Day 8
weight: 126.2
workout: none
Currently taking: NKStim, glucosamine (for arthritis & joints), Vit D3, and Vit b6.
one year ago
I'm totally kicking this elimination diet's butt. I have been gluten / dairy / sugar free for 8 days now and its totally fine. I caved to some wine on Friday and Saturday night and caved to caffeine on Saturday.
Friday morning I suddenly got terribly nauseous around 9:30, I took another sip of my tea and threw up. My stomach didn't calm down for a while after that. Saturday morning I felt the same way, although I fended off the vomiting. By that point, too, I was so incredibly tired by 7:30 at night for the previous 2 nights I could have gone to bed and slept until the morning. Detox was kicking my butt.
I gave in because I figured I'm not giving up coffee and wine for the rest of my life - if I have a sensitivity to those things then I've got a bigger problem.
I made it through the Edward Jones party on Saturday night without having gluten, dairy or sugar, which was actually not terribly hard - most of the appetizers (thats all we had) were just vegetables & meat. There was some cheese but I didn't have those. I also made it through cookie decorating with the Kooistra's without having anything. I think its easier for me to be all or nothing. I have a difficult time with moderation, I think.
Still waiting to figure out if this is going to help with any inflammation issues. So far my carpal tunnel is pretty much the same. My neck feels better, my back is the same, ankles & knees are better. I am wondering, though, how to know whether it is the acupuncture, the diet, or the supplements that is making the difference.
Also - decided to not workout for a few weeks so I don't confuse my body and make it sore when I'm trying to determine if food is causing trouble.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
December 3, 2012
Day 1
weight: 128.4
Workout: p90x yoga
A year ago
Starting an elimination diet today to try to find out if I have a food sensitivity that is causing inflammation all over my body. I am committing to 2 weeks and if I don't feel better I'm going to have the blood test done.
Background:
This year I've really tried to figure out my body/health issues. Talked to my primary care physician this spring about carpal tunnel and what I considered to be a high heart rate while I was exercising. He sent me off to get an EMG for carpal tunnel and to the cardiologist for the heart. EMG came back as mild CTS in my right arm and the hand surgeon told me he wanted to wait 10 years to do surgery - which I think blows. Cardiologist had me do a stress test and said all was normal. My cholesterol at that point was 280, but I swear it was because I ate a bunch of bacon the weekend before at the regional. Anyway, at that point I decided I wasn't going back to my pcp for anything because now I just feel like its in my head.
I read online that chiropractors can help with CTS... takes me several months to finally go in to see one - and this time I like him (2 previous chiros that I saw for my back a few years ago made me uncomfortable with the way they were blatantly manipulating the insurance company). I told him that I feel like I have tendinitis everywhere - ankle, knee, elbow. I have CTS. I have herniated L4/L5 and my lower back gets stiff when I stand up from sitting. My neck has begun to hurt like my lower back. And I've tweaked something in my inner elbow that hurts quite often throughout the day. I feel like a mess. Everything hurts at some point - wrists, hips, back, neck, knees, ankles.
He started giving me adjustments for my neck and back and doing acupuncture for neck/back/CTS/inside elbow. He also ordered xrays of my neck - shows slight arthritis - and he's sure I have it in my lower back, too. Orders a blood test, which comes back showing that I have slightly low blood sugar and indications that I have a low-level infection, and low Vitamin D (cholesterol is now 231!) Gives me some herbal supplements for the infection, which end up clearing up a recurring blister I'd been having on the roof of my mouth since July 4th, as well as recent continual sores in my nose. Tells me I seem to be an inflammatory person - perhaps I have a food sensitivity and tells me about a blood test that is rather expensive and not covered by insurance. I asked if I could do an elimination diet instead.
So that is where I'm at. Today is Day 1 - eliminating gluten, dairy (except eggs), sugar, alcohol, caffeine, processed foods.
It is 4:55 and I'm feeling decent - haven't had a cup of coffee and have been fine (although now beginning to feel a slight headache, but I've been at the computer for several hours). I had steel-cut oats for breakfast (pretty sure those are gluten free, if not then I'm out of the whole thing), and a green smoothie & some almonds for lunch. Getting ready to have a hard-boiled egg and some figs or dates. Will be making lentil stew for dinner. I hope I feel different after these 2 weeks - I really want to figure out whats going on... I'm also having sleeping issues. I feel fine otherwise, just always kind of tired and achy/sore.
weight: 128.4
Workout: p90x yoga
A year ago
Starting an elimination diet today to try to find out if I have a food sensitivity that is causing inflammation all over my body. I am committing to 2 weeks and if I don't feel better I'm going to have the blood test done.
Background:
This year I've really tried to figure out my body/health issues. Talked to my primary care physician this spring about carpal tunnel and what I considered to be a high heart rate while I was exercising. He sent me off to get an EMG for carpal tunnel and to the cardiologist for the heart. EMG came back as mild CTS in my right arm and the hand surgeon told me he wanted to wait 10 years to do surgery - which I think blows. Cardiologist had me do a stress test and said all was normal. My cholesterol at that point was 280, but I swear it was because I ate a bunch of bacon the weekend before at the regional. Anyway, at that point I decided I wasn't going back to my pcp for anything because now I just feel like its in my head.
I read online that chiropractors can help with CTS... takes me several months to finally go in to see one - and this time I like him (2 previous chiros that I saw for my back a few years ago made me uncomfortable with the way they were blatantly manipulating the insurance company). I told him that I feel like I have tendinitis everywhere - ankle, knee, elbow. I have CTS. I have herniated L4/L5 and my lower back gets stiff when I stand up from sitting. My neck has begun to hurt like my lower back. And I've tweaked something in my inner elbow that hurts quite often throughout the day. I feel like a mess. Everything hurts at some point - wrists, hips, back, neck, knees, ankles.
He started giving me adjustments for my neck and back and doing acupuncture for neck/back/CTS/inside elbow. He also ordered xrays of my neck - shows slight arthritis - and he's sure I have it in my lower back, too. Orders a blood test, which comes back showing that I have slightly low blood sugar and indications that I have a low-level infection, and low Vitamin D (cholesterol is now 231!) Gives me some herbal supplements for the infection, which end up clearing up a recurring blister I'd been having on the roof of my mouth since July 4th, as well as recent continual sores in my nose. Tells me I seem to be an inflammatory person - perhaps I have a food sensitivity and tells me about a blood test that is rather expensive and not covered by insurance. I asked if I could do an elimination diet instead.
So that is where I'm at. Today is Day 1 - eliminating gluten, dairy (except eggs), sugar, alcohol, caffeine, processed foods.
It is 4:55 and I'm feeling decent - haven't had a cup of coffee and have been fine (although now beginning to feel a slight headache, but I've been at the computer for several hours). I had steel-cut oats for breakfast (pretty sure those are gluten free, if not then I'm out of the whole thing), and a green smoothie & some almonds for lunch. Getting ready to have a hard-boiled egg and some figs or dates. Will be making lentil stew for dinner. I hope I feel different after these 2 weeks - I really want to figure out whats going on... I'm also having sleeping issues. I feel fine otherwise, just always kind of tired and achy/sore.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Wednesday August 29, 2012
Workout: Run 3.17 miles
Weight: ?
One Year Ago
Ran this morning after getting Nora on the bus. I kind of dig this new schedule :) I get to run/workout from 7-8 now, rather than getting up at horrible times in the morning. Its nice!
Run was okay. I ran the first full mile without taking any breaks. My left lower back was clenching up pretty badly, but I gutted through it. I stretched at the water fountain... which usually helps make the second half of the run pain-free. But not today. Holy moly, my left lower back and left hip and outer thigh were burning. I didn't have a very successful second half run. I walked several times due to pain. I'm wondering if I need new shoes? I am proud of myself, though, for getting out there and for doing the first full mile (and a little more) without stopping to walk. At this point in my out-of-shapeness, THAT is success.
