My goal to go to the gym last night and do fartleks was attained! Here's what I did:
3 minute walk (3.5)
10 minute run (5.5)
1 minute (6.5) x's 10
1 minute (5.6) x's 10
11 minute (5.6)- I even finished the last 90 seconds of the run at a 6.0
7 minute walk to cool down
I burned over 500 calories and ran over 4 miles. I'm really proud of myself. I paused the treadmill every 10 minutes or so to take a big drink of water and just calm myself down for about 20 seconds and then started back up again. I felt amazing.
Doing that run and doing it with energy to spare really encouraged me. I have felt pretty down about my running ever since I sprained my ankle and now I'm starting to feel like it's coming back to me.
I'm going to take it easy today but if I manage to squeeze in a workout tonight, I'll be really proud of myself.
Tomorrow morning I'm waking up early and going for another run. Hopefully I'll manage to go 5 miles or so. I feel really confident that I can do it.
I haven't said anything but I've been tracking my food intake and my calories burned this whole week to see where I stand and what I've been doing. It's been a really good tool for keeping me accountable. I'll probably push "Publish Post" on it on Monday, so it will be far down on the list, but I may start doing this more often so that I can look back on what I did for the week and why I did or did not see a difference in weight or my level of energy. I've noticed I may not be consuming enough calories throughout the day, especially when I do hard workouts...but I honestly don't feel like I've been depriving myself. I have a snack when I feel hungry and I listen to my body when I'm full.
My parents are in town this weekend so it will be nice to see them and spend some time together before they head back to Wyoming. And of course it's Super Bowl Sunday!! I still haven't decided who I'm rooting for. I mean, football was over for me 3 weeks ago when the Cowboys got slaughtered by the Vikings...and then I was *kind of* rooting for the Vikings to whoop the Saints since I figured this was probably Brett Favre's last hoorah (I mean, the dude got run over by the Saints defense that last game...I bet he's still recovering). So I'm just not sure who I want to win. Usually I go for the underdog. In this instance, I don't think there is one. Both the Colts and the Saints are amazing teams and have done awesome jobs this year in every game they've played. I'm leaning towards the Saints...but either way, it's not my Cowboy's playing so I'll only be half interested in the game.
Who are you rooting for on Sunday? Do you even care? :) What is a milestone or accomplishment that happened for you this week that you're really proud of?
Happy Friday and have an amazing weekend!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Hard Part
The hard part of working out and staying consistent for me is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This morning I had every intention of getting up at 5:00 to work out but my body just wasn't ready-much like it normally never is at 5:00 in the morning. But I'm just so tired. In fact, I'm so tired today that I've finally decided today's the day for coffee. 2 1/2 weeks and I'm finally having a cup of Joe.
So since I didn't get my lazy a$$ out of bed this morning, I'm going to go tonight. I'm doing a fartlek session today again. Here's the goal:
10 minutes-5.6
1 minute-6.4
1 minute-5.6
(alternating 10 x's)
10 minutes-5.5
Monday was pretty decent but I'm hoping to do better this time on my speed work. It's really hard and I may have to stop for a minute but I'm determined to finish.
Also, with the give and take of working out and making sure a good meal is prepared my husband has thankfully agreed to cooking our dinner tonight (chicken cordon bleu-minus the ham because I totally forgot to buy any at the grocery store so it's just chicken and bacon with swiss cheese) while I go to the gym and get my sweat on. I love that he's being so encouraging of my goals and wants to see me succeed. He tells me every day that he's really noticing the changes in my body and that's so good to hear.
Ever since my weigh in on Monday I've been feeling a little frustrated about the scale and while I know it's muscle that I'm building I don't like to the number I see. I know it's all a head game and I've just got to get around it. I don't want to get too discouraged because then I'll let myself slip up and I don't want to do that.
I've got to keep my eye on the prize...which is to permanently change my lifestyle. I can't keep being lazy and eating whatever I want and drinking too much wine. That's counterproductive and making me unhappy with myself. I'm also considering joining a yoga studio. After doing these yoga sessions at work every Wednesday, I feel inspired and I really want to do more. I enjoy it so much and while I know yoga classes are offered at the 24 HR Fitness I go to, I would really like to go to a place with people who are trained in yoga and know what they're doing.
