Tuesday:
I got to the gym this morning and did 45 minutes on the elliptical. Did the grocery shopping. Went to a friend's house after school, reaching 10,000 steps on the way home. A few miscellaneous tasks, but no writing today. Tomorrow I get feedback from my writing group about my novel! Scary and exciting.
We've been thinking about moving to Sydney for years, it's where both Tim and I grew up and where most of our extended families still live. We travel back and forth a lot. I particularly wanted to be near mum when she got sick, obviously that ship has sailed but there are still reasons to move back there. The problem has been that Tim has a job that is fairly specific to our nation's capital; finding anything reasonably equivalent elsewhere is almost impossible so moving would probably mean a pay cut. But his job is very stressful so maybe taking a step back wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Well he hasn't found a new job in Sydney yet but he is far enough along in his thinking that he was looking for houses online the other day. And we found one that I kind of fell in love with. We haven't seen it in person and there is not a comprehensive group of pictures online, only six - and three of those are outside! But the more I look at it the more I want it, enough to try to arrange to go see it. The inside has everything we want. The real estate agent responded by saying they have had an offer, that we are welcome to top, and that they can't arrange a viewing at times convenient to us. Tricky that we live nearly four hours away. And Tim doesn't have a new job yet. Should probably wait and see what is available when we are ready.
But.
I want it.
Oh well, probably for the best. It has its faults, and probably a lot more that we don't even know about yet.
The thing is, it looks like a castle. It's on a small steep block, three stories tall and very square with actual crenulations around the top like a castle wall. Not everyone's cup of tea. But very definitely our cup of tea - a whole pot of tea!
Oh well. Maybe we can build our own castle.
Report card:
Diet: Great. Another afternoon tea visit where I ignored the unhealthy stuff and just had grapes. I'm looking forward to a bit of chocolate later this evening.
Exercise: Great. Sweaty hiking through virtual California, and 10,000 steps.
Water: Poor. Damn it! Can't ignore my water like that.
Sleep: Ok.
Mental health: Good.
Showing posts with label elliptical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elliptical. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Lots of movement
Wednesday:
Another poor sleep but overall feeling much better. I started the day by walking the kids to their school swimming carnival, we went out of our way to collect a school friend so it ended up being a 30 min round trip for me. After a short break at home (reading emails and blogs) I went to the gym. All much the same as it was there a couple of months ago.
I hiked through New Zealand on the elliptical. I did the whole program, 51 minutes, on level 8 which means up to level 12 on the steep hills. Lots of walking pace, a bit of jogging and some sprints. Had my music going and the first half was very enjoyable before I started to get tired. Pretty scenery.
My original plan was to do a bit of biking through France afterwards, but I was too exhausted after 51 minutes on the elliptical! So I just came home. Made myself a healthy lunch, put on the casserole for dinner because we are home late on Wednesdays (even though it is really much too hot for a casserole) and did a bit of writing.
Aiden and I have been going for walks two days a week when Jasmine has her dance classes. Today we were both really tired (my legs were aching from the elliptical) and it was another really hot day... But we still went for a walk. Just a shorter one than usual. Finishing the day on 14,000 steps.
Here is a snapshot of what I am eating at the moment.
Breakfast: four cruskits with cream cheese and tomato, cup of tea with splash of milk and half a tsp sugar. 199 cals
Morning snack after gym: grapes and epicure (sharp) cheese. 207 cals
Lunch: 100 grams cold rotisserie chicken breast with skin, 100 grams roast potato, whole cucumber, one carrot, half tomato, cup of tea. 385 cals
Afternoon snack: large pear. 121 cals
Unplanned extra afternoon snack: cruskits with butter and Vegemite (hungry today after all that exercise!) 223 cals
Dinner: pork casserole (with carrot, celery and onion). 421 cals
Total: 1556 calories. A little bit more than I was aiming for, my body isn't used to hard exercise yet and asked for extra fuel.
Update: and 2 squares of dark chocolate, another 100 cals
Report card:
Diet: Good. A few too many calories, but it was hunger not boredom. I burned more than I ate. I had some carb cravings.
Exercise: Excellent. My poor legs are aching.
Water: Great.
Sleep: Poor.
Mental health: Mixed. Got a bit upset when driving home tonight. When we brought flowers home from mum's funeral I didn't know who they were all from. Tonight Jasmine found a card in the back of the car that had fallen out of one arrangement and I hadn't seen it. It was from an old friend of mum's from my childhood that I hadn't been able to contact and I didn't know if she'd got the message about mum's death. Obviously she did. Which is a good thing, but still a bit upsetting thinking about it all. These moments creep up on me unexpectedly.
Another poor sleep but overall feeling much better. I started the day by walking the kids to their school swimming carnival, we went out of our way to collect a school friend so it ended up being a 30 min round trip for me. After a short break at home (reading emails and blogs) I went to the gym. All much the same as it was there a couple of months ago.
I hiked through New Zealand on the elliptical. I did the whole program, 51 minutes, on level 8 which means up to level 12 on the steep hills. Lots of walking pace, a bit of jogging and some sprints. Had my music going and the first half was very enjoyable before I started to get tired. Pretty scenery.
My original plan was to do a bit of biking through France afterwards, but I was too exhausted after 51 minutes on the elliptical! So I just came home. Made myself a healthy lunch, put on the casserole for dinner because we are home late on Wednesdays (even though it is really much too hot for a casserole) and did a bit of writing.
Aiden and I have been going for walks two days a week when Jasmine has her dance classes. Today we were both really tired (my legs were aching from the elliptical) and it was another really hot day... But we still went for a walk. Just a shorter one than usual. Finishing the day on 14,000 steps.
Here is a snapshot of what I am eating at the moment.
Breakfast: four cruskits with cream cheese and tomato, cup of tea with splash of milk and half a tsp sugar. 199 cals
Morning snack after gym: grapes and epicure (sharp) cheese. 207 cals
Lunch: 100 grams cold rotisserie chicken breast with skin, 100 grams roast potato, whole cucumber, one carrot, half tomato, cup of tea. 385 cals
Afternoon snack: large pear. 121 cals
Unplanned extra afternoon snack: cruskits with butter and Vegemite (hungry today after all that exercise!) 223 cals
Dinner: pork casserole (with carrot, celery and onion). 421 cals
Total: 1556 calories. A little bit more than I was aiming for, my body isn't used to hard exercise yet and asked for extra fuel.
