Busy day
Today has gone by quickly, because I have been busy. This is a good thing, since this week has been kinda crappy. I’ve mostly held my own on the food front, done pretty darn good on the exercise front, but I’ve just been tired. Hubby has gotten home late every night for one reason or another, and we are both just bone tired. He is off to play D&D this weekend, and I plan to lounge around as much as possible!
Had a great lifting session last night. Didn’t run this morning though. I thought thunder = rain, so I didn’t, but it wasn’t. Just thunder. Weird. So, I am running tonight. Swimming after dinner perhaps? I’d love to go out to eat, but no. Healthy food is planned, and will be consumed!!! No no, not even a chocolate cookie – I had half of one yesterday! I must weigh tomorrow, and its water retention week, so its gonna be bad enough without a bunch of carb bloat due to poor food choices.
Speaking of which, I ordered a copy of Joyce Vedral’s “Eat to Trim”, a book I got from the library which has some good recipes in it. I tried to make good choices this week, but my food has left me feeling vaguely dissatisfied, which is not good. Must create a better plan for next week.
Tomorrow is Friday, I’m sure to be perkier if for no other reason than that.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Weight
Because Megan asked about it in a comment (and I didn't want to bury the answer to her question): I have lost close to 30 pounds (27.5). It has taken me a while. I did Weight Watchers for a while. I think that can be a great program, and many people have had a lot of success with it. But it wasn't for me. I have lost weight through making a "life style change." My "plan" (or occasional lack thereof) is my own, and therefore I stick with it, changing things as needed. If it were just me I might go through stages of living on tv dinners and Skinny Cow ice cream bars. But I have a family and therefore feel like I should serve real food rather than the trash I would subsist on. Maybe I am selling myself short, who knows?
If you have questions, feel free to ask and I'll be glad to answer. But without a little prodding I'm not sure what to say :-)
Because Megan asked about it in a comment (and I didn't want to bury the answer to her question): I have lost close to 30 pounds (27.5). It has taken me a while. I did Weight Watchers for a while. I think that can be a great program, and many people have had a lot of success with it. But it wasn't for me. I have lost weight through making a "life style change." My "plan" (or occasional lack thereof) is my own, and therefore I stick with it, changing things as needed. If it were just me I might go through stages of living on tv dinners and Skinny Cow ice cream bars. But I have a family and therefore feel like I should serve real food rather than the trash I would subsist on. Maybe I am selling myself short, who knows?
If you have questions, feel free to ask and I'll be glad to answer. But without a little prodding I'm not sure what to say :-)
Negativity Alert!
I just needed to let off a little steam here, so here goes:
1) Why do I spend so much time cooking? I mean, good Lord! Because of our busy weekday schedule, a lot of my cooking and food prep takes place on the weekend. I spent like 6 hours in the kitchen Sunday. In retrospect, I realize I chose poorly – making several “chopping” intensive meals in one week. But spending 3-4 hours in the kitchen is typical. What do “normal” people do? Eat crap? I used to have hobbies – now I have clean grapes and celery sticks in my lunch box. I want time to sew again!
2) I am tired. Real tired. D&mn tired. Like, I fall into bed every night between 9 and 9:30, freaking exhausted. It is sad when you tell your 10 year old they have to go to bed early because mom can’t stay awake any more. I get up at 5:18 each morning (barring t-storms). I realize 8 hours of sleep is optimal, but I really hate the fact that by 8:30 I am rapidly degenerating into a grouchy b&tch.
Sometimes being fit and healthy seems like an awful lot of trouble & effort, ya know?
As always “change of plans.” The hubster got home late because he had to go to Urgent Care to get a splinter removed from the back of his head. They didn’t get it all – he has to go back this morning. Poor guy. So, the boy & I went to a local pizza parlor. We shared a medium anchovy, extra sauce light cheese. And I mean it was light cheese – a couple of pieces had none! Their hand tossed crust is very good, and on the thin side. The boy also had a salad. Not the healthiest meal on the planet (or the lowest in calories), but not too bad either. We went to tutoring, then went to the Y for a swim. I wasn’t as comfortable as I’ve been feeling lately, but I didn’t drown. It still amazes me that I swim laps. Who would have ever thought? (I just learned last winter.)
We also stopped by the library on the way to tutoring to pick up a couple of books I had reserved. “The Body Sculpting Bible for Women” was in. So far it looks good. I am excited about hitting the gym really hard after the marathon! Have I ever mentioned how much I love lifting weights?
Okay, enough whining!!!!
I just needed to let off a little steam here, so here goes:
1) Why do I spend so much time cooking? I mean, good Lord! Because of our busy weekday schedule, a lot of my cooking and food prep takes place on the weekend. I spent like 6 hours in the kitchen Sunday. In retrospect, I realize I chose poorly – making several “chopping” intensive meals in one week. But spending 3-4 hours in the kitchen is typical. What do “normal” people do? Eat crap? I used to have hobbies – now I have clean grapes and celery sticks in my lunch box. I want time to sew again!
2) I am tired. Real tired. D&mn tired. Like, I fall into bed every night between 9 and 9:30, freaking exhausted. It is sad when you tell your 10 year old they have to go to bed early because mom can’t stay awake any more. I get up at 5:18 each morning (barring t-storms). I realize 8 hours of sleep is optimal, but I really hate the fact that by 8:30 I am rapidly degenerating into a grouchy b&tch.
Sometimes being fit and healthy seems like an awful lot of trouble & effort, ya know?
As always “change of plans.” The hubster got home late because he had to go to Urgent Care to get a splinter removed from the back of his head. They didn’t get it all – he has to go back this morning. Poor guy. So, the boy & I went to a local pizza parlor. We shared a medium anchovy, extra sauce light cheese. And I mean it was light cheese – a couple of pieces had none! Their hand tossed crust is very good, and on the thin side. The boy also had a salad. Not the healthiest meal on the planet (or the lowest in calories), but not too bad either. We went to tutoring, then went to the Y for a swim. I wasn’t as comfortable as I’ve been feeling lately, but I didn’t drown. It still amazes me that I swim laps. Who would have ever thought? (I just learned last winter.)
We also stopped by the library on the way to tutoring to pick up a couple of books I had reserved. “The Body Sculpting Bible for Women” was in. So far it looks good. I am excited about hitting the gym really hard after the marathon! Have I ever mentioned how much I love lifting weights?
Okay, enough whining!!!!
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Challenge Me?
This from Ron Harris’s “Daily Pump”: “Yesterday at my in-laws I had to watch everyone eat slices of this delicious-looking Snickers bar flavored cheesecake, while I had chicken breast and carrot sticks! It's cool though, it's better to get ripped than to stuff your face with crap.”
Wow. I am taking this as a “sign from god”. See, when I read Chris’ challenge yesterday, the whiny inner brat immediately asserted herself. “He wrote that last week. You’ve already bought all your groceries & planned your meals for the week. You have to take the boy places – you can’t change your workout schedule.” I let myself be oppressed by that brat most of the day.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about the challenge. I am always willing to jump on somebody else’s bandwagon. :-) I figured I could use the suggestion “make dinner your smallest meal.” I ate a reasonable portion at dinner, then we went to the gym. I did a little upper body & then watched my son’s tae kwon do practice for a while. So, there was one thing I could incorporate 1) making sure dinner isn’t larger than lunch. Then I thought of another 2) no snacking after dinner. Really not necessary, so why do it?
This morning I was doing my usual 2 mile run and I thought 3) Do the run segments faster, using the walk breaks as recovery breaks. It wasn’t all out my any means, but I ran a much faster pace than I normally do. Not only was I not worse for the wear, I felt really good! I drove in to work, the sun roof open and the “Heavy Metal” soundtrack blasting. Without changing my schedule or buying anything out of the ordinary, I had made 3 tweaks to my routine that I felt would help my fitness and weight loss. Will I cut out post dinner snacks forever? Of course not. But being mindful of it for even a week will help.
So then I read Lee’s response to the challenge. She is modifying Chris’s fruit fast suggestion to a fruit, veggie, cottage cheese only day. I thought to myself “Gee. Just this morning on the run you were thinking about what to plan for this weekend while hubby is out of town.” 4) This weekend I will do a fruit, veggie, tuna only weekend (after my pb&j post-long run). It’ll be just me at home so I won’t need to cook for anyone. I can either use being by myself as an excuse to shovel crap into my hole, or I can use it to help myself along, since I don’t have to fix meals for anyone.
Wrap back around to the quote at the top of the page. Ron is right. Note to self: Pick up necessary items Friday at grocery. Set yourself up for success. Heck, I won’t even have anybody eating cheesecake in front of me – should be easy!
This from Ron Harris’s “Daily Pump”: “Yesterday at my in-laws I had to watch everyone eat slices of this delicious-looking Snickers bar flavored cheesecake, while I had chicken breast and carrot sticks! It's cool though, it's better to get ripped than to stuff your face with crap.”
Wow. I am taking this as a “sign from god”. See, when I read Chris’ challenge yesterday, the whiny inner brat immediately asserted herself. “He wrote that last week. You’ve already bought all your groceries & planned your meals for the week. You have to take the boy places – you can’t change your workout schedule.” I let myself be oppressed by that brat most of the day.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about the challenge. I am always willing to jump on somebody else’s bandwagon. :-) I figured I could use the suggestion “make dinner your smallest meal.” I ate a reasonable portion at dinner, then we went to the gym. I did a little upper body & then watched my son’s tae kwon do practice for a while. So, there was one thing I could incorporate 1) making sure dinner isn’t larger than lunch. Then I thought of another 2) no snacking after dinner. Really not necessary, so why do it?
This morning I was doing my usual 2 mile run and I thought 3) Do the run segments faster, using the walk breaks as recovery breaks. It wasn’t all out my any means, but I ran a much faster pace than I normally do. Not only was I not worse for the wear, I felt really good! I drove in to work, the sun roof open and the “Heavy Metal” soundtrack blasting. Without changing my schedule or buying anything out of the ordinary, I had made 3 tweaks to my routine that I felt would help my fitness and weight loss. Will I cut out post dinner snacks forever? Of course not. But being mindful of it for even a week will help.
