Pressing On

I'm not a fan of excising.  Let's just get that out of the way.  I have had the hardest time setting a schedule to 'work out' and sticking to it for more than a few weeks.  The best intentions right?  Now, that's not to say I don't get out and move.  I walk the dogs.  I love to hike.  And I have a seasonal love affair with my bike.  See riding is my 'me time'.  I tend to take 'me time' once or twice a week from the time it warms up to 50° until it cools back down to 50°. The wind in my face.  The burn in my thighs.  The sound of the tires crunching in the aggregate.  The freedom to think and feel without interruption.  Love my 'me time'.  But I don't think of it as exercise.  There is no consistency.  I do it as I need it.

I promised Myka (That would be my sweet ride. A beautiful 16in, 2008 Specialized Myka Sport. White with red butterflies 'tearing' out of the frame. A pretty sweet ride indeed.) that after the Tour de Cure, I would take her in for a tune up and cleaning.  Afterall, a happy bike means a happy ride. And she deserves it. And I've taken my sweet time getting her in.  So I felt I needed to do something else to get out and move.  I think we all know what's coming...

                                                               Myka. She's pretty sweet.


I took up running.  Well I move my legs more than walking and bounce a little. Running would be a generous description of what I am actually doing.  But I'm doing it.  And not some fancy 'couch to 5k training' program.  Been there, tried that, FAILED.  And I hated it.  I tied my old worn out shoes and was determined to do it.  So I did. I walked to the preserve a half mile away from the house and picked a spot and said 'I will run there' and went.  And when I got to that point I stopped, stretched, and picked a new spot.  And so on.  I walked and ran 3 miles that first time.  And I went home and took a shower and felt ok.  Not bad for my first run since high school.

I woke up the next morning and felt awful.  I was incredibly sore.  My feet hurt and were completely stressed out.  My knees were on fire.  Muscles I didn't realized I had even used were audibly ticked off with me.  And I wanted to cry.  'This is why I don't run.'  'What the hell was I thinking?'  Work was painful.  And I knew it would be weeks before I would do that again.

And it was.  3 weeks.  To be fair, Tour was the week after the run and there was NO way I was going to stress my body out while I was in the final stages of training for 30 miles.  I don't know what it was.  I just couldn't quit this time.  I needed to move while I was waiting for Myka to be done at the shop.  I needed to find 'me time' with the 2 dogs at home (who always need to be in the exact same spot I am).  I am stubborn to a fault sometimes.  I looked up a few tips and picked out that I thought would help.

I decided to tape my feet for arch support (a little trick from playing soccer).  The only tape I had was painters tape.  So I used it.

                                                 Pre-Run injury prevention. Thanks 3M:-p

Carry the water bottle was stressful on my hands (I clutched it until I thought it would tear).  So I grabbed one of my running shirts with the pockets in the back.  Fits the water bottle perfectly.  Bonus: I can carry my inhaler in the pocket and not carry it either, AND my phone fits in the 3rd pocket: running tunes!

My feet went numb.  I found a site that suggested threading my laces 'straight' at the top of my foot not in an X pattern.  So I did.

And I went out.

I had a path in mind that combined walking and running and stuck to my plan.  I moved slower than a turtle, but I pressed on.  I went 4 miles, with about half of it actually running.  I got home sweaty and exhausted.  I did what I set out to do.  And I felt pretty darn proud of myself.  The next morning was sore, but not awful.  The little tricks made a big difference.  And I made myself do it again 2 days later.  I wasn't going to give up.


And I haven't so far.  I plan out my runs for Tuesday and Thursday nights.  This way when the school year starts again, this will still fit into my schedule.  I am slow.  But I press on.


I have a blister that covers the complete instep of my right foot.  It is extremely sore to the touch.  It finally dried out and broke open last night half way through my run.  But I  press on.


I have so many bug bites.  They have welted in spots and are impossible not to itch raw.  But I press on.


The tendons in my feet are tearing and healing after each run as they get used to the impact.  There are a few mornings it's been hard to walk.  But I press on.


My neck and shoulders are stiff from my running posture.  I am learning how to hold myself correctly, but it's a process.  It's interrupted my sleep a few nights.  But I press on.


