So exercise has been difficult since I got back from Disney. Last Friday Dan and I went for a 40 minute walk and then on Saturday we went for an hour walk. But that's all she wrote, folks.
Sunday there was just too much going on in prep for the workshop. Monday I was having a very hard personal day and I was also very busy with Blackbird stuff. I have been trying to wake up at 6:15 now to work out in the morning, but have discovered every morning that it is A. Too Dark for me to want to get up and B. Too cold for me to want to get up. So that killed exercise on Tuesday for me and this morning, too.
I need to figure something out that works for me, folks. It needs to work within my schedule and it needs to work with the cold early morning hours AND it needs to work with the eventual reherasals I'll be having three nights a week. So here is what I'm going to try...
On Mondays and Wednesdays I have the morning off from work. So sometime between 9am and 12pm I need to muster up the courage to go outside when it's cold and walk for 30 minutes.
On Saturdays and Sundays there is plenty of time when I am not busy - but would rather be curled up on the couch doing nothing. I can find time in between weekend craziness to walk for 30 minutes, especially since Dan is willing to go with me on the weekends.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I work a full day - and starting in Dec. I will have rehearsal every Tuesday night. I also have been going to Weight Watchers on Thursdays after work. So on these days I need to wake up early and lift weights in the house. It will be less chilly than the early AM jaunt outside and it will be lighter in the house too. So there.
And finally - on Fridays I can just stick with what I'm doing now! Dan and I have made quite a lovely habit of walking to Hollywood Video and back every Friday night. It takes 20 minutes each way (and we keep the pace up by power walking) plus it helps us save money on the weekends!
Okay. I like this plan. It varies what I'm doing during the weekdays, but it does so in order to work with my schedule. I am normally the kind of person that likes to have the same plan for every day, but clearly life is busy and I can't have everything I want all the time.
And now - onto the title of this blog. To keep discipline in my classroom, my students can "earn" minutes for the playground (which I can constantly threaten to take away if they are being bad). Wednesday's class had a Halloween theme and they wanted to take it with them on the playground too. So they deemed me the "sea monster." The blue area of the playground floor was my swamp and the playground was the boat. And if they got off the boat into the swamp, then I could chase them. At first I was hesitant to be the monster, mostly because I haven't done a lot of running since last fall (when I taught the sports and rec class) and I could barely keep up with the kids then. But they wanted me to be the monster (and I wanted to do it too), so I agreed to play along with the thought that I could always tag a kid and make them the monster when I got tired. So I started to run all around the playground, chasing kids and tickling them. The kids got a huge kick out of it, they would all jump down and taunt me and then run away screaming as I would roar and give chase. And, to my surprise, for the full fifteen minutes I didn't get winded! I ran all up and down the playground, screaming, jumping, picking up kids and throwing them in the air...and it felt really good! I was a little sweaty by the end of it, but I could breathe easily and I probably could have played a little longer!
And so I say this. Even when I have a hard week of exercise or a hard week of eating, I have lost almost 30 pounds and I FEEL HEALTHIER. My body is lighter and my muscles are starting to take shape. The only cravings I get now are for big bowls of vegetables, a honey crisp apple, or maybe a baked potato. I am walking at a faster pace and I am less hungry through out the day. By no means have I perfected my diet and I know I will have more slip ups as I continue forward, but I am past the starting point now and well into the journey. And things are looking different for me. I like that.
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
I'm baaaa-ck.
I'm exhausted. Disney World is a trip, man. Here is the lowdown.
It is extremely (EXTREMELY) difficult to diet when you are in Walt Disney World. There just aren't very many healthy options (and even the healthy stuff comes pre-made aka drenched in dressing).
I did really well on Thursday and Tuesday, as those were my "in transit" days and much easier to control. So hooray for that, I suppose.
I will say that Disney World is an excellent place to get in your exercise. We were either standing in line or walking for at least 5 hours a day. Every day Dan and I would literally collapse from leg exhaustion. We were also extremely sweaty all day long (yum). So I do think that a good portion of the crap I ate I probably immediately sweated out. At least I HOPE so. P.S. All the parks are SO GOOD for walking! I can never get over how every section of each park feels so completely different from the last. And such good people watching - man alive!
Some things I think I did really well - I had granola bars for breakfast every day. So at least there was one meal that I knew I was in control of. On Friday afternoon I had hummus and lamb for lunch, on Saturday I had a burger w/ apple slices instead of fries and on Sunday I had a salad for lunch. I did have ice cream every day that we were there, but I stuck to things on sticks (and one sugar free butter pecan delicasy in a cone). I also had just a corn dog for lunch on Monday (I wanted one so bad)! If there were greasy things I wanted as bite of, then Dan would order them and I would get exactly one bite! So that was pretty good.
Dinner times were harder. Friday night I had a small steak w/ a baked potato, but I also had mucho alcohol (and we shared a brownie sundae). Saturday night I ordered a salad for dinner, but we also ordered some amazing cuban appitizers (you tell me that you could pass up fried mashed potatoes - because I don't believe you) and of course mucho drinking! Sunday night I had pasta w/ red sauce, but also MUCHO MUCHO drinking. And Monday night for dinner I had chicken w/ broccoli and white rice, but I also consumed a pound of reeses pieces at the movies (couldn't resist). P.S. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist was pretty good in a modern John Hughes way. Dan loved it, aww.
