Such an awesome title we have here... so lets recap...
Well after many months of teetering the line and lots of running and hard work.. I have officially broke into the 130's. I am talking weight. For the last week or so, I have weighed around 138.X each morning. These last 5 pounds have been stubborn, so I am hoping this is the start of another downward trend.
The 8k training program has actually be fun and enjoyable. Things just seem to get easier once you can run for 10 minutes straight and not die. Nothing overly noteworthy has come from training yet though.. except for the fact I am still enjoying it.
And finally my heartrate. Awhile back I said my resting heart rate was 73ish. This was after strolling into Walmart or Kroger to their lil machines to measure it. Or at my parents place after getting up moving around etc. So the other day, I borrowed a machine. Resting heart rate, first thing in the morning was 58. I was stoked.
Well short and sweet and to the point, but that is it for now.. Hope everyone is enjoying their runs...
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
8k training has started...
Well since I was getting pretty good at my 5k time (getting it in under 29 now). I decided to start working on an 8k (around 5 miles). While I can run this, it is in anything but a timely manner. So this week I started training for it. This weeks intervals were 7 minutes of running, 1 minute walk, repeat 4 times with the standard warm up and cooldown. This workout was relatively "easy", it amounted to 28 minutes of running, right around 3 miles, with a little walking. My goal is to get the 8k in about 45 minutes.. We will see how this goes...
Monday, October 25, 2010
More running.. some with a weighted vest .. some without... boy this is getting interesting.
So I caved and bought a weighted vest. Just a 20lb one, adjustable though down to 5 lbs. But lets face it, I am way too lazy to adjust it down to 5 lbs, so it shall stay at 20 lbs. The first few days, I just walked with it on. Roughly a mile each day at a pace of about 3 mph. I really didn't want to push it and get hurt. So I slowly worked into it. Then I decided I would lightly jog in it. I jogged a mile in 12 minutes with it on. I thought this was mildly impressive, however I was not pushing it. The vest is as tight as it goes, however is still a lil loose on me. So when I run it kind of moves around, making it a bit more difficult to run. So now 3 or 4 times a week, I run a mile with the vest on. I will also just wear it around the house when I am cleaning and such as it tends to add a bit resistance and has helped build some strength.
Also, in randomness, I have realized I never really timed myself running a 5k. I usually just run for a time and report back my distance. So yesterday I decided to run a 5k and see my time. It was 30 minutes and 47 seconds. I was okay with this, however had a few holdups. I couldn't really find my rhythm and settle into the run. For that reason, I decided to redo the run today. Slightly different route, however same distance 5k. I managed to run it today in 29 minutes and 45 seconds.
I am also possibly planning on registering for a 5k jingle bell run on 12/04. I am kind of waiting to see how cold it is going to be. Due to asthma, extreme cold conditions suck, however if it is "decent" out, I will be running. I can't wait!...
Also, in randomness, I have realized I never really timed myself running a 5k. I usually just run for a time and report back my distance. So yesterday I decided to run a 5k and see my time. It was 30 minutes and 47 seconds. I was okay with this, however had a few holdups. I couldn't really find my rhythm and settle into the run. For that reason, I decided to redo the run today. Slightly different route, however same distance 5k. I managed to run it today in 29 minutes and 45 seconds.
I am also possibly planning on registering for a 5k jingle bell run on 12/04. I am kind of waiting to see how cold it is going to be. Due to asthma, extreme cold conditions suck, however if it is "decent" out, I will be running. I can't wait!...
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Weighted Running Vest? ~ Opinions???
Well I have been researching weighted running vests to use during some of my shorter more manageable runs. They have them in adjustable weight and I hear it is a good way to build up your strength and endurance.
I was curious does anyone have personal experience? Are they good or bad? Is it difficult to get used to? What things should I look at when buying one?
I was curious does anyone have personal experience? Are they good or bad? Is it difficult to get used to? What things should I look at when buying one?
Running.. running... and more running
So I have been playing around with interval training and just running in general. I did a workout the other day that consisted of a 5 minute warm up walk (.25 miles), then run .25 mile, walk .1 mile, repeat till tired then do a 5 minute cool down (.25 miles). I figured this approach would help build up some stamina. The first day it went smoothly, the next day I was sluggish. However I definitely like this as a possible running workout. It is a change of pace and something different.
The other day I did a 5 minute warm up walk (.25 miles), then took off running (walked a few short distances in the middle), and then a 5 minute cool off walk (.25 miles). I did 5.6 miles in 64 minutes. This was a grand accomplishment. Sure I would love to run the whole thing, however I really didn't walk too much so I consider this a success. Going to work to get this time a little quicker, however I never even thought it was possible to do, so I am very happy with where this is at.
Lately I have been managing 5 runs a week, sometimes 6. The cooler weather has really helped out and made the runs "easier" or at least more manageable. There is less mental work required with the cooler weather for whatever reason.
The other day I did a 5 minute warm up walk (.25 miles), then took off running (walked a few short distances in the middle), and then a 5 minute cool off walk (.25 miles). I did 5.6 miles in 64 minutes. This was a grand accomplishment. Sure I would love to run the whole thing, however I really didn't walk too much so I consider this a success. Going to work to get this time a little quicker, however I never even thought it was possible to do, so I am very happy with where this is at.
Lately I have been managing 5 runs a week, sometimes 6. The cooler weather has really helped out and made the runs "easier" or at least more manageable. There is less mental work required with the cooler weather for whatever reason.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Week of fun and randomness...
Well I have continued with the running, which is fun and right now still holding steady around a 10 minute pace. There have been a few faster days, however not enough to say that my pace has REALLY improved, but I will keep working at it.
Friday I went and played sand volleyball with some friends. The rules were loosely based on the game. I hadn't played since high school and most on the court had never played, hence the loose rules. I can honestly say it was a blast and a good workout. Running in the sand provides some night resistance, though the running distance wasn't that great. I think we are going to get a few more games in before winter hits. Then once winter hits, we will be sledding every chance we get. And yes this totally qualifies as working out as the hike back up the huge sledding hill is quite the climb.
On Saturday, I did a ton of walking at a local festival. Though I didn't eat the healthiest, all the walking seemed to have balanced it out, as there was no weight change.
Friday I went and played sand volleyball with some friends. The rules were loosely based on the game. I hadn't played since high school and most on the court had never played, hence the loose rules. I can honestly say it was a blast and a good workout. Running in the sand provides some night resistance, though the running distance wasn't that great. I think we are going to get a few more games in before winter hits. Then once winter hits, we will be sledding every chance we get. And yes this totally qualifies as working out as the hike back up the huge sledding hill is quite the climb.
On Saturday, I did a ton of walking at a local festival. Though I didn't eat the healthiest, all the walking seemed to have balanced it out, as there was no weight change.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Update and future goals....
So the hamstring is healed.. the shin is still bruised from my lil mishap on vacation, however the effect on running is somewhat minimal.
I have started doing a week of shorter runs twice a day then a week of longer runs. Usually Saturday and Sunday I have off, but it depends on how many runs I get in for the week. On the shorter run weeks, I will run 20 minutes before work and 20 minutes after work. For now this is equating to about 2 miles. However I am working on speed and hoping this will increase slightly over time. On the longer run weeks, I run for 45 to 60 minutes after work. These runs are all over the place as far as distance. I haven't quite got the stamina or endurance in my legs to really make these runs consistent. But I am slowly working to getting better on that. Sometimes on the longer run weeks, I will take Wednesday off to recover. My ultimate goal is to be able to run the 5k in 26.5 minutes. That is roughly at a pace of 7 miles per hour. I am slowly working towards that. My one mile pace the other day was 8.37 minutes. So I still have a ways to go, but it makes a nice long term goal.
My friend is trying to convince me to run in the mini marathon (half marathon) in Indianapolis in May. He is saying he will run with me (however has yet to get serious about running). It interests me, however I am not sure my legs can actually hold up for that many miles. I am going to continue to run and see how much progress I can make in another month. Registration is not for awhile, so the decision is not needed right away. This would be a great goal, but I don't want to get too crazy either.
This cooler weather has really helped me with the running. I can breathe. After running two miles at a 10 minute per mile pace, it takes me just a minute to calm back to regular breathing. My resting heart rate (taken mid day) has been between 71 and 76. I still need to get a way to take it first thing in the morning. The heart rate monitor chest strap I ordered has been on back order, so I am still waiting on that. Once I get that, I will more accurately track my heart rate. I would love for my resting heart rate to be mid 60's. It will be a marked improvement and the low end of normal.
Well I think that is it for now. I will likely just update once a week or so. I am constantly changing/improving my workout schedule to what works and what will help me improve.
I have started doing a week of shorter runs twice a day then a week of longer runs. Usually Saturday and Sunday I have off, but it depends on how many runs I get in for the week. On the shorter run weeks, I will run 20 minutes before work and 20 minutes after work. For now this is equating to about 2 miles. However I am working on speed and hoping this will increase slightly over time. On the longer run weeks, I run for 45 to 60 minutes after work. These runs are all over the place as far as distance. I haven't quite got the stamina or endurance in my legs to really make these runs consistent. But I am slowly working to getting better on that. Sometimes on the longer run weeks, I will take Wednesday off to recover. My ultimate goal is to be able to run the 5k in 26.5 minutes. That is roughly at a pace of 7 miles per hour. I am slowly working towards that. My one mile pace the other day was 8.37 minutes. So I still have a ways to go, but it makes a nice long term goal.
My friend is trying to convince me to run in the mini marathon (half marathon) in Indianapolis in May. He is saying he will run with me (however has yet to get serious about running). It interests me, however I am not sure my legs can actually hold up for that many miles. I am going to continue to run and see how much progress I can make in another month. Registration is not for awhile, so the decision is not needed right away. This would be a great goal, but I don't want to get too crazy either.
This cooler weather has really helped me with the running. I can breathe. After running two miles at a 10 minute per mile pace, it takes me just a minute to calm back to regular breathing. My resting heart rate (taken mid day) has been between 71 and 76. I still need to get a way to take it first thing in the morning. The heart rate monitor chest strap I ordered has been on back order, so I am still waiting on that. Once I get that, I will more accurately track my heart rate. I would love for my resting heart rate to be mid 60's. It will be a marked improvement and the low end of normal.
Well I think that is it for now. I will likely just update once a week or so. I am constantly changing/improving my workout schedule to what works and what will help me improve.
Accomplishments...
From time to time I like to list the things I have accomplished so it keeps me motivated and going in the right direction.
~ I can now run 2 miles in 20 minutes. It used to be I could run the 10 minute per mile pace for 1 mile. Once I exceed that I was closer to the 11.5 minute pace overall. Well I am happy to report I can now hold the pace for 2 miles consistently. Now lets see if I can conquer the 3 mile mark.....
~ I now wear pants size 7/8. Wow...... I think that is summary enough. I started in Jan in Size 17's. I am thankful and fully motivated by this fact alone.
~My shirt size in juniors has went from an XL/XXL (depending on cut) to a M/L. I wouldn't say it is easier to find clothes though. It seems the smaller sizes get a lot skimpier.... I would never think of wearing half of the clothes....
~ Still weighing in at 143 lbs, however have continued to drop inches off my waist. Total weight lose is just over 40 pounds. I honestly think I have just about leveled off. At this point the "fat" I loose will turn to muscle and the scale may have a slight trend upward.
~ I can walk farther/faster during the 5 minute warm up walk than I could when I started in Jan. This is easy for me to gauge, because I run around town on the sidewalks. It used to take me right at 5 minutes to get to the sidewalks (my house is a bit out of the way, the sidewalks are not near there). Now the 5 minute mark has me well onto the sidewalks... actually right at a block farther. Not a lot, but better.
~ I have noticed an increase in stamina/energy. The other day I did two 4.5 miles runs, each taking just about an hour to complete. There was about 8 hours of rest between them. However this is a far cry from what I was able to do back in Jan. I have also noticed in chasing my nephew or my friends' kids, that I can keep up a heck of a lot better.
~ My resting heart rate taken mid day is 71 to 76 beats per minute. This is an improvement, so I gotta keep working at it to get it down a little more.
I think that is about it for now... I may add more later if I think of anything else...
~ I can now run 2 miles in 20 minutes. It used to be I could run the 10 minute per mile pace for 1 mile. Once I exceed that I was closer to the 11.5 minute pace overall. Well I am happy to report I can now hold the pace for 2 miles consistently. Now lets see if I can conquer the 3 mile mark.....
~ I now wear pants size 7/8. Wow...... I think that is summary enough. I started in Jan in Size 17's. I am thankful and fully motivated by this fact alone.
~My shirt size in juniors has went from an XL/XXL (depending on cut) to a M/L. I wouldn't say it is easier to find clothes though. It seems the smaller sizes get a lot skimpier.... I would never think of wearing half of the clothes....
~ Still weighing in at 143 lbs, however have continued to drop inches off my waist. Total weight lose is just over 40 pounds. I honestly think I have just about leveled off. At this point the "fat" I loose will turn to muscle and the scale may have a slight trend upward.
~ I can walk farther/faster during the 5 minute warm up walk than I could when I started in Jan. This is easy for me to gauge, because I run around town on the sidewalks. It used to take me right at 5 minutes to get to the sidewalks (my house is a bit out of the way, the sidewalks are not near there). Now the 5 minute mark has me well onto the sidewalks... actually right at a block farther. Not a lot, but better.
~ I have noticed an increase in stamina/energy. The other day I did two 4.5 miles runs, each taking just about an hour to complete. There was about 8 hours of rest between them. However this is a far cry from what I was able to do back in Jan. I have also noticed in chasing my nephew or my friends' kids, that I can keep up a heck of a lot better.
~ My resting heart rate taken mid day is 71 to 76 beats per minute. This is an improvement, so I gotta keep working at it to get it down a little more.
I think that is about it for now... I may add more later if I think of anything else...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Ugh time to get caught up... Recovery... vacation... treadmill.. weight loss... and a damn good time!!!
First I will apologize for not keeping up with the blog. I was checking in while I was rehabbing the hamstring, but then vacation hit and work got busy. So I neglected it. While rehabbing there wasn't much to write about and well it got away from me. So below is a quick recap of what has been going on.....
Recovery....
Well the hamstring was a pain in the butt to rehab. I did lots of walking, then light jogging with lots of walking mixed in, then straight jogging, then legit running. It took awhile, but I am pretty sure I am back to 100%. I just have to watch after I start to get winded or tired that I don't get a case of lazy legs. It seems to be the issue as I noticed pain when I was rehabbing at the point my legs got lazy. So when running I am paying more attention to my stride and landing.
Treadmill....
I finally caved and bought the Livestrong LS 9.9 treadmill. I LOVE this thing. Beats running out in the heat and humidity. The only thing I am still working on is getting used to setting a pace and holding it for an extended period of time. I have ran 10 minute miles, but my pace fluctuates and just averages out to a 10 minute mile. So I am working towards running at a pace for an extended period of time. Start slow and work my way up.
Vacation....
I just got back last week from a week in Colorado. Running out there is awesome. One morning I took off running and ran 45 minutes before I even looked at the clock and thought WTH where did time go. I was paced at about a 10.5 minute mile. So I was thrilled with the run. The air is crisp, no humidity, somewhat cool, so running was great. Besides running, I took in a baseball game, went on a ghost hunt, fed chipmunks out of the palm of my hand, and did a zip line tour of the canyons.
Weightloss....
I am totally stoked. I am now down to 142 and have toned up quite a bit. I just bought pants and they were a size 7/8. I can't remember the last time I was in a single digit let alone a 7/8.
Wellness at work....
So my company has this wellness thing. I did the survey last September. I was overweight, not really exercising, and just all around unhealthy. The wellness directive at the time was to speak to a life coach and set some goals to get the insurance discount (I do not have to accomplish the goals, just a few phone calls over the course of the year to actually get the discount). Well by the time the phone calls started I was already running and having a good ol' time with it. At the end of August, I had my last phone call. Then this morning had to take the survey for next year. I was shocked when I learned, I do not have to have phone calls or anything this year. My BMI is within the normal range, I exercise above their quota weekly, and my blood pressure is 91/62 with a resting pulse of 73 (this was taken mid day, however I had been sitting for several minutes at the time). This was all within their acceptable goal range, so I don't have to speak to a life coach next year. I just get the insurance discount... WOOT!!!!
So I am going to continue to run... on my treadmill or outside when weather allows, hopefully keep this blog up, and I think I am shooting for a 10k run in spring. Not totally sure, since I have yet to sign up for any races. Right now I want to just keep working towards dropping a few more pounds (I want to be at the lower end of the normal BMI reading...give myself a lil buffer area) and staying healthy.
