Who has a plan to lose? What about maintain? What about saying to hell with it and letting the chips (oooh and dip!) fall where they may? This is a dangerous dangerous time of year. I don't have a specific plan of action as of yet. I have a basic outline, but nothing concrete. First, let me tally up the food events for me this season:
1) dinner with a good girlfriend of mine to do present swap for both of our respective birthdays plus Christmas
2) My mom gets into town next week: 1 Indian buffet; 1 movie outing; 1 birthday dinner (my mom's) - this all within about 2-3 days
3) Christmas Eve - traditionally an appetizer evening with all the good (read: bad) foods I don't eat throughout the rest of the year
4) Christmas Day - need I say more?
5) Mandarin Buffet (my birthday, my choice)
6) Birthday #2 - party thrown by a friend of mine.
Holy cow.
My plan this holiday season, honestly, is just to maintain. Because it looks like food is kinda out of control, my action plan is to be as active as possible. I've already checked out the spin classes that will be running during that holiday week, plus with the gym in my building it's not that hard to get to.
I am also going to enjoy myself. I do not eat like this throughout the year, and I have been truly living this plan for over 2 months now. This includes splurge meals. I'm going to treat my days as I normally would and see what happens.
Besides, I have a whole week before the craziness starts in. Let's see what I can accomplish in that time.
WI tomorrow, so I'm excited to see how this week went. Otherwise, time to finish marking for my last IELTS class on Saturday and prepare for my holiday next week!
Showing posts with label workout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label workout. Show all posts
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Life
It happens :) That explains my last week. Monday with no exercise turned into 4 days of no exercise (except for Thursday). That and multiple high caloric meals caused a 1.2lb gain. So even staying within points I gained, but that's what happens when you make the decision to have pizza twice in one day.
This week I am back on point. Spin on Tuesday, 30 Day Shred level 2 yesterday, with level 1 today. Planned out meals, all within points. My energy is back and I feel smaller.
Even had a major NSV today. One of my co-workers is going on mat leave as of tomorrow and today she brought in a tray of brownies and red velvet cupcakes. The brownies were the blondie variety....my favourite. I took one. Then I put it in one of my tupperware containers from my breakfast, put it in my bag, and promptly forgot about it. I'll have it tomorrow after my WI and track it accordingly.
I am also down 0.5 inches on my hips, though my thighs and waist remain the same. But if my ass is getting smaller that's friggin amazing.
Let's see what happens tomorrow :)
This week I am back on point. Spin on Tuesday, 30 Day Shred level 2 yesterday, with level 1 today. Planned out meals, all within points. My energy is back and I feel smaller.
Even had a major NSV today. One of my co-workers is going on mat leave as of tomorrow and today she brought in a tray of brownies and red velvet cupcakes. The brownies were the blondie variety....my favourite. I took one. Then I put it in one of my tupperware containers from my breakfast, put it in my bag, and promptly forgot about it. I'll have it tomorrow after my WI and track it accordingly.
I am also down 0.5 inches on my hips, though my thighs and waist remain the same. But if my ass is getting smaller that's friggin amazing.
Let's see what happens tomorrow :)
Monday, 19 November 2012
Weekly Goals
Ok, so I know that Monday is almost over, but I wanted to put out some weekly goals, and somehow I never got around to it on Sunday. This is from a post that someone on the WW boards posted last week, and it stuck with me.
One of my goals last week was to work out 4-5 days last week. I hit 4. I can normally get in 3-4 days Monday-Thursday, but the reason for 4-5 was because I never seem to workout on the weekends and I wanted to push myself to get something done on Saturday or Sunday.
So this week, this is what I want to do:
1) Again, get in 4-5 workouts
3) Drink water at home as well as at work
Things are going really well with WW, but I want to help the plan along as best I can. I used up almost all of my WPs this past weekend, so I don't have a whole lot of wiggle room. But this time around I am actually tracking my WPs, so that's great. In my last kicks at this I didn't really track weekends at all, but now I am much more conscious of what I am doing on the weekends, and I think that's a job done well on my part, and reason why I am doing well at the scale.
My teeth really hurt :( I am pretty much in a blanky/sucky kinda mood. I'd rather kick back with some tea under my duvet with a movie. Looks like I'm getting a cardio morning tomorrow :)
Happy Monday all!
One of my goals last week was to work out 4-5 days last week. I hit 4. I can normally get in 3-4 days Monday-Thursday, but the reason for 4-5 was because I never seem to workout on the weekends and I wanted to push myself to get something done on Saturday or Sunday.
