I ran outside tonight. My homework was 1.5miles and I got 1.41 in. Although I didn't run a full mile right off, I am pretty proud of myself. I believe I ran 1.2-1.3 of the total amount. I ran about 1/2 mile to start, took a 30 sec walk break, ran again, took another 30 sec walk break and then ran the last 1/2 mile followed by a walking lap to bring my heart rate down again.
It felt so good to be outdoors running again. God, have I missed that! My body, however, wasn't too pleased with me after. I was coughing horribly and my staff outside of my apt at the desk thought I was choking because I was so loud.
However, I think with a few weeks practice, I'll be back to where I was in no time. I'm planning a track run tomorrow (it's supposed to rain), taking Tues off and just doing machines/weights and then class on Wed. so possibly the following weekend running again outside to start off slowly.
Then, I'll be back to my old habits in no time! :)
I've been thinking I'd like to see your eyes open real wide the minute that you see me
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sorry for missing a few days...
Sorry I missed a few days of posting - I switched up my workouts a little this week and then my nights got a little busy so I just didnt' have time.
As I mentioned earlier, I think I'm going to start going on Thursday to work out rather than on Wed afternoons. Friday I went to Zumba. I love Zumba - I can't stress this enough. It's the best workout ever and the time just goes so fast. Right now our instructor is focusing on Mambo moves so Fridays class was super hard - we were learning an all new routine. But, I enjoy days like these because they make us work even harder so it's fun. :) But I have to admit - I do miss some of the old moves we did. ha ha
I was going to go for a run on Friday night but I ended up taking to some of my staff and our conversation didn't end until 1am so that was a bust. When I woke up on Sat. I felt tired (due to staying up so late) so I decided against going to the gym first thing in the morning. That's very odd for me - I am always up and ready on Saturdays so... lesson learned. I did have a very productive day on Saturday though - went grocery shopping and really looked at what I was buying. I checked the sugar and realized a lot of what I had been eating had low calories but was very high in sugar and that's not what I want.
One change I made - I am going to try to start eating Almond Butter rather than Peanut butter. It's less calories and a LOT less sugar. We'll see how long this lasts but I've been reading a lot of blogs who say it's a much healthier option so hopefully I'll stick with it.
I also bought a wii fit plus game and board yesterday. I'm really excited about this purchase. MAS had told me a little bit about it and I know from her blog (hee hee) that she and her husband love it. My mother has constantly told me how much she loved it and how I need to get one. I had $40 in gift cards so I figured since it's the first time they'd re-stocked, I'd just get it.
It's fun - kinda weird but we'll see. I started last night and my weight was 155.4 and I had a wii age of 45 and when I did it this morning (after I ate breakfast) I was 154.5 and had a wii age of 26. I also was very happy to learn that my balance has gotten much, much better. It says I am very close to good posture. When I did it 2 years ago my balance was horribly off and my wii fit age was in the 60's.
Today was another Zumba class. We worked on our new steps and I'm getting better. I love leaving that class after my workout because I just feel so much more alive and refreshed. I'm still going to try to go for a run tonight - after my staff meeting. I used my livestrong.com loops page to see different running tracks on my campus and I found a good one that's just over 1.5 miles which is what I need to hit tonight. Wish me luck!
As I mentioned earlier, I think I'm going to start going on Thursday to work out rather than on Wed afternoons. Friday I went to Zumba. I love Zumba - I can't stress this enough. It's the best workout ever and the time just goes so fast. Right now our instructor is focusing on Mambo moves so Fridays class was super hard - we were learning an all new routine. But, I enjoy days like these because they make us work even harder so it's fun. :) But I have to admit - I do miss some of the old moves we did. ha ha
I was going to go for a run on Friday night but I ended up taking to some of my staff and our conversation didn't end until 1am so that was a bust. When I woke up on Sat. I felt tired (due to staying up so late) so I decided against going to the gym first thing in the morning. That's very odd for me - I am always up and ready on Saturdays so... lesson learned. I did have a very productive day on Saturday though - went grocery shopping and really looked at what I was buying. I checked the sugar and realized a lot of what I had been eating had low calories but was very high in sugar and that's not what I want.
