I still haven't given up my dream of being able to run any kind of distance for a sustained period of time. Since I'm still working on getting my lungs to keep up, I've been running intervals. But I felt like I wasn't really getting anywhere (and not just because I was on a treadmill - baZING!), so I did some distance math and came up with the following:
1 km = 0.6 mi
Since the treadmill measures in miles and I want to be able to run a 5k, that means:
5 km = 3.0 mi
But since I'm not ready to run a full 5k without breaks, I timed myself to see how long it took to run 1 km (or 0.6 mi):
7 minutes = 0.6 mi
This means it will take me about 35 minutes to run 5k.
Once I figured this out, I decided I should revise my intervals to reflect actually achieving something in my running, rather than just running. So here's my running plan:
Walk 3.5 min
Run 7.0 min
Walk 3.5 min
Run 7.0 min
Walk 3.5 min
Run 7.0 min
Walk 3.5 min
The running part will have me at 3 km, which would be great. Of course, the walking parts will not equal 0.5 km because I'll be going slower, but I'll still be getting a 35 min workout. And with any luck those 3.5 min intervals will stop being walking and start being running...
...if I can keep breathing!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Up-Down Challenge Weigh-in #15
And...I'm back up again: 194.0 lb. Just when it seems like I might be closing in on that 189 lb mark, up I go. Bah.
I've got to get back into my groove again, the one that saw me dropping five pounds in the first couple of weeks I tried this. I think part of the problem this past week is that I've been off; when I'm at home, I eat like crap. When I'm at work, I have healthier snacks, better lunches and definitely drink more water.
Since I don't want to stop taking time off work, I really need to improve my eating habits when at home. I've been contemplating keeping a food diary, but I'm scared what it will show me and I'd be too embarrassed to share...which means it might be a good tool. Maybe I'll eat fewer bad things if I write them down.
I should also dust off that pedometer I bought waaaaay back when and start using the kitchen scale I bought waaaaaay back when. I really want to feel good about myself in a bathing suit this year and cottage season in pretty much here. I've got to work harder, dammit.
(Same old tune, I know. I'm more than a little disappointed in myself.)
I've got to get back into my groove again, the one that saw me dropping five pounds in the first couple of weeks I tried this. I think part of the problem this past week is that I've been off; when I'm at home, I eat like crap. When I'm at work, I have healthier snacks, better lunches and definitely drink more water.
Since I don't want to stop taking time off work, I really need to improve my eating habits when at home. I've been contemplating keeping a food diary, but I'm scared what it will show me and I'd be too embarrassed to share...which means it might be a good tool. Maybe I'll eat fewer bad things if I write them down.
I should also dust off that pedometer I bought waaaaay back when and start using the kitchen scale I bought waaaaaay back when. I really want to feel good about myself in a bathing suit this year and cottage season in pretty much here. I've got to work harder, dammit.
(Same old tune, I know. I'm more than a little disappointed in myself.)
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Contradiction
Whenever I lose weight, my first thought is to celebrate...by eating something bad.
Maybe this is why I'm yo-yoing so much on the scale?
(Although I don't always eat something bad, but it's hard not to cheat a little to celebrate weight loss. I think I need to find a better reward, something more instant that saving money.)
Maybe this is why I'm yo-yoing so much on the scale?
(Although I don't always eat something bad, but it's hard not to cheat a little to celebrate weight loss. I think I need to find a better reward, something more instant that saving money.)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Up-Down Challenge Weigh-in #14
Weighed myself tonight and the result?
192.4 lb. That's a loss of 1.2 lb since my last weigh-in. I'm not quite going to hit my goal of being below 190 by the long weekend, but I really want to start June at 189 lb.
It's strange, but when I started this, I assumed I'd have reached my goal by now and would be prancing around in new clothes that showed off my slimmer figure. I'm learning that it's a lot harder than I thought to not just lose weight but consistently lose weight and maintain that weight loss. I've tried to approach this as making a lifestyle change and I've been doing that (for better or worse) but I'm also wondering if this is as low as I can go. And that depresses me.
