Apparently since my last blog is dated June 17th, I've been slack-a-lackin' in the blogging department!
Things have been going fairly well though. Here's an update:
Summer has officially arrived in Wyoming! Well...kinda. It's really been more of a spring. We've had a few hot days in the higher 80's but mostly it's been mild days in the lower 70's & raining off & on, sometimes pouring & we're having more humidity than is legal in this area! I have a severe dislike for humidity so having it here where I can FEEL it, that just ain't right!
Due to the better-than-winter weather, when the opportunity presents itself Ryan & go walk on the track at Western Wyoming Community College. It's a mile long & we do at least two miles. The other night we went for four miles. I didn't feel to terrible right after but man did my legs hurt later that night & all day the next day. Kept feeling like they were trying to cramp up. We haven't been to the gym in a while but when the weather's nice who wants to be cooped up in a gym? Not us. So our "workouts" mostly consist of walking but Audrey wants us to get in a few strength training workouts & those mostly need the gym to work. So, we'll attempt a few but winter will force us indoors all to soon so we'd rather play outside!
Speaking of playing, we got a boat! Hey, if you're gonna play you gotta have toys! It's super nice, yellow & white & even though it's an '09 it's brand new & hadn't been in the water until Saturday July 16th when we took it out after Ryan got home from work. It was amazing fun!
Weight wise we're holding our own. Haven't really lost more but haven't gained either. I'm sticking in the 192-194 range & Ryan's still consistently in the 242-245 range. We've definitely had a few splurges & a good cold beer tastes oh-so-good sometimes. Hey, it's summer what do you expect? Cooking out & eating out & drinking a beer or a drink or two goes hand in hand with summertime, or this advanced spring we're having! We're not going too overboard & stick close to what we're supposed to have but don't deny ourselves from time to time with whatever sounds good. If the weight starts piling back on, we'll change that. I think we're pretty balanced right now though.
Last tidbit for this time: We've officially signed up for our first 5K! It's the Burn Your Lungs 5K (as well as other races) & is going to be on July 30th in Kemmerer, WY. I'm super nervous about it! I don't want to be the old, short, fat chick that rolls past the finish line in last place! I just want to finish in a respectable time & be glad I did one. That was one of my original goals when we started with Audrey way back in January.
Well, that's about it for now. My work week is officially over & I'm off for some play time! I hope ya'll are having a super summer & enjoying the heck out of every day. Have a good one!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Moving Forward
It's been 16 days since my last post & we've had a few things happen. First off we had a weigh/measure day on June 8th. Ryan was at 242 & I was at 195. As you could guess we weren't thrilled with the numbers but we dealt with it. This week on the 15th things took a turn, some good & some not so good.
Ryan was back up to 245. We can't figure it out but hashed around some ideas. One thing that we think could be blocking him is his obsession with coffee. He drinks POTS of it. Like 1 1/2 pots a day JUST at home. This doesn't include what he might drink at work & if it's a day off he might easily drink 2+ pots. Now this wouldn't be as big a deal IF he was drinking it black but typically only 1-2 cups a day are black. Most of it has the Fat Free version of Nestle Coffee-Mate French Vanilla creamer & sugar in it. So you start adding that all up & it could very well be a stumbling block for him. I told him that perhaps he should try to give it up for a week, either coffee as a whole or at least the cream & sugar, & he looked at me like I'd lost my mind & says, "I don't know if I can." Can you say ADDICTION?? So, we'll see if he decides to give it a try.
For me things were a bit better this week. I weighed 191. This is the first time I've gone below 195 & I was pretty happy about that! The 190's are seemingly taking forever to get out of & I thought the 200's were bad! We'll see how things go next week though. I tend to fluctuate up & down a lot so there's a good chance I'll be higher next week. I'm trying to be positive but that would be consistent with what I've done so far.
