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?

Sidelined

I've been sidelined from running for the past month. Which kinda bums me out because I'm not going to reach my goal of 48o miles for the year. Oh well, I still have my health so that is a good thing.

Earlier this month, over the course of a day, my left ankle began to swell, and I couldn't walk on it by the end of the day. It was quite painful! The swelling went down overnight, but was still there 2 days later. I got it checked out and it turns out my Achilles tendon was inflammed. I was given meds and told to take it easy. The only cardio I could do was the bike and elliptical after a few weeks.

Well, with the injury and a lot of travel I haven't really been in the gym this month. This was the first week (and last week of the month) that I made a concerted effort to getting back to it. I'm doing weights, the bike, and I even did the elliptical. My plan is to add walking back in at the start of May. That may be delayed by the rain that is predicted through the middle of next week.

All in all, I'm ready to get back to my regular workout routine!

How's everyone?

Been a lil' quiet 'round these parts.

February is generally the time when folks start to peter out with health related goals.

I know I wasn't too successful with earning my 40 miles of running/walking this month, but I haven't given up. The weather here in the south was brutally cold (for us southerners), and there wasn't much outdoor exercise done by this southern girl. Needless to say I'm way off of my goal for the month. I've only completed 13 miles so for this month.

The weather should be fairly well this week, so I am to at least make it to 20 miles by the last day of the month. This past week, I did a personal 5K on back-to-back nights and yesterday I did a 10K. One think I've continued to do, no matter the weather, is going to the gym. Each day that I can, I do my best to go the gym prior to work. So all is not lost.

Sooooo...what's happening with all of you?

40 and fit?

Well, I'm "back on the wagon" and trying to get serious about getting into healthier shape. I turn 40 later this year and I don't want to start my 40s being overweight (or obese). I've managed to creep back up to the weight I was when I gave birth to my daughter over 10 years ago- but this time it's just me!! Yikes. I've been exercising pretty regularly since last summer when I got my stationary bike (with flaking out a bit late in the year when I had some nasty cold for about a month). Unfortunately, the biking led to no weight loss at all. I finally accepted that I would have to monitor my eating to lose weight. So last week, I started WW again. I am not registered with them this time, but am using the points system I used in 2007 to lose a bunch of weight (you can find the formulas online and I never used the community aspects of the program anyway). I am getting up early to exercise every morning (taking one day off per week) and so far think I've lost about 4 or 5 pounds (I don't officially weigh in until tomorrow morning). I know it will continue if I stick with it and the exercise only helps and makes me feel great. I'll plan to post over here every once in a while about my progress and I appreciate that others are doing the same! I should lose a minimum of 30 pounds and it would be even better if I could lose 40 (that would get me to my grad school, pre-baby weight). I've got just over 7 months until my 40th birthday, so I think I can be in pretty good shape by then. Here I go!

Walking is SO Underrated

To me the most underrated form of exercise is walking. Though, it has to be the easiest. We get so many benefits just from taking a quick stroll around the block, through the parking lot, or up a flight of stairs. It is so unfortunate that many don't see walking as exercise.

One of the things I'm doing this year is more walking. I use Nike+ iPod to document my walks/runs. Last year I walked/ran a total of 239.17 miles. Here's my chart:



My goal this year is to double my total. I want to get in at least 480 miles for 2010. Now you may think that is pretty aggressive and a high number to attain, but it is not if you break it down (which, of course I've done). Here's how I see it:

• 480 miles equates to 40 miles per month, 10 miles per week, or 1.2 miles per day. Now, I know that I can't walk every day of the year, for various reasons, but when it is broken down as such, it is doable.
• I set a goal to complete 40 miles in 4 weeks on Nike+ during the month of January. As of yesterday, I'm 8 miles away from those 40 miles. Have I walked/ran each day? Not at all. I mean, we had a really extreme cold spell for about a week! So nothing happened on those days, but I'm almost there.
  
• When I looked at my chart for 2009, I noticed a dip during the summer months. Though I love the heat, it does get really hot and a person is drenched after a mile or two. To combat that dip, I've signed up for several 5Ks and 10Ks over the next few months. Since I'm training for those, my mileage should increase somewhat so that dip will not hurt me later on in the year.
• I also wear a pedometer just about every day. I aim to get in 10,000 steps each day, but I don't always make it. I park at the far end of any parking structure, I take the stairs, I purposely go the long way when doing a task at work, etc. I force myself to move.move.move.
• Public accountability is important. I post the number of steps I take at the end of each day on Facebook. Some days it is well over 10K, and others it may be less than 3,000. It varies, but I post it no matter what (and generally w/o comment). When I don't wear the pedometer (due to a dress that I really don't have anywhere to hook it to), I state that.
  
