Justin's post
So here I am posting at about 1:20 a.m. I don't know what I was thinking, but I tried to do too many things tonight. Here is a brief rundown of what I did tonight: ate dinner with the family, worked on my pinewood derby car*, had a teleconference to wrap up a few details for a business trip I'm taking next week, watched the first round of the NFL draft**, did laundry to prepare for my business trip next week, exercised on the elliptical, and did some last minute cleaning in preparation for garbage pick-up tomorrow morning. At the moment I'm posting as I wait for my laundry to finish so I can put on nice clean pajamas (and underwear) after I shower. Then I'm definitely going to bed.
*Yes, for those who are familiar, the pinewood derby is a cub scout activity where they race little wooden cars that they build down a track. Well, sometimes grownups can have fun activities like that too, thank you very much. And we can use way cooler power tools than the cub scouts can. Sometimes its just better to be a grown up!
**My Green Bay Packers took linebacker Nick Perry from USC. Seems like a decent pick, especially for a team desperate for a pass rusher to compliment Clay Matthews. Lets hope Perry is half as good as his fellow Trojan.
What I was proud of today
Not taking seconds at dinner yesterday.
What I wasn't proud of today
Wish I could say the same thing for today.
Track of the day
Fall to Pieces - Velvet Revolver
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Mind Over Matter
Justin's post
If you look back to my post from a week ago it could easily be identical to today's if I wanted. It turns out I have a real issue with Kim's Yummy Mondays--I eat way too much. Again I ate too much and didn't feel well enough to exercise on Monday. But like last week I made up for it the next day (today) by having a good run and eating sensible portions.
The title of the post really refers to my run today. I had an awesome time running the half marathon and today I was really itching to get outside and do some more running. The weather was great and I had been feeling good--just a little soreness from the 13.1 miles. So I started out on my normal 5 mile run and discovered that my legs were in complete rebellion! They seemed to resist every motion I made. They had felt a little stiff, but I stretched and everything so I figured I'd be fine. But I realized that this was going to be a run that I would have to endure. Mind over matter is easier said than done, but when you succeed in forcing yourself to do something hard you grow and become a stronger person. The good thing was that eventually my legs loosened up and I had a great run.
I am a big NFL fan and I always read Sports Illustrated writer Peter King's columns. A while ago he ran a half marathon and one of his takeaways from the experience resonated with me. Link
What I was proud of today
Forcing myself to keep running even when my tired legs made it very difficult.
What I wasn't proud of today
Eating too much to exercise yesterday.
Track of the day
Story of My Life - Social Distortion
If you look back to my post from a week ago it could easily be identical to today's if I wanted. It turns out I have a real issue with Kim's Yummy Mondays--I eat way too much. Again I ate too much and didn't feel well enough to exercise on Monday. But like last week I made up for it the next day (today) by having a good run and eating sensible portions.
The title of the post really refers to my run today. I had an awesome time running the half marathon and today I was really itching to get outside and do some more running. The weather was great and I had been feeling good--just a little soreness from the 13.1 miles. So I started out on my normal 5 mile run and discovered that my legs were in complete rebellion! They seemed to resist every motion I made. They had felt a little stiff, but I stretched and everything so I figured I'd be fine. But I realized that this was going to be a run that I would have to endure. Mind over matter is easier said than done, but when you succeed in forcing yourself to do something hard you grow and become a stronger person. The good thing was that eventually my legs loosened up and I had a great run.
I am a big NFL fan and I always read Sports Illustrated writer Peter King's columns. A while ago he ran a half marathon and one of his takeaways from the experience resonated with me. Link
The side benefit is I came to realize how eminently doable a very hard physical task is. When I've watched runners most of my life, I've thought how out of reach what they were doing was. Saturday proved to me it's not.This is exactly how I felt. I'm not an amazing runner and was thrilled to finish the half marathon in just over 2 hours. I actually finished 60th out of 74 runners in my age and gender group. But that's fine. The point is taking on something difficult, seeing in through, and growing as a person by doing it.
What I was proud of today
Forcing myself to keep running even when my tired legs made it very difficult.
What I wasn't proud of today
Eating too much to exercise yesterday.
