When I had a membership at The Ridge, I attended a yoga class every Friday evening. It was so relaxing and a great way to stretch and become more flexible. I loved ending the work week like that!
In an effort to increase my flexibility again, I am trying to incorporate stretching into my daily routine. I don't know that I will do a lot of yoga, but I do like doing the Sun Salutation in the morning. It's easy, invigorating, stretching, and I found a great little animation to follow as I do it!
So... I did my stretching / yoga this morning. I'm counting Pilates as stretching, too, so I'll alternate between Pilates and Yoga in the morning. If I keep it up it's a great way to start the morning!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Back on track!
Here I am, back on track, tracking my calories again. It's a new year and a new start and it's been a good day!
Of course, I've been starving all day, but that's just the lack of holiday junk food talking. The first day back tracking calories is always the hardest. Tomorrow will be hard, but easier than today. And if I can make it past 3 days of calorie counting, I'm golden. The it just becomes... routine. And really, I like it once it gets to be routine. I don't feel hungry, it doesn't take long for me to remember what a "normal" portion size is like, and my food scale and I become best buds again. It's great. Once I get past these first 3 days.
But the good news is that I drank a ton of water trying to curb my munchy hunger. It didn't really help with the hunger, but it kept me busy and I logged about 3 liters of water today. That's good news for someone with a pop addiction! Of course, it helps that we got a carbonator over Christmas, so I can drink fizzy water now. It helps curb the pop craving and it doesn't have any additives, extra salt, or artificial sweeteners! It's my new favorite thing.
I managed to get up this morning and do Coach Nicole's 12 minute Pilates ab workout, followed by 45 minutes on the treadmill (at 3.5 mph at 3% incline, for a 355 calorie workout), and I even tossed in 12 "real" push ups for good measure. Mostly I tossed those in to see how many sequential "real" push ups I could do. 12's the limit it seems. I'd like to build that number up. But that's not the point right now...
The point is that at the end of the day, eating 3 meals, snacking as needed to curb the hunger pangs of a belly that's been given anything it wants for a month, drinking water at every turn, and counting every calorie I put in my (not as) little (as I'd like it to be) body, I ended the day alright. Here are today's stats (with my goals in parentheses)
Calories: 1367 (1200-1550)
Fat: 29 (32-56)
Carbs: 224 (163-236)
Protein: 59 (60-127)
Fiber: 25 (25-35)
I even ate some MUFAs today, at least with breakfast and lunch. I don't know about dinner, unless whole wheat spaghetti has MUFAs in it. Hmmm....
So, I'll take it. If I can keep doing this I think I'll be on a good path to being in better shape. And I'd like to be in better shape. I'd like to be healthy, I'd like to be happy, and I'd like to look good.
Happy New Year!
Of course, I've been starving all day, but that's just the lack of holiday junk food talking. The first day back tracking calories is always the hardest. Tomorrow will be hard, but easier than today. And if I can make it past 3 days of calorie counting, I'm golden. The it just becomes... routine. And really, I like it once it gets to be routine. I don't feel hungry, it doesn't take long for me to remember what a "normal" portion size is like, and my food scale and I become best buds again. It's great. Once I get past these first 3 days.
But the good news is that I drank a ton of water trying to curb my munchy hunger. It didn't really help with the hunger, but it kept me busy and I logged about 3 liters of water today. That's good news for someone with a pop addiction! Of course, it helps that we got a carbonator over Christmas, so I can drink fizzy water now. It helps curb the pop craving and it doesn't have any additives, extra salt, or artificial sweeteners! It's my new favorite thing.
I managed to get up this morning and do Coach Nicole's 12 minute Pilates ab workout, followed by 45 minutes on the treadmill (at 3.5 mph at 3% incline, for a 355 calorie workout), and I even tossed in 12 "real" push ups for good measure. Mostly I tossed those in to see how many sequential "real" push ups I could do. 12's the limit it seems. I'd like to build that number up. But that's not the point right now...
The point is that at the end of the day, eating 3 meals, snacking as needed to curb the hunger pangs of a belly that's been given anything it wants for a month, drinking water at every turn, and counting every calorie I put in my (not as) little (as I'd like it to be) body, I ended the day alright. Here are today's stats (with my goals in parentheses)
Calories: 1367 (1200-1550)
Fat: 29 (32-56)
Carbs: 224 (163-236)
Protein: 59 (60-127)
Fiber: 25 (25-35)
I even ate some MUFAs today, at least with breakfast and lunch. I don't know about dinner, unless whole wheat spaghetti has MUFAs in it. Hmmm....
