Weight: 222
Weekly Change: -1 (since last posted update, but have been at this weight for a few weeks now)
Overall Change: -3
Next goal weight: 220
BMI: 32.3 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 5
Total Walks: 4
Total Other Workouts: 1
Progress on Training Plan(s): Not working on any sort of training plan yet, but considering starting one for core strengthening.
Injury Report: My same stupid left big toe is causing problems again. At the base of the side where the ingrown nail was cut out, last week a bump developed, followed by redness and swelling and PAIN. Somehow the area has become infected! I just can't win with this toe. I'm treating the infection as best I can and hoping that solves the problem, because I don't really have extra time or money to waste on another visit to the podiatrist right now. So far this issue hasn't slowed me down any -- I have limped around just fine. I guess in this one sense it's fortunate that I'm not back into running yet, or else I'd be even more frustrated than I am!
Next Event Goal: Same report as last week: "None on the horizon at the moment. I'm focusing on establishing exercise as a routine, and healthier eating habits, and making fitness a priority even within my insanely busy schedule. Additionally, money is really tight right now and race fees are a luxury I can do without." Still nothing has changed since I first drafted that quote, but missing out on fall races is making me sad. I really hope to be racing this time next year!
Last Week's Goal(s): I've accomplished 2 of the 3, though one was due to changing my perspective rather than actually doing something new. I realized that coaching my kids' soccer team on Saturday mornings is actually a bit of a workout for me, so I've decided to count it as such. Of course, we have only one game left in the season, so I will soon be back to trying to motivate myself to do something active other than walk!! I did finally measure my waist, and have decided to keep doing that on a monthly basis (will aim for the 1st Friday of the month). This blog, sadly, continues to be neglected. :-(
This Week's Goals: (1) Work on more blog posts (even if they're not completed). (2) Choose a core-strengthening plan and get started. (3) Exercise self-control and embrace moderation with Halloween candy and treats this week.
Analysis: I'm going to be completely honest here -- I have not been doing well. My head is a bit of a mess. I've been full of self-doubt lately, feeling like a failure in many aspects of my life. This weekend I started to consider ending this blog and scrapping my fitness goals completely because they feel completely beyond my reach at the moment. In trying to turn my attitude back from negative to positive, I am drawing inspiration from a favorite Helen Keller quote:
"Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost."
And so I will persevere. That's all I've really got right now -- the decision to persevere. I know I need to back it up with action but for now all I've got is the decision itself. I will persevere.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Timing is Everything {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 223
Weekly Change: N/A
Overall Change: -2
Next goal weight: 220
BMI: 32.5 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think...still haven't measured
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 2
Total Walks: 2
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Not working on any sort of training plan yet, but considering starting one for core strengthening.
Injury Report: No injuries or illnesses at the moment.
Next Event Goal: Same report as last week: "None on the horizon at the moment. I'm focusing on establishing exercise as a routine, and healthier eating habits, and making fitness a priority even within my insanely busy schedule. Additionally, money is really tight right now and race fees are a luxury I can do without."
Last Week's Goal(s): Once again failed at all three.
This Week's Goals: Repeating last week's goals AGAIN: (1) Do one exercise other than walking. (2) Work on more blog posts (even if they're not completed). (3) Measure my waist.
Analysis: Last week I was really off my game in a lot of ways. I was trying to start driving myself to the train instead of having my husband drop me off, but I didn't get the timing right a single time! I missed the train every day and ended up driving instead. Without that built-in exercise of the walk to my office building, I ended up having a fairly sedentary week. Thankfully I had an active weekend to help make up for it! I'm still working a lot of OT so squeezing in anything extra during the week has been an insurmountable challenge thus far. Healthy eating has been going reasonably well, but I didn't maintain it over the weekend. It can't be helped. There was cake. :) I just hope I can be active enough this week not to suffer a setback on the scale!
Weekly Change: N/A
Overall Change: -2
Next goal weight: 220
BMI: 32.5 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think...still haven't measured
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 2
Total Walks: 2
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Not working on any sort of training plan yet, but considering starting one for core strengthening.
Injury Report: No injuries or illnesses at the moment.
Next Event Goal: Same report as last week: "None on the horizon at the moment. I'm focusing on establishing exercise as a routine, and healthier eating habits, and making fitness a priority even within my insanely busy schedule. Additionally, money is really tight right now and race fees are a luxury I can do without."
Last Week's Goal(s): Once again failed at all three.
This Week's Goals: Repeating last week's goals AGAIN: (1) Do one exercise other than walking. (2) Work on more blog posts (even if they're not completed). (3) Measure my waist.
Analysis: Last week I was really off my game in a lot of ways. I was trying to start driving myself to the train instead of having my husband drop me off, but I didn't get the timing right a single time! I missed the train every day and ended up driving instead. Without that built-in exercise of the walk to my office building, I ended up having a fairly sedentary week. Thankfully I had an active weekend to help make up for it! I'm still working a lot of OT so squeezing in anything extra during the week has been an insurmountable challenge thus far. Healthy eating has been going reasonably well, but I didn't maintain it over the weekend. It can't be helped. There was cake. :) I just hope I can be active enough this week not to suffer a setback on the scale!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Still Getting Started {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 223
Weekly Change: -1
Overall Change: -2
Next goal weight: 220
BMI: 32.5 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think...still haven't measured
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 4
Total Walks: 4
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Not working on any sort of training plan yet, but considering starting one for core strengthening.
Injury Report: All is well at the moment. Recovering from a minor cold, but it's nothing that would stop me from exercising.
Next Event Goal: Same report as last week: "None on the horizon at the moment. I'm focusing on establishing exercise as a routine, and healthier eating habits, and making fitness a priority even within my insanely busy schedule. Additionally, money is really tight right now and race fees are a luxury I can do without."
Last Week's Goal(s): Failed at all three. To be honest, I did not even remember what they were! This is all the more reason for me to keep up with this blog -- so I will have frequent access to my weekly goals!
This Week's Goals: Repeating last week's goals: (1) Do one exercise other than walking. (2) Work on more blog posts (even if they're not completed). (3) Measure my waist.
Analysis: Based on the way the last week has gone, I'm very grateful for my new commute. I've been working OT and fighting off a cold, but most days I still had to walk to and from the train. It's nice having that built-in exercise right now. It won't be enough to get me to my long-term goals, but it's a great way to get started. I'm exhausted and don't have much more to say about this week. Maybe next week will be more interesting!
Weekly Change: -1
Overall Change: -2
Next goal weight: 220
BMI: 32.5 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think...still haven't measured
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 4
Total Walks: 4
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Not working on any sort of training plan yet, but considering starting one for core strengthening.
Injury Report: All is well at the moment. Recovering from a minor cold, but it's nothing that would stop me from exercising.
Next Event Goal: Same report as last week: "None on the horizon at the moment. I'm focusing on establishing exercise as a routine, and healthier eating habits, and making fitness a priority even within my insanely busy schedule. Additionally, money is really tight right now and race fees are a luxury I can do without."
Last Week's Goal(s): Failed at all three. To be honest, I did not even remember what they were! This is all the more reason for me to keep up with this blog -- so I will have frequent access to my weekly goals!
This Week's Goals: Repeating last week's goals: (1) Do one exercise other than walking. (2) Work on more blog posts (even if they're not completed). (3) Measure my waist.
Analysis: Based on the way the last week has gone, I'm very grateful for my new commute. I've been working OT and fighting off a cold, but most days I still had to walk to and from the train. It's nice having that built-in exercise right now. It won't be enough to get me to my long-term goals, but it's a great way to get started. I'm exhausted and don't have much more to say about this week. Maybe next week will be more interesting!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Nothing to See Here {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 224
Weekly Change: None
Overall Change: -1 from my new "starting weight" of 225 a few weeks ago
Next goal weight: 220
BMI: 32.6 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think...haven't measured in a while
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 5
Total Walks: 5
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Not working on any sort of training plan at the moment.
Injury Report: The toe healed nicely after the ingrown nail was cut out. There is still pain, but that is from a toenail fungus (ew!) that I can't yet afford to treat. I want to do the laser treatment rather than the topical products that don't really work or the drugs that have scary side effects. Unfortunately, the laser treatment is considered cosmetic and not covered by insurance, so it might be a while until I can save up for it. Meanwhile I'll just tough it out whenever the toe hurts.
Next Event Goal: None on the horizon at the moment. I'm focusing on establishing exercise as a routine, and healthier eating habits, and making fitness a priority even within my insanely busy schedule. Additionally, money is really tight right now and race fees are a luxury I can do without.
Last Week's Goal(s): Didn't really set any.
This Week's Goals: (1) Do one exercise other than walking. (2) Work on more blog posts (even if they're not completed). (3) Measure my waist.
Analysis: A lot has changed since the last time I did one of these weekly update posts. Once my toe healed, I was in a long period of transition in which I went back to work and my kids returned to school and fall activities. Now our busy schedule is in full swing, but fortunately I am able to exercise! We faced some major car trouble (both cars broken down at once -- that was a bit of a nightmare, but we lived through it!) that forced me to try out a train commute to work. It was a blessing in disguise, because I absolutely love taking the train! It's so much less stressful than driving, and even though it takes longer, part of that time is built-in exercise when I walk about a mile from the station to my office building. Eventually I do want to add in more/other exercise, but this is a great start and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. As my last post indicated, I'm also starting to put the brakes on my runaway train of bad eating habits. I'm doing reasonably well with that so far, in my humble opinion. Hopefully soon I'll start to see some gradual results on the scale and in how my clothes fit. I'm setting my goals pretty small and vague for this coming week. It's been a long time since I've had much success with the goals I've set here, so I want to build my confidence up before pushing myself too hard. We'll see if it works!