So I feel proud of myself that I didn't eat everything in sight, but other than that there were moments when I felt bloated, or didn't even really like my food, but was too drunk to stop myself. I forgot how much drunkeness has a hand in my bad choices (I really haven't had that much to drink in a long time).
But what I REALLY feel proud of is the fact that my diet was never far from my mind. I wrote down every bad thing that I ate, bothered Dan endlessly about how much walking he thought we had done each day, and by Monday I was craving fruits and vegetables. The strangest thing is that the majority of the food I ate I chose by default, but in reality I was a little sad that I couldn't make better choices - because I wanted to! Granted - that was not my mind set while I was drinking my pomengrate cur or chowing down on ice cream, but I wanted better real food options! So that's progress, right?
Last night at the grocery store the produce smelled so good! I actually completed my shopping, looked in the cart, and realized I had forgotten all my sweet tooth snacks for the week. Everything I had was high in fiber, or a lean meat, or fruit, or veggies, or dairy. And it was all I had even looked at in the store! So that's progress too.
I'm going to weigh in tomorrow night, even though I know that I probably gained on my trip. I figure that it's better to know the damage so I can work extra hard to fix it. I was so close to 30 damnit, but I suppose either way I get my 16 week award. I have made a commitment to myself and to my diet - and life happens! Sometimes you are just in Disney World for a week and you have to eat a corn dog. It's science.
For the record, I absolutely love Disney World and would go back again in a heart beat. But maybe next time I will stay at a hotel with a kitchen in my room, so I can prepare my own food. That would be better, I think.
It is extremely (EXTREMELY) difficult to diet when you are in Walt Disney World. There just aren't very many healthy options (and even the healthy stuff comes pre-made aka drenched in dressing).
I did really well on Thursday and Tuesday, as those were my "in transit" days and much easier to control. So hooray for that, I suppose.
I will say that Disney World is an excellent place to get in your exercise. We were either standing in line or walking for at least 5 hours a day. Every day Dan and I would literally collapse from leg exhaustion. We were also extremely sweaty all day long (yum). So I do think that a good portion of the crap I ate I probably immediately sweated out. At least I HOPE so. P.S. All the parks are SO GOOD for walking! I can never get over how every section of each park feels so completely different from the last. And such good people watching - man alive!
Some things I think I did really well - I had granola bars for breakfast every day. So at least there was one meal that I knew I was in control of. On Friday afternoon I had hummus and lamb for lunch, on Saturday I had a burger w/ apple slices instead of fries and on Sunday I had a salad for lunch. I did have ice cream every day that we were there, but I stuck to things on sticks (and one sugar free butter pecan delicasy in a cone). I also had just a corn dog for lunch on Monday (I wanted one so bad)! If there were greasy things I wanted as bite of, then Dan would order them and I would get exactly one bite! So that was pretty good.
Dinner times were harder. Friday night I had a small steak w/ a baked potato, but I also had mucho alcohol (and we shared a brownie sundae). Saturday night I ordered a salad for dinner, but we also ordered some amazing cuban appitizers (you tell me that you could pass up fried mashed potatoes - because I don't believe you) and of course mucho drinking! Sunday night I had pasta w/ red sauce, but also MUCHO MUCHO drinking. And Monday night for dinner I had chicken w/ broccoli and white rice, but I also consumed a pound of reeses pieces at the movies (couldn't resist). P.S. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist was pretty good in a modern John Hughes way. Dan loved it, aww.
So I feel proud of myself that I didn't eat everything in sight, but other than that there were moments when I felt bloated, or didn't even really like my food, but was too drunk to stop myself. I forgot how much drunkeness has a hand in my bad choices (I really haven't had that much to drink in a long time).
But what I REALLY feel proud of is the fact that my diet was never far from my mind. I wrote down every bad thing that I ate, bothered Dan endlessly about how much walking he thought we had done each day, and by Monday I was craving fruits and vegetables. The strangest thing is that the majority of the food I ate I chose by default, but in reality I was a little sad that I couldn't make better choices - because I wanted to! Granted - that was not my mind set while I was drinking my pomengrate cur or chowing down on ice cream, but I wanted better real food options! So that's progress, right?
Last night at the grocery store the produce smelled so good! I actually completed my shopping, looked in the cart, and realized I had forgotten all my sweet tooth snacks for the week. Everything I had was high in fiber, or a lean meat, or fruit, or veggies, or dairy. And it was all I had even looked at in the store! So that's progress too.
I'm going to weigh in tomorrow night, even though I know that I probably gained on my trip. I figure that it's better to know the damage so I can work extra hard to fix it. I was so close to 30 damnit, but I suppose either way I get my 16 week award. I have made a commitment to myself and to my diet - and life happens! Sometimes you are just in Disney World for a week and you have to eat a corn dog. It's science.
For the record, I absolutely love Disney World and would go back again in a heart beat. But maybe next time I will stay at a hotel with a kitchen in my room, so I can prepare my own food. That would be better, I think.
Monday, October 6, 2008
It's that time of year
I am leaving for my first day of teaching in about 10 minutes. I am excited, eager, nervous, scared, etc etc etc. It's so lame but, I hope the children like me!
