A good friend of mine and I have a similar goal. It's a number of pounds. We are different people with different lifestyles and eating habits, but we both like to cook, have significant others, and enjoy a love/hate relationship with running. We decided to embark on something we call the Pact.
The Pact is kind of a social experiment for both of us--a combination of social media and gym-buddying. We have different schedules and live too far away to be reliable gym buddies, so we began a blog only visible to ourselves where we:
- Update daily the amount of calories we've eaten
- Update daily our workout
- Update Sundays our weight
- Update win/fails
- Post recipes we'd otherwise have to email to each other.
The beauty of social media!
We have agreed to keep the blog internal between us since sensitive information (such as numbers...eek) are post on there, but I will be cross posting only my own updates that are interesting enough for the larger general public.
I have had a hard time with one or the other--just a gym buddy or just technology. I've kept blogs, I've used online calorie counting software, hell I've even built my own spreadsheet that tracked things for me. The problem that I have with them is burn out. I obsess from between 2-8 weeks and then have one day where I don't get around to it and boom. Three weeks go by and I havent' touched my calorie intake.
Also, my blog or my tracker sheets don't call me at 6 am to remind me that I need to go to the gym or slap my hand when I'm about to eat pizza. They just chug along and do exactly as I tell them. And let's be honest, who doesn't lie from time to time? I mean, really, is anyone's driver's license accurate under "Weight." It might as well say "My Ideal."
I've been through an unreal number of gym buddies...and usually the problem is that we're on different fitness levels or interests. K, for example, hates the treadmill. While I don't love it, I don't hate it to the point of avoidance. Also, I enjoy going to the gym to talk to her. Not to work out. Additionally, my morning gym buddy is a good friend of mine and since we no longer work in the same area, our morning coffee walk is out of the question, so I am yet again eager to chat with her while I walk for a half hour. I should get real. If I'm going to get up at 6am, I'd better damn well be ready to run, not to chat.
So, hopefully this will give me the independence to keep up the gym routine that I need to have while getting the support of my gym buddy.
Results to come!
Showing posts with label Gym Buddy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gym Buddy. Show all posts
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Things I've Been Missing - Yoga
If you know me in my personal life, then you have probably heard my say on more than one occasion "yeah, I'm just not a yoga person. I'm more like...'ommmmm.....what's for dinner....oommmm...oh crap, I forgot to feed the cat...'"
Until last night.
I was at one of the many office holiday parties I had to attend and after an unsuccessful attempt to help my team build a gingerbread house (mine collapsed after I finished the pez tile roof), a co worker of mine, who I ran into at my gym earlier this week, said she was headed out and that she was going to try and make the 7:30 yoga class at our gym.
I had been whining to anyone who would listen that I would likely crap out once I got back from the party and not to go the gym, but that I had wanted to go. This was all the motivation I needed. Do I like yoga? No. Did that occur to me when I asked if I could join her? Not really.
I'm going to sound like a real snot for a moment, so bear with me. Here are the reason I've never liked yoga:
- I do not like the yoga culture. I want to. But I just don't. I don't like having to be enlightened and superior in that enlightment. It's incredible exhausting to me.
- I feel like yoga is the club to which I was never invited. I am terrified to go to a class because, truthfully, I have no balance. Chadd can attest. I don't want to be that moron in the back of the class who starts the domino effect. And all the superior yogis will break out of their floating trance and look at me like some unenlightened twit (which I am). This is a serious fear of mine.
- I like having my heart rate high when I am working out. I am a product of Americanism. I like things fast. I do things fast. When forced to sit still at a desk for 8 hours, I have at least 4 tabs opened on a browser. I make lists upon lists of things I.Must.Do.ASAP. And this translates entirely to my workouts. Heart rate up, sweat pouring down, which is why I'm a runner.
- I like being the best. Look. I'm an instructor. I teach. I am typically the best one in my class when I'm not teaching because I'm damn good at it. Call me cocky (I am), but when in a group setting, aka, group fitness, I have to do it right. I don't know the first thing about yoga. I will not be the best, or even close to it. See domino effect fear above. I recognize it takes practice, but you can usually pass as "good" at step after 4 classes. That happens in yoga in like...4 years.
- I can't find a good starting point. I've been to beginning yoga (I lay on my back and thought about birds or something.) And then I've been to other yoga classes where, when they ask who is 10 classes or less into yoga, and I raise my hands, the instructor furrows their brow and goes "this might be a reach class for you." I'm sure this is bad timing on my part and I fully admit I haven't gone out of my way to try yoga, but it hasn't exactly welcomed me with open arms.
- My feet cramp up. Any suggestions on beating this one?
But, all those aside, I went because I wanted to go to the gym and for whatever reason, yoga sounded like a good idea.
And it was! I loved it. I had the best time sweating my butt off, exhausting my muscles, and truly feeling my body. I didn't have the ability to think beyond what I was doing, which is different that most yoga classes I have attended. I was neither bored, nor overwhelmed.
I enjoyed challenging myself. I was totally unaware of the people around me (aside from the woman who farted and the glistening specimen of the male species, shirtless across from me). But mostly, if I noticed someone, it was because I was just looking in their direction. I never felt scruitinized, I never felt intimidated. Instead, I felt like I got a great workout and a great stretch all in one.
It didn't hurt that the instructor was very funny, forgiving, and not at all militant like some yogis I have known. He played caribbean christmas music (steel drums!) and the grinch's song. People asked questions through class, murmured to each other occasionally. It really was a relaxing, but good workout.
I managed to do a full "wheel" pose, also known as a back bend, and for about 3 seconds, some sort of thing where my knees were on my forearms and I was standing on my hands. Accomplishment!
I'm glad I went last night because this morning I had agreed to meet my morning gym buddy at 6:30. Let me tell you. Without class last night, I would have fallen right back into the pattern I've been in. It wasn't that it wasn't a good class, it was, it just wasn't as friendly as the night before.
Of course, this is because it's apparently a level 2-3 class (this is not on the schedule, mind you). It was also held in the spa...steam room doors open, sauna doors opened (also not on the schedule). Almost bikram yoga (again, not on the schedule). All of this alone would have scared me away from the class.
Thankfully, the instructor picked up on the fact that we were not enlightened yogis, so she described a lot of the movements. But, people, is it just me, or are all the real words for yoga poses almost impossible to distinguish from each other? The one for childs pose and lie on your back are astonishingly familiar to my very untrained ear. She asked if we were ready for garubaisghvarish and, face down on my mat, sweat driping down my back, I was terrified to ask what that meant. Turns out, it mean lie on your back and doze off.
I think this is a new thing for me. I want to keep it up. I may not stick to having Niagra Falls of sweat running down my back on Thursday mornings, but Wednesday nights I can do.
What's your exercise aversion/fear? I encourage you to try it out, it might not be as bad as you think.
(Don't forget to give me 20!)
Until last night.
I was at one of the many office holiday parties I had to attend and after an unsuccessful attempt to help my team build a gingerbread house (mine collapsed after I finished the pez tile roof), a co worker of mine, who I ran into at my gym earlier this week, said she was headed out and that she was going to try and make the 7:30 yoga class at our gym.
I had been whining to anyone who would listen that I would likely crap out once I got back from the party and not to go the gym, but that I had wanted to go. This was all the motivation I needed. Do I like yoga? No. Did that occur to me when I asked if I could join her? Not really.
I'm going to sound like a real snot for a moment, so bear with me. Here are the reason I've never liked yoga:
- I do not like the yoga culture. I want to. But I just don't. I don't like having to be enlightened and superior in that enlightment. It's incredible exhausting to me.
- I feel like yoga is the club to which I was never invited. I am terrified to go to a class because, truthfully, I have no balance. Chadd can attest. I don't want to be that moron in the back of the class who starts the domino effect. And all the superior yogis will break out of their floating trance and look at me like some unenlightened twit (which I am). This is a serious fear of mine.
- I like having my heart rate high when I am working out. I am a product of Americanism. I like things fast. I do things fast. When forced to sit still at a desk for 8 hours, I have at least 4 tabs opened on a browser. I make lists upon lists of things I.Must.Do.ASAP. And this translates entirely to my workouts. Heart rate up, sweat pouring down, which is why I'm a runner.
- I like being the best. Look. I'm an instructor. I teach. I am typically the best one in my class when I'm not teaching because I'm damn good at it. Call me cocky (I am), but when in a group setting, aka, group fitness, I have to do it right. I don't know the first thing about yoga. I will not be the best, or even close to it. See domino effect fear above. I recognize it takes practice, but you can usually pass as "good" at step after 4 classes. That happens in yoga in like...4 years.
- I can't find a good starting point. I've been to beginning yoga (I lay on my back and thought about birds or something.) And then I've been to other yoga classes where, when they ask who is 10 classes or less into yoga, and I raise my hands, the instructor furrows their brow and goes "this might be a reach class for you." I'm sure this is bad timing on my part and I fully admit I haven't gone out of my way to try yoga, but it hasn't exactly welcomed me with open arms.
- My feet cramp up. Any suggestions on beating this one?
But, all those aside, I went because I wanted to go to the gym and for whatever reason, yoga sounded like a good idea.
And it was! I loved it. I had the best time sweating my butt off, exhausting my muscles, and truly feeling my body. I didn't have the ability to think beyond what I was doing, which is different that most yoga classes I have attended. I was neither bored, nor overwhelmed.
I enjoyed challenging myself. I was totally unaware of the people around me (aside from the woman who farted and the glistening specimen of the male species, shirtless across from me). But mostly, if I noticed someone, it was because I was just looking in their direction. I never felt scruitinized, I never felt intimidated. Instead, I felt like I got a great workout and a great stretch all in one.
It didn't hurt that the instructor was very funny, forgiving, and not at all militant like some yogis I have known. He played caribbean christmas music (steel drums!) and the grinch's song. People asked questions through class, murmured to each other occasionally. It really was a relaxing, but good workout.
I managed to do a full "wheel" pose, also known as a back bend, and for about 3 seconds, some sort of thing where my knees were on my forearms and I was standing on my hands. Accomplishment!
I'm glad I went last night because this morning I had agreed to meet my morning gym buddy at 6:30. Let me tell you. Without class last night, I would have fallen right back into the pattern I've been in. It wasn't that it wasn't a good class, it was, it just wasn't as friendly as the night before.
Of course, this is because it's apparently a level 2-3 class (this is not on the schedule, mind you). It was also held in the spa...steam room doors open, sauna doors opened (also not on the schedule). Almost bikram yoga (again, not on the schedule). All of this alone would have scared me away from the class.
Thankfully, the instructor picked up on the fact that we were not enlightened yogis, so she described a lot of the movements. But, people, is it just me, or are all the real words for yoga poses almost impossible to distinguish from each other? The one for childs pose and lie on your back are astonishingly familiar to my very untrained ear. She asked if we were ready for garubaisghvarish and, face down on my mat, sweat driping down my back, I was terrified to ask what that meant. Turns out, it mean lie on your back and doze off.
I think this is a new thing for me. I want to keep it up. I may not stick to having Niagra Falls of sweat running down my back on Thursday mornings, but Wednesday nights I can do.
What's your exercise aversion/fear? I encourage you to try it out, it might not be as bad as you think.
(Don't forget to give me 20!)
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Yo-Yo's: Closing Out the Year
Happy Holidays again, to you all! I hope everyone has caught up on their sleep deficit, relaxed and destressed with family and friends (or after coming home from family and friends as the case may be), and that you're ready for a fresh start.
It's hard to believe that 2009 is coming to a close tomorrow, so expect a New Years Resolution post from me tomorrow or Friday! For now, I want to talk about something that we all consider to be a negative: holiday weight gain.
It's no secret that we gain weight during the holidays--tis the season of overindulgence, after all. I've read various reports that, on average, an American gains anywhere between 5 and 7 pounds from Halloween to New Years. Yikes!
It's gotten me thinking. I thought about why, if we know it's coming, we find ourselves shaking our heads on Jan. 1, dusting off our running shorts and gym memberships, and vowing "this year will be different." But will it really be different?
I'm having a hard time articulating what I mean, so allow me to use myself as an example.
Remember when I told you about the private blog that my dear friend and I are keeping to stay accountable? We recently had a conversation about sticktoitiveness (it's a word now, just keep reading) and what happens when you start to crumble.
