I'm not sure when it happened - but I think I was robbed.
...Robbed of my ambition and motivation.
But I think someone returned it recently. So I'm looking forward to getting back ON track!
All things considered - I guess I haven't done too bad...assuming you will forgive me for my silence.... *slap on the wrist - bad blogger, bad!*
My numbers are still hovering in the same area. My soda consumption is still around 1 per week - often less. (And at this point, usually when I drink it - my body tells me "no thank you" and it's not nearly as good as I remember it to be.) I'm looking forward to ice cold water with lime and mint (a virgin mojito?) on a nice sunny deck.
I'm eating okay but as always need to ramp up the veggies and fruits.
I have a planter full of homegrown lettuce that is soon going to be on my diner plate!
And a garden of veggies that I hope will inspire me to eat better!
I've been doing a lot of gardening - and I know that counts for some kind of workout because I FEEL the BURN, but it can't be my ONLY form of exercise. This is the season of "slowness" at my position - so no excuses not to get back in the habit of desk push-ups and taking my break on the treadmill or walking around the block (and possibly getting lost to meander a bit more freely through the town).
AND - I'm planning to kidnap my hubby a few times a week to make him walk with me in the evenings while dragging the poochies along for the fun.
That's the plan - try, try again?
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Pain, Struggles, and Distraction Tactics
First let's talk about the struggles...
I read this week (or sometime in the past month -time just bleeds all together) that you have to cut 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound. 1 pound - people. That's 500 calories a day for 7 days straight that shouldn't be going into my mouth. Now the mystery as to why the numbers aren't plummeting in a down-ward direction is finally clear.
Have you ever fought yourself to go to the gym. Hated every minute of being there and then at the end of a programmed workout - looked down at the screen to see that you just sweat and panted and spent minutes of your life - and burned 97 calories? Maybe it says 130 calories? Is this disappointing to anyone else?
I think this MAY be why (digging into Long Term Memory Now) my review of that Fact or Crap weight loss article was suggesting that exercise simply is not the answer to LOSING weight. Unless you are a serious athlete or a marathon runner (I know there are some of you out there) you simply are NOT going to find success with this method. You HAVE TO CUT CALORIES.
I know that isn't fun. Trust me. But it also isn't fun to imagine the number of minutes I would have to commit to the treadmill in order to burn that 1 pound. I will try to remember this choice (spend my entire evening on the treadmill or don't eat the ice cream) whenever I have the urge to flirt with "unnecessary foods".
Other light bulb moments this week included the fact that 99% of calories in hot dogs are from FAT. About 80% of calories in cream cheese is from fat. I'm usually good at looking at labels - but the fact that these two had escaped my radar for this long is making me question my diligence.
Distraction Tactics
I read this week (or sometime in the past month -time just bleeds all together) that you have to cut 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound. 1 pound - people. That's 500 calories a day for 7 days straight that shouldn't be going into my mouth. Now the mystery as to why the numbers aren't plummeting in a down-ward direction is finally clear.
Have you ever fought yourself to go to the gym. Hated every minute of being there and then at the end of a programmed workout - looked down at the screen to see that you just sweat and panted and spent minutes of your life - and burned 97 calories? Maybe it says 130 calories? Is this disappointing to anyone else?
I think this MAY be why (digging into Long Term Memory Now) my review of that Fact or Crap weight loss article was suggesting that exercise simply is not the answer to LOSING weight. Unless you are a serious athlete or a marathon runner (I know there are some of you out there) you simply are NOT going to find success with this method. You HAVE TO CUT CALORIES.
I know that isn't fun. Trust me. But it also isn't fun to imagine the number of minutes I would have to commit to the treadmill in order to burn that 1 pound. I will try to remember this choice (spend my entire evening on the treadmill or don't eat the ice cream) whenever I have the urge to flirt with "unnecessary foods".
Other light bulb moments this week included the fact that 99% of calories in hot dogs are from FAT. About 80% of calories in cream cheese is from fat. I'm usually good at looking at labels - but the fact that these two had escaped my radar for this long is making me question my diligence.
