So wearing a BodyBugg feels a little like being in a giant pinball game. While microwaving water for tea today, I did some "skin the cats" on the rings (our microwave is in the garage since our kitchen remodel -- no I do NOT have rings in the kitchen!) because I knew it would increase my calories burned total. And I'm tempted to do just random stuff like jump up and down (which I did while I waited for my flat iron to heat up) just to maximize my number.
I've been wearing the bb since lunchtime Thursday. Thursday night as I wrote, Tim and I did the Crossfit workout. Friday morning I did CardioCoach on the ARC trainer. Then Friday night Tim wanted to go to the gym, so I went with him and did some handstands (fun, and didn't seem to hurt today!), then walk/ran the hill by the gym for 30 minutes. And THEN (yes, it's been an active few days, to be sure) this morning I took a Les Mills BodyPump class at Tru Fitness, the gym where Mr. bb (aka Rex) works. Although it's not the main subject here, I was VERY impressed with the BodyPump class, and if you live in Placer County and want to join a seriously upscale NIIIIICE gym, Tru Fitness is great!
After the class (which Rex took as well), I had my second bb appointment, the one where I actually get to see how many calories I burn. I was nervous, mainly because I was afraid I'd get all weird about seeing my actual expenditures (e.g. "If CrossFit doesn't burn a million calories, then I'm not doin it!"). Turns out I'm a very active . The bugg says I burned 3248 calories on Friday. That's a ton of calories, and it may explain my little departure into the brownie batter last night. I'd eaten well all day, but I felt HUNGRY -- I had breakfast, I had protein and water, I had almonds, I had fruit (all this before lunchtime) and I COULDN'T BE SATISFIED! But the choices stayed clean, albeit with huge quantities, until last night. We were watching "The Pursuit of Happyness" and I could not get my mind off the brownie mix in the pantry. After resisting for an hour, I made the batter, complete with oil and eggs, then filled a ramekin, grabbed a spoon, and dug in. So the long and the short of it is that I'm sure I made up for any potential calorie deficit with my brownie-fest. But the good thing is that I actually understand why I was so hungry, and maybe next time I can plan for it better. Didn't someone smart and famous say that knowledge is power?
(Gosh I wish I had some pictures to break up all these words!)
Then we were on to the bodyfat testing. Apex (makers of bb) use a Skyndex caliper, and before he tested me, Rex and I had a discussion on how inaccurate bodyfat testing is. He said virtually any measurement is "plus or minus 5%". My question was, "So why do it at all? What good does knowing your number do?" He had a good answer. He said that knowing your percentage doesn't mean anything, unless you're using it as a reference point to see where you're going (like comparing measurements). He also said that it lets you evaluate absolute bodyfat, so if your tricep measurement was a 5 and now it's a 4, you're dropping bodyfat. Ok, I'll buy that.
For the actual test, there were settings based on your age for women. Rex said he would use not a #9 for me (which correlates to my actual age) but a #7, which would be used for younger women. I have no idea why he did this, but it made me feel happy, so I was good with it. After telling me that the Skyndex tends to measure athletic people like me (!) 4 - 6% higher than our true bodyfat, he told me I am at 20% bodyfat. I can say that his skin pinches didn't hurt, whereas Darla's left a couple of small bruises, which may account for the higher reading. You know what, though? I'm happy with my number. It gives me a point of reference, and now I can see where my nutrition and exercise take me.
I've run out of computer time, so the rest will have to wait till tomorrow. If you actually took the time to read this way-too-long diatribe, thank you. But if you're up to HERE with BodyBugg info, be warned that there will probably be a few more posts about it in the near future, cuz I'm really digging my new toy!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Hi and answers
Matt, as always, your words encourage -- thank you!
Colette, I miss you! Do you want to borrow a book anytime soon?
Eileen, I value your friendship so much.
Katie, thanks for being you!
Stacy, hanging knees to elbows is where you hang from a pull-up bar and try to bring your knees up to your elbows, using your abs.
Laurie, Pamela, and Evelyne -- keep up the great work. I love following your progress!
Tracy, there was as little rest as possible in the CrossFit workout -- just enough to barely catch my breath. Mine sets were all broken, so like the burpees were done in five sets of 10, the wall ball was in 2 sets of 25, and so on. I don't do workouts that intense very much -- maybe once a week? Oh, and it took me about 35 minutes to complete it.
Colette, I miss you! Do you want to borrow a book anytime soon?
Eileen, I value your friendship so much.
Katie, thanks for being you!
Stacy, hanging knees to elbows is where you hang from a pull-up bar and try to bring your knees up to your elbows, using your abs.
Laurie, Pamela, and Evelyne -- keep up the great work. I love following your progress!
Tracy, there was as little rest as possible in the CrossFit workout -- just enough to barely catch my breath. Mine sets were all broken, so like the burpees were done in five sets of 10, the wall ball was in 2 sets of 25, and so on. I don't do workouts that intense very much -- maybe once a week? Oh, and it took me about 35 minutes to complete it.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Hell
Instead of doing 5 CardioCoach workouts or something easy like that, Tim (who is back from Pebble Beach -- hooray!) convinced me to do today's CrossFit workout. I don't know what CF calls it, but my nickname for it is "hell!" Here it is:
50 burpees
50 wall ball shots (using 16 pound med ball)
50 push press (I used 18 pound Body Bar)
50 walking lunges
50 double unders (yeah, right -- I did 200 regular jump rope jumps)
50 box jumps (20" box)
50 kettlebell swings (I used 20 pound kettlebell)
50 hanging knees to elbows
50 back extensions
50 jumping pullups (my arms were so fried that I didn't even attempt these -- felt it would be unsafe)
I think the BodyBugg will show a million calories burned for sure!