I am an embarrassing yo-yo health person. For being an instructor and having a blog, I'm pretty ashamed to admit this. Chadd could probably regale you with the number of times I've come in after 3 weeks of solid working out and a healthy eating habit and say "I feel so good being thin and in my healthy weight range. I'm going to stick to it!" And then something happens. Friends come into town, I fit into tiny jeans and feel entitled, I go on vacation and it suddenly all goes to hell and I'm bloated and irritable and the cycle begins. Chadd is kind enough to at least pretend to believe me that "this time, I'm going to keep it up."
You see, I follow this pattern:
Week 0: Planning phase. I pick out recipes, make gym schedules, tell everyone I know that I'm losing x number of pounds.
Week 1: Beginning of the workout. I'm embarrassed with how much my athletic prowess has suffered, but I SWEAR I feel like a new person by day 2.
Week 2: Slight changes in my body. This keeps me going.
Week 3: More significant changes in my body, this is where Chadd starts noticing a difference, my yoga pants aren't skin tight, and my right out of the dryer jeans only require a deep breath in rather than a few jumps around the room.
Week 4: Doom.
My co-blogger recently hit Week 4, for what I believe is the first time, though she can feel free to correct me. This is that point where the realizations of what a lifestyle change is kick in. We will always be watching calories, fat, carbs, in restaurant meals where they cut corners on making delicious health food to make delicious, faster to make, fatty food. We will never be able to really truly let loose and we'll likely look at the menu online before going out with friends and be "that girl" at the table who has about a billion special requests. This is a choice, at least if we wish to never yo-yo again, we have to stick by.
It feels like a loss. I could point to articles about why we emotionally eat or how the happy chemical dopamine is created by digesting chocolate, but it would only tell you why and, to some people, marginalize how this point in a lifestyle change feels.
It's a scary decision. It's ONE MORE THING to think about, and on long days (and short days, too), that's a tall order. It's also hard socially. We are a polite society--whether you're trying to lose 5 pounds or 50, we're never going to tell our friend who announces this fact "good for you! I agree with that decision and I support you," because it's sounds like saying "you're right. you did need to lose weight" (even if it's true). Instead we say "really? You definitely don't need to!" It's usually a lie (sorry Miss Manners). At dinner we say "are you serious? Just enjoy yourself, one night won't hurt" but it does. Because 1+1+1+1...rapidly adds up. Do me a favor and stop saying this to your friends at dinner. Be an uplifting supporter in a better way. "Wow good for you! I admire that" sticks with that person a lot more than a dismissive/permissive comment does. We are a difficult society to live in to become healthy.
Doesn't that sound odd? It seems like there is a gym on every corner, hotel, office, right next to the Starbucks. Almost every magazine has some sort of health related tip about losing weight and we obsess over it on a daily basis. It's like Chadd's analogy to money--we're all obsessed with it, but we're too "polite to talk about it."
We are also sharers of guilt. If you and your best friend are out at dinner and she orders something health conscious but you were really eye-ing the creamy luscious pasta...inevitably one of two things happen--you try to convince her to fall with you, or you go the healthy route. Unless your friend has a will power of steel, I'll let you guess what normally happens.
Just socially, there's a lot against you. Don't even start with me on what lies ahead of you when your own willpower begins to fade and a snickers bar sounds good.
This is where as your weight is following the downslide of the yo-yo, your morale is running right along side. It's what happens to me at least 3 times a year and every single time, I tell myself it won't happen again. I've heard that the percentage of people who quit smoking drops with every attempt they have. If you go that route, then quit, and find yourself down the same path again, it becomes well worn and familiar. It's why people who quit quit quit the first time are so much more successful.
Do you see what I mean about the whole New Years Resolution thing? Is this year REALLY going to be any different? Are you going to get to Feb 1 and crap out?
Please don't mistake what I'm saying. What I'm asking of you is something that will change, hopefully, how you go about achieving your health resolution in 2010. I am not saying that you cannot or that the odds are against you, instead, I'm asking you for the next....let's say 48 hours, to really really contemplate what it is that you want to achieve. Making your resolution list should take more than 10 minutes. Put some thought into it and make the decision that you will follow through. Don't let this be a yo-yo year for you--weight or resolutions.
I made it through Thanksgiving to Christmas losing 8 pounds, stayed solid the week I was home with my family, and am back on track to keep losing down to my goal weight just before my February birthday. How am I going to beat the yo-yo?
I acknowledged the yo-yo in my life.
I confronted it and banished it and Promised myself (remember the 2 P's) it would not return.
I made a pact with my co-blogger that will not likely be broken because I found someone who will hold me accountable and who understands/is battling the yo-yo with me.
What were your resolutions last year? Did you achieve them? Yes or no--how did you achieve them or what made you stumble?
Stay tuned for a Resolution post!
It's hard to believe that 2009 is coming to a close tomorrow, so expect a New Years Resolution post from me tomorrow or Friday! For now, I want to talk about something that we all consider to be a negative: holiday weight gain.
It's no secret that we gain weight during the holidays--tis the season of overindulgence, after all. I've read various reports that, on average, an American gains anywhere between 5 and 7 pounds from Halloween to New Years. Yikes!
It's gotten me thinking. I thought about why, if we know it's coming, we find ourselves shaking our heads on Jan. 1, dusting off our running shorts and gym memberships, and vowing "this year will be different." But will it really be different?
I'm having a hard time articulating what I mean, so allow me to use myself as an example.
Remember when I told you about the private blog that my dear friend and I are keeping to stay accountable? We recently had a conversation about sticktoitiveness (it's a word now, just keep reading) and what happens when you start to crumble.
I am an embarrassing yo-yo health person. For being an instructor and having a blog, I'm pretty ashamed to admit this. Chadd could probably regale you with the number of times I've come in after 3 weeks of solid working out and a healthy eating habit and say "I feel so good being thin and in my healthy weight range. I'm going to stick to it!" And then something happens. Friends come into town, I fit into tiny jeans and feel entitled, I go on vacation and it suddenly all goes to hell and I'm bloated and irritable and the cycle begins. Chadd is kind enough to at least pretend to believe me that "this time, I'm going to keep it up."
You see, I follow this pattern:
Week 0: Planning phase. I pick out recipes, make gym schedules, tell everyone I know that I'm losing x number of pounds.
Week 1: Beginning of the workout. I'm embarrassed with how much my athletic prowess has suffered, but I SWEAR I feel like a new person by day 2.
Week 2: Slight changes in my body. This keeps me going.
Week 3: More significant changes in my body, this is where Chadd starts noticing a difference, my yoga pants aren't skin tight, and my right out of the dryer jeans only require a deep breath in rather than a few jumps around the room.
Week 4: Doom.
My co-blogger recently hit Week 4, for what I believe is the first time, though she can feel free to correct me. This is that point where the realizations of what a lifestyle change is kick in. We will always be watching calories, fat, carbs, in restaurant meals where they cut corners on making delicious health food to make delicious, faster to make, fatty food. We will never be able to really truly let loose and we'll likely look at the menu online before going out with friends and be "that girl" at the table who has about a billion special requests. This is a choice, at least if we wish to never yo-yo again, we have to stick by.
It feels like a loss. I could point to articles about why we emotionally eat or how the happy chemical dopamine is created by digesting chocolate, but it would only tell you why and, to some people, marginalize how this point in a lifestyle change feels.
It's a scary decision. It's ONE MORE THING to think about, and on long days (and short days, too), that's a tall order. It's also hard socially. We are a polite society--whether you're trying to lose 5 pounds or 50, we're never going to tell our friend who announces this fact "good for you! I agree with that decision and I support you," because it's sounds like saying "you're right. you did need to lose weight" (even if it's true). Instead we say "really? You definitely don't need to!" It's usually a lie (sorry Miss Manners). At dinner we say "are you serious? Just enjoy yourself, one night won't hurt" but it does. Because 1+1+1+1...rapidly adds up. Do me a favor and stop saying this to your friends at dinner. Be an uplifting supporter in a better way. "Wow good for you! I admire that" sticks with that person a lot more than a dismissive/permissive comment does. We are a difficult society to live in to become healthy.
Doesn't that sound odd? It seems like there is a gym on every corner, hotel, office, right next to the Starbucks. Almost every magazine has some sort of health related tip about losing weight and we obsess over it on a daily basis. It's like Chadd's analogy to money--we're all obsessed with it, but we're too "polite to talk about it."
We are also sharers of guilt. If you and your best friend are out at dinner and she orders something health conscious but you were really eye-ing the creamy luscious pasta...inevitably one of two things happen--you try to convince her to fall with you, or you go the healthy route. Unless your friend has a will power of steel, I'll let you guess what normally happens.
Just socially, there's a lot against you. Don't even start with me on what lies ahead of you when your own willpower begins to fade and a snickers bar sounds good.
This is where as your weight is following the downslide of the yo-yo, your morale is running right along side. It's what happens to me at least 3 times a year and every single time, I tell myself it won't happen again. I've heard that the percentage of people who quit smoking drops with every attempt they have. If you go that route, then quit, and find yourself down the same path again, it becomes well worn and familiar. It's why people who quit quit quit the first time are so much more successful.
Do you see what I mean about the whole New Years Resolution thing? Is this year REALLY going to be any different? Are you going to get to Feb 1 and crap out?
Please don't mistake what I'm saying. What I'm asking of you is something that will change, hopefully, how you go about achieving your health resolution in 2010. I am not saying that you cannot or that the odds are against you, instead, I'm asking you for the next....let's say 48 hours, to really really contemplate what it is that you want to achieve. Making your resolution list should take more than 10 minutes. Put some thought into it and make the decision that you will follow through. Don't let this be a yo-yo year for you--weight or resolutions.
I made it through Thanksgiving to Christmas losing 8 pounds, stayed solid the week I was home with my family, and am back on track to keep losing down to my goal weight just before my February birthday. How am I going to beat the yo-yo?
I acknowledged the yo-yo in my life.
I confronted it and banished it and Promised myself (remember the 2 P's) it would not return.
I made a pact with my co-blogger that will not likely be broken because I found someone who will hold me accountable and who understands/is battling the yo-yo with me.
What were your resolutions last year? Did you achieve them? Yes or no--how did you achieve them or what made you stumble?
Stay tuned for a Resolution post!
Monday, July 7, 2014
A Little (less) About Me
Lately, in talks with a very close blogger to my heart (and my awesome Mom!) (you can read her blog here: http://niftyartgirl.blogspot.com/) I've realized that I need to refocus my blog. She's in the middle of an effort to build her business through media, and has taken cool courses on how to focus blogging. Check out her experiences.
I've enjoyed writing what I've been writing, but the blog has kind of trailed off of it's original path (which is fine). I want to keep in touch about me personally, as well. This started as a catalogue of my effort to watch what I eat (calorie counting) and my desire to stay fit.
I had ups and downs (just read back to some time around Easter of 2009) and lost and gained. So, I'm happy to remind you to remind me to stay honest with you all. That half bottle of prosecco during restaurant with good friend K of http://bitchywordsfromenglishnerds.blogspot.com/, yeah that was ALL me.
Sometime around late October, I stepped on the scale and basically threw up on myself. I was officially over the point that I told myself I would never go over. Instead of wig out, I partnered with a good friend of mine in our great secret blog project.
About 2 months later, I have found that this blog has been the biggest help. On days when I feel like I really really need that cookie, linking up with my co secret blogger, I get through it. We celebrate together, we commiserate together. I haven't seen her in a while, but I'm sure she looks dynamite.
And now to tell you all, thanks to the awesome bodybugg, calorie counting, and my secret co blogger, I have successfully lost 11.5 pounds since Thanksgiving. I am officially further along (and more easily won this time) than the beginning of 2009 when I started down this path. I am at a BMI of 23.4, which is on the higher end of a health range.
I am about 10.5 pounds away from my ideal ideal goal weight, but only about 7 pounds away from "I will be happy to maintain my weight here" weight. At the ideal ideal weight, I will be at a BMI of 21.6.
Ladies and gentlemen, it can be done with patience and a whole lotta learning. I strongly suggest reading food lables, checking out what is in your food, etc. It makes a big difference when that cookie that doesn't taste THAT good had a caloric value, doesn't it?
If that doesn't help. Check this business out:
I've enjoyed writing what I've been writing, but the blog has kind of trailed off of it's original path (which is fine). I want to keep in touch about me personally, as well. This started as a catalogue of my effort to watch what I eat (calorie counting) and my desire to stay fit.
I had ups and downs (just read back to some time around Easter of 2009) and lost and gained. So, I'm happy to remind you to remind me to stay honest with you all. That half bottle of prosecco during restaurant with good friend K of http://bitchywordsfromenglishnerds.blogspot.com/, yeah that was ALL me.
