I haven't written here in a long time, but I needed to think through my life in terms of moving forward with my health and my goals. Since this is a health blog, no reason not to post it here.
I'm a practicing Roman Catholic, and that means the Lenten season is upon me. I have been soul searching a bit. I have found that I am a glutton regarding both food and money. I spend both my calorie and wallet budget over and above most weeks. That needs to stop.
I have been thinking on what I can do better in my life, and what God can help me do better. I am going to practice self-restraint throughout Lent by:
1. Eating under weight loss calories daily throughout the season.
2. Fasting once per week.
3. Eating no chocolate except my shakeology.
4. Giving myself a $50 weekly budget for outtings and coffee and no more. This is an attempt to help me curb my spending.
What I don't spend can either get put into savings or held onto for the next month. This should help me to build up my check book, my savings, and my abilities to say no to added purchases that I don't need.
Frankly, I need to be better at self-restraint, and God gave us Lent for a reason.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Been a while
I have not posted in a very long time. I will start using the blog again, I hope, by posting about all my exercise!
Today, I walked outside for an hour while chatting with my mom. I also did my April "kick ass" challenge, which I'm doing with a friend. It includes squats, followed by burpees, followed by wall sits.
I am trying to reinvigorate myself with my interest in health. The truth is, all of my pants are a little tight, and I'm worried I might not fit easily into the bridesmaid dress I will be wearing for one of my best friend's weddings this summer (July 12).
So? So, I have some goals. Mostly, they involve body measurements. I want to be down to a 28" waist by July 1, 2014. Right now, I am at 29.25". That's 1.25" I need to decrease in 3 months. I KNOW I can do it, but it's going to take some attention.
Today was a splurge day. Tomorrow, I get real. I have bumped up my fitbit step count to 12,000/day so I will feel guilty if I don't at least get that many in. If I'm going to lose the inch, I need to be more active.
~c
Today, I walked outside for an hour while chatting with my mom. I also did my April "kick ass" challenge, which I'm doing with a friend. It includes squats, followed by burpees, followed by wall sits.
I am trying to reinvigorate myself with my interest in health. The truth is, all of my pants are a little tight, and I'm worried I might not fit easily into the bridesmaid dress I will be wearing for one of my best friend's weddings this summer (July 12).
So? So, I have some goals. Mostly, they involve body measurements. I want to be down to a 28" waist by July 1, 2014. Right now, I am at 29.25". That's 1.25" I need to decrease in 3 months. I KNOW I can do it, but it's going to take some attention.
Today was a splurge day. Tomorrow, I get real. I have bumped up my fitbit step count to 12,000/day so I will feel guilty if I don't at least get that many in. If I'm going to lose the inch, I need to be more active.
~c
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thurs and Friday
I guess I forgot to post Thursday! I had a pretty rough day. Sleep and I did not get a long, and so, my Thursday workout suffered a bit. I ended up only running for 5 minutes (.5 miles, though!), and weight lifting for about 35. It was a decent workout, though I wish now I had pushed harder. I ended up eating a lot of crap. May have helped my emotional state, but I know that wasn't good for my health!
Today, I woke up anticipating going to Columbus, but I realized with all the snow, sleet, etc. that was coming out of the sky, I was staying home. Due to weather hazards, all programs at my gym were canceled, though the gym itself was still open. This mean that yet again, I missed a zumba class. Instead, I went to the gym with a friend/neighbor. I ran 3 miles on the track and then biked with him for about half an hour. I wonder how many calories I'm really burning when I run. NM tells me it's lower than my HRM says. Apparently, depending on how far I'm running and how fast, my BPM can get up to the high 170s. Peaked today at 183! Yikes! I'm not really sure if that's a good or bad thing! I tried to get in some "deep belly breaths," as Kim calls them, but I often have trouble breathing through my nose in the stuffy air of the rec center.
I had a balanced day of food so far, but tonight should be a smorgasborg of crazy foods because Dee is having a game night party at her place. Should be fun! I thought about bringing some of my many board games along, but I figured it'd be more fun to just play whatever they've got. :-)
I'll also need to shovel out my car today--yuck! All that snow!