Weekly Change: None
Overall Change: -1 from my new "starting weight" of 225 a few weeks ago
Next goal weight: 220
BMI: 32.6 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think...haven't measured in a while
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 5
Total Walks: 5
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Not working on any sort of training plan at the moment.
Injury Report: The toe healed nicely after the ingrown nail was cut out. There is still pain, but that is from a toenail fungus (ew!) that I can't yet afford to treat. I want to do the laser treatment rather than the topical products that don't really work or the drugs that have scary side effects. Unfortunately, the laser treatment is considered cosmetic and not covered by insurance, so it might be a while until I can save up for it. Meanwhile I'll just tough it out whenever the toe hurts.
Next Event Goal: None on the horizon at the moment. I'm focusing on establishing exercise as a routine, and healthier eating habits, and making fitness a priority even within my insanely busy schedule. Additionally, money is really tight right now and race fees are a luxury I can do without.
Last Week's Goal(s): Didn't really set any.
This Week's Goals: (1) Do one exercise other than walking. (2) Work on more blog posts (even if they're not completed). (3) Measure my waist.
Analysis: A lot has changed since the last time I did one of these weekly update posts. Once my toe healed, I was in a long period of transition in which I went back to work and my kids returned to school and fall activities. Now our busy schedule is in full swing, but fortunately I am able to exercise! We faced some major car trouble (both cars broken down at once -- that was a bit of a nightmare, but we lived through it!) that forced me to try out a train commute to work. It was a blessing in disguise, because I absolutely love taking the train! It's so much less stressful than driving, and even though it takes longer, part of that time is built-in exercise when I walk about a mile from the station to my office building. Eventually I do want to add in more/other exercise, but this is a great start and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. As my last post indicated, I'm also starting to put the brakes on my runaway train of bad eating habits. I'm doing reasonably well with that so far, in my humble opinion. Hopefully soon I'll start to see some gradual results on the scale and in how my clothes fit. I'm setting my goals pretty small and vague for this coming week. It's been a long time since I've had much success with the goals I've set here, so I want to build my confidence up before pushing myself too hard. We'll see if it works!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Talking to Myself About Food
WE INTERRUPT THIS BAG OF FRITOS TO BRING YOU MY CURRENT THOUGHTS ON NUTRITION
I haven't been blogging much lately. I haven't had much progress to report, and I haven't had the time to flesh out any of my thoughts into posts "worthy" of a blog following.
Is it just me, or does it seem like more and more blogs have been going viral lately? Everyone is talking to someone -- a letter to my daughter, a conversation with my son, a note to other people's daughters, an address to the lady who wrote to other people's daughters, and so on and so on. Meanwhile, here I am in my own little corner, munching on my Fritos and talking to myself. Is anything I say worth posting in the world of viral blogs?
Get over yourself, me. You're being silly. Very little of what you write here would be interesting to anyone beyond the handful of friends and family who have followed you thus far, and that was the point of this blog in the first place. You are tracking your progress and making meaningful connections, and therefore your posts are worth sharing here even if they are short and uninspired and not designed to be reposted by strangers. So keep writing and stop worrying if your blog is "worthy."
WHEW. Okay, I got that out of my system. Now back to my struggle--er, ah...journey. I'm back to work full-time now and stuck in the same conundrum I experienced after my last baby -- just not enough hours in the day to work, nurse my baby, spend time with the rest of the family, AND exercise. The difference this time around is that I'm not beating myself up over it. I knew it would be this way for a while, so I'm just going to be patient and do what I can.
Meanwhile, I do still need to do something to start losing weight, because my plus-size wardrobe is in sad shape and I'm too broke to do anything about it. So, it's time to focus on nutrition!
I've said before that I don't diet -- I just don't like the psychology of it, and I haven't seen people make positive lifestyle changes while caught in that psychology. I just go through periods of my life when I'm making mostly healthy eating choices, and periods when I'm not even trying to make healthy choices at all. Pregnancy always ends up in the latter category, and then afterwards it's a struggle to change my mindset back again. Most of it is an issue of habit. When I'm in the habit of eating junk, then it's easy to stay in that habit. Once I get back in the habit of making good choices, it will be easy to continue doing so.
Here are the "rules" of my plan*:
1. No food is completely off-limits. That goes along with the psychology of dieting, and I don't think it's healthy. It just sets you up to play mind games with yourself and ultimately you will lose. Being healthy means being aware of what you're eating and what it does to your body, and having the good sense and self-control to eat less of the things that are bad for you and more of the things that are good for you. If you ban various foods, you will not be able to develop that sense fully. Also, I simply refuse to give up cake, and if THAT'S not off-limits, why on earth should anything else be? :)
2. Eat when hungry. Your body lets you know when it needs fuel. You don't refuse to gas up your car when the needle is on E. A body is not designed to run well on fumes.
3. Stop when full. This is a tricky one for me. I hate to leave food on my plate or my kids' plates, because then it's being wasted, and I hate waste. However, if your body already has all the calories it needs to function at the moment, the food is being wasted even if you eat it. If it can't be tossed in the fridge and saved for later, then it's wasted whether it's going into your mouth or into the trash. At least the trash bag can be taken out when it gets too big. My pants can't.
4. Don't eat when not hungry. This is the natural companion to #2 and #3, and has a lot to do with habit. Don't eat something just because it's there. Don't snack at a certain time just because you usually snack then. If you're not hungry (and don't have some other compelling reason to eat now rather than later), don't eat.
5. Start eating more whole, natural foods. I love me some processed crap, believe me. And please see rule #1. But in order for the crap not to affect my health negatively, there needs to be less of it. I'm not going to follow any particular fad diet, but I would like to start making small changes here and there to the foods we feed our family. I'm sure our current diet is not the worst one around, but there is definitely room for improvement. Now's as good a time as any.
*I use the word "rules" pretty loosely. They're really more like guidelines to keep in mind. "Rules" that can be broken, resulting in "cheating" and guilt over that cheating are all part of that dieting psychology that I find so unhealthy. If I have seconds on a particularly tasty dinner one night when I know good and well that I don't need to eat any more, I won't be doing anything wrong, just making an unhealthy choice. There will be no guilt and no punishment, just awareness and increased effort not to make that sort of choice the prevailing habit!
So that's it. It's pretty simple, but if I follow it earnestly, I believe it will serve me well. It's really just a matter of shifting from mostly bad choices to mostly good choices, most of the time. This has worked for me before so I'm confident that it will work again. However, if it really doesn't work, then I will re-think the whole thing, because that's how you learn and grow in life.
Very soon I hope to resume my weekly updates, and add in additional posts when I have time. You don't have to share them with everyone you know. My blog doesn't have to be the.most.exciting.thing.EVER in order to be "worthy" of existing. :)
And now back to my reasonably-sized bag of Fritos that is helping to satisfy my current hunger...crunch crunch crunch...
I haven't been blogging much lately. I haven't had much progress to report, and I haven't had the time to flesh out any of my thoughts into posts "worthy" of a blog following.
Is it just me, or does it seem like more and more blogs have been going viral lately? Everyone is talking to someone -- a letter to my daughter, a conversation with my son, a note to other people's daughters, an address to the lady who wrote to other people's daughters, and so on and so on. Meanwhile, here I am in my own little corner, munching on my Fritos and talking to myself. Is anything I say worth posting in the world of viral blogs?
Get over yourself, me. You're being silly. Very little of what you write here would be interesting to anyone beyond the handful of friends and family who have followed you thus far, and that was the point of this blog in the first place. You are tracking your progress and making meaningful connections, and therefore your posts are worth sharing here even if they are short and uninspired and not designed to be reposted by strangers. So keep writing and stop worrying if your blog is "worthy."
WHEW. Okay, I got that out of my system. Now back to my struggle--er, ah...journey. I'm back to work full-time now and stuck in the same conundrum I experienced after my last baby -- just not enough hours in the day to work, nurse my baby, spend time with the rest of the family, AND exercise. The difference this time around is that I'm not beating myself up over it. I knew it would be this way for a while, so I'm just going to be patient and do what I can.
Meanwhile, I do still need to do something to start losing weight, because my plus-size wardrobe is in sad shape and I'm too broke to do anything about it. So, it's time to focus on nutrition!
I've said before that I don't diet -- I just don't like the psychology of it, and I haven't seen people make positive lifestyle changes while caught in that psychology. I just go through periods of my life when I'm making mostly healthy eating choices, and periods when I'm not even trying to make healthy choices at all. Pregnancy always ends up in the latter category, and then afterwards it's a struggle to change my mindset back again. Most of it is an issue of habit. When I'm in the habit of eating junk, then it's easy to stay in that habit. Once I get back in the habit of making good choices, it will be easy to continue doing so.
