Fear of Exercise

Yep, folks - i've got it bad... Fear of exercise. woke up in a sweat just thinking about it... Not waking up to my alarm clock, just so i don't have to do it!!! i do realize it's holding me back. i'm not exactly sure what i'm afraid of - i suspect that i'm afraid of injuring myself and never getting in shape (isn't that a roundabout way of thinking...) or maybe afraid of just plain hurting - even though i always recover pretty quickly. its been difficult getting my runs in the AM because its hard to get up early and its hard to go to bed early (ok - "challenging")!! and i do want to be at work before 9:30 - because i feel like everyone looks at me funny when i come in at 10 - even if i worked until 9PM last night!! so i just have to 1) pat myself on the back every time i get it done, 2) be gentle with myself when i can't, and 3) kick my own ass when i'm too gentle on myself - man, all 3 are most important!!! i smudged and meditated this morning - Yay me!

So - anyone interested in doing the Palo Alto Weekly - Moonlight Run with me?
I'm up for a 5K!! Friday, September 28th.
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/moonlight_run/index-before.php
We rock!!

Past Week

So here are my stats:

• Monday: Overall my eating was pretty good.  I didn't get enough water or protein though.  It was a rest day, so I didn't do any training, except for a 20 minute walk in the park for the doggie.
• Tuesday: Eating was a little higher than my upper limit.  I did do a 2.25 mile run and then did an upper body weight session.
• Wednesday: I ate too many fats and not enough protein.  I went to the gym and did 30 minutes of cross training on the bike.
• Thursday: A little high on the calorie intake and again, not enough protein.  I did 2 miles of running and a lower body weight session.
• Friday: Way too many calories.  Kevin came home and surprised me with In-N-Out for dinner!  I should've just had the cheeseburger and I would've been fine, but no, I ate the fries!  I found out the burger and fries were almost 1000 calories. I ate too much and I felt bad, but was ready to go to the gym on Saturday.
• Saturday: Eating went well.  Kevin and I went to a BBQ and I didn't stuff my face!  Sometimes awkward social situations make me eat more, but I refrained and made myself talk to Kevin's labmates.  I started out the morning with a good workout.  I did 30 minutes of biking and 10 minutes of rowing and finished off my gym session with an upper body weight session.

Next week's goals:

1. Drink more water!
2. Eat more protein.
3. Don't eat In-N-Out

I also wanted to let you guys know of a really great site that I've been using: sparkpeople.com I have been using it to track my caloric intake and exercise session.  You can set a lot of nutrition goals and exercise goals and it's has a lot of valuable information.  I am using it to track my calorie intake, fat, carb, protein, fiber and water intake.  You can even get weekly meal plans and exercise plans based on what you like or don't like.  So if you're vegan, you can get a weeks meal plan made for you that is in your calorie intake range and the other ranges you've set your for yourself.  I really think you guys should check it out if you want to keep track of what your eating and in my case, not eating (damn protein).

How was your week?

So I'm spinning positive on this one

And saying that if it works one way, its gonna work the other - I'm really glad my friends are totally fit and active peoples that inspire ME to get fit and active! Thank you dears. :-)

When one person LOSES weight, their close friends tend to LOSE weight, too, Amy found.

Yesterday

I really didn't feel like running. I felt really sluggish, like my legs were made of stone. I didn't have a good run on Thursday. (see "Couragement"). Friday was swimming and Saturday hiking. Both good workouts, but not running. SO, yesterday I decided to go out and do 3 miles, running 2 & walking 1. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it, but I even exceeded my goal. Yay. I walked .5 mile (warm-up), ran 1 mile, quick bathroom break, ran 1 more mile and decided just before I reached the end of mile 2 that I was going to go a little further...to the stop sign I saw ahead, then realized the stop sign was in the middle of a hill so I might as well keep going until it flattens out. When I got to the top, I realized I had covered another quarter mile. AND, most importantly, there was the noticeable difference that my lungs were having an easier time than usual. That was great.

I'm not experiencing "pain" in my knee, but one of them does feel like it's taking a bit more abuse than the other. I know there are things I can do as far as getting better shoes, and stretching and such. But I also wonder if anyone that used to live in this area...ahem...I guess that means most of you...would know any good places to run "off road". I want to run more often, but also want to alternate on a softer surface while my joints get more and more used to the impact. Any suggestions?

