Summer and motivation

I am still on my quest to be fit (or at least not 'fat') when I turn 40 in a few months. I went a bit off track at the end of the semester, but I am using summer as a chance to really get back into a work-out routine. I have also officially joined WW online- mainly because their tools are easier to use than my spreadsheets! I have lost a total of 16 pounds since January, which means that my goal weight is probably out of reach for my birthday goal. BUT- I am okay with that and just hoping to get as close to that as possible. I'm finding my flexible summer schedule to be a big help for sticking with exercise (first thing in the morning!). I can wear a lot of clothes that were too tight last summer, but still can't fit into some others.

How is everyone else doing? Is summer a time you find more or less motivation to keep up an exercise routine?

Restart

Today was the first time I worked out in about three weeks. I was battling a very nasty upper respiratory infection, complete with a hacking cough that turned into laryngitis. Needless to say, there was no exercise during this time.

In the past, I would feel guilty about not working out for so long. I would hate the fact that I would have to restart my routine, thinking it's just easier not to. But in my quest for doing things differently that I've done before because it isn't or hasn't worked, I just embraced this restart as just that... a restart.

Today, with a little push from Husband, I did 15 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes on the treadmill. My brain feels less mushy. My body is a little upset, but frankly, it will get over it. I am thinking about all the extra energy I am going to have.

Bottom line...I restarted. And, I am glad.

Giving it a try

So I decided to start the new year off by following some of the tenets of the article I linked to a few weeks back, Simple Till Six - basically, only eat meat after 6 pm. I didn't do to bad this first week. In fact, I was quite successful with not eating meat until after 6 pm. I didn't do that well with not eating any refined sugars during the day, mainly because of coffee. Hey, I figure, only one thing at a time!

Anywho, I made it the gym five days straight, ate plenty of fruits & veggies, and lots and lots of water! So much water that I was sick of going to the bathroom.

I was mostly worried about the weekend due to all of the unstructured time. During the workweek, it was really easy for me to reach 6 pm 'cause I was at work. I get off at 11 on Friday's and all day Saturday & Sunday are just whatever. I'm more tempted to cheat during those times, but I didn't! Hooray!

I'm taking this one week at a time. My challenge this week: travel.

Off the Wagon

The exercise wagon, that is. I've been dutiful on Weight Watchers (for the most part), and I had no problem meeting July's challenge. My problem is this: it's too bloody hot to do anything. I don't want to go outside, and my old house doesn't stay cool at all -- even with window units. So I end up starting the day with the best of intentions and then not doing much exercise at all. I can feel (and see) that I'm losing muscle tone, but I just don't seem to have the motivation to do anything about it. Do y'all have ANY suggestions?

RussianViolets

Good Work

I am doing quite well, now that I am back to my regular workout routine. I am back to my three-day a week routine and have added dog-walking daily, weather permitting.

The bonus is that I am now a size 12, sometimes a tight 10. I think I can get to a 10 by the end of August. I don't get on the scale, except at the doctor's office. For me, the scale is not a reliable measurement. Also, the scale has been a sort of "bad habits" for me in the past.

To celebrate my new progress, I did a little shopping.

Also, I received the results of my blood work. Blood sugar is 84. That is great considering that both sides of my family have diabetes, big time. My cholesterol is 181, with HDL at 119, LDL at 51 and Triglycerides at 55.

It's great to see that all this hard work is paying off!

Trying to get back on track

After a very stressful spring, and making lots of excuses for poor eating, I am trying to get back into healthy living.  Next Monday, I am going back on Weight Watchers (online). I lost 20 pounds on WW early last year and have gained back about 10 pounds (probably half of that in the last month!) I was tempted to start earlier, but knew that the end of the semester is never a time when it's easy to eat well. I was going to start this week, but there were more parties early in the week, so I decided to just wait until next week, because I like to start on a Monday. 

I did start exercising again this week, though. I've been walking on the treadmill, watching movies. I walked 3 miles on Monday, 2 miles on Wednesday, and will do at least 2 miles this afternoon. I'm not teaching this summer and my research obligations have pretty flexible timing, so I have no excuse to skip exercise. For the rest of this month, I plan to exercise at least three times a week, and get back into watching my diet starting next Monday. I would like to lose 20-30 pounds, but I first want to focus on being healthy. If we decide to try for another baby later this year, I should be in good health- even if we don't, I should still be in good shape! 

