Working out like a fiend

On the other hand, do fiends work out? I've heard that expression so many times, I find myself using it, though it doesn't really make sense intellectually. Oh well.

Fact is, a big part of me getting my act together has been working on getting into shape physically in addition to tackling my eating and drinking habits. Currently, I go to the gym every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:30 am. Yes, you heard me right. I get up at 4 am. On the other days I've been trying to go to the gym during lunch, but my legs are generally shredded from my M-W-F workouts, so I gauge whether I go based on how I feel.

Since January 1, I've lost over 30 pounds, so it's working. I generally try to lift some weights before running on the treadmill (mondays = back, wednesdays = legs, and fridays=arms, though I sometimes do something different depending on how my schedule works out during the week), and my goal is to spend at least an hour on the treadmill for each workout. I love to run and that's been my favorite aspect of my working out.

My goal (which I ironically had mentioned briefly on my blog some time last year, when I was still completely huge and unhealthy) is to run a 10K Road Race (6.2 miles) on my birthday this November (I'll be turning 39!). And then I want to run the Gate River Run (15K, or 9.3 miles) in March. I really would like to run a marathon by the end of next year, too, but I feel like I should see how the first two go before I commit. I'm a little worried about the minor arthritic-like pain I'm getting in my right hip. Will have to see if this becomes a problem in my training. If it doesn't ease up I may end up changing over to the ellipical machines and kiss my road racing career good-bye :-).

I'm back, I guess

So I'm back. I haven't posted in forever mainly because I went through a period where I was just very inward. Just didn't feel like being out there. I was kind of depressed, I guess. I think I had a little post-partum depression going on after Colin. Nothing major, but enough that I felt like I was in a major funk.

I'm feeling fabulous lately, though.

I'll try to summarize where I am, without making this a "War and Peace" length post. Last year, while in said funk, I gained a TON of weight - was as high was 182 lbs at one point on my 5'3" frame. Yikes! There's no hiding that kind of fat.

So earlier this year, the fog seemed to clear from my mind and I just started getting my shit together.

I'm now working out 3 to 5 times a week - training for some road races (more on that in another post, I'm sure). And have gotten my eating habits back under control. I've now lost nearly 30 pounds and am back to where I was before I got pregnant. My nutrition is good, my calories are low, and my fitness levels are slowly coming back (though I'm sure I exercise more than most CR folks would recommend).

I feel fabulous, skin has cleared up, eyes are bright and alert, and things are looking up. Still not in love with my job, but that's why they call it work, right?

Kids are doing well. Connor just turned 5, Cailyn is 3, and my baby isn't a baby anymore - Colin is now 19 months old.

Just so you know, I don't think this will be an isolated post. I've been itching to blog lately. And in case any of my old friends still has alerts on this blog - I still read ALL of your blogs, even though most of us have slacked off on the posts this past year. Except April, of course, who still motivates with her CR even though she's busier than just about any of us.

So that's all for tonight. It's nearly 10 pm, which is actually as late as I like to be up because I try to get up at 4 am on gym mornings. Tomorrow is technically the husband's gym morning (we alternate, due to the small children who can't be left alone), but he's kind of under the weather, so I'm hoping he'll bail so I can go.

Later, then . . .

How can I feel so good on a Monday?

I feel fabulous!

I didn’t do a lick of work over the weekend, but I convinced myself not to feel guilty last night because it really was a great weekend.

The kids and I went to the pool on Saturday, which is not unusual, but it was still a lot of fun because it was hot as the dickens, and a cool pool is just wonderful when its really hot. Then yesterday we went to the beach, and it was Colin’s first visit. He liked it ok, but at one point he tipped over in the water so was less enthusiastic after that experience. Still, it was fun. I wished we’d taken our boogie board, though, because the waves were perfect for it. Next time, I’ll remember. I do love to boogie board. Catching the waves on the Atlantic isn’t like surfing on the Pacific (not that I’d know), but it still fun and doesn’t seem as scary as some of those Pacific waves look. How do kids even get in the water at all out there? I’m already having heart failure because my 4-year old is Mr. Surf Boy and thinks he should be able to get way out to where it’s above his waist. He isn’t the best at gauging how big the waves will be, though, so it freaks me out when a big one heads his way!

