Frozen and lazy

I confess to not working out the last 2 days. Yesterday due to a crisis of coldness actually freezing our car up and this morning I slept in a bit...so I am lazy.
I can't believe I saw people jogging yesterday. It was -52 degrees and people were jogging. Today is about 8 degrees warmer...so still stupidly cold. i wore ski gogles to the bus so my eyeballs wouldn't freeze on the 15 minute walk. Often I wonder why people moved out here...I can't imagine it here without sentral heating.

I did shovell snow yesterday for 20 minutes and thought I'd die from the cold air...had to use my inhaler. Someone should smack those jogging people...when it's cold enough to die out you shouldn't go for a jog! Of course, all I did was shovel some snow...so I'm not one to talk.

I'm working out extra tomorrow...

Blizzard

Crawled out of bed to find a blizzard. Wow...it's still snowing...and will be stupidly cold the next few days. We're talking -40 before you even bring in the wind.
Snow day tomorrow methinks...if it's below -40, risking death to get to work isn't my cup of tea.
This morning I did my 30 minutes on the elliptical with no problem.
Yes, I managed to get a replacement inhaler over the weekend...it's so nice to breathe again! :)
Tomorrow is the ball...maybe elliptical too. If I'm stuck at home in the blizzard, perhaps I should exercise a bit.
Heaven knows the trek through knee deep snow to the bus stop (trying not to freeze my eyeballs) this morning had to count for something. Luckily it's my turn to *not* shovel snow...bwa ha! I know it's good for you...but lazing and watching the hubs do it while I drink tea is *so* much better don't you think? :)

Open mouth. Insert Food. Repeat.

Oy.
OK I was over at the good peoples at Iowa Avenue fitness and their article of the day was about the gritty details involved when you gain/lose one pound. According to the math, a pound equals 3500 calories. So to lose a pound a week, you have to have a negative calorie balance of 500 calories per day. OK...doable. I can get to that. Exercise alone will help.
But what's really wierding me out is that also means that to put on what I have done in such a short of time I must've been eating enough food for about 4 people...daily.
WTF?
If that wasn't a kick in the ass to stop the endless snacking, I don't know what else is...
Yowza.
Somehow seeing the numbers in my face gave me a bit of a slap...bad me

It snuck up on me

OK...yesterday was a lousy day, but ended well. So this morning I got up and did 30 minutes on the cross trainer...then I stepped on the scale in a fit of stupidity.
Not cool. I've somehow gained 4-5 pounds...in a few weeks. How does that happen?
Ah well...Nothing for it but to be more diligent. Bit of a downer tho. Guess my feelings of rotundity were real...
I'm the hibernating sort and my metabolism is slower than slow...so I have to stop snacking and get back to being active. I've been very bad over the holidays...but it never kicked in until now I suppose. You just never know...staying inside from the cold has made me lethargic and I guess I will have to be more active.
Today was a good start. I managed 30 minutes without needing my inhaler - it was hard but I did it. After the scale, I'm glad I did. I'll check back with it in a few weeks and see how things are.
Stupid scale.

Feeling a bit rotund

I went to bed early last night and it was so very nice. I had wanted to stay up and read, but I kept falling asleep while reading, so I gave up and slept.
I got up this morning and did my ball workout though...with as much vigour as I could.
I feel all round and hibernating-like lately...I think it's just the cold weather. I need to work at being in better shape like I was back in November...but it is hard when all I want to do is curl up and eat. I'm snacking like crazy lately and trying not to. Yesterday I made stew and biscuits for supper...and muffins. Warm soothing foods.
I just have to watch my portions I suppose.
Hope the spring comes soon...

Baby steps to the snooze button.

Yesterday was the longest day ever. I had meetings and errands and duties until 11:30 PM. But I did all my things...I even shovelled the snow in the yard.
And then I snuggled into my lovely warm bed and I slept. The night before I'd woken up every few minutes with dreams of falling, being chased, noises...you name it. Nothing really traumatic - just nothing I could actually sleep through either.
So needless to say I was bagged by the end of it all and this morning I just reset the alarm for 30 minutes extra sleep. I'm feeling a bit guilty but I'm very glad I did. I feel loads better with the extra sleep and I'll be healthy all day - scouts honour. And I'll work out even more tomorrow...
Things must be a bit better...last week the day after the first of the week's ball workouts I couldn't move without whining. Today I feel just fine.
Baby steps...