Here are the "rules" of my plan*:
1. No food is completely off-limits. That goes along with the psychology of dieting, and I don't think it's healthy. It just sets you up to play mind games with yourself and ultimately you will lose. Being healthy means being aware of what you're eating and what it does to your body, and having the good sense and self-control to eat less of the things that are bad for you and more of the things that are good for you. If you ban various foods, you will not be able to develop that sense fully. Also, I simply refuse to give up cake, and if THAT'S not off-limits, why on earth should anything else be? :)
2. Eat when hungry. Your body lets you know when it needs fuel. You don't refuse to gas up your car when the needle is on E. A body is not designed to run well on fumes.
3. Stop when full. This is a tricky one for me. I hate to leave food on my plate or my kids' plates, because then it's being wasted, and I hate waste. However, if your body already has all the calories it needs to function at the moment, the food is being wasted even if you eat it. If it can't be tossed in the fridge and saved for later, then it's wasted whether it's going into your mouth or into the trash. At least the trash bag can be taken out when it gets too big. My pants can't.
4. Don't eat when not hungry. This is the natural companion to #2 and #3, and has a lot to do with habit. Don't eat something just because it's there. Don't snack at a certain time just because you usually snack then. If you're not hungry (and don't have some other compelling reason to eat now rather than later), don't eat.
5. Start eating more whole, natural foods. I love me some processed crap, believe me. And please see rule #1. But in order for the crap not to affect my health negatively, there needs to be less of it. I'm not going to follow any particular fad diet, but I would like to start making small changes here and there to the foods we feed our family. I'm sure our current diet is not the worst one around, but there is definitely room for improvement. Now's as good a time as any.
*I use the word "rules" pretty loosely. They're really more like guidelines to keep in mind. "Rules" that can be broken, resulting in "cheating" and guilt over that cheating are all part of that dieting psychology that I find so unhealthy. If I have seconds on a particularly tasty dinner one night when I know good and well that I don't need to eat any more, I won't be doing anything wrong, just making an unhealthy choice. There will be no guilt and no punishment, just awareness and increased effort not to make that sort of choice the prevailing habit!
So that's it. It's pretty simple, but if I follow it earnestly, I believe it will serve me well. It's really just a matter of shifting from mostly bad choices to mostly good choices, most of the time. This has worked for me before so I'm confident that it will work again. However, if it really doesn't work, then I will re-think the whole thing, because that's how you learn and grow in life.
Very soon I hope to resume my weekly updates, and add in additional posts when I have time. You don't have to share them with everyone you know. My blog doesn't have to be the.most.exciting.thing.EVER in order to be "worthy" of existing. :)
And now back to my reasonably-sized bag of Fritos that is helping to satisfy my current hunger...crunch crunch crunch...
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Say It Ain't Toe {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 224 (I think...I keep forgetting to weigh myself, and then end up doing it at different times of day so it's not a consistent comparison)
Weekly Change: +2
Overall Change: +4 over "starting weight" of 220
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.6 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think...haven't measured in a while
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 2
Total Walks: 2
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): In limbo right now until I see the podiatrist
Injury Report: The broken toe is basically healed now, but as predicted, my big toe has now become the problem. I made a strategic error in trying to deal with the occasional pain under the nail -- I trimmed the nail down too far, and as it started to grow out again it became ingrown. The right side of the nail is basically growing straight down into the toe. It's been getting increasingly painful, and as of yesterday it appeared to be infected. I made an appointment to see a podiatrist tomorrow and I think there's a pretty good chance part of the nail will have to be cut off/out of my toe. From what I've read online, the healing time from this sort of procedure can be anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. Obviously, I'm hoping for the shorter time, but I'll know more tomorrow what the doctor thinks I can expect.
Last Week's Goal(s): Failed at two: did not work on a nutrition plan, and did no non-walking exercise. But I did succeed at one though, by going walking twice! Yay!
Next Event Goal: Still planning, very tentatively, on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K, but it depends on what happens with my toe. I wouldn't mind walking most of it, but I don't really have any desire to limp through the whole thing.
This Week's Goals: (1) See the podiatrist. (2) Work on a nutrition plan. (3) Figure out an exercise plan based on doctor's recommendations.
Analysis: I don't have too much to say right now. I'm angry at myself for making my toe situation so much worse. Last week I was enjoying going for walks again, and now here I am back in injury recovery mode once more. I don't really know the severity of the problem or how long I can expect it to interfere with my fitness plans, so I'll save that speculation for after my doctor appointment tomorrow. For now, I really need to focus on nutrition and start thinking hard about how I'm going to approach food. I know some of the changes I need to make, but haven't managed to make myself take any action so far. It might help to write out some specific plans, so I really hope to accomplish that one of my goals this week. Expect another post soon!
Weekly Change: +2
Overall Change: +4 over "starting weight" of 220
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.6 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think...haven't measured in a while
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 2
Total Walks: 2
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): In limbo right now until I see the podiatrist
Injury Report: The broken toe is basically healed now, but as predicted, my big toe has now become the problem. I made a strategic error in trying to deal with the occasional pain under the nail -- I trimmed the nail down too far, and as it started to grow out again it became ingrown. The right side of the nail is basically growing straight down into the toe. It's been getting increasingly painful, and as of yesterday it appeared to be infected. I made an appointment to see a podiatrist tomorrow and I think there's a pretty good chance part of the nail will have to be cut off/out of my toe. From what I've read online, the healing time from this sort of procedure can be anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. Obviously, I'm hoping for the shorter time, but I'll know more tomorrow what the doctor thinks I can expect.
Last Week's Goal(s): Failed at two: did not work on a nutrition plan, and did no non-walking exercise. But I did succeed at one though, by going walking twice! Yay!
Next Event Goal: Still planning, very tentatively, on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K, but it depends on what happens with my toe. I wouldn't mind walking most of it, but I don't really have any desire to limp through the whole thing.
This Week's Goals: (1) See the podiatrist. (2) Work on a nutrition plan. (3) Figure out an exercise plan based on doctor's recommendations.
Analysis: I don't have too much to say right now. I'm angry at myself for making my toe situation so much worse. Last week I was enjoying going for walks again, and now here I am back in injury recovery mode once more. I don't really know the severity of the problem or how long I can expect it to interfere with my fitness plans, so I'll save that speculation for after my doctor appointment tomorrow. For now, I really need to focus on nutrition and start thinking hard about how I'm going to approach food. I know some of the changes I need to make, but haven't managed to make myself take any action so far. It might help to write out some specific plans, so I really hope to accomplish that one of my goals this week. Expect another post soon!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Mirror, Mirror {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 222
Weekly Change: +2
Overall Change: +2 over "starting weight" of 220
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.3 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 1
Total Walks: 0
Total Other Workouts: 1
Progress on Training Plan(s): Easing back into walking now that toe is healing less, but still not on any specific plan
Injury Report: The broken toe is mostly healed now. It really is taking 6 weeks, so if you ever break a toe and wonder if it will take as long to heal as "they" say it will, the answer is YES. I'm just excited that I finally don't need to keep it taped all the time, and I managed to wear shoes with heels this weekend without too much pain. Meanwhile, I'm having more issues with the big toe on the same foot -- you know, the toe that I mysteriously busted a year and a half ago. At some point I may need to see a doctor about it because something just isn't right. I hope it won't cause too many problems when I eventually start running again.
Last Week's Goal(s): I think I finally accomplished #2, which was to do some exercise that doesn't involve the toe. I did some exercises in our little swimming pool one day last week. It was a short, simple workout, but it was something.
Next Event Goal: Still planning on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K, though it's looking more and more likely that I'll be walking most of it.
This Week's Goals: (1) Work on a nutrition plan. (2) Walk at least 2x. (3) Do some non-walking exercise.
Analysis: The only thing that has changed really since my last post is my outlook. I think I'm finally starting to get my motivation back, especially now that my toe is doing a lot better. It has happened in a sort of roundabout way though, starting with a moment a couple of weeks ago where I looked at myself in the mirror and decided truly to embrace my curves and see beauty in my body even when it is so far from physically fit. Even though I haven't been driven by a desire to be thin, per se, I also haven't been comfortable in my own skin for a long time. I felt like being obese automatically made me unattractive, even though I didn't see other big women the same way. I just felt like fat didn't look good on me. And now suddenly I'm done seeing myself that way. I don't know what made the difference.
Maybe I tried seeing myself the way my husband sees me -- all through my pregnancies and weight fluctuations over the years, he has never stopped finding me beautiful and telling me so. It just seems silly to waste energy looking for every flaw when I look in the mirror and feeling self-conscious in all of my clothes. I also read an article about how damaging it can be for a daughter to hear a mother call herself fat -- it can end up creating a warped idea of beauty in the daughter's mind. I don't want to do that to my daughter, so I want to start NOW to develop a better body image in my own mind. That way I can pass positive ideas on to my little girl as soon as she's old enough to start picking up on them.
Now that I'm even less motivated by my appearance than ever, it seems like it should be harder to find the drive to lose weight and get in shape, but I think instead I'm just getting even more focused on health. I truly do yearn to be healthy. I want to be able to run and swim and bike (of course), and also hike and roller skate and play around with my kids. I don't want to be at increased risk of various diseases. I want to sleep better, and feel less stressed, and have strong bones that won't start deteriorating in about 10 years. So for all of those reasons, I am ready to really TRY again, to start eating better and getting regular exercise. I started off this new week pretty well, so I'm optimistic!