So then I read Lee’s response to the challenge. She is modifying Chris’s fruit fast suggestion to a fruit, veggie, cottage cheese only day. I thought to myself “Gee. Just this morning on the run you were thinking about what to plan for this weekend while hubby is out of town.” 4) This weekend I will do a fruit, veggie, tuna only weekend (after my pb&j post-long run). It’ll be just me at home so I won’t need to cook for anyone. I can either use being by myself as an excuse to shovel crap into my hole, or I can use it to help myself along, since I don’t have to fix meals for anyone.
Wrap back around to the quote at the top of the page. Ron is right. Note to self: Pick up necessary items Friday at grocery. Set yourself up for success. Heck, I won’t even have anybody eating cheesecake in front of me – should be easy!
Monday, March 28, 2005
Work fascinates me – I can watch is for hours!
In my case, this old joke would be “Nutrition fascinates me – I can read about it for hours.” Especially while slurping down a cold brewski.
While there was no “out of control” eating going on over the long weekend, it was simply that I ate too much here and there, spread out throughout the days off. Ugh! Back to my routine, I am doing my better. Done’s done, time to move forward.
Exercise however was quite good. Got in a great swim, a nice 7 mile run, the boy & I ran 3 miles together, we did some hiking… So lots of good stuff on that side of the equation!
We watched “Catwoman” last night, which I really enjoyed despite the cruddy reviews.
That’s all for now.
In my case, this old joke would be “Nutrition fascinates me – I can read about it for hours.” Especially while slurping down a cold brewski.
While there was no “out of control” eating going on over the long weekend, it was simply that I ate too much here and there, spread out throughout the days off. Ugh! Back to my routine, I am doing my better. Done’s done, time to move forward.
Exercise however was quite good. Got in a great swim, a nice 7 mile run, the boy & I ran 3 miles together, we did some hiking… So lots of good stuff on that side of the equation!
We watched “Catwoman” last night, which I really enjoyed despite the cruddy reviews.
That’s all for now.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Life in a small town
Something happened to me this morning that reminded me why I like living in a small town. I felt like I was in one of those commercials on the Turner South tv network “This is my south.” I got up early to come into the office for an hour, then meet the boys at Jimmy’s – their favorite breakfast eatery. I had half a peanut butter sandwich with me so I wouldn’t starve for 2 hours, and decided a diet cherry limeade from Sonic would be the perfect thing to wash it down. I had no idea what time they opened – it was a little after 6. I pull up to the drive-thru and I’m looking for the operating hours. The lady says to me, “We aren’t open yet, but if you just want a drink I can take care of that.” So I order my drink and pull around. I explained I wasn’t sure what time they opened & couldn’t find the hours. She replied, ”When Don is working he gets here around 5 so the grill would be all ready by now. I get here at 6, so it isn’t ready yet. But just drive through and I can always get you a drink.” I never did find out what time they open.
Like the IBM commercial says, “Change of plans.” The hubster was going to be home late and grandpa was dropping the boy home for tae kwon do already fed. So I figured I would stop at the cafeteria for some healthy food on the way home & wait for the boy. My mom calls and says “There is a funnel cloud 15 minutes from the northern side of Kernersville. Go home now.” So, I whip the car around and head for home. By the time I get to the cemetery there is a huge wall cloud (anybody that lives in the mid-west probably knows that’s bad – we don’t generally get those here.) and the sky was green (due to all the hail in the clouds). I get home & the dogs & I go to the hall bathroom since it’s in the center of the house and has no windows (we don’t have a basement). We listen to 80 knot winds go whipping around the house and hail (reported to be up to 2.5 inches in diameter) pound the roof. Thankfully it was over in a few minutes. We were all safe and the funnel didn’t touch down. Pictures from Tobaccoville just down the road looked as if it had snowed they had so much hail. Unbelievable. I love a good thunderstorm as much as anyone, but that was a little much!
The boy got home & we went to tae kwon do. I took a nice picture of him getting his brown belt and then I headed out to look for some food. I had a stomach ache and nothing sounded good. I wound up eating fast food (yuck). I feel hung over today, although it’s probably from the Saltine’s I ate right before bed to settle my stomach.
Today is a 3 mile run, a swim, & running errands. Tomorrow is hiking over at Pilot Mountain (remember Mt Pilot in The Andy Griffith show?). This weekend I have an easy 7 mile run plan, and some militant relaxing with my family.
Have a great weekend.
p.s. Yes, Tobaccoville is a real town in NC, just down the road a piece. :-)
Something happened to me this morning that reminded me why I like living in a small town. I felt like I was in one of those commercials on the Turner South tv network “This is my south.” I got up early to come into the office for an hour, then meet the boys at Jimmy’s – their favorite breakfast eatery. I had half a peanut butter sandwich with me so I wouldn’t starve for 2 hours, and decided a diet cherry limeade from Sonic would be the perfect thing to wash it down. I had no idea what time they opened – it was a little after 6. I pull up to the drive-thru and I’m looking for the operating hours. The lady says to me, “We aren’t open yet, but if you just want a drink I can take care of that.” So I order my drink and pull around. I explained I wasn’t sure what time they opened & couldn’t find the hours. She replied, ”When Don is working he gets here around 5 so the grill would be all ready by now. I get here at 6, so it isn’t ready yet. But just drive through and I can always get you a drink.” I never did find out what time they open.
Like the IBM commercial says, “Change of plans.” The hubster was going to be home late and grandpa was dropping the boy home for tae kwon do already fed. So I figured I would stop at the cafeteria for some healthy food on the way home & wait for the boy. My mom calls and says “There is a funnel cloud 15 minutes from the northern side of Kernersville. Go home now.” So, I whip the car around and head for home. By the time I get to the cemetery there is a huge wall cloud (anybody that lives in the mid-west probably knows that’s bad – we don’t generally get those here.) and the sky was green (due to all the hail in the clouds). I get home & the dogs & I go to the hall bathroom since it’s in the center of the house and has no windows (we don’t have a basement). We listen to 80 knot winds go whipping around the house and hail (reported to be up to 2.5 inches in diameter) pound the roof. Thankfully it was over in a few minutes. We were all safe and the funnel didn’t touch down. Pictures from Tobaccoville just down the road looked as if it had snowed they had so much hail. Unbelievable. I love a good thunderstorm as much as anyone, but that was a little much!
The boy got home & we went to tae kwon do. I took a nice picture of him getting his brown belt and then I headed out to look for some food. I had a stomach ache and nothing sounded good. I wound up eating fast food (yuck). I feel hung over today, although it’s probably from the Saltine’s I ate right before bed to settle my stomach.
Today is a 3 mile run, a swim, & running errands. Tomorrow is hiking over at Pilot Mountain (remember Mt Pilot in The Andy Griffith show?). This weekend I have an easy 7 mile run plan, and some militant relaxing with my family.
Have a great weekend.
p.s. Yes, Tobaccoville is a real town in NC, just down the road a piece. :-)
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Rainy day blah blah blah
I went to the pool last night & swam. In a rare burst of intelligence, I decided to listen to my body this morning. The big honking fever blister I woke up with was a pretty clear sign: fever blisters = stress. So, my body was begging me to slow down! Working out 3 times a day the past 2 days after the long run and on top of being sick was apparently a little excessive, and nature let me know that loud and clear (ouch my lip hurts!!!). So, I slept in this morning.
Today, 1) my hair looks fabulous (I have no idea why, so I cannot replicate this at will), 2) I am ravenous (is that nailed down? no? then pass it over!) and 3) my friend G is back in the hospital. In the past 3 years she has had 3 typs of cancer (she started with breast). I am down about that, and I'm sure she is too. I called her this morning and we may ride over to Durham to see her this weekend - she is in Duke hospital.
It is raining really hard here, but that's okay. I have the next 2 days off, as do the boy & the hubster & the weather is supposed to be gorgeous Thursday & Friday. So it can just get all that rain out of the way today!
I don't know much else. I am getting plantar fascitis again this year. I think I will make an appt to talk to an orthopedist. I am doing everything I've read about in Galloway's book to help it. But I don't want to graduate to bone spurs, so I may actually see a professional. Gag.
I went to the pool last night & swam. In a rare burst of intelligence, I decided to listen to my body this morning. The big honking fever blister I woke up with was a pretty clear sign: fever blisters = stress. So, my body was begging me to slow down! Working out 3 times a day the past 2 days after the long run and on top of being sick was apparently a little excessive, and nature let me know that loud and clear (ouch my lip hurts!!!). So, I slept in this morning.
Today, 1) my hair looks fabulous (I have no idea why, so I cannot replicate this at will), 2) I am ravenous (is that nailed down? no? then pass it over!) and 3) my friend G is back in the hospital. In the past 3 years she has had 3 typs of cancer (she started with breast). I am down about that, and I'm sure she is too. I called her this morning and we may ride over to Durham to see her this weekend - she is in Duke hospital.
It is raining really hard here, but that's okay. I have the next 2 days off, as do the boy & the hubster & the weather is supposed to be gorgeous Thursday & Friday. So it can just get all that rain out of the way today!
I don't know much else. I am getting plantar fascitis again this year. I think I will make an appt to talk to an orthopedist. I am doing everything I've read about in Galloway's book to help it. But I don't want to graduate to bone spurs, so I may actually see a professional. Gag.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Coming into Focus
First of, I am obviously still not over my cold or my run! I did go to the gym last night. I lifted weights (back, chest, tris, bis) and then called it a night, postponing swimming until today. I was exhausted. I managed to go home, fix a simple supper, and clean the kitchen. Then it was a hot bath, a little relaxing, and off to bed by 9:15 for this girl.
