I had three objectives for August 3rd:
- jog 30 minutes straight on the treadmill
- get back to 148 pounds
- do 10 pushups
I got to 30 minutes this morning, over a month early! I was so pumped and extended my previous best by almost a third (my last attempt was 21 minutes) but I got in such a groove that I didn’t want to quit. Hopefully I won’t “feel it” tomorrow morning. Anyway, I’m pumped — the best feeling to carry you right into the weekend! Have a good one everybody!
On May 17th, I stated my goals for August 3rd:
- lose 13 pounds to get back to 148 pounds
- run for 30 consecutive minutes on the treadmill
- do 10 pushups
I had 11 weeks to get to those goals. Considering I am four weeks into the 11 available, I wanted to make sure I was on track to succeed — or approaching half way at least. Well, of the 13 pounds, I lost 9, so that is good. I should be able to lose the remaining four pounds given that I have seven weeks to do it in. I am up to 17 minutes straight on the treadmill, so that is more than half — I think I’m doing ok there too.
BUT — those darn push-ups! I just can’t do them! I have been lifting weights at the YMCA after doing the cardio workouts, trying my best to build upper body strength (which is what I thought I would need to better “push up” my body) but even now, I still cannot do even one measly little pushup — even the girly kind where I start out on my knees instead of toes!
I’m going to keep trying, but I’m a little less confident that I am going to be able to tick that one off my list.
Tags: goals, jogging, push-up fitness test, treadmill
Over the winter I consumed a lot of soup, not only for the lower calorie alternative to other choices but to help me stay warm too! One thing I tried to do is exchange some of the sodium-packed canned varieties with healthier alternatives that still had a great flavor. One thing I found was a salsa sold by Walmart that is incredible and very low in sodium too! If you click on the product image it will take you to a page that shows full nutritional information. 
All I did was mix two tablespoons of the salsa with a cup of water and cooked vegetables in the boiling water until done. It was truly very yummy!
Tags: salsa as a soup base
I’m up to 17 minutes on the treadmill. The pace is still the same slow jog, but I’m increasing the duration each time and that feels good — like I’m getting closer to my goal. I use a Precor machine at the YMCA. What I find interesting about it (and who knows, perhaps all exercise equipment) are the defaults assumed when a custom workout is not specified. For example, if I don’t take the time to enter my weight and age, it uses some generic formula to display the approximate number of calories burned. When I do enter those details, it uses age 35 and weight 150 as a basis and then I adjust those (currently to 41 and 153 respectively) with the up/down arrows. I wonder why 150 is the weight it chooses as a starting point?
I wonder if more men or more women use treadmills? Ellipticals? Rowing machines? Weights?
Just assuming women use the treadmills and ellipticals more and men use the rowing machines and weights more (which is just based on my observations at the Y) would a rowing machine use a higher basis weight for calories burned when a user does not take the time to program the machine specific to his actual weight and age?
Tags: elliptical, Precor treadmill, programmable exercise equipment, rowing machine, weight lifting
It was a LONG hard winter for this body of mine. There are different theories out there as to whether it is more a factor of the 120 pounds of weight loss or perhaps an iron deficiency, but whatever the case, I nearly froze to death over and over again nearly every day for the last nine months or so. I dressed in multiple layers, wore a heavy coat when it was up to 67 degrees outside, etc. etc. etc. Miserable!
The good news is that the temperature here is SE Wisconsin was in the 90s the last three days in a row. I remember times not that long ago when I would consider that temperature sweltering. I’d grimace and groan every time I had to step outside in it and would find the quickest entrance indoors to a cooler place.
Now, I prefer being outside. I smile as I watch my daughter in a wading pool. I blow bubbles with her and teach her how to hit a ball off a tee. I show her how to flick her wrist as she throws a frisbee. I instruct her how to best build sand castles — with equal parts of sand and water. I walk with her to the park and push her on a swing. All of these things were done yesterday. There was no need to look for an escape — only the sunblock! We spent hours and hours outside.
Now, if I could only remember to take my sweater when going out for lunch! Those air-conditioned restaurants are freezing!
Tags: air conditioner, air-conditioning, always cold, feeling cold, playing in the sandbox, sunblock, swing set, tee ball, throwing a frisbee, wading pool
With the exception of yesterday’s holiday cookout, I did well in my portioned eating this past week. And, although I ate with compulsion a couple too many times yesterday, I did not totally go off the deep end. The scale this morning only showed a one pound gain as a result, so it will come back off in no time.