~Court
Today, I woke up anticipating going to Columbus, but I realized with all the snow, sleet, etc. that was coming out of the sky, I was staying home. Due to weather hazards, all programs at my gym were canceled, though the gym itself was still open. This mean that yet again, I missed a zumba class. Instead, I went to the gym with a friend/neighbor. I ran 3 miles on the track and then biked with him for about half an hour. I wonder how many calories I'm really burning when I run. NM tells me it's lower than my HRM says. Apparently, depending on how far I'm running and how fast, my BPM can get up to the high 170s. Peaked today at 183! Yikes! I'm not really sure if that's a good or bad thing! I tried to get in some "deep belly breaths," as Kim calls them, but I often have trouble breathing through my nose in the stuffy air of the rec center.
I had a balanced day of food so far, but tonight should be a smorgasborg of crazy foods because Dee is having a game night party at her place. Should be fun! I thought about bringing some of my many board games along, but I figured it'd be more fun to just play whatever they've got. :-)
I'll also need to shovel out my car today--yuck! All that snow!
~Court
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Alternative Makes it Happen
Despite some troubles, spin went pretty great! I didn't think Lindsay was going to show; I had her mat ready but she got there with one minute to spare! Yikes! We're all set up and warming up, when Kim realizes the mic is not working at all. OH NOES!
But we warmed up while Kim and the rec center dude (Lindsay: "He looks like Justin Bieber! YUCK!") worked on it. Kim pulled it off without the mic, though. She had some classy hand signals to guide us through jumps, and overall, it worked! I think I had my tension set higher than she asked for most of the night, but I think that's ok. That's my plan for future spins. My HRM suggests roughly 925 cal burned in 57 minutes.
I have decided, though, that I'm not sure how accurate the HRM is anymore. I'm going to go back to logging the way I did before I had the HRM. I think then, maybe, we'll see if I'm over eating due to overestimating calories. I'd really like to not be over eating...
So the class was fantastic! Kim and I figured out that my heart rate is in the right zone--between endurance and interval, which is great! It means I am maximizing my workout. I gave it my all through this class in a way I haven't before. It was a mix Kim's used before--an alternative (sort of) mix from her son's music. Second to last "work" song? Disturbed. That's right, baby. Disturbed!
My face lit up as I turned to Lindsay. She says, "What the hell is wrong with you?" and I respond, "This is DISTURBED! They are my FAVORITE!"
[Also included on the playlist were Dropkick Murphy's, Offspring, Metallica, Sound Garden, DMB, and a cool down ride to Savage Garden's "Truly, Madly, Deeply." So cheesy!]
Apparently, she was pretty freaked out by the look of sheer, unadulterated joy on my face.
It was an amazing ride.
Currently, considering clean eating for Lent (with a few stretches....like my vanilla soy milk) to see how my body responds. Thoughts?
~Court
But we warmed up while Kim and the rec center dude (Lindsay: "He looks like Justin Bieber! YUCK!") worked on it. Kim pulled it off without the mic, though. She had some classy hand signals to guide us through jumps, and overall, it worked! I think I had my tension set higher than she asked for most of the night, but I think that's ok. That's my plan for future spins. My HRM suggests roughly 925 cal burned in 57 minutes.
I have decided, though, that I'm not sure how accurate the HRM is anymore. I'm going to go back to logging the way I did before I had the HRM. I think then, maybe, we'll see if I'm over eating due to overestimating calories. I'd really like to not be over eating...
So the class was fantastic! Kim and I figured out that my heart rate is in the right zone--between endurance and interval, which is great! It means I am maximizing my workout. I gave it my all through this class in a way I haven't before. It was a mix Kim's used before--an alternative (sort of) mix from her son's music. Second to last "work" song? Disturbed. That's right, baby. Disturbed!
My face lit up as I turned to Lindsay. She says, "What the hell is wrong with you?" and I respond, "This is DISTURBED! They are my FAVORITE!"
[Also included on the playlist were Dropkick Murphy's, Offspring, Metallica, Sound Garden, DMB, and a cool down ride to Savage Garden's "Truly, Madly, Deeply." So cheesy!]
