Friday I went to the dance class again. This time I only stayed for an hour. The people I had gone with were out in the hallway talking and I'm really not keen on the second part of the class, anyway. They do an hour of instruction and then an hour of whatever people want to do. Most of the dances they do in the second hour are ones that I have not had any experience in, and a lot of the people are consistent attendees of the classes, so they are pretty well-versed in the different types of dances. I usually spend most of the second part not participating anyway, so it really didn't bother me to leave early.
Considering we didn't dance the ENTIRE time, I'm going to split the difference again (though I really think it was more like 3/4 of the time we were dancing, but I can't say for certain) and claim 30 minutes of exercise.
Then, today I mowed both the front and back yards. My hands are raw and my feet will probably be green for a few days, but other than that I'm in pretty good shape. I spent an hour and 45 minutes total mowing both yards, and that puts me over my goal for the week. Yay!
So, the reason for my post title is that I iced my hands for a while and once they stopped throbbing, I found my peppermint lotion and slathered it on my feet (hoping to fade some of the green) and hands. I smell like peppermint, which is a lot better than what I smelled like three hours ago.
I think I remember promising to measure circumference on the next post, which would be now. Here goes nothing:
37.5" on tummy (down .5")
23.5" on thighs (same as before)
We're going to be moving next month, so that might put a damper on exercising. We'll see. I hope not.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
good news and bad news
Which one do you want first? I'll start with the bad news. They had snickerdoodles at lunch at my meeting in Columbus today. As I mentioned in this blog entry from March, snickerdoodles are my kryptonite. I had two today. *sheepish*
Ok, good news. I weighed myself before we worked out today (which the fact that we're back to exercising on a regular basis is good news part two) and I'm at 154.5. I'm not letting myself get too excited about it, because I know weight can fluctuate, as evidenced by my four pound difference in a twenty-four hour period a couple of weeks ago. But, at the same time, I'm glad that 154.5 is even IN the weight fluctuation zone, you know? Let's keep it going down.
I thought about doing zumba, but the thought of SZL really didn't appeal to me. So, I opted to do the weight machines instead. As a side note, I was reading an article in O magazine as I was working out, and it was talking about "pain you shouldn't ignore." One of the highlighted areas was foot pain, and it was talking specifically about pins and needles, which is what mine is (along with pain). It said that a common cause might be diabetes and you should have your blood glucose checked. Well, been there, done that, and it's a big fat no. The problem with the article is it didn't really give any other reason besides diabetes. So :p for not giving me any new information.
But, it did get me thinking about having my feet looked at...again. I will probably have to wait until after my surgeries are over and done with before I can think about that, though, because I will probably meet my deductible with the surgeries. Then, I can have everything done to diagnose my feet that I want because insurance covers 100% after you meet the deductible. Oh, wait. Have I not mentioned the surgeries before? Nothing horrible. I have a few cysts that I'm having removed. Two can be done as outpatient surgery and I'll be back to work/life within a day or so (scheduled for June 9). One is in a precarious spot and he needs to reserve an operating room and anesthesiologist to remove it. That one will put me out of commission for about a week and a half. Having the OR and anesthesiologist expenses will most likely put me above my deductible. Not that I'm looking forward to having massive medical bills, but this is something I've put off for too long anyway. Anyway, like I said, nothing horrible.
Back to talking about my workout today. I did 15 minutes on the elliptical, but my back hurt something awful. I had to carry twenty framed posters to my car today after the meeting and it started hurting then. From keeping my posture on the elliptical, it was putting strain on the same spot. So, I moved to the recumbent stationary bike and did 20 minutes there. Then I did 25 minutes on the weight machines. 3 sets of 15 at 45 lbs on the deltoid machine, 3 sets of 15 at 200 lbs on the leg press, and 6 sets of 15 at 90 lbs on the ab machines.
I'll measure my circumference for the next post. It will give me something to look forward to, hopefully.
Ok, good news. I weighed myself before we worked out today (which the fact that we're back to exercising on a regular basis is good news part two) and I'm at 154.5. I'm not letting myself get too excited about it, because I know weight can fluctuate, as evidenced by my four pound difference in a twenty-four hour period a couple of weeks ago. But, at the same time, I'm glad that 154.5 is even IN the weight fluctuation zone, you know? Let's keep it going down.