While on vacation, Dave and I talked about how we're out of shape and have gained a little weight and the fact that we really need different motivation to be healthy. Truly, I just don't want to be "that person" who is always gaining and losing the same 7 pounds. And I have been for the last couple of years. I just want to be healthy and live a healthy life - not just so I can weigh 125 lbs but for other reasons. We listed our reasons and I want to revisit mine periodically. Here they are:
I eat healthy, exercise and drink water because:
* I sleep better
* my skin is better
* i don't feel bloated and big
* my body will heal better and faster if I get sick or injured
* i don't want to be my parents
* i want to be active and not limited
* i don't want to take medications
* i feel more self-confident
* my back doesn't hurt
My mom has been very sick for the last year & a half. She spent a good portion of the summer in the hospital this year. I truly believe that a lot of it has to do with how poorly she eats and takes care of herself. At least the extent to which she healed / is healing, I believe. I don't want to be like that - I don't want the issues to begin with and I don't want to have the problems recovering that she has had. I want to live a healthy life.
One thing that we identified that hinders us - or creates issues for us - is that we go to is parents house once a week or so - sometimes more often. And they eat garbage all the time - never anything healthy. So we have to come up with a plan to bring food with us, which, frankly, is a very overwhelming thought to me. But we're going to have to do it.
Hopefully these couple of things will be motivation for us to get back on track to living a healthy lifestyle and getting back into shape.
Weight: ?
One Year Ago
Ran this morning after getting Nora on the bus. I kind of dig this new schedule :) I get to run/workout from 7-8 now, rather than getting up at horrible times in the morning. Its nice!
Run was okay. I ran the first full mile without taking any breaks. My left lower back was clenching up pretty badly, but I gutted through it. I stretched at the water fountain... which usually helps make the second half of the run pain-free. But not today. Holy moly, my left lower back and left hip and outer thigh were burning. I didn't have a very successful second half run. I walked several times due to pain. I'm wondering if I need new shoes? I am proud of myself, though, for getting out there and for doing the first full mile (and a little more) without stopping to walk. At this point in my out-of-shapeness, THAT is success.
While on vacation, Dave and I talked about how we're out of shape and have gained a little weight and the fact that we really need different motivation to be healthy. Truly, I just don't want to be "that person" who is always gaining and losing the same 7 pounds. And I have been for the last couple of years. I just want to be healthy and live a healthy life - not just so I can weigh 125 lbs but for other reasons. We listed our reasons and I want to revisit mine periodically. Here they are:
I eat healthy, exercise and drink water because:
* I sleep better
* my skin is better
* i don't feel bloated and big
* my body will heal better and faster if I get sick or injured
* i don't want to be my parents
* i want to be active and not limited
* i don't want to take medications
* i feel more self-confident
* my back doesn't hurt
My mom has been very sick for the last year & a half. She spent a good portion of the summer in the hospital this year. I truly believe that a lot of it has to do with how poorly she eats and takes care of herself. At least the extent to which she healed / is healing, I believe. I don't want to be like that - I don't want the issues to begin with and I don't want to have the problems recovering that she has had. I want to live a healthy life.
One thing that we identified that hinders us - or creates issues for us - is that we go to is parents house once a week or so - sometimes more often. And they eat garbage all the time - never anything healthy. So we have to come up with a plan to bring food with us, which, frankly, is a very overwhelming thought to me. But we're going to have to do it.
Hopefully these couple of things will be motivation for us to get back on track to living a healthy lifestyle and getting back into shape.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Tuesday August 28, 2012
Workout: 30DS level 1
Weight:?
Ugh, I am really out of shape. I consistently worked out over the summer, but I really only ran 2-3 times each week, i think. And it was all treadmill running because it was the most incredibly blasted hot summer in my life (temps in the mid 90s-100's for 5 weeks straight). And I was running slowly and at 0 incline.
So when i went to run outside last week - for the first time in a few months - it was not pretty. Or pleasant. At all. I sucked really bad. I couldn't run a mile straight. I walked a lot. And I ended up running 3.17 miles in 40 minutes. 2 days later I ran the same route in 38 minutes, so a bit of an improvement, but still struggled throughout the entire run. Soooo out of shape.
I did well with my weight throughout the summer until I went to Vegas in the middle of July. We had a whole lot of delays the night we flew in and ended up not eating from 3pm our time until 2:30am our time... and the only things open were food court garbage. And that set the course for the weekend of eating garbage - not a ton, but just crappy food. And I came home at 131 (left at 126/127). And I've struggled to get those pounds off. We had vacation 2 weeks ago and ate ice cream every night. Came home and weighed 133. So now I'm back to where I was last summer, but not feeling quite as content about it. I feel disgusting about myself - I don't feel good in my skin. I don't feel confident at all.
So last week (first week of school) I got back to eating super healthy - lots of plants, clean menu plan on e-mealz. This week I started counting calories on mfp again.
I really, really wish I could be doing P90x, but I have an injury inside my right elbow and I'm not sure I should be doing it. I am running outside - 3 miles - and doing 30 Day shred 2 days a week and yoga 1 day. I'm counting calories now, but next week I'm going to get serious about making sure I'm eating at regular intervals and meeting my calories (goal is 1600/day).
I was flipping out about all of this yesterday because it seemed so overwhelming and like it would never happen, but then I was reminded while reading The Me I Want To Be, by John Ortberg, that its not in my control - nothing is in my control. And that i don't need to do everything right now this very minute. And i don't need to plan my life so far ahead - just worry about today and do what I need to do today. Surrender my will, my health, my finances, my everything to jesus. Let him worry about it - because no amount of worry is going to solve the problems I perceive that I have.
So here we go - mission is to get back into good running shape and to get back down to 125. And to live today.
Weight:?
Ugh, I am really out of shape. I consistently worked out over the summer, but I really only ran 2-3 times each week, i think. And it was all treadmill running because it was the most incredibly blasted hot summer in my life (temps in the mid 90s-100's for 5 weeks straight). And I was running slowly and at 0 incline.
So when i went to run outside last week - for the first time in a few months - it was not pretty. Or pleasant. At all. I sucked really bad. I couldn't run a mile straight. I walked a lot. And I ended up running 3.17 miles in 40 minutes. 2 days later I ran the same route in 38 minutes, so a bit of an improvement, but still struggled throughout the entire run. Soooo out of shape.
I did well with my weight throughout the summer until I went to Vegas in the middle of July. We had a whole lot of delays the night we flew in and ended up not eating from 3pm our time until 2:30am our time... and the only things open were food court garbage. And that set the course for the weekend of eating garbage - not a ton, but just crappy food. And I came home at 131 (left at 126/127). And I've struggled to get those pounds off. We had vacation 2 weeks ago and ate ice cream every night. Came home and weighed 133. So now I'm back to where I was last summer, but not feeling quite as content about it. I feel disgusting about myself - I don't feel good in my skin. I don't feel confident at all.
So last week (first week of school) I got back to eating super healthy - lots of plants, clean menu plan on e-mealz. This week I started counting calories on mfp again.
I really, really wish I could be doing P90x, but I have an injury inside my right elbow and I'm not sure I should be doing it. I am running outside - 3 miles - and doing 30 Day shred 2 days a week and yoga 1 day. I'm counting calories now, but next week I'm going to get serious about making sure I'm eating at regular intervals and meeting my calories (goal is 1600/day).
I was flipping out about all of this yesterday because it seemed so overwhelming and like it would never happen, but then I was reminded while reading The Me I Want To Be, by John Ortberg, that its not in my control - nothing is in my control. And that i don't need to do everything right now this very minute. And i don't need to plan my life so far ahead - just worry about today and do what I need to do today. Surrender my will, my health, my finances, my everything to jesus. Let him worry about it - because no amount of worry is going to solve the problems I perceive that I have.
So here we go - mission is to get back into good running shape and to get back down to 125. And to live today.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Tuesday June 12, 2012
Ahhh, today redeemed yesterday!
Over the weekend I decided that I needed to suck it up and get outside to run and do it in the morning before everyone is up and moving. I used to do that and it was wonderful, but I've fallen out of the habit of getting up early and of running outside. Sometimes I get stuck in the enjoyment of running on the treadmill and watching tv shows on the computer. Sometimes I just like the easiness of it. And then I start dreading the challenge of running outside.
Anyway... ran 5 miles with Dave on Saturday morning and decided I needed to get back to it. So I went out yesterday morning to run 3 miles. And I had to stop before 3/4 mile and walk the rest of the time. My hamstrings were tight, my lower back was clenched, I couldn't get into a rhythm, it felt like every step was an individual mental effort, the humidity was weighing down on me. So I stopped and walked. It was fine.
