Well, it didn't start out happy, but it's much better now. Although I was up at 5:15 and at the gym shortly after that (Cardio Coach and I did the ARC trainer today) and that usually starts things out well, the homemade (by me) chocolate chip cookies of last night messed with my mood. But I'm feeling better now, so a happy Monday it is.
GDE update: It's going well. Last night we had leftovers (spaghetti), mixed veggies, and ugly eggs (scrambled eggs w/fresh salsa and cheese mixed in -- a hit with the whole family). Tonight is a chicken stir-fry. The chicken's marinating in soy sauce, garlic, serrano chiles, and fresh ginger, and will be stir fried with broccoli, carrots, snow peas, and served with rice. And for tomorrow? Well, I'm not exactly that good at planning ahead -- YET!
About the cookies: Ok, so I kind of guilted myself (found out about a mom who makes cookies TWICE A WEEK!) into making homemade chocolate chip cookies on Thursday night. That's not a good thing to do when you're tired and hungry. But I did it, and didn't eat a single bit of the cookies, baked or unbaked. Then for having friends over Saturday night I decided to make more cookies -- this time some had Heath bar pieces in them, some had mini-Reeses, and some were plain old Toll-House cookies, which are my version of heaven on earth!
I've decided (this really does have to do with cookies!) that I'm not logging my food on weekends, but will still wear the bodybugg. And I'll eat healthy, but not try for huge calorie deficits, and will have a few indulgences. So Saturday night I ate maybe 3 cookies. And yesterday when out shopping, I had two pieces of chocolate. And last night when our family went out for frozen yogurt, I had a small yogurt with carob chips (my favorite).
But then it got to be late, and then I was irritated by something, and then I realized that we still had cookies. Maybe I had 5 or 6. I wouldn't care at all, except that I woke up STARVING, and in an awful hopeless mood. So yeah, maybe I need to remember this the next time I make cookies, which will be in 2008 based on this weekend's results!
Results: I hesitate to say anything (in case you really CAN jinx weight loss!) but in my month of wearing the bodybugg I've lost 5 pounds. That's with a week of NOT wearing the bugg while we were in Mexico, and for a few days after that. And these are 5 critical pounds that are making a world of difference in how I look and how my clothes fit. So a month ago I would weigh somewhere between 138 - 141 in the morning (I'm calling it 140). And Friday morning the scale said 135, a number I haven't seen since Women's Tri Fitness 2 years ago.
Science experiment: I'm shooting for 1700-1800 healthy calories today, with macros of about 40/30/30. Having the bodybugg and logging food makes me feel like my body is a science experiment that I can control. The last couple of weeks my fat has been below 20% and I'm noticing that the skin on my arms looks kind of dried out, which is not the look I'm going for. So I'm increasing fats, and I think I'm seeing a difference. What's fun is that I know how to make the changes I want to make. Am I sold on the bodybugg? You bet! Does everyone need one? Of course not! What it puts to rest for one and for all time is this: if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. It also puts to rest my of getting onto Survivor, just so that I could drop a quick 10 pounds! Yeah, like I'd be happy with the whole sleeping on the ground, being eaten by insects, no food thing -- I think not!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
The Great Dinner Experiment
I've adapted the name from Shelly's Great Breakfast Experiment, and as with anything new, whatever you need to do to make it happen is all good, right? And for me, having a real name for the projects, rather than thinking of it as "cook more dinners" makes it more fun. So the GDE is all about figuring out the answer to this question:
Can a too-busy family with a dinner-discouraged mom actually sit down to a home-cooked meal on a regular basis?
So far, the answer seems to be that with a little more planning and a little less denial, YES they can!
Tim and I had a discussion about this subject on Friday night. I've known that it would be nice for the family to have dinner together more. And I've heard all the parenting experts talk about how important it is to eat together. Over the years, though, I've let some circumstances get in the way of making dinners a priority. The roadblocks?
Put those all together, and dinners together become a thing of the past, unless they're eaten out.
There are some circumstances that work in my favor:
Well, so far, so good. Sunday night was a Mexican cornbread casserole. Monday was twice baked potatoes with broccoli & cheese. Tuesday was baked ziti (from the Nordstrom Family & Friends cookbook -- SO yummy!). Last night was our worst dinner of the week, but it was because Austin had to be at gymnastics at 5:00, Tucker had church at 6:30, and we had Bible study at 6:30. I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and we had that and salad and good bread. But I did make guacamole for the kids as a snack, and also made them smoothies.
A few random things that are helping with dinners for me:
Can a too-busy family with a dinner-discouraged mom actually sit down to a home-cooked meal on a regular basis?
So far, the answer seems to be that with a little more planning and a little less denial, YES they can!
Tim and I had a discussion about this subject on Friday night. I've known that it would be nice for the family to have dinner together more. And I've heard all the parenting experts talk about how important it is to eat together. Over the years, though, I've let some circumstances get in the way of making dinners a priority. The roadblocks?
- Two kids who practice gymnastics 4 (Tucker) and 5 (Austin) nights a week and are not home at dinnertime.
- A mom who transports those kids (30 minutes round trip) once or twice a day.
- A husband who comes home sometime between 4:00 and 7:30, depending on what's happening at work.
- A husband who sometimes likes to workout before eating, and sometimes likes to workout after eating.
- A wife who feels like cooking is a lot of work and it just creates a big mess for her to clean up, and who honestly is just fine with a nice bowl of cereal whose name is dinner!
Put those all together, and dinners together become a thing of the past, unless they're eaten out.
There are some circumstances that work in my favor:
- I am a good cook.
- I enjoy the process of cooking once I actually get into it.
- I have lots of good cookbooks with lots of good recipes.
