Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Quick Update

I did two 35 minutes sessions of intervals on the elliptical today.  I decided to change things up a little:  I bumped the level up a notch for the whole time, and then did the intervals with the incline maxed.  So, for each set I did five minutes flat, five minutes full incline, repeating until I was done.  My heart rate was way up, and I loved it!  I love that I am getting a little more adventurous with my workouts.  Who knows what I'll be willing to try next...

Monday, January 27, 2014

Monday Fun Day!

OK, normally Mondays aren't much fun at all.  But, tonight's muscle challenge class was actually fun.  At one point we were doing a little kick boxing for cardio between weights.  It just put a smile on my face to kick nice and high, and maybe let out a little aggression.  I normally don't smile during the cardio segments!

Yoga was hard tonight!  After the first class being so much fun, I had hopes for yoga.  But, it was definitely more challenging than fun.  That said, I always feel great after yoga.  I love that feeling of working hard, and then resting at the end.  And, I love that tomorrow is a rest day!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Easy Day

I'm still really, really sore from Friday's training session and yesterday's CST session.  To the point that I can barely lift my arms above my head.  I just hope I recover before tomorrow's class or I will be in real trouble!  That said, I figured I needed a relatively easy day today.  I played the walk it out game for an hour and covered 3.1 miles.  So, even though it was an easy workout, it was still the equivalent of a 5k.  I'll take it!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Rough Day

I had a CST session this afternoon and she worked on both my ankles.  She warned me I was going to be sore afterwards, but that I'd feel better tomorrow.  Given the amount of pain I've been in tonight, I'm really hoping to be better tomorrow.  The good news is that I do have much better range of motion in both ankles.  It was painful, but she definitely released a lot of 'stuck'. 

After I got home I figured I'd get on the elliptical and do two sessions, just like normal.  I did the first session and realized I was limping afterwards.  So, I decided one session was enough for the day.  Now, I'm on my way to an Epsom salt bath and an early bedtime.  I know, wild Saturday night!

Friday, January 24, 2014

Another Full Day

Today was another full, full day.  I started out with 20 minutes on the elliptical, then did an intense personal training session.  I love feeling strong.  I love being able to lift heavy weights.  And, I love having so much more stamina than I have ever had before.  So, even though I felt like a wet noodle when the session was over, I was brimming with pride.  That's a wonderful feeling.

Tonight's yoga session was really great, too.  It's been really, really cold this last week or so, and sometimes when the class starts off slowly, it's hard to warm up.  That wasn't a problem tonight.  Once we were moving, the class kept us nice and warm.  I loved how she changed some of the static poses into flows, guaranteed to generate heat.  It was a nice switch up for the class, but it was still wonderful and relaxing as well.   Overall, a great end to a wonderful exercise day.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Busy, Full Day

Today was a busy day.  I did two 35 minute sessions on the elliptical, 2 sets of side planks, 2 sets of ball squats, and yoga.  My legs feel like they are going to fall off.  That's a good thing, right?

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Nice, Quiet Day

Today ended up being a fairly quiet day.  With the snow forecast, my boss sent an early email saying I could work from home if I wanted.  I really appreciated that!  And, with so many others being snowed under, it was a fairly quiet day at work.

At lunch time I figured I would move my rest day to Thursday and get some good exercise in.  I started off with 75 minutes of walk it out.  I managed to go 4.4 miles and over 15,000 steps.  And, I had a lot of fun.

Then, I got a text from my trainer with today's exercises:  planks, ball squats, ball pullovers, dips, and calf raises - 2 sets of each.  I did the exercises and threw in two sets of push ups.  I don't know why, but I always seem to add one extra exercise to round things out.  Maybe I really am nuts?

The good thing about it all is that I'm starting to really clarify what my goals are right now. Ever since the trip to the Biggest Loser Resort last year, I'd been dreaming about going back 50 pounds lighter.  Unfortunately, I'll be going back right about the same weight.  That had me really depressed for a while. 

But, today I realized that even though my weight hasn't changed much in the last year, I have.  I have changed a lot.  I'm so much stronger than I was.  I am healthier.  I have endurance.  I understand the importance of taking care of my own health. I've learned some hard lessons in the last year, but I've come out the other side knowing more, feeling stronger.  And, I've learned that the friends I've made are really and truly special.  I've learned to lean on them when I need help, or inspiration. 

Back to the goals.  Right now I just want to focus on being as healthy and happy as I possibly can be.  I'm breaking up with the scale and will focus on different measures of success.  I want to improve my walking speed.  I want to increase my endurance even further.  And, I want to be even stronger. So, that is what I am going to focus on.  And, I want to thank all my friends for sticking with me and letting me know that I am loved.  That is truly what makes me smile at the end of the day, and, at the end of this year (since last year's trip to BLRN).  So, thank you, and let's see what we can do this year that we couldn't do last year!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Monday Overdose

I did my two regular classes tonight.  I might have overdone it.  I feel like I can barely move.  Is it bad that I will be in bed by 9:30?