***** Side note: I know the BMI isn't the greatest way to measure weight loss, it negates skeletal structure etc. However since our wellness program uses it as a method of measurement, I have been tracking it.
Recovery....
Well the hamstring was a pain in the butt to rehab. I did lots of walking, then light jogging with lots of walking mixed in, then straight jogging, then legit running. It took awhile, but I am pretty sure I am back to 100%. I just have to watch after I start to get winded or tired that I don't get a case of lazy legs. It seems to be the issue as I noticed pain when I was rehabbing at the point my legs got lazy. So when running I am paying more attention to my stride and landing.
Treadmill....
I finally caved and bought the Livestrong LS 9.9 treadmill. I LOVE this thing. Beats running out in the heat and humidity. The only thing I am still working on is getting used to setting a pace and holding it for an extended period of time. I have ran 10 minute miles, but my pace fluctuates and just averages out to a 10 minute mile. So I am working towards running at a pace for an extended period of time. Start slow and work my way up.
Vacation....
I just got back last week from a week in Colorado. Running out there is awesome. One morning I took off running and ran 45 minutes before I even looked at the clock and thought WTH where did time go. I was paced at about a 10.5 minute mile. So I was thrilled with the run. The air is crisp, no humidity, somewhat cool, so running was great. Besides running, I took in a baseball game, went on a ghost hunt, fed chipmunks out of the palm of my hand, and did a zip line tour of the canyons.
Weightloss....
I am totally stoked. I am now down to 142 and have toned up quite a bit. I just bought pants and they were a size 7/8. I can't remember the last time I was in a single digit let alone a 7/8.
Wellness at work....
So my company has this wellness thing. I did the survey last September. I was overweight, not really exercising, and just all around unhealthy. The wellness directive at the time was to speak to a life coach and set some goals to get the insurance discount (I do not have to accomplish the goals, just a few phone calls over the course of the year to actually get the discount). Well by the time the phone calls started I was already running and having a good ol' time with it. At the end of August, I had my last phone call. Then this morning had to take the survey for next year. I was shocked when I learned, I do not have to have phone calls or anything this year. My BMI is within the normal range, I exercise above their quota weekly, and my blood pressure is 91/62 with a resting pulse of 73 (this was taken mid day, however I had been sitting for several minutes at the time). This was all within their acceptable goal range, so I don't have to speak to a life coach next year. I just get the insurance discount... WOOT!!!!
So I am going to continue to run... on my treadmill or outside when weather allows, hopefully keep this blog up, and I think I am shooting for a 10k run in spring. Not totally sure, since I have yet to sign up for any races. Right now I want to just keep working towards dropping a few more pounds (I want to be at the lower end of the normal BMI reading...give myself a lil buffer area) and staying healthy.
***** Side note: I know the BMI isn't the greatest way to measure weight loss, it negates skeletal structure etc. However since our wellness program uses it as a method of measurement, I have been tracking it.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Walking is good.. but slow ;-)
Well this whole healing thing is a slow process. I have started to walk for 30 minutes to an hour a day. A very slow walk, not pushing it at all. However, I want to keep moving and keep this weight off and keep the metabolism up.
In another random buy, I needed new tennis shoes. Just to wear around and do whatever. So I went online and found some good clearance shoes at nbexpress.com. I decided on a pair of running shoes, wanted to see what they were like, etc. They came and are by far the lightest shoes ever. I can't wait to try a run in them. So far I love them.
I have also started to look at treadmills. I have seen a few go on sale here and there. What "features" or "options" should I look for in a treadmill?? Anyone who has run on one, what are some of the features, etc that you can't do without?
In another random buy, I needed new tennis shoes. Just to wear around and do whatever. So I went online and found some good clearance shoes at nbexpress.com. I decided on a pair of running shoes, wanted to see what they were like, etc. They came and are by far the lightest shoes ever. I can't wait to try a run in them. So far I love them.
I have also started to look at treadmills. I have seen a few go on sale here and there. What "features" or "options" should I look for in a treadmill?? Anyone who has run on one, what are some of the features, etc that you can't do without?
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Ugh .. I caved.. went to doc... pulled hammy :-(
So I finally caved and decided to see a doctor. My hamstring was just giving me fits and I had stopped running. He diagnosed me with a pulled hamstring (grade 2 borderline 3). I expected this (pulled hammy that is) as his diagnosis. I just wanted to be sure. It had been nagging on for awhile and I don't remember an actually "accident" when the pain started, so I was a bit concerned and got it checked out. Needless to say I am not running for a couple weeks. Likely when I start back up, I will start around week 4 of the c25k program, ease back into the running. I think I will keep most of my stamina, I just don't want to overdue the leg. Around week 4 and 5 there is a nice mix of running and walking so it will provide a good workout without killing the leg (hopefully). And actually before I even start that I will likely walk for 30 minutes for a couple days at a decent pace just to be sure I am good to go on the running. The doc was shocked that I was walking with only a slight limp. I knew it was "slightly" bruised (give me a break back of my leg isn't the easiest thing to get a "good" look at). Anyway I guess it was a bit more than slightly as the whole thing has a blue hue to it (his words not mine). I only noticed where there was deeper more defined bruising which was ever so slight in a couple areas... ... I digress, either way I am on the bench for a bit...
So in the meantime I have been researching other ways to work out and stay in shape. I love to do something for awhile, somewhat master it, then move on. The constant challenge of something new is way too fun for me. I am thinking of getting a "nicer" mountain bike and hitting some of the trails in this area... I have some walmart cheapo bike, it has done good. However I believe it is getting to be on it's last leg....
So in the meantime I have been researching other ways to work out and stay in shape. I love to do something for awhile, somewhat master it, then move on. The constant challenge of something new is way too fun for me. I am thinking of getting a "nicer" mountain bike and hitting some of the trails in this area... I have some walmart cheapo bike, it has done good. However I believe it is getting to be on it's last leg....
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Progress.... and injury :-(
WOOT! I am now down to 145.... Over 40 pounds lost since Jan... that shockingly fabulous. I still have a bit to go. I am starting to get toned up.. My legs are awesome from all the running..
I have shortened my runs a bit. My body was taking a beating. Right now my left hamstring is tender and sore, so I am kind of holding off. I hit the elliptical, walking only to kind of stretch it out. It seems to be helping. I am not sure if I just got a horrible charlie horse or if I pulled it. It was a slow progression. First it was just a twinge of pain occasionally. Then it worked up to needing extra stretching or I just couldn't get a good stride. Finally, it hit to where I felt I needed to slow it down. It seems to be enjoying a couple days of light workouts, however there is still obvious pain there. I really don't want to go to the doctor, so I am trying to wait it out.
With the said hamstring being a bit of a pain in the butt, I also stopped the workout DVDs. I am just hoping I won't loose all my progress by taking some time off. However I know long term wise, it is better to let the leg heal and get 100% before proceeding.
Likely will be walking only through the weekend.. will update next week to let you know how it feels....
I have shortened my runs a bit. My body was taking a beating. Right now my left hamstring is tender and sore, so I am kind of holding off. I hit the elliptical, walking only to kind of stretch it out. It seems to be helping. I am not sure if I just got a horrible charlie horse or if I pulled it. It was a slow progression. First it was just a twinge of pain occasionally. Then it worked up to needing extra stretching or I just couldn't get a good stride. Finally, it hit to where I felt I needed to slow it down. It seems to be enjoying a couple days of light workouts, however there is still obvious pain there. I really don't want to go to the doctor, so I am trying to wait it out.
With the said hamstring being a bit of a pain in the butt, I also stopped the workout DVDs. I am just hoping I won't loose all my progress by taking some time off. However I know long term wise, it is better to let the leg heal and get 100% before proceeding.
Likely will be walking only through the weekend.. will update next week to let you know how it feels....
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
And the Heat and Humidity Continue on....
Well I have been continuing with the running and working out. I realize that actually posting every time I run just isn't as fun now that I don't have a strict schedule to follow. Maybe I should make one up.. so that I will blog more often... HAHA
I have continued with my morning runs and evening walks. Though I am thinking of maybe just doing evening runs now. The morning seems to actually be more humid here and my breathing is taking the hit. Though of course, this just may depend on the day. I did manage to run another 9 minute mile last week, but that was during a light rain. The rain had started, it cooled off and the humidity had let up just a bit. I went for a run just before the storm finished blowing over. I had to make it a quick one as I had plans with friends, and well a quick run it was. 9 minutes went all the way around the block..... the neighbor commented that he thought I was running from the storm..... Apparently he missed the fact that for the most part it had already passed. I was thrilled with the run, I hadn't been able to comfortably hit that pace in awhile.
Well I did take a few days off also. I headed to my parents last Friday and got back late last night. Being as it was a holiday weekend, well I knew I would be busy and no time for organized running. I had a 2 year old to chase and entertain as I continue on my quest to be the world's greatest aunt. Trust me... I have the kid spoiled and he KNOWS just what to say to get his way with me.. haha..
I plan on continuing with the running and working out. My weight this morning was a surprising 147. At this point, the skinny jeans are now falling off me. The old "fat" jeans no longer fit and have been thrown in a tote to donate. I am bordering right at 40 lbs lost since January. People who know me are definitely starting to notice and comments have been made (good ones). It still feels good to be on the downward trend. Though the rate of weight loss has slowed down dramatically from when I first started, I am still going in the right direction. I just hope it continues for a bit longer.
I have continued with my morning runs and evening walks. Though I am thinking of maybe just doing evening runs now. The morning seems to actually be more humid here and my breathing is taking the hit. Though of course, this just may depend on the day. I did manage to run another 9 minute mile last week, but that was during a light rain. The rain had started, it cooled off and the humidity had let up just a bit. I went for a run just before the storm finished blowing over. I had to make it a quick one as I had plans with friends, and well a quick run it was. 9 minutes went all the way around the block..... the neighbor commented that he thought I was running from the storm..... Apparently he missed the fact that for the most part it had already passed. I was thrilled with the run, I hadn't been able to comfortably hit that pace in awhile.
Well I did take a few days off also. I headed to my parents last Friday and got back late last night. Being as it was a holiday weekend, well I knew I would be busy and no time for organized running. I had a 2 year old to chase and entertain as I continue on my quest to be the world's greatest aunt. Trust me... I have the kid spoiled and he KNOWS just what to say to get his way with me.. haha..
I plan on continuing with the running and working out. My weight this morning was a surprising 147. At this point, the skinny jeans are now falling off me. The old "fat" jeans no longer fit and have been thrown in a tote to donate. I am bordering right at 40 lbs lost since January. People who know me are definitely starting to notice and comments have been made (good ones). It still feels good to be on the downward trend. Though the rate of weight loss has slowed down dramatically from when I first started, I am still going in the right direction. I just hope it continues for a bit longer.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Humidity SUCKS!!!!
Okay this horrible humidity is REALLY killing my time/distance in running. I just flat out can't breathe. I have managed to run/walk for at least 30minutes each day, however my pace has really taken a hit. I am running around a 10.5 or 11 minute mile. I was getting as good as 9 at one point, however just can't get that with the humidity.
I have found there is a chest strap I can order to make my droid phone a heart rate monitor.. :-). Yep you guessed it, I ordered it. WOO HOO .. my phone is just so cool.
Still working on p90 and insanity on and off throughout the week. I can breathe during this, but my house is like 58 degrees so it is nice and cool. My lungs LOVE it... hahah
I have started looking at some treadmills... Anyone have suggestions??? I am in no rush.. I want it for this coming winter.. Ya I plan ahead... WAYYYYY ahead. However was hoping to get an idea of what I like/want/need and watch for it to go on sale somewhere.
I have found there is a chest strap I can order to make my droid phone a heart rate monitor.. :-). Yep you guessed it, I ordered it. WOO HOO .. my phone is just so cool.
Still working on p90 and insanity on and off throughout the week. I can breathe during this, but my house is like 58 degrees so it is nice and cool. My lungs LOVE it... hahah
I have started looking at some treadmills... Anyone have suggestions??? I am in no rush.. I want it for this coming winter.. Ya I plan ahead... WAYYYYY ahead. However was hoping to get an idea of what I like/want/need and watch for it to go on sale somewhere.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Update since I am slacking on the blog...
I have been totally slacking with the blogging... I'm sorry. :-)
For the most part, I have been exercising daily and have been enjoying myself. I have been going for runs later in the evening (after 8 pm). We had morning showers on and off for the past two weeks, so that put a damper on my morning runs. I have gotten in the habit of running hard for 8 minutes, walking for 2, run, walk, etc. This seems to be a good balance for me. I get mind numbing bored with a 45 minute run. I can do it, its just boring. Lol… I have tried music, downloading a tv program to listen to, increasing the amount of times the tracking program talks to, and running the trails. For me, 20 minutes passes quickly and I am doing fantastically…. 25 minutes I am bored. The running form is still going good, I just am bored with it.
My quickest mile now has been 9 minutes flat. I was really happy with this pace, however I can not maintain it for very long ;)
When I alternate, it breaks it up and I actually end up running more (go figure). Last night I was out for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Though I did end with a 15 minute walk…… my hamstring got tight and I wanted to walk it off.
I have continued mixing in p90x and insanity workouts. They are getting “easier”, though don’t let that fool you. They are still extremely challenging. I am actually liking the insanity workouts a ton better than the p90x ones. Insanity is more cardio intensive and there is less lollygagging. Hard to explain but I think Tony Horton is a goof and spends too much time joking around etc. His moves are also a little more complicated at times, so I sit there needing to watch it a few times before I can workout. This drops my heart rate and I get frustrated with it. Insanity (Shaun T) is continuous and extremely fast paced. However for the most part the exercises are fairly straight forward and I am able to do them. I have had to modify a couple of them due to bad knees, however am still seeing results and overall happy with it.
Weight wise I have dropped to 150 lbs and have been holding steady there. I am extremely proud of this accomplishment. I honestly can’t remember the last time I weighed this “little”. I am now in unchartered territory. The drop has slowed a bit, but the overall trend has continued to go downwards. I have hit one of my goals. That pair of skinny jeans I had, well they are now hanging off of me. I love the fact this has happened, however I am really getting tired of shopping .. HAHAH
Another thing I have recently found is Special K protein shakes. I hate strawberry in anything, so I haven’t tried that flavor. The milk chocolate I am kind of on the fence with. I drank one loved it, drank another and it had a bitter flavor to it. I finished the 4-pack and likely won’t buy any more. My favorite by far is the French vanilla. I have been having one first thing in the morning for the past few weeks. I have never been a breakfast person. I will literally force myself to have a granola bar and am good till around 10:30 or 11. Then I go to lunch. So instead of a granola bar, I started having a shake. It seems to work just as well, and I am happy to drink that than force down any food.
For the most part, I have been exercising daily and have been enjoying myself. I have been going for runs later in the evening (after 8 pm). We had morning showers on and off for the past two weeks, so that put a damper on my morning runs. I have gotten in the habit of running hard for 8 minutes, walking for 2, run, walk, etc. This seems to be a good balance for me. I get mind numbing bored with a 45 minute run. I can do it, its just boring. Lol… I have tried music, downloading a tv program to listen to, increasing the amount of times the tracking program talks to, and running the trails. For me, 20 minutes passes quickly and I am doing fantastically…. 25 minutes I am bored. The running form is still going good, I just am bored with it.
My quickest mile now has been 9 minutes flat. I was really happy with this pace, however I can not maintain it for very long ;)
When I alternate, it breaks it up and I actually end up running more (go figure). Last night I was out for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Though I did end with a 15 minute walk…… my hamstring got tight and I wanted to walk it off.
I have continued mixing in p90x and insanity workouts. They are getting “easier”, though don’t let that fool you. They are still extremely challenging. I am actually liking the insanity workouts a ton better than the p90x ones. Insanity is more cardio intensive and there is less lollygagging. Hard to explain but I think Tony Horton is a goof and spends too much time joking around etc. His moves are also a little more complicated at times, so I sit there needing to watch it a few times before I can workout. This drops my heart rate and I get frustrated with it. Insanity (Shaun T) is continuous and extremely fast paced. However for the most part the exercises are fairly straight forward and I am able to do them. I have had to modify a couple of them due to bad knees, however am still seeing results and overall happy with it.
Weight wise I have dropped to 150 lbs and have been holding steady there. I am extremely proud of this accomplishment. I honestly can’t remember the last time I weighed this “little”. I am now in unchartered territory. The drop has slowed a bit, but the overall trend has continued to go downwards. I have hit one of my goals. That pair of skinny jeans I had, well they are now hanging off of me. I love the fact this has happened, however I am really getting tired of shopping .. HAHAH
Another thing I have recently found is Special K protein shakes. I hate strawberry in anything, so I haven’t tried that flavor. The milk chocolate I am kind of on the fence with. I drank one loved it, drank another and it had a bitter flavor to it. I finished the 4-pack and likely won’t buy any more. My favorite by far is the French vanilla. I have been having one first thing in the morning for the past few weeks. I have never been a breakfast person. I will literally force myself to have a granola bar and am good till around 10:30 or 11. Then I go to lunch. So instead of a granola bar, I started having a shake. It seems to work just as well, and I am happy to drink that than force down any food.