• I also have my Nike+ account broadcasting to Facebook and Twitter.

Overall, I think I can accomplish my goal. I just have to stay focused and keep at it.

Biking in the Basement!

After my last post over here, I did walk in Relay for Life and it was a great experience (other than the heat and humidity). I did also manage to injure my foot in the process (metatarsalgia), so I've been told by my orthopedist that I can't walk for exercise for now. I could swim (if the campus pool was open right now), but I know that will be tough when classes start. Instead, I bought a recumbent exercise bike. I've had it for just over a week and have been riding almost every day (one day I was gone all day in Capitol City, but that's the only day I've skipped). According to the bike, I have burned 1250 calories this week!

I'm feeling really good about exercising regularly again (despite my foot) and just hope I can stick with it when classes start. Here is what I listened to today. It's about 38 minutes (and it was on shuffle, so I didn't listen in this exact order). All songs are available on Napster.

Ghostdancing - Simple Minds 4:45
Boy - Book of Love 2:57
I Touch Roses - Book of Love 3:22
Battlestations - Wham! 5:25
Edge of Heaven - Wham! 4:31
Fascination - Human League 3:45
The Lebanon - Human League 3:44
Love Song - Simple Minds 5:04
World in My Eyes - Depeche Mode 4:26

New Class

For my "renewal", I decided to try some new classes at my gym. I am current doing water aerobics two days a week, and using the tredmill or elliptical once a week. So, I decided to try Pilates. I missed the first two classes due to weather and an RA flare, so I was excited to attend my first class today.

I was thinking, how much different can it be from yoga? I've done yoga for years, so no big deal...right?

Wrong. Pilates kicked my ass!

Now, this class does not use the machines; it's all floor work. And there is more emphasis on the core. And my core is in need of some serious help. My core is in some pain right now. I am hopeful that in time, I will be just fine. I love the class and my instructor. She is so encouraging and helpful.

It's a good thing water aerobics was cancelled tonight due to pool maintenance!!!

December's concerted effort

I indicated that I was going to make a concerted effort during the month of December to go to the gym everyday that I went to work. Midway through the month I updated you all to say that I'd made it 8 of 11 days. Well, the December has come and gone and here's the final update: 15 out of 21 days I made it the gym. Not perfect, but pretty good. On each of those 15 days I did 40 minutes of cardio. My main goal for increasing my cardio output was to combat the endless eating that goes along with the holiday, and I succeeded. No extra pounds put on during the holiday. Hooray!

Anyone trying this?

I saw this story on ABCnews.com, Getting in Shape, in the Office. Six exercises that can be done while in the office. Sounds feasible. I think I'l'l give it a try and report back after a month to let you all know how its going.

Watch the video to see the exercises.

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

Beat The Heat

If I had known that the weather would be this oppressive, I would have re-thought this month's Challenge!

It's hard to get out and do something when it's 90 degrees and 80% humidity. If you can get out, please take care of yourself. The Mayo Clinic suggests the following:

• Take it slow. If you're used to exercising indoors or in cooler weather, take it easy at first. As your body adapts to the heat, gradually increase the length and intensity of your workouts. If you have a chronic medical condition or take medication, ask your doctor if you need to take additional precautions.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Your body's ability to sweat and cool down depends on adequate rehydration. Drink plenty of water while you're working out — even if you don't feel thirsty. If you're planning to exercise intensely or for longer than one hour, consider sports drinks instead. These drinks can replace the sodium, chloride and potassium you lose through sweating. Avoid drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol, which actually promote fluid loss.
• Dress appropriately. Lightweight, loosefitting clothing promotes sweat evaporation and cooling by letting more air pass over your body. Avoid dark colors, which can absorb the heat. A light-colored hat can limit your exposure to the sun.
  Avoid midday sun. Exercise in the morning or evening — when it's likely to be cooler outdoors — rather than the middle of the day. If possible, exercise in the shade or in a pool.
• Wear sunscreen. Sunburn decreases your body's ability to cool itself.
• Have a backup plan. If you're concerned about the heat or humidity, stay indoors. Work out at the gym, walk laps inside the mall or climb stairs inside an air-conditioned building

Stay cool!