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Joint Pain

Quick update tonight.  I just did about half an hour of walk it out today, for 1.8 miles.  My knees and ankles started hurting and I decided to call it a day.  I really didn't expect this joint pain to last this long.  But, my next stop is the sauna.  Hopefully that will help.  Tomorrow, my double classes, no matter what!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Just Yoga

I accidentally had some gluten earlier in the week, and I've had a rough week because of it.  My joints have been achy and I've been really, really tired.  Today I just went to my yoga class.  I wanted to do something more, but everything was just achy.  I'm hoping to be back to myself tomorrow.  In the mean time, I'm happy I went to yoga.  It always does make me feel better.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Powerful Day

Yesterday, Steve bought me a new Leslie Sansone Walking DVD.  It's called 5 Mega Miles.  I decided to do it today at lunch time.  I was so proud of myself for finishing it all the way through on my first try.  It was an intense workout, but definitely doable.  And, I worked up a great sweat, got a terrific workout, and it even included strength training.  I love it!

After doing 90 minutes of the DVD, it would have been easy to say that I was done for the day.  But, today is one of my yoga days, and I hate missing yoga.  It was extra tempting to skip, because I knew it would be a hard class tonight.  But, I had something to prove to myself.  So, I went to yoga, and ended up with almost two and a half hours of exercise for the day.  Not bad!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Tired and Frustrated

The scale is just not my friend these days.  No matter how hard I work, or how clean I eat, it just seems like it's not budging.  And if it does move, it goes up.  This morning I was so close to giving up.  And, I admit, I was frustrated and didn't eat very well today.  Still good, healthy foods, but not all paleo. 

But, I forced myself to go to my classes tonight.  And, I noticed that I was able to hang in better this week than last week.  And, my weights are still getting better.  So, even though I am incredibly frustrated, I can't give up.  Tomorrow morning I will ignore the scale, eat clean paleo, and just hope for the best.  I don't know what else to do.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Quiet Day

Today was a pretty quiet day.  I was tired and sore from all the exercise this week.  Then, we had CST appointments for Michael and me.  She did a LOT of work on my left leg, knee, and ankle.  When I left, I felt more beaten up but hopeful that she was able to help.

The rest of the day was fairly calm.  Steve took Michael into the HBOT, and I did an hour of Walk It Out.  I'm getting faster.  Today I did 3.8 miles in just over an hour.  It was a lot of fun and the time went by really quickly.

Tomorrow is our anniversary, so I'll be taking the day off and spending it with Steve and Michael.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Friday, January 10, 2014

Rough day

I'm awfully glad I got all my exercise in this morning.  First I did 20 minutes on the elliptical, then I had an hour plus session with my trainer.  It was hard, but I think I did really well.  It's a good feeling knowing that I can lift heavier weights now, and do more things than I ever could before.  I love being stronger in my forties than I ever was in my twenties!

Of course, the afternoon had to go downhill.  Michael's been in a bad mood ever since he stepped off the school bus.  And, of course, it has to be the one night when Steve and Dan are out.  So, no extras for me tonight, and I had to miss my beloved Friday night yoga.  But, hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.  And, I'm tired enough that I will sleep well tonight.  That has to count for something.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Tired but Proud

Today was another long day but I got through it.   My trainer wanted me to repeat Sunday's workout again.   I was skeptical but I did it.

The one thing I can say I learned today is that even though I give my all in each workout, each workout doesn't have to be the same.   I found myself pushing too hard to 'beat my numbers' from last time.  So I slowed down to what I could reasonably do today.  That felt a lot better - in the challenging range but not completely exhausting.  

I like that I keep learning on this journey and that every day is new.  I just hope by the time my body gets to my goal, my mind will have a absorbed all these lessons!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Long, hard day

Today my new year's resolution was tested.  It was a long office day, ending in a meeting in Columbia that didn't end until after 4.  I knew I wouldn't be home until after 5.  But, around lunch time, I got a text from my trainer asking me to do 70 minutes of the elliptical (2 35 minute sessions), planks,  push ups, and ball squats.  Basically, the same workout I did on Sunday. 

The problem was, I knew I'd be tired when I got home, and I knew that I wanted to go to yoga tonight.  I told her the day was a little screwy, but that I'd do my best.  When I got home, I changed and did the first session on the elliptical right away.  Then I did the other exercises.  That took me right up to the time I needed to leave for yoga.

I decided that I really wanted to go to my yoga class.  It's something I look forward to, and didn't want to give it up, just because someone told me to do something different.  The old, too pushy me would have come home from yoga and forced the other 35 minutes on the elliptical.  Tonight, I told myself that I had a fantastic exercise day, and I should enjoy it.  If I tried to force the elliptical I would be way too tired.  Plus, it was after 8 at that point and it would interfere with sleep.  So, I listened to my body, appreciated what I was able to do, and let myself off the hook for the rest.  My trainer might not be happy with me, but I am quite proud of myself.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Wow.. just wow

I've been on this journey for a year and a half now.  When I was first starting out I tried a lot of different classes.  I only left two classes part-way through.  Both times it was the second class in a row, and both times I was just not coordinated enough to keep up.  Tonight, in my regular Monday Muscle Challenge class, it took every ounce of willpower I had to not walk out of class.