But I knew the weather would be beautiful today and I wanted to make up for yesterday's disaster, so I tried again. And it was nice. My lower back was clenched for the first 1 1/2 miles, but when I got to the park I stopped and did 2 minutes of triangle pose and it felt better the rest of the time. I only did 3 miles, which is just fine with me, but it was nice to be outside and enjoying it again.
Now today I also have to get back to counting calories - I haven't gained any weight and haven't gone crazy, but I would still like to get down a couple of pounds. So I'm aiming for 1700 calories/day. I've been eating well, just needed a break from logging every single thing all day long.
Over the weekend I decided that I needed to suck it up and get outside to run and do it in the morning before everyone is up and moving. I used to do that and it was wonderful, but I've fallen out of the habit of getting up early and of running outside. Sometimes I get stuck in the enjoyment of running on the treadmill and watching tv shows on the computer. Sometimes I just like the easiness of it. And then I start dreading the challenge of running outside.
Anyway... ran 5 miles with Dave on Saturday morning and decided I needed to get back to it. So I went out yesterday morning to run 3 miles. And I had to stop before 3/4 mile and walk the rest of the time. My hamstrings were tight, my lower back was clenched, I couldn't get into a rhythm, it felt like every step was an individual mental effort, the humidity was weighing down on me. So I stopped and walked. It was fine.
But I knew the weather would be beautiful today and I wanted to make up for yesterday's disaster, so I tried again. And it was nice. My lower back was clenched for the first 1 1/2 miles, but when I got to the park I stopped and did 2 minutes of triangle pose and it felt better the rest of the time. I only did 3 miles, which is just fine with me, but it was nice to be outside and enjoying it again.
Now today I also have to get back to counting calories - I haven't gained any weight and haven't gone crazy, but I would still like to get down a couple of pounds. So I'm aiming for 1700 calories/day. I've been eating well, just needed a break from logging every single thing all day long.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Saturday June 2, 2012
I did week 1 of P90x last week and my right shoulder would prefer to be simply cut off of my body. So I will not continue with it. I've decided to run 3x/week, yoga 2x/week & p90x legs 1x. And I like this schedule.
Just trying to muster up the energy to go running today - not sure I'm going to get it in.
Just trying to muster up the energy to go running today - not sure I'm going to get it in.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Saturday May 12, 2012
Have been off of p90x since the beginning of April and it feels really good to give my body this break. I'm not sure that my right forearm is ever going to be fully healed... not sure exactly what is wrong with it, but the tweakiness of it hasn't gone away with this extended rest.
So I started out with the intention of doing pushups on my non running days. After doing that twice, I had to give that up, too. I did 200 the first day, 250 the second day. And started experiencing some soreness in both of my rotator cuffs. I'm an idiot - I just push too hard and too much. So I gave that up and my shoulders have recovered just fine.
I also really got into the mindset of eating the number of calories for maintenance of my goal weight. This is doing wonders for me in so many ways. I feel like I'm a completely new person in regards to how I feel about workouts, calories, etc.
So now I eat 1976 every single day - whether I work out or not. That is the maintenance number for my goal weight of 119lbs with a moderately active workout schedule (3-5 days/week). On the days that I run, I have a significant deficit from the 1976. On the non-running days - when I do yoga - I still have a slight deficit.
This has done amazing things for me, mentally. I no longer feel like I have to workout 6 days/week or I suck. I no longer feel compelled to increase my duration, frequency, or intensity of my workouts. I no longer pay attention to how many calories I burn during my workout. I no longer feel guilty on days that I don't workout. I am enjoying myself for the first time in a really long time. I am not obsessed with miles, time, pace, heart rate while I run (okay, I pay attention to it only because its always high and I'm going to a cardiologist in 2 weeks). I run because I enjoy it. I enjoy it while I'm doing it. I don't worry when I have to stop to walk or even to tie my shoe or take a drink (previously that would bother me because my heart rate would slow down, which would pull down my average HR and thus decrease my calories burned). I don't flip out on days that I do yoga and am not burning many calories, which means I'm enjoying the yoga more than before.
And... I have not gained weight by increasing my calories from 1200/day to 1976/day. I was 127+ when I started this, and now I'm below 125, which is a comfortable weight for me (it fluctuates between 123-126 on any given day, but that is comfortable for me).
I am loving everything about this.
We start p90x again on Monday and then I'll increase my calories to a highly active level (workout 6 days/week).
So I started out with the intention of doing pushups on my non running days. After doing that twice, I had to give that up, too. I did 200 the first day, 250 the second day. And started experiencing some soreness in both of my rotator cuffs. I'm an idiot - I just push too hard and too much. So I gave that up and my shoulders have recovered just fine.
I also really got into the mindset of eating the number of calories for maintenance of my goal weight. This is doing wonders for me in so many ways. I feel like I'm a completely new person in regards to how I feel about workouts, calories, etc.
So now I eat 1976 every single day - whether I work out or not. That is the maintenance number for my goal weight of 119lbs with a moderately active workout schedule (3-5 days/week). On the days that I run, I have a significant deficit from the 1976. On the non-running days - when I do yoga - I still have a slight deficit.
This has done amazing things for me, mentally. I no longer feel like I have to workout 6 days/week or I suck. I no longer feel compelled to increase my duration, frequency, or intensity of my workouts. I no longer pay attention to how many calories I burn during my workout. I no longer feel guilty on days that I don't workout. I am enjoying myself for the first time in a really long time. I am not obsessed with miles, time, pace, heart rate while I run (okay, I pay attention to it only because its always high and I'm going to a cardiologist in 2 weeks). I run because I enjoy it. I enjoy it while I'm doing it. I don't worry when I have to stop to walk or even to tie my shoe or take a drink (previously that would bother me because my heart rate would slow down, which would pull down my average HR and thus decrease my calories burned). I don't flip out on days that I do yoga and am not burning many calories, which means I'm enjoying the yoga more than before.
And... I have not gained weight by increasing my calories from 1200/day to 1976/day. I was 127+ when I started this, and now I'm below 125, which is a comfortable weight for me (it fluctuates between 123-126 on any given day, but that is comfortable for me).
I am loving everything about this.
We start p90x again on Monday and then I'll increase my calories to a highly active level (workout 6 days/week).
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Tuesday April 3, 2012
Workout: Plyometrix
My last Plyometrix for a while - thank goodness. I really had to fight myself to not go back to bed this morning because I was sooooo dreading the workout. I didn't have another time during the day to workout, though, so I gave in and did it. Very crabby about it though. And as usual, I was happy that I did. It is so hard, but feels so good when I'm done.
I'm ready to take a break for a while and am looking forward to this week of p90x being over. My muscles and my tendons need a serious break. But I'm going to feel kind of lost for a while, I think. Tony and p90x has been a part of our daily lives for 180 days now - 6 months! I'm going to miss him:)
My last Plyometrix for a while - thank goodness. I really had to fight myself to not go back to bed this morning because I was sooooo dreading the workout. I didn't have another time during the day to workout, though, so I gave in and did it. Very crabby about it though. And as usual, I was happy that I did. It is so hard, but feels so good when I'm done.
I'm ready to take a break for a while and am looking forward to this week of p90x being over. My muscles and my tendons need a serious break. But I'm going to feel kind of lost for a while, I think. Tony and p90x has been a part of our daily lives for 180 days now - 6 months! I'm going to miss him:)
Monday, April 2, 2012
Monday April 2, 2012
Lots of catching up to do...
I have maintained my p90x workouts since my last post. Dave and I are seeing huge strength gains and big changes in our bodies. He is looking awesome and is down to 196 pounds. He's been 196 pounds before, but he's never looked like this before. I got down as low as 122 before we left for Mexico. My arms are ripped and I feel really good about the way I look. I gained 5lbs in Mexico and have had a rough time getting back on track since coming home, due to going out or eating with my in-laws. I am also injured everywhere - dealing with tendinitis everywhere... left ankle and achilles, right ACL & MCL, and right elbow. My shoulders are also beginning to hurt. Its my fault - I always push too hard and now I'm hurting because of it... pretty bad, too. So I sat down last week and formulated a plan for the next month.
