Ok. I read about something in an article in the paper recently that I am going to begin modeling. For nearly 3.5 years (note that is roughly the age of my one and only child) I have been attempting to lose weight. More accurately, this began BEFORE I had Little Ms. C and I just gave up when I got pregnant.
The article shared the story of a woman who turned her life around by committing to exercise and blogging about it. A la an amiga of mine who shall remain linkless (you know who you are Triathalon Mama)and my rockin' chica Kate, you may find more exercise posts than I have had in the past. I need something, SOMETHING, to keep me on track. I have tried a number of things and just can't seem to keep the pounds off. So, we'll try this.
Resolution #1: My intention is to exercise 5 days a week at minimum. I have been given the approval to begin a return to run program from my PT and I swear I am going to get back on that horse.
Resolution #2: Stop stepping on the damn scale. A number of articles I have read recently tell me not to focus on a weight goal. That is very hard for me as I have the "magic number" constantly floating around in my head. I am, what you may call, an obsessive weigher. Those numbers keep me moving. But they also depress me. A lot.
Resolution #3: Stop buying clothing. (this, btw also relates to another resolution I have to stop spending so much darn $$) I get depressed when I buy clothing. Yet I shop and shop and shop. Maybe if I stopped buying the clothing and went shopping after I lost the weight I wouldn't feel like such a fat ass. And let me tell you, my ass is getting fat.
Resolution #4: Track calories. This will be the one that flies out the window first, folks. (How's that for dedication?) I just find it a pain in the ass to measure out my food and jot it down somewhere. I don't eat out of boxes as I am blessed with a husband who cooks. Therefore, most of what I eat isn't in a convenient drop down list on Spark.com. So I guess. And I get pissed and I drop it b/c for heaven's sake this is a pain in the rear. If anyone has any ideas on a better way to do this - I'd love to hear them.
I'd love to hear if anyone has any success stories to share with either a)sticking with new year resolutions or b)losing weight. I'm all ears (and flab).
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Monday, January 03, 2011
Thursday, November 12, 2009
No one told me
Is it only those involved in PT or who have to subject themselves to PT who know how damn hard and painful it can be? I realize that is the whole point, but man alive. I almost felt humiliated (my own self doing - not because of anyone else) that my muscle's had atrophied to this level. Here's the skinny...
Bone scan = negative. Good news. Off to PT. Testing at PT shows that what my masseuse found on Saturday was more serious than she thought. My pelvis is tipped inward, due in large part to my muscle's not pulling in the right way. My psoas muscle has apparently been working it's little ass off since, well who really knows when. My new PT believes since Little Missy was born.
Possible side effect of having a c-section and not rehabbing my ab muscle's properly. Well, what I really learned is that my lazy-ass left hamstring has been on vacation for the better part of two freaking years. Wanna rethink training for a half-marathon, much??? No wonder my body finally screamed at me to "stop, stop, stop this idiocy!".
Apparently, my psoas has been pulling the weight of most of the muscles on the left side of my body. Of course it is much more scientific than that, but you get the drift. It doesn't know how not to fire. It has taken on the brunt of keeping me upright. Add to that I ran on it for an average of 15-20 miles a week for 7 weeks and didn't really build the other ab muscles around it.
Here's where the humiliation or self-loathing comes into play. During one of the tests my PT conducted, she asked me to put my legs on the wall at a 90' angle while I lie on my back. Push my heels into the wall and lift my arse off the table. She asked me what I felt. "Not much", I responded. "Put your hands on the hamstrings", she requested. I did. "OK", I said. "Do you notice that your left hamstring isn't even engaged?", she asks. Hmmm... well now that you mention it....
How do I not know that my hamstring is not working? How, as a running, lifting, yoga person do I not freaking know my body isn't' working? Shouldn't I be more in tune with myself? Where did I let myself go? This whole thought process repeated itself 20 minutes later when she taught me my new practices to re-teach my hamstring, hip abductors and glutes to work. I was shaking so badly after one of them that she expressed surprise at how hard my leg was working. I have been compensating for this for so long I don't know if my leg muscles even know they are part of this overall body. It's absolutely crazy.
