We got a Wii for Christmas, and after returning home from our vacation last night, we hooked it up and went to town. Lot's of fun so far! My hubby is doing great at keeping me accountable, he wouldn't let me sit down at all while playing ;). The Force Unleashed is great for a slight cardio workout, and Boxing really does get the heart rate up. I loved punching the boxing dude in the face. ;) I'm in the process of obtaining a Wii Fit (as soon as I can find one), and I plan on using that as an adjunct in my workouts.
Rip also suggested a couple weeks ago that I dust off my kettlebells, so they're going to come out of the closet and admit they're hard-asses.
I am going to be heading up to camp this week for work, so I'll be AWOL on the blog (limited internet access). However, I plan to be constantly moving. I'll also see if I can't get in a couple of actual workouts on the side.
Food is in an interesting spot right now. Not one I can describe. If I do, I may end up diving into a bunch of chocolate. Let's just say I'm working really hard on not blaming, feeling guilty, or otherwise beating myself up. I plan to work on accepting and moving on. It's tough, but it's also why I'm working on it. The rest will follow, as it always does.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Eh, Not Great
So, the track record for my first week on part Two: not so great. I got in exactly one good workout, and the same number of blog posts. Of course I'm mad, I want to be accountable, but I'm finding one good stumbling block after another. It tells me a few things: one, I'm not quite there yet in being ready to change, and two: I still want the easy route. And I'm now officially on vacation for the next week. Ah, see the excuses forming in my brain?
Six months ago nothing could keep me down. Now, not so much. It's going to be a long ride turning this around, so sit back and don't get too excited. I absolutely hate the thought that I am potentially going to be "another" one of those New Years Resolutioners- "I'll do better come the first". Egh. No way, no how.
So, we'll see what I can do over the next two weeks to get around that!
Six months ago nothing could keep me down. Now, not so much. It's going to be a long ride turning this around, so sit back and don't get too excited. I absolutely hate the thought that I am potentially going to be "another" one of those New Years Resolutioners- "I'll do better come the first". Egh. No way, no how.
So, we'll see what I can do over the next two weeks to get around that!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Yesterday
I like to read. I do it alot. In fact, right now I like to do it more than surf the internet. :D
So that's what I did last night instead of posting, but here I am! I got a decent workout in at the gym, although I had a sinus headache the whole time (my metaphor for the -14 degree weather plus windchill: When I breathe, I get the ice cream headache without the benefit of the ice cream!).
I also decided to find a scale. It was sobering. It registered 168. Twenty pounds since May. Wow, how hard we fall. So, I'll just continue the process of picking myself back up and dusting off. I'm not setting any weightloss goals for right now, just the goal of getting in a workout nearly every day. The food will follow, and then the weight.
So, I'm back in the saddle and feeling good. I won't get in a workout tonight, but I'll be there tomorrow!
So that's what I did last night instead of posting, but here I am! I got a decent workout in at the gym, although I had a sinus headache the whole time (my metaphor for the -14 degree weather plus windchill: When I breathe, I get the ice cream headache without the benefit of the ice cream!).
I also decided to find a scale. It was sobering. It registered 168. Twenty pounds since May. Wow, how hard we fall. So, I'll just continue the process of picking myself back up and dusting off. I'm not setting any weightloss goals for right now, just the goal of getting in a workout nearly every day. The food will follow, and then the weight.
So, I'm back in the saddle and feeling good. I won't get in a workout tonight, but I'll be there tomorrow!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The Newest Post
It's time to post again. Now that I haven't got anyone following me, right? Ah well my own fault.
I've definitely had a hard time of it the last few months on the weight maintenance front- too much wanting to eat everything in sight, too little control. I'm not really sure how bad- my fall has been hard to admit, least of all to the perfectionist side of myself. Let's just say I can't wear as many of my clothes as I'd like, but I haven't had to go out and buy new ones.
I've been taking small, tentative steps in the right direction, but I hesitate to say I'm back yet. I'm scared that if I say it, I'll find a million reasons to fail.
Here though, are a bunch of reasons why I really want to be back to "normal" (at least, what "normal" was back in May, before the move):
--I miss my biceps. Yes, there's no longer any muscle definition there, and it saddens me. I want them back. Lots of push-ups are in order. (Forget biceps curls, they don't use enough muscles to burn calories.)
--I miss wearing all my clothes. I'm sick of being scared I won't be able to wear the next item I put on.
--My self-esteem has taken a dive, I'm more scared to go after life again. Ugh.
--Anyone who's ever been overweight knows how hard it is to move. It's easy to ignore when you're big, and it's easy to forget once you're no longer big, but when the weight comes back on and you notice it, OMG. Forget that! I am ready to move easily again!
--If I can't lift a canoe come May, I'm screwed. Period. I can't work for a canoe camp and not be able to solo-lift a canoe. Ain't gonna happen. I know it was getting tough in September, which means that I was heading downhill back then.
--I'm getting varicose veins! They're ugly! They're only going to be worse if I've got extra fat hanging around.
So, here's to the makeover. I'm going to makeover this blog, and myself, and start from scratch. I'm calling this:
I've definitely had a hard time of it the last few months on the weight maintenance front- too much wanting to eat everything in sight, too little control. I'm not really sure how bad- my fall has been hard to admit, least of all to the perfectionist side of myself. Let's just say I can't wear as many of my clothes as I'd like, but I haven't had to go out and buy new ones.
I've been taking small, tentative steps in the right direction, but I hesitate to say I'm back yet. I'm scared that if I say it, I'll find a million reasons to fail.
Here though, are a bunch of reasons why I really want to be back to "normal" (at least, what "normal" was back in May, before the move):
--I miss my biceps. Yes, there's no longer any muscle definition there, and it saddens me. I want them back. Lots of push-ups are in order. (Forget biceps curls, they don't use enough muscles to burn calories.)
--I miss wearing all my clothes. I'm sick of being scared I won't be able to wear the next item I put on.
--My self-esteem has taken a dive, I'm more scared to go after life again. Ugh.
--Anyone who's ever been overweight knows how hard it is to move. It's easy to ignore when you're big, and it's easy to forget once you're no longer big, but when the weight comes back on and you notice it, OMG. Forget that! I am ready to move easily again!
--If I can't lift a canoe come May, I'm screwed. Period. I can't work for a canoe camp and not be able to solo-lift a canoe. Ain't gonna happen. I know it was getting tough in September, which means that I was heading downhill back then.
--I'm getting varicose veins! They're ugly! They're only going to be worse if I've got extra fat hanging around.
So, here's to the makeover. I'm going to makeover this blog, and myself, and start from scratch. I'm calling this:
The Afterburn Effect: Part Two
Back to the Burn
Back to the Burn
I don't plan on it being easy. It's going to take a lot of stuff on my part. It might take awhile, too. But I'll be back. And I'm posting. Even if it's a sentence, I'm going back to posting daily. I've got to keep myself accountable!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
How did that happen?
One of the things that has always bugged me about getting "fit" was the intense focus that the fitness community tends to have toward running. Mostly, it bugged me because I couldn't do it. Anyone who's read my blog for a while knows it tends to tweak my hip and cause issues. So, even though I didn't mind doing it, the pain afterward (or during) was too much to handle.
All right, so what happened? Most of my cardio lately has been running. Without ANY issues (well, sort of). At least, none from aforementioned hip.
Strange. My body did a lot of strange things this last summer, like stopped hurting almost entirely- I haven't (knocking on wood) been to a chiropractor since May. It stopped hurting almost the instant I got up to the Northwoods to start my new job. It was really odd. But I'm thankful for it!
So here's to a thankful post, because I did a run today. Fun, all-out intervals. Yep, intervals were fun. *grin*
My sanity may have gone with the pain when it took off... LOL.
All right, so what happened? Most of my cardio lately has been running. Without ANY issues (well, sort of). At least, none from aforementioned hip.
Strange. My body did a lot of strange things this last summer, like stopped hurting almost entirely- I haven't (knocking on wood) been to a chiropractor since May. It stopped hurting almost the instant I got up to the Northwoods to start my new job. It was really odd. But I'm thankful for it!
So here's to a thankful post, because I did a run today. Fun, all-out intervals. Yep, intervals were fun. *grin*
My sanity may have gone with the pain when it took off... LOL.
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Snow Fell. And so did I.
We got snow here yesterday, and my co-workers up in the Northwoods say they woke up to snow on the ground this morning. Oy, winter always comes too fast!
I got a great workout in today. I changed a heckuva lot of my mindset this past Friday, and all I needed to do was one thing - get outta my own damn head. I'd been having trouble getting to my workouts for this excuse or another, the biggest one being that my work schedule depends on three things: my daughter's patience, the amount of work I have on my desk that can be done at home, and traffic. Traffic's the big one I think ;). So here I was, giving excuses for not stopping at the gym on my way home because I usually have my daughter with me, and not even giving her the option of hanging out at the Kid's Club provided by the gym. HELLO. I signed up there because they had childcare and a better price/more locations than most of the gyms around here. So Friday, all I needed to do was decide that I'd go for her benefit, because she'd love to hang out and play there. Naturally, they don't have kids club on Fridays. So, I went on Saturday.
And she loved it.
One small change in my thinking, and whallah- there's nothing standing in my way of a good workout anymore.
Sheesh. I'm thinking it's time we got out of our heads more often!
I got a great workout in today. I changed a heckuva lot of my mindset this past Friday, and all I needed to do was one thing - get outta my own damn head. I'd been having trouble getting to my workouts for this excuse or another, the biggest one being that my work schedule depends on three things: my daughter's patience, the amount of work I have on my desk that can be done at home, and traffic. Traffic's the big one I think ;). So here I was, giving excuses for not stopping at the gym on my way home because I usually have my daughter with me, and not even giving her the option of hanging out at the Kid's Club provided by the gym. HELLO. I signed up there because they had childcare and a better price/more locations than most of the gyms around here. So Friday, all I needed to do was decide that I'd go for her benefit, because she'd love to hang out and play there. Naturally, they don't have kids club on Fridays. So, I went on Saturday.
And she loved it.
One small change in my thinking, and whallah- there's nothing standing in my way of a good workout anymore.
Sheesh. I'm thinking it's time we got out of our heads more often!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Back to the Blogging Board
I realize my blogs have been pretty nonexistent lately. It's how a lot of my life has felt, as I've been working hard to adjust to the new city, new job, living with my husband full-time, etc. It's not something that comes up often in social weight-loss circles, but it needs to be dealt with:
CHANGE.
It happens. Whether it's a new job, the loss of a current one, the birth of a child, or whatever. People talk about change all the time - about how we want it, because we're sick of where we're at currently - but when it actually happens, we kick and scream like a toddler denied her favorite treat.
It's one of my theories as to why so few people actually succeed at beginning weight loss. To be unhappy with where you're at is one thing; to change enough of the habits that got you to where you're at is another. Kick and scream all the way to the fast-food joint.
However, when in the weight-loss portion or even while maintaining, change can really screw with the results of that too. When we experience change, we may want to go back to something familiar and comfortable. For me, that something comfortable was just to spend as much time with my family as possible (and of course, eating with them- and my husband eats a lot, something I hadn't needed to deal with when we were living apart during the week).
Part of that means I've been lucky to get in two workouts a week. My eating also had a pretty big downhill slide for a while, but it's been getting back under control. I think it's because I'm starting to get used to the changes that happened. I don't need as much of the comfort as I needed before, and I can "strike out" on my own again. So I am starting to feel more like "my old self" or at least, the self I was prior to the big move.
It could also be that my husband went on a business trip this week, so it really does feel like it did before.
However, my point is that when change happens, you've got to do what works until you get used to your new life. Maintain what you can. But also, accept the change as positive and good, because something amazing will come of it. And then see how you can move forward with it.
I'm finally back to the point where I can move forward again, and boy am I glad of that. I didn't like going backward.
CHANGE.
It happens. Whether it's a new job, the loss of a current one, the birth of a child, or whatever. People talk about change all the time - about how we want it, because we're sick of where we're at currently - but when it actually happens, we kick and scream like a toddler denied her favorite treat.
It's one of my theories as to why so few people actually succeed at beginning weight loss. To be unhappy with where you're at is one thing; to change enough of the habits that got you to where you're at is another. Kick and scream all the way to the fast-food joint.
However, when in the weight-loss portion or even while maintaining, change can really screw with the results of that too. When we experience change, we may want to go back to something familiar and comfortable. For me, that something comfortable was just to spend as much time with my family as possible (and of course, eating with them- and my husband eats a lot, something I hadn't needed to deal with when we were living apart during the week).
Part of that means I've been lucky to get in two workouts a week. My eating also had a pretty big downhill slide for a while, but it's been getting back under control. I think it's because I'm starting to get used to the changes that happened. I don't need as much of the comfort as I needed before, and I can "strike out" on my own again. So I am starting to feel more like "my old self" or at least, the self I was prior to the big move.
It could also be that my husband went on a business trip this week, so it really does feel like it did before.
However, my point is that when change happens, you've got to do what works until you get used to your new life. Maintain what you can. But also, accept the change as positive and good, because something amazing will come of it. And then see how you can move forward with it.
I'm finally back to the point where I can move forward again, and boy am I glad of that. I didn't like going backward.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Complaining Done. On to Postive me again.
Alright, I realize the last two posts of mine absolutely sucked the life out of anyone reading them. So, I'm not going to complain anymore. Yay!
I got to the gym two times last week. So far, I've gotten to the gym two times this week. I plan on hitting it again tomorrow, so I'm on a roll :) The workouts are helping me feel better, and I'm liking having a focused place to go to and work out in again. I need to convince the Bally's to open up some space tho- so much taken up by machines, and none for free bell work. Hmm.
So I mentioned a couple of weeks ago how I wasn't liking my first e-book too much, which is silly of me. It's time to fix the problem and love it up. I had my husband go through it with a fine-toothed comb, and he found what was bugging me so bad about it. Now just to implement the changes. The funny thing is, right after he read it, he wanted to go work out :D So it's doing something right!
I got to the gym two times last week. So far, I've gotten to the gym two times this week. I plan on hitting it again tomorrow, so I'm on a roll :) The workouts are helping me feel better, and I'm liking having a focused place to go to and work out in again. I need to convince the Bally's to open up some space tho- so much taken up by machines, and none for free bell work. Hmm.
So I mentioned a couple of weeks ago how I wasn't liking my first e-book too much, which is silly of me. It's time to fix the problem and love it up. I had my husband go through it with a fine-toothed comb, and he found what was bugging me so bad about it. Now just to implement the changes. The funny thing is, right after he read it, he wanted to go work out :D So it's doing something right!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Bally's: Great Marketing, Blah Facilities
Last week Thursday, I walked into a Bally's facility and walked out with a membership. Soul-selling aside, I wasn't terribly impressed. I got the membership because they have two facilities that are close to where I live, which is better than anything else I'd have to drive out of the way for. I keep kicking myself now. The Gold's Gym that seemed too far away feels like such a better option. It was so much more open, prettier, had a much better kid's club, and isn't really out of the way on the route I'm taking to work now (it was before I knew about this route, which is why I didn't sign up then). The Bally's facilities are nothing like their marketing. It's a study in having great marketing people and bad interior designers. The interiors are closed-feeling and covered in dark paint, the kid's club requires a 24-hour advance sign-up and only has one supervisor (who appears to always be sitting at her desk), and the equipment is oldish and packed in too tightly. Not to mention that there isn't much choice in what kind of machine you use. I can handle that in a dinky gym like my last one, but even my gym prior to that had an arc trainer, stair mill, treadmills, steps, etc.
So, I've got the option of dropping that membership in two months. I may do so, but until then, I'm going to plug away at the place. I went to a TurboKick class this last week, which is a bit like kickboxing. I'll try the Kwando Strike class next week.
I should really stop complaining and just work out. I'm not back into my size 8 jeans yet after this summer, and while my endurance seems to be at an awesome level, my muscular strength is about zero (I haven't gotten to any weight training yet, just cardio- I'm easing back into things). I'm ready to whip myself back into shape!
So, I've got the option of dropping that membership in two months. I may do so, but until then, I'm going to plug away at the place. I went to a TurboKick class this last week, which is a bit like kickboxing. I'll try the Kwando Strike class next week.
I should really stop complaining and just work out. I'm not back into my size 8 jeans yet after this summer, and while my endurance seems to be at an awesome level, my muscular strength is about zero (I haven't gotten to any weight training yet, just cardio- I'm easing back into things). I'm ready to whip myself back into shape!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Still Finding my Feel
I can tell I'm still trying to adjust to my new "town" and job. I have settled into some weird semblance of a routine, but I don't really like it. Having to make 40 hours in a week is draining. I can't believe ppl do 50 or even 80.
Part of the drain is the time in the car- I'm now spending anywhere between 25 minutes to 1.5 hours in the car both morning and evening. No, that's not a partial drain, that's a full drain. I get home after that 1 to 1.5 hour hurry up and wait drive and am so keyed up I can barely think straight. A couple of times now, my husband has strapped workout clothes on me and pushed me out the door.
I love my job, but those drives make even that get nearly outweighed.
