I'm setting a new "rule" for myself.
Originally, I wanted the rule to be that for the 30 days leading up to my wedding I would not eat out at all. Because foods eaten out somehow always pack 2 or 3 times the calories you are expecting (or even 4 or 5 times the calories!), it would be a good idea NOT to eat out leading up to the wedding. Plus, the rule would serve double-duty because it would also surely help out the pocket book!
But realistically, I don't think I can stick to it. We cook the majority of the time, but we do eat out about 1-2 times per week and I sooooooo look forward to those days. I need those days. So instead of cutting out dining out entirely, I have decided I will:
(1) Only go to restaurants who post their nutritional information online &
(2) Do not consume more than a "reasonable" number of calories (400 for food + 2oo for drink; drink only "allowed" if I've worked out that day).
I'd also like to decrease the number of days I eat out, but I haven't decided on a set number. Sometimes it helps to have concrete goals, but sometimes I worry that setting exact parameters can be hurtful, because if you "fail" there's always a mentality that you've just blown it & then the whole thing falls apart. I've talked before about how important it is to just jump back on the wagon instead of being discouraged and falling apart.
I've gotta run - more soon!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Sick : (
Well, since my last post I've had a rough time!
I've been sick!
I've been sick!
Luckily, I don't have the flu or anything really "yucky". In fact, I kept telling myself it was "just allergies" - but finally had to admit after some rather non-allergy type symptoms that I probably have a bad cold or something.
So, it's been hard to find the energy to do my normal workouts (much less find the time!), but I've been doing somewhat milder variations on my workouts rather than skipping them altogether. For example, instead of going to the gym - I've done a workout video from home, etc. Actually, I've done 2 workout videos this week (and I'm loving having cable again because FIT TV has 30 minute workout programs on TV - can you say DVR?!)
To try to get better fast I've also been taking my vitamins, and fueling up on protein and veggies with a green monster just about every morning this week!
Green Monster (my version):
-1 banana
- 1 scoop hemp protein powder (or berry egg white protein powder....I've been mixing it up)
- handful of pineapple chunks
-1/8 cup pineapple juice
-1/8 cup almond milk
-generous portion of washed spinach (like 2 cups maybe?)
Looks so gross.....tastes so yum! And I really feel like the antioxidants and vitamins from the spinach have been helping me in my sickness. Check out all the nutritional benefits on wikipedia!
Week's Training Plan (after modifications)
Monday: 6 sprint runs (usually I integrate these into a longer run a la fartleks, but not this morning)
Tuesday: workout video
Wednesday: workout video
Thursday: OFF (or evening 2 mile run, if it's nice out & I feel up to it)
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 4 mile jog
Sunday: 6 mile jog
So I'm going to keep fighting the good fight. Hopefully I'll be better by the weekend & be able to tackle this week's long run (6 miles) with no problem!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wowza!
So this week "life" has hit with full force!
My days are full with school, and my evenings are consumed with (1) wedding invitation assembly and (2) more school. I've not even been sleeping more than 6 hours a night (very unusual for me) just so I have time to fit it all in.
That being said, I think I've done pretty well - considering.
However, I have NOT been meeting my goals and that has to change.
Last week I switched some workouts around, but I got everything done.
This week I was able to run 3 miles on Monday, 5 miles on Tuesday, then although I'd planned to go to the gym on Wednesday and early-morning yoga today - neither of those events has occurred.
I'm going to try to get a workout video in this evening (although I'm supposed to attend another school-event so we'll see).
This is hard. I knew it would be. I just have to remember that I'M WORTH IT! Health and fitness are now a priority in my life and I need to treat them as such. Although I haven't been posting it, I'm still doing weekly weigh-ins. I was staying constant for several weeks, but this past Monday I was actually + 1.5 lbs. Not much. Nothing to "freak out" about. But, it's a warning signal that I need to watch myself. Watch what I eat. Exercise. And get my rear in gear!
My wedding goal (which, BTW, is only 50 days from now) is to loose at least another 6-8 lbs. I know it's a weird number, but that's the goal. So - I've got to take myself from the "maintenance" stage back into the "loosing" stage. Which is hard! It requires changes - dietary and otherwise.
I will definitely keep you updated about my progress.
