The Fear February 28, 2008

I wonder if anyone has ever really thought about their health before a major incident occurs… Sure, we’re all alive.  We’re all relatively healthy.  We’re not hooked up to tubes and machines to help us live.  But it’s always such a fine line between being healthy and being sick.

I don’t want to be sick.  But I just can’t seem to be motivated enough to get on the healthy track.  I just can’t seem to get to into the healthy habit of exercising… the healthy eating is getting there, aside from the sodas and the candy.  I do eat vegetables and fruits and whole grains.  I don’t suppose that amounts to anything if I’m not also exercising.  Come on.. what’s the point of being regular if you’re dead from a stroke or heart attack, right?

So, I’ve made a pact with Honey.  We’re going to start being healthier once he moves in.  He moves in Saturday.  So, after dinner, we’ll be going for walks.  We’re going to use the exercise room downstairs more often.  And we’re going to eat less meat, more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and less sodas - more water and real juice.

I’m hoping that this is the start of a good trend.  Knowing my track record, and Honey’s track record, though, I’m not holding my breath.  But we’re being optimistic.  Woo hoo!

So, what kicked us into the fear?  Honey can’t tie his shoes anymore without breathing heavy… I have to tie them for him.  I want to fit into my good jeans again without my legs being all tight and uncomfortable.  I want to fit into my good clothes and look nice without being disappointed about my horrible pooching belly.  And I realy don’t want diabetes or any heart disease.  And I especially don’t want my face to turn red so quickly when I’m walking briskly.  That’s not a good sign.

Advice from this exerciser.. February 8, 2008

Never overdo your workout.  I don’t care if you think it will be better or you’re having so much fun.. DON’T DO IT!

My knee is all messed up now because I overdid it and got a teensy bit overexcited about my exercises.  So imagine me as my body goes one way and my leg goes the other way.  Ouch!  So, now I’ve got to rehab my knee for a while.  This sucks!

Now, I’ll end up looking like Jabba the Hutt because I’m not exercising.  I can walk fairly normally.  I can’t sit too comfortably.. and standing is also a chore.

I Blew it… February 8, 2008

I really think I’ve done it this time.   I popped my walking tape into the machine today and thought, I think I’ll do my walking today.  Good job, right?  Yes.  Okay.  It was.

By the time I hit the second mile, I felt good so I started doing the extra moves, like a little more of a jog than a walk.  That’s when it happened.  I think I blew out my knee.  It’s the same one that’s been hurting the last month or so.  It’s still hurting and maybe I should have put some ice on it.  Instead, I’ve just wrapped it up and I hope it gets better.

So.. I blew it.  I can’t believe I did that!  I did a mile, though.

Doomed to Failure? February 3, 2008

I wonder if this diet/exercise is doomed to failure.  Maybe I’m not really enthusiastic enough?  Or I want it enough?  I guess I’m just getting tired of the same old routine… the walking tapes.

I must get out of this rut and get into some exercising… I have done better on the veggie front.  I’ve gotten into the habit of having some sort of vegetable each day…  the amount I eat is another story, though.  I guess I need to work on that next. LOL!

Maybe I need to work harder at working out. 

Workout Music… February 3, 2008

I like using my iPod shuffle to workout, even though the video workout has music already… and I really should be following the beat of that music.  But, I’m sorry, that music is really boring.  I mean, yawn, boring.

After the first 10 times, you really want to kill yourself if you have to listen and workout to that same music each time.  The challenge I have is finding the right song to compliment movements and the beat of the actual tape.

Here are some songs I like for the warm-up:

• Physical by Olivia Newton-John
• Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson
• Lost Highway by Bon Jovi
• Voice Inside My Head by The Dixie Chicks
• Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band

For the workout, I try to incorporate some of these songs while using the tape:

• Top of the World by the All-American Rejects
• Lights and Sounds by Yellowcard
• Twist of Fate by Olivia Newton-John
• Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen
• The Great Escape by Boys Like Girls
• Turn the Beat Around by Vickie Sue Robinson
• Take On Me by A-ha
• Through the Fire and the Flames by Dragonforce (if you like a little metal music)
• Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy
• Dancing on the Ceiling by Lionel Richie
• Ray of Light, Music, Hung Up, Sorry by Madonna (A lot of her music is great for aerobics)
• Toxic by Britney Spears (Yes, her.)

For the cool-down, you want to slow down the music gradually…

• Who Says You Can’t Go Home? by Bon Jovi
• Born to Fly by Sara Evans

I’m sure there are more… usually I just start putting my ipod away when I get into the cool-down. 

Quick Note January 22, 2008

Well, it has been cold.  Really cold.  But that’s no excuse, right?  My knee is doing better, too.. so there goes that excuse.