Well, so far, so good. Sunday night was a Mexican cornbread casserole. Monday was twice baked potatoes with broccoli & cheese. Tuesday was baked ziti (from the Nordstrom Family & Friends cookbook -- SO yummy!). Last night was our worst dinner of the week, but it was because Austin had to be at gymnastics at 5:00, Tucker had church at 6:30, and we had Bible study at 6:30. I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and we had that and salad and good bread. But I did make guacamole for the kids as a snack, and also made them smoothies.
A few random things that are helping with dinners for me:
- Cloth napkins. I have some in really great colors (what a surprise!) and they make dinner feel nicer to me.
- Music. We have a playlist on iTunes on the kitchen computer titled "Family Dinner." It makes the time feel so nice. We all contributed to the songs in the list (and Austin published the list on iTunes as "Family dinner!").
- Setting the table early. Just having that done makes it feel like dinner's going to happen, and that's good.
Eating and Moving
Yesterday I decided to go for a smaller calorie deficit. Lobo is right -- a 2000 calorie difference between calories in and calories out is really tough, and I'm concerned that I'm setting myself up for a complete and total binge. So I ended yesterday with a 1200 calorie deficit, which is way more doable, although I have to say that even though I ate almost 2000 calories total, I was hungry virtually every second of the day. Here's what was on the menu:
Breakfast:
Protein & water
Fish oil capsule/Viactiv
Snack:
Smoothie at home of 1/2 banana, 1 cup blackberries, protein, water
1 ounce raw almonds
Lunch:
Yummy burrito
Fresh salsa
Apple
Snack:
Protein & water
Baby carrots
1 ounce raisins
Dinner:
3 oz chicken breast
Mixed greens salad (a LOT) with Newman's Own Light Balsamic Dressing
Snack:
Fiber One cereal & Vanilla Soy Milk
1 slice 7-Grain bread w/1 Tablespoon sunflower seed butter (YUM!) and 1 Tablespoon honey (double YUM!)
Macros:
Protein 28%
Carbs: 54%
Fat: 18%
On the workout side of things, I went to the gym in the morning. Did 100 pound leg press, doubles, singles, and played with tempo. Then did handstands and forward rolls. And then Cardio Coach on the ARC trainer. And last night while Tim and I watched Criminal Minds, I played around with crunches and plank variations for abs.
That's my accountability for yesterday. As much as writing all this down makes me feel bad for anyone who reads my blog (just look away if you're bored, ok?!) and doesn't want this level of detail, I will say that I did not impulsively buy a candy bar the other day because 1) I didn't want to enter it on the Apex website, and 2) I didn't want to have to include it in my stats.
One final thing -- I can tell I'm losing weight and getting into new territory that I haven't been in since the WTF competition in 2005! Waist, hips, and thighs are tighter, arm definition is more apparent, and I can see my abs more than ever. So even when I'm feeling a little deprived (like when rest of family had cinnamon rolls the other night and I had Fiber One and soy milk), I'm convinced that what I'm doing is working. Next weigh-in is Saturday...
Breakfast:
Protein & water
Fish oil capsule/Viactiv
Snack:
Smoothie at home of 1/2 banana, 1 cup blackberries, protein, water
1 ounce raw almonds
Lunch:
Yummy burrito
Fresh salsa
Apple
Snack:
Protein & water
Baby carrots
1 ounce raisins
Dinner:
3 oz chicken breast
Mixed greens salad (a LOT) with Newman's Own Light Balsamic Dressing
Snack:
Fiber One cereal & Vanilla Soy Milk
1 slice 7-Grain bread w/1 Tablespoon sunflower seed butter (YUM!) and 1 Tablespoon honey (double YUM!)
Macros:
Protein 28%
Carbs: 54%
Fat: 18%
On the workout side of things, I went to the gym in the morning. Did 100 pound leg press, doubles, singles, and played with tempo. Then did handstands and forward rolls. And then Cardio Coach on the ARC trainer. And last night while Tim and I watched Criminal Minds, I played around with crunches and plank variations for abs.
That's my accountability for yesterday. As much as writing all this down makes me feel bad for anyone who reads my blog (just look away if you're bored, ok?!) and doesn't want this level of detail, I will say that I did not impulsively buy a candy bar the other day because 1) I didn't want to enter it on the Apex website, and 2) I didn't want to have to include it in my stats.
One final thing -- I can tell I'm losing weight and getting into new territory that I haven't been in since the WTF competition in 2005! Waist, hips, and thighs are tighter, arm definition is more apparent, and I can see my abs more than ever. So even when I'm feeling a little deprived (like when rest of family had cinnamon rolls the other night and I had Fiber One and soy milk), I'm convinced that what I'm doing is working. Next weigh-in is Saturday...
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Ridiculously happy things
It goes without saying that my husband and my kids are the best thing in my life, and they make me happy. And I really do believe that the most important things are NOT things. But you know how everyone has little things that make them a ridiculously happy? Well, here are a few of mine...
Now let me tell you what I love about it. Let's start with the flowers. I have never had flowers like these because I've never known what to plant, and I'm way too cheap to buy more than a few 6-packs at $2.49, because annuals don't last. Well, we had someone come in and plant these and I can't tell you the pleasure I get from them.
Next up is the blue front door and the blue bench. I smile every time I see them. Again, ridiculous happiness.
Also, I love our house numbers. They're quirky and fun. And the windchimes make the most beautiful sound.
Finally, what you can't see in the big picture is Walter (Tucker named him), the front porch flying pig. Here's Walter in all his glory:
- Freshly sharpened pencils. Because I press so hard when I write, pencils get dull really quickly. So I love freshly sharpened ones (even though I always break off the very tip with the first word I write).
- My new pens. These are called Profile by Papermate, and they have nice fat tips (works well with the insane amount of pressure I put on writing instruments of all kinds!) and the ink colors are the colors of the pens. Aren't they cute?
- My trailer hitch cover. I drive a small SUV and it has a trailer hitch, and for the longest time I've wanted to get a hitch cover. But I don't want one that says the make of the car, or a boat propeller (because if you don't own a boat, it doesn't work, you know?). It was a happy day when I found this flower hitch cover. It goes great with my "Whatever you are, be a good one!" license plate frame!
