I'm sure you all are wondering how I have the time and patience to figure out the calories in everything I eat.
I'm wondering the same thing.
Aside from having the amazing self calculating spreadsheet that I created in all my consultant-ness a few weeks ago...I have...
google.
I know, that's kind of a let down, isn't it? I use food lables when possible, but for the most part, I google. Want to know how many calories that honey wheat bagel is? No problem, if it's not name brand, simply google: calories honey wheat bagel.
There are a few sites that consistently pop up, calorie king, calorie counter, nutritional data...
But today I have found the most amazing thing. While researching my burn at the gym on the rowing machine and treadmill on self.com, I came across an add for Nutritiondata.com.
I use them a lot, so I thought I'd skim around. While I haven't tested out this tool yet, you can use it to CALCULATE HOW MANY CALORIES ARE IN A RECIPE!!! AAAHHH
I love my volumetrics cook book, I really do, but I also love cooking in general. I love trying new recipes and experimenting with new oils and spices. Not all of these cookbooks and foodnetwork.com recipes have quite figured out that I need to know my caloric intake.
www.Nutritiondata.com requires basic log-in information, but it's free, and I love free things like I love my food: a lot.
By the way, you can also save these recipes. I'm in love with this new tool. I'm thinking I'm going to have to test it out either tonight or this weekend.
Showing posts with label Things I Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Things I Love. Show all posts
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Temptation
I'm out in Pentagon City tonight for an appointment and I had to walk through the food court to get to the side of the mall I needed to go to. Oh man.
Let me tell you about my Achilles Heel. Pretzels. Auntie Anne's Pretzels. Those things, as bad as they are (and they're not even that good sometimes), they're one of my biggest failures. I think it's probably because I always go to the mall at a bizarre time, am in a rush, and don't want to eat fast food. What do I wind up doing? Pretzel! A buttery, slightly chewy, warm pretzel and a diet coke. Man that goes a long way with me...
News flash:
A pretzel from Auntie Anne's is 340 calories.
Take that in and then consider my lunch today:
4oz. salmon, pan cooked: 233 cal
1 serving instant brown rice: 150 cal
1 Apple: 55 cal
Total: 438
For a little less than an 100 calories, I could have a billion times the food...but yet the pretzel calls.
I'm also not in a place where I can get some water, so one of my tricks is unavailable. If I can get home, I can make it to the kitchen, hopefully bypass all of the chex mix I have sitting around from the party (note to self: send left overs with Chadd to work), and make some quick stir fry, with a ton of veggies and a little bit of pasta.
Time to calculate that...
1/2 Bell Pepper: 15 cal
1/2 Zuchinni: 20 cal
1/2 Onion: 14 cal
1/2 serving linguine: 100 cal
1/2 cup grilled chicken: 115
4 tbps soy sauce: 40 cal
Total: 304....which will probably leave me room for a small nibble of chex mix and a 4oz glass of red wine (95 calories).
Just gotta make it past the pretzel...
Don't forget to give me 20 this week! If you can't do the push ups, try doing wall push ups, at least for half of them, or down on your knees. Another option is to do 2 sets of 10 push ups/sit ups. That way, your body has a little time to rest. It's 20 situps/push ups every day this week and next!
What is your Achilles Heel?
Let me tell you about my Achilles Heel. Pretzels. Auntie Anne's Pretzels. Those things, as bad as they are (and they're not even that good sometimes), they're one of my biggest failures. I think it's probably because I always go to the mall at a bizarre time, am in a rush, and don't want to eat fast food. What do I wind up doing? Pretzel! A buttery, slightly chewy, warm pretzel and a diet coke. Man that goes a long way with me...
News flash:
A pretzel from Auntie Anne's is 340 calories.
Take that in and then consider my lunch today:
4oz. salmon, pan cooked: 233 cal
1 serving instant brown rice: 150 cal
1 Apple: 55 cal
Total: 438
For a little less than an 100 calories, I could have a billion times the food...but yet the pretzel calls.
I'm also not in a place where I can get some water, so one of my tricks is unavailable. If I can get home, I can make it to the kitchen, hopefully bypass all of the chex mix I have sitting around from the party (note to self: send left overs with Chadd to work), and make some quick stir fry, with a ton of veggies and a little bit of pasta.
Time to calculate that...
1/2 Bell Pepper: 15 cal
1/2 Zuchinni: 20 cal
1/2 Onion: 14 cal
1/2 serving linguine: 100 cal
1/2 cup grilled chicken: 115
4 tbps soy sauce: 40 cal
Total: 304....which will probably leave me room for a small nibble of chex mix and a 4oz glass of red wine (95 calories).
Just gotta make it past the pretzel...
Don't forget to give me 20 this week! If you can't do the push ups, try doing wall push ups, at least for half of them, or down on your knees. Another option is to do 2 sets of 10 push ups/sit ups. That way, your body has a little time to rest. It's 20 situps/push ups every day this week and next!
What is your Achilles Heel?
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Starting on the List
So, I know I said I spent a few days working on my resolutions, and I did, but I seem to have forgotten a few things, specifically, things that are more of a to-do list. In doing so, I learned something interesting about my health insurance coverage: specifically, that it does not include a dietician.
I'm a little surprised, and kind of a bit outraged. I can understand not covering a nurtitionist...but a dietician? Really? (Note: In case, you didn't know, the difference between the two is that a dietician is similar to a registered nurse (RN). in that certification is standardized. See this article for more info).
Regardless, it is on my list of things to do this year, specifically since now that I have a good handle on my caloric intake, it's probably a good idea to check in about my actual nutritional intake/needs.
I just did a very quick search at the American Dietetic Association's website, which can be found here and found 15 RDs who specialize in some of the topics I'm interested in, specifically weight management, sports nutrition, and meal planning.
While I was looking around the website, I found an interesting article on who should visit an R.D.: http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=4294967631 Basically....everyone.
Myself included. More info to come!
I'm a little surprised, and kind of a bit outraged. I can understand not covering a nurtitionist...but a dietician? Really? (Note: In case, you didn't know, the difference between the two is that a dietician is similar to a registered nurse (RN). in that certification is standardized. See this article for more info).
Regardless, it is on my list of things to do this year, specifically since now that I have a good handle on my caloric intake, it's probably a good idea to check in about my actual nutritional intake/needs.
I just did a very quick search at the American Dietetic Association's website, which can be found here and found 15 RDs who specialize in some of the topics I'm interested in, specifically weight management, sports nutrition, and meal planning.
While I was looking around the website, I found an interesting article on who should visit an R.D.: http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=4294967631 Basically....everyone.
Myself included. More info to come!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Little Revelations
I desperately want a career (full time, with benefits, and a path forward) in fitness.
I'm sure this surprises none of you.
I just had to bring it up due to two incidents in the past 24 hours. As you may or may not be aware, the 9th season of The Biggest Loser started last night and you can bet all billion pounds that America itself needs to lose that I was there, cuddled up in bed, computer on lap, ready to live blog.
Instead, I basically cried my eyes out. I always forget that the first episode of each season is one of the hardest to watch. My heart breaks for these people in a way that perhaps only someone in the fitness industry can experience.
I think that many people cry watching the show because you're watching someone who really feels like they're at death's door, have hit rock bottom, are lonely, are scared, etc. It's easy to identify with someone who openly puts everything about themselves on national TV. I know there are some criticisms of dealing with issues like that, but I can't knock it. They made that decision. No one forced them. And in some way, I think almost everyone can identify with someone's story. It becomes a network of support. And I support that decision that each contestant makes.
But as an aerobics instructor and hopefully soon to be trainer (anyone want to sponsor my NASM certification fee?), my heart breaks because I see the short fall in this country. I don't know if there is really a place to put the blame, because at my core, I'm a believer of self responsibility. You have brought yourself to where you are, at least for the most part. I see the gap in knowledge with the contestants every season. The information is out there and it's available, but there is so much of it, that I see how confusing it can be. I know I've talked abut how weight loss is a very very sensitive issue for people, so I can also see how crash and fad diets are so seductive and how we do chase after the next all in one machine, exercise, diet, etc. In reality, I believe that the Biggest Loser is the epitome of the truth of weight loss. Calories in must be less than calories out. Bingo weight loss. That's the only formula you need.
I sat there last night crying because I wasn't helping. When two teams were sent home before things even got started, I cried and cried and cried. I wanted desperately to get on a plane and go to where they were and to help, to teach, to support. It's that feeling that wells up in your chest when you have found one of your life purposes (this is the second time I have felt this way, the first time is not at all career related).
I know Chadd has sat through many BL episodes of me going "I have to find a way to do this. This is where I belong, my heart is there." And every time, he says "then make it happen." Last night, he didn't even have to say it, while I was typing out that message via gchat, I went "I know what he's going to say." And then it struck me.