On the workout front things have changed a bit. We talked to Audrey about changing things up. We can't seem to get it together every evening to go workout. By the time we both get home from work we're tired, hungry & just want to relax a little. That doesn't include dealing with any kid drama/crisis or family drama/crisis that comes along & running errands. So a workout tends to get pushed to the bottom of the list. Now with the weather being nicer there's a lot we want to go do so that pushes the workout even further down that list. So, we asked Audrey to revamp our schedule to give us every other night off, mainly Mondays since the gym is so packed if we need to go there (with the nice weather we're doing more outside), & see if that would help. It's received mixed reviews. In some ways it's been easier but what we're finding is that the evenings are just not good timing for working out. We could do morning workouts on Ryan's days off because even if I have to work at 7am, like I have to sometimes, we could still go & not have it be too bad & we may try it. On Ryan's work days though the morning workout will NOT happen. He has to leave the house by 5am & I am NOT working out at 3am so he can leave that early. That just seems slightly insane to me. So, maybe during his 6 days off we'll workout in the a.m.'s & on his 8 days on we'll do the evening & see if that helps. I know we have to be frustrating Audrey & we want to keep her happy since she has the power to torture the hell out of us during our workouts with her! Speaking of, she created a track workout we do at the high school & it kicked my butt! I finished it but running bleachers, although I'm not sure if you could call what I do running, was not my ideal. Since we did that workout with her we've done it one other time on our own & I was happy that I finished it a second time. So at least I know I'm further along than I was back in January when I couldn't even walk half a mile without feeling like I was dying! Nothing like improvement & progress....
Ryan was back up to 245. We can't figure it out but hashed around some ideas. One thing that we think could be blocking him is his obsession with coffee. He drinks POTS of it. Like 1 1/2 pots a day JUST at home. This doesn't include what he might drink at work & if it's a day off he might easily drink 2+ pots. Now this wouldn't be as big a deal IF he was drinking it black but typically only 1-2 cups a day are black. Most of it has the Fat Free version of Nestle Coffee-Mate French Vanilla creamer & sugar in it. So you start adding that all up & it could very well be a stumbling block for him. I told him that perhaps he should try to give it up for a week, either coffee as a whole or at least the cream & sugar, & he looked at me like I'd lost my mind & says, "I don't know if I can." Can you say ADDICTION?? So, we'll see if he decides to give it a try.
For me things were a bit better this week. I weighed 191. This is the first time I've gone below 195 & I was pretty happy about that! The 190's are seemingly taking forever to get out of & I thought the 200's were bad! We'll see how things go next week though. I tend to fluctuate up & down a lot so there's a good chance I'll be higher next week. I'm trying to be positive but that would be consistent with what I've done so far.
On the workout front things have changed a bit. We talked to Audrey about changing things up. We can't seem to get it together every evening to go workout. By the time we both get home from work we're tired, hungry & just want to relax a little. That doesn't include dealing with any kid drama/crisis or family drama/crisis that comes along & running errands. So a workout tends to get pushed to the bottom of the list. Now with the weather being nicer there's a lot we want to go do so that pushes the workout even further down that list. So, we asked Audrey to revamp our schedule to give us every other night off, mainly Mondays since the gym is so packed if we need to go there (with the nice weather we're doing more outside), & see if that would help. It's received mixed reviews. In some ways it's been easier but what we're finding is that the evenings are just not good timing for working out. We could do morning workouts on Ryan's days off because even if I have to work at 7am, like I have to sometimes, we could still go & not have it be too bad & we may try it. On Ryan's work days though the morning workout will NOT happen. He has to leave the house by 5am & I am NOT working out at 3am so he can leave that early. That just seems slightly insane to me. So, maybe during his 6 days off we'll workout in the a.m.'s & on his 8 days on we'll do the evening & see if that helps. I know we have to be frustrating Audrey & we want to keep her happy since she has the power to torture the hell out of us during our workouts with her! Speaking of, she created a track workout we do at the high school & it kicked my butt! I finished it but running bleachers, although I'm not sure if you could call what I do running, was not my ideal. Since we did that workout with her we've done it one other time on our own & I was happy that I finished it a second time. So at least I know I'm further along than I was back in January when I couldn't even walk half a mile without feeling like I was dying! Nothing like improvement & progress....
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
My Motivation
I know it's been two weeks since my last post but I haven't felt very "post worthy" lately. Things have been okay, just not great. Today though, being the first day of June & our weekly weigh-in day, I figured it was as good a time as any to put up a new post.
Have you ever just seriously lacked motivation? I guess there are some people out there that are insanely motivated & never slack, but I think most people will understand what I'm saying. We know what we need to do. We know how to do what we need to do. We know it helps. We know that procrastinating, or skipping it completely, won't get it done & in the end make us feel worse for waiting so long or not doing it at all because then there's just more to do. So why? Why do we do that to ourselves? Could it be we like to wallow in our misery? Or could it be that we simply really don't care?
