I mentioned a couple of days ago that I've been working out from home. It's great... except for the part where my 5-year-old wants to get in on the action.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love that she enjoys exercise of all types and kinds- she's almost always on the move. Jumping, dancing, walking, waltzing, dancing, riding bike, running up slides, dancing, etc. And lately, push-ups, kettlebell swinging, and Wii Fit running.
Alright, that's fine. What isn't fine is when she's taking control of the workout, telling me what to do, how to do it, and essentially causing me to dial down my work for her benefit. I'm complaining about this because 50% of my workout was doing the Wii running today, which if you haven't tried it, can give a semi-decent workout- if you're not expecting it to actually simulate a real run, or you don't have a competitive bone in your body and don't mind that you just caused yourself to stop breathing for lack of air and it STILL only gave you one star and chewed you out the whole time because you "passed your guide" or didn't "keep a steady pace to burn the most fat." As if.
So, after she got her fill of the run (3-- 4-minute intervals, with 1-2 min rest periods in between), and was chewed out for being bossy, my daughter was able to give up control of the workout and let me get some kind of strength training in. (If you know my philosophy, you know that I prefer strength training prior to cardio, mostly for the injury prevention and partly for the fact that it gives a dang hard workout that way.) I did about three sets of 10-12 push-ups and 45 or so bodyweight squats (another drawback to the Wii Fit: the squats are IMPOSSIBLE- you can put as much of your weight on your heels as possible without falling over backward, and you still can't get into the blue line that says you're performing the exercise right). There was also about 20 kettlebell swings thrown in somewhere.
Not a great workout in my opinion. I got sweaty. That's about all I can say.
Alright, I'll stop the complaining now.
On to better stuff: I'm looking more carefully at my diet, starting to think about playing with things. I've switched back to oatmeal for breakfast from the cereal, of which I am admittedly an addict and just need to stay off of. Similar to ice cream, I just can't have it in the house. My fruit intake could use a boost, although it's not absent from my diet- I've been eating at least one per day. I would prefer three, that's just me. Veggies vary daily. Many of my lunches are leftovers, so however many veggies were in last night's supper is generally the lunch. My hubby's been doing most of the cooking, which is partly pure laziness on my part and partly a scheduling issue- he's the one who's home prior to 6 pm. Strange, how I like to cook but hate to take the time to cook anything.
Scale: no shoes today, down 1.8 lbs to a strong 164.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Kettlebell Experience
Hey!
I've been working overtime lately, trying to get over the biggest case of writer's block that I've ever experienced. That's not good, esp. for someone who writes as much as I do- whether it's work or play, I'm generally writing something. So, what better idea to get over writer's block than to write? And hey, I have this blog, that I pledged to write in everyday about 4 weeks ago, that I've only posted in twice! *cough* Yeah. So here I am, writing- whether it's any good, makes any sense, or whether I've even done anything for myself today. No promises, just a goal. I only have about 15 million of them.
No. 1 on the list: get back into shape
No. 2: get diet back into working order (right now, it's fine, but not great, and I want to improve it)
No. 3: finish reading the Sedona Method (seriously, if you haven't picked it up yet, start chewing on it)
No. 4: Accomplish some of those work goals (at which there is a whole 'nother list)
No. 5: Write something. Anything. Seriously.
No. 6: Sew that blanket for my sister. Follow those up with Barbie clothes for daughter.
No. 7: Take a half hour for myself and journal, or do something non-productive
No. 8: Figure out where I need to save my money towards over the next year
No. 9: Figure out what we're going to do with this summer (need nanny who's willing to do full-time for about $1000 or less, room/board included, live at camp! Know anyone?)
No. 10: The list goes on...
So anyway, I'm starting to get back into the rhythm of working out again. I believe I may have to write something about how hard getting going can be. Lots of stops and starts, false hopes and promises. Didn't help that I actually HATED my gym. Literally. Ew. Talk about creating any excuse under the sun so I didn't have to go. And ME, hating the gym, means it must've been literally the worst gym possible to pick.