Sometime around late October, I stepped on the scale and basically threw up on myself. I was officially over the point that I told myself I would never go over. Instead of wig out, I partnered with a good friend of mine in our great secret blog project.
About 2 months later, I have found that this blog has been the biggest help. On days when I feel like I really really need that cookie, linking up with my co secret blogger, I get through it. We celebrate together, we commiserate together. I haven't seen her in a while, but I'm sure she looks dynamite.
And now to tell you all, thanks to the awesome bodybugg, calorie counting, and my secret co blogger, I have successfully lost 11.5 pounds since Thanksgiving. I am officially further along (and more easily won this time) than the beginning of 2009 when I started down this path. I am at a BMI of 23.4, which is on the higher end of a health range.
I am about 10.5 pounds away from my ideal ideal goal weight, but only about 7 pounds away from "I will be happy to maintain my weight here" weight. At the ideal ideal weight, I will be at a BMI of 21.6.
Ladies and gentlemen, it can be done with patience and a whole lotta learning. I strongly suggest reading food lables, checking out what is in your food, etc. It makes a big difference when that cookie that doesn't taste THAT good had a caloric value, doesn't it?
If that doesn't help. Check this business out:
That, my friends, is a pound of fat. Nothing like some visual imaging to keep you going, right? Those last 10 pounds are only as hard as you let them be.
Pizza DOES Have Calories and My Brilliant New Idea
Did you know that a slice of Papa John's Cheese Pizza on regular crust has 400 calories? Because I sure as hell did not. I found this out AFTER consuming 4 of them. Guys, that is quite literally about the total of my caloric intake on a daily basis. I paired this with a nice prosecco and blam. So much for that.
But if there's one thing I've learned, it's to never dwell on what you've already consumed or how much you weigh now. Focus on the future, the next meal, the next few pounds, whatever. Inevitably, stress makes you keep the weight.
I choked on my light turkey breast sandwhich while totalling yesterday's calories. Alas. But tonight, I'm meeting my dear friend (who you may remember from this post: http://dietsarecrap.blogspot.com/2009/05/when-pizza-doesnt-have-calories.html) in VEGAS where she teaches for Teach for America. Words cannot tell you how excited I am to be going to see her.
Right now, I'm sitting in the Denver airport, waiting for my flight, a little baffled that it's only 12:13 while my internal clock is feeling a bit more like 2:13. By the time I get to Vegas, it'll be somewhere around 5:30 in my brain and only 2:30 there.
Tonight, we're going to hit up a 6pm spin class that she says is a real ass kicker. Then I'm hoping we'll find a little place to grab a few drinks and some light food or that we'll whip something up (she was the first person to introduce to me to Volumetrics...and speaking of, check out their bulgar stuffed peppers. 150 calories of filling amazingness.) I am focusing on eating well, working out, and enjoying my time with her instead of freaking out about my 4 figure dinner consumption last night.
Also. I have a brilliant plan. Anyone want to help me?
Let's put gyms with locker facilities in the airport. $20 for a pass. With people carrying on suitcases these days and long layovers (with a 30 minute flight delay and a 20 minute early arrival, I have about 3 hours to sit here), it would be no issue. I'd KILL for a gym right now, hell, even just to pass the time. Dibs on that idea, btw.
Side note, I probably won't be posting much while I'm in Vegas. I return on Wednesday, posting again Thursday, hopefully with a bit less stress and a lot more sanity.
But if there's one thing I've learned, it's to never dwell on what you've already consumed or how much you weigh now. Focus on the future, the next meal, the next few pounds, whatever. Inevitably, stress makes you keep the weight.
I choked on my light turkey breast sandwhich while totalling yesterday's calories. Alas. But tonight, I'm meeting my dear friend (who you may remember from this post: http://dietsarecrap.blogspot.com/2009/05/when-pizza-doesnt-have-calories.html) in VEGAS where she teaches for Teach for America. Words cannot tell you how excited I am to be going to see her.
Right now, I'm sitting in the Denver airport, waiting for my flight, a little baffled that it's only 12:13 while my internal clock is feeling a bit more like 2:13. By the time I get to Vegas, it'll be somewhere around 5:30 in my brain and only 2:30 there.
Tonight, we're going to hit up a 6pm spin class that she says is a real ass kicker. Then I'm hoping we'll find a little place to grab a few drinks and some light food or that we'll whip something up (she was the first person to introduce to me to Volumetrics...and speaking of, check out their bulgar stuffed peppers. 150 calories of filling amazingness.) I am focusing on eating well, working out, and enjoying my time with her instead of freaking out about my 4 figure dinner consumption last night.
Also. I have a brilliant plan. Anyone want to help me?
Let's put gyms with locker facilities in the airport. $20 for a pass. With people carrying on suitcases these days and long layovers (with a 30 minute flight delay and a 20 minute early arrival, I have about 3 hours to sit here), it would be no issue. I'd KILL for a gym right now, hell, even just to pass the time. Dibs on that idea, btw.
Side note, I probably won't be posting much while I'm in Vegas. I return on Wednesday, posting again Thursday, hopefully with a bit less stress and a lot more sanity.
Back from Vegas
I will tell you all about my amazing amazing trip to Vegas in the near future, but for now, I just have to say one thing:
I do not feel less stressed out and more sane post vacation.
Instead, I feel drastically worse.
Seeing J was probably one of the best things for me, but being out of the city, enjoying the wide-open skies, the mountains, and driving through Red Rock Canyon during a flash snow storm did nothing for making it easy to return to the District and my job.
A few things keeping me afloat this morning (aside from my massive Starbucks), is that while in Vegas, J and I did get to her awesome gym (huge! $31 a month! unfair!) where we took a spin class with an instructor now known as "Hot Jason" then a BodyPump class the next morning which resulted in me not really walking correctly for about 2 days.
I feel like I've lost weight, because despite the fact that we ate so-so (and SO delicious), my dress slacks now pool in my lap when I sit down. We also got spray tans, so while I look smaller through optical illusion, I can see some of my "angles" coming back in. I have almost-abs! I also bought a slinky black dress for going out that I actually fit into without looking like a sausage....small victories amounting to a pretty good feeling.
The hardest thing about coming back is that leaving never changed the fact that I didn't want to be here. It just made it harder to come back. I think it's also hard that J is my go-to "let's go and do" person. I remembered immediately why she and I had gotten along so well to begin with and why it sucked majorly when she left.
We went! We did! We saw! We experienced! And now I'm here, sitting, answering emails. Maybe it's a typical reaction after a good, but too short, vacation. Or maybe, there's a fork on the road. We'll see.
For now, power through the day, it's almost Friday. I've got 3 miles to get through tonight with K.
I do not feel less stressed out and more sane post vacation.
Instead, I feel drastically worse.
Seeing J was probably one of the best things for me, but being out of the city, enjoying the wide-open skies, the mountains, and driving through Red Rock Canyon during a flash snow storm did nothing for making it easy to return to the District and my job.
A few things keeping me afloat this morning (aside from my massive Starbucks), is that while in Vegas, J and I did get to her awesome gym (huge! $31 a month! unfair!) where we took a spin class with an instructor now known as "Hot Jason" then a BodyPump class the next morning which resulted in me not really walking correctly for about 2 days.
I feel like I've lost weight, because despite the fact that we ate so-so (and SO delicious), my dress slacks now pool in my lap when I sit down. We also got spray tans, so while I look smaller through optical illusion, I can see some of my "angles" coming back in. I have almost-abs! I also bought a slinky black dress for going out that I actually fit into without looking like a sausage....small victories amounting to a pretty good feeling.
The hardest thing about coming back is that leaving never changed the fact that I didn't want to be here. It just made it harder to come back. I think it's also hard that J is my go-to "let's go and do" person. I remembered immediately why she and I had gotten along so well to begin with and why it sucked majorly when she left.
We went! We did! We saw! We experienced! And now I'm here, sitting, answering emails. Maybe it's a typical reaction after a good, but too short, vacation. Or maybe, there's a fork on the road. We'll see.
For now, power through the day, it's almost Friday. I've got 3 miles to get through tonight with K.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
The Trouble with Results
I had the blown up ego and even took a picture, but it looked a little 14 year old naive myspace user, so I ditched the idea of posting pictures of my situation. I also have sore abs due to the fact that I spent over an hour walking around flexing.
In other news, I want to talk about results today. I've had a few conversations with a friend of mine (who may have convinced me into a three way pact with the devil to do another marathon and my first ironman...hahah, I know, right?) about results. We'll call them...WB for work buddy. WB's currently doing something called The Insanity Workout, which actually legitimately makes me tired to think about, but WB's been very patient indulging my fits of whining.
Bottom line. K and Chadd have both noticed my weight loss and WB promises me that if we were in the same city, they'd have noticed too.
Basically, the other day, when I hit 11 pounds of weight loss, I went "dammit, why hasn't someone said something?" K suggested that I'm around her and Chadd most of the time and they noticed. My coworkers, dude! We are three to a cube in our client's office! I see them more than her and Chadd combined!
The other possibility, which is legit, is that since I work in a very conservative environment, my clothes just really aren't showing it (and most of my weight loss has been around my midsection and thighs).
Regardless. I just wanted someone to be like "hey, you look like you've really slimmed down!" and I'd be all like "boom, look at my situation!" except not because that might get me fired. The point is, I have to remind myself that there's a fine line between losing for myself and losing for praise. Praise is nice, the actual loss is a far better gift since it's healthy/life lengthening. Self praise should and needs to be a bigger part of my routine. Every woman out there rips on herself entirely too much. I'm seriously guilty of it, and despite my dad's never ending quest to get me to kill that inner mean voice (he doesn't like or allow self-deprecating comments, which I've always thought is one of the best dad-things he's done), it's pretty persistent.
My solution is this. I will start telling myself one positive thing a day and I'm not talking "hey, nice hair." More like "damn girl, your arms are getting toned!" in my very very white girl ghetto voice. I will also freely tell people about my success (granted, at appropriate times). I will also build and maintain a good support group. Everyone needs outside input, so find the group that is likely to give it to you (honest feedback) and ask for their support. They'll give it.
So that's part one of the results discussion. The second part is not about recognition of results, but more about the effect of results.
I am guilty of the yo-yo, as I've discussed before, but the real issue is that at a certain point, we're really happy with what we've done and the next x pounds are part of the goal...but damn, we have a situation! I can kick back and relax, right? Yeah, no. I do that every time. I feel like counting my calories and working out and generally being fitness minded is great, but it's only around when I want to lose weight. I know that most of America struggles with this issue. We feel like we've done without or we've adjusted our schedule--temporarily. Except that's not how this works. You go right back up if you treat this is a temporary lifestyle.
I think I was on the dangerous edge of getting there. Two parties this weekend, each with their share of fatty foods and alcohol. I'm here, teetering on the edge of being close to the next set of ten pounds and I'm like...I've been so good, I can do a splurge weekend. Yeah, no. I can plan for the parties, have a slice of pizza, a drink or two, then call it quits. Soooo hard to reel ones self back in, isn't it?
I say I WAS on the dangerous edge. Last night, I went to the gym and had my body fat percentage measured. Now, not to make excuses here, but the guy said that they only use the scale, which is apparently the least accurate means of measuring body fat. But still. The number on that scale was horrifying. I might have lost 11 pounds, but that didn't mean that my body fat was gone. It meant that I must have been a lot worse off than I'd thought. I shudder to think about what would have happened without my Pact buddy.
I was so upset by the % last night that I couldn't remember my weight. He said I'd lost a pound but I couldn't remember what I told him I was the week before.
So this morning, at a more appropriate time (after cycle, before I'd eaten), I stepped on the scale at my gym and weighed in. You guys, I lost 1.75 pounds since Sunday. I had gained a half pound in Vegas, which I think is a victory, and then lost 1.75. Woohoo! I have moved from the 1X0's to the 1(X-1)0's! ie, if I were in the 180s, I'd have slipped into the 170s.
I am officially 9 pounds away from my original goal weight. 13 pounds lost (well, 12.75)! Sometimes that number seems huge and sometimes, inconsequential. I told my Pact buddy that I added a new goal to my weight loss--a body fat percentage change of 7%, then I'd reassess.
Bottom line:
- Surround yourself with a good support group and stay positive yourself.
- Don't be satisfied with results. Keep going or maintain. Never slide back!