Apparently, she was pretty freaked out by the look of sheer, unadulterated joy on my face.
It was an amazing ride.
Currently, considering clean eating for Lent (with a few stretches....like my vanilla soy milk) to see how my body responds. Thoughts?
~Court
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Routine Rut
Didn't sleep well, didn't get up early enough. Did have a nice run today, at high speeds, though only for 10 minutes. Felt good nonetheless!
Getting in my lifting....didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted to do. Basic arms and upper body. I'm trying to add more lower body stuff in, but it just doesn't seem to be happening. Maybe I need to add in more squats or, heaven forbid!, lunges.
I did some standing in place lunges today in addition to a few curtsy lunges (one set of each, on each leg). About the same output as regular front and reverse lunges? I'm not sure. I like them better, and I think I can figure out if I'm going beyond my toes easier, so I may stick with them for a while. I'd like to start doing more with the hamstrings....what to do? This is my last week of only stability ball abs, though. I've decided to up the ante and combine two of the different sets Oxygen recommends. We'll see if I can get any satisfaction out of doing both routines.
I'm a little bummed about the fluctuation. I know all of the unhealthy eating is keeping me from meeting my goals, but I can't seem to stop. Perhaps it's the winter, but I'm having some crazy ups and downs in terms of feeling ok. And I'm sleepy.
I need a more regular sleep schedule. And I need to get back to my yoga before bed and yoga in the morning. I guess that means I need to clean my apartment. Maybe after my fellowship application gets written.
Then, I can add yoga back in more regularly. More planks probably couldn't hurt, either.
~Court
Getting in my lifting....didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted to do. Basic arms and upper body. I'm trying to add more lower body stuff in, but it just doesn't seem to be happening. Maybe I need to add in more squats or, heaven forbid!, lunges.
I did some standing in place lunges today in addition to a few curtsy lunges (one set of each, on each leg). About the same output as regular front and reverse lunges? I'm not sure. I like them better, and I think I can figure out if I'm going beyond my toes easier, so I may stick with them for a while. I'd like to start doing more with the hamstrings....what to do? This is my last week of only stability ball abs, though. I've decided to up the ante and combine two of the different sets Oxygen recommends. We'll see if I can get any satisfaction out of doing both routines.
I'm a little bummed about the fluctuation. I know all of the unhealthy eating is keeping me from meeting my goals, but I can't seem to stop. Perhaps it's the winter, but I'm having some crazy ups and downs in terms of feeling ok. And I'm sleepy.
I need a more regular sleep schedule. And I need to get back to my yoga before bed and yoga in the morning. I guess that means I need to clean my apartment. Maybe after my fellowship application gets written.
Then, I can add yoga back in more regularly. More planks probably couldn't hurt, either.
~Court
Monday, February 21, 2011
Back to it
I was in DC (well, Fairfax) for most of the weekend. Got to Nikki's on Wed. night, drove down south on Thursday, saw the keynote that night, and spent the rest of the weekend down there. Ate a lot of breakfast buffets (thank goodness for giant plates of delightful blueberries!), several indulgences at the Cheesecake Factory, and a $13 martini (yikes! but delicious!). Oh yea, and Thai with Alysia and Brian. Did I mention Brian mixed me more margaritas than I can remember drinking?
What's the point of this rant about food?
I finally got to the gym this morning! And it was glorious! My iPod died as I was climbing the stairs, but I still had a good work out. Just the usual. Elliptical (shin pain still existent) and rolling hills on the bike. 1,000 cal/hr. Pretty wonderful :-) Feels good to get back to a routine after a stint in another world.
Not feeling like doing my other work, but I guess I don't have much of a story to tell about gyming today. I was, however, remembering when Megney used to gym together. And I really miss that.
I have some real problems with the mix of having gym friends and wanting to be by myself. I like to invite ppl to do things, but then I guess I end up pushing them away. I haven't been able to really settle into this or find something that I really love. I love my bike and I love spinning. I'm still considering becoming a spin instructor in the future, but I guess I'm in a rut and would like to break out of it.
