Wednesday, October 20, 2010

CAN’T TAKE A TRICK

Well, I was actually getting on track. A good week on the scales last week – down to 74kg - so when you ignore the previous week’s blip, it was a 1kg loss over 2 weeks. (And 4 – 4.5kg overall since I signed up to 12WBT.)  Onwards and downwards, tally ho!  I was happy with that. Fitting into clothes I’d grown out of – and people starting to comment.  And yes, more focus on the doing than the writing about it.  (Although perhaps I’ve just spent more time on Twitter than doing anything else..)

I had some scepticism about the Mini Milestone for last weekend, because I don’t feel like I need to prove anything in that department. With me it’d be more of a milestone to NOT stuff my face after a big lot of exercise.

So I decided that I should embrace it anyway – for that reason if nothing else.

Saturday I got up early (Himself was away playing Touch), and went in to the Community Ride.  I forgot my bike computer, but it was the same route. 31km over around 90mins, with the breather in the middle at the headland.  I felt like I rode a bit better than the previous week, but it’s hard to tell.

Then in the afternoon, essentially, I bit off more than I could chew, and chewed like buggery. (An old family saying, that one.) And I dragged @chookling (aka Amelia), another local 12WBTer into it!  We decided on a hike – up in the hills behind where I live.  Perhaps 20km was a bit ambitious. As was the route that I came up with – some of which I hadn’t covered before…. 

I deliberately put big hills in there.

echidnawalk1

 

That part I had walked before – though there seemed to be more sections like this than I remembered!

We had left nearly an hour later than planned – and at the top of this trail I did suggest perhaps we could revise the route. Amelia said she was ‘up for anything’ - or words to that effect..  whatever, it served to make me not want to be a wuss!

Well, wusses we weren’t.

Crazy we probably were…

We negotiated fallen trees on the track…  (that’s chookling)

echidnawalk4

About 10 mins past this.. I suddenly realised that I’d lost my sunnies – my bike riding glasses no less. So we backtracked, and fortunately found them amongst all that foliage.

We then headed down sections similar to those we had climbed earlier. Only with loser screed. Like ball bearings. I went *thump* on my hip and elbow. (Drawing blood on the elbow – I only later discovered the bruise on my hip.) And I tore the map I was carrying in my hand. (Later Himself asks why the hell I didn’t take the map case – my answer was that I actually didn’t think I’d have to use the map much.)

bruise

We got down to this creek, but then couldn’t find the track that was supposed to lead downstream.  I think we ended up further upstream than I intended. After rooting around the banks for a while, we cut our losses, got our feet wet, and walked up a track on the other side.  It brought us out on a more major forest road, which I recognised from past mtb exploits. I knew where we were – the problem was that we were even further from home than I wanted to be.

That road eventually led back to the highway, but by that stage we’d been out for more than 4 hours, and it was after 6pm!

In desperation I called home, and got my daughter (who doesn’t yet have her licence) to call a friend who did. And the $10 I insisted on paying this friend to drive us home was worth every cent.

By that stage my hips were decidedly wonky. I’m not quite sure how I made it through the evening – making up chicken burger patties for dinner, but getting the girls to do the rest. I’m pretty proud of the restraint I showed with eating – normally after flogging myself to that extent I’d become a gobbledok!

Thankfully I pulled up ok on Sunday, muscle-wise. I was just bone weary, so I gave the exercise a rest, and was pretty restrained with the food. Again, a significant achievement.

Monday I was back in the pool for swim squad, and I also spent an hour mowing lines on touch footy fields.

Tuesday, and karma or something has slapped me in the face again. How’s this for a bitter irony?…  I went upstairs mid-morning to change into some ‘workout gear’ (having been in daggy painting gear painting primer on verandah posts) so I could do the Tight Toned Terrific DVD.

And I smashed my toe – my little toe – into the timber leg of the bed.

Yeoooow!

I expected it to ease off – but it didn’t.  It kept throbbing. No way I could do the DVD.  I had to go to town to pick up a birthday present for Ms 12 (it’s her birthday today)… and after hobbling through the plaza in pain, I went over to the nearby medical clinic, and got in to see a doctor – as I thought I might have broken it.

He reckons it’s just badly bruised…. so the usual – ice, compression (ie. keep wearing shoes), elevation, etc etc. REST.

toes

OH GREAT.

