Tuesday, October 15, 2013

C25K

I decided that I wanted to incorporate jogging back into my exercise routine, so yesterday I tried jogging while I was out doing my walk and I wasn't very successful. I made it 1/2 mile before I got too tired to keep going, so I walked the rest of my workout. My best friend suggested that I download a C25K app and follow the program. I figured it couldn't hurt but I was scared that I may not be in shape enough to follow the program for it. I downloaded the app last night and took a peek at what the program would entail and I was really surprised. It starts off gentle, easing you into running and builds up your stamina every week. It's a 9 week routine and at the end I should be able to run for 30 minutes straight with no walk breaks. At this point that is hard to imagine, but if I stick with this then it will happen.

Here is what the breakdown of the routine consists of:

Week 1:
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk. Alternate 60 seconds of jogging then 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 2:
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk. Alternate 90 seconds of jogging then 2 minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 3:
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk. Do two repetitions each of 90 seconds jogging, 90 seconds walking then jog 3 minutes and walk 3 minutes.

Week 4:
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk. Jog 3 minutes, walk 90 seconds, jog 5 minutes, walk 2 1/2 minutes, jog 3 minutes walk 90 seconds jog 5 minutes

Week 5:
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk. Jog 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, jog 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, jog 5 minutes.

Week 6:
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk. Jog 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, jog 8 minutes, walk 3 minutes, jog 5 minutes.

Week 7:
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk. Jog for 25 minutes.

Week 8:
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk. Jog for 28 minutes

Week 9:
Brisk 5 minute warm up walk. Jog for 30 minutes.

Each of these routines is done 3 days a week only. So I have chosen to do them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Since I didn't do this yesterday I went ahead and started my week 1 day 1 today so I could get on track to do the other two days this week on Wednesday and Friday.

The intensity of this routine picks up quickly. I'm hoping that my stamina keeps up and that I can complete this because the idea of being able to jog for 30 minutes without stopping sounds amazing to me. Right now when I jog I feel very bottom heavy. I feel like my legs have a lot of weight in them and that's why I am moving so slowly. I'm sure that's not the case and it's more likely the fact that I haven't jogged since July I think. I have to build slowly and I'm hoping this app allows me to do that and maybe I might even lose a pound or two.

So this is what my exercise regiment is going to consist of for my outdoor portion. I'm also hoping to add in my workout DVD soon so I can get in some alternate cardio for my upper body. I'm not going to look very good if my lower body is tone and nice and my upper body looks like jello. I want the total package!

**the app I am using for my android phone is called Simple C25K, it was a free app that will take me through the entire 9 week course with no ads and no purchase necessary**

Sunday, October 13, 2013

One Month Post Op

When I woke up this morning I realized that today marks one month since my surgery. I have to say that I have healed fairly quickly. I'm back to all my normal activities and I should start my new job next week, well at least the training for it. I don't feel like I'm still recovering from surgery anymore and my pain is very minimal. There are still some internal things like hormone imbalances that I'm dealing with but that's to be expected.

It's very strange that my body can be put through so many changes and it's trying very hard to adapt. I had my ovary and fallopian tube completely removed but I also have an IUD for birth control. With an IUD you are not supposed to have monthly cycles but because my roommate is female, my body decides that it's a competition and that it needs to keep up. Yet being minus one ovary and having and IUD, it's at a disadvantage. Hence where the hormone imbalance is coming from. I don't ovulate anymore but yet I have all the symptoms of a monthly cycle. Food cravings, fatigue, mood swings and even cramps. It's definitely not something that I look forward to every month by far, but I guess it could be worse. Eventually my hormone levels will right themselves and my symptoms should go back to being very low or non existent as they were the previous time I had the IUD birth control. This is the only way that I can see that I am still "healing".

My weight is still a bone of contention with me. When I use My Fitness Pal to track my food intake at the end of the day I always get the "In 5 weeks you should weight this much" prompt and I hate it. If that app was anywhere near right I would already be in the 160's weight wise. I'm simply not getting enough of the right kind of exercise to burn the existing fat I have and I must be building muscle still because I'm not losing a darn thing. Despite walking 3 miles every day this week and eating on my schedule and not overdoing it (except for yesterday at the sushi buffet). I think it's time to increase the type of cardio I do in order to see the slimming results I want to see. Time to bust out my Pink Method workout videos again.

