!! I have never seen a more beautiful vista! Absolutely stole my breath as I rounded the corner!!! I sat on a bench and proceeded to enjoy the picnic lunch I had packed and just soaked in this scene that I might never have discovered if I hadn't taken that first left hand turn.
After my lunch was finished, I packed up and set out to continue my Bolar Loop journey. I was very pleased to be back on a trail and done with the 'road' type setting. Once again, being careful about foot placement and as most of this section was downhill, I had to be careful to keep my weight back so I didn't go tumbling down!!! I came to another fork in the road. Overlook this way, fee booth spur this way. Well, even if I had been to the Grouse Point Overlook every year, that didn't mean I didn't want to go this year, so onward I travelled.
My trail hike ended by walking down these steps. This is not the first time I have seen these steps since they are on the side of the road leading into the campground, nor is this the first time I have taken a picture of these steps, but I had to take the picture, once more, because this time, I walked down those steps and the trail on the other side too.
Only 1 out of 3 people choose to be Christian, and I am.
So where am I going with this?
This last weekend was my 3rd year at Bolar Mountain. I always go to the beach and the outlook on the way to the store and the boat launch that has cell phone service and always make the mile long trek up to Grouse Point Overlook.
Prior to starting this journey, when faced with the decision to go a whole mile to an overlook or to take a unknown trail hike, what decision would you have made? Yes, I drive out to the middle of nowhere just to escape the craziness of my life, but in all reality, all you really care about is that crazy awesome picture that says I did it! So off to the overlook you go!
I'm not against this at all! That's what I have done the last 2 times at the park. So why am I writing about it? Because this year when faced with making the trek up to the overlook to get that great 'I did it!' picture, I turned left onto my 'less travelled road'.
The trail I took was little more than a footpath through the woods: mossed over and covered with leaves from last fall. Sometimes way too much of an incline up or down depending on where I was. Hoping and praying that the soft ground wouldn't give out from under me, leaving me sprawled on the forest floor. I made my way down into a ravine, wondering if I was even in the right place, following blue patches on trees as my only clue that I was still where some other humans had been before. Following a creek bed, several feet deep, seeing the harsh savagery of nature as trees came down, sliding down the mountain until something stronger stopped it, seeing the little flowers springing up in the middle of nowhere, saying I am strong enough to survive, even here. I turn a corner on the trail and am greeted with a sight that makes me so glad my mother is not with me. A narrow and long bridge springs up to greet me, and if that isn't enough, there is a plank missing as well. I start out across this bridge, feeling not unlike Indiana Jones, and waiting for the bridge to collapse from underneath of me. As I get nearer to the missing plank, I feel the bridge moving under me more and more, and all I can think about is I am ready for my big role in the movies, it is going to collapse under me and I am going to fall several hundred feet, screaming the whole way until you hear a faint splash... In all reality, if my mother had been with me, she just would have climbed down into the creek bed and crossed. I was probably all of 4 feet off the ground, but I was still not impressed with the swaying bridge. Unbeknownst to me, the bridge was the least of my worries. No sooner do I step off the bridge, then I start climbing, and by climbing, I mean digging in with all I had to get back up out of the ravine! Eventually I do make it out of the ravine (obviously) and quickly find myself on a type of service road. I was actually somewhat disappointed as I followed this road instead of an actual trail. I mean what is the point of a road less travelled if someone actually built the road????
At the top of the road, I was greeted with another choice: continue on the loop I have been travelling or what? Another overlook? Why not? I am already here, aren't I? After my lunch was finished, I packed up and set out to continue my Bolar Loop journey. I was very pleased to be back on a trail and done with the 'road' type setting. Once again, being careful about foot placement and as most of this section was downhill, I had to be careful to keep my weight back so I didn't go tumbling down!!! I came to another fork in the road. Overlook this way, fee booth spur this way. Well, even if I had been to the Grouse Point Overlook every year, that didn't mean I didn't want to go this year, so onward I travelled.