So this week, this is what I want to do:
1) Again, get in 4-5 workouts
- Tonight (if my teeth stop hurting, bloody dentist - if not tonight, then tomorrow morning) - Cardio
- Tuesday - Resistance #5 from 10 lb Shred (could be moved to Sat/Sun)
- Wednesday spin class
- Thursday - Cardio
- Sat/Sun - Resistance #6
3) Drink water at home as well as at work
Things are going really well with WW, but I want to help the plan along as best I can. I used up almost all of my WPs this past weekend, so I don't have a whole lot of wiggle room. But this time around I am actually tracking my WPs, so that's great. In my last kicks at this I didn't really track weekends at all, but now I am much more conscious of what I am doing on the weekends, and I think that's a job done well on my part, and reason why I am doing well at the scale.
My teeth really hurt :( I am pretty much in a blanky/sucky kinda mood. I'd rather kick back with some tea under my duvet with a movie. Looks like I'm getting a cardio morning tomorrow :)
Happy Monday all!
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Work craziness and TMI
This has been a heck of a week. Both long and slow at the same time with the amount of work I need to complete in the 7 hours I am in the office. Sometimes it feels like it just won't end, and other times it feels like time is just speeding by. Next week isn't going to be any different. First of all, my 5 month performance evaluation is upon me. This is what determines if I get recommended for permanent status or not. Gulp. I am not expecting anything other than relatively good news, but still, it's stressful. Then on top of that I have one or two meetings pretty much every day on top of a few presentations I am making to various classes, and then my regular work load. I'm tired just thinking about it and CANNOT WAIT for my Christmas break (fully paid, thank you collective agreement). Also, in just over one month my mom will be here!! That and a brief vacation with Christmas thrown in is what's getting me through the next few weeks.
So in terms of how my week has been going for food and fitness, I keep having pretty much Fri-Sun as a write off. I still track it though. That's my major accomplishment from all the other times I've done WW. I used to not track weekends. Now I am, and it does make me a little more accountable. But I kinda just went into a bf is back celebatory overload. Plus, I came home early on Monday and had a larger than normal (point and portion wise) lunch and snacked on saltine crackers, so my sodium levels were through the roof. Aside from that, Tues-present have been good. Well planned out and tracked meals with no overages. I also got in 3 days of exercise this week, though my goal is 4-5 since I want to ensure I get in some weekend exercise since I keep conveniently "forgetting" about it. What my WI is going to show me tomorrow is anyone's guess. I could go either way, or STS. It shall be a mystery until approximately 8:40 tomorrow morning.
Fitness was good. I am getting really hooked on spin class, and my Tommy Europe 10lb Shred workouts are a nice change of pace.
So what is the TMI you may be wondering? (or maybe not, lol)...well yesterday when I was getting dressed in the morning I paid no attention to how what I was wearing could possibly effect me later in the day. With that being said, has anyone ever exercised in a thong? A lace thong for that matter? Not a g-string, cause I honestly think that would have been better...a thong actually has TOO much material in this particular context. Holy hell the chafing! I was about 5 seconds into the first set of high knees when I realised, oh crap...baaaaaaad underwear choice today! And I had three interval sets to get through! And it wasn't just the more vigorous exercises either, crunches killed me...I guess cause there's a lot of movement when you're going up and down in the crunch position? Let me just say that there was some intense tenderness last night and this morning, and that I sure as hell put on my full coverage underwear in preparation for my workout after work today! Lesson learned. Ladies, pull out the granny panties when exercising! You will thank me later ;)
So that's my week so far. Time will tell for the scale. But in most other areas I feel good. Pretty in control and really enjoying seeing and feeling my body take on a new shape.
I'll be back tomorrow with my WI :)
So in terms of how my week has been going for food and fitness, I keep having pretty much Fri-Sun as a write off. I still track it though. That's my major accomplishment from all the other times I've done WW. I used to not track weekends. Now I am, and it does make me a little more accountable. But I kinda just went into a bf is back celebatory overload. Plus, I came home early on Monday and had a larger than normal (point and portion wise) lunch and snacked on saltine crackers, so my sodium levels were through the roof. Aside from that, Tues-present have been good. Well planned out and tracked meals with no overages. I also got in 3 days of exercise this week, though my goal is 4-5 since I want to ensure I get in some weekend exercise since I keep conveniently "forgetting" about it. What my WI is going to show me tomorrow is anyone's guess. I could go either way, or STS. It shall be a mystery until approximately 8:40 tomorrow morning.
Fitness was good. I am getting really hooked on spin class, and my Tommy Europe 10lb Shred workouts are a nice change of pace.
