OK, so I have totally slacked off this week on the exercise. I wasn't lying when I said the step night usually throws me off. I think I'm just going to hit the treadmill tonight. It's better than not doing anything at all.
In my defense, I spent Wednesday night rearranging my room. Judging from my sore arms, I think I got a little bit of a workout in.
I'm kind of excited about doing a workout I received via e-mail over the weekend. The one concern I have at this point is that the fiance and I may be leaving town. I'll have to squeeze in whatever exercise I can while I can.
The good news is that I haven't gained any wait in my laziness. The bad news is that my birthday is coming up next week and that inevitably means cake.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Getting past the monotomy
I was asked earlier today how I keep from getting bored during my workout. It's a good question, especially for me b/c I get distracted easily. First, I think it's good that I don't have a treadmill in my home b/c every second I'd be looking around the place imagining all the other things I could be doing.
When I first started working out, I stole the fiance's iPod b/c he wasn't using it anyway, and I downloaded a bunch of my favorite songs. There's nothing like getting your elliptical groove on to "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot. I have since graduated, however, to the treadmill and to audio books.
Audio books are especially nice on a treadmill where the machine is keeping me at a steady pace, so I don't have to worry about subconsciously slacking off. I also like to listen to them while I walk around North Central Park. I still prefer music when on the elliptical because music keeps me pumped up and gives me a beat.
If you're looking for a good audio book, I would suggest "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I seriously could not stop listening to it. It's about racial relations in the Mississippi during the early 1960s, and that may seem lame to you (it did to me at first), but there were so many positive reviews on iTunes that I caved and gave it a shot. It totally sucked me in. I would be dying on the treadmill, but dreading the end of my workout because I wanted to hear what happened next.
Another great motivator for me is right in my closet. Half of my clothes I haven't been able to wear for years. And these are really cute clothes that deserve to be worn. At least once a week I'll try on a few things that are the next size down and that renews my determination. There's a certain skirt that I've always loved and I've decided that when I can fit into it, I'm going to dancing.
And I'll be honest, getting the motivation to head to the treadmill is rarely the issue. It's that third night that I'm scheduled to do my step workout when I lose my motivation. There's no great music involved and no stories to get lost in and I have to twist and turn and dip and push up and lunge and it stinks.
Last night was a step night. I decided to watch the first "Sex and the City" movie with the fiance instead, so now tonight is my step night.
Let's hope I don't come up with another excuse.
When I first started working out, I stole the fiance's iPod b/c he wasn't using it anyway, and I downloaded a bunch of my favorite songs. There's nothing like getting your elliptical groove on to "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot. I have since graduated, however, to the treadmill and to audio books.
Audio books are especially nice on a treadmill where the machine is keeping me at a steady pace, so I don't have to worry about subconsciously slacking off. I also like to listen to them while I walk around North Central Park. I still prefer music when on the elliptical because music keeps me pumped up and gives me a beat.
If you're looking for a good audio book, I would suggest "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I seriously could not stop listening to it. It's about racial relations in the Mississippi during the early 1960s, and that may seem lame to you (it did to me at first), but there were so many positive reviews on iTunes that I caved and gave it a shot. It totally sucked me in. I would be dying on the treadmill, but dreading the end of my workout because I wanted to hear what happened next.
Another great motivator for me is right in my closet. Half of my clothes I haven't been able to wear for years. And these are really cute clothes that deserve to be worn. At least once a week I'll try on a few things that are the next size down and that renews my determination. There's a certain skirt that I've always loved and I've decided that when I can fit into it, I'm going to dancing.
And I'll be honest, getting the motivation to head to the treadmill is rarely the issue. It's that third night that I'm scheduled to do my step workout when I lose my motivation. There's no great music involved and no stories to get lost in and I have to twist and turn and dip and push up and lunge and it stinks.
Last night was a step night. I decided to watch the first "Sex and the City" movie with the fiance instead, so now tonight is my step night.
Let's hope I don't come up with another excuse.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Technology rocks, weigh-in day
Nevermind the fact that I've had my Android phone a month now, I just found an application that will track how far I walk/run using GPS ... so excited!
I've heard of the Nike plus and the sensor in the shoe that connects to the iPod or whatever, but that's always sounded like a pain to me. With my phone, which is always with me anyway, I can just press "start activity" and it starts counting. Love it. I just found the app while I was at the office and did a test run around the building. It's .1 miles around in case you're wondering.
So it's Monday, and that's my "official" weigh-in day. I came in at 231 pounds. I weigh myself every day, but Monday is the day that counts and I track it at livestrong.com. I lost three pounds this week, which is more than my two-pound weekly goal, but I'm still down for the month. I've only lost five pounds this month and the goal is eight (two pounds a week for four weeks). This week I plan to be really good in hopes of losing those three pounds and getting back on track ... maybe my new app will help. My fiance's mom is coming into town this weekend, so we'll probably go for a few walks, which helps.