So, I'll take it. If I can keep doing this I think I'll be on a good path to being in better shape. And I'd like to be in better shape. I'd like to be healthy, I'd like to be happy, and I'd like to look good.
Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Push ups
I was flipping through reading some Spark People articles when I came across this trainer's blog post about doing push ups. Curious, I gave it a try... could I do 10 "real" push ups? I know I can do 50+ girl push ups in 1 minute. But could I do 10 consecutive boy push ups?
The answer is... YES.
I just did them. Good form, even execution. I can do at least 10. I stopped there because, well, I got out of bed to do them and I really wanted to get back in bed where it was warmer and I could continue doing stuff on my computer. But I can do at least 10.
So really, I'd like to be able to do at least 2 sets of 10. Each day. It's easy enough to do, doesn't require any equipment, and doesn't take much time. I used to do them at The Ridge when I went there, so I don't see why I can't incorporate them into my routine again. I could probably get Eliana to do them with me, or at least help me count. And if I'm lucky she'll be nice enough to keep from sitting on my back!
So there's a goal. Incorporate push ups into my daily exercise routine. Work up to 2 sets of 10 push ups daily. I can do that.
The answer is... YES.
I just did them. Good form, even execution. I can do at least 10. I stopped there because, well, I got out of bed to do them and I really wanted to get back in bed where it was warmer and I could continue doing stuff on my computer. But I can do at least 10.
So really, I'd like to be able to do at least 2 sets of 10. Each day. It's easy enough to do, doesn't require any equipment, and doesn't take much time. I used to do them at The Ridge when I went there, so I don't see why I can't incorporate them into my routine again. I could probably get Eliana to do them with me, or at least help me count. And if I'm lucky she'll be nice enough to keep from sitting on my back!
So there's a goal. Incorporate push ups into my daily exercise routine. Work up to 2 sets of 10 push ups daily. I can do that.
Standing in my way
Who is standing in your way?
Imagine someone regularly tying small weights around your ankles as you try to climb a mountain. Doesn't sound fair, does it? But that's exactly what you can do to yourself, a little bit at a time, if you don't watch out. When you think of who and what is standing in the way of your dreams, it's easy to forget your own responsibility. Even the best of us can be guilty of unknowingly hurting our own progress. Procrastination, lateness, being disorganized, pessimism, not being honest with yourself, severe self-criticism, downplaying achievements, focusing only on weaknesses while ignoring strengths, keeping goals a secret, demanding perfection, giving up after a small setback--these are all ways you can make it tough to be (and do) your best. Smart systems, the right attitude, and a promise to keep going no matter what will make a world of difference.
This quote was in my email today, from Spark People. When it comes to weight loss, I am almost always the one standing in my own way! So this year I am going to work to do my best. I'm going to try to keep smart systems in place, have the right attitude, and keep going no matter what!
Something we were withholding made us weak, until we found it was ourselves.
- Robert Frost
Imagine someone regularly tying small weights around your ankles as you try to climb a mountain. Doesn't sound fair, does it? But that's exactly what you can do to yourself, a little bit at a time, if you don't watch out. When you think of who and what is standing in the way of your dreams, it's easy to forget your own responsibility. Even the best of us can be guilty of unknowingly hurting our own progress. Procrastination, lateness, being disorganized, pessimism, not being honest with yourself, severe self-criticism, downplaying achievements, focusing only on weaknesses while ignoring strengths, keeping goals a secret, demanding perfection, giving up after a small setback--these are all ways you can make it tough to be (and do) your best. Smart systems, the right attitude, and a promise to keep going no matter what will make a world of difference.
This quote was in my email today, from Spark People. When it comes to weight loss, I am almost always the one standing in my own way! So this year I am going to work to do my best. I'm going to try to keep smart systems in place, have the right attitude, and keep going no matter what!
Something we were withholding made us weak, until we found it was ourselves.
- Robert Frost
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Couch to 5K... again.
Well, I ran my first 5K back in July. And now 5 months later, do you know how many times I have run since then? ONCE. That's it. And that was the next day. So... it seems to me that it's time to start in on the great C25K again.
I really do enjoy running, and it really is a good way to exercise. And I can put Eliana in the stroller and run with her if I need to.
So... Monday, January 5th, I am going to get on my treadmill and run. Well, walk/run. I'll start at week 1 and take it one day at a time. And if all goes according to plan, I should be running 3 miles at a shot by March.