Monday, June 7, 2010
ohhh New feature found in the app
So I have been playing with my new phone/app pretty much nonstop. I have found that I can race myself. It stores all my runs (I am sure there is a limit), but then you can select to race yourself. So your current pace is set against your fastest time. The app then tells you if you are loosing or winning. Kind of neat and a way to keep me moving when I feel like slacking.
I actually overslept this morning. Totally on accident, alarm didn't go off because quite frankly I didn't set it.. haha.. So tomorrow I shall race myself and see how I do...
I actually overslept this morning. Totally on accident, alarm didn't go off because quite frankly I didn't set it.. haha.. So tomorrow I shall race myself and see how I do...
Sunday, June 6, 2010
New gadget for phone.. hehehe
So I took a few days off after finishing the C25k Program. Weather was crappy, life was busy, and I needed a break. This morning however I decided to strap on the running shoes and hit the pavement (okay the real motivating factor was the new app I have on my Droid... sooo in love there).
So anyway, this new app, every minute it announces an update (custom set). Mine will either say distance, time, calories burned, or mile pace. Sometimes it is a combo. However every minute, I get an "update". It also uses the gps to make me a cute lil map, etc. This morning being the first run, I didn't give it my all. I wanted to play with my new gadget. Nerdiness trumps fitness any day of the week. I was really slowing down to make sure it was picking up GPS etc. So I did go a bit slower, but that is probably a good thing after a couple days off.. haha... Here are the stats..
Distance 1.82 miles
Speed 5.5 mi/hr
Calories 211
and Time 19:43
I think I can upload the map also... however I am slacking on that ;-)..
The app is free for anyone who has a droid and is interested. It is called Cardio trainer.
The only downside, the calories burned is not based off heartrate. You input your weight and it calculates from there.
Speaking of weight, I am holding steady at 154 lbs. However have continued to tone up quite a bit. Still on the right track and still loving it :-)
So anyway, this new app, every minute it announces an update (custom set). Mine will either say distance, time, calories burned, or mile pace. Sometimes it is a combo. However every minute, I get an "update". It also uses the gps to make me a cute lil map, etc. This morning being the first run, I didn't give it my all. I wanted to play with my new gadget. Nerdiness trumps fitness any day of the week. I was really slowing down to make sure it was picking up GPS etc. So I did go a bit slower, but that is probably a good thing after a couple days off.. haha... Here are the stats..
Distance 1.82 miles
Speed 5.5 mi/hr
Calories 211
and Time 19:43
I think I can upload the map also... however I am slacking on that ;-)..
The app is free for anyone who has a droid and is interested. It is called Cardio trainer.
The only downside, the calories burned is not based off heartrate. You input your weight and it calculates from there.
Speaking of weight, I am holding steady at 154 lbs. However have continued to tone up quite a bit. Still on the right track and still loving it :-)
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
WOOO HOO... IMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM DONE!!!
This morning I finished the last scheduled run of the C25k. I think I will just continue running around 30 minutes each morning. This is just enough to get me up and moving of a morning and my knees have adjusted to it well. Once I am able to pick up some speed, I will likely slowly increase the time running. I would like to be able to do about 3.5 miles in 30 minutes... That is at least the goal to work towards now. The first goal was to just finish the c25k without dying.. and well I can now say "MISSION COMPLETE"...
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
One more Run and C25k is done ... WOO HOO
Well as the title states, I have one more run before I am done. Likely I will run it tomorrow morning, but it kind of depends on the weather. We are supposed to have storms on and off all week. After completing the run, I will likely just keep on running around 30 minutes each morning. Though I decided to start alternating, one week solid 30 minute runs, the next week do more interval training (run 5, walk 2, run 5, etc). I am hoping this will allow me to pick up the pace a bit. I am holding steady around a 9 min 30 second mile (if only running a single mile). I can do about 3 to 3.3 miles in 30 minutes.
I have continued with the p90x workouts, however also got my hands on the Shaun T insanity workout. So I will likely float back and forth between the two as to not get bored :-).
I have continued with the p90x workouts, however also got my hands on the Shaun T insanity workout. So I will likely float back and forth between the two as to not get bored :-).
Thursday, May 27, 2010
W8D2 doners... :-)
So last night after work, I rode the bike for 30 minutes (4.4 miles). It was a nice leisurely pace and I enjoyed it. Then once home, I did the ab ripper (or whatever the name is) dvd from the p90. After that I was wearing a little thin (also ran yesterday morning), so I decided to call it a night.
This morning I got up early, somewhat dreading the run. However I did manage to finish (had to have one quick stop in the middle as a rock got in my shoe). My running wasn't the greatest. Between being tired, the weather (hot and muggy), and still trying to kick this cold (I think I am going on week 4??). I didn't expect it to be that great of a run. Lazy legs kicked in after about 15 minutes, but faded shortly thereafter and I was able to find my stride again. Breathing was horrible nearly the whole time (thinking I need to head back to the allergy doc .. ugh).
The plan for tonight is to go to a cookout with friends and relax. Tomorrow morning another round of running.... The weekend, well who knows what it will hold. I have a few cookouts to hit up and what not, but will try to work in some running somewhere along the way.
This morning I got up early, somewhat dreading the run. However I did manage to finish (had to have one quick stop in the middle as a rock got in my shoe). My running wasn't the greatest. Between being tired, the weather (hot and muggy), and still trying to kick this cold (I think I am going on week 4??). I didn't expect it to be that great of a run. Lazy legs kicked in after about 15 minutes, but faded shortly thereafter and I was able to find my stride again. Breathing was horrible nearly the whole time (thinking I need to head back to the allergy doc .. ugh).
The plan for tonight is to go to a cookout with friends and relax. Tomorrow morning another round of running.... The weekend, well who knows what it will hold. I have a few cookouts to hit up and what not, but will try to work in some running somewhere along the way.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
W8D1 ~~ Skipped a few blog posts..
So I finished up Week 6 and completed week 7. I got to say the runs are starting to get challenging. I really have to concentrate on breathing and stride length. I can finish the runs, however usually am not pleased with the performance. I am a perfectionist and want to stay at the 10 minute mile pace or better. I also want to keep my strides within the acceptable range. I notice my legs get lazy around minute 15 to 17.
The weather here has gotten hot and muggy, this is not helping with my asthma. There are days where I do have to stop and walk for 30 seconds to get my breathing back under control then I can continue as if nothing happened.
I have also continued on the p90x workout routine and have truly enjoyed that. I tend to mix up the tapes and do at least one a night. I might pick up the pace a bit and do a couple a night. They definitely wear me out, but have toned me out. I have noticed improvements on form and the number of reps of each move.
The weather here has gotten hot and muggy, this is not helping with my asthma. There are days where I do have to stop and walk for 30 seconds to get my breathing back under control then I can continue as if nothing happened.
I have also continued on the p90x workout routine and have truly enjoyed that. I tend to mix up the tapes and do at least one a night. I might pick up the pace a bit and do a couple a night. They definitely wear me out, but have toned me out. I have noticed improvements on form and the number of reps of each move.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
W6D2 Done~ My loop is getting too little and I am running to quick....
So Sunday was a day of rest, I really didn't do much working out. Then Monday morning it was raining cats and dogs when I woke up, so I skipped running. When I got home in the evening it was chilly, but not raining. So I decided I would time myself on a 1 mile run. I did a 5 minute warm up walk, then took off on my mile run. I managed to finish it in 9 minutes 25 seconds. I couldn't believe it. I have NEVER been that fast... lol...
After running the mile, I did the p90 core synergistics and the ab workout. I also did some light weights in there. I always go overboard after taking a break for a day. I have this guilty feeling and really try to catch up on things. I went till I was tired, then relaxed and crashed for the night.
This morning I woke up and it was chilly, but not raining. I managed to do W6D2 of the c25k workout. My "loop" around town that I have set up, is getting a bit small (or I am getting a bit too quick.). It used to be I would do 2 loops and it was really pushing it to finish. Now I can do two plus some more. Not far enough to go three loops. I am going to have to map out a new loop later today.
Tonight the plan is to do p90 with some more abs....
My weight has been dropping but ever so slowly. I am now to the point where I will loose 2 lbs, gain 1 lbs, stay the same, loose 1 lb, etc. For the most part I have stayed between 154 and 157. However the last few days I have been 153 to 155. So it looks like I am starting to drop, it just isn't going to be in solid drops like before.
I ordered a body fat analyzer from amazon a couple weeks ago. It has been on backorder but should arrive sometime this week. I have decided instead of weight, I will track body fat percentage. I think this will give me a better idea of how "healthy" I am and hopefully keep me motivated. I am actually kind of anxious to see what my initial reading will be. I know I have toned up (even with the weight not dropping).
After running the mile, I did the p90 core synergistics and the ab workout. I also did some light weights in there. I always go overboard after taking a break for a day. I have this guilty feeling and really try to catch up on things. I went till I was tired, then relaxed and crashed for the night.
This morning I woke up and it was chilly, but not raining. I managed to do W6D2 of the c25k workout. My "loop" around town that I have set up, is getting a bit small (or I am getting a bit too quick.). It used to be I would do 2 loops and it was really pushing it to finish. Now I can do two plus some more. Not far enough to go three loops. I am going to have to map out a new loop later today.
Tonight the plan is to do p90 with some more abs....
My weight has been dropping but ever so slowly. I am now to the point where I will loose 2 lbs, gain 1 lbs, stay the same, loose 1 lb, etc. For the most part I have stayed between 154 and 157. However the last few days I have been 153 to 155. So it looks like I am starting to drop, it just isn't going to be in solid drops like before.
I ordered a body fat analyzer from amazon a couple weeks ago. It has been on backorder but should arrive sometime this week. I have decided instead of weight, I will track body fat percentage. I think this will give me a better idea of how "healthy" I am and hopefully keep me motivated. I am actually kind of anxious to see what my initial reading will be. I know I have toned up (even with the weight not dropping).
Saturday, May 15, 2010
W6D1 Done ~ Week 1 of P90x complete
This morning I woke up before the rain and did W6D1. It was actually quite the enjoyable run. I am actually kind of getting into this whole running thing. In many ways this mildly scares me. HAHA
I continued the p90x workout. I have several videos from the series (p90x, p90, p90m, and p90X+..). Anyway, I am thinking of rotating some of the cardio workouts to burn off some more calories. I still gotta work this out, but I am thoroughly enjoying the workouts for the most part (hated yoga). However on some of the "leg" exercises, I am kind of limited by my knees. I can only lunge so many times before the knee feels as if it is going to explode. Usually I will do as many as I can, run in place for a few, then do another set.
I continued the p90x workout. I have several videos from the series (p90x, p90, p90m, and p90X+..). Anyway, I am thinking of rotating some of the cardio workouts to burn off some more calories. I still gotta work this out, but I am thoroughly enjoying the workouts for the most part (hated yoga). However on some of the "leg" exercises, I am kind of limited by my knees. I can only lunge so many times before the knee feels as if it is going to explode. Usually I will do as many as I can, run in place for a few, then do another set.
Friday, May 14, 2010
W5D3 Complete....
So I woke up this morning feeling okay. Not the greatest... but the weather was nice so I figured I would give this 20 minute run a shot. I was jogging in a sweatshirt and shorts... ya not a good idea. The sweatshirt got a bit too warm around minute 5 of the run. Anyway in 20 minutes I managed to run just under 2 miles (1.95 to be exact). So it looks like I am right around a 10 minute mile pace. I got to say, I am quite proud of this. I don't think I had this quick of a mile when I was actually in shape. Running has just never been my thing. From here on out... I just want to improve on the time. I will finish the program and then continue to jog the same path to see how quick I can get. It is a nice 2 loop circle around town. I think people are starting to recognize me.. hahah..
Tonight I have some more p90x... that is if I still feel decent. Cold meds work wonders....
Tonight I have some more p90x... that is if I still feel decent. Cold meds work wonders....
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Yoga X ~ oh boy do I suck
So tonight I did Yoga X.. well attempted to. The workout is 1 hour and 30 or 45 minutes. I have been battling a head cold and skipped running this morning, so I was really leary of doing this tonight. However I committed so I was going to give it a whirl. I started out okay. However I am not flexible, nor am I very good at balancing. So it was difficult. I made it about 45 minutes in and just wasn't feeling the greatest. So I threw in the towel. I really need to get a yoga block as I do believe that would make things quite a bit easier. I also think I will replace Yoga X with the yoga on the Wii Fit for a few weeks. The complicated poses of Yoga X I just can't do. Tight hamstrings and bad knees, make for some very difficult moves. Plus with the head cold, I am just physically exhausted today.
Ugh, I am hoping the cold will pass and I can actually put forth legimate effort next week. I may sub in another day of cardio instead of the yoga (ya I hate it that much.. haha).
If I feel half way decent in the morning I plan on running... we will see how that goes...
Ugh, I am hoping the cold will pass and I can actually put forth legimate effort next week. I may sub in another day of cardio instead of the yoga (ya I hate it that much.. haha).
If I feel half way decent in the morning I plan on running... we will see how that goes...
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
p90x lean ~Day 3 ~ Complete
Well tonight was arms and shoulders then another round of the ab ripper x. The arms and shoulders workout was great. The exercises are grouped in 3's and you do them twice. Since they are repeated, I was able to pick up the intensity a bit. The first set I got down what I was doing, then the second set I could keep up the pace with the people in the video. I kind of wish the rest of the dvd's had this format. Overall the workout was fairly easy. The exercises weren't difficult or anything that I hadn't done before. So this made it easier, along with repeating the exercises.
Tomorrow night is Yoga X... I think I am taking the morning off of running. Need a day of rest and well it is storming pretty bad tonight. So the dogs will likely be up all night and I will likely get lil sleep.
Tomorrow night is Yoga X... I think I am taking the morning off of running. Need a day of rest and well it is storming pretty bad tonight. So the dogs will likely be up all night and I will likely get lil sleep.
W5D2 Conquered
Yep I rose early again before work.. sore as can be from p90x and ran. I loosened up midway through the first run and from there it was somewhat smooth sailing. It was a bit of a rough run. Misty rain, chilly weather, and me sore... not the greatest combo for a good run. I did however still manage to cover a lil over 2.5 miles (this includes the walks... I don't have a watch yet to record laps... so I just google map the path I take). So my pace seemed to be about the same as before (before I ran 3 - 5 minutes... today was 2 - 8 minutes). I was kind of impressed that I managed to keep the pace up with the soreness from p90x.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
p90x Lean Day 2 ~ Getting things done
I just finished the Cardio X DVD and boy am I sweating like a pig. The cardio x seems to take a bit out of all the other DVD's. I gotta say I do NOT like yoga. That whole stretch and balance at the same time, just doesn't happen with me. Though I have a feeling over time I will get better at this. Especially since one full workout a week is dedicated to yoga. I am still impressed by the workout routine. I actually feel like I did something at the end of the hour and I seem to have a moving soreness coming over my body. The other day it was abs, shoulders, then legs... ya it just keeps floating around. But it is a good "sore".
I plan on running tomorrow before work if the rain holds off. We supposedly have thunderstorm warnings all day, so it may be a lil tough to run outside. I am not a huge fan of running through lightening and thunder.
I plan on running tomorrow before work if the rain holds off. We supposedly have thunderstorm warnings all day, so it may be a lil tough to run outside. I am not a huge fan of running through lightening and thunder.
p90x Day 1 - Lean and C25k W5D1 this morning...
So last night I decided to switch to the "lean" version of the p90x. I have a spare tire around the mid section I really need to burn off before I could even think about being extremely toned. So the extra cardio will do me some good.
Last night I started at Day 1 of the lean version. I believe this is called core synergistics (or something like that). Let me tell you, I sure know where my core is now located. I believe I can happily point out every lil muscle in it :-). I wasn't able to do all the moves. Quite frankily on a couple of them I looked ridiculous. Allllllls I got to say is if anyone can make the Dreya roll look good on the first try, I will so worship the ground you walk on. After a couple tries I managed to do it, albeit it wasn't pretty nor was it nice and smooth. I am shooting for improving this move by the end of the 90 days. This is the one move I struggled the most with. On a few of the others, I wasn't perfect but it was minor. I was still at a lower intensity pace due to learning the moves. There are a couple that I would watch try it, think WTF, watch again, try again... They aren't difficult moves per se, just the sequence and going to your max without loosing your balance can be hard.