Oh, and I started my day with the Cathe DrillMax DVD. I mostly liked it. I'm not that into step though, so the few step intervals were kinda "meh" for me, but I really liked the intensity of the workout, how she changed the tempo of the exercises (like doing plie squats where you go up-down-up-hold, then down-up-down-hold) and the variety. But maybe I'm just stuck in the 80s, cuz I'm truly a FIRM Believer at heart!
50 burpees
50 wall ball shots (using 16 pound med ball)
50 push press (I used 18 pound Body Bar)
50 walking lunges
50 double unders (yeah, right -- I did 200 regular jump rope jumps)
50 box jumps (20" box)
50 kettlebell swings (I used 20 pound kettlebell)
50 hanging knees to elbows
50 back extensions
50 jumping pullups (my arms were so fried that I didn't even attempt these -- felt it would be unsafe)
I think the BodyBugg will show a million calories burned for sure!
Oh, and I started my day with the Cathe DrillMax DVD. I mostly liked it. I'm not that into step though, so the few step intervals were kinda "meh" for me, but I really liked the intensity of the workout, how she changed the tempo of the exercises (like doing plie squats where you go up-down-up-hold, then down-up-down-hold) and the variety. But maybe I'm just stuck in the 80s, cuz I'm truly a FIRM Believer at heart!
Bugg-ed!
Got it! Met with Mr. BodyBugg today and I'm now wearing a BodyBugg on my right arm. Wearing it makes me want to go and do CardioCoach, like five times, or run hills or something!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
hi
I have a few free minutes and thought I'd just start typing and see what comes out. So what's going on here? Well, I trained a client this morning, then did CardioCoach CL at the gym, then trained a second client, and now it's almost time to pick the kids up.
Last night I was folding laundry and I was cold. So rather than put on a sweatshirt, I grabbed a kettlebell and did swings until I got warm.
I'm waiting on a Cathe Friedrich DVD -- Drill Max -- that I'm looking forward to trying.
I haven't done handstands in a couple of weeks because my shoulders and elbows have been aching. So I'm following my rule ("Don't be stupid. Do SOMETHING!") and trying to give my joints some recovery time. I miss being upside down, though.
Still don't have a BodyBugg because Mr. BodyBugg hasn't called me back. I need to try him again and make this happen.
Hugs to everyone who's taken the time and energy to write comments.
Last night I was folding laundry and I was cold. So rather than put on a sweatshirt, I grabbed a kettlebell and did swings until I got warm.
I'm waiting on a Cathe Friedrich DVD -- Drill Max -- that I'm looking forward to trying.
I haven't done handstands in a couple of weeks because my shoulders and elbows have been aching. So I'm following my rule ("Don't be stupid. Do SOMETHING!") and trying to give my joints some recovery time. I miss being upside down, though.
Still don't have a BodyBugg because Mr. BodyBugg hasn't called me back. I need to try him again and make this happen.
Hugs to everyone who's taken the time and energy to write comments.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Tired legs, happy heart
Today's workout was an hour-long run, broken into two parts. The first part was 30 minutes listening to an interview with Jim MacLaren about his first accident, his second accident, and how he continue to choose living. The interview was part of the CardioCoach CL workout. I don't have the words to describe the respect and admiration I have for Jim, or the impact listening to the interview had on my entire being.
The second part was the first 30 minutes of the CardioCoach CL workout. Quite a butt-kicker. One of the challenges is this, repeated 5 times:
1 minute hill
30 seconds rest
1 minute sprint
30 seconds rest
I know it sounds strange to do "hills" while running on the street, but it does work. The music's tempo slows down and you just try to push harder with each step.
The intensity of CardioCoach, combined with mostly clean eating, is causing some visible results, according to Tim. I should check the scale at some point, but I can feel my clothes fitting with ease and I can tell that my trouble spots (we all have them!) are less troublesome. I think it's the intensity of the workouts. They're HIIT, but they go on for anywhere from 30 minutes to almost an hour. And what's interesting about sprinting is that it works your arms and your abs, which is not surprising when you consider the mechanics of sprinting, but is not what I expected. Happy surprise, right?
The second part was the first 30 minutes of the CardioCoach CL workout. Quite a butt-kicker. One of the challenges is this, repeated 5 times:
1 minute hill
30 seconds rest
1 minute sprint
30 seconds rest
I know it sounds strange to do "hills" while running on the street, but it does work. The music's tempo slows down and you just try to push harder with each step.
The intensity of CardioCoach, combined with mostly clean eating, is causing some visible results, according to Tim. I should check the scale at some point, but I can feel my clothes fitting with ease and I can tell that my trouble spots (we all have them!) are less troublesome. I think it's the intensity of the workouts. They're HIIT, but they go on for anywhere from 30 minutes to almost an hour. And what's interesting about sprinting is that it works your arms and your abs, which is not surprising when you consider the mechanics of sprinting, but is not what I expected. Happy surprise, right?