So as you can imagine, I’m not a happy vegemite.  (To the point where I keep dissolving into tears of frustration – and, yes, just sheer self pity..) 

Of course this coincides with a major ‘red flag’ event -  a birthday in the house..  Last night was the birthday girl choice family dinner, as the older two will be out playing netball late tonight.  BBQ’d sausages (I bought a range, and only got lean ones for me…), snowpeas, carrots. Pasta for them. (Sweet potato mash for me.)  I had a couple of bits of this cheesy tortellini I’d had for her for ages – she’s such a pasta freak.   And there was a cheesecake and honeycomb icecream.  I had a teeeeeeny bit of that…

And I paid for it this morning on the scales. Back UP half a kilo. Yes, yes, the scales are 0.5kg increment ones. But on Sunday morning they were flickering onto 73.5 (before settling on 74), and this morning they were a definite 74.5. 

Not what I needed.

Tonight we are taking Ms 12 and her friend out to the local pizza place for dinner.  She was very upset that she’s had to spend all her birthday at another school as part of the school debating team. (So she wasn’t even going to see her best mate.) Hence the meal out…. hence… putting myself in a difficult food choice situation.

And wondering how the hell I am going to burn calories off today.  I can go to swim squad, but I can’t kick (AGAIN, FFS…), and it’ll be hard slotting in between all the faster swimmers if I try to do laps with a pool buoy.  I can’t turn up and swim laps after that class for half an hour because I have to pick Ms 12 up from this debate day at 3.00. My only option is to head up there earlier and hope that I can get a bit done.

Otherwise I don’t know what the heck to do.

Not happy Jan.

Monday, October 11, 2010

JFDI

I want the t-shirt!

So I’ve just watched the Week 4 video. As always they make a lot of sense. Of all the tips, though, JFDI is the one I most need to take on board – not only with the weight loss/exercise, but with the rest of my life. I have quite a few tasks that I’ve been prevaricating around for ages… so, with the resolve I’m getting out of 12WBT, I really must apply it all to everything else.

Meanwhile things are going ok.  I’ve not fallen off the wagon with the food.. Still maintaining the willpower with wine and beer, cake,  chocolate bars etc.

I do have one little thing I do – I don’t know whether it’s WWMD approved, but it works for me. I have a block of Cadbury mildly dark chocolate, broken up into single squares (around 25 calories each – I looked it up.) And they are in a container, hidden (from the kids) in the back of the freezer.  Every few days, I might have ONE, and it totally satisfies my chocolate cravings.  Perhaps the ideal is never to have a piece of chocolate cross my lips ever again, but I don’t think that’s doable for me. This stops me from having a binge attack. Honestly, every time I go through a supermarket, or stop at a servo, I realise how often I’ve made that impulse ‘I need it’ chocolate bar buy in the past.  This way, 26 calories gets it out of my system for another few days.

I did get a bit out of whack with the exercise program last week. On Friday (rather than Thursday) I did the Tight Toned Terrific DVD – this time with my Ms 11. It was cool to do it with her. Could have done without the comments from the peanut gallery (aka Ms 15), but she’s going through that slightly obnoxious ‘image is everything’ teenage girl phase.  I managed a bit more of the push ups AND the abs – so, slowly but surely I’m building up. Just ever so paranoid about stuffing up my back yet again– so slowly but surely it will have to be.

communityrideBSaturday morning we got up early and went into town for the Community Bike ride.  I did 31km in the 90 mins we were out. (Total climb 286m)  Not breaking any average speed records, but I worked at it. 

I know it doesn’t mean much, but I plotted the route on bikely.com – so I’ve put the picture in – just to break up the screeds of wordiness of the post!

It’s the standard B group ride – we start (at the top there) in the city centre, then head south to Sawtell Headland. Stop for a breather, then head back a slightly varied route, which includes a few hills, and a detour around a path that overlooks the harbour.  I tend not to stick with the group – I don’t really like riding in a pack. On Saturday I rode all the way with another friend, and I really enjoyed it.

