Still around..

OK, I haven't had a chance to change much of my workout. I'm still working out 30 minutes of cardio a day. I had intended to add the strength training too, but given the stress factor at work the last couple of weeks, there just hasn't been time. I just wanted to make an appearance! We are all doing so well! Great job everybody!!

Ow!!

Okay, so I upped the tension on my bike, and holy schniekies. It was way harder than I thought it would be!! Nevertheless, I persevered, but only cranked out 20 minutes, at 15 mph for the first ten minutes, 13 for the next seven, and I was barely keeping it above 10 for the last three. I covered about 4 miles, and I was ready to die by the end! That's good though, I need to keep pushing that envelope. And still no heart symptoms, yay! Some distressing news though, is that I gained another pound. What the freak?! That's seven total. Seven!! I seriously do not get what the deal is here. The clothes are fitting the same, and I'm not eating any differently. Help! What do I do?
The Slowly Freaking Out But Nonetheless Almighty Liz

Tuesday--Strength 1 Hour, Walking- 1 Hour

I got up at 5:30 am to watch my friend's little girl, but my friend got off work early, so I was just awake. I decided to do my strength workout, and then run in place for rest of the hour (I only ran in place 20 minutes, and then marched out the rest of the hour). I then decided that since my 2 year old was awake, we would take a walk after the bus picked up my 4 year old. I was also thinking that I'm going to have 5 cavities filled on Thursday, and will probably NOT feel like exercising that day, and I still want to get my 5 hours in this week (since I only got 4 in last week).

Holy cow, holy crow, and oh my holy pajamas! I stepped on the scale at 5:30 and had to rub my eyes about 5 times in a row before I believed what the scale was telling me. I lost 4 MORE POUNDS in a week and a half! That's 6 pounds total. I knew I was feeling less bloaty (meaning the Poly cystic ovarian syndrome was subsiding), but I did not think that much water retention weight had come off! I'm sure some of it is actual fat too, though because all my size 16 pants fit again. I tried them all on just to make sure my scale was not somehow broken or something. WOOT!!!

Monday- Swimming- 1 Hour

No cute guys this time. I wonder if I'm relieved or disappointed? I did manage to swim freestyle for 25 minutes!

On a side note--all the lifeguards at the YMCA fit into the "cute" category, but they are all under 21 so they are boys and they just don't count ;)

Confession for the day- One caffeinated soda.

ineicnowtonbong!

I didn't have much time to workout today, so I decided to just run as fast as I could maintain for a half an hour. I pushed Justice and Clayton (car seat and all) around in the running buggy for 30 minutes. Average speed was 6.2 mph (I think I was maintaining 6.3 mph until I had to stop really quick to give Lydia the keys to get into the house after school. That was 3/4 into my workout. The stop screwed up my average on my GPS.)

Anyway. I lost another 1.5 lbs! Wahoo! That's 5 lbs in the past 2 weeks. Keep it comin'! Hooray for hungry breastfed babies! (I just have to not think about how much easier it was to loose the baby weight when I was in my 20s.)

Sorry, I'm a Slacker!

I am sorry I haven't posted for a week. Life has been so crazy. I did all my workouts last week even though I had to do it without Dana ( get better soon, I miss working out with you ) I just worked out with some of the Curves ladies. I got a treadmill from my mom this weekend. I am so excited!!! I can go walking/jogging everyday now no matter what the weather is.
I was very proud of myself today. I got up at 5:30 a.m. and walked for 30 mins, then I did my weights. I was out of the shower and ready for the day at 7:30 a.m. I have to tell you that I have NEVER done this before. It felt so good to have all that done this morning and out of the way, so now I have the rest of the day to get other things done. I am determined to keep it up and stick to this workout everyday.
Another high point of my weekend. I have noticed that my pants have felt a little lose. So I tried on a pair of pants (that I haven't worn in over a year) that are a size smaller and they FIT!!!!! I was so excited. I also put on a shirt my sister gave me a few months ago that didn't fit, and now it fits. I didn't think that I had lost much as far a weight, but it seems that I have. The pants are still a big size, but at least they are a size smaller then what I was wearing.
Wow! I like to ramble. I just have alot to be excited about. It sounds your all doing really well, keep up the good work!

DC is back!

Hi guys! I've sure missed ya'll although I have stopped by a couple of times. My foot is healing nicely and I'll be able to get back into the swing of things. Today being Sunday limited my ability to exercise, however, I did try to get back into the habit of eating. I was doing so well and even had an appetite for the first time in months. Then the unfortunate accident. Pain just exacerbates the horrendous ulcers and thus I lose the desire and often the ability to eat. Dang! Although I'm sort of starting over at least I'm not starting over from the very beginning. I did feel like eating breakfast. Lunch was harder and I couldn't force even a bite of dinner. Oh well at least I felt like food in the morning. That's a major improvement even though my eating wasn't as gleeful as it was a couple of weeks ago. I know that it'll improve.

Breakfast: Potato Scramble--red potatoes, turkey bacon, onions, green peppers, eggs scrambled up together...Ezekiel toast w/ butter & Marmite...Kashi hot breakfast cereal w/ peaches, blueberries, almonds, flax

Lunch: 1/2 chicken breast, spinach salad, creamed spinach, corn & peas

Dinner: nothing

Sunday is special treat day at our house so I made chocolate chip/oatmeal cookies. YUM!

Friday- Kickboxing- 1 Hour

I added 10 minutes of running in place to my kickboxing workout to mix it up and keep my heart rate up high. I also did 2 hours of digging to plant about 20 irises, and do some more edging. I felt great during my workout!