The chronicles of me and my butt

My butt and I got up this morning to a frosty house...but we were good.
I did my audio exercise workout (still haven't made a DVD) and tried to be quiet...as it's my husband's week working nights, so he's home in the mornings instead of work. I hope I'll be less stiff this week...we'll see.
It's odd - I forget how loud I get in the mornings, cranking the stereo and singing while getting ready for wotk and all that. I feel *too* quiet when I just do my thing quietly...I'd feel rude waking him up. He says he won't mind, but it's like peeing when someone is listening...you just can't do it can you? :)

I think when I get home I'll run about the place yelling "WOOO!" for good measure.
Yes. That'll do the trick nicely...

Annoying thing about asthma #549

My inhaler is missing - no clue where I put it.
So as a result, my workout was cut short this morning...as my lungs started to act up at about 15 minutes into my 30 minute workout. I managed to slow down and make it to 20 or so minutes, but then had to stop. Usually I use my inhaler *before* I start and all is well. Then I can push myself and exercise all out. Or just see how far I can go before I need it...some really nice days I can get away without it. It's rare, but sometimes it happens...
But not today.
VERY frustrating.
I beg all of you - DO NOT take your lungs for granted. If you get viral pneumonia or some othe nasty lung trashing thing like I did in university and have difficulty breathing DO NOT ignore it. Don't pretend you are fine. It will NOT get better. You only have one set of lungs and if you don't look after them, they'll get damaged, and you'll end up like me. Now I will admit that I don't have it as bad as a great deal of people out there...but because I was a stubborn twit back in university, chilled air and exercise trigger my asthma and make my lungs squeak, contract and slowly close up.

And it's it's just one more barrier that stops me from getting back in shape.
But I will. Make no mistake of that.
Suffice it to say I'll be getting another inhaler soon...

Ow

Man...I am so very stiff.
All day yesterday I just kept getting stiffer and stiffer.
I guess I'm more out of shape than I thought..and the workout is harder than I remembered.
Eep.
I did get up and do my crosstrainer machine for 30 minutes this morning...and then a whole *lot* of stretching to try and work the kinks out.

I'm such a suck...hopefully the stiffness goes away in a while, cuz I'm such a wuss!

I'm listening to the voices...

Did my ball tape this morning...whew. What a solid muscle workout!
It was odd only using the audio (the computer is facing the wrong way so I can't see it) of the computer, but I did the workout. That is the main thing. It was odd - I forgot how much my cat like to "help" me workout....I managed to keep him out of the way and unsquished.
Now it's off to another busy workday.
Hope you all have a great day!

LATER: my butt is sore...man I'm so out of shape :)

Quick comment

Well, I got up and did 30 minutes on the elliptical this morning.
It felt really good. I'm curious how tomorrow will go with my computer aided ball workout...

And for my next magical trick...

Annoying...I got up to do my Ball exercise tape for the first time in ages. I was bloody tired and grumpy but I figured I had to get back at it. And I do quite like it - it is a good overall muscle workout...and I am in dire need of some muscle tone.

So I crawled out of bed, put on my kit and wandered downstairs....and proceede4d to spend the next 30 minutes looking for the fracking DVD instead of working out. I have no idea where the thing is...it's GONE. My husband converted it to DVD from VHS a while back so I guess I'll ahve to burn another copy.
Annoying way to start the day tho...I just keep thinking about all the sleep I missed...*sigh*

Good for me but boo for Garmin...

I did 30 minutes on the cross trainer this morning and ate breakfast, so I've started off things well today. I plan healthy meals, but I have a meeting over supper time so hopefully I won't inhale everything I see when I get home afterwards...

I am rather pissed off at Garmin, who make the nifty toy I went on about in yesterdays post. Why? Well the base price of the thing is ~315 BUT to have al the nifty options it talks about on the ad like it's part of it, you need to add a 115 dollar pedometer and a 90 dollar heart rate monitor and strap. That makes it about $520 and not the $315 it says in the ad. I absolutely detest it when companies advertise their products and say all it can do...and leave out the costly add ons without *saying* they're add ons. OK, mostly I'm pissed off as I could sort of justify ~$300 for a watch and run tracker, but $500? In my dreams. I could paint my whole living room with that. Garmin is a good company - they make good GPS and monitor systems, which is why I'm pissed at them for falling into the "make it look cheaper so people will buy it" ad trap. I guess, I'll just look at a cheaper pedometer/heartrate thingy...but it won't ever be as cool as this thingy was.
sigh.
I'm on a quest this month to drink 5 glasses of water a day, as I realised I drink little to none of it (yesterday I drank 6 cups of coffee, but no water...bad). Hopefully I can get things done in the lab with all the peeing I'll have to do. We'll see. I need to get back into regular life, healthiness.
The exercise is a start....we'll keep going form there. (but without a cool watchmotchmotch...*sniff*)

WANT!!!

