Still kickin it

Hola Blogstars! Oh, I'm a bad blogger, so I am. Only know that I am here in spirit, even when not in print. I am mere weeks into my new work gig and have found it has required some very long work days just to settle in and get up to speed. It has meant adjusting my goals and expectations somewhat. Achievable goals and moderation are huge for me. So I decided to shoot for 2 early mornings during the workweek to either do some strength training at home (e.g. 30 Day Shred) or hit the gym for sprints or some other quick and intense cardio. (I guess I could take the run outside, too, but I have not tried that yet.) Then do activity on both weekend days. Ideally a long run and a long hike and/or yoga.

It's quite likely this isn't enough for weight loss - at least not at current food intake levels. (I haven't been tracking my food, either. Another thing I hope to reincorporate - soon!) But it is my way of carving out what I'm willing to do without going into "now I'm off this plan" mode. No all or nothing thinking here! So I will continue to weigh in weekly. And if I see the trend moving upward, I'll know I need to reevaluate. Hopefully I'll soon be more established in a work routine so I'll know where the give is. I don't like admitting I don't have all the answers, but I'm happy I'm hanging in there and willing to work it out with time.

I will also maintain this blog - just not as often. I'll shoot for once a week. I've already given myself a calendar reminder to go off weekly so I can't forget to weigh in like I did a couple weeks ago.

Just did a 4-miler in the Park. It was crap rain in the a.m. and then the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful, sunny, breezy Saturday afternoon. Time for a shower and a smoothie. Enjoy your weekend, wherever you are!

Beer and/or Dessert

OK, mostly beer. True story. I made a little dinner of roasted broccoli and this little french bread pizza I like to make (it involves a whole-wheat baguette with homemade marinara and fresh mozzarella and basil) and then as it was baking I plugged it all into my bodybugg database. I also input the 2.5 bottles of beer I intended to enjoy along with said healthy-ish pizza (I'm a sucker for the Belgian blonde beers, esp. Leffe...mmm) While I was at it, I decided that after a night in sipping brews in moderation and watching Netflix with BF, I might want a sweet treat. So I went ahead and added in a delicious cookie from a batch I made yesterday and promptly froze.

Except. Consider it a sign of growth, maturity, or somehow something clicking, but the cookie put me well over 2000 calories for the day. And since I had not yet eaten said cookie, I could magically delete it and watch those calories disappear from the day's tally. Yes, I could choose to have a couple beers and still practice moderation by not having the cookie. Do other people know this is possible?? Get me to my blog!

Kudos here to Kat of Low-Fat Kat. I am currently reading through her archives and am totally enthralled with her story. She posted this oatmeal/peanut butter/chocolate chip sensation that is pushing all of my buttons at the moment. Yum! And while I'm at it, I may as well mention I found her through the witty comments she left on another new find, 100in12, which captures the journey of Laura, who is hilarious and genuine and inspirational all in one! As NY temps dropped back to the 30's, I enjoyed a little yummy Laura turned me onto, namely brewing a cup of mint tea and mixing in a packet of sugar-free hot chocolate. Choco-minty yum.

In other news, I made it to yoga today! Huzzah! So along with the Shred session on Monday, my One Hour Runner 30-minute straight (slow) running episode, a couple 4-mile runs in the Park, I also did some incline walking before yoga today. (3.5 mph walk with inclines at 2.0 for 5 minutes, then 3.5 incline for 5 minutes, then up 1% incline every minute until I got to 10%, then back down 1% each minute until I got to 5% incline, which I did for 5 minutes, then 3.5% for 5 minutes and then 3.5% until cool down.)

So...Moderation. Exercise. Inspiration in the internets. That's what I've got this weekend. Pass it on!

And the winner is...steel cut oats

The Yankees spring training opener was on Wednesday, which rolled right into Trivia Night at the pub at which BF and I were planted. So beers were had, though I tried to pace myself. And most of those beers wound up being free, because BF and I won the trivia challenge! Yay for otherwise useless Oscar knowledge and word puzzle abilities! 

Balanced that day of inactivity with a run in Central Park yesterday. The snow is gradually melting as the temps get into the mid-40s. Was good to be out there, though I was initially focused on not mucking up my new running shoes. On Cindy's recommendation, I went to Jackrabbit Sports to get myself properly fitted for a shoe. They give you a neutral shoe and set you up on a treadmill to film you running. There is a small camera focused on your legs so they can evaluate your stride, footfall, etc. Then they bring out a couple different models based on that information and let you repeat the treadmill video session. Based on what they see and your own feedback of what feels good on your foot, consensus is reached. I ended up in an Asics, which I've worn for the last couple years, though a different line. It cracked me up that it took someone coming to NYC from TX to point me towards a shop 2 blocks from my house. (Oh that store next to the Starbucks I always stop at on my way to the subway?? Who knew?)

Just finished my brekkie of steel cut oats. So good and good for you, too! Oatmeal is my default filling and nutritious breakfast, as well as my get-back-on-track reset meal. I'm running a 5k this weekend, which I'll post about next week. It's also Oscar night and there will be wine. Have to strive for some balance. Enjoy in moderation, as they say. 