- Marcia Brady on Celebrity Fit Club. I wanted to be Marcia in the worst way when I was growing up. I had long straight hair (as did nearly every other in the early 70s), and that's where the resemblance ended, but it didn't stop me from thinking she was the grooviest around. So I loved when I saw she would be on Celebrity Fit Club. But the little bit of it I watched with her in it had me a little nauseated, cuz she just a little too "Pollyana" for me. But I'll keep watching!
- Work Out. Again with the TV here, I LOVE to watch Work Out. The people are fascinating and the trainer/client interactions give me plenty of food for thought, as well as more ideas for future workouts.
- My front porch. Here's the picture:
Now let me tell you what I love about it. Let's start with the flowers. I have never had flowers like these because I've never known what to plant, and I'm way too cheap to buy more than a few 6-packs at $2.49, because annuals don't last. Well, we had someone come in and plant these and I can't tell you the pleasure I get from them.
Next up is the blue front door and the blue bench. I smile every time I see them. Again, ridiculous happiness.
Also, I love our house numbers. They're quirky and fun. And the windchimes make the most beautiful sound.
Finally, what you can't see in the big picture is Walter (Tucker named him), the front porch flying pig. Here's Walter in all his glory:
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
P.S.
I finished my training form and I'm so happy with it! If anyone knows how to post a word document in Blogger, let me know and I'll put it on the weblog. Otherwise, give me your email address and I'll send you a copy!
Checking in
Tracy's question regarding not logging fish oil or Viactiv ("What's the resistance about?") was a good one. And after doing some thinking (the resistance has to do with wanting to live in a fantasy world of food, where calories you don't want to eat, but eat for health, don't count, and where you get credited negative calories for all tempting foods you resist), I decided to enter both.
So I ended yesterday with a 2012 calorie deficit, taking in 1416, and burning 3428. Not surprisingly, I woke up in the middle of the night absolutely starving. Protein powder and water to the rescue, and I was back to sleep.
I really don't know if I want to write daily. Up till now, my weblog strategy has been this: I write if I have something to say and I have the time to say it. Which accounts for why some days I write 3 times, and then it's 3 days till my next update (which averages once a day, really!). But for today, yeah I'm writing.
Here's today's food log thusfar:
Breakfast:
2 servings protein powder (one in the middle of the night!)
fish oil capsule
Viactiv
Snack:
1 cup broccoli
1 cup carrots
Lunch:
my yummy burrito
fresh salsa
Snack:
PowerBar Protein Plus
2 oz wheatgrass juice
1 oz raisins
For dinner it's Baked Ziti. We're eating late (9:00 pm) tonight because Tim's golfing, and Austin has gymnastics till 8:30. The dinner strategy will be all about portion control, cuz I can tell that even though this is a new recipe, it's gonna be yummy!
Today's exercise was fun -- it was an hour-long hill walk with Colette! Great company, great weather, and a killer walk -- lots to love about that.
So I ended yesterday with a 2012 calorie deficit, taking in 1416, and burning 3428. Not surprisingly, I woke up in the middle of the night absolutely starving. Protein powder and water to the rescue, and I was back to sleep.
I really don't know if I want to write daily. Up till now, my weblog strategy has been this: I write if I have something to say and I have the time to say it. Which accounts for why some days I write 3 times, and then it's 3 days till my next update (which averages once a day, really!). But for today, yeah I'm writing.
Here's today's food log thusfar:
Breakfast:
2 servings protein powder (one in the middle of the night!)
fish oil capsule
Viactiv
Snack:
1 cup broccoli
1 cup carrots
Lunch:
my yummy burrito
fresh salsa
Snack:
PowerBar Protein Plus
2 oz wheatgrass juice
1 oz raisins
For dinner it's Baked Ziti. We're eating late (9:00 pm) tonight because Tim's golfing, and Austin has gymnastics till 8:30. The dinner strategy will be all about portion control, cuz I can tell that even though this is a new recipe, it's gonna be yummy!
Today's exercise was fun -- it was an hour-long hill walk with Colette! Great company, great weather, and a killer walk -- lots to love about that.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Accountability
So I'm back to logging what I eat in the bodybugg program. Turns out that just tracking activity, while keeping me on track for the exercise part of things, doesn't do much in terms of keeping calories in check.
But speaking of staying active and eating clean and stuff, what's up with how strange the scale is? The other day, I weighed 136.5 in the late afternoon. The next morning I was 138.5. (Maybe I'm weighing too often???) I think I'm going to weigh once a week, on Friday mornings.
Back to accountability (my mind is really scattered right now, I have some itchy insect bites that are not helping matters, AND my son is playing his favorite music [alternative rock] right next to me) I'm CONSIDERING committing to writing every day, and including what I ate, and my activity level. (Ok, got some Benadryl itch stuff, which should help.) What I will NEVER include in my food logs, though, are my one fish oil capsule per day (20 calories) and my one Viactiv calcium (also 20 calories). So any calorie counts are 40 calories low, and I DON'T CARE!
Calories burned: 3149 (will probably be 3300 by day's end)
Calories consumed: 1263 (this is way lower than normal -- I'm usually right around 2000 per day)
What I ate:
Breakfast: Protein & water
Snack: 2 oz wheatgrass
Protein & water
1 orange
Lunch: My yummy burrito (from Costco -- perfect in every way!)
fresh salsa
1 cup blackberries
Snack: 1 tablespoon Better n Peanut Butter
Dinner: 1/2 of a twice-baked potato (made w/broccoli, cheddar cheese, & milk)
fresh carrots
fresh tomatoes
Snack: 1 cup Fiber One cereal
1 cup Vanilla Soy Milk
As per the bodybugg website, my macro ratios (are you asleep yet?) are as follows:
Protein: 25%
Carbs: 58%
Fats: 17%
Hmmmm ... I don't know if I want to enter what I eat on the Apex website (although that's really easy to do) and THEN type it here. But if it helps to keep me on track.