I want to be 170 lb. I've got 22.4 lb to go. I've only been able to get down about 8 lb since I started this 14 WEEKS ago. Am I fooling myself thinking I can lose this much weight? Or am I just being lazy?
I plan to find out.
192.4 lb. That's a loss of 1.2 lb since my last weigh-in. I'm not quite going to hit my goal of being below 190 by the long weekend, but I really want to start June at 189 lb.
It's strange, but when I started this, I assumed I'd have reached my goal by now and would be prancing around in new clothes that showed off my slimmer figure. I'm learning that it's a lot harder than I thought to not just lose weight but consistently lose weight and maintain that weight loss. I've tried to approach this as making a lifestyle change and I've been doing that (for better or worse) but I'm also wondering if this is as low as I can go. And that depresses me.
I want to be 170 lb. I've got 22.4 lb to go. I've only been able to get down about 8 lb since I started this 14 WEEKS ago. Am I fooling myself thinking I can lose this much weight? Or am I just being lazy?
I plan to find out.
Why Wednesdays rock
I don't work on Wednesdays. I know, I know, you're all jealous and stuff. But before you get too mad at me, I'll explain why I don't work on Wednesdays.
Tuesday is when we send Maclean's to the printer. Our printer deadline is late. LATE. This means I start work at noon on Tuesdays but stay until the wee hours - sometimes as late at 3:00 a.m. Because of this, I don't go into work on Wednesdays. My work week hour total is much the same as anyone else: 36.25 hours (7.25 hours/day). But I regularly log 40+ hours in the four days a week I work - which is another reason I get Wednesdays off.
I'm not trying to make myself sound hard-done-by, merely explaining why I get this beautiful mid-week break.
Having Wednesdays off is kind of awesome. I sleep in (mostly out of necessity - when I go to bed at 3 or 4 in the morning, there's no 8 am wake-up call) but I also strive to get a lot done; I really want to tackle as much housework as I can and even do the grocery shopping so my weekends get freed up. And with free weekends, the Beau and I can spend some quality time together.
That is probably the worst part about my erratic, late-night hours: less time with my man. We used to eat dinner together every night; now it's hit and miss, depending on when I get home, if I want a workout, how hungry he is, all these things. To help alleviate a little of this, we come back to Wednesdays and the biggest reason they rock: I make a nice dinner and we sit down together and enjoy some "us" time.
Often, it's just chilling in front of the TV, chatting about random things, but that's the kind of stuff that makes our relationship work so well - we can completely relax with one another and just enjoy being lazy together.
Tonight I'm making pork chops with a curry-apple sauce, roasted asparagus and basmati rice. I picked up a sample pack of beer today and we're going to have a lovely evening.
This is why Wednesdays rock.
Tuesday is when we send Maclean's to the printer. Our printer deadline is late. LATE. This means I start work at noon on Tuesdays but stay until the wee hours - sometimes as late at 3:00 a.m. Because of this, I don't go into work on Wednesdays. My work week hour total is much the same as anyone else: 36.25 hours (7.25 hours/day). But I regularly log 40+ hours in the four days a week I work - which is another reason I get Wednesdays off.
I'm not trying to make myself sound hard-done-by, merely explaining why I get this beautiful mid-week break.
Having Wednesdays off is kind of awesome. I sleep in (mostly out of necessity - when I go to bed at 3 or 4 in the morning, there's no 8 am wake-up call) but I also strive to get a lot done; I really want to tackle as much housework as I can and even do the grocery shopping so my weekends get freed up. And with free weekends, the Beau and I can spend some quality time together.
That is probably the worst part about my erratic, late-night hours: less time with my man. We used to eat dinner together every night; now it's hit and miss, depending on when I get home, if I want a workout, how hungry he is, all these things. To help alleviate a little of this, we come back to Wednesdays and the biggest reason they rock: I make a nice dinner and we sit down together and enjoy some "us" time.
Often, it's just chilling in front of the TV, chatting about random things, but that's the kind of stuff that makes our relationship work so well - we can completely relax with one another and just enjoy being lazy together.
Tonight I'm making pork chops with a curry-apple sauce, roasted asparagus and basmati rice. I picked up a sample pack of beer today and we're going to have a lovely evening.