In other news, I want to talk about results today. I've had a few conversations with a friend of mine (who may have convinced me into a three way pact with the devil to do another marathon and my first ironman...hahah, I know, right?) about results. We'll call them...WB for work buddy. WB's currently doing something called The Insanity Workout, which actually legitimately makes me tired to think about, but WB's been very patient indulging my fits of whining.
Bottom line. K and Chadd have both noticed my weight loss and WB promises me that if we were in the same city, they'd have noticed too.
Basically, the other day, when I hit 11 pounds of weight loss, I went "dammit, why hasn't someone said something?" K suggested that I'm around her and Chadd most of the time and they noticed. My coworkers, dude! We are three to a cube in our client's office! I see them more than her and Chadd combined!
The other possibility, which is legit, is that since I work in a very conservative environment, my clothes just really aren't showing it (and most of my weight loss has been around my midsection and thighs).
Regardless. I just wanted someone to be like "hey, you look like you've really slimmed down!" and I'd be all like "boom, look at my situation!" except not because that might get me fired. The point is, I have to remind myself that there's a fine line between losing for myself and losing for praise. Praise is nice, the actual loss is a far better gift since it's healthy/life lengthening. Self praise should and needs to be a bigger part of my routine. Every woman out there rips on herself entirely too much. I'm seriously guilty of it, and despite my dad's never ending quest to get me to kill that inner mean voice (he doesn't like or allow self-deprecating comments, which I've always thought is one of the best dad-things he's done), it's pretty persistent.
My solution is this. I will start telling myself one positive thing a day and I'm not talking "hey, nice hair." More like "damn girl, your arms are getting toned!" in my very very white girl ghetto voice. I will also freely tell people about my success (granted, at appropriate times). I will also build and maintain a good support group. Everyone needs outside input, so find the group that is likely to give it to you (honest feedback) and ask for their support. They'll give it.
So that's part one of the results discussion. The second part is not about recognition of results, but more about the effect of results.
I am guilty of the yo-yo, as I've discussed before, but the real issue is that at a certain point, we're really happy with what we've done and the next x pounds are part of the goal...but damn, we have a situation! I can kick back and relax, right? Yeah, no. I do that every time. I feel like counting my calories and working out and generally being fitness minded is great, but it's only around when I want to lose weight. I know that most of America struggles with this issue. We feel like we've done without or we've adjusted our schedule--temporarily. Except that's not how this works. You go right back up if you treat this is a temporary lifestyle.
I think I was on the dangerous edge of getting there. Two parties this weekend, each with their share of fatty foods and alcohol. I'm here, teetering on the edge of being close to the next set of ten pounds and I'm like...I've been so good, I can do a splurge weekend. Yeah, no. I can plan for the parties, have a slice of pizza, a drink or two, then call it quits. Soooo hard to reel ones self back in, isn't it?
I say I WAS on the dangerous edge. Last night, I went to the gym and had my body fat percentage measured. Now, not to make excuses here, but the guy said that they only use the scale, which is apparently the least accurate means of measuring body fat. But still. The number on that scale was horrifying. I might have lost 11 pounds, but that didn't mean that my body fat was gone. It meant that I must have been a lot worse off than I'd thought. I shudder to think about what would have happened without my Pact buddy.
I was so upset by the % last night that I couldn't remember my weight. He said I'd lost a pound but I couldn't remember what I told him I was the week before.
So this morning, at a more appropriate time (after cycle, before I'd eaten), I stepped on the scale at my gym and weighed in. You guys, I lost 1.75 pounds since Sunday. I had gained a half pound in Vegas, which I think is a victory, and then lost 1.75. Woohoo! I have moved from the 1X0's to the 1(X-1)0's! ie, if I were in the 180s, I'd have slipped into the 170s.
I am officially 9 pounds away from my original goal weight. 13 pounds lost (well, 12.75)! Sometimes that number seems huge and sometimes, inconsequential. I told my Pact buddy that I added a new goal to my weight loss--a body fat percentage change of 7%, then I'd reassess.
Bottom line:
- Surround yourself with a good support group and stay positive yourself.
- Don't be satisfied with results. Keep going or maintain. Never slide back!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
How to Achieve a Situation (Or Issue)
I don't want to follow in Mike the Situation's footsteps, so Chadd and I have agreed to call my abs "an issue." They may be upgraded at some point, but for now, they're an issue.
Anyway, I had a few people ask me how I did it. Basically, here it is, here is what I did. I'm not saying it will work for everyone, I'm not saying it's easy, this really is a change of lifestyle. But hey, here I am to tell you that it works and that it really wasn't that painful.
1) Set a goal for yourself and make it realistic. My goal was 22 pounds by my birthday (in 2 weeks) and I made this goal late October/Early November. I knew it was a bit of a stretch, so I had a modified "I will be happy with myself if I do X instead." That goal was 15 pounds. I could go all consultanty on you and say to make it a SMART goal, but I can't remember the acronym, so just make sure that it's measurable and that you have a date attached to it.
2) Enlist Help. Remember my Pact buddy? She's been great and without her, I wouldn't be here. We blog every day on our private blog. This person keeps you accountable and also gives you someone who will be sympathetic to you when you have a "I really need pizza and wine" day. You may need to join weight watchers or something to find that person, but it's easier/better if its someone close to you. If you're that kind of person, you can also find free online communities. Check out Peer Trainer for a good resource.
3) Count Your Calories. I know that this went the way of the mixtape--why bother listening to the radio to record songs when you could log onto itunes, right? Wrong. In this case, the old way is the best way. Measure your food. Look up calories (you can google it, or use SparkPeople). Read labels and stick to the serving sizes. Depending on how many calories you burn, you need to cut between 500 and 1000 calories a day to see weight loss. 1 pound = 3500 calories. So if you want to lose 2 pounds a week, you need to be cutting back 1000 calories a day. It starts by writing down everything. I mean everything. I never said this was a quick fix!
Example:
Breakfast:
1 packet instant oatmeal: 120 calories
Snack:
Apple: 81 calories
Also, I think it's ridiculously important to know what goes into your food. Take back control of what is put in your food.
4) Determine your burn. This one is hard. Here are a few sites that will at least help you:
Calorie Count (this is pretty accurate)
Health Status
To be honest, I use my BodyBugg for this. It's the one thing that I've found to be the most accurate and my burn was my missing piece. You need to determine what you burn to make sure that you're accurately achieving the deficit that you think you are. Write this down every day next to your calories consumed, deficit written as well.
5) Plan it all out. Make it easier on yourself, instead of getting to the end of the day starving and only having 10 calories left to eat, sit down on Sunday night and write out your menu for the week. Go to the store and pick up those 100 calorie snacks, lean cuisines, whatever it is that will make it easier for you to space out your calorie needs.
6) Give yourself 1 day to splurge per week. I'm not saying to go out and clear out the all you can eat buffet. But now is the time to have a slice of pizza, or go out for a nice dinner and not worry about the calories in the steak. It makes it so much easier when you know that you have 1 day to fudge, whether you use it for a celebratory dinner or for a day when you're captive to office food. Life happens. Your diet must be flexible.
7) Weigh in 1x a week, same time, same day, same scale. Weighing in once a week under those circumstances gives you the most real picture of your weight loss. Try and do it first thing in the morning. If you notice your weight going up, reassess your meal plan/burn goal. Ladies, keep in mind we do have more fluctuations than men...
8) Reward yourself at milestones. I recently bought a groupon for a massage that I plan to use at -20 pounds. Only 7 pounds away! My Pact buddy is eyeing a pearl necklace to match her goal weight dress. Just make sure your reward is NOT food based, unless it's something fun like healthy cooking lessons.
9) Give yourself time. I've given myself about 3 months to get here and I know I'm not done yet. This is not a quick fix, but this is a realistic life style change.
10) Forgive yourself. This is the most important one. We all slip up now and again. But when you have a bad moment/day/week, get over it, forgive yourself, and start anew. Just because you slid backwards does not mean that you have to start all over again. You just need to keep going from where you are.
It all comes down to this simple fact: when calories in < calories out, you get weightloss. I encourage you, if you are pursuing weightloss, to boil it all down to this simple fact. Learn what you consume, learn what you burn, and make it part of your daily routine.
If you want a day in the life of me, I'll post one tomorrow. But there are the guidelines. Tune in tomorrow! A day in the life of me.
Anyway, I had a few people ask me how I did it. Basically, here it is, here is what I did. I'm not saying it will work for everyone, I'm not saying it's easy, this really is a change of lifestyle. But hey, here I am to tell you that it works and that it really wasn't that painful.
1) Set a goal for yourself and make it realistic. My goal was 22 pounds by my birthday (in 2 weeks) and I made this goal late October/Early November. I knew it was a bit of a stretch, so I had a modified "I will be happy with myself if I do X instead." That goal was 15 pounds. I could go all consultanty on you and say to make it a SMART goal, but I can't remember the acronym, so just make sure that it's measurable and that you have a date attached to it.
2) Enlist Help. Remember my Pact buddy? She's been great and without her, I wouldn't be here. We blog every day on our private blog. This person keeps you accountable and also gives you someone who will be sympathetic to you when you have a "I really need pizza and wine" day. You may need to join weight watchers or something to find that person, but it's easier/better if its someone close to you. If you're that kind of person, you can also find free online communities. Check out Peer Trainer for a good resource.
3) Count Your Calories. I know that this went the way of the mixtape--why bother listening to the radio to record songs when you could log onto itunes, right? Wrong. In this case, the old way is the best way. Measure your food. Look up calories (you can google it, or use SparkPeople). Read labels and stick to the serving sizes. Depending on how many calories you burn, you need to cut between 500 and 1000 calories a day to see weight loss. 1 pound = 3500 calories. So if you want to lose 2 pounds a week, you need to be cutting back 1000 calories a day. It starts by writing down everything. I mean everything. I never said this was a quick fix!
Example:
Breakfast:
1 packet instant oatmeal: 120 calories
Snack:
Apple: 81 calories
Also, I think it's ridiculously important to know what goes into your food. Take back control of what is put in your food.
4) Determine your burn. This one is hard. Here are a few sites that will at least help you:
Calorie Count (this is pretty accurate)
Health Status
To be honest, I use my BodyBugg for this. It's the one thing that I've found to be the most accurate and my burn was my missing piece. You need to determine what you burn to make sure that you're accurately achieving the deficit that you think you are. Write this down every day next to your calories consumed, deficit written as well.
5) Plan it all out. Make it easier on yourself, instead of getting to the end of the day starving and only having 10 calories left to eat, sit down on Sunday night and write out your menu for the week. Go to the store and pick up those 100 calorie snacks, lean cuisines, whatever it is that will make it easier for you to space out your calorie needs.
6) Give yourself 1 day to splurge per week. I'm not saying to go out and clear out the all you can eat buffet. But now is the time to have a slice of pizza, or go out for a nice dinner and not worry about the calories in the steak. It makes it so much easier when you know that you have 1 day to fudge, whether you use it for a celebratory dinner or for a day when you're captive to office food. Life happens. Your diet must be flexible.
7) Weigh in 1x a week, same time, same day, same scale. Weighing in once a week under those circumstances gives you the most real picture of your weight loss. Try and do it first thing in the morning. If you notice your weight going up, reassess your meal plan/burn goal. Ladies, keep in mind we do have more fluctuations than men...
8) Reward yourself at milestones. I recently bought a groupon for a massage that I plan to use at -20 pounds. Only 7 pounds away! My Pact buddy is eyeing a pearl necklace to match her goal weight dress. Just make sure your reward is NOT food based, unless it's something fun like healthy cooking lessons.
9) Give yourself time. I've given myself about 3 months to get here and I know I'm not done yet. This is not a quick fix, but this is a realistic life style change.
10) Forgive yourself. This is the most important one. We all slip up now and again. But when you have a bad moment/day/week, get over it, forgive yourself, and start anew. Just because you slid backwards does not mean that you have to start all over again. You just need to keep going from where you are.
It all comes down to this simple fact: when calories in < calories out, you get weightloss. I encourage you, if you are pursuing weightloss, to boil it all down to this simple fact. Learn what you consume, learn what you burn, and make it part of your daily routine.
If you want a day in the life of me, I'll post one tomorrow. But there are the guidelines. Tune in tomorrow! A day in the life of me.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Resolutions Checkpoint
I was reading through back posts of Diets are Crap last night and I came across my post about new years resolutions--specifically what mine were and I figured it might be a good time to review them, assess progress, and make adjustments if necessary!
Here's the post if you need a refresher.
1) Finish my weight loss to my ideal (and healthy) weight by the end of February and maintain it.