Weekly Change: +2
Overall Change: +2 over "starting weight" of 220
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.3 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 1
Total Walks: 0
Total Other Workouts: 1
Progress on Training Plan(s): Easing back into walking now that toe is healing less, but still not on any specific plan
Injury Report: The broken toe is mostly healed now. It really is taking 6 weeks, so if you ever break a toe and wonder if it will take as long to heal as "they" say it will, the answer is YES. I'm just excited that I finally don't need to keep it taped all the time, and I managed to wear shoes with heels this weekend without too much pain. Meanwhile, I'm having more issues with the big toe on the same foot -- you know, the toe that I mysteriously busted a year and a half ago. At some point I may need to see a doctor about it because something just isn't right. I hope it won't cause too many problems when I eventually start running again.
Last Week's Goal(s): I think I finally accomplished #2, which was to do some exercise that doesn't involve the toe. I did some exercises in our little swimming pool one day last week. It was a short, simple workout, but it was something.
Next Event Goal: Still planning on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K, though it's looking more and more likely that I'll be walking most of it.
This Week's Goals: (1) Work on a nutrition plan. (2) Walk at least 2x. (3) Do some non-walking exercise.
Analysis: The only thing that has changed really since my last post is my outlook. I think I'm finally starting to get my motivation back, especially now that my toe is doing a lot better. It has happened in a sort of roundabout way though, starting with a moment a couple of weeks ago where I looked at myself in the mirror and decided truly to embrace my curves and see beauty in my body even when it is so far from physically fit. Even though I haven't been driven by a desire to be thin, per se, I also haven't been comfortable in my own skin for a long time. I felt like being obese automatically made me unattractive, even though I didn't see other big women the same way. I just felt like fat didn't look good on me. And now suddenly I'm done seeing myself that way. I don't know what made the difference.
Maybe I tried seeing myself the way my husband sees me -- all through my pregnancies and weight fluctuations over the years, he has never stopped finding me beautiful and telling me so. It just seems silly to waste energy looking for every flaw when I look in the mirror and feeling self-conscious in all of my clothes. I also read an article about how damaging it can be for a daughter to hear a mother call herself fat -- it can end up creating a warped idea of beauty in the daughter's mind. I don't want to do that to my daughter, so I want to start NOW to develop a better body image in my own mind. That way I can pass positive ideas on to my little girl as soon as she's old enough to start picking up on them.
Now that I'm even less motivated by my appearance than ever, it seems like it should be harder to find the drive to lose weight and get in shape, but I think instead I'm just getting even more focused on health. I truly do yearn to be healthy. I want to be able to run and swim and bike (of course), and also hike and roller skate and play around with my kids. I don't want to be at increased risk of various diseases. I want to sleep better, and feel less stressed, and have strong bones that won't start deteriorating in about 10 years. So for all of those reasons, I am ready to really TRY again, to start eating better and getting regular exercise. I started off this new week pretty well, so I'm optimistic!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Trying to Try {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 220?
Weekly Change: None
Overall Change: Still at "starting weight" of 220, I think
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.0 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 0
Total Walks: 0
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Currently on hiatus while broken toe heals
Injury Report: The broken toe is still healing slowly. Really slowly. And I'm growing impatient.
Last Week's Goal(s): Still failing....
Next Event Goal: Still planning on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K.
This Week's Goals: Same as last week and maybe I'll actually accomplish them this time: (1) Work on a nutrition plan. (2) Attempt some yoga or some other exercise that doesn't necessarily involve the toe. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer.
Analysis: I think I need a reboot of some sort. I haven't even been trying to overcome the obstacle of the broken toe. Instead of sketching out a nutrition plan, I've continued to eat whatever I want. I didn't manage to write an update last week, and haven't weighed myself in even longer. For some reason, the word "denial" comes to mind. The problem is I don't know how to snap myself out of it. I'm so busy feeding and taking care of the baby, and trying to spend lots of quality time with my older kids, that I have little time or energy left over for anything else, even something as important as my health. I know that I need to find a better balance eventually, but at the moment I don't feel particularly driven to do so. Even though I re-listed my previous goals for this week, what I'd really like to accomplish is just finding some motivation so that at least I'll start trying again.
A good night's sleep might also help...so if someone wants to notify my sweet baby girl that nursing all night does not fit into my agenda, I'd appreciate it.
Weekly Change: None
Overall Change: Still at "starting weight" of 220, I think
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.0 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches, I think
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 0
Total Walks: 0
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Currently on hiatus while broken toe heals
Injury Report: The broken toe is still healing slowly. Really slowly. And I'm growing impatient.
Last Week's Goal(s): Still failing....
Next Event Goal: Still planning on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K.
This Week's Goals: Same as last week and maybe I'll actually accomplish them this time: (1) Work on a nutrition plan. (2) Attempt some yoga or some other exercise that doesn't necessarily involve the toe. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer.
Analysis: I think I need a reboot of some sort. I haven't even been trying to overcome the obstacle of the broken toe. Instead of sketching out a nutrition plan, I've continued to eat whatever I want. I didn't manage to write an update last week, and haven't weighed myself in even longer. For some reason, the word "denial" comes to mind. The problem is I don't know how to snap myself out of it. I'm so busy feeding and taking care of the baby, and trying to spend lots of quality time with my older kids, that I have little time or energy left over for anything else, even something as important as my health. I know that I need to find a better balance eventually, but at the moment I don't feel particularly driven to do so. Even though I re-listed my previous goals for this week, what I'd really like to accomplish is just finding some motivation so that at least I'll start trying again.
A good night's sleep might also help...so if someone wants to notify my sweet baby girl that nursing all night does not fit into my agenda, I'd appreciate it.
Monday, June 10, 2013
No Miraculous Healing Here {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 220
Weekly Change: None
Overall Change: Still at "starting weight" of 220
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.0 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 0
Total Walks: 0
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Currently on hiatus while broken toe heals
Injury Report: The broken toe is healing, but slowly. It's still somewhat discolored, and there is definitely still pain, but it's much less severe than before. I untaped it last night, but didn't get a chance to re-tape it today before being out and about and on my feet for a bit. The conclusion I've drawn is that it does still need to be taped. The stability might be primarily for aiding the healing, but it also helps ease the pain (or at least distract from it). So I'll be keeping it taped for a while longer.
Last Week's Goal(s): Total failure, but this week I can't blame that on my toe.
Next Event Goal: Still planning on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K.
This Week's Goals: Same as last week and maybe I'll actually accomplish them this time: (1) Work on a nutrition plan. (2) Attempt some yoga or some other exercise that doesn't necessarily involve the toe. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer.
Analysis: I had some naive hope that maybe my toe would be significantly better after a week and I could resume short walks already, but this has not been the case. So it looks like another week of rest for me, though the pain is manageable enough that I can do normal physical activity like running errands. I just can't run as many errands at a time as usual because I walk, or limp rather, very slowly. Since I didn't work on my nutrition plan, I also didn't follow any sort of plan, so I'm lucky I didn't gain anything this week. But I can't keep relying on luck, so I need to get down to business this week. What I can't currently achieve through exercise, I need to achieve through healthy eating!!!
Weekly Change: None
Overall Change: Still at "starting weight" of 220
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.0 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: 20
Total Workouts: 0
Total Walks: 0
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Currently on hiatus while broken toe heals
Injury Report: The broken toe is healing, but slowly. It's still somewhat discolored, and there is definitely still pain, but it's much less severe than before. I untaped it last night, but didn't get a chance to re-tape it today before being out and about and on my feet for a bit. The conclusion I've drawn is that it does still need to be taped. The stability might be primarily for aiding the healing, but it also helps ease the pain (or at least distract from it). So I'll be keeping it taped for a while longer.
Last Week's Goal(s): Total failure, but this week I can't blame that on my toe.
Next Event Goal: Still planning on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K.
This Week's Goals: Same as last week and maybe I'll actually accomplish them this time: (1) Work on a nutrition plan. (2) Attempt some yoga or some other exercise that doesn't necessarily involve the toe. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer.
Analysis: I had some naive hope that maybe my toe would be significantly better after a week and I could resume short walks already, but this has not been the case. So it looks like another week of rest for me, though the pain is manageable enough that I can do normal physical activity like running errands. I just can't run as many errands at a time as usual because I walk, or limp rather, very slowly. Since I didn't work on my nutrition plan, I also didn't follow any sort of plan, so I'm lucky I didn't gain anything this week. But I can't keep relying on luck, so I need to get down to business this week. What I can't currently achieve through exercise, I need to achieve through healthy eating!!!
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
On Pause {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 220
Weekly Change: None
Overall Change: Still at "starting weight" of 220
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.0 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: N/A (still haven't worn jeans. might try them soon just to see which ones fit)
Total Workouts: 2
Total Walks: 2
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Currently on hiatus while broken toe heals
Injury Report: I broke my left middle toe last Thursday, and it hasn't showed any real signs of healing yet. I've had it "buddy taped" to the toe next to it for stability, and I'm trying to stay off my feet as much as possible, but the toe remains swollen and grossly discolored. According to the sources I read online, it could take 6 weeks to heal, but I'm hoping it won't be this bad that long. The pain is kind of ridiculous considering it's just a toe, but it's nothing I can't handle. I hope to resume some short, easy walks in a week or so, but that will depend on how the healing progresses.
Last Week's Goal(s): Total failure, mostly due to my toe.
Next Event Goal: Still planning on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K.
This Week's Goals: (1) Work on a nutrition plan. (2) Attempt some yoga or some other exercise that doesn't necessarily involve the toe. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer.
