Becoming Commonplace

Yes, I did go to the YMCA on Friday. And again yesterday. And again this morning. And I didn't even blog it. Maybe it is becoming so commonplace that i don't remember to.

Even though I'm not seeing weight loss, I am pleased with myself for actually getting exercise. I have more energy for most of the day and I feel better.

I'm hoping that I can get on board with eating better as well...

I Can't Believe it!

I forgot to blog yesterday that I went to the YMCA ... but I did. and I went again this morning. This morning I did what I refer to as "the towel fiasco." It's becoming a pattern. I go to the Y and I grab a towel to wipe the sweat that drips out from under my very cool nike sweat band (which is my only piece of workout clothing). And I put it on the handbar of the treadmill. And most of the time it stays there but sometimes it doesn't. Sometiems it falls off onto the treadmill, getting tangled in my feet. And then it rolls off the treadmill to the end of it and falls with a soft bump (which is a lot softer than the bump I'll make at the end of that treadmill if I ever take it too fast. But I digress.

I am sure that the whole thing is so funny it probbably looks like a comedy routine. I all the sudden panic and wonder what I should do about the it..... should I reach down and try to grab it --nope, already gone. SHould I stop, get off the treadmill (which for me is a major task) and go get the towel? I usually just decide to leave it there, but not before I've removed my feet a couple times from the rotating strip to the side bars and back in indecision.

And, eventually one of the kind souls near me who is walking by picks it up and hands it to me, and I thank them. Fortunately it hasn't been the same person twice.

But I am still pushing myself a little harder every day. But I think tomorrow is going to be my maximum speed per minute. It's already a whole mile an hour faster than I've ever walked on a treadmill previously. And yesterday and today I walked over a mile, something I haven't been able to do without excruciating pain since I hurt my back 18 years ago....

A Theme Is Emerging

I did it again today. Pushed myself to go .1 an hour faster for a minute longer. I can keep doing the minute longer for a while, but the faster thing I'm not sure. I keep having visions of myself not able to keep up and being swept off of the treadmill in a slapstick like humor fashion and ending up in a puddle at the end of the treadmill, on the floor, needing six or eight people to help me up.

I seem to be enjoying my time at the Y more than thought I might....

And even Faster and Longer

I'm proud of how much I am pushing myself to do more each day. I'm making sure I do it slowly, as I know there will be a ceiling at some point, but each day I'm trying to go a tenth of a mile faster and a minute longer than the day before on the treadmill. By Wednesday I should be going a full mile an hour faster than I ever did when I walked on the treadmill a couple years ago at the fitness center in our former town.

So, I'm plugging away at that piece of it. Hoping at some point to change my eating habits as well.

But probably not today.

Habit (and Faster, Longer, Harder than Ever)

This morning marks three weeks of me making it to the Y every weekday morning it's been open. (Closed for Labor Day). They say if you can do anything for 3 weeks it becomes a habit. I hope "they" are right...

I started out slow on the treadmill this morning. My back hurt and I figured I'd never make it past the 10 minutes I tell myself I have to walk. But I got past ten and kept going. And then I started speeding up a tenth of a mile per hour every minute. Got higher than I'd ever been and stayed there for five minutes straight.

I've "worked out" for several periods of time during my life, but I have never pushed myself. It feels good to exceed the stats from the day before and to feel as if I am making some progress. I know this week my workouts have gotten my heart rate up and made me sweat more than any I've done in a long time. Probably in 20 years since I used to play raquetball at 6:00 a.m. at SDSU -- back before I injured my back. Weighed a little over half of what I do now then. Wow.

So i feel positive about my progress at least, and even though I drag in the afternoons, it doesn't seem that going from 8 hours to 7 hours of sleep a night is killing me yet.

Harder, Faster, Longer

Today I started on the treadmill and went farther, faster and longer than ever before. To embarrassing to tell you how far, fast, long that was, but for me it was an accomplishment.

Sweat was dripping off me, and I'm not one who sweats much.

So I'm proud of that accomplishment.

Two Battles Won and Fighting a Third

So, I'm at the YMCA again this morning and it's dark out so the window is acting as a mirror and lo and behold behind me I see a woman as fat as me. I think, "Wow, that's the first time anyone as fat as me has been here at the same time as me. And she's BIG. Yikes. What a huge butt. And she is WIDE. I think she might be even fatter than me!"