Distraction Tactics
Coke Rewards thinks they will try to derail my 1 time a week soda plan by encouraging me to drink their Diet beverage in mass quantity for extra bonus points. Pure evil.
Dairy Queen is having a blizzard birthday. My son was amazed / horrified to think that I was nearly 10 years old before the idea of putting candy into ice cream was thought of. And for the record - yes, I took part in the .25 cent blizzard promotion. I pray that it is over now so that I can avoid a repeat offense.
And finally - let's talk Pain!
I had my best workout (unintentionally) in a long time. This weekend I spent some time outside planting flowers. The ground was wet, it was cold, and this led to some interesting poses (perhaps I've invented gardening yoga) in order to avoid the mud while squatting to plant flowers. Apparently while bending, reaching, digging, and balancing - I rekindled my relationship with some long-lost inner thigh and glut muscles.
The next morning I had that happy muscle burn. I was very please with myself. I suggested to Janet that this may be my new workout plan.
By afternoon - I was trying to fake a "normal walk" but I think it was more like a light hobble. I'm thinking maybe I over did it.
By evening I was wincing in pain with every step and cursing the builder of our house that thought stairs was a good idea. As I admire my happy flowers - they seem to be taunting me.
Today, I'm considering a plant sale in the driveway. I've had the realization that I have only planted one flower bed (and not even completely) and that I have about 4x more to go. Spring fever causes brain damage and should be a medical condition in the DSM. Why on earth would anyone call gardening FUN?
I'm praying for rain this weekend so that I have a valid excuse to procrastinate at putting the rest of the flowers in the ground. I'm also wondering how many dog treats I would have to offer to get my poochies to dig the rest of the wholes for me.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Oh The Places You May NOT Go
This week - with a view of spring tempting us - we started walking outside. Which got me thinking...sure, most exercise is pretty much NOT something that I look forward to. But what surrounding do I find the most preferable?
After much mental debate - I've decided that I can't live without either option. Here are the benefits / drawbacks as I see them.
You Are Going Nowhere Methods - This includes tracks, treadmills, stationary bikes, and other stationary equipment.
Benefits:
You can stop at any point - you don't have to worry about going so far that you are too tired to get back. I want to believe that this helps me push myself further...but maybe it just makes it easier to quit at a weak moment.
If it is a motorized piece of equipment (like a programmed treadmill) you don't have to trust yourself to set the pace. You just have to keep up with the machine. You can always push the pace up a notch - but I pretend that the "slow down" button is broken and off limits.
I live in an area where there are approximately 14 days per year that are bearable outside (in my opinion). It's either freezing cold, sauna hot, or wicked allergy levels. Being inside sometimes makes breathing possible - and I find that to be a necessary part of exercise.
You can set your own scene - loud music, low lights, set temperature, watching trash TV, if it's private there is no need to dress for public viewing...you can pretty much have it your way.
Limited interruptions.
Drawbacks...
The scenery sucks. My son and I tried out a track last week for the first time. It surrounded a gym and had an "open locker" shelf where you could put your belongings. I took every vantage point to keep my eyes on one suspicious fellow who was hanging around the shelf that then held my purse, wallet, cell, and car keys - a little longer than I thought necessary. So I guess in that case, there was some scenery drama.
It can be kind of boring.
You might not push yourself as hard - especially if it's not a programmable / automatic machine. At the very least, I find it difficult to keep a steady pace on those machines.
Ease on Down the Road Methods-
Benefits:
Good or at least ever changing scenery.
Fresh air.
Could lead to a social encounter.
A good excuse to buy some cute workout gear.
You've got to get yourself back home. No quitting until you hit the finish line or front door.
Time moves a bit faster when you are paying more attention to your route and less attention to the countdown of the clock / miles.
The down side...
Could lead to a social encounter- this generally gets in the way of a serious workout.
Who looks good sweaty, panting, and without a mirror? Maybe it's best to keep it out of the public eyes.
Distractions everywhere...dogs barking, traffic, other walkers, the occasional dog running free and threatening to eat you.