Revamping the workout

Once I realized that I needed to make some changes, I went all out and included a change in my workout as well. I don't about you, but I get stagnant, at times, and don't challenge myself with working out after awhile. I get lazy and do the same workout, that is, I don't increase the amount I'm lifting or change the resistance on the cardio machine. I needed a shake-up!

I decided to go to the bookstore an peruse the workout books to get an idea of how to change my workout. Eureka! I found the best little book called The Lean Body Promise Book (gym edition*) by Lee Labrada. I perused it in the store and didn't get it the first time I was in there. But the more I thought about it, I knew it was just what I needed so I went back and purchased it.

I re-read the book and decided to follow the program with the exception of 1 thing. The main premise is to workout every day - no days off. Well, I think the body needs at least 1 day of rest so that is the concession that I made. I'm following the work out 6 days a week and taking 1 day off (Sunday). The workouts are labeled A, B, and C. Within each workout, for example A - there are 2 modules you may follow. Workout B has 3 modules and workout C has 2. You follow a sequence of workout A, B, Cardio, C, A, Cardio, B, C, Cardio, A, B, Cardio, C, A, Carido, etc.

The modules cover different muscle groups. For example, on Workout A, module 1, I'm working chest, shoulders, and triceps. When Workout A rolls around again, I do module 2 which are the same muscles, but different exercises.

Workout B has 3 modules, but each one doesn't have a lot of exercises so I add in about 15 minutes of cardio on that day.

On the cardio day, I do 35-40 minutes of cardio. I rotate between the treadmill, stairmaster, and elliptcal machine. Generally, I'll do 20 minutes on 1 and 15-20 on another.

I record what I'm doing and I challenge myself to use weights that will do my body good (i.e., not something that is light and easy).

So, I've been at it for about a week and a half and I'm still sore! Oh. My. Goodness! Yeah, I'm sore because I'm engaging in some exercises that I haven't done in the past. The tiny book has definitely been worth the investment.

*Upon first searching, I didn't see the gym edition which is what I purchased. The gym edition is pocket-sized and has photos of all of the exercises. I'm kinda curious about the full version, but not that much to purchase it at this time.

For The Pregnant Active Academic

For those of you who have been bitten by the pregnancy bug, have no fear. Fit Pregnancy has some great tips on fitness and nutrition to help you stay healthy during and after pregnancy.

So for all you expecting moms...check it out!

Best wishes,
Seeking Solace
(And no, I am not pregnant.)

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...

A good feeling

Last night I was running with my nephew down a breezeway at the tennis courts. It was wonderful to do that run with him, hear him laughing because he & I were racing, and for me to come to a stop and not feel out of breath. That, my friends, is what this challenge is all about.

Getting healthy & fit.

Increasing your cardio output will help in many aspects of your life:

• sleep
• breathing
• stamina
• weight loss
• self-confidence

Those are just a few that have improved in my life. What about you? Since you've been increasing your cardio output, what has changed for you?

Nike + iPod

Does anyone have one of those thingamajigs? I must say, it is AWESOME! I was given the sport kit back in the fall, but I didn't have a pair of Nike tennis (and I don't really prefer Nike shoes). So I lollygagged about using the device. In late January, a friend told me about the Shoe Pouch from Grantwood Technology. It allows you to use the iPod transmitter with any brand of tennis shoe. Score!

I ordered one I've been using it since the beginning of this month. LOVE IT! If you are into walking or running and want to track your mileage, pace, calories, distance, etc. and you have an iPod nano, I can't think of a better way to do it. Well, you could use a pedometer, but his is way better. I have yet to upload my data to the Nikeplus website (not sure if I want to do so just yet), but I can see my history on my iPod. When I finally decide to sign-up for another 5k or 10K this will definitely come in handy.

Moving throughout the day

Good article from Her Active Life on moving throughout the day

Move More, All Day Long (select link for full article)

One of the simplest ways to stay fit and feel active, as well as maintain a healthy weight, is to keep moving throughout the day. If you need to lose weight, moving more can help - cutting back on food isn’t something most people enjoy, and by getting a little more activity, you can get to a healthy weight while still eating a robust diet.