Monday Check In

Hello Everyone!
How was your weekend? What are your training goals for the week? How is your training going?

I went on a long hike Saturday with Tom and Chris and Shelly - fun. Hot. Ate pretty extravagantly all weekend.

Tom and I took all our measurements this morning, and figured out our lean body mass and how much fat we want to lose to get to our goal weights. I have 27 lbs of fat to lose to be at my goal and maintain my lean body mass and get to my ideal BF%. That is going to be achievable provided I continue exercising AND continue to address my food intake. Small changes though - I'm focusing on frequent small meals and I am well aware that alcohol doesn't do anything good for weightloss. So, this past weekend I ate off 2 days and I really felt the difference - mainly in my attitude. One free day is enough to throw me off track for the next day, and two days off makes it really hard to motivate. Plus going back to the gym this morning felt like I was starting completely over. So, one free day from now on.

On the other hand, I DID get up this morning and went to the gym and worked my back and chest and walked a mile on the treadmill and did some ab exercises. I also am working today, so that's some more physical exercise.

Lastly, I voraciously read the last Harry Potter book, so I'm sure I burned a bunch of glucose thinking so hard. :-)

couragement

discouragement:

I was reminded yesterday on my run/walk how important it is to eat, hydrate, sleep well. I'm sure I didn't get enough good sleep, and I KNOW I didn't eat often or enough. Same with hydration. And it was HARD. I started out pretty good, but before I was halfway through, I was already crashing. I did have water with me but had not had enough throughout the day. I barely ate anything during the day. My energy was totally zapped. The last 2 miles (of 4 total) were mostly walking with bursts of running, but I rested when needed and pushed when I could. Most importantly, I finished. Stretched.

encouragement:
So after my exhausting (but OMG, West Cliff is f'ing beautiful) run/walk. Although feeling discouraged by my performance, I found some encouragement. In the shower. My apologies if it's too much info, but it made me laugh out loud..and feel better about my overall progress. So...as I was lathering my arse in the shower, I noticed a firm mass in the middle of my buttock. For a split second, I wondered what the hell was wrong with my arse...before I realized that was MUSCLE! Sure enough...there was another to match on the other side. Whoo hoo!

So despite my discouraging workout, and even though my arse and I have a way to go...I still feel good about my own personal progress. So I'll be out there this weekend enjoying the fabulous weather and some exercise! Ahem...if anyone wants to join me....

Quote of the Day

"How you do anything in your life is how you do everything in your life." - various people


What does this mean for me? As y'all know, I'm actively engaged in energy shifting - for my clients, for myself, for the world. And what I have noticed is that the same pervasive energy shows up in multiple areas of everyone's life. Now what "energy" or emotion shows up in your life may be different than mine, but pay attention to what kind of energy is showing up in YOUR life. None of us operate in a vacuum, and no one area of our lives is truly separate from the rest - every part of our lives, every action, every experience is joined by the common thread of the Self that is experiencing it. So, rather than focusing solely on the specifics of changing the immediate situation, if you find yourself in a rut, look deeper - what is the common thread that is showing up here that shows up elsewhere in your life?

And, to approach this from an affirming viewpoint, pay attention to the means by which you start changing the REST of your life when you change one area. One of the common themes of Body For Life participants that always inspired ME, is this realization that although they started the contest to win money and lose weight and get fit, the positive repercussions of setting and attaining goals spilled over to every area of their lives. The way they did one thing in their life became the way they did ALL things in their lives.

This is how we shift - one step at a time, one choice at a time, one day at a time, until we have become who we set out to be. Each mouthful is a choice, each workout is a choice, each stretch is a choice, each drug is a choice, everything we choose to focus our energy on is a choice we are making - every time. That can be overwhelming or it can be empowering. And that's also a choice! ;-)

Choosing health and salmon today. Love you all - AMY

My First Time

So I finally gave in...I signed up for a gmail account. It's not the best email address, but I think it will serve it's purposes. Hi folks, it me, chinky nutts!

I've been reading the past entries and have become encouraged with all that you guys are writing. It is so great to read what everyone is doing for their half marathon training. Now that I've read what you are up to, I feel like I should start off my first post with how I've been doing with my training.