In addition to the pure recreation this weekend, I went for an outdoor run/walk yesterday morning, and gosh, do I miss that! I just don’t get out much because I don’t feel comfortable running outdoors when its dark out, which may sound like a fraidy-cat thing, but I just don’t like taking chances. If I work out in the morning, it has to be at 5 am, which is WAY before sunrise, so I’ve been treadmilling it lately. I’ve pretty much decided that I’m going to start doing a regular lunchtime workout again, though, because 5 am hasn’t happened as often as it really needs to. Besides, I’ve been doing yoga every morning, and I really like having that as part of my morning routine, plus, it doesn’t require such an early wakeup. There’s just something about stretching and getting inverted that really elevates my mood.

Back to the lunchtime workout thing. Right now I’m still content to do the treadmill during lunch until it begins cooling off a bit more, but hopefully by mid-October, the weather gods will begin to grant North Florida a bit of Autumn and I can again enjoy being physical outdoors. Right now, if it doesn’t involve immersing myself in water, I’d rather be in the air conditioning :-).

CR-wise, I’m still doing really well. I feel great. I wish the pounds would drop off quicker, but it took me 9 months of pregnancy and a few months of pigging out to get here, so it isn’t coming off in a week and a half. In addition, I know intellectually that its better health-wise to go slow. It’s the mirror that’s driving my desire for fast, fast, fast!!!

Ok. Back to work!

Yeah, slacker blogger here. I’m still alive and kicking.

In fact, I feel really good this week. I’ve been sticking with my exercising, and sticking with a healthy eating plan. I guess semantically I’m not “CR’ed” since I’m not actually tracking my calories and nutrients, but I know (from my mental tracking of my calories) that I’m definitely at a lower calorie intake than I was before, so that’s enough for me.

At this point, I’m just going to do what I can do. If I get too wrapped up in worrying about tracking every little thing, I’m just going to get overwhelmed with it all. Right now, I’m concentrating on making the right choices.

I’ve also begun to work on a goal I formulated at the beginning of the year, which is to run the Gate River Run next March. This is a 15K (9.3 mile) run that goes through downtown Jacksonville, Florida and across two of our bridges over the St. Johns River. The St. Johns River is really big, so the bridges are the biggest challenges of the run. These are the two bridges: on the top, the Main Street bridge, which is a drawbridge in the western portion of the downtown area; on the bottom, the Hart Bridge, which is in the eastern downtown, and lands right beside the Jacksonville Jaguar's football statium. They are definitely daunting to someone who lives in an area where the vertical elevation difference is like 10 feet. Gotta crank up the incline on the treadmill!







I’ve always wanted to run a road race, but even when I was a really dedicated runner, I just never entered one. Nervous I guess. But I’m approaching 40 years old (38 in two months!) and it’s getting to the point where I need to start doing the things I’ve always wanted to do. I can’t keep putting these things off, or they won’t happen at all and then I’ll just have regrets. I’ve got the baby-making finished; now I can concentrate on some of my personal goals!

Had the best salad at lunch today. Dole Italian Mix (romain, raddichio, and a few other types of greens), shredded carrots, radishes, scallions, lentils, sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (OMG I LOVE THESE THINGS), roasted red pepper vinaigrette with parmesan (Kraft brand). V. Good (as Bridget Jones would say). Breakfast was cereal with skim milk. Ho hum, but served its purpose.

Ok. Gotta get back to work. Not wanting to do the thing I have to do. But if I do it, maybe I can get out of here early enough to go for a run before getting the kids. So just need to do it. Really.

Bye.

Is it only Tuesday?

Just had lunch at the cutest little cafe located inside an antique mall here in Jacksonville. My parents are in town visiting the kids and they love taking me there for lunch (and I'm always up for a free lunch). So I had black bean soup, a side salad, a wedge of watermelon, and a raspberry tea. Yummo. Also had a bunch (too many) almonds this morning.

I'm torn about almonds. I acknowledge that they are almost mandatory if one wants to get 100% of ones Vitamin E daily. On the other hand, I have major issues restraining myself. I could probably eat 400 almonds in one sitting if I applied myself. Almonds are a dangerous food for me, so I don't buy them often just because I can't control myself!

In other news, the first rain bands from Tropical Storm Fay just hit a minute ago. Lovely downpour going on outside my office window. I think we're not going to get anything more than rain and some wind up here in Jacksonville. At least I hope that's it. I've neglected to do my "hurricane preparedness kit" that we're all supposed to do here in Florida. You know, get lots of water stocked up, make sure you have batteries and flashlights handy (I do have these), make sure you have foods that don't need to be cooked, get all your important papers together, etc. I probably actually have most everything I need, but it isn't organized. I really do need to get off my butt and get organized. Even though Jax almost NEVER gets hit directly, you never can tell . . .

