For almost 3 years I've tracked mileage on dailymile, and awesome fitness website, primarily focused on running and cycling. But for the last month or so, I no longer want to log my miles. Part of it is that I'm so enjoying doing other stuff. For example, this week so far I've run 10 miles, done 2 Tracy Long DVDs and done 1 yoga workout. And the DVDs and yoga don't really translate well to dailymile.
But the other reason is that I tried to help some members on the site with a project, and it kind of went sideways. What they needed was taking place while I was on vacation, and I couldn't say yes to what I was asked to contribute to the project. Well, I could have said yes, but it would have felt like selling myself out. I (in a chicken sort of way) sent an email apologizing but saying I couldn't say yes to the request, and I've heard nothing back. So now the site feels kinda scary to me, which is silly, but true.
So does anyone use another fitness tracking site they'd like to recommend? I'd love to know.
CLARIFICATION: No strange interactions occurred on the website. These are people who own a local training business and we met and talked on the phone.
APPRECIATION: Thank you for the suggestions, everyone!
DECISION: I'm going to give DailyBurn a try. If you happen to track fitness there, I'm "ellelives".
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Still here
Yes, we're home, but I'm having trouble getting caught up. It's so easy to get on Hawaii time, and so tough to go from West to East. Then add in some dental issues (that I'm hoping are fixed), some sleep issues, and some hormone issues, and life can feel a little unbalanced.
Having said all that, life is good and there is much to be grateful for. For today I'm grateful for dentists who can give you lots and lots of shots before they try to fix problem areas and for summertime weather that's not but not too hot. :)
Having said all that, life is good and there is much to be grateful for. For today I'm grateful for dentists who can give you lots and lots of shots before they try to fix problem areas and for summertime weather that's not but not too hot. :)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Vacation workouts
Some people don't like to exercise on vacation, but I feel best when I can move. Since we're been here I've exercised every day (except for our travel day). Yesterday I walk/ran 7 miles. The other days I've done a primal workout on the beach and had a blast doing it. Today we went to Wailua Beach (we call it big wave beach) and I swam and swam, then as a family we did sand rolling, where you just lay down in the shallows and let the ocean take you where it will. It's harder than it sounds, that's for sure!
Just taking a moment to vent
We are having a great vacation. Lots of swimming in the ocean. Lots of great family time. Delicious food in abundance. And I've been wearing a bikini every day, just six months away from my 50th birthday. So what's there to vent about?
Honolua Surf Company. That's what. They make clothes for men and for little girls. They SAY they're for women, but they are lying. Seriously -- a normal-size man can find things to wear in their stores. But a normal-sized woman? Good eff-ing luck. I pulled a rash guard shirt off the rack. It was cute. It looked like my size. The real size? 2XL!!! The women's small looked like a doll shirt.
I really try not to be defined by my weight or my size. And empirically at 5'5" tall and 137 pounds, I'm not that big. But holy heifer, I felt like a giant cow walking around in this store. And why was I there? Because my husband and kids LOVE store. They also LOVE Quicksilver, by the way, and Quicksilver's sister company, Roxy, has the same sizing as Honolua.
On a much more positive note, Tim had a wonderful Father's Day. We made sure he knew he was loved at every turn.
Ok, enough of the griping. Thanks for listening!
Honolua Surf Company. That's what. They make clothes for men and for little girls. They SAY they're for women, but they are lying. Seriously -- a normal-size man can find things to wear in their stores. But a normal-sized woman? Good eff-ing luck. I pulled a rash guard shirt off the rack. It was cute. It looked like my size. The real size? 2XL!!! The women's small looked like a doll shirt.
I really try not to be defined by my weight or my size. And empirically at 5'5" tall and 137 pounds, I'm not that big. But holy heifer, I felt like a giant cow walking around in this store. And why was I there? Because my husband and kids LOVE store. They also LOVE Quicksilver, by the way, and Quicksilver's sister company, Roxy, has the same sizing as Honolua.
On a much more positive note, Tim had a wonderful Father's Day. We made sure he knew he was loved at every turn.
Ok, enough of the griping. Thanks for listening!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Vacation bound
We're heading out for a family vacation tomorrow, and I can't wait! Kauai is our destination and I'm so ready to do some ocean swimming, one of my all-time favorite things to do!
Life's been a little overwhelming ... well, maybe just super busy is a better description ... in the past few days. But now that Tucker has been to the doctor (diagnosis = strep throat, antibiotics are working!), my dental work is complete (90 minutes of work, but I should be able to eat without pain again!), the shopping has been completed (we own all the sunscreen there is!), and with only the meeting with the foreign exchange program (we're hosting a student from France in July) lady tonight, life is feeling slightly easier. Now that I write it down, that doesn't sound like all that much, does it?