Status: Yellow light. While I'm 14 pounds into that 22 pound goal, I likely won't make it to the full 22 pounds by the end of February...you know, unless I donate a kidney and half my liver. I'm okay with this progress so far. My clothes are getting bigger, my hip bones have made their presence known (especially when one collided with the table the other night.)
Updated Resolution: Finish the 22 pounds by the end of April. Giving myself 2 more months allows me to work on taking out 1 pound a week and finishing easily. While my caloric output has recently jumped up, it's still not enough to make it easy to blow through 2 pounds a week.
2) Get pricing for new counter tops for Ikea.
Status: Green Light. While I haven't gone to Ikea yet, I still have about 10 months to get out there. After the month of March (which is going to be insane), I have some plans stirring for April--and a lot of them involve home improvement (closets, desk, counters)
3) See my two best friends in their respective cities. I'm on my way to one in a few weeks--Vegas, baby!
Status: Green Light. I had a great time with J in Vegas last month...now all I need to do is get to NYC to see my other J! Again, I have plenty of time.
4a) Continue my savings/investing pattern that I established this year.
Status: Green Light. Yaay financial security!
4b) Make and following a cleaning schedule to avoid stressing myself out.
Status: Red Light. To be quite frank with you, I didn't even make a schedule. Bad bad bad. Maybe I'll get to that this weekend...I also have intentions to delegate chores.
5) Have 1 date with Chadd a month.
Status: Green Light. It's been pretty easy to do this since our birthdays are in January and February. Hopefully we'll keep the pattern up through the year!
6) Study for and take my personal training certification exam. Also, stick with the yoga.
Status: Green Light. My personal training study stuff gets here tomorrow afternoon and aside from the snow delays, I've been good about going to yoga every Tuesday morning!
On the To-Do List (the post following resolutions), I just started to chip away and got in touch with one of my Group Fitness Coordinators to find a good Registered Dietitian. I'm dropping by the gym tonight to fill out the paperwork for getting probably 4 sessions with her. Since I'll be starting my personal training soon, I want to make sure that I'm pairing it up with the right nutrition. Review to come!
How are you doing on your resolutions? Do you remember them? Do you have new ones?
Here's the post if you need a refresher.
1) Finish my weight loss to my ideal (and healthy) weight by the end of February and maintain it.
Status: Yellow light. While I'm 14 pounds into that 22 pound goal, I likely won't make it to the full 22 pounds by the end of February...you know, unless I donate a kidney and half my liver. I'm okay with this progress so far. My clothes are getting bigger, my hip bones have made their presence known (especially when one collided with the table the other night.)
Updated Resolution: Finish the 22 pounds by the end of April. Giving myself 2 more months allows me to work on taking out 1 pound a week and finishing easily. While my caloric output has recently jumped up, it's still not enough to make it easy to blow through 2 pounds a week.
2) Get pricing for new counter tops for Ikea.
Status: Green Light. While I haven't gone to Ikea yet, I still have about 10 months to get out there. After the month of March (which is going to be insane), I have some plans stirring for April--and a lot of them involve home improvement (closets, desk, counters)
3) See my two best friends in their respective cities. I'm on my way to one in a few weeks--Vegas, baby!
Status: Green Light. I had a great time with J in Vegas last month...now all I need to do is get to NYC to see my other J! Again, I have plenty of time.
4a) Continue my savings/investing pattern that I established this year.
Status: Green Light. Yaay financial security!
4b) Make and following a cleaning schedule to avoid stressing myself out.
Status: Red Light. To be quite frank with you, I didn't even make a schedule. Bad bad bad. Maybe I'll get to that this weekend...I also have intentions to delegate chores.
5) Have 1 date with Chadd a month.
Status: Green Light. It's been pretty easy to do this since our birthdays are in January and February. Hopefully we'll keep the pattern up through the year!
6) Study for and take my personal training certification exam. Also, stick with the yoga.
Status: Green Light. My personal training study stuff gets here tomorrow afternoon and aside from the snow delays, I've been good about going to yoga every Tuesday morning!
On the To-Do List (the post following resolutions), I just started to chip away and got in touch with one of my Group Fitness Coordinators to find a good Registered Dietitian. I'm dropping by the gym tonight to fill out the paperwork for getting probably 4 sessions with her. Since I'll be starting my personal training soon, I want to make sure that I'm pairing it up with the right nutrition. Review to come!
How are you doing on your resolutions? Do you remember them? Do you have new ones?
The Beginning of March...and on to May
And another month rolls around!
Well, I have mixed news. The first and only bit, really, is that I haven't really gained or lost weight in the month of February. I suppose the good news in all of that is that with my birthday, a massive snowstorm, staying up late to pick up Chadd and entirely too much snacking, I haven't gained...so I've found the right method of maintaining. 6 pounds from now, I'll have an idea of how to maintain that weight. That's the hardest part, in my opinion.
Of course, the bad news is that I am no closer to my goal than I was a month ago. Thankfully March is a very active month for me and my pact buddy and I are back on track, too, so we're all set to give a one-two punch to March and get that much closer to our goal.
My March looks as follows:
Weekend 1: Les Mills Training (Friday-Sunday)
Weekend 2: Snowboarding (Saturday)
Weekend 3: Colorado! (Wednesday-Monday)
Weekend 4: 10K Run to Register
Weekend 5: Easter (Chadd's mom comes to visit, likely)
Weekend 6: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Weekend 7: Open
Weekend 8: Open
Weekend 9: Run Amuck 5k
Weekend 10: Visit J in NYC
Weekend 11: Historic Half Marathon
Which brings us to the middle of May. No kidding. Like poof there go March and April!
My goal is to get through 3 pounds before I go to see my bro in Colorado. That gives me roughly 2 weeks at a pace I'm comfortable meeting, especially since I'll be meeting with my nutritionist on Wednesday for the first time! Cross you fingers and wish me luck. I'm SO close.
On another note--the 7 day work til exhaustion workout didn't make it 7 days. I strongly suggest clearing your date book because any other gym date literally kills this. I managed to teach it into my class (which I'm sure my class was less than thrilled about), but post boxing, I couldn't lift my arms, much less a weight. Tuesday, teaching no-tap killed me, and then I had a sore wrist for whatever reason for 2 days. So, basically, be careful what you under take. I do recommend trying the work to exhaustion workout 1x a week just to give yourself an extra uumph somewhere in your weekly workout!
Make March a healthy month--hopefully one filled with sunshine and warm weather too!
Well, I have mixed news. The first and only bit, really, is that I haven't really gained or lost weight in the month of February. I suppose the good news in all of that is that with my birthday, a massive snowstorm, staying up late to pick up Chadd and entirely too much snacking, I haven't gained...so I've found the right method of maintaining. 6 pounds from now, I'll have an idea of how to maintain that weight. That's the hardest part, in my opinion.
Of course, the bad news is that I am no closer to my goal than I was a month ago. Thankfully March is a very active month for me and my pact buddy and I are back on track, too, so we're all set to give a one-two punch to March and get that much closer to our goal.
My March looks as follows:
Weekend 1: Les Mills Training (Friday-Sunday)
Weekend 2: Snowboarding (Saturday)
Weekend 3: Colorado! (Wednesday-Monday)
Weekend 4: 10K Run to Register
Weekend 5: Easter (Chadd's mom comes to visit, likely)
Weekend 6: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Weekend 7: Open
Weekend 8: Open
Weekend 9: Run Amuck 5k
Weekend 10: Visit J in NYC
Weekend 11: Historic Half Marathon
Which brings us to the middle of May. No kidding. Like poof there go March and April!
My goal is to get through 3 pounds before I go to see my bro in Colorado. That gives me roughly 2 weeks at a pace I'm comfortable meeting, especially since I'll be meeting with my nutritionist on Wednesday for the first time! Cross you fingers and wish me luck. I'm SO close.
On another note--the 7 day work til exhaustion workout didn't make it 7 days. I strongly suggest clearing your date book because any other gym date literally kills this. I managed to teach it into my class (which I'm sure my class was less than thrilled about), but post boxing, I couldn't lift my arms, much less a weight. Tuesday, teaching no-tap killed me, and then I had a sore wrist for whatever reason for 2 days. So, basically, be careful what you under take. I do recommend trying the work to exhaustion workout 1x a week just to give yourself an extra uumph somewhere in your weekly workout!
Make March a healthy month--hopefully one filled with sunshine and warm weather too!
Sunday, June 29, 2014
R2R 10k: Hold Back, Stay Steady, Finish Strong
I have been a terrible blogger, but I'm going to make a better effort to stay on top of it.
So! This weekend, I ran the Run to Register 10k for the Marine Corps Marathon out in Quantico and had a fantastic time.
My good friend, who I've previously called WB for Work Buddy came into town to do the race with me. We stayed close to Quantico Friday night because the last thing we wanted to do was drive an hour+ from the city down to the base.
We got up early, headed over to base and walked out of the car into cool, crisp air. The base was alive with a bunch of talkative runners, pacing around, warming up. After a last minute bathroom break for me,we lined up under the familiar Marine Corps Marathon arches (my stomach dropped seeing them, remembering my anxiety at the marathon) and off we went.
The course was a simple out and back, down a gently sloping (rises and falls, though nothing too steep). Quantico really is beautiful, we were going down one road that stays along side a lake and a bunch of trees. I felt amazing a few miles in, approaching the halfway (3.1), I felt amazing.
I've noticed that I often times come out of the gate WAY too fast (aka, the Turkey Trot with my brother where I nearly puked all over everyone because I was trying to hold is 7:28 pace....HA). This time, I stayed with my friend, stayed with the crowd, and as it opened up, I slowly let myself adjust to about an 8m/m pace. That's a pretty decent and safe pace for a 5k for me, maybe even fine for 4-5 miles, but to stay with it for 6.2 was going to be a little challenging. But it's amazing what checking your speed at the starting line can do. Conserving energy, I was faster for longer. I saw WB as I started back from the halfway and checked my watch.
I couldn't tell you now what it said, but I remember trying to do math for a couple of minutes, checking and rechecking to make sure I'd calculated it correctly. I couldn't possibly be holding this time, this long...could I?
But I went with it, enjoying the scenary, feeling confident and breezy. I turned the corner to come into the track and checked my watch. In my bad calculations, I had hit 51 minutes and was about to turn possibly beat a 53, which, while I didn't "really" have a goal, I knew I wanted something below an hour and that it was possible I could pull out something under 55. After rounding the bend in the track, I saw the official clock: 49:1something. Two words went through my mind: HOLY SH*T and I booked it. I'd already tried to put on the after burners coming down the hill onto the track but lost it somewhere in the middle. Refiring was really difficult, but I crossed the line in what I swear was some blur of numbers around a 49:3something.
Alas, my official time (which apparently was clock AND chip time...even though I started probably a solid minute after the clock time?) was 50.00.00. A new 10K PR. Some smooth even numbers there, my friends.
I felt officially accomplished and spent the rest of the day, stuffing my face with Mexican food with WB (who also ran a solid race, crushing his PR by 15 minutes--major props to him!) and spending time with Chadd.
Here we are, WB and I, post race:
Best part of the race? When we finished, we were handed a card with an access code on it for a guaranteed entry to the Marine Corps Marathon this year--the 35th. I ran the 31st in 2006 with a 4:22:34...and am looking to crush the 4 hour mark this year, which is just a little over a 9 minute mile. I'd be in line for a 3:45 if I held a solid 8:30. We'll see how training goes!
I've got a weekend off, then the Cherry Blossom 10 mile! If I can hold an 8:15 pace, I'll be thrilled, an 8:30, pretty happy, and anything lower, acceptable.
A little shout out to all of you--thank you so much for the gchat messages/emails/facebook messages, etc. letting me know you read the blog and your congrats on my race--y'all are the best and you give me warm fuzzies.
Coming up this afternoon: Abs/Core Arsenal--a few moves for beginners to experts to pay some special attention to your core!
So! This weekend, I ran the Run to Register 10k for the Marine Corps Marathon out in Quantico and had a fantastic time.
My good friend, who I've previously called WB for Work Buddy came into town to do the race with me. We stayed close to Quantico Friday night because the last thing we wanted to do was drive an hour+ from the city down to the base.
We got up early, headed over to base and walked out of the car into cool, crisp air. The base was alive with a bunch of talkative runners, pacing around, warming up. After a last minute bathroom break for me,we lined up under the familiar Marine Corps Marathon arches (my stomach dropped seeing them, remembering my anxiety at the marathon) and off we went.