How many times do you see Jillian and Bob get in someone's face and say "if you really wanted this, then you'd be doing something about it?" ALL THE TIME. EVERY EPISODE! Bob and Jillian would say the same thing to me about my goals, about my desires. So why did it finally click? I have no idea. But I went to bed hopeful last night, brimming with possibility.
That was the first incident, the second was all too much of a coincident to not be a little nudge from God.
I was never meant to have the job that I have right now. I don't want to knock it because my company treats me well and, bless their hearts, encourages fitness. But I am at a desk all day, 5 days a week, talking about well...nothing fitness related.
Today I was leading my first meeting with my new client. After we took care of business, we started talking about something--I think Wii Fit, which lead into talking about the new Biggest Loser Wii game, which lead to me showing off my BodyBugg (see link to the left), which lead to a 20 minute conversation about fitness. I could feel myself light up. One of my clients said something that made me feel like I was about to take flight, that happiness welling up in my chest again. She said, quite simply
I'm sure this surprises none of you.
I just had to bring it up due to two incidents in the past 24 hours. As you may or may not be aware, the 9th season of The Biggest Loser started last night and you can bet all billion pounds that America itself needs to lose that I was there, cuddled up in bed, computer on lap, ready to live blog.
Instead, I basically cried my eyes out. I always forget that the first episode of each season is one of the hardest to watch. My heart breaks for these people in a way that perhaps only someone in the fitness industry can experience.
I think that many people cry watching the show because you're watching someone who really feels like they're at death's door, have hit rock bottom, are lonely, are scared, etc. It's easy to identify with someone who openly puts everything about themselves on national TV. I know there are some criticisms of dealing with issues like that, but I can't knock it. They made that decision. No one forced them. And in some way, I think almost everyone can identify with someone's story. It becomes a network of support. And I support that decision that each contestant makes.
But as an aerobics instructor and hopefully soon to be trainer (anyone want to sponsor my NASM certification fee?), my heart breaks because I see the short fall in this country. I don't know if there is really a place to put the blame, because at my core, I'm a believer of self responsibility. You have brought yourself to where you are, at least for the most part. I see the gap in knowledge with the contestants every season. The information is out there and it's available, but there is so much of it, that I see how confusing it can be. I know I've talked abut how weight loss is a very very sensitive issue for people, so I can also see how crash and fad diets are so seductive and how we do chase after the next all in one machine, exercise, diet, etc. In reality, I believe that the Biggest Loser is the epitome of the truth of weight loss. Calories in must be less than calories out. Bingo weight loss. That's the only formula you need.
I sat there last night crying because I wasn't helping. When two teams were sent home before things even got started, I cried and cried and cried. I wanted desperately to get on a plane and go to where they were and to help, to teach, to support. It's that feeling that wells up in your chest when you have found one of your life purposes (this is the second time I have felt this way, the first time is not at all career related).
I know Chadd has sat through many BL episodes of me going "I have to find a way to do this. This is where I belong, my heart is there." And every time, he says "then make it happen." Last night, he didn't even have to say it, while I was typing out that message via gchat, I went "I know what he's going to say." And then it struck me.
How many times do you see Jillian and Bob get in someone's face and say "if you really wanted this, then you'd be doing something about it?" ALL THE TIME. EVERY EPISODE! Bob and Jillian would say the same thing to me about my goals, about my desires. So why did it finally click? I have no idea. But I went to bed hopeful last night, brimming with possibility.
That was the first incident, the second was all too much of a coincident to not be a little nudge from God.
I was never meant to have the job that I have right now. I don't want to knock it because my company treats me well and, bless their hearts, encourages fitness. But I am at a desk all day, 5 days a week, talking about well...nothing fitness related.
Today I was leading my first meeting with my new client. After we took care of business, we started talking about something--I think Wii Fit, which lead into talking about the new Biggest Loser Wii game, which lead to me showing off my BodyBugg (see link to the left), which lead to a 20 minute conversation about fitness. I could feel myself light up. One of my clients said something that made me feel like I was about to take flight, that happiness welling up in my chest again. She said, quite simply
"Well it seems like you're in the wrong industry. You're clearly supposed to be in fitness. Looks like you found your calling!"
She was genuinely excited for me, which caught me off guard. The next thing I said was a bold faced lie about how I love my job now and that fitness is a hobby, which I had to say considering my clients pay me an exorbitant fee to have me create useless documents about processes that will never really happen. But I think everyone there knew the truth.
While normally that would have depressed me, this time it invigorated me. I have ideas, I have great business ideas. I'm learning and training to become a good trainer and to be that person who people who need help can come to and will come to when they feel the same way so many of the contestants on Biggest Loser feel. I can't wait for the day that it all changes...and to get there, it's just one foot in front of the other.
Have you ever had that moment of clarity? What was it about? How did you act on it?
Monday, July 7, 2014
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 Realist's Situation
Last night, Chadd came home and woke me up around quarter of 1 to show me the new coat he got that finally came in the mail.
Normally, this would have irritated me, save two things:
1) This coat literally caused a fashion emergency in Vegas. Only my boyfriend would be as straight as he is (he's basically 1 degree away from being a lumberjack, no offense to gay lumberjacks) and have a fashion emergency. Long story, we had the coat shipped in from California.
2) I had something to show off too. (See below)
Slightly related...
Did you watch The Jersey Shore? If you didn't, that was dumb. It was an awesome good/bad/so bad it's good MTV trash show. There is one clown in particular on this show you should be aware of--Mike. Mike the Situation.
Wait for it at 12 seconds. That's his "Situation." Literally, people, his abs are a situation and he calls himself Mike The Situation because of his freakish abs.
Back to point 2 of why I didn't mind that Chadd woke me up.
Folks. The Realist has a situation. It's not enough of a situation to be capitalized like properly named abs or be called "The" anything...but it's a freaking situation! I HAVE A SITUATION, HERE!
I'm almost at the point where I need a unique nickname for my developing situation. Like "the business" or something. Suggestions are welcome.
I went to bed prepared in a sports bra and running shorts. I wouldn't exactly say that I "hopped" out of bed, but once Chadd managed to get me to open my eyes and get out of bed to see his coat in the gleaming light of the kitchen it suddenly dawned on me why I was freezing to death instead of wearing sweats.
"Look at my situation," I told him.
I was praised adequately and sent back to bed where I fell asleep in less than 1 minute. If I get a big enough ego, I'm posting pictures.
Normally, this would have irritated me, save two things:
1) This coat literally caused a fashion emergency in Vegas. Only my boyfriend would be as straight as he is (he's basically 1 degree away from being a lumberjack, no offense to gay lumberjacks) and have a fashion emergency. Long story, we had the coat shipped in from California.
2) I had something to show off too. (See below)
Slightly related...
Did you watch The Jersey Shore? If you didn't, that was dumb. It was an awesome good/bad/so bad it's good MTV trash show. There is one clown in particular on this show you should be aware of--Mike. Mike the Situation.
Would you like to know why he is called Mike The Situation? Of course you would.
Wait for it at 12 seconds. That's his "Situation." Literally, people, his abs are a situation and he calls himself Mike The Situation because of his freakish abs.
Back to point 2 of why I didn't mind that Chadd woke me up.
Folks. The Realist has a situation. It's not enough of a situation to be capitalized like properly named abs or be called "The" anything...but it's a freaking situation! I HAVE A SITUATION, HERE!
I'm almost at the point where I need a unique nickname for my developing situation. Like "the business" or something. Suggestions are welcome.
I went to bed prepared in a sports bra and running shorts. I wouldn't exactly say that I "hopped" out of bed, but once Chadd managed to get me to open my eyes and get out of bed to see his coat in the gleaming light of the kitchen it suddenly dawned on me why I was freezing to death instead of wearing sweats.
"Look at my situation," I told him.
I was praised adequately and sent back to bed where I fell asleep in less than 1 minute. If I get a big enough ego, I'm posting pictures.
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
Tuesday Links!
Alright, before we get to a day in the life of the Realist, let's do some Tuesday links!
First, I'm making this tomorrow night:
Moroccan Pita Sandwich; at 370 calories, that's a nice, big dinner. It'll make great leftovers, too.
I recommend to everyone embarking on a weightloss/healthy change journey to roll up their sleeves and try one new recipe a week from something like Cooking Light. My parents gave me the Cooking Light massive binder cookbook and it basically is the best thing since Splenda. All calories, fat, carbs, protein, etc. is listed. If you have issues that require you to be aware of any part of your dietary intake, switch to recipes that let you know their total ahead of time.
This is a great article from my Pact Buddy, B.
Put "I" Into Your Workout
This article talks about making yourself responsible for your own well being. The knife cuts both ways. Consider this in terms of excuses and praise:
Excuse: It's too cold to go to the gym today.
I statement Excuse: I am letting the cold stop me from going to the gym today.
oooooh. Suddenly it's not the cold, but YOU deterring yourself from the gym.
Praise: Man, my cycle instructor is great. She's made me work really hard lately.