I started a few months ago and decided to aim for a 5K goal. I've meet that and now I'm training for a 10K goal. To solidify my 5K goal I am going to run the Ryka 5k race. I'm not shooting for a best time, but just completing the race all the way without walking. I'll sign up for a 10K within a few weeks to help me solidify that goal. After that, I'll be training half marathon style.

I was bummed a few weeks ago as I was having some medical issues. Some wacky virus attacked my head and I was having all kinds of issues. But now I'm back on track and back in the groove that is running.

I'm thinking about getting a massage this weekend. My hammies are killing me! Amy, know any good stretches to loosen up those hammies?

Also, I've been running three days a week and doing 50 minute training weight training sessions three times a week. I walk my dog every day for about 30 minutes, even after my workouts, so I feel like I'm really getting my exercise ya-ya's out. Sundays are my long walk/hike days and yoga, if I can squeeze it in. Wednesday's are my off days and I don't do much of anything after work.

My eating has been alright. It's really hard to resist all the great fruit that is in season right now. My local farmers market has a lot of delicious stuff right now and I find that I am telling myself that fruit is good for me, that and frozen yogurt. I need suggestions for dinner ideas. The chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli is getting old

I think that's about it now. I'm so excited that all of us are doing this together. This is awesome! I only hope that I can provide some sort of inspiration and help other through this training adventure.

I'll add a quote...

Here's one I like. And it's a good reminder to challenge yourself.

"The only person standing in my way is me; and I think I can beat her."
--unknown

Accountability Partnerships

Hello dears,
I was talking to both Teresa AND Tom about this yesterday, so I thought I'd bring the concept to the table. Have you heard of having an Accountability Partner? The idea behind this kind of relationship is that making specific commitments helps all of us to achieve our goals. These are YOUR goals, and you determine what they are. An accountability partner is someone with whom you have an agreement to follow up on your progress in achieving your goals. Together you and your accountability partner make an agreement of what kind of help you would like, and what you may need help on to achieve your goals and they agree to be a sounding board for your progress.

You may choose to make a list of your goals, some specific parameters that let you know if you've reached those goals, steps to take to achieve them, and timelines to be met to keep you on track. If you know that you operate well from a weekly confessional, or need someone to question you about your progress, this is the time to express that. What would help you to reach your goal?

Your accountability partner is not there to judge you or berate you. They are also not there to set the terms of your success - only YOU do that. But what an accountability partner CAN do is help you to give expression to your goals, and to give the extra accountability that you need to achieve those goals. Although you will set the terms by which you are supported, I would encourage you to commit to at least a trial time period to receive the support - maybe 6 weeks? That is enough time to see the results of your labor, and to not immediately quit based on your old patterns showing up.

So... does anybody need an accountability partner? If its me, let me know. If its everyone, this is a great forum for that kind of support! I'm looking forward to helping and being helped, people!

BTW, Lisa (in San Diego, you all know her) is going to be joining us here at 6 Months 13 Miles Unlimited Potential ASAP. Her signon is chinky_nutts.

Quote of the Day

So I dunno if we'll really do this everyday, but.... I was talking with a friend of mine about health and a book she is reading called "How We Die" and it talks about how everything we put into our body is a choice we are making to die or live. And that resonates with something I've been focusing on recently - my undetermined mortality. I've decided I don't want to get old and I don't want to die. I have no desire to be creaky, wrinkled, immobile, incontinent or in pain. I'm not buying into it any more. That's it people. Every moment, every second, every action, every inaction is a choice and I am making the choice to LIVE and LIVE WELL. So the quote today is this:

"It comes down a simple choice, really. Either get busy living, or get busy dying."
- Andy Dufresne (Shawshank Redemption)

So lets get busy living people!!!

Quote of the Day

This is now going to be a new feature - which everyone must contribute to! Hahaha. But I did like this quote:

Don't borrow someone else's spectacles to view yourself with.
Simon Travaglia

Checking in, etc.