I feel a bizarre sense of accomplishment after I finish each run.  I can actually feel my body responding and getting stronger with every mile.  After 6 consistent runs, I can see physical changes in my body.  My thighs are tighter.  I've lost inches around my middle.  My arms are slimmer.  (My tush looks great!)  I never set out to lose weight or even really change anything.  I just wanted to get out and move and my normal mode of outdoor movement was in the shop.  I understand how people can say running is addicting.  I have found my mantra 'each step is one more than yesterday'.

I'm not sure how I can say this, but I'm pretty sure running will stick.  I still don't 'like' it, but I love how it makes me feel.  Powerful.  Accomplished.  I know I can set reasonable goals that are tangible.  I've already met a few.  I am enjoying the challenge.  I even rewarded my feet last night with a new pair of shoes.  Happy feet means a happy run right?

                                                               Pressing on...in style.

Much delayed update

The long overdue check in. Probably because there is not a whole lot to report. Allergies are making it very difficult to breathe. That means less activity so as to aggravate my lungs. Allergies inevitably turn into a head cold which means headaches and lots of coughing. It’s hard to stick to exercising when you are struggling to walk around at work. But being sick for me also means less eating. It’s no fun to eat something when you can’t even taste it. I know that’s probably why I stay sick for so long, but I just don’t feel like eating. I have not been as careful about what I eat either. I seem to have found myself busy again so dinners out are becoming common place again. That doesn’t make my scale nor my wallet happy. I still try to bring lunch to work, but have settled for the pre-processed food, though I do not eat anything that is not weightwatchers or healthy choice as the preservative/fat/salt content of anything else is so high I feel a heart attack coming on just reading the labels! So all in all, I have gone up and down for the last 2.5 weeks in weight, but over all remain pretty much exactly the same as before I got sick: 9 lbs down with a whopping 20 to go. I know I have several months, but I was hoping to be a little further along with the wedding in September.
I feel a deflated about the numbers not changing. I could have done more. I should have at least kept up on my sit ups and pushups; but again, that’s hard to do when you keep coughing…however it’s not impossible. I guess the positive way to looking at that is at least it was exercise in some form :-p. But I am on the mend and NEED to get my tush in gear. 5k challenge must be started in earnest this week. And I expect my few readers here to call me out on it if I don’t post at least some moderate success next Monday!

Another reason has cropped up to make sure to start an exercise program like the Couch to 5k program. I have very high cholesterol. My LDL has clocked in at 290 on its own. About 3x what is considered safe! And even with an HDL that is also very high, usually around 70, it’s not anywhere near enough to offset the dangerous level of LDL. Ok so that’s nothing new. What is new if the dose of Lipitor I am on. 40 mg per day is considered aggressive treatment. Not the 80 mg we could go, but high enough for me to have to be pretty in tuned with my body because of the risks associated with the dose. I don’t like altering the chemicals in my body artificially. I don’t even like taking allergy pills. But this was necessary since my LDL is caused by genetics and not the foods I eat and diet and exercise did nothing, and I mean didn’t even prevent it from going up, to help. So pills it is. I tried the generic Simvastatin. Failed. Which I hear is not surprising, but it takes a whole year before then can determine if it really is a failure. Next we move to actual Lipitor, $165.00 a month, ouch. [SOAP BOX: Pfizer should be ashamed of how much they STILL charge for this drug knowing it’s coming off patent. They actually paid off a company who was starting to formulate this drug so it could be available at a fraction of the price right after the patent expires next year. Therefore it will be at least 18 months after he patent expires before we will see any sort of generic, providing the patents isn’t extended AGAIN. Research my butt, it’s the $11.4 billion a year for the stock holders they are interested in. Getting off soap box now.]