There's a yoga studio about 3 miles from where I live and just down the road from my gym that I'm considering trying out. They have a special for new comers 10 days for $10. I need to crunch some numbers, see where I can cut back on some spending and obviously talk to my husband but I feel really inspired to start up. I've already got a schedule written out for when I would go do yoga and when I would go to the gym.
So anyway, my point of this whole post is that right now I'm struggling. I know I feel better and have gained muscle and lost some weight, but sometimes it gets agonizing how I don't see the results as fast as I want to. And late in the week is when I get tired and don't want to wake up in the morning or come straight home from work and put on comfy clothes and veg in front of the TV.
Not tonight though! Tonight is the gym. And tomorrow morning is tae bo and 30 Day Shred. I can do this and I can find the energy!
When do you struggle? What helps you stay on track or what helps you get back on track?
So since I didn't get my lazy a$$ out of bed this morning, I'm going to go tonight. I'm doing a fartlek session today again. Here's the goal:
10 minutes-5.6
1 minute-6.4
1 minute-5.6
(alternating 10 x's)
10 minutes-5.5
Monday was pretty decent but I'm hoping to do better this time on my speed work. It's really hard and I may have to stop for a minute but I'm determined to finish.
Also, with the give and take of working out and making sure a good meal is prepared my husband has thankfully agreed to cooking our dinner tonight (chicken cordon bleu-minus the ham because I totally forgot to buy any at the grocery store so it's just chicken and bacon with swiss cheese) while I go to the gym and get my sweat on. I love that he's being so encouraging of my goals and wants to see me succeed. He tells me every day that he's really noticing the changes in my body and that's so good to hear.
Ever since my weigh in on Monday I've been feeling a little frustrated about the scale and while I know it's muscle that I'm building I don't like to the number I see. I know it's all a head game and I've just got to get around it. I don't want to get too discouraged because then I'll let myself slip up and I don't want to do that.
I've got to keep my eye on the prize...which is to permanently change my lifestyle. I can't keep being lazy and eating whatever I want and drinking too much wine. That's counterproductive and making me unhappy with myself. I'm also considering joining a yoga studio. After doing these yoga sessions at work every Wednesday, I feel inspired and I really want to do more. I enjoy it so much and while I know yoga classes are offered at the 24 HR Fitness I go to, I would really like to go to a place with people who are trained in yoga and know what they're doing.
There's a yoga studio about 3 miles from where I live and just down the road from my gym that I'm considering trying out. They have a special for new comers 10 days for $10. I need to crunch some numbers, see where I can cut back on some spending and obviously talk to my husband but I feel really inspired to start up. I've already got a schedule written out for when I would go do yoga and when I would go to the gym.
So anyway, my point of this whole post is that right now I'm struggling. I know I feel better and have gained muscle and lost some weight, but sometimes it gets agonizing how I don't see the results as fast as I want to. And late in the week is when I get tired and don't want to wake up in the morning or come straight home from work and put on comfy clothes and veg in front of the TV.
Not tonight though! Tonight is the gym. And tomorrow morning is tae bo and 30 Day Shred. I can do this and I can find the energy!
When do you struggle? What helps you stay on track or what helps you get back on track?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
I Love Sprouts
I've been really getting into a lot of healthy blogs lately and I constantly find myself jealous of all the delicious and healthy foods they eat. Everyone is always talking about Chobani or KIND bars or rice milk...It just made me curious.
Steve and I live by a Sprouts store. We hadn't ever been inside but I was determined to go this past weekend. I know I wanted some grapefruit and Walmart doesn't have the greatest selection, so I went with the intention of getting some produce and being on my way.
Didn't happen.
That store is like heaven. I swear to you. I was so excited! I got most of my produce (grapefruit, zucchini, squash, lettuce, onion, cucumber, green onion, and of course-asparagus). My new obsession? Chobani yogurt.
This is just a stock photo...but I had this flavor last night. I really enjoyed it. I put flax seed granola in it and it was Oh.My.Gosh yum! It's a greek yogurt, so it's a lot thicker than the yogurts like Yoplait and Dannon. What I like about it, is that is has about 15 grams of protein in it. It filled me up last night and it was the perfect amount. Lots of times when I have yogurt, I still feel hungry afterwards. With Chobani I felt fulfilled and satisfied. I have a pineapple flavor waiting for me and I can't wait! I only got 2 because I was afraid that maybe I wouldn't like it...but it was delicious. I can't wait to try the other flavors!