I have not had a caffeinated soda since Wednesday, and before that it was Saturday. It's getting easier too!

Nature Hikes

Well, my super cool visiting teacher (one of 'em, the other had to work) took me to Shaw Nature Reserve today, which is just five minutes from my house. I won't say we actually hiked, cause I am so not up to a stimulating vigorous hike yet, but we did walk around some, and there were mild hills, so my knees were killing me. And Erik had a blast too, so there was a good time had by all. They had this really cool playground with not a thing plastic in it. Hollowed out logs to crawl in, and sand boxes, and all sizes of building blocks made out of tree branches...very neat. Anyway, that's my workout for today. Not too strenuous, pretty mild, but my joints are saying "ow", so I'm gonna hang it up until tomorrow. Cheers!
The Almighty Liz

Thursday- Marching/Running in Place 1 Hour

I skipped yesterday, due to digging in the yard for 3 1/2 hours with a big shovel. I am so SORE! My whole back, my legs, my arms feel like wet noodles, and even my butt muscles hurt. Oh man, I am hating all the stairs in my house today.

I don't know how I talked myself into doing a workout tonight, but the kids being put to bed by my dearest husband probably helped! I think this blog also gave me some incentive. It's such a good thing to keep up with exercise.

Someone gave me a bunch of irises and daylilies tonight, so more digging tomorrow. Kill me now!

I Continually Amaze Myself

Well, a very successful work out today indeed! I did 26 MINUTES, the first 5 min at 18 mph, the rest at 15, with a one min 10 mph cool down, and I covered 6.2 miles. Girls, I feel awesome!! I think I'm going to up my tension tomorrow, see where that gets me.
I am starting to get frustrated with my weight though. I've gained six pounds! I know, I know, I'm not supposed to be paying attention to this right now, but it's hard. *sigh*
Also, little question for Miss Dana; the last we heard, you had met with a new team of doctors, and were excited, and waiting on results and new plans and such, and then nothing. So, how did that go? Updates please!
Also, mucho kudos to all who've broken their weight plateaus this week! Rock on!! Way to stick it out, work hard, and reap those results! I have great faith that we are all going to meet our personal goals with this blog. I dunno about you guys, but I am still enjoying my workouts. I know I had to take a couple of weeks off for sickness, but I missed working out during that time. Something that, I promise you, has never happened before! Thanks for doing this with me guys! I love it!
One last item of business: we are missing some members! Some for several weeks now, and some for not so long a time, but I would just like to give some encouragement to those, and say come on back! As several of us can attest, if you just stick with us, you will see results, and you will love them! Let's all get SVELTE together!
The Almighty Liz

Back on the Horse! Or, the Bike Anyway.

Well, ladies, I'm back! Did you miss me? Today was the first day I've felt entirely human in almost three weeks. Dumb cold! I don't feel quite as wussy as usual though, 'cause my husband, who never ever ever gets sick, got sick. Anyway, so to test myself, I went to Wal-Mart. As you recall, I did that last week, and ended up sleeping for hours, and was totally sick and tired for the next few days. So, I decided that I had overdone it (again), and to not try again until I felt almost good. (you know, it takes awhile after you're sick for a week or two to feel GREAT) So, off I went a-errand running today, and when I got home, I did not feel the undeniable compulsion to collapse, and took that as a good sign. When John got home from work, I was still feeling A-Okay, so I decided to try my hand at a real work out; my exercise bike. I'll take it really easy, I thought to myself, and no more than 10 minutes. Well, as soon as I got on (and I totally expected to have lost all ground that I had gained, and for my body to scream at me "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!"), instead of the expected reaction for my poor tired ill body, I got a "YEAH!!! Let's DO this! WOOHOO!!!" Not only that, but I did better than I did before I got sick!! Before I got sick, I was doing 12 mph for 3 min, then 15 for one, for 20 min total. Well, today I did 15-16 mph for the entire twenty minutes, and a 10 mph for a one minute cool down, for a total of 4.6 miles covered. Holy cow! Can you believe that?! And what's more, I feel GREAT!!! My little body is going "THAT'S what we wanted! ROAR!!"
Yeah girls, it's time to get SVELTE.
The Almighty Liz

I Dragged Myself Around the Block Six Times!!

Well, I made the 4.5 miles, buggy in tow today. It was hard. I averaged 5.8 mph when I was moving (I had to stop a few times to squirt my head with water.)

Oh and I'm down to 158.5 lbs. That's 3.5 lbs in just a hair over a week! I guess that means I've finally broken through that everlasting plateau! (Now, if I can just keep it coming off.)

Tuesday- Swimming 1 Hour

I spent most of the hour trying not to look at the hot guy swimming in the lane next to me. Am I the only old married lady with this problem?

Daily Running

I have to admit, after the half marathon I have been a little lax in my running. Today I ran 3 miles at a little faster pace.....I like being able to push just a little bit harder, it felt good!! And for about 2 months now, I have stayed at a steady 164-166 but the past two weeks I have been 160-162, maybe it will all just finally fall off!! Because that is what feels like is happening when my fat jiggles as I run....:) Progress, anyway, I just hate that it takes so long to see it!
I have been eating healthier since I moved in with Dana. Thanks to her for buying healthy food and not allowing me to eat out too much...it does help that I have no money!:)

Monday-Walking 45 minutes, Strength 30 minutes

AND I LOST 2 POUNDS!!!!

Upping the Anti? No, I Guess Not.

