Weekly Update

Oh hi there!  All of those numbers are shocking to me.  My diet was not on par over the weekend, though I did get quite a bit of exercise in, dance party of three (and sometimes one) not excluded.

I would also like to take this opportunity to say.... "BOO YOW!"  Only one more measly little pound and I'll be under 150 for the first time in over ten years.  Since my heaviest, this marks 33 pounds lost.  Feels awesome. 

One little nod to my trainer today for keeping me on track: I was jonesin' for sushi today and was on the hunt for a lunch buddy to go to Cherry Blossom with when Trainer Wade intercepted; he reminded me I should really be going for a run since the weather today is amazing and the lunch I brought is perfectly delicious and much lighter in calories than a sushi feast. Too true.  Those four miles did much more for me at lunch than a bunch of tekka maki would have.  Also provided during my workout were holistic living tips, such as the benefits of sunscreen.  Wade, you are so wise, and yes, I am so sunburned.  Thanks, T-W, for showing me the way. 

Ugh. Fine.

I don't wanna, but I'm going to take my butt to the gym right now and put an hour in on the treadmill.  Here I go!

Making It Happen

I accomplished six miles on the treadmill yesterday followed by an intense strength circuit training session.  Today I clocked another five miles on the pavement and rounded it out with a Jillian Michaels six-pack workout.  I still have some work to do to make the scale go down, but I'm willing to invest the sweat equity in myself to make it happen.

Running with Trainer Wade

image via

Since I'd done seven miles on the treadmill on Tuesday, I wanted to get two things out of my next workout: pavement time, and less mileage so as not to overdo it on my body.  Yesterday was a glorious day in Seattle, so Trainer Wade and I took the opportunity during the lunch hour to run our four-mile loop.  It was perfect conditions: crisp sunny weather, open trail, and good company.  I like running with Wade (even though he takes pride in being a pain in my ass as often as possible) because he's always up to push a little harder or go a little further, and I need that in my life these days.

Pushing the Limits

Last night I hit the gym for my scheduled 6-mile run.  At about 5.5 miles, I was thinking about yesterday's post and how I talked about pushing my limits, so I decided to practice what I preach and change my goal on the treadmill to 7 miles.  It was hard.  I haven't run more than 6.5 in a long time, and while a half mile doesn't seem like much, I still had to push myself for that much longer.  I had my ipod cranked up while I told myself, "I can do this.  I can do this."  And I did.  I felt triumphant when I completed that seventh mile, drenched in sweat, and I found myself wishing there was someone there at the gym I could high-five.  No one there knew I had just brought myself to a new level.  But I did, and I guess that's what matters.

Aloha and Happy New Year!

I seem to have a bad habit of falling off the radar for lengthy episodes.  Work got crazy, my class (wine sensory evaluation) took up a good chunk of free time, and mixed in there was my social life and the holidays.  In any case, my apologies.

The day after christmas I got on a plane with the in-laws bound for the Big Island of Hawaii.  It was a much needed, much appreciated break from the damp and gloom of Seattle winters.  Initially, I had planned to do what I like doing best on vacation: read by the pool, drink afternoon cocktails, and, with a few exploration adventures mixed in, relax with the family.  And I did.  

I brought my running shoes with the plan that I'd get in at least a couple runs a week while taking it easy.  When I got to Hawaii, however, something took over.  It started innocently enough.  I got up early that first morning because of the time change from Seattle to the islands and decided to hit the pavement for an easy run.  It felt great.  I wanted more.

I made a decision to start out each day with a run.  I snapped a picture during my workout, sending it to my running buddy who gets on my back if he thinks I'm slacking off (I love you, Wade!), and I realized this might be a good way of keeping me honest in my commitment to run every morning.  It worked.  Every day I sent home a different picture titled: view from my run. occasionally also forwarding it to family members, or various friends in Seattle, but when palm trees are involved it's hard not to seem like I was bragging - just sharing!  Promise!

In addition to getting up and sweating each day, I was also having a good time deciding what snapshot would be representative of my chosen route.  By the end of the vacation, not only did I have bragging rights for sticking to my fitness commitment, but I have a great photo-diary of the experience.

