Today is a bit of a slog. I have a feeling that in the back of my head someone is singing some sort of spiritual to get myself through heavy labour. I'm seeing some positives (skin is clearer and brighter, jaw definition is there again, feeling generally less puffy, have lost underarm cleavage - possibly TMI) but I've definitely hit the hard going part of the first month. One of the changes I'm making this year is that I'll shift when I go to the gym. Not stop going but when becomes important. Can't do a morning? No problem. Hit the gym at lunch or in the afternoon. Feeling good, hit the gym in the morning. It's less about setting myself a rigid routine and more about making sure that the effort is sustainable.
Same thing with my food. Breakfast is sorted. I'm comfortable, making good choices at home and at the gym and knowing what are some good options are if I head out. I'm planning more effectively for eating during the week at the office. Planning really is key. If I've given myself options, I also haven't given myself an out for making a choice that is less than healthy. I don't want to make anything a forbidden food as creating a good food vs evil food is neither sustainable or a healthy way to approach it. Moderation in everything including moderation. If I'm in a situation where the best choice still isn't fabulous, so be it. I simply need to adjust the rest of my day or how much energy I'm expending.
Cycle at lunch is hard. My legs feel heavy and its an effort to keep turning them over. I manage some of the climbs but my knee is giving me a couple of warning twinges so I powerclimb (which is seated) rather than stand up in the saddle. Leanne is no less frightening than last week. I notice that I can cope with adding more resistance when she suggests it far more than I was able to last week, despite my tiredness. I'm noticing that my thighs are already starting to feel much firmer after only a week. I'd like to get to a point that I feel comfortable climbing whenever the track calls for it. Hmm, good goal over 3 months.
Catch up with a friend for lunch. Sushi. Mmmmmm. I love sushi. Hits both the protein and the carb buttons square in the middle. I also like the fact that it is really easy to judge how much you've consumed of it. Back to the office, having restocked the snack draw of awesome. Remembered to buy more of the yummy rice crackers so I don't run out half way through the fortnight this time. Grab a fruit snack tub and some nuts about 3/4 of an hour before I'm due at the gym.
I've got PT tonight but I want to get 10k in the bike in first so I head to the gym and set myself up. It's amazing how cruddy cable tv can distract my legs from their tiredness. Fiona (who also has PT with Lu tonight) and I plot to try and tire Lu out before my session. "No, no I don't understand how that works, could you show me again?", "I'm so much more motivated when you run on the treadmill beside me". Both of us know its a vain hope but we laugh a lot while planning it in the change room. It's a huge session with Lu tonight. Highlights of it are the 60 squats holding a weight plate and the 60 crunches on the fitball holding a weight plate. I'm just smashed by the end of it.
I get home and discover that for all my planning I seem to have completely forgotten about dinner. I refuse to give into temptation and order $40 of Thai food (min delivery order) and instead try the new biggest loser range from Dominos. I can advise that the bbq chicken, mushroom & pineapple pizza is really tasty although the garden salad was really wilted and ick. Thankfully I had some left over veges from dinner the night before. Another day done.
Showing posts with label spin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spin. Show all posts
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Day 10 Oh that's right, this feeling
Day 10 is when it really starts to get hard. I'm tired from all the work, I'm eleven days off my body having recognised this as a habit and starting to pump me full of the happy endorphins. I'm noticing it in the mornings and the evenings. Possibly part of the day as well. Definitely in the mornings. The alarm went off at 5 and I didn't. No spin with Lisa for me this morning. Quick breakfast at home and then I'm off to work. I'm really enjoying my weetibx in the morning. Strange the tastes that adjust for you as you get older.
Having missed spin in the morning, I rearrange some of my day to hit the class at lunch. There are only 2 of us today for some reason. One fan for each of us. Which is lucky cos I feel like I'm in my own personal sub tropical zone. I find cycle very hard to get into musically. It doesn't seem to have the sync, music to track that RPM does. This means I do a lot of clock watching. How long have I survived, how much longer do I have to survive? Oh well, more motivaton to make the RPM classes I want to make. I'm finding that I'm able to climb more and that I'm starting to lift the resistance a little more each class. Back to work where I devour the tuna salad I have for lunch.
I've made a date with one of my red team members to meet her for boxing and group slim. It's nice to see the team starting to bond and make some friendships. I'm back at the gym by 5.30. This is a really different boxing workshop. It contains a lot more shadow boxing and conditioning exercises (abs, squats, pushups etc) as opposed to the glove based workshops I'm used to. My heart rate is definitely up and I'm puffing away. No need to grab my puffer which is great. It's nice to see at least 3 of the red team at the workshop today. I use it as example of why they should do body combat as well. Ah, body combat, it seems only yesterday I was enjoying your sweet, sweet torture.