I statement Praise: Man, I am awesome at cycle. I listened to my instructor and I really pushed myself.
Is the scale making you sad? IT'S JUST A MACHINE.
Take the Stress Out of Weighing-In
Part two in a three part article from the same guy above. This is a great way to remind yourself that it's not all about weight. It's about your health. I'm guilty of feeling caught by a lot of the feelings in this article. It's a nice perspective check.
And for a little inspiration:
Notes from the Universe
My mom told me about this site and honestly, I love it. I signed up to receive the daily Notes from the Universe. They're a little weird, but never in a way that actually weirded me out. It actually, honestly, makes me feel special. I look forward to this email every morning. One from the other day that has stuck with me:
If you knew how much you have in common with every single person now living in time and space Mia - in terms of your greatest hopes and dreams, and your deepest fears and worries - you'd wonder how I manage to tell you all apart.
And from this day forward you'd likely think of every single one of them as "dearest," just as I do.
Tallyho,
The Universe
P.S. Yeah, like twins, to the power of 7 billion. But not to worry, dearest Mia, I can always tell it's you by your saunter.
I couldn't tell you why, but that, for some reason, has stayed with me. It's like a hug from the universe every morning.
And with that, you have your second issue of Tuesday Links! Please let me know if anyone is interested in becoming a guest blogger for next Monday! Don't worry, you don't have to ID yourself. You can be Jane or John Guest Blogger!
Prepare for the day in the life coming up later today!
First, I'm making this tomorrow night:
Moroccan Pita Sandwich; at 370 calories, that's a nice, big dinner. It'll make great leftovers, too.
I recommend to everyone embarking on a weightloss/healthy change journey to roll up their sleeves and try one new recipe a week from something like Cooking Light. My parents gave me the Cooking Light massive binder cookbook and it basically is the best thing since Splenda. All calories, fat, carbs, protein, etc. is listed. If you have issues that require you to be aware of any part of your dietary intake, switch to recipes that let you know their total ahead of time.
This is a great article from my Pact Buddy, B.
Put "I" Into Your Workout
This article talks about making yourself responsible for your own well being. The knife cuts both ways. Consider this in terms of excuses and praise:
Excuse: It's too cold to go to the gym today.
I statement Excuse: I am letting the cold stop me from going to the gym today.
oooooh. Suddenly it's not the cold, but YOU deterring yourself from the gym.
Praise: Man, my cycle instructor is great. She's made me work really hard lately.
I statement Praise: Man, I am awesome at cycle. I listened to my instructor and I really pushed myself.
Is the scale making you sad? IT'S JUST A MACHINE.
Take the Stress Out of Weighing-In
Part two in a three part article from the same guy above. This is a great way to remind yourself that it's not all about weight. It's about your health. I'm guilty of feeling caught by a lot of the feelings in this article. It's a nice perspective check.
And for a little inspiration:
Notes from the Universe
My mom told me about this site and honestly, I love it. I signed up to receive the daily Notes from the Universe. They're a little weird, but never in a way that actually weirded me out. It actually, honestly, makes me feel special. I look forward to this email every morning. One from the other day that has stuck with me:
If you knew how much you have in common with every single person now living in time and space Mia - in terms of your greatest hopes and dreams, and your deepest fears and worries - you'd wonder how I manage to tell you all apart.
And from this day forward you'd likely think of every single one of them as "dearest," just as I do.
Tallyho,
The Universe
P.S. Yeah, like twins, to the power of 7 billion. But not to worry, dearest Mia, I can always tell it's you by your saunter.
I couldn't tell you why, but that, for some reason, has stayed with me. It's like a hug from the universe every morning.
And with that, you have your second issue of Tuesday Links! Please let me know if anyone is interested in becoming a guest blogger for next Monday! Don't worry, you don't have to ID yourself. You can be Jane or John Guest Blogger!
Prepare for the day in the life coming up later today!
Baby Steps
Hello blog world!
I have to share, tonight I had an audition with the sports club where both Chadd and I go. I finally bit the bullet and asked about their sub list. I do like going to a gym where I'm only a client...but the more I've gone, the more I've loved it and the more I wanted to be a part of that culture.
I auditioned with the group ex coordinator who shares my dream of making fitness a full time occupation. She's actually done it and we had a great conversation about it. I taught a brief combo, I showed her some more advanced moves I knew, etc.
Offered the slot on the sub list on the spot! One step closer to my dreams of being in a gym all day.
I have to share, tonight I had an audition with the sports club where both Chadd and I go. I finally bit the bullet and asked about their sub list. I do like going to a gym where I'm only a client...but the more I've gone, the more I've loved it and the more I wanted to be a part of that culture.
I auditioned with the group ex coordinator who shares my dream of making fitness a full time occupation. She's actually done it and we had a great conversation about it. I taught a brief combo, I showed her some more advanced moves I knew, etc.
Offered the slot on the sub list on the spot! One step closer to my dreams of being in a gym all day.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Moroccan Pita Sandwich Recipe Review
Do yourself a favor. Go home tonight, hell, leave work early, and pick up the stuff to make this incredible recipe for tonight. This is my new favorite food. I burnt out on the eggplant mushroom thing I talked about almost a year ago...yes, it literally took me a year to get sick of it...and immediately have a new replacement.
The Moroccan Pita Sandwich is amazing. If you can't find the tahini paste, neither could I because my safeway sucks, but I just added more garlic and lemon and found that it tasted just fine. I might add chopped cucumbers next time. Regardless. This is ridiculously easy to make, filling, and so good. I was craving something very earthy and ethnic yesterday, so planning for this meal was well timed. Some people in the reviews say they used plain yogurt instead of the Greek, which I'm sure is fine. I keep Greek yogurt at home anyway because I prefer that texture (it's almost kind of like French yogurt).
If you want to make this even easier on yourself, I'd suggest even skipping making the meat into patties and just cook it all and divide it into 4 portions.
In other words: this recipe gets my enthusiastic two thumbs up. I'm already looking forward to lunch.
The Moroccan Pita Sandwich is amazing. If you can't find the tahini paste, neither could I because my safeway sucks, but I just added more garlic and lemon and found that it tasted just fine. I might add chopped cucumbers next time. Regardless. This is ridiculously easy to make, filling, and so good. I was craving something very earthy and ethnic yesterday, so planning for this meal was well timed. Some people in the reviews say they used plain yogurt instead of the Greek, which I'm sure is fine. I keep Greek yogurt at home anyway because I prefer that texture (it's almost kind of like French yogurt).
If you want to make this even easier on yourself, I'd suggest even skipping making the meat into patties and just cook it all and divide it into 4 portions.
In other words: this recipe gets my enthusiastic two thumbs up. I'm already looking forward to lunch.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Tuesday Links (A Bit Late)
This sno"vacation" has put my mind on deep freeze and I've been a little slow to thaw, so while I get back into the fluidity of my normal routine, bear with me. Like how I used a few water/snow metaphors there? That's the kind of week it's been.
Anyway, here is your weekly round up of links:
Raising Awareness of Eating Disorders
I really enjoy reading articles by people who suffer from eating disorders. Not because I want them to have a disorder, but because I think it makes the larger problem more real, more understandable, and hopefully blazes the path to recovery. Kelly Zentgraf writes a very real article about her struggle and the lack of understand from the world at large about eating disorders. Most insightful, I thought, was her discussion of why people develop disorders--it's not just "oh the media said I was fat." Sadly, she says that she's heard people say "I don't know why, it just felt natural."
Fitness as a Full Time Pursuit
This is a great article that one of my participants sent to me (Thanks, Manny!) For anyone interested in how to pursue something off beat (and along the fitness path) this is a great boost for morale. It's also a well written, interesting article. Check it out.
Spicy Red Lentil Dal with Winter Veggies
My aunt gave me a fabulous birthday gift--a subscription to Fine Cooking. If that wasn't already awesome, what's even better is that Fine Cooking posts their nutritional facts in the back of their magazines. Without the lamb, you're looking at something around 320 calories for a cup and a half of the dal. Please ignore what the reviews say, I thought this was an amazing recipe, and very filling. I recommend making jasmine rice (easy to do, especially in the microwave) to pour this over. Now, if only I could manage to make naan...
Sweetgreen Has a New Location
Hurray for clean, local food, green business, and entrepreneurial endeavors! Stop by Sweetgreen in Logan Circle if you've never been to see what I rave about. My recommendation: The Guacamole Greens (with Chicken) and of course, sweetflow.
That's the round up! If you have links, post them before or feel free to shoot me an email!
Anyway, here is your weekly round up of links:
Raising Awareness of Eating Disorders
I really enjoy reading articles by people who suffer from eating disorders. Not because I want them to have a disorder, but because I think it makes the larger problem more real, more understandable, and hopefully blazes the path to recovery. Kelly Zentgraf writes a very real article about her struggle and the lack of understand from the world at large about eating disorders. Most insightful, I thought, was her discussion of why people develop disorders--it's not just "oh the media said I was fat." Sadly, she says that she's heard people say "I don't know why, it just felt natural."