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Weekend update
In no particular order, here's what's on my mind this weekend:
1. Both kids have decided to continue with gymnastics. How do I feel about that? Mixed. I stayed and watched almost 2 hours of practice last night, and my heart just swells with pride for how hard they work and what they can do. But truly, gymnastics at these levels changes a family. Any sport where you practice 15 - 20 hours a week year round would change a family. So I was looking forward to an easier schedule and more family time. But if this is what my kids love to do, and they can balance homework and practice and still be happy kids, then I'll support it all the way.
One win-win from their decision? They're both attending gymnastics camp at Stanford for a week this summer. It's a great opportunity for both of them and their coach is supportive of it. And me and Tim? Guess we'll be enjoying AN ENTIRE WEEK of just the two of us here!
2. I really need to post more pictures to break up my text-heavy blog entries. If only I could find the "younger/thinner" button my my camera for shots of me!
3. I went shopping for the first time since meeting with Stephanie, the image lady, and it was so much easier! Before I was a drive-by shopper -- in desperation I'd just grab anything that looked like it might kinda work, buy it, try it on and home, then return most of what I'd gotten. (Yeah, I'm sure salesclerks loved me!) What I really wanted was a uniform, cuz I hated to shop and hated to figure out what I was going to wear. That's changed now. What I learned from Stephanie was to really LOOK at what you are considering -- the color, the fabric, the cut, the details -- not to just go "ok, so it's a white shirt and I need a white shirt so GOOD!" I came home with two dresses, two pairs of capris, three tops, and two pairs of shoes. And I had a 20% off card for for Macy's, so that was even better. And the best part? I am confident that there will be NO RETURNS and NO REGRETS because it's all going to work!
4. My hamstrings definitely felt the love from Thursday's workout. On today's agenda is running with Sean (CardioCoach). Temps will be in the mid to high 70s here -- perfect!
5. Tim's golfing Pebble Beach and staying at the Lodge Monday and Tuesday. I'm sending positive swing thoughts your way, Tim!
1. Both kids have decided to continue with gymnastics. How do I feel about that? Mixed. I stayed and watched almost 2 hours of practice last night, and my heart just swells with pride for how hard they work and what they can do. But truly, gymnastics at these levels changes a family. Any sport where you practice 15 - 20 hours a week year round would change a family. So I was looking forward to an easier schedule and more family time. But if this is what my kids love to do, and they can balance homework and practice and still be happy kids, then I'll support it all the way.
One win-win from their decision? They're both attending gymnastics camp at Stanford for a week this summer. It's a great opportunity for both of them and their coach is supportive of it. And me and Tim? Guess we'll be enjoying AN ENTIRE WEEK of just the two of us here!
2. I really need to post more pictures to break up my text-heavy blog entries. If only I could find the "younger/thinner" button my my camera for shots of me!
3. I went shopping for the first time since meeting with Stephanie, the image lady, and it was so much easier! Before I was a drive-by shopper -- in desperation I'd just grab anything that looked like it might kinda work, buy it, try it on and home, then return most of what I'd gotten. (Yeah, I'm sure salesclerks loved me!) What I really wanted was a uniform, cuz I hated to shop and hated to figure out what I was going to wear. That's changed now. What I learned from Stephanie was to really LOOK at what you are considering -- the color, the fabric, the cut, the details -- not to just go "ok, so it's a white shirt and I need a white shirt so GOOD!" I came home with two dresses, two pairs of capris, three tops, and two pairs of shoes. And I had a 20% off card for for Macy's, so that was even better. And the best part? I am confident that there will be NO RETURNS and NO REGRETS because it's all going to work!
4. My hamstrings definitely felt the love from Thursday's workout. On today's agenda is running with Sean (CardioCoach). Temps will be in the mid to high 70s here -- perfect!
5. Tim's golfing Pebble Beach and staying at the Lodge Monday and Tuesday. I'm sending positive swing thoughts your way, Tim!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Keeping my mouth shut
Today's workout was a quick lower body circuit. I did 100 reps of:
Stiff-leg deadlift w/40 pound bar
Front squats w/12 pound bar (thighs breaking parallel)
Box jumps to a 16" box, straightening legs at the top
I did sets of 20, 20, 20, 25, and 15.
Finished with some decline abs and pushups on the Bosu. That's when I saw the woman on the inner-thigh machine. She looked like she had at least 30 pounds to lose. And I desperately wanted to go over to her and say, "Let me show you how to do squats!" I realize I only saw her for a few minutes. And the rest of her workout could have been lunges and squats and all sorts of valuable exercises. I also know that I have prejudice against the inner thigh machine, because I think it's such a waste of time.
It was hard, but I said nothing. But I'm still thinking about her.
Stiff-leg deadlift w/40 pound bar
Front squats w/12 pound bar (thighs breaking parallel)
Box jumps to a 16" box, straightening legs at the top
I did sets of 20, 20, 20, 25, and 15.
Finished with some decline abs and pushups on the Bosu. That's when I saw the woman on the inner-thigh machine. She looked like she had at least 30 pounds to lose. And I desperately wanted to go over to her and say, "Let me show you how to do squats!" I realize I only saw her for a few minutes. And the rest of her workout could have been lunges and squats and all sorts of valuable exercises. I also know that I have prejudice against the inner thigh machine, because I think it's such a waste of time.
