Last fall, to get back into exercise, I gave myself a challenge: Do yoga every day. I think it was for a month. Then it extended to two months. Then I got sick and didn't feel up to it and/or was sleeping too late in the morning (I thought) to do it.
After months of no consistent physical activity since then other than going up and down the stairs throughout the day in my 4-level split (thank God for that!), with my back and knees getting worse and worse, I have finally decided I've had enough and I want to be free of the limitations. So, I gave myself a challenge: 100 days straight of yoga. Even if it's just 10 minutes, I need to do yoga every day.
I am on Day 11 today (haven't done any yet today) [correction added: Today is Day 12. I'd better keep track of this or I'll never hit 100. ;)]. My back is already getting better and I have weak muscles (like glutes) getting worked. (Don't ever, ever think that yoga is just stretching! It definitely works your muscles!) I can't say my knees are feeling much better yet, but I haven't been doing the IT band sequence very consistently.
Would you care to join me in the challenge? Maybe 100 days seems like too much; how about just a week? It can help to keep us going when we know others are doing it with us!
Showing posts with label workout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label workout. Show all posts
Friday, August 24, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Day 7 and Day 8 combined!
I didn't blog about Day 7 yesterday! It was an "active rest" day for the program, so do something mildly active. I didn't do anything first thing in the morning, did some ballet pliés and relevés while getting ready for the day (still feeling my calf muscles on those) and did some yoga/stretching in the evening. Food-wise... Hm. Trying to remember. Oh, yes, green smoothie in the morning and leftover coconut breakfast cakes and... hm... lol. I can't remember. What did I eat for lunch? No clue. Had spaghetti with sauce for supper. And munched on watermelon throughout the afternoon and as a small snack after supper.
Today is Day 8 of my 10-Pound Shred book: resistance day. I guess because the first week is over, he stepped it up. Oh boy, did he step it up! I couldn't do all of the exercises as much as he said to. My shoulders, in particular, just aren't strong enough to do some of the stuff he focused on today. But, I pushed myself and that's what counts. (And I do mean I pushed myself: on one of the exercises, it was the last round and I still had 10 seconds to go but I knew if I bent my arms at all, I was simply going to collapse to the floor!)
Food-wise... Well, I have a confession to make: I made cookies. With white flour, white sugar, margarine and eggs. The cookie dough was amazing, but... After a few minutes, I had my usual "sugar headache". Drank some water, kept going and it went away. But then I had two cookies. But now I feel done. I've got a sugar headache again and I'm just done. The craving was satisfied and I will just move forward. Other than that naughtiness on my part, I had oats and almond milk for breakfast and a largish salad (red leaf lettuce, some parsley, chopped up cauliflower, salad dressing and hemp seeds) and leftover pork chop for lunch. I like to avoid meat at lunchtime, but nobody was eating it and it had already been in the fridge since Sunday. If the pig had to lose its life, I figure the least we can do is not waste it.
I now have to figure out supper. :P
I'll leave you today with a video from the Raw Food Family/Ka Sundance (nothing related to my post, I just liked it!):
Today is Day 8 of my 10-Pound Shred book: resistance day. I guess because the first week is over, he stepped it up. Oh boy, did he step it up! I couldn't do all of the exercises as much as he said to. My shoulders, in particular, just aren't strong enough to do some of the stuff he focused on today. But, I pushed myself and that's what counts. (And I do mean I pushed myself: on one of the exercises, it was the last round and I still had 10 seconds to go but I knew if I bent my arms at all, I was simply going to collapse to the floor!)
Food-wise... Well, I have a confession to make: I made cookies. With white flour, white sugar, margarine and eggs. The cookie dough was amazing, but... After a few minutes, I had my usual "sugar headache". Drank some water, kept going and it went away. But then I had two cookies. But now I feel done. I've got a sugar headache again and I'm just done. The craving was satisfied and I will just move forward. Other than that naughtiness on my part, I had oats and almond milk for breakfast and a largish salad (red leaf lettuce, some parsley, chopped up cauliflower, salad dressing and hemp seeds) and leftover pork chop for lunch. I like to avoid meat at lunchtime, but nobody was eating it and it had already been in the fridge since Sunday. If the pig had to lose its life, I figure the least we can do is not waste it.