I know for myself that it isn't that I really don't care. If I didn't I wouldn't have come this far. Wallowing in misery? Perhaps, to a point.
What I think, & I've been doing a lot of thinking about it, is that it's about results. I'm not just talking about working out either. I'm talking about anything. When you live in a house with a two year old you wonder why bother picking up or cleaning because in less than an hour your house, or the room you just cleaned will look like a tornado just ripped through it. You do piles of laundry, just to end up with more piles starting the next day or in some cases even later that same day. You do dishes just to end up with more piled by the sink. You dust just to live to dust again. My kid's favorite, "Why make my bed? I'm just going to get back in it tonight!".
You eat right for whatever program you're on & workout just to have the scale go no where or seemingly move at a snail's pace. For me though it's more than the scale. I've been told over the years that, "When you workout it gives you more energy & you sleep better" & "When you workout you get a kind of high". Well, I want whatever the hell they're having because I ain't seeing it! I have no more energy, I'm still tired all the time & the only way I'm getting a "high" working out is if I smoke a lil' somethin' or pop a pill beforehand, which I'm not going to do.
So, my lack of motivation seems to derive from doing what I'm supposed to do & not seeing the results I'm hoping for, which miraculously, has nothing to do with the numbers. I'm going to keep pushing forward though & hopefully one day I can report that I slept like a baby, had energy like when I was 20 & was high as a kite after a workout. No one hold their breath though.
Sometimes you just have to tell yourself, "What the hell, I will feel better when the house/room is clean, laundry is done, dishes are done, dusting is done or my bed is made because it will look better" and then just do it. Same for dieting/eating right & exercising. If nothing else I do get a sense of accomplishment just for having done it, even if I don't reap the euphoric benefits I've heard about. So I'm going to just keep moving along & try to stay as motivated as I can. Meanwhile, I've got a personal trainer who lives to motivate. Girlfriend has her work cut out for her & I think she's finding that out the hard way, which I'm not proud of & I will try to make it easier on her.
Now for the numbers. On May 18th Ryan weighed in at 244, I weighed in at 195. On May 25th Ryan weighed in at 244, I weighed in at 198. The 25th was after a weekend in Colorado at our friend's cabin. We ate a few thing that were not on our healthy eating list. I was grateful it was only 3 lbs.
Today, June 1st, Ryan weighed 242, which means he finally broke his 3 week plateau & lost 2 lbs! Woo-hoo! I weighed 195, which means I lost the 3 lbs I gained in Colorado. Had we done all the workouts we were supposed to it might have been better. So, we'll just pick up & keep on & see what happens next week.
A few things that have happened that are great positives have been:
1. We walked 2 miles outdoors in Colorado, the weather was actually nice. 1st mile all downhill, 2nd mile all uphill. The 1st mile took us 11 minutes, the 2nd mile took 14 minutes & part of that was me having to stop twice to catch my breath. Ryan could've gone more & I told him he could but he didn't, he stayed with me.
2. We walked on an outdoor track here at home that's a mile long & we did it 3 times. Yes, that means we walked 3 miles. Ryan could've gone more, but once again wouldn't leave me. I was whipped. No way mile 4 was coming out of this body that day.
3. We walked 3 miles on a treadmill at the gym. Ryan in 55 min, me in 55:40. That included our warm up & cool down times.
So it would seem that 3 miles is quickly becoming our new 'norm'. Not sure how thrilled I am about that. One of our upcoming workouts is a 4 mile walk. We'll see. I'm sure Ryan will finish & still be smiling. Me, not so much. If I live through it I'll let ya know....
Have you ever just seriously lacked motivation? I guess there are some people out there that are insanely motivated & never slack, but I think most people will understand what I'm saying. We know what we need to do. We know how to do what we need to do. We know it helps. We know that procrastinating, or skipping it completely, won't get it done & in the end make us feel worse for waiting so long or not doing it at all because then there's just more to do. So why? Why do we do that to ourselves? Could it be we like to wallow in our misery? Or could it be that we simply really don't care?
I know for myself that it isn't that I really don't care. If I didn't I wouldn't have come this far. Wallowing in misery? Perhaps, to a point.