My darling OH did 10km more in the same time in A group.  When we talked about how I went up the hills (I’m a bit of a hill slug – slower than this friend, who is a bit older – in her 50s, but as I said to her “I think I’m carrying around 20kg more! And you have pocket rocket legs!.) DH said to me “Yeah, you ARE pretty slow up the hills.”  Great encouragement, huh.   I guess we all know who carries us up all the hills on the tandem then.

I can only chip away at it.

The rest of Saturday I had to deal with my nemesis – that seemingly insatiable appetite after I’ve done a decent ride, and which has been the cause of my weight gain over the past five or six years despite doing all this crazy riding.  Finally, thanks to 12WBT twitter support and suggestions (when I went online and whinged!) I had some fruit and yoghurt (and some muesli). I realised I hadn’t had the fruit with my breakfast like normal.  I’d only eaten some Special K with yoghurt for breakfast at 5.30am (No way can I ride 30km on an empty stomach.) Then 2/3 of a slice of that banana loaf with coffee after the ride.  Some risotto and salad leaves for an early lunch – and by 3pm I was going crazy, even after a few of those seaweed rice crackers with avocado. 

As I’ve quipped numerous times, my milestone events should be all about controlling the eating, and the urge to stuff my face with carbs and sugar after numerous hours on the bike - not necessarily simply upping the ante with exercise challenges.  Hopefully I didn’t go over my calories on Saturday, but I sure as hell managed the cravings with better intake than I normally would have..

So I don’t know if 90mins counts as a super saturday, but that was what I did. So I figured I hadn’t completely earnt a rest day yesterday, and despite the rain (more bloody rain!)  I took myself out for about 45 mins walk/jog on the beach, decked out in my very attractive, stripey ‘thermal top’ (ie. my polypropolene top..)  My hip was a bit iffy, but I threw in jogging stints anyway – and upped them from the last time – because I’m actually itching to run.

  I’m super happy with my new shoes - myshoes

Well, I feel like a dag in them, but they feel sooooo good. I swear they are making the difference with actually being able to jog a bit.  They are ASICS trail running shoes – which fits the bill for the sort of running I would choose to do, as long as my body lets me.  I’m not sure about the comments I get about them:  “Nice shoes” can mean a few things. Like “Oh my god, those shoes are a bit lairy aren’t they?”

Anyway… I’m keeping it ticking over.

Today I’m back at swim squad, after the break over the school holidays.  I am really looking forward to smashing it. My calf has recovered almost completely over the break, so I should be ready to kick butt again. AND not to stuff my face with cookies, or toast with butter, when I get back!

12WBT – a change for life – and all I have to do is JFDI.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

BACK ON THE BIKE

I decided to give the walk/jog thing a miss today. What’s the opposite of positive reinforcement? That’s what I was getting for my efforts to teach myself how to jog – carefully – along with a good hard walk.   Pfft. Plus my hamstrings were feeling it yesterday afternoon. Not a bad idea to give them a break.

We had sun today! So I pulled my road bike out of the shed, and decided to go out for half an hour at least. In the end I did about 57mins – and I went round the block a couple of times at the end just to bring up the 20km! (Casually, to get rid of the lactic acid, you know! – you’ve seen them on the Commonwealth Games!)

I pushed it more than I would have done pre-12WBT, so I hope I burned a reasonable amount of calories. Got wet – the rain just won’t leave us alone. But then it came out sunny and muggy again, so being wet was quite welcome.

trainingride20km

In the absence of a HRM to measure calories “smashed”, vital stats were: Trip distance: 20.16km, time 57mins, av speed 21.14kph (there was a hill!), max speed 52.7 kph, Total climb 249m, total descent 249m (there’s a good little hill when you come back along that bottom road.)  Road rage incidents:1 Downpours:1. Dropped chain: 1.   Punctures? (my usual anxiety): 0.  Feeling smashed? – yes.

I did feel like I’d exerted myself a heck of a lot more than on my walks.

Fingers crossed the weather will be good for Saturday morning, even if the thought of getting up in the dark at 5am isn’t appealing. We’ll drive into town and do the Coffs Coast Community Ride – a great local initiative started a few years back. Cyclists of all levels assemble at 6.30am in the city centre, and head out, in groups according to their ability. Ride for 90mins, then meet back for coffee.   Lately our preference has been to ride our tandem into town to meet up with everyone at 8am. Much more civilised! Plus we actually do 46km (averaging about 28-30kph) – so we actually ride more than if we do the ride itself (plus we don’t have a carbon footprint!) But the highway between home and town is now being upgraded, and despite the 80kph zones, there are lots of concrete barriers, and parts now with no shoulder whatsoever. We’ll have to have a think about it for next week, but school holiday traffic rules it out this week.