I now have to figure out supper. :P
I'll leave you today with a video from the Raw Food Family/Ka Sundance (nothing related to my post, I just liked it!):
Sunday, May 27, 2012
First week almost done!
I'm working on Day 6 of the program today. It was strength/resistance day. Boy, was it HARD. lol. Definitely got me sweating and wondering how sore I will be tomorrow. Food-wise, I probably didn't have the best supper last night and other than that, just had the grapes and the coconut breakfast cakes I mentioned yesterday. Very unusual for me.
This morning, Tommy's food plan said two pieces of whole grain toast and although I was going to try to avoid wheat today, I decided I really, really wanted toast, so I had sprouted grain toast (no margarine! I've had far less margarine this week than usual, so that's good) with peanut butter (with sugar; still haven't gone to the grocery store to replace the natural stuff) and a little bit of honey. As a snack, I had some of my leftover coconut breakfast cakes. For lunch, I had a HUGE salad. After I'd already eaten more than half of it, I thought about taking a picture to show:
Super simple to make! I just sort of invented it based on things I've been eating lately:
*6? red leaf lettuce leaves (I didn't really count, I just took as much as I thought I would eat)
*small amount of parsley
*6 or so large red grapes, cut into quarters
*sprinkle of raw sunflower seeds
*sprinkle of raw pumpkin seeds
*splash of lemon juice
*small splash of extra virgin olive oil
Tossed it all together and sprinkled on some hemp seeds (why afterwards? because I remembered I had them). It was delicious! I feel so proud: I created something without following someone else's recipe. lol. I may make a similar salad to accompany supper tonight. (Mmm, corn on the cob as part of supper tonight. I'll try to remember to avoid the margarine!)
I have to say that I'm finding my eating habits this week a little odd. I thought with more exercise, I'd have more of an appetite, but I actually have less of an appetite. It makes me wonder so many things:
The program doesn't have you weigh yourself until Day 15, which is another 9 days away. I'd love to see if there's been any change yet weight-wise, but I'll "obey" and wait. Hard to say if my clothes are fitting any different because I bought new jeans last week and have been wearing mostly them. :P I haven't really noticed anything with any of my shirts. I'm not at a point of having a doctor say I'm overweight, so not much weight might come off me (if I lost even 20 lbs, I'd probably be too skinny), but I sure am feeling fitter! If I can stick with this healthier eating, and even improve on it, I know the small amount of excess weight will eventually come off although perhaps not within the 31 days. I'm just starting to feel excited. :D Before, it was kind of an, "I really want to do this," but then I didn't really do it. And now I can say, "I am doing it! I'm working out harder than I have in ages, my diet is getting better, I'm feeling stronger and healthier..." Feels good. :D
This morning, Tommy's food plan said two pieces of whole grain toast and although I was going to try to avoid wheat today, I decided I really, really wanted toast, so I had sprouted grain toast (no margarine! I've had far less margarine this week than usual, so that's good) with peanut butter (with sugar; still haven't gone to the grocery store to replace the natural stuff) and a little bit of honey. As a snack, I had some of my leftover coconut breakfast cakes. For lunch, I had a HUGE salad. After I'd already eaten more than half of it, I thought about taking a picture to show:
(Oops: didn't mean to get my hand and my reflection in there. lol)
Super simple to make! I just sort of invented it based on things I've been eating lately:
*6? red leaf lettuce leaves (I didn't really count, I just took as much as I thought I would eat)
*small amount of parsley
*6 or so large red grapes, cut into quarters
*sprinkle of raw sunflower seeds
*sprinkle of raw pumpkin seeds
*splash of lemon juice
*small splash of extra virgin olive oil
Tossed it all together and sprinkled on some hemp seeds (why afterwards? because I remembered I had them). It was delicious! I feel so proud: I created something without following someone else's recipe. lol. I may make a similar salad to accompany supper tonight. (Mmm, corn on the cob as part of supper tonight. I'll try to remember to avoid the margarine!)
I have to say that I'm finding my eating habits this week a little odd. I thought with more exercise, I'd have more of an appetite, but I actually have less of an appetite. It makes me wonder so many things:
- Does cutting things out of my diet this week leave my body better able to process the good stuff?
- Have I been eating more good stuff so my body needs less food?
- Have I had more energy due to the exercise and/or cutting out lots of bad food, so I'm less likely to do the eating-cuz-I'm-tired thing?