I’m at 153 right now and was at 152 for yesterday’s official Monday morning reporting weigh-in. I don’t foresee any problems getting back to 148 for my August 3rd self-imposed deadline.
Speaking of August 3rd, I am doing pretty well on one of my other 8/3/11 goals — jogging 30 minutes consecutively. I am up to 15 minutes now, having done that each of the last two times I went to the Y. I was thrown for a little loop over the weekend because the YMCA was closed the 28th-30th for floor resurfacing. Because my “every other day” pattern was disrupted, I feared I would have a psychological barrier to getting right back into it. I should have just jogged outsite or on the treadmill I have in my basement. But, I chose to skip it altogether. I did go this morning though and in addition to the 15 minutes jog on the treadmill, I did a variety of weight lifting. I also did 50 reps on the squat machine with an 80# weight stack. I don’t know if that is good or not, or if based on my age, etc., should be doing more, but it was a good start I think and a benchmark for future performance.
Tags: cookout, goals, jogging, squats, treadmill, weight lifting
I have diligently gone to the YMCA at the crack of dawn every other day for ten days (five times) and in each of those visits saw an improvement over the previous time:
- 1st time = 2 minutes
- 2nd time = 5.5 minutes
- 3rd time = 10 minutes
- 4th time = 12 minutes
- today = 15 minutes
I’m half way to my goal and still have over two months to do it. I’m psyched!
I was excited to share, but didn’t get the opportunity to yesterday when it actually happened… I jogged for ten minutes straight on the treadmill and I wasn’t even overly fatigued when I stopped! I could have kept going, but I’ve heard that the recommended progression is only to increase duration by 10% at a time. I’ve done it three times now (every other day) and went from 2 minutes to 5.5 minutes to 10 minutes! That’s way more than a 10% increase, but I was motivated, what can I say? By stopping early yesterday, perhaps I’ll even surpass the 10 minutes when I go tomorrow.
I’m not sure if going a little later in the morning helped me, but it’s possible. On Sundays, the YMCA doesn’t open until 10am. The first couple of times I went were during the week, when the Y opens at the crack of dawn. On those first two excursions, I was already tired before going, because I had to set my alarm to get up early enough to go.
Or, maybe it was a more engaging show on the television monitor above my treadmill. During the week, it was morning news. That’s kind of depressing and the topic changes every 15 to 30 seconds or so, giving me an opportunity to keep glancing at the treadmill’s readout when they rotate the “breaking news”. By waiting until later in the day, I got some shows with an extended focus. For me, this time, it was Extreme Makeover. They were building a home for a lady that promised her dying sister that she would raise her 10 kids (in addition to the 4 she already had) and she needed a home large enough to raise 14 kids. I love it when Extreme Makeover helps foster, adoptive and extended families. It warms my heart. I didn’t get through the whole show in the time I had allotted to exercise, but I was moved to witness their story and focusing on that meant I was not focusing on elapsed time or distance. In fact, in the ten minutes I jogged, I think I only glanced at the display twice between start and stop!
Tags: 5K, Extreme Makeover, goals, jogging, running, treadmill
I’ve made a commitment to visit the Y every other day, and since starting on Wednesday, I did go again as planned yesterday. I didn’t really want to (woke up tired) but I went, and was glad I did. After the measly two minutes jogging I did on Wednesday, I managed to keep going for 5.5 minutes yesterday before pooping out and returning to a walk! It is still weak, but it’s an improvement. That’s what it’s all about!
The weight is coming back off too. After just three days of eating right, I’ve relost four pounds. I have yet to try any push-ups to satisfy the “ten push-ups” portion of my August 3rd goal, but I did lift weights both of the times I went to the Y — hoping to build some upper body strength that will allow me to achieve the goal.
Tags: lifting weights, push-up fitness test, yo-yo
you’ve lost a lot of weight comments
I find it amusing how, just in the last week, I’ve gotten comments from four different neighbors along the lines of “You’ve lost a TON of weight!” These are neighbors that have witnessed the incremental changes over the last two years. Why they are just commenting now, I’m not sure. Maybe it is because it is shorts weather and they see my birdlegs stemming from my trunk or short sleeves that reveal slender forearms.
Anyway, I just smile, say thank you, and prepare for “How much have you lost?” and what usually follows: “How did you do it?”
I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised though. Even I had a hard time seeing the drastic change in the first year. The first 60 pounds came off without too much of a visual difference. The second 60 pounds produced changes that were much more noticeable. Good thing I’m not going for another 60 — I’d shrivel!
Tags: before and after, comments from neighbors, progress photos