I also bought some KIND healthy snack bars. They were $5 for 5 at Sprouts. I had also read about these bars on some blogs and thought it would be interesting to try them. Steve and I split the apricot and nut bar. It was delicious! It tasted so homemade and the flavor was intense. I enjoyed it so much more than all the other fitness bars I've tried. Most of those taste pretty terrible if I'm being honest and don't leave me feeling very good afterwards. I liked how natural it tasted and how I was able to enjoy every bite. I highly recommend trying them!
All in all, I spent $20 on produce this weekend! And that doesn't bother me in the least! Steve is convinced that as soon as we can we're going to start a garden and that we won't have to spend near as much on produce as we do now. A few months ago I would have scoffed at his plans for a garden...but now I'm getting excited and I am looking forward to being able to eat things I've grown myself.
I have noticed a lot of the blogs I follow are primarily vegetarians and it's got me wondering how hard it would be for me to forgo eating meat. My husband would never go for it. Every dinner he has must have some form of meat in it, whereas I could be just fine having a tomato basil soup. I just find myself enjoying vegetables more and the way I feel after I eat them. We'll see.
As far as my eating obsessions are concerned I've started to evolve.
One thing that I have changed in my diet, that I truly think has helped me is my drinking. I used to drink 2-3 glasses of wine on the weekends and sometimes during the weekdays...now I have one and savor it. I drink it slower and enjoy it.
I've also been cooking from scratch more. Lots of homemade salads with hard boiled eggs, alfalfa and bean sprouts, cucumber, celery, and avocado with balsamic vinegar (Steve uses the more calorie packed Ranch dressing). We have salads at least 4 times a week. I also enjoy making squash and zucchini in the skillet.
My sweet tooth has also slowed down. I have started satisfying it with small portions of chocolate or ice cream when needed. I know to never avoid it because when I do, it usually comes back with avengence. So now I have a bag of Dove dark chocolate bites that I eat one of each day around 11:30 and I usually savor it as much as I can.
Other than that, working out has also helped me with my goals. It's been great these past few weeks now that I am finally starting to see the fruits of my labor. My legs are more toned, my arms, and my waist are looking smaller. It's just really encouraging. Other than the scale here at work...which says I weigh in at 148. When I weigh myself at home though, I weigh 145. I trust my scale more than I do the one we're using here at work. I know this may sound silly but I know my body and I do NOT weigh 148. I know it's only 3 pounds but I know how I feel and look at 148 and how I feel and look at 145 and I'm definitely 145. Hopefully next week the scale here at work will be more of a friend than a foe and actually weigh me correctly. It wouldn't matter to me so much if I weren't trying to win this stupid contest. And actually, I wish I had re-weighed myself the first week when it said I weighed 145 because even then I wasn't 145. Oh well...now I sound like one of those crazy people who can't accept how much they weigh... haha
Steve and I live by a Sprouts store. We hadn't ever been inside but I was determined to go this past weekend. I know I wanted some grapefruit and Walmart doesn't have the greatest selection, so I went with the intention of getting some produce and being on my way.
Didn't happen.
That store is like heaven. I swear to you. I was so excited! I got most of my produce (grapefruit, zucchini, squash, lettuce, onion, cucumber, green onion, and of course-asparagus). My new obsession? Chobani yogurt.
This is just a stock photo...but I had this flavor last night. I really enjoyed it. I put flax seed granola in it and it was Oh.My.Gosh yum! It's a greek yogurt, so it's a lot thicker than the yogurts like Yoplait and Dannon. What I like about it, is that is has about 15 grams of protein in it. It filled me up last night and it was the perfect amount. Lots of times when I have yogurt, I still feel hungry afterwards. With Chobani I felt fulfilled and satisfied. I have a pineapple flavor waiting for me and I can't wait! I only got 2 because I was afraid that maybe I wouldn't like it...but it was delicious. I can't wait to try the other flavors!
I also bought some KIND healthy snack bars. They were $5 for 5 at Sprouts. I had also read about these bars on some blogs and thought it would be interesting to try them. Steve and I split the apricot and nut bar. It was delicious! It tasted so homemade and the flavor was intense. I enjoyed it so much more than all the other fitness bars I've tried. Most of those taste pretty terrible if I'm being honest and don't leave me feeling very good afterwards. I liked how natural it tasted and how I was able to enjoy every bite. I highly recommend trying them!