I did get up and run 2 really good miles this morning. And the gym will happen tonight. Food was very much on track yesterday. I love that I can have a day of “heavy” eating, and go right back to normal the next day. In the bad old days, one day off plan left me off plan for days. Even if I “planned” to go “off plan”!
I perused another weight training book last night – this one by a guy named Vince Gironda. I had never heard of him, but apparently he’s a fitness guy from the late 50s or so that opened a gym in Hollywood. Arnold endorses a 6 day a week plan (3 day split twice) in the initial muscle gaining phase. Vince says a 2 or 3 day split twice.
I think I may go with the 2 day split twice a week once the marathon is over. Four days a week at the gym is probably about as much as I can handle. Since it will be summer, that will keep my weekends a little flexible. I plan to keep this schedule until school starts – then we’ll see what happens. Arnold’s program emphasizes a lot of heavy compound movements – which is great but you must have a partner to do his workout. If hubby is working in town he has agreed to lend a hand (have I mentioned how wonderfully supportive he is?). So, we’ll see what is up with that.
As far as cardio – HIIT with 2 of those lifting sessions and swimming with the others, at least to start. I will continue doing my walks & runs in the early morning, hitting the gym after work. And my walk at lunch of course. Once the marathon is over, I think my long runs on the weekend will look like this: 15 mile /7 mile /7 mile. A very long run every third weekend will let me keep a pretty high level of distance, but let my weekends be a little bit flexible to accommodate vacation plans.
On the food front, I am going to start with the 1500 calorie, 40/40/20 plan, and modify as needed to keep the fat moving along. The nice thing is my doctor checks my bodyfat every time I go, so I have access to a consistent measurement to let me know how I’m doing in that regard. If the scale isn’t moving, my pants & doctor will let me know whether its because I’m building muscle. :-)
I have found that to prevent a letdown after a fitness accomplishment, it’s helpful to have a completely different challenge waiting in the wings. I am already getting excited about this new program. It is radically different from my focus today, which I think is good. Mixing it up forces your body to improve in order to adapt. Fitness ruts suck.
What’s your next goal?
First of, I am obviously still not over my cold or my run! I did go to the gym last night. I lifted weights (back, chest, tris, bis) and then called it a night, postponing swimming until today. I was exhausted. I managed to go home, fix a simple supper, and clean the kitchen. Then it was a hot bath, a little relaxing, and off to bed by 9:15 for this girl.
I did get up and run 2 really good miles this morning. And the gym will happen tonight. Food was very much on track yesterday. I love that I can have a day of “heavy” eating, and go right back to normal the next day. In the bad old days, one day off plan left me off plan for days. Even if I “planned” to go “off plan”!
I perused another weight training book last night – this one by a guy named Vince Gironda. I had never heard of him, but apparently he’s a fitness guy from the late 50s or so that opened a gym in Hollywood. Arnold endorses a 6 day a week plan (3 day split twice) in the initial muscle gaining phase. Vince says a 2 or 3 day split twice.
I think I may go with the 2 day split twice a week once the marathon is over. Four days a week at the gym is probably about as much as I can handle. Since it will be summer, that will keep my weekends a little flexible. I plan to keep this schedule until school starts – then we’ll see what happens. Arnold’s program emphasizes a lot of heavy compound movements – which is great but you must have a partner to do his workout. If hubby is working in town he has agreed to lend a hand (have I mentioned how wonderfully supportive he is?). So, we’ll see what is up with that.
As far as cardio – HIIT with 2 of those lifting sessions and swimming with the others, at least to start. I will continue doing my walks & runs in the early morning, hitting the gym after work. And my walk at lunch of course. Once the marathon is over, I think my long runs on the weekend will look like this: 15 mile /7 mile /7 mile. A very long run every third weekend will let me keep a pretty high level of distance, but let my weekends be a little bit flexible to accommodate vacation plans.
On the food front, I am going to start with the 1500 calorie, 40/40/20 plan, and modify as needed to keep the fat moving along. The nice thing is my doctor checks my bodyfat every time I go, so I have access to a consistent measurement to let me know how I’m doing in that regard. If the scale isn’t moving, my pants & doctor will let me know whether its because I’m building muscle. :-)
I have found that to prevent a letdown after a fitness accomplishment, it’s helpful to have a completely different challenge waiting in the wings. I am already getting excited about this new program. It is radically different from my focus today, which I think is good. Mixing it up forces your body to improve in order to adapt. Fitness ruts suck.
What’s your next goal?
Monday, March 21, 2005
Long Post Alert!
This first section is a deep philosophical discussion about exercise. Feel free to skip down to my run re-cap & news if you aren’t interested.
My take on exercise
Chris and Fig both had posts last Friday about making exercise fun. It got me thinking about my own philosophy of exercise – indeed, I spent about 3 hours of yesterday’s run really thinking hard about that subject. I decided to write my thoughts down here. This is how I feel – it’s neither right nor wrong, nor better than anyone’s thoughts. I doubt it’s unique to me either – but this is what I’ve come to feel after 2 years of consistently exercise nearly every single day.
The Korean word “do” (pronounced “dough”) means “way” or “path”. The name “tae kwon do” literally means “the way of the hand and foot”. Like most ancient martial arts, as well as yoga, tae kwon do is about more than just physical prowess. Ancient (and many modern) students of these disciplines were seeking to reach that mind, body, spirit nexus – where the 3 meet – in order to make improvements in all aspects of their lives. Spiritual enlightenment can be achieved through physical conditioning, just as a spiritual activity such as meditation can lead to improved physical well being. Because all 3 aspects of life are innerconnected.
We have a dog named Butchie. Butchie was rescued from the shelter by my mom, who wanted a dog. Butch had been abused, and then he was at the shelter for a long time (past his “expiration date”) because he was so sweet, they hoped he would find a home. Unfortunately, Butch was very destructive when my mom got him, eating her koi pond, storm door etc, until she brought him to us in the hopes that being around another dog (Carmen) would help him settle down. It took Butchie a good 4 -6 weeks to get socialized into our family. He was very bright and eager to please, so really that’s a pretty short period of time. But even after that, he was just a little high strung and suffered from separation anxiety. He would still chew on stuff (or even his paws) if left alone. We quickly learned to keep him supplied with bones, rawhide chewies, rope bones etc. – this gave him an outlet for his anxiety. He has one bone (it’s one of those round ones with a hole in the middle) that he carries around like a child would a pacifier. We call it his “binky bone” because it is his doggie equivalent of a pacifier or blanket.
I am a lot like Butchie. Due to a combination of nature and nurture, I am a fairly high strung individual. Not only do I tend to see the glass as half empty, but I will obsess over how I am going to (single-handedly of course) make sure the glass gets, and stays, full. This is just a part of who I am. Counseling has helped offset some of the “nurture” sources of this, but partly this is natural for me. Like Butch, I need an outlet for this anxiety so I don’t chew on my own paws as it were. I stress, therefore I exercise.
When I first began exercising, it was to lose weight. But that has totally changed for me over the past 2 years. When I read Dave Draper’s weekly newsletter in which he discusses his take on following “the discipline of steel”, I totally understand where he is coming from. This man was a bodybuilding champion before I was born. He looks better today than men half his age will ever look. He views weightlifting as a path – one that leads to a lot more than an awesome physique. When people talk about making exercise fun, I tilt my head as if someone walked up to me and began speaking Swahili. It just doesn’t compute. I’m sure people have fun in church sometimes, but I doubt it’s their primary reason for going.
Indeed, the gym and the running path are a sort of church to me. This is where I go to improve my life’s vessel, to contemplate who I am, to reflect on my choices, to seek emotional well-being and to gain a measure of spiritual enlightenment. I have found all those things and more in the gym and on the road.
Pretend you got a phone call from someone you didn’t know. They said they were going to Chicago and needed directions. Having nothing better to do, you pull out your road atlas in order to help. I bet that before you began spouting off directions, you would ask the person “where are you now?” How can you given them directions if you don’t know where they are coming from? Even if every single person in America were headed to Chicago, they would need to take different roads based on their starting point.
Life is like that. Most of us may headed in the same direction, but we are starting from different places. Exercise isn’t the only mechanism by which I improve myself physically, mentally, or spiritually. But it is one road I use. You may not use this road at all, because you are coming from a different direction. Doesn’t mean we aren’t headed the same place.
Run report
I survived! Saturday I bought groceries and rested. Saturday night was thankfully the first night I didn’t have to sleep with a cough drop in my mouth to keep from coughing. I woke up at 2 am a little nervous, but finally settled back down and got some sleep. I was up at 6:30, washed a Zone bar down with a little diet Pepsi, and with the help of hubby (the best pit crew in the world) I packed my Walkman, Hammer Gel, and CamelBak, stuffed a tissue in my waistband, and took off.
I started out having to slow myself down – the air felt cool & great and I felt like I could run all day! After a couple of miles I removed my jacket – it warmed up quickly. I did the out & back to the cemetery (7 miles), then decided to stick in the neighborhood because it was getting warm and the road was getting crowded. (The neighborhood is a little cooler). The hubby rode his bike, and even jogged a little of my second 2 mile loop with me, so this broke the run up nicely. The first 13 miles were good – the last 2 were rough. It’s funny how whatever your last long distance was, those miles are okay, but the new ones feel like Mt. Everest! And it was getting hot. But with the Hammer Gel I have yet to bonk or to have a post run headache. I went home, rested, bathed, & went out for a well deserved lunch!
My right heel is bothering me a bit. This concerns me because last year I made it up to the 18 mile mark before plantar fascitis forced me to give up on marathon training. I am trying to baby it.
Other Stuff
Food was more this weekend, but not out of control. I don’t want my body to think we’re starving with all the running & the recent loss, so Sunday was a heavy calorie day. I read some of the Zone info again, as well as some of the nutrition section of Arnold’s encyclopedia.