I've heard of the Nike plus and the sensor in the shoe that connects to the iPod or whatever, but that's always sounded like a pain to me. With my phone, which is always with me anyway, I can just press "start activity" and it starts counting. Love it. I just found the app while I was at the office and did a test run around the building. It's .1 miles around in case you're wondering.
So it's Monday, and that's my "official" weigh-in day. I came in at 231 pounds. I weigh myself every day, but Monday is the day that counts and I track it at livestrong.com. I lost three pounds this week, which is more than my two-pound weekly goal, but I'm still down for the month. I've only lost five pounds this month and the goal is eight (two pounds a week for four weeks). This week I plan to be really good in hopes of losing those three pounds and getting back on track ... maybe my new app will help. My fiance's mom is coming into town this weekend, so we'll probably go for a few walks, which helps.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Success
I finally got my step workout on last night ... and I am determined to get back into my routine: one night of step followed by two nights on the treadmill. The step workout really isn't all that cardio-intensive. It concentrates more on the core. There are a lot of crunches, dips and lunges. It kills me.
The good news is that after one day of staying on track, I already lost that pesky pound. One more pound to go and I'll meet my goal for the week.
I'm actually excited to hit the treadmill tonight. I'm doing that whole couch-to-5K workout plan, but I've been on week 2 for like two months now, haha. Maybe next week I'll move on to week 3. I want to be ready to do the Jingle Bell 5K in December. I've got plenty of time.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Broken scale
The scale has to be broken. It's been stuck at 234 for more than a week now. Nevermind that I may not have been making the healthiest choices for the past two weeks (I had Whataburger last Sunday for the first time in months ... and it was good). Oh, and I haven't exercised in a week. Yikes, OK, maybe the scale's not broken.
And, yes, I just told you how much I weigh. I'm not proud of it. Actually, I am a little proud because at the end of 2009 I was 276 pounds. That's right, I have lost 42 pounds in less than six months. I still want that number to be much smaller. I've set my goal weight at 130. I don't know if that'll actually happen, but I know I at least want to hit 150 and be in the healthy range. I also would like to be off of these darn blood pressure meds. I'm 27 years old and I have hypertension. Whew, it feels kind of good getting all that off my chest.
It hasn't been exactly easy, but losing weight hasn't been all THAT hard, either. I mean, I'm not living on salads because, well, I'm not the biggest fan of salads. I actually eat real food. I've just found that if I incorporate more healthy foods into my diet and eliminate really fatty foods, I'll lose the weight. So when I make burgers at home, I eat them with cheesy rice and broccoli instead of fries. It's still not the healthiest meal, but it's certainly better than what I used to eat. I also eat ALL the time. I usually have a sandwich for lunch and I keep tons of snacks, like string cheese, apples, Special K and FiberPlus bars in my desk, so I rarely feel hungry.
My weekly goal is to lose 2 pounds, and most weeks I make it. Like I said, lately I've been off my game. Hopefully, I can get back on track. I plan to get back into my exercise routine tonight. A coworker and I snuck away for 30 minutes earlier today to walk around the mall, and now I'm getting motivated again.
Are you looking to lose weight or get more fit, too? Shoot me an e-mail, jdaffern@lmtonline.com, and tell me your story. I might share it on the website. And if you have any exercise tips, recipes that I can share, pass them on. We could all use the help!
And, yes, I just told you how much I weigh. I'm not proud of it. Actually, I am a little proud because at the end of 2009 I was 276 pounds. That's right, I have lost 42 pounds in less than six months. I still want that number to be much smaller. I've set my goal weight at 130. I don't know if that'll actually happen, but I know I at least want to hit 150 and be in the healthy range. I also would like to be off of these darn blood pressure meds. I'm 27 years old and I have hypertension. Whew, it feels kind of good getting all that off my chest.
It hasn't been exactly easy, but losing weight hasn't been all THAT hard, either. I mean, I'm not living on salads because, well, I'm not the biggest fan of salads. I actually eat real food. I've just found that if I incorporate more healthy foods into my diet and eliminate really fatty foods, I'll lose the weight. So when I make burgers at home, I eat them with cheesy rice and broccoli instead of fries. It's still not the healthiest meal, but it's certainly better than what I used to eat. I also eat ALL the time. I usually have a sandwich for lunch and I keep tons of snacks, like string cheese, apples, Special K and FiberPlus bars in my desk, so I rarely feel hungry.
My weekly goal is to lose 2 pounds, and most weeks I make it. Like I said, lately I've been off my game. Hopefully, I can get back on track. I plan to get back into my exercise routine tonight. A coworker and I snuck away for 30 minutes earlier today to walk around the mall, and now I'm getting motivated again.
Are you looking to lose weight or get more fit, too? Shoot me an e-mail, jdaffern@lmtonline.com, and tell me your story. I might share it on the website. And if you have any exercise tips, recipes that I can share, pass them on. We could all use the help!
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