I'm hoping to get others from SP to join me, but even if they don't I am still planning to do the program by myself. It's worth it to me. Hopefully it will be worth it to my body. Either way, it ought to get me in better shape so I can enjoy my summer more, too.
And, you know, a little reduction in the muffin top would be nice, too.
I really do enjoy running, and it really is a good way to exercise. And I can put Eliana in the stroller and run with her if I need to.
So... Monday, January 5th, I am going to get on my treadmill and run. Well, walk/run. I'll start at week 1 and take it one day at a time. And if all goes according to plan, I should be running 3 miles at a shot by March.
I'm hoping to get others from SP to join me, but even if they don't I am still planning to do the program by myself. It's worth it to me. Hopefully it will be worth it to my body. Either way, it ought to get me in better shape so I can enjoy my summer more, too.
And, you know, a little reduction in the muffin top would be nice, too.
She gets what I don't....
I read a blog post by one of the MT Spark Team members today. I think she gets something that I don't. Read on...
__________________________________________________________________
I had my first real struggle with my lifestyle change after being a Spark member for 8 months. Why did it take 8 months to really start struggling? I gained 5 pounds in as many weeks.
I realized that I let too many things get in the way of my workout routine. Instead of telling myself I could spare just 15 minutes every morning, I told myself I had too much to do first but would get to it later. Guess what? Later never happened. I went from walking an average of 5 miles a day to barely walking one mile.
Something else I learned, or actually was reminded of, was the less I exercised the more I wanted to snack. The more I wanted to snack, the less water I wanted to drink. I found myself starting to slip back into old and bad habits. No wonder I gained.
This is a new week and a new beginning. My new year's resolution is to be more consistent with my workouts even if it means I have to get up an hour earlier every mornig. And I started today. Why wait for the new year? There's no better time than right now.
I wish you all a HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2009!
___________________________________________________________________
Here's what I often fail to recognize... choices have consequences. If I don't exercise, I tend to snack more. If I tend to snack more, I don't want to drink as much. Bad choices, bad consequences. It has a domino effect and I often don't recognize that.
Last night I sat down and wrote out what my ideal schedule for a day would be. I'm not convinced that it's perfect yet, because there are things I'd like to do in there that aren't there yet. I just have to figure out how to factor Eliana in without sitting her in front of the TV for the whole time I want to do something without her. So... working on that. But what I realized in making my plan is that if I don't do the exercise first thing in the morning, I won't do it. It just won't happen. And when I don't exercise, well... it all goes downhill from there.
So it looks like I'm not just going to have to add some exercise in and take some calories out. I'm actually going to have to change my schedule (wake up in the morning! Ack!) and change my way of thinking. That will be a BIG challenge for me. I would appreciate any prayer and encouragement you can send my way!
__________________________________________________________________
I had my first real struggle with my lifestyle change after being a Spark member for 8 months. Why did it take 8 months to really start struggling? I gained 5 pounds in as many weeks.
I realized that I let too many things get in the way of my workout routine. Instead of telling myself I could spare just 15 minutes every morning, I told myself I had too much to do first but would get to it later. Guess what? Later never happened. I went from walking an average of 5 miles a day to barely walking one mile.
Something else I learned, or actually was reminded of, was the less I exercised the more I wanted to snack. The more I wanted to snack, the less water I wanted to drink. I found myself starting to slip back into old and bad habits. No wonder I gained.
This is a new week and a new beginning. My new year's resolution is to be more consistent with my workouts even if it means I have to get up an hour earlier every mornig. And I started today. Why wait for the new year? There's no better time than right now.
I wish you all a HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2009!
___________________________________________________________________
Here's what I often fail to recognize... choices have consequences. If I don't exercise, I tend to snack more. If I tend to snack more, I don't want to drink as much. Bad choices, bad consequences. It has a domino effect and I often don't recognize that.
Last night I sat down and wrote out what my ideal schedule for a day would be. I'm not convinced that it's perfect yet, because there are things I'd like to do in there that aren't there yet. I just have to figure out how to factor Eliana in without sitting her in front of the TV for the whole time I want to do something without her. So... working on that. But what I realized in making my plan is that if I don't do the exercise first thing in the morning, I won't do it. It just won't happen. And when I don't exercise, well... it all goes downhill from there.
So it looks like I'm not just going to have to add some exercise in and take some calories out. I'm actually going to have to change my schedule (wake up in the morning! Ack!) and change my way of thinking. That will be a BIG challenge for me. I would appreciate any prayer and encouragement you can send my way!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Team Leader...