Moving Along

I am trying to get back in gear after my ankle injury. I cannot walk for long distances, so I have limited my treadmill and dog walking. My ankle hurts if I do those activities for an extended period of time. To compensate, I am using the elliptical and the recumbent bike. I don't feel as much pain when I use them. Plus, the elliptical really works the butt!

I am trying some strength training exercises to help build up my ankle. I keep my resistance bands next to the couch so that I can do some exercises while watching TV. But, I am frustrated at how slow the healing process is.

Is this a sign of getting old?

Update

Sorry for the lack of substance lately. I spent all of April either sick or recovering from my ankle injury. But, I am finally back at the gym and getting ready for summer.

I found this on Fitness magazine's website. I think it's cool that I can see what I would look like at my goal weight.

Check it out Don't worry, it's free.

So...how are you doing????

Injury Update

I am sure many of you heard about my ankle injury. I have been on the sideline since last Monday when all that heinousness happened. I am doing much better, even walking without crutches. This week, I am hoping to start back slowly using the bike or elliptical.

On the bright side, I realized that my legs and arms are much stronger than they used to be. I could use my upper body and my quads to help lift myself out of the bathtub, as I could not put any weight on my right foot.

Very cool.

Accountability

This has been a day of atonement/accountability for me, so I figured I'd stop in here to tell y'all that I've been a bit lax in working out. I was, for a time, getting up early five days per week to do my half an hour of cardio, and then I missed a day. That grew to a couple of days, then a week, etc. Fortunately, (and I'm proud of this), I never stopped entirely, but I ended up not doing anything in the mornings and growing more and more exhausted week after week after week.

Last week, I started up again with the 4:45 workout, and I feel better. As counterintuitive as that may seem, I know that it's true, and I need y'all to remind me of this the next time I think I'm too tired to do it. Another plus: I've lost 2.8 of the 4.2 pounds that I gained the weekend I went home. I had to face the dreaded scale, and it was the first time I've gained more than a pound (which I know is hormonal/water weight when it happens since it happens the week before it's so great to be a girl). I was mortified and immediately began to convince myself that I was going to gain back all that I've lost. I freaked out, recommitted to the Weight Watchers plan, and am back on track.

I even subscribed to a couple of fitness magazines, but I'd be interested in some more recommendations if y'all have any. I subscribe to Cooking Light and Weight Watchers already, and I subscribed in the past few weeks to Fitness and Health. I'm looking for sustainable changes that I can make while keeping interested. I think that boredom is part of this equation, too, and I'm hoping to become excited again as well.

Thanks for listening!

RussianViolets

New Fitness Challenges & Goals

As you may have heard, I am expecting my second child this fall (nine years after my first one!) I would like to NOT gain any more weight than necessary, since I have a few (ahem) extra pounds I'm carrying around already. Since it's really difficult to control how much I'm eating (when you are hungry and pregnant, you HAVE to eat something), so I am trying to stick with healthy foods and continue to exercise regularly. Even this has proven challenging so far. I am still in my first trimester and fatigue is an issue (I'm napping on days when I can). I've also had some dizziness issues- maybe linked to blood sugar. For exercise, I am walking (on the treadmill so far) for about 30 minutes 3 times a week. Now that spring has finally arrived, I will try to get out and walk, too. When the semester ends, I also plan to start swimming. I swam the last 4-5 months of my first pregnancy and it was wonderful. I almost never had back pain, leg cramps, or swollen ankles in late pregnancy and being in the water felt great- especially toward the end when it felt so difficult to walk with the extra weight. I think that the fall semester will be the hardest time to stick with exercise, but I plan to do my best- we have some aqua aerobics classes, too, so maybe I'll try one of those!

Thanks again to Seeking Solace for the link, too!

Keep Moving

Tonight was my last workout before my fabulous vacation. Although I am not quite where I want to be with my weight and fitness, I have made some great progress:

• I am working out three days a week, doing cardio and weights
• I am back at a size 12. My goal is to be a 10 by the end of May.
• I can run for 5 minutes without my RA flaring. I would like to keep adding time, as long as my joints will allow me.
• I am gaining the definition in my arms, shoulders and legs that I lost.
• I am more calm and relaxed.

Husband is also doing well. He is 4 minutes shy of his goal to run a 5K in June. I am so proud of him!

I hope all of you are making positive progress. Keep posting!