Update: and 2 squares of dark chocolate, another 100 cals
Report card:
Diet: Good. A few too many calories, but it was hunger not boredom. I burned more than I ate. I had some carb cravings.
Exercise: Excellent. My poor legs are aching.
Water: Great.
Sleep: Poor.
Mental health: Mixed. Got a bit upset when driving home tonight. When we brought flowers home from mum's funeral I didn't know who they were all from. Tonight Jasmine found a card in the back of the car that had fallen out of one arrangement and I hadn't seen it. It was from an old friend of mum's from my childhood that I hadn't been able to contact and I didn't know if she'd got the message about mum's death. Obviously she did. Which is a good thing, but still a bit upsetting thinking about it all. These moments creep up on me unexpectedly.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Exercising twice
Tuesday:
I've been waking much earlier than I need to just about every day since getting Thor, even after he was gone and I no longer needed to wake up to take him outside, even when it was still dark outside at that hour, even when I was exhausted and really needed more sleep. It has been very annoying. I've thought a few times about getting up early but up until now I've been trying to break the habit of waking, and sometimes I do get back to sleep. And by the way, I see no particular virtue in getting up early. Sleep is more important to me, and going to bed earlier in the evening would mean seeing my husband even less than I do now.
This morning I gave in and got up (after lying in bed for a while). Yesterday was horribly hot and it was still uncomfortable in the house even though there had been a cool change overnight. I went for a 30 minute walk in the lovely coolness. This is my street.
I don't really have any decent "exercise music" as my taste runs more to ballads and musical theatre (Glee!) so while I walked I downloaded an app called "Rock my Run" which has lots of music compilations of different lengths for exercising to. You can make a list of the ones that appeal. It seems to be very American so I had to skip past lots of rap and bands I've never heard of, but there was plenty to choose from even so. For my walk, I chose two 10 minute compilations; some 70s disco which was surprisingly fun to walk to and then some current pop, finishing with "All about that bass".
I got up a good sweat and the house felt very hot when I got home. After getting the kids off the school, I went to the gym. First time I've been back for a while. Since I'd already done some exercise, I just did 30 mins on the elliptical. I used Rock my Run again, and hiked through Californian forests. I had it on a difficulty level of 4 but it isn't steady - when hiking "uphill" the difficulty goes up to around 7. I was pretty tired by the end.
Then I had a shower and did the grocery shopping and came home exhausted and had lunch.
Have I griped about the showers at my gym before? Tiny little cubicles, nowhere to put your towel so it won't get wet, you have to stand right in the boiling/freezing stream of water to reach the handle to adjust it, no space at the tiny sink array to do hair and makeup (which doesn't bother me but it must be a real problem for the crowd of women who do an early session before work then have to get ready there), and they didn't even have soap dispensers until I asked for them to be installed a couple of years ago. I got sick of taking in my own soap. They agreed to do that, which was nice of them, but to my other comments they said that "it wasn't a boutique gym" and I suppose there isn't much they could do without major renovations. But it was very poor planning. This isn't a small cheap gym, it is a huge well-gleaming place spread over two floors. With the toilets on the ground floor permanently locked for some reason. Anyway, unless I am going straight somewhere else after my workout like today, I prefer to drive home all sweaty and shower there.
Aside from the stupid showers, it was a good day.
I've been waking much earlier than I need to just about every day since getting Thor, even after he was gone and I no longer needed to wake up to take him outside, even when it was still dark outside at that hour, even when I was exhausted and really needed more sleep. It has been very annoying. I've thought a few times about getting up early but up until now I've been trying to break the habit of waking, and sometimes I do get back to sleep. And by the way, I see no particular virtue in getting up early. Sleep is more important to me, and going to bed earlier in the evening would mean seeing my husband even less than I do now.
This morning I gave in and got up (after lying in bed for a while). Yesterday was horribly hot and it was still uncomfortable in the house even though there had been a cool change overnight. I went for a 30 minute walk in the lovely coolness. This is my street.
I don't really have any decent "exercise music" as my taste runs more to ballads and musical theatre (Glee!) so while I walked I downloaded an app called "Rock my Run" which has lots of music compilations of different lengths for exercising to. You can make a list of the ones that appeal. It seems to be very American so I had to skip past lots of rap and bands I've never heard of, but there was plenty to choose from even so. For my walk, I chose two 10 minute compilations; some 70s disco which was surprisingly fun to walk to and then some current pop, finishing with "All about that bass".
I got up a good sweat and the house felt very hot when I got home. After getting the kids off the school, I went to the gym. First time I've been back for a while. Since I'd already done some exercise, I just did 30 mins on the elliptical. I used Rock my Run again, and hiked through Californian forests. I had it on a difficulty level of 4 but it isn't steady - when hiking "uphill" the difficulty goes up to around 7. I was pretty tired by the end.
Then I had a shower and did the grocery shopping and came home exhausted and had lunch.
Have I griped about the showers at my gym before? Tiny little cubicles, nowhere to put your towel so it won't get wet, you have to stand right in the boiling/freezing stream of water to reach the handle to adjust it, no space at the tiny sink array to do hair and makeup (which doesn't bother me but it must be a real problem for the crowd of women who do an early session before work then have to get ready there), and they didn't even have soap dispensers until I asked for them to be installed a couple of years ago. I got sick of taking in my own soap. They agreed to do that, which was nice of them, but to my other comments they said that "it wasn't a boutique gym" and I suppose there isn't much they could do without major renovations. But it was very poor planning. This isn't a small cheap gym, it is a huge well-gleaming place spread over two floors. With the toilets on the ground floor permanently locked for some reason. Anyway, unless I am going straight somewhere else after my workout like today, I prefer to drive home all sweaty and shower there.
Aside from the stupid showers, it was a good day.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Core strength, or lack thereof
Tuesday:
I actually didn't resent getting out of bed this morning! Amazing.