So let's talk about diet for a minute. I'm kinda doing Belly-Fat Cure AND Primal Blueprint. Yes, I'm eating meat again. And yes, it's strange after 5 years of being veg/vegan. To the best of my ability I'm reducing refined carbs (although last night when I couldn't sleep because of mouth pain, and powered through an entire "sleeve" of Golden Oreos), emphasizing protein and fruits and veggies, and just trying to be sane about it all. Do I plan to enjoy myself on vacation? Heck yeah!
Regarding exercise, I'm finding that eating fewer carbs means less energy when doing crazy stuff. Like I can totally do my park play workouts. But the half marathon? SLOOOOOW compared to my usual pace. So I may be changing up my exercise routine, doing fewer long distance runs, and more intense shorter races. While in Hawaii, you can be sure that there will be running on the beach, lunge walks, pushups, kinda whatever feels good in the moment.
Well, if I'm gonna exercise today, it's got to happen now. I'm checking out another Tracy Long DVD (can't remember the title at the moment) and I'll let you know how it is.
Sending hugs & love...
Life's been a little overwhelming ... well, maybe just super busy is a better description ... in the past few days. But now that Tucker has been to the doctor (diagnosis = strep throat, antibiotics are working!), my dental work is complete (90 minutes of work, but I should be able to eat without pain again!), the shopping has been completed (we own all the sunscreen there is!), and with only the meeting with the foreign exchange program (we're hosting a student from France in July) lady tonight, life is feeling slightly easier. Now that I write it down, that doesn't sound like all that much, does it?
So let's talk about diet for a minute. I'm kinda doing Belly-Fat Cure AND Primal Blueprint. Yes, I'm eating meat again. And yes, it's strange after 5 years of being veg/vegan. To the best of my ability I'm reducing refined carbs (although last night when I couldn't sleep because of mouth pain, and powered through an entire "sleeve" of Golden Oreos), emphasizing protein and fruits and veggies, and just trying to be sane about it all. Do I plan to enjoy myself on vacation? Heck yeah!
Regarding exercise, I'm finding that eating fewer carbs means less energy when doing crazy stuff. Like I can totally do my park play workouts. But the half marathon? SLOOOOOW compared to my usual pace. So I may be changing up my exercise routine, doing fewer long distance runs, and more intense shorter races. While in Hawaii, you can be sure that there will be running on the beach, lunge walks, pushups, kinda whatever feels good in the moment.
Well, if I'm gonna exercise today, it's got to happen now. I'm checking out another Tracy Long DVD (can't remember the title at the moment) and I'll let you know how it is.
Sending hugs & love...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Learning...
It's Friday! We're heading to San Francisco for some fun stuff, namely going to the Giants game tonight, and then running in The Giant Race in the morning. Tim and Tucker are running the 5K and I'm doing the half marathon. I hope the medal is a good one!
So I'm still kinda doing The Belly Fat Cure, but not exactly. I spent a little too much money on Belly Fat approved products (all things I'll use up, but none were necessary). But doing BFC has gotten me to start eating meat again. And with the willingness to eat meat, I can now consider the plan that makes the most sense to me: The Primal Blueprint. There is so much to love about this plan, both the eating and the exercise thoughts.
(do you ever feel like you can't quite get the words to flow? that's what I'm feeling right now. I should probably stop writing, but I press on...)
So the current eating plan is based on moderation in all things, with an emphasis on keeping grain carbohydrates to a minimum. I've lost a few pounds this week (hooray!) but even better is that my body looks and feels tighter and lighter. So I'm spending some time over at Mark's Daily Apple learning about what he has to say about being healthy, the Primal way.
On the fitness side of things, I've been exploring some old DVDs -- ones that I own but have never tried. I did a Tracie Long Training lower body DVD the other day and LOVED some of the moves. Watched and played along to a Synergy Fitness Core Salvation DVD. It's always great to watch exercise videos, as I learn more that I can use myself and share with my clients, a win/win to be sure.
Yesterday's workouts were my favorites though! In the morning I hiked the Auburn trails with a friend. In the afternoon I put on my Vibram Five Fingers and took my rope and a couple of kettlebells to the park. Then I spent 30 minutes doing this:
So I'm still kinda doing The Belly Fat Cure, but not exactly. I spent a little too much money on Belly Fat approved products (all things I'll use up, but none were necessary). But doing BFC has gotten me to start eating meat again. And with the willingness to eat meat, I can now consider the plan that makes the most sense to me: The Primal Blueprint. There is so much to love about this plan, both the eating and the exercise thoughts.