Oh, other than the fish oil and the Viactiv, there's one more thing I ate today that I'm not posting. I found 4 Sweet Tarts in my car (they were still in the wrapper) and I ate them all. And Apex doesn't seem to have Sweet Tarts listed in their foods. What a rebel I am -- they were delicious!
But speaking of staying active and eating clean and stuff, what's up with how strange the scale is? The other day, I weighed 136.5 in the late afternoon. The next morning I was 138.5. (Maybe I'm weighing too often???) I think I'm going to weigh once a week, on Friday mornings.
Back to accountability (my mind is really scattered right now, I have some itchy insect bites that are not helping matters, AND my son is playing his favorite music [alternative rock] right next to me) I'm CONSIDERING committing to writing every day, and including what I ate, and my activity level. (Ok, got some Benadryl itch stuff, which should help.) What I will NEVER include in my food logs, though, are my one fish oil capsule per day (20 calories) and my one Viactiv calcium (also 20 calories). So any calorie counts are 40 calories low, and I DON'T CARE!
Calories burned: 3149 (will probably be 3300 by day's end)
Calories consumed: 1263 (this is way lower than normal -- I'm usually right around 2000 per day)
What I ate:
Breakfast: Protein & water
Snack: 2 oz wheatgrass
Protein & water
1 orange
Lunch: My yummy burrito (from Costco -- perfect in every way!)
fresh salsa
1 cup blackberries
Snack: 1 tablespoon Better n Peanut Butter
Dinner: 1/2 of a twice-baked potato (made w/broccoli, cheddar cheese, & milk)
fresh carrots
fresh tomatoes
Snack: 1 cup Fiber One cereal
1 cup Vanilla Soy Milk
As per the bodybugg website, my macro ratios (are you asleep yet?) are as follows:
Protein: 25%
Carbs: 58%
Fats: 17%
Hmmmm ... I don't know if I want to enter what I eat on the Apex website (although that's really easy to do) and THEN type it here. But if it helps to keep me on track.
Oh, other than the fish oil and the Viactiv, there's one more thing I ate today that I'm not posting. I found 4 Sweet Tarts in my car (they were still in the wrapper) and I ate them all. And Apex doesn't seem to have Sweet Tarts listed in their foods. What a rebel I am -- they were delicious!
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The pictures I promised!
The camera made it home from Tim's trip safe and sound, and here are some pictures from our trip. I must confess that we're way better at taking pictures of our kids or whole family pictures than we are at taking shots of the two of us. And I still long for a "younger/thinner" button -- but maybe everyone's super critical of what they look like in pictures, right?
This one was taken in Playa del Carmen. It was 90 degrees with what felt like 90% humidity. Thank goodness for Secret Clinical!!
Here's my handsome husband playing pool boy, with Pepsi Light and snacks. Does it get any better than this?
Another shot of Tim, who was an all-league water polo goalie in high school. He really saved the day for his team in Mexico too!
This picture was taken today, many hours after a workout, on a day when it seemed right to just stay in workout clothes to garden, do laundry, and putter around the house. And yep, that's the bodybugg on my right arm. I'm hoping today's calories burned is higher than yesterday's sitting on my butt number!
This one was taken in Playa del Carmen. It was 90 degrees with what felt like 90% humidity. Thank goodness for Secret Clinical!!
Here's my handsome husband playing pool boy, with Pepsi Light and snacks. Does it get any better than this?
Another shot of Tim, who was an all-league water polo goalie in high school. He really saved the day for his team in Mexico too!
This picture was taken today, many hours after a workout, on a day when it seemed right to just stay in workout clothes to garden, do laundry, and putter around the house. And yep, that's the bodybugg on my right arm. I'm hoping today's calories burned is higher than yesterday's sitting on my butt number!
Observations and opinions
- Working at my desk on my husband's expenses, the never-ending papers from kids classrooms, and various piles of stuff does NOT burn many calories at all, as confirmed by my bodybugg yesterday.
- I love the idea of organic, vegetarian, chemical-free everything. But I also love Diet Mountain Dew, lots of caffeine, and artificial citrus scents, a la AirWick Sparkling Citrus plug-ins.
- Staying at home and getting a little bored, but not falling into the "my life is boring and I'm depressed" mindset is an awesome way to get lots and lots of the little stuff done.
- Sometimes (like right now) living in boyland is tough. Sometimes (like most of the time) it's delightful. What am I going to do about it? In a few minutes, Tim and I are heading to Costco, like everyone else in Placer County does on a Sunday afternoon.
- I'm really really happy the school lockdowns are over now that the man making the threats was apprehended. Turns out that the worst of it was Thursday, when coincidentally, I was at the elementary school from 11:00 till 2:20. I feel relieved to have been with one of my kids that day, even though I didn't know what was going on at the time.
- Lots of my on-line friends are using Tony of DreamBodies for on-line training, and are getting wonderful results. He has most of them drink an apple cider vinegar and lemon juice shot several times a day. I think (just my opinion) that the benefit of the acv/lj concoction is that it reminds you that you are on a program and helps you to stay on track. I'd be surprised if it actually has fat-burning properties. But (true confession) I occasionally mix myself the acv/lj concoction, just in case it really does do something magical!
- Next time I write, pictures!
Friday, April 20, 2007
The quickest update ever
1. Not accepting new clients because I need to get my "infrastructure" in place. Currently working on a training form (I'm having so much perfectionistic fun lining up the columns and centering the headings and deciding how it's going to look). Next project is tri-fold brochure. My business name is "Lift Personal Fitness Training" and the tag-line underneath the name is "A FRESH approach to fitness." FRESH is an acronym, but I can't decide on all the words. Here are the current candidates:
F = fun (no other candidates here, it HAS to be fun!)