It was hard, but I said nothing. But I'm still thinking about her.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Planning client workouts
I honestly love what I do, and one of the most intriguing parts is planning workouts. To me it feels like a giant Sudoku puzzle. Here's the thought process (using me as an example client):
Ok, so she's wanting to lean out for a vacation in a few weeks. So we need plyometrics to really get her heart rate up and burn calories. And she wants to tighten lower body and abs. But she said her left knee has been sore and twingey, so can't do huge knee flexion. We need to talk about emphasizing high fiber carbs, as in VEGETABLES, as the trip gets closer. And I want to check how her water intake is going. So what did we do Monday...?
Those are the things that swirl around in my mind as I'm considering what to incorporate in a workout. And then, of course, I want to do new exercises for interest, but enough "old" things so there's a sense of mastery and "I know how to do this one!"
So what do I use as resources? Anything and EVERYTHING! I watch what other trainers do at the gym. I watch exercise DVD previews and do exercise DVDs. I read books and magazines and articles. And I try to find the very best of the best.
One resource that I'm so excited about I could squeal is the show "Work Out" on Bravo. Season 2 started last night and it's taking every bit of my willpower to NOT be watching it right now. I don't always agree with what they do, or even like the training styles, but it's an insider look at the training industry and it's FASCINATING!
Ok, so she's wanting to lean out for a vacation in a few weeks. So we need plyometrics to really get her heart rate up and burn calories. And she wants to tighten lower body and abs. But she said her left knee has been sore and twingey, so can't do huge knee flexion. We need to talk about emphasizing high fiber carbs, as in VEGETABLES, as the trip gets closer. And I want to check how her water intake is going. So what did we do Monday...?
Those are the things that swirl around in my mind as I'm considering what to incorporate in a workout. And then, of course, I want to do new exercises for interest, but enough "old" things so there's a sense of mastery and "I know how to do this one!"
So what do I use as resources? Anything and EVERYTHING! I watch what other trainers do at the gym. I watch exercise DVD previews and do exercise DVDs. I read books and magazines and articles. And I try to find the very best of the best.
One resource that I'm so excited about I could squeal is the show "Work Out" on Bravo. Season 2 started last night and it's taking every bit of my willpower to NOT be watching it right now. I don't always agree with what they do, or even like the training styles, but it's an insider look at the training industry and it's FASCINATING!
So far, so good
Both Monday and today I was at the gym before 6:00 am. I have a great deal of respect for the people who do the early morning workout thing, cuz it's not easy, but I sure liked cruising in the door this morning at 6:50, with a hard workout DONE! Last night I used my Val Slide (a paper plate on carpet, or towel on slidey flooring would work too) to do some squats and lunges, so the sprints of CardioCoach this morning were tough and had my legs feeling like lead. All I can say to that is GOOD!
Eating has been very clean and it feels great. The big question becomes this: why do I reach a tipping point where all of a sudden the temporary pleasure of simple sugars "win" over the longer term satisfaction of balanced eating? (That's a rhetorical question, cuz I know the answer: because I'm human!) But honestly, because simple sugars and refined carbs do such a number on my emotions, I've thought that a way to handle it would be to plan my diet as though I am allergic to candy bars/jellybeans/whatever the treat of the moment happens to be. Or pretend in my mind that I have diabetes, and eat accordingly. But the thing is that I know I'm not REALLY allergic or diabetic.
On another topic, Tucker wants to quit gymnastics because his coach has told him how hard he would have to work to get to the next level, and Tucker doesn't want to work that hard. And I wouldn't have a problem with it, but Tucker seems sad, and I don't know if it's because he thinks we're disappointed or if he's sad for what he's leaving behind or what. I wish kids came with instruction manuals.
Eating has been very clean and it feels great. The big question becomes this: why do I reach a tipping point where all of a sudden the temporary pleasure of simple sugars "win" over the longer term satisfaction of balanced eating? (That's a rhetorical question, cuz I know the answer: because I'm human!) But honestly, because simple sugars and refined carbs do such a number on my emotions, I've thought that a way to handle it would be to plan my diet as though I am allergic to candy bars/jellybeans/whatever the treat of the moment happens to be. Or pretend in my mind that I have diabetes, and eat accordingly. But the thing is that I know I'm not REALLY allergic or diabetic.
On another topic, Tucker wants to quit gymnastics because his coach has told him how hard he would have to work to get to the next level, and Tucker doesn't want to work that hard. And I wouldn't have a problem with it, but Tucker seems sad, and I don't know if it's because he thinks we're disappointed or if he's sad for what he's leaving behind or what. I wish kids came with instruction manuals.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Starting Over
So I'm starting over again. What went wrong? I let my emotions over a situation with the kids get the best of me and chose to cope by eating everything! Guess what? Eating everything doesn't help anything. Guess I had to find that out once again, right?
The weekend was spent at the gymnastics state championship meet. Yes, both of my sons qualified, which, yes, makes me a crazy proud mom. Tucker (younger son) competed on Saturday and took 13th place overall, out of the top 28 kids in Northern California. He took 2nd in vault, 5th in pommel, and 9th in floor. The high point of the meet was seeing him NAIL his floor routine, after a warmup where he was flat on his back or on his butt after every single tumbling run.
Austin competed on Sunday. With 2 months off of gym, a wrist that still is not 100%, and an ankle-twisting tumbling pass right before the competition started, he still managed to do all six events, and on pommel, he's almost back to his old self -- an amazing mixture of power and grace. We did get video, and when we get it on the computer, I'll be sure to share it!