I also did about half of the Kenpo workout. I wanted to do a bit more and the kenpo is kind of like a boxing cardio workout. So I figured I would start stepping through the exercises so I could learn them. Once again, I was at a fairly low intensity to see what the moves were all about. Next week (same workout as this week) I will pick it up a bit. The moves will be a bit more familiar so I should be able to go a lil quicker.
Then this morning I rose early before work and ran W5D1 of the c25k. I covered right at 2.5 miles and it felt good. Hips were good, knees were good, breathing was good, and my stride was good. I actually felt great about the run. I plan on hitting W5D2 either tomorrow morning or the next day. Likely it will depend on weather. This morning it was chilly and I actually ran in the misty rain.
Tonight I plan on doing Day 2 Lean of the p90x workout and may go for a bike ride. We have had lots of storms on and off so the ride may not happen. So I may do a bit more of Kenpo. I am a fan of the boxing cardio workouts.
Last night I started at Day 1 of the lean version. I believe this is called core synergistics (or something like that). Let me tell you, I sure know where my core is now located. I believe I can happily point out every lil muscle in it :-). I wasn't able to do all the moves. Quite frankily on a couple of them I looked ridiculous. Allllllls I got to say is if anyone can make the Dreya roll look good on the first try, I will so worship the ground you walk on. After a couple tries I managed to do it, albeit it wasn't pretty nor was it nice and smooth. I am shooting for improving this move by the end of the 90 days. This is the one move I struggled the most with. On a few of the others, I wasn't perfect but it was minor. I was still at a lower intensity pace due to learning the moves. There are a couple that I would watch try it, think WTF, watch again, try again... They aren't difficult moves per se, just the sequence and going to your max without loosing your balance can be hard.
I also did about half of the Kenpo workout. I wanted to do a bit more and the kenpo is kind of like a boxing cardio workout. So I figured I would start stepping through the exercises so I could learn them. Once again, I was at a fairly low intensity to see what the moves were all about. Next week (same workout as this week) I will pick it up a bit. The moves will be a bit more familiar so I should be able to go a lil quicker.
Then this morning I rose early before work and ran W5D1 of the c25k. I covered right at 2.5 miles and it felt good. Hips were good, knees were good, breathing was good, and my stride was good. I actually felt great about the run. I plan on hitting W5D2 either tomorrow morning or the next day. Likely it will depend on weather. This morning it was chilly and I actually ran in the misty rain.
Tonight I plan on doing Day 2 Lean of the p90x workout and may go for a bike ride. We have had lots of storms on and off so the ride may not happen. So I may do a bit more of Kenpo. I am a fan of the boxing cardio workouts.
Monday, May 10, 2010
P90X - Loving it after a day.. hehe
So I did the p90x last night. I decided to start with the classic (however am leaning towards switching to the lean version... explain this more in a bit). Last night was chest/shoulders. I did a lot of pullups and pushups (variations of each). For pullups, they offer a variation with the bands and for now I did that. It was fairly slow going because I was trying to learn the exercises. I have a feeling this first week will be extremely slow going. Some exercises I had to watch twice to get the difference between the previous one. I also can do no where close to the amount they do or at the intensity. I was however pleased with everything I did accomplish. I am mildly sore today. I think the slower pace and lower intensity due to learning everything kept me from overexerting too much. I also have been doing pushups and arm work with light weights. So those muscles have been worked recently.
Now the p90x comes with several dvds. Then they give you workout plans. There is classic, lean, or doubles. The lean version is more cardio, better for fat burning. Typically more women will pick this to tone muscles, slim down, but not "bulk up". The classic, well it is the standard formula, meant for extreme toning. The doubles, from what I can tell is a lot of cardio added to the classic. The problem with this is the length of the workouts. For the most part in classic and lean you will do it for 1 hour a day...6 days a week. Ab days are about 1.5 hours...I think they are 2 or 3 times a week. The doubles could easily hit 2 hours or 2.5 on some days.
Regardless of the program type, there are three phases. They just switch around and rebalance which dvd you do each day.
Now I did the classic last night (actually classic and doubles start the same). However was looking at the lean and realized there is more cardio type stuff to it. So I am thinking of doing the lean, then once complete do the classic. 6 months worth of working out easily. Lets see if I stayed motivated.....
They say most people quit at the 30 day mark. I believe this is when you complete phase 1 of all the programs (would have to double check that to be sure...). I guess some people don't see the results after 30 days and just quit. I read a ton online, it appears results are more prevalent into phase 2. At phase 2, you have done each of the dvds a couple of times, the workout is familiar, you have gained a lil strength, so at this point you can pick up the intensity and really workout. Hence the higher amount of results.
Now the p90x comes with several dvds. Then they give you workout plans. There is classic, lean, or doubles. The lean version is more cardio, better for fat burning. Typically more women will pick this to tone muscles, slim down, but not "bulk up". The classic, well it is the standard formula, meant for extreme toning. The doubles, from what I can tell is a lot of cardio added to the classic. The problem with this is the length of the workouts. For the most part in classic and lean you will do it for 1 hour a day...6 days a week. Ab days are about 1.5 hours...I think they are 2 or 3 times a week. The doubles could easily hit 2 hours or 2.5 on some days.
Regardless of the program type, there are three phases. They just switch around and rebalance which dvd you do each day.
Now I did the classic last night (actually classic and doubles start the same). However was looking at the lean and realized there is more cardio type stuff to it. So I am thinking of doing the lean, then once complete do the classic. 6 months worth of working out easily. Lets see if I stayed motivated.....
They say most people quit at the 30 day mark. I believe this is when you complete phase 1 of all the programs (would have to double check that to be sure...). I guess some people don't see the results after 30 days and just quit. I read a ton online, it appears results are more prevalent into phase 2. At phase 2, you have done each of the dvds a couple of times, the workout is familiar, you have gained a lil strength, so at this point you can pick up the intensity and really workout. Hence the higher amount of results.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Slacking.... :-(
So for Mother's Day I made the trip home to my parents house. This usually means lil time for running. There is always family to see that I have not seen in sometime. So needless to say I have spent the last two days running around. I am going to head back to my place here in a few, however will likely get back too late to do any running tonight.
So the plan is to get back on track this week. Starting tomorrow morning. I will run W5D1 in the morning before work. I should be able to finish week 5 without a problem.
I have also decided to start the p90x workout program. Not sure on which version I am going to be working on. Most of them start out the same, so I will see how hard it is and then pick a path. I plan on doing this of an evening. I am not sure if I will be able to do every evening like the program. However I have noticed I seem to stick with structured programs a lot better than I stick to programs I developed. The Wii active/fit workouts are just too easy. I understand I am burning calories and that is progress and there has been some toning. But I feel like I need to pick it up a bit more. I also don't want to do solely cardio (ie the running and biking). So for now after much research I think the p90x is the solution. I will stick with the running of a morning and will likely still do the active and what not on certain days.
I am hoping with how the program is structured I can stick with it and get over the hump so to speak. I will update on here as I progress through it.....
So the plan is to get back on track this week. Starting tomorrow morning. I will run W5D1 in the morning before work. I should be able to finish week 5 without a problem.
I have also decided to start the p90x workout program. Not sure on which version I am going to be working on. Most of them start out the same, so I will see how hard it is and then pick a path. I plan on doing this of an evening. I am not sure if I will be able to do every evening like the program. However I have noticed I seem to stick with structured programs a lot better than I stick to programs I developed. The Wii active/fit workouts are just too easy. I understand I am burning calories and that is progress and there has been some toning. But I feel like I need to pick it up a bit more. I also don't want to do solely cardio (ie the running and biking). So for now after much research I think the p90x is the solution. I will stick with the running of a morning and will likely still do the active and what not on certain days.
I am hoping with how the program is structured I can stick with it and get over the hump so to speak. I will update on here as I progress through it.....
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Things I am proud of... and Lessons learned....
Wellll before I get to the title... an update on my running adventures.
~Ran Week 4 workout at the track, pain was still present about the same time during the workout... so running surface didn't really affect things.
~Tired of trying to resolve the hip pain, I took Wednesday off... like totally off. I didn't do a thing.. no running no biking... no weights.. Ya it was cinco de mayo.. I drank... Gave my drinking hand a damn good workout..
~This morning, I started Week 5. Warm up for 5, jog for 5, walk 3, jog 5, walk 3, job 5, cooldown... I actually breezed through this. I was surprised.. Each 5 minute run I covered just over a half mile. It felt good, I felt good, the hips/knees not so much. Here I am a few hours later though, and they feel fine.
Things I am proud of:
~I have dropped a couple pants sizes... and those old skinny jeans are my new favorite pair
~The one style clothes I always had to hunt high and low for cause it was the only thing that seemed to fit (or hide the blubber.. however you want to look at it), is no longer the only style I look for.... matter of fact it is becoming more and more of an unflattering style. I swim in clothes that used to "fit"
~The muffin top... oh the dreaded muffin top has significantly decreased.... No totally gone, but I am proud to be a smaller muffin...
~My boobs in reality are bigger than my gut... Yes it is possible...
~I can run for over 5 minutes and not die... Yes in the beginning I had my doubts...
~I have cool running shoes... I never thought I would actually own a pair of running shoes....
~Increase in confidence level.. not really sure if this is just cause I physically feel better or if it is because the weight is lost and I am more comfortable. It could easily be a combination. However there are days, I am pretty sure I am walking on cloud 9 ;-)
Lessons Learned:
~DQ Blizzard is NOT an effective means of weight loss..
~Celebrating random "holidays" for which you have no cultural affiliation (St Pats day, Cinco De Mayo) is also NOT an effective means of weight loss....
Ugh time is short.. so that is all i have for now... though I am sure there are more...
~Ran Week 4 workout at the track, pain was still present about the same time during the workout... so running surface didn't really affect things.
~Tired of trying to resolve the hip pain, I took Wednesday off... like totally off. I didn't do a thing.. no running no biking... no weights.. Ya it was cinco de mayo.. I drank... Gave my drinking hand a damn good workout..
~This morning, I started Week 5. Warm up for 5, jog for 5, walk 3, jog 5, walk 3, job 5, cooldown... I actually breezed through this. I was surprised.. Each 5 minute run I covered just over a half mile. It felt good, I felt good, the hips/knees not so much. Here I am a few hours later though, and they feel fine.
Things I am proud of:
~I have dropped a couple pants sizes... and those old skinny jeans are my new favorite pair
~The one style clothes I always had to hunt high and low for cause it was the only thing that seemed to fit (or hide the blubber.. however you want to look at it), is no longer the only style I look for.... matter of fact it is becoming more and more of an unflattering style. I swim in clothes that used to "fit"
~The muffin top... oh the dreaded muffin top has significantly decreased.... No totally gone, but I am proud to be a smaller muffin...
~My boobs in reality are bigger than my gut... Yes it is possible...
~I can run for over 5 minutes and not die... Yes in the beginning I had my doubts...
~I have cool running shoes... I never thought I would actually own a pair of running shoes....
~Increase in confidence level.. not really sure if this is just cause I physically feel better or if it is because the weight is lost and I am more comfortable. It could easily be a combination. However there are days, I am pretty sure I am walking on cloud 9 ;-)
Lessons Learned:
~DQ Blizzard is NOT an effective means of weight loss..
~Celebrating random "holidays" for which you have no cultural affiliation (St Pats day, Cinco De Mayo) is also NOT an effective means of weight loss....
Ugh time is short.. so that is all i have for now... though I am sure there are more...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Garmin Forerunner Freaks ... I need your opinion :-)
Okay so I was looking at this website to determine the differences in all the garmin gps watches..
http://www.sportswatchinformant.com/how-do-garmin-forerunner-gps-watches-differ
The last comparison is heart rate based calorie computation. I noticed the 305 says it does not do that. I was curious does it calculate the calories you burned at all?? If so what is it based off of?
Also, has anyone used the garmin for biking?? Opinions??
Thanks.... I am actually leaning towards the 305.. however noticed that whole calorie thing....
http://www.sportswatchinformant.com/how-do-garmin-forerunner-gps-watches-differ
The last comparison is heart rate based calorie computation. I noticed the 305 says it does not do that. I was curious does it calculate the calories you burned at all?? If so what is it based off of?
Also, has anyone used the garmin for biking?? Opinions??
Thanks.... I am actually leaning towards the 305.. however noticed that whole calorie thing....
Monday, May 3, 2010
Biking.. oh what fun
So I got home from work today and was debating what to do to workout... I decided to bust my bike out. I did just over 3 miles in just under 20 minutes. I was going to do more but my bike needs a lil TLC first. The chain appears to be loose. So after that I will be biking more often.
I also did over an hour on the Wii Active.
Interesting tidbit.. with all that working out...my knees and hips didn't bother me at all.... hmmm must be something with how I run
Needless to say... I am now exhausted... I shall sleep well tonight...
Plans for tomorrow is to start the day off with running.. then go to work. Depending on how the day goes will determine what all I do tomorrow night.
I also did over an hour on the Wii Active.
Interesting tidbit.. with all that working out...my knees and hips didn't bother me at all.... hmmm must be something with how I run
Needless to say... I am now exhausted... I shall sleep well tonight...
Plans for tomorrow is to start the day off with running.. then go to work. Depending on how the day goes will determine what all I do tomorrow night.
W4 is complete...
So I have been slacking on the blogging. It was an extremely busy weekend, however I did find time to run, just not blog.
I ran Sat, Sun, and this morning. I did the week 4 workout each time. The workout itself is going good. However I have noticed something. My hips and knees start to hurt sometime around the end of the second 3 minute run or the beginning of the second 5 minute run. It is like a "stiffness" pain, especially in the hips. It will literally go away within an hour after the workout is complete. I noticed this awhile back, however it was literally at the very end. Just figured I was tired. Now that there is more "running", it starts earlier in the workout. It doesn't seem to matter if I take a couple days off or whether I do back to back days. I am always perfectly fine by the next run (if I ever go back to back and start to feel pain right away, I abort the mission).
I have been fitted for running shoes and insoles. Both feel fine. I even tried with just running shoes and no insoles. The problem still exists. I tried stretching more before starting, that didn't seem to change much (well I did feel looser when I ran, however the pain did exist). It really isn't a strong or sharp pain, but it is noticeable.
My next trial is going to be to do the workout on the track near my house. I am thinking maybe the more forgiving running surface will help me out. I will have to update after I try running there. I am going to run Week 4 again just to have the method of comparison. Since I know exactly when it typically flares up.
In other news, my weight has dropped a lil more. I am in the 155 range. I seem to be hovering between 154 and 155. 10 more lbs and the wii fit will no longer say I am obese. In a way, I am truly looking forward to this. I am not sure why.. could be because it seems the Wii Fit is criticizing you when you are obese. Granted I wasn't overly offended by this, however I really kind of want to see if the lil voice is a lil nicer when I am defined as an acceptable BMI.
I ran Sat, Sun, and this morning. I did the week 4 workout each time. The workout itself is going good. However I have noticed something. My hips and knees start to hurt sometime around the end of the second 3 minute run or the beginning of the second 5 minute run. It is like a "stiffness" pain, especially in the hips. It will literally go away within an hour after the workout is complete. I noticed this awhile back, however it was literally at the very end. Just figured I was tired. Now that there is more "running", it starts earlier in the workout. It doesn't seem to matter if I take a couple days off or whether I do back to back days. I am always perfectly fine by the next run (if I ever go back to back and start to feel pain right away, I abort the mission).
I have been fitted for running shoes and insoles. Both feel fine. I even tried with just running shoes and no insoles. The problem still exists. I tried stretching more before starting, that didn't seem to change much (well I did feel looser when I ran, however the pain did exist). It really isn't a strong or sharp pain, but it is noticeable.
My next trial is going to be to do the workout on the track near my house. I am thinking maybe the more forgiving running surface will help me out. I will have to update after I try running there. I am going to run Week 4 again just to have the method of comparison. Since I know exactly when it typically flares up.
In other news, my weight has dropped a lil more. I am in the 155 range. I seem to be hovering between 154 and 155. 10 more lbs and the wii fit will no longer say I am obese. In a way, I am truly looking forward to this. I am not sure why.. could be because it seems the Wii Fit is criticizing you when you are obese. Granted I wasn't overly offended by this, however I really kind of want to see if the lil voice is a lil nicer when I am defined as an acceptable BMI.
Friday, April 30, 2010
W4D1 again ...
So after work last night, the weather had cleared so I set out to conquer W4D1. I was a little nervous, as I typically have more issues with breathing later in the afternoon than I do in the morning. All the grass cutting isn't exactly helping either.
