I haven't been very faithful to my blogging lately, but I have been extremely steadfast in my workouts. On Tuesday night I did an hour of Zumba, and tonight I worked with Brittney (I think that's how she spells it; I will probably spell it differently in each entry) on some tough strength training, then did 30 minutes on the treadmill (mostly walking, but I did jog for four minutes). After that, I had dinner at O'Charley's with my daughter and husband. I made a decent choice, but I still ate too many calories. I'm not perfect, but I'm improving little by little.
Short entry tonight, because I'm really ready to go to bed. I'll try to get back here and blog more often, though. I promise!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Detour - but a good one
Okay, so it looks like I'm not going to be able to motivate myself to stick to a running program; however, I have not given up.
I have joined the Urban Active gym near my home and I have purchased 100 personal training sessions. This was not cheap, but it was worth it. My trainer, Brittany, will make appointments with me and guide me through customized workouts that will 1) rehabilitate my knees to prevent running injury 2) strengthen my muscles to releive running pain and 3) keep me motivated and accountable. The sessions are also geared to helping me lose my last 50 pounds quickly and healthily. A nutrition guide is included and everything.
Right now, my biggest problem is that my patellafemoral pain syndrome (fancy name for excruciating knee pain) is getting worse with the pounding of the pavement. This is not a condition that one can just "tough out." It actually gets worse and eventually cripples you if you don't do the right things. So, I'm working with a professional to make sure my running makes me stronger instead of wearing me down.
My first appointment with Brittnee is Tuesday, but I went to the gym today and did one hour of Zumba and one hour of yoga. According to my HRM, I burned 800 calories. Not bad. Not bad at all.
I'm excited about working with Brittnee. She is a former college NCAA basketball player, so I am sharing some of my sessions with Julia so Brittany can give her some basketball training. If nothing else, that makes the cost of the personal trainer totally worth it (there's no way I could get a personal sports trainer for what I'm paying the gym!).
I have joined the Urban Active gym near my home and I have purchased 100 personal training sessions. This was not cheap, but it was worth it. My trainer, Brittany, will make appointments with me and guide me through customized workouts that will 1) rehabilitate my knees to prevent running injury 2) strengthen my muscles to releive running pain and 3) keep me motivated and accountable. The sessions are also geared to helping me lose my last 50 pounds quickly and healthily. A nutrition guide is included and everything.
Right now, my biggest problem is that my patellafemoral pain syndrome (fancy name for excruciating knee pain) is getting worse with the pounding of the pavement. This is not a condition that one can just "tough out." It actually gets worse and eventually cripples you if you don't do the right things. So, I'm working with a professional to make sure my running makes me stronger instead of wearing me down.
My first appointment with Brittnee is Tuesday, but I went to the gym today and did one hour of Zumba and one hour of yoga. According to my HRM, I burned 800 calories. Not bad. Not bad at all.
I'm excited about working with Brittnee. She is a former college NCAA basketball player, so I am sharing some of my sessions with Julia so Brittany can give her some basketball training. If nothing else, that makes the cost of the personal trainer totally worth it (there's no way I could get a personal sports trainer for what I'm paying the gym!).
Thursday, July 24, 2008
I haven't given up...
No, I haven't given up and abandoned the blog; I have just done what I always do and started letting everyday things get in the way. I am going to get back on track.
One thing I did today was get a membership to Urban Active. It's a fitness center very close to my home and I'm meeting with a personal trainer there on Saturday. I always do better with a trainer, so I have high hopes.
More on my progress later.
One thing I did today was get a membership to Urban Active. It's a fitness center very close to my home and I'm meeting with a personal trainer there on Saturday. I always do better with a trainer, so I have high hopes.
More on my progress later.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
A Good Start
Today I did workout number two. Again, on the plan it is all walking, but I threw in a few laps of light jogging just to get my blood pumping. Four laps of jogging on the indoor track amounted to just under 1/4 mile. I walked for the rest of the time, and I estimate that I went approximately two miles in all. It felt good; I listened to Queen for the whole workout, and that made the time go by extremely fast. I didn't wear my HRM, so I don't know how many calories I burned, but I feel good about staying on course and doing the workout today. Which kind of leads me to my next point.
Today I left the house with my running shoes, my shorts and tee shirt, and my iPod and headphones. When I got off work and was on my way to the YMCA, I realized I didn't have my HRM. In the past, a small detail like that would totally derail me and I would go straight home and skip the workout, throwing me off my schedule and ultimately leading me to quit. I know how pathetic and mentally unstable that sounds, but it is the truth. I guess I have never been truly ready to commit before. Today, I went and did my workout anyway. That makes the second workout in a row that I have done despite having an excuse (however lame) to skip it (yesterday it was Julia feeling under the weather; I did my walk around the neighborhood instead of the Y).
This gives me confidence that I will stick to it this time, and eventually be able to jog/run three miles with no walking. Then, we'll see where it goes from there! I have hopes and dreams of a 5K leading to a 10K, then the 10K leading to a half marathon, and the half marathon leading to - dare I say it? - a full marathon. That is way, way in the future, though. Right now, I'm going to stick to my C25K and be proud of my progress!
Today I left the house with my running shoes, my shorts and tee shirt, and my iPod and headphones. When I got off work and was on my way to the YMCA, I realized I didn't have my HRM. In the past, a small detail like that would totally derail me and I would go straight home and skip the workout, throwing me off my schedule and ultimately leading me to quit. I know how pathetic and mentally unstable that sounds, but it is the truth. I guess I have never been truly ready to commit before. Today, I went and did my workout anyway. That makes the second workout in a row that I have done despite having an excuse (however lame) to skip it (yesterday it was Julia feeling under the weather; I did my walk around the neighborhood instead of the Y).