My first interview this week went exceptionally well. I like the area, I love the space, the mission is provocative, and I really like the woman I interviewed with. I think it would be such a good fit for me. Now begins the dreaded waiting process... she mentioned a second interview, so now I have to see if she calls me back in this week (and before Disney, at that).
I have my second interview for the week tomorrow afternoon. I'm not as excited about it yet, however it will be more money and benefits so I will take it if I can get it. I am hoping that I get one of the two jobs, so either way I can move on. Eek. It better happen.
I was hoping to exercise this afternoon before class, but with the interview, getting the stuff ready in my car, preparing the Blackbird agenda, and sending in my weekly submission I just didn't have the time. Oh well. I may try to lift weights after the meeting if I still feel the need to work out.
Also, we haven't gone grocery shopping yet this week. Which was fine today...and we'll be out of town Thursday through Tuesday, but we are out of foods that we normally eat throughout the week. So now I'm feeling a little stumped as to what to do in terms of things that are perishable. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what Dan thinks when he gets home.
Wish me luck!
Friday, October 3, 2008
October Exercise Chart
I gotta start tracking my exercise today! In addition to the two 15 minute walks I've gotten in today, I'm also going for a 40 minute walk with Dan tonight. Wee! I'm strong!
October 1 - NADA
October 2 - 30 minute walk w/ Ryan
October 3 - 15 minute walk, 15 minute walk, 40 minute walk
October 1 - NADA
October 2 - 30 minute walk w/ Ryan
October 3 - 15 minute walk, 15 minute walk, 40 minute walk
October 4 - 30 minute weights
October 5 - 30 minute walk
October 6 - NADA
October 7 - 30 minute weights
October 8 - NADA
October 9 - NADA
October 10 - 1 hour walk
October 11 - 1 hour walk
October 12 - 1 hour walk
October 13 - 1 hour walk
October 14 - 30 minutes weights
October 15 - NADA
October 16 - NADA
October 17 - 40 minute walk
October 18 - 1 hour walk
October 19 - NADA
October 20 - NADA
October 21 - NADA
October 22 - 15 minute "run around the playground," 1 hour intense cleaning (it counts)
October 23 - NADA
October 24 - NADA
October 25 - 30 Walk
October 26 - 30 Minute Weights
October 27 - 30 minute walk
October 28 - 30 minute Weights
October 29 - 40 minute walk
October 30 - NADA
October 31 - NADA
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Champion
So here is my exercise "progress" in September:
I went for five 45 minute walks.
I went for three 40 minute walks.
I went for eight 30 minute walks.
I lifted weights seven times.
In other words, I exercised 23 times in September! Granted, sometimes it was twice a day, but I still feel really good about that number. I'd like to see if go up in October, though. Hopefully it will.
I also have lost 6.6 pounds in September, however I still technically have one more September weigh in. I originally thought I had lost 7 pounds so far this month, but apparently I am REALLY bad at math. Oh well. At least someone else is doing the actual counting that matters (the lady at the scale each week). So a .4 loss would put me at my goal of 7 pounds. And I know that my weigh in will be Oct. 1st this week, but the progress will have been from last week. At least, that's how I measure things.
I went for five 45 minute walks.
I went for three 40 minute walks.
I went for eight 30 minute walks.
I lifted weights seven times.
In other words, I exercised 23 times in September! Granted, sometimes it was twice a day, but I still feel really good about that number. I'd like to see if go up in October, though. Hopefully it will.
I also have lost 6.6 pounds in September, however I still technically have one more September weigh in. I originally thought I had lost 7 pounds so far this month, but apparently I am REALLY bad at math. Oh well. At least someone else is doing the actual counting that matters (the lady at the scale each week). So a .4 loss would put me at my goal of 7 pounds. And I know that my weigh in will be Oct. 1st this week, but the progress will have been from last week. At least, that's how I measure things.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Engaged and aged.
Got up early and did the 30 minute walk this morning. It felt really good and I noticed at points that I was moving much faster than when I originally started. I'm going to lift weights tonight and then tomorrow I have the day off so I imagine a long walk in store.
Huzzah. I am proud of myself.
Huzzah. I am proud of myself.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
26.4 feels even better!
I hit 26.4 pounds today! Woo hoo! I have lost a total of 7.4 pounds this month and my goal was 7, so I am awesome (plus, there is still a week left in the month, ha ha)!!
Another friend joined tonight, which is exciting! I'm really proud of her already and now we have a group of three at the meetings. It helps when you have friends to support, in my opinion. Now we can all gossip about what we eat all day (wow, it makes us sound so exciting).
8.6 until I hit my first "big" goal, aka 35 pounds. I haven't quite decided what I'm even going to do for my 25 pound reward, but I suspect an Old Navy sweater may be in the cards.
In other exciting clothes news, Holly and I are going shopping for the skirt fabric for my wedding this weekend. She isn't going to build the actual skirt until we get closer to the wedding, because I will have probably dropped a couple of sizes by then. But the fabric is the first step, so we're going out to the burbs this weekend to visit quilt stores. Hooray!