Fitness-wise, it's tough to workout when you're sitting on your rear for hours and hours in a gym, but last night I did Cardio Coach #3 running outside, and this morning I did Cardio Coach #5 at the gym. Why 2 within such a short period of time? Well, I'm re-reading a book I love titled "The Power of Full Engagement." The basic premise is that we all need positive rituals that provide renewal and structure to our days. And my "I just work as hard as I can for as long as I can" approach has no rhyme or reason to it. So I'm going to try doing 3 early morning days at the gym per week as a way to start the day with intention.
Well, I have 3 clients workouts to plan, and it's only 30 minutes till I get to eat lunch -- hooray!
The weekend was spent at the gymnastics state championship meet. Yes, both of my sons qualified, which, yes, makes me a crazy proud mom. Tucker (younger son) competed on Saturday and took 13th place overall, out of the top 28 kids in Northern California. He took 2nd in vault, 5th in pommel, and 9th in floor. The high point of the meet was seeing him NAIL his floor routine, after a warmup where he was flat on his back or on his butt after every single tumbling run.
Austin competed on Sunday. With 2 months off of gym, a wrist that still is not 100%, and an ankle-twisting tumbling pass right before the competition started, he still managed to do all six events, and on pommel, he's almost back to his old self -- an amazing mixture of power and grace. We did get video, and when we get it on the computer, I'll be sure to share it!
Fitness-wise, it's tough to workout when you're sitting on your rear for hours and hours in a gym, but last night I did Cardio Coach #3 running outside, and this morning I did Cardio Coach #5 at the gym. Why 2 within such a short period of time? Well, I'm re-reading a book I love titled "The Power of Full Engagement." The basic premise is that we all need positive rituals that provide renewal and structure to our days. And my "I just work as hard as I can for as long as I can" approach has no rhyme or reason to it. So I'm going to try doing 3 early morning days at the gym per week as a way to start the day with intention.
Well, I have 3 clients workouts to plan, and it's only 30 minutes till I get to eat lunch -- hooray!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Quivering goo
Yep, I'm sitting here, a quivering mess of goo. Why? Well SST, of course! When Tim suggested we go while the kids were at gymnastics, I reluctantly agreed. But I was scared. Why? Cuz it's always really really hard!
Tonight's workout was as follows:
50 pushups, 50 air squats, 50 situps, 100 jump rope jumps
40 pushups, 40 air squats, 40 situps, 100 jump rope jumps
30 pushups, 30 squats, 30 situps, 100 jumps
20 pushups, 20 squats, 20 situps, 100 jumps
10 pushups, 10 squats, 10 situps, 100 jumps
I should mention that the workout comes after the 30 minute warmup, which has you sweating profusely and already feeling exerted.
Tim's time was 19:30 and mine was 20:50. I did the first 40 pushups "man style" but dropped to my knees for every single pushup after that. And I'm REALLY ok with it, cuz there's no way I could have done 150 boy pushups! But maybe someday? ... hmmmmm...
Tonight's workout was as follows:
50 pushups, 50 air squats, 50 situps, 100 jump rope jumps
40 pushups, 40 air squats, 40 situps, 100 jump rope jumps
30 pushups, 30 squats, 30 situps, 100 jumps
20 pushups, 20 squats, 20 situps, 100 jumps
10 pushups, 10 squats, 10 situps, 100 jumps
I should mention that the workout comes after the 30 minute warmup, which has you sweating profusely and already feeling exerted.
Tim's time was 19:30 and mine was 20:50. I did the first 40 pushups "man style" but dropped to my knees for every single pushup after that. And I'm REALLY ok with it, cuz there's no way I could have done 150 boy pushups! But maybe someday? ... hmmmmm...
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Countdown to Mexico
In 33 days, Tim and I will be flying to Mexico, just the two of us! I want to feel confident in a bikini, and feel like it's ok to indulge a bit. So it's time to create an actual plan, as opposed to the "I try to workout nearly every day and do whatever crosses my mind" non-plan that I've been following. Here are the elements I've come up with so far:
- No eating after 9:00 pm. My usual m.o. is to eat cereal with rice milk within about 30 minutes of bedtime. As per Bob Greene's new best life book, it will not kill me to go to bed a little hungry. In fact, he's a proponent of a 7:30 cutoff time, but that's just a little too drastic for me to get my mind around.
- 5 days a week of Cardio Coach. I did CC number 5 on the ARC trainer last night (HARD!), and did number 1 just running on the street today. Both were excellent workouts. There's a part in #5 where he's talking about a lion and a gazelle, both of whom are fighting for survival, and at the end of a challenge, he inquires, "Chase or be chased?" My immediate answer was "I run my own race!" It felt empowering.
- 3 days a week of strength training. This will include pushups, pullups, kettlebell swings, thrusters, step ups, and anything else that will help to build muscle.
- Weekly progress checks. I will weigh myself once a week, and based on results, may adjust program as needed.
- 5 vegetables a day. I'm getting a lot better about eating fresh stuff, but upping the non-starchy carbs has NEVER moved one in the wrong direction in terms of weight, at least not that I'm aware of.