R = rejuvinating? realistic?
E = energy-producing? encouraging?
S = supportive?
H = honest? holistic? HELP!!!
If you have any ideas, I'd LOVE to hear them!!!
Brochure will also include cancellation policy, rates, workout overview, and who knows what else.
2. (Ok, so maybe I lied about this being the quickest update every, as it's already getting long...) Here's last night's workout:
Run 1 mile (warmup)
5 rounds of:
20 ball crunches
20 pushups
10 pull-up negatives
10 lat pull downs
20 step ups (to a 16" step, using 15 pound weights)
20 kettlebell swings (20 lb kettlebell)
What I like about workouts like these is that I can do what I like (ball crunches, kb swings, step ups) in bigger sets, e.g. 60 kb swings cuz they're fun, and do what I don't like as much (pushups!) at the end. Or however I want to work it.
3. I have a problem that I need to work on, which is going to get its own post out of respect and seriousness. The problem is FAMILY DINNERS and I need to figure out a new way to do them (as opposed to pretending dinnertime doesn't exist!).
4. Bodybugg update -- I'm wearing it again, but trying something different. I want to see how it works if I don't enter my food, but just let the Apex program estimate how much I'm consuming, based on my activity, and my weight changes week-to-week.
Kristin asked for more info about the bodybugg. It's not bulky to wear (it's like wearing an iPod mini on your upper arm), and I actually like the feeling of it, because knowing I have it on reminds me to keep moving and to make good food choices. It doesn't buzz or make noise unless you set it to have reminders, in which case it does sound a chime or something -- not loud, not annoying. You can't get it wet, so you can't use it to track swimming calories, and you have to take it off when you shower. Overall, I'm impressed with it. I could see wearing it all the time while trying to lose weight, then wearing it one week out of every month just to stay on track.
5. School lockdowns -- Colette and I live within 10 minutes of each other, and I'm sad about what's happening here. We've opted to not tell our kids about the threats, because there is nothing they can do about it, and I don't want to make school frightening for them. With all that goes on in the world, the only things that make sense to me are to pray continually, love your family, and (yes, we're back to my favorite quote) "Whatever you are, be a good one!" Or as Ghandi said (another favorite quote) "Be the change that you want to see in the world."
F = fun (no other candidates here, it HAS to be fun!)
R = rejuvinating? realistic?
E = energy-producing? encouraging?
S = supportive?
H = honest? holistic? HELP!!!
If you have any ideas, I'd LOVE to hear them!!!
Brochure will also include cancellation policy, rates, workout overview, and who knows what else.
2. (Ok, so maybe I lied about this being the quickest update every, as it's already getting long...) Here's last night's workout:
Run 1 mile (warmup)
5 rounds of:
20 ball crunches
20 pushups
10 pull-up negatives
10 lat pull downs
20 step ups (to a 16" step, using 15 pound weights)
20 kettlebell swings (20 lb kettlebell)
What I like about workouts like these is that I can do what I like (ball crunches, kb swings, step ups) in bigger sets, e.g. 60 kb swings cuz they're fun, and do what I don't like as much (pushups!) at the end. Or however I want to work it.
3. I have a problem that I need to work on, which is going to get its own post out of respect and seriousness. The problem is FAMILY DINNERS and I need to figure out a new way to do them (as opposed to pretending dinnertime doesn't exist!).
4. Bodybugg update -- I'm wearing it again, but trying something different. I want to see how it works if I don't enter my food, but just let the Apex program estimate how much I'm consuming, based on my activity, and my weight changes week-to-week.
Kristin asked for more info about the bodybugg. It's not bulky to wear (it's like wearing an iPod mini on your upper arm), and I actually like the feeling of it, because knowing I have it on reminds me to keep moving and to make good food choices. It doesn't buzz or make noise unless you set it to have reminders, in which case it does sound a chime or something -- not loud, not annoying. You can't get it wet, so you can't use it to track swimming calories, and you have to take it off when you shower. Overall, I'm impressed with it. I could see wearing it all the time while trying to lose weight, then wearing it one week out of every month just to stay on track.
5. School lockdowns -- Colette and I live within 10 minutes of each other, and I'm sad about what's happening here. We've opted to not tell our kids about the threats, because there is nothing they can do about it, and I don't want to make school frightening for them. With all that goes on in the world, the only things that make sense to me are to pray continually, love your family, and (yes, we're back to my favorite quote) "Whatever you are, be a good one!" Or as Ghandi said (another favorite quote) "Be the change that you want to see in the world."
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Too much!
Don't ever take too many days off from writing in your blog, cuz then you have WAY TOO MANY THINGS swirling around in your head, and it gets overwhelming to even consider writing.
But I'm here. And I'm writing. I'm listening to "Father Figure" by George Michael -- guess I needed a late 80s fix. I also had 1/2 of a movie-sized box of Dots candy for dinner. I don't even really LIKE Dots, but there they were at the Circuit City cash register (electronics stores should NOT sell candy!) and I was hungry.... Guess I'll use the sugar to fuel tomorrow's workout.
Ok so yeah, MATT, I did go somewhere, and that somewhere is Mexico! We stayed at Adventure Spa Palace in Playa del Carmen. The resort was huge and everything was included, from the bottled water and Pepsi Light (hooray!) to the upside-down bottles of tequila, rum, and whiskey in your room (wasted on us, as we are non drinkers!). It was a work trip, so Tim had some meetings to attend, and one day rather than working out, I laid in a hammock for about 3 hours and read a book -- sheer heaven! (The book, "Eat, Pray, Love" is wonderful, and I finished it on the trip. Lots to think about and re-read from the author's year-long trip to Italy, India, and Indonesia.)