I went to the gym to tackle those pesky New Zealand mountains again. I tried to go a little faster, a little harder. Overall much the same as yesterday. I did the second half of NZ (there are six segments for each area, I think, around 10 minutes each), including visiting a glacier and a lovely hike to a lake. My right foot hurt quite badly nearly the whole time on the elliptical yesterday, no idea why, it stopped hurting when I moved on; today it started hurting after about 15 mins but not as bad. So that is an improvement. Maybe the elliptical set up is a bit different to what I am used to.
Then I got back on the bike to finish my ride through the Champagne region. I was just thinking yesterday, on the bike, how none of the exercises I was doing were targeting my core and I probably needed to add something else. But I was wrong. Somehow I didn't feel it yesterday, but today when I got on the bike my stomach muscles protested in no uncertain fashion. Apparently still tired and sore from yesterday. No other pose triggers the discomfort, only the bike. But it was pretty uncomfortable! I only made 20 mins today before finishing with a short walk. Ow my core.
So I got my hour of exercise in again.
After school we walked to a friend's house for a play date. I didn't feel hay-fevery at any point, and I noticed that there was hardly any Capeweed left around. And/or maybe this third antihistamine is working for me. Either way, it was great not to feel awful just for going outside. I took my own portioned out afternoon snack as well as healthy stuff for everyone. And that little walk there and back was a bit of extra exercise so it was good all round.
At Jasmine's dance class she was invited to audition for the Junior Performance group. She is keen and we all love dance here, but it is a big commitment. As well as her jazz funk she would have to add ballet and a special performance class. Three afternoons a week instead of one! Lots of driving, lots of sitting around (especially boring for her little brother), lots of expense! Three eisteddfods next year and a few other performances to commit to. And I'm not that keen on ballet (I've seen their damaged feet), although Jasmine wants to try it. We haven't decided yet.
Tim had to work very late so Dungeons and Dragons was cancelled, so I didn't need to negotiate the food. I decided to still have my low-cal hot chocolate for supper. And YUCK! I had forgotten how nasty fake sugar is. Spit yuck pthew. I must have been desperate when I had it before a couple of times. One of those "diet" things you do when you are denying yourself real food. Now I think back, I'm pretty sure most of the last packet was thrown away. As an experiment, I tried mixing pure cocoa powder (chocolate) with hot water - no sugar or sugar substitutes at all. And the taste was much nicer. Would be a lot better in milk instead of water, but it has a pretty good chocolaty taste for 40 calories a cup (two teaspoons of cocoa).
Oh my legs are sore this evening. Those NZ mountains are killers.
I actually didn't resent getting out of bed this morning! Amazing.
I went to the gym to tackle those pesky New Zealand mountains again. I tried to go a little faster, a little harder. Overall much the same as yesterday. I did the second half of NZ (there are six segments for each area, I think, around 10 minutes each), including visiting a glacier and a lovely hike to a lake. My right foot hurt quite badly nearly the whole time on the elliptical yesterday, no idea why, it stopped hurting when I moved on; today it started hurting after about 15 mins but not as bad. So that is an improvement. Maybe the elliptical set up is a bit different to what I am used to.
Then I got back on the bike to finish my ride through the Champagne region. I was just thinking yesterday, on the bike, how none of the exercises I was doing were targeting my core and I probably needed to add something else. But I was wrong. Somehow I didn't feel it yesterday, but today when I got on the bike my stomach muscles protested in no uncertain fashion. Apparently still tired and sore from yesterday. No other pose triggers the discomfort, only the bike. But it was pretty uncomfortable! I only made 20 mins today before finishing with a short walk. Ow my core.
So I got my hour of exercise in again.
After school we walked to a friend's house for a play date. I didn't feel hay-fevery at any point, and I noticed that there was hardly any Capeweed left around. And/or maybe this third antihistamine is working for me. Either way, it was great not to feel awful just for going outside. I took my own portioned out afternoon snack as well as healthy stuff for everyone. And that little walk there and back was a bit of extra exercise so it was good all round.
At Jasmine's dance class she was invited to audition for the Junior Performance group. She is keen and we all love dance here, but it is a big commitment. As well as her jazz funk she would have to add ballet and a special performance class. Three afternoons a week instead of one! Lots of driving, lots of sitting around (especially boring for her little brother), lots of expense! Three eisteddfods next year and a few other performances to commit to. And I'm not that keen on ballet (I've seen their damaged feet), although Jasmine wants to try it. We haven't decided yet.
Tim had to work very late so Dungeons and Dragons was cancelled, so I didn't need to negotiate the food. I decided to still have my low-cal hot chocolate for supper. And YUCK! I had forgotten how nasty fake sugar is. Spit yuck pthew. I must have been desperate when I had it before a couple of times. One of those "diet" things you do when you are denying yourself real food. Now I think back, I'm pretty sure most of the last packet was thrown away. As an experiment, I tried mixing pure cocoa powder (chocolate) with hot water - no sugar or sugar substitutes at all. And the taste was much nicer. Would be a lot better in milk instead of water, but it has a pretty good chocolaty taste for 40 calories a cup (two teaspoons of cocoa).
Oh my legs are sore this evening. Those NZ mountains are killers.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Hiking in LoTR and cycling through Champagne
Monday:
I go to a very large gym that has two floors and several big rooms of equipment as well as the group classes rooms (there is also a pool complex and a women-only gym in the building) and I've been going to the only room with rowing machines. The equipment in there seemed pretty new, there were big screen TVs with captions, and I was happy with it. It always seemed fairly empty, but then so is the whole gym at the time of day I go.
Today I decided not to use the rowing machines due to the rubbing problem (I haven't got any BodyGlide or similar yet) so I went to a room closer to the lockers (and the toilets) that always seems a bit more popular. Now I know why! The equipment is awesome! It looks the same to a casual glance but the screens do so much more.
During my 30 minutes on the elliptical, I hiked through the rainforests and mountains of New Zealand. The screen showed me moving through the landscape. It was fun and very motivating. Got to get up that mountain to the view at the top! The rainforests were lush but the mountains rocky and barren. Looked like Lord of the Rings. There were plenty of other choices of hiking routes for next time.
Then I got on one of the upright bikes I don't hate quite as much as the leaning-forward spin kind, and cycled through the Champagne region of France. Through little towns and past vineyards. I planned to only do 15 or 20 minutes, depending on how much I hated it, and then finish with a walk on the treadmill; but it was so fascinating I kept going for the whole 30. The hills were fairly gentle but still hurt going up, but the down slopes made me want to go Wheeeeeeeee!