What I think, & I've been doing a lot of thinking about it, is that it's about results. I'm not just talking about working out either. I'm talking about anything. When you live in a house with a two year old you wonder why bother picking up or cleaning because in less than an hour your house, or the room you just cleaned will look like a tornado just ripped through it. You do piles of laundry, just to end up with more piles starting the next day or in some cases even later that same day. You do dishes just to end up with more piled by the sink. You dust just to live to dust again. My kid's favorite, "Why make my bed? I'm just going to get back in it tonight!".
You eat right for whatever program you're on & workout just to have the scale go no where or seemingly move at a snail's pace. For me though it's more than the scale. I've been told over the years that, "When you workout it gives you more energy & you sleep better" & "When you workout you get a kind of high". Well, I want whatever the hell they're having because I ain't seeing it! I have no more energy, I'm still tired all the time & the only way I'm getting a "high" working out is if I smoke a lil' somethin' or pop a pill beforehand, which I'm not going to do.
So, my lack of motivation seems to derive from doing what I'm supposed to do & not seeing the results I'm hoping for, which miraculously, has nothing to do with the numbers. I'm going to keep pushing forward though & hopefully one day I can report that I slept like a baby, had energy like when I was 20 & was high as a kite after a workout. No one hold their breath though.
Sometimes you just have to tell yourself, "What the hell, I will feel better when the house/room is clean, laundry is done, dishes are done, dusting is done or my bed is made because it will look better" and then just do it. Same for dieting/eating right & exercising. If nothing else I do get a sense of accomplishment just for having done it, even if I don't reap the euphoric benefits I've heard about. So I'm going to just keep moving along & try to stay as motivated as I can. Meanwhile, I've got a personal trainer who lives to motivate. Girlfriend has her work cut out for her & I think she's finding that out the hard way, which I'm not proud of & I will try to make it easier on her.
Now for the numbers. On May 18th Ryan weighed in at 244, I weighed in at 195. On May 25th Ryan weighed in at 244, I weighed in at 198. The 25th was after a weekend in Colorado at our friend's cabin. We ate a few thing that were not on our healthy eating list. I was grateful it was only 3 lbs.
Today, June 1st, Ryan weighed 242, which means he finally broke his 3 week plateau & lost 2 lbs! Woo-hoo! I weighed 195, which means I lost the 3 lbs I gained in Colorado. Had we done all the workouts we were supposed to it might have been better. So, we'll just pick up & keep on & see what happens next week.
A few things that have happened that are great positives have been:
1. We walked 2 miles outdoors in Colorado, the weather was actually nice. 1st mile all downhill, 2nd mile all uphill. The 1st mile took us 11 minutes, the 2nd mile took 14 minutes & part of that was me having to stop twice to catch my breath. Ryan could've gone more & I told him he could but he didn't, he stayed with me.
2. We walked on an outdoor track here at home that's a mile long & we did it 3 times. Yes, that means we walked 3 miles. Ryan could've gone more, but once again wouldn't leave me. I was whipped. No way mile 4 was coming out of this body that day.
3. We walked 3 miles on a treadmill at the gym. Ryan in 55 min, me in 55:40. That included our warm up & cool down times.
So it would seem that 3 miles is quickly becoming our new 'norm'. Not sure how thrilled I am about that. One of our upcoming workouts is a 4 mile walk. We'll see. I'm sure Ryan will finish & still be smiling. Me, not so much. If I live through it I'll let ya know....
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Weigh Day
So weigh day didn't go so great for the two of us. Ryan's still stuck at 244. I am still at 195.
I refuse to let this be a bad thing though because we still weigh less than we did when we started & it will go down more, eventually. Plus, we feel better than when we first started. I'm not going to say it's not a bit frustrating though. I guess it would be even more frustrating if we had been working out regularly during that "break time" we took & not having splurge night at the Mexican place. So it could be worse, we could've gained.
Have to keep telling myself, and Ryan, to look at the bright side. Otherwise those darn tacos that keep calling my name just may win a trip down my throat.
I refuse to let this be a bad thing though because we still weigh less than we did when we started & it will go down more, eventually. Plus, we feel better than when we first started. I'm not going to say it's not a bit frustrating though. I guess it would be even more frustrating if we had been working out regularly during that "break time" we took & not having splurge night at the Mexican place. So it could be worse, we could've gained.
