Breakfast but no bed

Morning workouts are AWESOME!

But hell, will I ever be able to do it on a regular basis?

This morning I dragged myself out of bed at 6am for my trainer appointment at the gym. (Alright, 6:20. Snooze button). I'd gotten to sleep after 11:30 so I was still pretty grouchy when I got there--it was just about light out and COLD.

I had scheduled a group training session which is available to gym members for free. Up to four people. I thought there was someone else signed up, but apparently I was the only one, so I got my own time with Jeremy, the adorably buff trainer. We sat and talked about my goals (weight loss, toning lower body, training for 5K), and then he prescribed me a workout plan for my 3x/week I promised I would go (realistically doable--in addition to swing class & I could always add on extra gym time). Rotating through different body parts each day on the weight machines and then 20 minutes of cardio (bike, treadmill or elliptical), upping the amount of weight when it gets easy, he said to do this for about two weeks and then come back to him to update the routine. Hell, that seems like nothing.

All are 3 sets of 15 at various weights.
Day 1: Chest press, triceps press, abs-crunch machine, abs-leg crunches.
Day 2: Back-row machine, biceps curl, abs (same as day 1)
Day 3: Leg press, Inner thigh adductor, Outer thigh abductor, shoulder press, abs (same as day 1)

The routine does seem a bit generic, and really doesn't focus all that much on the lower body, other than abs, all that much, but I do need to work my whole body anyway. Also I'm not a huge fan of weight machines, but unless I'm going into the larger weights, that's what they have for strength training. He also mentioned that when I do cardio, to keep the workout time the same, and increase the intensity over time. Today I did elliptical (which I haven't done in ages) rather than the treadmill because my knees felt a little stiff and I figured the elliptical would be a lower impact. Plus I figured I could change it up now & again.

So I did today's workout which took me about 40 minutes if that. I felt so great afterwards!! I know it's like facing Armageddon to actually get out of bed in the morning, but the rewards are so worth it!! I had so much energy which I STILL have at 3:30 in the afternoon! The gym also apparently offers free breakfast (coffee & bagels) on Tuesday mornings. I grabbed a cup of coffee on my way out and went home to get ready for work.

Then at home I was über productive - breakfast, put away some clothes, checked & wrote out some emails, logged my activity & food for the latter part of yesterday & today...even took my measurements & a photo for comparison's sake! By the time I showered and dressed and got to work (all at my normal time), I felt like I'd had a full day already.

And I've been productive at work too--particularly at multitasking. I just feel so much more awake than normal. I think I really do need to do this more often.

I am going to try to go tomorrow morning as well, since I'm going out tomorrow night, but at the very least, I'd like to make it a regular Tuesday morning thing to get to the gym--even if my only motivation is free coffee.

Oh, and as for my weigh in--I lost almost all of what I had gained over the holidays--3.8 lbs. I'm obviously very happy about that, but I'll celebrate when I start consistently losing again. No more yo-yoing.

Here's to another great week!!

Until next time

A Fun Challenge for All!

I'm declaring this week: Try Something New Week!!!

Often in our efforts to lose weight, we get stuck in a routine. Not that a routine is a bad thing, but sometimes the monotony of the same food patterns or the same exercise gets us into a rut, a plateau or just boredom.

So going with my week 3 of my plan which I laid out for myself, I'm challenging everyone to try something new this week with me.

A new food, a new exercise class, a new style of cooking, a different route on your run; whatever it is, pick something to shake up your routine! Check out this Weight Watchers.com article for some inspiration: Find the Fun in Weight Loss. (Oddly enough this seems to be the weekly topic for WW as well.)

My goal is to try something new every day, but with my crazy schedule it's going to be difficult. However, I already have two things lined up...I've been staring at a box of Quinoa in my cabinet that I've been wanting to make, and I'm stepping up to the plate. Even more fun, tonight I'm trying a new activity: Swing Dancing!! I've had an obsession with swing dancing since I was in Jr. High and watched the movie Swing Kids. I know the basics, but I really want to have a fun time with it and have it become a more natural rhythm. I always end up leading when I dance, so I want to learn how to follow. And how to do all those fun flips and turns etc. Plus it's on my "Feats of Strength" list so I have to do it :)

So I challenge you to try something new this week & hopefully it will inspire you to spice up your weight loss efforts or just your everyday life. And most importantly it's something for you to have fun with! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Oh, and I kicked off my week with something entirely new already...
Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time

Back in...