The side view of the islands seen in this picture are the same islands that were a front view in the last picture. I couldn't believe how far I had travelled!!! But the best part was I had literally just passed the fee booth spur, so instead of continuing on the loop that I had been on many times before, I back tracked and hit the fee booth spur. And this is where the story gets lost, well maybe not the story, but I certainly got lost!!! You see, I came to yet another fork in the trail only this one was unmarked so I didn't know which way to go. My choices were steep uphill and into the sun or gentle downhill and shaded. Now, I know that for the story to be really good, I should have taken the apparent harder of the 2 paths and gone uphill and into the sun, but I was hot and tired, and while I didn't mind continuing my hike, was it really necessary to make it harder than it needed to be? And every time I had been presented with a choice, I had chosen left, so I went left again. This actually ended up being the hardest part of my entire journey. The 'gentle' downhill was so misleading as the trail was so steep downhill that 'steps' had been put into place so you weren't completely trying to kill yourself. Who were they kidding? Zigzagging back and forth, praying for an end sometime soon and that I would end up somewhere that I knew where I was!!! And finally, I hear traffic. Maybe I did choose the fee booth spur! Yahooey!!! I see the bottom of my trail coming out onto another service road and there is a sign at the bottom that reads Sugar Hollow Trail. (not the fee booth spur) Note to self: Next years trail is the whole Sugar Hollow Trail, not just the really scary part that I decided to traverse. But that is another story. I head for the traffic, because I am done for the day.
All told, I walked over 6 miles this day, climbed and descended at least 115 flights of stairs (1150 ft altitude change either up or down). It was an amazing trip and one I will not soon forget and I cannot wait to go back and do it all again next year. I wish I didn't have to wait that long, but hey, that is part of what makes it so magical!
Maybe to tide me over I will head out to the Blue Ridge, which are certainly a lot closer and spend a day hiking this summer!!!
Just remember, it is that first step that is the hardest. Once you get moving, just keep on going, and soon you will be taking all left turns onto roads less travelled too!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
I Hate Tractor Trailer Tires!!!
With a passion!!!
I was supposed to start flipping the tire at the gym with 1 hand, but instead the manager of the gym was training someone to flip both tires yesterday and my trainer said try that instead of doing one handed. Stupid me... I blindly did as she commanded!!!
Each set of tire flips took me more than 5 minutes as I had to rest between each flip.
250 lbs of tire to deadlift and control flip.
Today my quads, forearms and biceps are screaming. I am downing water like it is going out of style. I actually have bruises on my forearms!
But, by the end of the 3rd set yesterday, I was recovering faster and working the tire with more ease and I love the pain I am in today because it means I am challenging my body and it is up for the task! Soon, very soon I will be flipping it like I was just one tire and I can't wait!!!
I was supposed to start flipping the tire at the gym with 1 hand, but instead the manager of the gym was training someone to flip both tires yesterday and my trainer said try that instead of doing one handed. Stupid me... I blindly did as she commanded!!!
Each set of tire flips took me more than 5 minutes as I had to rest between each flip.
250 lbs of tire to deadlift and control flip.
Today my quads, forearms and biceps are screaming. I am downing water like it is going out of style. I actually have bruises on my forearms!
But, by the end of the 3rd set yesterday, I was recovering faster and working the tire with more ease and I love the pain I am in today because it means I am challenging my body and it is up for the task! Soon, very soon I will be flipping it like I was just one tire and I can't wait!!!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Full Body Cardio Strength Training - Update
I started my new workout on April 15, so I have done a total of 11 workouts. Before I go any further, you may want to go re-read the original post.
- Burpee Combo - started at 10 lbs, upped to 15 lbs - also, getting really close to doing full push ups!
- Shoulder raises - started at 12 lbs, upped to 20 lbs, using actual weights, not kettlebells
- Rope whip cracks - started at 10, will be increasing the quantity today to exhaustion
- Rope squat jumps - started at 10, already increased to exhaustion, generally about 15
- Crossovers - started at 12, already increased to 20, going to try for 30 today
- Hip sled - started at 260 lbs, upped to 350 lbs
- TRX Abductions - exhaustion point started at 5, up to 30, changed to include pikes, exhaustion point started at 6, already up to 13
Additional rope exercises to be rotated through my workouts:
- Rope slaps
- Alternating rope slaps
The gym recently acquired a tractor trailer tire to be flipped the length of the gym and back
- Tire flips - I've worked with the tire 4 times... And am now being told that I need to start doing 1 handed flips... Guess what I am doing today!!!