Have to keep telling myself, and Ryan, to look at the bright side. Otherwise those darn tacos that keep calling my name just may win a trip down my throat.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
"No Excuses, No Limits"
It's been 11 days since my last post & here's a quick rundown on what's been going on:
1. Last weigh day, May 11th, I was at 195. That was from just watching my food since Ryan & I didn't workout from May 2nd till May 13th. Not only didn't I gain, I got to stay in ONE-derland! My fear was that I would gain & be back in the 2's due to lack of movement, but I actually lost another 2 lbs. I was super excited!
Ryan wasn't as lucky since he gained 2 lbs & was at 244. He was just as careful about his food but something somewhere added a little. I'm really hoping he'll see a smaller number on the 18th. I'm hoping that for me too!
2. We got started back at the gym. It was amazing how much I actually missed it! We went on the 15th & I did some treadmill, ab work & arm work. It was good to get back & be moving again. My sinus issues acted up a bit, a little residue left over from being sick, but I felt really great just for having gone & made it through more of a workout than I thought I'd be able to do. I learned a couple of things from this past few weeks:
A. Don't let fear of a previous injury stop you from trying to continue forward, within reason of course.
And 2. Just because you "take a break" from working out doesn't mean you have to give it up altogether for good & it doesn't mean you're going to automatically be back in the pitiful shape you were before you started the process.
The injury part was that I had done something to both my legs & kept getting severe pain & knots in my back upper thighs right above my knees with pain running down my calves & into my ankles. After talking more with Audrey I think it could have been pulled hamstrings. I was really afraid of working out, especially walking. I guess though that the break I took helped them repair because though I've had some residual pain this past three days during & after a workout, it doesn't hang around nor does it hurt anything near what it did. So I'm taking it slow so I don't overwork them too much until they can be completely healed.
The other reason for the break was due to getting sick & hectic work schedules for both Ryan & I. I wanted to go back three nights before we actually did but things kept getting in the way. Finally I told Ryan that all this time we've made it a priority & due to this "break" it has gone down on the list & we needed to get it back up near the top. It is a choice to go after all & a choice that only we can make.
I know for me fear was part of what stopped me. I was worried about hurting, which makes it miserable to workout, & I was worried that I had gone back in the same shape I was in when I first started this process. I quickly learned that wasn't true. In fact, I think that I'm in better shape & the break just made my body & brain want to go more. I almost over did it tonight as the matter of fact. Too much incline on the treadmill & I could feel that pain starting. So I stopped. Wanted 2 miles but only got 1.7. That's okay though, at least I got that. Plus, I did some arm work. I was pretty happy with that. It was less than I wanted but in someways more than I thought I could do.
3. The next to last thing that happened was actually a couple of things. First, Ryan & I had a "splurge" night. We went to the Mexican place I've been craving since starting this ordeal. I really wanted it & so did Ryan. What happened was amazing. I told Ryan that I was going to thoroughly enjoy it. That I'd probably feel guilty & miserable afterwards but I was going to enjoy it. But I didn't...feel guilty & miserable. I made up my mind to enjoy every second & every stinkin' bite of that food & I did. You know what happened? I walked out of that place feeling satisfied, craving gone & knowing that tomorrow I'd get right back on the "healthy lifestyle wagon". And I did. I learned that a splurge can happen & not be the blackhole of death to whatever plan you're on. For Ryan, it didn't taste as good for him. So his lesson learned was that even though you may crave it & it may look & sound amazing, the reality is that it may not live up to the expectations you have.
Even though we both got something different out of the experience they were both good lessons for us to learn & to learn from what the other experienced. I know now that even though I may decide it's okay to splurge it may not live up to my expectations. He knows he can splurge & not have it be healthy lifestyle death.
4. Of course I'd go for 4 because anyone who truly knows me knows I HATE odd numbers! The last part of all this came from one of the stories I read the other day in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book I mentioned in an earlier post. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind & I think it's quite appropriate for where Ryan & I are & anywhere we go from here as well. It was written by a wife whose husband had been working out with his friend. She wanted to see what got her husband so wrapped up in the workouts & drove him so hard & made him want to keep going. So she went along to workout & to meet the friend. Turns out he had lost a leg & listening to him & his story of overcoming & seeing what he could do with one leg, which was more than a lot of people do with two, she got just as inspired as her husband.
This really struck me & made me think about how often I complain & grumble & grouse when I'm doing regular old daily things, let alone when I'm working out. It made me realize how much worse off things could be & makes me more thankful & grateful to God for where I am & what I have.
His motto was, "No excuses, no limits". I've decided to use that as well. I don't think he'd mind.
