week: +0.5
total: -72
I'm reading Tom Venuto's Feed the Muscle, Burn the Fat. The first chapter is all about motivation and goal-setting. The biggest lesson I took from that is that by changing my language, I can change my attitude, and also influence my outcomes for the better. Instead of phrasing things as "I need to..." or even from the positive "I will...," it actually tricks the mind into believing it if you say, as though from the point of view of the finished future, "I am..." or "I do...." And it doesn't have to be just about weight loss, this works for everything. "I do floss my teeth every night before bed." (I'm still working on 100% compliance on that, but I'm up to 5 nights in a row so far.)
By my motivators over there on the right, I'm still in weight-category limbo -- not firmly "overweight" anymore, but not comfortably in "normal" yet either. I've set a new goal, to be ready for Florida at spring break. Ready or not, I'll have to go.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
some good, some bad, some ugly
week: -0
total: -68
the good: gym on Sunday, tang soo do on Monday, mediocre (at best) gym on Tuesday
the bad: no working out between last Tuesday and Sunday
the ugly: the big payment we shelled out today for materials to fix the roof and interiors of our house (the remnants of Hurricane Gustav). But that's also a good.
I indulged and slept in this morning, which put me behind schedule all day. I was forced to have an abbreviated gym session. When I got to the locker room, I was horrified to realize that I had forgotten to pack a towel (no more towel service at the gym, as it costs more money than it brings in). Then I had to rush to my GP's office for my GP (general physical): clean bill of health though, assuming everything goes smoothly at my ladydoctor appt after the new year.
Ohyeah, we got promoted to fourth gup last night too -- at the next testing, we will be going for the red belt.
total: -68
the good: gym on Sunday, tang soo do on Monday, mediocre (at best) gym on Tuesday
the bad: no working out between last Tuesday and Sunday
the ugly: the big payment we shelled out today for materials to fix the roof and interiors of our house (the remnants of Hurricane Gustav). But that's also a good.
I indulged and slept in this morning, which put me behind schedule all day. I was forced to have an abbreviated gym session. When I got to the locker room, I was horrified to realize that I had forgotten to pack a towel (no more towel service at the gym, as it costs more money than it brings in). Then I had to rush to my GP's office for my GP (general physical): clean bill of health though, assuming everything goes smoothly at my ladydoctor appt after the new year.
Ohyeah, we got promoted to fourth gup last night too -- at the next testing, we will be going for the red belt.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
week 100
week: +0.5
total: -69
One hundred weeks have gone by since I started my get healthy adventure. I'm on the high side of normal for my height now, according to most online calculators. I'm supposed to meet with my doctor soon for a yearly checkup, I may ask him if the clinic has a BMI testing facility.
all the changes I've made to my life in 100 weeks, if you had told me I'd be getting up early to go to the gym, I'd have laughed in your face.
It's an evolution that has enhanced my life, that's for certain. I'm not winded when climbing the stairs to my office, my knee doesn't usually give me problems anymore.
I still have the problem of being lured in by easy meals -- I'm not such a good cook, and I'm still a slave to taste. Still fighting against that.
In a couple weeks, will be the 2-year anniversary of this journey. I will have to work hard to get to the middle range of normal, because my body seems to feel that where I am now is good enough.
When I started this, I was wearing size 24 jeans. Now my pants are in the 8-12 range (darn you clothing industry and your non-standardized pants sizes!). I never measured my body at its largest -- I just didn't want to know the worst of it. But the jeans numbers are telling enough.
total: -69
One hundred weeks have gone by since I started my get healthy adventure. I'm on the high side of normal for my height now, according to most online calculators. I'm supposed to meet with my doctor soon for a yearly checkup, I may ask him if the clinic has a BMI testing facility.
all the changes I've made to my life in 100 weeks, if you had told me I'd be getting up early to go to the gym, I'd have laughed in your face.
It's an evolution that has enhanced my life, that's for certain. I'm not winded when climbing the stairs to my office, my knee doesn't usually give me problems anymore.
I still have the problem of being lured in by easy meals -- I'm not such a good cook, and I'm still a slave to taste. Still fighting against that.
In a couple weeks, will be the 2-year anniversary of this journey. I will have to work hard to get to the middle range of normal, because my body seems to feel that where I am now is good enough.
When I started this, I was wearing size 24 jeans. Now my pants are in the 8-12 range (darn you clothing industry and your non-standardized pants sizes!). I never measured my body at its largest -- I just didn't want to know the worst of it. But the jeans numbers are telling enough.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
exercise medley
week: -2.5
total: -69
I am not deliberately making posts only when I lose weight. Rather, this fall I have become a morning exerciser, at least on Tuesday/Thursday, which greatly inhibits my Tuesday weight-loss-saga posts. So, I endeavor to improve in this as in other areas of my life.
Sunday I made a new PR in pullups: 17 with 85 pounds offset (which means I'm lifting a fraction of my own weight, I know). So this morning, I knocked it down to offset 70 pounds and I was able to do about 7 reps (working from memory here, my notebook is in the gym bag still), which is a PR too for that weight level.
I tried a new machine called an Adaptive Motion Trainer. I felt like I was training to walk in a mechanical body armor suit. The machine allows the exerciser to use whatever stride is most comfortable, from vertical stair-climbing, to long horizontal cross-country skiing (I am guessing on that last part). Anyway, my ten-minute interval session plus five-minute cool-down about killed my thighs. My knees were really aching after too, but they were aching before, so I'm not sure how much to blame the AMT. In fact, I was supposed to do sprints on the track for intervals, but after my knees started screaming while climbing the stairs to the indoor track, I changed my mind and went looking for something low-impact. The AMT is quite low-impact, at least on the lowest setting, and I felt like I was springing on a trampoline or in the moonwalk bubble from my childhood. I won't use the AMT every time (because I never use the same interval type twice in a row), but I suppose I will put it into the mix.