We stayed in a resort complex known as Mauna Lani.  Several individual hotel and condo compounds make up Mauna Lani.  This is the entrance from the highway.

Our particular development was called the Golf Villas, which were surrounded by a golf course, as were all the other resorts.  I'd gotten up late this day and it was already pretty sunny and hot when I got started.

(3 mi run on the first day)

I liked to get started early and be out the door before 6:30 am.  Before 6:30 it was really too dark, and as the sun was rising, the temperature was perfect.  Usually by the time I got back it was in the low 80s and I had broken a good sweat. 

(4 mi run on the second day)

Often, I left closer to 7:30am.  The temperature was still pretty good and the wind in the mornings kept it feeling relatively cool.  This is the road leaving the Golf Villas.  

(4 mi run on the third day)

All the roads and even highways were designed with giant shoulders to accommodate bikers, runners, and golf carts.  This is an extremely active resort area and I rarely had the road to myself unless I got up before daybreak.  I actually really loved greeting all the other runners and bikers I passed.

(4 mi run on the fourth day)

The resort was built right overtop of what looked at first glance like barren lava fields.  Nothing grows here.  There's no soil for seeds to root into, so the rock stretches on and on.  It grew on me and I found it very beautiful by the end of the trip.  From what I could tell, this was the home of lots of birds, geckos, and mongoose.  Probably a few bugs too, but I never checked.

(4.2 mi run the fifth day)

I love the contrast of the lava fields and the palm trees that were planted at the resort.

(4.5 mi run on the sixth day)

All along the highway, people had brought up white coral rocks and written their names or messages with them.  I'd been admiring the shark for several days --it was right across the highway from our resort gates-- but by the time I had decided to run up there with my camera, someone had ruined it by writing ESTEP inside the shark.  I was annoyed, but at least the outline was still there.

(5.5 mi run on the seventh day)

 This was a common view from my runs.  No matter where I went in Mauna Lani, I was next to a golf course.  At night we were allowed to walk on the golf course, but during the day we had to yield to golfers.

(2 mi run on the eighth day - my "off" day)

 

I decided I liked the run up to the shark - the distance was right and there was a long hill up to the halfway-point, so you really felt the burn in your legs and lungs.  When I got to the shark the second time, to my delight, someone else had been annoyed by the defacement of the shark and had the cojones to scatter the stones.  I snapped a second picture.

(5.5 mi run on the ninth day)

There's a petroglyph park next to a beautiful lavarock and coral beach within Mauna Lani that we'd gone to one afternoon. It was only a few miles from our condo.  I decided to run that direction for 25 minutes one morning to see if I made it.  Almost.  I got about a half a mile away, and stopped to stretch at a golf cart crossing sign.  This picture doesn't do it justice, but you can see the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing against the rocks from where I was standing.

(5 mi run on the tenth day)

The next morning I new I wanted to increase my mileage, so I ran the route again, hoping to make it all the way to the end within 30 minutes.  My stopwatch alarm went off 50 feet from the beach.  Fantastic!  All those white rocks are sunbleached pieces of coral that have washed up.

(6 mi run on the eleventh day) 

That same day we made a stop at Costco to pick up some macadamia nuts to take home to my parents and co-workers.  While we were there we found some awesome athletic clothes and I was so excited about them, I immediately went for a second run when we got home.  This picture does not do justice to the sunset I witnessed.  It was absolutely beautiful.

(3 mi run on the evening of the eleventh day - yep, that's a total of 9 mi that day)

This might be my favorite shot of the entire trip.  It was also taken on my 3 mi twilight run.

 I ran the route to the beach again the next day and got a closeup of the lava and coral that covered the beach.  I also did a few push-ups and planks while I was there.

(6 mi run on the twelfth day)

 My final Hawaiian run was on the day we left.  I had packed the night before and got up extra early so I could fit it in.  I left the house just after 6am and started my run in the pitch black, watching the sun slowly come up from behind the mountain as I ran down the road toward it.  It was glorious.