This city is just absolutely amazing- there is no subway system, no through-way system, no way to alleviate the traffic. And people LOVE living here? They must live close enough to work to use the skyway system (a system of indoor walking paths that actually exist in place of a coherent mass transit system, and only exists downtown).
Taking a deep breath. Wow.
At any rate, I'm going to have to investigate doing more work from home, and driving during the traffic off-hours. And getting a regular workout.
They've been very sporadic lately. However, I told the guy at Bally's (who called me tonight) that I'd show up tomorrow sometime between 3 and 6 pm. So I will now have a place to go, get focused, and get in the groove. Whew. I may get more done if I do that!
Part of the drain is the time in the car- I'm now spending anywhere between 25 minutes to 1.5 hours in the car both morning and evening. No, that's not a partial drain, that's a full drain. I get home after that 1 to 1.5 hour hurry up and wait drive and am so keyed up I can barely think straight. A couple of times now, my husband has strapped workout clothes on me and pushed me out the door.
I love my job, but those drives make even that get nearly outweighed.
This city is just absolutely amazing- there is no subway system, no through-way system, no way to alleviate the traffic. And people LOVE living here? They must live close enough to work to use the skyway system (a system of indoor walking paths that actually exist in place of a coherent mass transit system, and only exists downtown).
Taking a deep breath. Wow.
At any rate, I'm going to have to investigate doing more work from home, and driving during the traffic off-hours. And getting a regular workout.
They've been very sporadic lately. However, I told the guy at Bally's (who called me tonight) that I'd show up tomorrow sometime between 3 and 6 pm. So I will now have a place to go, get focused, and get in the groove. Whew. I may get more done if I do that!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Supposed to be a Quick One
Well, my idea of loving myself seems to be coming to fruition. I'm not only feeling better about myself, but I'm eating what I want and my clothes are fitting great. It's kinda weird.
I don't know that I've described it too much, but I brought it up in my blog earlier this week- how, truthfully, most people who are overweight hate themselves in some capacity or another. Ripx said in the comments that "hate" is a pretty powerful word. It is, and that's why I use it. If you really look at why human beings have fat stores, it's because our bodies are just trying to be good to us- to save up for that famine. So you can't hate your body for doing what it's supposed to be doing. Except we do. We hate that "weak" part of ourselves that let us "get fat" in the first place. We dislike how society has created this net around us of fast food and overbooked schedules. We hate that society expects us to be thin but constantly wants us to buy. We don't like how, if we lose weight, we still feel fat compared to the "beautiful people" or the people with abs. We hate how disgust overwhelms us when we look at ourselves in the mirror, or see an obese person on the street.
There's no love there. I think it's time to change.
It's time to start loving ourselves. For who we are RIGHT NOW. It's time to give appreciation to our bodies for being so wonderful to us- for allowing us to move, to think, to interact with others. It's time to ask your body for forgiveness for all the negative feelings you've had toward it. It's time to apologize.
So what have I been doing?
Since prior to reading "Zero Limits" by Dr. Joe Vitale, I've been saying four simple sentences- to God, to myself, and now, to my body. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I Love You." I've been peeling my own onion, so to speak, taking off the layers and the years of negative thoughts surrounding fat and food, the guilt and the shame. It's taking time. I'm not doing it overnight; there's a lot of layers there. A lot of predjudice and stereotypes. However, when I find myself feeling disgust for my body or seeing someone on the street, I immediately start playing the four sentences in my brain. Over and over. Because there's something I don't want to be, and that's the contributor to all the shame, guilt, and hate that surrounds obesity. But because I notice it, then I am somehow a contributor. It is now my problem, so I take responsibility. It's not the other person's fault that I feel disgust, it's mine. It's not my body's fault, it's mine. It's time to start loving. So that's what I'm doing.
I love you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.
I don't know that I've described it too much, but I brought it up in my blog earlier this week- how, truthfully, most people who are overweight hate themselves in some capacity or another. Ripx said in the comments that "hate" is a pretty powerful word. It is, and that's why I use it. If you really look at why human beings have fat stores, it's because our bodies are just trying to be good to us- to save up for that famine. So you can't hate your body for doing what it's supposed to be doing. Except we do. We hate that "weak" part of ourselves that let us "get fat" in the first place. We dislike how society has created this net around us of fast food and overbooked schedules. We hate that society expects us to be thin but constantly wants us to buy. We don't like how, if we lose weight, we still feel fat compared to the "beautiful people" or the people with abs. We hate how disgust overwhelms us when we look at ourselves in the mirror, or see an obese person on the street.
There's no love there. I think it's time to change.
It's time to start loving ourselves. For who we are RIGHT NOW. It's time to give appreciation to our bodies for being so wonderful to us- for allowing us to move, to think, to interact with others. It's time to ask your body for forgiveness for all the negative feelings you've had toward it. It's time to apologize.
So what have I been doing?
Since prior to reading "Zero Limits" by Dr. Joe Vitale, I've been saying four simple sentences- to God, to myself, and now, to my body. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I Love You." I've been peeling my own onion, so to speak, taking off the layers and the years of negative thoughts surrounding fat and food, the guilt and the shame. It's taking time. I'm not doing it overnight; there's a lot of layers there. A lot of predjudice and stereotypes. However, when I find myself feeling disgust for my body or seeing someone on the street, I immediately start playing the four sentences in my brain. Over and over. Because there's something I don't want to be, and that's the contributor to all the shame, guilt, and hate that surrounds obesity. But because I notice it, then I am somehow a contributor. It is now my problem, so I take responsibility. It's not the other person's fault that I feel disgust, it's mine. It's not my body's fault, it's mine. It's time to start loving. So that's what I'm doing.
I love you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Ahhh...owch!
Got my first concentrated workout in yesterday for the first time in a long while. It felt so good. I also convinced myself that I definitely am not out of shape! My muscles are pretty surprised though, they are sore today.
I went somewhat easy on the workout, but I didn't wimp out. I did 10 minutes of warm-up (bodyweight squats, full-body push-ups, the hamstring exercise I can't remember the name to, but pretty much involves laying on the floor, lifting your butt, and sticking out one leg- it really puts a nice charlie horse in the ham!). After that, I did 5 minutes of kettlebell swings with a 25 lb bell, then did 20 minutes on the treadmill with 1 minute running and 2 minutes walking. Running wasn't too hard, I could tell that my exercise this summer focused more on endurance and less on sprint-type exercises. That would have been the long trail walks, up and down hills and around rocks, and the long paddles in the canoe. And to think, I hadn't even been focusing on the endurance thing.
I also keep thinking about the whole maintenance issue, and wonder about it. I maintained my weight this summer, despite eating a heckuva lot of food (it was in constant abundance, and I'll talk about some of my emotional issues with it later). However, at one point during the summer, I became irrationally scared that I had gained 10 pounds, and my body responded by looking like it had. I got home, worked through a couple of things, and my body went back to pre-summer (in less than a week).
So, here's what I'm thinking: I think there's a huge, underlying issue that virtually gets ignored by anyone who is trying to lose weight. And most of it has to do with how we feel about ourselves in THIS MOMENT. Generally, if we're losing weight (or trying to lose weight), it's because we hate ourselves on some level. And if we're scared of gaining weight back, it's because we hate ourselves on some level. And if we've come to a standstill in the whole weight-loss process, then it's because we hate ourselves on some level. Actually, I think that one means we hate ourselves on a lot of levels. And if you hate me for saying this, then look into yourself. Ask yourself honestly.
Honestly, I'm still working through it myself, so we'll see where it goes. Like I said, I read "Zero Limits" and "The Key" this summer. The book I'm writing in spurts forced me to go back to childhood and high school memories that I had buried pretty deep, and made me a bit sick to think about and sift through. These were memories that I had used, on some level, to keep me going during the hard times of weight loss. However, they were also the ones that were keeping me from finding peace with myself, and caused me to irrationally fear that I had gained 10 pounds (and my body reacted to that fear by presenting it in a physical manner). Once I worked through some of that, my body shed those 10 pounds pretty much overnight. There's alot to this mind-body stuff, and I'm still learning and figuring it out. I'll likely be writing more about it as I work through it.
As it is, I've come to one conclusion: food is a matter of thought. It is what you think of it, and your body will react in the way you truly believe it will (under the surface. You know, that gut feeling you get). Society has programmed many things into us, and I'm starting to believe there's an underlying structure to humankind in and of itself, that isn't based just on this generation of society, but all of history. It gets pretty thick.
Anyway, that's enough philosophy for me!
We downloaded Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl from RiffTrax (think Mystery Science Theater 3000 without the robots), and I've been trying to watch that and write at the same time. I don't think it's working- till later!
I went somewhat easy on the workout, but I didn't wimp out. I did 10 minutes of warm-up (bodyweight squats, full-body push-ups, the hamstring exercise I can't remember the name to, but pretty much involves laying on the floor, lifting your butt, and sticking out one leg- it really puts a nice charlie horse in the ham!). After that, I did 5 minutes of kettlebell swings with a 25 lb bell, then did 20 minutes on the treadmill with 1 minute running and 2 minutes walking. Running wasn't too hard, I could tell that my exercise this summer focused more on endurance and less on sprint-type exercises. That would have been the long trail walks, up and down hills and around rocks, and the long paddles in the canoe. And to think, I hadn't even been focusing on the endurance thing.
I also keep thinking about the whole maintenance issue, and wonder about it. I maintained my weight this summer, despite eating a heckuva lot of food (it was in constant abundance, and I'll talk about some of my emotional issues with it later). However, at one point during the summer, I became irrationally scared that I had gained 10 pounds, and my body responded by looking like it had. I got home, worked through a couple of things, and my body went back to pre-summer (in less than a week).
So, here's what I'm thinking: I think there's a huge, underlying issue that virtually gets ignored by anyone who is trying to lose weight. And most of it has to do with how we feel about ourselves in THIS MOMENT. Generally, if we're losing weight (or trying to lose weight), it's because we hate ourselves on some level. And if we're scared of gaining weight back, it's because we hate ourselves on some level. And if we've come to a standstill in the whole weight-loss process, then it's because we hate ourselves on some level. Actually, I think that one means we hate ourselves on a lot of levels. And if you hate me for saying this, then look into yourself. Ask yourself honestly.
Honestly, I'm still working through it myself, so we'll see where it goes. Like I said, I read "Zero Limits" and "The Key" this summer. The book I'm writing in spurts forced me to go back to childhood and high school memories that I had buried pretty deep, and made me a bit sick to think about and sift through. These were memories that I had used, on some level, to keep me going during the hard times of weight loss. However, they were also the ones that were keeping me from finding peace with myself, and caused me to irrationally fear that I had gained 10 pounds (and my body reacted to that fear by presenting it in a physical manner). Once I worked through some of that, my body shed those 10 pounds pretty much overnight. There's alot to this mind-body stuff, and I'm still learning and figuring it out. I'll likely be writing more about it as I work through it.
As it is, I've come to one conclusion: food is a matter of thought. It is what you think of it, and your body will react in the way you truly believe it will (under the surface. You know, that gut feeling you get). Society has programmed many things into us, and I'm starting to believe there's an underlying structure to humankind in and of itself, that isn't based just on this generation of society, but all of history. It gets pretty thick.
Anyway, that's enough philosophy for me!
We downloaded Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl from RiffTrax (think Mystery Science Theater 3000 without the robots), and I've been trying to watch that and write at the same time. I don't think it's working- till later!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Jumping Back In
Well, I'm back in civilization, as we all call it. It was an amazing summer for me, but also one that has left me with more questions than answers.
Since my internet access was either slow or nonexistent for most of the summer, I realize that I've got a lot of updating to do! First things first:
So the questions that remain are, do I want to continue training people? I go back and forth on it. I think the experience is good, and I enjoyed doing it. However, I do have a full-time job and a family, and I'm no longer in school- I sort of want to enjoy the extra time I've got on my hands. So that's what I'm left with.
I've got some catching up on other blogs to do!
Since my internet access was either slow or nonexistent for most of the summer, I realize that I've got a lot of updating to do! First things first:
- *We ended up in St. Paul, MN. Cute little neighborhood, right smack in the middle of the city/suburbs.
- *My job is absolutely wonderful. Lots of logistics, customer relations, communication, with the added benefit of spending entire summers in the Northwoods of MN. Strangely enough, it does have a lot to do with fitness, but I'm in the admin part, so I am currently not training anyone.
- *Moving to the city means finding a new gym. I've currently got a trial membership at Gold's Gym, but it's 15 minutes in the wrong direction, so I'm looking at a Bally's that's on the way to work. There's a huge part of me that wants to stay as far away from the chains as possible, but another that wants the classes aspect, such as cardio karate and Zumba. The only other gym I've found on the way to work that isn't a chain, and appeals to me, is a regular gym without all the frills. There is an amazing shortage of gyms in the St. Paul area. So for anyone who wants to start a gym, it's an open market! On the gym note, I also found a kettlebell class. $15 per class or $120 per month. I may have to go with the $15/class option.
- *During the summer, I read "Zero Limits" and "The Key", both by Joe Vitale. I highly highly recommend both. The Law of Attraction on crack, and it works- if nothing else, I feel better about myself! I will be talking about both more later.
- *The comfort I had found with my current weight and body shape last spring, fairly solidified over the summer. I think I've gained some weight, and I know I've lost muscle because I haven't been lifting heavy (although canoes do count...), but so far it's not a bad weight. I just want to get back to working out in a gym regularly because I love working out.
- *I'm also working on an idea, based on the "Zero Limits" book, about clearing the obesity epidemic. There's not much behind the idea yet, but I'm working on it.
- *I'm also writing another book, geared towards teenage girls. So far I'm liking it 20x better than my first book, which probably says something about my first book.
So the questions that remain are, do I want to continue training people? I go back and forth on it. I think the experience is good, and I enjoyed doing it. However, I do have a full-time job and a family, and I'm no longer in school- I sort of want to enjoy the extra time I've got on my hands. So that's what I'm left with.
I've got some catching up on other blogs to do!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Very Quick
It's been nearly a month since my last post! Hi! How are all of you??
Well, here's my crazy life lately:
I moved up to northern MN for the summer, and am living in great primitive backwoods style. While my new job involves working on the computer nearly every day, I have so much work to do that I'm lucky to come up for air at lunch. I'm loving it.
My workouts have not been so hot lately, mostly because I haven't made the time for them. However, last week we went on a 4.5 day canoe trip, which involved a lot of hard portaging (carrying canoes and big-ol' packs from lake to lake through woods, over boulders and through streams). It was a lot of fun, and it thoroughly tested my endurance (which definitely needs work!). I believe I will be getting into more of a daily workout pretty soon.
I'm hoping I'll get more time to post, but I'm not making any promises. Haven't checked anyone's blogs yet either, so I hope everyone's doing okay!
Well, here's my crazy life lately:
I moved up to northern MN for the summer, and am living in great primitive backwoods style. While my new job involves working on the computer nearly every day, I have so much work to do that I'm lucky to come up for air at lunch. I'm loving it.
My workouts have not been so hot lately, mostly because I haven't made the time for them. However, last week we went on a 4.5 day canoe trip, which involved a lot of hard portaging (carrying canoes and big-ol' packs from lake to lake through woods, over boulders and through streams). It was a lot of fun, and it thoroughly tested my endurance (which definitely needs work!). I believe I will be getting into more of a daily workout pretty soon.
I'm hoping I'll get more time to post, but I'm not making any promises. Haven't checked anyone's blogs yet either, so I hope everyone's doing okay!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
A Running Leap
After last week's apathy, I'm thinking I feel better today. I had a nice interval workout on the treadmill, keeping more of an eye on my running form than attempting to run fast or hard. I clocked 2.41 miles in 34 minutes. Not bad, considering that I wasn't even sure if my body (hip and foot) would allow me to run at all. It was the first run I've had in about 2 months, and it didn't hurt much at all. I'm debating between swinging my kettlebell around or packing for the rest of this evening.
The nicest part about this workout was that it was something that was just for fun- no pressure, no berating myself for missing the last week of workouts, no extreme muscular exhaustion from a workout that was too hard yesterday. It put the activity back into physical activity. It also made me realize how hard I have been pushing myself lately, and it's no wonder I was fatigued and apathetic.
Leaving the nutrition alone has worked well too. Yes, I'm having regular servings of ice cream, but I'm also eating 2-4 servings of veggies in one meal alone.
On the moving front, I'm up and leaving on next week Wednesday. I'll probably be awol for awhile, we'll see what internet connection is like. I'll go crazy if I have to go without internet too long. My job is an office job, so I should have some access. Even if I am living in a very primitive environment (outhouses, baby!). I'm excited, I love the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
Well, I think packing is going to win out. My bookshelves have got to get done.
The nicest part about this workout was that it was something that was just for fun- no pressure, no berating myself for missing the last week of workouts, no extreme muscular exhaustion from a workout that was too hard yesterday. It put the activity back into physical activity. It also made me realize how hard I have been pushing myself lately, and it's no wonder I was fatigued and apathetic.
Leaving the nutrition alone has worked well too. Yes, I'm having regular servings of ice cream, but I'm also eating 2-4 servings of veggies in one meal alone.