I wish somewhere around here did bikram yoga. I wish I didn't live in a shitty apartment so that I could build a home gym and do some other fun things. But no. Starting to feel cabin fever. I've lived in this place for three full years. I want to move somewhere that's sunny and warm where I can bike all day and come home to a complete gym in my basement.
Somewhere sunny, with rolling hills.
~Court
What's the point of this rant about food?
I finally got to the gym this morning! And it was glorious! My iPod died as I was climbing the stairs, but I still had a good work out. Just the usual. Elliptical (shin pain still existent) and rolling hills on the bike. 1,000 cal/hr. Pretty wonderful :-) Feels good to get back to a routine after a stint in another world.
Not feeling like doing my other work, but I guess I don't have much of a story to tell about gyming today. I was, however, remembering when Megney used to gym together. And I really miss that.
I have some real problems with the mix of having gym friends and wanting to be by myself. I like to invite ppl to do things, but then I guess I end up pushing them away. I haven't been able to really settle into this or find something that I really love. I love my bike and I love spinning. I'm still considering becoming a spin instructor in the future, but I guess I'm in a rut and would like to break out of it.
I wish somewhere around here did bikram yoga. I wish I didn't live in a shitty apartment so that I could build a home gym and do some other fun things. But no. Starting to feel cabin fever. I've lived in this place for three full years. I want to move somewhere that's sunny and warm where I can bike all day and come home to a complete gym in my basement.
Somewhere sunny, with rolling hills.
~Court
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
6am, didn't happen
My alarm went off at 6am, but due to a general lack of sleep and some skin issues, I pressed snooooooooooooze til 6:35am. Then I got up!
Got to them gym earlier than any other Tuesday/Thursday, and got in a quick 10 minute run, 2 minute cool down. Felt pretty good. I wasn't gasping for breath, and my heart rate recovered pretty quickly. Felt decent. Ran a little farther than normal, even if only 4 hundredths of a mile! Haha, still farther!
Then, I headed to do some weight lifting! The 10 pounders aren't taking their toll as much any more. I can feel myself getting stronger. I picked up my weights, and went to set the timer on my HRM........oh noes! I had fitted the chest strap on but forgot to grab the watch part as I shuffled out the door! Yikes! Shoot! Oh, well, best guess! Rounded to about 40 minutes and 400 cals burned. That's probably a conservative estimate, but it's better than nothing.
Didn't get very far in my lunges today. I'm not sure why though. I didn't make them any more difficult than I usually do. I'm chalking it up to the lack of sleep. I won't get to weight train much this weekend, because I'm going to DC. However, I will try to get in some squats and some lunges in the hotel room, maybe mornings before we get going. That could be helpful. Maybe some yoga, too. I haven't yoga-ed since Saturday, and that's driving me kind of nuts!
Here's to another day down! Spinning tomorrow!
Got to them gym earlier than any other Tuesday/Thursday, and got in a quick 10 minute run, 2 minute cool down. Felt pretty good. I wasn't gasping for breath, and my heart rate recovered pretty quickly. Felt decent. Ran a little farther than normal, even if only 4 hundredths of a mile! Haha, still farther!
Then, I headed to do some weight lifting! The 10 pounders aren't taking their toll as much any more. I can feel myself getting stronger. I picked up my weights, and went to set the timer on my HRM........oh noes! I had fitted the chest strap on but forgot to grab the watch part as I shuffled out the door! Yikes! Shoot! Oh, well, best guess! Rounded to about 40 minutes and 400 cals burned. That's probably a conservative estimate, but it's better than nothing.
Didn't get very far in my lunges today. I'm not sure why though. I didn't make them any more difficult than I usually do. I'm chalking it up to the lack of sleep. I won't get to weight train much this weekend, because I'm going to DC. However, I will try to get in some squats and some lunges in the hotel room, maybe mornings before we get going. That could be helpful. Maybe some yoga, too. I haven't yoga-ed since Saturday, and that's driving me kind of nuts!
Here's to another day down! Spinning tomorrow!
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