Also, at the end the machines tell you how much energy you've saved, in relation to how long it would power a lightbulb (not all that long, actually). I asked at reception if that energy from my pedalling was actually saved/used but the girl had no idea. She said she would find out.
I worked hard and ended with my usual tomato-red face so the program was motivating not distracting. This reminds me of those heady first days after I found the "Zombies, run!" app to make walking/jogging more interesting.
Yesterday my nutrition was pretty close to perfect. Right number of calories, fruit and vegetables, dairy, healthy fats. Eight drinks, which is great for me. The only way I know to reduce calories without missing out on essential nutrients is to cut carbohydrates, but I am still eating some. Fruit, yoghurt, potato. Avoiding anything processed. On track again today so far.
I can't be perfect every day, I certainly don't expect to be. And I want to have treat foods sometimes. One meal on Saturdays (not all day!) is my planned treat. That allows for eating out, or a party, or having dessert at home, or a favourite meal that isn't quite as healthy as I am eating the rest of the time. A few extra calories.
Tuesday night supper is an ongoing problem. This week I will offer vegetable sticks with dip, and I am buying myself low-calorie hot chocolate sachets. I don't usually have anything fake or with pretend sugar, but I have had this brand (Jarrah) before and like it, and a real hot chocolate with milk and sugar and maybe marshmallows is just too many calories! If I want a mini-treat on Tuesdays it needs be very mini indeed, because I am going to stay within my calorie limits and I don't have a lot of wriggle room. So it's probably a single square of dark chocolate, or sipping a low-cal hot chocolate.
I had a much better sleep last night and feel good today - even though yet again I didn't wear my CPAP for long. Shortly after I put it on we had a power blackout so I couldn't use it. When the power came back on I wore it for a while and did sleep, no idea for how long, before ripping it off again. Oh, and I dreamed I had these two tiny carrot sticks, about as big as my little finger, and it was mid afternoon but they were all the food I was allowed for the rest of the day and I had to check them out of the library and then they got covered in books and papers and I couldn't find my carrot sticks... diet anxiety? Still, feeling good today.
But I miss sugar in my tea.
The other day I put a sugar cube in my tea instead of a sachet, not realising it was 4.5 grams instead of the 3 grams I was used to. And it was so sweet and horrible! So I don't like extra sugar. But I like some. Trying to give it up. Going cold turkey.
Sweet sweet sugar.
I go to a very large gym that has two floors and several big rooms of equipment as well as the group classes rooms (there is also a pool complex and a women-only gym in the building) and I've been going to the only room with rowing machines. The equipment in there seemed pretty new, there were big screen TVs with captions, and I was happy with it. It always seemed fairly empty, but then so is the whole gym at the time of day I go.
Today I decided not to use the rowing machines due to the rubbing problem (I haven't got any BodyGlide or similar yet) so I went to a room closer to the lockers (and the toilets) that always seems a bit more popular. Now I know why! The equipment is awesome! It looks the same to a casual glance but the screens do so much more.
During my 30 minutes on the elliptical, I hiked through the rainforests and mountains of New Zealand. The screen showed me moving through the landscape. It was fun and very motivating. Got to get up that mountain to the view at the top! The rainforests were lush but the mountains rocky and barren. Looked like Lord of the Rings. There were plenty of other choices of hiking routes for next time.
Then I got on one of the upright bikes I don't hate quite as much as the leaning-forward spin kind, and cycled through the Champagne region of France. Through little towns and past vineyards. I planned to only do 15 or 20 minutes, depending on how much I hated it, and then finish with a walk on the treadmill; but it was so fascinating I kept going for the whole 30. The hills were fairly gentle but still hurt going up, but the down slopes made me want to go Wheeeeeeeee!
Also, at the end the machines tell you how much energy you've saved, in relation to how long it would power a lightbulb (not all that long, actually). I asked at reception if that energy from my pedalling was actually saved/used but the girl had no idea. She said she would find out.
I worked hard and ended with my usual tomato-red face so the program was motivating not distracting. This reminds me of those heady first days after I found the "Zombies, run!" app to make walking/jogging more interesting.
Yesterday my nutrition was pretty close to perfect. Right number of calories, fruit and vegetables, dairy, healthy fats. Eight drinks, which is great for me. The only way I know to reduce calories without missing out on essential nutrients is to cut carbohydrates, but I am still eating some. Fruit, yoghurt, potato. Avoiding anything processed. On track again today so far.
I can't be perfect every day, I certainly don't expect to be. And I want to have treat foods sometimes. One meal on Saturdays (not all day!) is my planned treat. That allows for eating out, or a party, or having dessert at home, or a favourite meal that isn't quite as healthy as I am eating the rest of the time. A few extra calories.
Tuesday night supper is an ongoing problem. This week I will offer vegetable sticks with dip, and I am buying myself low-calorie hot chocolate sachets. I don't usually have anything fake or with pretend sugar, but I have had this brand (Jarrah) before and like it, and a real hot chocolate with milk and sugar and maybe marshmallows is just too many calories! If I want a mini-treat on Tuesdays it needs be very mini indeed, because I am going to stay within my calorie limits and I don't have a lot of wriggle room. So it's probably a single square of dark chocolate, or sipping a low-cal hot chocolate.
I had a much better sleep last night and feel good today - even though yet again I didn't wear my CPAP for long. Shortly after I put it on we had a power blackout so I couldn't use it. When the power came back on I wore it for a while and did sleep, no idea for how long, before ripping it off again. Oh, and I dreamed I had these two tiny carrot sticks, about as big as my little finger, and it was mid afternoon but they were all the food I was allowed for the rest of the day and I had to check them out of the library and then they got covered in books and papers and I couldn't find my carrot sticks... diet anxiety? Still, feeling good today.
But I miss sugar in my tea.
The other day I put a sugar cube in my tea instead of a sachet, not realising it was 4.5 grams instead of the 3 grams I was used to. And it was so sweet and horrible! So I don't like extra sugar. But I like some. Trying to give it up. Going cold turkey.