Analysis: There's really not much to say this week. All I can do at the moment is wait for my toe to heal enough that walking isn't too painful. I'll resume my exercise as soon as I can, but for now it's rest, rest, rest. I don't want to end up gaining weight during this period, so it's time to start being more careful about what I eat. As usual, I'm not going to "diet," per se, but I will try to rein in my bad habits and work on moderation in food quality and quantity. I will figure out some guidelines this week and post about them when I do.
Weekly Change: None
Overall Change: Still at "starting weight" of 220
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.0 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: N/A (still haven't worn jeans. might try them soon just to see which ones fit)
Total Workouts: 2
Total Walks: 2
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): Currently on hiatus while broken toe heals
Injury Report: I broke my left middle toe last Thursday, and it hasn't showed any real signs of healing yet. I've had it "buddy taped" to the toe next to it for stability, and I'm trying to stay off my feet as much as possible, but the toe remains swollen and grossly discolored. According to the sources I read online, it could take 6 weeks to heal, but I'm hoping it won't be this bad that long. The pain is kind of ridiculous considering it's just a toe, but it's nothing I can't handle. I hope to resume some short, easy walks in a week or so, but that will depend on how the healing progresses.
Last Week's Goal(s): Total failure, mostly due to my toe.
Next Event Goal: Still planning on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K.
This Week's Goals: (1) Work on a nutrition plan. (2) Attempt some yoga or some other exercise that doesn't necessarily involve the toe. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer.
Analysis: There's really not much to say this week. All I can do at the moment is wait for my toe to heal enough that walking isn't too painful. I'll resume my exercise as soon as I can, but for now it's rest, rest, rest. I don't want to end up gaining weight during this period, so it's time to start being more careful about what I eat. As usual, I'm not going to "diet," per se, but I will try to rein in my bad habits and work on moderation in food quality and quantity. I will figure out some guidelines this week and post about them when I do.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
An Unlucky Break
Well, before going back to basics, I'll have to go back to resting with my feet up! Yesterday, I stubbed my toes really badly on my baby's bouncy seat. The middle toe ended up swollen and discolored (and immensely painful), so I'm assuming it is broken. My internet research leads me to believe that it could take 6 weeks to heal, and during that time I should try to stay off my feet as much as possible.
Obviously this is a setback in my efforts to get fit again. I'm a little frustrated and disappointed, but I'm also thankful that I'd adopted such a laid-back approach to this whole process. I'm not going to let this upset me so much that I lose focus and give up on my goals. Instead I will give my toe the time it needs to heal, and gradually return to exercise when it's safe to do so. I have no idea how long this will take, but for now my eyes are still on the prize. I'll keep you posted on my progress!
Obviously this is a setback in my efforts to get fit again. I'm a little frustrated and disappointed, but I'm also thankful that I'd adopted such a laid-back approach to this whole process. I'm not going to let this upset me so much that I lose focus and give up on my goals. Instead I will give my toe the time it needs to heal, and gradually return to exercise when it's safe to do so. I have no idea how long this will take, but for now my eyes are still on the prize. I'll keep you posted on my progress!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Easing Into It {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 220
Weekly Change: -1
Overall Change: Back to "starting weight" of 220
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.0 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches (yikes!)
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: N/A (still haven't worn jeans. might try them soon just to see which ones fit)
Total Workouts: 4
Total Walks: 4
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): So far succeeding with my "Back to Basics" plan
Injury Report: None to report at this time. C-section pain is gone. No new aches and pains from exercise yet, other than a little bit of back soreness that will probably ease as my core strengthens.
Last Week's Goal(s): I went 2 for 3: I walked outside at least once, and I blogged about my new fitness plan. I did not get a new battery for my pedometer.
Next Event Goal: Still planning on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K.
This Week's Goals: (1) Do "Workout B" at least once. (2) Record my walks with MapMyFitness app and compare stats. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer.
Analysis: I've gotten off to a decent start with my new fitness plan. Getting out for walks nearly every day hasn't been too difficult, even in a week that was full of kids' activities. I'm going about it the way I hoped I would too -- experimenting with different times of day and locations, sometimes going alone and other times bringing the baby in the stroller and/or some of the other kids with me. Flexibility, creativity, and determination are the keys to finding the time to exercise, because my baby's feeding/sleeping schedule is certainly not conducive to getting much done right now. That's enough analysis for this week, I guess. I don't want to overthink things; I just want to keep it simple so I can stay focused on the basics. :)
Weekly Change: -1
Overall Change: Back to "starting weight" of 220
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.0 (obese) (using this calculator)
Waist Circumference: 40 inches (yikes!)
Disease Risk: Very High (according to this chart)
Jeans Size: N/A (still haven't worn jeans. might try them soon just to see which ones fit)
Total Workouts: 4
Total Walks: 4
Total Other Workouts: 0
Progress on Training Plan(s): So far succeeding with my "Back to Basics" plan
Injury Report: None to report at this time. C-section pain is gone. No new aches and pains from exercise yet, other than a little bit of back soreness that will probably ease as my core strengthens.
Last Week's Goal(s): I went 2 for 3: I walked outside at least once, and I blogged about my new fitness plan. I did not get a new battery for my pedometer.
Next Event Goal: Still planning on the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K.
This Week's Goals: (1) Do "Workout B" at least once. (2) Record my walks with MapMyFitness app and compare stats. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer.
Analysis: I've gotten off to a decent start with my new fitness plan. Getting out for walks nearly every day hasn't been too difficult, even in a week that was full of kids' activities. I'm going about it the way I hoped I would too -- experimenting with different times of day and locations, sometimes going alone and other times bringing the baby in the stroller and/or some of the other kids with me. Flexibility, creativity, and determination are the keys to finding the time to exercise, because my baby's feeding/sleeping schedule is certainly not conducive to getting much done right now. That's enough analysis for this week, I guess. I don't want to overthink things; I just want to keep it simple so I can stay focused on the basics. :)
Friday, May 24, 2013
Back to Basics, Part II
As promised when I first came up with the idea back in January, I am going "Back to Basics" again. It didn't work during this pregnancy, but I am confident that it will work now. The focus will be on gradual progress, realistic expectations, and total body fitness.
My plan is to start out trying to exercise twice each day. I'll call them Workout A and Workout B. Workout A is always a walk at least 20 minutes long; the other details (time, place, speed, intensity) don't matter. The goal is just to get that bare minimum of physical activity to start slowly building up strength, cardiovascular endurance, and good habits. Walking 20 minutes a day is so easy -- there rarely will be legitimate excuses not to get it done.
Workout B can be anything that counts as exercise, even another walk. I'd like to start by doing some yoga and low-impact workout DVD's, and then build up to higher intensity ones like Billy Blanks and Jillian Michaels. If scheduling permits, I might get back into swimming this summer as well. There really are no limits to what Workout B is. I just want to work different muscle groups whenever possible, and try to shed some weight before I begin running again.
In the initial phase, I know there will be many days when Workout B doesn't happen. There even will be days when Workout A doesn't happen. Fortunately, I don't have to return to work until August, so I have some time to ease into a consistent routine (if possible, infant feeding schedule permitting). After my last baby, I was so obsessed with getting back into running that I didn't give myself any leeway to struggle, or any other options for getting fit. I won't make that mistake again. I'd rather succeed at getting into shape in a variety of ways for a while, than fail so badly at getting into a running routine that I don't get fit at all.
To keep myself accountable, I will resume weekly updates like the ones I was posting last year, measuring most of the same stats. I'll edit the different categories based on what I find myself doing and what progress I want to measure.
As for running, I'm not sure when I will start again or what training plan I will use. I'm leaving that all up in the air for now, and I'll figure it out when I'm ready. I hope to be ready sooner rather than later, but I know I'll get there even if it takes me some time. Running, swimming, and biking are all still in my plans for the future, and I won't stop until I've completed a triathlon, even if it takes years!
My plan is to start out trying to exercise twice each day. I'll call them Workout A and Workout B. Workout A is always a walk at least 20 minutes long; the other details (time, place, speed, intensity) don't matter. The goal is just to get that bare minimum of physical activity to start slowly building up strength, cardiovascular endurance, and good habits. Walking 20 minutes a day is so easy -- there rarely will be legitimate excuses not to get it done.
Workout B can be anything that counts as exercise, even another walk. I'd like to start by doing some yoga and low-impact workout DVD's, and then build up to higher intensity ones like Billy Blanks and Jillian Michaels. If scheduling permits, I might get back into swimming this summer as well. There really are no limits to what Workout B is. I just want to work different muscle groups whenever possible, and try to shed some weight before I begin running again.
In the initial phase, I know there will be many days when Workout B doesn't happen. There even will be days when Workout A doesn't happen. Fortunately, I don't have to return to work until August, so I have some time to ease into a consistent routine (if possible, infant feeding schedule permitting). After my last baby, I was so obsessed with getting back into running that I didn't give myself any leeway to struggle, or any other options for getting fit. I won't make that mistake again. I'd rather succeed at getting into shape in a variety of ways for a while, than fail so badly at getting into a running routine that I don't get fit at all.
To keep myself accountable, I will resume weekly updates like the ones I was posting last year, measuring most of the same stats. I'll edit the different categories based on what I find myself doing and what progress I want to measure.