Track of the day
Story of My Life - Social Distortion
Sunday, April 22, 2012
2:02! (Weekly Weigh-In 3)
Kimberly:
188.6
Justin:
195.0
Where we were:
Kimberly Justin
4/1/12 190.2 200.0
4/8/12 191.2 199.2
4/15/12 189.2 197.0
what we're going for:
Our Goals in Numbers
Kimberly:
Optimum BMI - 19-25
Optimum Weight - 135
Justin:
Optimum BMI - 20-25
Optimum Weight - 150
Justin's Post
2:02!!! That's right, I ran the half marathon with a time of 2 hours and 2 minutes. If you can't tell I'm pretty darn happy about it. Yesterday I wrote about being nervous and it all turned out okay. Better than okay. I don't think I've ever felt as good about a race as I did today. My knee didn't bother me at all and the wrinkled up bib was a non-issue (for the life of me I couldn't remember what to call it in my post yesterday--number card = bib).
I started out running with my co-worker, but as I mentioned she was too fast for me, so after mile 3 I was on my own. But that was fine, especially considering that she helped me set a really good pace for myself--fast enough to be somewhat challenging, but not so fast that I would wear myself out. The weather was nice, but chilly with some wind. There were a couple of spots where I was a tad cold, but that was fine and I was never too warm which really would be a worse problem. The gatorade for most of the race was really watered down which was disappointing, but not a big deal. I ended up not taking any of the hammer gel (carbohydrate gel) because I didn't think I would need it, but I did take a banana at about mile 7. Around mile 10 I started wishing that I had taken the gel, but luckily the next gatorade station had a much more generous ratio of mix to water. The last gatorade station a little before mile 12 also had a generous mix and they had lemon-lime, which is my absolute favorite gatorade flavor. It almost felt like I could feel the sugar entering my system and I kicked it up a notch for rest of the race. I felt great, I had a ton of energy, and I was passing people--it was awesome. Once I saw the finish line I started sprinting. I turned the corner and saw the clock with maybe 20 yards to go and it read 2:02:14! I was so shocked that the time was that low that I almost wanted to cry. My goal had been to average 10 minutes per mile which would have meant a time of about 2:10, so beating my goal by 8 minutes was awesome. I ended up averaging about 9:15 per mile which is awesome for me. In short, I couldn't be happier.
What I was proud of today
Hmmm, maybe completely shattering my half marathon goal?
What I wasn't proud of today
I ran a half marathon today. I don't have any regrets.
Track of the day
I Hope You Dance - LeAnn Womack
Right after I finished the race 'The Show Goes On' came on my iPod which completely matched my mood and felt awesome, but I featured that song the other day. 'I Hope You Dance' is a good inspiring song too that I enjoyed midway through the race.
Hey, yeah, so remember last week when I said I am HORRIBLE about exercise? I wasn't kidding. It's ridiculous. I let myself have an easy week, blaming time constraints and busyness. Which is awful. I mean, being busy is nothing new. If I wait for time to just open up, I'll never get on the elliptical or my bike. I certainly can't run a half marathon thanks to my knees and my asthma, but that's no excuse for doing pretty much nothing. I walked with the kids ONCE and I counted playing with them at the park (since I wasn't just sitting on a bench like normal, but actually chasing them around). It's not anything I'm proud of. In fact, just the opposite.
I continue to do really well with portion control and limiting my snacking, which is my only saving grace. I had been doing well with laying off the sweets - and I do believe that was a goal of mine for this week? - but I totally fell down on the job there. Oreos. Enough said. (They were a Friday Girl's Night treat).
Can I do better? Of course. Let's reiterate the goals I set for the week:
eating/food: No snacking after 7. AND, no sweets.
(Ok, I only did HALF good with this goal.)
exercise: Gosh darn it - exercise at least 20 minutes every single day. Yeah.
(Ok, I did NO good with this goal.
So. This week. Well, I've decided to stick with my eating/food goals. I'm also going to add one. This goes hand in hand with portion control, so I think I can manage it. Pay close attention to serving size. I'd like to add "pay more attention to the food pyramid", but I think I'll save that for next week since it's something I'd like to look into more before I start it.