(do you ever feel like you can't quite get the words to flow? that's what I'm feeling right now. I should probably stop writing, but I press on...)
So the current eating plan is based on moderation in all things, with an emphasis on keeping grain carbohydrates to a minimum. I've lost a few pounds this week (hooray!) but even better is that my body looks and feels tighter and lighter. So I'm spending some time over at Mark's Daily Apple learning about what he has to say about being healthy, the Primal way.
On the fitness side of things, I've been exploring some old DVDs -- ones that I own but have never tried. I did a Tracie Long Training lower body DVD the other day and LOVED some of the moves. Watched and played along to a Synergy Fitness Core Salvation DVD. It's always great to watch exercise videos, as I learn more that I can use myself and share with my clients, a win/win to be sure.
Yesterday's workouts were my favorites though! In the morning I hiked the Auburn trails with a friend. In the afternoon I put on my Vibram Five Fingers and took my rope and a couple of kettlebells to the park. Then I spent 30 minutes doing this:
- push ups
- one arm rows
- burpees
- skipping
- kettlebell swings
- kettlebell clean and press
- kettlebell snatches
- lunge walking
- crawling
- side shuffles
- sprints
- rope drags
- rope waves
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
The Belly Fat Cure
I have a client who is losing weight -- stubborn weight that wouldn't budge -- using The Belly Fat Cure. So I bought the book. And Tim, who is wanting to drop a few pounds before vacation, asked me if I'd like to try doing it with him.
First I said I'd think about it, with the intention of saying no. When I really did some thinking, I realized my hesitation was mostly about not wanting to fail, as doing most anything with Mr. Willpower can be discouraging. But then I thought about how I've wanted to get my eating on track for some time now, and this could be the time to do it. And I also realized that I'm the one who makes it a zero sum game and that is simply not necessary.
The diet is fairly low carb, but not in a crazy Atkins-like way. And as carbs, especially in the form of candy and cookies, are my downfall, it seems ideal to kind of reset my appetite. The diet relies heavily on protein and fat as fueling options and that's fine. And hey, if it doesn't work, I can go back to my Twizzlers and Toll-House cookies, right? :)
We started on Sunday, and so far, so good. There are some foods that I normally eat that are considered "good" foods -- raw almonds, organic tortilla chips (in moderation), my Beverly International protein powder that tastes like cake batter (!). I've made two recipes from the book (Garden Fresh Greek Salad and Chipotle Chicken Tacos) that were huge hits with my whole family.
Am I hungry? Sometimes, but not all the time. And I'm learning to rethink hunger. Feeling hungry is not an emergency. It's how you're supposed to feel before you eat. (I read "Think of food as fuel, not stuffing." a while back and this seems to apply.) Am I losing water weight? Of course, as carbs help your body to hang on to water. Am I feeling slimmer? Yes! Is this sustainable? Only with modifications. But can I try it until we leave on vacation? Absolutely!
(I just finished my very satisfying breakfast of cottage cheese, Barleans Omega Swirl, and sliced almonds.)
First I said I'd think about it, with the intention of saying no. When I really did some thinking, I realized my hesitation was mostly about not wanting to fail, as doing most anything with Mr. Willpower can be discouraging. But then I thought about how I've wanted to get my eating on track for some time now, and this could be the time to do it. And I also realized that I'm the one who makes it a zero sum game and that is simply not necessary.
The diet is fairly low carb, but not in a crazy Atkins-like way. And as carbs, especially in the form of candy and cookies, are my downfall, it seems ideal to kind of reset my appetite. The diet relies heavily on protein and fat as fueling options and that's fine. And hey, if it doesn't work, I can go back to my Twizzlers and Toll-House cookies, right? :)
We started on Sunday, and so far, so good. There are some foods that I normally eat that are considered "good" foods -- raw almonds, organic tortilla chips (in moderation), my Beverly International protein powder that tastes like cake batter (!). I've made two recipes from the book (Garden Fresh Greek Salad and Chipotle Chicken Tacos) that were huge hits with my whole family.
Am I hungry? Sometimes, but not all the time. And I'm learning to rethink hunger. Feeling hungry is not an emergency. It's how you're supposed to feel before you eat. (I read "Think of food as fuel, not stuffing." a while back and this seems to apply.) Am I losing water weight? Of course, as carbs help your body to hang on to water. Am I feeling slimmer? Yes! Is this sustainable? Only with modifications. But can I try it until we leave on vacation? Absolutely!
(I just finished my very satisfying breakfast of cottage cheese, Barleans Omega Swirl, and sliced almonds.)
Friday, June 04, 2010
What's for dinner?
Once again, I'm creating accountability for family dinners on my other blog, Saving Dinnertime. If you're so inclined, check it out.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
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