The big 'challenge' in the gym right now:
- Negatives - These tear you UP!!! I have tried 3 times. The first time I fell so fast I had to laugh at myself. The second time I felt my arms trying to hold on... and then I fell! The third time.... I didn't fall!!!!!!!! Still wasn't a true negative, but I didn't fall!!!!
So....... I am now up to a 2 hour weight training workout, 1000+ calorie burn every time!
And I am loving every minute of it! I have never in my life felt as good as I do at the gym, or the days that I get to go to the gym or on my way home from the gym! This is my happy place! This is when I get to do something for me!
Next Tuesday is the day to get into my 'not quite yet' bag to see what else I can add to my wardrobe! I can't wait to find out what stuff I can fit back into again!!!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Angels in Disguise
Today's post is not really weight related, but more life related because of something that has happened in my life over the last week.
Sometime last week I wanted to send a card to 2 of my friends who are very dear to me, but I forgot, got busy and distracted for a couple of days. I finally got the cards into the mail, sometime... Don't have a clue when, but I knew they were on their way to spread cheer the old fashioned way. I kept waiting and waiting to hear that they had received their cards, waiting for them to receive my love! But nothing... silence...
Yesterday, I sent a 'Good Morning' email to one of the 2, asking how they were and how the weekend had been. The response I received was 'not good, tell you later.' My heart ached to know what was going on, but I didn't want to pry... I just kept hoping and praying that my card would get delivered, on this, a day of need!
Today, I received a phone call that said 'words could not describe how I felt when I opened your card.'
When I heard the story of what had happened, I knew there was a reason that I got busy last week and wasn't able to get the cards into the mail when I wanted to. Because I was needed yesterday!
Do you want to hear something even more incredible about this friendship? We have never met! This person means so much to me, not a single day passes without feeling and sending love!
In today's technological world, I am finding more and more of these people in my world that have become very near and dear to me, but I may never meet face to face! I have friends in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Boston, Germany, Idaho, even semi-locally in Virginia. These people know things in my life that I may not feel comfortable telling someone face to face, or just don't trust someone in my everyday life to have this knowledge, these friends know my ups, and know my downs, share in my victories and hold my hand while I cry.
I downloaded the LoseIt app last April to replace an exercise tracker that just wasn't doing what I wanted... I had no idea the world I was breaking into and being accepted by. Many of my friends from LI have 'leaked' into my real world, emailing with them on a daily basis, friends on Facebook, texting or calling each other.
The friend who had a bad day yesterday is kind of a co-worker, although these days, aunt is a better description. She is not from LI, but offers the same unconditional support that I receive from all of my LI friends.
And that is what makes LI so successful! The support system that we offer each other!!! We know even on our worst days that someone will say 'It's ok. You can do it!'
I will post similar statuses on LI and FB, either praise or misery, and the response I get from LI is overwhelming sometimes and generally speaking the first responses on FB are friends from LI as well.
Even though I am starting a new phase of my journey where I am not really losing anymore, but rather toning and conditioning, LI is so much a part of my life that I know, like so many of my friends that have achieved their goals and are still active on LI daily, I will continue to support my friends!
And something else unbelieveable that is happening? That positive energy that I feed off of and contribute to, is infecting the rest of my life. My attitude is becoming more positive, more encouraging to everyone else in my life. I am finding it easier to get through the bad days, because I know that I really do got this!
AND SO DO YOU!
Sometime last week I wanted to send a card to 2 of my friends who are very dear to me, but I forgot, got busy and distracted for a couple of days. I finally got the cards into the mail, sometime... Don't have a clue when, but I knew they were on their way to spread cheer the old fashioned way. I kept waiting and waiting to hear that they had received their cards, waiting for them to receive my love! But nothing... silence...
Yesterday, I sent a 'Good Morning' email to one of the 2, asking how they were and how the weekend had been. The response I received was 'not good, tell you later.' My heart ached to know what was going on, but I didn't want to pry... I just kept hoping and praying that my card would get delivered, on this, a day of need!