1. Last weigh day, May 11th, I was at 195. That was from just watching my food since Ryan & I didn't workout from May 2nd till May 13th. Not only didn't I gain, I got to stay in ONE-derland! My fear was that I would gain & be back in the 2's due to lack of movement, but I actually lost another 2 lbs. I was super excited!
Ryan wasn't as lucky since he gained 2 lbs & was at 244. He was just as careful about his food but something somewhere added a little. I'm really hoping he'll see a smaller number on the 18th. I'm hoping that for me too!
2. We got started back at the gym. It was amazing how much I actually missed it! We went on the 15th & I did some treadmill, ab work & arm work. It was good to get back & be moving again. My sinus issues acted up a bit, a little residue left over from being sick, but I felt really great just for having gone & made it through more of a workout than I thought I'd be able to do. I learned a couple of things from this past few weeks:
A. Don't let fear of a previous injury stop you from trying to continue forward, within reason of course.
And 2. Just because you "take a break" from working out doesn't mean you have to give it up altogether for good & it doesn't mean you're going to automatically be back in the pitiful shape you were before you started the process.
The injury part was that I had done something to both my legs & kept getting severe pain & knots in my back upper thighs right above my knees with pain running down my calves & into my ankles. After talking more with Audrey I think it could have been pulled hamstrings. I was really afraid of working out, especially walking. I guess though that the break I took helped them repair because though I've had some residual pain this past three days during & after a workout, it doesn't hang around nor does it hurt anything near what it did. So I'm taking it slow so I don't overwork them too much until they can be completely healed.
The other reason for the break was due to getting sick & hectic work schedules for both Ryan & I. I wanted to go back three nights before we actually did but things kept getting in the way. Finally I told Ryan that all this time we've made it a priority & due to this "break" it has gone down on the list & we needed to get it back up near the top. It is a choice to go after all & a choice that only we can make.
I know for me fear was part of what stopped me. I was worried about hurting, which makes it miserable to workout, & I was worried that I had gone back in the same shape I was in when I first started this process. I quickly learned that wasn't true. In fact, I think that I'm in better shape & the break just made my body & brain want to go more. I almost over did it tonight as the matter of fact. Too much incline on the treadmill & I could feel that pain starting. So I stopped. Wanted 2 miles but only got 1.7. That's okay though, at least I got that. Plus, I did some arm work. I was pretty happy with that. It was less than I wanted but in someways more than I thought I could do.
3. The next to last thing that happened was actually a couple of things. First, Ryan & I had a "splurge" night. We went to the Mexican place I've been craving since starting this ordeal. I really wanted it & so did Ryan. What happened was amazing. I told Ryan that I was going to thoroughly enjoy it. That I'd probably feel guilty & miserable afterwards but I was going to enjoy it. But I didn't...feel guilty & miserable. I made up my mind to enjoy every second & every stinkin' bite of that food & I did. You know what happened? I walked out of that place feeling satisfied, craving gone & knowing that tomorrow I'd get right back on the "healthy lifestyle wagon". And I did. I learned that a splurge can happen & not be the blackhole of death to whatever plan you're on. For Ryan, it didn't taste as good for him. So his lesson learned was that even though you may crave it & it may look & sound amazing, the reality is that it may not live up to the expectations you have.
Even though we both got something different out of the experience they were both good lessons for us to learn & to learn from what the other experienced. I know now that even though I may decide it's okay to splurge it may not live up to my expectations. He knows he can splurge & not have it be healthy lifestyle death.
4. Of course I'd go for 4 because anyone who truly knows me knows I HATE odd numbers! The last part of all this came from one of the stories I read the other day in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book I mentioned in an earlier post. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind & I think it's quite appropriate for where Ryan & I are & anywhere we go from here as well. It was written by a wife whose husband had been working out with his friend. She wanted to see what got her husband so wrapped up in the workouts & drove him so hard & made him want to keep going. So she went along to workout & to meet the friend. Turns out he had lost a leg & listening to him & his story of overcoming & seeing what he could do with one leg, which was more than a lot of people do with two, she got just as inspired as her husband.
This really struck me & made me think about how often I complain & grumble & grouse when I'm doing regular old daily things, let alone when I'm working out. It made me realize how much worse off things could be & makes me more thankful & grateful to God for where I am & what I have.