I've also decided that if I say some kind of general goal for the week like "exercise at least 20 minutes a day", it's not good enough. I have to have a specific daily goal, so it feels more mandatory and I can check it off the to-do list. So, I've put together what I think is accomplishable by day. Monday - elliptical for 30 minutes. Tuesday - nice, loooong walk with the kiddos. Wednesday - elliptical for 30 minutes. Thursday - jump rope, crunches, etc. Friday - bike ride. Saturday - walk or bike ride.
So there it is, all written out. Now I have to do it. It's like a non-negotiable contract.
This weeks goals:
eating/food: No snacking after 7. No sweets (except for Yummy Monday). Pay close attention to serving size.
exercise: Follow the daily exercise plan.
So, the good news is that even with all the laziness, excuses and flubbing it, I still lost some weight. Not a ton, but a tiny bit. At least I didn't go up, which is what I was expecting. I attribute this only to watching my snacking and not having seconds. The sad news about this? Well, just think how awesome I could do if I actually tried a bit more???
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Wish Me Luck
Justin's post
First of all I'm terrible for not posting for the last few days. It's no excuse, but I've had a really busy week. More about that later. The second thing is that I'm running a half marathon tomorrow! In case you can't tell, that's both an excited and scared exclamation point. I've run a few races before and they're a lot of fun. It's actually very different from a normal run because with all the people there is a real sense of excitement. There is also the competitive element although as far back as I run everyone is pretty much competing against themselves. I plan on meeting up with one of my co-workers who is also running, but I expect that she'll be ahead of me most of the race. So I'm pretty excited for the race. At the same time I'm nervous because my knee started hurting randomly today. There was no injury or anything, just out of the blue it started hurting. I'm really hoping that it will feel better in the morning. And a point of frustration: I came home today with my race packet including my number card which has a computer chip they use to record your starting and finishing times. My 4-year-old got ahold of the number card and crumpled it up. I'm really hoping the computer chip wasn't damaged. So I'm really excited and nervous to run the half marathon tomorrow. Wish me luck!
As I mentioned, this week has been really busy for me. I work for a large multi-national company and lately I've had a lot of late night teleconferences with colleagues in Korea, China, Singapore, etc. I still managed to find time to exercise most nights, but I was obviously lousy at finding time to post. Wednesday night I played basketball, Thursday I failed to exercise, and Friday I used the elliptical. Today I decided to count mowing the lawn and other yard work as exercise. I think that should be kosher considering that according to Calorie Count mowing the lawn should burn about 408 calories per hour. Also, I didn't want to do anything too extreme considering that I'm running a half marathon tomorrow. So I think I did reasonably well this week all things considered.
What I was proud of today
I think I was smart yesterday to get my exercise in early. We try to get out and do something fun as a family on Friday nights, which can make it hard to get the exercise time in. Knowing I would have this issue, I made sure to spend 30 minutes on the elliptical shortly after getting home from work.
What I wasn't proud of today
Missing exercise on Thursday. I had a teleconference until about 9:30, and then I lost track of time watching something on TV. I certainly could have at least done some sit-ups and pushups when I was watching TV.
Track of the day
Out On the Town - Fun.
First of all I'm terrible for not posting for the last few days. It's no excuse, but I've had a really busy week. More about that later. The second thing is that I'm running a half marathon tomorrow! In case you can't tell, that's both an excited and scared exclamation point. I've run a few races before and they're a lot of fun. It's actually very different from a normal run because with all the people there is a real sense of excitement. There is also the competitive element although as far back as I run everyone is pretty much competing against themselves. I plan on meeting up with one of my co-workers who is also running, but I expect that she'll be ahead of me most of the race. So I'm pretty excited for the race. At the same time I'm nervous because my knee started hurting randomly today. There was no injury or anything, just out of the blue it started hurting. I'm really hoping that it will feel better in the morning. And a point of frustration: I came home today with my race packet including my number card which has a computer chip they use to record your starting and finishing times. My 4-year-old got ahold of the number card and crumpled it up. I'm really hoping the computer chip wasn't damaged. So I'm really excited and nervous to run the half marathon tomorrow. Wish me luck!