Today, I received a phone call that said 'words could not describe how I felt when I opened your card.'
When I heard the story of what had happened, I knew there was a reason that I got busy last week and wasn't able to get the cards into the mail when I wanted to. Because I was needed yesterday!
Do you want to hear something even more incredible about this friendship? We have never met! This person means so much to me, not a single day passes without feeling and sending love!
In today's technological world, I am finding more and more of these people in my world that have become very near and dear to me, but I may never meet face to face! I have friends in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Boston, Germany, Idaho, even semi-locally in Virginia. These people know things in my life that I may not feel comfortable telling someone face to face, or just don't trust someone in my everyday life to have this knowledge, these friends know my ups, and know my downs, share in my victories and hold my hand while I cry.
I downloaded the LoseIt app last April to replace an exercise tracker that just wasn't doing what I wanted... I had no idea the world I was breaking into and being accepted by. Many of my friends from LI have 'leaked' into my real world, emailing with them on a daily basis, friends on Facebook, texting or calling each other.
The friend who had a bad day yesterday is kind of a co-worker, although these days, aunt is a better description. She is not from LI, but offers the same unconditional support that I receive from all of my LI friends.
And that is what makes LI so successful! The support system that we offer each other!!! We know even on our worst days that someone will say 'It's ok. You can do it!'
I will post similar statuses on LI and FB, either praise or misery, and the response I get from LI is overwhelming sometimes and generally speaking the first responses on FB are friends from LI as well.
Even though I am starting a new phase of my journey where I am not really losing anymore, but rather toning and conditioning, LI is so much a part of my life that I know, like so many of my friends that have achieved their goals and are still active on LI daily, I will continue to support my friends!
And something else unbelieveable that is happening? That positive energy that I feed off of and contribute to, is infecting the rest of my life. My attitude is becoming more positive, more encouraging to everyone else in my life. I am finding it easier to get through the bad days, because I know that I really do got this!
AND SO DO YOU!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Full Body Cardio Strength Training
The race is over and I have finally recovered from my cold of February & March, so time to get serious in the gym again. I mean, this girl, she wants some muscle!!!
So I made an appointment on Monday to rework my training. My trainer told me that leading up to the race I was working on building endurance, but if I am going forward with training, then I need to shift my focus to power. Also, she wasn't happy with my heart rate during the race, so she wants to try to force it to start behaving.
I was expecting to add weights back to the routine I already had, maybe add a few new exercises... Yeah... I should have known better!
So I made an appointment on Monday to rework my training. My trainer told me that leading up to the race I was working on building endurance, but if I am going forward with training, then I need to shift my focus to power. Also, she wasn't happy with my heart rate during the race, so she wants to try to force it to start behaving.
I was expecting to add weights back to the routine I already had, maybe add a few new exercises... Yeah... I should have known better!
- Deadlift into a burpee finished with Arnold curl / press
- Squats with kettlebell shoulder raises
- Rope whip cracks
- Rope squat jumps
- Mountain climber crossovers
- Hip sled
- TRX abductions
On Monday, I did 1 set of each of these exercises. Yesterday, I did 3 sets... .
My heart spent more time out of zone than it ever has before. I drank more water during my workout than I ever have before. I burned more calories than I ever have before.
And OMG! After my 3rd set of rope squat jumps, I actually collapsed on the floor because it was easier than attempting to get back up!
My heart spent more time out of zone than it ever has before. I drank more water during my workout than I ever have before. I burned more calories than I ever have before.
And OMG! After my 3rd set of rope squat jumps, I actually collapsed on the floor because it was easier than attempting to get back up!
Some of the exercises really challenge me to push through limits like the push up in a burpee, which I cannot do. Some are just funny to watch like the rope squat jumps as I have difficulties finding my center balance and almost end up on my rump. Some make me feel powerful like the hip sled, feeling 260 lbs destroy my body. Some make me feel weak like the TRX abductions where I can barely complete the set.
At the end of the day, I am exhausted, I am beat, I am dead. The next day I can't move because my entire body hurts. But next week, next month, next year... I will be stronger than I am today!!!