One change I made - I am going to try to start eating Almond Butter rather than Peanut butter. It's less calories and a LOT less sugar. We'll see how long this lasts but I've been reading a lot of blogs who say it's a much healthier option so hopefully I'll stick with it.
I also bought a wii fit plus game and board yesterday. I'm really excited about this purchase. MAS had told me a little bit about it and I know from her blog (hee hee) that she and her husband love it. My mother has constantly told me how much she loved it and how I need to get one. I had $40 in gift cards so I figured since it's the first time they'd re-stocked, I'd just get it.
It's fun - kinda weird but we'll see. I started last night and my weight was 155.4 and I had a wii age of 45 and when I did it this morning (after I ate breakfast) I was 154.5 and had a wii age of 26. I also was very happy to learn that my balance has gotten much, much better. It says I am very close to good posture. When I did it 2 years ago my balance was horribly off and my wii fit age was in the 60's.
Today was another Zumba class. We worked on our new steps and I'm getting better. I love leaving that class after my workout because I just feel so much more alive and refreshed. I'm still going to try to go for a run tonight - after my staff meeting. I used my livestrong.com loops page to see different running tracks on my campus and I found a good one that's just over 1.5 miles which is what I need to hit tonight. Wish me luck!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Today was a good workout. I'm so proud of myself - I ran a full mile. I haven't ever managed that. In class we do run 2-3 miles but we're still at that point where he makes us walk for 30sec between every 1/2 mile. Tonight, I ran a full mile, no stops. Then I walked 1 lap and ran another 2 laps to make my time (on top of my starter 2 laps). And I ran an 11min mile so I'm really proud of myself right now. :)
After I finished my mile and a half total, I went into the small room and did about 10 minutes of abs and weights. I wanted to do stretches but there are 2 mats (one can fit 2 people) and one girl had her stuff on a mat even though she was doing weights and I didn't want to be rude and take the mat so I just went downstairs and did some leg machines.
I did the legs downstairs for about another 15 minutes and decided to stop for the night because I have Zumba tomorrow and I want to make sure I don't overextend myself. My SRA and I did 1/2 of our favorite Zumba song today for some of the other staff members. They got a kick out of it. At some point I'll have to ask someone to video it so I can post it.
Tomorrow is another favorite day... Zumba day! :) Can't wait!!
Today I wasn't so good with the food but I'm ok with that. I enjoyed every cookie I ate (3) and I deserved it because I won the contest. I shared the other 5 cookies I "won" so it's all good. Just trying out a bunch of new foods today and seeing what makes me full and what doesn't so I know for future reference. :)
After I finished my mile and a half total, I went into the small room and did about 10 minutes of abs and weights. I wanted to do stretches but there are 2 mats (one can fit 2 people) and one girl had her stuff on a mat even though she was doing weights and I didn't want to be rude and take the mat so I just went downstairs and did some leg machines.
I did the legs downstairs for about another 15 minutes and decided to stop for the night because I have Zumba tomorrow and I want to make sure I don't overextend myself. My SRA and I did 1/2 of our favorite Zumba song today for some of the other staff members. They got a kick out of it. At some point I'll have to ask someone to video it so I can post it.
Tomorrow is another favorite day... Zumba day! :) Can't wait!!
Today I wasn't so good with the food but I'm ok with that. I enjoyed every cookie I ate (3) and I deserved it because I won the contest. I shared the other 5 cookies I "won" so it's all good. Just trying out a bunch of new foods today and seeing what makes me full and what doesn't so I know for future reference. :)
So I decided to take last night off. The past few weeks I've noticed that when I work out on Wed nights after running so early in the morning I develop horrible headaches and usually stop my workouts early. So, I think that instead, I will make Wed night my night off and possibly have an easier workout on Fridays/Sundays after Zumba.
Today I am thinking of doing my running homework a day early - I don't have my sheet in front of me but I think it's between 1 mile and 1 1/2 miles so it's something that I know I can do. I also woke up today at just under 8 hours sleep but felt so refreshed - it was nice. I hope the feeling lasts all day.
I think I may also get an exercise ball. I want to start practicing some core exercises in my apt. We'll see though - I tend to buy them and never use them (or let them lay around and the cat would end up destroying them). Decisions, decisions...
Today I am thinking of doing my running homework a day early - I don't have my sheet in front of me but I think it's between 1 mile and 1 1/2 miles so it's something that I know I can do. I also woke up today at just under 8 hours sleep but felt so refreshed - it was nice. I hope the feeling lasts all day.