- (This is the most exciting one!) I'm getting a Bodybugg! There's a trainer at a super nice club in Roseville who is the Bodybugg guy. I've already talked to him once about using the Bodybugg for my clients so they can get an accurate picture of how many calories they're burning. So I'm calling him tomorrow, and hoping to have one by the end of the week. He claims I won't want to give mine up, and that he wears his all the time. We'll just have to see about that, but I am confident that it will help to know what I'm burning. (Stacy, you'll get your turn right after Mexico!)
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Snowboarding support
We headed to Northstar today, along with approximately 9000 other people (that's capacity, and I heard they did close the park!). I did NOT want to go. Why?
The reason I bring this up is that when I was "just a housewife", people didn't know how to talk to me. I attended parties on more than one occasion, and felt invisible and mute. Much of this may have been my own doing -- I'm somewhat shy in groups of people I don't know. But the point is that something very cool happened today, and it would not have happened if it wasn't for my new profession. And that, friends, felt great!
My final "good thing" of the day was my slow jog (1-1/2 miles at 7000 feet altitude is HARD) back to the car, which I drove right to the snowbooted feet of my family at the bottom of Home Run. On and at In N Out for dinner, I ate exactly 1/2 of my cheeseburger, and 7 french fries -- victory!
- I didn't even bring my board, because a whole bunch of little aches and pains would only be exacerbated by snowboarding.
- My confidence on the board is shot after taking a whole season off.
- I had a million better things to do than sit in the lodge and do nothing while my family was having fun.
- I didn't want to be the support crew!!!
- I parked the car a mile and a half from the resort and had a beautiful walk back, listening to Windham Hill music and loving the snow, the trees, and the sunshine.
- Sitting in the lodge I took the time to read two wonderful books about how to eat -- books that I've owned for quite some time, but never taken the time to really investigate.
- I got to be a part of all the fun Tim and the kids had, by hearing about their accomplishments and just by being there.
- I shared my table with a man who was interested in what I do for a living.
The reason I bring this up is that when I was "just a housewife", people didn't know how to talk to me. I attended parties on more than one occasion, and felt invisible and mute. Much of this may have been my own doing -- I'm somewhat shy in groups of people I don't know. But the point is that something very cool happened today, and it would not have happened if it wasn't for my new profession. And that, friends, felt great!
My final "good thing" of the day was my slow jog (1-1/2 miles at 7000 feet altitude is HARD) back to the car, which I drove right to the snowbooted feet of my family at the bottom of Home Run. On and at In N Out for dinner, I ate exactly 1/2 of my cheeseburger, and 7 french fries -- victory!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Handstand envy
I am really happy with my handstand progress. When I first tried doing one in December, I couldn't even muster up the courage to kick up by a wall. I was not sure if my historically unstable shoulder would even support my bodyweight. So I've come a long way since then. But I've found two videos that are giving me total handstand envy. If you want to check them out, click here, then scroll down till you find the entry titled "press handstand videos." I can just TASTE how much I want that to be ME pressing up to handstand.
Comments, field trips, and websites
It is so encouraging when anyone reads what I write, but to have someone take the time to comment -- that's like the icing on the yummy cake that is Blogger! So big thank you's to everyone who took the time to write words of encouragement or advice -- it is much appreciated!
Greg directed me to a wonderful video on the Crossfit website about handstand/forward rolls. Thanks so much Greg! Over the weekend I got some one-on-one coaching from the owner of my kids' gym. As was shown in the video, he recommended doing candlesticks to train the body to go from handstand into forward roll, instead of from handstand into back splat, which is what I was doing!
Oh, one more note for Greg -- I'm planning to take some fitness field trips this spring, and BodyTribe is on my list of places to check out.
Fran stopped by which was very cool! Fran's workouts are a lot like mine, but harder -- check out her weblog here. Wish she lived closer!
Back on the subject of field trips, I also want to go to Palo Alto to visit Girya Kettlebell Training. As I mentioned a while back, I'm fascinated with kettlebells. I'm also fascinated by Tracy, who with her husband, owns Girya. Tracy has lost over 100 pounds in the last year or so and has managed to keep it off (!). The story of her weight loss is here, and her weblog is here.
Another website to check out is Simplefitness. This was created by a CrossFitter who wanted to simplify the CrossFit workouts for his friends and family. It truly is simple and he's done a great job of articulating not only what will work for fitness, but also some great (simple!) guidelines for nutrition.
Hello to Matt, Evelyne, Eileen, Katie, Erica, Jen, Laurie, Miss Petite America, Pamela, Colette, and anyone who I forgot to mention, cuz my head, although less pillow-ey today, is still not 100%. It is so fun to be a part of this virtual community of great people!
Greg directed me to a wonderful video on the Crossfit website about handstand/forward rolls. Thanks so much Greg! Over the weekend I got some one-on-one coaching from the owner of my kids' gym. As was shown in the video, he recommended doing candlesticks to train the body to go from handstand into forward roll, instead of from handstand into back splat, which is what I was doing!
Oh, one more note for Greg -- I'm planning to take some fitness field trips this spring, and BodyTribe is on my list of places to check out.
Fran stopped by which was very cool! Fran's workouts are a lot like mine, but harder -- check out her weblog here. Wish she lived closer!
Back on the subject of field trips, I also want to go to Palo Alto to visit Girya Kettlebell Training. As I mentioned a while back, I'm fascinated with kettlebells. I'm also fascinated by Tracy, who with her husband, owns Girya. Tracy has lost over 100 pounds in the last year or so and has managed to keep it off (!). The story of her weight loss is here, and her weblog is here.