At the end of the day, I am exhausted, I am beat, I am dead. The next day I can't move because my entire body hurts. But next week, next month, next year... I will be stronger than I am today!!!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Post Race Exhaustion and a Good Deal of Laughing
The Monument Ave 10k has 40,000 participants. If only half of those people bring just one person, plus all of the race officials, volunteers, bands, vendors... You are starting to get the picture? A lot of people in a very small space?
I have a friend who lives about 1/2 a mile from the finish line in the opposite direction of the race. There just happens to be a parking garage and 2 lots within half a block of her apartment building. So I thought it was a great place to park, and it was. As Mom and I are walking towards the starting line, we walk past a garage that is almost empty. I tell Mom that we should have parked there. She said something along the lines of yeah. I said, 'Mom, it is the police station.' She said, 'Oh!' This was about halfway to the start line. On the way from the finish line back to my car, we are exhausted and barely moving, more like crawling... I tell Mom that we are coming up on the police station. She says, 'Hey, that was really rude of someone to put extra blocks in our path!' I don't know how long it took us to walk to the car, but it certainly was a lot longer than it took to walk to the race!
We needed to stop at a store and pick up bananas & batteries before going home. It was also very warm, so I asked Mom if she would like to stop for ice cream. She thought it was a fabulous idea, so I offered, 'Sweet Frog or Brusters?' She said, 'I don't care.' I responded with, 'Sweet Frog is right across the street from Wal-mart, but Brusters is all the way down by Charlie's.' She thought Wal-Mart sounded fabulous. So I pull into the Wal-Mart parking lot. My mother always parks at the garden center. Now if you have ever been in a Wal-Mart, you know the garden center and the bananas are nowhere near each other. As we are limping from my car to the door, Mom asks, 'Whose brilliant idea was this?' I point at her. She said, 'No it wasn't. I would have gone to Food Lion. Not as far to walk!' I said we still could. Next thing I know she is no longer next to me. I turn around to see her disappear on the other side of my car. As we are getting ready to leave Wal-Mart, we are discussing ice cream and Food Lion options, because we still need to do both, but neither of us want to walk. Going to Sweet Frog will involve attempting to find a parking spot in one of the busiest places in Richmond in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. We would end up walking halfway across a parking lot again! I suddenly remember there is a Food Lion around the corner from Charlie's and could be on the way to Brusters. We start driving!! As we hobble into Food Lion, get the bananas and go to check out. The cashiers ask us if we did the 10k. We were like, 'is it that obvious?' They said, 'You are just moving a lil slow.' Now for Southerners to think Northerners, let alone New Yorkers, to be moving a lil slow, you have probably figured out exactly how slow we are moving!
Note to self: the next time we do a 10k, shopping afterwards is not happening!!! Although, we certainly have enjoyed laughing about it since!!!
I have a friend who lives about 1/2 a mile from the finish line in the opposite direction of the race. There just happens to be a parking garage and 2 lots within half a block of her apartment building. So I thought it was a great place to park, and it was. As Mom and I are walking towards the starting line, we walk past a garage that is almost empty. I tell Mom that we should have parked there. She said something along the lines of yeah. I said, 'Mom, it is the police station.' She said, 'Oh!' This was about halfway to the start line. On the way from the finish line back to my car, we are exhausted and barely moving, more like crawling... I tell Mom that we are coming up on the police station. She says, 'Hey, that was really rude of someone to put extra blocks in our path!' I don't know how long it took us to walk to the car, but it certainly was a lot longer than it took to walk to the race!