I tend to convince Himself to take our single bikes when we just do the Community ride. We’ll ride in different groups, but I don’t enjoy riding the tandem as much when we are amongst the more serious ‘roadies’ in the ‘A’ group, especially the women who look down their nose at me. (They don’t ‘get’ the tandem – and have feminist hangups about being ‘in control’, so their attitude makes me feel like they think I’m just a passenger on the back.  Little do they realise that if they (being stronger cyclists than I am) were on the back of a tandem instead of me, they would really smash it.)  …

I have ridden in ‘A’ group – there were times in the past when we would get up early, ride our tandem into town for the 6.30 start, and then smash ourselves riding in the A group (which, with boys being boys, would often involve some sprinting, with a few of the other (guy) riders coming to appreciate what an awesome draft you can get on the back of a tandem hooning along a slight downhill at more than 50kph.)   We’d get back, have coffee and food, then back up for the 23km ride home. Sometimes we’d total 90km – all before 10am. Strangely enough I usually felt like a zombie the rest of the day, particularly when I had to stand around in the netball canteen till 3.00!

Well, this Saturday won’t be quite so mammoth! Although it would count as a Super Saturday, wouldn’t it?

The major change since 12WBT is that I won’t be getting my usual fried egg on toast at the cafe.  (Or worse! – used to be bacon and eggs on toast!) I’ll take along a piece of that banana cake, and stick to a coffee. 

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

BEST VERSION OF ME

BestVersionOfMe

Found this t-shirt today. It was rather provident – and timely-  I think.

(So I’m using this for the #BestVersionOfMe comp for 12WBT Week 3.)

Got Ms 17 to take a few photos.

Then I went out for a run!

(OK, so I can’t exactly say that…yet…  I went out for a good hard walk with even more jogging bits. I’m building it up, gradually and gently, so I don’t bugger up my hips and back.)

It’s also notable in that it’s a size smaller shirt than I’d usually pick up (from Big W!) – and … I actually look ok in it! First bloody photo of me in a long while that is actually kind of OK.

I think that’s a sign.

And even though I was in a funk about the weigh in this morning, I DIDN’T RESORT TO COMFORT EATING!

That is being a much better version of me!

STUFF IT

I have other words in my head, but I’ll try to keep it G-rated. 

No loss this morning on scales. That’s from last Wednesday.

From when I snuck on the scales on Saturday, it’s back up 0.5kg. F*** it.    The numbers are probably less – damn 0.5kg increment scales.  Who knows – it might have been still an under 0.5 kg total loss… (But when you sneak on the scales in between time, you confuse things.  Still, when it showed 74.5kg on Saturday, it was a great incentive…)

But today I feel like shit.

*deep breath*

Reality check time.

I’ve got carried away with my own “success” after the first few weeks. “I can still lose without getting too hooked up on the calorie counting.”  Appears I can’t…

I think .. I know… that the past few days I’ve got a bit loose and free with the ‘healthy’ snacks…

And that frigging banana cake.  (Even half slices have calories.)

I’ve been fudging the lunches – eating leftovers.

I haven’t managed to do the intensity of exercise I was doing either, I guess. With no swimming squad in the school holidays, that’s my most intense workout out of the picture.

Doesn’t make sense, though, that when I can finally move better with my torn calf muscle pretty much better… this happens.

That when I’m finally breaking out into some jogs.. this happens.

That when I managed to do something every day… this happens.

That when I DON’T have two days written off to a raging head cold where I succumb to eating bits of chocolate caramel slice and two-minute noodles… like I did two weeks ago -  THIS HAPPENS.

 

Have to look at the positives.

I’m managing some jogging – that’s good. I can’t do more jogging, too soon- I’ll wreck my back and hips, and I’ll be set back far more than 0.5kg.