Any who, I started off at 20 mg. Not aggressive enough. So we moved to 40mg. Now I have had the random minor side effects to the other drugs and doses; mainly the heartburn. I ate Tums and Pepsid like candy. The 20mg didn’t seem too bad. The 40mg is killer. The minor: very bad heartburn if I eat within 2 hours of taking the pill. And worst: the muscle pain and weakness and joint pain. This can be a serious sign that very bad things are happening. And to top it off, with my Vitamin D levels being so low, this is also the side effects if the mega doses I took didn’t work. I am playing a very delicate game of which one is causing this. Lipitor means the drugs are too strong, but we don’t want to dose off of them just yet because they are working so well (down to 190. Very high, but at least on the charts finally!). But it could also be the sign that my kidneys are in trouble (producing enzymes that break down muscle tissue). The diagnosis is to keep a very close eye on it. If it’s the Vitamin D not working, it can be a sign that the mega supplements weren’t enough and my calcium levels are still dangerously low. My body may still not be absorbing what it needs and the muscles and bones are breaking down. The diagnosis is to keep a very close eye on it. I don’t like the options presented to me. I can take all the Advil in the world, but it’s starting to affect even the simple things like walking up stairs. So the suggestion: try an exercise program that starts slow and build up to allow my muscles and bones to build strength slowly. This should alleviate the pain from the muscles being weak, but should prevent splints and breaking if it’s the lack of calcium causing it. I am not scheduled for more blood work for a few months, so unless something goes wrong, this is the only actual solution offered to me. And one that my health care provider strongly suggests. She was excited to hear I was setting the goal of running a 5k. She has suggested being very aware of how my body reacts and to take it nice and slow and not push it. So I have found yet another reason why this should be a very real priority in my life.

What I seem to lack though, is accountability. Being in constant physical pain is certainly a motivator. But it’s not a guarantee that the pain is going to go away. In fact, at first it will be worse. I know it has to be done, but I have no one to really kick me in the rear if I don’t actually do any of this. Sure LutheranGeek will be disappointed. But there is no one to yell at me for slacking. So I am giving anyone who reads this permission to call me out on the carpet if I start slacking. And you only need one phrase: you let me down. Because I promise I will have already made a million excuses as to why I didn’t do it. It will remind me none of them are good enough, especially if other people are challenging themselves and we agreed to do it together. So…Feel free to scorn me if a post is not made by Tuesday afternoon about this week’s activities. I look forward to NOT reading them :)

9 lbs...and a new Challenge!

This week was not one of the better weeks. Easter. Candy. Ham. Buttered mashed potatoes. Cookie salad (made with canned fruit, pudding, cool whip, and fudge striped cookies). Though I did try to keep the portions in check. And it was one of the few things I ate that day, which was also not good for the metabolism. However, I did still manage to get to the 9 lbs mark! Even with all the food distractions. I have to admit that I am not a sweet tooth. The candy doesn’t have as much affect on me as it does to a lot of people. I prefer salty things. So I have a whole basket of candy that will most likely be eaten by the rest of my family. I am ok with that. With Holy Week, my schedule was a little off this week too. I made dinner for a lot of people with a lot of help on Thursday. I am not sure I ever really ate anything that day. I skipped lunch to leave early (not good I know). And I stopped and picked up fast food (Taco bell…yuk!) but I am not sure I ever ate the whole thing. One fresco taco…not too bad; nachos…very greasy and gross, threw most of them away; one chili cheese burrito…my Taco bell weakness; and a strawberry lemonade frutista who’s only redeeming quality is that it’s made with real (frozen with sugar) strawberries and not flavoring). But I am pretty positive I worked off some of the calories. I even walked the dog when I got home. I am dead tired. On further thought, I ate out a lot last week. Cosetta’s on Friday (Italian is another food weakness). Burger King on Tuesday (side salad with a grilled chicken breast). I am sure there was a frozen pizza in the week somewhere. Ughh. Bad food week.


I tried to walk the dog at least every other day (she does get out 2 times a day at the very least, just not always by me) and I think I was pretty successful with that last week. It was such a nice week it was hard to not want to be outside. The nice weather has helped immensely. I think I only did one full set of sit ups and pushups last week. I did some sit ups while watching the Blind Side, but I was so distracted I forgot all about the pushups. I think I might just have to suck it up and break out the weights. Or maybe just use them in the garage before I put my car in. This was also a bad strength week. Ok on the exercise though. Must step up all the efforts starting this week though because…


I am joining the Lutheran Geek Couch to 5k challenge! That’s right; I am going to challenge myself to run a 5k by September! (And as soon as I figure out how, I will put the button on my blog.) I must be crazy right? Well not really. There is a training program that seems reasonable to follow. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml And it’s worked for a lot of other people. And I will be one of them. I applaud my friend for finding this and challenging all of us to join her. I am over weight and totally out of shape, but with her support (and riding the coat tails of the support she is getting), I know I can do this. The program is 9 weeks. But I agree with her that by giving ourselves more than that, we have time to stumble and repeat a week (or 3 or 5 :-p) and still reach the goal of a 5k run in September. There is even a pod cast that I can download to help with the training. I should point out here that I HATE running. I am a sprinter at best (was actually pretty good in jr high). I played sports, but was never able to do much in way of distance. As a person who has lived with Asthma since I was 13, it’s always been a challenge to keep my breathing in check enough to do much running. I had another breathing test this winter, and thanks to my new job with a much better ventilation system (wait isn’t that what we built at my last job?!?!), my Asthma is officially listed as mild! As long as I do my inhaler before I start anything (and keep it handy just in case), I should be alright. Yea! I might be crazy, but I am also so very excited to do this challenge. Here’s to better health, less weight, less joint strain, and much better outlook on life!