On the moving front, I'm up and leaving on next week Wednesday. I'll probably be awol for awhile, we'll see what internet connection is like. I'll go crazy if I have to go without internet too long. My job is an office job, so I should have some access. Even if I am living in a very primitive environment (outhouses, baby!). I'm excited, I love the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
Well, I think packing is going to win out. My bookshelves have got to get done.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
What am I thinking?
Right now, the pressure is off. I have realized that I've been putting way too much stress on myself what with orals, the move, a rummage sale, the weather, lingering injuries, etc, AND added diet and exercise on top of that. So, earlier this week, I did some thinking, and part of that thinking led me to believe that I need to let go of some things. The biggest one being that I think I have to be perfect with my diet.
Let's face it. The more "perfect" I try to get with my diet, the more I start to sabotage in some way, shape or form. If I start playing with ratios, grams, attempting to increase protein, I find that I'm more likely to charge into the junk food, or I hit a "weekend" mentality thing. So I'm giving that up. I know how to eat healthy. I do it without thinking about it. I should, since I've been practicing it for years. So, I know that I need to just let it go, and allow my "habits" to take over these next few weeks. I am aware that I do not eat well enough to get to the bikini body. However, considering how hard my body has been fighting me to get there in the first place, I may just have to sit back and do a re-estimation (is that a word?). I look good in clothes. My hubby can't keep his hands off me (TMI?). My family is jealous. I can wear a size 8 jean. The only thing I don't have going for me is that I don't have that svelte, lean, bikini body I really want. That's it. Uno problemo.
So the question after that becomes, how do I want to approach that? Do I just want to say, "hack it- I'm settling into maintenance mode for the first time intentionally", or do I say, "wait until things settle down," or do I say "keep pushing through this"? I haven't decided that one yet. I do know that I've been passing up workout times to do other things. I haven't even been blogging regularly. My to-do list is longer than my arm. So, we'll see where this goes.
Not a good post for the others. I realize the FAT coalition is struggling right now, and I'm being just one more blog that isn't "hacking it". I'm just thinking that I really do need to take a break. I promised myself that one back in January, and it didn't happen. I've only stagnated since then, so I think that it may be what I need. I'll keep posting as long as I have internet access, so don't worry, I won't go nowhere!
Let's face it. The more "perfect" I try to get with my diet, the more I start to sabotage in some way, shape or form. If I start playing with ratios, grams, attempting to increase protein, I find that I'm more likely to charge into the junk food, or I hit a "weekend" mentality thing. So I'm giving that up. I know how to eat healthy. I do it without thinking about it. I should, since I've been practicing it for years. So, I know that I need to just let it go, and allow my "habits" to take over these next few weeks. I am aware that I do not eat well enough to get to the bikini body. However, considering how hard my body has been fighting me to get there in the first place, I may just have to sit back and do a re-estimation (is that a word?). I look good in clothes. My hubby can't keep his hands off me (TMI?). My family is jealous. I can wear a size 8 jean. The only thing I don't have going for me is that I don't have that svelte, lean, bikini body I really want. That's it. Uno problemo.
So the question after that becomes, how do I want to approach that? Do I just want to say, "hack it- I'm settling into maintenance mode for the first time intentionally", or do I say, "wait until things settle down," or do I say "keep pushing through this"? I haven't decided that one yet. I do know that I've been passing up workout times to do other things. I haven't even been blogging regularly. My to-do list is longer than my arm. So, we'll see where this goes.
Not a good post for the others. I realize the FAT coalition is struggling right now, and I'm being just one more blog that isn't "hacking it". I'm just thinking that I really do need to take a break. I promised myself that one back in January, and it didn't happen. I've only stagnated since then, so I think that it may be what I need. I'll keep posting as long as I have internet access, so don't worry, I won't go nowhere!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Where's Carrie?
I'm here, I'm alive, although I'm not sure I'm too healthy right now. I've been working on a whole slew of things, and the crunch time is happening a lot quicker than I'd like. So, even though graduation was this weekend, I'm not done yet. I have an exam tomorrow night, and Orals (defense) are scheduled for May 16, which is also the day I should have most of my house packed up. I'm finishing up my job, and clients. I'm working on my book in little bitty pieces so I can have a re-release and cancel my subscription for Fitness Generator, which is a good little animated exercise generator, but not worth $37/month.
I've been fighting something off for the last couple of days, so no workout today. Decently healthy food today, although I'm trying to restrict cals a little more than usual because I really feel like I ate too much this last weekend- too much partying. A lot of it was junk food too, which my body really is not used to anymore.
If there's anything else it's going to have to wait until tomorrow. I'm going to bed.
I've been fighting something off for the last couple of days, so no workout today. Decently healthy food today, although I'm trying to restrict cals a little more than usual because I really feel like I ate too much this last weekend- too much partying. A lot of it was junk food too, which my body really is not used to anymore.
If there's anything else it's going to have to wait until tomorrow. I'm going to bed.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Wednesday
Food:
B-3 pancakes, 1/2 cup blueberries
S1-granola bar
L-hamburger in veggie tomato sauce
Supper-3 cups PB Cap'n Crunch w/ milk
Workout:
None
Today was whack. Lunch was late, so afternoon snack skipped. Somehow went haywire at supper time and ended up eating my weight in cereal. No workout, not even really time for one. Bit busy right now, setting up a big shin-dig at our place on Sat, training clients, finishing up school, and finding out that my graduate school is stupid when it comes to graduation ceremonies. Long story short- I'm not walking across the stage. Grr.
I'm still sore from Monday's workout. Time to go ice and fall asleep.
B-3 pancakes, 1/2 cup blueberries
S1-granola bar
L-hamburger in veggie tomato sauce
Supper-3 cups PB Cap'n Crunch w/ milk
Workout:
None
Today was whack. Lunch was late, so afternoon snack skipped. Somehow went haywire at supper time and ended up eating my weight in cereal. No workout, not even really time for one. Bit busy right now, setting up a big shin-dig at our place on Sat, training clients, finishing up school, and finding out that my graduate school is stupid when it comes to graduation ceremonies. Long story short- I'm not walking across the stage. Grr.
I'm still sore from Monday's workout. Time to go ice and fall asleep.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Twitter-cise
Scott Tousignant set up a wonderful new site yesterday called "Twittercise- Workouts as Short as Your Tweets." Now, if you haven't had the pleasure of trying Twitter yet, it's time to get on. It's fun, cute, and you get to learn all those little details of people's lives that they decide to post. Great way of bringing "gurus" back down off those pillars we tend to put them on.
With Twitter, you get short little messages all day long from the people you're following (not in your email inbox, thank goodness, but on the site itself). You can write short little messages too, all based off the question, "What are you doing?" Plus you can "tweet" back and forth with people, too.
So back to Twitter-cise: literally, Scott's developing workouts that are short and sweet, and it's based around a community of people. Pretty cool. Click on the links above to see what I mean.
Food today:
B- 1 cup Curves cereal (expensive bran flakes), 2 eggs
S1-granola bar
L-Jimmy John's Slim 5 (1/2 a sub)
S2-JJ Slim 5 (1/2 a sub)
Supper-1 hamburger w/ bun and ketchup, 1/2 slice watermelon, 3 prunes
S3-apple, 2 slices cheese
Workout: 30 min. elliptical, 20 min HIIT 1 min on/2 min off (Level 10 resistance/Level 3 resistance)
With Twitter, you get short little messages all day long from the people you're following (not in your email inbox, thank goodness, but on the site itself). You can write short little messages too, all based off the question, "What are you doing?" Plus you can "tweet" back and forth with people, too.
So back to Twitter-cise: literally, Scott's developing workouts that are short and sweet, and it's based around a community of people. Pretty cool. Click on the links above to see what I mean.
Food today:
B- 1 cup Curves cereal (expensive bran flakes), 2 eggs
S1-granola bar
L-Jimmy John's Slim 5 (1/2 a sub)
S2-JJ Slim 5 (1/2 a sub)
Supper-1 hamburger w/ bun and ketchup, 1/2 slice watermelon, 3 prunes
S3-apple, 2 slices cheese
Workout: 30 min. elliptical, 20 min HIIT 1 min on/2 min off (Level 10 resistance/Level 3 resistance)
Monday, April 28, 2008
For a Laugh
Workout today: K1, Taebo cardio (new and cool)
Food:
B-4 pancakes w/ blueberries
L-Hamburger with tomato sauce and veggies (onion, cauliflower, peppers, carrots)
S-Apple and Cheese
Supper-2 pancakes w/ blueberries, 2 eggs, 1/2 slice watermelon
S-bowl of Curves cereal, milk
Back on track. Feeling good, although the foot is easily aggravated. Got two new workout vids on Sunday and tried one out tonight. Likey.
I've been Twittering too much. Can only think in short sentences.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Wishing it were Spring
One to two feet.
Of SNOW.
In SD.
Last reports said it was April 25.
------------------------------------
Honestly, it's insane. We have now had 3 snow days in the past month and a half, which is 3 more than we had the entire winter. So you may now guess what my workout was today.
It started by raining much of the day yesterday, which didn't make me happy because I was supposed to have a garage sale this Saturday and I was scared it would make our driveway unpass-able. Hee, hee, should have been the least of my worries, as it started sleeting this morning, and snowing in earnest by 10 am. By 3 pm, which is when we ventured outside, it was up to the top of my boots in some places, and up to the knees in others. I do believe it's still going at it outside. Wow.
Of SNOW.
In SD.
Last reports said it was April 25.
------------------------------------
Honestly, it's insane. We have now had 3 snow days in the past month and a half, which is 3 more than we had the entire winter. So you may now guess what my workout was today.
It started by raining much of the day yesterday, which didn't make me happy because I was supposed to have a garage sale this Saturday and I was scared it would make our driveway unpass-able. Hee, hee, should have been the least of my worries, as it started sleeting this morning, and snowing in earnest by 10 am. By 3 pm, which is when we ventured outside, it was up to the top of my boots in some places, and up to the knees in others. I do believe it's still going at it outside. Wow.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Pannekoekens Anyone?
Alright, so I hope no one tried the pancake recipe I posted the other day, because it was wrong! I made them again this morning and noticed that I should have consulted the book when I typed it out. So, here it is:
(First off, I spelled/said it wrong- Pannekoeken- pann-a-kuk-en)
Recipe (serves 3-6):
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt (EDIT: I accidentally put flour here, it's supposed to be salt)
1/2 cup flour
Add milk and salt to eggs. Using fast whisk, slowly add in flour. Grill on hot grill (I used a small skillet) using butter (I used cooking spray, just make sure it has a high smoke point). I also added some sugar to sweeten them up a bit. 1-2 tbsp does the trick. Halving the recipe, or doubling it, works very well.
As for this week, it has been utterly crazy. My great-grandmother passed away, and while it was time for her to go and it hasn't been too emotional for me, it still has left a crazy schedule in its wake, with traveling and family obligations. I don't feel like I've gotten back on track yet.
I've been avoiding workouts this week, as my left foot is being a complete pain in the- well, you get the point. I've been trying to stay off it. Fifteen minutes on the elliptical yesterday was about enough to put me in tears. It's progressively been getting worse. Even the massage this morning on it didn't seem to do much. True to reflexology point of view, it's also doing a good job of messing up other things in my body. Not cool. So, interesting week so far.
I'm hoping to get a bike ride in later, if the wind doesn't push me over when I get out there. Man, I'm wishing I'd had time to get out this morning, it was beautiful then.
(First off, I spelled/said it wrong- Pannekoeken- pann-a-kuk-en)
Recipe (serves 3-6):
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt (EDIT: I accidentally put flour here, it's supposed to be salt)
1/2 cup flour
Add milk and salt to eggs. Using fast whisk, slowly add in flour. Grill on hot grill (I used a small skillet) using butter (I used cooking spray, just make sure it has a high smoke point). I also added some sugar to sweeten them up a bit. 1-2 tbsp does the trick. Halving the recipe, or doubling it, works very well.
As for this week, it has been utterly crazy. My great-grandmother passed away, and while it was time for her to go and it hasn't been too emotional for me, it still has left a crazy schedule in its wake, with traveling and family obligations. I don't feel like I've gotten back on track yet.
I've been avoiding workouts this week, as my left foot is being a complete pain in the- well, you get the point. I've been trying to stay off it. Fifteen minutes on the elliptical yesterday was about enough to put me in tears. It's progressively been getting worse. Even the massage this morning on it didn't seem to do much. True to reflexology point of view, it's also doing a good job of messing up other things in my body. Not cool. So, interesting week so far.
I'm hoping to get a bike ride in later, if the wind doesn't push me over when I get out there. Man, I'm wishing I'd had time to get out this morning, it was beautiful then.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Culinary Experiences
Well, today was a day of new culinary experiences for me, and boy were they good! For breakfast, I made a traditional Dutch pancake (Pannoekens) for the first time- the first half of the batch didn't look so hot, but by the end I had it down to a fine science. Top it with fresh fruit/jelly and/or maple syrup, and it is absolutely delicious. Powdered sugar would probably be good too, but I didn't try it. Recipe below. For supper, we had Dak Galbi, a Korean dish that was good and spicy. The spice reminded me of curry, but it definitely wasn't. I'm not even sure I want to try on the recipe, since a friend made it and I was just in charge of the vegetables. We also tried roasted garlic for the first time, and there's an addiction waiting to happen!
Here's the Pannoeken recipe (think Crepes, but with a higher egg content): EDIT: SEE ABOVE POST FOR CORRECT RECIPE, THIS ONE IS INCORRECT
1/2 cup flour
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
Beat eggs, then beat in milk and sugar. Slowly, but with a fast whisk, add the flour. Heat a pan to medium high heat (small skillets are good, because this stuff spreads), although a grill works. Using butter or cooking spray with a high smoke point, ready the pan, then place 1/4-1/2 cup in the skillet (you want a very thin covering, not more than 3/8 inch thick). Cook until top is no longer spreading, then flip.
Ways to further the enjoyment: add vanilla flavoring. Add cinnamon. Top with fruit syrup/compote. Use a berry jelly or maple syrup. Walnuts or almonds would be good on top. Etc. Note the high protein to carb content, which is much better than regular pancakes, but it takes a bit to get the hang of how thick to make the Pannoeken. There's a wonderful buttermilk taste to them, even though there is no buttermilk in them.
Here's the Pannoeken recipe (think Crepes, but with a higher egg content): EDIT: SEE ABOVE POST FOR CORRECT RECIPE, THIS ONE IS INCORRECT
1/2 cup flour
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
Beat eggs, then beat in milk and sugar. Slowly, but with a fast whisk, add the flour. Heat a pan to medium high heat (small skillets are good, because this stuff spreads), although a grill works. Using butter or cooking spray with a high smoke point, ready the pan, then place 1/4-1/2 cup in the skillet (you want a very thin covering, not more than 3/8 inch thick). Cook until top is no longer spreading, then flip.
Ways to further the enjoyment: add vanilla flavoring. Add cinnamon. Top with fruit syrup/compote. Use a berry jelly or maple syrup. Walnuts or almonds would be good on top. Etc. Note the high protein to carb content, which is much better than regular pancakes, but it takes a bit to get the hang of how thick to make the Pannoeken. There's a wonderful buttermilk taste to them, even though there is no buttermilk in them.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Saturday Morning
Thursday's log:
B- 2 eggs, over easy, w/ bit of butter; 2/3 cup FiberOne cereal w/ 1/2 cup milk
S1-Strawberry protein shake w/ whey protein, milk, and strawberries
L-rest of Asian stir fry, 1 slice choc cake (fought hard to not eat a second one, but I did it)
Fast, beginning @ noon
Workout: KBW, HIIT 20 min elliptical
Friday's log:
Fast until noon
L-PBJ sandwich, apple, 8 oz milk, 1 slice choc cake
S2-1 oz cheese, palmful pumpkin seeds
Supper-Jimmy Johns Slim 5 sandwich, 1/4 sm. bag BBQ chips, 20 oz diet coke
S3-1 slice choc cake, banana, 4 prunes
Workout: packing for rummage sale, swordplay
So that chocolate cake was my bane this week. I should have tossed it out, but instead I tossed it down my gullet this week. Lesson learned. No more baked goodies!
I went swimsuit shopping yesterday and walked out disgusted with myself. More because I'm not where I want to be, and I've just been fighting myself and letting me win more often than not lately, than because I didn't find a suit I liked. The suit choices around here are insanely small. I'm gonna have to get down to SF to find one and have any choices. At any rate, I won't allow myself to go shopping again until May 15 or so.
I also need to stop fighting with myself. Just make the meal plan, follow it like a zombie, and throw out any food that might tempt me. I liked the week of tough workouts. Felt a bit worn down, so I know that I won't be able to do it too much longer, but I believe I will definitely keep it up this coming week.
As for right now, I'm on a weekend. Don't allow my hubby to talk me into bad eating choices. More packing, getting ready for a rummage sale, etc. Here I go!