The first time that I did the Pink Method program I was still eating gluten, I was still consuming dairy and I was over 200lbs. The workouts were killer and I couldn't even keep up with the video. It was making my feet and back hurt like hell and eventually after about a month of doing it I stopped all together. I had seen results and was losing inches and a few pounds. I wasn't in the right frame of mind to do it before. I made excuses and I hated working out back then. I would "try" but give up easily. I set myself up to fail that time.

Now I am 179 pounds, I don't eat gluten, I don't consume dairy and I can walk 3 miles daily with ease. I think I could definitely keep up with those videos now and probably get quite a good workout from them. I know that in order to achieve my results there has to be exercise in my life at least 5 days a week structured and some light stuff on the weekends. It has become a way of life for me and it's no longer something that I'm "trying" to do, it's something that I do, daily. My mind wants to be healthy and strong. I want to slim down more and not have this excess skin around. I need to firm up those areas that are problem areas to see if this is truly excess skin or just me having fatty tissue left in those areas. So it's time to put a plan of action into place and stick to it.

Going back to work might pose some interesting kinks in my plans. I love to work out first thing in the morning before I start my day. However with having to get my son off to school and potentially having to go to work in the AM, I might have to get up earlier to get in my workout video and go walking in the evenings possibly if I have time after dinner. With the seasons changing and it getting into the colder times, it's getting dark sooner. I don't want to be out at a park walking through the woods in the dark, I've seen that horror movie and I'm not sure I could out run a killer chasing me with a chainsaw right now, ha ha! I may have to face the fact that my workouts will need to be indoors and I'll just have to accept that. As long as I continue to make an effort to go in the right direction then all should continue to go well for me. I'm looking forward to seeing the number on that scale move soon because it hasn't moved in months at this point. Thankful that I'm not gaining weight, but irritated that I'm not losing either.

All in all, it's time to get real. It's time to step it up. I'm healed, I'm not having any issues post op and I need to get on track. I refuse to let seasonal depression win this year because I'm going into the cold season with a positive attitude, a new job, clean eating and a plan. I know what I am capable of physically and I know what I can accomplish if I actually put a little effort into it. Why wait for New Year's to make changes in my life? I think I'll get a jump start on the new year and start early so while everyone else is fretting over eating too many Christmas cookies, I'll be sporting my cute little slimming outfits and my chocolate flavored chai tea (non dairy of course)!

Monday, October 7, 2013

The Number Haunts Me

As I begin my second week of October I made a mistake first thing this morning. I decided to step onto the scale to see if I'd lost any weight. I look so much smaller and I feel like I could have dropped at least a pound since surgery, so I stepped up with a positive attitude. I walked 5 days last week and by the end of the week was up to walking 3 miles. I knew that something good would come of that, right?

Well, once again the scale has disappointed me. I have gained a pound! I'm now back up to 179. Seriously? So exercise and eating right makes me gain weight? Don't feed me that "muscle weighs more than fat" line either because I'm sick of hearing it. That's what you tell fat people when they don't see results and need a positive affirmation so they won't give up. So from now on I'm only going to weigh in at the beginning of each month when I do my measurements so I can track my progress that way. Stupid scale!

I know that it's the inches that matter, I know that my overall health is excellent. When I went in for surgery and they were taking my vitals prior to anesthesia, the nurse was shocked that my vitals were so good. She said I had the vital readings of an athlete. Perfect blood pressure, perfect oxygen saturation etc etc. She said I should be proud of how healthy I was. I certainly didn't feel healthy being there to have a tumor removed. Now that I think back on it, maybe she has a point. My body is healthy even if I have some flabby parts and I'm not the weight or size I would like to be. I will continue to work on it and hope that my results will reflect all the hard work that I intend on putting into my health. However it's still just really frustrating that I'm doing everything right and I still don't see that number on the scale move.