- Have I been better at just ignoring little hints of boredom eating?
The program doesn't have you weigh yourself until Day 15, which is another 9 days away. I'd love to see if there's been any change yet weight-wise, but I'll "obey" and wait. Hard to say if my clothes are fitting any different because I bought new jeans last week and have been wearing mostly them. :P I haven't really noticed anything with any of my shirts. I'm not at a point of having a doctor say I'm overweight, so not much weight might come off me (if I lost even 20 lbs, I'd probably be too skinny), but I sure am feeling fitter! If I can stick with this healthier eating, and even improve on it, I know the small amount of excess weight will eventually come off although perhaps not within the 31 days. I'm just starting to feel excited. :D Before, it was kind of an, "I really want to do this," but then I didn't really do it. And now I can say, "I am doing it! I'm working out harder than I have in ages, my diet is getting better, I'm feeling stronger and healthier..." Feels good. :D
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Day 5 and feeling fine
(I'm lol'ing myself: As I went to type "fine" for the subject, I wrote "five"--Day 5 and feeling five? lol)
It is Day 5 on my 3rd or 4th attempt at following Tommy Europe's 10-Pound Shred Book. Another 26 days to go! I guess I should recap yesterday's food, but it's blurry, except for the horrible-for-me takeout I had last night. (Tommy would make me do a "butt kick" if I were on his show and he found out I had strayed from eating well.) On the flip side, I could tell this morning my body wasn't super happy with having eaten it. I don't regret having had it, but I am paying attention and am less likely to eat that again. Not only that, but I usually want breakfast by 8am; I ate for the first time after 10am this morning. I probably had enough calories and a bogged down digestive system that I simply didn't need to eat. The book says to make sure you're fuelled and don't skip meals and snacks and I usually don't/can't (start feeling faint), but I really had enough "fuel" from last night to keep me going this morning. And actually, even though it's after 3pm and I've usually had quite a bit to eat by now (well, by my standards), all I've had today were Ani Phyo's Coconut Breakfast Cakes and a small bowl of green grapes. I think my body still wants to clear out last night's food.
I did my workout a little later than usual this morning. I felt no need to get myself up at 6am to fit it all in by 7am when it's Saturday and I don't have kids showing up at 8am. (I run a home daycare.) Today was a cardio day. Tommy says he doesn't like cardio and most people don't, but I have to say that I do! I love the feeling, but I just have to watch how much I push myself. I felt like I was going too hard at one point and did a pulse check and yes, I was pushing too hard so eased up. This all means that I'm really not following his cardio plan as I'm not nearly fit enough (yet!) but he says we should modify it to make sure it works for us, so that's all good.
It's really amazing what just 5 days can do! I already feel stronger, I can tell my leg muscles are getting firmer... Why did I wait so long?
It is Day 5 on my 3rd or 4th attempt at following Tommy Europe's 10-Pound Shred Book. Another 26 days to go! I guess I should recap yesterday's food, but it's blurry, except for the horrible-for-me takeout I had last night. (Tommy would make me do a "butt kick" if I were on his show and he found out I had strayed from eating well.) On the flip side, I could tell this morning my body wasn't super happy with having eaten it. I don't regret having had it, but I am paying attention and am less likely to eat that again. Not only that, but I usually want breakfast by 8am; I ate for the first time after 10am this morning. I probably had enough calories and a bogged down digestive system that I simply didn't need to eat. The book says to make sure you're fuelled and don't skip meals and snacks and I usually don't/can't (start feeling faint), but I really had enough "fuel" from last night to keep me going this morning. And actually, even though it's after 3pm and I've usually had quite a bit to eat by now (well, by my standards), all I've had today were Ani Phyo's Coconut Breakfast Cakes and a small bowl of green grapes. I think my body still wants to clear out last night's food.
I did my workout a little later than usual this morning. I felt no need to get myself up at 6am to fit it all in by 7am when it's Saturday and I don't have kids showing up at 8am. (I run a home daycare.) Today was a cardio day. Tommy says he doesn't like cardio and most people don't, but I have to say that I do! I love the feeling, but I just have to watch how much I push myself. I felt like I was going too hard at one point and did a pulse check and yes, I was pushing too hard so eased up. This all means that I'm really not following his cardio plan as I'm not nearly fit enough (yet!) but he says we should modify it to make sure it works for us, so that's all good.