B- 2 eggs, over easy, w/ bit of butter; 2/3 cup FiberOne cereal w/ 1/2 cup milk
S1-Strawberry protein shake w/ whey protein, milk, and strawberries
L-rest of Asian stir fry, 1 slice choc cake (fought hard to not eat a second one, but I did it)
Fast, beginning @ noon
Workout: KBW, HIIT 20 min elliptical
Friday's log:
Fast until noon
L-PBJ sandwich, apple, 8 oz milk, 1 slice choc cake
S2-1 oz cheese, palmful pumpkin seeds
Supper-Jimmy Johns Slim 5 sandwich, 1/4 sm. bag BBQ chips, 20 oz diet coke
S3-1 slice choc cake, banana, 4 prunes
Workout: packing for rummage sale, swordplay
So that chocolate cake was my bane this week. I should have tossed it out, but instead I tossed it down my gullet this week. Lesson learned. No more baked goodies!
I went swimsuit shopping yesterday and walked out disgusted with myself. More because I'm not where I want to be, and I've just been fighting myself and letting me win more often than not lately, than because I didn't find a suit I liked. The suit choices around here are insanely small. I'm gonna have to get down to SF to find one and have any choices. At any rate, I won't allow myself to go shopping again until May 15 or so.
I also need to stop fighting with myself. Just make the meal plan, follow it like a zombie, and throw out any food that might tempt me. I liked the week of tough workouts. Felt a bit worn down, so I know that I won't be able to do it too much longer, but I believe I will definitely keep it up this coming week.
As for right now, I'm on a weekend. Don't allow my hubby to talk me into bad eating choices. More packing, getting ready for a rummage sale, etc. Here I go!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
What I tell clients...
What I tell clients if this occurs:
-scale stays the same or within 5 pounds of normal
-clothes fit fine
-no difference can really be seen in the body
BUT
-measurements go up one inch in most places
I'd tell them that they worked out really hard the day before and are most likely retaining water in their muscles.
Do I believe that when I tell MYSELF that, after it occurs?
I'm trying, I really really am.
The fact is, though, that I'm ticked. I go to measure myself today for the first time since mid-February (first mistake), and all the measurements at waist and below are up by .5-1". I even re-measured, just to make sure I wasn't hitting the wrong spots. So, second mistake: measuring myself the day after a hard-core workout. Third mistake: I definitely have not been strict enough with my eating. I do great for a few days or a few meals, then I either overeat or make a bad food choice. I haven't been getting in post-workout shakes (mistake #4). I've been doing more shoddy with the eating-6-times-per-day thing, and I haven't made a meal plan in about two weeks. Man, off to a great start, aren't I?
It's only 10 pounds, but apparently I want it to be the easy ten pounds, because that's how I've been treating it. And it's not. It's the toughest, most hard-ass ten pounds I've ever seen, and it's hard for me to lose weight in the first place! I've been attempting to out-train a crappy diet again, which kinda makes me laugh because a "bad day" in my norm is having one thing out of the ordinary. I'm posting meals again. If I get off it, tell me to post again, and that you forgive me for having a "bad eating day."
Oy. All right. Rant over.
So, yesterday:
Food:
B-2 over-easy eggs w/ bit of butter; 2 WW flaxseed waffles w/ strawberries & syrup
S1-apple and peanut butter
L-Large lettuce salad w/ 1 tbsp cheese & 1 tbsp ranch dressing; 1 breadstick; 1 slice pepperoni pizza; 1 slice dessert pizza
S2-piece chocolate cake
Supper-Asian stir-fry with more vegges
S3-piece chocolate cake
Workout:
K1 workout, normal weights
HIIT, 1 min on/2 min off- .5 mile on the treadmill (w/ 2 intervals), 20 min bike (6 intervals, I believe)
Steady State- bike, level 6, speed 14-16 mph, 20 min
30-min circuit, lightened weights
1/2 hour stretching
(yes, it literally was 2 hours in the gym, started at 4:15 and left at 6:20)
Today's plan:
B- 2 eggs, over easy, w/ bit of butter; 2/3 cup FiberOne cereal w/ 1/2 cup milk
S1-Strawberry protein shake w/ whey protein, milk, and strawberries
L-rest of Asian stir fry
Fast, beginning @ noon
Workout: KBW, HIIT 20 min elliptical
Tomorrow's plan:
Fast until noon
L-Tuna on Ry Krisp, steamed veggies (1 cup)
S2-steamed veggies (1 cup), 2 hardboiled eggs
Supper-chicken parmesan w/ marinara sauce, veggies, potatoes
S3-whey protein pudding, butterscotch
Workout: K2, KBW
If you aren't asleep yet, at least I've got it written down for my benefit. And it's posted so I'll stay accountable. Now, to go get my morning snack.
-scale stays the same or within 5 pounds of normal
-clothes fit fine
-no difference can really be seen in the body
BUT
-measurements go up one inch in most places
I'd tell them that they worked out really hard the day before and are most likely retaining water in their muscles.
Do I believe that when I tell MYSELF that, after it occurs?
I'm trying, I really really am.
The fact is, though, that I'm ticked. I go to measure myself today for the first time since mid-February (first mistake), and all the measurements at waist and below are up by .5-1". I even re-measured, just to make sure I wasn't hitting the wrong spots. So, second mistake: measuring myself the day after a hard-core workout. Third mistake: I definitely have not been strict enough with my eating. I do great for a few days or a few meals, then I either overeat or make a bad food choice. I haven't been getting in post-workout shakes (mistake #4). I've been doing more shoddy with the eating-6-times-per-day thing, and I haven't made a meal plan in about two weeks. Man, off to a great start, aren't I?
It's only 10 pounds, but apparently I want it to be the easy ten pounds, because that's how I've been treating it. And it's not. It's the toughest, most hard-ass ten pounds I've ever seen, and it's hard for me to lose weight in the first place! I've been attempting to out-train a crappy diet again, which kinda makes me laugh because a "bad day" in my norm is having one thing out of the ordinary. I'm posting meals again. If I get off it, tell me to post again, and that you forgive me for having a "bad eating day."
Oy. All right. Rant over.
So, yesterday:
Food:
B-2 over-easy eggs w/ bit of butter; 2 WW flaxseed waffles w/ strawberries & syrup
S1-apple and peanut butter
L-Large lettuce salad w/ 1 tbsp cheese & 1 tbsp ranch dressing; 1 breadstick; 1 slice pepperoni pizza; 1 slice dessert pizza
S2-piece chocolate cake
Supper-Asian stir-fry with more vegges
S3-piece chocolate cake
Workout:
K1 workout, normal weights
HIIT, 1 min on/2 min off- .5 mile on the treadmill (w/ 2 intervals), 20 min bike (6 intervals, I believe)
Steady State- bike, level 6, speed 14-16 mph, 20 min
30-min circuit, lightened weights
1/2 hour stretching
(yes, it literally was 2 hours in the gym, started at 4:15 and left at 6:20)
Today's plan:
B- 2 eggs, over easy, w/ bit of butter; 2/3 cup FiberOne cereal w/ 1/2 cup milk
S1-Strawberry protein shake w/ whey protein, milk, and strawberries
L-rest of Asian stir fry
Fast, beginning @ noon
Workout: KBW, HIIT 20 min elliptical
Tomorrow's plan:
Fast until noon
L-Tuna on Ry Krisp, steamed veggies (1 cup)
S2-steamed veggies (1 cup), 2 hardboiled eggs
Supper-chicken parmesan w/ marinara sauce, veggies, potatoes
S3-whey protein pudding, butterscotch
Workout: K2, KBW
If you aren't asleep yet, at least I've got it written down for my benefit. And it's posted so I'll stay accountable. Now, to go get my morning snack.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Doh!
You know things are a bit crazy when you wonder if the last time you posted was a week ago. Oy. (I posted yesterday for those who didn't notice)
I got in two great workouts yesterday- my K1 workout (the one I designed myself and still have yet to post here, sorry! it's a good one, too) and the 30-minute circuit. During the circuit, I have explosive pause squats on there, and if you're lucky, you get to have them be first. If you're not so lucky, they're last. (Explosive pause squats are those where you squat down, hold it for ~3 sec, then come up fast enough to get a bit of air time, then go straight back into the squat position- you're cheating if you lock out your knees to land.) They were last for me- and this was, of course, about 2 hours post K1, which includes a nice line-up of squats, bulgarian split squats, and reverse lunges. On the second set, I got to rep 12 and got stuck half-way up. It was kinda funny, actually- there's no way to get out of that except to drop back down. At any rate, I do believe I pooped myself out. No HIIT workout, didn't get around to it. All that was done 4-6 hours post fast-start.
I ended the fast this morning at ~10 a.m. because I didn't know when I would get lunch. So, I'm averaging 20-22 hours for fasts, except for last week when I only made 12 hours. Those last few hours are definitely the hardest- constant growly stomach, hiccups, headache. I find that very interesting. I also realized that fasting again tomorrow might be a bad thing, as it doesn't give me a day where I'm eating six solid meals, and I want to keep up on that too. So I'm changing that to Thursday mid-morning. It seems to be going okay. A little bit of food fascination coming along with it, so I'll have to be careful not to head down a slippery slope. I'm also refusing to weigh-in until Monday again, because I have a feeling that the low weigh-in encourages me to overeat on the weekends, and I definitely don't need that.
No workout so far today, I'll have to swing the kettlebell a bit before heading to bed. And that will be soon, because I'm exhausted.
On a greater note, the voting is open for the Turbulence Training Transformation Contest! Can you believe it's been 12 weeks already since it started? I know I can't. The contestants look great, and it's hard deciding who should win. However, you have a say in the matter! Just click here and enter your vote. While you're at it, if you haven't gotten TT yet, let the contestants be a great source of inspiration to you, and take the plunge. It's only $40 for the basic system, and believe me, it's very much well-worth the money. Honestly. Just because I had to tweak 2k4 into a different workout doesn't mean the TT hasn't taught me a ton about how effective workouts are designed. I absolutely loved Intermediate and the Original TT workouts. So, at any rate, go vote here for your favorite Transformation contestant or the contestant you believe has made the best changes.
I got in two great workouts yesterday- my K1 workout (the one I designed myself and still have yet to post here, sorry! it's a good one, too) and the 30-minute circuit. During the circuit, I have explosive pause squats on there, and if you're lucky, you get to have them be first. If you're not so lucky, they're last. (Explosive pause squats are those where you squat down, hold it for ~3 sec, then come up fast enough to get a bit of air time, then go straight back into the squat position- you're cheating if you lock out your knees to land.) They were last for me- and this was, of course, about 2 hours post K1, which includes a nice line-up of squats, bulgarian split squats, and reverse lunges. On the second set, I got to rep 12 and got stuck half-way up. It was kinda funny, actually- there's no way to get out of that except to drop back down. At any rate, I do believe I pooped myself out. No HIIT workout, didn't get around to it. All that was done 4-6 hours post fast-start.
I ended the fast this morning at ~10 a.m. because I didn't know when I would get lunch. So, I'm averaging 20-22 hours for fasts, except for last week when I only made 12 hours. Those last few hours are definitely the hardest- constant growly stomach, hiccups, headache. I find that very interesting. I also realized that fasting again tomorrow might be a bad thing, as it doesn't give me a day where I'm eating six solid meals, and I want to keep up on that too. So I'm changing that to Thursday mid-morning. It seems to be going okay. A little bit of food fascination coming along with it, so I'll have to be careful not to head down a slippery slope. I'm also refusing to weigh-in until Monday again, because I have a feeling that the low weigh-in encourages me to overeat on the weekends, and I definitely don't need that.
No workout so far today, I'll have to swing the kettlebell a bit before heading to bed. And that will be soon, because I'm exhausted.
On a greater note, the voting is open for the Turbulence Training Transformation Contest! Can you believe it's been 12 weeks already since it started? I know I can't. The contestants look great, and it's hard deciding who should win. However, you have a say in the matter! Just click here and enter your vote. While you're at it, if you haven't gotten TT yet, let the contestants be a great source of inspiration to you, and take the plunge. It's only $40 for the basic system, and believe me, it's very much well-worth the money. Honestly. Just because I had to tweak 2k4 into a different workout doesn't mean the TT hasn't taught me a ton about how effective workouts are designed. I absolutely loved Intermediate and the Original TT workouts. So, at any rate, go vote here for your favorite Transformation contestant or the contestant you believe has made the best changes.
Monday, April 14, 2008
This Week's Plan
I have a plan for this week, and I'm going to write it down real quick before I get too busy. Here it is:
--Workouts every day this week. I'm mad that I missed Friday last week, because I was working so hard on my paper and we had a snow day, so no gym for me (quiet, Ripx, I've gotten quite good at ignoring those kettlebells next to the desk ;) So, workout plan: K1, HIIT, and 30-min circuit today, KBW and HIIT tomorrow, K2, HIIT, and 30-min circuit Wed., 20-min HIIT and 45-min SS on Thur, and K2 with KBW on Friday. I'm kicking those workouts out this week.
--Since the IF went so well for me last week, I'm going to do it again this week. I'll be fasting noon to noon today through tomorrow and repeating it again Wed evening through Thurs evening. The rest of the plan entails eating as healthy as possible on what we have.
On that note, I've also been looking at my cupboards, fridge, and freezer. We have exactly one month to clean them out (and I mean literally, get rid of EVERYTHING) before the move. We will be putting everything into storage for three months (June, July and most of August) while I'm up at the camp, so any food stuff we have will either have to be eaten, given away, or tossed. That will definitely make the eating plan very interesting over the next month. We will be making sure that we're buying only what's essential in the food dept. and can be finished quickly. Lots of planning will have to be involved, I think. This week's goal is to take an inventory of what we have, post it on the fridge, and make menus from it.
I'll also clean the cupboards while I'm at it. Believe it or not, it took cleaning the bathroom this weekend to make me realize that perhaps I should start the deep cleaning on the house now, so that all I'll have to do when we move out is the cursory once-over. LOL. I can be so thick sometimes :)
--Workouts every day this week. I'm mad that I missed Friday last week, because I was working so hard on my paper and we had a snow day, so no gym for me (quiet, Ripx, I've gotten quite good at ignoring those kettlebells next to the desk ;) So, workout plan: K1, HIIT, and 30-min circuit today, KBW and HIIT tomorrow, K2, HIIT, and 30-min circuit Wed., 20-min HIIT and 45-min SS on Thur, and K2 with KBW on Friday. I'm kicking those workouts out this week.
--Since the IF went so well for me last week, I'm going to do it again this week. I'll be fasting noon to noon today through tomorrow and repeating it again Wed evening through Thurs evening. The rest of the plan entails eating as healthy as possible on what we have.
On that note, I've also been looking at my cupboards, fridge, and freezer. We have exactly one month to clean them out (and I mean literally, get rid of EVERYTHING) before the move. We will be putting everything into storage for three months (June, July and most of August) while I'm up at the camp, so any food stuff we have will either have to be eaten, given away, or tossed. That will definitely make the eating plan very interesting over the next month. We will be making sure that we're buying only what's essential in the food dept. and can be finished quickly. Lots of planning will have to be involved, I think. This week's goal is to take an inventory of what we have, post it on the fridge, and make menus from it.
I'll also clean the cupboards while I'm at it. Believe it or not, it took cleaning the bathroom this weekend to make me realize that perhaps I should start the deep cleaning on the house now, so that all I'll have to do when we move out is the cursory once-over. LOL. I can be so thick sometimes :)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Another 24 hours
So here it is Sunday and I haven't posted in, what, 4 days again? I believe Beck is now ahead of me in the Girl Power Challenge regarding posts... :)
I did another 24 hour fast on Thursday, starting Wed evening and ending Thurs with supper. It went okay- I chewed gum, drank water, and kept myself busy all day. I also kept my 145 weigh-in, although I didn't get to weigh-in on Friday. I believe that Skwigg was right when she said that intermittent fasting may be the easiest way for someone who is close to goal weight to get off those final pounds, because usually if you're close to goal, you've got to do some major tweaking and carb cycling in order to see any results- and even then they happen slowly at best. With intermittent fasting, I dropped 2 pounds in one week and (combined with the massage) helped the constant bloat go away that I've been experiencing lately (more on that when I can approach the subject without grossing someone out).
So, about Friday: we had- you guessed it- another snow day. In April. Man, it's a weird spring so far. I worked on the final dregs of my thesis (it's done!), baked a cake, and did a bit of laundry. So it was a good cake, very chocolate-y, and of course I've had some. I'll have to see about freezing the rest of it so I don't try and "finish" it this week.
I did another 24 hour fast on Thursday, starting Wed evening and ending Thurs with supper. It went okay- I chewed gum, drank water, and kept myself busy all day. I also kept my 145 weigh-in, although I didn't get to weigh-in on Friday. I believe that Skwigg was right when she said that intermittent fasting may be the easiest way for someone who is close to goal weight to get off those final pounds, because usually if you're close to goal, you've got to do some major tweaking and carb cycling in order to see any results- and even then they happen slowly at best. With intermittent fasting, I dropped 2 pounds in one week and (combined with the massage) helped the constant bloat go away that I've been experiencing lately (more on that when I can approach the subject without grossing someone out).