The course was a simple out and back, down a gently sloping (rises and falls, though nothing too steep). Quantico really is beautiful, we were going down one road that stays along side a lake and a bunch of trees. I felt amazing a few miles in, approaching the halfway (3.1), I felt amazing.
I've noticed that I often times come out of the gate WAY too fast (aka, the Turkey Trot with my brother where I nearly puked all over everyone because I was trying to hold is 7:28 pace....HA). This time, I stayed with my friend, stayed with the crowd, and as it opened up, I slowly let myself adjust to about an 8m/m pace. That's a pretty decent and safe pace for a 5k for me, maybe even fine for 4-5 miles, but to stay with it for 6.2 was going to be a little challenging. But it's amazing what checking your speed at the starting line can do. Conserving energy, I was faster for longer. I saw WB as I started back from the halfway and checked my watch.
I couldn't tell you now what it said, but I remember trying to do math for a couple of minutes, checking and rechecking to make sure I'd calculated it correctly. I couldn't possibly be holding this time, this long...could I?
But I went with it, enjoying the scenary, feeling confident and breezy. I turned the corner to come into the track and checked my watch. In my bad calculations, I had hit 51 minutes and was about to turn possibly beat a 53, which, while I didn't "really" have a goal, I knew I wanted something below an hour and that it was possible I could pull out something under 55. After rounding the bend in the track, I saw the official clock: 49:1something. Two words went through my mind: HOLY SH*T and I booked it. I'd already tried to put on the after burners coming down the hill onto the track but lost it somewhere in the middle. Refiring was really difficult, but I crossed the line in what I swear was some blur of numbers around a 49:3something.
Alas, my official time (which apparently was clock AND chip time...even though I started probably a solid minute after the clock time?) was 50.00.00. A new 10K PR. Some smooth even numbers there, my friends.
I felt officially accomplished and spent the rest of the day, stuffing my face with Mexican food with WB (who also ran a solid race, crushing his PR by 15 minutes--major props to him!) and spending time with Chadd.
Here we are, WB and I, post race:
Best part of the race? When we finished, we were handed a card with an access code on it for a guaranteed entry to the Marine Corps Marathon this year--the 35th. I ran the 31st in 2006 with a 4:22:34...and am looking to crush the 4 hour mark this year, which is just a little over a 9 minute mile. I'd be in line for a 3:45 if I held a solid 8:30. We'll see how training goes!
I've got a weekend off, then the Cherry Blossom 10 mile! If I can hold an 8:15 pace, I'll be thrilled, an 8:30, pretty happy, and anything lower, acceptable.
A little shout out to all of you--thank you so much for the gchat messages/emails/facebook messages, etc. letting me know you read the blog and your congrats on my race--y'all are the best and you give me warm fuzzies.
Coming up this afternoon: Abs/Core Arsenal--a few moves for beginners to experts to pay some special attention to your core!
Friday, June 27, 2014
Body Pump Launch
Yes yes, it's 12:30 and I should be asleep. But I have to share something that I totally forgot to talk about today.
Last night (tuesday night) we launched Body Pump (by Les Mills) at the Y and literally had to turn people away because we maxed out our class! 40 people! I cannot tell you how amazing it is to have a full, energy-driven, group of people take your class.
A big shout-out goes to my amazing instructor friends for all the work they've done, the times we've shared sweating, maybe bleeding, crying, and laughing over the past two months getting ready for this.
I also want to take this moment to brag. Observe:
Last night (tuesday night) we launched Body Pump (by Les Mills) at the Y and literally had to turn people away because we maxed out our class! 40 people! I cannot tell you how amazing it is to have a full, energy-driven, group of people take your class.
A big shout-out goes to my amazing instructor friends for all the work they've done, the times we've shared sweating, maybe bleeding, crying, and laughing over the past two months getting ready for this.
National Capitol YMCA BodyPump Crew!
I also want to take this moment to brag. Observe:
Yes, that is my right leg and no, my quads are not photo shopped. I haven't had my runner's legs since...2006. Want runner's legs too? Easy. Come to BodyPump! (No joke, this is the most awesome workout I've ever taught) I'm teaching a week from this Thursday with Steph. I'm going to try to put together a foam rolling class afterwards, but it might just be abs and stretch for now.
For my 20-20-20 class: FJ is going to be teaching my class this Sunday since I'll be in New York seeing my best friend from high school.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Weekend of Car Problems
Hello from hot and humid DC...I had intended to spend this Saturday morning getting up early and getting out for my first long run...but in case you weren't aware, we're in the middle of a sever heat wave. It literally says on the weather map "oppressive" across the DC area. I didn't even know that was a category...
Anyway, it doesn't matter anyway because I had to take the car to the dealership at 7:30 for repairs (sigh. $$$$$) and I'm still there right now. It's only been an hour, but it feels like some sort of time warp. And place warp.
I'm not kidding, the guy to my right is drawing some sort of psychadelic butterfly woman with a rainbow background. Not like doodling, either, like full on massive sheet of paper with pastels. Sooner I can go home, the better. There are at least three other people in the room with me who are conversing with the tv. Not in a crazy kind of way, but in the way that they're literally having a conversation with the today show. Example: TV: "If you have an allergy to wheat gluten...it can cause *list symptoms" Person: Mmmmmhmm, sure nuff!
I'm in a real conundrum. I took about a week off of working out. Mostly because this week was hell on wheels at work. Don't get me wrong, unlike my last job, I actually enjoy my work and so it hasn't been horrible, but it's taken a toll on my exercise and sleep time.
But that's not the conundrum. The real reason I've taken a week off is because I really hate running on a treadmill. Really hate it, but it's been too hot to go outside unless I'm up really early, and I've been too tired to do that.
I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to motivate myself to get up and get out there. I have a marathon AND a Ragnar relay breathing down my neck, so I really don't have a negotiable way out.
Since Chadd's out of town this weekend, I have plenty of time to plan. What do I do well? I plan.
If I ever get to leave the dealership, then I'm going to go home and after some fun time with my weightloss buddy, start doing some planning. I'm going to come up with my meal plans again, I always prefer to do that because it takes all the last minute what to eat guess work out of my nights, especially when making a quesadilla sounds like the only option.
I'm also going to brainstorm things to do instead of running ... maybe it's that I have to go and spend an hour on the bike or cross trainer (x-train), maybe it's that I go swimming at the Y (in this heat? yes please...), or a walk. It's still hot outside, but I could probably manage walking (knowing that I'll likely jog)
So. That was written a while ago, in between then and now, I stopped by the diner next door for food, then walked the mile to Ikea to look for a new solution for our desk (we're getting rid of it, since we never use it...) but we need something to put all the stuff in that was in the desk.
Can I just tell you....it's ridiculously hot outside. I literally was sweating through my shirt walking the mile back from Ikea. I'm sure I looked like a crazy homeless person, walking down the highway, but whatever, better than sitting here in the mechanic's...which is playing some terrible 3-d animated kid's show about dogs that race car.
Okay. Thank God. I'm writing this at 10:45 at night...the car is almost repaired (a long story that isn't worth getting into) and my weightloss buddy and I had a great day at Joann fabrics, crafting, eating pizza, and chatting.
Hopefully I'll actually get my food/workout plans together tomorrow. I'll share them soon, whether it's tomorrow or the day after...or the day after that!
Anyway, it doesn't matter anyway because I had to take the car to the dealership at 7:30 for repairs (sigh. $$$$$) and I'm still there right now. It's only been an hour, but it feels like some sort of time warp. And place warp.
I'm not kidding, the guy to my right is drawing some sort of psychadelic butterfly woman with a rainbow background. Not like doodling, either, like full on massive sheet of paper with pastels. Sooner I can go home, the better. There are at least three other people in the room with me who are conversing with the tv. Not in a crazy kind of way, but in the way that they're literally having a conversation with the today show. Example: TV: "If you have an allergy to wheat gluten...it can cause *list symptoms" Person: Mmmmmhmm, sure nuff!
I'm in a real conundrum. I took about a week off of working out. Mostly because this week was hell on wheels at work. Don't get me wrong, unlike my last job, I actually enjoy my work and so it hasn't been horrible, but it's taken a toll on my exercise and sleep time.
But that's not the conundrum. The real reason I've taken a week off is because I really hate running on a treadmill. Really hate it, but it's been too hot to go outside unless I'm up really early, and I've been too tired to do that.
I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to motivate myself to get up and get out there. I have a marathon AND a Ragnar relay breathing down my neck, so I really don't have a negotiable way out.
Since Chadd's out of town this weekend, I have plenty of time to plan. What do I do well? I plan.
If I ever get to leave the dealership, then I'm going to go home and after some fun time with my weightloss buddy, start doing some planning. I'm going to come up with my meal plans again, I always prefer to do that because it takes all the last minute what to eat guess work out of my nights, especially when making a quesadilla sounds like the only option.
I'm also going to brainstorm things to do instead of running ... maybe it's that I have to go and spend an hour on the bike or cross trainer (x-train), maybe it's that I go swimming at the Y (in this heat? yes please...), or a walk. It's still hot outside, but I could probably manage walking (knowing that I'll likely jog)
So. That was written a while ago, in between then and now, I stopped by the diner next door for food, then walked the mile to Ikea to look for a new solution for our desk (we're getting rid of it, since we never use it...) but we need something to put all the stuff in that was in the desk.
Can I just tell you....it's ridiculously hot outside. I literally was sweating through my shirt walking the mile back from Ikea. I'm sure I looked like a crazy homeless person, walking down the highway, but whatever, better than sitting here in the mechanic's...which is playing some terrible 3-d animated kid's show about dogs that race car.
Okay. Thank God. I'm writing this at 10:45 at night...the car is almost repaired (a long story that isn't worth getting into) and my weightloss buddy and I had a great day at Joann fabrics, crafting, eating pizza, and chatting.
Hopefully I'll actually get my food/workout plans together tomorrow. I'll share them soon, whether it's tomorrow or the day after...or the day after that!
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
More Exciting Things: A Month in the Life of Me
My Trainer Bob inspired me--he has a 4 week program (involving his videos) that you follow with his commentary.
If you give me 1 month, watch what you eat/drink (don't cheat) and do what I'm telling you to do here, I'll show you at least 5 pounds of weight loss. Ready? Sure you are.
Monday:
- Run, jog, or walk for 1 hour. This may also be elliptical, biking, or swimming. If you are walking, keep the pace going. Got some energy? Give me 1 minute of jogging per 2, 3, 4, or 5 minutes of running. Try to spike your cardio at LEAST 1 minute for every 10.
- Stretch
- Drink 3 full bottles of water throughout the day
- Tell yourself one thing that you love about your body. Mine? I love my slight ab definition at the top of my abs.
Tomorrow is group fitness!
Monday, June 16, 2014
And then I slept for 12+ Hours
Saturday's workout(s) were AWESOME.
I'm finding it easier and easier to get up near the buttcrack of dawn. Maybe I really am a morning person - who knew!
I met up with the distrance running group that Coach T trains at Peirce Mill. I've never been there, even though it's ridiculously close to my house, and had first run nerves. One of the traps I get into is not trying new routes. It's a lot easier, mentally, to have mental landmarks. But, this whole triathlon thing is most certainly about trying new things.
When I run on my own, I usually clock around an 8:40-9 minute mile time. This is slightly deceptive since I tend to take a walk break every 2-3 miles (I chalk this up to when typical water stops show up in races). But Saturday's run was 10 miles, averaging a 9:30-9:40 pace (no faster) and with the goal of not stopping. That was a mental barrier waiting to be destroyed.
I got to meet Victoria in person, which was really cool. She's a blogger celebrity and my own personal hero (especially for her swim prowess). She very kindly offered to run with me and not let me get lost on the trails. And off we went. It was a gorgeous day for a run, especially along Rock Creek. We finished up around 1:35 (she went on to do another 2 miles): average mile time: 9:30 - bingo.
I had my first back to back workout scheduled for Saturday, so I got home, ate some pretzels (yaay salt!) and headed down to the pool. What I didn't know was that from 9-11 at the pool is basically kids-a-palooza. Incredibly frustrated, I left, intending to call my coach and ask how to fix this situation. I had plans in Baltimore, then I needed to be available all the rest of the evening to support Chadd for the Ninja Warrior stuff. Thankfully, I had my times wrong on my Baltimore plans, so I walked back over to the Y and pulled off a very bad 45 minutes in the pool. I started out frustrated. My form felt bad, I felt slow (and was certainly the slowest in the pool, save for the gentleman in lane 3 learning to swim) and it was crowded and I felt like a huge inconvenience to everyone.