8 lbs, 21 to go

It’s been a while since I have updated this aspect of life. And it’s a lot easier to think about. I have not really done anything spectacular in the last few weeks. I am up to…down to…which ever, 8 pounds lost. To be honest I have been fluctuating between 7 and 8. I think it depends on what time of day I step on the scale…honestly. I have been too lax on getting in the sit ups and pushups. I bought a small adjustable weight set. That’s still in the box in the garage. It would be easier to convince myself to take them out and use them if I had a place of my own and didn’t have to worry about inconveniencing someone else with them. And if I had a place to keep them. And the thought of carrying 40 lbs of weights up the stairs to bring them back down (hopefully) in a few weeks, does not appeal to me. I have enough stuff to worry about gathering.

The plan was to do sit ups and pushups at least 3 times a week while watching an episode of some hour long show on my computer. That means about 47 minutes of sit ups and pushups (with admittedly a little rest in between). This week I have not been so good about it. I have been battle the cold/allergy/crud thing going around and I have been too tired to watch TV. Lame. I am still trying to figure out when I got so old. The dog and I went on an extra long walk the other day. She was pretty exhausted when we got home. She’s not used to the exercise either. Now that it’s nicer, hopefully we can both keep up the long walks and both lose a little weight and take some stress off our joints. Her excuse is that she is almost 8 years old. Mine, I have been too lazy to do anything about the extra weight for years.

I have done nothing special with food these last few weeks. I am still taking my lunch to work. I have made sure to have some fruit or vegetables with it. I have signed up for emails from a web site called www.hungrygirl.com. They have some amazing swap out recipes that I can’t wait to have a kitchen to try! A friend gave me one of their cookbooks for my birthday a few months ago. I haven’t made anything out of it. My family is too picky. And there is still not a whole lot of room to store ‘extra’ food with the other 4 people who live here. And it’s hard to fight for kitchen space when it comes to meal time. Something else I hope to rectify sooner than later. I have made one major change. It was more of a way to make sure I am getting enough vitamin D than as a weight loss tool. I picked up some carnation instant breakfast and have made one each morning before going to work and drinking it during the commute. It’s not sugar free, but it contains protein so it at least seems to be curbing the appetite. And it has 25% of the daily recommended dose of vitamin D! For someone who’s levels are so low her body is no longer absorbing calcium efficiently, this is very happy news. Only a few more weeks of mega supplements (which hadn’t done anything in the first 6 weeks), so I need to make sure to be getting enough. It is surprising the links that vitamin D has with weight loss. Hopefully this will also help regulate my metabolism a little better.

I have made a promise to myself to be more diligent about posting about my week. That way if nothing else, I have a record of what I did on what week, and what worked the best. I just have to remember that it’s the little things that add up. Both good and bad. I have made some progress. That in and of itself is encouraging. Time to step it up.

5 lbs down, 24 to go

i admit i might have cheated a bit this week. i am designing lights for a show an hour away which has left little time for things like eating. I did fast food one night...and it was gross. i packed a lunch and dinner the other nights, but i am lucky if i find time for either. but at least i am able to control the contents if each. i am sure at least a lbs is purely from not eating. i have been more active though. climbing stairs, lifting set pieces, painting like a mad woman, focusing really hot lights...not to mention my new office in Chaska is ready (that means lots of stairs). when i get home at 11pm i have tried to fit in a few sit ups and push ups while i am checking emails. it's been a long week, and i am exhausted. something tells me that is not as good for me.

on the plus side, tonight i discovered that vitamin 10 water is made with stevia and not the other fake sugars. my digestive system is not a fan of artificial sweeteners. i tend to get stomach cramps that make me feel physically sick. i have really tried to avoid them most of my adult life since making that correlation. but stevia doesn't seem to be as bad. i have discovered a low sugar drink that doesn't make me feel ill. what a great way to cut a little more calories out. i have tried to take the other route and just cut out sweet things. which is really ok since i crave salt instead of sugar. my blood pressure has always been pretty spot on so i never worried too much. this last physical it was a little high. yet another reason to shed the lbs.