I didn't exercise today...but I'm feeling okay about that. I will be lifting weights and walking tomorrow and Dan and I always take long walks over the weekend. Aileen is brilliant in saying that any progress is GOOD progress, so I am trying to live more by that motto and less by the challenge oriented weight loss.
Man. I feel good.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Just a little exercise update...
This week alone I've done 4 days of exercise and been able to really stay on point. I feel like it will be a good week on the scale, but who know? At this point I am just happy to be making progress each week.
Speaking of progress, my goal for October will simply be to work out more days than I have in September.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Ears are for losers.
So I am reasonably sure that I have an ear infection. SWEET. It probably has something to do with all the running around in the rain I did last weekend. Man, being reckless sure is fun at the time, but it sucks when you have to actually pay for it.
I stayed home sick from work yesterday. I went to bed late on Wednesday night, but I literally slept until noon on Thursday morning. That may not seem that long for most people, but even on the weekends I am typically up by 9. So.
Exercise was null yesterday, as I couldn't find the strength to be standing up for very long. I took some "severe head congestion" medicine today, so I'm feeling a bit better. Dan and I are going to powerwalk to Hollywood Video tonight (the whole walk takes about 40 minutes). I also hope to lift weights tonight, as I missed it on Thursday.
The diet part of my week has been going well, granted it's day two of this week. There was a party for our wig designer today, of course I couldn't go because I had to "guard the phones." Cody said I could go up after she finished to grab some food. Normally I tend to avoid these types of events for that very reason, but I decided just to go up and see if there was anything possible. It turns out that Meloo ordered vegan food for some of the costume shop girls! I got a tiny amount of vegan paella and a tiny amount of vegan shepard's pie. I also loaded up on grapes. I couldn't finish the paella (the rice was weird, so I just ate the veggies and tofu). I ate the "meat" from the shephard's pie, but I didn't eat the potatoes. It was a good, but I didn't over eat at all. I feel proud of myself. So with the jamba juice I've had this morning, the grapes, and all the veggies in the paella I would say that I'm having a really good day HG wise.
My goal for this weekend is simply to get some exercise in on Saturday and Sunday and to control my snack cravings. It is okay if I snack, as long as I CONTROL myself. Dan is planning to take me on a picnic on Saturday and he will be exercising with me as well. I love my lovely boyfriend.
I stayed home sick from work yesterday. I went to bed late on Wednesday night, but I literally slept until noon on Thursday morning. That may not seem that long for most people, but even on the weekends I am typically up by 9. So.
Exercise was null yesterday, as I couldn't find the strength to be standing up for very long. I took some "severe head congestion" medicine today, so I'm feeling a bit better. Dan and I are going to powerwalk to Hollywood Video tonight (the whole walk takes about 40 minutes). I also hope to lift weights tonight, as I missed it on Thursday.
The diet part of my week has been going well, granted it's day two of this week. There was a party for our wig designer today, of course I couldn't go because I had to "guard the phones." Cody said I could go up after she finished to grab some food. Normally I tend to avoid these types of events for that very reason, but I decided just to go up and see if there was anything possible. It turns out that Meloo ordered vegan food for some of the costume shop girls! I got a tiny amount of vegan paella and a tiny amount of vegan shepard's pie. I also loaded up on grapes. I couldn't finish the paella (the rice was weird, so I just ate the veggies and tofu). I ate the "meat" from the shephard's pie, but I didn't eat the potatoes. It was a good, but I didn't over eat at all. I feel proud of myself. So with the jamba juice I've had this morning, the grapes, and all the veggies in the paella I would say that I'm having a really good day HG wise.
My goal for this weekend is simply to get some exercise in on Saturday and Sunday and to control my snack cravings. It is okay if I snack, as long as I CONTROL myself. Dan is planning to take me on a picnic on Saturday and he will be exercising with me as well. I love my lovely boyfriend.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Maximum Power.
This week has been going okay. It has definitely not been my best week, but it's not my worst either. I have exercised on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday, which is really good for my first week of trying to be back on track. I'm heading out to do laundry now and then I will be taking my 30 minute walk before I head to Pulaski for Professional Development Training.
I used all of my anytime points this week, which I haven't done in a while. I wouldn't say that I necessarily needed them so much as that I found myself really wanting to use them. We'll see how it goes. With the exercise upped this week it may balance out and lead to a weight loss, but it may also just lead to a week of maintaining. Hopefully I won't gain, but I was a little shocked by my bigger weight loss last week and I tend to "balance out" the week after a bigger weight loss. When I say balance out I mean that if I lose over 2 pounds one week than I typically lose under 2 pounds the second week. And as it is supposed to be abnormal to lose over 2 pounds anyway (or to lose less than .5 each week too). So.
It would be nice to hit the 25 pound mark, but I don't think it will be happening this week. Maybe next week, though.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
smack down!
Last night after laundry I started my weight training regiment. I focused primarily on my arms, abs, thighs, and butt. I also did a lot of stretching, as I've been feeling a little tense lately. I've found that I enjoy doing this type of exercise while watching tv and since we have a lot of space it works out pretty well.
Dan and I are going for a 30 minute walk tonight after my Weight Watchers meeting, as has become a customary part of my weight loss journey. Tomorrow morning I will be going back to my 6am walk with the dogs, as I am finally feeling clear headed, well rested, and not sick. Back to 30 minutes, I say! Huzzah!