I've been working on getting into the routine of working out at home. I bought those lovely kettlebells a little over a year ago, and I'm finally putting them to some regular use. Right now, I'm using the "Iron Core" DVD from GoFit, which is actually a pretty good little vid and workout. I know I've gotten nauseous from using it, which means it's working my anaerobic system pretty good (and I need it too). I'm also supplementing with the Wii Fit. And I downloaded this great little workout music sample from Workout Muse that has Tabata countdowns (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, repeat 8 times for a 4-minute workout that might make you worship the throne afterward). I've also got a Taebo DVD that I might do one of these days, just to keep myself entertained. I figure in a week or two I'll be bored enough to actually do a workout that I've designed, or a Turbulence Training bodyweight workout. Right now, I'm just working on getting something going and keeping it going. If staring at the tv helps, I'm all for it. It's better than getting distracted by the antics of my daughter, who does almost everything in her power to get the attention she thinks she so richly deserves.
About my daughter: she also loves using the kettlebells ("kettleball"). I've got a 10 lb bell that is a bit too much for her (I'd prefer she had a 3 lb or 5 lb, she only weighs 40 lbs herself!), but she thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread to change into her "workout clothes" and do swings with me. After that, though, she generally loses interest, and spends the next 30-40 minutes running around me, standing right in front of me, putting blankets on the floor next to me, or whatever she can possibly think of. Oy. Not as bad as the vid I saw just a few minutes ago, though! Oh my! (Mommy is doing Yoga, and in the middle of it, baby crawls up to her and pulls down her shirt and begins to nurse!) Of course I now cannot remember where I saw it, and can't find it...
So, that's the story, and I'm sticking to it. Scale hated me again today. 166 even (+1.1 pounds from last week). It makes me hate the Wii Fit- whenever you gain weight, it makes you choose a reason. The one I had wasn't on the list: I was wearing my tennis shoes, when generally I don't have any shoes on. Those weigh 1.1 pound, right? I was too lazy to take them off and re-weigh. So, bad news: scale didn't go anywhere. Good news: scale didn't go anywhere. Better to not lose than to gain.
I've been working overtime lately, trying to get over the biggest case of writer's block that I've ever experienced. That's not good, esp. for someone who writes as much as I do- whether it's work or play, I'm generally writing something. So, what better idea to get over writer's block than to write? And hey, I have this blog, that I pledged to write in everyday about 4 weeks ago, that I've only posted in twice! *cough* Yeah. So here I am, writing- whether it's any good, makes any sense, or whether I've even done anything for myself today. No promises, just a goal. I only have about 15 million of them.
No. 1 on the list: get back into shape
No. 2: get diet back into working order (right now, it's fine, but not great, and I want to improve it)
No. 3: finish reading the Sedona Method (seriously, if you haven't picked it up yet, start chewing on it)
No. 4: Accomplish some of those work goals (at which there is a whole 'nother list)
No. 5: Write something. Anything. Seriously.
No. 6: Sew that blanket for my sister. Follow those up with Barbie clothes for daughter.
No. 7: Take a half hour for myself and journal, or do something non-productive
No. 8: Figure out where I need to save my money towards over the next year
No. 9: Figure out what we're going to do with this summer (need nanny who's willing to do full-time for about $1000 or less, room/board included, live at camp! Know anyone?)
No. 10: The list goes on...
So anyway, I'm starting to get back into the rhythm of working out again. I believe I may have to write something about how hard getting going can be. Lots of stops and starts, false hopes and promises. Didn't help that I actually HATED my gym. Literally. Ew. Talk about creating any excuse under the sun so I didn't have to go. And ME, hating the gym, means it must've been literally the worst gym possible to pick.
I've been working on getting into the routine of working out at home. I bought those lovely kettlebells a little over a year ago, and I'm finally putting them to some regular use. Right now, I'm using the "Iron Core" DVD from GoFit, which is actually a pretty good little vid and workout. I know I've gotten nauseous from using it, which means it's working my anaerobic system pretty good (and I need it too). I'm also supplementing with the Wii Fit. And I downloaded this great little workout music sample from Workout Muse that has Tabata countdowns (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, repeat 8 times for a 4-minute workout that might make you worship the throne afterward). I've also got a Taebo DVD that I might do one of these days, just to keep myself entertained. I figure in a week or two I'll be bored enough to actually do a workout that I've designed, or a Turbulence Training bodyweight workout. Right now, I'm just working on getting something going and keeping it going. If staring at the tv helps, I'm all for it. It's better than getting distracted by the antics of my daughter, who does almost everything in her power to get the attention she thinks she so richly deserves.