Sweet sweet sugar.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Twenty kilometers an hour
Thursday:
I had a really good session at the gym this morning. As usual I woke up today feeling like rubbish - if I went by the first hour of every day I'd assume I was close to death with some horrible illness - but also as usual felt much better after a while.
I read a great quote today: Hold onto your dreams - stay asleep!
Anyway, I got to the gym and jumped on the elliptical. I increased the time to 30 mins but kept the resistance at level 3. After 5 mins warming up I started high intensity intervals, increasing intensity to as hard as I could push for 30-60 seconds then back to a much slower recovery interval. Mostly I was going up to 14 km/h but once I got up to 20 km/h (12.4 mi/h) for about 10 seconds. I thought I was going to vomit after that one! I can't run anywhere near that fast (I think 11 km/h is my record on a treadmill) but the elliptical is different to running. And no impact, which is great for my shins. Recovery was at a rather slow 5 to 6 km/h. At the end of the 30 mins I had gone 3.24 km. It's quite a long way below my target, which is fine because I'm giving myself a few weeks to get there! I plan to gradually increase the number of high intensity intervals and also go a bit faster in my recovery intervals, while also increasing the resistance level.
I was pretty tired after that, but got on the rowing machine. I had thought of doing 30 mins there, too, so I could cut out the stationary bike entirely; but I just wasn't ready for 30 mins. 20 was enough! I tried to keep my pace up, but also amused myself my watching a PT training his client nearby. One thing he did was put a wide band around her waist and got her to pull him along while he held on to the ends and leaned back. It looked hard. He probably weighed a lot more than she did.
I finished up with 10 minutes, fairly easy, on the bike.
I really felt like I spent a lot of that hour pushing myself really hard, which is great.
I had an awesomely delicious lunch. I picked up some corn chips on the way home and made nachos with pulled pork left over from dinner. Cheese and jalapenos and lots of fresh salsa on top.
Apart from the corn chips, all real food. And so yummy!
I haven't had the ravenous hunger I experienced on Monday, it seems to have been a one-off confused physical reaction to me actually exercising hard. I'm also not getting any muscle soreness or stiffness. On Monday I had both, almost straight away, but that has all passed. It didn't take my body very long to at adapt somewhat.
The only negative I'm getting from the exercise is general fatigue for the rest of the day. I'm spending more time napping than writing. But hopefully that too will pass as my body acclimatises.
I have lots of options for exercise tomorrow, but what I am thinking I might do is walk around the lake. It's all manicured lawns around public buildings, hopefully no Capeweed (which the kids and I now call Deathweed), and I feel like I am missing out on Spring stuck inside like this. I need a bit of sunshine and fresh air!
I had a really good session at the gym this morning. As usual I woke up today feeling like rubbish - if I went by the first hour of every day I'd assume I was close to death with some horrible illness - but also as usual felt much better after a while.
I read a great quote today: Hold onto your dreams - stay asleep!
Anyway, I got to the gym and jumped on the elliptical. I increased the time to 30 mins but kept the resistance at level 3. After 5 mins warming up I started high intensity intervals, increasing intensity to as hard as I could push for 30-60 seconds then back to a much slower recovery interval. Mostly I was going up to 14 km/h but once I got up to 20 km/h (12.4 mi/h) for about 10 seconds. I thought I was going to vomit after that one! I can't run anywhere near that fast (I think 11 km/h is my record on a treadmill) but the elliptical is different to running. And no impact, which is great for my shins. Recovery was at a rather slow 5 to 6 km/h. At the end of the 30 mins I had gone 3.24 km. It's quite a long way below my target, which is fine because I'm giving myself a few weeks to get there! I plan to gradually increase the number of high intensity intervals and also go a bit faster in my recovery intervals, while also increasing the resistance level.
I was pretty tired after that, but got on the rowing machine. I had thought of doing 30 mins there, too, so I could cut out the stationary bike entirely; but I just wasn't ready for 30 mins. 20 was enough! I tried to keep my pace up, but also amused myself my watching a PT training his client nearby. One thing he did was put a wide band around her waist and got her to pull him along while he held on to the ends and leaned back. It looked hard. He probably weighed a lot more than she did.
I finished up with 10 minutes, fairly easy, on the bike.
I really felt like I spent a lot of that hour pushing myself really hard, which is great.
I had an awesomely delicious lunch. I picked up some corn chips on the way home and made nachos with pulled pork left over from dinner. Cheese and jalapenos and lots of fresh salsa on top.
Apart from the corn chips, all real food. And so yummy!
I haven't had the ravenous hunger I experienced on Monday, it seems to have been a one-off confused physical reaction to me actually exercising hard. I'm also not getting any muscle soreness or stiffness. On Monday I had both, almost straight away, but that has all passed. It didn't take my body very long to at adapt somewhat.
The only negative I'm getting from the exercise is general fatigue for the rest of the day. I'm spending more time napping than writing. But hopefully that too will pass as my body acclimatises.
I have lots of options for exercise tomorrow, but what I am thinking I might do is walk around the lake. It's all manicured lawns around public buildings, hopefully no Capeweed (which the kids and I now call Deathweed), and I feel like I am missing out on Spring stuck inside like this. I need a bit of sunshine and fresh air!
Monday, October 13, 2014
Setting goals
Tuesday:
I wasn't too sore when I woke this morning, the main pain was in my triceps (backs of my upper arms). I guess I don't use them much in daily life so the rowing machine was a bit of a shock for them.
Last week was like a taste of summer, but this week we are back to winter. Freezing and pouring rain. I dropped the kids at school and got to the gym quite early (and damp). I could have done some exercise then gone to the Zumba class but decided to just stay with the equipment. And when I was leaving I saw the end of the class and it was the same teacher I used to have. She does all the tracks I don't like, she prefers the hip hop aggressive type dances whereas I like the more Bollywood flowing type. So I'm not sure if I'll ever go back to her classes or not. Maybe when I get sick of the elliptical.
Taking the treadmill out of the equation meant 20 mins each on the elliptical, the rowing machine and the stationary bike. It seemed harder than yesterday. But I got through my hour. I also spent some time learning what the different buttons/programs do. And I like having goals, so I've set myself a goal for the elliptical (I already conquered the rowing machine in the past). Today I was moving at 6.6 km/h on level 3, my first goal is to do 4 km in 30 mins (8 km/h) on level 6. I will move the difficulty level up each week as well as increasing the time and my speed, so I expect it to take me a month. After that I'm sure I can find more goals to conquer.