As I mentioned, this week has been really busy for me. I work for a large multi-national company and lately I've had a lot of late night teleconferences with colleagues in Korea, China, Singapore, etc. I still managed to find time to exercise most nights, but I was obviously lousy at finding time to post. Wednesday night I played basketball, Thursday I failed to exercise, and Friday I used the elliptical. Today I decided to count mowing the lawn and other yard work as exercise. I think that should be kosher considering that according to Calorie Count mowing the lawn should burn about 408 calories per hour. Also, I didn't want to do anything too extreme considering that I'm running a half marathon tomorrow. So I think I did reasonably well this week all things considered.
What I was proud of today
I think I was smart yesterday to get my exercise in early. We try to get out and do something fun as a family on Friday nights, which can make it hard to get the exercise time in. Knowing I would have this issue, I made sure to spend 30 minutes on the elliptical shortly after getting home from work.
What I wasn't proud of today
Missing exercise on Thursday. I had a teleconference until about 9:30, and then I lost track of time watching something on TV. I certainly could have at least done some sit-ups and pushups when I was watching TV.
Track of the day
Out On the Town - Fun.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
A Tale of Two Days
Justin's post
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... At least that's how the past two days seem like looking back on them. Yesterday was one of the worst I've had since starting this weight loss journey, and today was significantly better.
Yesterday was a perfect storm for tempting food and I lost all will power. First of all, one of my colleagues at work is transferring to a position out of the country and we went to a Mexican restaurant for a send-off lunch. So I had a typical Mexican restaurant meal for lunch that was probably in the neighborhood of 1000 calories, which is a good 700 more than I usually have for lunch. Then for dinner Kim made this, and this dessert. The main course is meant to be healthy and I'm sure it is assuming you eat a reasonable portion, but I had seconds and thirds and fourths and... Well, I sure hope I didn't have more than that but all the helpings have blurred together in my mind, so I can't be sure. And since I felt so bloated from eating so much I really didn't feel well enough to exercise. Maybe I should have risked throwing up, but I didn't.
Today was much better. I ate reasonable portions for all meals and then I had a great run tonight. I've gone running more times than I can remember and I've learned that there is a huge variety in the quality of runs. Sometimes I feel awesome, have a ton of energy, run fast, and its amazing. Other times I'm sluggish, stiff, slow, and just feel 'blah.' The really aggravating thing is that I often have no idea why I feel a certain way. If I knew what caused my awesome runs then I'd know how to reproduce them and I'd be superman. But I haven't been able to find a common thread. So thats just a long way of saying that I had an awesome run tonight and I have no idea what I did to make it that way.
What I was proud of today
I think I'm doing a much better job of working with Kim to get my exercise in. In the past I've kind of just expected her to support me in my exercising and I've just told her that I'm going running. Period. And off I went. Lately I've been scheduling it with her to make sure it fits into her day and her exercise needs.
What I wasn't proud of today
Just look at what I wrote about yesterday.
Interesting factoid
The planet Venus is the brightest object in the sky except for the sun and moon. Its so bright that an Air Canada pilot recently thought it was another plane and dove to miss it. Luckily the co-pilot wasn't fooled and quickly righted the plane, but several passengers were thrown to the ceiling and back as the plane dove and corrected. I read that this morning and was thinking about it as I stared at Venus during my run tonight.
Track of the day
We Will Rock You - Queen
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... At least that's how the past two days seem like looking back on them. Yesterday was one of the worst I've had since starting this weight loss journey, and today was significantly better.
Yesterday was a perfect storm for tempting food and I lost all will power. First of all, one of my colleagues at work is transferring to a position out of the country and we went to a Mexican restaurant for a send-off lunch. So I had a typical Mexican restaurant meal for lunch that was probably in the neighborhood of 1000 calories, which is a good 700 more than I usually have for lunch. Then for dinner Kim made this, and this dessert. The main course is meant to be healthy and I'm sure it is assuming you eat a reasonable portion, but I had seconds and thirds and fourths and... Well, I sure hope I didn't have more than that but all the helpings have blurred together in my mind, so I can't be sure. And since I felt so bloated from eating so much I really didn't feel well enough to exercise. Maybe I should have risked throwing up, but I didn't.