So what is the TMI you may be wondering? (or maybe not, lol)...well yesterday when I was getting dressed in the morning I paid no attention to how what I was wearing could possibly effect me later in the day. With that being said, has anyone ever exercised in a thong? A lace thong for that matter? Not a g-string, cause I honestly think that would have been better...a thong actually has TOO much material in this particular context. Holy hell the chafing! I was about 5 seconds into the first set of high knees when I realised, oh crap...baaaaaaad underwear choice today! And I had three interval sets to get through! And it wasn't just the more vigorous exercises either, crunches killed me...I guess cause there's a lot of movement when you're going up and down in the crunch position? Let me just say that there was some intense tenderness last night and this morning, and that I sure as hell put on my full coverage underwear in preparation for my workout after work today! Lesson learned. Ladies, pull out the granny panties when exercising! You will thank me later ;)
So that's my week so far. Time will tell for the scale. But in most other areas I feel good. Pretty in control and really enjoying seeing and feeling my body take on a new shape.
I'll be back tomorrow with my WI :)
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Little bit of that feeling coming back
Last week wasn't so great for me. Some emotional eating, a lot of sadness etc. This week I'm doing really well. Have some of that euphoria feeling from the first two weeks on program coming back. Well, right now I just feel really really tired. But before there was some euphoria :)
Yesterday I did resistance workout #1 from Tommy Europe's 10 lb Shred. I downloaded the Gymboss timer app for my iphone. I really wish that it was more editable. I tried to change the timer but then found out I couldn't just pick up where I left off, so I had to wait for ALL of my intervals to go through to catch up. That was annoying. But I finished. And it was better than nothing. Today my back and abs are feeling it a bit, so that's great. I'm thinking of waking up early tomorrow morning to get in resistance workout #2 because with a full day in Waterloo for work (hiring co-op students), the chances of me being able to work out plus prep for my class on Saturday is next to none. So if I work out tomorrow morning, that leaves tomorrow evening for marking and prep. Oh, the exciting life I lead!
So I am happy with the week and how it's going. I felt so much stronger in spin class today. The instructor like egged me on during one portion because I started to slow down. I'm glad to say that I pushed it out. She also said I was improving. AND...I swear my ass doesn't look as big on those tiny seats as it used to :) Still the biggest person in that room, but if I keep going, it won't always be that way.
I'm a little worried about Thursday because I have to get up super early, which usually means little to no breakfast. But I wonder if I can take my oatmeal in my thermos? Is that possible? Hmmm, something to think about. Then, lunch is something out. My manager already told me not to pack a lunch, because we're going to expense something. The good thing? She's a stick. She eats really well, so that's motivation. But more than that it's just going to be a very long day with potential unexpected food situations with WI on Friday.
Also, I am watching the US election. Holy crap. Come on Obama!!!! I'd be so scared to be a woman in the US if Romney won. Even with our Conservative government I don't have that fear because despite the length of time Harper's been in power, I think he's too afraid of our liberal leaning country to take away women's rights or open up the abortion debate again. I can't believe that the US is willing to take a step backward 50 years. Come on people...the country was in a mess...how can one person undo 8 years of destruction in only 4 years?? But I am not going to get into it, because I will admit that politics are not my forte, Canadian or American. Just hoping for a democratic win down south.
Lastly....my Moroccan comes home on Saturday! Presents and my Moroccan?? Awesome day :) That means I have some primping to do Friday/Saturday, which includes my very first brazilian! God I'm scared. It just sounds so painful! Ugh...the things we do ;)
Yesterday I did resistance workout #1 from Tommy Europe's 10 lb Shred. I downloaded the Gymboss timer app for my iphone. I really wish that it was more editable. I tried to change the timer but then found out I couldn't just pick up where I left off, so I had to wait for ALL of my intervals to go through to catch up. That was annoying. But I finished. And it was better than nothing. Today my back and abs are feeling it a bit, so that's great. I'm thinking of waking up early tomorrow morning to get in resistance workout #2 because with a full day in Waterloo for work (hiring co-op students), the chances of me being able to work out plus prep for my class on Saturday is next to none. So if I work out tomorrow morning, that leaves tomorrow evening for marking and prep. Oh, the exciting life I lead!
So I am happy with the week and how it's going. I felt so much stronger in spin class today. The instructor like egged me on during one portion because I started to slow down. I'm glad to say that I pushed it out. She also said I was improving. AND...I swear my ass doesn't look as big on those tiny seats as it used to :) Still the biggest person in that room, but if I keep going, it won't always be that way.
I'm a little worried about Thursday because I have to get up super early, which usually means little to no breakfast. But I wonder if I can take my oatmeal in my thermos? Is that possible? Hmmm, something to think about. Then, lunch is something out. My manager already told me not to pack a lunch, because we're going to expense something. The good thing? She's a stick. She eats really well, so that's motivation. But more than that it's just going to be a very long day with potential unexpected food situations with WI on Friday.