We only took a few pictures, but Tim took the camera to Palm Springs where he's golfing this week, so I can't post them yet. But I have to tell you about a nice compliment I received. We went to the fitness center. Tim was on the treadmill, and I was in the group exercise room. I'd found a jump rope, and I was doing circuits of jumping rope, jumps onto the stage (at about 20" tall, this was the hardest thing), pushups, and dips. One of the instructors approached me, and said in heavily accented English, "You like the fitness, right?" I said, "Yes, I do like fitness." He said, "I hope you do not mind if I say this, but you have a beautiful body." Note to any 20-something guy who wants to say anything nice to a 40-something : bring it on, baby! Then he repeated the compliment, and left, and I attacked my workout with a vengeance.
It was easy to eat well on the trip, if eating well includes chocolate with every dinner (and to my way of thinking, it does!). Fresh fruit and eggs for breakfast. Salad and salmon for lunch. But traveling 12 hours one day, to stay 2 days, then repeating the travel route the next day was a little too much for me. So on the return trip, I ate anything I wanted to, in a deliberate conscious effort to numb my feelings. And it worked.
But now I'm back on the wagon, so to speak (minus the Dots of tonight's dinner). And I'm putting on the bodybugg again tomorrow, hoping to get into the low 130s by summer.
In non-fitness stuff, I'm attacking a couple of organizing projects that have things strewn around everywhere. Actually, it's just one project that I'm tackling, and it's called "my books." I LOVE books. My husband thinks I have an Amazon addiction, but I think addiction is a very negative word. I just like presents. And when UPS comes to the door with a present, well it's really a happy thing.
Ok, so seriously, I do have lots of books. Virtually all of them are non-fiction. I read at least 1/2 of each of them, and because they're non-fiction, I re-read them. But I've never taken the time to categorize them and make them available in a non-secretive sort of way. So that's what I'm working on, and doing it while Tim's gone is perfect, because I've got them scattered all around our bedroom in piles (fitness, parenting, organization, cookbooks, vegetarian/raw eating, and spirit are the names of the biggest piles). Tim's a little (LOT) more organized than I am, so having piles of books around the perimeter of the bedroom probably wouldn't make him a happy guy, so this is a good project to tackle while he's gone.
When I write next I'll explain why I'm not accepting any new clients at this time (no, I'm not training like 100 people or anything -- and it's really a good thing too!), and start to put down my thoughts on how I'm going to train for the Nike half-marathon (I'm SO excited!!!).
But I'm here. And I'm writing. I'm listening to "Father Figure" by George Michael -- guess I needed a late 80s fix. I also had 1/2 of a movie-sized box of Dots candy for dinner. I don't even really LIKE Dots, but there they were at the Circuit City cash register (electronics stores should NOT sell candy!) and I was hungry.... Guess I'll use the sugar to fuel tomorrow's workout.
Ok so yeah, MATT, I did go somewhere, and that somewhere is Mexico! We stayed at Adventure Spa Palace in Playa del Carmen. The resort was huge and everything was included, from the bottled water and Pepsi Light (hooray!) to the upside-down bottles of tequila, rum, and whiskey in your room (wasted on us, as we are non drinkers!). It was a work trip, so Tim had some meetings to attend, and one day rather than working out, I laid in a hammock for about 3 hours and read a book -- sheer heaven! (The book, "Eat, Pray, Love" is wonderful, and I finished it on the trip. Lots to think about and re-read from the author's year-long trip to Italy, India, and Indonesia.)
We only took a few pictures, but Tim took the camera to Palm Springs where he's golfing this week, so I can't post them yet. But I have to tell you about a nice compliment I received. We went to the fitness center. Tim was on the treadmill, and I was in the group exercise room. I'd found a jump rope, and I was doing circuits of jumping rope, jumps onto the stage (at about 20" tall, this was the hardest thing), pushups, and dips. One of the instructors approached me, and said in heavily accented English, "You like the fitness, right?" I said, "Yes, I do like fitness." He said, "I hope you do not mind if I say this, but you have a beautiful body." Note to any 20-something guy who wants to say anything nice to a 40-something : bring it on, baby! Then he repeated the compliment, and left, and I attacked my workout with a vengeance.
It was easy to eat well on the trip, if eating well includes chocolate with every dinner (and to my way of thinking, it does!). Fresh fruit and eggs for breakfast. Salad and salmon for lunch. But traveling 12 hours one day, to stay 2 days, then repeating the travel route the next day was a little too much for me. So on the return trip, I ate anything I wanted to, in a deliberate conscious effort to numb my feelings. And it worked.
But now I'm back on the wagon, so to speak (minus the Dots of tonight's dinner). And I'm putting on the bodybugg again tomorrow, hoping to get into the low 130s by summer.
In non-fitness stuff, I'm attacking a couple of organizing projects that have things strewn around everywhere. Actually, it's just one project that I'm tackling, and it's called "my books." I LOVE books. My husband thinks I have an Amazon addiction, but I think addiction is a very negative word. I just like presents. And when UPS comes to the door with a present, well it's really a happy thing.
Ok, so seriously, I do have lots of books. Virtually all of them are non-fiction. I read at least 1/2 of each of them, and because they're non-fiction, I re-read them. But I've never taken the time to categorize them and make them available in a non-secretive sort of way. So that's what I'm working on, and doing it while Tim's gone is perfect, because I've got them scattered all around our bedroom in piles (fitness, parenting, organization, cookbooks, vegetarian/raw eating, and spirit are the names of the biggest piles). Tim's a little (LOT) more organized than I am, so having piles of books around the perimeter of the bedroom probably wouldn't make him a happy guy, so this is a good project to tackle while he's gone.
When I write next I'll explain why I'm not accepting any new clients at this time (no, I'm not training like 100 people or anything -- and it's really a good thing too!), and start to put down my thoughts on how I'm going to train for the Nike half-marathon (I'm SO excited!!!).
Monday, April 16, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Hasta la Vista!