This is why Wednesdays rock.
Wednesdays are THE day...
...when I'm going to start updating everything, if only because that's the day I have time to do things.
I'm going to start weighing in on Wednesdays (starting today - I'll post that later!) and I'm also going to be doing student loan repayment updates on Wednesdays.
I've been finding that, without even trying, my days are just so busy. I know there are so many people out there with so much more on the go than me, but I'm still struggling to find that happy balance of work and life. Right now, it feels like all work.
On the plus side, I've got some time off coming up. I'm off this Friday and Monday/Tuesday of next week - woo hoo! I plan to cross some things off my to-do list - but I also plan to put "do nothing" on my to-do list!
And since it's Wednesday it's my turn to make a nice dinner for the Beau and I. Tonight is tilapia with Parmesan polenta and sauteed veg. YUM.
I'm going to start weighing in on Wednesdays (starting today - I'll post that later!) and I'm also going to be doing student loan repayment updates on Wednesdays.
I've been finding that, without even trying, my days are just so busy. I know there are so many people out there with so much more on the go than me, but I'm still struggling to find that happy balance of work and life. Right now, it feels like all work.
On the plus side, I've got some time off coming up. I'm off this Friday and Monday/Tuesday of next week - woo hoo! I plan to cross some things off my to-do list - but I also plan to put "do nothing" on my to-do list!
And since it's Wednesday it's my turn to make a nice dinner for the Beau and I. Tonight is tilapia with Parmesan polenta and sauteed veg. YUM.
Friday, May 13, 2011
If the shirt fits...
When I go shopping, I hate trying things on. I think this stems from two things: my dislike of looking at myself in the mirror and the fact that most stores don't carry my size or have clothes that fit me well.
I always found it discouraging when stuff wouldn't fit or fit properly, so I just stopped trying things on. If I saw something I liked, I'd guess at my size, take it home to try on in private and, when it inevitably didn't fit, return it. (Although sometimes I'd hang on to that pair of pants or skirt that was just a bit too small and plan to lose weight to fit into it. That never worked out.)
It wasn't until I started shopping with the Beau that I really started trying things on. The reason? Most of the places we'd go shopping we had to drive to, so it wouldn't be easy for me to return things if they didn't work out. I know, a terrible reason to try clothes on, but there you go.
Now when the Beau and I shop together, I always try things on, which is good, but I still haven't been able to shake my "guess-and-grab" method of shopping. Why do I bring this up? Today I'm wearing a top and cardigan that I've received multiple compliments on...and both I just picked up off the rack and bought. So sometimes it does work out.
Also, the top is from H&M while the cardigan is from Old Navy - two stores that don't have consistent sizing practices, at least when it comes to me fitting into clothes.
The moral of this rambling, rather pointless story? I know I should try clothes on but I'm still getting there in terms of accepting my size and being willing to look at myself. But we're going shopping again this weekend and I've slimmed out a bit since our last winter shop, so maybe this will be the turning point and I'll try clothes on, not just out of necessity but out of desire as well.
I always found it discouraging when stuff wouldn't fit or fit properly, so I just stopped trying things on. If I saw something I liked, I'd guess at my size, take it home to try on in private and, when it inevitably didn't fit, return it. (Although sometimes I'd hang on to that pair of pants or skirt that was just a bit too small and plan to lose weight to fit into it. That never worked out.)
It wasn't until I started shopping with the Beau that I really started trying things on. The reason? Most of the places we'd go shopping we had to drive to, so it wouldn't be easy for me to return things if they didn't work out. I know, a terrible reason to try clothes on, but there you go.
Now when the Beau and I shop together, I always try things on, which is good, but I still haven't been able to shake my "guess-and-grab" method of shopping. Why do I bring this up? Today I'm wearing a top and cardigan that I've received multiple compliments on...and both I just picked up off the rack and bought. So sometimes it does work out.
Also, the top is from H&M while the cardigan is from Old Navy - two stores that don't have consistent sizing practices, at least when it comes to me fitting into clothes.