Also, I am watching the US election. Holy crap. Come on Obama!!!! I'd be so scared to be a woman in the US if Romney won. Even with our Conservative government I don't have that fear because despite the length of time Harper's been in power, I think he's too afraid of our liberal leaning country to take away women's rights or open up the abortion debate again. I can't believe that the US is willing to take a step backward 50 years. Come on people...the country was in a mess...how can one person undo 8 years of destruction in only 4 years?? But I am not going to get into it, because I will admit that politics are not my forte, Canadian or American. Just hoping for a democratic win down south.
Lastly....my Moroccan comes home on Saturday! Presents and my Moroccan?? Awesome day :) That means I have some primping to do Friday/Saturday, which includes my very first brazilian! God I'm scared. It just sounds so painful! Ugh...the things we do ;)
Monday, 15 October 2012
I hurt and I was ok!
I did the following workout today: http://toneitup.com/blog.php?Stair-Blasting-Circuit-5596 from Tone It Up. I used the stairs in my building. The workout said to find stairs with about 50 steps...so I live on the 12th floor, and so I ran from the 12th to the 17th, feeling all virtuous till I remembered my building doesn't have a 13th or 14th floor! lol. But all in all it was about 3-4 floors per stair interval. My heart was pounding! You run your stairs, walk back, then do a toning move (burpees in a stair well anybody??) then stairs again, then toning move, etc., etc.
Wow is all I have to say. Over in about 15-20 minutes, legs burning, lungs burning (there was a lot of burning going on! lol). This is something I can do easily! Now that I know how much time it doesn't take, this would be a nice morning wake-up.
Part of my fitness fear has been about finding things I like. Running and I will never be besties...bootcamp, umm, nope (was ok when I first started out, but now I just get frustrated at the slow pace and standard moves), dvds, can only go through those so many times. I need booty busting workouts that I can do easily, and so I really love that site I stumbled upon. These are motivating and hard core and I am happy to say that I like doing them (only done 2 so far, so maybe I'm in the honeymoon phase), but part of my fear has been about trying new things. But I tried this workout, and I took on spinning (class tomorrow!) so I think I am finally finding what works.
I am a little concerned about my lung power. When I do intense cardio my bronchials BURN...like hurt so much I can feel it in my teeth (anyone else??)...I try to breath through my nose and that helps a bit, but I don't know if that's something I should get looked at, or if that's just because I let my lung health decline a bit by not going to the gym. I don't get faint or dizzy or anything, I can still breathe, but it hurts.
Anyway, very happy with myself today...stayed completely OP and I found a great workout. I also read an inspiring WW story from one of those weekly emails they send. The lady was a serial WW-er (ahem, like me), and I really liked her message about it all clicking for her. I'm not going to sit here and announce that I am never going off plan every again, cause hello set up for failure...but it's motivational nonetheless :)
Wow is all I have to say. Over in about 15-20 minutes, legs burning, lungs burning (there was a lot of burning going on! lol). This is something I can do easily! Now that I know how much time it doesn't take, this would be a nice morning wake-up.
Part of my fitness fear has been about finding things I like. Running and I will never be besties...bootcamp, umm, nope (was ok when I first started out, but now I just get frustrated at the slow pace and standard moves), dvds, can only go through those so many times. I need booty busting workouts that I can do easily, and so I really love that site I stumbled upon. These are motivating and hard core and I am happy to say that I like doing them (only done 2 so far, so maybe I'm in the honeymoon phase), but part of my fear has been about trying new things. But I tried this workout, and I took on spinning (class tomorrow!) so I think I am finally finding what works.
I am a little concerned about my lung power. When I do intense cardio my bronchials BURN...like hurt so much I can feel it in my teeth (anyone else??)...I try to breath through my nose and that helps a bit, but I don't know if that's something I should get looked at, or if that's just because I let my lung health decline a bit by not going to the gym. I don't get faint or dizzy or anything, I can still breathe, but it hurts.
Anyway, very happy with myself today...stayed completely OP and I found a great workout. I also read an inspiring WW story from one of those weekly emails they send. The lady was a serial WW-er (ahem, like me), and I really liked her message about it all clicking for her. I'm not going to sit here and announce that I am never going off plan every again, cause hello set up for failure...but it's motivational nonetheless :)
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Not so scary
Yesterday I made the plan to go to spin class...and guess what? I actually went to spin class. It was hard. So hard. My legs were killing me. My breath was short. I felt like I weighed a tonne sitting on that bike. Really, mirrors in spin class are just mean. Anyway...I was also the biggest person in that room. That galled a bit. But as the demonic instructor was yelling at us I just focused on what I saw in the mirror. I focused on the bulge of my butt, the extra wide hips and I stared them down. I focused on them and just imagined that they were shrinking. That the pain and breathlessness were those heinous parts of me melting away. Gave me strength when I wanted to stop pedalling.