Hello all. Checking in. Had some days off for camping last week, but we ended up getting in some good exercise too. A moderate 5 mile hike and some arm/back exercise from tubing down the river. Not to mention the great run/walk Amy and I did this weekend. I did the same 4 mile route today, BUT I ran 3 miles of it!!!!! WHOO HOO. Feels great. Hungry now :)

Progress and Weekly Plan

Hello all,

First off - big shout out to Michelle for yesterday! We walked 2 miles and RAN 2 miles yesterday on West Cliff!!! We immediately followed up with margaritas at the Palomar, but STILL... ;-)

As for my weekly plan - I'm doing 2 days of shorter cardio workouts, 3 weight/resistance/core workouts, and 1 long run/hike on Sunday. I'm going to be eating 5 small meals each day and drinking 3 liters of water per day, and I'm going to take a women's multivitamin daily and an Emergen-C each day. And Saturday is going to be my free day.

Tom and I are going to be fining ourselves for any missed days of workouts or eating off plan. $5/day for missing a planned workout, $5/day for eating crappy or (in my case more likely) not eating enough during the day. And I'm going to make up a box to put said fines in - and its going towards our vacation fund.

What are you all up to this week?

is this clock working?

2.4 mi at 15.24 min/mi - i think my timer was fast, but i WAS pushing myself...
gonna try to do a long one tomorrow, then i check in on my physiology with marina on sunday!

Back on the Road

Thought I'd share my progress - after i congratulate Michelle on her awesome strides and Amy on her training through her bloatiness... YOU - GO GIRLS!!!

I had a personal best on Saturday - 3.8 mi at 16.2 min/mi, with high fives from strangers on the trail - especially at the crest of the overpass bridge. I had a most awesome massage on Monday - by Amy (she's the best!!!) got my legs worked on, and it felt good to work out kinks and knots that were earned by sweat!

then i just couldn't get myself out of bed in the AM, or get home in time to do a run in the PM (excuses, excuses...). i was totally sick of letting myself get away with it, knowing it would be harder and harder to get back into it. So i MADE myself go for a run this morning (no more excuses), even though i barely had time for a shower by the time i got back. and it totally hurt and sucked and my time was bad and i didn't even do 2 miles (1.89 mi at 17 min/mi) -- but in some respects more victorious that had i beat my Saturday time. well, actually i was just starting to get in the groove on the way back.

WE ROCK!!
love,
t

MICHELLE'S BIRTHDAY!

Hey everybody its Michelle's Birthday today - what a great present - health and fitness! Congrats on chronologically getting older and physiologically getting younger.

Crampy McCramperson and the Bloated Bellies

I love being a woman. Really. What with the raging hormones and the severe bloat...
Couldn't handle running this morning, but I went to the gym and powerwalked a mile on incline on the treadmill and then 3/4 mile on the stairclimber. Worked out for 28 minutes, and burned 225 calories. Better than nothing. Which is what I wanted to do.

Yesterday however, Tom and I and our other friend Tom went on a 2 hour hike. Followed by lunch at the Poor House Bistro in downtown San Jose. Mmmm.... good Louisiana style food. The hike was strenuous and I was sore this morning. Although that could be due to the most annoying period ever.

How's everyone else?

My first mile.

Today I ran my first mile. Ever. I've walked or jog/walked several miles before. BUT, I have NEVER, in my nearly 33 years, EVER run a mile all at once. Without stopping. I did a total of at least 2.8 miles today. I forgot to time myself, but I don't care what the time was. That last mile was a HUGE personal milestone for me. I was SO happy! I laughed. I cried. It was better than Cats.

Oh yeah, and I got new shoes that don't suck. :)

Would you like a side of PMS with your new running shoes?

So I finally got some running shoes last night. I tried on a gazillion pairs and ended up buying the first pair I tried on. They were supportive and my feet felt great during my in-store test. I was really excited to test them out, so I went for a 2+ mile test walk. About 1 mile in, after my feet settled a bit more into my shoes, I noticed the left shoe was rubbing my ankle bone. By the time I got back to my car, it was pretty bad. I tried them on today with new inserts, but it was still rubbing. I was ready to burst into tears this morning. Discouraged about my running progress, I finally get shoes and they hurt, convinced that there was NO way I'd be able to return them (used), and that I'd be stuck with shoes I couldn't wear. I decided to call and find out the return policy before I let myself completely freak out. Of course, I can take them back. Deep breath. I'll try again :).