I covered 2.5 miles total. I was slightly disappointed with this. I really wanted to break into the 3 mile range. However I did get held up several times on my run. Kids playing on the sidewalk, cars not stopping at stop signs and yielding to pedestrians, and there was a firetruck along my route... So it was an eventful run, but I was all over the place dodging obstacles. I think now that I am running longer distances (though with some walking involved), I will start to head out of town instead of the sidewalks in town.
The run in and of itself was actually good. My knees started to bother me the last two minutes of the second 5 minute run. However I managed to tolerate it and keep going. Today they are a bit sore but feeling okay. Breathing actually wasn't a huge issue. And I seemed to have settled into a stride length a bit better. The second half of the run and the first half were right at the same distance.
I plan on running again tonight and possibly tomorrow. I need to get back into the swing of working out daily. Not sure if I will do the c25k or just see how far I can run....
I covered 2.5 miles total. I was slightly disappointed with this. I really wanted to break into the 3 mile range. However I did get held up several times on my run. Kids playing on the sidewalk, cars not stopping at stop signs and yielding to pedestrians, and there was a firetruck along my route... So it was an eventful run, but I was all over the place dodging obstacles. I think now that I am running longer distances (though with some walking involved), I will start to head out of town instead of the sidewalks in town.
The run in and of itself was actually good. My knees started to bother me the last two minutes of the second 5 minute run. However I managed to tolerate it and keep going. Today they are a bit sore but feeling okay. Breathing actually wasn't a huge issue. And I seemed to have settled into a stride length a bit better. The second half of the run and the first half were right at the same distance.
I plan on running again tonight and possibly tomorrow. I need to get back into the swing of working out daily. Not sure if I will do the c25k or just see how far I can run....
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Back to Working out!!! WOOO HOOO
So after this long weekend and a few days to recover from the motorcycle training (you know believe it or not, it is a good workout ;) ). So I woke this morning early and decided to do W4D1 before work. It was a bit chilly and windy, but I decided to go ahead and go for it. I did the warm up, the first 3 minute jog, the 3 minute walk, then started in on the 5 minute run and it started to ran. I hightailed it back to the house (after riding all weekend in the rain, getting a minor cold, I really didn't need to stay out in the rain). Amazingly that 5 minute jog turned into a 10 minute run ( a lil over... but not quite 10.5 minutes), which I covered right at a mile (Ya I was seriously running). I guess this just goes to prove, I really ought to pick up the pace during my runs. Maybe I need to mentally think a big pit bull is chasing me... something to get my ars in gear.
So the workout this morning was cut a bit short, however I do realize I can run mile at a rather decent pace.
If the weather clears, I plan on redoing W4D1 tonight and do some other working out. My weight has held on at 158.... I am actually happy with this. I have taken about 5 days off from working out on my routine, managed to eat healthy and still maintain the weight. This is a lil bit of a stress reliever. I think I was getting a little bit over the top with much I was working out and what to eat etc.
So the workout this morning was cut a bit short, however I do realize I can run mile at a rather decent pace.
If the weather clears, I plan on redoing W4D1 tonight and do some other working out. My weight has held on at 158.... I am actually happy with this. I have taken about 5 days off from working out on my routine, managed to eat healthy and still maintain the weight. This is a lil bit of a stress reliever. I think I was getting a little bit over the top with much I was working out and what to eat etc.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Weekend Recap
Well this weekend, I didn't work out at all. Friday after work I had 3 hours of Motorcycle safety training. Then from 9:45 am till after 7 pm, I had more training. In the end, I got my motorcycle license. So that is a definite bonus. However I haven't worked out. And it is weird, I have this guilt over it. Though there really wasn't much time for it. I plan on running again tonight and may do a lil workout on the Wii Active. I need to get back in the routine so I don't gain back everything I have lost from all my hard work.
I was proud of myself though. My lunch choices (had to eat out) were somewhat healthy. Okay as healthy as you can get when you have an hour for lunch and are literally in the middle of no where. I actually don't have a taste or desire to eat the greasy foods anymore. Even my salads are getting healthier and healthier (less dressing, more veggies, etc).
I also haven't weighed in in about a week, so I plan on doing that tonight. Hoping I didn't gain any back and a loss would be an added bonus.
I was proud of myself though. My lunch choices (had to eat out) were somewhat healthy. Okay as healthy as you can get when you have an hour for lunch and are literally in the middle of no where. I actually don't have a taste or desire to eat the greasy foods anymore. Even my salads are getting healthier and healthier (less dressing, more veggies, etc).
I also haven't weighed in in about a week, so I plan on doing that tonight. Hoping I didn't gain any back and a loss would be an added bonus.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Lazy Legs Strike again... Damn them
W3D3 was this morning and I did manage to go a good distance on the first half of the run, however the second half wasn't the greatest. There was about a 600 foot difference in distance. I think I will redo this week. I really need the legs to get with the program. Breathing wise I did fine and I felt fine, just REALLLLLY got to think about my stride to get it right the whole time.
I have maintained the crunches and light weights along with the Wii Active. Weight and inches around waist are really starting to decrease. I weighed 157 last night and those old skinny jeans are now becoming rather loose. I am definitely stoked that all this hard work is paying off and need to remember to NOT gain it all back.
I have maintained the crunches and light weights along with the Wii Active. Weight and inches around waist are really starting to decrease. I weighed 157 last night and those old skinny jeans are now becoming rather loose. I am definitely stoked that all this hard work is paying off and need to remember to NOT gain it all back.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
W3D2 ~ Complete without the lazy legs
This morning I ran before work. At 6:30 in the morning there is no traffic and it was nice and cool and as an extra bonus none of my neighbors were mowing their lawns. The run went well, the lazy legs didn't seem to kick in. The first half and second half of my route were almost even (100 feet difference). I actually managed to also cover more ground than the W3D1 run. Hopefully W3D1 was just a fluke and I can get back on track.
Last night I did Workout 5 on the Wii active more workouts along with light weights and some crunches. I was kind of pressed for time so I didn't do many sets, however did not just want to skip it all together. The Wii Active seems to be helping me get more loose and really stretch. They have a warm up and a cool down station and even though I have played sports since I could walk, I was never very flexible. I couldn't even touch my toes. The hamstrings have always been extremely tight. So after doing all their little stretches (which honestly isn't that many... however they seem to have a great impact on the hamstrings), I have been able to almost touch my toes. I am guessing this is as close as I have been in who knows how long.
Last night I did Workout 5 on the Wii active more workouts along with light weights and some crunches. I was kind of pressed for time so I didn't do many sets, however did not just want to skip it all together. The Wii Active seems to be helping me get more loose and really stretch. They have a warm up and a cool down station and even though I have played sports since I could walk, I was never very flexible. I couldn't even touch my toes. The hamstrings have always been extremely tight. So after doing all their little stretches (which honestly isn't that many... however they seem to have a great impact on the hamstrings), I have been able to almost touch my toes. I am guessing this is as close as I have been in who knows how long.
Monday, April 19, 2010
This morning I woke up late. The allergies were bothering me and I didn't sleep well. I decided to skip the morning workout. This evening I plan on doing the wii active workout, crunches, and possibly walking the dog. The allergy meds seem to be calming my allergies so my hope is that I will be able to do all those...
Well I finally broke into the 150's.. I weighed in at 159 last night. I was thrilled to say the least. Next goal 155 (yes I have to set mini goals to stay on track.. haha). I am hoping within a couple weeks I can be at 155. With all this working out, I am hoping it won't take too long.
I am now getting to the odd point. I weighed 155 for soo long (most of high school and college). The lightest was 145 at the end of senior year of college, but it was short lived. For the most part I was 150 to 155. Now that I am once again on the verge of this weight, I am really not sure what to think. I definitely want to get below that range (okay my initial plan was to get back in the range, but I changed that.. haha). I am thinking 140 would be nice... Granted according to the wii fit my ideal weight is 129 (this is based on BMI). I know the BMI isn't really the most accurate thing to track your weight with. It doesn't take into account body type and what not. Honestly, I have more of an athletic build, I don't think 129 would happen without my loosing some bone too.. HAHA..
Well I finally broke into the 150's.. I weighed in at 159 last night. I was thrilled to say the least. Next goal 155 (yes I have to set mini goals to stay on track.. haha). I am hoping within a couple weeks I can be at 155. With all this working out, I am hoping it won't take too long.
I am now getting to the odd point. I weighed 155 for soo long (most of high school and college). The lightest was 145 at the end of senior year of college, but it was short lived. For the most part I was 150 to 155. Now that I am once again on the verge of this weight, I am really not sure what to think. I definitely want to get below that range (okay my initial plan was to get back in the range, but I changed that.. haha). I am thinking 140 would be nice... Granted according to the wii fit my ideal weight is 129 (this is based on BMI). I know the BMI isn't really the most accurate thing to track your weight with. It doesn't take into account body type and what not. Honestly, I have more of an athletic build, I don't think 129 would happen without my loosing some bone too.. HAHA..
Sunday, April 18, 2010
W3D1 Observations......
First I completed Week 2 but it was fairly uneventful so I didn't write about it.... I started Week 3 this morning. I ran outside. Since I have restarted I always run till the ipod says half way done then turn around and follow the same path back home. Week 1 and 2 I was pretty much right back on my door step, meaning the second half of the run and the first half were about the same (within 100 feet of being the same). So when I started the run this morning, I did the same thing. The ipod said half way done, so I turned around to take the same route home. When the ipod said workout complete, I was still at least 600 feet from my front door. Guess my lazy legs kicked in and I didn't really want to run the second half. I was actually kind of disappointed to see that big of a difference. May sit at Week 3 for a bit till I get balance that out a bit more. I also had a horrible time breathing today.... oh it was bad! I can still go for 25 to 30 minutes on the elliptical...... this whole running outdoors though is a kick in the pants.
I have continued with the Wii active workouts on Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Friday. They provide a bit of strength training. I have also continued with the 200 situps workout routine. I am hoping both of those will provide a decent amount of strength training to tone the muscles that aren't really used when running.
I have also continued to walk the dog for an hour at least 4 times a week. We can go about 3 miles in an hour (depends on how many things he HAS to stop and pee on). We tend to cover a bit more ground if he is carried...
I have continued with the Wii active workouts on Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Friday. They provide a bit of strength training. I have also continued with the 200 situps workout routine. I am hoping both of those will provide a decent amount of strength training to tone the muscles that aren't really used when running.
I have also continued to walk the dog for an hour at least 4 times a week. We can go about 3 miles in an hour (depends on how many things he HAS to stop and pee on). We tend to cover a bit more ground if he is carried...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Sooo slacking on the blog.. sorry
Well I have been busy working out and it totally skipped my mind to update here. The knee is still somewhat bothersome, so I have been trying to fill the workout with things that have lower impact on the knee. However I still get antsy every few days and have to run. If I am running outside, I have been doing workouts towards the beginning of the c25k. The walking seems to allow me time to recover and my stride seems stronger during the runs. At this point I am focused on getting my stride right as to not injure myself on future runs. I have been able to do 30 minute runs on the elliptical, however that kind of forces the stride to be perfect so I never had to think about. So now I will go back and repeat the c25k outside and see if I can get to where I can run 30 minutes outside without hurting myself (this is harder than I thought it would be.. haha).
Here is a review of my workout schedule that I have completed this week...
Mon
Wii active more workouts - Workout 1
Sit up routine
Light Weights Arms
Walked Mowgli for an hour ~3 miles
Tues
W2D1
Wii Active More Workouts - Workout 2
Light Weights Arms
Wed
Walked Mowgli for an hour ~ 3miles
Wii active More workouts - Custom Workout
Light weights - Arms
Situp routine
Thurs
W2D2
Wii active more workouts - workout 3
walked mowgli for an hour
I have definitely stayed busy and I started waking up early to do at least part of the workout first thing in the morning. I have read doing it of a morning boosts your metabolism all day and you will burn more calories. Not totally sure if that is happening, however I have been up and more alert all day at work. So I guess that is a bonus.
My weight is now down to 160ish. I am kind of hovering between 160 and 161. I would love to break into the 150's sometime this week. I have noticed that the new pants I bought on vacation are now getting looser and the shirts are starting to fit a lil looser. So even though my weight hasn't dropped significantly, I am still toning in places so that is a good thing.
Eating wise is getting mildly comical. I am not to the point where the burger and fries is not at all appealing. It just doesn't sound good. Granted it took me almost 4 months to hit this point, but I realized the other day that when given the opportunity I don't go for the burger. Slow progress has been made. WOOT!
Here is a review of my workout schedule that I have completed this week...
Mon
Wii active more workouts - Workout 1
Sit up routine
Light Weights Arms
Walked Mowgli for an hour ~3 miles
Tues
W2D1
Wii Active More Workouts - Workout 2
Light Weights Arms
Wed
Walked Mowgli for an hour ~ 3miles
Wii active More workouts - Custom Workout
Light weights - Arms
Situp routine
Thurs
W2D2
Wii active more workouts - workout 3
walked mowgli for an hour
I have definitely stayed busy and I started waking up early to do at least part of the workout first thing in the morning. I have read doing it of a morning boosts your metabolism all day and you will burn more calories. Not totally sure if that is happening, however I have been up and more alert all day at work. So I guess that is a bonus.
My weight is now down to 160ish. I am kind of hovering between 160 and 161. I would love to break into the 150's sometime this week. I have noticed that the new pants I bought on vacation are now getting looser and the shirts are starting to fit a lil looser. So even though my weight hasn't dropped significantly, I am still toning in places so that is a good thing.
Eating wise is getting mildly comical. I am not to the point where the burger and fries is not at all appealing. It just doesn't sound good. Granted it took me almost 4 months to hit this point, but I realized the other day that when given the opportunity I don't go for the burger. Slow progress has been made. WOOT!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Redo of W1D3 ~ Trial and Pondering weight loss...
Okay, so I got to thinking I have hurt/tweaked my knee a few times in the last couple weeks of working out. They are always the longer runs. Though I have horrible knees, they weren't really a problem early on. So I decided to take to the streets and redo W1D3 to see how the knee felt. I remember the workout was easier for me (granted it wasn't a walk in the park, but it didn't kill me like those 25 minute runs are threatening to do.. hehe). So anyway, I set out this morning. The knee still wasn't in fine shape, but I was getting antsy. I managed to make it through the full workout with no increase in pain or stiffness. Matter of fact after the warm up walk and the first run it actually loosened up. Since this was a bit less demanding of a workout, I paid close attention to my stride. I have theorized that I get "lazy" during the longer runs and often mis-step causing me to tweak the knee. I have always been a toe-runner... never matter the distance, I always ran on my toes. I managed to cover a distance of roughly 2.4 miles. I wasn't pushing myself too much on the runs, I was really concentrating on stepping/landing correctly. I plan on walking around town for 30 minutes tomorrow before work. I want to at least be moving each day.... Will have to update on how the knee feels tomorrow. I may go back and redo a few weeks to build up some stamina in my legs (ie run right, land right..).
Now in other ponderings, since I have been so dormant this week. I was pondering exactly what it took to loose weight. 1 pound is 3500 calories. Almost all websites say to loose 2 lbs a week, you need to have a deficit of 1000 calories a day. Whether this is obtained by working out and burning 1000 more calories than you consume or consuming 1000 less calories (this is kind of relative though... as 1000 less than what?? guessing your standard consumption). Since my daily diet (though I totally don't stick to this allll the time.. beer and wings kill me) is around 1000 calories a day, I would need to workout and burn 2000 calories a day to hit the 2 lbs a week mark (1000 for what I consumed and the additional 1000 to actually loose the weight). In theory, you shouldn't consume under 1000 calories a day because then your body will go into starvation mode and just "store" all the calories. So I can't create a deficit there. So working out is the only avenue. Now I was wondering how many calories do you burn just throughout your day doing normal things. For example, I get up, shower, get out the door to work, have about a 10 minute walk to my desk, throughout the day I will have a few 10 minute walks, then I walk back to the car, and home. Once home, I pick up around the house (depending on the day would determine the activity), etc. So these activities while not high calorie burning activities, are still burning a few calories. Heck just sitting at your desk you are typically burning something....
So this makes me wonder out of my 2000 calories a day I need to burn, how many of those do I burn on average just doing my daily stuff?
I know from working out I am easily burning 500 calories. I don't have a heart rate monitor so this estimate I know is on the low side. The elliptical if I am on it for about 30 minutes reads around 300 to 350. Then I do crunches and light weights. And finally of an evening I walk the dogs for about 15 minutes. So I am easily treading around 500. Granted to hit 2000 I really gotta increase this, but by how much if I include the daily activities??