So, I figured it's time to run a bit farther today. Off I trotted with my 2 littlest ones in the buggy. I decided to aim for 4.5 miles. I have done that much with the running buggy once before (since baby #5). That, however was with a significant break in the middle. I ran to the park, let Justice play for about 15-20 minutes, and ran back, totalling 4.5 miles. Other than that, all of my previous runs with buggy have been 3 milers.

Anywho, I took off intending to run the 4.5 all in one swoop. However, the heat got to me. (Heat is a MAJOR weakness for me. If anyone out there knows how to beat it, please tell me. My best solution so far is to carry a water bottle and squirt myself down every 5 minutes.) I only made it to 3 miles, and I wimped out. I did walk and extra .75 miles, if that counts for anything. Oh well, maybe next time.

It's amazing to me what a difference the heat or lack of it makes for me. When fall hits, and I get to start running in cool, crisp weather, it's like I'm a totally new runner. I LOVE it!!! (I hate when summer comes back around and all of a sudden I'm a snail.)

Friday-Strength Workout,Marching in Place 1 Hour

Sorry! I gardened two hours today and thought that was it for me. I got my second wind after the kiddies went to bed ;)

A Gardener's Feet

A Gardener's Feet

Dirty
Swollen
Peeling polish
Cracked, ragged nails
Heels cracked to the flesh
Roughened from hard work
But have you ever felt the Earth between your toes?

by: Timpani Treat

ooblat

I just wasn't in the mood to kill myself today. So, I walked. However, you know me, I hardly know how to take it easy. I pushed J & C in the buggy on a hilly course 4 miles in one hour. I am surprised how much easier it is to maintain 4 mph now that I'm not pregnant!

Back on track, again!

So, I took more days off than I planned on because I was lazy! Today I ran 3 miles and it felt good! I could have probably done more but I started late.....I had an open egg sandwich on ezekiel bread with swiss cheese and two turkey bacon strips. Lunch, I was not so good....I had a number 2, small size, at Wendy's with a Dr. Pepper.....my second one in over 6 months.....:/ Dinner Dana found Angus beef, so we had burgers and fresh potato fries.

Thursday- Walking 1 Hour

Yeah, walking a fairly hilly course pushing two kids in the double stroller with husband helping in some places. I also gardened for 30-45 minutes, and spent about 30 minutes vacuuming out my car. Everyone is giving me their extra perennials, so I guess I'm not the only one gardening like crazy this fall.

I had two caffeine free sodas today. This was not entirely my fault, since I was not planning on walking tonight with Erik, he actually offered to go walking, which never happens! We always walk to the local QT when we walk. They have caffeine free diet on fountain, how could I resist?

I've been tracking my new caffeine free daily ups and downs (you know like how certain times of the day you feel tired, and other times you have more energy ect.) I'm pretty sure the "energetic" times of day that I was attributing to caffeine was just my normal body energetic times of the day. Either that or all this extra exercise is basically taking up where caffeine left off, and giving me the energy I need!

Buggy Running

4.5 miles running, pushing J-Bird and Little-C in the buggy.

DC's Wednesday

Today was a Curves day. Becky & I worked hard on the machines & took it easy on the recovery stations. All I can say is owwww! I'm feelin' it. Yes!


Breakfast: 2 pieces turkey bacon, 1 piece Ezekiel toast w/ organic goat cheese, Greek yogurt w/ Granny Smith Apples, walnuts, almonds, flax

Team Meeting Lunch @ Work: left over chicken pot pie, 2 deviled eggs, chips w/ spinach dip, 1 piece fruit pizza

Snack: Oranges,raspberries

Dinner: 2 small pieces of fish, green beans, corn

Dessert: raspberry filled dark chocolate square

Also I've noticed a big difference in my appetite. I'm actually hungry every three hours. I don't just have to make myself eat to keep the hypoglycemia in check. I can't believe how big my breakfast was this morning. A week ago I was only eating one piece of toast for breakfast! It's good to fill hungry. I'm loving it!!!

Wednesday- Marching/Running in Place 1 Hour

I also dug in the yard, with the big shovel for two hours, and on my hands and knees with a little shovel for about an hour and a half. I got 125 crocus bulbs in the mail today, and they needed planting. I had to dig up the turf first, and do some edging with the big shovel as well to make it look extra "pretty". As pretty as dirt gets anyway. My "dirt headache" was only about half as bad as yesterday.

Question for runners: What is the best running shoe?
Something tells me the running in place thing is not so good to do bare-foot. My right ankle is already protesting a bit, and my left knee just a tad as well.

Only one caffeine free soda today! A note on the soda, because some people have mentioned this. I only drink fountain soda, so when I say "one soda" we're talking probably 20-28 ounces (with lots of ice, like I like). I only drink diet, but still not good for me. I don't keep soda in the house because then it would be more like "I drank two 2 liter bottles of soda today". Yeah, that would be really bad.

Easing Back Into the Water...

I went to Wal-Mart today. I am almost entirely cold-symptom free, just really tired and weak as a wet noodle. The store trip took an hour and half. I took a two and a half hour nap afterwards, lol! Anyway, we'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow before I commit to any physical fitness stuff. Way to GO everyone! You guys have been smokin'! And a big howdy and welcome to our newest member, Becky. Glad to have you on board!
The Almighty Liz

ping ping

30 minutes of stair running today. Plus, apparently all it takes to loose a couple of lbs is to complain on the Internet about how you have been stuck for 2 months. I lost 2 lbs since then. But 2 lbs could be just fluctuation. However I keep track of my fluctuation, and I've fluctuated 2 lbs past my lowest point of fluctuation before. (Can I work that fluctuation word in anymore in this post? I think I can: fluctuation, fluctuation, flu, flu ctulation, fluctuation faces and fluctuation toes!) Now I've thoroughly jinksed myself. I'll be sure to put on 5 lbs by next post, never to loose it again.