His motto was, "No excuses, no limits". I've decided to use that as well. I don't think he'd mind.
Friday, May 6, 2011
C.R.A.P.
I'm sick. Much more ill than I thought. I now have either full blown head cold or serious sinus infection going on. Needless to say, but I will anyway, I did not make it to the gym tonight. This sucks & now who knows when I'll get back. I just hope I can get more sleep tonight than last night but not counting on that either.
No voice, fever, stuffy head, runny nose, cough, sore throat, watery eyes & completely exhausted. What a lovely combo to deal with. I just hope it goes about it's business soon. Fortunately, I have a round of antibiotics that the doctor gave me last time I didn't feel good. So if it's not gone soon you best believe those bad boys will find their way into my system ASAP.
Later ya'll.
No voice, fever, stuffy head, runny nose, cough, sore throat, watery eyes & completely exhausted. What a lovely combo to deal with. I just hope it goes about it's business soon. Fortunately, I have a round of antibiotics that the doctor gave me last time I didn't feel good. So if it's not gone soon you best believe those bad boys will find their way into my system ASAP.
Later ya'll.
First The Good News...
Yes, it has been a bit since my last post. No, it doesn't mean anything bad has happened. It's only due to my being, as my grandma used to say, "busier than a one legged man in a butt kickin' contest". Work has been long days for both of us & stressful days for me this past several weeks since we were going through an "accepting applications & taking all the phone calls that are a result of that, doing interviews, second interviews & ultimately hiring a new person to replace an employee that's leaving us in June" phase. All of that craziness is on top of the normal everyday craziness. Couple that with not feeling so swift several times for different reasons & it boils down to not really wanting to be on the computer or do, well, much of anything. So that's about what I've done, not much of anything.
Our weigh & measure day on April 27th had both of us celebrating! Ryan had lost two more pounds. I had lost three. Ryan was glad he finally broke the plateau he'd been on & I, well I, FINALLY, got under 200. I was in, to quote another blogger I follow,
ONE-derland!! 197. It just sounds better than 2something. Measurements were a bit lower but nothing to go insane over. The celebration was short lived.
This past weigh day (no measuring) on May 4th, it went in the toilet. Ryan had gained back his previously lost two pounds & I had reacquired my three. Not so great. Audrey says there are possibly several reasons this happened but I'm thinking it was mainly not always doing what we should be doing. We have both had late work nights. His have been much later than mine. These late nights have killed a few workouts. Plus, he had several nights where he just didn't feel good. Bad stomachache, headache & such. I just wasn't feeling the few workouts we did go do. I started having a bad pain in the back of my lower thigh right above my knee a while back. First it happened in the right leg. It hurt so bad I thought I'd pulled something but, since I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, like pretending to be a Rockette, I knew I couldn't have pulled it. Then a few days later the left one started up. Audrey has told me what it is & how to try to help it. I did just some of what she said & it seemed to help, no more pain. Until I got back on the treadmill after a couple days off. There it was just glaring at me & gloating. So I worked through it that day but the next day it just wasn't happening. I did a workout that consisted of several different exercises & even using some weights & all was good. Then I got on the treadmill where all I had to do was walk 35 minutes. Sounds easy right? No, it was not. After about 12 minutes my legs hurt so bad it was all I could do to stand. So what does my smart self do?? I get on the Cybex machine. For those who may not know, the Cybex is very similar to an elliptical. You look like you're doing a funny walk but your feet are on large pedals & moving similar to an elliptical. I did 5 minutes & almost could not step off of the stupid thing. I've done 20-25 minutes on it before so I KNOW I can do more than 5! I was so angry & disappointed in myself. I went slinking over to the mat, did my stretches (almost in tears because of pain AND embarrassment) & then waited for Ryan to finish his workout which he not only finished but did extra. Overachiever! I'm really proud of him so I'm only kidding about the "overachiever" comment. Kinda.
He was irritated with me because I was being so down on myself for not doing well & since I was "injured" I shouldn't be, but it's hard to not be disappointed when you know you can do so much better. After that it was all downhill. My eating this past 6 days, due to work, stress & just plain ol' bad choices, was either very low calorie (not good), or more than I should have & not always the best food choices (also not good). We haven't worked out almost all this past week. We were going to try to go to the gym tonight, technically last night (Thursday) since it's after 2:00a.m. on Friday now, but that didn't happen. Hopefully tonight (Friday) it will. Ryan told me that he's actually glad for the break we've had because he was feeling kind of burnt out. Maybe I was too. We didn't take a total break though, have TRIED to keep the food somewhat in check.