So, about Friday: we had- you guessed it- another snow day. In April. Man, it's a weird spring so far. I worked on the final dregs of my thesis (it's done!), baked a cake, and did a bit of laundry. So it was a good cake, very chocolate-y, and of course I've had some. I'll have to see about freezing the rest of it so I don't try and "finish" it this week.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Back Down
Well, apparently something's working this week. I weighed in at 145.0 today. This despite the cup of ice cream I had yesterday evening.
Got a 2 hour massage tonight; it felt sooo good. My body truly doesn't like me sometimes, and boy did that massage bring some things out. Ahhh.
I got in 2 workouts today, which was pretty cool. First one was weights and HIIT on the elliptical, second was my 30-min circuit. I just used fairly light weights for the circuit, and didn't really break a sweat until the end. I also managed to pick up the house, vacuum, and do the dishes. I also worked on my thesis a bit, and trained a couple of clients. I do believe this was a fairly productive day! Back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. :) I'll be doing an intermittent fasting again, from 8:00 a.m. to as late as I can swing it (preferably Friday morning).
Got a 2 hour massage tonight; it felt sooo good. My body truly doesn't like me sometimes, and boy did that massage bring some things out. Ahhh.
I got in 2 workouts today, which was pretty cool. First one was weights and HIIT on the elliptical, second was my 30-min circuit. I just used fairly light weights for the circuit, and didn't really break a sweat until the end. I also managed to pick up the house, vacuum, and do the dishes. I also worked on my thesis a bit, and trained a couple of clients. I do believe this was a fairly productive day! Back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. :) I'll be doing an intermittent fasting again, from 8:00 a.m. to as late as I can swing it (preferably Friday morning).
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The New TT Forums
I did a bit of looking at the new Turbulence Training forums this evening, something I haven't done before (I usually go after the new workouts with a voracious appetite, a bit like tunnel-vision, and forget about the forums). They're actually really neat, with discussions about nutrition, muscle building, fat loss, and the Oh-So-Famous Transformation Contest. That contest is starting to wrap up, and people are seeing some great results from it. That's pretty awesome, in my opinion. I can't even remember what the grand prize is, but hey, even those who don't get the grand prize are still winners- they're likely to be able to wear their bikini's this summer, or take off their shirts, without embarrassment. Kinda like the FAT Coalition forum, the TT forum is not quite as big as some of those weight-loss forums out there, so you're likely to be making new friends and building a great personal support system. You also get personal answers from the guru himself, Craig Ballantyne (who was on-line at the same time I was) and plenty from "old-timers"- those who have been at the forums for awhile.
It sounds like Craig is gearing up for a great big Turbulence Training birthday celebration come the beginning of May, but by then it's almost swimsuit season. I'm thinking that if you're having a hard time sticking to your exercise program, or aren't seeing any results from your current program, then it's time to try something new- and in my opinion, Turbulence Training is it. I love Craig's style of workouts and have been using them almost exclusively with myself and clients (with some exceptions for different goals of course) with great results. Turbulence Training works. It's quick, simple, and only takes 45 minutes per workout. Check it out, you've got nothing to lose (except the excess- ah, I won't go there)!
*Plug paid for by the Friends of Those Who Need to Make Money, LLC. ;)
**Nah, I actually just really like the program. And the forums really are neat. Did I mention that you get three months free when you purchase Turbulence Training through that nifty little link right there? ;)
It sounds like Craig is gearing up for a great big Turbulence Training birthday celebration come the beginning of May, but by then it's almost swimsuit season. I'm thinking that if you're having a hard time sticking to your exercise program, or aren't seeing any results from your current program, then it's time to try something new- and in my opinion, Turbulence Training is it. I love Craig's style of workouts and have been using them almost exclusively with myself and clients (with some exceptions for different goals of course) with great results. Turbulence Training works. It's quick, simple, and only takes 45 minutes per workout. Check it out, you've got nothing to lose (except the excess- ah, I won't go there)!
*Plug paid for by the Friends of Those Who Need to Make Money, LLC. ;)
**Nah, I actually just really like the program. And the forums really are neat. Did I mention that you get three months free when you purchase Turbulence Training through that nifty little link right there? ;)
Mixed
I had mixed results yesterday. I did the fasting for about 12 hours before I couldn't stand it anymore, as I was a bit light-headed and my stomach was about ready to chew a hole through me so it could get food itself. For about an hour, I walked into and out of the kitchen before I just figured that 12 hours was enough.
The funny thing is, I broke my fast with a piece of pizza (homemade, thank you). Definitely still not there. However, it's better than the Cap'n Crack Berries that were calling my name. I do believe I need to get those out of my house. My workout yesterday: I did half of my strength workout, felt great the whole time, then started chatting with someone and didn't stop. Oops.
So I'm back on track today. I'll do my workout this afternoon (the new bodyweight one I made last week- I also did it last week and liked it very much-along with extra HIIT training). Bowl of oatmeal with 2 tbsp flaxseed, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp raisins for breakfast. We're out of eggs and out of money right now ($6 for a gallon of milk and a pound of bananas? You've got to be kidding me). These next few weeks should be interesting on the money front. I'm working on a new e-book idea, except this one's geared toward teens. I'll let you know more when I know more.
I got my thesis back from my advisor yesterday- he LIKED it, he really really LIKED it! *squealing like a schoolgirl* LOL. Seriously though, all he wants is a few changes here and there, some grammatical errors, and he caught my use of a textbook in a couple of places. Darn. If I used a textbook, it's because I either a) couldn't get ahold of the original study or b) wanted a nice summary and the textbook provided it. That makes things interesting! So, spruce that up this week, get it back to him, and voila- semester's done (essentially. I still have a defense, one easy paper to write and a take-home test in early May).
Well, I've got two workouts to write up!
The funny thing is, I broke my fast with a piece of pizza (homemade, thank you). Definitely still not there. However, it's better than the Cap'n Crack Berries that were calling my name. I do believe I need to get those out of my house. My workout yesterday: I did half of my strength workout, felt great the whole time, then started chatting with someone and didn't stop. Oops.
So I'm back on track today. I'll do my workout this afternoon (the new bodyweight one I made last week- I also did it last week and liked it very much-along with extra HIIT training). Bowl of oatmeal with 2 tbsp flaxseed, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp raisins for breakfast. We're out of eggs and out of money right now ($6 for a gallon of milk and a pound of bananas? You've got to be kidding me). These next few weeks should be interesting on the money front. I'm working on a new e-book idea, except this one's geared toward teens. I'll let you know more when I know more.
I got my thesis back from my advisor yesterday- he LIKED it, he really really LIKED it! *squealing like a schoolgirl* LOL. Seriously though, all he wants is a few changes here and there, some grammatical errors, and he caught my use of a textbook in a couple of places. Darn. If I used a textbook, it's because I either a) couldn't get ahold of the original study or b) wanted a nice summary and the textbook provided it. That makes things interesting! So, spruce that up this week, get it back to him, and voila- semester's done (essentially. I still have a defense, one easy paper to write and a take-home test in early May).
Well, I've got two workouts to write up!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
On or Off
Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted since Wednesday. I do believe I've set myself back some paces, not only in the blogging but in other areas as well. My life is completely crazy right now. That's no excuse, just a fact. Here's the stuff, not necessarily in order, of what's going on:
1. I wore my bikini this weekend at a hotel pool. My hubby would not allow me to buy a tankini, because he believes I look "good enough" to wear it. I still am not sure I agree with that, but I'm not a complete embarrassment in it- not slim like I'd prefer, but not 50 pounds overweight either. I still have issues with seeing myself that way.
2. We will officially be moving this spring! The job offer came through. It will be a very big change; we'll be going from small town South Dakota to Minneapolis MN. Price difference for everything is at least $100-300 higher than we've ever paid, which scares us, especially since the job is an opportunity, not a high-pay corporate thing. Meaning I may have to take on a second job. Anyway, here are some details: I'll be working for a camp, helping it to re-build after it was hit by a forest fire last summer, doing scheduling, administrative work, etc. During the summers I will be up at the camp, and during the school year I'll be in Minneapolis. Seem like this is coming out of nowhere? Well, I've always had an interest in camps, especially since I was a counselor in 2000 and loved it. I went back to graduate school to get a Master's degree so I could qualify for higher-up jobs in the camp industry, but the degree is in Sports Science because I want to work especially with kids who are overweight, and there weren't any weight-loss-specific programs in the area. So I've been learning what I can through my program, attaining my personal training certification in the process, and doing a lot of self-learning on the side. The thesis was especially helpful in that regard. It was a good project that allowed me to really learn how the lives of children are affected by obesity, and also what programs are available, which work, and why. I will tell you, the results of many of those programs are as dismal as the results for Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. So it definitely won't be an easy area to work in, because people have free will and often make decisions which aren't good for them. We humans like to take the easy way out, and believe me, our society is built for ease and comfort.
So, that means my life will be making a drastic change come mid-May. It will be very interesting, let me tell you! However, I still want to pursue my on-line "stuff"- the blog, the website, all that, so I definitely won't be disappearing, don't worry about that. It will just be on a different scale and in a different place, with a different perspective.
3. We went to the Twin Cities this past weekend, and I've been "weak." Making choices that weren't exactly healthy or low in calories. I'll be working on that this coming week. I'm not beating myself up about it, I understand the ramifications. Sigh. I like maintenance mode too much, which is why it took me so long in the first place to lose 50 pounds. Does that mean I'll never reach my goal? Who knows. I'm stubborn enough that I likely will.
So the plan for this coming week: after breakfast tomorrow, I will pursue the Eat Stop Eat program for the next 24 hours. I will work on high protein intake on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then on Wednesday after supper I will do the 24 hour fast again. Thursday evening and Friday, I will eat higher protein, then on the weekend, I will eat as normal (without resorting to this past weekend's caloric intake, let me assure you!). The next week, I will repeat the process. I believe it's what I need, especially as I don't like to fiddle with cycling calories, dealing with high protein-low carb, etc.
4. I got the Gourmet Nutrition cookbook in the mail! I haven't made any of the recipes yet, but I think it will be good for me to follow it. At the very least, I'm going to work on following the Anytime meals more than the post-workout meals, and it'll give me some great ideas and ways to make those anytime meals.
5. I re-adjusted my workout, performed it, and like it quite a bit. I'm ready to get lifting again! I'll have to get it posted soon. Workouts are going to include 45-minute Steady State sessions at least once per week, three times if I can swing it. This is on top of the HIIT training. One of the workouts is a bodyweight workout, which will feel great.
I don't believe there's anything else- this is what happens when I don't blog for a few days!
1. I wore my bikini this weekend at a hotel pool. My hubby would not allow me to buy a tankini, because he believes I look "good enough" to wear it. I still am not sure I agree with that, but I'm not a complete embarrassment in it- not slim like I'd prefer, but not 50 pounds overweight either. I still have issues with seeing myself that way.
2. We will officially be moving this spring! The job offer came through. It will be a very big change; we'll be going from small town South Dakota to Minneapolis MN. Price difference for everything is at least $100-300 higher than we've ever paid, which scares us, especially since the job is an opportunity, not a high-pay corporate thing. Meaning I may have to take on a second job. Anyway, here are some details: I'll be working for a camp, helping it to re-build after it was hit by a forest fire last summer, doing scheduling, administrative work, etc. During the summers I will be up at the camp, and during the school year I'll be in Minneapolis. Seem like this is coming out of nowhere? Well, I've always had an interest in camps, especially since I was a counselor in 2000 and loved it. I went back to graduate school to get a Master's degree so I could qualify for higher-up jobs in the camp industry, but the degree is in Sports Science because I want to work especially with kids who are overweight, and there weren't any weight-loss-specific programs in the area. So I've been learning what I can through my program, attaining my personal training certification in the process, and doing a lot of self-learning on the side. The thesis was especially helpful in that regard. It was a good project that allowed me to really learn how the lives of children are affected by obesity, and also what programs are available, which work, and why. I will tell you, the results of many of those programs are as dismal as the results for Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. So it definitely won't be an easy area to work in, because people have free will and often make decisions which aren't good for them. We humans like to take the easy way out, and believe me, our society is built for ease and comfort.
So, that means my life will be making a drastic change come mid-May. It will be very interesting, let me tell you! However, I still want to pursue my on-line "stuff"- the blog, the website, all that, so I definitely won't be disappearing, don't worry about that. It will just be on a different scale and in a different place, with a different perspective.
3. We went to the Twin Cities this past weekend, and I've been "weak." Making choices that weren't exactly healthy or low in calories. I'll be working on that this coming week. I'm not beating myself up about it, I understand the ramifications. Sigh. I like maintenance mode too much, which is why it took me so long in the first place to lose 50 pounds. Does that mean I'll never reach my goal? Who knows. I'm stubborn enough that I likely will.
So the plan for this coming week: after breakfast tomorrow, I will pursue the Eat Stop Eat program for the next 24 hours. I will work on high protein intake on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then on Wednesday after supper I will do the 24 hour fast again. Thursday evening and Friday, I will eat higher protein, then on the weekend, I will eat as normal (without resorting to this past weekend's caloric intake, let me assure you!). The next week, I will repeat the process. I believe it's what I need, especially as I don't like to fiddle with cycling calories, dealing with high protein-low carb, etc.
4. I got the Gourmet Nutrition cookbook in the mail! I haven't made any of the recipes yet, but I think it will be good for me to follow it. At the very least, I'm going to work on following the Anytime meals more than the post-workout meals, and it'll give me some great ideas and ways to make those anytime meals.
5. I re-adjusted my workout, performed it, and like it quite a bit. I'm ready to get lifting again! I'll have to get it posted soon. Workouts are going to include 45-minute Steady State sessions at least once per week, three times if I can swing it. This is on top of the HIIT training. One of the workouts is a bodyweight workout, which will feel great.
I don't believe there's anything else- this is what happens when I don't blog for a few days!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
April Fool's No Fool
Except for the fact that the scale decided to hate me (first at the gym and then at the dr. office), yesterday was pretty smooth regarding April Fool's (no pranks anyway). Got in a quick workout before the dr. appt, appt. went okay, got on the phone and was able to discuss some things regarding the new job, didn't sleep through class (always a good thing), etc. Standard.
Food log:
B: oatmeal w/ 1 tsp brown sugar and 1 tsp raisins
Snack: 1 granola bar
L: Tuna2Go, apple
Snack: pumpkin seeds
Supper: Tacos (3), prunes (2)
Snack: skipped (not hungry)
Workout: 30 min SS on Elliptical
I'm still working on the meals portions, can you tell? In the mornings I'm not hungry, but around 3 pm I'm ready to eat a horse. If I eat more in the mornings I can stave that off, duh. The scale is also headed in the wrong direction. At the gym it was 150.0, which is the scale I normally use and so reported with, but at the dr. office, I was sadly disappointed to see the scale stop at 156.2. Ugh. I REALLY wanted to see that 147 at least at the dr.'s, I was so mad when she had to flip the dealie to 150 and then skip up the numbers. If the 24 hr fast didn't make me eat like a hungry-man for the next 3 days, I'd do it again. However, what I really need to do is just start playing with what I am eating. It's obviously not doing it for me this time. I'm also thinking I need to start spending a little more time in the gym again. As if I hadn't been, right? Well to tell the truth, if you've looked at how often I've lifted in the past 4 weeks or so, you'd be disappointed. I've been lucky to get in 2 lifting sessions a week. And this week will be the same. Part of it? I absolutely do not like 2k4. There. I've said it. It's brutal, and I don't like it, and I'm not getting anywhere with it because I haven't been keeping up with the lifting schedule. I'm also so dmed ready to get outside, and the weather around here has left a lot to be desired.
Dang, I'm in a black mood today. I'll work on that! I'll likely post again tonight so I can get caught up with the blogs. You'll find me in a better mood!
Food log:
B: oatmeal w/ 1 tsp brown sugar and 1 tsp raisins
Snack: 1 granola bar
L: Tuna2Go, apple
Snack: pumpkin seeds
Supper: Tacos (3), prunes (2)
Snack: skipped (not hungry)
Workout: 30 min SS on Elliptical
I'm still working on the meals portions, can you tell? In the mornings I'm not hungry, but around 3 pm I'm ready to eat a horse. If I eat more in the mornings I can stave that off, duh. The scale is also headed in the wrong direction. At the gym it was 150.0, which is the scale I normally use and so reported with, but at the dr. office, I was sadly disappointed to see the scale stop at 156.2. Ugh. I REALLY wanted to see that 147 at least at the dr.'s, I was so mad when she had to flip the dealie to 150 and then skip up the numbers. If the 24 hr fast didn't make me eat like a hungry-man for the next 3 days, I'd do it again. However, what I really need to do is just start playing with what I am eating. It's obviously not doing it for me this time. I'm also thinking I need to start spending a little more time in the gym again. As if I hadn't been, right? Well to tell the truth, if you've looked at how often I've lifted in the past 4 weeks or so, you'd be disappointed. I've been lucky to get in 2 lifting sessions a week. And this week will be the same. Part of it? I absolutely do not like 2k4. There. I've said it. It's brutal, and I don't like it, and I'm not getting anywhere with it because I haven't been keeping up with the lifting schedule. I'm also so dmed ready to get outside, and the weather around here has left a lot to be desired.