One of the key goals: you can start fresh ANYTIME!!!! Don't say to yourself - "oh, I'll get back into it next week." Don't even say - "oh, I'll get back into it tomorrow." No. Start NOW! It's never too late! Plus, all of these delayed start-ups only cause people to fumble more because it gives you chance for the 'last meal', a classic over-eating feast. No bueno people!
I'm recommitting myself NOW. I'm going to eat uber healthy starting NOW! No more over-indulgence. And my workouts? Well, I'm already loosing sleep at night. What's another 30 minutes to throw in so I can at least get a quick sweat session in!?! It's worth it.
You're worth it, too!
My days are full with school, and my evenings are consumed with (1) wedding invitation assembly and (2) more school. I've not even been sleeping more than 6 hours a night (very unusual for me) just so I have time to fit it all in.
That being said, I think I've done pretty well - considering.
However, I have NOT been meeting my goals and that has to change.
Last week I switched some workouts around, but I got everything done.
This week I was able to run 3 miles on Monday, 5 miles on Tuesday, then although I'd planned to go to the gym on Wednesday and early-morning yoga today - neither of those events has occurred.
I'm going to try to get a workout video in this evening (although I'm supposed to attend another school-event so we'll see).
This is hard. I knew it would be. I just have to remember that I'M WORTH IT! Health and fitness are now a priority in my life and I need to treat them as such. Although I haven't been posting it, I'm still doing weekly weigh-ins. I was staying constant for several weeks, but this past Monday I was actually + 1.5 lbs. Not much. Nothing to "freak out" about. But, it's a warning signal that I need to watch myself. Watch what I eat. Exercise. And get my rear in gear!
My wedding goal (which, BTW, is only 50 days from now) is to loose at least another 6-8 lbs. I know it's a weird number, but that's the goal. So - I've got to take myself from the "maintenance" stage back into the "loosing" stage. Which is hard! It requires changes - dietary and otherwise.
I will definitely keep you updated about my progress.
One of the key goals: you can start fresh ANYTIME!!!! Don't say to yourself - "oh, I'll get back into it next week." Don't even say - "oh, I'll get back into it tomorrow." No. Start NOW! It's never too late! Plus, all of these delayed start-ups only cause people to fumble more because it gives you chance for the 'last meal', a classic over-eating feast. No bueno people!
I'm recommitting myself NOW. I'm going to eat uber healthy starting NOW! No more over-indulgence. And my workouts? Well, I'm already loosing sleep at night. What's another 30 minutes to throw in so I can at least get a quick sweat session in!?! It's worth it.
You're worth it, too!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Happy Labor Day!
This week is going to be particularly crazy. I mean, thank goodness for 3-day weekends, but the same amount of work still needs to be done.....just in a condensed period of time. Yikes!
Today I started off my morning with a 3 mile run. This afternoon we're going over to a friends' for a BBQ & I'm sure with all the inevitable snackage that will take place that I'll be happy I started my day off right!
Here's the rest of the week:
Tuesday - 2 miles fast + 4 sprint runs
Wednesday - workout video (got it from Netflix & it's just been sitting around for 2 weeks now!)
Thursday: OFF
Friday: OFF
Saturday: run 5 miles
Sunday: gym (cardio + weights)
I'm a little nervous about Sunday's gym day. I've been going to the gym with my lab-mate, Tommy who has immensely helped me with weights.....I mean, I don't even know how to utilize half of the crazy weight machine things the gym has. He goes on Tues/Thurs & this week is just not gonna work out for me to be able to go those days, so i'm going to have to go it alone.
I'm also hoping that Wednesday's workout video has some weight & resistance stuff. The DVD is the Biggest Loser: Last Chance Workout. I've tried their Bootcamp DVD before & absolutely LOVED it, so hopefully this one is just as good.
In other news, in exactly 2 months from today I'll be walking down the aisle! Time to really start watching what I eat & cutting back carbs in favor of more veggies!!! I'll be updating you all on my food progress, in addition to my workouts!
Today I started off my morning with a 3 mile run. This afternoon we're going over to a friends' for a BBQ & I'm sure with all the inevitable snackage that will take place that I'll be happy I started my day off right!
Here's the rest of the week:
Tuesday - 2 miles fast + 4 sprint runs
Wednesday - workout video (got it from Netflix & it's just been sitting around for 2 weeks now!)