I'm gradually going to increase my calories/day. I had been eating around 1200 (net) and then was beginning to bump it up just before Mexico and lost 4 pounds pretty quickly. I haven't been super great or disciplined since we came back so I'm going to do this gradually. I think I need to eat between 1200-1700 cal/day (net, meaning that number + my exercise cal) but I don't want to go crazy and increase 500/day right away. Also, I need to take a pretty significant break from p90x (although that scares me because I'm seeing such great results) and give my body a break. I definitely think I'm overtrained right now. We only have 1 more week of it so I'm going to finish that out and then back off. So here is my plan:
April 1-8
* Finish last week of p90x
* 1400 cal/day (eat)
April 8-15
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1500 cal/day (eat)
April 16-22
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1600 cal/day (eat)
April 23-29
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1700 cal/day (eat)
Yesterday I weighed 127 I think.
I will reevaluate after the month is done and see how my elbow/shoulders & knees feel.
Also, on just a general health front: Tomorrow I am having an echocardiogram to ensure that my heart is functioning properly. I talked to my doctor about my high heart rate and when he listened carefully he heard a murmur. I had an EKG done immediately and other than a resting heart rate in the 50's (awesome), there was no concern (and no concern about that because he knows I run). So he just wants to check it out and make sure the murmur is nothing to worry about... and he wants me to be reassured that my high heart rate is okay, although he agrees with my decision to back my pace down so I can run at a sustainable heart rate.
On Thursday I will be having a consultation with a hand surgeon to discuss whether or not I should have carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand. I had an EMG done a couple of weeks ago (excruciating) and the results showed a mild case of CTS in my right hand. I'm thinking that we may go the route of surgery just to deal with the issue before it gets worse and truthfully, after 7-10 years of it, I'm just sick of dealing with it and working around it all the time. So we'll see. I'm not excited about it, but recognize that I should try to take care of it before my nerve gets permanently damaged. However, I have not spoken to the surgeon yet so maybe he will prefer to go the route of occupational therapy instead.
I have maintained my p90x workouts since my last post. Dave and I are seeing huge strength gains and big changes in our bodies. He is looking awesome and is down to 196 pounds. He's been 196 pounds before, but he's never looked like this before. I got down as low as 122 before we left for Mexico. My arms are ripped and I feel really good about the way I look. I gained 5lbs in Mexico and have had a rough time getting back on track since coming home, due to going out or eating with my in-laws. I am also injured everywhere - dealing with tendinitis everywhere... left ankle and achilles, right ACL & MCL, and right elbow. My shoulders are also beginning to hurt. Its my fault - I always push too hard and now I'm hurting because of it... pretty bad, too. So I sat down last week and formulated a plan for the next month.
I'm gradually going to increase my calories/day. I had been eating around 1200 (net) and then was beginning to bump it up just before Mexico and lost 4 pounds pretty quickly. I haven't been super great or disciplined since we came back so I'm going to do this gradually. I think I need to eat between 1200-1700 cal/day (net, meaning that number + my exercise cal) but I don't want to go crazy and increase 500/day right away. Also, I need to take a pretty significant break from p90x (although that scares me because I'm seeing such great results) and give my body a break. I definitely think I'm overtrained right now. We only have 1 more week of it so I'm going to finish that out and then back off. So here is my plan:
April 1-8
* Finish last week of p90x
* 1400 cal/day (eat)
April 8-15
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1500 cal/day (eat)
April 16-22
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1600 cal/day (eat)
April 23-29
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1700 cal/day (eat)
Yesterday I weighed 127 I think.
I will reevaluate after the month is done and see how my elbow/shoulders & knees feel.
Also, on just a general health front: Tomorrow I am having an echocardiogram to ensure that my heart is functioning properly. I talked to my doctor about my high heart rate and when he listened carefully he heard a murmur. I had an EKG done immediately and other than a resting heart rate in the 50's (awesome), there was no concern (and no concern about that because he knows I run). So he just wants to check it out and make sure the murmur is nothing to worry about... and he wants me to be reassured that my high heart rate is okay, although he agrees with my decision to back my pace down so I can run at a sustainable heart rate.
On Thursday I will be having a consultation with a hand surgeon to discuss whether or not I should have carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand. I had an EMG done a couple of weeks ago (excruciating) and the results showed a mild case of CTS in my right hand. I'm thinking that we may go the route of surgery just to deal with the issue before it gets worse and truthfully, after 7-10 years of it, I'm just sick of dealing with it and working around it all the time. So we'll see. I'm not excited about it, but recognize that I should try to take care of it before my nerve gets permanently damaged. However, I have not spoken to the surgeon yet so maybe he will prefer to go the route of occupational therapy instead.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Monday February 13, 2012
Workout: P90x Chest/Shoulders/Tris
Avg HR: 111
I think I despise this workout. I've decided it is the absolute worst of them all - it is so difficult and the people are so boring. By 3/4 of the way through, my arms are absolute jello and I can barely do any of the moves. I guess thats a good thing - rather than completely mastering everything and being able to get through it all, its probably better to get to the point of failure. But man, my arms are toast for the whole day. I also think this workout has the most ridiculous exercises of all of the workouts: 1 arm pushups, clapping pushups, pike presses, fly pushups. Ugh. But I get through it every time - and that is success.
I took Saturday and Sunday as rest days and it felt good. Right now I'm struggling, though, because I have a weird knee issue going on and I can't figure out how to figure out what it is. It is not joint related - in other words, the pain is not in the joint. The pain is in the ligaments next to the knee on the inside of my right leg. And I don't know how to heal that - it hurts every time I stand or bear weight on that leg. If I stand too long the outside ligaments hurt too. I also have this same feeling on the inside of my right elbow. I'm not sure what to do about it or if anything can be done.
Avg HR: 111
I think I despise this workout. I've decided it is the absolute worst of them all - it is so difficult and the people are so boring. By 3/4 of the way through, my arms are absolute jello and I can barely do any of the moves. I guess thats a good thing - rather than completely mastering everything and being able to get through it all, its probably better to get to the point of failure. But man, my arms are toast for the whole day. I also think this workout has the most ridiculous exercises of all of the workouts: 1 arm pushups, clapping pushups, pike presses, fly pushups. Ugh. But I get through it every time - and that is success.
I took Saturday and Sunday as rest days and it felt good. Right now I'm struggling, though, because I have a weird knee issue going on and I can't figure out how to figure out what it is. It is not joint related - in other words, the pain is not in the joint. The pain is in the ligaments next to the knee on the inside of my right leg. And I don't know how to heal that - it hurts every time I stand or bear weight on that leg. If I stand too long the outside ligaments hurt too. I also have this same feeling on the inside of my right elbow. I'm not sure what to do about it or if anything can be done.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Friday February 10, 2012
Tuesday - p90x core synergistics
Ugh. I'm better at this and don't hate it as much as the last round, but its still horrible. I would actually choose plyometrix before this... I really hate working core. I'm fortunate that I don't carry my weight in my stomach (I carry it in my hips/thighs), so I'm not as worried about core/ab work as many women. And because of that minor blessing, I don't care if I have a small little pooch... I actually think that it is a very feminine thing to have. BUT, I do recognize that I'm unusual in this regard.
Wednesday - p90x KenPo
I enjoy this workout, it just doesn't feel like a workout that raises my heart rate enough. It goes fast and is kind of fun, its just not difficult and doesn't feel like I'm working hard enough. So I think its a great recovery week workout.
Thursday - run on the treadmill
Ran for 2 miles, which ended up being about 22:00. I had to fit it in between some stuff, so I ran for 1 episode of Arrested Development, which worked out perfectly to 2 miles. It was good - I'm so meant to be running slower and working myself up.
Friday - p90x CardioX
The schedule for today was supposed to be yoga, but I did not want to get up at 5:15 to do a 90 minute workout. We opted for CardioX. Neither of us have done this workout before - its nice. It is only 45 minutes, which feels so short compared to all the rest of the workouts. It was kind of fun - its a mix of all of the non-strength workouts: yoga, kenpo & plyo. It was definitely enjoyable and went fast. It was also not terribly difficult, which makes it a great recovery week workout.
My body feels like it needs a break. I'm considering taking an extra rest day tomorrow. Either that or I'm going to do yoga... I just feel sore and fatigued, so i want to rest. I think, though, that it would feel really good to do all of the yoga, so I'll wait and find out what Dave wants to do.
