Apathy gives way to ambition

Last night's run was not as ideal as I would have liked but the upside is that I got some exercise and I was back to wanting to engage in more. I started thinking that if my goal is to do the entire IWTB dvd series by my birthday then I better start ramping up my effort. So with that in mind, I was prompted to pop in the dvd and give my strongest effort. I did the arms section, then abs, then lower body (with weights for a bit!) then I attempted a portion of the other chapters of arms and same for the lower body. HUZZAH! My thighs were shaking so I could barely keep my balance by the end. My face was flush and sweat drops were collecting in my eyes. It was intense and grueling and I was totally relieved by the time it was over!

This weekend I am spending some time with my parents. I know my dad is planning on walking the FREEP half marathon and so maybe I can do a long walk with him and my mom. That should be fun, especially if it's the last 70+ degree day for the year.

Cheers!

The running skirt strikes again

I admit that sometimes feeling positive about how you look can have a commensurate impact on how you feel while working out. Yesterday, was my first chance at fitness in about a week and I have to admit some apathy was starting to kick in. I had been feeling stressed out and when a friend suggest a run as a stress reliever, I took the bait. It was easy to head out on the streets when I had on my running skirt; however, that did not keep me in motion, unfortunately. My plan was to run for three songs, walk for another and then repeat that a few times like I did last week. Well I don't know if it was the wimpy mindset that I head while heading out or the brutal high temps but my effort was a bit on the weak side. I managed the first mile, even though I was rudely interrupted by Plymouth's longest train ever. Then in the second mile I had to walk for a bit. Then I could not even finish the third mile. And I was out for close to an hour. Yikes! I was definitely the turtle moving in slow motion to the finish line. So it goes. I could berate myself for my sad workout or I could think that I got out there when I was not enthused, when I was not heat acclimated and I lasted an hour. Isn't there some adage about how the glory is not that you finished but that you started? Yeah, I will chalk it up to that sort of mentality. Maybe when the weather cools off next week, I'll have greater success! Tonight I hope to circle through all of the chapters on the IWTB dvd.

Almost derailed

Do you see these treats? It was one of these plus a visit with my aunt that almost made my exercise plans fall apart for Wednesday night. The thing is I thought I wasn't meeting her until 7pm and therefore I'd have time for a quick run after work. It didn't turn out that way. She called and said she'd be in town around 6. I didn't want to miss seeing her but I didn't want to miss a workout either; however, it looked as if the socializing would trump my fitness goals. Yep that's the way it seemed by the time I ate my way through one of those dessert bars and downed a medium latte. (And I hadn't even had my dinner yet!) By the time I left Ann Arbor, it was 7pm and I still needed to stop at the grocery store for dinner food for me and Jason. That gave me some time to think, and some time to digest that gut bomb. I'm guessing that butterscotch devil clocked in at about 400 calories and 15g of fat. Now, I am not one of those people who exercise only to cleanse themselves of fat and calories. I do believe though that all things should be practiced in moderation, and if we have time to indulge then we can make time to do something healthy too.

You can guess where this is going. I was psyching myself up to try and run when I got back to Plymouth. (Cramps, be damned!) And that is what I did. I laced up my shoes, re-loaded my ipod and put on my determined face. I ran for 3 songs (approximately 1 mile) then walked for one song and repeated this 3 times. This wasn't a record-setting pace, but it was running, nonetheless. I probably managed about 45 minutes of cardio and maybe 3.3 miles of running. Man, it sure gets dark earlier these days. I felt great about making time for myself! And I still managed to have some treats and a great visit with my aunt. All in all, a pretty well-rounded and satisfying evening!

The gym? on the weekend?

I actually made it to the gym this past Saturday. What a strong feeling of accomplishment! I always feel, when I get to the gym on a weekend day, that I am that much ahead of the game for the amount of workouts I can squeeze in during the entire week. *5* days of fitness for me last week. I am thrilled. Woot! Woot!

All I actually did while I was there was 15 grueling minutes on the bike, elliptical, gravitron and treadmill, respectively. And I got to catch up on some news on the cable channels ;)

4 days strong

Monday: Body Pump class
Tuesday: One hour walk to work and back
Wednesday: One hour on the treadmill
Thursday: The first 3 chapters of all segments on the IWTB dvd

HUZZAH!

Flame broiling the Earth

Producing the world's beef and pork intake creates more greenhouse gases than all of the planet's cars, planes and boats combined---

Need another reason to feel guilty about feeding your children that Happy Meal — aside from the fat, the calories and that voice in your head asking why you can't be bothered to actually cook a well-balanced meal now and then? Rajendra Pachauri would like to offer you one. The head of the U.N.'s Nobel Prize–winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Pachauri on Monday urged people around the world to cut back on meat in order to combat climate change. "Give up meat for one day [per week] at least initially, and decrease it from there," Pachauri told Britain's Observer newspaper. "In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity." So, that addiction to pork and beef isn't just clogging your arteries; it's flame-broiling the earth, too.

Read the rest of the article here.

Walkin on sunshine

Yes, it's Friday and YES (!!) I am not going anywhere this weekend. Hip Hip Hooray!! I have had an absolute blast this summer. I have done a lot of traveling, had tons of fun on the lakes and spent great time with some of the most special people that I am close to. This summer has been stellar. My only complaint is that I wish it were longer, but so it goes... so it goes. Well, nothing signals the demise of summer like staying in Plymouth for the weekend and discovering that this weekend is Fall Festival. What's up with the corn husk decorations everywhere and the orange and black streamers? It's like the whole town is trying to squeeze summer out of the house and screaming "Don't let the door hit you on your way out." I just want to shout slow down people! Alas, I am powerless to the ways of the world. Maybe I'll carry on like Jason suggests by realizing that summer is a mindset ;) haHAH!

It's been a great week so far. Don't we usually say that about four day work weeks? I went running on Wednesday. I made it to Body Pump last night(!). I am doing my drive-and-walk route to and back from work today.

Ah, life is good.

Three weeks in a row!

Last night marked the third Wednesday in as many weeks that I made it to the gym for a run. I wan on the treadmill for close to an hour, and spent 30 minutes running. I'm pretty proud of sticking to my goal to run once a week and hopefully I'll be upping the amount soon enough. But, hey, slow and steady is the name of my [running] game! Tonight, I'm also thrilled to have plans to go to a Body Pump class. It's been too long. I also want to stay on target with my new (more intense) workout goal which is to complete the IWTB dvd in its entirety by my birthday. That plan calls for some serious strength so I'll definitely benefit from the muscle-toning effects of an hour of lifting weights!

There are costs and risks to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. John F. Kennedy