I'm not holding my breath on making it back to the gym tonight though. As I sit here, awake at 2:41a.m., I have a very scratchy sore throat, no voice at all & what feels to be a fever. I've been voiceless for two days (Wednesday & Thursday) with tomorrow not looking good as well. I'm over it. I want to get back on the track I was on.
I know that a 20 year habit of sitting on your ass & eating an unhealthy diet is hard to break but I will break it. I also need to get my sleep in check. I guess that means earlier bed times & Ambien CR more often! This will not beat me, I will win.
On the upside, one of my small victories that I'm celebrating is that I did eat right yesterday (Thursday). Audrey says to celebrate the invisible victories so, YAY! Go me!!
Our weigh & measure day on April 27th had both of us celebrating! Ryan had lost two more pounds. I had lost three. Ryan was glad he finally broke the plateau he'd been on & I, well I, FINALLY, got under 200. I was in, to quote another blogger I follow,
ONE-derland!! 197. It just sounds better than 2something. Measurements were a bit lower but nothing to go insane over. The celebration was short lived.
This past weigh day (no measuring) on May 4th, it went in the toilet. Ryan had gained back his previously lost two pounds & I had reacquired my three. Not so great. Audrey says there are possibly several reasons this happened but I'm thinking it was mainly not always doing what we should be doing. We have both had late work nights. His have been much later than mine. These late nights have killed a few workouts. Plus, he had several nights where he just didn't feel good. Bad stomachache, headache & such. I just wasn't feeling the few workouts we did go do. I started having a bad pain in the back of my lower thigh right above my knee a while back. First it happened in the right leg. It hurt so bad I thought I'd pulled something but, since I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, like pretending to be a Rockette, I knew I couldn't have pulled it. Then a few days later the left one started up. Audrey has told me what it is & how to try to help it. I did just some of what she said & it seemed to help, no more pain. Until I got back on the treadmill after a couple days off. There it was just glaring at me & gloating. So I worked through it that day but the next day it just wasn't happening. I did a workout that consisted of several different exercises & even using some weights & all was good. Then I got on the treadmill where all I had to do was walk 35 minutes. Sounds easy right? No, it was not. After about 12 minutes my legs hurt so bad it was all I could do to stand. So what does my smart self do?? I get on the Cybex machine. For those who may not know, the Cybex is very similar to an elliptical. You look like you're doing a funny walk but your feet are on large pedals & moving similar to an elliptical. I did 5 minutes & almost could not step off of the stupid thing. I've done 20-25 minutes on it before so I KNOW I can do more than 5! I was so angry & disappointed in myself. I went slinking over to the mat, did my stretches (almost in tears because of pain AND embarrassment) & then waited for Ryan to finish his workout which he not only finished but did extra. Overachiever! I'm really proud of him so I'm only kidding about the "overachiever" comment. Kinda.
He was irritated with me because I was being so down on myself for not doing well & since I was "injured" I shouldn't be, but it's hard to not be disappointed when you know you can do so much better. After that it was all downhill. My eating this past 6 days, due to work, stress & just plain ol' bad choices, was either very low calorie (not good), or more than I should have & not always the best food choices (also not good). We haven't worked out almost all this past week. We were going to try to go to the gym tonight, technically last night (Thursday) since it's after 2:00a.m. on Friday now, but that didn't happen. Hopefully tonight (Friday) it will. Ryan told me that he's actually glad for the break we've had because he was feeling kind of burnt out. Maybe I was too. We didn't take a total break though, have TRIED to keep the food somewhat in check.
I'm not holding my breath on making it back to the gym tonight though. As I sit here, awake at 2:41a.m., I have a very scratchy sore throat, no voice at all & what feels to be a fever. I've been voiceless for two days (Wednesday & Thursday) with tomorrow not looking good as well. I'm over it. I want to get back on the track I was on.
I know that a 20 year habit of sitting on your ass & eating an unhealthy diet is hard to break but I will break it. I also need to get my sleep in check. I guess that means earlier bed times & Ambien CR more often! This will not beat me, I will win.
On the upside, one of my small victories that I'm celebrating is that I did eat right yesterday (Thursday). Audrey says to celebrate the invisible victories so, YAY! Go me!!
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