Ugh. I'm better at this and don't hate it as much as the last round, but its still horrible. I would actually choose plyometrix before this... I really hate working core. I'm fortunate that I don't carry my weight in my stomach (I carry it in my hips/thighs), so I'm not as worried about core/ab work as many women. And because of that minor blessing, I don't care if I have a small little pooch... I actually think that it is a very feminine thing to have. BUT, I do recognize that I'm unusual in this regard.
Wednesday - p90x KenPo
I enjoy this workout, it just doesn't feel like a workout that raises my heart rate enough. It goes fast and is kind of fun, its just not difficult and doesn't feel like I'm working hard enough. So I think its a great recovery week workout.
Thursday - run on the treadmill
Ran for 2 miles, which ended up being about 22:00. I had to fit it in between some stuff, so I ran for 1 episode of Arrested Development, which worked out perfectly to 2 miles. It was good - I'm so meant to be running slower and working myself up.
Friday - p90x CardioX
The schedule for today was supposed to be yoga, but I did not want to get up at 5:15 to do a 90 minute workout. We opted for CardioX. Neither of us have done this workout before - its nice. It is only 45 minutes, which feels so short compared to all the rest of the workouts. It was kind of fun - its a mix of all of the non-strength workouts: yoga, kenpo & plyo. It was definitely enjoyable and went fast. It was also not terribly difficult, which makes it a great recovery week workout.
My body feels like it needs a break. I'm considering taking an extra rest day tomorrow. Either that or I'm going to do yoga... I just feel sore and fatigued, so i want to rest. I think, though, that it would feel really good to do all of the yoga, so I'll wait and find out what Dave wants to do.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Monday February 6, 2012
Saturday - Run 6 miles on the treadmill
I swallowed my pride and ran at a slower pace to find out if I could keep my heart rate lower and if so, if running would feel easier for me. I ran between 5.5-5.8 (11:00 -10:40) and was able to keep my heart rate below 165 the entire time. I ran while watching Arrested Development on netflix, which meant that I wasn't trying to keep pace with any music. The run was so much easier than any that I've done recently. I wasn't laboring or sucking wind, I didn't feel like I needed to mentally keep myself from jumping off throughout the whole thing. I just ran. And I enjoyed it. This is what I need to be doing.
Monday - Recovery week!
YogaX is on the schedule for today, however, I opted to run instead. I like yoga and all, but it is 90 minutes and it doesn't elevate my heart rate enough for my satisfaction. So I ran 4 miles while watching Arrested Development again this morning. I stayed at a 5.5 (11:00) pace for almost the entire time... I think I upped it for the last 3/4 of a mile just to get the 4 miles in on time. My average HR for today's run was 155. This was an easily sustainable heart rate and again, I enjoyed it and didn't feel miserable the entire time. This is definitely what I need to be doing.
I swallowed my pride and ran at a slower pace to find out if I could keep my heart rate lower and if so, if running would feel easier for me. I ran between 5.5-5.8 (11:00 -10:40) and was able to keep my heart rate below 165 the entire time. I ran while watching Arrested Development on netflix, which meant that I wasn't trying to keep pace with any music. The run was so much easier than any that I've done recently. I wasn't laboring or sucking wind, I didn't feel like I needed to mentally keep myself from jumping off throughout the whole thing. I just ran. And I enjoyed it. This is what I need to be doing.
Monday - Recovery week!
YogaX is on the schedule for today, however, I opted to run instead. I like yoga and all, but it is 90 minutes and it doesn't elevate my heart rate enough for my satisfaction. So I ran 4 miles while watching Arrested Development again this morning. I stayed at a 5.5 (11:00) pace for almost the entire time... I think I upped it for the last 3/4 of a mile just to get the 4 miles in on time. My average HR for today's run was 155. This was an easily sustainable heart rate and again, I enjoyed it and didn't feel miserable the entire time. This is definitely what I need to be doing.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Friday February 3, 2012
Wednesday - p90x Shoulders/Arms
I'm gaining a lot of strength and my arms are really defined, but my muscles are gigantic in proportion to the short length they have to fill between joints. I may start lowering the weights a bit and doing a few more reps.
Thursday - run on the treadmill 3 miles
It was a horrible run. I quickly needed to fit it in between things and I was hurried and a little stressed. I jumped off after every song to get a drink of water. I just wasn't into it. After reading the most recent Runners World, I'm going to focus more on running at an appropriate heart rate, but for longer. I'm never going to get my mileage up with a heart rate of 170. I'm going to have to slow down to probably an 11:00 mile and increase my pace when I can regularly keep my heart rate in the 150's/160's at that pace. I read many things in this recent issue about not getting hung up on pace, and I totally have - it has become a pride thing. I used to be able to run faster than a 10:00 mile... I had been running at a 9:40 mile with a 2% incline on the treadmill, but I have not run regularly for over a year and I can't expect myself to be at that pace any more. If I want to continue running and enjoy it, I need to slow down and keep my heart rate in check. How many times do I have to excuse my crappy performance by saying: Its just too difficult to sustain a heart rate of 170+ for that long? I'm smarter than that - I know what I have to do, I just need to get over myself and swallow my pride and slow down.
Have to decide if I want to do a long, slow run tomorrow or do intervals again. I want to continue doing intervals every week, but I need to figure out which day I want to do them.
Friday - p90x Back/Legs
I always enjoy this workout. I'm seeing major strength gains in my pullups. I did 2 reverse grip chinups without using the chair! Thats awesome! And I'm proud of myself! However, I do need to think about what my goals are with this... I tried on a sleeveless shirt yesterday and I was kind of grossed out by how muscular my arms are... again, the distance between my joints is short and my muscles are big, so my arms don't really look toned and defined, they just look big. Oh well, not sure what to do about it.
My weight was down to 124.4 this morning. Loss of 1/2 pound this week. I was kind of disappointed, but then realized - hey, its still a 1/2 pound! I'm happy with that.
I'm gaining a lot of strength and my arms are really defined, but my muscles are gigantic in proportion to the short length they have to fill between joints. I may start lowering the weights a bit and doing a few more reps.
Thursday - run on the treadmill 3 miles
It was a horrible run. I quickly needed to fit it in between things and I was hurried and a little stressed. I jumped off after every song to get a drink of water. I just wasn't into it. After reading the most recent Runners World, I'm going to focus more on running at an appropriate heart rate, but for longer. I'm never going to get my mileage up with a heart rate of 170. I'm going to have to slow down to probably an 11:00 mile and increase my pace when I can regularly keep my heart rate in the 150's/160's at that pace. I read many things in this recent issue about not getting hung up on pace, and I totally have - it has become a pride thing. I used to be able to run faster than a 10:00 mile... I had been running at a 9:40 mile with a 2% incline on the treadmill, but I have not run regularly for over a year and I can't expect myself to be at that pace any more. If I want to continue running and enjoy it, I need to slow down and keep my heart rate in check. How many times do I have to excuse my crappy performance by saying: Its just too difficult to sustain a heart rate of 170+ for that long? I'm smarter than that - I know what I have to do, I just need to get over myself and swallow my pride and slow down.
Have to decide if I want to do a long, slow run tomorrow or do intervals again. I want to continue doing intervals every week, but I need to figure out which day I want to do them.
Friday - p90x Back/Legs
I always enjoy this workout. I'm seeing major strength gains in my pullups. I did 2 reverse grip chinups without using the chair! Thats awesome! And I'm proud of myself! However, I do need to think about what my goals are with this... I tried on a sleeveless shirt yesterday and I was kind of grossed out by how muscular my arms are... again, the distance between my joints is short and my muscles are big, so my arms don't really look toned and defined, they just look big. Oh well, not sure what to do about it.
My weight was down to 124.4 this morning. Loss of 1/2 pound this week. I was kind of disappointed, but then realized - hey, its still a 1/2 pound! I'm happy with that.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday January 31, 2012
Workout: P90x Plyometrix
Avg HR 148
It was a huge struggle to get out of bed this morning. I was so tired, my body was tired and sore and I knew I had to do the worst of the week's workouts. I really fought with myself this morning. Ultimately, I had no other time to work out so I had to get out of bed, or I would have stayed right there and slept for another hour.
I could tell my body was fatigued - I felt like I dragged through most of the workout and my heart rate was slightly lower (on avg) than previous times through. My body is still quite fatigued, so I'm looking forward to recovery week next week.