This gives me confidence that I will stick to it this time, and eventually be able to jog/run three miles with no walking. Then, we'll see where it goes from there! I have hopes and dreams of a 5K leading to a 10K, then the 10K leading to a half marathon, and the half marathon leading to - dare I say it? - a full marathon. That is way, way in the future, though. Right now, I'm going to stick to my C25K and be proud of my progress!
My Favorite Ghost Story
It's my favorite because it's true.
My family owns a funeral home in a small town. I grew up with it, and it never occurred to me that it should be creepy.
When the funeral home was not busy (i.e., no bodies), my best friend, Suzan, and I would regularly play there. It had great big rooms with lots of space to play, a soda machine, bathrooms handy - it was a great playhouse.
One day, Suzan and I (we were probably around 7 or 8) were playing in the chapel area (which connected via double doors to the casket showroom), and we looked up to see an adult male-sized gloved hand pull the double doors shut. No big deal. It was probably my Dad or his business partner Doug, or one of my brothers.
Um, no. After playing for a little while longer, we went up the hill to my house, and found out from my Mom that Dad and Doug were out on a business call. Two of my brothers were out playing golf, and my third brother was in town doing something or other and had been gone all day. Everyone who could have been a reasonable person to be in the casket showroom was away.
So we think the hand must have been a shadow and the doors were sucked shut by a draft, right?
RIGHT?
No.
We go BACK to the funeral home (we really didn't understand how creepy this was) and looked in the casket room. This sounds like a made-up ghost story, but I swear on all that is holy, this is the truth...
There was a large black glove laying on a closed casket beside the double doors.
My family owns a funeral home in a small town. I grew up with it, and it never occurred to me that it should be creepy.
When the funeral home was not busy (i.e., no bodies), my best friend, Suzan, and I would regularly play there. It had great big rooms with lots of space to play, a soda machine, bathrooms handy - it was a great playhouse.
One day, Suzan and I (we were probably around 7 or 8) were playing in the chapel area (which connected via double doors to the casket showroom), and we looked up to see an adult male-sized gloved hand pull the double doors shut. No big deal. It was probably my Dad or his business partner Doug, or one of my brothers.
Um, no. After playing for a little while longer, we went up the hill to my house, and found out from my Mom that Dad and Doug were out on a business call. Two of my brothers were out playing golf, and my third brother was in town doing something or other and had been gone all day. Everyone who could have been a reasonable person to be in the casket showroom was away.
So we think the hand must have been a shadow and the doors were sucked shut by a draft, right?
RIGHT?
No.
We go BACK to the funeral home (we really didn't understand how creepy this was) and looked in the casket room. This sounds like a made-up ghost story, but I swear on all that is holy, this is the truth...
There was a large black glove laying on a closed casket beside the double doors.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
In the Beginning
This is my blog about my attempt to go from an overweight, unfit, typical American thirtysomething to a lean, strong, got-it-going-on hottie.
I am making this transformation by learning to run.
I suppose I once knew how to run. All kids run whenever they can get away with it. Just the other day, I was observing my step-granddaughter at play; she would pick up an object, run full-speed around in a large circle, hand the object to someone who looked like they needed said object, run around in another large circle, take aforementioned object back for herself, run around in yet another large circle, and begin the process over again. This gave her such joy, it was astounding.
At what age do we lose the love for running? I want it back.
My plan to regain this love for running begins with baby steps. I am doing the Couch to 5K (C25K) program found at http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/Programs/agressive_program.htm. I am using the agressive run program because I can already easily walk more than 3 miles, and I'm ready to start adding some gentle running in immediately. I like the format that beginnertriathlete.com uses for their C25K program, but for those shopping for a plan, there is also a popular program at http://www.coolrunning.com/.
I expect to have to repeat some weeks; I may even have to revert back to a previous week at some point. The goal here is not to complete the program in the prescribed 16 weeks. The goal is to go from dreading the idea of running to looking forward to my run as a stress reliever and a chunk of "me time."
I began the program today. The first week is all walking, even in the aggressive plan. Today, I walked around my neighborhood. It took 38 minutes, I walked about two miles, and according to my heart-rate monitor (HRM), I burned 308 calories. Not a bad start.
I will do my best to post a blog entry after every workout. I am hoping that this will keep me accountable. I want all my friends to see me succeed.
I am making this transformation by learning to run.
I suppose I once knew how to run. All kids run whenever they can get away with it. Just the other day, I was observing my step-granddaughter at play; she would pick up an object, run full-speed around in a large circle, hand the object to someone who looked like they needed said object, run around in another large circle, take aforementioned object back for herself, run around in yet another large circle, and begin the process over again. This gave her such joy, it was astounding.
At what age do we lose the love for running? I want it back.
My plan to regain this love for running begins with baby steps. I am doing the Couch to 5K (C25K) program found at http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/Programs/agressive_program.htm. I am using the agressive run program because I can already easily walk more than 3 miles, and I'm ready to start adding some gentle running in immediately. I like the format that beginnertriathlete.com uses for their C25K program, but for those shopping for a plan, there is also a popular program at http://www.coolrunning.com/.
I expect to have to repeat some weeks; I may even have to revert back to a previous week at some point. The goal here is not to complete the program in the prescribed 16 weeks. The goal is to go from dreading the idea of running to looking forward to my run as a stress reliever and a chunk of "me time."
I began the program today. The first week is all walking, even in the aggressive plan. Today, I walked around my neighborhood. It took 38 minutes, I walked about two miles, and according to my heart-rate monitor (HRM), I burned 308 calories. Not a bad start.
I will do my best to post a blog entry after every workout. I am hoping that this will keep me accountable. I want all my friends to see me succeed.
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