It's gonna be an interesting road to recovery. I have to stand differently, sit differently and generally keep my mind on teaching my left hip to move 'back' into position. I am very curious to see how much this has impacted other parts of my body (knee, feet, back) after I get this baby back into shape.
Whoa. I'm getting old.
Bone scan = negative. Good news. Off to PT. Testing at PT shows that what my masseuse found on Saturday was more serious than she thought. My pelvis is tipped inward, due in large part to my muscle's not pulling in the right way. My psoas muscle has apparently been working it's little ass off since, well who really knows when. My new PT believes since Little Missy was born.
Possible side effect of having a c-section and not rehabbing my ab muscle's properly. Well, what I really learned is that my lazy-ass left hamstring has been on vacation for the better part of two freaking years. Wanna rethink training for a half-marathon, much??? No wonder my body finally screamed at me to "stop, stop, stop this idiocy!".
Apparently, my psoas has been pulling the weight of most of the muscles on the left side of my body. Of course it is much more scientific than that, but you get the drift. It doesn't know how not to fire. It has taken on the brunt of keeping me upright. Add to that I ran on it for an average of 15-20 miles a week for 7 weeks and didn't really build the other ab muscles around it.
Here's where the humiliation or self-loathing comes into play. During one of the tests my PT conducted, she asked me to put my legs on the wall at a 90' angle while I lie on my back. Push my heels into the wall and lift my arse off the table. She asked me what I felt. "Not much", I responded. "Put your hands on the hamstrings", she requested. I did. "OK", I said. "Do you notice that your left hamstring isn't even engaged?", she asks. Hmmm... well now that you mention it....
How do I not know that my hamstring is not working? How, as a running, lifting, yoga person do I not freaking know my body isn't' working? Shouldn't I be more in tune with myself? Where did I let myself go? This whole thought process repeated itself 20 minutes later when she taught me my new practices to re-teach my hamstring, hip abductors and glutes to work. I was shaking so badly after one of them that she expressed surprise at how hard my leg was working. I have been compensating for this for so long I don't know if my leg muscles even know they are part of this overall body. It's absolutely crazy.
It's gonna be an interesting road to recovery. I have to stand differently, sit differently and generally keep my mind on teaching my left hip to move 'back' into position. I am very curious to see how much this has impacted other parts of my body (knee, feet, back) after I get this baby back into shape.
Whoa. I'm getting old.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
A beet
This is what I look like after running these days. I nice red beet. Not sure if it is associated with overheating or lack of oxygen, all I know is the folks at the gym at work today were probably worried I was going to keel over.
I joined the gym at work on Friday (a mere $18/mos). I blocked out my lunch for the remainder of the year and have a plan to run at least 2 days a week and either lift or take a class the other 3 days. They did a 'fitness assessment' (blood pressure: high, weight: high, pulse: normal) before I could begin working out for obvious insurance reasons. I about fell over when I saw the number for my weight. Urgh. Damn complacency and slowing metabolism.
Today was my first official day back on the wagon. I thought I would run outside but it's a bit on the chilly side so I opted to hit the treadmill. I don't think I have run inside in over a year. It was a bit of a trip and I instantly remembered why I prefer to run outside. The damn displays. How long do I have left? What's my pace? How many calories have I burned? It's like an obsession. I am out of practice and forgot to grab a towel to hide the numbers.
Nevertheless, I did end up running 3 miles. It is damn hot in this tiny gym and coupled with the extra 15lbs I am carrying, I look like a new kid on the block. I swear, looking at me after (and during, I presume) a run you'd be surprised I have run a marathon, numerous halves and countless 5ks. It's going to be an uphill battle.
And I have to get in the habit of packing stuff for 'after' the workout. While the gym has showers and hair/body shampoo they do not provide you with deodorant and brushes! Luckily, I keep spares at my desk and was able to finish getting ready back in my cube.
This evening, I bike home and can call it good. No pressure to feel like I need to squeeze in a workout after Claire goes to bed. This doesn't mean I won't be using the BOB. Oh no. This is what I need to do to get my ass in gear to push the BOB. I did that on Saturday for 33 minutes and looked like a beet that had been pulverized.