I'm off to Mexico in the (very early -- 4:30 am!) morning, heading to Playa del Carmen with my main man! So today is feeling crazy as I prepare to be gone for (are you ready?) FOUR WHOLE DAYS AWAY FROM MY KIDS! Gosh, with the internal turmoil I feel, you'd think we were leaving for four months. Breathe in. Breathe out. Sip Diet Mountain Dew. Repeat. :)
Yesterday's workout was FUN! It was the kids last day of spring break, so again I took them to the skate park. But this time I brought 4 of my weight bags (10 pounds each) and my backpack. And I did every variation of lunges, squats, deadlifts, pushups, and dips that you can think of. I've been taking Glutamine before each and every workout for the past week and a half, and today I'm not very sore, which is shocking because the workout was HARD! So maybe Glutamine helps with recovery??? Two things are noteworthy from yesterday: 1) I did 2 LONG sets of squats using all 4 weight bags. 2) I did 10 pushups (hands on a bench, so elevated, but still) with 20 pounds of weight in my backpack. That made me feel STRONG!
On the bodybugg front, I don't know if it's the accountability, or the twice a day workouts most days, or what, but I've dropped three pounds and all my clothes are loose, which is a great way to feel when you're heading out of town. Am I taking the bugg on vacation? Heck no!
Anything else? Guess not. Be good and enjoy spring!
Yesterday's workout was FUN! It was the kids last day of spring break, so again I took them to the skate park. But this time I brought 4 of my weight bags (10 pounds each) and my backpack. And I did every variation of lunges, squats, deadlifts, pushups, and dips that you can think of. I've been taking Glutamine before each and every workout for the past week and a half, and today I'm not very sore, which is shocking because the workout was HARD! So maybe Glutamine helps with recovery??? Two things are noteworthy from yesterday: 1) I did 2 LONG sets of squats using all 4 weight bags. 2) I did 10 pushups (hands on a bench, so elevated, but still) with 20 pounds of weight in my backpack. That made me feel STRONG!
On the bodybugg front, I don't know if it's the accountability, or the twice a day workouts most days, or what, but I've dropped three pounds and all my clothes are loose, which is a great way to feel when you're heading out of town. Am I taking the bugg on vacation? Heck no!
Anything else? Guess not. Be good and enjoy spring!
Monday, April 09, 2007
I'm IN!
Just found out tonight that I got chosen for the Nike Women's Half Marathon!!! My excitement is only slightly diminished by the bodyslug saying I only burn 4.9 calories per minute when dancing wildly through the house and jumping on the couches. It feels like TONS more!
October 21st, I'm running 13.1 miles in San Francisco, and I am SO wearing the Tiffany finishers necklace with pride!
October 21st, I'm running 13.1 miles in San Francisco, and I am SO wearing the Tiffany finishers necklace with pride!
Friday, April 06, 2007
Good things
1. After a completely discouraging Wednesday where my kids couldn't find a single thing they liked about each other, which made me want to turn in my mom badge and run away, yesterday was a good day.
2. I've found an amazing deodorant. Much as I wish I was one of those s who "glows" when she exercises, that's just not me. When I saw the ads for Secret Clinical Strength I decided to give it a try, and it works!
3. My 11-year-old client is doing great. In fact, her mom told me that her friends and family are noticing that she's losing weight. I am SO proud of her! And I've found a great way to train her -- we work out together. No, this isn't a way for me to sneak in some more activity, I promise! But the "you do pushups, then I do pushups" strategy really seems to work. Lots of laughter, lots of fun.
4. The class at Whole Foods was really good. (Greg -- I can't believe you almost went to that class and live there. That's where I grew up, and my parents are still over by Rio!) The instructor was vegan and eats almost 100% raw, but was NOT a freak about it, which was so very nice! She talked about enzymes in our food and why it's important to eat as much raw food as you can. Based on her recommendation, I tried soaking my raw almonds (to remove the bitter brown coating that denatures their natural enzymes) and plan to keep doing that. And I'm becoming more aware of eating fruits and veggies. If only I didn't have a nagging suspicion that Diet Mountain Dew is probably not full of enzymes and recommended in a whole-foods diet!
5. Bodybugg is still going well. After a week of averaging an 800 calorie deficit per day (eating around 2000, burning 2800 - 3000), my waist is more defined, thighs are leaner, and I'm feeling a little tighter all over. But my weight had not changed a bit. So I decided (after reading several blogs where people are doing this) to try a fiberous carb day yesterday. It was hard, but doable. Calories were right around 1300 and carbs were under 100 g. I didn't die of hunger. And the scale was 3 pounds lighter this morning. Which proves that so much of our weight is based on the water we hold. It was nice to see a dramatic scale change, but since I just had 1/3 of a cup of oatmeal, and plan to drink lots of water (as always) today, I'm sure the low weight won't last. Maybe I should have taken a picture...
6. Speaking of pictures, I WILL take pictures in Mexico and post them.
7. Matt, your comment just cracked me up! I plan to tell each and every client that my workouts come with the "Brit-man seal of approval!"
8. I got to talk to Eileen! We email back and forth when blog posts and commenting aren't enough, and last night we got to talk. I called during the worst possible time for a mom -- late afternoon when the kids are usually hungry and tired -- so shame on me, because I knew it might not be ideal. But we got a few minutes on the phone, and it was just so nice to hear her voice -- hooray!
2. I've found an amazing deodorant. Much as I wish I was one of those s who "glows" when she exercises, that's just not me. When I saw the ads for Secret Clinical Strength I decided to give it a try, and it works!
3. My 11-year-old client is doing great. In fact, her mom told me that her friends and family are noticing that she's losing weight. I am SO proud of her! And I've found a great way to train her -- we work out together. No, this isn't a way for me to sneak in some more activity, I promise! But the "you do pushups, then I do pushups" strategy really seems to work. Lots of laughter, lots of fun.