Fitness as a Full Time Pursuit
This is a great article that one of my participants sent to me (Thanks, Manny!) For anyone interested in how to pursue something off beat (and along the fitness path) this is a great boost for morale. It's also a well written, interesting article. Check it out.
Spicy Red Lentil Dal with Winter Veggies
My aunt gave me a fabulous birthday gift--a subscription to Fine Cooking. If that wasn't already awesome, what's even better is that Fine Cooking posts their nutritional facts in the back of their magazines. Without the lamb, you're looking at something around 320 calories for a cup and a half of the dal. Please ignore what the reviews say, I thought this was an amazing recipe, and very filling. I recommend making jasmine rice (easy to do, especially in the microwave) to pour this over. Now, if only I could manage to make naan...
Sweetgreen Has a New Location
Hurray for clean, local food, green business, and entrepreneurial endeavors! Stop by Sweetgreen in Logan Circle if you've never been to see what I rave about. My recommendation: The Guacamole Greens (with Chicken) and of course, sweetflow.
That's the round up! If you have links, post them before or feel free to shoot me an email!
100 Posts Later, I Stood Up For Myself
I want to be an Olympian. It's terribly depressing to me that I generally suck at every sport or physical activity I've ever done aside from aerobics and running. Last I checked, there isn't a gold metal in yelling and stepping in place, and I'm not built for running that turns into competitive running. I'm not just saying that--I have a broken foot (now healed) to prove it.
I hope everyone's been watching the Olympics. This is actually my first year of really truly watching the winter Olympics, which I usually watch for the ice skating and then forget are on. I really think that the winter Olympics are by far the most dangerous combination of sports that exist. Sadly, we have a reminder of that with the death of the Georgian luger, and you only need to watch a downhill alpine skiing race for 5 minutes to see a wipe out that could potentially kill or severely injure anyone. Like any NASCAR fan, I've waited for the crashes, but I've also come to hail these athletes as some of the best in existence. I'm amazed by their abilities. It inspires me to do better, to train harder, and to say something to my counselor at work I hadn't really expected to say.
We have a review 2x a year where we're given a rating on a scale. My counselor is a good guy, he works hard and he cares about my progress. He began our conversation by talking a little bit about the next step in my career and the types of activities I'd need to be doing to move from being a good, solid employee, to an exemplary one. I've seen friends of mine hit this point in their career and I want nothing to do with it. Work life balance becomes a lot more of a work life blend. I could go on, but I won't. It's a choice that people make and if that's their passion, far be it from me to condemn them. It just isn't mine.
I stopped him and told him that I was fine being a good, solid employee, that my passion was really in what I did outside of the office (fitness), and since its company policy that they're okay with me having a work/life balance, and that they are happy when we're good, solid employees, then I had made up my mind.
Bottom line: For the first time in my life, I haven't given 110% to something. I've only given 100% because I want to dedicate whatever spare time I have to being an instructor, a trainer, and an athlete in my own right. Why? Because it makes me want to get up in the morning. Simply and honestly put, it's my passion.
My counselor, bless him, looked at me for a moment and then really surprised me by saying:
"I am really glad to hear you say that. It's really the first time I've gotten to see your personality, normally you just tell me everything's fine. You seem a lot happier; I'll support you in that decision and I'll defend you if it comes to that."
What a weight off of my shoulders. So, with that, I'm ordering my personal training studying materials, and getting to work. I now have 120 days to certify.
One of my gyms has also asked if I would be interested in representing them at a Les Mills certification for Body Pump (one of my favorite classes). Three days of learning and doing, and I cannot wait. What an great gift to be chosen!
Chadd, the most wonderful boyfriend, gave me my birthday present last weekend at dinner: personal training sessions. Ever concerned about my self image, he prefaced the gift by saying that if I wasn't interested, I didn't have to accept the gift and that this shouldn't reflect at all on me, but that he thought this was something I would enjoy. You can imagine my reaction...
OMG WHY WOULD YOU THINK I WOULDN'T WANT THIS OMG OMG OMG THIS IS THE BEST GIFT EVER
I freaked out a little. I have always wanted my own trainer to push me. Hell, Olympians have trainers! The most elite athletes in the world have trainers! SIGN ME UP! Chadd's intention was two fold: not only do I want my own trainer, but since I'm taking my exam soon, he wanted to make sure that I had someone who could help me as I got ready. How awesome.
In summation, on this Friday afternoon, I feel like I've done a Herculean feat--I stood up for my passion and I was supported. Do something today to stand up for your passion and tell me how good it feels
I hope everyone's been watching the Olympics. This is actually my first year of really truly watching the winter Olympics, which I usually watch for the ice skating and then forget are on. I really think that the winter Olympics are by far the most dangerous combination of sports that exist. Sadly, we have a reminder of that with the death of the Georgian luger, and you only need to watch a downhill alpine skiing race for 5 minutes to see a wipe out that could potentially kill or severely injure anyone. Like any NASCAR fan, I've waited for the crashes, but I've also come to hail these athletes as some of the best in existence. I'm amazed by their abilities. It inspires me to do better, to train harder, and to say something to my counselor at work I hadn't really expected to say.
We have a review 2x a year where we're given a rating on a scale. My counselor is a good guy, he works hard and he cares about my progress. He began our conversation by talking a little bit about the next step in my career and the types of activities I'd need to be doing to move from being a good, solid employee, to an exemplary one. I've seen friends of mine hit this point in their career and I want nothing to do with it. Work life balance becomes a lot more of a work life blend. I could go on, but I won't. It's a choice that people make and if that's their passion, far be it from me to condemn them. It just isn't mine.
I stopped him and told him that I was fine being a good, solid employee, that my passion was really in what I did outside of the office (fitness), and since its company policy that they're okay with me having a work/life balance, and that they are happy when we're good, solid employees, then I had made up my mind.
Bottom line: For the first time in my life, I haven't given 110% to something. I've only given 100% because I want to dedicate whatever spare time I have to being an instructor, a trainer, and an athlete in my own right. Why? Because it makes me want to get up in the morning. Simply and honestly put, it's my passion.
My counselor, bless him, looked at me for a moment and then really surprised me by saying:
"I am really glad to hear you say that. It's really the first time I've gotten to see your personality, normally you just tell me everything's fine. You seem a lot happier; I'll support you in that decision and I'll defend you if it comes to that."
What a weight off of my shoulders. So, with that, I'm ordering my personal training studying materials, and getting to work. I now have 120 days to certify.
One of my gyms has also asked if I would be interested in representing them at a Les Mills certification for Body Pump (one of my favorite classes). Three days of learning and doing, and I cannot wait. What an great gift to be chosen!
Chadd, the most wonderful boyfriend, gave me my birthday present last weekend at dinner: personal training sessions. Ever concerned about my self image, he prefaced the gift by saying that if I wasn't interested, I didn't have to accept the gift and that this shouldn't reflect at all on me, but that he thought this was something I would enjoy. You can imagine my reaction...
OMG WHY WOULD YOU THINK I WOULDN'T WANT THIS OMG OMG OMG THIS IS THE BEST GIFT EVER
I freaked out a little. I have always wanted my own trainer to push me. Hell, Olympians have trainers! The most elite athletes in the world have trainers! SIGN ME UP! Chadd's intention was two fold: not only do I want my own trainer, but since I'm taking my exam soon, he wanted to make sure that I had someone who could help me as I got ready. How awesome.
In summation, on this Friday afternoon, I feel like I've done a Herculean feat--I stood up for my passion and I was supported. Do something today to stand up for your passion and tell me how good it feels
My New Favorite Running Mix
This weekend was awesome in that kind of way where I have to ask myself if I did anything, then, when I realize that I did, I feel massively accomplished.
Saturday I got up before noon (1 pt. for me), while Chadd went to CPAC, I had a 6 mile run on the now showing sidewalks of Northwest DC (except for one bad part around the National Cathedral). Goodbye snow in 50 degree weather! Prior to this epic run, I updated my iPhone, and while I managed to delete most of my photos, any new contacts from after June 2008, and generally confused my very old computer, I also updated it to the point where I can actually get new apps (amazing!) and update the music on it.
Here is my new favorite running playlist (Artist: Song) now found on my phone:
1) Pretty Lights: More Important Than Michael Jordan
2) Midtown: Your Love
3) Metro Station: Shake It
4) 3Oh!3: Don't Trust Me
5) Forever the Sickest Kids: Breakdown
6) Cobra Starship: Good Girls Go Bad
7) Lady Gaga: Bad Romance
8) David Guetta: Sexy Bitch
9) Ke$ha: Tik Tok
10) Cascada: Evacuate the Dancefloor
11) Justin Timberlake ft. Timbaland: Carry Out
12) DJ Khaled: We Takin Over
13) Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce: Telephone
14) Franz Ferdinand: Take Me Out
15) Anberlin: Adelaide
16) Angels & Airwaves: Start the Machine
The mix clocks in at around an hour, perfect for a 6 mile training run (time built in for the poor decision to run down Wisconsin on the first nice Saturday afternoon of the year), stoplights, and about 10 minutes of stretching.