Today was much better. I ate reasonable portions for all meals and then I had a great run tonight. I've gone running more times than I can remember and I've learned that there is a huge variety in the quality of runs. Sometimes I feel awesome, have a ton of energy, run fast, and its amazing. Other times I'm sluggish, stiff, slow, and just feel 'blah.' The really aggravating thing is that I often have no idea why I feel a certain way. If I knew what caused my awesome runs then I'd know how to reproduce them and I'd be superman. But I haven't been able to find a common thread. So thats just a long way of saying that I had an awesome run tonight and I have no idea what I did to make it that way.
What I was proud of today
I think I'm doing a much better job of working with Kim to get my exercise in. In the past I've kind of just expected her to support me in my exercising and I've just told her that I'm going running. Period. And off I went. Lately I've been scheduling it with her to make sure it fits into her day and her exercise needs.
What I wasn't proud of today
Just look at what I wrote about yesterday.
Interesting factoid
The planet Venus is the brightest object in the sky except for the sun and moon. Its so bright that an Air Canada pilot recently thought it was another plane and dove to miss it. Luckily the co-pilot wasn't fooled and quickly righted the plane, but several passengers were thrown to the ceiling and back as the plane dove and corrected. I read that this morning and was thinking about it as I stared at Venus during my run tonight.
Track of the day
We Will Rock You - Queen
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Weekly Weigh-In TWO
Ready for it?
Kimberly:
189.2
woo-hoo!
Justin:
197.0
Where we were:
Kimberly Justin
4/1/12 190.2 200.0
4/8/12 191.2 199.2
what we're going for:
Our Goals in Numbers
Kimberly:
Optimum BMI - 19-25
Optimum Weight - 135
Justin:
Optimum BMI - 20-25
Optimum Weight - 150
Justin's post
Well I feel great. I think this has been a great week for me. I followed my plan for the most part and I'm starting to see some results. Soon I plan to write all about my weight history, but I don't really want to get into that tonight. Suffice it to say that I've been a real yo-yo when it comes to my weight. I know I can lose weight when I'm motivated so I really haven't had any doubts the past couple of weeks that I would be able to do this, but I really need to stay motivated. Seeing some progress and losing a few pounds really helps.
Tonight I exercised on the elliptical and that went well enough. As I've mentioned before, I really prefer running outside. It feels a lot more peaceful and relaxing to me outside, plus I can SEE the progress and the scenery changes. Another thing is that when I go running outside I end up committed to the run. For example if I run 4 miles away from my house or car I have no choice but to run or walk back. I don't have that on an elliptical or treadmill, so I'm constantly tempted to end my workout before I should. So I usually try to pay as little attention to the display or else I'll end up staring at the ticker the whole time willing time to tick away so I can finish. Which is probably the worst way to enjoy a workout. I guess thats just a quirky thing about me.
What I was proud of today
Sticking to my exercise plan and losing almost 2 pounds this week
What I wasn't proud of today
I still need to figure out my eating. Sometimes I do really well and sometimes I lose all control. I did not do well at dinner tonight.
Track of the day
Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
Ok, ok, ok. I SUCK at this exercise thing. I do. Arg! What I think is so funny about this whole process is learning just how opposite Justin and I are. I mean, I knew we were. But I see it in so many other ways now... for instance, he has serious motivation when it comes to exercise AND he actually enjoys it. But he's got issues with food and self control. I, on the other hand, feel like weeping at the thought of physical exertion. BUT, I have been able to do pretty well about curbing my eating.
I discovered this week that I think I could enjoy walking. I have long been of the opinion that exercise is AWFUL. AWFUL! But I went on a long walk with my kids this week - about three blocks (and they're big blocks out where we live) and I wasn't dying by the end of it. I got home and I actually had the stamina to make us dinner before Justin arrived home from his run. I liked looking at all the flowers and the weather was really nice. I loved pointing things out to my kids and watching them get excited over funny things like sticks. I didn't even mind pushing the stroller with my daughter in it. Now, the whining and crying and moaning of my four yr old on his bike? That I could have done without. I'm thinking that walking time can be "me" time... take an ipod, do some deep thinking... I might start to like it as much as Justin likes running!