I have just discovered something I now (of course) desperately need...a Garmin Forerunner 405 sportswatch. Not only is it a cool watch, and similar in function to the older Garmin Forerunner gadgets, it looks cool (I want the green one) has dial control(touch dial...mee hee), an adjustable, backlit sportswatch with lap and other time functions....BUT it links up to your computer and automatically downloads your run info to it so you can track and watch your progress (even your heart rate!)...AND it has a GPS...AND if you know someone else with one, they will interact and share data so you can virtually run against each other...of course then all my friends (real and imaginary) would need to have one...but how cool is THAT?
Geeks Ahoy!
I've looked at the 305 series forerunner gadgetry wistfully as taking my running to the "next level" (whatever that means) by tracking my running info, but didn't take it seriously, as I have enough trouble remember ing my inhaler and water when I get up to run...so I'd probably forget it a lot...or lose it. But having it all together and in a watch that looks a lot like the one I currently have? Well, that's just cool...and less easy for me to lose!
Not only do I need a new watch soon, with a stopwatch/timer and alarm function that is backlit (for work in the lab and running in the dark)....the other options are cool too. And altho I have a sportswatch, which is a decent one...the lap functions are very confusing and easy to hit the wrong button on, and the backlight only comes on for 5 seconds when you tilt your watch towards you...which is really cool...BUT if you do it at the wrong time while running in the dark as I often do, by the time you get round to focusing on your wrist at a time when you won't trip and fall down the light is gone it goes off and you can't see it. And I like to watch the time as I run...don't know why. I just do. The only thing I can see against this little thingy is it is only water resistant and not waterproof...but I think I should be old enough by now to remember to take it off when I shower and swim (I hope)...
And so now I have decided I need this gadget I do. Heh...what else do I need $350 for? I could go downstairs to the big pile of money I keep in my basement (you know, for rolling around in and drinking fine wine on top of when I feel a bit blue) and grab a few bills and get one forthwith...I'm sure I'll just have saved up enough money for it when a new snazzier version will come out, but that may be a good thing.

Go go gadget geek...
Who'd have thought I'd want a gadget that WASN'T a kitchen doohicky?

I'm BACK baby!

Ha HA!
This morning I got up and worked out on the crosstrainer for 26 minutes, then did some stretching. I figured I'd better ease back into it...by the end I was feeling very winded and with asthma, I can't just push myself over that squeaky slightly queasy stage of exercise or I just...well...stop breathing. So I worked out until that point and then cooled off and stretched.

And MAN do I feel great!
I missed this so much!
I am so glad to be back. I'm planning t ohop back into the ball workout twice a week and cardio 3 times a week....maybe by Feb I can be back up to 40 minutes of cardio.
We'll see.
For now - time to celebrate with a giant cup of coffee.
Oh yeah - I'm BACK baby! :)

Workout music: Jesus Jones - Doubt

Starting up a brand new day

Robin Hood and Little John
Romping through the forest...
ooodelalee oodelalee, golly what a day!

Reminiscing this and that
and having such a good time
ooodelalee ooodelalee, golly what a day...


Well...I had a mellow holiday season, and rounded up the new year at a retreat in a winter camp. After days of relaxing and eating the most delicious foods I feel refreshed and wonderful...and woefully out of shape.
But it is a new year...and as of next week (to fit in a few more days of focused, concentrated slackery) I am back on the road to uberfitness.

This fall I was in the best shape I have ever been in my life...and I miss it. I felt good. Now I was good over the holidays...no crazy eating or anything, so my weight is the same...but my fitness? Oh not so good. I've gone for lots of walks but no hard on concentrated work outs. It was more mental and spiritual exercise and thoughts and so when I spring back to normal life...I find that I am wiggly and jiggly. I bet it'll take most of January to get back even close to where I was before. I miss the inner energy I had and look forward to it's return.
And it is funny - I used to beat myself up about things like this. I'd get all self deprecating and hateful and think I'd failed...but over the past few months or so things have changed perspective wise. I'm pretty fine if I do say so...and I know I'm just a hop and skip away from fitness again. Relaxing is fun, but it turns out I actually *like* to exercise. I like how it makes me feel.

So here are my fitness resolutions for the new year:

-Continue to work out regularly (at least every other day)
-Get back to running as soon as the snow melts...I miss it!
-Continue to eat less processed foods and focus on eating more wholesome, locally sourced,foods. Maybe even some organic food. There are so many foods I have yet to try, and so many new things to try and eat.
-Continue my quest for healthy snackery
-Cook one new healthy recipe a month
-Balance my mind and my body - spend at least a night a week doing something mentally taxing - work on my stained glass, or research a new topic I'm interested in.
-Take the time for myself...to remember why I am doing all these things and that I'm worth it. :)

I figure that's enough to start with...
Happy new year everyone