I also started on Friday night with a work to exhaustion workout--basically, 1 move per muscle group at moderate to heavy weight, reps till exhaustion, usually in sets.
Example: Bicep curls, 12.5 pound weights, 3 sets of 15 reps, or til exhaustion (20 reps on the last set for me)
I'm doing the "to exhaustion" workout for the next few days--I did it again on Saturday after my run, a modified version with my class on Sunday, and since I've got boxing tonight with my morning gym buddy, I'll probably take tonight off and get another exhaustion workout in tomorrow night before my second attempt at teaching no-tap (haaahahaha), especially since I have to practice tonight after boxing. The point of the exhaustion workout is to do it for an entire week, once every 6-12 months to jumpstart your body and break a plateau. I'll report on Friday night or Saturday how it went.
Anyway, enjoy the playlist--what's your favorite song(s) for a good workout--running or otherwise?
Saturday I got up before noon (1 pt. for me), while Chadd went to CPAC, I had a 6 mile run on the now showing sidewalks of Northwest DC (except for one bad part around the National Cathedral). Goodbye snow in 50 degree weather! Prior to this epic run, I updated my iPhone, and while I managed to delete most of my photos, any new contacts from after June 2008, and generally confused my very old computer, I also updated it to the point where I can actually get new apps (amazing!) and update the music on it.
Here is my new favorite running playlist (Artist: Song) now found on my phone:
1) Pretty Lights: More Important Than Michael Jordan
2) Midtown: Your Love
3) Metro Station: Shake It
4) 3Oh!3: Don't Trust Me
5) Forever the Sickest Kids: Breakdown
6) Cobra Starship: Good Girls Go Bad
7) Lady Gaga: Bad Romance
8) David Guetta: Sexy Bitch
9) Ke$ha: Tik Tok
10) Cascada: Evacuate the Dancefloor
11) Justin Timberlake ft. Timbaland: Carry Out
12) DJ Khaled: We Takin Over
13) Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce: Telephone
14) Franz Ferdinand: Take Me Out
15) Anberlin: Adelaide
16) Angels & Airwaves: Start the Machine
The mix clocks in at around an hour, perfect for a 6 mile training run (time built in for the poor decision to run down Wisconsin on the first nice Saturday afternoon of the year), stoplights, and about 10 minutes of stretching.
I also started on Friday night with a work to exhaustion workout--basically, 1 move per muscle group at moderate to heavy weight, reps till exhaustion, usually in sets.
Example: Bicep curls, 12.5 pound weights, 3 sets of 15 reps, or til exhaustion (20 reps on the last set for me)
I'm doing the "to exhaustion" workout for the next few days--I did it again on Saturday after my run, a modified version with my class on Sunday, and since I've got boxing tonight with my morning gym buddy, I'll probably take tonight off and get another exhaustion workout in tomorrow night before my second attempt at teaching no-tap (haaahahaha), especially since I have to practice tonight after boxing. The point of the exhaustion workout is to do it for an entire week, once every 6-12 months to jumpstart your body and break a plateau. I'll report on Friday night or Saturday how it went.
Anyway, enjoy the playlist--what's your favorite song(s) for a good workout--running or otherwise?
Monday, June 30, 2014
6 Mile Monday
I took myself out for a beautiful 6 mile run up to the National Zoo, across to the Cathedral, down Wisconsin to Georgetown, then back to Dupont.
It's the first day (aside from Sunday) of real DST. I cannot stand the whole losing an hour of sleep and how I kept waking up through the night, worrying about if I was going to wake up at the right hour. Come Sunday night though, I had one amazing night of sleep... I fell asleep to Chadd playing Mass Effect...for whatever reason, the soundtrack to that game literally puts me to sleep in about 30 seconds. I have been mid-sentence and passed out. This song specifically must hit me just right. Chadd's actually been known to turn this on so I'll fall asleep. So I slept well last night and woke up energetic (...ha.) or with enough energy to get through my day.
Tonight, I got home from work, encouraged by the (sort of) sun and a recent exploration of mapmyrun.com to go out for a six mile run. The route looked like this:
And MAN did it feel good. (Even the massive hills).
You know that one thing you really like to do where you don't actually have any idea how long it takes? How you can look up and all of a sudden it's over? That was my run tonight. There are nights, yes, where man, it's brutal, but the nights when there's a good run (always outside, always more than 4 miles) when all of a sudden, it's time to finish up--those are the best. It was gently misting, keeping most people inside, so it was basically a bunch of runners outside with a few straggling commuters.
For me, a long run is the equivalent of a hot bath and a a massage. It's a total mind eraser. It is definitely one of my favorite things about being a runner--finding that one thing that unlocks who you are. I won't ever be an olympic marathoner, but that's okay...because that's the nice thing about being a runner--you don't have to be "good" because "good" is relative. EVERYONE can work on improving their PR's
I encourage you to figure out what it is that gives you the same feeling (though the endrophin high is usually something reserved for runners) , but what is it that is your escape? Cooking? Walking? Writing? Art? Take a little time this week for yourself to enjoy that with your extra hour of daylight!
Best part of my night? Not feeling guilty about inhaling my dinner.
It's the first day (aside from Sunday) of real DST. I cannot stand the whole losing an hour of sleep and how I kept waking up through the night, worrying about if I was going to wake up at the right hour. Come Sunday night though, I had one amazing night of sleep... I fell asleep to Chadd playing Mass Effect...for whatever reason, the soundtrack to that game literally puts me to sleep in about 30 seconds. I have been mid-sentence and passed out. This song specifically must hit me just right. Chadd's actually been known to turn this on so I'll fall asleep. So I slept well last night and woke up energetic (...ha.) or with enough energy to get through my day.
Tonight, I got home from work, encouraged by the (sort of) sun and a recent exploration of mapmyrun.com to go out for a six mile run. The route looked like this:
And MAN did it feel good. (Even the massive hills).
You know that one thing you really like to do where you don't actually have any idea how long it takes? How you can look up and all of a sudden it's over? That was my run tonight. There are nights, yes, where man, it's brutal, but the nights when there's a good run (always outside, always more than 4 miles) when all of a sudden, it's time to finish up--those are the best. It was gently misting, keeping most people inside, so it was basically a bunch of runners outside with a few straggling commuters.
For me, a long run is the equivalent of a hot bath and a a massage. It's a total mind eraser. It is definitely one of my favorite things about being a runner--finding that one thing that unlocks who you are. I won't ever be an olympic marathoner, but that's okay...because that's the nice thing about being a runner--you don't have to be "good" because "good" is relative. EVERYONE can work on improving their PR's
I encourage you to figure out what it is that gives you the same feeling (though the endrophin high is usually something reserved for runners) , but what is it that is your escape? Cooking? Walking? Writing? Art? Take a little time this week for yourself to enjoy that with your extra hour of daylight!
Best part of my night? Not feeling guilty about inhaling my dinner.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Tuesday Links...a bit late and Colorado--Why You Should Never Quit
Okay, here are the weekly links entirely too late for my taste or reputation as a good blogger.
Fun and Effective Group Youth Programming Strategies: For my friends out there with children. I really think that fitness should start young. I'm not really talking about starting 5 year olds with weight lifting, but every child should be playing sports, running around with their friends, and burning off excess energy with active play. This article, from the perspective of the fitness professional, talks about strategies for keeping kids moving in a fun, game oriented way.
How I Went from New York Chic to Fitness Professional: Cute article on one woman's wardrobe change from corporate life to a fitness professional. One day, my friends, one day!
Mileage Inflation: Sigh. Not so long ago, running a marathon was a big deal. Now, it seems like everyone does it....
Why Core Strength Workouts Work: LOVE this article. You can just ask my participant, Manny (Thanks again!) who sent this in what I say in class...every...week. It's not just about your abs. It's about your entire "pillar." I call it your core and then break it down--your butt, your quads, your hams, your abs, your lower back, it's all your core and it's what keeps you upright, healthy, and aligned. Trust me on this one (and the author of the article)...core training is amazing for you. Make time for it!
In other news! I am back from Colorado where I learned to snowboard. This is a little story about what it means to have mind over matter.
I tried to snowboard about a year ago and ate it pretty hard (on my tailbone) and have been pretty gun shy about going back out there after that experience. After a few false starts on getting out to the east coast slopes this year, we packed our bags and flew to Denver to see my brother. We picked him up, rented our gear at an awesome place called Christy Rental (I guess they're everywhere in Colorado) and headed to Frisco.