I think I may also get an exercise ball. I want to start practicing some core exercises in my apt. We'll see though - I tend to buy them and never use them (or let them lay around and the cat would end up destroying them). Decisions, decisions...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Morning Run
I have 3 favorite days of the week - Wed, Fri and Sun. The reason these are my favorite days are because they are the days I have my classes - Running 101 and Zumba.
I love running. I picked it up one night (I swear) in NC. I was stressed after a failed event and how my boss reacted to something at the event so I started walking really fast and then broke into a run. Every night after that, I would add a little more distance - "I can make it to that lamp post" or "I can go until the end of the song" until I was running on/off 2-3 miles a night. I ran so much I had horrible shin splints after each night but they kept me running because if I walked it hurt too much. Now that I understand running, I see how I could have seriously damaged my legs and muscles with how hard I was pushing myself but at the time, I really needed to.
Those days, and the stress I was dealing with (mostly from a bad long-distance relationship) are far, far behind me. But my love of running has not left me. I stopped when I moved to the new city because I was used to running with the girls and here I have no one to run with. When I noticed the running class ad at the gym on campus I jumped at the chance to start again. I haven't regretted it yet.
My biggest challenge right now is I am an outside runner - I love running outside in the fresh air - no matter what the temp is. Yes, that is the truth - I've run in under 30 degrees before because some nights I just craved that runners high. I am one of those lucky people who can get a runners high very easily and I enjoy every minute of it. :) Such a rush.
But anyway, with the class I am taking, we run on the track inside, above the gym. The track is 8laps to 1 mile. I get frustrated because every time I take a corner I know I lose time and since the track is smaller and so rectangle I tend to lose my focus very easily and lose my pace. I'm working on it but it's an ongoing struggle for me to overcome right now.
My instructor suggested I start running outside. I think I may soon. They are calling for a weekend in the 50's so it would be the perfect time to start. I miss running in the cold air and getting that warm feeling from a good run. :)
I almost didn't get up this morning - for a few reasons. I forgot to set my alarm and somehow woke up at 3am and realized this. However, when I woke up, it took me a good 30 minutes to fall back asleep which meant when the alarm went off at 6am I was in the middle of a deep sleep and it took me a few minutes to wake up. But, in the end, I have 2-3 people waiting on me so I have to be there.
We ran a little over 2 miles today. We are building up for a 5k on April 5th (I think) so I'm looking forward to it. We are all going to run it together which will be good motivation for me. I've run 3 before and I want my 4th to be my best time yet. The instructor says that we are up to a little over an 80sec lap which means we are hitting close to a 10min mile. My goal is a little under a 10min mile so I can hit my 30min goal. Anything under 35min will be great because that was my last time in Dec. 2008. I'm also excited about being able to run to miles with very few breaks. We're down to running five minutes and taking a 30sec break and then continuing. This was our easy week - next week we'll go back up to about a 3 mile run followed by an even harder week so I'm looking forward to the challenge. :) I can tell I'm improving and the fact that after running 2 miles with only a few 30 sec breaks, two of us were able to do our entire last lap in 45 secs (we ran at our top speed) made me feel really good about how far I've come in such a short time.
And really, nothing beats walking home at 7.30am and watching the sun rise as I cross campus. :) So perfect.
I love running. I picked it up one night (I swear) in NC. I was stressed after a failed event and how my boss reacted to something at the event so I started walking really fast and then broke into a run. Every night after that, I would add a little more distance - "I can make it to that lamp post" or "I can go until the end of the song" until I was running on/off 2-3 miles a night. I ran so much I had horrible shin splints after each night but they kept me running because if I walked it hurt too much. Now that I understand running, I see how I could have seriously damaged my legs and muscles with how hard I was pushing myself but at the time, I really needed to.
Those days, and the stress I was dealing with (mostly from a bad long-distance relationship) are far, far behind me. But my love of running has not left me. I stopped when I moved to the new city because I was used to running with the girls and here I have no one to run with. When I noticed the running class ad at the gym on campus I jumped at the chance to start again. I haven't regretted it yet.