Dan and I are going for a 30 minute walk tonight after my Weight Watchers meeting, as has become a customary part of my weight loss journey. Tomorrow morning I will be going back to my 6am walk with the dogs, as I am finally feeling clear headed, well rested, and not sick. Back to 30 minutes, I say! Huzzah!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Reset Button?
So the 45x30 challenge has been a disaster thus far. Since it started I have only exercised three of the nine days. I missed 2 days due to rain, 3 days due to feeling sick, and 1 day due to lack of sleep. Right now I see two options at my feet:
1. Start over! Tomorrow is the 10th, so I could make the challenge 45x20.
2. Admit that 45 minutes still seems like a lot of exercise to me. Go back to the 30x30 challenge until I feel really comfortable adding in the extra minutes.
3. Change the challenge rules to allow myself one day off a week.
Advice would be appreciated. I by no means am giving up on exercise, but I do want to create a new plan that works for me.
I've been really wanting to continue exercising in the morning, as once I am awake I find it really easy. I do get a little nervous being out so early in the dark alone, though. Aileen, do you have any suggestions as to how to get over this ridiculous fear?
Anyway, I've been on point for eating this week and have only used half of my anytime points. This weekend I had a much easier time not snacking, for whatever reason. I've been switching back and forth at work between eating lean cuisines and bringing a wrap. I've also been trying hard to meet all my healthy guidelines, so I've been eating a banana with my breakfast, putting lots of romaine and spinach on my wraps, and having at least one vegetable with dinner. I like to snack on fruit during the day, but only if it is really fresh and in season which is hard to find in the city, even at the farmers markets (in my opinion). I think I was spoiled growing up in Minnesota where apple farms and berry farms were always so close to our house. Sad.
In terms of progress, my jeans are really loose on my thighs and butt now. A couple of my tighter shirts no longer hug my stomach. And my newer red skirt (that I am in love with) slides down my hips now. I think I will see even more progress once I am able to get back on track with exercise, but for now I feel pretty good.
1. Start over! Tomorrow is the 10th, so I could make the challenge 45x20.
2. Admit that 45 minutes still seems like a lot of exercise to me. Go back to the 30x30 challenge until I feel really comfortable adding in the extra minutes.
3. Change the challenge rules to allow myself one day off a week.
Advice would be appreciated. I by no means am giving up on exercise, but I do want to create a new plan that works for me.
I've been really wanting to continue exercising in the morning, as once I am awake I find it really easy. I do get a little nervous being out so early in the dark alone, though. Aileen, do you have any suggestions as to how to get over this ridiculous fear?
Anyway, I've been on point for eating this week and have only used half of my anytime points. This weekend I had a much easier time not snacking, for whatever reason. I've been switching back and forth at work between eating lean cuisines and bringing a wrap. I've also been trying hard to meet all my healthy guidelines, so I've been eating a banana with my breakfast, putting lots of romaine and spinach on my wraps, and having at least one vegetable with dinner. I like to snack on fruit during the day, but only if it is really fresh and in season which is hard to find in the city, even at the farmers markets (in my opinion). I think I was spoiled growing up in Minnesota where apple farms and berry farms were always so close to our house. Sad.
In terms of progress, my jeans are really loose on my thighs and butt now. A couple of my tighter shirts no longer hug my stomach. And my newer red skirt (that I am in love with) slides down my hips now. I think I will see even more progress once I am able to get back on track with exercise, but for now I feel pretty good.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Theatre Chairs
Dan and I went to see Torch Song Trilogy this afternoon. It was good, but it was three hours long and the chairs were SO UNCOMFORTABLE. As a result, my neck and shoulders are killing me. It was nice to see Evan and Ryan, though. Ryan always makes me cry onstage and today was no exception. He is a very powerful performer. The women in the show were also pretty incredible and I'd be interested to see them read for our future shows.
Dan and I did 45 minute walks on Friday and Saturday. No exercise today, though. I was going to walk after the show, but the chairs dashed all hopes of that. I have taken three advil, drank a large amount of caffeine, and even put icy hot on it to no avail. I should have gone to a chiropractor when I first hurt my back, but I had to be impatient about it (as I am about most things). oh well. I guess you reap what you sow. I am going to do a long day of exercise tomorrow (since it is my day off) to make up for it and then get back to my AM walks on Tuesday. Hooray.
We went out to eat with Ryan and Yolanda last night, which was delightful. It was nice to be out leisurely with friends. We've been so busy with Blackbird stuff that we haven't really had time to just be with anybody in a while. And it was pretty easy to eat well too. I had a spicy black bean burger and a plain salad. It's nice to have so much support from friends. I also have to give props to Yolanda for her sweet Obama shirt. Obama 08, indeed.
So I don't mention it enough, but Dan is quite amazing, brilliant, and supportive. It's already been very exciting to work on Into the Pool with him and we're only in the preliminary stages. I also feel very good that we'll be at rehearsals together (with Ryan, Yolanda, and Holly too) because we'll be able to help each other eat healthy. I was already talking to Holly about how I plan on bringing fruit to all of the workshops so that there is a healthy snack for everybody and we've been talking about how we could meet before workshops to go for long walks or to get a healthy dinner. The cool thing is that the five of us could all meet to walk, or to dine, or whatever. We'll have to form some sort of theatre health club.