Then after recovery, three tough weeks and then MEXICO. Soooo looking forward to this trip! We inquired about cancelling it, but would have had a very hefty penalty to do so. As it is, we've decided to not go on any more Jones trips until our van is paid off. We put together an ambitious Dave Ramsey snowball schedule for the van, then the HELOC, then the mortgage. If we can do it the way we've laid it out, we'll be debt free in less than 15 years - that means the house will be entirely paid for! That would be awesome! The van portion will hopefully take 24 months or less... so we've decided to forgo the trips, cash them out and be like the gazelle with the debt right now. So this trip will be our last for a while and I'm going to enjoy every second, even though we won't have any money to do anything while we're there :) I'll be spending my days on the beach or at the pool and it will be good!
Avg HR 148
It was a huge struggle to get out of bed this morning. I was so tired, my body was tired and sore and I knew I had to do the worst of the week's workouts. I really fought with myself this morning. Ultimately, I had no other time to work out so I had to get out of bed, or I would have stayed right there and slept for another hour.
I could tell my body was fatigued - I felt like I dragged through most of the workout and my heart rate was slightly lower (on avg) than previous times through. My body is still quite fatigued, so I'm looking forward to recovery week next week.
Then after recovery, three tough weeks and then MEXICO. Soooo looking forward to this trip! We inquired about cancelling it, but would have had a very hefty penalty to do so. As it is, we've decided to not go on any more Jones trips until our van is paid off. We put together an ambitious Dave Ramsey snowball schedule for the van, then the HELOC, then the mortgage. If we can do it the way we've laid it out, we'll be debt free in less than 15 years - that means the house will be entirely paid for! That would be awesome! The van portion will hopefully take 24 months or less... so we've decided to forgo the trips, cash them out and be like the gazelle with the debt right now. So this trip will be our last for a while and I'm going to enjoy every second, even though we won't have any money to do anything while we're there :) I'll be spending my days on the beach or at the pool and it will be good!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday January 30, 2012
Since last time:
Friday - p90x Legs / Back
I still love this workout.
Saturday - intervals on the treadmill
I did 6 repeats of:
1/4 mile at 5.5 (11:00)
1/4 mile at 6.7 (9:00)
And then jogged for another half mile or so as a cool down. It was 3.5 miles total.
Today - p90x Chest / Back
I don't love or hate this workout, its just fine. I have seen such incredible strength gains recently. When I started p90x the first time (October) I could do 24 pushups for the first set of pushups on this workout. Today I did 37. My pullups have increased dramatically as well. I'm still using the chair to do them, but I'm doing more of them than I ever have.
I have to believe that some of that is due to my new eating lifestyle. I am getting such incredible nutrition now. I've always been a decently healthy eater, but it was nothing compared to how I eat now. I believe that I've kicked up my nutrition several notches and I'm seeing benefits from doing so. This is not a diet for me - it is a lifestyle. And it hasn't been as hard to do as I thought it would be - I stock up on greens once a week at one store and once a week at aldi. I keep a lot of fresh fruit in the house and I focus on getting greens, greens, greens. My smoothies have gone from a few greens, lots of fruit and some cottage cheese & almond milk, to mainly greens with some fruit and lots of water. They are low calorie, but high volume (48 oz has about 150 calories - thats 3 large glasses). I'm getting 2-4 cups of spinach and 2-4 cups of another green in each 32-48oz container. Every. Day. Thats huge. And I'm eating salad with my dinner and most of the time with lunch. I feel awesome. I'm sleeping better than ever. I have tons of energy. My workouts are not suffering at all - I feel like they're being enhanced.
I think it is the combination of being focused on plant-based AND eliminating the garbage almost entirely. I do not have cravings for crappy food any more. I don't feel a need to eat more at the end of the evening just because I have calories left. I enjoy a 100 cal bag of popcorn most nights, but that is more of a habit kind of thing - just enjoying eating while watching tv. I don't need it and i'm satisfied without it. I enjoy pizza on Saturday nights and I do so without counting calories or feeling guilty, because I've eaten so well the rest of the week. I'm just really, really happy with this lifestyle change! I make good choices because I enjoy the food and it is the food I want to eat - not because I would rather eat something different, but know I SHOULD eat healthier. I'm thrilled with all of this!
And I cannot wait to get my cholesterol tested again.
Friday - p90x Legs / Back
I still love this workout.
Saturday - intervals on the treadmill
I did 6 repeats of:
1/4 mile at 5.5 (11:00)
1/4 mile at 6.7 (9:00)
And then jogged for another half mile or so as a cool down. It was 3.5 miles total.
Today - p90x Chest / Back
I don't love or hate this workout, its just fine. I have seen such incredible strength gains recently. When I started p90x the first time (October) I could do 24 pushups for the first set of pushups on this workout. Today I did 37. My pullups have increased dramatically as well. I'm still using the chair to do them, but I'm doing more of them than I ever have.
I have to believe that some of that is due to my new eating lifestyle. I am getting such incredible nutrition now. I've always been a decently healthy eater, but it was nothing compared to how I eat now. I believe that I've kicked up my nutrition several notches and I'm seeing benefits from doing so. This is not a diet for me - it is a lifestyle. And it hasn't been as hard to do as I thought it would be - I stock up on greens once a week at one store and once a week at aldi. I keep a lot of fresh fruit in the house and I focus on getting greens, greens, greens. My smoothies have gone from a few greens, lots of fruit and some cottage cheese & almond milk, to mainly greens with some fruit and lots of water. They are low calorie, but high volume (48 oz has about 150 calories - thats 3 large glasses). I'm getting 2-4 cups of spinach and 2-4 cups of another green in each 32-48oz container. Every. Day. Thats huge. And I'm eating salad with my dinner and most of the time with lunch. I feel awesome. I'm sleeping better than ever. I have tons of energy. My workouts are not suffering at all - I feel like they're being enhanced.
I think it is the combination of being focused on plant-based AND eliminating the garbage almost entirely. I do not have cravings for crappy food any more. I don't feel a need to eat more at the end of the evening just because I have calories left. I enjoy a 100 cal bag of popcorn most nights, but that is more of a habit kind of thing - just enjoying eating while watching tv. I don't need it and i'm satisfied without it. I enjoy pizza on Saturday nights and I do so without counting calories or feeling guilty, because I've eaten so well the rest of the week. I'm just really, really happy with this lifestyle change! I make good choices because I enjoy the food and it is the food I want to eat - not because I would rather eat something different, but know I SHOULD eat healthier. I'm thrilled with all of this!
And I cannot wait to get my cholesterol tested again.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Thursday January 26, 2012
Ugh, catchup from this week...
Monday - p90x Chest / Back
Fine. Did this workout in the afternoon and killed it with the pullups.
Tuesday - p90x Plyometrix
Still hate every second of it while I'm doing it and want to cry, but love how I feel when I'm finished.
Wednesday - p90x Shoulders / Arms
Did this workout in the mid morning. Don't particularly enjoy the workout, but its fine.
Today - run on the treadmill
Ran at a 10:00 pace for 20:00, then knocked the safety key out and had to start over, so ran at a 9:40 pace for 10:00 then a 10:20 pace for a couple of minutes. 8 songs total, 3.5 miles total. Average heart rate 168. Every time I looked down at my watch my HR was 174 and I felt like I was going to die - like there was no way i could keep it up. Wish that aspect would get better. I suppose it would if I would train properly - like only run at a 5.0 pace until I could get my heart rate to stay in the 150's and then move up the pace. Just not sure I'm willing to do that. It seems painful to think about running that slow, but then again, its pretty painful to run with a sprinting-person's heart rate for 30 minutes, too.
Monday - p90x Chest / Back
Fine. Did this workout in the afternoon and killed it with the pullups.
Tuesday - p90x Plyometrix
Still hate every second of it while I'm doing it and want to cry, but love how I feel when I'm finished.
Wednesday - p90x Shoulders / Arms
Did this workout in the mid morning. Don't particularly enjoy the workout, but its fine.