All in all, I spent $20 on produce this weekend! And that doesn't bother me in the least! Steve is convinced that as soon as we can we're going to start a garden and that we won't have to spend near as much on produce as we do now. A few months ago I would have scoffed at his plans for a garden...but now I'm getting excited and I am looking forward to being able to eat things I've grown myself.
I have noticed a lot of the blogs I follow are primarily vegetarians and it's got me wondering how hard it would be for me to forgo eating meat. My husband would never go for it. Every dinner he has must have some form of meat in it, whereas I could be just fine having a tomato basil soup. I just find myself enjoying vegetables more and the way I feel after I eat them. We'll see.
As far as my eating obsessions are concerned I've started to evolve.
One thing that I have changed in my diet, that I truly think has helped me is my drinking. I used to drink 2-3 glasses of wine on the weekends and sometimes during the weekdays...now I have one and savor it. I drink it slower and enjoy it.
I've also been cooking from scratch more. Lots of homemade salads with hard boiled eggs, alfalfa and bean sprouts, cucumber, celery, and avocado with balsamic vinegar (Steve uses the more calorie packed Ranch dressing). We have salads at least 4 times a week. I also enjoy making squash and zucchini in the skillet.
My sweet tooth has also slowed down. I have started satisfying it with small portions of chocolate or ice cream when needed. I know to never avoid it because when I do, it usually comes back with avengence. So now I have a bag of Dove dark chocolate bites that I eat one of each day around 11:30 and I usually savor it as much as I can.
Other than that, working out has also helped me with my goals. It's been great these past few weeks now that I am finally starting to see the fruits of my labor. My legs are more toned, my arms, and my waist are looking smaller. It's just really encouraging. Other than the scale here at work...which says I weigh in at 148. When I weigh myself at home though, I weigh 145. I trust my scale more than I do the one we're using here at work. I know this may sound silly but I know my body and I do NOT weigh 148. I know it's only 3 pounds but I know how I feel and look at 148 and how I feel and look at 145 and I'm definitely 145. Hopefully next week the scale here at work will be more of a friend than a foe and actually weigh me correctly. It wouldn't matter to me so much if I weren't trying to win this stupid contest. And actually, I wish I had re-weighed myself the first week when it said I weighed 145 because even then I wasn't 145. Oh well...now I sound like one of those crazy people who can't accept how much they weigh... haha
Monday, February 1, 2010
Feeling Good
I can't remember the last time I felt so good. It's pretty much every day that I feel relatively full of energy and ready to be active. I haven't had coffee in 2 weeks and I honestly don't miss it. Though I will be honest, I do love the smell of it.
This weekend was really good. Friday after work, Steve and I went to Goody Goody's in Uptown and went looking for some good wine. I've been on the hunt for this amazing Malbec that I had a year ago and had been out of luck trying to find it. But Friday was my lucky day!! I FINALLY found it! It was on the "expensive" side (meaning it was $20...when we usually only buy wine $13 and under). But I was so excited! After finding the wine, we went to Steve's old bosses design open house. When we got home from that we decided we really didn't want to cook anything so we ordered some Chinese food and then opened up the best wine ever :) It was great finally being able to show Steve what I've been raving about for a year now. He loved it. We've been slowly drinking it and enjoying it. I'll probably finish it off tonight sadly. But I think I'm *this close* to having Steve agree to buying a whole case of it soon!
Oh, in case you were wondering the wine is Lorca and we enjoy the Malbec. I'm assuming any of Lorca's brand of wine is good-but we've been stuck on Malbecs for about a year now. I used to be a BIG white wine person but now I much prefer the red over white. I also used to like the sweet wines, but now those almost turn my stomach and I prefer the dryer wines. Malbec is a South America wine (mostly Argentina). I highly recommend it! There's a brand of Malbec that usually sells for about $12-$13 (you can even get this at World Market) that has a purple and silver top. I can't think of the name. But if you see it, try it! You won't be disappointed.