But back to Dan Jackson. I blog about him a lot on my semi private blog (that exactly 4 people read) and I figure that the majority of the people reading this right now have probably met him. But I have to give him props. No matter what crazy scheme I have in mind, he is always right there beside me. He walks in the park with me every time I'm not feeling the motivation. He cooks healthy meals for us, takes me out to healthy restaurants, and looks the other way when I sneak healthy food into the movie theatre. He keeps me in balance. If it wasn't for Dan, I would probably be out every night spending my money on scarves or alcohol. But he also is almost always willing to go do whatever ridiculous thing I *HAVE* to do on the weekends. And when he isn't in the mood, he never makes me feel guilty about going out without him. He's good to all my friends. In fact, he is going with me and friends next weekend to the Renegade Craft Fair to show support of our friend Holly. He's cool with living in Boystown and hanging out at gay bars. He loves Disney World and various other kitschy attractions. Hell, he is taking me to Disney World in October and has traveled to the Wisconsin Dells with me twice in the last year! Dan is just a very good guy. I feel really lucky. I like to think I keep him in balance, too. It's a good partnership.
I say this because I do feel very lucky to have such balance in my life while I'm in the midst of such a big lifestyle change. Because no matter what anyone says, the way you eat, exercise and choose to take care of your body is a HUGE part of your life every single day. For three and a half years with Damian I had absolutely no support whatsoever. He was a very apathetic person. And even though I'm sure he cared about him, he didn't really care about helping me. That really sucked. So I feel good that I can share and change with someone in my life. It feels good. Although I have to give props to all the other people who are helping me on the journey. You all know who you are. :) And as ridiculous as it is, I have to give props to my boss (who doesn't read this blog, I'm sure). At first it made me laugh that we were both doing weight watchers at the same time, but now it actually has become pretty helpful. It's nice to have another person in the office who is abstaining from the free food.
Have I mentioned that we actually held hands during a company party with cajun food? No joke. My boss grabbed my hand for support while we stared at all the greasy, sweaty food. We had an odd relationship. An odd, odd relationship.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I'll wipe my nose on you!
So here is the deal. For the past three weeks I've been dealing with runny noses, sneezing, and just general misery in the face. I am at a point where I think it HAS to be allergies, but I still don't know quite what to do about it.
I didn't walk yesterday morning because I could barely breath through my nose. I was going to walk last night, but by the time we made decisions about casting and called everyone it was after 8pm and we still hadn't had dinner. So it sucked, but I was okay with it.
This morning my nose woke me up at 4am. I couldn't get it to calm down. Ridiculous! And now I am trying to weigh out whether I suffer the nose and the breathing and just walk, or try to wait again until tonight! It's always the worst in the morning and it usually clears up by mid afternoon. Actually, I just checked with Dan and he said that he would go on a walk with me before Weight Watchers and before dinner. So that's good at least.
We're also going to dust the hell out of our bedroom, just in case that's what the problem is. The last time we dusted may have been during Margaret Fleming...
In general though, I hope this nose/allergy crap goes away. I HATE feeling sick in the morning. I hate waking up early because my nose is stuffed up. Yuck!
There is a weigh in tonight! I'm nervous, as always and thinking about everything I potentially did wrong this week. Oh well, for better or for worse it is always better to weigh in than to skip it.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Exercise Schmexercise
I didn't exercise on Thursday, so I did an hour's worth on Friday.
I didn't exercise on Saturday, so I did an hour's worth today.
I sense a pattern forming...
Regardless, 30x30 was quite the challenge. And I am proud to say that I have succeeded!
Tomorrow begins 45x30 and the beginning of my weight training too. Dan and I are also planning to play football at the park, just for fun. We don't have any particular plans for lunch or dinner, but we are doing our grocery shopping for the week tomorrow. So we'll probably pick something out of the HG cookbook before we go shopping. Wow. This is truly an exciting post.
I haven't done nearly as much snacking this weekend as I did last weekend, which is good. I did use some of my points for candy on both Friday and Sunday, though. I did get five servings of fruit on Friday, though and I got five servings of vegetables on Sunday. So I'm feeling mostly okay with where I am this week.
I've been finding that if I work really hard Monday through Thursday that it's easier for me to be comfortable having a treat on the weekends. I've had the control to not go over my points with my treats and in nine weeks I've only had one gain. I think I'm finding a good balance between restricting myself during the week and letting myself have a little fun on the weekends. I don't let myself have anything that people bring in to work anymore. In fact, I haven't had one treat at work since I started weight watchers, and there have been brownies, five cakes, three batches of cookies, chocolate covered fruit, deep fried cajun food, a week's worth of bagels, and an M&M dispenser. Which is an enormous amount of food for one office, in my opinion. I've never felt deprived though, because I am very good about having snacks at home that satisfy cravings and I am able to count. At any time in the house I have ice cream, chocolate covered pretzels, brownies, chocolate chips, graham crackers, and popcorn. I can have one of these things a day without "breaking the bank," and so far I've been able to just leave the other stuff alone without even thinking about it. In fact, the ice cream in my freezer has been in there for almost three weeks and the container is 3/4 full.