(5 mi run on the thirteenth day)

It was a great project and I plan to carry through with this momentum into my daily routine.  Hawaii was really good for me, and I made some goals about habits to break and habits to make.  More fresh fruit, fewer starches, smaller portions, drinking more water, and cutting back on wine will all be worked into my habits this year.  Diligence and commitment.  I have been doing a decent job taking care of my body, but I want to be diligent and committed about doing a good job - maybe even a great job.

A New Technique

Are you one of those girls who gets bored doing any one work-out too long?  Do you start to dread the work-out you once looked forward to after it stales?  You're in good company, gals.

I've  been traveling for over a week and am missing my work-out buddies who keep me entertained on my runs.  Luckily, the places I've been staying have had work-out facilities I can hit in the mornings, so I haven't had to try to hit the pavement in this east coast heat wave.  The challenge has been the boredom.  Even with my ipod, I don't have as much fun as when I'm with my running group.

Luckily, I've come up with a solution that I just may carry over into an early morning workout routine.  I run for 5-10 minutes, then go do a set of weights.  I usually start with my tricep/bicep switch-off, doing 4 sets of 10 reps each, then back to the treadmill for another 5-10 minutes.  Then it's back to the weights for 4 sets of 10 reps focusing on chest and back.  Back for another 5-10, and then focusing on shoulders and squats, and then round it out with another short run.

On opposite days, I've been doing 20 minutes on the treadmill, sandwiching a single abs work-out, which has been working out great.

The reason I like this is it keeps me sweating, keeps me focused, and keeps me from getting bored.  It's also easier on my poor knee, which I'm trying to save, but without compromising my cardio.  The funny thing is, the weights seem like a break from the running, but by the time I'm done with my weight sets, the running seems like a break.  It's a great system.

If you try this routine, post a note and let me know what you think.

A Belly Flop and Breakfast

I'm not going to tell you about how much I ate and drank over the weekend, but I will tell you I felt like a salt-cured pig by last night.  I weighed myself and pouted about it, not that I was surprised.  Usually I can tell if I'm retaining water because I feel it in my fingers, but I was feeling it all over my whole body, even my shins.  Before I went to bed I chugged a ton of water and over night, I kid you not, I sweat out two pounds of water.  Maybe more.  I have no idea what the weight of the water was that I had between when I stepped on the scale and when I went to bed.  The biology nerd in me is thinking, "Whoa!  That's awesome!"   But also, truthfully it's kinda gross.

Either way I look at it, I woke up this morning feeling a lot better.  Not 100%, but at least I didn't feel like Violet Beauregarde anymore.  Since I was awake at 5:30 and there was no chance I was going to fall back asleep, I decided to go for a run.  It felt fantastic to be running, so I increased my speed a little.  Michael Jackson came on my ipod and I went into the zone.  I was rockin' and rollin' around a tight corner when my toe caught on some rockery.  I desperately tried to catch my balance, but it was all in vain... I had too much forward motion, and I was going down no matter what.  As I watched the pavement rush toward me (in slow motion, of course), I had to decide how exactly I wanted to take the impact.  With the footing I had left, I hurled myself forward in an attempt to miss as much of the concrete as possible and land on the parking strip. 

Now as if that's not enough of a visual, picture this:  as I'm plummeting toward the ground I'm thinking, "I don't want to hurt my wrists," so I throw back my arms.  Then I realize I'm about to face plant and get all worried about my teeth, so I throw my head back, lock open my mouth so my teeth don't bite down, and stick out my midsection to bear the brunt of the impact (yes, this is all going through my mind in the half second it took to actually fall).  So I belly flop onto the grass, mouth open, looking skyward.  I think I let out a noise that sounded like "huah!" when I hit the ground.  I can't remember; my adrenaline was pumping pretty good.