The moral of this rambling, rather pointless story? I know I should try clothes on but I'm still getting there in terms of accepting my size and being willing to look at myself. But we're going shopping again this weekend and I've slimmed out a bit since our last winter shop, so maybe this will be the turning point and I'll try clothes on, not just out of necessity but out of desire as well.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Up-Down Challenge Weigh-in #13
I did weigh myself last night, I promise. I just didn't have time to post about it.
The result? 193.6 lb - down 0.4 lb. I must say, I'm getting frustrated with myself that I'm not seeing better results but I know it's because I'm eating food that is terrible for me. So I'm giving myself a mini-goal: I want to be under 190 lb by the long weekend; that's just about two weeks to get down 3.6 lb. I know I can do this because I've lost more weight than that in two weeks before.
I know I can do this.
The result? 193.6 lb - down 0.4 lb. I must say, I'm getting frustrated with myself that I'm not seeing better results but I know it's because I'm eating food that is terrible for me. So I'm giving myself a mini-goal: I want to be under 190 lb by the long weekend; that's just about two weeks to get down 3.6 lb. I know I can do this because I've lost more weight than that in two weeks before.
I know I can do this.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Up-Down Challenge Weihg-in #12 - delayed!
I know it's Thursday but I did weigh myself on Sunday. It's just I've been SO busy with work that I haven't had time to even think about blogging, let alone put words to screen. To put it in perspective: I saw the Beau Sunday night; I did not see him awake again until he got home from work yesterday (i.e. Wednesday). Royal wedding + federal election + dead terrorist = busy times at work.
But that is all behind me, which is good because I need to get back on track with the exercising. My weigh-in wasn't great: 194 lb, which is up 2 lb. I'm getting a little fed up with losing and gaining the same 2-3 pounds so I'm really going to buckle down now. I find that when I get in the habit of running 3x a week my body responds rather nicely and I look good but more importantly I feel good. That's what i want to strive for because I like feeling good. And I've pretty much sworn off heels (which makes me so sad - have you SEEN the amazing wedge sandals out there this spring?!) which I think has really helped my legs to not hurt as much during/after my runs.
I think I'm still a bit away from a 5K though; my lungs can't seem to keep up - yet.
With any luck, I can get out of work soon too (still here at 6pm) because this girl wants a run!
But that is all behind me, which is good because I need to get back on track with the exercising. My weigh-in wasn't great: 194 lb, which is up 2 lb. I'm getting a little fed up with losing and gaining the same 2-3 pounds so I'm really going to buckle down now. I find that when I get in the habit of running 3x a week my body responds rather nicely and I look good but more importantly I feel good. That's what i want to strive for because I like feeling good. And I've pretty much sworn off heels (which makes me so sad - have you SEEN the amazing wedge sandals out there this spring?!) which I think has really helped my legs to not hurt as much during/after my runs.
I think I'm still a bit away from a 5K though; my lungs can't seem to keep up - yet.
With any luck, I can get out of work soon too (still here at 6pm) because this girl wants a run!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
It is Sunday
And I am at work. Sigh.
The Royal Wedding is done and once the election is over, my work life should return to some variety of normal.
On the plus side, I did something pretty awesome yesterday:
I PAID OFF THE LAST OF MY CONSUMER DEBT!
That's right, this girl is consumer debt-free! It was rather anti-climactic, I must say; I just punched in a few number and selected the proper account and the magic of online banking wiped my debt away.
It won't really sink in until tomorrow, when the banks open and the transaction goes through, but when it does I will gaze lovingly at the big, round $0.00 balance sitting there.
Now on to those student loans!
The Royal Wedding is done and once the election is over, my work life should return to some variety of normal.
On the plus side, I did something pretty awesome yesterday:
I PAID OFF THE LAST OF MY CONSUMER DEBT!
That's right, this girl is consumer debt-free! It was rather anti-climactic, I must say; I just punched in a few number and selected the proper account and the magic of online banking wiped my debt away.
It won't really sink in until tomorrow, when the banks open and the transaction goes through, but when it does I will gaze lovingly at the big, round $0.00 balance sitting there.
Now on to those student loans!
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