I wasn't as hungry after the gym today but I did struggle a bit with negative feelings which I think is because of my blood glucose imbalance. I often feel depressed shortly after exercising hard. I felt better after eating. I made some bad food choices, I still need to do a lot of work on that.
Tomorrow is a rest day. I think my body will be grateful.
I wasn't too sore when I woke this morning, the main pain was in my triceps (backs of my upper arms). I guess I don't use them much in daily life so the rowing machine was a bit of a shock for them.
Last week was like a taste of summer, but this week we are back to winter. Freezing and pouring rain. I dropped the kids at school and got to the gym quite early (and damp). I could have done some exercise then gone to the Zumba class but decided to just stay with the equipment. And when I was leaving I saw the end of the class and it was the same teacher I used to have. She does all the tracks I don't like, she prefers the hip hop aggressive type dances whereas I like the more Bollywood flowing type. So I'm not sure if I'll ever go back to her classes or not. Maybe when I get sick of the elliptical.
Taking the treadmill out of the equation meant 20 mins each on the elliptical, the rowing machine and the stationary bike. It seemed harder than yesterday. But I got through my hour. I also spent some time learning what the different buttons/programs do. And I like having goals, so I've set myself a goal for the elliptical (I already conquered the rowing machine in the past). Today I was moving at 6.6 km/h on level 3, my first goal is to do 4 km in 30 mins (8 km/h) on level 6. I will move the difficulty level up each week as well as increasing the time and my speed, so I expect it to take me a month. After that I'm sure I can find more goals to conquer.
I wasn't as hungry after the gym today but I did struggle a bit with negative feelings which I think is because of my blood glucose imbalance. I often feel depressed shortly after exercising hard. I felt better after eating. I made some bad food choices, I still need to do a lot of work on that.
Tomorrow is a rest day. I think my body will be grateful.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Off to the gym
Monday:
After a really bad night I got up feeling tired and bleergy and not at all in the mood for exercise. And my gym voucher hadn't come through yet. But I got into my gym clothes anyway, determined to at least do some dance. Then I got a test message that they had sent my voucher and sure enough it was now in my inbox. So I could go to the gym after all. And can I say I am quite proud of myself that I was going to exercise even feeling how I felt, and even if I couldn't use the gym?
After I woke up a bit and my antihistamine kicked in I started to feel much better. I got the kids off to school, first day of term four. I wasn't planning on shopping today but we were out of fruit so I dropped into the shops on the way to the gym and got lots. I was kind of uncomfortable walking into the shops in my gym gear. A bit body-hugging. But it was the most convenient time in the day for me today, while I was out anyway but not sweaty yet, so I did it. And it was a cool rainy day so I didn't have to worry about the fruit going bad in the car.
Then onwards to the gym to fill in the paperwork and get my access pass, and work out how to use my access pass to open a locker, and go to the bathroom, and then back to my locker because I forgot to get out my iPhone for music, then looking for the equipment I wanted because it's all been moved since I was last there etc etc.
There is at least one class every day at 9:30 but I was too late for today's, and anyway it was a core and abs class which I am not ready for - may never be ready for! So the plan was to do 15 mins each on four different cardio machines. 5 mins easy, 5 mins hard, 5 mins moderate on each one. Resistance level 3 where relevant. I wanted to balance pushing myself with keeping my unfit body injury-free.
I started on the elliptical. I followed the plan, starting slow then pushing harder in the middle 5 mins. Felt quite tired by the end, the backs of my legs were burning. Then I moved on to the rowing machine. Elliptical and rowing are my two favourite cardio machines. I think the rower is good for my dodgy shoulders, it uses the muscles without twisting the joints. Got through that ok, with sweat dripping off my chin. Definitely a workout.
Then a stationary bike. I can't use spin bikes because they push my weight forward onto my injured shoulders (apparently this isn't supposed to happen but I have no core strength to support myself and stop it happening). Recumbent bikes are ok, but today I got onto a non-recumbent one that had me sitting very upright not leaning forward so it was ideal for me. Still very hard. I was fatigued by this stage and didn't really attempt to increase intensity in the middle. I just slogged through.
Finally the treadmill. I walked briskly for 5 mins then did two short jogging intervals in the middle. And on the second one my shins started to hurt. This is after not running for at least a year (so they were well rested from any previous damage) and as warmed up as it was possible for me to be. So it seems no matter what I do, I am going to get shin pain when running. I've tried numerous times over the past few years on various surfaces. I just have to accept that (at this weight, at least), as much as I would like to be a runner, I can't do it without damaging my body and causing a lot of pain. It's ok, there are lots of other things I can do. It's just one thing. I probably won't bother with the treadmill at all, unless I use it for a quick warm up or cool down. The elliptical is more fun and no impact.
I felt pretty wiped out after an hour of exercise. And hungry! And sore. Ow, my legs. It's nice to feel good-sore and know you've worked hard. I wonder how I'll feel tomorrow morning after I've stiffened up!
My plan is to go to the gym 4 or 5 days a week. I don't have the car on Wednesdays so can't go then, and I don't think I'll go Sundays. But I could go on Saturday morning while my kids have their swimming lesson there. I'll see how I feel come Saturday.
I had a banana when I got home but was still hungry so ate a big lunch even though it wasn't yet noon. I thought that was a better idea than snacking more before lunch. Then I had a short nap in front of the TV. Then finally got down to some writing. And a big afternoon tea. I basically had my whole day's calories before I even got to dinner. I hope the hunger is just a temporary reaction to exercise, I don't want to eat more extra calories than I burn off! And I assume it won't always exhaust me for the rest of the day. "They" say that exercise give you more energy!? My poor body is not used to exercise. This is all a bit of a shock to the system. I don't think I overdid it at all, I think I did just the right amount.
A good start.
After a really bad night I got up feeling tired and bleergy and not at all in the mood for exercise. And my gym voucher hadn't come through yet. But I got into my gym clothes anyway, determined to at least do some dance. Then I got a test message that they had sent my voucher and sure enough it was now in my inbox. So I could go to the gym after all. And can I say I am quite proud of myself that I was going to exercise even feeling how I felt, and even if I couldn't use the gym?