That was the hardest part. Getting in the door. Actually sucking it up and getting to the gym. I was scared. I admit that. There was total fear involved. I'm not proud of it. I don't feel like I totally conquered that fear. I feel better going to spin class. I'll go again next week, and I really want to go to the one the week after that since Goodlife is opening a brand new gym for that gym and the cycling room looks amazing. But I'm still scared of my resistance workouts. Scared to get into the gym and do what I did before. Scared for my back. Scared of how I look in the mirrors and what others may be thinking (though I realise this is in my head, but still...) Seeing how squishy I've gotten in the past 2 months. Not being able to use the amount of weight I did before. So many fears and self-doubts running around in my head.
I have tomorrow planned as my resistance day. Either at the gym in my condo, or at a Goodlife on the way home. It's a lower body workout. Lot of body weight exercises with speed burst cardio built in. I don't want to build up this huge program in my head and intimidate myself. I've done that before.
I can't psych myself out. I am my own worst enemy, and getting back into fitness is scary and hard for me. I'll update tomorrow on how it went.
In other news....I'm going to a WW meeting on Friday. I'm not even telling my bf. I don't need any negative reactions right now. I'm just pretending that I have to go early to work. I haven't been the biggest WW supporter in the last 2 years or so. But one of the main reasons I stopped going to meetings is because I didn't have one that I liked, and I can't do online...if you're capable of doing online, just use MFP...way better tracking system, and it's free. I was the most successful doing meetings. I've never replicated that on my own. Huh, guess all the research behind their product makes sense ;)
I am going to try. I was cleaning out my closet this past weekend and found my weight tracker from 2009. I was down to 139. Holy sh*t was all I could think. It was a real kick in the pants, eye opener, whatever cliched phrase you want to use. And I consistently went down each week. I went from 152 to 139 in about 7-8 weeks or so. Not too shabby.
Time to mark some papers and prepare for my weekend teaching gig...the fun never ends :)
That was the hardest part. Getting in the door. Actually sucking it up and getting to the gym. I was scared. I admit that. There was total fear involved. I'm not proud of it. I don't feel like I totally conquered that fear. I feel better going to spin class. I'll go again next week, and I really want to go to the one the week after that since Goodlife is opening a brand new gym for that gym and the cycling room looks amazing. But I'm still scared of my resistance workouts. Scared to get into the gym and do what I did before. Scared for my back. Scared of how I look in the mirrors and what others may be thinking (though I realise this is in my head, but still...) Seeing how squishy I've gotten in the past 2 months. Not being able to use the amount of weight I did before. So many fears and self-doubts running around in my head.
I have tomorrow planned as my resistance day. Either at the gym in my condo, or at a Goodlife on the way home. It's a lower body workout. Lot of body weight exercises with speed burst cardio built in. I don't want to build up this huge program in my head and intimidate myself. I've done that before.
I can't psych myself out. I am my own worst enemy, and getting back into fitness is scary and hard for me. I'll update tomorrow on how it went.
In other news....I'm going to a WW meeting on Friday. I'm not even telling my bf. I don't need any negative reactions right now. I'm just pretending that I have to go early to work. I haven't been the biggest WW supporter in the last 2 years or so. But one of the main reasons I stopped going to meetings is because I didn't have one that I liked, and I can't do online...if you're capable of doing online, just use MFP...way better tracking system, and it's free. I was the most successful doing meetings. I've never replicated that on my own. Huh, guess all the research behind their product makes sense ;)
I am going to try. I was cleaning out my closet this past weekend and found my weight tracker from 2009. I was down to 139. Holy sh*t was all I could think. It was a real kick in the pants, eye opener, whatever cliched phrase you want to use. And I consistently went down each week. I went from 152 to 139 in about 7-8 weeks or so. Not too shabby.
Time to mark some papers and prepare for my weekend teaching gig...the fun never ends :)
Monday, 9 July 2012
Been awhile...
It's been awhile since I've posted. That normally means I've been off-track. And truthfully, I have. Feel kind of bad considering my last post. The one good thing that's come out of this is that my in-laws arrived and it's really not as bad as I was imagining. However, it's only been two weeks out of 3 months and there's still Ramadan to contend with.
In an update on my running...I think I'm not cut out for long distance running. I don't like it. Short distances are ok. Sprinting intervals are ok. But distances? Nope, don't like them. For a long time now I've wanted to do some sort of kickboxing/boxing thing. That and spinning. I'm still trying to adapt to my new schedule. I finish work at 5:30, with a 40 minute commute, and not one of my gym's locations is "on the way". I'd have to go slightly out of my way. That's dangerous for me. I'm still looking for a form of exercise that I truly truly enjoy. I thought that it would be running. Not so much. I don't actually mind running on the treadmill. When I am constant with it, I quite enjoy it. But running outside? I never really got the love of that. And I have a beautiful area to run in. Right on the lake. But I don't like it.
