Soreness is a tricky little devil. I thought I'd only feel sore the day immediately after a workout. Oh how I was wrong. That little bugger can creep up on you days after. I have to work on really stretching out before and after I exercise. I skipped the pre-stretch, thinking it wouldn't matter. Now, I pay the consequences. My left calf feels really tight and my knees feel tender. I walked at a pretty fast pace this morning to warm up my muscles. It did help a bit. I'm sure I'll be really stiff after sitting at a computer for 8 hours. I'm shooting for 10 full minutes of pre and post stretching tonight.
I ordered green tea pills and a heart rate monitor. Green tea is known to have many health benefits beyond increasing our metabolism rates. The heart rate monitor will come in handy during workouts as well as my speed walks to and from the subway.
Check out the new banner. Trying to spiff up the place.
Soreness = Evil
Staying the Course
Right now, I'm eating one of my pre-packed salads. Still crisp after two days in the fridge. Not sure if I can say the same for my lil sandwich. Haven't tried it yet, but I think I'll just eat the meat and cheese. My stomach is pretty tight. I'm never really hungry around 'that time of the month', but I'm trying to get it down. I'll thank myself later tonight when I'm not scarfing down french fries.
I haven't been tracking my food intake anywhere (usually spark people for me.) I'm afraid I may overwhelm myself with too many fitness-related tasks. Exercising as planned and watching what I eat is all I want to do for the next couple of weeks. Once I get that down packed, I'll move on to counting calories, measuring water intake, and such.
Funny how I'm not scheduled to workout today, but it's all I've thinking about all morning. I kicked my own butt with yesterday's workout. I bought this DVD on sale when I bought a little, cheapy DVD to exercise in my room. Boy, was it a great investment. I did the low intensity cardio circuit, which didn't seem low intensity at all. My husband kept saying how proud he was, while I shooed him away to catch my breath. I couldn't even get through the circuit (20 mins.) Sort of embarrassing, but now it's my goal to complete the whole set (without pausing.)
Snack Attack
I've been snacking all day. I'll chalk it up to 'that time of the month'. Luckily, the snacks have been healthy, such as one of those delish fat-free brownies and some reduced-fat cheese puffs. Lunch was two of those low-fat wraps ...although I added a handful of light shredded cheese. The guilt is still working me over. I have 30 minutes to get myself together (mentally) before working out. There's no backing out now.
I've added a few goodies to the sidebar. Check out my twitter and please follow me! The more people I feel accountable to, the better! I've also added a link to an about me post. Get to know me a little better.
I did add my weigh-in yesterday. Had a 2 lb loss. It's a good start, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.
Serious Meal Planning
Lunch for the entire week is just about in the bag. I have two plastic containers of salads, and three plastic bags of prepped salads waiting in the wings. At this moment, I'm cooking chicken tenderloins to add to the salads. I'm also preparing some chicken wraps to be frozen. I also bought a large ciabatta and made awesome sandwiches to eat with the salads. I froze them and really hope they defrost well. Here's the homemade wrap recipe:
light shredded 3-cheese blend (I used trader joe's brand)
1 lb chicken tenderloins/breasts
1 cup salsa (divide into 2 parts) or enchilada sauce
.5 sliced green pepper
1 sliced onion
.5 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper
.25 tsp cumin powder
.5 bunch cilantro leaves (optional)
8-10 tortilla wraps (whole wheat wasn't in stock so I went with flour)
Lightly coat a large pan with olive oil. Over low/medium heat, sautée onions and green peppers until soft. Add minced garlic, chicken breast and seasonings/herbs. While meat is cooking, heat tortillas in microwave for 10-20 seconds (or preheated oven for about 3 mins) to make them pliable. Cook meat until it's white throughout. Turn off heat. Shred or dice chicken in the pan. Add .5 cup of salsa to pan (if using enchilada sauce, add all). Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling into each tortilla. Top with a handful of shredded cheese and a little salsa. Serve immediately or wrap tightly and place in individual plastic baggies. Freeze.
These freeze really well. I pop them in the microwave for about 3-5 minutes.
Oh my goodness! I baked fat-free brownies today. I kid you not, these are beyond delicious! My version isn't technically fat free because I used low-fat yogurt...and I added walnuts (good fats? hehe) It makes 12-16 servings but I can't see how you can get any more than 8...they're really that good. We'll be enjoying these for a couple of days.
I Will Never Be a Gym Rat
I have a one-year membership (began Jan. 1) at the New York Sports Club. I love having the little key fob...there to remind me of where I should be (ideally 4 times a week.) However, I am simply not there yet. I've tried to go a couple times since the beginning of the year. I just feel so uncomfortable. The locker room puts me into a slight panic attack. What keeps me a member is the fact that I really enjoy interval training on the treadmill. I also have a love-hate relationship with the elliptical trainer.
