Exercise – The Shrinking Jeans of Lisa

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December 1, 2010 By lisa

The last time I weighed myself officially was 2 weeks ago:  161.8lbs

Today’s weight:  164.4 lbs

Gain of 2.6 lbs

Not surprising given my utter disregard for my eating plan for Thanksgiving week and being away from home.  It sucks, but I am not surprised. All my clothes still fit comfortably so that is one blessing.  I cannot change what I have already done, BUT I can get back on track with eating right and exercising, which brings me to my three five goals for December.

I’m going back to the basics for this month.

  1. Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  (I have already eaten 3.5 servings today and it’s only 12:45pm!).  I have been lazy with this recently and I just feel ick.  Time to get back in the game and give my body the good stuff.
  2. Exercise a minimum of four times a week and shot for five times a week.  Exercise will be either running, spinning, swimming, a fitness class, or lifting weights. 
  3. Register for my next race.  I am finding that I NEED something to train for, otherwise, I just flounder with the exercise/running.  I need a plan or I find excuses not to fit it in, especially during the holidays when SO many things compete for my attention.  I mean, on a normal day, I am ridiculously busy but throw in the month of December on top of the normal busy, and it’s enough to drive me insane.  I need to pick a race to train for so that I will actually train and so that my brain can relax fromthe exercise endorphins and not freakin’ explode.
  4. In the same manner, I want to simplify some areas of my life.  I’ll get back to you on this one.
  5. Lastly, journal journal journal.  It’s my least favorite thing to – I abhor it because then I can’t cheat.  Yes, I realize how stupid this sounds, but writing down what I eat is the bane of my existence.  However, I also know that if I have to write it down, then I am less likely to shove more than is necessary in my piehole that sounds all kinds of wrong.

So let’s just get on with it so that I get the weight off.  I want to be in the 150′s by the time New Year’s hits.

February 25, 2010 By lisa

Craptastic Morning

  • Get all three children dressed and fed
  • Toddler reaches up to kitchen table and pulls down a full glass of water onto himself and the floor
  • Pre-school gets bitten by a spider and it swells up
  • Kindergartner mouthy and sassy and pouty and whiney
  • Stressed out and overwhelmed and tired by all that needs to be done
  • Laundry, kitchen, toys picked up, mail sorted
  • Pre-schooler’s birthday planned for tomorrow
  • Pre-schooler’s family party for Saturday
  • Need to buy present for him AND for a party my daughter is going to
  • Set up “chore store” so that I can get my kids on board with doing chores and earning prizes
  • worrying about fundraising, fundraising, fundraising for Team in Training
  • must exercise/run this morning
  • drop off each child in three different places
  • run to Walmart to drop off donation letter request, pick up a few things
  • run to Target for birthday presents (didn’t have at Walmart)
  • scarf down breakfast and coffee

That was just this morning.  Have I mentioned that my husband has a work schedule that does not allow him to be around much?  I won’t go into specifics because ya’ll don’t need to know all the details, but suffice it to say that I do a lot of the “raising of the kids and taking care of the kids” by myself during the week.

Add a big ole heaping mess of “OMG, there is so much going on at Shrinking Jeans” and yes, I was feeling craptastic this morning.  My husband and Christy got to bear the brunt of my venting.

Then, I went for my run. 

My mind was completely free of “all the things I need to do”, the to-do lists put to the side for 39:38 minutes (3.53 miles).

That was the BEST 39:38 minutes of my life.

Now, I feel refreshed and like I can do anything.  The chores are still there to be done, the party still needs to be planned, the kids still need taken care of, my house still looks like a bomb went off in it, but folks, I did something for me- something that I enjoy and that frees me from my overcluttered, overwhelmed, overstressed mind.

And that, THAT is why I will keep running, even after the half marathon is over and done with.

Fantastic.

January 20, 2010 By lisa

I was so emotional over last week’s weigh-in, because of the big gain I had.  This week, I am not emotional and just more relieved.