Then I remembered the crucial swimming tip Victoria had given me: look down.
This sounds like an incredibly easy tip and one that I'm sure many of you have been doing without thinking. This was a huge lightbulb moment for me. My form improved dramatically. I still struggled with the endurance side of swimming, but at least my butt wasn't 6 inches lower than the rest of my body.
I guess this is the equivalent of when someone tells me they're struggling with running and I have 3 guesses on form problems that, when fixed, dramatically improve the person's experience.
In case you were wondering, those tips are:
1. Run neutrally. I see a lot of people slumped forward, which cuts off your lung capacity. Sit up.
2. Tuck your hips under. This should take some pressure off your knees and engage your glutes. Big muscles give you a big hand.
3. Relax. Arms should swing naturally, shoulders away from the ears, look ahead.
I was surprised with how great I felt Saturday after both workouts. I jumped in the shower and felt awesome driving out to see some of my favorite Ragnarians (def: people who run Ragnar).
We gorged on wings and bbq: (seriously, do yourself a favor and go to Kloby's in Columbia)
.JPG)
Happy Ragnarians were we:
.JPG)
I jumped back in the car to Alexandria (my muscles weren't really happy with the hour plus I spent in the car). After watching Chadd do ninja stuff, we headed home. I managed to eat a little pizza (ok, a lot of pizza), and have precisely 1 beer before passing out at the amazing hour of 9:30. I had promised Chadd we'd watch more X-Files, but instead, I slept for 12 hours. Bless his heart, he didn't wake me and instead let me sleep until I woke up at 10 the next morning. Talk about starting a rest day off the right way.
Of course, why would one really rest on a rest day? I spent the majority of yesterday getting an unintended workout: Ikea. There's nothing like walking what feels like miles through DIY furniture and modular living land then spending 3+ hours in heavy lifting mode. But, the condo is almost re-done. Pictures when it's done, I promise!
I'm finding it easier and easier to get up near the buttcrack of dawn. Maybe I really am a morning person - who knew!
I met up with the distrance running group that Coach T trains at Peirce Mill. I've never been there, even though it's ridiculously close to my house, and had first run nerves. One of the traps I get into is not trying new routes. It's a lot easier, mentally, to have mental landmarks. But, this whole triathlon thing is most certainly about trying new things.
When I run on my own, I usually clock around an 8:40-9 minute mile time. This is slightly deceptive since I tend to take a walk break every 2-3 miles (I chalk this up to when typical water stops show up in races). But Saturday's run was 10 miles, averaging a 9:30-9:40 pace (no faster) and with the goal of not stopping. That was a mental barrier waiting to be destroyed.
I got to meet Victoria in person, which was really cool. She's a blogger celebrity and my own personal hero (especially for her swim prowess). She very kindly offered to run with me and not let me get lost on the trails. And off we went. It was a gorgeous day for a run, especially along Rock Creek. We finished up around 1:35 (she went on to do another 2 miles): average mile time: 9:30 - bingo.
I had my first back to back workout scheduled for Saturday, so I got home, ate some pretzels (yaay salt!) and headed down to the pool. What I didn't know was that from 9-11 at the pool is basically kids-a-palooza. Incredibly frustrated, I left, intending to call my coach and ask how to fix this situation. I had plans in Baltimore, then I needed to be available all the rest of the evening to support Chadd for the Ninja Warrior stuff. Thankfully, I had my times wrong on my Baltimore plans, so I walked back over to the Y and pulled off a very bad 45 minutes in the pool. I started out frustrated. My form felt bad, I felt slow (and was certainly the slowest in the pool, save for the gentleman in lane 3 learning to swim) and it was crowded and I felt like a huge inconvenience to everyone.
Then I remembered the crucial swimming tip Victoria had given me: look down.
This sounds like an incredibly easy tip and one that I'm sure many of you have been doing without thinking. This was a huge lightbulb moment for me. My form improved dramatically. I still struggled with the endurance side of swimming, but at least my butt wasn't 6 inches lower than the rest of my body.
I guess this is the equivalent of when someone tells me they're struggling with running and I have 3 guesses on form problems that, when fixed, dramatically improve the person's experience.
In case you were wondering, those tips are:
1. Run neutrally. I see a lot of people slumped forward, which cuts off your lung capacity. Sit up.
2. Tuck your hips under. This should take some pressure off your knees and engage your glutes. Big muscles give you a big hand.
3. Relax. Arms should swing naturally, shoulders away from the ears, look ahead.
I was surprised with how great I felt Saturday after both workouts. I jumped in the shower and felt awesome driving out to see some of my favorite Ragnarians (def: people who run Ragnar).
We gorged on wings and bbq: (seriously, do yourself a favor and go to Kloby's in Columbia)
.JPG)
Happy Ragnarians were we:
.JPG)
I jumped back in the car to Alexandria (my muscles weren't really happy with the hour plus I spent in the car). After watching Chadd do ninja stuff, we headed home. I managed to eat a little pizza (ok, a lot of pizza), and have precisely 1 beer before passing out at the amazing hour of 9:30. I had promised Chadd we'd watch more X-Files, but instead, I slept for 12 hours. Bless his heart, he didn't wake me and instead let me sleep until I woke up at 10 the next morning. Talk about starting a rest day off the right way.
Of course, why would one really rest on a rest day? I spent the majority of yesterday getting an unintended workout: Ikea. There's nothing like walking what feels like miles through DIY furniture and modular living land then spending 3+ hours in heavy lifting mode. But, the condo is almost re-done. Pictures when it's done, I promise!
Sunday, June 15, 2014
When Life Happens
For the past three weeks, I've had a lot of flexibility, low work load, and general open schedule for workouts. I knew this was living a pipe dream and that I was bound to wake up in a mess of schedule conflicts, a gym that doesn't open early enough (who knew), and work that will not stay within a 40 hours a week boundary.
That wake up was this morning. My schedule SHOULD look like this:
Monday - 1 hour upper body and core workout (with Blair!)
Tuesday - AM Swim, PM - 1 hour spin class
Wednesday - Track Practice
Thursday - 1 hour of spin and 45 minutes of core work
Friday - 30 minute swim
Instead, my week is going to look like this:
Monday - as planned
Tuesday - AM - Miriam's, PM: Spin and Swim
Wednesday: re-creating track practice on the dreadmill (AM), PM: Concert with Chadd
Thursday: 4 am. I repeat, 4 am, 1 hour on the bike trainer (my first time!) 45 minutes in the gym for weights; Thursday PM - girls' night
Friday - 30 minute swim and total exhaustion.
I suppose it's not as big of a change as I think it is. One of the things I'm struggling most with and simultaneously love is how scheduled my life has become. If you knew me in high school or college, you'd have seen my hard copy planner (oh before google calendar....). I had highlights, check boxes, pages folded, specific instructions, etc. I seem to be able to handle a strict schedule (or diet) or nothing at all. Reminds me vaguely of my swimming issues (full power or sink) So, when the slightest thing comes up, like having to stay late at work, I get totally stressed out beyond reasonable proportions.
I also let things that I need to do on the regular totally slide. For example:
- My roots are horrific. I absolutely must find a new hair stylist yesterday.
- Eye liner. I've been out of make up, most specifically eye liner, for probably a month now.
- Manicure. I know these things all sound super stupid, but my nails are like... my thing.
- Pedicure. A must for distance runners. I don't like losing toenails.
- Taxes. They are literally 75% complete and have been for...oh, a month?
- Writing my grandmother. I used to do this weekly. I've been a terrible granddaughter.
- Making food. I have never eaten out as much as I do these days. I used to love cooking...I still do! But I am so tired/apathetic when I get home from work and training that I care about 0 percent.
I wish I had a solution. Maybe with practice will come some sort of ease of mind. Maybe I'll learn to balance myself out without strict schedule or going hog wild when I have nothing planned. Until then, I'm trying to focus on the wins of the day, remind myself that very few things are ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL and look for enjoyment in the craziness I signed myself up for. Because, really, when is it ever worth being miserable for months just to feel glory in the end? Don't worry. I'm not feeling miserable, more just like I need a vacation.
But as far as wins of the day go...yesterday...
My workout with Blair last night was seriously awesome. We tried kettlebells for the first time and they were excruciating...I should look into a specific kettlebell class. But whoa this morning, hello hip flexors. And my entire right ass check is a knot. BTW, if you don't already, you should follow me on Fitocracy. That link will get you an account (free!) and we can compete and stuff. It'll be fun.
How do you balance all of it? What is your stress breaking point? What were your wins of the day?
That wake up was this morning. My schedule SHOULD look like this:
Monday - 1 hour upper body and core workout (with Blair!)
Tuesday - AM Swim, PM - 1 hour spin class
Wednesday - Track Practice
Thursday - 1 hour of spin and 45 minutes of core work
Friday - 30 minute swim
Instead, my week is going to look like this:
Monday - as planned
Tuesday - AM - Miriam's, PM: Spin and Swim
Wednesday: re-creating track practice on the dreadmill (AM), PM: Concert with Chadd
Thursday: 4 am. I repeat, 4 am, 1 hour on the bike trainer (my first time!) 45 minutes in the gym for weights; Thursday PM - girls' night
Friday - 30 minute swim and total exhaustion.
I suppose it's not as big of a change as I think it is. One of the things I'm struggling most with and simultaneously love is how scheduled my life has become. If you knew me in high school or college, you'd have seen my hard copy planner (oh before google calendar....). I had highlights, check boxes, pages folded, specific instructions, etc. I seem to be able to handle a strict schedule (or diet) or nothing at all. Reminds me vaguely of my swimming issues (full power or sink) So, when the slightest thing comes up, like having to stay late at work, I get totally stressed out beyond reasonable proportions.
I also let things that I need to do on the regular totally slide. For example:
- My roots are horrific. I absolutely must find a new hair stylist yesterday.
- Eye liner. I've been out of make up, most specifically eye liner, for probably a month now.
- Manicure. I know these things all sound super stupid, but my nails are like... my thing.
- Pedicure. A must for distance runners. I don't like losing toenails.
- Taxes. They are literally 75% complete and have been for...oh, a month?
- Writing my grandmother. I used to do this weekly. I've been a terrible granddaughter.
- Making food. I have never eaten out as much as I do these days. I used to love cooking...I still do! But I am so tired/apathetic when I get home from work and training that I care about 0 percent.
I wish I had a solution. Maybe with practice will come some sort of ease of mind. Maybe I'll learn to balance myself out without strict schedule or going hog wild when I have nothing planned. Until then, I'm trying to focus on the wins of the day, remind myself that very few things are ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL and look for enjoyment in the craziness I signed myself up for. Because, really, when is it ever worth being miserable for months just to feel glory in the end? Don't worry. I'm not feeling miserable, more just like I need a vacation.
But as far as wins of the day go...yesterday...
My workout with Blair last night was seriously awesome. We tried kettlebells for the first time and they were excruciating...I should look into a specific kettlebell class. But whoa this morning, hello hip flexors. And my entire right ass check is a knot. BTW, if you don't already, you should follow me on Fitocracy. That link will get you an account (free!) and we can compete and stuff. It'll be fun.
How do you balance all of it? What is your stress breaking point? What were your wins of the day?
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Breaking Through
If I could bottle and sell the way I felt in the pool Tuesday night, I could be a billionaire.
I'll admit, I had some hesitation going into Tuesday night's workout. I had to be at Miriam's Kitchen in the morning, so my normal 2 a day was going to be compressed into one, huge workout after work.
My day was stressful at the office so by the time I left, I was pretty keyed up and already stressing about my workout. Once I got home I realized I was doing exactly what I'd said I wouldn't do in my last post...go into a workout knowing I was going to be miserable.