4. The class at Whole Foods was really good. (Greg -- I can't believe you almost went to that class and live there. That's where I grew up, and my parents are still over by Rio!) The instructor was vegan and eats almost 100% raw, but was NOT a freak about it, which was so very nice! She talked about enzymes in our food and why it's important to eat as much raw food as you can. Based on her recommendation, I tried soaking my raw almonds (to remove the bitter brown coating that denatures their natural enzymes) and plan to keep doing that. And I'm becoming more aware of eating fruits and veggies. If only I didn't have a nagging suspicion that Diet Mountain Dew is probably not full of enzymes and recommended in a whole-foods diet!
5. Bodybugg is still going well. After a week of averaging an 800 calorie deficit per day (eating around 2000, burning 2800 - 3000), my waist is more defined, thighs are leaner, and I'm feeling a little tighter all over. But my weight had not changed a bit. So I decided (after reading several blogs where people are doing this) to try a fiberous carb day yesterday. It was hard, but doable. Calories were right around 1300 and carbs were under 100 g. I didn't die of hunger. And the scale was 3 pounds lighter this morning. Which proves that so much of our weight is based on the water we hold. It was nice to see a dramatic scale change, but since I just had 1/3 of a cup of oatmeal, and plan to drink lots of water (as always) today, I'm sure the low weight won't last. Maybe I should have taken a picture...
6. Speaking of pictures, I WILL take pictures in Mexico and post them.
7. Matt, your comment just cracked me up! I plan to tell each and every client that my workouts come with the "Brit-man seal of approval!"
8. I got to talk to Eileen! We email back and forth when blog posts and commenting aren't enough, and last night we got to talk. I called during the worst possible time for a mom -- late afternoon when the kids are usually hungry and tired -- so shame on me, because I knew it might not be ideal. But we got a few minutes on the phone, and it was just so nice to hear her voice -- hooray!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
More Bugg
To finish the story of Saturday, after spending about an hour together, Rex asked if I was interested in kayaking. I told him I like it (we've done it in Hawaii), but the setup time -- loading boats, getting to the river, etc. -- is hard for me to justify. He said he'd asked because he's putting together a summer program called Tru Adventures, and wants a woman trainer to join the group. He said I'd be paid for my time and asked if I was interested. I told him to keep me posted.
It felt great is that he would even mention the possibility of us working together. And it made me feel like a REAL FITNESS TRAINER!!!
Speaking of being a real trainer, I have two new clients starting in the next two weeks, and one of them has trained at two different places before, both of them with good reputations, both in the area. So I'm nervous, because I really want her to like what I do, but at the same time, I know WHY I do things the way I do them and I just keep thinking, "If I build it, they will come!" or something along those lines.
In other training news, I bought a digital bodyfat caliper system, so I'll be able to track progress. And I'm working on a goal setting form to help clients get where they want to be.
(Sorry if this sounds distracted -- I just broke up a neat fight between my kids and am listening for any low rumblings in the background. When I started typing, there were 6 kids playing together outside, and I thought I was going to have a few minutes to get thoughts down.)
In Bodybugg news, I am finding that I'm very aware of how much I move, and how much I eat, because of wearing the bugg. I think I'm averaging about a 650 calorie per day deficit, which equals a little more than a pound a week. One thing that's hard is logging foods you don't know. At the class last night, we sampled everything, and I couldn't really say how much of one thing or another I had. So I just estimated the best I could. I am getting a pretty clear idea of what it feels like to eat less than you're burning, and with Mexico just a week away, that's a good thing.
Well, gotta run. My stomach's rumbling, and there's a burrito with my name on it calling me...
It felt great is that he would even mention the possibility of us working together. And it made me feel like a REAL FITNESS TRAINER!!!
Speaking of being a real trainer, I have two new clients starting in the next two weeks, and one of them has trained at two different places before, both of them with good reputations, both in the area. So I'm nervous, because I really want her to like what I do, but at the same time, I know WHY I do things the way I do them and I just keep thinking, "If I build it, they will come!" or something along those lines.
In other training news, I bought a digital bodyfat caliper system, so I'll be able to track progress. And I'm working on a goal setting form to help clients get where they want to be.
(Sorry if this sounds distracted -- I just broke up a neat fight between my kids and am listening for any low rumblings in the background. When I started typing, there were 6 kids playing together outside, and I thought I was going to have a few minutes to get thoughts down.)
In Bodybugg news, I am finding that I'm very aware of how much I move, and how much I eat, because of wearing the bugg. I think I'm averaging about a 650 calorie per day deficit, which equals a little more than a pound a week. One thing that's hard is logging foods you don't know. At the class last night, we sampled everything, and I couldn't really say how much of one thing or another I had. So I just estimated the best I could. I am getting a pretty clear idea of what it feels like to eat less than you're burning, and with Mexico just a week away, that's a good thing.
Well, gotta run. My stomach's rumbling, and there's a burrito with my name on it calling me...
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
We interrupt this regularly scheduled life...
...so the kids can be on Easter vacation.
Still using the bodybugg and still loving it. The awareness it creates is probably the best thing. It's like you can no longer go "I don't eat hardly anything, and I exercise all the time, but I can't seem to lose weight." Nope. It doesn't work that way.
Tonight I'm going to a cooking class called "Raw, Healthy, Fit and Fabulous!" at the Whole Foods Market in Sacramento. I'll be sure to share any epiphanies regarding food. And if I ever find more than 5 uninterrupted minutes in my day, I'll continue with the story of Mr. BodyBugg and how I kinda got offered a weekend job this summer!
Still using the bodybugg and still loving it. The awareness it creates is probably the best thing. It's like you can no longer go "I don't eat hardly anything, and I exercise all the time, but I can't seem to lose weight." Nope. It doesn't work that way.
Tonight I'm going to a cooking class called "Raw, Healthy, Fit and Fabulous!" at the Whole Foods Market in Sacramento. I'll be sure to share any epiphanies regarding food. And if I ever find more than 5 uninterrupted minutes in my day, I'll continue with the story of Mr. BodyBugg and how I kinda got offered a weekend job this summer!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)