As for running, I'm not sure when I will start again or what training plan I will use. I'm leaving that all up in the air for now, and I'll figure it out when I'm ready. I hope to be ready sooner rather than later, but I know I'll get there even if it takes me some time. Running, swimming, and biking are all still in my plans for the future, and I won't stop until I've completed a triathlon, even if it takes years!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Shifting Gears {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 221
Weekly Change: +4 (two weeks' difference)
Overall Change: -1 from post-baby "starting weight" of 220
Pregnancy Weight Lost: 27 lbs., then 4 gained back
Pregnancy Weight Still to Lose: 7 lbs.
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.2 (obese)
Jeans Size: N/A -- haven't attempted jeans yet, but probably will soon
Total "Workouts": 6
Highest Daily Step Count: unknown, still haven't gotten the battery for my pedometer
C-Section Recovery Report: I still had a fair amount of pain the week before last, as I continued to become increasingly active. This past week has been a different story, as the pain has all but disappeared now that I'm six weeks post partum. This is usually how it works for me -- the magical switch is flipped between 5 and 6 weeks pp, and I almost suddenly feel normal again. Aside from being tired, and some of my underused muscles getting achy here and there, I feel pretty great! Today was my 6-week-pp OB appointment, and I got the "all clear" to resume all normal activities, including exercise other than walking. My doctor did say to take it slow, but that's the speed I run at anyway. :)
Last Week's Goal(s): Failed at all of them AGAIN, in both of the past 2 weeks.
Next Event Goal: Hoping to enter the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K again this year, even if I have to walk a lot of it.
This Week's Goals: (1) Go for at least one walk outside. (2) Map out (and blog about) my new fitness plan. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer so I can start keeping track of my daily steps.
This update covers two weeks because I didn't manage to get a post written this week. The truth is I would have had little to write anyway. The previous week was full of stress as we tried to get ready to entertain guests and celebrate our son's First Communion and our daughter's Baptism. To cope with the stress, I started hitting the desserts pretty hard, hence the weight gain. I'm hoping only half of that is real gain and the other half is just bloat or something, but either way I know I need to put the brakes on that type of eating soon so I don't keep gaining! Now that I'm all recovered from my c-section, it's time to get serious about getting back in shape. This is not to say that I'm in a big hurry now, or that I'm going to obsess about it. I just need to set some goals and figure out how I want to go about all this, and then decide on some "rules" for myself. That's my #2 goal for this week, and I hope to get it done within the next couple of days so I can then get started on it before the week's end.
So YAY, it's time to resume the journey I started so long ago! Again. Let's do this!
Weekly Change: +4 (two weeks' difference)
Overall Change: -1 from post-baby "starting weight" of 220
Pregnancy Weight Lost: 27 lbs., then 4 gained back
Pregnancy Weight Still to Lose: 7 lbs.
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 32.2 (obese)
Jeans Size: N/A -- haven't attempted jeans yet, but probably will soon
Total "Workouts": 6
Highest Daily Step Count: unknown, still haven't gotten the battery for my pedometer
C-Section Recovery Report: I still had a fair amount of pain the week before last, as I continued to become increasingly active. This past week has been a different story, as the pain has all but disappeared now that I'm six weeks post partum. This is usually how it works for me -- the magical switch is flipped between 5 and 6 weeks pp, and I almost suddenly feel normal again. Aside from being tired, and some of my underused muscles getting achy here and there, I feel pretty great! Today was my 6-week-pp OB appointment, and I got the "all clear" to resume all normal activities, including exercise other than walking. My doctor did say to take it slow, but that's the speed I run at anyway. :)
Last Week's Goal(s): Failed at all of them AGAIN, in both of the past 2 weeks.
Next Event Goal: Hoping to enter the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K again this year, even if I have to walk a lot of it.
This Week's Goals: (1) Go for at least one walk outside. (2) Map out (and blog about) my new fitness plan. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer so I can start keeping track of my daily steps.
This update covers two weeks because I didn't manage to get a post written this week. The truth is I would have had little to write anyway. The previous week was full of stress as we tried to get ready to entertain guests and celebrate our son's First Communion and our daughter's Baptism. To cope with the stress, I started hitting the desserts pretty hard, hence the weight gain. I'm hoping only half of that is real gain and the other half is just bloat or something, but either way I know I need to put the brakes on that type of eating soon so I don't keep gaining! Now that I'm all recovered from my c-section, it's time to get serious about getting back in shape. This is not to say that I'm in a big hurry now, or that I'm going to obsess about it. I just need to set some goals and figure out how I want to go about all this, and then decide on some "rules" for myself. That's my #2 goal for this week, and I hope to get it done within the next couple of days so I can then get started on it before the week's end.
So YAY, it's time to resume the journey I started so long ago! Again. Let's do this!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Some Pain, No Gain {Weekly Summary}
Weight: 217
Weekly Change: -2
Overall Change: -3 from post-baby "starting weight" of 220
Pregnancy Weight Lost: 27 lbs.
Pregnancy Weight Still to Lose: 3 lbs.
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 31.6 (obese)
Jeans Size: N/A -- haven't attempted jeans yet, still wearing just stretchy, soft clothes
Total "Workouts": 5
Highest Daily Step Count: unknown, still haven't gotten the battery for my pedometer
C-Section Recovery Report: My recovery continues to go reasonably well. As I get more and more active, obviously I'm going to experience more pain. I'm trying to listen to my body and take the pain as a cue to slow down and get more rest. It seems like heavy lifting causes more pain than being on my feet for extended periods does. I probably should not carry my toddler around as much as I do, but sometimes it can't be helped. I'm finding that I can handle one long or two shorter outings per day, but after that I need to rest. My baby was born four weeks ago and sometimes I get frustrated, thinking I should feel closer to normal by now. Even though I've had less pain than in previous recoveries, the amount that I do have doesn't seem to be going away just yet. This is a really busy month for our family, and I wish I could be back to 100% already, but that is definitely not the case. Fortunately I still have pain meds to help me through the roughest days. The good part of being so busy is that I'm having no trouble doing enough physical activity to help aid the healing. The bad side of that is that I haven't had the time for sustained walking as regular exercise. That's not the end of the world or anything, but the longer it takes me to get into the habit of regular walking, the longer it will take to see any results from it.
Last Week's Goal(s): Failed at all of them so repeating this week.
Next Event Goal: Hoping to enter the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K again this year, even if I have to walk a lot of it.
This Week's Goals: (1) Go for at least one walk outside. (2) Start going up and down the stairs at least once each day. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer so I can start keeping track of my daily steps.
Hmmm. I guess I really did most of my analysis in the C-Section Recovery Report. I don't think I have much more to add at this time. The next couple of weeks probably won't be much different, unless something unusual happens, like a setback in my recovery. Once the pain is gone and I'm able to do exercise beyond just walking, then the real work begins. I do want to point out that the pregnancy weight has just been dropping right off of me, much faster than I've ever noticed it doing before. This is the key time now where I need to keep the numbers going down and don't allow myself to start gaining again. Postpartum hormones plus sleep deprivation lead to a lot of emotional eating and sweets consumption in my world, so I need to be careful to keep all that under control and don't go overboard. Easier said than done!
Weekly Change: -2
Overall Change: -3 from post-baby "starting weight" of 220
Pregnancy Weight Lost: 27 lbs.
Pregnancy Weight Still to Lose: 3 lbs.
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 31.6 (obese)
Jeans Size: N/A -- haven't attempted jeans yet, still wearing just stretchy, soft clothes
Total "Workouts": 5
Highest Daily Step Count: unknown, still haven't gotten the battery for my pedometer
C-Section Recovery Report: My recovery continues to go reasonably well. As I get more and more active, obviously I'm going to experience more pain. I'm trying to listen to my body and take the pain as a cue to slow down and get more rest. It seems like heavy lifting causes more pain than being on my feet for extended periods does. I probably should not carry my toddler around as much as I do, but sometimes it can't be helped. I'm finding that I can handle one long or two shorter outings per day, but after that I need to rest. My baby was born four weeks ago and sometimes I get frustrated, thinking I should feel closer to normal by now. Even though I've had less pain than in previous recoveries, the amount that I do have doesn't seem to be going away just yet. This is a really busy month for our family, and I wish I could be back to 100% already, but that is definitely not the case. Fortunately I still have pain meds to help me through the roughest days. The good part of being so busy is that I'm having no trouble doing enough physical activity to help aid the healing. The bad side of that is that I haven't had the time for sustained walking as regular exercise. That's not the end of the world or anything, but the longer it takes me to get into the habit of regular walking, the longer it will take to see any results from it.
Last Week's Goal(s): Failed at all of them so repeating this week.
Next Event Goal: Hoping to enter the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K again this year, even if I have to walk a lot of it.
This Week's Goals: (1) Go for at least one walk outside. (2) Start going up and down the stairs at least once each day. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer so I can start keeping track of my daily steps.
Hmmm. I guess I really did most of my analysis in the C-Section Recovery Report. I don't think I have much more to add at this time. The next couple of weeks probably won't be much different, unless something unusual happens, like a setback in my recovery. Once the pain is gone and I'm able to do exercise beyond just walking, then the real work begins. I do want to point out that the pregnancy weight has just been dropping right off of me, much faster than I've ever noticed it doing before. This is the key time now where I need to keep the numbers going down and don't allow myself to start gaining again. Postpartum hormones plus sleep deprivation lead to a lot of emotional eating and sweets consumption in my world, so I need to be careful to keep all that under control and don't go overboard. Easier said than done!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Improvement Through Movement {Weekly Summary}
For the next few weeks, I will keep track of many, but not all, of the stats I used to record. My current definition of "workout" is any physical activity that gets me up and moving more than in a normal c-section recovery day. So something like a half hour of light housework that involves more lifting and bending than usual would count, as would short outings and errands that have me on my feet longer than usual. Once the pain is gone and I'm cleared for all exercise beyond walking, I will get much stricter about what counts as a workout. And at that time, I will also tweak these stats to reflect the types of exercise I'll be focusing on then.