Last week’s weigh-in:  171.5 lbs

This week’s weigh-in: 169 lbs

Loss of 2.5 lbs

I worked hard this past week, exercising consistently, making “healthier” choices, drinking tons of water, and limiting my snacking at night.   I keep hearing over and over how stress can lead to a weight gain (OK, it’s Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser TV show that keeps telling me that…..didn’t you know!  Well, I didn’t know but I think the lady trainer mega God is right).  I was in a funk last week but it has since passed, thank goodness.

I want to be at least 10-15 lbs lighter when I run the 1/2 marathon with Team Shrinking Jeans in June.  I just know my body will continue to thank me as I shed the pounds and have less weight to pound my knees and ankles as I run.  When I run, I imagine the two people I am running in memory of and let me just say, those thoughts only fuel me on.

I am very happy to be back in the 160′s and plan to stay here for a short while as I make my way to the 150′s.  I know what I need to do- now, I just have to keep doing it.  Couldn’t this be true for a lot of us?  We know what we need to do, but we just have to do it.  That’s the hard part though.  I say BRING IT ON.

Game on.

December 28, 2009 By lisa

I have not been listening to my body and what it has been trying to tell me for the last few weeks.

Sometime between Thanksgiving and now, my lower right calf muscle/area has been bothering me during my runs and afterwards.  I chocked it up to all kinds of different excuses- my body was already tired, I didn’t stretch enough, I pushed myself too hard, my muscles are supposed to hurt, yada yada yada.

Well, going into today’s run, I knew I didn’t “feel right” but I forged ahead anyway.  Prior to running, I did talk to one of the running instructors at the gym and she gave me some good stretching exercises to try and suggested that I needed to up my strength training, that maybe my calf muscles needed more strength and so on and so forth.

So yeah, I talked to her and then I headed to the trail with my friend Amanda.  We stretched SO MUCH before and during and I seriously thought I might die.  I actually broke into a sweat when stretching my right leg.  No, the running didn’t make me sweat but the stretching did.  How weird is that?  We ran at a VERY slow pace and I tried not to favor my bum leg, but by 1.5 miles, I couldn’t run on it anymore.

IT HURT TOO MUCH.

I made a decision right then and there.  I HAVE TO rest my leg and not run for a little while.  I have to let it heal.  I need to figure out what is going on with it and what I need to do to strengthen it or whatever so that I can run again.

Because ya’ll, I am running a 1/2 marathon in San Diego in June.  There is still plenty of time to train, I’m not worried about that.  I am worried about my leg and I want it to get better, like yesterday.  I don’t want to hurt it to the point of no return.

A part of me is SO EFFING ANGRY.  I am so mad at my body for betraying me.  In my head and in my heart, I feel so strong and like I can do anything.  Why the hell is my body not cooperating?  I understand that I am 37 years old- I will be 38 in May.  I do get that my body is NOT the same as it was when I was 24 years old.  I get that…… but, I want it to be.

I want my body to catch up to where I am in my soul.

But for now, I rest and heal and learn as much as I can about muscles and cardio work and strength training and how it all interrelates together can anyone point me in the right direction?.

I will get stronger.  I will get better.  I will run again.

This much I know is true.

September 30, 2009 By lisa

When I stepped on the scale this morning, I was slightly disappointed with this:

Last week’s weight: 173 lbs

This week’s weight:  173 lbs

No change

I mean C’MON!  I was careful with what I ate (but I did not journal religiously), I exercised and even did a double workout yesterday (one hour pilates/core combo at the gym and 30 Day Shred at home, level 3).  Nighttime snacking was cut way down and completely OUT for the last 3 nights.  I thought for sure I had a weight loss in the bag.  But alas, it is not to be this week at least.

But that’s OK, I have decided.  My clothes are feeling better, my legs are strong, and I know I am doing the right things.  It does appear that I will have to journal Every. Single. Thing. I. Eat in order to really understand what is going on food-wise.  I have the exercise portion under control, meaning I am now exercising on a regular basis and will continue to do so with the upcoming 5K challenge.  Now I just have to get a true handle on my eating.  I think I am eating right and the right portions but apparently my perception is a little skewed and I must be eating more than I should.

So yeah this week, the name of the game is to journal, journal, journal.  Drink drink drink (water, that is).  Exercise, exercise, exercise.