Once upon a time I joined Spark People. I love Spark People. I can use it to track my calories and my exercise and have some sort of accountability with people encouraging me along the way. When I am using it, it's great! Unfortunately, I get busy and then I don't even get on there for weeks or months. I just sort of disappear until I decide that I'm fat again and go back to tracking on Spark People.
I go through periods of high activity on Spark People, followed by valleys of absence. It's not a good pattern, but it's one that I follow and have followed since I first joined. It's sort of my pattern in life.
Well, during one of those periods of high activity, I was one of the more active members of the Montana Spark Team. It's a message board and I was on it a few times a week. Well... the team leader at the time decided to make me and another person team leaders, too, since we were the most active team members. I found this out after I had already been made a team leader, but it didn't particularly seem important at the time.
Ups and downs, ups and downs... fast forward to a busy fall and subsequent absence from Spark People followed by a desire to lose weight by the end of the year (which didn't happen, by the way). I returned to Spark People in November and signed into the Montana team only to discover that the other two team leaders were gone! So... I don't know how long the team went without a leader (since I was absent), but that left me as the sole leader for the team. Poor team.
Then, in December I got an email from Spark People saying that they are revamping the state teams and that our team (being the bigger of the two Montana teams, by just a few members) would be the official Montana State Spark Team and that all Spark People members who live in MT would now become a part of our Spark Team. The Spark Team that I am leader of!! New changes, lots of new team members....
Suddenly I'm thinking that I'm in WAAAAY over my head. And then I realized that if I work at being a good team leader, I will also feel like I have to be an example. And I will also have to get on Spark People a little more regularly. And perhaps that would be a good thing for me.
So, I'm not working on losing weight right at this moment. I think I need to step back and refocus first. Make a plan. Figure out how to stick to it. And perhaps make it a priority this time, as I think that's where I get fouled up.
Tuesday night at Mary Kay we're talking about goal setting and spending the time making goals for the new year and working out a plan to accomplish those goals. I've already done that for my Mary Kay business, but I need to do it for my personal life and weight loss, so maybe I'll use the time there to do that instead.
I keep saying I need to make a change, and the desire is there, but it boils down to time management. And I haven't really been managing my time at all. I just watch it slip away and at 1am I am kicking myself because I haven't exercised yet. So, make a plan. Make a plan. Make a plan. that's what I'm going to do.
I go through periods of high activity on Spark People, followed by valleys of absence. It's not a good pattern, but it's one that I follow and have followed since I first joined. It's sort of my pattern in life.
Well, during one of those periods of high activity, I was one of the more active members of the Montana Spark Team. It's a message board and I was on it a few times a week. Well... the team leader at the time decided to make me and another person team leaders, too, since we were the most active team members. I found this out after I had already been made a team leader, but it didn't particularly seem important at the time.
Ups and downs, ups and downs... fast forward to a busy fall and subsequent absence from Spark People followed by a desire to lose weight by the end of the year (which didn't happen, by the way). I returned to Spark People in November and signed into the Montana team only to discover that the other two team leaders were gone! So... I don't know how long the team went without a leader (since I was absent), but that left me as the sole leader for the team. Poor team.
Then, in December I got an email from Spark People saying that they are revamping the state teams and that our team (being the bigger of the two Montana teams, by just a few members) would be the official Montana State Spark Team and that all Spark People members who live in MT would now become a part of our Spark Team. The Spark Team that I am leader of!! New changes, lots of new team members....
Suddenly I'm thinking that I'm in WAAAAY over my head. And then I realized that if I work at being a good team leader, I will also feel like I have to be an example. And I will also have to get on Spark People a little more regularly. And perhaps that would be a good thing for me.
So, I'm not working on losing weight right at this moment. I think I need to step back and refocus first. Make a plan. Figure out how to stick to it. And perhaps make it a priority this time, as I think that's where I get fouled up.
Tuesday night at Mary Kay we're talking about goal setting and spending the time making goals for the new year and working out a plan to accomplish those goals. I've already done that for my Mary Kay business, but I need to do it for my personal life and weight loss, so maybe I'll use the time there to do that instead.
I keep saying I need to make a change, and the desire is there, but it boils down to time management. And I haven't really been managing my time at all. I just watch it slip away and at 1am I am kicking myself because I haven't exercised yet. So, make a plan. Make a plan. Make a plan. that's what I'm going to do.
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