My problem with the Zone is that a) sorry, 1000 calories aren’t enough and b) for me it seems to be a little heavy on the fat & light on the protein. Rather than a 40/30/30 split (40% calories from carbs, 30% each from fat & protein), I think I am going to use a 40/40/20 split, which will give me a little more protein. I will start at 1500 calories and see how that works. I have figured my grams of carbs, protein, and fat, and my next step is to write down all my stuff and see what the nutrition is. Then to juggle it all around until I come up with a Mon – Fri meal plan. Weekends will be a little more flexible, but not completely “off” either. We’ll see how this goes.
This first section is a deep philosophical discussion about exercise. Feel free to skip down to my run re-cap & news if you aren’t interested.
My take on exercise
Chris and Fig both had posts last Friday about making exercise fun. It got me thinking about my own philosophy of exercise – indeed, I spent about 3 hours of yesterday’s run really thinking hard about that subject. I decided to write my thoughts down here. This is how I feel – it’s neither right nor wrong, nor better than anyone’s thoughts. I doubt it’s unique to me either – but this is what I’ve come to feel after 2 years of consistently exercise nearly every single day.
The Korean word “do” (pronounced “dough”) means “way” or “path”. The name “tae kwon do” literally means “the way of the hand and foot”. Like most ancient martial arts, as well as yoga, tae kwon do is about more than just physical prowess. Ancient (and many modern) students of these disciplines were seeking to reach that mind, body, spirit nexus – where the 3 meet – in order to make improvements in all aspects of their lives. Spiritual enlightenment can be achieved through physical conditioning, just as a spiritual activity such as meditation can lead to improved physical well being. Because all 3 aspects of life are innerconnected.
We have a dog named Butchie. Butchie was rescued from the shelter by my mom, who wanted a dog. Butch had been abused, and then he was at the shelter for a long time (past his “expiration date”) because he was so sweet, they hoped he would find a home. Unfortunately, Butch was very destructive when my mom got him, eating her koi pond, storm door etc, until she brought him to us in the hopes that being around another dog (Carmen) would help him settle down. It took Butchie a good 4 -6 weeks to get socialized into our family. He was very bright and eager to please, so really that’s a pretty short period of time. But even after that, he was just a little high strung and suffered from separation anxiety. He would still chew on stuff (or even his paws) if left alone. We quickly learned to keep him supplied with bones, rawhide chewies, rope bones etc. – this gave him an outlet for his anxiety. He has one bone (it’s one of those round ones with a hole in the middle) that he carries around like a child would a pacifier. We call it his “binky bone” because it is his doggie equivalent of a pacifier or blanket.
I am a lot like Butchie. Due to a combination of nature and nurture, I am a fairly high strung individual. Not only do I tend to see the glass as half empty, but I will obsess over how I am going to (single-handedly of course) make sure the glass gets, and stays, full. This is just a part of who I am. Counseling has helped offset some of the “nurture” sources of this, but partly this is natural for me. Like Butch, I need an outlet for this anxiety so I don’t chew on my own paws as it were. I stress, therefore I exercise.
When I first began exercising, it was to lose weight. But that has totally changed for me over the past 2 years. When I read Dave Draper’s weekly newsletter in which he discusses his take on following “the discipline of steel”, I totally understand where he is coming from. This man was a bodybuilding champion before I was born. He looks better today than men half his age will ever look. He views weightlifting as a path – one that leads to a lot more than an awesome physique. When people talk about making exercise fun, I tilt my head as if someone walked up to me and began speaking Swahili. It just doesn’t compute. I’m sure people have fun in church sometimes, but I doubt it’s their primary reason for going.
Indeed, the gym and the running path are a sort of church to me. This is where I go to improve my life’s vessel, to contemplate who I am, to reflect on my choices, to seek emotional well-being and to gain a measure of spiritual enlightenment. I have found all those things and more in the gym and on the road.
Pretend you got a phone call from someone you didn’t know. They said they were going to Chicago and needed directions. Having nothing better to do, you pull out your road atlas in order to help. I bet that before you began spouting off directions, you would ask the person “where are you now?” How can you given them directions if you don’t know where they are coming from? Even if every single person in America were headed to Chicago, they would need to take different roads based on their starting point.
Life is like that. Most of us may headed in the same direction, but we are starting from different places. Exercise isn’t the only mechanism by which I improve myself physically, mentally, or spiritually. But it is one road I use. You may not use this road at all, because you are coming from a different direction. Doesn’t mean we aren’t headed the same place.
Run report
I survived! Saturday I bought groceries and rested. Saturday night was thankfully the first night I didn’t have to sleep with a cough drop in my mouth to keep from coughing. I woke up at 2 am a little nervous, but finally settled back down and got some sleep. I was up at 6:30, washed a Zone bar down with a little diet Pepsi, and with the help of hubby (the best pit crew in the world) I packed my Walkman, Hammer Gel, and CamelBak, stuffed a tissue in my waistband, and took off.
I started out having to slow myself down – the air felt cool & great and I felt like I could run all day! After a couple of miles I removed my jacket – it warmed up quickly. I did the out & back to the cemetery (7 miles), then decided to stick in the neighborhood because it was getting warm and the road was getting crowded. (The neighborhood is a little cooler). The hubby rode his bike, and even jogged a little of my second 2 mile loop with me, so this broke the run up nicely. The first 13 miles were good – the last 2 were rough. It’s funny how whatever your last long distance was, those miles are okay, but the new ones feel like Mt. Everest! And it was getting hot. But with the Hammer Gel I have yet to bonk or to have a post run headache. I went home, rested, bathed, & went out for a well deserved lunch!
My right heel is bothering me a bit. This concerns me because last year I made it up to the 18 mile mark before plantar fascitis forced me to give up on marathon training. I am trying to baby it.
Other Stuff
Food was more this weekend, but not out of control. I don’t want my body to think we’re starving with all the running & the recent loss, so Sunday was a heavy calorie day. I read some of the Zone info again, as well as some of the nutrition section of Arnold’s encyclopedia.
My problem with the Zone is that a) sorry, 1000 calories aren’t enough and b) for me it seems to be a little heavy on the fat & light on the protein. Rather than a 40/30/30 split (40% calories from carbs, 30% each from fat & protein), I think I am going to use a 40/40/20 split, which will give me a little more protein. I will start at 1500 calories and see how that works. I have figured my grams of carbs, protein, and fat, and my next step is to write down all my stuff and see what the nutrition is. Then to juggle it all around until I come up with a Mon – Fri meal plan. Weekends will be a little more flexible, but not completely “off” either. We’ll see how this goes.
Friday, March 18, 2005
And then the heavens parted, and the angels came down & lent a hand
Really, it’s either that or coughing all night burns up a heck of a lot of calories. Cause I’m down 4.5 pounds this week. Granted, I was up 2 water pounds last week, so this really represents a net loss of 2.5 pounds, probably spread over 2 weeks. Put that way, it seems reasonable. But this loss puts me into virgin fat territory people! The lowest weight I’ve seen in .. oh, 4 years or so!?!? Woo hoo! Maybe I am making progress after all!
In other news, I did something to my knee while sitting at work yesterday and now its sore (ah, the joys of getting older), my nose is raw to match my throat, and I generally feel like 5 pounds of crap shoved into a 3 pound bag. TGIF!
Last night the boy and I did make it to the Y – I simply could not lift weights as I feel pretty much like some alien has sucked out all my life force. But we did do a swim – I did a strong 350 yards – 50 yards longer than the tri distance. I am working on picking up speed at this point.
My plan today is to get in another swim and a walk at lunch (I slept in this morning because I didn’t sleep very well last night due to trying to hack up a lung). Tomorrow is a “rest” day – just running errands, shopping, cooking, etc. I have a 15 mile run scheduled for Sunday and there is no room built into my marathon plan for illness, so I plan to suck it up, do my best, and spend Sunday perusing the books I got at the library.
I picked up 4 books at the library yesterday: a Dean Koontz that I love and actually don’t have a copy of, a biography of Lucretia Borgia, and 2 weight lifting books. One is Arnold’s encyclopedia – which is huge! The other I reserved on impulse – it turned out to be a short history of bodybuilding for young people. I read it in about 20 minutes – pretty interesting actually. Gave Joyce Vedral some credit and you don’t read about her much these days, but nothing that could help me with my training program. Maybe reading about lifting weights will help me feel less dead Sunday afternoon! :-)
Really, it’s either that or coughing all night burns up a heck of a lot of calories. Cause I’m down 4.5 pounds this week. Granted, I was up 2 water pounds last week, so this really represents a net loss of 2.5 pounds, probably spread over 2 weeks. Put that way, it seems reasonable. But this loss puts me into virgin fat territory people! The lowest weight I’ve seen in .. oh, 4 years or so!?!? Woo hoo! Maybe I am making progress after all!
In other news, I did something to my knee while sitting at work yesterday and now its sore (ah, the joys of getting older), my nose is raw to match my throat, and I generally feel like 5 pounds of crap shoved into a 3 pound bag. TGIF!
Last night the boy and I did make it to the Y – I simply could not lift weights as I feel pretty much like some alien has sucked out all my life force. But we did do a swim – I did a strong 350 yards – 50 yards longer than the tri distance. I am working on picking up speed at this point.
My plan today is to get in another swim and a walk at lunch (I slept in this morning because I didn’t sleep very well last night due to trying to hack up a lung). Tomorrow is a “rest” day – just running errands, shopping, cooking, etc. I have a 15 mile run scheduled for Sunday and there is no room built into my marathon plan for illness, so I plan to suck it up, do my best, and spend Sunday perusing the books I got at the library.