The group slim class is looking at healthy snacking options and making informed fast food choices. It's a big group, over 20 of us, sitting around and sharing ideas. Apparently you can air pop popcorn using only a brown paper bag and plain corn kernels. I suggest trying this at home prior to having to accidentally evacuate your office over lunch. Nothing like being the dieting girl who set the microwave on fire. We then move on to looking at the healthier choices that fast food are offering. There's a lot of giggling and a general consensus that we're getting really hungry. There's something about sitting in a class situation talking about food that seems to return the general group dynamic to that of a year 9 girls school. Be afraid, be very afraid.
A quick swing past the greengrocer (for your information, you can buy a lot more vegetables for $3 than you imagine) and I'm home. Time to make dinner for the lovely M. I love to cook, not just for me but for others. It's a real joy so having dinner guests is always quite inspiring. Tonight it's a beef stirfry with capsicum, onion, snow peas, eggplant, zucchini, some soy, some coriander, ginger and garlic. M is a wonderful guest to cook for as well. She's part of my collection of fabulous women who come and have illicit non husband friendly dinners at my house. We're talking about starting a swimming program today which is exciting, particularly as I've just bought the bottom half of swimsuit required to start the program (top half previously acquired). We're also looking for an aqua aerobics class in the evenings. Bit nervous about the swimming but thinking it would be a great thing to do health wise. I'm very pro immersion in water, it's just the swimming rather than splashing about factor.
Think about some dessert and decide I'm not really in the mood. Head to bed after Dance. A good day.
Having missed spin in the morning, I rearrange some of my day to hit the class at lunch. There are only 2 of us today for some reason. One fan for each of us. Which is lucky cos I feel like I'm in my own personal sub tropical zone. I find cycle very hard to get into musically. It doesn't seem to have the sync, music to track that RPM does. This means I do a lot of clock watching. How long have I survived, how much longer do I have to survive? Oh well, more motivaton to make the RPM classes I want to make. I'm finding that I'm able to climb more and that I'm starting to lift the resistance a little more each class. Back to work where I devour the tuna salad I have for lunch.
I've made a date with one of my red team members to meet her for boxing and group slim. It's nice to see the team starting to bond and make some friendships. I'm back at the gym by 5.30. This is a really different boxing workshop. It contains a lot more shadow boxing and conditioning exercises (abs, squats, pushups etc) as opposed to the glove based workshops I'm used to. My heart rate is definitely up and I'm puffing away. No need to grab my puffer which is great. It's nice to see at least 3 of the red team at the workshop today. I use it as example of why they should do body combat as well. Ah, body combat, it seems only yesterday I was enjoying your sweet, sweet torture.
The group slim class is looking at healthy snacking options and making informed fast food choices. It's a big group, over 20 of us, sitting around and sharing ideas. Apparently you can air pop popcorn using only a brown paper bag and plain corn kernels. I suggest trying this at home prior to having to accidentally evacuate your office over lunch. Nothing like being the dieting girl who set the microwave on fire. We then move on to looking at the healthier choices that fast food are offering. There's a lot of giggling and a general consensus that we're getting really hungry. There's something about sitting in a class situation talking about food that seems to return the general group dynamic to that of a year 9 girls school. Be afraid, be very afraid.
A quick swing past the greengrocer (for your information, you can buy a lot more vegetables for $3 than you imagine) and I'm home. Time to make dinner for the lovely M. I love to cook, not just for me but for others. It's a real joy so having dinner guests is always quite inspiring. Tonight it's a beef stirfry with capsicum, onion, snow peas, eggplant, zucchini, some soy, some coriander, ginger and garlic. M is a wonderful guest to cook for as well. She's part of my collection of fabulous women who come and have illicit non husband friendly dinners at my house. We're talking about starting a swimming program today which is exciting, particularly as I've just bought the bottom half of swimsuit required to start the program (top half previously acquired). We're also looking for an aqua aerobics class in the evenings. Bit nervous about the swimming but thinking it would be a great thing to do health wise. I'm very pro immersion in water, it's just the swimming rather than splashing about factor.
Think about some dessert and decide I'm not really in the mood. Head to bed after Dance. A good day.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Day 4 - The nice lady scares me
Thursday, sleep in day. Beloved, beloved sleep in day. It's amazing how much getting up at 6.30 didn't hurt in comparison to 5am. Not having the ready options of the gym to provide me breakfast meant I had to think a bit more about my choices for breakfast. Oats! Oats are good choice. For the first time in years I used my scales to measure something other than an ingredient for baking. Portion control is something I know I need to pay attention to. I add a chopped up peacherine (peach crossed with a nectarine) and a teaspoon of stevia. My family have always made their porridge with water and then added a little bit of milk to eat it so out came the low fat milk. Felt really full. Check of the gym bag and blackberry and then out the door with my girlfriend who was borrowing my parking space on a meander to work. Don't feel tempted to grab a coffee but don't feel like I'm depriving myself of anything either. I can have it when I want it, I just don't need to grab one on auto pilot.