We needed to stop at a store and pick up bananas & batteries before going home. It was also very warm, so I asked Mom if she would like to stop for ice cream. She thought it was a fabulous idea, so I offered, 'Sweet Frog or Brusters?' She said, 'I don't care.' I responded with, 'Sweet Frog is right across the street from Wal-mart, but Brusters is all the way down by Charlie's.' She thought Wal-Mart sounded fabulous. So I pull into the Wal-Mart parking lot. My mother always parks at the garden center. Now if you have ever been in a Wal-Mart, you know the garden center and the bananas are nowhere near each other. As we are limping from my car to the door, Mom asks, 'Whose brilliant idea was this?' I point at her. She said, 'No it wasn't. I would have gone to Food Lion. Not as far to walk!' I said we still could. Next thing I know she is no longer next to me. I turn around to see her disappear on the other side of my car. As we are getting ready to leave Wal-Mart, we are discussing ice cream and Food Lion options, because we still need to do both, but neither of us want to walk. Going to Sweet Frog will involve attempting to find a parking spot in one of the busiest places in Richmond in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. We would end up walking halfway across a parking lot again! I suddenly remember there is a Food Lion around the corner from Charlie's and could be on the way to Brusters. We start driving!! As we hobble into Food Lion, get the bananas and go to check out. The cashiers ask us if we did the 10k. We were like, 'is it that obvious?' They said, 'You are just moving a lil slow.' Now for Southerners to think Northerners, let alone New Yorkers, to be moving a lil slow, you have probably figured out exactly how slow we are moving!
Note to self: the next time we do a 10k, shopping afterwards is not happening!!! Although, we certainly have enjoyed laughing about it since!!!
Monday, April 15, 2013
The Race is Over... Or is it???
Saturday morning woke chilly, bright, and sunny, but I was only the first of those... As the race got closer last week, my nervousness started making me physically sick. A nervous wreck? Yeah, that was me!
After going into the bathroom for the 3rd time in the last hour, I felt myself start crying, just completely overwhelmed at the monumental (pun not intended) task ahead of me.
I posted on Facebook, 'So nervous I am making myself physically sick... Why am I doing this again? ? ? ?'
Literally 3 minutes later, an angel from Texas commented 'Because you can. You got this, Jessica.'
Between this heaven-sent post and the fact that my nervous breakdown woke up my mom (Moms really are great for helping you recover from nervous breakdowns!!!), I finally got out the door and driving to the race!
After going into the bathroom for the 3rd time in the last hour, I felt myself start crying, just completely overwhelmed at the monumental (pun not intended) task ahead of me.
I posted on Facebook, 'So nervous I am making myself physically sick... Why am I doing this again? ? ? ?'
Literally 3 minutes later, an angel from Texas commented 'Because you can. You got this, Jessica.'
Between this heaven-sent post and the fact that my nervous breakdown woke up my mom (Moms really are great for helping you recover from nervous breakdowns!!!), I finally got out the door and driving to the race!
Made it to my secret parking garage, although driving into the garage must have broke the invisible shield, because about 10 cars followed us in. At least we found parking easily!!!
As we are walking down the street towards the start line, my mom says 'Do you think they would care if I walk the race?'
So after another trip to the bathroom, I am standing in the corral waiting for my wave to be released. Mom snaps a picture on her phone (and starts walking on the sidewalk next to the course, unbeknownst to me). After she takes off, I realize I have been sick all morning and although I made a smoothie for breakfast, I only had 2 sips because it was making me sicker, no water, no Gatorade, nothing in my system whatsoever! God, please watch over me, cuz this is going to be a long race!!!
I take off at an easy jog, passing people around me, but not going as fast as others. Felt pretty good. Grateful that I had finally replaced the battery in my HRM so I could make sure to not have a heart attack while running.
Ran the first mile in 13:20... Like, what?!?!?! Easy jog? Phone? You did say 13:20, right? But I feel good, not tired... Umm... ok...
At this point in time, my phone must have decided to take exception to my questioning of its' tracking abilities and froze... For the rest of the race!!! So I have no split times... I am very sad about this!
Anyways, back to the race and me jogging at 13 mins!!! I am not conditioned to run 13:anything for any length of time, so I did end up walking, but every time I had to walk I kept it at a speed walk. My goal was 1:30 and even though my first mile was fabulous, I knew there was no way I could maintain that pace. I kept pushing myself, the next step, the next mile.
I was keeping a close eye on my heart. The entire time my heart was between 175 & 190. Nothing I could do would drop it!!! I just kept an eye on my physical being as a whole to make sure I wasn't doing damage and every time I hit 190 I started walking and wouldn't start jogging again until back under 180.