It's really amazing what just 5 days can do! I already feel stronger, I can tell my leg muscles are getting firmer... Why did I wait so long?
Friday, May 25, 2012
Day 4--TGIF!
I'm only at day 4? lol. This week seems to have dragged on so long, I was sure I had done more than that, but I guess not. TGIF!!!
I still did not manage to set my alarm early enough to fit in all of today's workout. I wonder if it's actually set up to gradually add more time each day! lol. Today was resistance day: treadmill warm up, then a sequence of 8 resistance exercises done all the way through 3 times, followed up by a treadmill cool down. I had to cut back on some of the rest times and even on the cool down. I'll get this figured out eventually.
Food-wise yesterday: Um... Not sure. Yesterday was "one of those days". I did not give into sweets or anything and didn't go crazy with horrible food, I just can't remember clearly enough what I ate. It was decent though. It hit me, though, that I'm going to have to work at eliminating certain foods, like bread. *sob* Unless I can find some that doesn't have chemicals and white sugar added to it. Even my soy yogurt will have to go: I had a look at the ingredients yesterday and was not impressed. Dextrose is one of the ingredients that comes to mind. :( *sigh* At some point, I'm going to have to accept all the signs pointing me to a natural foods diet and stop resisting!
I do know what I'm having for lunch today: leftover Monkey Minestrone!
I still did not manage to set my alarm early enough to fit in all of today's workout. I wonder if it's actually set up to gradually add more time each day! lol. Today was resistance day: treadmill warm up, then a sequence of 8 resistance exercises done all the way through 3 times, followed up by a treadmill cool down. I had to cut back on some of the rest times and even on the cool down. I'll get this figured out eventually.
Food-wise yesterday: Um... Not sure. Yesterday was "one of those days". I did not give into sweets or anything and didn't go crazy with horrible food, I just can't remember clearly enough what I ate. It was decent though. It hit me, though, that I'm going to have to work at eliminating certain foods, like bread. *sob* Unless I can find some that doesn't have chemicals and white sugar added to it. Even my soy yogurt will have to go: I had a look at the ingredients yesterday and was not impressed. Dextrose is one of the ingredients that comes to mind. :( *sigh* At some point, I'm going to have to accept all the signs pointing me to a natural foods diet and stop resisting!
I do know what I'm having for lunch today: leftover Monkey Minestrone!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Day 3 and another 28 to go
I'm now on Day 3 of Tommy Europe's 10-Pound Shred book. My muscles aren't as sore as they were yesterday, so that's good, although I had a hard time after the session on the treadmill to get myself to the floor to stretch.
Today was a cardio day (he alternates between cardio days and "resistance" days). I could not do the level of intensity he suggested, so I had to cut it back a bit. It's still so much better than I did last year when I tried to follow the program. Like yesterday, despite getting up earlier, I didn't have the time to complete it exactly as indicated, so I'm going to have to get myself up quicker after my alarm goes off or set my alarm for even earlier. Ugh. I'm going to have to start getting to bed earlier, but that might be hard since my 14yo, husband and I have a routine of watching an episode of X-Files on Netflix every evening, starting at 9:30, when our 11yo is in bed. Maybe the trick will be to be completely ready for bed when it starts, then I will just have to pop myself into bed when it's done. (Although, let's be honest here: how often is one's mind going to be calm and ready to sleep right after watching X-Files??)
Like I've said before, I'm not following his food plan, but I think I still did well yesterday. Here's what I ate (dairy-free as usual and yesterday turned out to be vegetarian:
*1/2 cup of oats with almond milk
*1 whole grain piece of toast with dairy-free margarine (I should probably learn to cut that out) and peanut butter (unfortunately, not the "just peanuts" kind--I should get some more of the just peanuts kind) and honey
*watermelon slices (not sure how many)
*Monkey Minestrone (see yesterday's post!) for lunch--lots of veggies, only some noodles
*a banana
*some hummus and baby carrots (didn't count how many, but it wasn't many)
*Monkey Minestrone for supper with a slice of white (eek) toast with margarine (ach) and garlic on it
*some dairy-free yogurt with some Nature's Path granola
I'm probably still low on the fruit and veggie consumption, but the above has so much fewer grains than what I normally consume, so that's good! And there aren't any chocolate chips, tortilla chips with Daiya cheese, Ritz crackers or anything like that in there. :D
I thought I might go crazy not giving into little junk items, but I didn't even crave them yesterday.