My biggest challenge right now is I am an outside runner - I love running outside in the fresh air - no matter what the temp is. Yes, that is the truth - I've run in under 30 degrees before because some nights I just craved that runners high. I am one of those lucky people who can get a runners high very easily and I enjoy every minute of it. :) Such a rush.
But anyway, with the class I am taking, we run on the track inside, above the gym. The track is 8laps to 1 mile. I get frustrated because every time I take a corner I know I lose time and since the track is smaller and so rectangle I tend to lose my focus very easily and lose my pace. I'm working on it but it's an ongoing struggle for me to overcome right now.
My instructor suggested I start running outside. I think I may soon. They are calling for a weekend in the 50's so it would be the perfect time to start. I miss running in the cold air and getting that warm feeling from a good run. :)
I almost didn't get up this morning - for a few reasons. I forgot to set my alarm and somehow woke up at 3am and realized this. However, when I woke up, it took me a good 30 minutes to fall back asleep which meant when the alarm went off at 6am I was in the middle of a deep sleep and it took me a few minutes to wake up. But, in the end, I have 2-3 people waiting on me so I have to be there.
We ran a little over 2 miles today. We are building up for a 5k on April 5th (I think) so I'm looking forward to it. We are all going to run it together which will be good motivation for me. I've run 3 before and I want my 4th to be my best time yet. The instructor says that we are up to a little over an 80sec lap which means we are hitting close to a 10min mile. My goal is a little under a 10min mile so I can hit my 30min goal. Anything under 35min will be great because that was my last time in Dec. 2008. I'm also excited about being able to run to miles with very few breaks. We're down to running five minutes and taking a 30sec break and then continuing. This was our easy week - next week we'll go back up to about a 3 mile run followed by an even harder week so I'm looking forward to the challenge. :) I can tell I'm improving and the fact that after running 2 miles with only a few 30 sec breaks, two of us were able to do our entire last lap in 45 secs (we ran at our top speed) made me feel really good about how far I've come in such a short time.
And really, nothing beats walking home at 7.30am and watching the sun rise as I cross campus. :) So perfect.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Workout
Today's workout was ok. Tuesday nights are always a hard workout since I have a weekly meeting from 5.30-6pm. This meeting means I can't do my Zumba (which I love love love) on Tues/Thurs and it means I either have to eat dinner at 4pm (which I try not to) or after the gym which is usually closer to 7pm.
Tonight was an after night. I'm a firm believer that you should never eat before working out. I've learned in the past that unless I'm running, it really makes me sluggish and not work as hard.
But anyway, I made it in by 6.15pm and was able to jump on the arctrack right away. I did what I said I would and went a level up. It was a little bit of a struggle but I managed 30 minutes and according to the machine, burned 300some calories and hit 1.47miles. Not too bad. I usually strive for 400 calories in 30min on any machine I'm on except the bikes.
After the elliptical, I headed upstairs to the small room to do some ab work. Usually I don't care if there are a few people in there - I've noticed if you go in and just do your own thing, they tend to leave. However today there were 6 people in there and two were doing push-ups on the floor so I wouldn't have been able to use the ab machine anyway so I allowed my abs one day of rest (kinda).
I found an empty mat next to the track and proceeded to do 10 minutes of stretching and 25 sit-ups. By then it was almost 7pm and I hadn't eaten since lunch at 11am.
I walked home with the intent of making a turkey burger and home-made baked fries. However, I quickly realized my potatoes were all bad so I had to drive to the store to get more. I also picked up some apples for snacks this week and some cream of mushroom for the pot roast I'll make this weekend. But, sadly, I forgot to pick up milk for my Cheerios. Probably a subconscious thing so I'll have to go tomorrow to Whole Foods and get some there along with some cucumber sushi for dinner. :)
As I said, Tuesdays are always a rough workout day. I probably should use it as my day off, but I figure I make up for it on Wed. since I have my 6am running class. I absolutely love this class (just slightly less than Zumba). We start out with a 2 lap job, stretch, and then shoot for anything past a mile. Last week we ran 3 miles!! I was so excited for us! It's me, the instructor and two people who work at the center. I like it - they are at my speed of running since I stopped a few months ago. It's been really helpful bringing me back up to where I was. We are preparing for a 5k we picked in April. I'm so stoked - I want to bring up my time. My last 5k was just over 30min and I want to be AT 30 or less this time if I can. We did our 3 miles in about 40 minutes. And because of the class, I feel like I finally have learned the runners breathing which has made things so much easier on me. :)
Tomorrow is also weigh in for Biggest Loser. I'm kinda nervous. Last week her scale was broken and said I was back up to my original weight (so it was 4lbs off) but I stepped on the gym scale tonight before and after my workout and it said I had lost another pound so I'm super excited to step on the scale tomorrow. I really hope I'm down 5lbs. That would be all the more closer to my goal.