About my daughter: she also loves using the kettlebells ("kettleball"). I've got a 10 lb bell that is a bit too much for her (I'd prefer she had a 3 lb or 5 lb, she only weighs 40 lbs herself!), but she thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread to change into her "workout clothes" and do swings with me. After that, though, she generally loses interest, and spends the next 30-40 minutes running around me, standing right in front of me, putting blankets on the floor next to me, or whatever she can possibly think of. Oy. Not as bad as the vid I saw just a few minutes ago, though! Oh my! (Mommy is doing Yoga, and in the middle of it, baby crawls up to her and pulls down her shirt and begins to nurse!) Of course I now cannot remember where I saw it, and can't find it...
So, that's the story, and I'm sticking to it. Scale hated me again today. 166 even (+1.1 pounds from last week). It makes me hate the Wii Fit- whenever you gain weight, it makes you choose a reason. The one I had wasn't on the list: I was wearing my tennis shoes, when generally I don't have any shoes on. Those weigh 1.1 pound, right? I was too lazy to take them off and re-weigh. So, bad news: scale didn't go anywhere. Good news: scale didn't go anywhere. Better to not lose than to gain.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Shyit
Read this with the lens of weight loss on:
(From Twitter) RT@crazeegeekchick 5 Things you THINK will make you happy (But they won't) http://tinyurl.com/d974te
Wow, the insights I've come to. One thing I didn't mention in the previous blog post is that I'm currently reading "The Sedona Method" by Hale Dwoskin. Absolutely amazing book, and I'm only half-way through (I've been taking my time). I say this because one of my underlying issues lately has been a high level of anxiety and lack of motivation, and since starting this book, I've been not only feeling better but taking more positive action. One of the things he talks about in the book (which you have to get about a third of the way through the other stuff first, which doesn't really make a lot of sense) is how you have three basic wants that are the underlying root of all other emotion: approval, control, and security. It's amazing what releasing on these three wants does for a person. If nothing else, it takes your mind off the "tapes" that you're playing to yourself, so it can be an almost instant mood-changer.
Someday I may have to explain myself on this post, but for now I'm going to leave it and go to bed. And someday you'll also realize that I was once a Psych major, so I know alot of silly Psycho stuff that others don't and generally squeeze up their eyebrows going, "Uh, crazy lady..."
Gud nite!
(From Twitter) RT@crazeegeekchick 5 Things you THINK will make you happy (But they won't) http://tinyurl.com/d974te
Wow, the insights I've come to. One thing I didn't mention in the previous blog post is that I'm currently reading "The Sedona Method" by Hale Dwoskin. Absolutely amazing book, and I'm only half-way through (I've been taking my time). I say this because one of my underlying issues lately has been a high level of anxiety and lack of motivation, and since starting this book, I've been not only feeling better but taking more positive action. One of the things he talks about in the book (which you have to get about a third of the way through the other stuff first, which doesn't really make a lot of sense) is how you have three basic wants that are the underlying root of all other emotion: approval, control, and security. It's amazing what releasing on these three wants does for a person. If nothing else, it takes your mind off the "tapes" that you're playing to yourself, so it can be an almost instant mood-changer.
Someday I may have to explain myself on this post, but for now I'm going to leave it and go to bed. And someday you'll also realize that I was once a Psych major, so I know alot of silly Psycho stuff that others don't and generally squeeze up their eyebrows going, "Uh, crazy lady..."
Gud nite!
I'm Pluggin'
I'm still plugging away, doing my utmost best to go as slowly as is asininely possible. The scale went down to 164 and stopped moving, but right now, the focus is to get some of my fitness back. Man, it's hard to 'fess up to that. But I'm moving. And that's about all I can say about that.
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