Hit the office and I'm pretty much immersing myself in what appears to be a task list the size of the kokoda trail. Start to stress out mid morning about getting it all done so I stop and take a step back. Today I need the headspace of a good workout at lunch so I have a snack from the amazing draw of good choices and put my head down. Head to the gym for what I think is an RPM class but turns out to be cycle run by Leanne. Leanne is my slim coach, my kind, understanding, gentle slim coach. That turns out to be slim. Cycle is another matter. The woman is a complete machine who could climb for what felt like 35 of the 45 mins of the class. Plus she just kept adding resistance. It was insane. The nice lady scared me.
Doing cycle at lunch after RPM yesterday morning was a real challenge. Definitely felt it in what the balance instructor politely referred to as my "sit bones". Tomorrow is going be a world of pain. Leanne does say that 3 spin classes a week and you won't feel it. I'm not entirely sure I believe her. Staggered out of the class and into body balance. This wasn't so much bravado as a cunning plan. I really needed to stretch properly and balance was the way to do it being a mix of yoga, tai chi, pilates and balance tracks. Plus you get a relaxation/meditation track at the end and I wanted that a lot. Finished up the class, got changed and headed back to the office, knowing I could cope with the day. A chat with my wonderful boss re taskmageddon further affirmed that.
Found out that there is a weekly challenge this year as part of foxy - this week it's endurance which means pushups. How many push ups can you do maintaining perfect form in 60 seconds? Currently it is 23 incline pushups (doing pushups using a bar rather than being flat on the floor). Not bad. Sarah (the member motivator) kept count for me, watching my form and keeping me motivated. A minute is a long time. My body weight is a lot of weight to push up using only my upper body. Thankfully I'd done a couple of ten minute stints on the bike to keep me warm before I did it.
Got home and threw together a beef and vege stirfry. Chilli from my garden plus eggplant, zucchini, capsicum, coriander, ginger, garlic, soy. Nyom plus I get lunch tomorrow. I love it when a plan comes together. Felt really happy about the proportions of my dinner, 20% meat, 80% veges. Also happy with my portion size. I'm feeling very in control of my diet despite the stress and this is a big thing. Emotion is a factor when I'm eating, boredom is a huge issue, negative emotions in general. I need to be aware of it and not to let it become an excuse for me to just give in and make unhealthy choices. I have other choices, other methods of dealing with these emotions, it's time to use them.
Actually, thinking about planning, my left overs will make a great dinner for Friday night rather than a lunch. I'm ushering at the Street Theatre so won't head home before the show. Will pack up the left overs and take them to work. Planning, I remember you well.
Hit the office and I'm pretty much immersing myself in what appears to be a task list the size of the kokoda trail. Start to stress out mid morning about getting it all done so I stop and take a step back. Today I need the headspace of a good workout at lunch so I have a snack from the amazing draw of good choices and put my head down. Head to the gym for what I think is an RPM class but turns out to be cycle run by Leanne. Leanne is my slim coach, my kind, understanding, gentle slim coach. That turns out to be slim. Cycle is another matter. The woman is a complete machine who could climb for what felt like 35 of the 45 mins of the class. Plus she just kept adding resistance. It was insane. The nice lady scared me.
Doing cycle at lunch after RPM yesterday morning was a real challenge. Definitely felt it in what the balance instructor politely referred to as my "sit bones". Tomorrow is going be a world of pain. Leanne does say that 3 spin classes a week and you won't feel it. I'm not entirely sure I believe her. Staggered out of the class and into body balance. This wasn't so much bravado as a cunning plan. I really needed to stretch properly and balance was the way to do it being a mix of yoga, tai chi, pilates and balance tracks. Plus you get a relaxation/meditation track at the end and I wanted that a lot. Finished up the class, got changed and headed back to the office, knowing I could cope with the day. A chat with my wonderful boss re taskmageddon further affirmed that.
Found out that there is a weekly challenge this year as part of foxy - this week it's endurance which means pushups. How many push ups can you do maintaining perfect form in 60 seconds? Currently it is 23 incline pushups (doing pushups using a bar rather than being flat on the floor). Not bad. Sarah (the member motivator) kept count for me, watching my form and keeping me motivated. A minute is a long time. My body weight is a lot of weight to push up using only my upper body. Thankfully I'd done a couple of ten minute stints on the bike to keep me warm before I did it.