After I woke up a bit and my antihistamine kicked in I started to feel much better. I got the kids off to school, first day of term four. I wasn't planning on shopping today but we were out of fruit so I dropped into the shops on the way to the gym and got lots. I was kind of uncomfortable walking into the shops in my gym gear. A bit body-hugging. But it was the most convenient time in the day for me today, while I was out anyway but not sweaty yet, so I did it. And it was a cool rainy day so I didn't have to worry about the fruit going bad in the car.
Then onwards to the gym to fill in the paperwork and get my access pass, and work out how to use my access pass to open a locker, and go to the bathroom, and then back to my locker because I forgot to get out my iPhone for music, then looking for the equipment I wanted because it's all been moved since I was last there etc etc.
There is at least one class every day at 9:30 but I was too late for today's, and anyway it was a core and abs class which I am not ready for - may never be ready for! So the plan was to do 15 mins each on four different cardio machines. 5 mins easy, 5 mins hard, 5 mins moderate on each one. Resistance level 3 where relevant. I wanted to balance pushing myself with keeping my unfit body injury-free.
I started on the elliptical. I followed the plan, starting slow then pushing harder in the middle 5 mins. Felt quite tired by the end, the backs of my legs were burning. Then I moved on to the rowing machine. Elliptical and rowing are my two favourite cardio machines. I think the rower is good for my dodgy shoulders, it uses the muscles without twisting the joints. Got through that ok, with sweat dripping off my chin. Definitely a workout.
Then a stationary bike. I can't use spin bikes because they push my weight forward onto my injured shoulders (apparently this isn't supposed to happen but I have no core strength to support myself and stop it happening). Recumbent bikes are ok, but today I got onto a non-recumbent one that had me sitting very upright not leaning forward so it was ideal for me. Still very hard. I was fatigued by this stage and didn't really attempt to increase intensity in the middle. I just slogged through.
Finally the treadmill. I walked briskly for 5 mins then did two short jogging intervals in the middle. And on the second one my shins started to hurt. This is after not running for at least a year (so they were well rested from any previous damage) and as warmed up as it was possible for me to be. So it seems no matter what I do, I am going to get shin pain when running. I've tried numerous times over the past few years on various surfaces. I just have to accept that (at this weight, at least), as much as I would like to be a runner, I can't do it without damaging my body and causing a lot of pain. It's ok, there are lots of other things I can do. It's just one thing. I probably won't bother with the treadmill at all, unless I use it for a quick warm up or cool down. The elliptical is more fun and no impact.
I felt pretty wiped out after an hour of exercise. And hungry! And sore. Ow, my legs. It's nice to feel good-sore and know you've worked hard. I wonder how I'll feel tomorrow morning after I've stiffened up!
My plan is to go to the gym 4 or 5 days a week. I don't have the car on Wednesdays so can't go then, and I don't think I'll go Sundays. But I could go on Saturday morning while my kids have their swimming lesson there. I'll see how I feel come Saturday.
I had a banana when I got home but was still hungry so ate a big lunch even though it wasn't yet noon. I thought that was a better idea than snacking more before lunch. Then I had a short nap in front of the TV. Then finally got down to some writing. And a big afternoon tea. I basically had my whole day's calories before I even got to dinner. I hope the hunger is just a temporary reaction to exercise, I don't want to eat more extra calories than I burn off! And I assume it won't always exhaust me for the rest of the day. "They" say that exercise give you more energy!? My poor body is not used to exercise. This is all a bit of a shock to the system. I don't think I overdid it at all, I think I did just the right amount.
A good start.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
A good Tuesday
Tuesday:
After three days off exercise my ankle was feeling great but the rest of me; not so much. I had real trouble sleeping last night, probably I wasn't physically tired but also my back was aching from being so immobile for days.
My food intake over the long weekend wasn't ideal either, with various unhealthy snacks plus dessert last night. Time to get serious again! This is not a drill. This is important. Doesn't mean I can never have dessert again, but it does mean I shouldn't have cupcakes AND choc-chip cookies AND dessert. I have to get my weight down for my health.
My mum & brother were still here this morning so I took the opportunity to go to the gym while they babysat. I did a really intense 30 mins on the elliptical and went 4.5 km, my best yet. It was really really hard though. I was dripping sweat and exhausted. I do the twin peaks hill climb each time on resistance level 5, so I'm going "uphill" a lot. With 10 mins to go I didn't know if I could do any more but just told myself it was all downhill from there and kept going. I'm still quite a way from 5 km in 30 mins, but I'll do it eventually. I'm going a bit further each time. I might be able to do it already on an easier routine (ie no hills) but this is the one I started with so I'll continue with it.
Then I got on the stationary bike and did a slow 20 mins. My main focus on the bike is coping with the pain from my postural and core muscles! The muscle that wraps around my ribs hurts pretty bad when I have to balance on a bike, I really know I'm working it. I barely notice my legs going around. Obviously my core needs a lot of work.
I wanted to finish with the hand pedals but someone else was using the only one so I tried the rowing machine. I quickly decided it was too much pressure on my ankle, I didn't want to risk it. So I rounded off the hour with a cool down on the treadmill.
My family left after lunch. I find having my brother here a bit wearing, he has a psychological disorder (OCD) and he has a lot of annoying habits and a complete lack of empathy -- think Sheldon from Big Bang Theory without any of the charm. That sort of thing is interesting to watch but no fun to live with. He is 44 and still lives with mum; no job, no friends, no life. No fun for him either, obviously. He does seem to like playing with the kids, and tells them very funny stories. He gets that from dad, in fact the story style and voice mannerisms are almost identical which is entertaining especially since dad moved out when Darren was eight and they don't see each other very often.
So, I took Jasmine to a birthday party (I was offered food but took nothing and decided not to stay, I let Aiden have a soft drink) then Aiden and I went to the park for a while. There is an oval marked out with a running track so Aiden and I ran two 400 m races. He won easily both times. Actually my RunKeeper said it was only about 360 m even though I was in the outside lane. I just assumed it was supposed to be 400 m like a real racetrack. I ran about 150 m at the start of the first lap but it went downhill from there. Lots of walking with short spurts of jogging.