My next step is to find something I do enjoy. Next stop is spinning at my gym. Anyone try this? Like it? Wanna come and join me at the Goodlife at Yonge/Bloor?? lol.
Nutrition is the only thing I'm doing ok on. Quite sensible except for my snacks. I've been so busy dealing with marauding Moroccan inlaws that I haven't done my traditional weekly plan and shop and my snacks (and therefore me) are paying for it. I think they've been too small because by the time I get home I'm STARVING and therefore any plan to workout are thrown out the window as I try to eat as soon as humanly possible. NEED to go grocery shopping so I have some fibre rich, protein packed, healthy snacks so I don't come home and tear into a french baguette (on the elevator trip) I impulse bought from Sobeys. This is also necessary if I'm going to be going slightly out of my way to hit the gym before work. Seeing how Ramadan starts next week, I see no better time to avoid cranky fasters by hitting the gym.
Doing versus trying is back on track!
In an update on my running...I think I'm not cut out for long distance running. I don't like it. Short distances are ok. Sprinting intervals are ok. But distances? Nope, don't like them. For a long time now I've wanted to do some sort of kickboxing/boxing thing. That and spinning. I'm still trying to adapt to my new schedule. I finish work at 5:30, with a 40 minute commute, and not one of my gym's locations is "on the way". I'd have to go slightly out of my way. That's dangerous for me. I'm still looking for a form of exercise that I truly truly enjoy. I thought that it would be running. Not so much. I don't actually mind running on the treadmill. When I am constant with it, I quite enjoy it. But running outside? I never really got the love of that. And I have a beautiful area to run in. Right on the lake. But I don't like it.
My next step is to find something I do enjoy. Next stop is spinning at my gym. Anyone try this? Like it? Wanna come and join me at the Goodlife at Yonge/Bloor?? lol.
Nutrition is the only thing I'm doing ok on. Quite sensible except for my snacks. I've been so busy dealing with marauding Moroccan inlaws that I haven't done my traditional weekly plan and shop and my snacks (and therefore me) are paying for it. I think they've been too small because by the time I get home I'm STARVING and therefore any plan to workout are thrown out the window as I try to eat as soon as humanly possible. NEED to go grocery shopping so I have some fibre rich, protein packed, healthy snacks so I don't come home and tear into a french baguette (on the elevator trip) I impulse bought from Sobeys. This is also necessary if I'm going to be going slightly out of my way to hit the gym before work. Seeing how Ramadan starts next week, I see no better time to avoid cranky fasters by hitting the gym.
Doing versus trying is back on track!
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Race Breakdown
So I made it through the 5K. Proud of myself. I did have to stop. A lot. Much much more than I anticipated/wanted. I had this idea that I could do it without stopping. I probably could have if I had ran more consistently in the past 3 weeks or so. But with developing shin splints about a month ago because my shoes were worn out I had to resort to other forms of cardio because it was just too damn painful. I got new shoes, but they too hurt my feet. So I didn't get as much running in as I would have liked. A month ago I did 5K (on the treadmill but still) without stopping. So I knew I could do it. It just didn't happen this time. That's ok. I'm gonna do the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon 5K in October and I'm going to do it without stopping.
My time was 35:58 (bib time, which I count as my official time). I was 152/364 in my category, and 555/1300-ish in my gender. So I was above the 50% mark which I was pretty stoked about. I sprinted to the end, lol. It was a beautiful day to run along Toronto's waterfront. My two friends I ran with both beat me but I don't frickin care, lol.
So that's the good stuff. The bad stuff...the race (with 3000 5K participants, who knows how many half and full marathoners) was baaaaaaadly organised. All the 5K ppl were wandering around asking where the start was. The directions on the web site were abysmal. We had no idea where we were going, there was no signage at all. But we finally made it to the start. Second, they didn't use the corral system the way that the Scotiabank Waterfront 5K does (you line up according to your pace). Now, the Scotiabank one has 6000 5K runners, but still, 3000 is a pretty decent number of people to have them jammed in willy nilly. Let the fast people stand at the front, I don't care. I don't want to be the one who hinders a speedy gonzales just because I happened to line up before him/her. Third, there were no race markers. The only race markers were at 3 and 4K. I am goal oriented. I NEED to know how far I've come and how far there is left to go. I know it's only 5K, but please have markers for each km. I don't know if this is just me. But personally I need it for pacing. I don't want to go all out if I have 4 bloody km to go. I also want to know if I can afford to walk at this moment or if I should push through it. That was friggin annoying. But the piece de resistance? THERE WAS NO WATER on the course!!! NONE! You know what there was? A water table set up at about 3.5 km with people with HOSES and those plastic milk jugs (the ones that usually hold the milk bags)...uh, what am I supposed to do with that? Again, I realise that this is not a huge distance, but there were kids and older people doing that run. It was also pretty warm, full beating sun since we started at 12:00 pm. To not have water is beyond comprehensible. It appears that they ran out of cups or something. Inexcusable in my opinion. I just kept going. I didn't want a frickin hose, I just wanted a cup of water. When I finally saw the finish line I gunned it...felt like my legs were gonna fly right off, lol. Got my medal and picture, and tried to find water. Was it in the tent with the bagels and fruit? Nope. Was it in the tent with the chocolate milk? Nope. It was set way off in the corner with about a million people between me and the water table. Not cool. Apparently some people were really pissed off. I was too, to be honest (ahem, in case you couldn't tell).