Got home and threw together a beef and vege stirfry. Chilli from my garden plus eggplant, zucchini, capsicum, coriander, ginger, garlic, soy. Nyom plus I get lunch tomorrow. I love it when a plan comes together. Felt really happy about the proportions of my dinner, 20% meat, 80% veges. Also happy with my portion size. I'm feeling very in control of my diet despite the stress and this is a big thing. Emotion is a factor when I'm eating, boredom is a huge issue, negative emotions in general. I need to be aware of it and not to let it become an excuse for me to just give in and make unhealthy choices. I have other choices, other methods of dealing with these emotions, it's time to use them.
Actually, thinking about planning, my left overs will make a great dinner for Friday night rather than a lunch. I'm ushering at the Street Theatre so won't head home before the show. Will pack up the left overs and take them to work. Planning, I remember you well.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Day 3 - Mind over matter
Mind over matter. That was definitely the theme as I rolled reluctantly out of bed at 5 in the morning. The impetus to stay in bed and sleep was strong but I'd made the deal with my amazing gym buddy C to meet her for cycle at 5.50 and I wasn't going to let her down. It was funny, I got in the car and both of us immediately confessed that we were considering not doing RPM as planned but doing "some light cardio" instead. This lasted until we actually hit the gym and heard the ever enthusiastic tones of Lisa, the worlds most kick ass spin instructor. We were doing RPM. Class was packed this morning, similar numbers to an evening class which was great to see. What was also fabulous to see what the amazing effort being put in by women of all shapes, sizes, ages who were just smacking it. This was my first spin class in months. God it hurt. I stayed in the saddle through the first climb track, not trusting myself that I could manage it. When the Prodigy kicked in the track 5 and Lisa hollered it was the hardest track 5 she'd taught in her 7 years of teaching, I thought "Stuff it!" and just went for it. The climb hurt. Oh boy did it hurt but I did it. Managed to survive the rest of the class, pacing myself on the climbs. Wandered out of class and that's when a slight fit of insanity kicked in. Hit the TTT (tummies, tails, thighs) workshop. Am fairly sure I survived it primarily through bravado. Michelle who was running it pushed me when I needed to. Apparently I have a much stronger core than I give myself credit for. Who knew? I explained my theory about some yoga moves being somewhat incompatible with a curvy framed woman having been developed by a skinny old man on a mountain. In the way the best trainers do, she laughed and ignored me.
Quick breakfast and chat with some of the other regulars and off to work. Head down, tail up, I've got work coming out of my ears at present so there really is no other mode of survival. Nearly worked through my morning snack but stopped myself and grabbed a fruit snack pack and some almonds. Looked at my schedule for the rest of the day, thought how I was feeling and decided to hit the swiss ball workshop at lunch to keep myself moving. My tendency to make slight groaning noises when getting up to refill my water bottle was freaking my team out.
Swiss ball was definitely a bit of an ask after the 2 classes this morning. Jen kept the workshop moving nicely, particularly given the mix of ladies. More squats. My quads are threatening to move to China. Hamstring curls, balance exercises, pushups, what I'm calling a reverse superman (lie on back, feet and arms in the air with ball supported by hands and toes, lift opposite hand and leg off the ball but keep it steady), crunches, twists, side taps... May have missed something but I'm sure I'll work it out from the twinges. Good stretch. Really good stretch. I may have been biased but I think I've earnt that right.
Back to the office, enjoy my lunch and get back into it. Change of plans - I'm going for burritos. Okay, time to hit the website and check out my options. Right, I've gone the nutritional info and know what a good choice will be for me. Have a look at how I'm going balance wise on my food types and double check. Check. Feeling confident about dinner now.
It's strange but I'm finding I'm full. I feel that I'm eating more than I normally do but am not bingeing because of that. I know I've got meals & snacks there so I'm not stressed that I have to come up with something on the fly and end up taking the easy choice which may not be a good one. I'm drowning myself in water and herbal tea (might be making sloshy noises in time with my groans when I move.) Nutrition was my weak point last year with GRR. I was so scared of the exercise that I focused almost entirely on that and gave myself permission to be lazy with my food. Not this year. This year I know I can do this. There's a rock solid certainty in my gut that this is conquerable. I also know what were the things I struggled with last year and have come up with some strategies to manage those things. This blog is one of them. I'm not comfortable in paper or hard copy and found that really hard. By shifting my planning & journaling to the format I'm comfortable with, I'm actually doing it. Not playing catch up or putting it off because I'm uncomfortable. I'm in control.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