So I know that was a really long rant about food, but I am really starting to feel like I have officially kicked a bad habit. It's been almost 60 days and I have kicked the majority of my bad eating habits and I've added exercise back into my daily routine. It's pretty cool.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
30x30
The 30x30 challenge has really been a big motivator for me to get outside exercising. The challenge itself has very few rules (which makes me love it even more)! Here they are:
1. Exercise 30 minutes a day for 30 days out of the month
2. If you miss a day, you can make it up by doing an hour of exercise during the week
That's it! Amazing, huh? And so easy to follow. Here is where I'm currently at with my goal:
Out of 28 days: I met my goal of 30 minutes on 22 days. I also excercised an additional 30 minutes on 6 of those 22 days as make up for the 6 days I missed. In other words? 30x28 is where I'm currently at, but I'm hoping to end the month at 30x31! Sweet.
For the month of October I'm going to beef it up to 45x30. I also plan on lifting weights 2-3 times a week starting the month of October. I also asked Dan to lift weights with me to help me stay motivated.
My weight lifting workout will consist of the following:
Free weights to work the biceps, triceps, and shoulders
Ab work (lower, middle, upper)
Leg lifts, squats (ugh), and thrusts
I will probably also throw in a little yoga for balance and stability. I really like starting and ending with some very traditional yoga poses.
I will probably also throw in a little Taebo in between reps. It's good to keep your heart rate up and I really like pretending to box.
I should note that I've been doing this work out once or twice a month for the last four or five years, but I used to do it 2-3 times a week in high school and freshman year of college. And I was toned, man. Not as toned as my Dad's calves, though. I really want to post a picture of my Dad's calves. They are giant and as hard as rocks.
I'll end with another product that I am currently loving: Trader Joes Chickenless Nuggets. They are breaded and have a pretty decent consistency. They're no McDonalds Nugget, but at 120 calories for 4 nuggets, they are a staple of my diet. I like making them with a baked potato as a side or corn on the cob. Down home and dirty, that's my style. I bet they'd be really amazing with vegetarian baked beans...
Is it lunch time yet?
1. Exercise 30 minutes a day for 30 days out of the month
2. If you miss a day, you can make it up by doing an hour of exercise during the week
That's it! Amazing, huh? And so easy to follow. Here is where I'm currently at with my goal:
Out of 28 days: I met my goal of 30 minutes on 22 days. I also excercised an additional 30 minutes on 6 of those 22 days as make up for the 6 days I missed. In other words? 30x28 is where I'm currently at, but I'm hoping to end the month at 30x31! Sweet.
For the month of October I'm going to beef it up to 45x30. I also plan on lifting weights 2-3 times a week starting the month of October. I also asked Dan to lift weights with me to help me stay motivated.
My weight lifting workout will consist of the following:
Free weights to work the biceps, triceps, and shoulders
Ab work (lower, middle, upper)
Leg lifts, squats (ugh), and thrusts
I will probably also throw in a little yoga for balance and stability. I really like starting and ending with some very traditional yoga poses.
I will probably also throw in a little Taebo in between reps. It's good to keep your heart rate up and I really like pretending to box.
I should note that I've been doing this work out once or twice a month for the last four or five years, but I used to do it 2-3 times a week in high school and freshman year of college. And I was toned, man. Not as toned as my Dad's calves, though. I really want to post a picture of my Dad's calves. They are giant and as hard as rocks.
I'll end with another product that I am currently loving: Trader Joes Chickenless Nuggets. They are breaded and have a pretty decent consistency. They're no McDonalds Nugget, but at 120 calories for 4 nuggets, they are a staple of my diet. I like making them with a baked potato as a side or corn on the cob. Down home and dirty, that's my style. I bet they'd be really amazing with vegetarian baked beans...
Is it lunch time yet?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Week 7
To start: I have a very normal, very private and very boring blog. This shall be blog number 2. Hopefully it will not be as boring as blog number 1, but so far I'd say I'm not off to a very good start.
Why a second blog? Because I want to have a place to track the progress (for better or for worse) of my goal to live healthy. I started Weight Watchers 7 weeks ago and it's time to blog about it, baby! Or at least it's time to make very lame/slightly strange comments that amuse and delight.
In the past 7 weeks I have lost 15.6 pounds. I feel pretty good about that number, as I am very close to my goal of losing 8 pounds a month. The last month was hard, as I was in tech week, it was Dan's birthday, my own birthday, Dan's parent's came to town, my parent's came to town, Dan's brother came to town and my good friend Cassie came to town. Somehow I survived it without having a huge train wreck. So now I'm hoping that as life eases up on me (and inevitably gets extremely busy again) that I'll be able to cope.
I've joined Weight Watchers several times in my past, the very first time being in 9th grade. The first time I lost any amount of weight I was too young and too full of drama to keep it off. The second time I lost weight I actually made it to my goal and held there for a year. There were several factors to my gaining it all back. My mom passed away at the end of that year and my coping mechanism became food. She was also my weight loss partner, so joining without her was extremely hard. I also had some not so nice run ins with various aunts and uncles who managed to make me feel extremely guilty over her death while also making it quite clear that the weight I'd lost made me look so much like her. There were various other reasons (a mean boyfriend, college, being in theatre, etc), but I want to stop with the excuses now and just say this. It was a hard time mentally and physically. I'm trying to get over it.