Weight: 219
Weekly Change: -1
Overall Change: -1 from post-baby "starting weight" of 220
Pregnancy Weight Lost: 25 lbs.
Pregnancy Weight Still to Lose: 5 lbs.
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 31.9 (obese)
Jeans Size: N/A -- haven't attempted jeans yet, still wearing just stretchy, soft clothes
Total "Workouts": 5
Highest Daily Step Count: unknown, but I hope to start using my pedometer soon to help gauge my progress
C-Section Recovery Report: In general, this recovery is going better than all of my previous ones. I don't know if there is actually less pain, or if I've finally gotten tough enough to tolerate the usual amount with minimal medication. I'm taking my ibuprofen around the clock, but have not even used a third of my oxycodone pills because I don't need them as frequently as I did in my past recoveries. I can lift my almost-2-year-old son, and carry him a short distance, but not too far and not too many times in one day. I can go up and down stairs without too much pain, but slowly and not while carrying anything heavy. I can bend to reach things on the floor, but not too many times before it starts to hurt. Getting up out of chairs and out of bed is hardly painful at all, which is a big difference from my other recoveries!
Last Week's Goal(s): N/A, didn't set any concrete goals.
Next Event Goal: Hoping to enter the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K again this year, even if I have to walk a lot of it.
This Week's Goals: (1) Go for at least one walk outside. (2) Start going up and down the stairs at least once each day. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer so I can start keeping track of my daily steps.
I'm okay with how things are going so far. One of my OB's used the phrase "improvement through movement" when describing how I should approach my recovery, and I think I'm living up to that. I'm trying to get up and around as much as possible without overdoing it. Unfortunately, at this stage of the recovery, there is nothing more exciting to report than that. Hopefully each week I'll be getting more active and thus will have more interesting topics for this blog. I also might try to find time to bring back some of the post themes I was using last year, if possible. I'm not making any promises though. It might take me a while to manage more than one post per week. :)
Weight: 219
Weekly Change: -1
Overall Change: -1 from post-baby "starting weight" of 220
Pregnancy Weight Lost: 25 lbs.
Pregnancy Weight Still to Lose: 5 lbs.
Next goal weight: 214 (pre-pregnancy weight)
BMI: 31.9 (obese)
Jeans Size: N/A -- haven't attempted jeans yet, still wearing just stretchy, soft clothes
Total "Workouts": 5
Highest Daily Step Count: unknown, but I hope to start using my pedometer soon to help gauge my progress
C-Section Recovery Report: In general, this recovery is going better than all of my previous ones. I don't know if there is actually less pain, or if I've finally gotten tough enough to tolerate the usual amount with minimal medication. I'm taking my ibuprofen around the clock, but have not even used a third of my oxycodone pills because I don't need them as frequently as I did in my past recoveries. I can lift my almost-2-year-old son, and carry him a short distance, but not too far and not too many times in one day. I can go up and down stairs without too much pain, but slowly and not while carrying anything heavy. I can bend to reach things on the floor, but not too many times before it starts to hurt. Getting up out of chairs and out of bed is hardly painful at all, which is a big difference from my other recoveries!
Last Week's Goal(s): N/A, didn't set any concrete goals.
Next Event Goal: Hoping to enter the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K again this year, even if I have to walk a lot of it.
This Week's Goals: (1) Go for at least one walk outside. (2) Start going up and down the stairs at least once each day. (3) Get a new battery for my pedometer so I can start keeping track of my daily steps.
I'm okay with how things are going so far. One of my OB's used the phrase "improvement through movement" when describing how I should approach my recovery, and I think I'm living up to that. I'm trying to get up and around as much as possible without overdoing it. Unfortunately, at this stage of the recovery, there is nothing more exciting to report than that. Hopefully each week I'll be getting more active and thus will have more interesting topics for this blog. I also might try to find time to bring back some of the post themes I was using last year, if possible. I'm not making any promises though. It might take me a while to manage more than one post per week. :)
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
More Than Ever
Let's just overlook the fact that I've been MIA for months and clearly didn't keep up with even my "back to basics" walking plan for the remainder of my pregnancy. How about we forget that ever happened and just pick up in the here and now?!
My 5th child (and 1st girl!) was born on April 9th and I'm currently recovering from the c-section. I'll share some photos of my precious daughter soon, but for right now I just want to get this blog rebooted and share my new resolve to return to running.
I had planned on continuing the "back to basics" approach, with the emphasis on walking, for as long as necessary until I was really ready to get back into running. I thought it might be good for me to focus on my overall health and fitness for a while instead of getting tunnel vision with regards to running. For the most part, I still feel this way, but last week I couldn't avoid thinking about running and what it means to me.
Like any other runner (and any other American, really), I was deeply upset by the bombings at the Boston Marathon. And then in the immediate aftermath, I saw the resolve of the running community, as marathoners quickly pledged to run Boston next year without fear. Their spirits would not be crushed; the terrorists would not beat them.
I happily joined fellow runners all over the country in wearing a race shirt the day after the attack, to show my support for everyone involved in the Marathon. This small symbolic gesture made me feel like part of the running community again, even though I haven't run in many months and haven't raced in a couple of years. I miss feeling that way. And I remember so vividly now how much I loved becoming a runner and how I felt connected to so many of my friends who also run as if we're all members of some very special (but also very inclusive) club.
Runners are incredible people, especially the really dedicated ones. Marathoners amaze and impress me. All the speedy runners who can finish a 10K faster than I can finish a 5K inspire me to push myself. I love running, and I love other people who also love running. I want to be connected to the community again, and I can only do that by getting back into running regularly as soon as I can.
So this is where things stand right now -- I don't want to rush into running or obsess over it to the extent that I end up psyching myself out of being successful, but I do want to stay focused on my running goals enough that I'm always working towards them and not just meandering through other, slower, easier ways to gradually lose weight and get in shape. I am determined to run again, now more than ever.
Of course, I'm still a month away from being cleared by my doctor to run again, and my abdomen still has a lot of healing to do. I don't have much of a choice but to start with my "back to the basics" approach, so to that end I will try to start walking regularly this week. I'd also like to jump right back into blogging regularly about my progress, assuming I can find the time and energy.
Logistics: I'm going to resume weighing myself on Fridays and writing weekly summary posts on Mondays. My "training plan" for the moment is just to walk as much as possible. I will set more specific goals as I go. I'm not restricting my diet just yet, so my weight loss expectations are low. Right now the focus is on easing my body back into exercise, and easing my mind back into the habit of regular exercise.
Stats:
Pre-pregnancy weight: 214 lbs.
Highest pregnancy weight: approx. 244 lbs.
Total gain: approx. 30 lbs.
Current weight: 220 lbs. (a.k.a. my post-pregnancy "starting" weight)
Pregnancy weight lost: 24 lbs.
Pregnancy weight left to lose: 6 lbs. (therefore, next goal weight is 214 lbs.)
Ultimate goal weight: 170 lbs AT MOST (might try for even less once I get that low)
Welcome back to my seemingly endless journey to fitness. One of these days, I'll actually reach my destination!
My 5th child (and 1st girl!) was born on April 9th and I'm currently recovering from the c-section. I'll share some photos of my precious daughter soon, but for right now I just want to get this blog rebooted and share my new resolve to return to running.
I had planned on continuing the "back to basics" approach, with the emphasis on walking, for as long as necessary until I was really ready to get back into running. I thought it might be good for me to focus on my overall health and fitness for a while instead of getting tunnel vision with regards to running. For the most part, I still feel this way, but last week I couldn't avoid thinking about running and what it means to me.
Like any other runner (and any other American, really), I was deeply upset by the bombings at the Boston Marathon. And then in the immediate aftermath, I saw the resolve of the running community, as marathoners quickly pledged to run Boston next year without fear. Their spirits would not be crushed; the terrorists would not beat them.
I happily joined fellow runners all over the country in wearing a race shirt the day after the attack, to show my support for everyone involved in the Marathon. This small symbolic gesture made me feel like part of the running community again, even though I haven't run in many months and haven't raced in a couple of years. I miss feeling that way. And I remember so vividly now how much I loved becoming a runner and how I felt connected to so many of my friends who also run as if we're all members of some very special (but also very inclusive) club.
Runners are incredible people, especially the really dedicated ones. Marathoners amaze and impress me. All the speedy runners who can finish a 10K faster than I can finish a 5K inspire me to push myself. I love running, and I love other people who also love running. I want to be connected to the community again, and I can only do that by getting back into running regularly as soon as I can.
So this is where things stand right now -- I don't want to rush into running or obsess over it to the extent that I end up psyching myself out of being successful, but I do want to stay focused on my running goals enough that I'm always working towards them and not just meandering through other, slower, easier ways to gradually lose weight and get in shape. I am determined to run again, now more than ever.