Now in other ponderings, since I have been so dormant this week. I was pondering exactly what it took to loose weight. 1 pound is 3500 calories. Almost all websites say to loose 2 lbs a week, you need to have a deficit of 1000 calories a day. Whether this is obtained by working out and burning 1000 more calories than you consume or consuming 1000 less calories (this is kind of relative though... as 1000 less than what?? guessing your standard consumption). Since my daily diet (though I totally don't stick to this allll the time.. beer and wings kill me) is around 1000 calories a day, I would need to workout and burn 2000 calories a day to hit the 2 lbs a week mark (1000 for what I consumed and the additional 1000 to actually loose the weight). In theory, you shouldn't consume under 1000 calories a day because then your body will go into starvation mode and just "store" all the calories. So I can't create a deficit there. So working out is the only avenue. Now I was wondering how many calories do you burn just throughout your day doing normal things. For example, I get up, shower, get out the door to work, have about a 10 minute walk to my desk, throughout the day I will have a few 10 minute walks, then I walk back to the car, and home. Once home, I pick up around the house (depending on the day would determine the activity), etc. So these activities while not high calorie burning activities, are still burning a few calories. Heck just sitting at your desk you are typically burning something....
So this makes me wonder out of my 2000 calories a day I need to burn, how many of those do I burn on average just doing my daily stuff?
I know from working out I am easily burning 500 calories. I don't have a heart rate monitor so this estimate I know is on the low side. The elliptical if I am on it for about 30 minutes reads around 300 to 350. Then I do crunches and light weights. And finally of an evening I walk the dogs for about 15 minutes. So I am easily treading around 500. Granted to hit 2000 I really gotta increase this, but by how much if I include the daily activities??
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Still holding off on running .... :-(
Well the knee is just not going along with my line of thinking. It is actually still rather swollen. I have continued to walk for at least 30 minutes a day and continued with crunches and light weights (nothing really with the legs though). I am going to give the knee a few more days and well may visit the dreaded doctor. Ugggggghh.
The light weight workout and the crunches are going rather well. I have also started with pushups. I am really starting to get into a routine with this part of my workout. For the most part, I do the complete workout daily and usually the crunches I do twice a day. I have definitely noticed some increased muscle tone, which is nice to see.
I am trying to find more things to add to the workout routine to mix it up a bit. I tend to get bored or something gets easy then I quit on it. I may add some biking instead of walking, but I need to get my bike tire aired up and my pump is in the car at the shop..... Other than that I am not sure what else to add....
The light weight workout and the crunches are going rather well. I have also started with pushups. I am really starting to get into a routine with this part of my workout. For the most part, I do the complete workout daily and usually the crunches I do twice a day. I have definitely noticed some increased muscle tone, which is nice to see.
I am trying to find more things to add to the workout routine to mix it up a bit. I tend to get bored or something gets easy then I quit on it. I may add some biking instead of walking, but I need to get my bike tire aired up and my pump is in the car at the shop..... Other than that I am not sure what else to add....
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Progress has slowed a bit, but still moving along..
The last couple days I have been just doing a brisk walk around the neighborhood instead of running. The knee is still quite swollen and at times painful. For the most part it is just stiff, but after about 5 minutes into the walk it loosens up. I am going to hold off on running through the weekend, give it a lil more time. I am enjoying doing a workout outside. It is so refreshing to get outside. I plan on running outside once the knee eases up some... We will see how that goes.
I am progressing nicely through the 200 situps program. For more information... http://twohundredsitups.com/ I stick to the program and on the last set always do as many as I can. I have it loaded onto my ipod so it can keep track of it all (there is a rest period etc). I have always been adding on those various other crunches I listed out the other day. On the whole my mid section is tightening up quite a bit, however I still have a long way to go before I hit the 6 pack. I still have a layer of fat to loose.
Speaking of weight, I am down to 161. A decent drop over just a couple days (I know weight can fluctuate up to 2 lbs daily, however I weigh myself at the same time etc). I have been doing alot of working out the past couple days, though not much actual running. More lite weights and walking and ab workout.
I am progressing nicely through the 200 situps program. For more information... http://twohundredsitups.com/ I stick to the program and on the last set always do as many as I can. I have it loaded onto my ipod so it can keep track of it all (there is a rest period etc). I have always been adding on those various other crunches I listed out the other day. On the whole my mid section is tightening up quite a bit, however I still have a long way to go before I hit the 6 pack. I still have a layer of fat to loose.
Speaking of weight, I am down to 161. A decent drop over just a couple days (I know weight can fluctuate up to 2 lbs daily, however I weigh myself at the same time etc). I have been doing alot of working out the past couple days, though not much actual running. More lite weights and walking and ab workout.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Hit a snag :-(
Well I managed to do the situps last night and this morning. I am really liking doing those. Last night I also did about half the 30 day shred (minus anything that was high impact on the knees....)...
And well I have hit a snag on the c25k. I kind of tweaked my knee during the run around minute 12. So I slowed and walked for a few, thinking it would just be okay. Tried running again and it wouldn't have it. So I aborted the mission...... This morning I woke and it was swollen and tight...
It has been rainy and somewhat yucky here on and off. That always causes my knees to flare up. I am hoping that once the weather calms I can run the 25 minutes runs. For now, I am taking a couple days off (I will still walk to keep it loose). When I start running again... I may do 3 ten minute runs with a couple minute walk in between.
In other news.. I dropped another half a pound. Weight loss is starting to slow down but it is still happening so that is a good thing.
And well I have hit a snag on the c25k. I kind of tweaked my knee during the run around minute 12. So I slowed and walked for a few, thinking it would just be okay. Tried running again and it wouldn't have it. So I aborted the mission...... This morning I woke and it was swollen and tight...
It has been rainy and somewhat yucky here on and off. That always causes my knees to flare up. I am hoping that once the weather calms I can run the 25 minutes runs. For now, I am taking a couple days off (I will still walk to keep it loose). When I start running again... I may do 3 ten minute runs with a couple minute walk in between.
In other news.. I dropped another half a pound. Weight loss is starting to slow down but it is still happening so that is a good thing.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Progress so far...
Well last night I got back late from Easter festivities and had to go pick up a dog to dog sit for the week. Before getting the dog, I managed to get the full situp routine done. On the way home though, I hit a deer and got pretty shook up so didn't do the elliptical when I got home.
This morning I woke early got the situp routine in again, however was on hold for so long with insurance/work etc that I didn't do the run. Tonight though I should be fairly free, so I am hoping to do situps, run, and the 30day shred. We will see how this turns out.
The whole situp routine actually isn't that bad. I am a lil sore, but overall feel great. I am definitely going to continue on with that.
I haven't been able to do the 30day shred enough to determine whether or not I really like that. I am assuming it will be good as it is a workout and doesn't require going to the gym. So far only small dumbbell weights were needed. It is toning places the running is missing.
And the c25k program... I actually really like the program. I am not sure I am really into the 30 minute runs.. However the interval runs are nice. I typically seem to like running for 8 to 10.. then walking for 2. I can do the longer runs, just I don't get as much enjoyment out of them.
Well tonight I will continue on... Will post again tomorrow with progress...
This morning I woke early got the situp routine in again, however was on hold for so long with insurance/work etc that I didn't do the run. Tonight though I should be fairly free, so I am hoping to do situps, run, and the 30day shred. We will see how this turns out.
The whole situp routine actually isn't that bad. I am a lil sore, but overall feel great. I am definitely going to continue on with that.
I haven't been able to do the 30day shred enough to determine whether or not I really like that. I am assuming it will be good as it is a workout and doesn't require going to the gym. So far only small dumbbell weights were needed. It is toning places the running is missing.
And the c25k program... I actually really like the program. I am not sure I am really into the 30 minute runs.. However the interval runs are nice. I typically seem to like running for 8 to 10.. then walking for 2. I can do the longer runs, just I don't get as much enjoyment out of them.
Well tonight I will continue on... Will post again tomorrow with progress...
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Workout Routine ~ Probably a bit too ambitious HA
So I have been sitting here planning out a workout routine. Now I know I can't possibly workout every day like I ultimately want to, nor twice a day as you will see I have outlined. However I thrive on a set schedule. If I know I have a plan, I typically find a way to pull it off. If I don't have it planned, more often than not I miss it or find some excuse to avoid it. With that being said I planned to do something for every morning and every evening. Now if I miss one here or there, it won't be the end of the world as there is enough to make up for it. I am definitely kicking the weight loss routine into high gear. I have seen what working out maybe three times a week can do with eating right, so now I shall see what 7 days a week will do....
Sun
am
Situp routine
30 minutes on elliptical
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Mon
am
Situp routine
c25k
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Tues
am
Situp routine
30 minutes on elliptical
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Wed
am
Situp routine
c25k
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Thurs
am
Situp routine
30 minutes on elliptical
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Friday
am
Situp routine
c25k
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Sat
am
Situp routine
30 minutes on elliptical
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Now the situp routine will be the following:
200 crunches (workout routine till I can do 200 consecutively) using the ball
60 second break
50 cross crunch (25 each side)
50 bicycle crunches
25 leg lifts
60 second break
25 knee ups
45 second static hold
25 reverse crunch
60 second break
25 hip thrusts
50 cross reverse crunch (25 each side)
For the 200 crunches, I have started the 200 crunch workout routine. Slowly working up to 200 crunches. I will do the program at the start then finish with all the other situps. Once I complete the program, I will just start with 200 regular sit ups. Mind you I probably screw up the names a bit, I can read them and know what I am supposed to do, when I get a few more minutes I will add the descriptions to each one.
Now once I complete the c25k, those times on the elliptical will just be a 30 minute run with 5 minute cool down and warm up. The off days where it just says 30 minutes on the elliptical will just be a brisk walk with a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down, alternating going forward and reverse.
Now I realize reading this probably sounds like I am a kook that is way too ambitious and will likely hurt myself... while this argument does have some merit. I know how I am and know that some of the times will be skipped weekly. However if I skip the day that I was scheduled to do c25k, I will not adjust the next day's workout, instead I will just pick the missed c25k workout back up on the next schedule day. This works better for me cause then I know what I expect to complete.
I am hoping setting it out this way, will get me to do more, increase weight loss and get me started on those 6-pack abs... I so may dread making that bet, but it is good motivation for me as I am way too competitive.
Sun
am
Situp routine
30 minutes on elliptical
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Mon
am
Situp routine
c25k
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Tues
am
Situp routine
30 minutes on elliptical
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Wed
am
Situp routine
c25k
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Thurs
am
Situp routine
30 minutes on elliptical
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Friday
am
Situp routine
c25k
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Sat
am
Situp routine
30 minutes on elliptical
pm
Situp routine
30 day shred
Now the situp routine will be the following:
200 crunches (workout routine till I can do 200 consecutively) using the ball
60 second break
50 cross crunch (25 each side)
50 bicycle crunches
25 leg lifts
60 second break
25 knee ups
45 second static hold
25 reverse crunch
60 second break
25 hip thrusts
50 cross reverse crunch (25 each side)
For the 200 crunches, I have started the 200 crunch workout routine. Slowly working up to 200 crunches. I will do the program at the start then finish with all the other situps. Once I complete the program, I will just start with 200 regular sit ups. Mind you I probably screw up the names a bit, I can read them and know what I am supposed to do, when I get a few more minutes I will add the descriptions to each one.
Now once I complete the c25k, those times on the elliptical will just be a 30 minute run with 5 minute cool down and warm up. The off days where it just says 30 minutes on the elliptical will just be a brisk walk with a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down, alternating going forward and reverse.
Now I realize reading this probably sounds like I am a kook that is way too ambitious and will likely hurt myself... while this argument does have some merit. I know how I am and know that some of the times will be skipped weekly. However if I skip the day that I was scheduled to do c25k, I will not adjust the next day's workout, instead I will just pick the missed c25k workout back up on the next schedule day. This works better for me cause then I know what I expect to complete.
I am hoping setting it out this way, will get me to do more, increase weight loss and get me started on those 6-pack abs... I so may dread making that bet, but it is good motivation for me as I am way too competitive.
W6D2 ~ Repeat
Well I repeated W6D2, still with the resistance of 1 when running and 6 or 7 when walking. This workout went much better than W6D2 before vacation. I didn't struggle at all and was having a good time with the workout (it was tough, but not a huge struggle as it was before vacation). I also think I will start doing part of the walking in "reverse" on the elliptical. I was reading this works different muscles in the legs and helps with toning (the joys of the internet and all the cool things I am beginning to find :-) ).
The situps are going well, I can do around 150 with a couple breaks in there (there are sets according to the program. Do so many take short break.. do another set). I am still tweaking this as it seems quite easy. Thinking of doing them on one of those large exercise balls. The instability is supposed to add a unique challenge to the sets of crunches. I also think I will repeat the sets with different versions of the crunches (reverse, twist etc). I sooooo don't want to loose the bet with a friend, but he has quite the headstart on me.
I am starting to devise a workout schedule. So daily I will be doing something. I will probably have to tweak it occasionally based on unexpected plans, but for the most part I hope to do something every day. I am starting to notice good changes, so it is keeping my motivated and moving. Once I get the schedule somewhat finalized I will have to post it. I figured I can dedicate at least 45 minutes of a morning and 45 of a night to working out. For the most part this should be daily.. HAHA
The situps are going well, I can do around 150 with a couple breaks in there (there are sets according to the program. Do so many take short break.. do another set). I am still tweaking this as it seems quite easy. Thinking of doing them on one of those large exercise balls. The instability is supposed to add a unique challenge to the sets of crunches. I also think I will repeat the sets with different versions of the crunches (reverse, twist etc). I sooooo don't want to loose the bet with a friend, but he has quite the headstart on me.
I am starting to devise a workout schedule. So daily I will be doing something. I will probably have to tweak it occasionally based on unexpected plans, but for the most part I hope to do something every day. I am starting to notice good changes, so it is keeping my motivated and moving. Once I get the schedule somewhat finalized I will have to post it. I figured I can dedicate at least 45 minutes of a morning and 45 of a night to working out. For the most part this should be daily.. HAHA
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Back from Vacation ~ W6D1 Repeat
Since I was a slacker on vacation and didn't feel the workouts went great right before vacation, I repeated Week 6. I did the workout last night on the elliptical. Running with a resistance of 1 and walking to a resistance of 8. I gotta say it felt great to get back on there and workout. I was very active during vacation (mountain hikes, lots of walking, tubing, etc), however didn't really run. So this was a nice change of pace and seemed to get me out of the workout funk I had just before vacation. I burned around 400 calories (maybe more.. I know it was at least 400 but having issues recalling the exact amount).
After that I started the 200 situps workout (I apologize I read this one someones blog that I am following and can't remember who... so Thanks for the idea..). I did the test and did 70 some situps, then rested for a bit and did the first days workout. This morning I did the second days workout. I will probably repeat the second days workout tonight. I am going to try and stick to doing this daily or a couple times a day... I have made a bet with a friend ... we are now seeing who can get a 6-pack first... Please any tips and advice is greatly appreciated. I want to win this bet. We both have a long way to go... however I need all the advice I can get in order to win...
Last night I also started the 30 day shred workout by Jillian Michaels. I was actually starting to wear down at this point, but figured I would try to get through it just to see what it was all about. I think I did about half of it, before my legs were saying .. no thanks we are done. I however do like the style and how she mixes it up. So I think I will try to do this a lil more often as filler here and there. May not do the full workout, but at least part of a workout each day.
I know this probably sounds like a lot, and that I am going to get burnt out. However I am heading home to the parents for the weekend so I wanted to get them all started so I can see what I like and don't like. I am definitely sticking with the 200 situps workout. It is fairly quick to complete and I can do it a couple times a day. The 30 day shred, I am thinking as filler on my off days from the c25k. However, just couldn't wait to start it.
Surprisingly today I am not sore. Well a lil here and there, but nothing like I thought I would be. The abs is the one area where I can feel soreness today, but overall it isn't too bad.
Now on to some other good news, I was worried about weighing myself last night. I didn't exactly eat healthy while on vacation, so I was nervous. After going back and forth, I figured I needed to hop on and see where I stood.. Well surprise surprise, I dropped 4 more lbs. Now I am down to 163ish. I also bought new pants on vacation, I am down to a 14. I was super stoked about this. The only reason I bought new pants was because we were in an outlet mall and they were cheap. Figured it was a good present to myself.
After that I started the 200 situps workout (I apologize I read this one someones blog that I am following and can't remember who... so Thanks for the idea..). I did the test and did 70 some situps, then rested for a bit and did the first days workout. This morning I did the second days workout. I will probably repeat the second days workout tonight. I am going to try and stick to doing this daily or a couple times a day... I have made a bet with a friend ... we are now seeing who can get a 6-pack first... Please any tips and advice is greatly appreciated. I want to win this bet. We both have a long way to go... however I need all the advice I can get in order to win...