That could sum up my whole FitQuest, what I'm really working on is incorporating everything in moderation.  I don't want to cut anything out that I don't plan on cutting out forever. I don't want to over-commit myself to unachievable 3-hour daily workouts. I don't want to get on a rollercoaster of deprivation followed by free-for-all, repeat. And I want to be aware of the indulgences I'm incorporating, to better compensate for them before and after. For example, in the coming week my focus will be on more runs and oats and less televised sports and drinks. 

I'm excited for Spring! More outdoor running, long walks. Greenery and blue skies versus murky, gray overcast.

Fun Run?

Even though I've been faithfully doing my C25k training runs and feeling pretty good afterwards (if not during and certainly not before as I cajole and harass myself into lacing up), I never thought I could get my head around the concept of a "fun run".  A fun dinner party, maybe. Fun date, sure. Fun night out drinking with friends...I could list dozens of "fun" activities before I scraped the bottom of the barrel with running. 

And yet, I had the most fun New Year's Eve ever running the 2010 Midnight Run in Central Park.  This is a 4-mile "fun run" that kicks off at the stroke of Midnight amidst fireworks and (sober) revelry in the heart of the Park. It was a balmy 34 degrees with little wind, which was good. Though it was snowing/raining and the roads were a bit slick at times. (Otherwise I totally would have won.)

I'm so glad I completed the race!  We didn't get a chip to track our exact times (this being a fun run and all), but I estimate I came in at about 50-55 minutes? Now I'm eager to run a race with the chip so I can get my personal time. My pace was erratic. I ran a faster pace with my boyfriend the first 2 miles, then waited and walked a stretch at that water station for my friend to catch up and ran a slower pace with her for about a mile, then ran the last mile myself. 

It felt good to be out there, despite the wet snow. A great antidote to the winter blahs I've been feeling. A lot of my favorite blogs are capturing this vibe lately, so I'm glad it's not just me.  I can't even blame holiday travel or festivities really...it's been a fairly low-key affair around here. Gym schedules get all mucked up, the weather makes me want to curl up with a book and a cookie, I feel sorry for myself that I'm not having some super terrific idealized holiday...who knows? Since my last post, I tracked my food a bit more, but there are still some gaps. I think I'm just going through one of those periods where I have to focus on doing the best I can, accepting that I have to just hang in there and cling to some minimal level of my plan instead of allowing myself to freefall completely (in my old Perfectionist way of being "off" or "on" plan), but rather to embrace days I eat more and days I eat less, days I burn lots of calories and days I burn less, as a way of life for the long haul versus some temporary regime to grow tired of until I come up with the "next" thing.

Good Sore, Bad Sore

This past week, I've really focused on adding some variety to my exercise routine, particularly oft neglected strength training. This in addition to my entry level C25K.

Mon - Body Conditioning class at my gym (1 hour). I liked it! Basic squats, lunges, shoulders, abs, etc. Most done on an incline step. Rookie mistake: using weights that felt good at the time (mostly 8 lb dumbbells and 12 lb body bar). Could. Not. Walk. Very. Good. Frankenstein shuffle up & down the 2 flights of my apartment building stairs, possibly scaring the neighbors. But still a Good Sore in that it faded after a day or two.

Tue - C25K in Central Park, followed by a nice, long walk through said Park, because, hey, I was already out there and it's beautiful. And it felt good to try to loosen up my Frankenlegs.

Wed - Iyengar Yoga (1 hour) class at my gym. Wasn't sure what this would entail, but I was sore and figured some flexy/bendy moves would be good. This fit the bill. Loooots of Warrior II (not my favorite), but definitely stretched out my quadriceps nicely. Then walked on the treadmill since I was there.

Thur - C25K at the gym, followed by a walk with lots of inclines on the treadmill. I like to make up lots of programs to do on the treadmill, mixing up the speed and incline just to make the time go by. And keep me from falling asleep on the treadmill, which would be a lame sports injury.

Fri - Body Definition class at my gym (45 minutes). Eh. One of these classes with the Cult Instructor in short-shorts. Lots of whoo-whoo! from the class. Which I could get over were it not for the super speedy sets of strength moves. I'm not a fan of speedy lunges or speedy back rows. My knee gets wonky (Bad Sore!) on the former and my form goes crap on the latter. Another pet peeve is when the instructor offers no modifications for beginners or injured peeps. But I stayed after class and got some cardio (speed walking) in on the treadmill.

Sat - C25K followed by Vinyasa Yoga (1.5 hours) Finished Week 2 of C25K (woo hoo!) and the yoga was full of flow and twisty stretching.

Sun - Rest Aaaaaaahhhh.....

I felt good about accomplishing my goal to add variety to my fitness and exploring some strength training class options. I would do the first class again (tomorrow maybe!) I have been shooting for an hour of "activity" per day, usually lots of walking after whatever else I have slated for the day. I also wanted to write this post on a non-weigh in day to give myself props unrelated to little digital numbers on the scale.

Dear Future Self, this was sort of a Platonic Ideal of a Week in Fitness and should in no way be regarded as a standard. C25K is good because it sets a framework for exercise that can be built upon. Just add a yoga class, a strength class and some walking and ~voila~ a clear head and caloric deficit (* assumes "Calories In" side of the equation is within desirable range) await you. Be nice to yourself, listen to your body, find exercise and food that you enjoy and this whole endeavor should be sustainable and dare I say, enjoyable??

Cheers to that, fit fans!