And then I begin to question myself as to when they put the new treadmills up against that wall back there. I almost turn around to look when I realize that the woman is wearing exactly what I'm wearing. And it clicks in my foggy brain. Yup, you guessed it, there was a double mirror effect going on and I was commenting in my head about my own fat body.

Oh, well, I did make it to the Y, and then drove past McDonalds without going through the drive throuugh. The third battle is all of the lunch goodies that I have stored here in my office that I lock in here so they are safe from the kids. Yesterday they were not safe from me, so I am now making that my third battle to win. No lunch snacks.....

Two Battles Won This Morning

Well, I made it to the YMCA this morning and noticed that I was not at all using an elliptecal machine as reported, but a recumbent cross trainer as pictured above. This morning I spent 30 minutes on that machine and 10 on the treadmill gonig at quite a brisk pace to keep up with my Podrunner mix of the week.

Then, after taking the kids from school I was only 6 blocks from McDonalds and I didn't go there. Instead I had a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats.

So, two of my battles have been won this morning. Now if I can just keep my hands off of stuff I shouldn't eat this morning....

My Number One Dieting Issue

I went to the Y this morning at 5:45. I got on the scale. I had gained a pound. I still worked out, came home, and had my yogurt.

But as I was dropping off a batch of kids at school, I thought to myself, "You know, I really tried to watch what I ate last week, and it didn't make any difference, so why bother?" and I went and had myself McDonalds drive through for breakfast.

You know, a Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit is one of the worst items to have on every single one of the diet lists I've ever seen. And yet it is my favorite of all.... maybe that's why.

So, my number one dieting issue is my brain and how I manage to reason myself into anything I want to do. Knowing me, had I lost 5 pounds I would have said, "Good job, way to go. Self, you DESERVE McDonalds this morning."

And Yet Another

40 more minutes, up at 5:45. Did the 20 on the bike, 12 on the ellipticol or whatever it's called, and then 8 on the treadmill. Adding a new twist in that I try to keep up the same speed (using my workout track on my Iphone) from the treadmill all the way to the van. Adds about 3 minutes to the workout as well as propelling me to get there and get on home.

Chalk Up Another Day

40 more minutes -- 15 bike, 17 ellipticol, 8 treadmill.

Finding I'm not as tired as I was when I wasn't exercising at all, even though I'm getting less sleep. I find if I can just take that first step out of bed, the rest of it flows pretty well. I haven't been tempted to quit early or to cheat once I get going.

Doing better with food intake this week as well. Still not what it should be, but better than last week. Hoping to report a loss next week, but if not, I'm having more momentum to work during the day, not as tired or sluggish, and not feeeling a huge need for a nap.

My husband doesn't see it, but I feel more prepared to deal with the kids when I greet them from a workout than when I greet them when I just woke up.

Every Day Matters

I'm not into ruining a record. Once I have some momentum, I hate to stop. For example, Bart and I have not gone to sleep at night angry in all of our 11+ years of marriage. We always resolve things, pray together, and say I love you every night. Once and I while I'm tempted to say "Screw you" and roll over and go to sleep, but then I think about how wrong it would be to ruin an 11 year streak and I put forth the effort to make up.

That's how it works with me and exercise. I know that if I keep going, every day that I add to my streak will make it harder for me to break it. My problem is that once I break it once, it is very hard for me to get going again.

So, now I can say that for 10 days I have been to the YMCA every morning it has been open (8 of the 10). Tomorrrow, it will be 11, etc. And the higher it gets the more determined I will be to not ruin it.

I know myself well, and this works for me. It may not be as motivating for some, but if you haven't tried thinking this way, whether it is about diet or exercise or something else, you might want to give it a whirl. Set a goal for yourself and when you have done it for one day, write it down somewhere. Then start marking your days. You'll be amazed.

At the Y by 6

Exercised for 40 minutes -- 20 on the bike, 10 on the ellipticol (sp) and 10 on the treadmill.

Got on the scales. Have lost 9.5 pounds in the last three weeks and that was without a ton of effort.

Hoping to put forth more effort this next week in the eating department.

Made a CHOICE to go to the YMCA

I had told myself that I was only going to make myself go to the Y five days a week. Monday through Friday. But this morning when I woke up after only 5 hours sleep I figured I would be better off getting my blood pumping while I stewed as opposed to lying sleeplessly in bed and stewing.

So I did a full forty minutes (15 bike, 10 elliptical machine, 15 treadmill) and felt pretty good. Now I get to take a break for a couple days as the Y is closed for Labor Day. But I'm surprising myself that I actually went when I didn't "have to".