We have a spring formal in April and I really want to be down to at least 145 for it because I have a certain dress I want to wear. :) Wish me luck!!
Tonight was an after night. I'm a firm believer that you should never eat before working out. I've learned in the past that unless I'm running, it really makes me sluggish and not work as hard.
But anyway, I made it in by 6.15pm and was able to jump on the arctrack right away. I did what I said I would and went a level up. It was a little bit of a struggle but I managed 30 minutes and according to the machine, burned 300some calories and hit 1.47miles. Not too bad. I usually strive for 400 calories in 30min on any machine I'm on except the bikes.
After the elliptical, I headed upstairs to the small room to do some ab work. Usually I don't care if there are a few people in there - I've noticed if you go in and just do your own thing, they tend to leave. However today there were 6 people in there and two were doing push-ups on the floor so I wouldn't have been able to use the ab machine anyway so I allowed my abs one day of rest (kinda).
I found an empty mat next to the track and proceeded to do 10 minutes of stretching and 25 sit-ups. By then it was almost 7pm and I hadn't eaten since lunch at 11am.
I walked home with the intent of making a turkey burger and home-made baked fries. However, I quickly realized my potatoes were all bad so I had to drive to the store to get more. I also picked up some apples for snacks this week and some cream of mushroom for the pot roast I'll make this weekend. But, sadly, I forgot to pick up milk for my Cheerios. Probably a subconscious thing so I'll have to go tomorrow to Whole Foods and get some there along with some cucumber sushi for dinner. :)
As I said, Tuesdays are always a rough workout day. I probably should use it as my day off, but I figure I make up for it on Wed. since I have my 6am running class. I absolutely love this class (just slightly less than Zumba). We start out with a 2 lap job, stretch, and then shoot for anything past a mile. Last week we ran 3 miles!! I was so excited for us! It's me, the instructor and two people who work at the center. I like it - they are at my speed of running since I stopped a few months ago. It's been really helpful bringing me back up to where I was. We are preparing for a 5k we picked in April. I'm so stoked - I want to bring up my time. My last 5k was just over 30min and I want to be AT 30 or less this time if I can. We did our 3 miles in about 40 minutes. And because of the class, I feel like I finally have learned the runners breathing which has made things so much easier on me. :)
Tomorrow is also weigh in for Biggest Loser. I'm kinda nervous. Last week her scale was broken and said I was back up to my original weight (so it was 4lbs off) but I stepped on the gym scale tonight before and after my workout and it said I had lost another pound so I'm super excited to step on the scale tomorrow. I really hope I'm down 5lbs. That would be all the more closer to my goal.
We have a spring formal in April and I really want to be down to at least 145 for it because I have a certain dress I want to wear. :) Wish me luck!!
So I went to a brown bag lunch today about getting fit.
It was... interesting. The speaker, who I am sure is a very nice guy, came off very condescending and I really wasn't expecting that so it put me off.
He explained many things, which I already knew (and the others may very well have not known) and very few new things. I'll probably go back next month just to see if there's anything new to learn though (I'm a glutton for punishment).
Among the things we learned in the session, he covered the fact that each time we get comfortable in our workouts we need to increase the workout by 5% - which I am going to start doing this week. His suggestion was basically, if you are doing 3 sets of 12 reps and on the last 2 sets you can add at least 2 more reps, it is time to move up to another level. However, on the flip side, you don't want to put too much weight on yourself either. If you can't even hit 3 sets of 12 reps, take some weight off.
I did like that he kept repeating that "Training should IMPROVE you, not hurt you." That's been how I've been looking at my current workouts - are they helping me to become stronger or just putting me into pain on my off day?