 What did I do tonight?  I used the 2 Mile Walk Away the Pounds tape.  I did 1 1/2 miles before fast forwarding to the cool down.  I really didn’t want to overdo the first workout in a while.. even though I have been walking constantly throughout, this was an official workout and not a stroll through the zoo.

I think I did pretty good today.

Update: January 21, 2008

Well, it’s been a while since I really sat down and wrote a post so I thought I’d do that today.

Weight-wise, I’m still the same.  Thank goodness!  I do wish I would have lost some, but with the general lack of exercise, I can understand the non-movement of the scale.  That’s okay.  I’m actually quite pleased that I’m cutting back on the regular eating as well.  So, while I serve a generous portion to Honey for dinner, I would have about half of his portion.. or even a third of it, depending on what it is.

Over the weekend, we had homemade bbq ribs and some potato salad.  The ribs are really good because I boil it first to get rid of a lot of the fat from the ribs.. then I broil it in the oven.  The salad was a little bad because of the mayonaisse and boiled eggs.  We did go out a few times this weekend, but I still made some good choices, such as a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a hamburger.

Exercise was not a good thing, unless you count all of the walking around we did this weekend.  We spent a good portion of each day (except Sunday) out and about town, walking around the mall, or walking around the zoo.  I also do a fair amount of jumping around playing guitar hero..because it’s easier to play while standing up… but I don’t think that really counts as a good burn of calories.

My knee seems to be well, so tomorrow, I will have to get the walking tape in the dvd player and start my workouts again.  Maybe someone will have to email me to make sure I do.  Any takers?

Not Sure What to Say… January 15, 2008

Today was a pretty long day.  I went to MacWorld with my brother and we walked around the conference for about 4 hours.  We stopped after 2 hours to go get some dim sum for lunch…mmm!  I love dim sum.  We had steamed pork dumplings, egg rolls, hau gau, stuffed crab claws, some pork thing wrapped in a thin tofu thing.. I’m not sure what it’s called but it was good!  And some egg custard dessert.  Then, we walked around for another 2 hours.

God, I’m tired!  I just wanted to fall out when I got on the train home.  But it was so crowded, I just couldn’t.  Then the bus was crowded.  I finally got home and got to fall out.  Yay!

I think I had a great workout today and my eating was pretty good too! Yippie!

Back on Track… January 14, 2008

Here we go, ladies and gentlemen.

I’m back on the track to my fitness goals.  Plus, I have more fun because after I’m done with my workout, I go ahead and plug in my Guitar Hero III or I and bounce around while I’m playing the tunes.  It’s really fun!

Foodwise, I think I’m doing all right.  I have been eating Lean Cuisine dinners for lunch and drinking lots of water and juice.  Tonight, we went to a Chinese restaurant, and we ordered some almond chicken, sweet and sour pork, and stir-fried snow peas and water chestnuts.  Mmm!  I also had a bowl of rice, while Honey had some beef fried rice with brown rice.  I was hogging all of the veggies, though. LOL.

Slacker… January 11, 2008

That’s me.  I’m the slacker.  I’ve been off the exercise for about 2 weeks now (on and off).  And I feel really horrible.  I wish I could do it but my bum knee disagrees with me every time I even think about it.

The twinge is going away.. so I figure that come Monday (rain or shine or Honey), I’ll be back to my walking.  Even if it’s back to doing just a one mile walk.  I really need to get back into it especially since the eating part hasn’t been all that fantastic either.

I’m really scared to step on the scale for fear I may faint because of a gain.  We’ve been bad, Honey and I.  He has kept saying that he will start running this New Year’s — come the 2nd of January.  Well, it is what now?  The 11th?  And I have yet to see or hear of his run around the lake.

Now, he’s saying that maybe he needs to join a gym.  I don’t think so.  I am not going to be wasting $100 + $50 per month dues to use a sweaty piece of equipment just once in a while.  That’s a lot of money!  About $600 a year!  Do you know what I can do with $600?

So, I think we’ll be lessening the fatty foods after this weekend.  I think this may be the last time we’ll have roast duck in a while — mmmm..  I can’t wait.  I will have to balance the ramen with some bok choy, though…  And we’ll have to have more fruits and veggies in the house.  Maybe I’ll just get lots of veggies, cut them up, and then freeze them so I can just use them when necessary?  That sounds like a plan.

Here’s the summary of my plan:

• Get more veggies, cut them up, and freeze them.
• Have more cut up fruit on hand for snacks instead of cookies and cake.
• Drink more water, less soda. (Hard one.)
• Have more fish and lean meats like chicken, turkey, and lean pork and beef.
• Eat more whole grains - bread and pasta (once I’ve finished the stash of white pasta).
• Exercise at least a mile a day (more if possible).

Does chocolate count as a vegetable?