Here's a review of my weekly goals from last week.
eating/food - Stop eating by 7:00.
I did so well with this! I was tempted on numerous occasions to go snack at night. My tummy even grumbled a few times. But every time I wandered into the kitchen I'd get myself a tall glass of water or a short glass of milk. That's it. And it helped! Bonus? I drank more water than normal! Woo-hoo! I also feel like I was eating more reasonable portions.
exercise/activity - Exercise a bare minimum of 20 minutes every single day.
Ok, well, I've mentioned already - I sucked at this. I DID go for a bike ride once. I jump roped for a while on Wednesday, but it was FRIGID and I wanted inside. I went for a loooong walk with the kids (whining, fussing, crying and all) on Thursday. Tonight I ran on the elliptical for half an hour. I almost died, but I ran on the elliptical for an hour. So, I did 3 out of 7 days (I'm not really counting the jump rope). Not awesome. Better than before, though.
So. For this week, I've decided to keep working on these same goals (to really make them stick) and I'm adding another to my eating/food category. This week's goals look like this:
eating/food: No snacking after 7. AND, no sweets (except for dessert tomorrow night. Hey, it's my mom's birthday dinner!) I have a serious weakness for baked goods of all kinds - but especially donuts, cake and muffins. After I drop the older kids at preschool, I often take my daughter to the nearby gas station to get two donuts for us. First of all, what a horrible food example I'm setting! Second of all, I just have to knock it off. So that's the catalyst for this goal.
exercise: Gosh darn it - exercise at least 20 minutes every single day. Yeah.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
10 Miles
Justin's post
I've mentioned before that I'm working up to running a half marathon in the near future. The date of the race is April 22, which is week from tomorrow. Today was an important step toward that goal since I hadn't had many long distance training runs lately. I decided that if I could run 10 miles without incident today that I would be in good shape to run 13.1 miles in a week and would go ahead and sign up. I'm happy to say that I ran 10 miles and it went well for the most part.
When you run long distances you need to replenish your fluids, electrolytes, and calories or you'll have problems. I usually draw the line at over 8 miles and wear a Nathan brand hydration belt. The down side to wearing a belt is that they can be heavy when full of fluids, and they can jiggle and chafe. My belt is pretty good, but is susceptible to these problems. So when I saw that the weather was supposed to be in the 50's and breezy I decided to risk it today. Unfortunately it turned out to be a lot warmer than I expected and I realized I was really thirsty when I had about 2 miles to go. I made it back fine, but I won't make the same mistake again! The lousy part is that I have been insanely thirsty the whole day. I keep drinking but it doesn't seem like I can get enough.
What I was proud of today
Running 10 miles... or had I already mentioned that?
What I wasn't proud of today
I'll admit that I forgot to exercise yesterday
Track of the day
Secrets - OneRepublic
I've mentioned before that I'm working up to running a half marathon in the near future. The date of the race is April 22, which is week from tomorrow. Today was an important step toward that goal since I hadn't had many long distance training runs lately. I decided that if I could run 10 miles without incident today that I would be in good shape to run 13.1 miles in a week and would go ahead and sign up. I'm happy to say that I ran 10 miles and it went well for the most part.
When you run long distances you need to replenish your fluids, electrolytes, and calories or you'll have problems. I usually draw the line at over 8 miles and wear a Nathan brand hydration belt. The down side to wearing a belt is that they can be heavy when full of fluids, and they can jiggle and chafe. My belt is pretty good, but is susceptible to these problems. So when I saw that the weather was supposed to be in the 50's and breezy I decided to risk it today. Unfortunately it turned out to be a lot warmer than I expected and I realized I was really thirsty when I had about 2 miles to go. I made it back fine, but I won't make the same mistake again! The lousy part is that I have been insanely thirsty the whole day. I keep drinking but it doesn't seem like I can get enough.
What I was proud of today
Running 10 miles... or had I already mentioned that?
What I wasn't proud of today
I'll admit that I forgot to exercise yesterday
Track of the day
Secrets - OneRepublic
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