Until I can work up the courage to go on a regular basis, I'll be exercising at home. Why not cancel the membership, you ask? I hope to eventually get over my fears and enjoy the gym in a couple of months. The monthly fee is also a slap on the wrist for neglecting my health.
Here is my newly planned exercise regimen:
M: 20 minute-cardio (The Biggest Loser DVD)
T: -
W: 20 minute-strength &cardio (The Biggest Loser DVD)
T: -
F: 20 minute-strength &cardio (The Biggest Loser DVD)
S: weights:
bicep curls-3Xfailure
tricep extensions-3Xfailure
Chest press-3Xfailure
S: -
Daily: 10 minutes of stretching 7Xweek.
I have a couple of Taebo DVDs, but they intimidate me. I'm in search of a couple of other DVDs, one being pilates. You can see my progress in the Health/Fitness Calendar ->.
Off to prep my lunches for the week.
Learning to Eat Properly
This morning I put together a bowl of plain yogurt (fage brand), pecan praline granola and sliced strawberries. This has been my usual breakfast for about a month...although I usually get it at McDonald's. For some reason, I had a tough time getting it down. I think it's because the yogurt was unflavored. I also have a hard time eating first thing in the morning. My routine has been to eat at 10am. This isn't best for my metabolism, but I'm working on it.
Weekly charts and lists seemed to fall apart the next morning when I walk out the door, forgetting to take my lunch and snacks with me. My husband, on the other hand, has it down to a science. He irons his clothes, washes the dishes (I know...lucky me!), and preps his healthy lunch before bed...like clockwork. I'm going to try to go one step beyond. I will be pre-packing my lunches for the whole week on Sunday. Saturday is grocery day, making it a perfect opportunity to pick up all of the essentials. Pre-packing lunches will not only save me time in the morning (or before bed), but also save me money. It's hard to get a decent lunch in New York City under $7.
So wish me luck as I mass-cook chicken breast, veggies and whatever else seems like it can last 5 days. I'll be sure to tell you how that escapade went. Now to remember to take it with me in the morning!
To Set Goals or Not to Set Goals
Not setting a goal date is a tough thing...something i can't do (just yet.) I've set countless goals, all of which have failed. Everything from, "I'll lose 50 pounds this year" to "I'll lose 50 pounds this week" have been given serious thought at some point in my life. We all wish we can change ourselves for the better...overnight, no less. And just about everyone who has succeeded will tell you that you're setting yourself up for failure if you believe that.
As of today, my main goal is to lose 50 pounds by my 30th birthday (about 10 months.) This is not my ultimate goal, just a starting number. Honestly, I don't want to think about my actual goal weight any time soon. Here is a breakdown:
- Current weight (as of 4/21/08): 220 lbs
- Current jeans size: 16 (tight)
- First goal weight: 170 lbs
- Ultimate goal weight: 140 lbs
I don't expect any weight change for this coming weigh-in on Sunday.
All of this being said, I plan on taking it one day at a time.
Day 1
This blog has been in the works ('works' being in my mind) for a while now. I've read many fitness blogs to find inspiration, motivation and all of those other 'ations' we think will fix us. Although fairly new, Leo's Training Blog is a great example of a well rounded fitness blog that is as helpful to him as it must be to his visitors. I've a fitness blog is various forms over the years. Fit Day, Spark People (which I still visit), I even created a clunky page on my old site.
I don't want to pile on the guilt too early so I'll set a few loose guidelines for myself.
- I will weigh in weekly on Sundays.
- Acknowledge small victories.
- Be perfectly honest with myself...and you.
- Try and write at least every other day.
About Me
I am a 29 year old married lady living in New York City. No children, yet.
Weight has been a major part of my life since childhood. I've always been a heavy girl. I'm conscious of my issues with food and know that I am an emotional eater and eat out of boredom. There was a time during my teenage years where I lost a lot of weight (my lowest weight being 128 lbs.) All of that weight was lost through unhealthy means. Of course, I gained it back over a span of 6 years.
I am at my highest weight ever (220 lbs). Seeing that number on my doctor's scale really hit hard. I've noticed my health deteriorating slowly over the last year, but have tried to ignore it. I've also gain 20 lbs within the last year so it all adds up. I've become oblivious to the frequent colds, constant allergy attacks, snoring and body aches. But the possibility of having developed asthma because of my weight (pending test results) frightens me.
The decision to have children is closing in on my husband and I. We both feel the time has come to have a child. I fear that my weight may cause complications with the pregnancy as well as my own health in the long run. We hope to try to conceive later this year or early next year. I hope to be at a healthy weight and full of energy before bringing our child into this world.