My Tuesday

I did my weights this morning and this afternoon I am going to work out at Curves again with Dana. I don't know about you Dana, but I am so sore today. Can't wait to work it again tonight!

Tuesday!

I was oh-so-tired but I went to Curves. Today was our day to work hard at the "recovery stations" and go easy on the machines. Man am I sore! I also got together with a group of friends and went on a night hike. I love the exercise is becoming an everyday part of my life. :)


Breakfast: 2 pieces of turkey bacon, 1 piece of Ezekiel bread w/ organic goat cheese.

Lunch: lasagna

Dinner: homemade chicken pot pie w/ onions, carrots, broccoli, peas, corn

Dessert: two pieces of raspberry filled dark chocolate

I Didn't WALK the Dog

But I did play with him in the back yard for about 15 minutes. running, chasing, playing fetch. He was very happy. Tomorrow I'll have to make it longer.

Tuesday- Walking 1 hour 30 minutes

I pushed Quis Bear in a double stroller all over creation, and my calves felt great. Woot! It's funny, though, that I forgot to stretch, but I did stretch before swimming last night (which I normally forget to do) so maybe that helped.

I also gardened for two hours, and discovered that I have to get "desensitized" again to my outdoor allergies since I took that month or so off because of my back. My upper lip swelled up a little, and I got a raging "dirt headache" after I got back inside. I plan on more gardening this week, and I hope my allergies get better.

I had one caffeinated soda today :(

Last week as well as Monday and Tuesday

Still busy, still getting in that 30 minutes of cardio.
But I'm ready to change it up. I want to start toning. I want to switch up the cardio, but work has kept me entirely too busy.
But girls, the point is.... I have kept on doing the 30 minutes during the day. Ordinarily, I would have just said, I'm too busy. But no. I'm stayiong motivated this time, darnnit!

Excited!

I am so excited to be a part of this fun blog. Thank you all for letting me join in with you. I didn't get a chance to post last night because, after a great work out at Curves with Dana, I had to feed family, do dishes and then get kids to bed. After that I was just to tuckered out. I crashed into bed. But this morning I did my Pilates (wow I am so out of shape) and I am planning on working out again at Curves with Dana tonight. My goal is to get up every morning a 5:30 or 6:00 and get my workout in before the kids get up. Doing my Pilates was to hard with kids crawling all over me.
Keep up the good work all of you. I hope I will be able to get to know you even better in this blog. Don"t lose sight of your goals.
Becky

Bruce Wants to Butt In

Bruce says: "Hey, I've lost 5 pounds! I don't know how I did it. I drank lots of soda, didn't work out, and ate like a pig.

Renae and the rest of us say: "Shut up!!"

What's the stinking deal? I've been stuck at 162 for 2 months now. I can't seem to break through that stinking plateau. Clayton has ruined my figure.

Monday

Becky & I worked hard at Curves. Those machines are rough when I work 'em the way they should be worked. Wow! I'm beat.

Breakfast: Quinoa w/ blueberries, peaches, almonds

Lunch: pot roast w/ carrots, potatoes, peppers, onions

Dinner: lasagna

Monday- Swimming 1 Hour

I managed to squeeze out 25 minutes with the freestyle stroke, but the last 5 minutes I was dragging along pretty slowly. There was a guy sharing my lap lane for awhile and "racing" him kept me going for the first 20 minutes of the free style, but then when he left I lost my competitive edge. What is it about competition that brings it out in me? He was about 10 years younger than me, and slender, so I think I took an unreasonable amount of satisfaction out of not only swimming faster than him, but not having to take breaks after each lap like he did. I'm evil, I know.

I still did 15 minutes with the breaststroke and 15 minutes on backstroke. I did the kick board for a few minutes, but then had to just lay on my back and kick for the last little while.

I only drank one caffeine free soda today, which was my first goal. I hope to stick with the one caffeine free soda for 1-2 weeks, until I go to cutting it out on a daily basis altogether. I'm trying to take Liz's advice and not say I will NEVER drink soda again. Maybe I could say I will only drink it when we eat out? Or, something. I will have to think about that one.

ookyshoogy nugget blasters

I ran 3 miles averaging 6.1 mph pushing both Clayton and Justice in the buggy.

Back Dating Again

I ran 31 minutes pushing Clayton in the running buggy on Saturday.

Half Marathon

The last half mile. I am the one in blue, these are two girls that were with me for the majority of the race.

The finish line, I started sprinting at the start of the Orange cones and continued accelerating to the finish! The rush of a victory sprint is like nothing else!! Better than drugs, I'd imagine.