Today - run on the treadmill
Ran at a 10:00 pace for 20:00, then knocked the safety key out and had to start over, so ran at a 9:40 pace for 10:00 then a 10:20 pace for a couple of minutes. 8 songs total, 3.5 miles total. Average heart rate 168. Every time I looked down at my watch my HR was 174 and I felt like I was going to die - like there was no way i could keep it up. Wish that aspect would get better. I suppose it would if I would train properly - like only run at a 5.0 pace until I could get my heart rate to stay in the 150's and then move up the pace. Just not sure I'm willing to do that. It seems painful to think about running that slow, but then again, its pretty painful to run with a sprinting-person's heart rate for 30 minutes, too.
Saturday January 21, 2012
Thursday - Run on the treadmill + 20:00 yoga on netflix
Slept in and ran in the morning instead. I had to fit my run in between ticket pulls, so I ran 25 minutes, then went & did tickets and then went back and ran another 13 minutes. I also decided to do some short 10 minute yoga clips from Netflix. The yoga was fine. One was supposed to be Yoga Burn, which was supposed to increase your heart rate (not sure it really did that) and the other was just Yoga for stretching & flexibility. It was a nice way to add a little bit of yoga into my day without having to do 30 or 90 minutes of it. I'll try it again... maybe a different one.
Friday - P90x Back/Legs
Did my workout at 5:15pm and killed it with the pullups. Definitely makes a difference when you do it later in the day vs. first thing in the morning without any fuel in your body. And I'm really enjoying getting up in the morning and reading for a while before getting my day started. I may try to do that more often.
In regards to my eating... Since coming home from Michigan I have really focused on eating lots and lots of highly micro-nutrient dense foods (vegetables, greens & fruit). I have added salads to my lunches and our dinners, in addition to my daily 32-48 oz of green smoothie. I snack on celery or sugar snap peas. I'm drinking my water throughout the day.
Thursday and yesterday especially (the days that I added a salad to my lunch) I've noticed that I'm not as hungry as I usually am in the later afternoon. I've also noticed that I'm very satisfied at the end of the day - I have a significant number of calories left and I don't have any cravings to fill or feel a need to eat more because I can. Yesterday I ended the day with over 500 calories left and I felt completely satisfied. I am not hungry right now (8:45am Sat morning). I think that I'm experiencing what Dr. Joel Fuhrman talks about - when your nutrient needs are satisfied, your cravings will disappear. When you are no longer eating the processed garbage, you no longer crave it. When your nutrient needs are satisfied, you are satisfied and do not have a need to over eat. There is no toxic hunger because you're not eating processed crap. I'm experiencing that.
Thats not to say that I won't be eating garbage on occasion - like I'm really looking forward to having pizza tonight - but I'm really happy with eating this way. I'm not missing out on anything and I enjoy the food. I am able to perform well in my workouts and I have loads of energy. I do not have the 4:00 exhaustion anymore. I'm thrilled with all of this!
Saturday - Run intervals on the treadmill
Ran the following intervals
5.0 - 2:00
5.5 - 1:00
6.0 - 1:00
6.7 - 2:00
6.0 - 1:00
5.5 - 1:00
5.0 - 2:00
Repeat 3x (3 miles)
Then the following
5.5 - 1/4mile
6.7 - 1/4 mile
Repeat 4 times (2miles)
Total 5 miles in 52:00
Slept in and ran in the morning instead. I had to fit my run in between ticket pulls, so I ran 25 minutes, then went & did tickets and then went back and ran another 13 minutes. I also decided to do some short 10 minute yoga clips from Netflix. The yoga was fine. One was supposed to be Yoga Burn, which was supposed to increase your heart rate (not sure it really did that) and the other was just Yoga for stretching & flexibility. It was a nice way to add a little bit of yoga into my day without having to do 30 or 90 minutes of it. I'll try it again... maybe a different one.
Friday - P90x Back/Legs
Did my workout at 5:15pm and killed it with the pullups. Definitely makes a difference when you do it later in the day vs. first thing in the morning without any fuel in your body. And I'm really enjoying getting up in the morning and reading for a while before getting my day started. I may try to do that more often.
In regards to my eating... Since coming home from Michigan I have really focused on eating lots and lots of highly micro-nutrient dense foods (vegetables, greens & fruit). I have added salads to my lunches and our dinners, in addition to my daily 32-48 oz of green smoothie. I snack on celery or sugar snap peas. I'm drinking my water throughout the day.
Thursday and yesterday especially (the days that I added a salad to my lunch) I've noticed that I'm not as hungry as I usually am in the later afternoon. I've also noticed that I'm very satisfied at the end of the day - I have a significant number of calories left and I don't have any cravings to fill or feel a need to eat more because I can. Yesterday I ended the day with over 500 calories left and I felt completely satisfied. I am not hungry right now (8:45am Sat morning). I think that I'm experiencing what Dr. Joel Fuhrman talks about - when your nutrient needs are satisfied, your cravings will disappear. When you are no longer eating the processed garbage, you no longer crave it. When your nutrient needs are satisfied, you are satisfied and do not have a need to over eat. There is no toxic hunger because you're not eating processed crap. I'm experiencing that.
Thats not to say that I won't be eating garbage on occasion - like I'm really looking forward to having pizza tonight - but I'm really happy with eating this way. I'm not missing out on anything and I enjoy the food. I am able to perform well in my workouts and I have loads of energy. I do not have the 4:00 exhaustion anymore. I'm thrilled with all of this!
Saturday - Run intervals on the treadmill
Ran the following intervals
5.0 - 2:00
5.5 - 1:00
6.0 - 1:00
6.7 - 2:00
6.0 - 1:00
5.5 - 1:00
5.0 - 2:00
Repeat 3x (3 miles)
Then the following
5.5 - 1/4mile
6.7 - 1/4 mile
Repeat 4 times (2miles)
Total 5 miles in 52:00
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Wednesday January 18, 2012
Workout: P90x Shoulders/Arms
64:00 Avg HR 94
Yesterday I did Plyometrix and hated every single second of it while I was doing it. Holy cow, it doesn't get better with time. Ugh.
Today, shoulders/arms. I don't feel like this is a terribly difficult workout. My heart rate, obviously, does not get very high throughout the time, which is fine - its a strength workout - but I don't know... not even sure how to explain it. Just don't feel super challenged on this one.
On a different note, my back muscles are so clenched up I'm having a pretty hard time functioning in life. Every move I make hurts. I have a knot that runs the entire length of my back - from my butt up to my shoulders. I'm rarely comfortable. I'm not sure what is going on and how to stop it or make it better.
64:00 Avg HR 94
Yesterday I did Plyometrix and hated every single second of it while I was doing it. Holy cow, it doesn't get better with time. Ugh.
Today, shoulders/arms. I don't feel like this is a terribly difficult workout. My heart rate, obviously, does not get very high throughout the time, which is fine - its a strength workout - but I don't know... not even sure how to explain it. Just don't feel super challenged on this one.
On a different note, my back muscles are so clenched up I'm having a pretty hard time functioning in life. Every move I make hurts. I have a knot that runs the entire length of my back - from my butt up to my shoulders. I'm rarely comfortable. I'm not sure what is going on and how to stop it or make it better.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Monday January 16, 2012
Workout: p90x Chest/Back
Avg HR 128
So begins our second round of p90x. We've lined it up so that our week in Mexico will line up with a recovery week, so I don't think we will have obstacles with staying on track and sticking with it. Starting weight: 128.4
The workout was good. I've regressed a bit since ending our first round - took a couple of weeks of in between and ate a lot of garbage during the last week of 2011. My weight is slightly higher than when we were finishing up, too.
We are also going to ramp up our green smoothies & raw food consumption. We've both really learned a lot from Dr. Joel Fuhrman and I have read 2 books about the benefits of green smoothies. I'm convinced this is the way we should be eating. It will be interesting to see if it is really doable - in terms of time and money. So far it has been fine. I have a freezer stocked with assorted greens and I keep the kitchen stocked with fruits and veggies. We are aware of making better choices when we eat out and try to eat as many plants as possible wherever we're eating. That means huge salads, possibly vegetarian dishes etc. Amazingly, Dave is even choosing to eat mushrooms now (something he has always despised). And I have seen my cravings for sugar & processed/fatty foods change depending on how I'm eating. When I eat tons of greens, fruits & vegetables I don't crave sugar and garbage food. When I eat sugar, i start craving the sugar and garbage again - this was remarkably true last week & this past weekend. Last week I upped my green smoothie consumption to 1 quart/day & focused on eating a lot of vegetables and I found myself craving vegetables. This weekend we went to Mike & Cara's for the weekend and had garbage and this morning I woke up craving treats with my coffee.