...the Saddle
(That could totally be me...if...I rode...horses)

Good Afternoon to all you lovely friends of the blogosphere! I hope you're enjoying your day. I certainly am. I spent my morning at Bloomingdales...for work. Could it get any better?

Okay--back to the topic at hand. I am back in the clichéd saddle. I finally went running last night and it felt great. After 45 days of not doing any exerted exercise other than walking, I finally just got up and did it. And granted I probably should have started off a little slower than I did (I ran most of the 2.5 miles), I pushed through some of my usual struggles including breathing issues, side cramps and leg fatigue and I did it. And I'm going to do it again tonight. Even with the heat during the day, it cooled down nicely by 9pm and it was perfect for running. Plus my apartment was a sauna so it was actually nicer to be outside.

My energy level was high yesterday--and I was ready to take full advantage of it. If that wasn't enough, my meeting last night was another driving factor--both positive and negative.

Negative first.
I had another gain. It was only .4 lbs, but being that this was the 3rd week in a row I've gained (which has not happened to me ever since I started WW), it was a slap in the face. I need to start making changes. I can't skirt by as I'd been doing for a while with the bare minimum expecting to see results. I won't go into details about the negatives of last week because I don't want to dwell on them*. Moving forward...

The positives:
The meeting topic was about getting off track. My leader specifically talked about Plateaus, but it was entirely appropriate to what I've been going through the past few weeks--addressing why you aren't losing weight. Lack of focus, getting sloppy, monotony etc. I don't know if it necessarily enlightened me on anything, but it did reinforce the fact that I need to take control of this before it gets out of hand.

Even more helpful was after the meeting, my leader came up to ask how I was doing & we started talking about helping me get back on track. Just talking about it seemed to get me back in the momentum. AND one of my fellow meeting members came up and asked me about how I lost my weight. I have to admit I probably was a bit of a Debbie Downer because I was still a bit cranky about gaining, but I tried to give her some of my tips (basically everything that I wasn't doing for the past month). Next week I plan on being a little more helpful to her. So all of this, plus the fact that I felt like I was finally getting my head together to get back on track really helped to motivate me and give me back that positive spirit I'd been missing.

Looking back...
Even though last week didn't go as well as I'd hoped, there were some positive improvements:

• I tracked...most** of my food--on WW.com and in my work planner
• I brought my lunch every day. Home made is always better.
• I walked at lunch during the nicer days. Hey it was a start right?
• I hydrated! Boy did I ever. Bathroom trips were frequent.
• I limited TV, at least at the beginning of the week. I didn't necessarily take that time to do something productive, but even going to bed was better than sitting there mindlessly.
• I did not drink unnecessary alcohol--only on the weekend at two parties--and that was also limited.
• I started practicing a new habit (mentioned at Losing My Thighs) of putting my food down between bites to be able to savor the taste and slow down eating. When I am conscious of it and practice it, it actually works! It makes food last longer too. Point in case-my chocolate chip cookie is only 1/2 eaten 10 minutes after I started it! Chances are I won't be wanting a 2nd one.
  
• Even though I had a rough week last week, my obsessive blog-browsing got me psyched again for moving in the right direction.

*Note to self-don't fall for two-for-one deals on snacks. Like Goldfish. They're evil.
** Most of my food...weekends still tend to get lost in the shuffle. Don't know if I'll ever get past that.

So here's to a fresh week of conscious efforts to get back in the saddle and keep on riding!
Until next time

Boot Camp Day Eleven

I am so proud of myself for yesterday's run. I did so well. I really pushed myself and then I had boundless energy the rest of the night.

This morning on the other hand...

Anyway, I was out jogging/walking for about 40 minutes, but we went further in our intervals than we usually do and I felt so much stronger. The last push was a killer, but we made it.

I used my nifty new WW pedometer for the first time. Tracks steps, mileage, and even APs for the day or for a specific workout. I got 2 for the run.

Then it was off to my little cousin's house for his b'day party. I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for my favorite Turkey Sausage Egg White Flatbread & an iced coffee. Well that iced coffee kicked in almost immediately because when I got to my cousin's house, I was dancing around and was even coerced into running some more with the kids (after ice cream cake of course). Insane. It was great though.

After all that I went home and had some more of those cherries which actually seem to be getting sweeter.