Sorry Ladies, I have been somewhat lazy with posting on here! Actually, I have been lazy all around which is why I haven't posted.....I tried to run everyday this week but couldn't seem to drag myself out of bed in the mornings. I have been training, or rather thinking about it!, for a half marathon and yesterday was the day. It was a cold morning in Huntington, UT but once I got moving, I warmed up quickly! The plan was to run with my sister, but last week she injured her knee so I paced myself with some other runners. I kept pace with a brother and sister duo for about 7 miles and then found another girl to keep pace with. We finished together and pushed each other to do a victory sprint near the finish line. I finished in 2:32:13, averaging about a 11:45 minute mile. I am very happy with that!! Especially considering that I have not been very diligent in my training. Races always give me the motivation to continue running, which is something that I really needed! I now have a time to beat and a race to prepare for, Jill and I will run the Little Grand Canyon Half Marathon again next year, and I hope to finish with the average of an 8 minute mile this time! :)

Saturday-Kickboxing 1 Hour

I don't usually exercise on Saturdays, because I like to catch up with housework and gardening, but I missed Thursday and I wanted to get my 5 hours in this week. Yay for me, another 5 hour week! Who's the WOMAN???

On a bad note, I drank one caffeinated soda, and one caffeine free soda. My only triumph on the soda problem was that we went out to eat for dinner, and I just had a water! I usually cannot resist drinking a ton of soda when we eat out, but I think the thought of those other two sodas I had today made me want to try harder.

Getting Better!

Okay, I am certainly not well yet, but I'm feeling the stiringnesses of wellness. Maybe by Monday or Tuesday. I just wanted to get on and tell everyone good job!! I thought we were slacking off a bit, which is not necessarily bad, but it turns out that many of you were just too busy to post consistently, so that's totally okay. (like I'm your dictator or something, lol!!) My point to that was let's not let up! We are doing so good, and it's been over a month now! Let's keep up our momentum. I don't know about you guys out there, but this has been super great for me. It's just such good motivation!!! Let's keep the ball rolling fast! Let's achieve SVELTENESS!!!
The Almighty Liz

One hour of cardio

So for 2 days this week, I did get in the one hour of cardio. Wednesday and Thursday I only got my 30 mintues at work, because I had entirely too much work to do... the stuff hit the fan at work on Wednesday afternoon so I had enitrely too much to do. But at least I got in 30 minutes.

Embarrassing moment after one of my work workouts though. I was sitting at my desk, with a paper towel over my face to soak up the sweat without messing up my make up too badly, when there was a knock on my cubicle wall. I held my hand up and said just a second, thinking it was just one of my staff. However, when I turned around.... it was the CFO of the company I work for. Now, I console myself by thinking, at least I wasn't reapplying deoderant or taking my socks off, but still, I was mortified. I'm generally not an easily embarrassed person, but that just about did it. I know I turned 37 shades of red!

Friday- Marching/Running in Place 1 hour

Did anybody else take off September 11th from exercise? I did not realize that's what I was doing until last night. My excuse was not the day of remembrance, but because I have a bad cold AND I'm on my period AND I had to get up at 5:30am to watch Ahlanna, so I only got 5 hours sleep. I thought I needed a day off ;)

In other news, I love Lisa! I know I've never met you but those calf muscle stretches you posted are the BEST! I did them, and I was able to run in place for 20 minutes straight! I have never been able to do that! Pat pat pat pat (that's me, patting myself on the back). I am definitely going to MAKE time to do those stretches and exercises before I walk every time from now on.

I am continuing to improve in exercise, my clothes continue to fit better, and in a few days (when I'm off my period) I will see if I'm still stuck on my weight (sad panda face).

Grrrr, ok, one last confession. I'm trying to get off caffeinated soda. Erik (my husband) does not think I should worry about it, but I think it might be easier to lose weight if I was not drinking soda. I've read this in a few places. So, I will try to be accountable on this topic when I blog. Everybody pray for me! I know it's a silly thing, but I really want to do this.

Stairs

Ran the stairs for 30 minutes.

Shin Splints

It seems that I get shin splints everytime I begin running again after a break. Some may say that the cause is not properly stretching before running, another definition I have heard is, "too much, too soon." I think that this second definition is probably my problem, since I seem to think that I should be running as far and as fast as when I was running cross country in high school! :) This last time I was determined to stick with my running schedule and researched possible 'cures' for shin splints. Here are some things that I have found to help with shin splints......
There are a few stretches that target the shins. Stand facing a wall, put your hands on the wall and then step back into a lung. If properly done, you'll feel it! :) Another, is to kneel on the floor, leaning back on your calfs. Put your left hand on the floor and right hand under right shin. Lift shin off floor and hold for at least 15 seconds. It'll hurt for a little while, at least until you are over the shin splints. The best cure is resting your legs! If possible try walking on gravel or grass instead of pavement. An exercise to strengthen the shins is to stand with feet hip width apart and feet facing inward, toes pointing towards each other. Walk backwards for about 50 feet. If you have shin splits you'll feel it immediately.

Wednesday Walking- 1 hour

I walked for one hour today, running errands, with Quis Bear in the double stroller. I also gardened for about an hour. My back said "whoa!" after that, so I whoaed. Dang! I want to garden more! There's so much to do in the fall.

I have all these perennials to divide and put somewhere else, I have two more raised beds to build, and to buy the additives to make the soil to go into the beds (manure, peat moss, garden soil), and I also want to pick up as much grass and bags of yard waste from my neighbors to insulate my compost pile for the winter. I'm chomping at the bit to get back into it, but I want to be sure I don't hurt my back like that again!

Sigh, time to put the kids to bed.

I'm Here...

...but pretty sick. I'm feeling a bit better today, but I definitely got one whopper of a cold. Fever's down to almost normal, sore throat is better today (I can actually swallow, a vast improvement), cough and congestion are about the same. Sorry if I alarmed anyone! I've been reading off and on, but the energy runs out before I can comment. I will probably not be able to work out until next week. Darn the luck!! Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye on everybody in the meantime, even if I don't post or comment, so behave! And throw in a couple of workouts for me. I'll absorb them through osmosis...
The Almighty Liz

I Wish I Were Bulemic

No, I'm not. Sometimes I wish I were though. I've eaten too much junk and not worked out yet today. Will I get to? I don't know.