I picked up 4 books at the library yesterday: a Dean Koontz that I love and actually don’t have a copy of, a biography of Lucretia Borgia, and 2 weight lifting books. One is Arnold’s encyclopedia – which is huge! The other I reserved on impulse – it turned out to be a short history of bodybuilding for young people. I read it in about 20 minutes – pretty interesting actually. Gave Joyce Vedral some credit and you don’t read about her much these days, but nothing that could help me with my training program. Maybe reading about lifting weights will help me feel less dead Sunday afternoon! :-)
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Jogging in a winter wonderland
I woke up this morning to the most snow we’ve had so far this year (okay, it was maybe an inch). But it was 32 F, so I decided to go running anyway. The first mile wasn’t too bad, then it really started coming down! While I could admire the “Courier & Ives” beauty of the morning, having snow blow into your face and stick to your hair does kind of suck.
The good/bad news was that they changed the format of my son’s tae kwon do test so that it lasted a mere 90 minutes, as opposed to being some kind of marathon endurance test with people feigning illness a la the roman coliseum in order to escape. That meant I had no time to work out. (He passed BTW). No biggie, I was hitting the gym this afternoon anyway. I’ll add weights to my swim, and I’ll try to squeeze in a third swim tomorrow.
In other bad news, I am sick. I have a head cold and feel like my a$$ is dragging. Unless this crap moves into my chest, I’ll just keep mushing on, being sure to eat healthy foods and get plenty of rest. Gah. I make a lousy patient.
What else? Our entire county library system has exactly 13 books on weight lifting. Really, how pathetic is that? Luckily 2 looked really good and a couple more looked like they had possibilities. Also added to my queue were a couple of the Zone books. I am not good at being a food fanatic, religiously sticking to a “regime” – I prefer to consume healthy whole foods in a quantity which allows me to slowly lose weight. But I think I will use this to check & make sure I am getting sufficient quantities of all nutrients. Blech.
I am going out to a business lunch today. Luckily, they chose my suggestion for a place to eat – I know I can have a very yummy and healthy lunch at this place. They focus on seasonal food, so the menu changes regularly, but they always have a good variety of healthy choices. It will even be worth getting out in the snow for.
I woke up this morning to the most snow we’ve had so far this year (okay, it was maybe an inch). But it was 32 F, so I decided to go running anyway. The first mile wasn’t too bad, then it really started coming down! While I could admire the “Courier & Ives” beauty of the morning, having snow blow into your face and stick to your hair does kind of suck.
The good/bad news was that they changed the format of my son’s tae kwon do test so that it lasted a mere 90 minutes, as opposed to being some kind of marathon endurance test with people feigning illness a la the roman coliseum in order to escape. That meant I had no time to work out. (He passed BTW). No biggie, I was hitting the gym this afternoon anyway. I’ll add weights to my swim, and I’ll try to squeeze in a third swim tomorrow.
In other bad news, I am sick. I have a head cold and feel like my a$$ is dragging. Unless this crap moves into my chest, I’ll just keep mushing on, being sure to eat healthy foods and get plenty of rest. Gah. I make a lousy patient.
What else? Our entire county library system has exactly 13 books on weight lifting. Really, how pathetic is that? Luckily 2 looked really good and a couple more looked like they had possibilities. Also added to my queue were a couple of the Zone books. I am not good at being a food fanatic, religiously sticking to a “regime” – I prefer to consume healthy whole foods in a quantity which allows me to slowly lose weight. But I think I will use this to check & make sure I am getting sufficient quantities of all nutrients. Blech.
I am going out to a business lunch today. Luckily, they chose my suggestion for a place to eat – I know I can have a very yummy and healthy lunch at this place. They focus on seasonal food, so the menu changes regularly, but they always have a good variety of healthy choices. It will even be worth getting out in the snow for.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
We have BOOKS
My library has Arnold's bodybuilding encyclopedia, as well as a couple of others that looked good. They are now all in my queue - mwah ha ha!!! While weight training is in a holding pattern for the next month, after the tri my weight routine will be getting a major facelift. So, I have a month to read these books, decide what I like, start planning, and order from Amazon as needed! :-)
Reading about working out gets me so fired up! Just thinking about reading about working out gets me fired up! But not as much as actually doing it!
My library has Arnold's bodybuilding encyclopedia, as well as a couple of others that looked good. They are now all in my queue - mwah ha ha!!! While weight training is in a holding pattern for the next month, after the tri my weight routine will be getting a major facelift. So, I have a month to read these books, decide what I like, start planning, and order from Amazon as needed! :-)
Reading about working out gets me so fired up! Just thinking about reading about working out gets me fired up! But not as much as actually doing it!
The beginnings of an idea
So, right now I am in a holding pattern with my workouts until the triathlon is over (Apr 16th). After that, I think I will (temporarily) remove swimming from the mix and add High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) back into the mix. That’ll give me a good balance of endurance with my long runs, high intensity cardio to encourage the extra weight to go away, and I can beef up my weight training a bit at that time as well since HIIT won’t take as much time as swimming.
As far as food I’m at a loss. I am closely monitoring, and I’m thinking about being stricter on my weekends in between long runs. Obviously I want to fuel my body for the long runs, but on those off weekends maybe I can cut back more. I am already planning food for this weekend. My long run is on Sunday, which will encourage me to stay the course Saturday.
Not much else is new. The boy has his brown belt test in tae kwon do tonight, so it will be a long evening. I had a Miller Lite last night, and still came in right at 1500 calories for the day (according to my doctor, my BMR is 1550). Although I missed my walk at lunch, I did walk after supper while the boy was at the tutor, so I got in a 2 mile run and a 30 minute walk yesterday. The walk was hilly!
I am still feeling a little discouraged, but I am not going to go drown my sorrows in a vat of chocolate or anything.
Hope you all have a good day and check out Jack’s awesome pics of his run this past weekend! Why don’t I have running pics? Easy – I’ve not entered a road race in over a decade! Weird, huh? I did take pics of the new haircut – once I get a few more pictures on the camera (probably tonight) I will upload them.
So, right now I am in a holding pattern with my workouts until the triathlon is over (Apr 16th). After that, I think I will (temporarily) remove swimming from the mix and add High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) back into the mix. That’ll give me a good balance of endurance with my long runs, high intensity cardio to encourage the extra weight to go away, and I can beef up my weight training a bit at that time as well since HIIT won’t take as much time as swimming.
As far as food I’m at a loss. I am closely monitoring, and I’m thinking about being stricter on my weekends in between long runs. Obviously I want to fuel my body for the long runs, but on those off weekends maybe I can cut back more. I am already planning food for this weekend. My long run is on Sunday, which will encourage me to stay the course Saturday.
Not much else is new. The boy has his brown belt test in tae kwon do tonight, so it will be a long evening. I had a Miller Lite last night, and still came in right at 1500 calories for the day (according to my doctor, my BMR is 1550). Although I missed my walk at lunch, I did walk after supper while the boy was at the tutor, so I got in a 2 mile run and a 30 minute walk yesterday. The walk was hilly!
I am still feeling a little discouraged, but I am not going to go drown my sorrows in a vat of chocolate or anything.
Hope you all have a good day and check out Jack’s awesome pics of his run this past weekend! Why don’t I have running pics? Easy – I’ve not entered a road race in over a decade! Weird, huh? I did take pics of the new haircut – once I get a few more pictures on the camera (probably tonight) I will upload them.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Fit Kids?
Last night I went to the gym to work out. In the weight room, a woman about my age (obviously very fit) was lifting weights with her son. I guess he was in the 13-14 range. He didn’t seem to be having a lot of fun. Anyway, I had a chance to speak with her briefly in the locker room. Turns out she takes him with her to body building contests etc and makes him work out with her. She said he just started football and she thinks lifting will help, although that wasn’t the only reason. She said he doesn’t like it and she has to make him work out. The child was fairly overweight (she wasn’t). I felt really torn – I mean, I applaud what she is doing. But I wonder if he won’t come to feel resentful at being pressured to work out, and eventually rebel by not exercising?
When I was a kid, my dad always told me how important it was to have a physical activity you enjoyed – one that you could continuing doing into adulthood. I sat around a lot of tennis courts, bored while he played. I hated tennis, and he never asked me to play anyway. So I confess to having a certain bias here.
So, how do you encourage your children to enjoy athletic endeavors, without sending them screaming in the opposite direction?
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What is up with blogger? I’m still having trouble posting.
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I took my son to the doctor for a swollen lymph node – doctor said it was due to his cold and not to worry. I think the salt water sinus irrigation will commence this evening. I missed my lunch time walk, so I think I will walk while he is at the tutor’s. That plus a 2 mile run is pretty decent for the day I think.
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I didn’t bring enough food – by 2 pm I had had 600 calories and was starving. I got a side of red skin mashed potatoes from the cafeteria, and put that with my ¾ cup homemade lentil soup (really just lentils, veggies, & water). Even with the potatoes, I am still tracking well with food for the day.
Last night I went to the gym to work out. In the weight room, a woman about my age (obviously very fit) was lifting weights with her son. I guess he was in the 13-14 range. He didn’t seem to be having a lot of fun. Anyway, I had a chance to speak with her briefly in the locker room. Turns out she takes him with her to body building contests etc and makes him work out with her. She said he just started football and she thinks lifting will help, although that wasn’t the only reason. She said he doesn’t like it and she has to make him work out. The child was fairly overweight (she wasn’t). I felt really torn – I mean, I applaud what she is doing. But I wonder if he won’t come to feel resentful at being pressured to work out, and eventually rebel by not exercising?
When I was a kid, my dad always told me how important it was to have a physical activity you enjoyed – one that you could continuing doing into adulthood. I sat around a lot of tennis courts, bored while he played. I hated tennis, and he never asked me to play anyway. So I confess to having a certain bias here.
So, how do you encourage your children to enjoy athletic endeavors, without sending them screaming in the opposite direction?
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What is up with blogger? I’m still having trouble posting.
-----------------------------
I took my son to the doctor for a swollen lymph node – doctor said it was due to his cold and not to worry. I think the salt water sinus irrigation will commence this evening. I missed my lunch time walk, so I think I will walk while he is at the tutor’s. That plus a 2 mile run is pretty decent for the day I think.