This is the type of thing you see on the drive out there:
Fun and Effective Group Youth Programming Strategies: For my friends out there with children. I really think that fitness should start young. I'm not really talking about starting 5 year olds with weight lifting, but every child should be playing sports, running around with their friends, and burning off excess energy with active play. This article, from the perspective of the fitness professional, talks about strategies for keeping kids moving in a fun, game oriented way.
How I Went from New York Chic to Fitness Professional: Cute article on one woman's wardrobe change from corporate life to a fitness professional. One day, my friends, one day!
Mileage Inflation: Sigh. Not so long ago, running a marathon was a big deal. Now, it seems like everyone does it....
Why Core Strength Workouts Work: LOVE this article. You can just ask my participant, Manny (Thanks again!) who sent this in what I say in class...every...week. It's not just about your abs. It's about your entire "pillar." I call it your core and then break it down--your butt, your quads, your hams, your abs, your lower back, it's all your core and it's what keeps you upright, healthy, and aligned. Trust me on this one (and the author of the article)...core training is amazing for you. Make time for it!
In other news! I am back from Colorado where I learned to snowboard. This is a little story about what it means to have mind over matter.
I tried to snowboard about a year ago and ate it pretty hard (on my tailbone) and have been pretty gun shy about going back out there after that experience. After a few false starts on getting out to the east coast slopes this year, we packed our bags and flew to Denver to see my brother. We picked him up, rented our gear at an awesome place called Christy Rental (I guess they're everywhere in Colorado) and headed to Frisco.
This is the type of thing you see on the drive out there:
Now, you tell me why I shouldn't start packing my bags.
So anyway, we got out there and then next morning headed to Copper Mountain. Will and Chadd dropped me off at the Ski/Board school and waved goodbye. I was a fit of nervousness. The first half of the day aws extrodinarily frustrating. I basically had an epic meltdown at lunch and cried. Talk about losing my mind. Everyone says it takes three days to learn how to snowboard, or at least feel comfortable enough to get yourself up and down a mountain. Let me tell you, I had originally felt a lot better after just one hour of a lesson on the East Coast than I did out there.
But when I got back from lunch, my snowboard instructor, Phil, said that he thought it would be a good idea to get me up on the mountain. I'd probably have more luck up there. I told him that I appreciated his faith in my ability, but there was no way that was going to go well, but I might as well go...otherwise I'd be stuck down there all day.
So, off we went. Amazingly, my first time off a ski lift, I didn't eat it. I fell later, but I didn't totally crash. The first...quarter of the way down the mountain, I was a falling disaster. Then, with the help of my speakers on my iPhone, it all clicked. Phil had said over and over again "stop thinking and just relax." Let me tell you, to someone who is used to teaching, who knows what things should feel like and how to explain them, this made zippo sense to me. But one of my favorite songs came on and that was the end of that. All of a sudden, I was crashing at Phil's feet, scrambling up, then slowly edging my way down, then crashing.
The second day, I was elated to go back and even more so when I realized that it would be just me, Phil, and Chuck (a first time snowboarder and multi marathoner and Ironman). It was like my dream day. I had near private intruction, I was feeling pretty good being strapped into a board, and MAN was I loving the fresh powder. Falling was more like...falling into fluffy. I did have a load of trouble with the ski lift, mostly falling the second I tried to get off. They did have to stop the lift at least once for me, but I made it up Kokomo, down a little to get on to the Lumberjack lift and up we went. At least twice down from there. Chuck, my co lesson taker, got it a lot faster than I did. Thankfully, I had a wonderful instructor. I really value when I meet someone who teaches well. It reminds me that I need to be equally as dedicated to my clients and my participants. Phil helped me start to get my toe side turn (which is a hell of a lot harder than my heel side) and while I was more apt to stay on my heel side and ride switch (less dominant foot forward) every other zig zag, I felt like at the end of the day, I was prepared to get back on that mountain the next day all by myself. And I did! I made it down the run without falling once the last time on the second day.
Thanks, Phil!!
Let me tell you, though, Saturday morning, I'd strained my neck so badly that rolling over, I had to wrap a pillow around my head to stabilize my neck. Chadd had to lift me out of bed. Once I warmed up, I was still sore, but nothing I couldn't handle, thank you BodyPump training.
We spent a half day on the slopes on Saturday where I managed to fall off the lift chair at the end and get whacked in the back of the head with it (glad I had a helmet). Will went down the mountain with me the last time and once we were done, I honestly felt like I was dragging my heels away from the slopes.
It took a lot of guts and a lot of humility to learn to snowboard. No one looks good doing it their first trip. 4 year olds were flying by me while I was doing the "floating leaf" down the mountain.
All in all though, I would go back any day of the week and one day, I'll be going down bigger and better slopes. Try something that scares you, you might wind up loving it, listening to Tim McGraw's "Telluride" and dreaming of moving to the Rockies.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
My Second RD Appt and the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run
I met with my Registered Dietician (RD) last Thursday after many a rescheduled appointment.
I have to say, if you've never sat down with an R.D., stop what you're doing, stop reading this blog, and go make an appointment. Get 4 sessions, and trust me.
The last time I met with my RD, I had brought her a food diary from about a week to two weeks of eating. I'm fairly meticulous with writing down what I eat, so that was the easy part. We talked about my goals, my life style, and some general rules, then she asked me to write down the emotional feelings I had every time I ate until our next meeting.
While that went out the window when I got busy, I did make note of my emotions while eating enough that this picture became clear:
- I woke up not hungry (even before and after a morning workout), got the office and wanted a cup of coffee, no food. Halfway into my coffee, I wanted to eat my desk and the hunger came out of no where.
- I ate again around 10:30 because I was starting to get the munchies. Usually a piece of fruit cured this.
- Since my team tends to eat together at noon, I was never hungry at the beginning of lunch. The hunger picked up halfway through lunch, then I finished ready for a food coma nap.
- 3:30 I get bored and want to snack. Has to be a slow to eat food--popcorn, grapes, anything that requires time to eat.
- Not hungry when I get home and especially not hungry after I workout. At all. I have to force myself to eat after a workout. But about an hour after my workout, again I am ready to destroy an entire pizza.
My RD and I went through discussing that pattern and it basically followed exactly what she suspected/had seen in my food log:
I'm not eating enough. Hi, shocker! I'm a really big proponent of calories in, calories out for weight loss and while it still holds through, I'm highly active and not fueling my body to that level. Am I starving myself? No, but is my body going "eh, let's not burn off that fat, we're a little worried about our caloric intake?" in a word, yes. It sounds a lot more like a bad thing than it actually is.
Think about your body as a car. Let's say that the gas tank can fuel for the energy needed for exactly 1 day, plus a little bit of top-off fuel. When you wake up in the morning (start your car) without eating breakfast, you're essentially running on fumes till you hit the gas station (first meal). If you're like me and try to get in a few morning workouts, you're running on fumes, then pushing your car to the gas station if you fail to eat before hand.
Of course, you want to fill up the gas tank all the way (stuffing yourself). Same thing happens if you decide to put in more miles in a day than your gas tank can hold (second workout) and you wind up filling up again before you take your car home and putting it in the garage.
Essentially, I burn on fumes, over load on food, get really tired, burn all my food off again, then eat a ton or not at all, then pass out and repeat. My consumption looked more like a tiny hill followed by a valley, then a big hill, a steep valley, a little hill, then a huge hill, then right back down and repeat.
My R.D. says that I need to fuel before and after my workouts and definitely eat a breakfast and fuel through my day.
I don't have the papers in front of me, but she outlined the amount of stuff I need to be getting in these food groups:
- Grains
- Protein
- Dairy
- Fruits
- Vegetables
It's a LOT of food. I know she was thinking that I'd be mentally tabbing up the calories from a sample meal, so she said something that I guess I knew in the back of my mind, but hadn't actually fleshed out into full thought.
I might have been eating the right amount of calories, but the nutrients? Who knows. I mean, what do you REALLY get out of a 100 calorie pack of chocolate pretzels? Probably not much. So we turned the attention to what kind of calories I was actually eating. Cutting out a lot of prepackaged frozen junk and turning to "whole" foods.
While I'll be eating a lot more food, I'll probably be eating the right amount of calories, with all the nutrients. I added milk back into my diet, which hasn't been there in years. My stomach and I are still trying to decide how this is going to work out, but it has been nice to induldge in a big frothy glass of milk, especially post workout for the perfect blend of carbs and protein (and it cuts off that huge hunger pang I have about an hour post workout).
I'll post the sample menu that my RD gave me when I get home.
We also talked about setting SMART goals. I think I've talked about smart goals, so I won't go there again, but if you're interested, just google it. We wound up setting two SMART goals for me with three supporting goals.
I'll post those, too, when I get home so I make sure I have them down right.
So far, so good. I'm on 5 of eating more like the way we discussed and I feel really full all the time and I have energy. Double win.