He, along with everyone else, is on the bandwagon of if you work out 5x a week at 60min or more, you'll lose weight. I have slight issues with this - I work out 6 days a week from 60 to 120 minutes and haven't seen a major weight loss. I'm not complaining - I do see inches coming off my waist but not the weight loss that "they" keep claiming will happen. But, I'm not giving up because of it.
One think I appreciated that he spoke about was going from being on the couch to working out 2 hours a day. I've done that in the past - in grad school I would work out with one set of girls at 6am for an hour every week day, then work out for an hour at night with another set of girls (who never had contact so no one would know) and then I'd work out on the weekends by myself. I made all my goals and lost about 20lbs but I found it very hard to continue to keep it off when I wasn't able to make it to the gym. Over the past 3 years, I've taken up running (mostly at night). I've found it clears my head and makes me feel so much better when I accomplish my goal for the day. The instructor also told us that running alone isn't healthy or good. I understand that, however it was the only thing I used for an entire year to slim down and keep the weight off and it worked fine.
When it comes to running here, I have difficulties. Many people find that odd since my area is so flat but I guess my body has become so used to running up and down the hill so NC that I miss them and the added support they gave each run.
Back to the subject at hand... what I learned today. One thing that I am going to use in my workouts with weights - to get a good physical workout I need to incorporate 2-6 sets of 8-10 different machines. Right now I use 3 leg machines, a mid-body machine and free weights upstairs for my arms. I'm very odd about the machines - I have to watch people on them and make sure I understand what I have to do before I try them. I don't know why - it's not like I really know anyone in the gym nor do I want/care to impress any of them, but I want to make sure I understand what to do.
He also explained the different types of stretching - passive vs. active. Passive is when I bend at the hips and touch my feet (which I can finally do). Active is when I sit on my butt with my legs spread and touch my feet (which I still can't do). We also learned that long, slow stretches should be saved until the end - otherwise they cause fatigue. I found that really interesting since my running instructor makes us do long stretches before we run. I asked about this and he said "it's probably because he learned it from his coach who learned it from his coach and so on."
Finally, he said we needed to buy new shoes every 500 miles - which for me is like every 3 months. I'm already struggling because I wear my running shoes out every 6 months (yes, I run THAT much) so 4 times a year at $100 a pop is a little more than I can handle. We'll see.
He did say we should keep a journal (ha ha! Ahead of the game by a few hours!) and should keep an excel sheet on our workouts - which I've been doing since MAS and I did the PAC cross-training challenge in 2008. I've found that my excel sheet and my weightloss chart, along with livestrong.com/myplate really help keep me on track. I set on my excel that I should be working out 250 minutes a week/500minutes every 2 weeks and I just love when my totals get up past 600 and 700 for my 2 weeks. :)
It was... interesting. The speaker, who I am sure is a very nice guy, came off very condescending and I really wasn't expecting that so it put me off.
He explained many things, which I already knew (and the others may very well have not known) and very few new things. I'll probably go back next month just to see if there's anything new to learn though (I'm a glutton for punishment).
Among the things we learned in the session, he covered the fact that each time we get comfortable in our workouts we need to increase the workout by 5% - which I am going to start doing this week. His suggestion was basically, if you are doing 3 sets of 12 reps and on the last 2 sets you can add at least 2 more reps, it is time to move up to another level. However, on the flip side, you don't want to put too much weight on yourself either. If you can't even hit 3 sets of 12 reps, take some weight off.
I did like that he kept repeating that "Training should IMPROVE you, not hurt you." That's been how I've been looking at my current workouts - are they helping me to become stronger or just putting me into pain on my off day?
He, along with everyone else, is on the bandwagon of if you work out 5x a week at 60min or more, you'll lose weight. I have slight issues with this - I work out 6 days a week from 60 to 120 minutes and haven't seen a major weight loss. I'm not complaining - I do see inches coming off my waist but not the weight loss that "they" keep claiming will happen. But, I'm not giving up because of it.
One think I appreciated that he spoke about was going from being on the couch to working out 2 hours a day. I've done that in the past - in grad school I would work out with one set of girls at 6am for an hour every week day, then work out for an hour at night with another set of girls (who never had contact so no one would know) and then I'd work out on the weekends by myself. I made all my goals and lost about 20lbs but I found it very hard to continue to keep it off when I wasn't able to make it to the gym. Over the past 3 years, I've taken up running (mostly at night). I've found it clears my head and makes me feel so much better when I accomplish my goal for the day. The instructor also told us that running alone isn't healthy or good. I understand that, however it was the only thing I used for an entire year to slim down and keep the weight off and it worked fine.