Stunned, I sat up on my knees and surveyed the damage.  Grass stains all down my front, a hole in my coat, and part of the plastic zipper shredded.  Otherwise, I was golden.  The woman who was parking her car as I was diving toward the grass leaned her head out the window.  I have no idea what she said, but I'm assuming she was asking if I broke anything.  Just my pride, girlfriend.  I was still catching my breath, so I gave her a thumbs up and got to my feet.  I was only about a half mile into the run, so I thought I'd finish it.  When I got back to the apartment, I snapped a pic with my phone so you could see the damage.  It's grainy, so I've embellished it for you:

Awesome, right?  I really wish you could see all the levels of green in the grass stains.  They're all over the front of the jacket, but it looks like the camera on my phone only picked up the darkest parts.  I can't believe I wasn't hurt at all.  Looks like this girl knows how to fall.

Then I made myself a delicious breakfast of egg white tacos with black beans and zucchini.  No added salt.  For those of you who know me well, you also know that me not add a shake or three of salt is HUGE.  I thought the tacos would be bland and boring but they were actually delicious.

Also, as you can see today was day-one without Coffeemate.  I'm going off it.  It's not good for me and I don't need it.  I haven't decided if I'm going to allow a weekend cup or not.  Right now I'm going to play it by ear and definitely abstain on week days. Wish me luck.

still at it

 Wow.  I didn't realize it had been ten days since I last checked in.  I have no idea if anyone is even reading this and would notice.  Just in case, here I am confessing my fitness ups and downs to the cyberspace void.

Please enjoy the Strange Days album cover while I tell you a little bit about the past week and a half...

Since we last chatted, I went away for the weekend, ate really rich foods, drank a lot of delicious wine, beer, and cocktails, and probably gained a few.  I had a great time doing it.

Monday I felt bloated and sluggish, so I went for a run at lunch and then an hour long walk in the evening.  It was a great way to kick off my slowly escalating fitness obsession.  Tuesday I showed up to the step n sculpt class feeling tired, but I powered through.  I took the easy road on some of the drills, and by the end of the class my guilt had gotten to me, so I spend 20 minutes on the treadmill to compensate for not giving it my all when I had the opportunity.

Yesterday I had a breakthrough.  A running breakthrough.  I dragged myself to the gym at 5:15 to power it out on the treadmill.  I decided I wouldn't set a goal - I'd just go until I needed to stop.  I plugged in my ipod, pushed the quick start button, and let my endurance guide me.  I felt so good I did four and a half miles before I started to feel done.  I decided to round up to the nearest mile, and push through five whole miles.  It was phenomenal.  I feel like I've really overcome my knee issues.

Today I went to my morning step class, which focused a lot on strength training and general toning.  I know my butt is going to hurt tomorrow, and it's going to be great.  At lunch I decided to use my free time to return to the gym and pound out three more miles on the treadmill.  I've burned a thousand calories today.  That's right.  Starting to feel like the old me again.

Here's the kicker:  I gained weight and I'm not losing anything.  It's really frustrating.  I'll check back in after this weekend and hopefully I'll have a good number to throw at you.

Yesterday:

Total Calories: 2009

Net Calories: 1223 (246 under)

H2O Intake: 64 oz

Total Exercise: 60 min

Cardio: 60 min

Group Training

source

This morning was my second time at the early morning step n sculpt class.  I love a good morning work out with other ladies who are going through the same hell and making it fun.  It reminded me of the summer in college when Katie and I dressed up in short shorts, knee socks, sweat bands, and shirts we made that said "Jane's Team."  Fonda, of course.

I'm feeling really good about this.

Yesterday:

Total Calories: 2048

Net Calories: 1524 (57 over)

H2O Intake: 32 oz

Total Exercise: 90 min

Cardio: 60 min

Monday Update

I ate a lot and drank a lot this weekend.  I also played outside a lot.  I think it all evened out.  This morning I got up and ran 3.5 miles before work.  Tomorrow I'll be back at the gym for an early morning step 'n' sculpt class.  10-year reunion, here I come!

Oh. My. GOODNESS!

I went to the step and sculpt class this morning.  Deep burn, team.  Deep burn.  The weighted squats turned my legs to jelly.  It was awesome.

The instructor was tough, but very positive and encouraging.  The best part?  Five years ago she was 230 pounds.  She's not just another peppy aerobics instructor who's been under 125 lbs her whole life and doesn't understand what weight struggle is.  She was a big gal, made the change, and works to help others make the change too.

