Friday, August 9, 2013

Much better day

Oh my goodness I can't even explain how much better today was than yesterday.  No headaches or anything.  It's so good to feel semi-normal.  Plus the weather lately has been very overcast and cool - in the upper 60s.  I love to walk outside with these temps!  I got in lots of walking today.  Good thing too because after work, guess what I got to do?  Work out? NO!  Instead, I went...

Back-to-School shopping!!! YAY!  Ok, not really "YAY!"  More like "yay."  We went to Penny's, Target, and Kohl's.  We need a couple more shirts, but she's set on jeans, shoes and notebooks (at least until her teachers tell her what she'll really need).

Anyway, I got even more walking in while shopping.  While my daughter was in trying on clothes, I was walking around looking at stuff.  So, the pace wasn't fast, but the feet are telling me we did A LOT.

This weekend is the final weigh-in for DietBet.  I have no idea if I'll make it.  I had this last 7 days to lose 3.6 pounds - that's a lot for me, but I'll sweat out a bunch tomorrow and Sunday and see how it goes.  I'll let you know... (oh and btw, TOM stopped by for a visit - how nice just before a weigh-in, right?)

Random question time:  I feel like I've been left out of the loop on this or maybe missed a news show on the topic, but anyway, I have a question for you all.  When driving your car and stopping at a traffic light, have you noticed that people don't pull up side-by-side anymore?  I mean, it used to be that everyone pulls up to the line.  But no, not anymore.  Folks are stopping 6-10ft back from it.  What's up with that?  I mean I think I get why, but how much further can we draw away from other people?  With our social networks and texting and email, has traffic become another method to keep people at a distance?  Or is it like a safety thing?  I used to live in the south where you started a friendly conversation with the person next to you at the light - or at least a polite nod or wave.  Now?  Nothing.  Seems like a whole new protocol.  Maybe it's just me...

Ok, well, it's late and I'm struggling to keep my eyes open, so I'm off the bed.

HAVE A MOST EXCELLENT WEEKEND!!


Thursday, August 8, 2013

Ramblin' Food for Thought

This is one of those days when I have no idea what to talk about.  I must be very tired!  So, I'll just ramble on for a minute and hit the hay.

First, let's hit the normal topics...

FOOD:  It's going ok, not great, but definitely ok.

WATER:  Was going great until today.  Oddly enough I had a mean headache.  Will do better tomorrow.

EXERCISE:  Great up until today.  I may still make my Nike goal, but I skipped lower body workout today to baby the knee.  It's starting to feel much better.  Ice and IB work.

Today was a sucky day, so maybe I'm just bummed about that.  Nothing to do with fitness, but at the same time, everything to do with it, ya know?  When I have a bad day, all I want to do is bow out of cooking dinner and just hit a restaurant.  Someday, when God locates a man for me, I hope he'll like to cook.  I don't mind it too much anymore, but it would be nice to have the option of "Honey, will you cook tonight?"  Oh yes, looking forward to that.

Ok, here's a random thought.  Say that you are on a journey to health and fitness - oh look, we are!  How does it make you feel when you see someone who is obviously overweight eat something that is completely unhealthy - like... a KitKat Bar?  OR an entire plate of s'mores?  OR a double quarter pounder meal, large fry and diet coke?

A.) Jealous - because you want one too!
B.) Feel sorry for them and their addiction
C.) Assume they're only indulging just this once, but eat healthy the rest of the day.
D.) Ignore them completely - to each his own
E.) Maybe they're diabetic and need the sugar - does it even work that way?
F.)  Mad at them for eating it in front of you
G.) Maybe it's been a rough day and they just needed some chocolate
H.)  Guilty - because you want one too
I.) Maybe Definitely none of my business and I should stop staring now

I know I'm being a little flip, but I'm a little serious too.  I'm sure people look at me all the time when I'm out on my free day enjoying a big fat cheeseburger.  I probably get judged walking around the grocery store.  So, this is what I do.  I come up with their excuses for them eating the way they are right then.  I know it's silly, but it helps me to NOT go crazy with the eating.

What's weird is I get food pushed on me all the time.  No one tried to get me to go smoke when I was quitting.  So, why do people feel so compelled to shove food in my face when they know I'm trying not to eat a bunch of crap?