When it comes to running here, I have difficulties. Many people find that odd since my area is so flat but I guess my body has become so used to running up and down the hill so NC that I miss them and the added support they gave each run.
Back to the subject at hand... what I learned today. One thing that I am going to use in my workouts with weights - to get a good physical workout I need to incorporate 2-6 sets of 8-10 different machines. Right now I use 3 leg machines, a mid-body machine and free weights upstairs for my arms. I'm very odd about the machines - I have to watch people on them and make sure I understand what I have to do before I try them. I don't know why - it's not like I really know anyone in the gym nor do I want/care to impress any of them, but I want to make sure I understand what to do.
He also explained the different types of stretching - passive vs. active. Passive is when I bend at the hips and touch my feet (which I can finally do). Active is when I sit on my butt with my legs spread and touch my feet (which I still can't do). We also learned that long, slow stretches should be saved until the end - otherwise they cause fatigue. I found that really interesting since my running instructor makes us do long stretches before we run. I asked about this and he said "it's probably because he learned it from his coach who learned it from his coach and so on."
Finally, he said we needed to buy new shoes every 500 miles - which for me is like every 3 months. I'm already struggling because I wear my running shoes out every 6 months (yes, I run THAT much) so 4 times a year at $100 a pop is a little more than I can handle. We'll see.
He did say we should keep a journal (ha ha! Ahead of the game by a few hours!) and should keep an excel sheet on our workouts - which I've been doing since MAS and I did the PAC cross-training challenge in 2008. I've found that my excel sheet and my weightloss chart, along with livestrong.com/myplate really help keep me on track. I set on my excel that I should be working out 250 minutes a week/500minutes every 2 weeks and I just love when my totals get up past 600 and 700 for my 2 weeks. :)
First Entry! Yay!
So this is, hopefully, going to be my exercise blog.
I am starting, once again, at age *cough cough*, to get back in shape. I was down to 138lbs just 2 years ago but after a move 1/2 way across the country, I took a step back from running every night and working out and quickly shot my weight back up to an unhealthy level.
I've been hitting the gym pretty hard 6 days a week for at least an hour since school started in January and have already seen a change all over. I've lost 2 inches off my waist and I'm up to almost 5lbs weight loss.
The plan is to blog (to whoever wants to listen) about my struggles, my workouts and possibly what I've eaten for the day. I'm working on a full life transition to eating healthier. I've given up Diet Coke for Lent in hopes that it will be a complete life change. I don't usually keep candy in the apartment although I do keep it on my desk for my students (smarties, starburst, etc.).
I recently bought some cook books (one directed towards cooking yourself thin) and have enjoyed trying the new recipes I would have not tried otherwise. I've also discovered the wonderfulness of using lean Turkey rather than red meat for spaghetti and other pasta dishes. Yum!
If you want to track my progress, I'm on Sparkpeople.com and my favorite site - http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/ as Stephy757. Feel free to friend me and leave suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
I am starting, once again, at age *cough cough*, to get back in shape. I was down to 138lbs just 2 years ago but after a move 1/2 way across the country, I took a step back from running every night and working out and quickly shot my weight back up to an unhealthy level.
I've been hitting the gym pretty hard 6 days a week for at least an hour since school started in January and have already seen a change all over. I've lost 2 inches off my waist and I'm up to almost 5lbs weight loss.
The plan is to blog (to whoever wants to listen) about my struggles, my workouts and possibly what I've eaten for the day. I'm working on a full life transition to eating healthier. I've given up Diet Coke for Lent in hopes that it will be a complete life change. I don't usually keep candy in the apartment although I do keep it on my desk for my students (smarties, starburst, etc.).
I recently bought some cook books (one directed towards cooking yourself thin) and have enjoyed trying the new recipes I would have not tried otherwise. I've also discovered the wonderfulness of using lean Turkey rather than red meat for spaghetti and other pasta dishes. Yum!
If you want to track my progress, I'm on Sparkpeople.com and my favorite site - http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/ as Stephy757. Feel free to friend me and leave suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
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