Dang, I'm in a black mood today. I'll work on that! I'll likely post again tonight so I can get caught up with the blogs. You'll find me in a better mood!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Snow Day
We had a snow day yesterday (seriously), and it's amazing how little one gets done on those days. Of course, it didn't help that we had company who were stranded. Anyhow, extended weekend for me!
Yesterday's food log:
B: 1 small cinnamon roll (biscuit-sized), 2 oz orange juice
Snack: 1 slice homemade whole wheat bread, 2 tbsp PB, 1.5 cups milk
L: 4 WW flaxseed pancakes, 3 oz ham
Snack: apple and 2 slices cheese
Supper: Tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwich, 7 crackers
Snack: skipped, not hungry
Workout:
15 min walking (over snow, against wind, lots of fun)
30 min snow shoveling (wet and heavy stuff)
20 min snowball fight, walking
I feel like I took it easy in the workout dept yesterday, but it was fun having a snowball fight. The snow was perfect for that- sticky and heavy- not so great for easy shoveling. After that, my daughter and I wandered around the place, "exploring". Very sweet. She had fun outside yesterday.
Yesterday's food log:
B: 1 small cinnamon roll (biscuit-sized), 2 oz orange juice
Snack: 1 slice homemade whole wheat bread, 2 tbsp PB, 1.5 cups milk
L: 4 WW flaxseed pancakes, 3 oz ham
Snack: apple and 2 slices cheese
Supper: Tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwich, 7 crackers
Snack: skipped, not hungry
Workout:
15 min walking (over snow, against wind, lots of fun)
30 min snow shoveling (wet and heavy stuff)
20 min snowball fight, walking
I feel like I took it easy in the workout dept yesterday, but it was fun having a snowball fight. The snow was perfect for that- sticky and heavy- not so great for easy shoveling. After that, my daughter and I wandered around the place, "exploring". Very sweet. She had fun outside yesterday.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday Strong?
Well, this weekend wasn't a complete failure. I didn't follow protocol 100%, but I didn't break down and eat the house either. Honestly, yesterday's food choices were just higher portion sizes than I should have eaten, and today I chose a couple of items that I really didn't need to. Overall, I didn't crash and burn on the first weekend of the Girl Power Challenge. I'll be happy to get completely back on plan tomorrow, and plan on really seeing some results this week. I kinda felt like last week was a bit "get on track, get rid of the bloat" and had truly seen some great results by this morning. This week, I'm going to drop 2 pounds.
Saturday's Food log:
B: Cheerios, 2 eggs, Fiber
L: 3 Cream of Chicken Sandwiches, 1 3/4 cup Apple-Snicker Salad (eaten late, and ate too much)
Snack: 1 Cadbury Creme Egg
Supper: 3 cheesesticks, 2 slices pepperoni pizza, 1 slice dessert pizza (again, more than I had planned for; we went out to eat the pizza instead of ordering in, and no salad bar was available :P)
Sunday's Food log:
B: Cheerios, 2 eggs, Fiber
Snack: Protein pudding, 1 slice bread with olive oil
L: 1 Steak fajita, 1 slice pineapple
Snack: 3/4 Reeses PB Egg, 1 cup Choc milk, apples w/ PB, 1 slice pineapple (ouch, that hurt to write, but I know I've definitely had worse on game days, and I caught myself scrounging a couple of times and stopped)
Supper: 1 slice homemade pepperoni pizza, 1 cup orange soda
Saturday's Food log:
B: Cheerios, 2 eggs, Fiber
L: 3 Cream of Chicken Sandwiches, 1 3/4 cup Apple-Snicker Salad (eaten late, and ate too much)
Snack: 1 Cadbury Creme Egg
Supper: 3 cheesesticks, 2 slices pepperoni pizza, 1 slice dessert pizza (again, more than I had planned for; we went out to eat the pizza instead of ordering in, and no salad bar was available :P)
Sunday's Food log:
B: Cheerios, 2 eggs, Fiber
Snack: Protein pudding, 1 slice bread with olive oil
L: 1 Steak fajita, 1 slice pineapple
Snack: 3/4 Reeses PB Egg, 1 cup Choc milk, apples w/ PB, 1 slice pineapple (ouch, that hurt to write, but I know I've definitely had worse on game days, and I caught myself scrounging a couple of times and stopped)
Supper: 1 slice homemade pepperoni pizza, 1 cup orange soda
Friday, March 28, 2008
Yesterday's stats
My computer wigged out last night right before I was going to leave a blog post, so I turned it off (force-quit--really) and left it off and actually did the dishes for once. So here's yesterday's food log and workout.
Food:
B: Whole wheat flaxseed pancakes (2) w/ sugarfree syrup and 1/4 cup blueberries; 1 orange; 2 eggs
Snack: 2 Quaker Oats Granola bars
Lunch: 1/2 Jimmy John's Slim 5 sub; 1 bag potato chips; 1/2 cup diet coke
Snack: 1/2 Jimmy John's Slim 5 sub; 1/2 cup diet coke
Supper: Homemade chicken nuggets, baby baked potatoes (5), carrot slices
Snack: Banana protein ice cream
Workout:
65 minutes stationary bike, Steady State (moderate intensity)
So yeah, high calorie day for me. Like my computer, I kinda wigged out yesterday morning in the food department. I'm not really sure what went wrong in my head- as it was, I was just kinda feeling like...oh, I can't really describe it perfectly. Starting at breakfast already, I just wanted to kinda break free or something. Then, we ended up rushing out of the house and the only thing I managed to grab was 2 granola bars, didn't even think about grabbing my lunch. So I ended up wigging out about that. I don't know why, but yesterday felt like I was going to get into starvation mode way too easily, and I know most of it was mental. Something unconscious that isn't quite conscious yet. It's a bit similar to the feeling I get when I have to share food with someone else, kinda like I'm scared I won't get enough, even though there's more on the plate than I could ever think of eating. Perhaps there's an underlying anxiety issue there that I'll have to work on. However, given what I did have, I didn't have any more (and believe me I could have, even though I wasn't hungry). I stopped myself. I didn't even sneak any of my daughter's chocolate bunny. And that Reese's Easter Egg is still sitting on the counter. I'm usually able to forget about it, cause it's fairly well hidden, but every so often I catch a glimpse of it. Haven't caved to it. Haven't caved to the ice cream all week either.
I'm back on track today. This morning for breakfast, I really wanted to "let my hair down" so to speak, and just eat Cheerios with my daughter (or Cap'n Crack Berries), but I told myself "I'm in fat-burning mode right now, no hair down until mid-May." Not a whole lot of roadblocks for today. I just need to stay out of the kitchen. Tomorrow and Sunday will be a different story however. Tomorrow, I'm traveling to my parents' house for most of the day, and while I don't snack while I'm there anymore, they aren't exactly known for eating healthy meals. And of course, they're ordering pizza (my favorite kind too). So I'm going to bring stuff to make a great salad, and make that the main course of my meal, with a slice of pizza, probably a slice of cheesesticks, and a slice of dessert pizza. Not great, but better than I could do (easily 2-3 slices of pizza and 2-4 cheesesticks).
For Sunday, I believe I may need to stop at a grocery store and pick up a good-looking veggie tray. We're having a game day, which means we sit around all day and play role-playing games (never figured me for one of those, did you?). While it's somewhat fun for me, it's also uber-boring, which means my hands start twitching and the snacks start flowing. Into my mouth. And it's not the healthy options. Hence the need for a veggie tray. I've complained before about how long it takes to chew raw veggies and how annoying it is, but for this, I'll make an exception. It'll keep my mouth busy without creating a calorie load.
So those are my roadblocks for this weekend. I may not get on to post tomorrow, but I'll make sure I get something on Sunday.
Today's meal plan:
B: 2 eggs, bowl of FiberOne cereal (1 cup total) (done)
Snack: pumpkin seeds, prunes (5)
Lunch: Leftover spaghetti
Snack: orange, 2 hard boiled eggs
Supper: Tacos
Snack: none, or pudding, if I make it
Today's workout plan: TT2k4; HIIT on elliptical 30/90
Food:
B: Whole wheat flaxseed pancakes (2) w/ sugarfree syrup and 1/4 cup blueberries; 1 orange; 2 eggs
Snack: 2 Quaker Oats Granola bars
Lunch: 1/2 Jimmy John's Slim 5 sub; 1 bag potato chips; 1/2 cup diet coke
Snack: 1/2 Jimmy John's Slim 5 sub; 1/2 cup diet coke
Supper: Homemade chicken nuggets, baby baked potatoes (5), carrot slices
Snack: Banana protein ice cream
Workout:
65 minutes stationary bike, Steady State (moderate intensity)
So yeah, high calorie day for me. Like my computer, I kinda wigged out yesterday morning in the food department. I'm not really sure what went wrong in my head- as it was, I was just kinda feeling like...oh, I can't really describe it perfectly. Starting at breakfast already, I just wanted to kinda break free or something. Then, we ended up rushing out of the house and the only thing I managed to grab was 2 granola bars, didn't even think about grabbing my lunch. So I ended up wigging out about that. I don't know why, but yesterday felt like I was going to get into starvation mode way too easily, and I know most of it was mental. Something unconscious that isn't quite conscious yet. It's a bit similar to the feeling I get when I have to share food with someone else, kinda like I'm scared I won't get enough, even though there's more on the plate than I could ever think of eating. Perhaps there's an underlying anxiety issue there that I'll have to work on. However, given what I did have, I didn't have any more (and believe me I could have, even though I wasn't hungry). I stopped myself. I didn't even sneak any of my daughter's chocolate bunny. And that Reese's Easter Egg is still sitting on the counter. I'm usually able to forget about it, cause it's fairly well hidden, but every so often I catch a glimpse of it. Haven't caved to it. Haven't caved to the ice cream all week either.
I'm back on track today. This morning for breakfast, I really wanted to "let my hair down" so to speak, and just eat Cheerios with my daughter (or Cap'n Crack Berries), but I told myself "I'm in fat-burning mode right now, no hair down until mid-May." Not a whole lot of roadblocks for today. I just need to stay out of the kitchen. Tomorrow and Sunday will be a different story however. Tomorrow, I'm traveling to my parents' house for most of the day, and while I don't snack while I'm there anymore, they aren't exactly known for eating healthy meals. And of course, they're ordering pizza (my favorite kind too). So I'm going to bring stuff to make a great salad, and make that the main course of my meal, with a slice of pizza, probably a slice of cheesesticks, and a slice of dessert pizza. Not great, but better than I could do (easily 2-3 slices of pizza and 2-4 cheesesticks).
For Sunday, I believe I may need to stop at a grocery store and pick up a good-looking veggie tray. We're having a game day, which means we sit around all day and play role-playing games (never figured me for one of those, did you?). While it's somewhat fun for me, it's also uber-boring, which means my hands start twitching and the snacks start flowing. Into my mouth. And it's not the healthy options. Hence the need for a veggie tray. I've complained before about how long it takes to chew raw veggies and how annoying it is, but for this, I'll make an exception. It'll keep my mouth busy without creating a calorie load.
So those are my roadblocks for this weekend. I may not get on to post tomorrow, but I'll make sure I get something on Sunday.
Today's meal plan:
B: 2 eggs, bowl of FiberOne cereal (1 cup total) (done)
Snack: pumpkin seeds, prunes (5)
Lunch: Leftover spaghetti
Snack: orange, 2 hard boiled eggs
Supper: Tacos
Snack: none, or pudding, if I make it
Today's workout plan: TT2k4; HIIT on elliptical 30/90
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The President's Challenge
One of the most psychically challenged presidents is in the best physical shape. One good thing the Bush Administration is doing! Read through, and I hope you will join the challenge!
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Rise to the Challenge!
President Bush, President's Council Member Eli Manning, Acting Surgeon General RADM Steven Galson, MD, MPH and Council Members kicked off the National Challenge on March 20th by calling on all Americans to participate in an active lifestyle. Join us!
All it takes is 30 minutes of activity a day (60 minutes for kids aged 6-17), 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Log your activity @ www.presidentschallenge.org on your personal activity tracker, and watch as you work your way towards earning an award. It's easy, fun, free......and you CAN do it! You can sign up through April 3rd.
To register or learn more about the National President's Challenge, please visit http://www.presidentschallenge.org . The Website contains a variety of promotional items you can use to encourage your employees or organizational and family members to participate. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports will be acknowledging governors of the top five states, as well as companies and schools with 35% completion rate. Check out the map on our website, and see how your state compares to others.
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The National President's Challenge press release is available at: http://www.fitness.gov/news-release_national_presidents_challenge_launch-03.20.08.html
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For a video and transcript of President Bush's remarks on the launch of the National President's Challenge visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/03/20080320-9.html
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For more news and information, view our Spring 2008 e-newsletter: https://mail.acsm.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.fitness.gov/enewsletter/Spring08-execdir-main.html
A Healthier Nation: It's Everyone's Challenge!
*The National President's Challenge is a program of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. www.fitness.gov
--------
Rise to the Challenge!
President Bush, President's Council Member Eli Manning, Acting Surgeon General RADM Steven Galson, MD, MPH and Council Members kicked off the National Challenge on March 20th by calling on all Americans to participate in an active lifestyle. Join us!
All it takes is 30 minutes of activity a day (60 minutes for kids aged 6-17), 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Log your activity @ www.presidentschallenge.or
To register or learn more about the National President's Challenge, please visit http://www.presidentschall
*
The National President's Challenge press release is available at: http://www.fitness.gov/new
*
For a video and transcript of President Bush's remarks on the launch of the National President's Challenge visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
*
For more news and information, view our Spring 2008 e-newsletter: https://mail.acsm.org/exch
A Healthier Nation: It's Everyone's Challenge!
*The National President's Challenge is a program of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. www.fitness.gov
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thinking
I said something to someone at the gym today that pretty much just clicked with me, probably because all I had to do was read two words off the Fit Yummy Mummy blog: past the halfway point. What I said was, while watching the tv show 'You Are What You Eat' on BBC America, was this: "The people who are on this show start off pissing and moaning, often quite rebellious, and the first four weeks for them are extremely tough. However, they stick with it, and then at the end of the 8 weeks, they are soooooo grateful to Gillian (McKeefe) for what she has done for them. The interesting thing too is that they always lose all of the weight in the second 4 weeks."
So, the halfway point. Most people give up by then because they either are a) uncomfortable with their new plan or b) aren't seeing the results they were expecting. And then, those who push past that halfway point just find that the weight literally falls off overnight, and they look wonderful at the date they had set. So the point for me is: Do what I'm doing, keep doing it for the next 3 weeks, and then, push past it. Continue doing what I'm doing (and perhaps tweak it a little bit to make it just that much better) for the next 3 weeks after that. And then, amazingly, I'll likely see my goal. So simple. How easy? We'll see.
I've got the Girl Power Challenge to back me up on this one, and I'm thinking the biggest push is going to have to come mid-April, after 3 weeks of doing well in the first place. Build the foundation, so to speak, before building the house. And dammit, that house is going to be built!
I finished off today strong, because I thought about what Melissa had said about the accountability of posting meals. Believe me, I reeeeeeeeally wanted to attack the chocolate after supper. It didn't help that my daughter was first asking for chocolate milk, and then found her chocolate bunny and broke that open, and asking me if I wanted any. Well of course I wanted some! However, I thought about the blog and realized I'd have to post it. I've had such a good day today that i really didn't want to bust it. I'm in fat-burning mode right now, not maintenance mode, and I have got to get my brain to realize this. It's mad at me of course, but I've made a compromise: I made some of that yummy Banana Protein Ice Cream that I blogged about awhile ago (2 medium bananas, frozen, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, and 2 tbsp of fat free whipped topping, mix in blender and put in freezer for 20 minutes or overnight. Right before eating, put 1 tsp of chocolate syrup on it)(Edit: This recipe makes two servings! You can also top with another 2 tbsp of whipped topping prior to eating). I believe I'm now looking forward to that more than the chocolate.
So the finished meals for today:
Supper: Spaghetti made with garlic, onions, and tomato sauce; lettuce salad w/ 1 tbsp ranch; 1/2 cup broccoli; 1 Whole Wheat dinner roll w/ a tiny bit of butter
Evening snack: Banana Protein Ice Cream
I was also going to post my recipe for Flaxseed Whole Wheat Pancakes earlier and ran out of time, so here it is:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs or 4 egg whites, well-beat
1 1/4 cups milk (I used 1 cup with this last recipe, and the batter wasn't quite so runny)
1 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp flaxseed
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Beat the eggs well, use a mixer if you want them to be really fluffy. In a separate bowl, add flour, flaxseed, soda, powder, salt, and brown sugar. When the eggs are ready, mix them along with the honey, canola oil, and milk into the flour bowl. Fry on griddle or in pan. Top with berry compote (recipe below) or fresh fruit and/or sugar-free syrup. Enjoy!
Berry compote
My favorite is blueberry, but strawberry works okay too. This will serve 4 people easily.