Last night I also started the 30 day shred workout by Jillian Michaels. I was actually starting to wear down at this point, but figured I would try to get through it just to see what it was all about. I think I did about half of it, before my legs were saying .. no thanks we are done. I however do like the style and how she mixes it up. So I think I will try to do this a lil more often as filler here and there. May not do the full workout, but at least part of a workout each day.
I know this probably sounds like a lot, and that I am going to get burnt out. However I am heading home to the parents for the weekend so I wanted to get them all started so I can see what I like and don't like. I am definitely sticking with the 200 situps workout. It is fairly quick to complete and I can do it a couple times a day. The 30 day shred, I am thinking as filler on my off days from the c25k. However, just couldn't wait to start it.
Surprisingly today I am not sore. Well a lil here and there, but nothing like I thought I would be. The abs is the one area where I can feel soreness today, but overall it isn't too bad.
Now on to some other good news, I was worried about weighing myself last night. I didn't exactly eat healthy while on vacation, so I was nervous. After going back and forth, I figured I needed to hop on and see where I stood.. Well surprise surprise, I dropped 4 more lbs. Now I am down to 163ish. I also bought new pants on vacation, I am down to a 14. I was super stoked about this. The only reason I bought new pants was because we were in an outlet mall and they were cheap. Figured it was a good present to myself.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Vacation ~ Snow ~ and so not running
Well I am still on vacation and will be through Monday. I had the best of intentions when I came out here.. to go running a few times. However one thing after another has came up and running has taken the backburner.... When I first got here (Friday night), well I was tired etc from driving so no running then. On Saturday we went hiking in the mountains a bit, did a haunted hotel tour, and in general walked around looking at the scenery. Sunday, we went tubing and did more walking and driving through the mountains. Monday and Tuesday, I spent plenty of time walking around doing this and that at various sites/tours out here. So in reality I am staying active, just not actually running. Today though, I seem to be coming down with a sinus infection and fell like crud. I am currently curled up on the couch.. nice and doped up. Later we are supposed to go shopping and then out to eat. So it may be a bit of a calm day here.
Healthy eating wise, I am not doing horrible, but not stellar either. Still no pop so that is a good thing. I have drank a ton of water, so that is a good thing. Just meal choices havent been that great...
Healthy eating wise, I am not doing horrible, but not stellar either. Still no pop so that is a good thing. I have drank a ton of water, so that is a good thing. Just meal choices havent been that great...
Thursday, March 18, 2010
25 minute run is complete... time for vacation!!!
Well I completed Week 6 tonight. The run was okay, but I wasn't pleased with the workout. The cold I am battling (for the first time my asthma flared up during the workout), lack of sleep last night, and possible the effects of staying out too late were all working against me tonight. So I think I will redo Week 6. I really don't like that I wasn't pleased with 2 of the 3 workouts this week. I plan on taking at least 3 days off before redoing the week. Figured I would pick it back up on Monday. I am hoping by then the lingering cold will be gone and I will have had plenty of rest.
I am still on the hunt of some type of workout to supplement on my rest days or as I want (sometimes my schedule barely allows for the 3 days of c25k). I was looking at the p90x workouts, however with bad knees and no equipment most of the workouts won't happen. I have heard good things about 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels. It is a 20 or 25 minute program each day. That would be enough to get me moving and stay active all week and may also be enough to get my over this weight limit plateau.
I am still on the hunt of some type of workout to supplement on my rest days or as I want (sometimes my schedule barely allows for the 3 days of c25k). I was looking at the p90x workouts, however with bad knees and no equipment most of the workouts won't happen. I have heard good things about 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels. It is a 20 or 25 minute program each day. That would be enough to get me moving and stay active all week and may also be enough to get my over this weight limit plateau.
Green Beer and No Running ~~~ But I think I found some leprechauns....
Aww so yesterday didn't go as planned... I worked for 9 hours, headed home changed (I live 30 minutes from work), back into town to pick up friends, dinner, and out on the town. Aww the joys of celebrating the patron saint of engineers. We were out till around 2 am and I am totally dragging today. The workout didn't happen yesterday, however it will happen today as tomorrow is the start of my VACATION!!!! Skipping the workout last night was totally worth the fun I had last night. I haven't went out much since beginning this health kick. So it was a nice break, and I still stuck fairly well to my normal eating habits. Only had a couple beers (just enough to celebrate).
Colorado seems to be having some nice weather (we keep getting rainy crud here). So I may be able to do a few runs outside there.. I can't wait. I really want to see how far I can legitimately run.
Colorado seems to be having some nice weather (we keep getting rainy crud here). So I may be able to do a few runs outside there.. I can't wait. I really want to see how far I can legitimately run.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Happy St. Patty's Day ~ Looking for my a leprechaun
Happy St. Patty's Day to everyone. I got to say I am in a much better mood today than I was yesterday (possibly a lil luck on my side??). The frustration has passed and I am ready to conquer another day of the c25k program. Tonight I will be doing W6D3, showering, then hitting the bars. I am sure somewhere in my healthy eating plan it calls for a few glasses of green beer... if not I am adding the amendment to it pronto.
I totally forgot to wear green today and have been "pinched" a couple times. The saying "I am wearing green, you just can't see it" totally doesn't work. However being as I will be in the company of drink adults this evening, I will have my green on. I have a couple vintage lucky charm shirts, or maybe the shirt that says "Tails I win, Heads you loose" with a coin flipping on it. Either way, I will have my green covered.
Though I seemed to have plateaued as far as weight, the pants keep fitting looser and looser. So I know I am getting muscle, I just like to see that overall number continue to drop. I have been researching other things to add or eliminate from eating to aid in the achieving this task. So far it seems my food intake etc is just about right. So I may be looking at working out a bit more to kind of start the drop again.
Would it be impractical to wish for a set of 6-pack abs? It seems all the running has really toned from the waist down and up north while it has slimmed some hasn't really been toning much. I am thinking one my "rest" days, maybe I will throw in some other fitness fun.... The schedule the last two weeks has made this impossible, however upon my return from vacation I think I will work this into the routine. I guess I could just do them on the nights I am running, so push all the fitness to those three days (would work better with my schedule)... however I think that may kill me on the nights of a 30 minutes straight run.
I do the Wii active or Wii fit occasionally and I still not sold on these being a legit workout. I think maybe I should add some weights to the workouts and that may do the trick. I fly through the workouts and never feel a thing, nor did it seem to tone much when I started (I did do them both 4 to 5 times a week for 5 weeks). The Wii active has you do lunges like none other, so that could be the reason my legs weren't overly burning from all the running. However the active didn't do much for the rest of the body...
I totally forgot to wear green today and have been "pinched" a couple times. The saying "I am wearing green, you just can't see it" totally doesn't work. However being as I will be in the company of drink adults this evening, I will have my green on. I have a couple vintage lucky charm shirts, or maybe the shirt that says "Tails I win, Heads you loose" with a coin flipping on it. Either way, I will have my green covered.
Though I seemed to have plateaued as far as weight, the pants keep fitting looser and looser. So I know I am getting muscle, I just like to see that overall number continue to drop. I have been researching other things to add or eliminate from eating to aid in the achieving this task. So far it seems my food intake etc is just about right. So I may be looking at working out a bit more to kind of start the drop again.
Would it be impractical to wish for a set of 6-pack abs? It seems all the running has really toned from the waist down and up north while it has slimmed some hasn't really been toning much. I am thinking one my "rest" days, maybe I will throw in some other fitness fun.... The schedule the last two weeks has made this impossible, however upon my return from vacation I think I will work this into the routine. I guess I could just do them on the nights I am running, so push all the fitness to those three days (would work better with my schedule)... however I think that may kill me on the nights of a 30 minutes straight run.
I do the Wii active or Wii fit occasionally and I still not sold on these being a legit workout. I think maybe I should add some weights to the workouts and that may do the trick. I fly through the workouts and never feel a thing, nor did it seem to tone much when I started (I did do them both 4 to 5 times a week for 5 weeks). The Wii active has you do lunges like none other, so that could be the reason my legs weren't overly burning from all the running. However the active didn't do much for the rest of the body...
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
W6D2 and I am drained.....
For the first time since starting the program, I am actually drained. I did W6D2 last night and this morning, I am totally dragging. I have some tightness in my legs. The workout was okay. I still burned over 400 calories, however W6D1 felt like a better workout. I struggled through the last 5 minutes of the run last night and couldn't wait to sit down and relax. Not sure what the deal is. Could be a combination of the weather (rainy and dreary here), my schedule this week, and lack of sleep... I am hoping W6D3 does a bit better... I may actually repeat week 6 while on vacation. I really don't like the way last night's workout went. Could just be in a funk... only time will tell.
I also seemed to have plateaued as far as weight loss.. I am holding steady at 168. I am guessing the last bit is going to be the tough pounds to loose. Not really frustrated with this just yet. I am still getting more toned and as they say muscle weighs more than fat, so I think I have just hit the trade off point.
I did however go on a bit of a shopping spree.. Needed a couple new shirts, I was starting to swim in my old ones. I tend to buy baggier clothes and loosing 15 lbs made them a bit too baggy. Anyway, my ultimate hatred is shopping for clothes. I don't mind shopping for anything else, but hate shopping for clothes. So I went to target and kohls, found a couple tops. Came home, went online, and proceeded to order one of almost every color in the same styles. So for now I should be set on shirts.... Pants.. I really should buy new, but for now I am settling with a belt. .. HAHA
I also seemed to have plateaued as far as weight loss.. I am holding steady at 168. I am guessing the last bit is going to be the tough pounds to loose. Not really frustrated with this just yet. I am still getting more toned and as they say muscle weighs more than fat, so I think I have just hit the trade off point.
I did however go on a bit of a shopping spree.. Needed a couple new shirts, I was starting to swim in my old ones. I tend to buy baggier clothes and loosing 15 lbs made them a bit too baggy. Anyway, my ultimate hatred is shopping for clothes. I don't mind shopping for anything else, but hate shopping for clothes. So I went to target and kohls, found a couple tops. Came home, went online, and proceeded to order one of almost every color in the same styles. So for now I should be set on shirts.... Pants.. I really should buy new, but for now I am settling with a belt. .. HAHA
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Behind on updating.. ... have started Week 6
Yesterday it must of slipped my mind to update. I worked out first thing in the morning, then ran some errands, and started packing.
The workout was nice and by the end of the day I was totally wore out (thinking it was a combo of the workout and running around all day). I have managed to increase the resistance on running to 2 and on walking to an 8. I am now consistently burning over 400 calories per workout. I am slowly making improvements. I must also be running a lil faster because the distance complete keeps increasing. All in all I can honestly say I am still pleased with the workout routine.
I can also say this "healthy eating" or dieting is also going splendidly. I have cut out fast food, pop, and most high fructose corn syrup (there are a few things I purchased that I am going to eat.. but once they are gone.. I am done). I routinely consume more than the recommended daily allowance of water and have increased the amount of veggies and fruit consumed on a daily basis. I have found ways to "hide" veggies in meals, making them more filling and less calories per serving. My calorie intake has decreased significantly (okay cutting out the pop alone managed to account for a large portion of this).
The plan for the week is to finish out week 6 and try to fit in week 7 on vacation. We will see how that goes.
The workout was nice and by the end of the day I was totally wore out (thinking it was a combo of the workout and running around all day). I have managed to increase the resistance on running to 2 and on walking to an 8. I am now consistently burning over 400 calories per workout. I am slowly making improvements. I must also be running a lil faster because the distance complete keeps increasing. All in all I can honestly say I am still pleased with the workout routine.
I can also say this "healthy eating" or dieting is also going splendidly. I have cut out fast food, pop, and most high fructose corn syrup (there are a few things I purchased that I am going to eat.. but once they are gone.. I am done). I routinely consume more than the recommended daily allowance of water and have increased the amount of veggies and fruit consumed on a daily basis. I have found ways to "hide" veggies in meals, making them more filling and less calories per serving. My calorie intake has decreased significantly (okay cutting out the pop alone managed to account for a large portion of this).
The plan for the week is to finish out week 6 and try to fit in week 7 on vacation. We will see how that goes.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Holy Crapola... I finished the 20 minute run and didn't pass out...
and next you are going to tell me I am getting in shape.. HA..
Well as the title says it, I managed to run for the whole 20 minute jog. I got to say it was a struggle with about 2 minutes remaining, but before that I was concentrating on learning the alphabet backwards... amazing how time flies when I am trying to do something that is utterly pointless. I did manage to keep a pace of around 65 and for that I was kind of proud of myself. This would still be considered slow by marathon standards, but hey I was moving.. ha..
Well I am looking forward to starting week 6. I would like to get it in before I leave on vacation for a week. I am guessing while on vacation the workout schedule will be put on hold. I plan on skiing, tubing, and all around having a good time.. not sure running fits into the schedule ;-)
I think once I return from vacation, I will likely repeat week 6 then continue on with week 7 8 and 9. Holy crap, just when I typed that out did I realize I have survived the first half of the workout schedule. WOW...
Well as the title says it, I managed to run for the whole 20 minute jog. I got to say it was a struggle with about 2 minutes remaining, but before that I was concentrating on learning the alphabet backwards... amazing how time flies when I am trying to do something that is utterly pointless. I did manage to keep a pace of around 65 and for that I was kind of proud of myself. This would still be considered slow by marathon standards, but hey I was moving.. ha..
Well I am looking forward to starting week 6. I would like to get it in before I leave on vacation for a week. I am guessing while on vacation the workout schedule will be put on hold. I plan on skiing, tubing, and all around having a good time.. not sure running fits into the schedule ;-)
I think once I return from vacation, I will likely repeat week 6 then continue on with week 7 8 and 9. Holy crap, just when I typed that out did I realize I have survived the first half of the workout schedule. WOW...
I ran for 8 minutes straight.... twice.. WOW
The title says it all.. W5D2 is complete and I managed to run for 8 minutes straight... two different times during the workout. Resistance is still at 0 for running, but I bumped walking up to 8.
I am still anxious about the 20 minute run. That is really going to push me... I am sure I will have a great sense of accomplishment once I complete it, but the impending sense of doom is making me anxious.. haha
I plan on running it tonight or tomorrow (depending on schedule)... so we will know soon enough whether I make the cut or not...
I am still anxious about the 20 minute run. That is really going to push me... I am sure I will have a great sense of accomplishment once I complete it, but the impending sense of doom is making me anxious.. haha
I plan on running it tonight or tomorrow (depending on schedule)... so we will know soon enough whether I make the cut or not...
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
W5D1 is in the books ~~ Time for a new belt!!!
So I did W5D1 on the elliptical. I dropped the resistance for running back to 1, however kept the resistance of walking at 7. I managed to finish it and felt great... However the left knee is a little stiff today. This could be a total fluke (sometimes it just happens) or could be the result of the workout. Only time will tell... I am hoping it passes quickly though :-)
and in other news... I need a new belt.. I have my current one as tight as it will go and well, that just isn't helping anymore. I guess this is a good complaint to have.... :-)
and in other news... I need a new belt.. I have my current one as tight as it will go and well, that just isn't helping anymore. I guess this is a good complaint to have.... :-)
Monday, March 8, 2010
Week 4 is complete... and I soooooo felt the burn~~
So I was on the last day of week 4. Unfortunately we had rain on and off for most of the weekend, so I didn't get to run outside. I decided to run at a resistance of 2 and walk with a resistance of 7 on the elliptical. Burned over 400 calories and my legs were on fire by the end. After about 5 minutes, the sensation passed and I was good to go. No soreness today either, which is a good thing.
Now onto Week 5. Not sure I am going to keep the resistance setting for running... Not sure I would make it to the finish line. The workout looks like the following.
W5D1
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
W5D2
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
W5D3
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
YIKES... 20 continuous minutes by week's end. I must be crazy.....
Now onto Week 5. Not sure I am going to keep the resistance setting for running... Not sure I would make it to the finish line. The workout looks like the following.
W5D1
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
W5D2
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
W5D3
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
YIKES... 20 continuous minutes by week's end. I must be crazy.....
Saturday, March 6, 2010
W4D2~400 calories burned ~ Feeling Great
Well as you can see based on the title, I complete W4D2. This time the resistance on walking was 6, running was still 1 (though I may increase this next time around). Calories burned at the end of the workout was 397, so I walked a little more to hit 400. Wanting a nice round number, gave me the motivation to go just a bit farther.
On the healthy front, I am down to 168 lbs. Right at 15 lbs of weight loss since the beginning of January. Slow and steady it has been coming off, but more over I am started to get toned again. My legs are the most notable difference with my stomach next. The stomach still has a long way to go, however the legs are looking nice. I guess I will go one body region at a time.. HA. But it does provide me with motivation and a boost to the self esteem when I notice the changes.