its getting warmer (yea!) so hopefully i can get the bike out soon. as much as the ex doesn't think so, i really like riding (just not like a kamikaze pilot). nice and relaxing. it's the little things that should add up right? maybe i will get lucky and find a place to live that will leave me with enough money to get a gym membership that has a pool. i miss swimming.

the important thing is, while the scale teetered between a 1/2 lbs here and there this week, i have still made progress! yea for progress!

27.5

i have lost 1.5 lbs in the last 2 days!!! i have been trying to get up and walk around more at work and really watching the portions that i eat. part of this wight loss goal isn't just to lose the weight, but to develop healthy eating habits to go along with it. i hate the word diet. everyone at work is always on a 'diet'. the thing that gets me is, everything we eat is our diet. so when we change what we eat for a specific purpose and then go back to doing what we were doing, there is very little chance to keep the weight off. that's one of the reasons i am not just going to join a gym and spend 3 hours a day burning calories. the better idea is to eat healthier calories and less of them and slightly increase activity. then you are changing small things about the way you function and it's easier to keep it going. so i am not just 'going on a diet', i am trying to change it. not that's it's that bad to begin with. while i may not have ever been overly cautious about what i ate, i am at least conscious about it. i may not always chose the veggies over the fries, but i don't eat all of them. when i get hungry between meals i like to munch on carrots. ever since i was little it was one of my favorite snacks. makes me wonder how my eye sight is so bad. and i love broccoli and cauliflower with a little ranch dressing. i prefer these to chips and crackers any day. and then of course i don't eat red meat, and really don't eat a whole lot of chicken either, though i do try and get some form of protein in everyday. also makes me wonder how my cholesterol got so high...thank you parental units for that one. so the long and short is: so far, so good!

29 in 29

i fall in to the obese category in weight. and not 'sort of kind of just over the line'. i am smack dab in the middle. i have tried the whole weight loss thing before and failed. i even went so far as to work out at least 1 hour a day 5 days a week for 7 months. i lost 4 lbs. it was extremely deflating. i didn't have more energy. i lost a size but not really anything noticeable. and i was tired all the time. not really the best experience. but i have decided to challenge myself to something i feel i can do. in one week i will be 29. ironically that's about how far into the obese weight column i am. i have decided to challenge myself to lose 29 lbs in 52 weeks (my 29th year of life).

i am trying to realistic about the goal. one year, 29 lbs. i feel this should be completely doable. i have to be more active. i have to take some of the weight off my knees and ankles. i want to feel better about myself. it would be easy to say i am going to lose the 40 lbs that i really want to lose. but that's a huge feat. 29 seems like a number that is big enough to bring a sense of accomplishment, but not so large that if i slip, i cannot get back on the wagon. this is not going to be easy. i am still living with my mom and with 5 people living here and one small fridge, it's hard to keep the foods that i like and know are healthier around. i have tried to cook more for myself lately so i can control what it going into my food. i actually enjoy eating fresh foods that are good for you. but it's hard when i feel like i am constantly on the go. i will have to be more conscious about bringing my own lunch and not going out. i will have to chose better options when i know i will have to eat on the run. i have significantly cut down on the amount of soda i drink to only 2 or 3 times a week. i try to have water or milk with my meals instead of drinks that contain an enormous amount of sugar. i have been purposely been buying nuts to have on hand if i get hungry between meals for a protein boost instead of a carb boost. i drink a lot more water. so knowing the rules isn't hard. following them will be.

exercise is going to be a major change for me. i really don't do it at all. i like to swim but that costs money. i want to join a gym again, but again it costs money. once the weather is better i can at least jump on my bike and ride more often. for now i will have to start out slow. maybe buying a prepaid card for Edinburgh or Dakotah so i can swim a few times a month but not have to pay the outrageous membership fees. i can walk the dog more. i can walk up and down the stairs here at home for a cheap stair master. i just have to remind myself that every little bit counts.

i will try to keep up postings about how it's going. i need to hold myself accountable if this is something i really want to achieve. and just maybe it will get me to post a few more entries a year :-p.