DCs Tuesday

To start the day out Lyra & I went for our usual walk this morning before breakfast.

I also got a great workout at Curves. Since I'm training for my new job there I actually learned how the all the machines work. Wow! It's gonna be a work in progress just getting through the circuit twice with good form.

For those of ya'll unfamiliar with Curves let me explain. It's a very unique system. There are 12 machines with "recovery cardio areas" in between. You make the circuit twice. It takes exactly 30 minutes. The hydraulic resistance machines are really unique. You work every major muscle group during the workout. Also when done correctly the workout becomes aerobic. The key is using the machines properly which is easy to learn. Hands down it's the best gym workout I've ever gotten! I'll be svelte in no time. It's great to that working out is now a part of my job. Yay!

p.s. Has anyone heard from Liz? Is she feelin' better?

Tuesday- Swimming 1 Hour

I actually got up to 20 minutes of freestyle swimming this time. I think I might try to get up to 30 minutes with the freestyle stroke since that's the one that makes me work the hardest, and uses my whole body most effectively.

In back news, doing two strength exercises that focus on my shoulder and middle back seems to be helping already. I actually felt the muscle push up against the car seat while I was driving to the pool. I thought, WOW! I can FEEL that muscle now. Yes, I am very manly, thank you ;)

One hour of cardio!

Yep, I made it today. 30 minutes on the treadmill at work (not quite so fast, I didn't want to sweat too much!) and 30 minutes at the Y after I got home. I kept both treadmills on at least a 2 incline to help burn more calories and save my shins the torture of the splints again and I walked a total of about 3.5 miles I think.
I think I am going to set up a consultation for the weights on Thursday maybe.
And then I must get a bathing suit so I can mix up the workouts. I don't want to get too used to doing the same things all the time.
Thanks guys--for the encouragement and for helping to hold me accountable!

Running With The Buggy

I ran pushing the 2 youngest children in the buggy again. I ran 3 miles in a shade under 31 minutes. Average speed 5.8 mph.

DC's Monday

Lyra & I went for our usual one mile walk. Then I worked pretty much all day long.

Job #1 (at&t) 10 a.m to 2 p.m.

Job #2 (Curves) 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Job #3 (Babysitting a 5 month old & 2 year old) 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

I loved it though. I was busy, busy, busy.

Breakfast: scrambled eggs w/ onions, green peppers, salsa & Ezekiel English Muffin w/ cream cheese & homemade raspberry preserves

Lunch: Organic Mac & Cheese w/ peas

Dinner: McDonalds

I've made a neat correlation... I've had a few sleepless nights lately. I realized this morning while on my walk that that each of those were nights where I'd eaten fast food. So no more fast food for me! I guess my body doesn't get enough nutrition to fully cycle through REM sleep or something when I eat junk. My sleep is precious to me. I need quality sleep so now I have the motivation I need to steer clear of that stuff. I may have an occasional burger but probably only for lunch so I get a good supper to make up for the junk. Yay! I love finding out what works for my body!

Long Monday...

2 miles in 30 minutes. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you read that right. Let me say it one more time... 2 MILES IN 30 MINUTES!
Ok, I'm done patting myself on the back, but I needed that. And I'm setting up an appointment for a consultation with a trainer to help me with the weights and the strength toning that I need. Thank goodness the Y offers that particular service for free. Of course, you can also pay for a personal trainer, but I just need someone to tell me what to do. Now that I have the motivation to continue, I've also decided that I'm going to make use of the cardio equipment at work, so I can get an extra half hour of cardio a day. We'll see how well that works out.

Monday- Strength Workout + Extra- 1 Hour

I wanted to go swimming today, oh well. Erik had to mow the lawn, so I watched the kids while he tried to do that (then it rained). My pool closes when there's lightning too, so that would have been out anyway. Can someone explain the physics of closing an indoor pool during a lightning storm?

I did strength for 35 minutes (with the new & improved shoulder exercises that Liz showed me, thanks Liz!) and I ran in place for 10 minutes and then marched in place for the rest to make it an even HOUR of exercise. I also did 30 minutes of gardening, and tomato canning, and housecleaning. I'm pretty pooped. My back is doing better, so hopefully I will be back up to the HOURS of gardening I'm used.

My husband is so sweet though, he put both kids to bed. I can hear Quisqueya saying "Yeehaw!" on the baby monitor while playing with her toy horse in her crib. My life is great ;)

DC's weekend

Lisa, Lyra, & I went north this weekend. I walked for miles at the local Peach Days Festival & at the Great Salt Lake. I also ate tons of junk food. (Well it was a lot for me. We ate at Arbys. On the drive home I had a bag of chips, soda, & hot chocolate.) That doesn't really concern me though. The occasional weekend of junk food is fine so long as I'm being my active self. :)

It was good times!


p.s. I got to chuck a pair of pants into the DI box! I'll miss 'em because they are super comfy but they're huge. Yay!

Busy Day!