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I didn’t bring enough food – by 2 pm I had had 600 calories and was starving. I got a side of red skin mashed potatoes from the cafeteria, and put that with my ¾ cup homemade lentil soup (really just lentils, veggies, & water). Even with the potatoes, I am still tracking well with food for the day.
Beaten Down
Yesterday’s eating was great – right on plan. I walked at lunch with my friend. While the boy did tae kwon do, I did a quick upper body workout (1 set each for back, chest, tris, bis, & shoulders – then finished with sets of abs, push-ups & low back hyper extensions mixed together) then went for a great swim. This morning I got up and ran 2 miles.
So why the title? I feel fat. I felt very uncomfortable in my bathing suit last night. I am so tired of these last 15 pounds and I feel like I can’t make progress no matter what I do. I cannot accept being overweight the rest of my life, but nothing seems to make a bit of difference. It makes me tired to think about it. Ideas people!!!
I was so pissed at blogger yesterday – I enjoy leaving comments for people, even if it’s a simple “great job” because we all need encouragement and doling it out is its own reward. And maybe it helps other people as much as it helps me.
Well, I may try for a more in depth post later, let me see if I can at least get this little bit up today without giving myself an aneurism.
Yesterday’s eating was great – right on plan. I walked at lunch with my friend. While the boy did tae kwon do, I did a quick upper body workout (1 set each for back, chest, tris, bis, & shoulders – then finished with sets of abs, push-ups & low back hyper extensions mixed together) then went for a great swim. This morning I got up and ran 2 miles.
So why the title? I feel fat. I felt very uncomfortable in my bathing suit last night. I am so tired of these last 15 pounds and I feel like I can’t make progress no matter what I do. I cannot accept being overweight the rest of my life, but nothing seems to make a bit of difference. It makes me tired to think about it. Ideas people!!!
I was so pissed at blogger yesterday – I enjoy leaving comments for people, even if it’s a simple “great job” because we all need encouragement and doling it out is its own reward. And maybe it helps other people as much as it helps me.
Well, I may try for a more in depth post later, let me see if I can at least get this little bit up today without giving myself an aneurism.
Monday, March 14, 2005
I did 7 miles ….. technically
Clearly I was still recovering from being sick last week! I ran 4 miles Saturday and 3 on Sunday, but I couldn’t do any more either time. So I basically blew off my long 7 mile run this weekend! Oops!
That was all the exercise that occurred. Food-wise I did well, sticking to plan except for going out for Mexican Saturday (not as bad as you might think. Its all home made and 2 of the 3 things I got were not fried and had no cheese. Of course, I also had 2 beers and a donut for dessert). Another side note here: Is it wrong to be a die-hard Dunkin Donut fan when I live less than 10 miles from Krispy Kreme HQ??? Luckily, the Dunkin is not convenient and its not a big trigger food for me. I also had dessert last night – low cal ice cream. It never ceases to amaze me how much better I feel when I eat healthy food. A smarter person might make that connection and eat healthier all the time!
So. a nice relaxing weekend. Beautiful weather to boot. Coming up this weekend: 15 miles. Jinkies!
Clearly I was still recovering from being sick last week! I ran 4 miles Saturday and 3 on Sunday, but I couldn’t do any more either time. So I basically blew off my long 7 mile run this weekend! Oops!
That was all the exercise that occurred. Food-wise I did well, sticking to plan except for going out for Mexican Saturday (not as bad as you might think. Its all home made and 2 of the 3 things I got were not fried and had no cheese. Of course, I also had 2 beers and a donut for dessert). Another side note here: Is it wrong to be a die-hard Dunkin Donut fan when I live less than 10 miles from Krispy Kreme HQ??? Luckily, the Dunkin is not convenient and its not a big trigger food for me. I also had dessert last night – low cal ice cream. It never ceases to amaze me how much better I feel when I eat healthy food. A smarter person might make that connection and eat healthier all the time!
So. a nice relaxing weekend. Beautiful weather to boot. Coming up this weekend: 15 miles. Jinkies!
Friday, March 11, 2005
Actions are Being Taken
Okay, 90 minutes is sufficient self-pity. I ate a can of Campbell's soup for lunch yesterday, and saltines with snacks. Let's face it: extra carbs + extra salt = extra water = extra weight. It's water, stop crying.
To be safe, I have busted out the heavy weapons: a pencil and my pocket notebook. I will write down everything that goes in my pie-hole and count the calories. Take that weight!
Okay, 90 minutes is sufficient self-pity. I ate a can of Campbell's soup for lunch yesterday, and saltines with snacks. Let's face it: extra carbs + extra salt = extra water = extra weight. It's water, stop crying.
To be safe, I have busted out the heavy weapons: a pencil and my pocket notebook. I will write down everything that goes in my pie-hole and count the calories. Take that weight!
On random stuff…
I am probably the only person on the planet that can run 13 miles and have a stomach virus within a week, and still manage to gain two pounds. I hate my f&@king body.
What was up with blogger yesterday?
Thanks for the sympathy. I don’t get migraines often, and this was the second worst one in my life. Thanks goodness for an on site massage therapist – although she is part-time, she was here yesterday afternoon. It helped gets the kinks out of my aching neck!
Glad you laughed Chris. I wanted to leave some pertinent comment, but thought it sounded a little me-centric in retrospect. But hey, what’s more fun than laughing at me right??? *lol*
My husband says my new haircut looks like Maj. Carter on Season 2 of “Stargate”. I’m loving it! Until last April I’ve had very long hair my whole life (even in the Army). I’ve gradually been getting it shorter & shorter. I love where it is now.
Am I one of like 4 geeks in America that watch cycling on OLN? Why don’t they have more coverage? I am Tivo-ing the Paris-Nice race coverage.
Who are you pulling for in the Tour de France this year (if you care)? Lance, right? I guess I am too, but I have to admit I love Jan Ullrich. Poor Jan, always a brides maid, never a bride. And he’s come in second to Lance so many times…. I love him partly b/c he was racing on some team in East Berlin back when I was living there (on the other side of the wall of course), and because he’s dead sexy, and because he’s a kick butt rider. If Lance hadn’t made a come-back, these last years would’ve been Jan’s….. Oh well, might have beens.
Maybe I just won't eat this weekend. I am so sick of this extra weight. I swear.
I am probably the only person on the planet that can run 13 miles and have a stomach virus within a week, and still manage to gain two pounds. I hate my f&@king body.
What was up with blogger yesterday?
Thanks for the sympathy. I don’t get migraines often, and this was the second worst one in my life. Thanks goodness for an on site massage therapist – although she is part-time, she was here yesterday afternoon. It helped gets the kinks out of my aching neck!
Glad you laughed Chris. I wanted to leave some pertinent comment, but thought it sounded a little me-centric in retrospect. But hey, what’s more fun than laughing at me right??? *lol*
My husband says my new haircut looks like Maj. Carter on Season 2 of “Stargate”. I’m loving it! Until last April I’ve had very long hair my whole life (even in the Army). I’ve gradually been getting it shorter & shorter. I love where it is now.
Am I one of like 4 geeks in America that watch cycling on OLN? Why don’t they have more coverage? I am Tivo-ing the Paris-Nice race coverage.
Who are you pulling for in the Tour de France this year (if you care)? Lance, right? I guess I am too, but I have to admit I love Jan Ullrich. Poor Jan, always a brides maid, never a bride. And he’s come in second to Lance so many times…. I love him partly b/c he was racing on some team in East Berlin back when I was living there (on the other side of the wall of course), and because he’s dead sexy, and because he’s a kick butt rider. If Lance hadn’t made a come-back, these last years would’ve been Jan’s….. Oh well, might have beens.
Maybe I just won't eat this weekend. I am so sick of this extra weight. I swear.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Workouts are shot for the week
So, Tue am was terrible rain, then pm I took the boy to his tutor. I woke up Tue night with a migraine, then was throwing up yesterday. Spent the day on the sofa. Woke up last night with a still even worse migraine. I'm pretty shaky today. But I packed my can of Campbell's soup & came into work. I won't be working out today either. We'll see how I'm feeling in the morning - I'm just grateful it's a short run this weekend. A mere 7 miles. God.
So, Tue am was terrible rain, then pm I took the boy to his tutor. I woke up Tue night with a migraine, then was throwing up yesterday. Spent the day on the sofa. Woke up last night with a still even worse migraine. I'm pretty shaky today. But I packed my can of Campbell's soup & came into work. I won't be working out today either. We'll see how I'm feeling in the morning - I'm just grateful it's a short run this weekend. A mere 7 miles. God.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Not really about working out
Yesterday I was really beat. The boy & I ran, but I couldn’t swim or lift weights. I was still obviously recovering from Sunday’s long run.
To make matters worse, I am not in a great place emotionally. Missing my husband very much , and dreading my half brother’s wedding in May. I am much older than my siblings from my dad’s second marriage, and going to these things makes me feel very alienated. At my sister’s wedding, I wasn’t even seated near the family, let alone with it. Part of me says ‘don’t go’ and the other part wants me to be a bigger person than that. Do you ever reach an age where Grace comes naturally? Heavy sigh.
I failed to make myself breakfast I was so busy washing dishes, so I grabbed a bacon & egg sandwich here. Other than that, eating has been what I brought from home. The part I hate most about PMS isn’t that I turn into a raving lunatic (that’s my husband’s least favorite part!) – it’s that I feel like that girl that ate the gum in ‘Willy Wonka” – ‘overinflated’ best describes it. Please God let this week end soon.
Yesterday I was really beat. The boy & I ran, but I couldn’t swim or lift weights. I was still obviously recovering from Sunday’s long run.
To make matters worse, I am not in a great place emotionally. Missing my husband very much , and dreading my half brother’s wedding in May. I am much older than my siblings from my dad’s second marriage, and going to these things makes me feel very alienated. At my sister’s wedding, I wasn’t even seated near the family, let alone with it. Part of me says ‘don’t go’ and the other part wants me to be a bigger person than that. Do you ever reach an age where Grace comes naturally? Heavy sigh.