Anyway, food for thought...  (Don't worry, it's really delicious, healthy food!)

Have a great Friday!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

I noticed something today...

I noticed the way I carry myself is a little tiny bit different than it was a few months ago.  I walk with purpose, my shoulders are back and my head is up more often instead of down.  Pretty cool huh?  I don't know if it's because I'm more conscious of my posture or maybe the weight lifting or possibly the weigh loss, but I want more.  More confidence.  I'm going to change right before people's very eyes.  Then one day it'll be like BAM!  Who is this person?  Oh, it's just the new me.

Sure, it's only 15 pounds down out of 75 pounds - I have a ways to go before I meet my goals.  But I grabbed 15 pounds worth of dumbbells the other day and wow that's heavy!!   I'm glad I'm not carrying that around anymore.  Even 5 pounds feels pretty hefty.  If you're on this journey, you've gotta try it!!   Find stuff that weighs as much as you've lost and pick it and walk around with it for a few minutes.  When you put it down, it feels great!!!

I know our body distributes weight differently, but the analogy is sound - it feels good to drop unnecessary weight.

Ok, I just had a thought - tell me if I'm crazy, but why not take this thing on in smaller chunks rather than the whole thing all at once.  For me "all at once" would be a total loss of 75 pounds!!  I can't imagine it right now.  I know it is certainly doable, but very difficult to picture.  However, I CAN imagine 5 or 10 pounds because I'VE ALREADY DONE IT!!!!  Wooooooo-HOOOOO!!

Interesting...  I'm just now playing this out in my mind, but it makes sense to me (of course, maybe it's just late and purple unicorns make sense too, but still).

It did take me 12 weeks to lose 15 pounds - that's sounds TERRIBLE, I know!  Ten years ago, I lost 30 pounds in 12 weeks, ughhhh!!  Anyway!!!!  In the last 12 weeks, I've lost 15 pounds.  During those 12 weeks, I exercised VERY moderately, ate FAIRLY healthy, and had one day a week where I TOTALLY pigged out on whatever.  I guess I can't complain too much.  Therefore, if I enjoy the food I'm eating (and I do), and if I enjoy my workouts gradually becoming more intense and challenging (and I am), then there's no reason (barring serious disaster) that I can't continue to do as well.

15 pounds every 3 months OR 5 pounds in a month - that sounds totally doable, right?

I would certainly like to do more, but I'm in my 40s - I'm not sure what I can expect out of my body.  It isn't always cooperative with my efforts, especially in the realm of pain - knee pain, joint pain, muscle pain - know what I mean?  Well, if you're over 40, you probably do, but if you aren't, I recommend reaching your goal BEFORE 40!

So, it will take a while longer than expected at 5 pounds a month.  One year for 60 pounds.  Of course, if I'd been doing this for the last TWO years, I'd be down 120 pounds wouldn't I?  I don't need to lose 120 pounds, I'm just sayin'.  There's no need to be upset if it takes me exactly one year from today to get to my goal.  In fact, I'll be a lot happier than I was a year ago, right?

Now I have a mini-goal:  Lose 5 pounds by Sep 1, 2013.  I lost a pound last week, so 4 more to go for the month.  Oh yeah.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Training Change-up

I wrote about it last week, and this week it's happening.  Today was the first day of my new upper-body-only training session.  Thursday will be lower body and on Saturday I will repeat this workout.  I kept the weights lighter in some areas and heavier in others, but here's what the basic plan looks like:

UPPER BODY STRENGTH TRAINING
(2 sets of 10-12 reps for each exercise)

WARM-UP
3-5 minutes on the punching bag (OR any sustained arm motion - "air jabs," "windmills," etc. if I'm not at home)

CHEST 
Bench Press - 50
Chest Flys - 50

SHOULDERS
Shoulder Press - 50
Side Raises - 2

BACK
Lawnmower pull - 10
Lat Pulldown - 50

TRICEPS
Triceps Pushdown - 50
Triceps Extensions - 10

BICEPS
Bicep Curl - 10
Hammer Curl - 10

STRETCHES
Stretch each muscle group - hold for at least 10 seconds

Note:  Those 50's are not in pounds - it's the total from the resistance rods on my BowFlex.  I don't know what it translates to, but it's definitely NOT 50 pounds.  The 10's are in pounds though - 10 pound dumbbells.