Saturday was super cold! But Steve had a whole day planned out for us. First we went to Arbor Hill nature perserve in Plano for a walk. We took some hot chocolate in a thermos to drink once we got back to the car. I was cold at first, but I really think I could have walked for another few miles before being ready to go. Steve was ready to get back probably half a mile into our walk :) I was also disappointed we didn't decide to go for a run while we were there. There were all these people running and it made me feel the itch to get out there, too. After our little trip to the nature perserve, we came back home and got a few snacks together and then headed out for the DART. Steve took me downtown, where we were hoping to catch a trolley but never did see one, so we just walked. We went to an antique store and then to Potbelly's for lunch. I thought this was really thoughtful of Steve because I LOVE antiques. Though, this store was not my cup of tea. If I had to describe it, I'd say it was very "masculine". I'm not into masculine antiques. Honestly, I didn't see one thing in this store that I thought was cool. I feel bad because I know Steve put a lot of thought into our "date", but this wasn't the type of antique store I like. I like antique stores that have old perfume bottles, old women's hats from the 40s, old china, and things like that. I guess I'll have to take Steve to some antique shops up in Denison to show him what I mean.
Sunday was pretty relaxing. I've started making waffles from scratch every Sunday morning-maybe it's a new tradition? Steve and I went for a run after we did grocery shopping-which I will be discussing in a separate post. We ran 3 miles. After that I made homemade chicken noodle soup and then did some more housework (lots of cleaning). After I finished cleaning, I did 30 minutes of Tae Bo and another session of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I swear I was dieing at the end. But it was a great workout! For dinner we had steaks, baked potatoes, and salad. It was a good night.
I don't know if my change in diet has affected my change in attitude and energy...but I seriously feel great and I can tell my body is changing. Even my cravings are changing...which will be the topic of my next post...
This weekend was really good. Friday after work, Steve and I went to Goody Goody's in Uptown and went looking for some good wine. I've been on the hunt for this amazing Malbec that I had a year ago and had been out of luck trying to find it. But Friday was my lucky day!! I FINALLY found it! It was on the "expensive" side (meaning it was $20...when we usually only buy wine $13 and under). But I was so excited! After finding the wine, we went to Steve's old bosses design open house. When we got home from that we decided we really didn't want to cook anything so we ordered some Chinese food and then opened up the best wine ever :) It was great finally being able to show Steve what I've been raving about for a year now. He loved it. We've been slowly drinking it and enjoying it. I'll probably finish it off tonight sadly. But I think I'm *this close* to having Steve agree to buying a whole case of it soon!
Oh, in case you were wondering the wine is Lorca and we enjoy the Malbec. I'm assuming any of Lorca's brand of wine is good-but we've been stuck on Malbecs for about a year now. I used to be a BIG white wine person but now I much prefer the red over white. I also used to like the sweet wines, but now those almost turn my stomach and I prefer the dryer wines. Malbec is a South America wine (mostly Argentina). I highly recommend it! There's a brand of Malbec that usually sells for about $12-$13 (you can even get this at World Market) that has a purple and silver top. I can't think of the name. But if you see it, try it! You won't be disappointed.
Saturday was super cold! But Steve had a whole day planned out for us. First we went to Arbor Hill nature perserve in Plano for a walk. We took some hot chocolate in a thermos to drink once we got back to the car. I was cold at first, but I really think I could have walked for another few miles before being ready to go. Steve was ready to get back probably half a mile into our walk :) I was also disappointed we didn't decide to go for a run while we were there. There were all these people running and it made me feel the itch to get out there, too. After our little trip to the nature perserve, we came back home and got a few snacks together and then headed out for the DART. Steve took me downtown, where we were hoping to catch a trolley but never did see one, so we just walked. We went to an antique store and then to Potbelly's for lunch. I thought this was really thoughtful of Steve because I LOVE antiques. Though, this store was not my cup of tea. If I had to describe it, I'd say it was very "masculine". I'm not into masculine antiques. Honestly, I didn't see one thing in this store that I thought was cool. I feel bad because I know Steve put a lot of thought into our "date", but this wasn't the type of antique store I like. I like antique stores that have old perfume bottles, old women's hats from the 40s, old china, and things like that. I guess I'll have to take Steve to some antique shops up in Denison to show him what I mean.
Sunday was pretty relaxing. I've started making waffles from scratch every Sunday morning-maybe it's a new tradition? Steve and I went for a run after we did grocery shopping-which I will be discussing in a separate post. We ran 3 miles. After that I made homemade chicken noodle soup and then did some more housework (lots of cleaning). After I finished cleaning, I did 30 minutes of Tae Bo and another session of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I swear I was dieing at the end. But it was a great workout! For dinner we had steaks, baked potatoes, and salad. It was a good night.
I don't know if my change in diet has affected my change in attitude and energy...but I seriously feel great and I can tell my body is changing. Even my cravings are changing...which will be the topic of my next post...
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