I don't know if it was because of the new year, or what the motivation was.  But, I swear, it felt like the teacher was trying to kill us tonight.  We started out with fifteen minutes of step.  Then went into full up weight work.  Then there was another step interval, weights, etc..  Silly me, I had put in risers and was trying to keep up with the class.  Dumb move.  At one point I tripped over the step and almost fell.  That was the end of the step for me (for that series at least).  I felt so uncoordinated, out of breath, and terribly out of shape.  Like I said, it was all I could do to complete the class.

At the end, most people said they loved the format.  Of course, at least three people did leave in the middle.  I'm not sure if I am praying for her to go back to the old format next week, or that I'll have the strength to keep up better.  I'm leaning toward the second.  Pray for me?

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Busy, cold day

Today didn't turn out at all like I was expecting.  We were supposed to take Michael for a CST appointment, but with the freezing rain and the number of small, back roads, we decided to reschedule for next weekend.  So, it ended up being mostly a stay at home day.  But, Michael was in quite the mood all day, so stress levels were really high.

Of course, whenever I'm in need of working off some stress, I can always count on a text message from my trainer giving me exactly what I need.  Todays assignment involved two thirty-five minute sessions of intervals on the elliptical.  Add two sets of 16 each:  ball squats and pushups, and two planks.  And, just for fun, I added in the dips.  It just doesn't seem right to not do dips. 

After the first session on the elliptical, I was pretty energized.  It felt good to have some energy, although a little frustrating to be trapped inside with a grumpy kid.  After the second session, I was pretty tired.  In fact, I'm still tired.  Something tells me it will be an early bedtime tonight.  I am looking forward to school and work tomorrow and hopefully getting back to a schedule!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Low Key Day

Today was a relatively low key day.  I played walk it out for right about 50 minutes.  Again, I went with all fast songs and ended up with a little over 3.1 miles. Not bad!  I like the faster pace, it's more of a workout, and you earn points faster.  Double the fun!

Later in the afternoon I took Michael to his ASD yoga class.  I was a little worried because the teacher that had been teaching since we started had retired, and two new ladies were team teaching the class.  It actually worked out really well.  They definitely put their spin on the class, but there was enough consistency with the old format that Michael was OK with it.  Overall, a great exercise day.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Freezing Friday

Today was a snow day, so Michael was home from school all day, and leaving the house wasn't really an option for me.  But, with Steve and Dan both here, the day went pretty well.  I had gotten instructions from my trainer to do two sessions on the elliptical totaling to 45 minutes, two sets of pushups, and two planks.

Last night, when she sent the instructions, it seemed like a lot.  Today, it was actually fairly manageable.  I did one set of pushups and planks first thing this morning, then did the first 25 minutes on the elliptical at lunch time.  I blasted 421 calories in 25 minutes.  That felt great!

Then, when the work day was over, I did the second set of pushups, the second plank, and another 20 minutes on the elliptical.  Another 351 calories gone.  But, the most important thing is that I really think the shorter, more intense sessions are better for me.  They seem to energize me more than exhaust me.  So much so that I actually did two sets of dips just because I could.  And I hate dips.

So, I definitely learned something about myself today, and what my body likes for exercise.  I'm not sure how I'm going to make use of this information yet, but I will let it percolate for a bit until I do.

The only down side to the day was missing my Friday night yoga class.  I'm not sure if the class was even held tonight.  The morning classes were cancelled.  But, I just didn't want to take a chance on icy roads since the temperature has dropped so much.  And, I definitely got in plenty of exercise for the day.  Overall, I think it was a good decision, and a great day!

Tired Thursday

I was really, really tired today.  I had a great food day, but just couldn't seem to work up much energy for the day.  But, when I came home I did put in an hour on the bike.  It wasn't very high intensity, more moving my legs and working up a little sweat.  Mostly, I wanted to get some movement in without stressing anything too much.  I was partly hoping the exercise would pep me up a bit.  Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. So, not a great day, but not a bad one, either.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year! I hope 2014 is a wonderful year for all of us, and that we all meet our goals.  I spent a lot of time debating what I wanted to do for a resolution this year.  I went back and forth between diet goals,  exercise goals, various motivation techniques, but finally decided that this year I just want to focus on accepting and loving my body the way it is.  Does that mean I'm giving up?  Heck, no! 

What it does mean is that I'm not willing to let my mood, my self worth, my happiness be affected by a number on the scale.  So, I am going to focus on treating my body with love and respect.  I will still feed myself healthy foods, but for the purpose of giving myself the most healing, energizing foods I can find.  But, I will not starve myself.  I will still exercise daily, with appropriate rest days.  But, I will not punish myself with exercise.  I will not push myself to the point of exhaustion.  I will move my body because it feels good, and I love the feeling of getting stronger. 

This year is going to be an exercise in patience, self love, and understanding that I am perfect the way I am.  I will do everything possible to take good care of myself, because I deserve it.  And that is my resolution for the year.