Likewise the pushups and abs and stuff.  I have to attack them at my own pace, even if it’s slower than ideal 12wbt/personal trainer type pace.  I’ve been there, done that with a personal trainer, with the weights, and it backfired. (Didn’t help that her motivational techniques were crap too…)

I’ve still improved heaps with the food intake. Every time I go to the supermarket I realise how often I’d slip a chocolate bar into the trolley…and then into my mouth. *scoff scoff scoff*  [It’s just easier to be virtuous with the food when you are rewarded on the scales…]

I WILL NOT now go and eat chocolate to console myself.

I WILL go back to making myself salads for lunch, and not having leftovers like pasta and lentils…

I’m still doing well, considering I had a torn calf muscle, my back and hips are a crock, I get weird soreness in my arms, my knees often play up on me…

(Two nights ago I could hardly get to sleep because my left arm, sort of around/under my shoulder, was doing its inexplicable pain thing again, and my neck, on the right side, was suddenly and unaccountably sore… I very nearly came downstairs to sleep in the recliner lounge…)

I’ve missed our bike riding with this stupid weather…  (Seriously – 300mm in 3 days?)

ONWARDS.

AND DOWNWARDS…

I’ve still lost about 3.5kg since signing up. (“4kg sounded so much better though… *sighs*)   

This is just a bit of a plateau…

Monday, October 4, 2010

DAYS LIKE THIS

oct2010 We’ve had around 250mm of rain over this long weekend. This was what the radar looked like earlier today – a public holiday Monday – for which we had grand plans to make some more progress on the renovations.

Himself is spewing at his wasted days off work.

<<  (We live right under that lower ‘yellow’ cell.)

And it just hasn’t let up all day…  (even yesterday we got that bit of a break in the afternoon when I went for a walk)..

With a long weekend comprehensively stuffed like this, normally I would have slothed around and probably eaten myself silly with ‘comfort food’.

Instead, I’ve been really controlled with the food. And, even if I’ve pretty much hung around the computer most of the day, I’ve just done the Tight Toned Terrific DVD.   A ‘fitness’ (as opposed to ‘toning’) workout for today is just totally out the window, really. (Holiday time so no swim squad, which is what I’ve usually got down for Mondays.)   I’ll just have to make up for it tomorrow. Weather bloody permitting.

It’s a bit of a challenge doing a workout DVD on a day when the family are hanging around home.  I put it on a laptop, and carted it around the house, trying to find space. Our bedroom on the top floor has a heap of room, but my shoes squeaked hideously on the floorboards….  So I came down to our ridiculously large kitchen, and did my best there – after instructing Himself – sitting at the dining room table - not to laugh at me, and not to make comment on Michelle’s instructions and commentary.  And then I went back upstairs again to do the floorwork – but didn’t get away with it without Ms 17 happening upon me and making smart remarks.

This DVD is still a challenge for me. With the cardio, I’m a bit better than totally low impact, but I’m still wary of my recovering calf muscle, and my stupid knee joints.  And, of course, the stupid back and hips.  When I ‘jog’ too hard, I can feel it in my hips.. so I’ve definitely got a goal to (carefully) work towards there before I can really say I’m doing it at full tilt.

I’ve still got to nail the timing in some of those cardio sets too.  I used to pride myself on being coordinated with stuff like that, but I rather seem to have lost that skill over the past twenty to thirty years!  Bonus brain workout! Keeping dementia at bay at the same time perhaps?

And those bloody push ups, and the abs… well, a long way to go there – but I managed to progress a little bit more today…  It’s rather demoralising knowing that I’m ‘pre-beginner’ level with abs.  But, I’m going to just chip away at it. One day I may actually be able to do the first ab exercise she does…

So.. anyway… I’m feeling all endorphin-y now, so I must have done something. And that something is a whole lot better than what I used to be – on a rainy day holiday Monday like this.

If anyone would like some rain, you can HAVE IT.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

NOT DROWNING, WAVING

backyardpooloct2010
So the rain that put me off bike riding yesterday morning? That was nuthin’! Stats for Coffs showed nearly 100mm overnight – though I’m not sure whether we’ve had as much up here (23km north.) But it sure as hell was heavy in the early hours of the morning, and this was what we woke up to  - at this rate I could start swimming laps in our backyard!