Well, the illustrious Timpani of this very group graced my little home with her and her family's presence today! I worked out before they came over. I did a weight workout, having bought myself some new, and infinitely better, weights yesterday. I did triceps, lats, and biceps, 8 lbs each, 10 reps each, 3 sets each. 8 lbs was a much better weight than 5. I may have to go up on lats though, it was still pretty easy to reach 10. I also did 20 minutes on the bike right after, average speed 12 mph, every 2-3 minutes I would go up to 15. I forgot how much distance I covered, and I'm too exhausted to hall my toosh downstairs and look. Timpani and I also went grocery shopping, and birthday gift shopping for my dad. We went to just about every store in my area I think, and I'm wiped out. And my joints are killing me, so I'm glad it's a rest day tomorrow. Thank Father in Heaven for the Sabbath! I may take Monday off as well if I'm still feeling tweaky. Other than achy crap though, I feel pretty good. Mainly about myself and my progress. And you know what guys, we have all come a long way! We are seriously tearing it up!! We are going into our fifth week coming up, and still going strong. Here's to one month together, WOOHOO! One month of consistent fitness ladies. That's huge. Let's hear a big AMEN to SVELTENESS!
The Almighty Liz

Back With The Group

It was great to see my old running buddies! I went one loop on the Saturday run. I ran with the ultra slow group, but I ran almost 6 miles. Booyah!

I also hiked for about an hour with the kids today.

Friday-Walking 1 hour

Yep, with two kids in the double stroller. I was pretty tired today, but Erik and I went to a semi-hilly area and walked. I'm pretty sure we made bad time, but I don't know since we stopped for dinner at McDevils.

I've been eating good, but not that good. I have not weighed myself in over a week because I have been really bloated. I will have to check up on that soon. Anyone else having any luck losing weight? I feel kind of stuck.

WEEEHOOO!

Alright, I rock. I did bike today for 20 MINUTES. Yes, you read that right. The girl who, when she started, struggled to complete one five minute set did 20 minutes with no resting today. I did it at mainly 12 mph, but every two or three minutes I kicked it up to 15 mph for a minute. I dunno how many miles I covered because I forgot to look at the speedometer before I started. Then I went to Wal-Mart and speed walked around. Tell me I don't kick hootie! And yeah, I'm tired, but I'm not wiped out.
Who's gonna be SVELTE?! WE ARE!!
The Almighty Liz

Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me Down!

Okay, so after another bad week of trying to figure out when to squeeze in running, with no one to watch the kids, I finally figured out a way to run without depending on anyone else. I just Jerry-rigged my running stroller so that I could strap the baby's car seat in it, and now he can ride in it. I'm a genius. And hey, I made 3 miles in 31:34 pushing that thing. I didn't stop to walk either. I'm getting somewhere.

Oh, bad news though. IVR is cancelled due to not enough enrollments. DRAT! I was looking forward to that. Oh well, maybe we Sever types can talk about doing River to River Relay in April instead?

Anyone know a good cure?

For shin splints?
I barely made it at all today because my shins were killing me! After about a half mile I had tears running down my face. So needless to say, the 15 minute mile was a bit out of my reach. But I did do the best I can. Maybe tomorrow!

Wednesday-Walking 45 minutes, Thursday Strength 1 Hour

I did not get a chance to post yesterday since I went to bed at 9:30pm. I wanted to do my strength workout yesterday, but my back was not a happy back after I vacuumed and cleaned my whole upstairs. Back problems make your house messy! I was sick of looking at cat hair tufts and little pieces of paper, but all that vacuuming and bending over with the crevasse tool made my back mad at me.

It just twinged a little, and this time I actually took the hint and decided not to re-injure myself! I think working out is making me smarter ;)

Oh well, I guess cleaning does give you some exercise, and I extended my 30 minute strength workout today with marching in place! So, I guess I made up for it. I am not yet using leg weights, but I think I will try that next time. AND!!! I actually felt great during my strength workout this time. Usually it feels like it is sucking the life out of me! I did it while the kids were napping (3-4pm) so maybe earlier in the day is better for that workout.

I'm almost there!

OK, today, I missed my 15 minute mile by .01 of a mile! The counter was at .99 when my timer clicked off at 15 minutes. On one hand I was heartbroken, but on the other, I was so excited. Walking faster than ever AND I was walking on a 2 incline. I'm ready to start toning, because muscle burns more calories than fat! Oh well, maybe tomorrow!

DC's Wednesday

I walked Lyra for a mile this morning. I'm sure we'll walk again before going to bed.

I went to work and man that's just exhausting. The hurricane in Louisiana has really effected the at&t world. Today I had to do so much work that I've never been trained to do. And knowing the company they'll have us continue to do it even after the center in LA comes back online. Fabulous!

After work I stopped by Curves... I'm going to start working there every other Saturday. I'll get to work out for free. I love Curves because you work every major muscle group in thirty minutes. So I'll start working out there Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday with my friend, Becky. Then I'll pick up workouts on the days that I work.

Breakfast: Raisin Ezekiel Bread, cantaloupe

Lunch: Black Forest Ham Sandwich on Ezekiel Bread

Snack: Pickles

Dinner: Pulled Pork BBQ & peas

Dessert: I'm not sure but Lisa is going to pedal her way down to the local Maverick & get us some chocolate. :)

And Now for Something Completely Different

I lifted weights today! Conclusion; I need some heavier weights. I'm stronger than I thought I was. I did triceps, and lats, 3 sets of 12 reps each, with five lbs. I did one set of 12 reps of 5 lbs for biceps, but it was ridiculous. I need something heavier, so I called it quits on that for today. I also did some biking, and I totally shocked myself here. I wasn't about to do the heavy biking workouts I've been doing right after weight lifting, so I thought to myself, I'll just do one set, at a nice easy pace for as long as I can stand it. I set my pace without looking at the speedometer, because I didn't want to bias myself, and my easy pace is 12 mph! That's awesome, considering I started at eight, and could barely do five minutes of it. I looked at the clock, and then didn't look at it again because, again, I didn't want to bias myself. The next time I looked, it had been twelve minutes, and I was barely feeling it! So I decided to kick it up to 15 mph, and quit at 15 minutes, which I did. I felt good, not nearly as worn out as I thought, and I maybe could have done more, but was leery of pushing it too hard.