Instead, I pulled together a spin class that I was really excited about. Three huge mountains, some speed work, but mostly strength work. Class looked like this:
Walking in Memphis (Marc Cohn): Warm Up
Sweet Thing (Keith Urban): Warm Up
Impossible (Anberlin): Climb (alternate 2 minutes in saddle, 2 out, moderate incline)
The End With You (Box Car Racer): Climb (alternate 2 minutes in saddle, 2 out, strong incline)
Think About Me (Goo Goo Dolls): Hill Spikes (seated, 30 seconds fast flat, 30 seconds strong resistance)
Bleed American (Jimmy Eat World): Speed work: 30 seconds fast, 30 seconds normal (1x) 45-15 (remainder)
Injection (Rise Against): Running
Breakdown (Forever the Sickest Kids): Jumps (4 beats, full song)
Scartissue (Red Hot Chili Peppers): Fast Flat/Recovery
Drive (Incubus): Seated strong incline
This is Who We Are (Cartel): standing strong incline
One in a Lifetime (Talking Heads): seated flat for 15 seconds, strong standing incline 45 seconds
Your Misfortune (Mike Doughty): 3 minutes in saddle with moderate resistance, 1 minute out of saddle, strong resistance
Forever Lost (Pretty Lights): 3 minutes in saddle with moderate resistance, 1 minute out of saddle, strong resistance
Druken Lullabies (Flogging Molly): 30 seconds surge, 30 seconds running, 30 seconds out of saddle climb
Summer Skin (Death Cab for Cutie): Cool Down
You Are Mine (Mute Math): Cool Down
Aria and I chatted while I closed up the class. She'd stayed for my class, so she'd already done her two hours and I thought "Mia, it's only two hours...this isn't some sort of Mt. Everest. Just go do it." I threw on my bathing suit, rinsed off my sweat, and headed down to the pool.
I strongly suggest hitting up the pool at night at the Y. Around 8:30, no one is in the pool. Even with two lanes reserved for the Masters Swim, I had an entire lane to myself for an hour. The only downer about this whole experience were the foot/toe cramps and the charlie horse that kept flaring up. I get it, bananas, I promise I'll start eating you again.
My swim workout was:
200 Warm Up
3 x 75 (25 drill, 25 fast, 25 easy)
1 x 400
4 x 150 (odd fast, even easy)
1 x 400
5 x 25 (all fast with 15 seconds rest between each)
200 Cool Down
This was my first time trying out drills. Here's a great video that Coach sent out with basic drills. I tried the catch up drill and the one armed drill and was pleasantly surprised. I will say that maybe I need to take the video's advice and try using an object in front of me to accurately do the catch-up drill. I was constantly starting with my other arm too early.
The first 200 was easy. I mean, it's a warm up, so it should be. But y'all, three short weeks ago, a 200 was a death march. Heart rate up, I tackled the 3x75s and blew through those.
The first four hundred. Talk about a mental hurdle. This is 16 lengths of my pool. For you new runners out there, it's the same mental freak out as me saying "let's do 16 laps of the track!" I got through the 4 hundred with only a few seconds of clinging to the edge here and there.
The 4x150's took a surprisingly long time, but, for the first time, I FINALLY felt like I had some speed control. And let me tell you, the fast odd lengths were amazing. I kept saying to myself over and over again, "triathlete, triathlete, triathlete" "iron, iron, iron."
I finished the rest of the workout with minimal cramping and headed home. The soreness kicked in halfway through the biggest loser, but it HURT SO GOOD. This isn't the first time I've done two hours of workouts in a row. I've going to Les Mills certifications and gone for 2+ hour training runs, but for some reason, Tuesday night was different. Maybe it was the pool? Regardless.
That accomplishment, that pain I experienced waking up on Wednesday was a great feeling. My muscles were tired, but happy. For the first time, I felt like a triathlete. And that's why it's worth it.
I finished the rest of the workout with minimal cramping and headed home. The soreness kicked in halfway through the biggest loser, but it HURT SO GOOD. This isn't the first time I've done two hours of workouts in a row. I've going to Les Mills certifications and gone for 2+ hour training runs, but for some reason, Tuesday night was different. Maybe it was the pool? Regardless.
That accomplishment, that pain I experienced waking up on Wednesday was a great feeling. My muscles were tired, but happy. For the first time, I felt like a triathlete. And that's why it's worth it.
Four Courts Four Miler
I have a post percolating in the back of my mind, but since it's not ready yet and it's not the kind of tone to start a week, I'll tell y'all about my awesome Saturday.
I had signed up for the Pacer's Four Courts Four Miler a while back, before I lost my mind and signed up for the National Harbor 70.3. My coach rearranged my training schedule a little bit and instead of having to run 12 miles prior to this race (seriously, guys, this was my plan...and this is also while I have a coach), I ran 4 miles around my neighborhood, then popped in the car and met up with Blair and Anne at Blair's house.
We walked to Four Courts in Clarendon, dropped off our bags and took our place in the corral. Here's me in my Ragnar gear!
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I was standing next to this guy:
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I was flagged down by a couple while we were waiting for Anne who saw my jacket and were interested in running Ragnar! See, guys! I am a good ambassador :)
I told them that they shouldn't "think" about running Ragnar, they should simple sign up today and do it! What was really cool was that this guy's grandfather actually had a major role in creating the state park where Ragnar DC starts! How amazing is the running community? While I was talking to this couple, I happened to see fellow Ragnar Ambassador: Amanda M.
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I had an epic brunch with Anne and Blair afterwards:
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I had signed up for the Pacer's Four Courts Four Miler a while back, before I lost my mind and signed up for the National Harbor 70.3. My coach rearranged my training schedule a little bit and instead of having to run 12 miles prior to this race (seriously, guys, this was my plan...and this is also while I have a coach), I ran 4 miles around my neighborhood, then popped in the car and met up with Blair and Anne at Blair's house.
We walked to Four Courts in Clarendon, dropped off our bags and took our place in the corral. Here's me in my Ragnar gear!
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I was standing next to this guy:
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I hope when I'm this old, I'm badass enough to run a race like this, much less do it in wind shorts and a singlet...
The gun went off and though it was a clear, cold and [very] windy day in Rosslyn, I suddenly felt warm and tingly. Running felt like it made sense again and looking down the Rosslyn hill, I felt totally effortless.
The Four Courts Four course is very deceptive and a real test of how well runners can adequately pace themselves. The first 1.5 miles fly down the Rosslyn hill and finish the second mile out on 395. That hill is FAST. I checked my watch at mile 1:
Mile 1 Split: 6:50 - w.t.f. Y'all, I have NEVER run a sub 7, ever. This is a huge accomplishment for me and even though I knew in a horrifying mile I'd be regretting is all the way to the finish line, I didn't care. I didn't care that the downhill gave me that ability to get under 7.
I slowed down A LOT at this point because I knew that a bonk was going to come, even if it was only a 4 mile race.
Mile 2: 8:06(ish): If only I'd kept the first mile all in the tank, I bet I could have managed this pace on the way back up.
Mile 3-4: Roughly a 9 minute mile. Alas. I'm fine with the 9 minute, but it was such a wild swing back from the first mile. And I certainly felt the horrible hill coming back up, to the point where I started to wonder if I needed an inhaler - I felt like I couldn't get a deep enough breath (something I almost never ever experience).
I tried to stay with a guy who was also huffing and chugging up the mountain hill and managed it for a bit, but just couldn't get a breath deep enough to justify it.
I still finished in 33:06, 50th in my division (of 396), and did better than last year (33:32). I also beat the Leprechaun (again) - Robbie Wade is a craycray fast runner/area semi-pro triathlete. They let him go about 20 minutes after the start of the race. For every person he passes, Pacers donates a dollar to a good cause, and if you make it to the end before Robbie, you get a water bottle. Watching Robbie run is a beautiful thing. He was running just over a 5 minute mile and the sight of his fluid, effortless run was just an amazing experience.
I finished the race and waited for Blair to tackle the mountain. We tracked down the Leprechaun!
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Check out those awesome hot pink compression sleeves. Love them so hard.
I was flagged down by a couple while we were waiting for Anne who saw my jacket and were interested in running Ragnar! See, guys! I am a good ambassador :)
I told them that they shouldn't "think" about running Ragnar, they should simple sign up today and do it! What was really cool was that this guy's grandfather actually had a major role in creating the state park where Ragnar DC starts! How amazing is the running community? While I was talking to this couple, I happened to see fellow Ragnar Ambassador: Amanda M.
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I had an epic brunch with Anne and Blair afterwards:
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French toasty goodness. You can't see the beer in that photo, too.
Saturday was a great day for a race, and an even better day for catching up with fellow crazy triathlete, Rachael. Rachael and I met up for a quick cup of coffee then experienced what is quite possibly the most excruciatingly amazing experience ever: a pedicure with paraffin and a massage chair on crack.
We went with awesome colors:
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In case you can't tell, my toes are basically Barbie Neon Pink. And amazing.
I really love spending time with Rachael because, she too, is insane and signed up for an Olympic distance triathlon, despite being a runner (and only a runner!) just like me. We've been tweeting back and forth about our successes and failures (none so far!) and the aches, pains, and bottomless pit of a stomach we seem to have as we learn how to balance three sports instead of one.
Rachael is raising money for Team in Training in memory of her mother. I didn't get the chance to meet her mother, but I can tell you this - she must have been some kind of extra amazing for raising a woman like Rachael. If you have $5, it would mean a lot to me (and to Rachael!) if you could pop over to her fundraising page and let her know you support her.
And with that, happy Monday! Hope my fellow morning workout-doers aren't suffering too much with the time change.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Training Update
I'm so afraid to say that I'm officially "back" to training because it seems like every time I said "sweet! I feel great!" over the past few months, my ankle has taken that as a sign to swell up and turn purple.
So I won't say anything.
However, week two of a normal training schedule just flew by and now that I have something to talk about, you get to see my workouts again.
Monday - Morning Yoga. (1 hour) This was a total cluster on my behalf. I did my first hot yoga session with Rachel the previous weekend and my mat was either still damp or I was just extra sweaty on Monday morning. This was technically a rest day, but my dedication to not screwing up my ankle is paramount.
Tuesday - Spin. (1 hour) Again with the cluster. My playlist felt off, I couldn't get my groove going - the universe was not right. I was supposed to swim, but since I had to teach, I switched my workouts.
Wednesday - Morning Yoga. (1 hour) Much better this time around, but I also slipped enough that I invested in a yoga towel.
Wednesday - Track Practice. (1 hour) This was my first track practice in months. Of course, it was just in time for the track to be occupied by the high school lacrosse team, so we took to the block around the baseball fields. I felt terrible. My warm-up, admittedly, was WAY too fast. I came in from a 1.2+ mile warm up holding under 9 minute miles. I couldn't hold the 4 loops around the block - so I cut out on the third to stretch, then joined Rachel for a tempo pace final loop.
Total mileage: just over 4 miles.
Ankle status: normal.
Thursday - Friday: I blew it both of these days. I have a mind block on going to the pool. I don't know why. It's not even that I hate swimming - I just loathe getting to the pool. Maybe now that the weather is changing, I'll actually get my time in the water.
Saturday - Modified Brick (2.5 hours) I had to work all day at the Cherry Blossom Expo. If you stopped at the Ragnar booth, you likely talked to me. It was a blast to talk about my passion, hear from other Ragnarians, and talk to the other vendors. I even picked up some new shoes:
I got home as the sun was starting to set. I knew I was exhausted, had plans to see the Cherry Blossoms with Chadd on Sunday morning, plus a bunch of errands and FitCo work... so I did the next best thing to an actual brick.
I went to the gym and parked my butt on the spinner for somewhere between 1:45-2 hours. Did you know that the spinner computer turns off after 90 minutes? I didn't and suddenly realized I'd been spinning around Z2 for...ever.
I had a half hour for a run and, not wanting to risk it on the road or lose too much time in "T2", I just jumped on a treadmill. The dreadmill did not, surprisingly, suck as much as I remembered. Please recall that I haven't been on one for more than 2 years. I started slow, somewhere in the 9:30 range, ramped up to 9's, then up to 8:30s, 8:15s, then I held steady on 7:30's for a good 10 minutes. Treadmills are notoriously bad judges of speed, so I'll just say this: I felt great. I felt like I had my speed back, even if I jumped off that death machine with my chest heaving.
Sunday - Yoga. (1 hr 15 minutes) More hot yoga with Rachel! I'm not ready to try bikram (if I will ever be ready), but I enjoy the challenge of these classes. I also really love the instructors over at The Studio DC - I've never had an instructor ACTUALLY do a hands on assist. So enlightening.
Sunday, Fun Day:
I'm working with a cool group of people to make fitness more accessible to all types of people in the DC area. If you want to learn more about us, check us out here: www.fitdc.co
Better yet - just search Fit DC on Facebook and friend us! We had our leadership team photographs on Sunday. Our photographer is AMAZING and better yet - most of my photos are yoga poses. I know most of you find this hilarious since I am the least yoga person ever.
Our launch party is next weekend! Come grab a free class with us out in Arlington: http://fitdclaunch.splashthat.com/
In summation, I had just under 8 hours of training last week - including a TON of yoga (which, I have learned) is actually quite the workout. And a big fat fail on Swimming.
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