I am going to start throwing in 30 minutes on the Wii Fit or Wii active a day. I think this will tone my arms and anything else not toned by running. As I said before I am not counting on this for calorie burn, but more for toning. The Wii active in particular with its million lunges/squats etc, will tone the hell out of any couch potato as long as they stick to it and legitimately do it. The Wii fit will hopefully help me practice my skiing for the trip I am taking at the end of March.. HAHA... I think it is an unrealistic representation of what actual skiing is, but it is a start. I have never been skiing, this trip will be the first time. So I will rate the game after the fact.
On the healthy front, I am down to 168 lbs. Right at 15 lbs of weight loss since the beginning of January. Slow and steady it has been coming off, but more over I am started to get toned again. My legs are the most notable difference with my stomach next. The stomach still has a long way to go, however the legs are looking nice. I guess I will go one body region at a time.. HA. But it does provide me with motivation and a boost to the self esteem when I notice the changes.
I am going to start throwing in 30 minutes on the Wii Fit or Wii active a day. I think this will tone my arms and anything else not toned by running. As I said before I am not counting on this for calorie burn, but more for toning. The Wii active in particular with its million lunges/squats etc, will tone the hell out of any couch potato as long as they stick to it and legitimately do it. The Wii fit will hopefully help me practice my skiing for the trip I am taking at the end of March.. HAHA... I think it is an unrealistic representation of what actual skiing is, but it is a start. I have never been skiing, this trip will be the first time. So I will rate the game after the fact.
Friday, March 5, 2010
No longer morbidly obese... at least according to wii fit....
So I hopped on the Wii fit this morning to play around a bit before work. Ya I was procrastinating big time.. I did not want to go to work today. Anyway, I did a body test and realized that according to the Wii, I am now just obese... not morbidly obese. Still not healthy, but at least it is progress and it provided me with some amusement this morning.. My lil Mii character is a tab big skinner... though she is still freakishly weird looking...
Thursday, March 4, 2010
W4D1 is complete!!
So I set out to start week 4. I was a lil more anxious to start this week. The jogs are getting longer and the walks are getting shorter. I decided for all the walks I would put the resistance at 5 and during running the resistance would be 1. I have noticed as the weeks go by my running speed is increasing. Right now I seem to hover 68 to 70 (still not sure on the units. HA). Walking for warm up is always almost 35 to 40. Towards the end, I can pick it up. But it seems that this stretches me out (even though I do stretch before hand anyway). The rest of the walking is between 45 and 50.
Well I managed to complete the workout. I was a bit more winded this week, but it still felt good. I have had a bit of a cold, so that could be the reason I am more winded (on top of asthma.. its a wonderful combo). I am hoping the cold does not get any worse so I can continue progressing throughout the workouts. Total distance was almost 1700 with calories burned being 375. These are reading from the elliptical.
I am hoping this weekend it warms up enough for me to run around the local track. It is looking hopeful, however there may be a chance of rain.
Well I managed to complete the workout. I was a bit more winded this week, but it still felt good. I have had a bit of a cold, so that could be the reason I am more winded (on top of asthma.. its a wonderful combo). I am hoping the cold does not get any worse so I can continue progressing throughout the workouts. Total distance was almost 1700 with calories burned being 375. These are reading from the elliptical.
I am hoping this weekend it warms up enough for me to run around the local track. It is looking hopeful, however there may be a chance of rain.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Week 3 is complete!!!
Well I woke up early this morning and decided to try the whole working out before work. I really wasn't sure if this would be a good thing or not as I am totally not a morning person. It is fairly typical for me to not talk till around 10...maybe 11.
It was a rough start, I didn't want to be awake. But I did feel great after the workout. I think I will start to do this more often, however I need to be up for about 15 minutes before hopping on the elliptical. I am hoping that eliminates the sloooooow start.
I am definitely looking forward to Week 4. The weather is getting somewhat nice out (okay who am I kidding, it is still cold as hell and we have snow, but the sun was out and I am hopeful). I am hoping that maybe this week I can do a workout outside. I would like to know how much distance I can cover. I also need to calibrate my Nike+ sensor. This will also give me an idea of how accurate the numbers on the elliptical are.
It was a rough start, I didn't want to be awake. But I did feel great after the workout. I think I will start to do this more often, however I need to be up for about 15 minutes before hopping on the elliptical. I am hoping that eliminates the sloooooow start.
I am definitely looking forward to Week 4. The weather is getting somewhat nice out (okay who am I kidding, it is still cold as hell and we have snow, but the sun was out and I am hopeful). I am hoping that maybe this week I can do a workout outside. I would like to know how much distance I can cover. I also need to calibrate my Nike+ sensor. This will also give me an idea of how accurate the numbers on the elliptical are.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
High Fructose What?? Holy Crapola!!
So I was browsing the net today looking for alternative ways to better my diet. I am not to the point where all my snacks are fruit or chips and salsa (about the only veggie I can tolerate.. haha). I do have corn or green beans for dinner, but in an effort to continually improve I continue to read articles on the net.
Today's focus after randomly reading things for a bit was high fructose corn syrup. I honestly never thought a thing about it. Sure it is in food, but so are 50 million other things that I don't really know a thing about. However from what I gather high fructose corn syrup is an additive that is added in excess in EVERYTHING in today's manufactured foods. There are plenty of articles about how to leads to weight gain, etc.
So today's quest was to do some grocery shopping (I had to do it anyway), however I wanted to find foods that did not contain high fructose corn syrup. I know totally avoiding it is not going to happen. My goal is to just reduce my consumption drastically. I figured I had items on my list and I would try to find a brand/version without the high fructose corn syrup.
I managed to get everything on my list, however it was a difficult and a long shopping trip. More often than not I ended up with a low sugar, organic, or all natural version to get it without high fructose corn syrup.
Today's focus after randomly reading things for a bit was high fructose corn syrup. I honestly never thought a thing about it. Sure it is in food, but so are 50 million other things that I don't really know a thing about. However from what I gather high fructose corn syrup is an additive that is added in excess in EVERYTHING in today's manufactured foods. There are plenty of articles about how to leads to weight gain, etc.
So today's quest was to do some grocery shopping (I had to do it anyway), however I wanted to find foods that did not contain high fructose corn syrup. I know totally avoiding it is not going to happen. My goal is to just reduce my consumption drastically. I figured I had items on my list and I would try to find a brand/version without the high fructose corn syrup.
I managed to get everything on my list, however it was a difficult and a long shopping trip. More often than not I ended up with a low sugar, organic, or all natural version to get it without high fructose corn syrup.
W3D2 with some resistance on the elliptical~
So I just completed W3D2 and wow that whole resistance thing makes a bit of a difference. I did the warm up and cool down at a resistance of 5, the walks during the workout at a resistance of 2, and the runs at 1 (note I was incorrect yesterday, there was no 0 setting). I burned over 300 calories and made it just under a mile. I was sweating more with this workout than with any of the others, so I think I will continue to use these resistance settings. Overall though it felt great!!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Day Off Mild Workout ~ Playing with the Resistance on the Elliptical
So today is my scheduled day off from the C25K workout. I decided I would "walk" on the elliptical for a few minutes. I wanted to see the effects of changing the resistance of the elliptical. I decided my speed would be "35" with a resistance of "5". I really need to read the user manual to see what these values equate to, but for now I will remain lazy and just post the values.
Well after 18 minutes at a speed of 35, I burned 250 calories. Typically a complete workout has been around 250 to 275. This is based on the calorie counter on the elliptical. I am unsure of how accurate this calorie counter is, however it gave me a method of comparison. With this in mind, I think I will do the next workout at a resistance level of 2. I think 5 is a bit high for the jogs, so I will settle for 2 and see how difficult it is. It seems that walking with the resistance increased, increased the amount of calories burned. This makes sense because the walking was more difficult, however I did not expect it to have that big of an impact.
In other news, I got some Kinesio tape in the mail today. I have had some residual swelling in my one knee. This has been fairly common since I have had surgery on it (10 years ago). So I don't think it is solely tied to my workout. However, upon reading online this tape is supposed to improve circulation and reduce the swelling. It has been seen on a couple Olympic athletes (more noticeable in the summer games when athletes are not bundled from head to toe). I ordered this from Amazon, with my Amazon cash. Upon placing the tape on my knee, I can feel it on the skin (ya I am sure you are thinking that is an obvious statement). However, it feels different than typical tape. Being an accident prone athlete from the time I could walk, I know a thing or two about how tape typically feels. This doesn't seem to provide any sort of support. It is highly flexible. In a way it feels like it is lifting the skin up off my knee a bit. It isn't painful or annoying, however it is noticeable. I will wear it for awhile and see how it works....
Well after 18 minutes at a speed of 35, I burned 250 calories. Typically a complete workout has been around 250 to 275. This is based on the calorie counter on the elliptical. I am unsure of how accurate this calorie counter is, however it gave me a method of comparison. With this in mind, I think I will do the next workout at a resistance level of 2. I think 5 is a bit high for the jogs, so I will settle for 2 and see how difficult it is. It seems that walking with the resistance increased, increased the amount of calories burned. This makes sense because the walking was more difficult, however I did not expect it to have that big of an impact.
In other news, I got some Kinesio tape in the mail today. I have had some residual swelling in my one knee. This has been fairly common since I have had surgery on it (10 years ago). So I don't think it is solely tied to my workout. However, upon reading online this tape is supposed to improve circulation and reduce the swelling. It has been seen on a couple Olympic athletes (more noticeable in the summer games when athletes are not bundled from head to toe). I ordered this from Amazon, with my Amazon cash. Upon placing the tape on my knee, I can feel it on the skin (ya I am sure you are thinking that is an obvious statement). However, it feels different than typical tape. Being an accident prone athlete from the time I could walk, I know a thing or two about how tape typically feels. This doesn't seem to provide any sort of support. It is highly flexible. In a way it feels like it is lifting the skin up off my knee a bit. It isn't painful or annoying, however it is noticeable. I will wear it for awhile and see how it works....
Day Off... How I earn Amazon Cash for my gadgets!!
Well today is my day off from the C25K program. I worked out the last two days with the program, so I am definitely not doing the program today. I may go for a walk with the dogs here in a bit, but it is looking like it may be nasty out.
Well as promised the other day, I will explain how I get amazon cash to order some of the workout gadgets I have been using/buying. I don't necessarily use the cash only on workout stuff, as I have been doing this for some time and buy lots of odds and ends off Amazon. As we all know Amazon has just about everything on it...
The following sites are sites I visit to acquire points/cash which I then convert to Amazon gift cards. I save up till I have a nice chunk of change, then I buy whatever I want. I browse Amazon enough that I have an account and when I find something I want, I add it to my "Wishlist". This will save it for later purchase.
1. Swagbucks: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/lhart24
Here you use their search engine (it is based off google). When searching, you will randomly win varying amounts of swag. Collect 450 and you can cash in for a $5 Amazon gift card. You can also collect swag codes to earn swag and also complete offers. Some of the offers are extremely easy (viewing a youtube video) and can be done daily. With no referrals and using the site daily for searches, I can get a gift card every couple weeks.
2. Superpoints: http://www.superpoints.com/spd/lynseyhart1
Here you can daily do the following activities for points, which you cash in for an Amazon gift card. Daily do: Super Lucky Button, Lucky Search, and Surveys. Depending on your rank on the site, will determine how much of each you get. Increasing rank to a certain point is extremely easy. For one you just have to verify your account and fill in the basic information. Some of the higher ranks you have to have X amount of friends. I just requested redemption and so far it hasn't showed up. I will remove the link if it turns out to be bogus
3. Cashcow: http://gptcashcow.com/members/register.php?ref=lhart24
This site is your basic Paid to Click site. You earn varying amounts (.001 to .03 etc) for clicking on an ad and viewing it for a few seconds. Takes a couple weeks to get to the $10.00 withdraw threshold, however is extremely easy. Daily clicks are in two areas on the site. The first is Members (in toolbar) - Paid to Click. Here you just click on the links, select the code at the top (so they know you aren't a bot), and wait the alloted time. Warning, there is one ad (determines you are not a bot) that REMOVES money from your account. Read the ad descriptions carefully, the one you don't want to click is a big red banner. The second place is Offers (in toolbar) - Daily Surveys/Clicks (hoover here) - Daily clicks pops up as a side menu. On these you have to click on the link displayed, this will load a page, click a link on that page, and then click submit on the main list. I can get through all these in about 10 to 15 minutes a day depending on the number of ads.
4. Prize Rebel: http://www.prizerebel.com/index.php?r=1968279
Complete offers and get points for gift cards. I was able to quickly get $5.00. I only do the offers that don't require phone numbers and don't require credit card info. Offers are added weekly and it is fairly easy to do. I did use a junk email account I set up on yahoo. I did not use my legit email.
5. My Points: https://www.mypoints.com/emp/u/refSignup.do?refCode=PQwlz4VbwglMJ--99&arr=s9&afsrc=1&src=FB_CONNECT&src=PG_FAF_EDIT
Get points for shopping online, searching with their toolbar, completing your profile, and reading emails.
With all these sites, it is a lot easier to get points/cash if you have referrals. So once you get set up, refer all your friends and family. Sometimes it takes a little explanation to get someone going on the sites. So be sure you know about the sites and can answer their questions. If you have any questions for me.. just post :-)
All the links are also in the banners and the link list over to the right of the blog homepage.
Well as promised the other day, I will explain how I get amazon cash to order some of the workout gadgets I have been using/buying. I don't necessarily use the cash only on workout stuff, as I have been doing this for some time and buy lots of odds and ends off Amazon. As we all know Amazon has just about everything on it...
The following sites are sites I visit to acquire points/cash which I then convert to Amazon gift cards. I save up till I have a nice chunk of change, then I buy whatever I want. I browse Amazon enough that I have an account and when I find something I want, I add it to my "Wishlist". This will save it for later purchase.
1. Swagbucks: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/lhart24
Here you use their search engine (it is based off google). When searching, you will randomly win varying amounts of swag. Collect 450 and you can cash in for a $5 Amazon gift card. You can also collect swag codes to earn swag and also complete offers. Some of the offers are extremely easy (viewing a youtube video) and can be done daily. With no referrals and using the site daily for searches, I can get a gift card every couple weeks.
2. Superpoints: http://www.superpoints.com/spd/lynseyhart1
Here you can daily do the following activities for points, which you cash in for an Amazon gift card. Daily do: Super Lucky Button, Lucky Search, and Surveys. Depending on your rank on the site, will determine how much of each you get. Increasing rank to a certain point is extremely easy. For one you just have to verify your account and fill in the basic information. Some of the higher ranks you have to have X amount of friends. I just requested redemption and so far it hasn't showed up. I will remove the link if it turns out to be bogus
3. Cashcow: http://gptcashcow.com/members/register.php?ref=lhart24
This site is your basic Paid to Click site. You earn varying amounts (.001 to .03 etc) for clicking on an ad and viewing it for a few seconds. Takes a couple weeks to get to the $10.00 withdraw threshold, however is extremely easy. Daily clicks are in two areas on the site. The first is Members (in toolbar) - Paid to Click. Here you just click on the links, select the code at the top (so they know you aren't a bot), and wait the alloted time. Warning, there is one ad (determines you are not a bot) that REMOVES money from your account. Read the ad descriptions carefully, the one you don't want to click is a big red banner. The second place is Offers (in toolbar) - Daily Surveys/Clicks (hoover here) - Daily clicks pops up as a side menu. On these you have to click on the link displayed, this will load a page, click a link on that page, and then click submit on the main list. I can get through all these in about 10 to 15 minutes a day depending on the number of ads.
4. Prize Rebel: http://www.prizerebel.com/index.php?r=1968279
Complete offers and get points for gift cards. I was able to quickly get $5.00. I only do the offers that don't require phone numbers and don't require credit card info. Offers are added weekly and it is fairly easy to do. I did use a junk email account I set up on yahoo. I did not use my legit email.
5. My Points: https://www.mypoints.com/emp/u/refSignup.do?refCode=PQwlz4VbwglMJ--99&arr=s9&afsrc=1&src=FB_CONNECT&src=PG_FAF_EDIT
Get points for shopping online, searching with their toolbar, completing your profile, and reading emails.
With all these sites, it is a lot easier to get points/cash if you have referrals. So once you get set up, refer all your friends and family. Sometimes it takes a little explanation to get someone going on the sites. So be sure you know about the sites and can answer their questions. If you have any questions for me.. just post :-)
All the links are also in the banners and the link list over to the right of the blog homepage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