So what is different in my life now? For the first time in a very long time, I feel very put together. I am dating a man who supports my decisions, who doesn't care that I am heavy, but is 100% supportive in my weight loss goals. He has literally changed his eating and exercise habits to accomodate mine (or at least to support mine). Having a continuously supportive friend who sees how important this goal is to me has been really helpful thus far. He never makes me feel ridiculous when I stop to write in my weekly tracker or feel the need to discuss the grocery list with him 500 times a week. He is awesome.
I also have a very dear friend who is going to Weight Watchers with me! She is the first real partner I've had at Weight Watchers in the city and her own success and support has been so motivational for me! I love that I can call her up to discuss where I've eaten out, how much I've exercised, and that we have a weekly check in at the meetings. I also feel really good that I am supporting someone else. There is a lot of motivation in accountability, whether it is to the scale or another person.
Finally, it has been really helpful to me that my Dad has also started Weight Watchers. My dad is buff, tough and takes weight loss very seriously. It's fun to check in with each other over the phone and know that I have support even out of the state. It's also helpful to keep in mind that there will be another calorie obsessed person at our Thanksgiving and that each time I get to see him, he will hopefully be seeing a "thinner" me.
I have weigh in number 9 tomorrow night and I am slightly dreading the scale. I was able to follow my exercise plan (30 minutes 30 days a month) on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday and I went swimming on Sunday afternoon. Since it was the first weekend where I actually had some down time, I think I snacked a little more than normal. I stayed within my points and didn't go over my weekly points allowance, but I still feel a little nervous (for whatever reason).
Also, if anyone is interested, here are the goals I am currently tracking:
30 minutes 30 days a month - August
45 minutes 30 days a month - September
60 minutes 30 days a month - October
30 pounds by Disney World (October 8th)
50 pounds by Christmas (December 25th)
Why a second blog? Because I want to have a place to track the progress (for better or for worse) of my goal to live healthy. I started Weight Watchers 7 weeks ago and it's time to blog about it, baby! Or at least it's time to make very lame/slightly strange comments that amuse and delight.
In the past 7 weeks I have lost 15.6 pounds. I feel pretty good about that number, as I am very close to my goal of losing 8 pounds a month. The last month was hard, as I was in tech week, it was Dan's birthday, my own birthday, Dan's parent's came to town, my parent's came to town, Dan's brother came to town and my good friend Cassie came to town. Somehow I survived it without having a huge train wreck. So now I'm hoping that as life eases up on me (and inevitably gets extremely busy again) that I'll be able to cope.
I've joined Weight Watchers several times in my past, the very first time being in 9th grade. The first time I lost any amount of weight I was too young and too full of drama to keep it off. The second time I lost weight I actually made it to my goal and held there for a year. There were several factors to my gaining it all back. My mom passed away at the end of that year and my coping mechanism became food. She was also my weight loss partner, so joining without her was extremely hard. I also had some not so nice run ins with various aunts and uncles who managed to make me feel extremely guilty over her death while also making it quite clear that the weight I'd lost made me look so much like her. There were various other reasons (a mean boyfriend, college, being in theatre, etc), but I want to stop with the excuses now and just say this. It was a hard time mentally and physically. I'm trying to get over it.
So what is different in my life now? For the first time in a very long time, I feel very put together. I am dating a man who supports my decisions, who doesn't care that I am heavy, but is 100% supportive in my weight loss goals. He has literally changed his eating and exercise habits to accomodate mine (or at least to support mine). Having a continuously supportive friend who sees how important this goal is to me has been really helpful thus far. He never makes me feel ridiculous when I stop to write in my weekly tracker or feel the need to discuss the grocery list with him 500 times a week. He is awesome.
I also have a very dear friend who is going to Weight Watchers with me! She is the first real partner I've had at Weight Watchers in the city and her own success and support has been so motivational for me! I love that I can call her up to discuss where I've eaten out, how much I've exercised, and that we have a weekly check in at the meetings. I also feel really good that I am supporting someone else. There is a lot of motivation in accountability, whether it is to the scale or another person.
Finally, it has been really helpful to me that my Dad has also started Weight Watchers. My dad is buff, tough and takes weight loss very seriously. It's fun to check in with each other over the phone and know that I have support even out of the state. It's also helpful to keep in mind that there will be another calorie obsessed person at our Thanksgiving and that each time I get to see him, he will hopefully be seeing a "thinner" me.
I have weigh in number 9 tomorrow night and I am slightly dreading the scale. I was able to follow my exercise plan (30 minutes 30 days a month) on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday and I went swimming on Sunday afternoon. Since it was the first weekend where I actually had some down time, I think I snacked a little more than normal. I stayed within my points and didn't go over my weekly points allowance, but I still feel a little nervous (for whatever reason).
Also, if anyone is interested, here are the goals I am currently tracking:
30 minutes 30 days a month - August
45 minutes 30 days a month - September
60 minutes 30 days a month - October
30 pounds by Disney World (October 8th)
50 pounds by Christmas (December 25th)
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