Does that kick butt or WHAT?!

Look at that; I'm more SVELTE then I thought.

The Almighty Liz

ploop

I went to Branson for the Labor Day weekend. We left on Friday, and came back late Monday night. I ran on Saturday with Terry, my father-in-law. (For those of you who don't know, he is like Mr. Crazy Fitness, Die-hard runnin', bikin', weight-liftin', racquetball playin' machine.) If you've ever been to Branson, you know that the whole place looks like this: WWWWWWW. You would be extremely hard pressed to find a flat course to run there. We didn't try. I love running in Branson. You'd be an absolute animal if you trained there. I happened to have a good day, and made it 3 miles in 30 minutes, with some good and nasty hills. (Yes, a 10 minute mile is slow for a runner, but I'm still working on my post partum come back.) I didn't run on Sunday, religiously, I never do. Monday we were on our way home, and didn't make it back till 10:30 or 11:00 pm. No running that day either. Nothing yesterday, so I HAD to run today. I got my mom to watch the two pre-schoolers, and I ran 4 miles today. I had to stop and walk once, so my odometer was at about 4.5 miles when I quit. I think I'm going to try to get up and run with the slow sector of my running group tomorrow. I'll meet them about a mile out on the course, so that will cut off a mile in the beginning and a mile in the end. That will be a 4 mile run. We'll see how I do. Wish me luck.

DC's Weekend

I spent the weekend hiking at Arches & Canyonlands National Parks. I'd say we hiked at least 10 miles with a few very steep inclines.

I ate great this weekend too so I feel great about my choices. Yay! :)

Tuesday Walking 1 hour, Swimming 1 hour

The walking was really slow walking for at least the first 15 minutes as Vance did not want to ride in the stroller on the way to school, so there were frequent stops to let the boy catchup. As a bonus though, I only had one kid in the stroller the whole time so that was easier on my back.

Swimming went great! I thought it would be really hard after not swimming for three weeks in a row, and it was harder than usual, but I did not backslide. I did the breast stroke for 20 minutes because I was thinking that I would not be able to do the freestyle (the hardest stroke for me) for the full 15 minutes. I was almost ready to quit after 5 minutes of freestyle, but I got my second wind! Woot! And then the happy hormones kicked in, so I was able to jump right back into the full 15 of freestyle.

Then I did the backstroke for 15 minutes, and my arms started to feel trashed, so I decided to use the kick board. Wow! I will never call someone a wuss in my head who is just using the kick board. That is hard! I only lasted 5 minutes, and then I went back to backstroke and swimming under water, and goofing around. So, full hour of swimming (woot!) and full time on freestyle. Yeah me!

Also, I have discovered a glass of milk after I work out or a few bites of cottage cheese seems to make me feel better than water. The protein maybe? I will have to keep testing this theory.

Back on track...

Finally all, I've been able to walk two days in a row. Not like I was due to time constraints at the Y (it was closed yesterday and tonight I had to get to the pharmacy before it closed). But I feel great. Yesterday I walked around our neighborhood for about 30 minutes and today, I did just shy of a mile on the tread mill in 15 minutes.
I have a deal with myself that when I get to a straight 15 minute mile, I will start lifting weights. So YAY! I'm almost there!!

More of the Same

I did my bike today. Five sets of six min each with six rests in between at 15 mph covering 6 miles even.
Yesterday we went to Fisher Cavern, which is one cavern down from Meramak caverns. The tour was an hour and half long, so I didn't do it. Not up to that long a hike yet. So I was going to go swim at our pool since yesterday was the last day it will be open until next year, but when we got back from the cave, John's sister and her family dropped by on a whim, and we hung out with them instead. What's my point? My point is I took an unscheduled rest day, but I'm not slacking. I guess I feel guilty for resting too much. (yes yes, I know.)
But here's something cool; John put together my weight bench, hooray! So tomorrow, I'm going to lift. I think I will do mainly arms, since my legs have been getting pretty good workouts up to this point. (fun discovery for me today; my legs don't jiggle anymore. Or at least, not nearly so much. They are tight, well on their way to toned and muscular. *ROAR!*) I may do a little tiny bit of biking too, to keep up my cardio. We'll see how I feel.
The pool issue is shelved for now because my car broke, and so I have no way to get there currently. I'm putting all my resources into fixing that problem right now, but when it is, I will resume battle with the lack of indoor pools in my area.
The Almighty Liz

Monday-Marching in Place 1 Hour

I mixed it up with the marching in place by adding 10 minutes of running in place, with two 10 minute sets of knee lifting and arm windmills. It was great fun. Not really, but the light exercise does seem to make my back feel better. I did not exercise at all Saturday, and I was up half the night with my back hurting.

My pool opens tomorrow! Woot! I hope that swimming does not aggravate the back thing. Hope hope hope hope.

I also did some light gardening today, in the hopes that I will be able to do some heavy gardening later in the week. I miss gardening the most! I'm used to being out there 1-2 hours a day, and it calls me in my sleep. Ok, that last thing I made up, but I still miss it!