Tang Soo Do testing is in four and a half weeks. I think I'll be ready, but I have to prepare myself for my breaks better than I did last time around (e dan ahp cha gi and tollyo chung dan kong kyuk).
total: -69
I am not deliberately making posts only when I lose weight. Rather, this fall I have become a morning exerciser, at least on Tuesday/Thursday, which greatly inhibits my Tuesday weight-loss-saga posts. So, I endeavor to improve in this as in other areas of my life.
Sunday I made a new PR in pullups: 17 with 85 pounds offset (which means I'm lifting a fraction of my own weight, I know). So this morning, I knocked it down to offset 70 pounds and I was able to do about 7 reps (working from memory here, my notebook is in the gym bag still), which is a PR too for that weight level.
I tried a new machine called an Adaptive Motion Trainer. I felt like I was training to walk in a mechanical body armor suit. The machine allows the exerciser to use whatever stride is most comfortable, from vertical stair-climbing, to long horizontal cross-country skiing (I am guessing on that last part). Anyway, my ten-minute interval session plus five-minute cool-down about killed my thighs. My knees were really aching after too, but they were aching before, so I'm not sure how much to blame the AMT. In fact, I was supposed to do sprints on the track for intervals, but after my knees started screaming while climbing the stairs to the indoor track, I changed my mind and went looking for something low-impact. The AMT is quite low-impact, at least on the lowest setting, and I felt like I was springing on a trampoline or in the moonwalk bubble from my childhood. I won't use the AMT every time (because I never use the same interval type twice in a row), but I suppose I will put it into the mix.
Tang Soo Do testing is in four and a half weeks. I think I'll be ready, but I have to prepare myself for my breaks better than I did last time around (e dan ahp cha gi and tollyo chung dan kong kyuk).
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
September ends
week: -2.5
total: -68
In the last week I did:
Tang Soo Do twice (Wed/Sat) (with hubby)
gym twice (Tues/Thurs)
cross-campus sprint walk between my MTWR classes, took the stairs several times, etc.
super busy last week: got up early and headed to the gym, completely forgetting that I should post something here. I'm almost ready for the gym today already, but I do have a few free minutes.
I rented a locker at the gym, since I'm trying that morning workout thing, so I'd have a place to keep my shower shoes w/out lugging them back and forth (and forgetting them at home more often than not). BUT the locker rental is $90 -- while it costs $1 to rent a towel on a per need basis. Twice a week for 45 weeks to justify that expense -- and it's a service I don't really need in summer. Maybe I'll switch to semesterly after this year is up.
I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights. I'm reluctant to go to bed in the first place (why? no idea, not tired); once I'm there it takes longer than usual to drop off; then I wake up every so often in a blind panic (or from a bad dream, like Sunday night), and I'm crushed when I see that it is still dark out. I think I have to force myself to go to bed earlier, even if I don't feel tired, just to unwind and settle the brain.
total: -68
In the last week I did:
Tang Soo Do twice (Wed/Sat) (with hubby)
gym twice (Tues/Thurs)
cross-campus sprint walk between my MTWR classes, took the stairs several times, etc.
super busy last week: got up early and headed to the gym, completely forgetting that I should post something here. I'm almost ready for the gym today already, but I do have a few free minutes.
I rented a locker at the gym, since I'm trying that morning workout thing, so I'd have a place to keep my shower shoes w/out lugging them back and forth (and forgetting them at home more often than not). BUT the locker rental is $90 -- while it costs $1 to rent a towel on a per need basis. Twice a week for 45 weeks to justify that expense -- and it's a service I don't really need in summer. Maybe I'll switch to semesterly after this year is up.
I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights. I'm reluctant to go to bed in the first place (why? no idea, not tired); once I'm there it takes longer than usual to drop off; then I wake up every so often in a blind panic (or from a bad dream, like Sunday night), and I'm crushed when I see that it is still dark out. I think I have to force myself to go to bed earlier, even if I don't feel tired, just to unwind and settle the brain.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
ready to return to normalcy
week: +1.5
total: -67.5
Another week of hectic weather and hence sporadic exercise. Tang Soo Do school opened again last Wednesday, but then we were feeling the effects of Ike, even this far away, and I didn't want to go out on Friday or Saturday. So. I did make it back to the gym this morning, and managed 8 assisted pullups (not a PR but exciting since it had been so long since my last attempt).
total: -67.5
Another week of hectic weather and hence sporadic exercise. Tang Soo Do school opened again last Wednesday, but then we were feeling the effects of Ike, even this far away, and I didn't want to go out on Friday or Saturday. So. I did make it back to the gym this morning, and managed 8 assisted pullups (not a PR but exciting since it had been so long since my last attempt).
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
not quite normal
week: -3.5
total: -69
According to my milestones on the right column, I'm in the gray area between "overweight" (150) and "normal" (145). I don't necessarily like how I've achieved it here recently (see The Gustav Diet), but that plateau was pretty heinous, and I'm glad for breaking it.
Life is in turmoil here, and we have not practiced Tang Soo Do in over a week, nor have we been to the gym. We are planning to change that this afternoon and do something after work, and try to start getting back to normal, even as we keep waiting for the power to come back on.
total: -69
According to my milestones on the right column, I'm in the gray area between "overweight" (150) and "normal" (145). I don't necessarily like how I've achieved it here recently (see The Gustav Diet), but that plateau was pretty heinous, and I'm glad for breaking it.
Life is in turmoil here, and we have not practiced Tang Soo Do in over a week, nor have we been to the gym. We are planning to change that this afternoon and do something after work, and try to start getting back to normal, even as we keep waiting for the power to come back on.
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