I failed to make myself breakfast I was so busy washing dishes, so I grabbed a bacon & egg sandwich here. Other than that, eating has been what I brought from home. The part I hate most about PMS isn’t that I turn into a raving lunatic (that’s my husband’s least favorite part!) – it’s that I feel like that girl that ate the gum in ‘Willy Wonka” – ‘overinflated’ best describes it. Please God let this week end soon.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Sometimes life gives you a gift
On a scale of “cat in water” to “fish in water” my swimming has been closer to the cat end of the scale. It’s my fault – once I finished last year’s tri, I just never found the time to swim very much. That is, until a couple of weeks ago when I realized I was doing a tri again in April. Time to drag my butt to the pool!
So, Friday I really didn’t want to exercise after work. Worse, I had to go home & let the dogs out. The sofa was singing its evil siren song. Luckily, I’m not very bright – I convinced myself I was putting on workout clothes and packing a gym bag so I could drive to the store for beer. Hee hee! I drove past the store and to the gym. One victory down! And another was waiting for me in the pool. It was the best swim so far – I managed to swim multiple laps in a row without feeling claustrophobic or weird. Woo Hoo! I may actually be ready for the tri next month. It was a great swim.
Saturday was my rest day and yesterday was my 13 mile run. I have to say it went very well. I ran the first 6 miles on my 2 mile loop in the neighborhood. Then I ran the 7 mile out and back to the cemetery. I hadn’t run it yet this year. The down side was it was later in the day and there was a lot of traffic (must run it earlier). But it was great to be out of the neighborhood and running through different scenery. I had my CamelBak and a fanny pack with my Hammer Gel (have I mentioned that stuff tastes nasty? :-)
After the run, I iced my feet while eating a PB sandwich. Then I took a nice long bath & laid of the sofa (using ice occasionally) and finished watching Saturday’s Tivo-ed SCi-Fi original picture “Skeleton Man”. What a dog of a movie! And the rest of the mini-series “Earth Sea Trilogy”. So, a nice afternoon.
Food was pretty good this weekend. I did indulge my taste buds in some cheese dip Friday night (with ‘light’ taco chips). Thankfully, they seem to have stopped putting the crack in the cheese dip – it’s not quite as tasty as it used to be. I enjoyed it, and then I went to bed!
On a scale of “cat in water” to “fish in water” my swimming has been closer to the cat end of the scale. It’s my fault – once I finished last year’s tri, I just never found the time to swim very much. That is, until a couple of weeks ago when I realized I was doing a tri again in April. Time to drag my butt to the pool!
So, Friday I really didn’t want to exercise after work. Worse, I had to go home & let the dogs out. The sofa was singing its evil siren song. Luckily, I’m not very bright – I convinced myself I was putting on workout clothes and packing a gym bag so I could drive to the store for beer. Hee hee! I drove past the store and to the gym. One victory down! And another was waiting for me in the pool. It was the best swim so far – I managed to swim multiple laps in a row without feeling claustrophobic or weird. Woo Hoo! I may actually be ready for the tri next month. It was a great swim.
Saturday was my rest day and yesterday was my 13 mile run. I have to say it went very well. I ran the first 6 miles on my 2 mile loop in the neighborhood. Then I ran the 7 mile out and back to the cemetery. I hadn’t run it yet this year. The down side was it was later in the day and there was a lot of traffic (must run it earlier). But it was great to be out of the neighborhood and running through different scenery. I had my CamelBak and a fanny pack with my Hammer Gel (have I mentioned that stuff tastes nasty? :-)
After the run, I iced my feet while eating a PB sandwich. Then I took a nice long bath & laid of the sofa (using ice occasionally) and finished watching Saturday’s Tivo-ed SCi-Fi original picture “Skeleton Man”. What a dog of a movie! And the rest of the mini-series “Earth Sea Trilogy”. So, a nice afternoon.
Food was pretty good this weekend. I did indulge my taste buds in some cheese dip Friday night (with ‘light’ taco chips). Thankfully, they seem to have stopped putting the crack in the cheese dip – it’s not quite as tasty as it used to be. I enjoyed it, and then I went to bed!
Friday, March 04, 2005
Thank you very much! (but the scale still sucks!)
Wow. Imagine my shock when my email was chock full of replies to my post, as well as personal messages. Thanks! It’s like I wrote to Lee: sometimes I feel like I am shouting in the forest, but the shouting still helps me, even if no one hears. But it is nice to get feedback - I get so much from the blogs I read. And I am going to check Jack’s out for sure once I read his comment. I really enjoy reading men’s blogs as well. It is amazing how supportive people are of each other! And you read so many discouraging things about losing weight (and keeping it off) in the news - it is refreshing to hear from and about regular folks who are doing just that very thing.
Most people start their weight loss journey as a ‘1’ – some turn into 2s. Some never do. And that’s okay – I wasn’t criticizing at all. Some people hate exercise, do the bare minimum, lose weight, and go on with their life. I wish I didn’t have a body that needed a huge exercise investment in order to lose weight, but that’s the way I am. Luckily, I’ve learned to like it. The funny thing is, I rarely enjoyed exercise when I was in the Army. Eight years of doing something nearly every workday, and not really enjoying it. How sad is that?
There were a few runs in Hawaii I loved when I was stationed there – the Aloha run was a great organized race, and I used to run the course of the Kole Kole half marathon on a regular basis. If you aren’t familiar with the race, the first 5-6 miles winds through Schofield barracks and is very pleasant – the next couple of miles is uphill climbing to the mountain pass on a road that cuts through fairly thick jungle-esque forest. At the top is Kole Kole pass (and a huge 3 story cross marking the pass) that supposedly the Japanese planes flew through on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor. Once you reach the top of the pass, as the Ranger who lived next door once said to me “then someone steps on the back of your shirt.” Boom. You’re headed downhill through the naval magazine. The plants are cactus and the climate is dessert. The trade wind is blowing off the ocean straight at you, and uphill on the other side is looking real good. Since I was stationed at Schofield, we’d run to the top, and then turn around. Much easier. The running in Hawaii was so gorgeous, I enjoyed it in spite of myself! But really, these past 2 years mark the first time in my ENTIRE life I’ve done exercise for pleasure. That is sad.
This week: Mr. Scale sucks – no weight gone. You think I’d be glad I didn’t gain after last Sunday’s binge, but some people just are ungrateful wretches!
Other than Sunday, food has been good. Okay, I ate a sugar cookie yesterday, but besides that…. Okay, I’ll be more focused on the food side of the equation next week. Getting enough rest I have down pat. And hey! Let’s check out exercise this week, where I totally rocked the house!
M: swam
T: ran 2 mi, 30 min walk at lunch, walked dogs 1 mi in evening
W: 2 mi walk, 30 min walk at lunch, upper body weights
H: 2 mi run, swam, walk 30 min at lunch
F: 2 mi walk
Planned:
F: more weights + swim after work, walk at lunch
S: rest day
S: 13 mi run
I know a tad bit more diligence with the food will pay off for sure next week. And considering its PMS week around here, I think keeping my face out of the bag of dark chocolate Dove bites in the freezer was pretty good!
Hope you all have a terrific weekend!
Wow. Imagine my shock when my email was chock full of replies to my post, as well as personal messages. Thanks! It’s like I wrote to Lee: sometimes I feel like I am shouting in the forest, but the shouting still helps me, even if no one hears. But it is nice to get feedback - I get so much from the blogs I read. And I am going to check Jack’s out for sure once I read his comment. I really enjoy reading men’s blogs as well. It is amazing how supportive people are of each other! And you read so many discouraging things about losing weight (and keeping it off) in the news - it is refreshing to hear from and about regular folks who are doing just that very thing.
Most people start their weight loss journey as a ‘1’ – some turn into 2s. Some never do. And that’s okay – I wasn’t criticizing at all. Some people hate exercise, do the bare minimum, lose weight, and go on with their life. I wish I didn’t have a body that needed a huge exercise investment in order to lose weight, but that’s the way I am. Luckily, I’ve learned to like it. The funny thing is, I rarely enjoyed exercise when I was in the Army. Eight years of doing something nearly every workday, and not really enjoying it. How sad is that?
There were a few runs in Hawaii I loved when I was stationed there – the Aloha run was a great organized race, and I used to run the course of the Kole Kole half marathon on a regular basis. If you aren’t familiar with the race, the first 5-6 miles winds through Schofield barracks and is very pleasant – the next couple of miles is uphill climbing to the mountain pass on a road that cuts through fairly thick jungle-esque forest. At the top is Kole Kole pass (and a huge 3 story cross marking the pass) that supposedly the Japanese planes flew through on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor. Once you reach the top of the pass, as the Ranger who lived next door once said to me “then someone steps on the back of your shirt.” Boom. You’re headed downhill through the naval magazine. The plants are cactus and the climate is dessert. The trade wind is blowing off the ocean straight at you, and uphill on the other side is looking real good. Since I was stationed at Schofield, we’d run to the top, and then turn around. Much easier. The running in Hawaii was so gorgeous, I enjoyed it in spite of myself! But really, these past 2 years mark the first time in my ENTIRE life I’ve done exercise for pleasure. That is sad.
This week: Mr. Scale sucks – no weight gone. You think I’d be glad I didn’t gain after last Sunday’s binge, but some people just are ungrateful wretches!
Other than Sunday, food has been good. Okay, I ate a sugar cookie yesterday, but besides that…. Okay, I’ll be more focused on the food side of the equation next week. Getting enough rest I have down pat. And hey! Let’s check out exercise this week, where I totally rocked the house!
M: swam
T: ran 2 mi, 30 min walk at lunch, walked dogs 1 mi in evening
W: 2 mi walk, 30 min walk at lunch, upper body weights
H: 2 mi run, swam, walk 30 min at lunch
F: 2 mi walk
Planned:
F: more weights + swim after work, walk at lunch
S: rest day
S: 13 mi run
I know a tad bit more diligence with the food will pay off for sure next week. And considering its PMS week around here, I think keeping my face out of the bag of dark chocolate Dove bites in the freezer was pretty good!