I also notice a significant change in how much my joints ache and how much my hands fall asleep (circulation) based on how well I'm eating. So I'm dialed in to doing this and actually, I love the food so its not a hard thing to do. Again, the hard part is the time & money, so we'll see how we can work around it somehow.
Avg HR 128
So begins our second round of p90x. We've lined it up so that our week in Mexico will line up with a recovery week, so I don't think we will have obstacles with staying on track and sticking with it. Starting weight: 128.4
The workout was good. I've regressed a bit since ending our first round - took a couple of weeks of in between and ate a lot of garbage during the last week of 2011. My weight is slightly higher than when we were finishing up, too.
We are also going to ramp up our green smoothies & raw food consumption. We've both really learned a lot from Dr. Joel Fuhrman and I have read 2 books about the benefits of green smoothies. I'm convinced this is the way we should be eating. It will be interesting to see if it is really doable - in terms of time and money. So far it has been fine. I have a freezer stocked with assorted greens and I keep the kitchen stocked with fruits and veggies. We are aware of making better choices when we eat out and try to eat as many plants as possible wherever we're eating. That means huge salads, possibly vegetarian dishes etc. Amazingly, Dave is even choosing to eat mushrooms now (something he has always despised). And I have seen my cravings for sugar & processed/fatty foods change depending on how I'm eating. When I eat tons of greens, fruits & vegetables I don't crave sugar and garbage food. When I eat sugar, i start craving the sugar and garbage again - this was remarkably true last week & this past weekend. Last week I upped my green smoothie consumption to 1 quart/day & focused on eating a lot of vegetables and I found myself craving vegetables. This weekend we went to Mike & Cara's for the weekend and had garbage and this morning I woke up craving treats with my coffee.
I also notice a significant change in how much my joints ache and how much my hands fall asleep (circulation) based on how well I'm eating. So I'm dialed in to doing this and actually, I love the food so its not a hard thing to do. Again, the hard part is the time & money, so we'll see how we can work around it somehow.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Thursday January 12, 2012
Workout: treadmill
Ran on the treadmill this morning and I could tell that my legs are toast. I think it probably would have been good to have a rest day today. I gave myself permission to jump off for a drink after every song... that helps and hurts my workout. In the boring basement with nothing to look at while I'm running it gives me motivation to run to the end of the next song and keep going, however, it also makes it so I never really settle in to the workout. I was fine with it - my legs were extraordinarily tired this morning.
I ended up running 2.5 miles in 24:00. I wanted to do a full 30:00, but I didn't have enough time due to excessive dawdling before getting down there. Average heart rate was 164.
Ran on the treadmill this morning and I could tell that my legs are toast. I think it probably would have been good to have a rest day today. I gave myself permission to jump off for a drink after every song... that helps and hurts my workout. In the boring basement with nothing to look at while I'm running it gives me motivation to run to the end of the next song and keep going, however, it also makes it so I never really settle in to the workout. I was fine with it - my legs were extraordinarily tired this morning.
I ended up running 2.5 miles in 24:00. I wanted to do a full 30:00, but I didn't have enough time due to excessive dawdling before getting down there. Average heart rate was 164.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Wednesday January 11, 2012
Workout: Biggest Loser Cardio Max
Did Cardio Max again this morning. Its a killer - not only are my thighs BURNing, but my heart rate is really elevated, too. I think some of it is like extended plyometrix... some of the same exercises, but for much, much longer than you do them on p90x. Pretty much Bob Harper is out to destroy my thighs.
Avg HR: 146
Did Cardio Max again this morning. Its a killer - not only are my thighs BURNing, but my heart rate is really elevated, too. I think some of it is like extended plyometrix... some of the same exercises, but for much, much longer than you do them on p90x. Pretty much Bob Harper is out to destroy my thighs.
Avg HR: 146
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Tuesday January 10, 2012
Running: 3.28 miles
Took advantage of the over 50 degree and sunny weather again this afternoon. I volunteer for Nora's class on Tuesdays at 12:55, so I ran to school - 1.5 miles in 15 minutes (avg hr 166)- volunteered for 30 minutes and then ran home - 1.75 miles in 17:45 (avg hr 170). The run there felt great, although much of it was on an incline and against the wind. The run home felt terrible after about a mile... the last part was a struggle to keep going: my lower back was clenching and I didn't have any energy. As I was running I realized that I had only consumed 100 calories up till that point, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. Felt good to run again, though. So delighted to have this unexpected weather in the winter months! Tomorrow is supposed to be the same, so maybe I'll go out for a short run again tomorrow afternoon (have to volunteer at Georgia's class so I won't have much time).
Yesterday I did Biggest Loser Boot Camp. Its an okay workout, but my heart rate was not very elevated. I like the Cardio Max workout better and will probably do that again this week at some point.
Next week - p90x second round!
Took advantage of the over 50 degree and sunny weather again this afternoon. I volunteer for Nora's class on Tuesdays at 12:55, so I ran to school - 1.5 miles in 15 minutes (avg hr 166)- volunteered for 30 minutes and then ran home - 1.75 miles in 17:45 (avg hr 170). The run there felt great, although much of it was on an incline and against the wind. The run home felt terrible after about a mile... the last part was a struggle to keep going: my lower back was clenching and I didn't have any energy. As I was running I realized that I had only consumed 100 calories up till that point, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. Felt good to run again, though. So delighted to have this unexpected weather in the winter months! Tomorrow is supposed to be the same, so maybe I'll go out for a short run again tomorrow afternoon (have to volunteer at Georgia's class so I won't have much time).
Yesterday I did Biggest Loser Boot Camp. Its an okay workout, but my heart rate was not very elevated. I like the Cardio Max workout better and will probably do that again this week at some point.
Next week - p90x second round!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Friday January 6, 2012`
Not going to bother trying to catch up from the last time. It was Christmas. I continued p90x throughout, but have felt like I'm fighting something for the last week or so. This was our last week of p90x and I've kind of missed all of the workouts - I did plyometrix on Tuesday, but slept the other mornings. If I have something its the worst... I don't feel sick, but my body is achy and run down and I can't find energy anywhere if you paid me. I'm falling asleep early and sleeping late. Maybe it is my body's way of telling me I'm stupid for giving in to sugary food over the holiday week. Whatever.
HOWEVER.
It is over 50 degrees and sunny today and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to run outside. In shorts. And a tank top. Ridiculous.
I cowboy'd up and made of goal of running my 5 mile route down the path on 151st. I was worried it was going to be too much, but instead I absolutely rocked it. I took a short break at the non-working drinking fountain and then a short walking break at the top of the last hill on 151st street. Other than that I ran the entire thing and I feel awesome. My legs are so sore from doing the Biggest Loser Cardio Max workout yesterday morning and my hips were killing me and my lower back was clenching up, but I mentally gutted through it and enjoyed it. I'm awesome. I'm so flipping proud of myself!
5.09 miles. 52:20 total time. Avg 10:16 pace. Average heartrate: 172. Peak heart rate: 191
I can't remember the last time I ran this route - It has to have been over a year ago. I'm not sure I've run more than 3 miles in over a year, so this is awesome! Yea me!
And shorts and a tank top on January 6th. Hello.
HOWEVER.
It is over 50 degrees and sunny today and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to run outside. In shorts. And a tank top. Ridiculous.
I cowboy'd up and made of goal of running my 5 mile route down the path on 151st. I was worried it was going to be too much, but instead I absolutely rocked it. I took a short break at the non-working drinking fountain and then a short walking break at the top of the last hill on 151st street. Other than that I ran the entire thing and I feel awesome. My legs are so sore from doing the Biggest Loser Cardio Max workout yesterday morning and my hips were killing me and my lower back was clenching up, but I mentally gutted through it and enjoyed it. I'm awesome. I'm so flipping proud of myself!
5.09 miles. 52:20 total time. Avg 10:16 pace. Average heartrate: 172. Peak heart rate: 191
I can't remember the last time I ran this route - It has to have been over a year ago. I'm not sure I've run more than 3 miles in over a year, so this is awesome! Yea me!
And shorts and a tank top on January 6th. Hello.
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