Allergies, no temperature control, unpredictable weather.
It really is hard to expand your distance without fear of going too far. If you only have to drag yourself home, maybe this isn't too terrible - you'll likely survive. However, if you walk with a younger child - this requires some thought or quality earplugs to block out the whining.
Hills, potholes, no sidewalk, mud. We try to walk from home and our neighborhood just wasn't designed with the walker in mind. Driving somewhere so you can walk seems like an extra hassle- add a child that wants to take a bike, two dogs that have vet-paranoia, and soon you have to question the sanity of this plan.
No stereo - yes, I realize I could use my mp3, but refer back to the traffic, dogs, and child and suddenly this doesn't seem like a safe option.
And the winner is?
I would hate to only have one option. I think I would prefer outdoors a lot more if I lived somewhere with milder, user friendly weather...but since I don't I'll have to keep relying on both.
Which place do you prefer to walk / run? Do you mix it up or find that one style suits you better? Either way...keep on movin!
After much mental debate - I've decided that I can't live without either option. Here are the benefits / drawbacks as I see them.
You Are Going Nowhere Methods - This includes tracks, treadmills, stationary bikes, and other stationary equipment.
Benefits:
You can stop at any point - you don't have to worry about going so far that you are too tired to get back. I want to believe that this helps me push myself further...but maybe it just makes it easier to quit at a weak moment.
If it is a motorized piece of equipment (like a programmed treadmill) you don't have to trust yourself to set the pace. You just have to keep up with the machine. You can always push the pace up a notch - but I pretend that the "slow down" button is broken and off limits.
I live in an area where there are approximately 14 days per year that are bearable outside (in my opinion). It's either freezing cold, sauna hot, or wicked allergy levels. Being inside sometimes makes breathing possible - and I find that to be a necessary part of exercise.
You can set your own scene - loud music, low lights, set temperature, watching trash TV, if it's private there is no need to dress for public viewing...you can pretty much have it your way.
Limited interruptions.
Drawbacks...
The scenery sucks. My son and I tried out a track last week for the first time. It surrounded a gym and had an "open locker" shelf where you could put your belongings. I took every vantage point to keep my eyes on one suspicious fellow who was hanging around the shelf that then held my purse, wallet, cell, and car keys - a little longer than I thought necessary. So I guess in that case, there was some scenery drama.
It can be kind of boring.
You might not push yourself as hard - especially if it's not a programmable / automatic machine. At the very least, I find it difficult to keep a steady pace on those machines.
Ease on Down the Road Methods-
Benefits:
Good or at least ever changing scenery.
Fresh air.
Could lead to a social encounter.
A good excuse to buy some cute workout gear.
You've got to get yourself back home. No quitting until you hit the finish line or front door.
Time moves a bit faster when you are paying more attention to your route and less attention to the countdown of the clock / miles.
The down side...
Could lead to a social encounter- this generally gets in the way of a serious workout.
Who looks good sweaty, panting, and without a mirror? Maybe it's best to keep it out of the public eyes.
Distractions everywhere...dogs barking, traffic, other walkers, the occasional dog running free and threatening to eat you.
Allergies, no temperature control, unpredictable weather.
It really is hard to expand your distance without fear of going too far. If you only have to drag yourself home, maybe this isn't too terrible - you'll likely survive. However, if you walk with a younger child - this requires some thought or quality earplugs to block out the whining.
Hills, potholes, no sidewalk, mud. We try to walk from home and our neighborhood just wasn't designed with the walker in mind. Driving somewhere so you can walk seems like an extra hassle- add a child that wants to take a bike, two dogs that have vet-paranoia, and soon you have to question the sanity of this plan.
No stereo - yes, I realize I could use my mp3, but refer back to the traffic, dogs, and child and suddenly this doesn't seem like a safe option.
And the winner is?
I would hate to only have one option. I think I would prefer outdoors a lot more if I lived somewhere with milder, user friendly weather...but since I don't I'll have to keep relying on both.
Which place do you prefer to walk / run? Do you mix it up or find that one style suits you better? Either way...keep on movin!
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