I love that kind of a story.  It motivates me to push beyond.

Back on Track!

The weather is getting milder here in the great city of Seattle.  I'm so happy I've been working diligently to nurse my knee back to capacity.  Currently, I can run 4 miles with minimal stopping.  I don't run back to back days, of course, but it's getting closer.  As soon as I can run 4 miles without stopping to rest my knee consistently for a couple weeks, I'm going to start working in some back to back running days.

This morning I got up at 6 and ran my neighborhood loop.  It was a beautiful morning.  I snapped a pic with my phone at one of my favorite view spots so you could see what I saw.  Gorgeous, huh?

I really miss running on the weekends with my running group.  Hopefully this summer I can get back to it.

Progress

This morning I ran two miles without having to stop and give my knee a break.  I'm really excited to be able to get back to running 4-6 miles at a time no problem.  It'll be a while longer, but I think the stretching and conditioning will get me back in action by the summer.  I miss my running group and the motivation and companionship it gives me.  I loved those rainy mornings at Marymoor Park where we'd run and give each other a hard time to egg each other on, and then head to Starbucks after the run for an americano.  I'll be back soon, team!

checking in today

Lately I've been great with my eating - I still indulge a little, but I've really kept it in check.  I've made changes like pouring myself a glass of water when I wanted a second cup of coffee (with cream and sugar, of course), and I've limited my portions to half of what I was eating before, which was a lot.  I like to eat, I like going out to restaurants, and when something is delicious, it's easy to just keep going rather than setting it aside and boxing it up to go.  Not anymore - I've become so much more portion-conscious.

I've also taken to eating a morning snack at about 11.  I've found that it helps two-fold: If I go to the gym at lunch I feel stronger during my workout if I'm not starving, and if I have lunch with a friend, I'm much better about stopping when I've eaten a reasonable helping because I'm not starting from a rumbling tummy.  Today I ate a dressingless version of Ina Garten's grapefruit and avocado salad.  It's not low cal, but it tasted fresh and I don't feel guilty about it.  I figure as long as I get some cardio in, I'm good to go.  It's a glorious day today and a run to the Fremont Bridge and back might be just the ticket.

I'm finding that while I'm doing great with the diet portion of my life, I need to step it up with the work-outs.  I'm not getting 30 minutes every day like I want to.  Maybe it's every other day, or every two days.  Some of this is my busy schedule, some of it is my own lack of motivation on a given day.  Yesterday I did 40 minutes of strength training but zero cardio.  My goal is to make the cardio constant and the weights an additional bonus.  The trick is getting into a groove and making the time.

Friday is my monthly weigh-in.  Hopefully I'll have some good numbers to report to you.

a little help from Shape

For Christmas my mom gave me a subscription to Shape Magazine because I picked it up during our last weekend away as a family and found it very inspiring.  Today I decided to browse the website a little and found they have something called a virtual trainer.  You enter in your stats and answer some questions on what workouts you like, what you're willing to do, and they give you some suggestions of workouts to try.  I signed up this afternoon.  This is what the web interface looks like:

I haven't added to it yet, so my log looks preeeetty empty.  I want to get more into pilates, but I want to do them at home to get the hang of it first and then take my pilate moves on the town... or at least to a class.  Shape has really good reference pictures to illustrate how to do the moves, so I'm optimistic.

Another interesting tool I found on Shape.com was a more thorough way to estimate the % body fat.  The livestrong tool just asks for three measurements:  your waist, your neck, and your hips.  Shape doesn't factor in your hips, but in addition to the waist and neck, you also measure your forearm, bicep, and thigh.   I feel like this is a more accurate way to determine body shape and fat percentage.  livestrong has me at 33.8% with their measuring method, while Shape has me at 27.6%.  I'm more inclined to believe Shape's assessment, just because it's a little more thorough.  Here's the target areas:

Apparently I'm ok, but I'd like to get down into the 24-ish range.  So back to pilates.  Anyone have any favorite moves?  I'm open to tips!