Oh, yeah, we went running again!

So, to recap my trip to Chicago - got here last Saturday, totally chilled out that night. Sunday went for a 2.5 mile walk/run, Monday went for a 3 mile run, Tuesday went for a 4-5 mile walk/run, Wednesday, tired and hung over, BUT went for a great 3 mile run along the Lake shore downtown, and then walked around doing the Taste of Chicago for another 3 miles. I was exhausted by the end of the day and my knees were pretty sore, but I feel good now. I think the sore knees are due to a combo of being dehydrated from drinking so much the night before, and cause my shoes are a little overdue to be replaced or have the inserts replaced. Tomorrow we're gonna do a 2 mile run before we fly out of town. I really enjoyed running outside btw - I had been a little leery to start, I guess because I don't really have a great route right out my front door, and I also like treadmills for starting my training. Anyways, its been really nice to get outdoors and feel sun and air and get all that good chi flowing. And I am REALLY looking forward to coming home.

UPDATE: Ok, that last day, we went for a walk around a long block, but that was it - and that was a lot - I was not feeling it, but kudos to Tom for getting me off my ass and out the door to at least just shake my blood up before getting on a plane for 5 hours. Got back and I ended up being nearly the same weight as before I left (well, I'm the same weight as when I started exercising again, but I had lost 2 lbs, and that's back, but no MORE than that), so that was VERY good. I wasn't planning on losing any weight, I just wanted to burn enough off to cover the food and drink excesses of the trip and apparently I basically did. I'm so bloated its hard to tell if those 2 lbs are really extra fat or just water, but either way I'm ok with it.

Fatassidous - A National Epidemic.

All across America, a disturbing health trend has been diagnosed - Fatassidous (pronounced fah-DASS-ah-dus). The effects of this syndrome are many, with symptoms including a prediliction for eating everything in sight and watching tv for hours at a time. Leading causes of fatassidous include pizza, laziness, and indian food buffets. Chicago is the epicenter of the fatassidous emergency, but its tentacles are widespread and go all the way up to my butt.

There is a treatment program though - it starts with moving your body everyday. Something. Every day. If you find yourself asking your loved ones to wipe your ass for you - you may be suffering from fatassidous. If you are unable to touch your toes and require a crane to get you out of bed, chances are you may be undiagnosed, but still experiencing fatassidous.

Remember - only you can prevent your decline into total fatassidous.

Checking in.

Hello everyone. Just checking in with some progress. Still MacGuyvering my way through training, but I feel great. I've been a bit discouraged about my non-marathon-specific training, but I'm proud of myself for working hard in the gym. On Saturday I did 30 min on the stairmaster. Previously, I covered 1.85 miles of stairs in that time and was determined to hit 2 miles of stairs in the same amount of time. So towards the end of my workout, I realized that I was closer than last time, but not close enough. SO, it was a full on sprint to the 30 minute mark and 2 miles. I cranked that baby up to level 15 (of 20) and guess what....1.99 miles! Son of a bitch. But I felt great and I knew I'd get it next time and I was just proud that I actually WENT to the gym on a Saturday. My gym is at my work, so going there on a day off feels like going to work. Anywho. Sunday was spent with my friends and their kids at the beach. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun AND got a workout doing it...(I mean the G-rated kind of fun) Playing in the ocean, RUNNING back and forth to fetch water for what we were building in the sand, and a full-on sprint down the beach with one of the kids. I'm not great at guessing distances, but it was a good 100 yards or so. I guess it's a little easier to be free like a kid when you've got a couple around to remind you how it's done. Great day!

Great weight workout yesterday and today....I did 2.12 miles of stairs in 30 mins. Whoo hoo!

WE ROCK!!!

So Tom, Teresa, Ken, Al and I are all in Chicago, and for the last 2 days have been doing walk/runs as a group!!! This has been awesome, and a great experience cause, I mean, hello!!!, Chicago food is both prolific AND tasty, and also, cause its really fun to go out in a group. I've never trained in a running group before and its been really fun - we all go at our own pace, and then at intersections in the trail we meet up - so that everyone gets to go at their own pace and still have fun together. Very.....kewl.....

Also, we went OVER 4 MILES TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahem, that is all. :-)