What's really cool about these exercises is they can all be done using dumbbells (with the exception of Lat Pulldowns & Tricep Pushdowns).  This means I can do these pretty much anywhere using something as simple as soup cans for weights or dumbbells - if available.

Resistance Training is totally my favorite thing to do.  I really feel like I'm working my muscles and getting stronger.  Whereas during aerobic exercise I feel like I'm gonna pass out from pain or lung failure or both.  Aerobic exercise is truly my nemesis - and I'm not even doing that much!  I'm only walking 3.0mph and yet my knee is still giving me problems.

Well, I guess I'll give the ol' Ibuprofen and ice a chance and if that doesn't work, I'll make a doc appt.  What do ya figure?  A couple weeks?  Ok, if my knee isn't 100% by the 19th of August, I'll make an appointment.  According to my daughter, my knee is ALL that I complain about these days.  If she's tired of hearing about it then you must be too!

What's your "nemesis" exercise?  What's your fave?

Ok, I'm off to bed - I'm calling it an early night tonight!

Monday, August 5, 2013

Mindful Eating

First up... One more pound closer to my goal!  YAY!  Do I wish it were more?  Yep.  But it's all good.  I guess I keep thinking I'm still 20 years old and can drop weight just by thinking really hard about it.  Ok, so I could never do that, but it'd be really cool if I could.

I was reading a post on the WeightLossWars.com "Blog" last week about "mindful eating".  Seems like the new buzz words for the weight loss community.  So, my interest was peaked as I came across the post on WLW.  Anyway, it means bringing our full attention to the food we eat.  The whole process is brought into focus:  tastes, smells, thoughts, and feelings we have during a meal.  I can honestly say I've never really paid that much attention - unless it's ice cream - then I'm all there!

Here's an excerpt from the WLW "Mindful Eating" Post on how to eat mindfully:
Try This Exercise With Your Next Meal: Place a forkful of food in your mouth. It doesn’t matter what the food is, but make it something you love. Now comes the hard part. Put the fork down. This could be a lot more challenging than you imagine, because that first bite was very good and the next bite is calling your name. Nonetheless, leave the fork on the table. Chew slowly. Stop talking. Tune in to the texture of the food, the flavor, the bright colors, the aromas. Eat with your senses. Continue this way throughout the course of a full meal, and you’ll experience the pleasures and frustrations of mindful eating.

Have you ever tried to really focus on all those things while eating?  I usually only pay enough attention to ensure the fork doesn't stab me in the face.  But today, I paid attention.  Textures, tastes, smells, and even how I was feeling.  I compared it with past meal times.  I'm usually not paying attention to the food I eat unless I don't like it.  Usually, I'm reading a computer screen during lunch or watching a show on TV during dinner.

I tend to multi-task during meals when I eat alone... check email, send a text, or get some work done.

I also tend to "speed eat" hot meals.  I don't like it when my food gets cold.

It dawns on me that this probably isn't the best way to eat.  I know what you're thinking...  "ya think?!?"

I hadn't really thought about it until now.  But it makes sense, doesn't it?  Our brain receives input from ALL of our senses.  So, if I don't bother to smell my food or even look at it, how do I know I'm even eating?  I mean sure, there's the act of shoveling it into my face and ultimately feeling full, but how much longer does that take when I'm not paying attention?  How much sooner does the hunger come back?  Will I remain satisfied longer if I truly "watch what I eat" and smell it too?

Bottom line was that today, when I was really trying to notice what I was eating, I enjoyed my food more.  I could continue to eat mindlessly, but why?  If I wanted a mindless relationship with food, I'd eat those "super foods" like arugula and quinoa at every meal and never worry about gaining weight ever again!  But I want a healthy relationship with food.  I want to be aware of the aromas, textures, and awesome tastes in so many different foods AND be completely satisfied by the amount of food in a healthy serving.  Maybe there's something to this mindful eating.  Who knew?
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