Hope you all have a terrific weekend!
Thursday, March 03, 2005
An observation about blogs
I read a lot of blogs. There are some I have read for years, others only for a short time. Most of the blogs I read are weight loss related – either someone losing, or having lost, weight. In general, the weight related blogs I read fall into one of two categories 1) the person hates exercise and only does it to lose weight. She struggles to do it – if this person develops any sort of regular routine, any illness or family situation etc that comes along will totally destroy their routine. Then they’ll start again, struggling to make exercise happen. 2) For this person, exercise has become a way of life. They now exercise for reasons other than weight loss. Eventually their eating will change to support their exercise, whether they are still losing weight or not. Gone are the tv dinners they used for ease of counting flex points, and hello whole foods which support a healthier lifestyle. Where do you fit? I love watching the 1s turn into 2s. That is what has been happening to me, and it rocks.
So, weight training was awesome last night. Supersets rule!
Superset 1:
Db row 30/12 35/10
Db press 25/12 30/10
SS2:
Super pullovers 20/12 (too easy) 25/12
Incline flye 20/12 25/10
Finish these parts with 360s using 10 dbs.
SS3:
Tri kickback 15/10 15/10
Bicep curl 20/4 20/7 (why was I so weak here last night????)
SS4:
Tri overhead press 30/10 35/10
21s 15/10 15/10
Shoulders:
Overhead press 20/10 25/8
Alternating front & lateral raises 12.5/6 ea X 2
3 negative chin-ups
Ran 2 miles this morning. It was cold and my inner whiny brat wanted to argue, but inner drill sergeant kicked her to the curb and got our a$$ outta bed!
Today I noticed that my pants are a little baggy where my tummy used to be more flabby…… Yeah baby!
Do any humans read this stuff? Sometimes I wonder…..
I read a lot of blogs. There are some I have read for years, others only for a short time. Most of the blogs I read are weight loss related – either someone losing, or having lost, weight. In general, the weight related blogs I read fall into one of two categories 1) the person hates exercise and only does it to lose weight. She struggles to do it – if this person develops any sort of regular routine, any illness or family situation etc that comes along will totally destroy their routine. Then they’ll start again, struggling to make exercise happen. 2) For this person, exercise has become a way of life. They now exercise for reasons other than weight loss. Eventually their eating will change to support their exercise, whether they are still losing weight or not. Gone are the tv dinners they used for ease of counting flex points, and hello whole foods which support a healthier lifestyle. Where do you fit? I love watching the 1s turn into 2s. That is what has been happening to me, and it rocks.
So, weight training was awesome last night. Supersets rule!
Superset 1:
Db row 30/12 35/10
Db press 25/12 30/10
SS2:
Super pullovers 20/12 (too easy) 25/12
Incline flye 20/12 25/10
Finish these parts with 360s using 10 dbs.
SS3:
Tri kickback 15/10 15/10
Bicep curl 20/4 20/7 (why was I so weak here last night????)
SS4:
Tri overhead press 30/10 35/10
21s 15/10 15/10
Shoulders:
Overhead press 20/10 25/8
Alternating front & lateral raises 12.5/6 ea X 2
3 negative chin-ups
Ran 2 miles this morning. It was cold and my inner whiny brat wanted to argue, but inner drill sergeant kicked her to the curb and got our a$$ outta bed!
Today I noticed that my pants are a little baggy where my tummy used to be more flabby…… Yeah baby!
Do any humans read this stuff? Sometimes I wonder…..
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Please Pass Miss Lousy-Mom Cranky-Pants her Machine Gun please.
Here is the deal: I am in a lousy mood. There are a number of possible culprits: a frustrating day at work yesterday, PMS, lack of weight lifting Monday (I swam instead), or possible electrolyte imbalance due to the fact that my dinner went through me like the Jamaican bobsled team (ahem). On the way to work, I found myself fantasizing about a nice day out on a machine gun range.
I was in the Army for 8 years. There was plenty I disliked, but there was a lot I loved. Being a machine gunner is high on that list. Working the machine gun range was a blast, especially if you got to be one of the people at the end of the day helping use up the extra ammo. Really, there is a tremendous primal satisfaction to be derived from putting a couple thousand rounds through a machine gun so fast that the barrel begins to warp (it’s okay – the assistant gunner carries a spare). I was an expert with a machine, and frequently won beer off the foolish Rangers who didn’t think a “girl” could out-shoot them. Heh. Remember, my hobby is putting on medieval armor and hitting people with rattan swords. I am hoping to curb my violent tendencies tonight at the gym, with an upper body workout that will have my muscles begging for mercy – in a good way.
I feel guilty because we went out to dinner last night. I was just emotionally beaten down to the point where heating up a can of soup & making a grilled cheese sandwich sounded like to much d&mn work. How messed up is that? I wanted to relax in the tub, but instead got a running commentary from a 10 year old on the other side of the door about how long I’d been in there. We had also gone out Monday for somebody’s birthday dinner, which means home cooking is sparse around our place this week. This is not typical, and I feel bad about it.
What else? Monday swam. Tuesday ran 2 miles, 30 minute walk at lunch, then we walked the dogs 1 mile last night. Got up and walked 2 miles this morning, even though it was freaking freezing. I got spaghetti for dinner last night, but the half I ate of my meal didn’t seem to hang around for long. I was in the kind of pissy mood that I used to squash with food. I did have a bag of soy chips with some diet pepsi after dinner. This morning I am listening to my world flute relaxation CD, drinking diet cocoa, and hoping this will pass soon. I hate being crabby – it seems like such s waste of time & energy.
I read this blog, and she posted this a few days ago:
“I am ready to just be a woman instead of the large woman. I am ready to be a triathlete instead of the fat chick doing a triathlon. I am ready to be a runner instead of the fat woman out jogging to lose weight.”
That is exactly how I feel.
Here is the deal: I am in a lousy mood. There are a number of possible culprits: a frustrating day at work yesterday, PMS, lack of weight lifting Monday (I swam instead), or possible electrolyte imbalance due to the fact that my dinner went through me like the Jamaican bobsled team (ahem). On the way to work, I found myself fantasizing about a nice day out on a machine gun range.
I was in the Army for 8 years. There was plenty I disliked, but there was a lot I loved. Being a machine gunner is high on that list. Working the machine gun range was a blast, especially if you got to be one of the people at the end of the day helping use up the extra ammo. Really, there is a tremendous primal satisfaction to be derived from putting a couple thousand rounds through a machine gun so fast that the barrel begins to warp (it’s okay – the assistant gunner carries a spare). I was an expert with a machine, and frequently won beer off the foolish Rangers who didn’t think a “girl” could out-shoot them. Heh. Remember, my hobby is putting on medieval armor and hitting people with rattan swords. I am hoping to curb my violent tendencies tonight at the gym, with an upper body workout that will have my muscles begging for mercy – in a good way.
I feel guilty because we went out to dinner last night. I was just emotionally beaten down to the point where heating up a can of soup & making a grilled cheese sandwich sounded like to much d&mn work. How messed up is that? I wanted to relax in the tub, but instead got a running commentary from a 10 year old on the other side of the door about how long I’d been in there. We had also gone out Monday for somebody’s birthday dinner, which means home cooking is sparse around our place this week. This is not typical, and I feel bad about it.
What else? Monday swam. Tuesday ran 2 miles, 30 minute walk at lunch, then we walked the dogs 1 mile last night. Got up and walked 2 miles this morning, even though it was freaking freezing. I got spaghetti for dinner last night, but the half I ate of my meal didn’t seem to hang around for long. I was in the kind of pissy mood that I used to squash with food. I did have a bag of soy chips with some diet pepsi after dinner. This morning I am listening to my world flute relaxation CD, drinking diet cocoa, and hoping this will pass soon. I hate being crabby – it seems like such s waste of time & energy.
I read this blog, and she posted this a few days ago:
“I am ready to just be a woman instead of the large woman. I am ready to be a triathlete instead of the fat chick doing a triathlon. I am ready to be a runner instead of the fat woman out jogging to lose weight.”
That is exactly how I feel.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
And now, back to some exercise talk
I didn’t mention it yesterday, but I had the most amazingly mediocre 6 mile run on Saturday. I just totally couldn’t get into it. My attitude was “ho, hum” the whole time. I hate that, but it wasn’t painful either….
I have to make some changes to my workout routine. My swim last week showed me that laying off the swimming for 7 months meant I lost a lot. Well, the tri is in 6 weeks (hello!??! Where has the time gone???). Which means I need to be swimming more. So, gotta juggle things around. I will have to scale back on weight training – I only have X amount of time at the gym and something’s gotta give. It has to be the weights. :-(
Right now my priorities are 1) marathon training 2) triathlon training 3) maintain muscle mass through weight training 4) whatever fun is left over.
Yesterday was a good day food-wise. It’s nice to have things back to normal. I’m feeling better already. I swam last night. Ugly is all I can say……
I didn’t mention it yesterday, but I had the most amazingly mediocre 6 mile run on Saturday. I just totally couldn’t get into it. My attitude was “ho, hum” the whole time. I hate that, but it wasn’t painful either….
I have to make some changes to my workout routine. My swim last week showed me that laying off the swimming for 7 months meant I lost a lot. Well, the tri is in 6 weeks (hello!??! Where has the time gone???). Which means I need to be swimming more. So, gotta juggle things around. I will have to scale back on weight training – I only have X amount of time at the gym and something’s gotta give. It has to be the weights. :-(
Right now my priorities are 1) marathon training 2) triathlon training 3) maintain muscle mass through weight training 4) whatever fun is left over.
Yesterday was a good day food-wise. It’s nice to have things back to normal. I’m feeling better already. I swam last night. Ugly is all I can say……
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