In totally different news,
The Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run was this weekend. This was my second 10 Miler, my first one, I came in with like a 1:26 something because I was running with my friend, Maureen, from work and she pushed the hell out of me. This year, by total accident, I ran into her among 15,000 people. We wound up running together again, all the time pushing the other by total accident. We each thought we were slowing up the other, so we kept pushing and pushing and pushing. Before I knew it, we'd crossed 4, just after mile 5, I saw Chadd where I handed off my jacket, then 6, then 7 (oh man, just a 5k left), then suddenly 8 and we only had about 17 minutes left to endure. Then 9 went by and holy moly there was a hill. Maureen put the pedal to the medal, and amazingly, my legs kept up with her. We crested the hill to see the arches were not exactly right around the bend. Falling back a bit, we tried to pick up the pace again and flew through the finish line.
Time: 1:21:29; Pace: 8:09
And just like that, another PR this year.
I can tell you that one of the most beautiful sounds to me in the world is the sound of silence and a thousand runners shoes hitting the pavement all around you.
I have to say, if you've never sat down with an R.D., stop what you're doing, stop reading this blog, and go make an appointment. Get 4 sessions, and trust me.
The last time I met with my RD, I had brought her a food diary from about a week to two weeks of eating. I'm fairly meticulous with writing down what I eat, so that was the easy part. We talked about my goals, my life style, and some general rules, then she asked me to write down the emotional feelings I had every time I ate until our next meeting.
While that went out the window when I got busy, I did make note of my emotions while eating enough that this picture became clear:
- I woke up not hungry (even before and after a morning workout), got the office and wanted a cup of coffee, no food. Halfway into my coffee, I wanted to eat my desk and the hunger came out of no where.
- I ate again around 10:30 because I was starting to get the munchies. Usually a piece of fruit cured this.
- Since my team tends to eat together at noon, I was never hungry at the beginning of lunch. The hunger picked up halfway through lunch, then I finished ready for a food coma nap.
- 3:30 I get bored and want to snack. Has to be a slow to eat food--popcorn, grapes, anything that requires time to eat.
- Not hungry when I get home and especially not hungry after I workout. At all. I have to force myself to eat after a workout. But about an hour after my workout, again I am ready to destroy an entire pizza.
My RD and I went through discussing that pattern and it basically followed exactly what she suspected/had seen in my food log:
I'm not eating enough. Hi, shocker! I'm a really big proponent of calories in, calories out for weight loss and while it still holds through, I'm highly active and not fueling my body to that level. Am I starving myself? No, but is my body going "eh, let's not burn off that fat, we're a little worried about our caloric intake?" in a word, yes. It sounds a lot more like a bad thing than it actually is.
Think about your body as a car. Let's say that the gas tank can fuel for the energy needed for exactly 1 day, plus a little bit of top-off fuel. When you wake up in the morning (start your car) without eating breakfast, you're essentially running on fumes till you hit the gas station (first meal). If you're like me and try to get in a few morning workouts, you're running on fumes, then pushing your car to the gas station if you fail to eat before hand.
Of course, you want to fill up the gas tank all the way (stuffing yourself). Same thing happens if you decide to put in more miles in a day than your gas tank can hold (second workout) and you wind up filling up again before you take your car home and putting it in the garage.
Essentially, I burn on fumes, over load on food, get really tired, burn all my food off again, then eat a ton or not at all, then pass out and repeat. My consumption looked more like a tiny hill followed by a valley, then a big hill, a steep valley, a little hill, then a huge hill, then right back down and repeat.
My R.D. says that I need to fuel before and after my workouts and definitely eat a breakfast and fuel through my day.
I don't have the papers in front of me, but she outlined the amount of stuff I need to be getting in these food groups:
- Grains
- Protein
- Dairy
- Fruits
- Vegetables
It's a LOT of food. I know she was thinking that I'd be mentally tabbing up the calories from a sample meal, so she said something that I guess I knew in the back of my mind, but hadn't actually fleshed out into full thought.
I might have been eating the right amount of calories, but the nutrients? Who knows. I mean, what do you REALLY get out of a 100 calorie pack of chocolate pretzels? Probably not much. So we turned the attention to what kind of calories I was actually eating. Cutting out a lot of prepackaged frozen junk and turning to "whole" foods.
While I'll be eating a lot more food, I'll probably be eating the right amount of calories, with all the nutrients. I added milk back into my diet, which hasn't been there in years. My stomach and I are still trying to decide how this is going to work out, but it has been nice to induldge in a big frothy glass of milk, especially post workout for the perfect blend of carbs and protein (and it cuts off that huge hunger pang I have about an hour post workout).
I'll post the sample menu that my RD gave me when I get home.
We also talked about setting SMART goals. I think I've talked about smart goals, so I won't go there again, but if you're interested, just google it. We wound up setting two SMART goals for me with three supporting goals.
I'll post those, too, when I get home so I make sure I have them down right.
So far, so good. I'm on 5 of eating more like the way we discussed and I feel really full all the time and I have energy. Double win.
In totally different news,
The Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run was this weekend. This was my second 10 Miler, my first one, I came in with like a 1:26 something because I was running with my friend, Maureen, from work and she pushed the hell out of me. This year, by total accident, I ran into her among 15,000 people. We wound up running together again, all the time pushing the other by total accident. We each thought we were slowing up the other, so we kept pushing and pushing and pushing. Before I knew it, we'd crossed 4, just after mile 5, I saw Chadd where I handed off my jacket, then 6, then 7 (oh man, just a 5k left), then suddenly 8 and we only had about 17 minutes left to endure. Then 9 went by and holy moly there was a hill. Maureen put the pedal to the medal, and amazingly, my legs kept up with her. We crested the hill to see the arches were not exactly right around the bend. Falling back a bit, we tried to pick up the pace again and flew through the finish line.
Time: 1:21:29; Pace: 8:09
And just like that, another PR this year.
I can tell you that one of the most beautiful sounds to me in the world is the sound of silence and a thousand runners shoes hitting the pavement all around you.
First Day, New Changes
Today is the day to start new things. At least in my world.
I got up this morning at quarter of 7 (despite a raging headache an a sleepless night...I guess that's what nerves do to you), my coffee had already brewed. I had a banana and a piece of amazing homemade bread that my awesome dad made for me while I was at home, and walked around the apartment getting ready.
Today is my first day at my new job. Technically, office hours are 8:30 to 6, but since I have to leave early sometimes to teach, I've decided to start getting here around 8. I enjoyed my car ride over (though I'll likely hate the metro ride home since Chadd needs the car to get home), and I've been here for about 20 minutes so far.
I actually have an office (with a door) and a big desk all to my own, a huge window at my back that overlooks the courtyard. Life is feeling pretty good, to be honest.
I've decided that this is the time to make some big changes (though they're really not big in the scheme of things). I'm going to get up an hour or so before I have to leave for the office (I only hit snooze 2x this morning as opposed to the typical 5-8 times), I will eat breakfast (especially since my RD is strongly urging me to do that), and I will take time to get ready the night before work so I'm not frantic the morning of.
Essentially, I'm going to start taking care of myself, pacing myself, and making this a lifestyle, not just another hellish project to get through. Of course, that would be well and good if I had actually gone to bed early last night and slept well. I stayed up way too late cooking (made lemon angel food cupcakes for my office...I know, suck up to the extreme, but they're only 140 calories!) and trying to relieve stress. Then I tossed and turned all night. I'm not actually sure I ever got deep sleep. I wasn't too irritated since I was basically expecting to not sleep well. I actually had a nightmare that I'd get to work and have nothing to do.
Two hours later, my day feels slow mostly because I'm not usually at the office until 9 and adding another hour to my morning makes it seem like it's taking forever. But at 8:30, my boss came in, seemed pleased to see me here already, then we all (three of us, 2 others on the phone) had a meeting, then we shot the breeze for a bit and 10am comes around and I have some reading material and a small task that will take me about a half day as soon as I have the info (likely this afternoon).
So far, so good. I like where I am and if I hadn't had so much coffee this morning, I'd probably be 100% on top of the world.
In other news....
My parents got me the most amazing cookbook when I was home. It's the new Cooking Light Cooking Through the Seasons cookbook:
I tried three (yes, three) recipes last night. And judging from how good they all are, I'm going to go ahead and say this cookbook is a must have in any kitchen.
I'm having the Fresh Pea and Mint Soup for lunch with a small side salad and, later, for a snack, the Garlicky Lima Bean Spread (don't judge the limas, they're pretty good when ground into a paste and infused with garlic) and then, of course, the Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes which have so far passed the office taste test and made it into the email welcoming me to the firm.
It's a good day.
Old Habits, New Ways of Life
I had some awesome ideas on what to blog about today, but go figure, they literally flew out of my head. So instead, I'm going to talk a little bit about how I'm trying to stay healthy with my new life.
When I joined my last job, I was more focused on the fact that I was working my first full time job and that I wanted to make a good impression. My focus was entirely on my career, which was the right mindset...but it blew up in my face because I neglected everything else.