Starting at mile 2, I was grabbing a cup of water and then a cup of Powerade to keep myself going. Just kept pushing. Didn't care how tired I was, all that mattered was finishing the race as fast as I could!
Sometime after halfway, I checked my overall time on my HRM watch. 41 minutes and change. Figured that was on target, and I had shaved 8 minutes off of the time Mom and I completed 2 weeks ago at the Henrico 5k.
At this point in time, I am jogging / walking straight into the sun. I am exhausted. The water stops aren't doing much to keep me going, especially since I am now aspirating the Powerade as I try to finish it. The bands playing, just aren't keeping me motivated. My heart rate is too high and I can't get it down, I just keep walking, too tired to even set a goal to start jogging again. Just keep moving is my mantra.
Mile 5 - OMG! Almost done, come on, I can do this!!! What time do I have? 1:05??? And I have 1 mile to go? Holy cow! Come on, I may be tired, but my goal is in sight!!! Still exhausted, still just speed walking, not a lot of jogging at all, but as I continue and start recognizing signs of getting closer and closer to the end, I find myself at this weird speed between a walk and jog, but, hey, my body is doing it, not me, so let's go. Keep an eye on the heart and how heavy I am breathing. Slow down, speed walk again, around the last monument, and I am doing this weird faster pace again, but I know mile 6 has to be close and I want to finish strong. I know there is more distance than what I have in the tank left, but I want to jog from mile 6 to the end. I know I can do it!
Mile 6 and I start jogging, everyone around me is picking up speed. A mother off to my left is telling her daughter 'Do you see those flashing lights? That is as far as we have to go. Come on, you can do it!' Thanks to her giving me a finish line, I could do it too! I started keep pace with this man wearing a 'Run with the Big Dog' shirt and we were going, faster and faster. As we entered the finish corral, I let it all loose and I just flew past people, left and right!
As I crossed the finish line, I stopped my HRM 1:18!!! I can't believe it!!! I hit my goal and took 12 minutes off of it! So proud of myself!!!
But I am now in a crowd of finishers, trying to get out of the street and into the park to find my mom. I know where we are supposed to meet, but I can't find it. So I send her a message that says 'I don't know where I am supposed to meet you', thinking that she has been chilling for the last hour plus, so she can tell me where to find her. She responds with 'I'm not even at 4 miles on the way back.' And then asks if I am coming to meet her... I'm like, I just ran this race in record time (for me) am completely exhausted and just want to collapse, but 'on my way' is the message that gets sent to her... As I am walking back to her, I start feeling pain in my calf, I strained it again, I am guessing in my foolish all out finish that was unnecessary.
Once I meet up with her, I find out my official time was actually 1:17:26. 5k time was 38:35, so the 2nd half took 38:51. I ran both halves of the race almost dead even. Average 12:30 per mile. I have no clue how on earth I managed this!!! But I now understand my heart rate! No wonder I couldn't get it under control! I was pushing myself so much harder than I ever had in training!
After all of my freaking out, not only do I hit my goal, but I blow it out of the water, exceed any and all expectations of myself!
So what's next? I want to qualify for a seeded wave!!!
And more than that, I don't want to quit.
Quit what? Anything! I have changed my life for the better and am loving how I feel. Yes, I beat myself completely while running that race, but I came out the other side knowing how strong I am, and that I am a lot stronger than I think I am!
Last week I made an appointment for today to change my training schedule so I can get into shape to start my training certificate this winter. I can and will do this and I cannot wait to start!
Oh yeah, and remember my mom walking the course behind me? Wonder how she did? Last week, we previewed the course in 2:05. Saturday, she walked it by herself, with nothing more than the race atmosphere to push her (and she was walking on the sidewalk so she had to deal with dogs, people, crowds, etc) and she still finished in 2:00. I could not be any prouder of my mom! She is my inspiration! If she could do that with her feet covered in blisters to the point that she could not walk all last week, what possible excuse could I have to not succeed???
Footnote: Notice my hot pink text missing? In homage to my mom, we are wearing purple today as it is her favorite color.
Footnote: Notice my hot pink text missing? In homage to my mom, we are wearing purple today as it is her favorite color.
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