After skiving off riding in the rain yesterday I was agonising over what to do instead. Even if I didn’t smash out a Super Saturday, at the very least I had to do something.  I hit on the idea of going and swimming laps at the local pool. I had to time it with picking Ms 17 up from a friend’s place – and when I rang I found out they shut at 4.00 instead of 5.00 – but I got there in time to do about half an hour.  What the heck, you’re going to get wet anyway, I thought – and it was better than mooching around home cursing myself for not riding.  I pushed it reasonably hard – timing a lot of my laps, and throwing in some drills, and some kick and scull (I can kick again!!!) – so I had that dancing endorphin feeling afterwards.

I very nearly made a date to meet up with ‘@chookling’ to go walking at 7am this morning (it would have been great to have met up with a fellow 12WBTer!), but the ‘heavy showers’ predicted for the morning put me off and in the end last night I called a raincheck on it. Just as well I think. We would have needed a snorkel! Next Sunday!

It has poured most of the day here – but in a bit of a break I managed about a 4.5km walk, doing most of that headland/beach walk that I did the other day. It was high tide too, so the beach walking was in pretty soft sand.  I broke out into a few jogs here and there when tracks took me UP, so I feel like I’m building myself up.  I stretched when I got home too – but then got carried away with trying some abs and some pushups.  Now I’m paying for it, with my lower back feeling decidedly dicey…   I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself in that department.

The big change to my pre-12WBT life is that I’m consciously making an effort to do something every day. And even if it’s just walking, I’m pushing it more than I used to. I’m going for ups, so I’m definitely working myself harder than my usual flat beach walk in the other direction.

With the Week 3 SURPRISE out, I really have no idea how I would be able to put that into pictures.  Like I said last post, I’m not exactly fitting the mould of 12WBT pinup girl. I don’t think I’ll bother. I already spend enough time obsessing about this program, I really can’t justify the time – even if I’d love to win a HRM.

*************

The other change in me is that I’m now (and still) happily monitoring what I eat, albeit without getting too bogged down in exact calories. I’m finding myself looking at things the girls want to eat, and tutting to myself about the calories!  What do you do when your 17 year old daughter moans about the only bread in the house at the moment being multigrain. “I hate multigrain – the seeds get stuck in my throat!”?!

I made that banana cake yesterday. It’s been a hit here. Very moist compared to other (possibly “healthier” recipes I have), so you don’t actually need to lather it with butter. I guess that could be the aim. I am still wondering about the sugar and butter in it. But I’ve sliced up one of the loaves, wrapped them individually and frozen them. They’ll be a great snack to take with me on our Saturday morning rides when I need to avoid ordering “bad things” from the cafe!

I used a chicken recipe from the recipe index last night – cajun chicken or something – only we had it bbq’d. It was a bit dry (and I also sprayed it with olive oil) so it would have been even drier done in the oven.  The sweet potato wedges were good – even Ms 17 ate some, and she usually doesn’t eat orange sweet potato! (“It tastes good with the chicken” she said.)  I also did some normal potato wedges for them.  God my family can eat!  “Can I have some more chicken?”….  It’s hard to have leftovers in this place!

Tonight I’m sending Himself out to bbq again – some pork chops. Going to try the carrot puree I noticed in another recipe, and do lots of steamed veggies.  The rest of them can have pasta, but I’ll pass.  I’m not missing it – which again is a big change from a mindset entrenched in the idea of having to include a carbohydrate – rice, pasta or potato – in every meal.  So entrenched, the family will think their throats are cut if they don’t have one of the above with their meal.  Baby steps, huh…

Himself reckons he’s lost a bit of weight himself (ha) since this change of meal plans.  I don’t know whether to be pleased, or bloody annoyed, because he sure as hell isn’t restricting himself in other areas like I have to.  Beer, wine, munchies… still on the full fat yoghurt… and he’s not even playing as much sport at the moment with his Touch in between seasons….

Hmmmpf. What can I do? It’s patently obvious he has a better metabolism than me, and I have to get over this “It’s not fair” mindset.

Meanwhile I’m loving my breakfasts… it’s hard to decide which one to have each morning!  I’d never had Special K before – and I quite like it. The youngest two girls REALLY like it, so it’s disappearing at a rate of knots! But I also love yoghurt, fruit and muesli! And I’m not averse to a bit of porridge for a change.  Decisions, decisions!