There was a meme going around on facebook recently that said "I wish I was as fat now as I was the first time I thought I was fat." If that were the case I would be 120 pounds. Not that I ever want to be that thin again because I was a recovering anorexic at that point (I'd gained weight from 99lbs), but to be under 150lbs would be super. I think I will always have that anorexic mindset of "you should be thinner, you can be thinner." I'm coming to realize that in my 20's, sure I could get thin at the drop of a hat. However in my late 30's it's going to take more than just walking around and eating right to achieve this goal. I'm going to have to work harder than I thought I would because my body isn't a high school girl's body anymore that can just become whatever I want it to be that week. I have a woman's body now. The body of a wife and a mother. The body of 37 years of life with all it's struggles, mistakes, heartaches, accomplishments and successes. I should love my body for what it has accomplished, for the health it has bestowed upon me and for the beauty that others find in it. I'm my harshest critic and I know that I am capable of something more. I was thinking that a 5 pound weight loss goal for this month might be reasonable but I'm thinking now that it might be a little too lofty. Maybe I should have set a 2 pound goal instead. All I can do is my best at this point and see what my results will be at the end of the month!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

October Goals

I have decided that today will mark day 1 of my healthy lifestyle changes. I have made a few goals and I took my starting measurements that will let me see at the end of the month if I am making progress or if there are things I will need to change.

I am currently using Endomondo for my fitness tracker, I have found that out of all the fitness tracking apps, I like it the best. I am also tracking my food daily with My Fitness Pal. Please feel free to add me as a friend if you use either of these apps because making this journey with support is by far easier than trying to go it solo.

October 1st Numbers:

Weight: 178lbs

Waist: 37 inches

Hips: 41 inches

Bust: 36 inches

Biceps: 14 inches (L) 13 inches (R)


Goals:

  • Lose 5 lbs
  • Manage my eating so I'm eating clean and healthy
  • Drink more fluids (water and tea are my choices)
  • Get a job
  • Buy some new clothes that actually fit me and figure out what size pants I really wear
  • Update my blog at least once a week (unless I have more to say of course)

I think that these goals are reasonable and that I should be able to achieve most of these quite easily. So tune in for updates and celebrate with me when I make my goals! 


Dusting off the workout gear

Yesterday was my 2 week post op appointment with my doctor. She gave me a clean bill of health and two thumbs up to go ahead with my normal activities. I am completely healed and my stitches will finish dissolving over the course of six weeks. Of course now that I have the green light from my doctor, that means that I can get back on the healthy bandwagon and that starts with exercise.

This morning I had to dust off my workout clothes and shoes and find my headphones for my phone so I could head to the park to walk. I was so excited! After a couple of months of being sidelined I was eager to get back into my fitness routine. I got to the park with no expectations on myself, I was going to take it as slow or steady as I needed to in order for it to be a workout but not over taxing for me. Well my legs sure knew what to do and before I knew it my arms were at their 90 degree angle and I was striding right along with my music. Before the illness caught up to me I was striding at between 15 min 30 seconds and 16 min 20 seconds for a mile. Well my miles today were at 17 min 20 seconds. Not too bad, being out of the fitness loop for a couple of months only added about a minute to my time. I was going 5 miles a day before I got sick, today I happily did 2.5 miles before my body told me it was done. So half of what I was accustomed to before I got sick. I don't think that's too bad at all. I will slowly build back up to where I was and hopefully be able to eventually add jogging back into the picture as well. 

In order to also mix things up and not just depend on walking to help me firm up those not so firm areas, I have some workout dvd's that I want to get back into the routine of using. I'm hoping that by walking and incorporating some cardio and light weight work, I may be able to blast through this plateau and lose the pounds I'm wanting to lose. 

My diet has been kinda iffy lately. I have definitely not been eating as healthy as I was. I have had a few days where I hit up the sushi buffet and went overboard and I went way over my calorie limit for the day. Since I was healing and dealing with health issues, I didn't let it bother me. I recorded what I was eating and continued to track even on days when I knew that I was going to be over my count. Now that I can bring exercise back to the table I plan on tightening up that food intake belt and making sure that I can feel good about everything I am putting into my body. Exercise is great but without the diet being in check it's all for nothing. 

So, October first is my beginning. Day 1 in the many days ahead that will lead me to my goal weight, my goal body and my healthy outlook on my life. I may not be able to control everything, but the things I can control I plan on doing so with a positive attitude and my best efforts!