1/2 to one cup blueberries
1/2 to 1 tsp brown sugar
Small amount of water (less if the berries are frozen)
In small saucepan, heat the water to boiling and add sugar, stir until it dissolves. Add blueberries and heat, boiling off as much of the liquid as possible. When the spoon starts to develop a color on it that doesn't drip off, it's pretty much ready. The less water you use, the less the blueberries have to cook.
Healthy, fibrous, and yummy. If you have leftover pancakes, freeze them in a baggie and you can re-heat them in the toaster at another time. Don't eat too many pancakes! *grin*
Also, if you haven't yet done so, please read the post below and consider giving to the cause. I for one believe it worthy, and I ordered my copy of Gourmet Nutrition earlier today!
So, the halfway point. Most people give up by then because they either are a) uncomfortable with their new plan or b) aren't seeing the results they were expecting. And then, those who push past that halfway point just find that the weight literally falls off overnight, and they look wonderful at the date they had set. So the point for me is: Do what I'm doing, keep doing it for the next 3 weeks, and then, push past it. Continue doing what I'm doing (and perhaps tweak it a little bit to make it just that much better) for the next 3 weeks after that. And then, amazingly, I'll likely see my goal. So simple. How easy? We'll see.
I've got the Girl Power Challenge to back me up on this one, and I'm thinking the biggest push is going to have to come mid-April, after 3 weeks of doing well in the first place. Build the foundation, so to speak, before building the house. And dammit, that house is going to be built!
I finished off today strong, because I thought about what Melissa had said about the accountability of posting meals. Believe me, I reeeeeeeeally wanted to attack the chocolate after supper. It didn't help that my daughter was first asking for chocolate milk, and then found her chocolate bunny and broke that open, and asking me if I wanted any. Well of course I wanted some! However, I thought about the blog and realized I'd have to post it. I've had such a good day today that i really didn't want to bust it. I'm in fat-burning mode right now, not maintenance mode, and I have got to get my brain to realize this. It's mad at me of course, but I've made a compromise: I made some of that yummy Banana Protein Ice Cream that I blogged about awhile ago (2 medium bananas, frozen, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, and 2 tbsp of fat free whipped topping, mix in blender and put in freezer for 20 minutes or overnight. Right before eating, put 1 tsp of chocolate syrup on it)(Edit: This recipe makes two servings! You can also top with another 2 tbsp of whipped topping prior to eating). I believe I'm now looking forward to that more than the chocolate.
So the finished meals for today:
Supper: Spaghetti made with garlic, onions, and tomato sauce; lettuce salad w/ 1 tbsp ranch; 1/2 cup broccoli; 1 Whole Wheat dinner roll w/ a tiny bit of butter
Evening snack: Banana Protein Ice Cream
I was also going to post my recipe for Flaxseed Whole Wheat Pancakes earlier and ran out of time, so here it is:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs or 4 egg whites, well-beat
1 1/4 cups milk (I used 1 cup with this last recipe, and the batter wasn't quite so runny)
1 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp flaxseed
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Beat the eggs well, use a mixer if you want them to be really fluffy. In a separate bowl, add flour, flaxseed, soda, powder, salt, and brown sugar. When the eggs are ready, mix them along with the honey, canola oil, and milk into the flour bowl. Fry on griddle or in pan. Top with berry compote (recipe below) or fresh fruit and/or sugar-free syrup. Enjoy!
Berry compote
My favorite is blueberry, but strawberry works okay too. This will serve 4 people easily.
1/2 to one cup blueberries
1/2 to 1 tsp brown sugar
Small amount of water (less if the berries are frozen)
In small saucepan, heat the water to boiling and add sugar, stir until it dissolves. Add blueberries and heat, boiling off as much of the liquid as possible. When the spoon starts to develop a color on it that doesn't drip off, it's pretty much ready. The less water you use, the less the blueberries have to cook.
Healthy, fibrous, and yummy. If you have leftover pancakes, freeze them in a baggie and you can re-heat them in the toaster at another time. Don't eat too many pancakes! *grin*
Also, if you haven't yet done so, please read the post below and consider giving to the cause. I for one believe it worthy, and I ordered my copy of Gourmet Nutrition earlier today!
Good Nutrition
Here's an extra-special note I got from John Berardi, creator of the Precision Nutrition system and the recently-released (and from numerous rumors, extra yummy) Gourmet Nutrition cookbook. Read through it, then please click on the links provided and do your part. I know I'm going to (of course, it helps that I've been debating on this one for awhile, and hubby said this last weekend that I could get it):
--------------------------------
Yesterday I ate 7 meals and 4,500 calories.
Yet millions of people in the US and Canada didn't eat one.
What a contrast!
And trust me, the irony isn't lost on this big eater.
Most people think of hunger as something that only affects
remote areas of the world, or the homeless you see living on
the streets.
Call me a slow learner, but I recently realized that this
is FAR from the truth.
Recently, I learned that tons (millions, in fact) of
everyday people, especially children, single parents, and
the elderly, go hungry each day right here in our own states
and provinces.
The amazing thing is that these children are kids we know,
these parents include some we hang out with, and these
elderly are your peers, your parent's peers, and your
grandparent's peers.
Sure, they hide it well. But that doesn't make them any
less hungry.
Learning all this, and being touched personally by hunger,
inspired me to take action.
As a result, for the last year, the entire Precision
Nutrition team and I have spent a lot of time thinking about
how we can help bridge "the gap."
What gap?
>>The gap between those who buy and eat the best
>>foods . . .
>>. . . and those who can barely afford to buy any
>>food at all.
In the end, we came up with something we're very proud of:
>>The Healthy Food Bank.
And although we've been working hard behind the scenes for
nearly a year on this project, this month we're officially
spreading the word.
So, what's the Healthy Food Bank?
>>The Healthy Food Bank is a registered charity that
>>purchases nutritious staples - good food - for local
>>food banks and shelters around North America.
And today, I'd like to send you to our new web site:
>>http://www.healthyfoodbank.com
In doing so, we'd like you to know about the new project
and we'd also like to give you access to some food articles
we think you'll find very interesting.
Further, we'd like to announce something special.
>>For the next 45 days, if you purchase a copy of our
>>highly acclaimed Gourmet Nutrition cookbook, 10% of
>>the sale will go directly to the Healthy Food Bank.
What this means is that by boosting the health quotient of
your own food, you'll also be helping to boost the health
quotient of the kids, the single parents and the elderly in
your own city who can't afford to eat tonight.
Hey, I hate clichés, but if there ever was such as thing as
a "win-win," this is it.
So pick up a copy of Gourmet Nutrition today, and let's help
do some good for a lot of people in need.
>>http://www.gourmetnutrition.com
Until next time,
JB
--------------------------------------------
So who could resist that offer? Not only is Gourmet Nutrition loaded with the best recipes on earth, it's purchase is going to a good cause. Totally up my alley.
I've still got some of the day left, but here's my food log and workout so far:
B: FiberOne cereal, 1/2 cup milk
Snack: prunes (5), pumpkin seeds
L: Flaxseed whole-wheat pancakes (2) w/ sugar-free syrup and 1/4 cup blueberries, 1 orange
Snack: celery and peanut butter
Workout: TT 2k4 Workout B; HIIT 25 minutes 1 min on/1 min off on the bike
--------------------------------
Yesterday I ate 7 meals and 4,500 calories.
Yet millions of people in the US and Canada didn't eat one.
What a contrast!
And trust me, the irony isn't lost on this big eater.
Most people think of hunger as something that only affects
remote areas of the world, or the homeless you see living on
the streets.
Call me a slow learner, but I recently realized that this
is FAR from the truth.
Recently, I learned that tons (millions, in fact) of
everyday people, especially children, single parents, and
the elderly, go hungry each day right here in our own states
and provinces.
The amazing thing is that these children are kids we know,
these parents include some we hang out with, and these
elderly are your peers, your parent's peers, and your
grandparent's peers.
Sure, they hide it well. But that doesn't make them any
less hungry.
Learning all this, and being touched personally by hunger,
inspired me to take action.
As a result, for the last year, the entire Precision
Nutrition team and I have spent a lot of time thinking about
how we can help bridge "the gap."
What gap?
>>The gap between those who buy and eat the best
>>foods . . .
>>. . . and those who can barely afford to buy any
>>food at all.
In the end, we came up with something we're very proud of:
>>The Healthy Food Bank.
And although we've been working hard behind the scenes for
nearly a year on this project, this month we're officially
spreading the word.
So, what's the Healthy Food Bank?
>>The Healthy Food Bank is a registered charity that
>>purchases nutritious staples - good food - for local
>>food banks and shelters around North America.
And today, I'd like to send you to our new web site:
>>http://www.healthyfoodbank.com
In doing so, we'd like you to know about the new project
and we'd also like to give you access to some food articles
we think you'll find very interesting.
Further, we'd like to announce something special.
>>For the next 45 days, if you purchase a copy of our
>>highly acclaimed Gourmet Nutrition cookbook, 10% of
>>the sale will go directly to the Healthy Food Bank.
What this means is that by boosting the health quotient of
your own food, you'll also be helping to boost the health
quotient of the kids, the single parents and the elderly in
your own city who can't afford to eat tonight.
Hey, I hate clichés, but if there ever was such as thing as
a "win-win," this is it.
So pick up a copy of Gourmet Nutrition today, and let's help
do some good for a lot of people in need.
>>http://www.gourmetnutrition.com
Until next time,
JB
--------------------------------------------
So who could resist that offer? Not only is Gourmet Nutrition loaded with the best recipes on earth, it's purchase is going to a good cause. Totally up my alley.
I've still got some of the day left, but here's my food log and workout so far:
B: FiberOne cereal, 1/2 cup milk
Snack: prunes (5), pumpkin seeds
L: Flaxseed whole-wheat pancakes (2) w/ sugar-free syrup and 1/4 cup blueberries, 1 orange
Snack: celery and peanut butter
Workout: TT 2k4 Workout B; HIIT 25 minutes 1 min on/1 min off on the bike
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Meal Planning
Another quickie tonight, as it's already quarter to 11 and I need to ice my back (chiropractor today).
Gosh, I love it when I plan my meals. Easy peasy. No thinking allowed, no reason to deviate. I'm getting to eat 6 times a day. Nothing wrong with that. It's just that it takes thinking power on Sunday's when I'd prefer to be out to lunch, mentally-speaking. However, I did it last night, followed it to the letter today, and felt better for it. I can tell I was extremely tired when I planned it last night, as the choices weren't exactly healthy today, just low-cal. Heh.
Quick lowdown of menu choices:
B: oatmeal, flax seed, two prunes
Snack: granola bar
L: Tuna2Go, carrots
Snack: granola bar
Supper: chicken breast, pasta, broccoli, lettuce w/ 1 tbsp ranch
Snack: 1 slice pumpkin pie
Workout: 25 minutes HIIT on the bike, 1 minute on, 2 minutes off
Gosh, I love it when I plan my meals. Easy peasy. No thinking allowed, no reason to deviate. I'm getting to eat 6 times a day. Nothing wrong with that. It's just that it takes thinking power on Sunday's when I'd prefer to be out to lunch, mentally-speaking. However, I did it last night, followed it to the letter today, and felt better for it. I can tell I was extremely tired when I planned it last night, as the choices weren't exactly healthy today, just low-cal. Heh.
Quick lowdown of menu choices:
B: oatmeal, flax seed, two prunes
Snack: granola bar
L: Tuna2Go, carrots
Snack: granola bar
Supper: chicken breast, pasta, broccoli, lettuce w/ 1 tbsp ranch
Snack: 1 slice pumpkin pie
Workout: 25 minutes HIIT on the bike, 1 minute on, 2 minutes off
Monday, March 24, 2008
Taking off!?
Tired, so short post.
In really short, I ate too much this last weekend. Too many choices, not enough calories. Don't ask I won't tell. So today's weigh-in was a stinker: 149. Kept it up today which is disappointing if you ask me.
So, I've done what I should have done on Friday: I've written out this week's menu, and it's going to include Saturday and Sunday. I'm too tired to think of what I'm going to eat for supper on Thursday night, but I'll figure it out (preferably before Thursday).
Today's food list:
Breakfast (B): 1/2 banana, 1/2 orange, 1/3 apple; 2 scrambled eggs, 3 slices bacon
-Technically breakfast was split into two parts an hour apart, but whatever. It was huge.
Lunch (L): 1 cup Asian stir fry, 1 cup of blueberries/grapes/carrots, 1 slice pumpkin mousse pie
Supper (S): 2 slices bread, 4 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tsp jelly, 1/2 apple, 1 strawberry, 1 slice pumpkin mousse pie
Pumpkin mousse pie is a combo of vanilla sugarfree/fatfree pudding, pumpkin, fat free whipped topping, and graham cracker crust. Not too many extra calories, but extra nonetheless. That pie is now gone, so no more excuses there. I made a healthy version of a real pumpkin pie the other day, and there is one slice left there. It's a bit bland without the whipped topping because I only added a tsp of brown sugar to the whole thing, but otherwise pretty good. Did you know how simple it is to throw a pumpkin pie together? Sheesh, should have done it a while ago.
So yes, I ate too much. I can feel it. It looks pretty healthy though huh? LOL. When one overeats, it's too many cals no matter what. I'll be on tomorrow, since the menu is written. Quick and simple, no thinking allowed.
Workout today was Turbulence Training's 2k4. Did HIIT training on the bike.
In really short, I ate too much this last weekend. Too many choices, not enough calories. Don't ask I won't tell. So today's weigh-in was a stinker: 149. Kept it up today which is disappointing if you ask me.
So, I've done what I should have done on Friday: I've written out this week's menu, and it's going to include Saturday and Sunday. I'm too tired to think of what I'm going to eat for supper on Thursday night, but I'll figure it out (preferably before Thursday).
Today's food list:
Breakfast (B): 1/2 banana, 1/2 orange, 1/3 apple; 2 scrambled eggs, 3 slices bacon
-Technically breakfast was split into two parts an hour apart, but whatever. It was huge.
Lunch (L): 1 cup Asian stir fry, 1 cup of blueberries/grapes/carrots, 1 slice pumpkin mousse pie
Supper (S): 2 slices bread, 4 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tsp jelly, 1/2 apple, 1 strawberry, 1 slice pumpkin mousse pie
Pumpkin mousse pie is a combo of vanilla sugarfree/fatfree pudding, pumpkin, fat free whipped topping, and graham cracker crust. Not too many extra calories, but extra nonetheless. That pie is now gone, so no more excuses there. I made a healthy version of a real pumpkin pie the other day, and there is one slice left there. It's a bit bland without the whipped topping because I only added a tsp of brown sugar to the whole thing, but otherwise pretty good. Did you know how simple it is to throw a pumpkin pie together? Sheesh, should have done it a while ago.
So yes, I ate too much. I can feel it. It looks pretty healthy though huh? LOL. When one overeats, it's too many cals no matter what. I'll be on tomorrow, since the menu is written. Quick and simple, no thinking allowed.
Workout today was Turbulence Training's 2k4. Did HIIT training on the bike.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Gearing Up
I've been saying this for the past 6 weeks or so now, because I understand how stubborn my body can hang on to fat, but I really need to drop another 10-15 pounds of pure fat before summer begins. Well, I've been kinda beating myself up about that lately, because I've felt so much pressure in so many other areas of my life and have not been focusing much on the workouts or the nutrition. I've been averaging 2-3 workouts a week. In fact, nutrition wise, the last two weeks have been the absolute pits. I know what happened. When I get stressed, I have a tendency to turn to food to de-stress. I wasn't so much snacking out of line as I was just not making the greatest choices- eating ice cream, a lot of PB&J sandwiches, cereal, etc. rather than the fruits, veggies, and protein.
So, the thesis is written. The major stressor is off my back. Spring has officially begun, so the weather is warming up and the mood is improving. It's time to gear up. I'm going to focus heavily on nutrition, and re-learning to eat fruits and veggies for snacks, and eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, and taking that PWO shake (I ever mention I HATE eating/drinking calories right after a workout?), eating 6-8 times a day because that's what works for me. Getting and keeping that water intake waay up (80+ oz/day) will help immensely, as will the eating every two-three hours. Planning meals. Repeating breakfasts, lunches, some snacks, will help a lot. Getting back on to TT 2k4 religiously. HIIT training 5 days a week. Less time on the computer, and more doing stuff around the house.
It sounds like a lot, but truly it's second nature for me if I just do it. I've done it for how many years; I just end up scooting backwards every once in a while. Which is why it's taken me so long to get to where I'm at. (Well, that and I didn't know how to cook for the first two years, which didn't help matters.)
So, my mainstay foods:
-Oatmeal
-Prunes
-Eggs
-Apples
-Tuna
-Ry Krisps
-Fiber One cereal
-Fishes
-Protein pudding
-Banana "ice cream"
-Broccoli/Carrots/Cauliflower/Other veggies
-Flax Seed
-I MIGHT get myself to eat a chicken breast or two, but don't hold your breath
-Lettuce
-Other Fruits (strawberries, blueberries, etc)
Six weeks. That's what I'm giving myself. That will take me right smack into the heart of May, when everything's changing around in my life. That bikini will be my suit this summer while I'm living on the water!