So running wise it was good for me (besides the too much walking)...but the organisation sucked. I kind of expect more when I pay $50 for a race. My next task is a 10K train run in July. I'm starting the training on Tuesday. Inside cause I'm still trying out shoes and if I wear them outside I can't take them back. My biggest challenge is that I am going to Vegas on the May long weekend. I'm not worried about when I am there...I am worried for when I get back. It's always so hard to get back at it following a vacation.
Time for bed...it's been a loooong day :) Time for some rest.
My time was 35:58 (bib time, which I count as my official time). I was 152/364 in my category, and 555/1300-ish in my gender. So I was above the 50% mark which I was pretty stoked about. I sprinted to the end, lol. It was a beautiful day to run along Toronto's waterfront. My two friends I ran with both beat me but I don't frickin care, lol.
So that's the good stuff. The bad stuff...the race (with 3000 5K participants, who knows how many half and full marathoners) was baaaaaaadly organised. All the 5K ppl were wandering around asking where the start was. The directions on the web site were abysmal. We had no idea where we were going, there was no signage at all. But we finally made it to the start. Second, they didn't use the corral system the way that the Scotiabank Waterfront 5K does (you line up according to your pace). Now, the Scotiabank one has 6000 5K runners, but still, 3000 is a pretty decent number of people to have them jammed in willy nilly. Let the fast people stand at the front, I don't care. I don't want to be the one who hinders a speedy gonzales just because I happened to line up before him/her. Third, there were no race markers. The only race markers were at 3 and 4K. I am goal oriented. I NEED to know how far I've come and how far there is left to go. I know it's only 5K, but please have markers for each km. I don't know if this is just me. But personally I need it for pacing. I don't want to go all out if I have 4 bloody km to go. I also want to know if I can afford to walk at this moment or if I should push through it. That was friggin annoying. But the piece de resistance? THERE WAS NO WATER on the course!!! NONE! You know what there was? A water table set up at about 3.5 km with people with HOSES and those plastic milk jugs (the ones that usually hold the milk bags)...uh, what am I supposed to do with that? Again, I realise that this is not a huge distance, but there were kids and older people doing that run. It was also pretty warm, full beating sun since we started at 12:00 pm. To not have water is beyond comprehensible. It appears that they ran out of cups or something. Inexcusable in my opinion. I just kept going. I didn't want a frickin hose, I just wanted a cup of water. When I finally saw the finish line I gunned it...felt like my legs were gonna fly right off, lol. Got my medal and picture, and tried to find water. Was it in the tent with the bagels and fruit? Nope. Was it in the tent with the chocolate milk? Nope. It was set way off in the corner with about a million people between me and the water table. Not cool. Apparently some people were really pissed off. I was too, to be honest (ahem, in case you couldn't tell).
So running wise it was good for me (besides the too much walking)...but the organisation sucked. I kind of expect more when I pay $50 for a race. My next task is a 10K train run in July. I'm starting the training on Tuesday. Inside cause I'm still trying out shoes and if I wear them outside I can't take them back. My biggest challenge is that I am going to Vegas on the May long weekend. I'm not worried about when I am there...I am worried for when I get back. It's always so hard to get back at it following a vacation.
Time for bed...it's been a loooong day :) Time for some rest.
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Need to intensify?
This is something I've been thinking about lately. Do I need to intensify my workouts? I can definitely eat cleaner, which I am trying to do (as a tip, if you're trying to eat clean, don't be persuaded to go to a Pakistani restaurant in Little India...and then, definitely don't eat chicken biryani, butter chicken, lamb kahari gosht, lamb chop, and naan......just sayin'...it was definitely coming back to say hello in the form of indigestion later that night).