Thursday: OFF
Friday: OFF
Saturday: run 5 miles
Sunday: gym (cardio + weights)
I'm a little nervous about Sunday's gym day. I've been going to the gym with my lab-mate, Tommy who has immensely helped me with weights.....I mean, I don't even know how to utilize half of the crazy weight machine things the gym has. He goes on Tues/Thurs & this week is just not gonna work out for me to be able to go those days, so i'm going to have to go it alone.
I'm also hoping that Wednesday's workout video has some weight & resistance stuff. The DVD is the Biggest Loser: Last Chance Workout. I've tried their Bootcamp DVD before & absolutely LOVED it, so hopefully this one is just as good.
In other news, in exactly 2 months from today I'll be walking down the aisle! Time to really start watching what I eat & cutting back carbs in favor of more veggies!!! I'll be updating you all on my food progress, in addition to my workouts!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
BMI versus % body fat
In my lab at school we just bought one of the fanciest most high-tech scales I've ever seen before!
You have to use it bare-foot because it sends electric pulses through your body to tell you with great accuracy not just your weight, but the percent of water you have in your body (can tell if you're dehydrated) as well as your percent body fat and your body mass index. Amazing, right?!
You put in some info (your height, age, gender), then take off your shoes, step on, and it does the rest!
After being shocked and slightly saddened by my stats (no specifics, but I'm just "normal", not "fit") - I got over it & decided to use it as motivation to become more "fit." Yes, I've made great progress in the past few months, but there's still plenty of work to be done.
So, I looked up these stats you may find interesting (this is for women only)
Body fat percentage:
10-12% = essential for survival
13 - 20% = athlete range
21 - 24% = fitness range
25 - 31% = acceptable/"normal"
32+% = obese
Body Mass Index:
<18.5 = underweight
18.5 - 24.9 = normal
25 - 29.9 = overweight
30+ = obese
To find out your BMI, check out this site.
And your percent body fat can be found here.
In terms of my own progress: I've been keeping up with the exercise, but I'm still cheating somewhat with my eating. Definitely kicked it up a notch compared to where I was when I first got home from vacation, but I'm still eating more carbs that I should, for sure!
It's 65 days until my wedding & I'm going to allow myself these next 5 days to continue eating as I have been (that is, eating healthy, but also allowing a moderate level of snackage - generally on carb-heavy foods).
Once the countdown hits 60 days, I'm going to put myself on a strict low carb regime until November.
In terms of my workout plan this week - so far, so good. I decided to put off the 6 mile run until Saturday when I have some more time. This week has just been so crazy I needed to come in early to the office & there wasn't going to be time to squeeze it in.
Well thats it for now. Have a good one!
You have to use it bare-foot because it sends electric pulses through your body to tell you with great accuracy not just your weight, but the percent of water you have in your body (can tell if you're dehydrated) as well as your percent body fat and your body mass index. Amazing, right?!
You put in some info (your height, age, gender), then take off your shoes, step on, and it does the rest!
After being shocked and slightly saddened by my stats (no specifics, but I'm just "normal", not "fit") - I got over it & decided to use it as motivation to become more "fit." Yes, I've made great progress in the past few months, but there's still plenty of work to be done.
So, I looked up these stats you may find interesting (this is for women only)
Body fat percentage:
10-12% = essential for survival
13 - 20% = athlete range
21 - 24% = fitness range
25 - 31% = acceptable/"normal"
32+% = obese
Body Mass Index:
<18.5 = underweight
18.5 - 24.9 = normal
25 - 29.9 = overweight
30+ = obese
To find out your BMI, check out this site.
And your percent body fat can be found here.
In terms of my own progress: I've been keeping up with the exercise, but I'm still cheating somewhat with my eating. Definitely kicked it up a notch compared to where I was when I first got home from vacation, but I'm still eating more carbs that I should, for sure!
It's 65 days until my wedding & I'm going to allow myself these next 5 days to continue eating as I have been (that is, eating healthy, but also allowing a moderate level of snackage - generally on carb-heavy foods).
Once the countdown hits 60 days, I'm going to put myself on a strict low carb regime until November.
In terms of my workout plan this week - so far, so good. I decided to put off the 6 mile run until Saturday when I have some more time. This week has just been so crazy I needed to come in early to the office & there wasn't going to be time to squeeze it in.
Well thats it for now. Have a good one!
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