Another website to check out is Simplefitness. This was created by a CrossFitter who wanted to simplify the CrossFit workouts for his friends and family. It truly is simple and he's done a great job of articulating not only what will work for fitness, but also some great (simple!) guidelines for nutrition.
Hello to Matt, Evelyne, Eileen, Katie, Erica, Jen, Laurie, Miss Petite America, Pamela, Colette, and anyone who I forgot to mention, cuz my head, although less pillow-ey today, is still not 100%. It is so fun to be a part of this virtual community of great people!
ThinkTQ.com
I found this website as I find all things interesting -- by poking around and following links on the internet. And while I'm not ready to wholeheartedly endorse the website, I thought I'd pass on something I've been reading every morning and every evening that I found through Think TQ:
Here are the 10 choices you must make each day, each hour, even each minute, to GUARANTEE that you are on the road to GREATNESS... rather than heading down the road to MEDIOCRITY:With the right tools, you can learn to make these clear choices consistently and automatically. No question, it comes down to identifying exactly what's holding you back from being Energetic, Passionate, Focused, etc.—and ELIMINATING the root-cause—by choosing to take smarter ACTIONS.
Ok, me here again. I think what I like the most out of what they write is the word "choose." It truly is my choice as to how I engage life, and how we all engage our lives. And that's a very very good thing, isn't it?
Here are the 10 choices you must make each day, each hour, even each minute, to GUARANTEE that you are on the road to GREATNESS... rather than heading down the road to MEDIOCRITY:
- Choose to be ENERGETIC—instead of permitting yourself to become run-down and burned-out.
- Choose to be PASSIONATE—instead of permitting yourself to become aimless, apathetic and indifferent.
- Choose to be ENTHUSIASTIC—instead of permitting yourself to become half-hearted and discouraged.
- Choose to be SELF-DIRECTED—instead of permitting yourself to become directionless and uncertain.
- Choose to be PREPARED—instead of permitting yourself to become shortsighted and reactive.
- Choose to be FOCUSED—instead of permitting yourself to become scattered and impulsive.
- Choose to be SUPPORTIVE—instead of permitting yourself to become critical and judgmental.
- Choose to be SYSTEMATIC—instead of permitting yourself to become haphazard and disorganized.
- Choose to be TIMELY—instead of permitting yourself to become distracted and preoccupied.
- Choose to be PROACTIVE—instead of permitting yourself to become procrastinating and hesitant.
Ok, me here again. I think what I like the most out of what they write is the word "choose." It truly is my choice as to how I engage life, and how we all engage our lives. And that's a very very good thing, isn't it?
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Back to the land of the living
My 10 hours of sleep did me good, and I'm back to the land of the living. Hooray! It feels so great to have energy and enthusiasm again!
Over the weekend my health and my healthy eating went down the drain, though. So I headed back to the gym today feeling fluffy and self-conscious, even though I know logically that two days of indulgent eating haven't made that much of a difference. I'm staying away from the scale till next week, though!
As usual, today's workout was a mishmash of all sorts of things I think are fun.
Handstands: about 5 minutes of handstand practice, including some attempts at handstand pushups.
T-pushups: where you do a full pushup, then shift your bodyweight to one arm and rotate so you're supporting yourself on one arm and both legs, with the other arm facing the ceiling (3 sets of 10)
Endless rope: 3 - 1 minute sprints -- HARD!!!
Front squats: 3 sets of 10 with a 24 pound body bar
Overhead squats: 3 sets of 10 with a 24 pound body bar
Lunge walks: 1 song's worth by the pool
Plank play: spent about 3 minutes in plank, playing with lifting a foot, bringing a knee in, etc. At end, abs were shakey, and that's all that matters, right?
Weight swings: 25 pound weight, 100 swings
I can tell that my energy isn't at 100% but just the fact that I wanted to workout is huge progress!
Over the weekend my health and my healthy eating went down the drain, though. So I headed back to the gym today feeling fluffy and self-conscious, even though I know logically that two days of indulgent eating haven't made that much of a difference. I'm staying away from the scale till next week, though!
As usual, today's workout was a mishmash of all sorts of things I think are fun.
Handstands: about 5 minutes of handstand practice, including some attempts at handstand pushups.
T-pushups: where you do a full pushup, then shift your bodyweight to one arm and rotate so you're supporting yourself on one arm and both legs, with the other arm facing the ceiling (3 sets of 10)
Endless rope: 3 - 1 minute sprints -- HARD!!!
Front squats: 3 sets of 10 with a 24 pound body bar
Overhead squats: 3 sets of 10 with a 24 pound body bar
Lunge walks: 1 song's worth by the pool
Plank play: spent about 3 minutes in plank, playing with lifting a foot, bringing a knee in, etc. At end, abs were shakey, and that's all that matters, right?
Weight swings: 25 pound weight, 100 swings
I can tell that my energy isn't at 100% but just the fact that I wanted to workout is huge progress!
Monday, March 05, 2007
My head is a big pillow...
...but otherwise everything's ok. I'm battling a nasty head cold, using the time-tested formula of lots of vitamins, lots of Diet Mountain Dew, and lots of kleenex. I'd write more, but at the moment all I can think about is going to sleep. Yeah, I know it's only 8:10. Nighty night!