Time to do something about dinner! First day of Daylight Saving, and I’m caught out already with it still being light at 6.30!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

PSYCHOLOGY 101

As if the whole psychology of (comfort) eating wasn’t enough to deal with, it’s becoming a bit of a psychological battle being a part of this 12WBT program (with all the social networking) not to feel inadequate next to all the newly addicted gym addicts and running addicts.  I wonder if there’s a contrition rate in the program because of that… 

I have to keep reminding myself that I am ME, with my own particular issues, and I can only do what I can, and what I feel is justified with my physical situation, and my family situation.  And, by the same token, while I talk myself up in any way for my own benefit here, my fellow readers shouldn’t compare themselves to me either. We all have our own unique situations.

I look at those going to the gym, and feel guilty that I am not – but I have to remind myself that I’m making a financial choice, and a personal preference choice.  I pay for two swim squads a week each term for myself, and these are MY addiction.  And never mind the expense, I’m not sure where I’d fit in another class during the week!  (OK – 6am I guess.  You know what?  I don’t like gyms!)

I look at what some are doing, and I think ‘Ah to be young and without a family to factor in to your routine..’… (Yet that is a bit hypocritical of me, as a SAHM without a job.)

And I can’t yet run, and so that’s that. Nothing I can do about it, other than chip away at it…

What a psychological merry-go-round I’m on.

Here’s my little tip though.

What Michelle said in one of those videos about the food vs exercise?…..  I’ve just snuck on the scales again this morning, and I have another half kilo (0.5kg incremental scales remember) loss.  Since Wednesday.

If I can lose weight, without running, without going to half a dozen gym classes a day, without counting the calories exactly (but by pretty much following the essence of the nutrition plan, and avoiding all the CRAP I used to put in my mouth) and without a HRM to count how many calories I’ve burnt – then there is hope for any of us!

We may not lose the weight as quick as each other, and we may not be getting the most we could out of this program, but we CAN STILL LOSE.

I still have room for improvement. With my HEAD. I’m rather disappointed in myself this morning. We got our road bikes ready last night, and planned to drive into Coffs to do the 6.30-8am community ride.  At 5.15 when the alarm went off it was raining. Himself mumbled ‘what do you want to do?’ and I said “I don’t want to ride in the rain”.  (The community ride uses some bike paths that can be slippery when it’s wet…)… And, while usually I’ve relied on him to be the driving force, he went “hmmm” in agreement, and we rolled back over, and woke up again at 9.00.  [He told me later he’d been awake since 4.15 and had only just dropped off before the alarm rang…]   Now I feel bad.

I’m not sure what I’ll do for today, but I’ve pretty much written off the week in terms of trying to follow the exercise plan to the letter. So no need to get into a funk about not doing a Super Saturday. I’ll try and get out on the bike later – I need a change from walking. And try and exercise each day over the long weekend.  Next week I can see if I can get closer to the ideal…

I don’t want to go to early morning gym classes, but I’d like to teach myself to get up to exercise early on at least a couple of mornings. It makes sense to get it done and dusted – even if I still can’t cope with the idea of exercising on an empty stomach.

We can all still need make definite psychological shifts from our previous selves – not only in the way we eat, but also in the way we exercise.  We may not all end up as pin-up girls for 12WBT, but we CAN make changes to the way we were operating before- changes that we may well have a hope of maintaining long past the end of week 12.

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I did walk with my wonderful Ms Nearly 12 yesterday – Total of 6km down beaches (soft sand walking!) and up and down a couple of headlands.  I broke into a few jogs, but on the way back when I tried, my hips went “Owwwwww”.  And then the last stretch home I started feeling like an old crock just walking. (The beach was slopey, so I wasn’t walking ‘straight’ if you know what I mean. My hip was sore. And the back of my left knee went all clicky… When we got home, though, I stretched well, and I think I’ve had no lasting ill effects.  Total UP was 109m (and I did each uphill at a bit of a jog)– so a bit more than the previous day.  Next time I’ll aim for more… and keep building it up.  I was feeling it, so while it’s not an 8km run (see – I can’t help myself doing the comparison thing!) – it was SOMETHING.

I made the spaghetti and lentils last night. I added some chilli, and next time would add more.  I did half/half wholemeal and normal spaghetti.  You know what – I didn’t mind it.  I’M EATING LENTILS ! What’s more, the family was ok about it too.  As I said to Ms 17 - “Come with me on this culinary adventure!”