Feeling Fine

Despite migraines, a mild RA flare, and the flu, I was able to keep up with workout routine. I am working out three days a week, doing cardio and weight training. I think it helps that Husband goes with me to the gym. It's funny how when one of us doesn't want to go, the other is willing to give a little kick in the butt. It's not easy though. The weather in my part of the world is pretty crappy until about June. It's hard to get off the couch and get moving. I have to do a lot of positive self talk, bargaining and even threatening to get myself going. In the end, I am usually happy that I did it.

The scale has not moved very much, but my clothes are loose. I mentioned on my blog that I am back to a size 12. My goal from now until May is to get into a 10.

Right now, I am doing steady state, intervals and pyramids on the treadmill. I like changing it up becuase i tend to get bored easily. I am currently doing about 35 minutes, so I should start increasing my time. Also, I am increasing the speed. I have also added circuit training with weights. I want my arms to look good for sleeveless season.

Eating has not been much of a problem. I am in the process of returning to being a vegetarian, so I am really careful with my food choices. I want to make sure that I am getting the necessary protein and iron. Husband bought me this book which has been very helpful in the transition. There are also some great recipes too. It helps that I have found some recipes that can be made with or without meat, since Husband is all about eating meat. I will be posting a few vegitarian recipes that can easily be converted into meat-based meals.

I am feeling great. Hope you are too.

Still here!

Well, I have not been sticking to a regular exercise routine or eating very well lately (damn, girl scout cookies!). The last week, I have made an effort to improve, however. Last weekend we bought a mini-trampoline (only $30!) and it's pretty fun. We have a treadmill in our basement, which is my main source of exercise, but it's nice to have something to mix things up a bit. I used it that Sunday morning for about 25 minutes (after shoveling snow last Friday, walking on the treadmill on Saturday). Then I didn't exercise until Thursday, but at least I am getting in a few days a week now. I can't wait to see the March Challenge! OK- off to the treadmill...

January Update

Well, even though it doesn't look like it from my (lack of) posts here, I actually managed to do 30 minutes of vigorous activity several times per week in January. It worked! In addition to getting me back into the swing of things in school just that much faster, my holiday weight gain is now gone, and I'm back losing again. I still do yoga at least twice a week, which is not vigorous, but it sure helps me to stay sane and feel good. The accountability of Weight Watchers plus the inspiration here have helped me a lot, y'all, and I thank you.

Now, I'm anxious to see what February's challenge will be.

RussianViolets

Checking in on the January Challenge!

Hi Everyone! I don't think I've posted over here in a while, and it's mostly because I became such a huge lazy slacker at the end of 2007! The January Challenge has inspired me, however, and I've been working on my expanded goal of exercising three times a week (for at least 30 minutes). I've been keeping it up for about two weeks now, so I'm feeling pretty good. My eating has NOT been good, however, and I'm thinking I'll go back on WW in the next week or so (I lost 20 pounds last Spring, but have gained back about 7-8 pounds- most of it over Xmas). You can read my original introduction post, from 18 months ago, and the situation is pretty similar now (other than planning to go back on WW).

I can't wait to see what the February Challenge will be! Good luck, everyone!

Back to the Routine

I need a routine to function best, and even though I've been really diligent about my workouts, I still don't have a routine for them unless I'm in school. The result is that, while I'm active, I'm erratic. I'd like to work on that a bit more during my down time as it seems unhealthy to crave the "being busy" feeling. I think what I crave is the structure more than anything else.

That said, the past week has dropped me into the fray of school and my myriad responsibilities once again, complete with workouts this time. Perhaps the biggest challenge has been refusing to give up the time that I have on my schedule for me. More than anything else, this is my post for the world proclaiming victory in this area. I will not give up my time; instead, I will treat myself as importantly as I treat others.

RussianViolets

Checking In After Week One

I'm glad that this blog exists! I'm going to need all the support I can get. I returned to yoga after being away for a month due to surgery.

I lasted twenty minutes. My husband, who has been practicing yoga with me since July, clipped quickly along through the asanas, while I moved extremely slowly and exhaustedly. I knew that I wouldn't be as limber as I'd been in December, but I hadn't expected to feel so tired after such a short period of time. I still need to take daily naps, so that's an indicator of how much I have to go to get back in shape.

Now, this is not the thirty minutes of activity that we're supposed to be doing this month, but I'll get there.

How has the week been for the rest of you?