Ok. Gotta get to work now. Maybe a cup of coffee for an after lunch pick me up, then work.

On marriage . . .

Mademoiselle Z has once again commented (on a post from a few weeks ago) about my marriage and lack of support from my husband. I’m not going to get into a long drawn-out discussion on-line about my marriage. I’ll try to keep this short and sweet.

I have my reasons for maintaining the status quo in my relationship with my husband. Lately, we get along fine, and he really has been helping out more than he had previously. He is much more involved in keeping the apartment clean and getting the kids to do the stuff they need to do than he used to be. Plus, as the two oldest kids have gotten a little older, they need less hands-on assistance with every little thing.

I admit, though, that I feel I do the bulk of the kid-work. I get all three kids up and going in the mornings, get them dressed and take them to and from daycare. I generally cook dinner, and make sure the kids get to bed at a decent time. I'm always the one who takes them to the doctor and takes off work if they are sick and can’t be at daycare. I’m the one who buys the groceries, washes the kids’ clothes, and gets the bottles and diaper bag ready every day. But frankly, I really don’t think this is unusual for any working mother. I think these are things that moms are responsible for in the vast majority of two-wage-earner households. In our household, my husband is almost always the one who vacuums and/or sweeps the floor, takes out the trash, and makes the kids play pick up in the living room. He does interact with them a lot and does some diaper changing and bath supervision.

Do I still get stressed out sometimes? You bet! But lately, my stress is more related to my work than my home situation. I guess we’ve just finally reached an understanding of how things will be, and I can acknowledge that maintaining the status quo has its advantages for both my kids, who live in a two-parent household, and for me financially, because even with me picking up the vast majority of the financial burden for myself and the kids, I still save money compared to what it would cost for me to run my own household. Is it an ideal situation? No. Does it work for us? Yes, for now at least.

At any rate, that’s all I’m going to say about my marriage in an online blog. The fact is, you may still hear me bitch or moan occasionally about being over stressed, etc. Just understand that as with any family, we’re still just figuring out the best way to deal with things. We’re not right or wrong, and there are others who would no doubt do things differently, but for now, this is our life.

Amy, on moderation . . .

Lunch yesterday: Fabulous combination of stir fried garlic, onion & mushrooms, with added kale, chick peas, canned diced tomatoes, and artichoke hearts. As Rachael Ray would say, “Yummo.” Dinner? Not so healthy. Still low calorie because I kept my portion sizes down, but I had lasagna and a small slice of garlic bread. The husband had cooked it and I got home so late from the office – starving – that I couldn’t bring myself to come up with something unique for myself. Also had some snackies in the evening (hand full of doritos, 8 oz glass of milk, a few brazil nuts, almonds and pecans). I think my calorie count was fine for the day, but the nutrition was no doubt lacking. Didn’t input anything into COM, so I don’t know what I was short on.

Frankly, as much as tracking is important, this time around I’m trying to not go completely all or nothing as I’m just too busy. I struggle with having an all or nothing mentality, which leads me to get borderline obsessive about things, and then when I can’t track things, or I don’t have a good healthy option, I tend to just say, “What the heck”, and eat whatever. This time around I’m trying to just stay balanced and eat healthily. I’m going to try and track things, but I’m also going to try and not freak out if I can’t some times.

Today has been ok so far. Breakfast was yogurt. Lunch, a southwestern taco salad from Wendy’s. So lunch may not have been the ideal nutrition, but it was one of the best options in a situation when I had to eat out and eat something fast (was out of town for a meeting and had to rush back to the office for another). Not sure what dinner will be, but will probably be stir fry veggies of some sort. Hopefully I can get some fish thawed out quickly, as I forgot to telephone the husband earlier to have him thaw the salmon. Annoying.

These are the things that cause me to end up eating unhealthy choices. You know, you get home from work, tired, kids are hungry, need to get something on the table before you freak out, so you do whatever’s easiest. That’s why prior planning is so important. Unfortunately, some days I just don’t quite get around to it. Clearly I have to find some middle ground between obsessive planning and eating whatever I can stuff into my pie-hole. This is where I am making strides.

I’m sure I’ll never have April’s dedication to measuring everything (maybe when my kids go to college – ha, ha), but if I can just consistently make good choices, I’ll be happy.