The problem? There are only 24 hours in a day, and we can’t always make time for long gym sessions. So, you need to find easy ways to “fit in” fitness. Below are a few suggestions:

1. Walk at least one errand each week. If you plan on doing some shopping this weekend, walk to the mall. If you’ve got a medical appointment over your lunch break, stroll over if you can. If possible, make arrangements so that your errands are within walking distance, and those little trips will add up. If the distances are too far to walk, then park your car a few blocks away, and go from there.

Back in the game

Back in 2006 I wrote about my fitness struggles – the 60 pounds on and off (in various quantities) over the last six years. Well, it’s now 2008 and I’m still in the same situation, despite my resolution to make major lifestyle changes that would prevent the on and off weight gain (which is hard on my body). This is the year it stops.

When I sat down to write out my theme/goals for the year, I took a long look at how I wanted to treat myself and what I needed to do in order to be happy. I realized that in order to get there, I first have to make some lifestyle changes that don’t center around physical health – mainly, I have to stop being such a friggin’ perfectionist. I am an excellent dieter. I can focus and lose weight very quickly; however, I’m no so great at maintaining anything (eating or exercising) over the long haul. Usually what happens is that whenever I reach whatever particular goal, I give up the routine and go back to eating the way I was/not exercising much within a few months. Once I see gains, I completely give up. I have to let go of that extreme attitude (one setback does not equal a complete failure) if I’m truly going to make lifestyle changes. I turned 30 last October – I really don’t want to spend my thirties dealing with the same 60 lbs that plagued me during the latter half of my twenties.

My fitness goal for the year is to lose 50 lbs, which averages out to a little over 4 lbs per month. I would like to lose 10 more than that, but I don’t want to be unrealistic. Looking at what I’ve done in the past, I definitely think losing 4ish lbs a month is doable if I stay consistent. I’m already off to a good start – I have a decent teaching schedule this term that allows me to schedule a five day a week workout routine. I started the routine last week, along with my new classes; I purposely started at the same time so that I could establish my time perimeters from the very beginning. As I mentioned before, as long as I’m exercising regularly, I will eat well (because I can’t dissociate how much time I’ll have to spend exercising in order to burn off whatever random bad food I eat). Really, the key for me is making regular exercise a part of my life no matter what schedule changes happen.

I’m off to a great start – I worked out five times last week, ate well, and didn’t have any caffeine.* Since the beginning of the month, I’ve already lost five pounds and I’ve slept through the night every night for the past week! Yay!

To keep myself accountable, I plan to check in here at least two or three times a month with updates (or setbacks – hopefully, these posts will be few). If you don’t hear from me every month, please email me at comebacknikki [at] gmail.com and threaten to kick my butt (seriously, please do!).

Here’s to healthy and happy 2008! :)

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
*I’m cutting off caffeine for the time being because I’ve been having major sleeping problems since September (my four month bout with bronchitis started it all). From September to December, I literally was only sleeping between 2-4 hours a night. Needless to say, I was living on caffeine.

Turn Walking Into a Sport

From Her Active Life:

Turn Walking Into a Sport

Maybe you’ve started incorporating more walking into your daily routine - great! But can you do more to get the full benefit of taking those 10,000 steps a day? Dr. Mirkin offers advice on how to go from “walking for health” to “walking for fitness” with his tips on making walks a workout. Read on for his ideas.

Walking is a very safe sport because it rarely causes injuries. Running causes injuries frequently because you take both feet off the ground at the same time and land with a tremendous force that can tear muscles and shatter bones. On the other hand, when you walk, you always keep at least one foot on the ground and land with minimal foot strike force.

Continue reading...

Try This...10 Minute Drill

I was thinking about Kai's frustration and I thought this might help. This is also great for those of you who might be bored with the same old walking on the treadmill routine.

One of my favorite workouts for the gym is what I call the 10 minute drill. Here's how it works. Choose three different machine. I like to use the treadmill, recumbent bike and the elliptical. Start with the treadmill. Go for 10 minutes using whatever setting you wish, making sure you get your heart rate up. Then, move to the bike and go for 10 minutes using whatever setting you wish. Finally, finish on the elliptical for 10 minutes. Use any machine you wish for additional cool down or do some stretching.

You will get a great workout that targets many muscle groups. Also, 10 minutes flies by rather fast. You will be surprise how fast the time goes. Plus, you will not get bored because you are changing machines. You can really challenge yourself by increasing the time or intensity on each machine.

So, give it a try!
Seeking Solace