Friday, March 02, 2007
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Rock bags and Nike Marathon
The rock bags were a big hit yesterday. I put all nine of them at the base of the stairs. Initially I thought I'd have her bring all nine to the top of the stairs, but after just one trip up the stairs, it was evident I'd have to break it into sets. So I had her bring 3 bags up, then had her pull 3 bags (one at a time, sitting on BOSU), and then had her do a set of 10 counter pushups (using the counter in my laundry room, which is right next to the training room.) We did that sequence 3 times. She enjoyed it, and we'll be doing that whole sequence again!
So the Nike Women's Marathon and Half-Marathon is accepting registrations tomorrow (March 2) starting at 10:16 am. It's in San Francisco on October 21st (October is the best time to visit SF!). The course is supposed to be great. And you get a Tiffany-designed necklace and a special Nike technical t-shirt as your swag! Does anyone want to run with me? Irene is signed up (people who have run it before can sign up today -- lucky Irene!). My neighbor is signed up (lucky Jan!). I'm signing up for the half marathon -- I just don't have the desire to train for 26.2 miles. Well that and I just got back from running 7 miles and it was HARD!!! So yeah, 13.1 sounds about right. :)
So the Nike Women's Marathon and Half-Marathon is accepting registrations tomorrow (March 2) starting at 10:16 am. It's in San Francisco on October 21st (October is the best time to visit SF!). The course is supposed to be great. And you get a Tiffany-designed necklace and a special Nike technical t-shirt as your swag! Does anyone want to run with me? Irene is signed up (people who have run it before can sign up today -- lucky Irene!). My neighbor is signed up (lucky Jan!). I'm signing up for the half marathon -- I just don't have the desire to train for 26.2 miles. Well that and I just got back from running 7 miles and it was HARD!!! So yeah, 13.1 sounds about right. :)
Kickstands, handstands, and the Sacramento Kings
Kickstand lunges
Because you only use your back foot for balance, they feel a lot like pistols (single-leg squats) -- at least the top part of a pistol. The next day my entire lower body felt exerted, but it's hard to say which exercise hit which part. I love variations on lunges and squats, because especially for women, they seem to work the entire lower body in perfect proportion, as opposed to doing isolation exercises. Just my opinion though, and everyone has an opinion!
Handstands
So I got brave and tried handstands out in the great wide open (translation: not against a wall). Didn't go so well. I couldn't get my body to go into a forward roll, so I landed nearly flat on my back five times in a row. Yeah, it hurt a little -- thank goodness for the spongy flooring by the rock wall at my gym! Austin gave me a tip last night -- try to look at your toes as you come out of handstand. I'll let you know how that goes.
Also, I've found a few online bloggers who are working on handstands!!! I'm NOT the only one! One of these days I'm going to post links of what I read, and you'd better believe my fellow handstand people will be listed!
Sacramento Kings
Tim and I got to go out on the town last night. We headed to Bistro Midtown (Susan, if you're reading -- you'd LOVE IT! The design concept is strong and extends to every single aspect of the restaurant!) for dinner. Tried the Kobe mini-burgers as an appetizer, had salads and then split an order of salmon for dinner. Kings were on FIRE, and we had really good seats which made the game even better. And Mike Bibby was unstoppable on his three-point shots!
Bad news -- weighed myself this morning, and I'm over my own personal threshhold weight (possibly due to last night's eats), so it's time to tighten up the diet.
Getting Intentional
I think it's actually time to get intentional about life in general. Having a plan would be a good thing, rather than "Ummmm, I want to exercise, so what do I want to do?" every single time I workout. Having a food plan would be a good thing too. That's what I'm going to be working on in the next few days, and I'll be sure to keep you posted!
Because you only use your back foot for balance, they feel a lot like pistols (single-leg squats) -- at least the top part of a pistol. The next day my entire lower body felt exerted, but it's hard to say which exercise hit which part. I love variations on lunges and squats, because especially for women, they seem to work the entire lower body in perfect proportion, as opposed to doing isolation exercises. Just my opinion though, and everyone has an opinion!
Handstands
So I got brave and tried handstands out in the great wide open (translation: not against a wall). Didn't go so well. I couldn't get my body to go into a forward roll, so I landed nearly flat on my back five times in a row. Yeah, it hurt a little -- thank goodness for the spongy flooring by the rock wall at my gym! Austin gave me a tip last night -- try to look at your toes as you come out of handstand. I'll let you know how that goes.
Also, I've found a few online bloggers who are working on handstands!!! I'm NOT the only one! One of these days I'm going to post links of what I read, and you'd better believe my fellow handstand people will be listed!
Sacramento Kings
Tim and I got to go out on the town last night. We headed to Bistro Midtown (Susan, if you're reading -- you'd LOVE IT! The design concept is strong and extends to every single aspect of the restaurant!) for dinner. Tried the Kobe mini-burgers as an appetizer, had salads and then split an order of salmon for dinner. Kings were on FIRE, and we had really good seats which made the game even better. And Mike Bibby was unstoppable on his three-point shots!
Bad news -- weighed myself this morning, and I'm over my own personal threshhold weight (possibly due to last night's eats), so it's time to tighten up the diet.
Getting Intentional
I think it's actually time to get intentional about life in general. Having a plan would be a good thing, rather than "Ummmm, I want to exercise, so what do I want to do?" every single time I workout. Having a food plan would be a good thing too. That's what I'm going to be working on in the next few days, and I'll be sure to keep you posted!
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