I joined the gym at work on Friday (a mere $18/mos). I blocked out my lunch for the remainder of the year and have a plan to run at least 2 days a week and either lift or take a class the other 3 days. They did a 'fitness assessment' (blood pressure: high, weight: high, pulse: normal) before I could begin working out for obvious insurance reasons. I about fell over when I saw the number for my weight. Urgh. Damn complacency and slowing metabolism.
Today was my first official day back on the wagon. I thought I would run outside but it's a bit on the chilly side so I opted to hit the treadmill. I don't think I have run inside in over a year. It was a bit of a trip and I instantly remembered why I prefer to run outside. The damn displays. How long do I have left? What's my pace? How many calories have I burned? It's like an obsession. I am out of practice and forgot to grab a towel to hide the numbers.
Nevertheless, I did end up running 3 miles. It is damn hot in this tiny gym and coupled with the extra 15lbs I am carrying, I look like a new kid on the block. I swear, looking at me after (and during, I presume) a run you'd be surprised I have run a marathon, numerous halves and countless 5ks. It's going to be an uphill battle.
And I have to get in the habit of packing stuff for 'after' the workout. While the gym has showers and hair/body shampoo they do not provide you with deodorant and brushes! Luckily, I keep spares at my desk and was able to finish getting ready back in my cube.
This evening, I bike home and can call it good. No pressure to feel like I need to squeeze in a workout after Claire goes to bed. This doesn't mean I won't be using the BOB. Oh no. This is what I need to do to get my ass in gear to push the BOB. I did that on Saturday for 33 minutes and looked like a beet that had been pulverized.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Fat but not happy
Yikes. I stepped on the scale this weekend and about fell off. I was not happy with the number screaming at me in red. I swore I was going to get up and do 30 mins on the elliptical this morning but when the alarm went off I just hit the snooze and said forget it. I did get my hiney out of my cube this morning and walked for almost 30 mins around campus in the skyway. I'm not sure how far it is but my blood was pumping by the time I got back to my cube. And I have taken the stairs every time I've gone up or down today.
I was feeling pretty good until the almond M&M's were opened this afternoon. My coworker is the keeper of the department candy dish. A couple of us chip in and grab a bag or two of candy (mostly chocolate) and keep it stocked. About two weeks ago I filled it with almond M&M's and we all discovered that we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the almond option. As a result, someone bought two more bags, which were opened this afternoon, and I have found myself heading to the candy cube twice already since lunch. Urgh. All that work I did on my walk is slowly settling back onto my already fat butt. Must resist the tasty combo of almond and chocolate!
Exercise used to be a big part of my life. Now I can't find the energy or lack the desire to stare at the TV while going nowhere on my elliptical. And I haven't touched a weight for months. I suppose we could argue that my babe counts as a weight. I've been thinking about how I can use her as my free weight... Bicep curls? Not so much. But there are creative ways to do push ups and sit ups. I hate to be such a routine person but without it I am a lazy fool. I've got to get some sort of workout routine going or I am going to have to go buy some new pants.
My sister got me a baby yoga DVD for my birthday and I am making my way through some positions. The DVD is geared more towards the baby so I'm not getting too much exercise out of it but it is still a fun way to spend time with the kiddo.
I was feeling pretty good until the almond M&M's were opened this afternoon. My coworker is the keeper of the department candy dish. A couple of us chip in and grab a bag or two of candy (mostly chocolate) and keep it stocked. About two weeks ago I filled it with almond M&M's and we all discovered that we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the almond option. As a result, someone bought two more bags, which were opened this afternoon, and I have found myself heading to the candy cube twice already since lunch. Urgh. All that work I did on my walk is slowly settling back onto my already fat butt. Must resist the tasty combo of almond and chocolate!
Exercise used to be a big part of my life. Now I can't find the energy or lack the desire to stare at the TV while going nowhere on my elliptical. And I haven't touched a weight for months. I suppose we could argue that my babe counts as a weight. I've been thinking about how I can use her as my free weight... Bicep curls? Not so much. But there are creative ways to do push ups and sit ups. I hate to be such a routine person but without it I am a lazy fool. I've got to get some sort of workout routine going or I am going to have to go buy some new pants.
My sister got me a baby yoga DVD for my birthday and I am making my way through some positions. The DVD is geared more towards the baby so I'm not getting too much exercise out of it but it is still a fun way to spend time with the kiddo.
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