My workouts are like this: 2 days a week I'm with my trainer. This is strength mixed with high intensity cardio bursts (think mountain climbers, burpees, skipping, etc.). Then I have 2-3 days of cardio. 30 mins each, with 1 steady state run, 1 sprint run, and 1 something else (elliptical or something). But to me, it really doesn't feel intense enough. I don't think I'm burning enough calories in my workouts, and then being confused when I don't see big changes in the 9 weeks since I've been back on track. Maybe I was expecting miracles? Probably. It's very common for me to have high expectations, of myself and those around me.
So I'm thinking of adding some butt cardio into my general scheme of things. A long time ago I downloaded Brazilian butt lift. I think I am going to add it to my trainer days (keeping my other cardio for the other days).
On the other hand...when is it too much? I read a very scary story of a woman whose body entered into starvation mode because she was exercising too much and not taking in enough calories. Now, I eat when I'm hungry (unless it's right before bed and I've eaten everything I planned...I will sometimes go to bed a lil bit hungry)...if I am hungry, I will not say, no I cannot eat, because I cannot spend the calories. That's not me. If I'm hungry, I eat. However, I am trying very very hard to make better choices when I am unexpectedly hungry. Fruit and veg etc. Having extra protein. So is this starvation mode thing a real thing? On average I eat about 1200-1400 calories per day. I'm 5 feet tall and 153 lbs. Is that enough for my body to survive (aka, get what it needs) and still lose weight? I'm trying to resist googling "starvation mode" cause really, I don't want to get conflicting information and if there's one way to get conflicting information it's to depend on the internet.
I guess the important thing to focus on is to be getting my daily nutrients in. Good oils, dairy, protein, fruit and veg in portion controlled amounts. And to up my protein when and if I do double workout days. It's still a concern for me though. I'm just so sick of how disproportionate I am from top to bottom. I have so much excess in my lower half that I look a mite ridiculous (IMO). Running and the elliptical are good, but I am really worried that I am not working hard enough. I'll have to ask my trainer about that.
Anyway...having an OP Sunday which is welcomed after my decidely OffP day I had yesterday (only dinner, but still). Have worked out (eff, I have shin splints btw! I need new shoes! But I had such a rotten experience last Friday at the Running Room that I didn't end up buying any!! Now I'm in pain cause I ran this morning, and I have my 5K race coming up :( I am going to have to find a sports doc in Toronto cause the GP I went to was useless).
Time to make dinner :)
My workouts are like this: 2 days a week I'm with my trainer. This is strength mixed with high intensity cardio bursts (think mountain climbers, burpees, skipping, etc.). Then I have 2-3 days of cardio. 30 mins each, with 1 steady state run, 1 sprint run, and 1 something else (elliptical or something). But to me, it really doesn't feel intense enough. I don't think I'm burning enough calories in my workouts, and then being confused when I don't see big changes in the 9 weeks since I've been back on track. Maybe I was expecting miracles? Probably. It's very common for me to have high expectations, of myself and those around me.
So I'm thinking of adding some butt cardio into my general scheme of things. A long time ago I downloaded Brazilian butt lift. I think I am going to add it to my trainer days (keeping my other cardio for the other days).
On the other hand...when is it too much? I read a very scary story of a woman whose body entered into starvation mode because she was exercising too much and not taking in enough calories. Now, I eat when I'm hungry (unless it's right before bed and I've eaten everything I planned...I will sometimes go to bed a lil bit hungry)...if I am hungry, I will not say, no I cannot eat, because I cannot spend the calories. That's not me. If I'm hungry, I eat. However, I am trying very very hard to make better choices when I am unexpectedly hungry. Fruit and veg etc. Having extra protein. So is this starvation mode thing a real thing? On average I eat about 1200-1400 calories per day. I'm 5 feet tall and 153 lbs. Is that enough for my body to survive (aka, get what it needs) and still lose weight? I'm trying to resist googling "starvation mode" cause really, I don't want to get conflicting information and if there's one way to get conflicting information it's to depend on the internet.
I guess the important thing to focus on is to be getting my daily nutrients in. Good oils, dairy, protein, fruit and veg in portion controlled amounts. And to up my protein when and if I do double workout days. It's still a concern for me though. I'm just so sick of how disproportionate I am from top to bottom. I have so much excess in my lower half that I look a mite ridiculous (IMO). Running and the elliptical are good, but I am really worried that I am not working hard enough. I'll have to ask my trainer about that.
Anyway...having an OP Sunday which is welcomed after my decidely OffP day I had yesterday (only dinner, but still). Have worked out (eff, I have shin splints btw! I need new shoes! But I had such a rotten experience last Friday at the Running Room that I didn't end up buying any!! Now I'm in pain cause I ran this morning, and I have my 5K race coming up :( I am going to have to find a sports doc in Toronto cause the GP I went to was useless).
Time to make dinner :)
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