All that said, I don’t have a clue yet what we’re doing for dinner tonight!

Friday, October 1, 2010

MILESTONES AND ME

I’m having a lot of trouble coming up with this milestone thing we have to do.

Since my early 20s I’ve pushed myself to do quite a few physical challenges – thanks to my Other Half, who I have followed (accompanied!) blissfully and devotedly down rivers, up and down gullies, cliffs and canyons, and lately, on two wheels along hundreds of kilometres of roads.  I’ve done canoe marathons. I’ve ridden 100 miles in a day. I’ve done canyoning trips that have taken 12 hours or more.  Sure I could go further, harder – but the concept of building up to, and then doing, a physical challenge isn’t foreign to me.  It’s not that I never liked doing exercise! 

It’s just that in between all these challenges, everyday life got in the way, and I didn’t do as much, and ate far too much of the wrong stuff, and kept putting on the flab.

In my ideal world, sure, I’d like to be able to run. I could do a small triathlon then, even, as I can ride and swim!  I know Michelle thinks just about everyone can run – but I know what my back is like – and the pain of one’s back or hip being out – being pinched – is something that is just plain insanity to push through. 

In my dreams I’d be able to do an Adventure Race (with my husband – without slowing him down so much)… but apart from the issues that my back (and indeed my joints) present me – these events require planning to get away for weekends and of course, don’t necessarily line up with our 4, 8 and 12wk milestones.

This is the sort of thing I would actually love to start doing – rather than triathlons. – I’d happily aim for the November (novice) event, but that’s in Canberra, and I just don’t think we can swing a trip to Canberra then. However I have just told Himself that I’d REALLY like to do one.. next year? Mind you, there are so many other things we’d do given the chance to get away without the kids. Some people go away on resort-style holidays. Our list would include another multi-day tandem tour. Hiking in NZ. Doing the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge.  Oh the things we would do – and none of them would involve sitting around in spas.

With me it’s not about pushing through pain barriers. I know muscle soreness – I LOVE muscle soreness!  It tells me I’ve worked hard. I have no qualms about pushing my muscles so hard, that I can hardly walk for the next couple of days!  I wear it as a badge of honour.

Back pain is different.

So, as much as I’d like to set running as my challenge, I don’t think it’s realistic for me over the next few weeks – even by the end of Round 3.  It doesn’t mean I’m not going to try and build up to see if I can, but I’m not keen to put such a time limit on it.

Realistically? A miracle-milestone for me would be being able to do a few situps without f***ing up my back!

However…  in the spirit of all this, I need to come up with something…

A coast walk from Woolgoolga to Coffs Harbour?  Around 24 km by my reckoning.

Mini milestone would be to go halfway to Moonee Beach.

Sand, and headlands.

It would be a good test for this imperfect, recalcitrant body of mine.

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Yesterday I felt improved enough to go out for a good hard walk! Instead of my usual flat beach walk (to the north) I headed south over a couple of little headlands, and along the soft sand of the ‘back beach’. I looked for as much ‘UP’ as I could, and even climbed up my destination headland twice.

I plotted it on ‘bikely.com’ – unticking the ‘follow the road’ option. I can get an elevation profile from it – so that is something for me to use as a comparative measure. (Yes, yes, I know we are supposed to be measuring calories ‘smashed’, but I don’t have a heart rate monitor as yet – and this is free!)

beachwalk1

I’m planning this afternoon to go a bit further, and walk up the headland at the other end of the at the next beach along. Ms 11 even said she’d come with me!  I’m still not 100% though – blasted mucus in the back of the nose and throat thing happening… blech…. (Sorry TMI!)

beachwalk_satellite

But, you know… when you live right near a place like this, it seems pretty crazy to go walking around the streets! And I’ve actually got state forest – and hills – to the west, where I can do some serious UPs. So even if I can’t run, I can walk UP!

OK.. enough! The biggest danger is that I’m spending so much time mulling over what I should do, I’m likely to not get around to doing it.

I think I’ll talk about the food next time! In short, the Roast Chicken with Lime was well received – and husband is at least impressed with the fact that this program has got me out of my culinary rut! Spaghetti and lentils tonight – it will be interesting to see what they all think of that.