With the workout done, I just have to stay on track with the food! I'd really like to go for a nap though! lol
Today was a cardio day (he alternates between cardio days and "resistance" days). I could not do the level of intensity he suggested, so I had to cut it back a bit. It's still so much better than I did last year when I tried to follow the program. Like yesterday, despite getting up earlier, I didn't have the time to complete it exactly as indicated, so I'm going to have to get myself up quicker after my alarm goes off or set my alarm for even earlier. Ugh. I'm going to have to start getting to bed earlier, but that might be hard since my 14yo, husband and I have a routine of watching an episode of X-Files on Netflix every evening, starting at 9:30, when our 11yo is in bed. Maybe the trick will be to be completely ready for bed when it starts, then I will just have to pop myself into bed when it's done. (Although, let's be honest here: how often is one's mind going to be calm and ready to sleep right after watching X-Files??)
Like I've said before, I'm not following his food plan, but I think I still did well yesterday. Here's what I ate (dairy-free as usual and yesterday turned out to be vegetarian:
*1/2 cup of oats with almond milk
*1 whole grain piece of toast with dairy-free margarine (I should probably learn to cut that out) and peanut butter (unfortunately, not the "just peanuts" kind--I should get some more of the just peanuts kind) and honey
*watermelon slices (not sure how many)
*Monkey Minestrone (see yesterday's post!) for lunch--lots of veggies, only some noodles
*a banana
*some hummus and baby carrots (didn't count how many, but it wasn't many)
*Monkey Minestrone for supper with a slice of white (eek) toast with margarine (ach) and garlic on it
*some dairy-free yogurt with some Nature's Path granola
I'm probably still low on the fruit and veggie consumption, but the above has so much fewer grains than what I normally consume, so that's good! And there aren't any chocolate chips, tortilla chips with Daiya cheese, Ritz crackers or anything like that in there. :D
I thought I might go crazy not giving into little junk items, but I didn't even crave them yesterday.
With the workout done, I just have to stay on track with the food! I'd really like to go for a nap though! lol
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Day 2 of the 31 Days
It is now the morning of Day 2 of my 31 days on Tommy Europe's 10-Pound Shred book. I have so far done the exercise portion (and thinking I need more stretching than he prescribes, but that's me!) and am trying to be super conscious about what I'm fuelling my body with today. I know I tend to overdo the grains, so I'm really tracking them and focusing on getting fresh fruits and veggies as much as possible. I also bought stuff last night to make a minestrone soup (from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton) and I think I just might make that for lunch. A dreary, rainy day here so soup sounds good.
My muscles are a bit sore from Day 1's fitness test. I'm kind of scared how they'll be later on now that I've done even more strength work. Yikes. I guess I'll live. lol. My knees are doing okay, which was my biggest concern, but I did many days of yoga in a row at the end of 2011 and know it helped with my IT band issues a lot.
Lessons learned today:
1) I need to give myself more time to do the full workout. I skimped on rest breaks and did not complete the cool down as indicated (but my heart rate wasn't high at that point, so "whatever" is kind of my attitude) because I was running out of time. I'm going to have to set my alarm even earlier. *sigh*
2) My core strength is abominable. You know what they say: If you don't use it, you lose it. Tommy's making me use it!
--
It's not too late to join in some sort of challenge with me! It doesn't have to be Tommy's 10-Pound Shred: it can be any exercise goal. I'd love to have some company!
My muscles are a bit sore from Day 1's fitness test. I'm kind of scared how they'll be later on now that I've done even more strength work. Yikes. I guess I'll live. lol. My knees are doing okay, which was my biggest concern, but I did many days of yoga in a row at the end of 2011 and know it helped with my IT band issues a lot.
Lessons learned today:
1) I need to give myself more time to do the full workout. I skimped on rest breaks and did not complete the cool down as indicated (but my heart rate wasn't high at that point, so "whatever" is kind of my attitude) because I was running out of time. I'm going to have to set my alarm even earlier. *sigh*
2) My core strength is abominable. You know what they say: If you don't use it, you lose it. Tommy's making me use it!
--
It's not too late to join in some sort of challenge with me! It doesn't have to be Tommy's 10-Pound Shred: it can be any exercise goal. I'd love to have some company!
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