Over the course of two years, no joke, I gained nearly 20 pounds. I can't even tell you how hard it is to write that. We've all read those magazine articles about how if you do x (ex: drink a whole milk chai latte) x times a week (how about 3 times) over the course of x years (let's say 2), you will gain x pounds (how about 20?). My downfall was not chai lattes (at least not totally), it was the general lifestyle where I didn't focus on the pizza, the happy hours, the venti coffee drinks...and then I woke up one morning (when I started this blog) and asked myself "what have you done?" I lost 8 pounds. Then I celebrated and crapped out. Gained the 8 back, plus 1.
About the time that I began to realize I couldn't be happy and stay in my previous job, I also began to realize that I couldn't continue to treat myself the way I was treating myself.
You've read the story of how I managed to get through those months before I joined my new company, so now you know it's possible, but I was really worried about the transition. As unhappy as I was, I had a schedule I knew how to maintain, but I also had horrible habits.
If I didn't get up to go to the gym, I was usually up about 15 minutes before I had to walk out the door. I was hitting the right caloric intake, but at the risk of of getting the wrong nutrition. How do you make a day's worth of food in 5 minutes? Easy! You throw a lean cuisine, a 100 calorie pack, and some other processed stuff into a bag and off you go.
I promised myself when I started this job that I would live my life in a way that I was enjoying it. Every minute of it.
I have promised myself to do the following:
- Make a meal plan every weekend that does not involved processed food
- Wake up an hour before I have to leave
- Eat breakfast EVERY morning
- Make my lunch every day or have a plan if I have a client lunch meeting
- Make a gym schedule and stick to it (schedule must be flexible)
- Enjoy every meal that I eat (because calories suck if they taste bad)
I know it's only day three, but I've gotten up consistently an hour before I had to leave for work, gotten to work early for 30 minutes alone to have coffee and watch the news. I made a menu plan, cooked on Sunday, and have stuck with it. My gym schedule hit a bump tonight, but because it was flexible, I'm going tomorrow night and taking tonight to relax.
I have 8 pounds to go--I added two pounds to my goal weight loss, otherwise, I am proud to say that I've maintained my weightloss for the past two months and that as soon as I sign up for my trainer, I'll be back on track with all systems go to burn off 8 pounds by the middle of June.
I think the bottom line of this meandering post is this: if you're unhappy with where you are, nothing says you cannot change that. I know that I need milestones to help me change things, but think about what it is that you're dissatisfied with. Do you rush in the morning? Skip the gym? Rely on take out? Make an action plan and change it, because from where I'm sitting, and maybe it's the new job talking (it's so awesome, btw, I love being there), but changing something that makes you unhappy, as small as it may be, magnifies in how happy it makes you when you change it.
When I joined my last job, I was more focused on the fact that I was working my first full time job and that I wanted to make a good impression. My focus was entirely on my career, which was the right mindset...but it blew up in my face because I neglected everything else.
Over the course of two years, no joke, I gained nearly 20 pounds. I can't even tell you how hard it is to write that. We've all read those magazine articles about how if you do x (ex: drink a whole milk chai latte) x times a week (how about 3 times) over the course of x years (let's say 2), you will gain x pounds (how about 20?). My downfall was not chai lattes (at least not totally), it was the general lifestyle where I didn't focus on the pizza, the happy hours, the venti coffee drinks...and then I woke up one morning (when I started this blog) and asked myself "what have you done?" I lost 8 pounds. Then I celebrated and crapped out. Gained the 8 back, plus 1.
About the time that I began to realize I couldn't be happy and stay in my previous job, I also began to realize that I couldn't continue to treat myself the way I was treating myself.
You've read the story of how I managed to get through those months before I joined my new company, so now you know it's possible, but I was really worried about the transition. As unhappy as I was, I had a schedule I knew how to maintain, but I also had horrible habits.
If I didn't get up to go to the gym, I was usually up about 15 minutes before I had to walk out the door. I was hitting the right caloric intake, but at the risk of of getting the wrong nutrition. How do you make a day's worth of food in 5 minutes? Easy! You throw a lean cuisine, a 100 calorie pack, and some other processed stuff into a bag and off you go.
I promised myself when I started this job that I would live my life in a way that I was enjoying it. Every minute of it.
I have promised myself to do the following:
- Make a meal plan every weekend that does not involved processed food
- Wake up an hour before I have to leave
- Eat breakfast EVERY morning
- Make my lunch every day or have a plan if I have a client lunch meeting
- Make a gym schedule and stick to it (schedule must be flexible)
- Enjoy every meal that I eat (because calories suck if they taste bad)
I know it's only day three, but I've gotten up consistently an hour before I had to leave for work, gotten to work early for 30 minutes alone to have coffee and watch the news. I made a menu plan, cooked on Sunday, and have stuck with it. My gym schedule hit a bump tonight, but because it was flexible, I'm going tomorrow night and taking tonight to relax.
I have 8 pounds to go--I added two pounds to my goal weight loss, otherwise, I am proud to say that I've maintained my weightloss for the past two months and that as soon as I sign up for my trainer, I'll be back on track with all systems go to burn off 8 pounds by the middle of June.
I think the bottom line of this meandering post is this: if you're unhappy with where you are, nothing says you cannot change that. I know that I need milestones to help me change things, but think about what it is that you're dissatisfied with. Do you rush in the morning? Skip the gym? Rely on take out? Make an action plan and change it, because from where I'm sitting, and maybe it's the new job talking (it's so awesome, btw, I love being there), but changing something that makes you unhappy, as small as it may be, magnifies in how happy it makes you when you change it.
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.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Wanted: Fail Proof Way to Get Up
You guys, I'm losing my mind.
Help.
I need to find a fail proof method to getting my butt out of bed in the morning. Things I have tried?
- Setting an alarm in another room (get up, turn off, go back to bed)
- Setting several alarms (turn both off or hit snooze on both)
- Setting alarm an hour before I have to get up (snooze...snooze...snooze through time I meant to get up)
- Two alarm clocks of the feline variety with a non negotiable wake-up time of 5:30 (locked out of bedroom after feeding)
- Morning gym routine (mild success)
- Signs (epic fail, I can't read in the dark or without my glasses)
Chadd says that the real problem is that I KNOW that I can get ready in about 10 minutes. And it's true. I don't like it, persay, but I don't need more than 10-15 minutes. I would much rather have an hour to take my time, have breakfast, etc.
The other problem, too, is that I can't really spend a whole bunch of time in the room in the morning getting ready, since Chadd's still sleeping. I would RATHER sleep, too. I can't turn on the tv, or the radio, or music while I get ready...
The final problem is that I don't really have a time that I have to be at work. 8:30? Sure. 8:45? Okay. A little after nine when the world goes insane at home? Sure. It's a double edged sword (one I'm glad to have, so don't see this as complaining) but it doesn't help when I'm like "augh, got four hours of sleep...must hit snooze."
I guess that last sentence betrays me. I never get enough sleep. A lot of it is that when I pick up Chadd, I'm forced into losing a couple hours of sleep. Unfortunately, there isn't really a way around that one that doesn't break our budget or force me to quit teaching.
I'm making an effort to get up at least 30 minutes before I have to leave from here on out. Which means I need to be up at 7:45 every day. Shouldn't be that hard.
Any suggestions?
Help.
I need to find a fail proof method to getting my butt out of bed in the morning. Things I have tried?
- Setting an alarm in another room (get up, turn off, go back to bed)
- Setting several alarms (turn both off or hit snooze on both)
- Setting alarm an hour before I have to get up (snooze...snooze...snooze through time I meant to get up)
- Two alarm clocks of the feline variety with a non negotiable wake-up time of 5:30 (locked out of bedroom after feeding)
- Morning gym routine (mild success)
- Signs (epic fail, I can't read in the dark or without my glasses)
Chadd says that the real problem is that I KNOW that I can get ready in about 10 minutes. And it's true. I don't like it, persay, but I don't need more than 10-15 minutes. I would much rather have an hour to take my time, have breakfast, etc.
The other problem, too, is that I can't really spend a whole bunch of time in the room in the morning getting ready, since Chadd's still sleeping. I would RATHER sleep, too. I can't turn on the tv, or the radio, or music while I get ready...
The final problem is that I don't really have a time that I have to be at work. 8:30? Sure. 8:45? Okay. A little after nine when the world goes insane at home? Sure. It's a double edged sword (one I'm glad to have, so don't see this as complaining) but it doesn't help when I'm like "augh, got four hours of sleep...must hit snooze."
I guess that last sentence betrays me. I never get enough sleep. A lot of it is that when I pick up Chadd, I'm forced into losing a couple hours of sleep. Unfortunately, there isn't really a way around that one that doesn't break our budget or force me to quit teaching.
I'm making an effort to get up at least 30 minutes before I have to leave from here on out. Which means I need to be up at 7:45 every day. Shouldn't be that hard.
Any suggestions?
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