I've been tracking today, trying to be sensible in my eating. I've done well but still have the usual Tuesday night D&D supper to go ... sigh. This time I am providing strawberries! And apricot delight. But that is for Tim. I'll offer the rest of the choc-chip cookies too, can't have them lying around here.
After three days off exercise my ankle was feeling great but the rest of me; not so much. I had real trouble sleeping last night, probably I wasn't physically tired but also my back was aching from being so immobile for days.
My food intake over the long weekend wasn't ideal either, with various unhealthy snacks plus dessert last night. Time to get serious again! This is not a drill. This is important. Doesn't mean I can never have dessert again, but it does mean I shouldn't have cupcakes AND choc-chip cookies AND dessert. I have to get my weight down for my health.
My mum & brother were still here this morning so I took the opportunity to go to the gym while they babysat. I did a really intense 30 mins on the elliptical and went 4.5 km, my best yet. It was really really hard though. I was dripping sweat and exhausted. I do the twin peaks hill climb each time on resistance level 5, so I'm going "uphill" a lot. With 10 mins to go I didn't know if I could do any more but just told myself it was all downhill from there and kept going. I'm still quite a way from 5 km in 30 mins, but I'll do it eventually. I'm going a bit further each time. I might be able to do it already on an easier routine (ie no hills) but this is the one I started with so I'll continue with it.
Then I got on the stationary bike and did a slow 20 mins. My main focus on the bike is coping with the pain from my postural and core muscles! The muscle that wraps around my ribs hurts pretty bad when I have to balance on a bike, I really know I'm working it. I barely notice my legs going around. Obviously my core needs a lot of work.
I wanted to finish with the hand pedals but someone else was using the only one so I tried the rowing machine. I quickly decided it was too much pressure on my ankle, I didn't want to risk it. So I rounded off the hour with a cool down on the treadmill.
My family left after lunch. I find having my brother here a bit wearing, he has a psychological disorder (OCD) and he has a lot of annoying habits and a complete lack of empathy -- think Sheldon from Big Bang Theory without any of the charm. That sort of thing is interesting to watch but no fun to live with. He is 44 and still lives with mum; no job, no friends, no life. No fun for him either, obviously. He does seem to like playing with the kids, and tells them very funny stories. He gets that from dad, in fact the story style and voice mannerisms are almost identical which is entertaining especially since dad moved out when Darren was eight and they don't see each other very often.
So, I took Jasmine to a birthday party (I was offered food but took nothing and decided not to stay, I let Aiden have a soft drink) then Aiden and I went to the park for a while. There is an oval marked out with a running track so Aiden and I ran two 400 m races. He won easily both times. Actually my RunKeeper said it was only about 360 m even though I was in the outside lane. I just assumed it was supposed to be 400 m like a real racetrack. I ran about 150 m at the start of the first lap but it went downhill from there. Lots of walking with short spurts of jogging.
I've been tracking today, trying to be sensible in my eating. I've done well but still have the usual Tuesday night D&D supper to go ... sigh. This time I am providing strawberries! And apricot delight. But that is for Tim. I'll offer the rest of the choc-chip cookies too, can't have them lying around here.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Porridge
Saturday:
I mentioned a while ago that I tried porridge/oats a couple of times and thought they were pretty horrible. Warm glue with sugar on top. But for some reason I was determined to keep trying. They say with kids you keep introducing new foods up to ten times before they accept it, right? So I found these Milo (chocolate) oats, 90 second microwave ones. At first it seemed very decadent and unhealthy to have something chocolate-flavoured for breakfast, but then I decided that everyone else puts brown sugar or honey or golden syrup on theirs so chocolate isn't really all that different. And much nicer, in my opinion, as I don't really have that much of a sweet tooth.
And I like it. The first day I still struggled to get past the gluey texture, but I worried it down. And now I have it nearly every day, and enjoy it. And best of all, it doesn't make me feel all urgey and yuck. Most breakfasts do. With whole milk it is 199 calories and fills me up so I think I have a winner.
Tim is home so I am much happier and no longer feel stressed about trying to organise my life. I have decided to not take on any new work for the rest of this year. I'll get what I have on hand out of the way (that will probably take all this week) then really up the exercise levels. I'll still have to juggle a bit when expected work comes in.
A while ago I went 3.7 km on the elliptical in 30 mins and set a goal of 5 km, I haven't mentioned it since then because I hadn't even got to 3.7 on subsequent tries. I did have a cold, I suppose. Anyway, on Thursday I got to 3.9 km and it must have been very close to 4. I sprinted the last bit but couldn't get it to turn over that last 100 meters. I watch old subtitled episodes of "Becker" while I jog on the machine.
I mentioned a while ago that I tried porridge/oats a couple of times and thought they were pretty horrible. Warm glue with sugar on top. But for some reason I was determined to keep trying. They say with kids you keep introducing new foods up to ten times before they accept it, right? So I found these Milo (chocolate) oats, 90 second microwave ones. At first it seemed very decadent and unhealthy to have something chocolate-flavoured for breakfast, but then I decided that everyone else puts brown sugar or honey or golden syrup on theirs so chocolate isn't really all that different. And much nicer, in my opinion, as I don't really have that much of a sweet tooth.
And I like it. The first day I still struggled to get past the gluey texture, but I worried it down. And now I have it nearly every day, and enjoy it. And best of all, it doesn't make me feel all urgey and yuck. Most breakfasts do. With whole milk it is 199 calories and fills me up so I think I have a winner.
Tim is home so I am much happier and no longer feel stressed about trying to organise my life. I have decided to not take on any new work for the rest of this year. I'll get what I have on hand out of the way (that will probably take all this week) then really up the exercise levels. I'll still have to juggle a bit when expected work comes in.
A while ago I went 3.7 km on the elliptical in 30 mins and set a goal of 5 km, I haven't mentioned it since then because I hadn't even got to 3.7 on subsequent tries. I did have a cold, I suppose. Anyway, on Thursday I got to 3.9 km and it must have been very close to 4. I sprinted the last bit but couldn't get it to turn over that last 100 meters. I watch old subtitled episodes of "Becker" while I jog on the machine.
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