Yes, there's a reason that I need to pull this off. The hint's above, but I'm still not saying anything. You're gonna have to wait till after April 5 like the rest of the world.
So, the thesis is written. The major stressor is off my back. Spring has officially begun, so the weather is warming up and the mood is improving. It's time to gear up. I'm going to focus heavily on nutrition, and re-learning to eat fruits and veggies for snacks, and eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, and taking that PWO shake (I ever mention I HATE eating/drinking calories right after a workout?), eating 6-8 times a day because that's what works for me. Getting and keeping that water intake waay up (80+ oz/day) will help immensely, as will the eating every two-three hours. Planning meals. Repeating breakfasts, lunches, some snacks, will help a lot. Getting back on to TT 2k4 religiously. HIIT training 5 days a week. Less time on the computer, and more doing stuff around the house.
It sounds like a lot, but truly it's second nature for me if I just do it. I've done it for how many years; I just end up scooting backwards every once in a while. Which is why it's taken me so long to get to where I'm at. (Well, that and I didn't know how to cook for the first two years, which didn't help matters.)
So, my mainstay foods:
-Oatmeal
-Prunes
-Eggs
-Apples
-Tuna
-Ry Krisps
-Fiber One cereal
-Fishes
-Protein pudding
-Banana "ice cream"
-Broccoli/Carrots/Cauliflower/Other veggies
-Flax Seed
-I MIGHT get myself to eat a chicken breast or two, but don't hold your breath
-Lettuce
-Other Fruits (strawberries, blueberries, etc)
Six weeks. That's what I'm giving myself. That will take me right smack into the heart of May, when everything's changing around in my life. That bikini will be my suit this summer while I'm living on the water!
Yes, there's a reason that I need to pull this off. The hint's above, but I'm still not saying anything. You're gonna have to wait till after April 5 like the rest of the world.
Monday, March 17, 2008
They Do Too Know!
I received this in my email inbox today:
-------------
First of all, WHAAA?! Americans do too know how much exercise they should be getting, they just aren't doing it! Even the little ones know they should be moving for at least 30 minutes daily (recommendations are actually 60+ min for them. Also, why has it taken upwards of 30 YEARS to get this initiative going? I mean yes, I applaud the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for finally lighting a fire under some political butts, but really.
It's just simple truth that people in Western civilized countries just don't move enough. We've done a pretty darn good job of conditioning ourselves to accept that "we're too busy," or "exercise is no fun." We don't eat very well either, despite having had the Food Pyramid since the 80's, so what makes ACSM and the politicos believe that having national guidelines will get people to do it? What we need are INITIATIVES. You know, stuff like subsidizing/decreasing the cost of fresh foods and taxes on nutritionally deficient (junk) foods, and health care companies that reduce premiums on people who work out at least 3 times per week and/or have decreased their weight by 10% or more since beginning the insurance plan (if their weight was higher than recommended in the first place), etc. If we make it make sense with MONEY $$ then for some reason it gets done.
However, at least the article is worth reading. Here's the rest of it:
---------------
-------------
Harkin, Brownback, Udall and Wamp Introduce Bicameral, Bipartisan Legislation to Push Physical Activity Guidelines
Legislation Would Require Health Department to Create Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans of Every Age
Lack of Physical Activity a Key Factor in Rising Rates of Obesity and Skyrocketing Health Care Costs
Washington, D.C. – Responding to recent reports that Americans are growing unhealthier and less active, U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Sam Brownback (R-KS), along with Representatives Mark Udall (D-CO) and Zach Wamp (R-TN) today introduced legislation aimed at improving the health and wellness of Americans. The Physical Activities Guidelines for Americans Act would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prepare and promote physical activity guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence, for Americans similar to dietary and nutritional guidelines, commonly known as the Food Pyramid, which are updated every five years.
"Many Americans are unaware of just how much exercise they should be getting," said Senator Harkin. "These guidelines will promote a healthier lifestyle and improve fitness among all age groups. This is a step towards combating the obesity epidemic and the onslaught of chronic disease that is causing our health care costs to skyrocket."
-----------------------------First of all, WHAAA?! Americans do too know how much exercise they should be getting, they just aren't doing it! Even the little ones know they should be moving for at least 30 minutes daily (recommendations are actually 60+ min for them. Also, why has it taken upwards of 30 YEARS to get this initiative going? I mean yes, I applaud the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for finally lighting a fire under some political butts, but really.
It's just simple truth that people in Western civilized countries just don't move enough. We've done a pretty darn good job of conditioning ourselves to accept that "we're too busy," or "exercise is no fun." We don't eat very well either, despite having had the Food Pyramid since the 80's, so what makes ACSM and the politicos believe that having national guidelines will get people to do it? What we need are INITIATIVES. You know, stuff like subsidizing/decreasing the cost of fresh foods and taxes on nutritionally deficient (junk) foods, and health care companies that reduce premiums on people who work out at least 3 times per week and/or have decreased their weight by 10% or more since beginning the insurance plan (if their weight was higher than recommended in the first place), etc. If we make it make sense with MONEY $$ then for some reason it gets done.
However, at least the article is worth reading. Here's the rest of it:
---------------
"I am pleased that the Physical Activities Guidelines for Americans Act will promote better physical activity guidelines for all Americans. It is clear that in order to combat the rising rates of obesity we must encourage physical activity as key components of a healthy lifestyle," said Senator Brownback. "Reducing America's obesity rate and encouraging healthier living will alleviate a wide-range of health issues currently facing our nation's youth."
"The wealthiest country in the world should be the healthiest. This is a matter of national security and of economic competitiveness," said Congressman Udall. "These guidelines are a common-sense way to improve the quality of life of many Americans."
"The human body was made to move. The more people we can encourage to have a regime of physical activity in their lives and take better care of themselves, the better off we will be as a society," said Congressman Wamp. "Publishing physical activity guidelines may persuade Americans to live a healthier lifestyle."
"An overwhelming amount of research clearly demonstrates the importance of physical activity in preventing disease and lowering death rates. In fact, approximately 250,000 premature deaths each year can be attributed to lifestyles that lack physical activity," said Mindy Millard-Stafford, Ph.D., American College of Sports Medicine president-elect. "As a mother, I find it appalling that we are facing the possibility that my daughter's generation may be the first not to out live their parents, in part, due to lower physical activity in our kids."
More than half of Americans do not get enough daily exercise to maintain proper health. The Physical Activities Guidelines for Americans Act will call for guidelines for children, adults, seniors and people with disabilities, to ensure Americans understand how much exercise they should be getting.
###
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Conceptualizing
Follow this link and read, I'll still be here when you get back:
http://fitnessmanagement.blogspot.com/2008/03/childs-play.html
The more I write on my thesis, the more these types of things keep popping up on my radar. I'm being led in a direction, it seems, and I like where it's going.
No, I'm not thinking about starting a gym that uses video games to get kids fit. However, I did tinker again on my business plan to start a camp for kids who are overweight, and have been doing some thinking on curriculum.
I got a really interesting job offer about a month ago, and have taken it. I'm shushed on it right now because it's not official until April, but it's leading me in the direction I need to go.
I put my thesis together yesterday. I officially have one chapter left to go, and it's getting written this weekend. Seriously. Without that Chapter, the conclusion, the appendices, and the reference pages, it's 46 pages long. See why I've been stressing? I'm planning for this last chapter to be at least 10 pages, if not longer, and the appendices are more than 10 pages. I have 165 references so far. Hehe...I may have finally flipped....
http://fitnessmanagement.blogspot.com/2008/03/childs-play.html
The more I write on my thesis, the more these types of things keep popping up on my radar. I'm being led in a direction, it seems, and I like where it's going.
No, I'm not thinking about starting a gym that uses video games to get kids fit. However, I did tinker again on my business plan to start a camp for kids who are overweight, and have been doing some thinking on curriculum.
I got a really interesting job offer about a month ago, and have taken it. I'm shushed on it right now because it's not official until April, but it's leading me in the direction I need to go.
I put my thesis together yesterday. I officially have one chapter left to go, and it's getting written this weekend. Seriously. Without that Chapter, the conclusion, the appendices, and the reference pages, it's 46 pages long. See why I've been stressing? I'm planning for this last chapter to be at least 10 pages, if not longer, and the appendices are more than 10 pages. I have 165 references so far. Hehe...I may have finally flipped....
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Tag!
The last few days we've been having gorgeous weather. Seriously, like 50 degrees and sun, lack of wind, etc. Considering that last week we were at 10 degrees with a wind chill of -10, we're pretty happy around here.
And of course I am buried in my paper. Sigh.
However, today I took an hour and just went outside with my daughter. Here's the great thing about getting in shape and having a young one- you get to have as much fun as they do, and it doesn't send you to bed immediately afterward! I had a blast playing with her at the park and playground last year, going down slides, hanging off the monkey bars, etc. So today, the two of us went out and played tag. She's tall enough now that it's actually a challenge to catch or run away from her, and we had snow and mud to navigate around. Lots of fun. Then I pushed her on the swing, and we got to "go exploring" in our "woods" (shelterbelt around our house). The cats came with and explored too. ;) I am sooooo happy that spring is basically here, and I'm hoping this warm stuff sticks around. We got kinda burned out on winter this year, with -10 degree or colder days for an entire month in January, and nearly as many in February. Not even warm enough to go play in the snow that we had, which technically fell in December and stuck around (a few more inches here and there, but not enough to really qualify for some good snowfalls). Coldest winter we've had in seven years, apparently.
Anyway, did a quick weigh-in today so I'd stop beating myself up about Monday's weigh-in, and the needle (cough* it's digital, but whatever) stopped at 144.5. A Yes! and a Whew! at the same time. Now if only I could hold that number. It's not like me to have my weight jump around (witness January and Feb hold-out of 147.0-147.5), so it's odd that it's been doing it lately. Perhaps I haven't been drinking enough water. Very possible, I've been averaging approximately 60-64 oz lately when I usually do 80+.
And of course I am buried in my paper. Sigh.
However, today I took an hour and just went outside with my daughter. Here's the great thing about getting in shape and having a young one- you get to have as much fun as they do, and it doesn't send you to bed immediately afterward! I had a blast playing with her at the park and playground last year, going down slides, hanging off the monkey bars, etc. So today, the two of us went out and played tag. She's tall enough now that it's actually a challenge to catch or run away from her, and we had snow and mud to navigate around. Lots of fun. Then I pushed her on the swing, and we got to "go exploring" in our "woods" (shelterbelt around our house). The cats came with and explored too. ;) I am sooooo happy that spring is basically here, and I'm hoping this warm stuff sticks around. We got kinda burned out on winter this year, with -10 degree or colder days for an entire month in January, and nearly as many in February. Not even warm enough to go play in the snow that we had, which technically fell in December and stuck around (a few more inches here and there, but not enough to really qualify for some good snowfalls). Coldest winter we've had in seven years, apparently.
Anyway, did a quick weigh-in today so I'd stop beating myself up about Monday's weigh-in, and the needle (cough* it's digital, but whatever) stopped at 144.5. A Yes! and a Whew! at the same time. Now if only I could hold that number. It's not like me to have my weight jump around (witness January and Feb hold-out of 147.0-147.5), so it's odd that it's been doing it lately. Perhaps I haven't been drinking enough water. Very possible, I've been averaging approximately 60-64 oz lately when I usually do 80+.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Tom Cruise Crazy
There's a great little song out there by Jonathon Coulton entitled "Tom Cruise Crazy," and it ran through my head the entire time I watched this video:
It's the Bodyweight 1000 from Turbulence Training, and it has convinced me that Craig Ballantyne has finally gone off the deep end. Don't get me wrong, it looks like a great workout, but WOW- could ANYONE complete this workout and not need to feel like they were going to die? Well, I suppose an Ironman athlete wouldn't have too many issues with it.
Actually, if it was severely trimmed down I believe it could be a very effective workout. And it is the culmination of 6 weeks of hard strength training, but it's definitely not for the weak or new-to-workout. Hell, I'm not sure I could do it (for one thing, it has more than one pull-up involved, so that kicks me out of the running unless I want to take 3 days to do it).
However, if you study the workout, you may see why I believe it would be effective even if trimmed down:
100 reps jump rope/jumping jacks
100 close-grip push-ups (shoulder-width)
25 jumps (hands behind head)
25 pull-ups (overhand grip)
100 bodyweight squats
25 stick-ups
50 bicycle crunches (25 per side)
100 push-ups
50 walking lunges (25 per side)
50 underhand inverted rows
50 stability ball leg curls
100 bicycle crunches (50 per side)
50 decline push-ups
25 overhand inverted rows
50 mountain climbers (25 per side)
50 bodyweight squats
25 chin-ups
100 rope skips/jumping jacks
And you're done. Or dead. Depending on your perspective or athletic ability.
Now, why do I think it's a good workout? Well, it uses a lot of good, basic and fundamental exercises, alternating upper with lower body. Doing this workout would definitely work on your muscular endurance and strength. It would let you know that you've reached the pinnacle of athletic ability, and could probably compete with the best of the best. Well, except for Lance Armstrong. Not too many could compete with him.
As for trimming it down, doing 1/3 or an 1/8th of the exercise reps would still get anyone a good sweat and hard breathing. Most of it can be completed with access to a bar. My gym has a Smith Machine that works perfectly for that purpose, but a gym isn't even necessary. One could do it at the playground if so inclined.
So, while I won't be trying it anytime soon, it's still a great workout to check out. Perhaps, if you've been working out for awhile, you could use some of it as a test- how much could you actually complete? Where's your max rep load?
I'll be doing Workout B of TT 2k4 tomorrow afternoon (at least, I think I did A on Monday). Yesterday, I backed off 5 lbs on the first exercise, and the rest of it was easy. Strange how overdoing it on one exercise wipes out the system for the rest of the time (and 30 pounds on an incline chest press is not my max, but I backed down to 25). I did run out of time toward the end, so instead of doing bicep curls alternated with tricep extensions, I did three sets of 5 of renegade rows with 20 lbs. Those were 15 lbs in January, and I hadn't done them since, and the 20's didn't feel too hard either. I came back later and did 20 min HIIT on the elliptical, but I felt like a cheater because I only increased speed and not resistance on the hard minute (1 min on, 1 min off for 10 min).
It's the Bodyweight 1000 from Turbulence Training, and it has convinced me that Craig Ballantyne has finally gone off the deep end. Don't get me wrong, it looks like a great workout, but WOW- could ANYONE complete this workout and not need to feel like they were going to die? Well, I suppose an Ironman athlete wouldn't have too many issues with it.
Actually, if it was severely trimmed down I believe it could be a very effective workout. And it is the culmination of 6 weeks of hard strength training, but it's definitely not for the weak or new-to-workout. Hell, I'm not sure I could do it (for one thing, it has more than one pull-up involved, so that kicks me out of the running unless I want to take 3 days to do it).
However, if you study the workout, you may see why I believe it would be effective even if trimmed down:
100 reps jump rope/jumping jacks
100 close-grip push-ups (shoulder-width)
25 jumps (hands behind head)
25 pull-ups (overhand grip)
100 bodyweight squats
25 stick-ups
50 bicycle crunches (25 per side)
100 push-ups
50 walking lunges (25 per side)
50 underhand inverted rows
50 stability ball leg curls
100 bicycle crunches (50 per side)
50 decline push-ups
25 overhand inverted rows
50 mountain climbers (25 per side)
50 bodyweight squats
25 chin-ups
100 rope skips/jumping jacks
And you're done. Or dead. Depending on your perspective or athletic ability.
Now, why do I think it's a good workout? Well, it uses a lot of good, basic and fundamental exercises, alternating upper with lower body. Doing this workout would definitely work on your muscular endurance and strength. It would let you know that you've reached the pinnacle of athletic ability, and could probably compete with the best of the best. Well, except for Lance Armstrong. Not too many could compete with him.
As for trimming it down, doing 1/3 or an 1/8th of the exercise reps would still get anyone a good sweat and hard breathing. Most of it can be completed with access to a bar. My gym has a Smith Machine that works perfectly for that purpose, but a gym isn't even necessary. One could do it at the playground if so inclined.
So, while I won't be trying it anytime soon, it's still a great workout to check out. Perhaps, if you've been working out for awhile, you could use some of it as a test- how much could you actually complete? Where's your max rep load?
I'll be doing Workout B of TT 2k4 tomorrow afternoon (at least, I think I did A on Monday). Yesterday, I backed off 5 lbs on the first exercise, and the rest of it was easy. Strange how overdoing it on one exercise wipes out the system for the rest of the time (and 30 pounds on an incline chest press is not my max, but I backed down to 25). I did run out of time toward the end, so instead of doing bicep curls alternated with tricep extensions, I did three sets of 5 of renegade rows with 20 lbs. Those were 15 lbs in January, and I hadn't done them since, and the 20's didn't feel too hard either. I came back later and did 20 min HIIT on the elliptical, but I felt like a cheater because I only increased speed and not resistance on the hard minute (1 min on, 1 min off for 10 min).
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