Of course, I'm still a month away from being cleared by my doctor to run again, and my abdomen still has a lot of healing to do. I don't have much of a choice but to start with my "back to the basics" approach, so to that end I will try to start walking regularly this week. I'd also like to jump right back into blogging regularly about my progress, assuming I can find the time and energy.
Logistics: I'm going to resume weighing myself on Fridays and writing weekly summary posts on Mondays. My "training plan" for the moment is just to walk as much as possible. I will set more specific goals as I go. I'm not restricting my diet just yet, so my weight loss expectations are low. Right now the focus is on easing my body back into exercise, and easing my mind back into the habit of regular exercise.
Stats:
Pre-pregnancy weight: 214 lbs.
Highest pregnancy weight: approx. 244 lbs.
Total gain: approx. 30 lbs.
Current weight: 220 lbs. (a.k.a. my post-pregnancy "starting" weight)
Pregnancy weight lost: 24 lbs.
Pregnancy weight left to lose: 6 lbs. (therefore, next goal weight is 214 lbs.)
Ultimate goal weight: 170 lbs AT MOST (might try for even less once I get that low)
Welcome back to my seemingly endless journey to fitness. One of these days, I'll actually reach my destination!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
26 Weeks -- Bit of a Slow Start
Note: This post should have been written on Monday, so the stats are from last Monday-Sunday.
Workouts this week: 1
Breakdown of workouts: 1 Walk (about 30 min.)
Weight: 228 lbs
Total Gain: 14 lbs
After pledging here to start exercising again last week, I hit the treadmill and got started with a decent walk. More than a week later, I have yet to follow up that walk with another workout. Oops.
I'm not going to waste a lot of time overanalyzing the situation. It's pretty simple actually -- I'm once again out of the habit of being active, and changing habits is hard. I expect this to be an uphill battle, but I'll keep fighting it because I believe my "back to basics" approach is going to be good for me in the long run.
Nothing too exciting is going on with the pregnancy at the moment. I feel huge all of a sudden, and still have the occasional bout of nausea, and a decent night's sleep is quite elusive, but otherwise the discomforts are minimal right now. As I enter the third trimester this week, I know all that is going to change and soon I will be miserable, so I'm trying to appreciate the present as much as possible.
Yikes, this might be the most boring post I've ever written. Sorry about that. I'll try to be more interesting next time. :)
Workouts this week: 1
Breakdown of workouts: 1 Walk (about 30 min.)
Weight: 228 lbs
Total Gain: 14 lbs
After pledging here to start exercising again last week, I hit the treadmill and got started with a decent walk. More than a week later, I have yet to follow up that walk with another workout. Oops.
I'm not going to waste a lot of time overanalyzing the situation. It's pretty simple actually -- I'm once again out of the habit of being active, and changing habits is hard. I expect this to be an uphill battle, but I'll keep fighting it because I believe my "back to basics" approach is going to be good for me in the long run.
Nothing too exciting is going on with the pregnancy at the moment. I feel huge all of a sudden, and still have the occasional bout of nausea, and a decent night's sleep is quite elusive, but otherwise the discomforts are minimal right now. As I enter the third trimester this week, I know all that is going to change and soon I will be miserable, so I'm trying to appreciate the present as much as possible.
Yikes, this might be the most boring post I've ever written. Sorry about that. I'll try to be more interesting next time. :)
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Back to Basics
Holy cow! I don't even know where to start. The last time I wrote, I was struggling to get over a miserable cough/cold so I could get back to running and swimming. Now I'm 25 weeks pregnant with my 5th child and about to start a whole new approach to fitness for the near future.
Oddly enough, this pregnancy began much the same way the last one did -- the intense cough and chest congestion led to a hiatus from running, and by the time my lungs were clear, the "morning" (ALL DAY) sickness had set in. And the nausea was even worse this time around, to the point where I needed help from medication to keep from vomiting. It lasted a lot longer too! The frequency started to decrease around Thanksgiving (about 19 weeks), but the intensity was still there. Now it has been two weeks since my last really intense bout of nausea, so I think I can finally say the worst is behind me!
Thanks to nausea and fatigue, I haven't even attempted to exercise this entire pregnancy so far, and I must confess that I don't feel the slightest bit bad about it. I have a completely different outlook on pregnancy fitness this time around, based on how things went last time. I don't regret pushing myself to keep running as long as possible then -- the experience served its purpose in my psyche. But ultimately, exercising did not make my pregnancy any more comfortable, nor did it make my c-section recovery any easier, or my return to running any speedier.
My new approach to pregnancy fitness is getting back to basics. Specifically, I'd like to re-embrace walking as a perfectly reasonable form of exercise, not just something to be endured for a couple of weeks before launching a running program. In between babies #2 and #3, I lost over 20 lbs with walking as my only form of exercise (because I'd wanted to get some weight off before I started running). It's safe and low-impact, so I can do it as long as it feels good during pregnancy and as soon as it's not too painful after. And instead of getting frustrated when I don't squeeze a run in day after day after day, I can be content to get a brief walk in nearly every day, because it's quicker to dress and prepare for than running. Aside from my very busiest days, there is rarely a good excuse not to hop on the treadmill and walk at least 30 minutes.
Don't misunderstand me -- I do want to be a runner again, and I will be. But during my last pregnancy and after, I put all of my focus on running and therefore put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed specifically in that area. When I found it to be much harder than I expected, I was incredibly frustrated and disappointed in myself, and the end result was that I wasn't exercising very much at all. Right now I think ANY exercise is better than NONE, and so I will focus on that until I'm able to resume running on a regular basis.
So here is the plan: For the next roughly 14 weeks, I will walk as often as I can. I'd also like to do my pregnancy yoga DVD once or twice a week for flexibility and possibly the relief of minor aches and pains. After the baby is born, I will resume walking as soon as I can (it's an essential part of recovering from the surgery anyway), and just walk as frequently as possible. If I need to up the intensity a bit, I have ankle weights and hand weights, and of course there is always the option to toss one of the little ones in the jogging stroller and have a companion as well as extra resistance. :) I'll just plan to stick with walking until I feel ready to start a running program again, whenever that may be. And if I'm truly ready when I take that step, then there will be no stopping me! I still have lofty dreams to chase!
I'll wrap this up with my first weekly update of this pregnancy:
25 Weeks -- Back to Basics
Workouts this week: 0
Breakdown of workouts: N/A
Weight: 227 lbs
Total Gain: 13 lbs (from starting weight of 214)
If you got this far, thanks for reading! :)
Oddly enough, this pregnancy began much the same way the last one did -- the intense cough and chest congestion led to a hiatus from running, and by the time my lungs were clear, the "morning" (ALL DAY) sickness had set in. And the nausea was even worse this time around, to the point where I needed help from medication to keep from vomiting. It lasted a lot longer too! The frequency started to decrease around Thanksgiving (about 19 weeks), but the intensity was still there. Now it has been two weeks since my last really intense bout of nausea, so I think I can finally say the worst is behind me!
Thanks to nausea and fatigue, I haven't even attempted to exercise this entire pregnancy so far, and I must confess that I don't feel the slightest bit bad about it. I have a completely different outlook on pregnancy fitness this time around, based on how things went last time. I don't regret pushing myself to keep running as long as possible then -- the experience served its purpose in my psyche. But ultimately, exercising did not make my pregnancy any more comfortable, nor did it make my c-section recovery any easier, or my return to running any speedier.
My new approach to pregnancy fitness is getting back to basics. Specifically, I'd like to re-embrace walking as a perfectly reasonable form of exercise, not just something to be endured for a couple of weeks before launching a running program. In between babies #2 and #3, I lost over 20 lbs with walking as my only form of exercise (because I'd wanted to get some weight off before I started running). It's safe and low-impact, so I can do it as long as it feels good during pregnancy and as soon as it's not too painful after. And instead of getting frustrated when I don't squeeze a run in day after day after day, I can be content to get a brief walk in nearly every day, because it's quicker to dress and prepare for than running. Aside from my very busiest days, there is rarely a good excuse not to hop on the treadmill and walk at least 30 minutes.
Don't misunderstand me -- I do want to be a runner again, and I will be. But during my last pregnancy and after, I put all of my focus on running and therefore put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed specifically in that area. When I found it to be much harder than I expected, I was incredibly frustrated and disappointed in myself, and the end result was that I wasn't exercising very much at all. Right now I think ANY exercise is better than NONE, and so I will focus on that until I'm able to resume running on a regular basis.
So here is the plan: For the next roughly 14 weeks, I will walk as often as I can. I'd also like to do my pregnancy yoga DVD once or twice a week for flexibility and possibly the relief of minor aches and pains. After the baby is born, I will resume walking as soon as I can (it's an essential part of recovering from the surgery anyway), and just walk as frequently as possible. If I need to up the intensity a bit, I have ankle weights and hand weights, and of course there is always the option to toss one of the little ones in the jogging stroller and have a companion as well as extra resistance. :) I'll just plan to stick with walking until I feel ready to start a running program again, whenever that may be. And if I'm truly ready when I take that step, then there will be no stopping me! I still have lofty dreams to chase!
I'll wrap this up with my first weekly update of this pregnancy:
25 Weeks -- Back to Basics
Workouts this week: 0
Breakdown of workouts: N/A
Weight: 227 lbs
Total Gain: 13 lbs (from starting weight of 214)
If you got this far, thanks for reading! :)
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