My workouts and my eating habits are on track and I feel good. I've been consistent since the beginning of the year. That's a long time for me. Going forward I need to have patience and vigilence.
I need patience because I'm getting antsy about results. I want to strength and endurance to increase rapidly. I want the weight to come off rapidly too. I've been working hard but I've tried to be very mindful of not over-exerting myself. Hey, I'm thinking in terms of reality and not vanity! I've been moderate about my diet as well. There have been no crash dieting going on. While all of this is good, the net effect is that the gains/losses are very slow. Patience. Must be patient!
Of course I can't let patience become complacency. I know that the body reacts in strange ways. There is a real risk of plateauing or reaching a place where the exercise and diet become so routine that my body adapts and the gains/losses stagnate. That's where the vigilence comes in (as well as this blog!). By constantly thinking about what I'm doing and the gains/losses I'm making, I can ease up or intensify my efforts from time to time.
My hope is that a combination of patience and vigilence will keep the gains/losses on track.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday through Sunday: First good weekend!
I had my first good Friday through Sunday since I started my journey to better health! These three days, until this past weekend, had been my Achilles Heel. My diet and my exercise were very poor and inconsistent heretofore but thankfully I got that under more control!
Friday I worked out after work. I ran 20 minutes and then lifted weights - chest and shoulders. It was a great work out. I like running before I lift as it seems to help me set a faster pace for the weight lifting portion of my work out.
I was able to reign in my carb consumption this weekend. I still ate well (I had my splurg foods) but they were spread out throughout the weekend and not at every meal.
I ran and rode the stationary bike on Saturday evening and then did two rounds on the heavy bag. The running did not feel as good (I couldn't keep up the 4.5 mph pace the way I do at the gym) but I was able to get a good 25 to 30 minute workout by interspersing walking and inclines into the run.
Sunday I ate a late lunch and then avoided dinner!
One of the things that helped me was weighing in last week and finding out that I had dropped 5 lbs since the beginning of February. Knowing that too much splurging would erase some of the hard-earned weight loss kept me motivated.
Friday I worked out after work. I ran 20 minutes and then lifted weights - chest and shoulders. It was a great work out. I like running before I lift as it seems to help me set a faster pace for the weight lifting portion of my work out.
I was able to reign in my carb consumption this weekend. I still ate well (I had my splurg foods) but they were spread out throughout the weekend and not at every meal.
I ran and rode the stationary bike on Saturday evening and then did two rounds on the heavy bag. The running did not feel as good (I couldn't keep up the 4.5 mph pace the way I do at the gym) but I was able to get a good 25 to 30 minute workout by interspersing walking and inclines into the run.
Sunday I ate a late lunch and then avoided dinner!
One of the things that helped me was weighing in last week and finding out that I had dropped 5 lbs since the beginning of February. Knowing that too much splurging would erase some of the hard-earned weight loss kept me motivated.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Lack of focus leads to crappy workout
I had a lot on my mind yesterday. Usually a good workout can clear my head but alas the little things tripped me up in the end and resulted in a very crappy workout.
I signed up for laundry service at FFC. When I got to the gym my laundry bag was, as expected, in my locker. Great!
But wait - the clothes were all damp and smelly - not so great. I almost allowed myself to walk out of the gym without working out. Instead I put on the damp clothes and did some of my work out.
Yesterday was my day to lift weights. Specifically, to work on my legs and chest. I started with my legs and did all the exercises I needed to do. I was able to hit the right level of intensity during this phase of the workout. It took me about 20 minutes. But then, rather than moving on to dumbbell chest presses, I jumped on the exercise bike for a mild 25 minute ride. The heart rate monitor said I got my heart rate to where it needs to be for my age for a cardio workout (I have my doubts about that because I hardly broke a sweat).
I'm glad I got through the workout though. I weighed in afterwards and was surprised to see that I had lost 5 lbs. since I first weighed in at the beginning of the month. Not bad.
The positive feedback from the scale was enough to keep me motivated through the rest of the day. I had a couple of sandwiches for dinner - tuna w/ dijon mustard and roast beef w/ dijon mustard (both on whole wheat bread) and some skim milk. It was a lot better than the tradition rice and fatty/rich Indian dishes I'm often tempted with most nights.
Overall, 2/18/10 turned out to be a good fitness day.
I signed up for laundry service at FFC. When I got to the gym my laundry bag was, as expected, in my locker. Great!
But wait - the clothes were all damp and smelly - not so great. I almost allowed myself to walk out of the gym without working out. Instead I put on the damp clothes and did some of my work out.
Yesterday was my day to lift weights. Specifically, to work on my legs and chest. I started with my legs and did all the exercises I needed to do. I was able to hit the right level of intensity during this phase of the workout. It took me about 20 minutes. But then, rather than moving on to dumbbell chest presses, I jumped on the exercise bike for a mild 25 minute ride. The heart rate monitor said I got my heart rate to where it needs to be for my age for a cardio workout (I have my doubts about that because I hardly broke a sweat).