Today my meals were o-kay...breakfast was cereal again but then I didn't have a prepared lunch and decided to get chili in the cafeteria and some vegetables which was all fine, but my points just disappeared. After a snack of a super sweet kiwi, I have just 2.5 points left for the rest of the evening. That is not good news. Plus I dont' think I'll have time to go for a run before choir tonight.

I'll make the most of it, but I definitely want to keep up this good momentum.

Rain rain go away....

Until next time

C'mon up for the rising

Rising out of a slump that is. I'm trying so hard to keep myself motivated. I'm doing all the right things--I'm trying to make good food choices & stick to my points, I'm even getting in exercise (another level 3 run yesterday).

But I still don't feel like myself. I feel lethargic, constantly tired, and just unwilling. I'm not really sure why. My stomach hasn't been feeling well, I feel like I have a constant dull headache, and I think I have the beginnings of a cold (though I'm trying my damnedest not to let that happen). I still feel very bloated even though my period has come & gone, and I just want to spend all day curled up in bed not dealing with anybody.

And it's the full moon tomorrow.

Until next time

Weigh in blues

Last night's weigh in and meeting were a little tough for me for some reason.

I lost .6 lbs. Of course I'm happy that I lost, but after last week's gain, I was assuming it would be more of a loss since it was my normal time of the month to gain. And I knew I would have gained a bit from my hell week, but again, I thought this week would have been a bigger loss. That means I had gained 2 lbs from when I saw the glimmer of the 180s two weeks ago.

When I saw that I was definitely bummed. I guess it is a wake up call for how easily I can slip back into old habits.

But this is why I like the meetings. The topic was "Take Control"--of your internal and external environments...ways to manage your feelings, ways to manage your environment. I brought up the fact that I was struggling with my eating right now and it turned into an "about me" session. Hey--I could use one every now & again. I didn't mean it to be, but I think I needed to put this on the table for my own benefit. I've tried to be so strong through this and recently I've been feeling really vulnerable, really out of control with how I manage my food. So to talk about it made me think about it and is now making me asses what needs to be done.

Granted yesterday I went home and snacked on pretzels & peanut butter after having a filling dinner and even dessert, putting me about 12 points over my dailies and it's only Monday...

But I really want to nail down this issue now to be able to move forward and achieve all the goals I was talking about yesterday.

Until next time

Hello energy--where'd you go?

I can't believe how lethargic I feel this week. I have been getting in some exercise (walking & even some workouts), and I've been eating pretty well, drinking plenty of water & taking my vitamins, but I am just so drained!! And I really can't figure out why.

It could be PMS, but it seems a little early. Ugh--I just need this to pass so I can get back to NORMAL!!

How do teachers do it?

I'm pooped.

I taught a class today for my job & I'm exhausted. I really don't know how teachers do it. It really did feel like exercise. I kind of want to count it. I probably should.

Knowing I was going to need the extra energy, I made sure I grabbed a 6 point Dunkin' Donuts Egg White Flatbread (seriously my breakfast savior...and occasionally lunch...and dinner. Perfect. Held me over & it was so yummy. For lunch I grabbed a slice of pizza with veggies which was about 6 points. So I was doing really well. Plus I was drinking a ton of water.

And then I got back to the office, downed a leftover eggroll (5pts, but no pork), and a kit kat bar (4 points). So within a half hour, I wasted a whole NINE points that I could have saved for a nice dinner. Now I only have four left.

That was a tragic discovery. I knew how many points both of those were, but it wasn't until the reality of logging it that it hit me how little satisfaction I got for those 9 points.

So that's my moment of Zen. Keep away from fried food, keep chocolate to a minimum.

Until next time

Ha ha...just kidding

Apparently that stuck-ness was partially due to the fact that today I got my period. It's amazing what kind of unforseen control my biological processes have over my life.

Today I actually feel great (despite some cramps), I feel slimmer, and have to say I look fantastic for my date tonight. I'll have to fit in a walk this afternoon too since I didn't take one yesterday. I was however up until about 1:30am on a mission to create a passport for tomorrow's International Day o' fun in the city...I got a little carried away, but it's adorable.

And this morning I woke up at 7:30 wide awake & ready to start the day. I made a fantastic breakfast of an egg white omelet, with a piece of (fat free) cheese & an english muffin (lite, multi-grain), and a cup of coffee and enjoyed the morning. I still got in my usual late time, but I have been on the ball the whole time.

I hope the rest of my weekend is this good!

Until next time!