I'm glad I got through the workout though. I weighed in afterwards and was surprised to see that I had lost 5 lbs. since I first weighed in at the beginning of the month. Not bad.
The positive feedback from the scale was enough to keep me motivated through the rest of the day. I had a couple of sandwiches for dinner - tuna w/ dijon mustard and roast beef w/ dijon mustard (both on whole wheat bread) and some skim milk. It was a lot better than the tradition rice and fatty/rich Indian dishes I'm often tempted with most nights.
Overall, 2/18/10 turned out to be a good fitness day.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Strange: really hungry today at work
I'm really hungry today! I'm not sure how to account for this.
I had a bowl of oatmeal a bit earlier than usual today. I've been having the bowl of oatmeal about 4 hours after waking up (about 8:30am) but today I had it at 7:15am. Could that be the reason?
Today is supposed to be a weight lifting workout. I want to get my energy level up and my focus off food so I can have a good workout.
I had about 15 raw almonds and a very unhealthy but oh so tasty Nature Valley chewy Salty n' Sweet peanut granola bar. Mmmm! It's candy dressed up as a granola bar.
One day at a time.
I had a bowl of oatmeal a bit earlier than usual today. I've been having the bowl of oatmeal about 4 hours after waking up (about 8:30am) but today I had it at 7:15am. Could that be the reason?
Today is supposed to be a weight lifting workout. I want to get my energy level up and my focus off food so I can have a good workout.
I had about 15 raw almonds and a very unhealthy but oh so tasty Nature Valley chewy Salty n' Sweet peanut granola bar. Mmmm! It's candy dressed up as a granola bar.
One day at a time.
Some weight loss would be nice...
For the first time in a long time I didn't make a resolution to get in shape at the start of the new year. Oddly enough, this year has been the best start in a long time vis-a-vis my exercise and diet regimen.
Even though I've started to eat better and my workouts have been consistent throughout January and to date, I am not losing any weight. I know this because the scale doesn't lie. I'm tempted to convince myself that I'm losing fat and building muscle and that's the reason for the constant weight, but my clothes don't lie either! They fit the same as they did at the beginning of the year.
I've resisted the urge to do anything extreme like the 14 days diets advertised at stores like GNC (see here and here for examples) and I've avoided the Atkins Diet (which worked marvelously well for me a few years ago but only as short-term fix). But a little weight loss would be nice. Most importantly at this stage, a little weight loss would help me stay motivated.
Even though I've started to eat better and my workouts have been consistent throughout January and to date, I am not losing any weight. I know this because the scale doesn't lie. I'm tempted to convince myself that I'm losing fat and building muscle and that's the reason for the constant weight, but my clothes don't lie either! They fit the same as they did at the beginning of the year.
I've resisted the urge to do anything extreme like the 14 days diets advertised at stores like GNC (see here and here for examples) and I've avoided the Atkins Diet (which worked marvelously well for me a few years ago but only as short-term fix). But a little weight loss would be nice. Most importantly at this stage, a little weight loss would help me stay motivated.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I wanna run but it hurts!
I've been running (I call it running and will continue to do so but keep in mind that I use the term very loosely) on the treadmill now with some consistency for the past 3 or 4 weeks and I feel good. In fact, the running makes me feel so good that I want to run more. I want to run longer and harder and more often.
The problem is (damn it - there's always a problem when it comes to getting healthy for me) my legs are not keeping up with the heart and lungs. For example, this afternoon I ran for 40 minutes at a steady pace of about 4.5 mph. By the time I got to 40 minutes my knees and my right ankle were hurting just a tiny bit; I could feel the slightest bit of pain (more like a tickle) and I knew I had to stop. The thing is, I wasn't gasping for air. My heart rate was at 150 but I felt strong in that sense.
I'm so nervous about doing anything to screw up my legs and feet that I'm taking it slow right now. My primary goal is to get my weight down and the running and other exercise is helping me feel better which, in turn, is helping my diet (I am more motivated to eat a bit better knowing that I've exercised). I hope that, as I get my weight down, my body will hold up better to the running.
The problem is (damn it - there's always a problem when it comes to getting healthy for me) my legs are not keeping up with the heart and lungs. For example, this afternoon I ran for 40 minutes at a steady pace of about 4.5 mph. By the time I got to 40 minutes my knees and my right ankle were hurting just a tiny bit; I could feel the slightest bit of pain (more like a tickle) and I knew I had to stop. The thing is, I wasn't gasping for air. My heart rate was at 150 but I felt strong in that sense.
I'm so nervous about doing anything to screw up my legs and feet that I'm taking it slow right now. My primary goal is to get my weight down and the running and other exercise is helping me feel better which, in turn, is helping my diet (I am more motivated to eat a bit better knowing that I've exercised). I hope that, as I get my weight down, my body will hold up better to the running.
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