I thought about doing zumba, but the thought of SZL really didn't appeal to me. So, I opted to do the weight machines instead. As a side note, I was reading an article in O magazine as I was working out, and it was talking about "pain you shouldn't ignore." One of the highlighted areas was foot pain, and it was talking specifically about pins and needles, which is what mine is (along with pain). It said that a common cause might be diabetes and you should have your blood glucose checked. Well, been there, done that, and it's a big fat no. The problem with the article is it didn't really give any other reason besides diabetes. So :p for not giving me any new information.
But, it did get me thinking about having my feet looked at...again. I will probably have to wait until after my surgeries are over and done with before I can think about that, though, because I will probably meet my deductible with the surgeries. Then, I can have everything done to diagnose my feet that I want because insurance covers 100% after you meet the deductible. Oh, wait. Have I not mentioned the surgeries before? Nothing horrible. I have a few cysts that I'm having removed. Two can be done as outpatient surgery and I'll be back to work/life within a day or so (scheduled for June 9). One is in a precarious spot and he needs to reserve an operating room and anesthesiologist to remove it. That one will put me out of commission for about a week and a half. Having the OR and anesthesiologist expenses will most likely put me above my deductible. Not that I'm looking forward to having massive medical bills, but this is something I've put off for too long anyway. Anyway, like I said, nothing horrible.
Back to talking about my workout today. I did 15 minutes on the elliptical, but my back hurt something awful. I had to carry twenty framed posters to my car today after the meeting and it started hurting then. From keeping my posture on the elliptical, it was putting strain on the same spot. So, I moved to the recumbent stationary bike and did 20 minutes there. Then I did 25 minutes on the weight machines. 3 sets of 15 at 45 lbs on the deltoid machine, 3 sets of 15 at 200 lbs on the leg press, and 6 sets of 15 at 90 lbs on the ab machines.
I'll measure my circumference for the next post. It will give me something to look forward to, hopefully.
Friday, May 21, 2010
vacation from exercise
It's been a very busy two weeks and I literally haven't had time to go to the gym or exercise. I went yesterday and did 1/2 hour on the elliptical and 1/2 hour on the weights. I also weighed myself. 157. I thought that was a pound lighter than I was, but it turns out it was one *heavier* than last time I weighed myself two weeks ago. I was truly expecting it to be above 160, given that I haven't been exercising and one day I cheated horribly on my no candy/cookies fast. (one large chocolate chip cookie, a root beer barrel and something else that I can't remember now. In my defense, I was falling asleep and that's why I had the root beer barrel. The cookie is not defensible.) I'm glad it wasn't above 160, but at the same time, I am a little disappointed that with no exercise and cheating, I'm still right around where I was already. Sigh.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Dancing queen
young and sweet, but not 17!!!
LOL. So, a friend of mine has talked to me about a dance class he had been going to for a while. It's totally drop-in, so you go whenever you want, and pay for each class individually. They focus on one style of dance per month (I think) and each week they do different moves for said style of dance. I had talked with him the last week or so about going, and finally just decided I would go today. Apparently he hasn't been in a while and having me to go with him gave him a little more motivation to go again.
So, I got there and he had warned me from the beginning that street shoes weren't allowed, so I decided I'd just do it sock-ed. I guess that's fine, but when you're dancing around, that can get pretty rough on the balls of your feet with no cushion underneath, which I found out and will elaborate on later. They did polka today. I was a little disinterested when I heard, but figured that I had come to dance and that's was I was going to do, doggonit. It actually ended up not being so bad.
My problem is that a lot of times in partner dances, I am the one who either knows more about the dance or is picking up on in quicker, so sometimes it's hard to take a lead from someone who is understanding it less. There were several guys there tonight who ranged in ability and experience level. Like I said, I had never polka'd before, but I picked up on it quickly and when I knew we were supposed to "flip" (switch directions by turning 180` mid-dance) and I wasn't getting the lead to do it, it was hard to just keep going rather than initiate the "flip." On the flip side (pun intended), when I had a partner who did know when things were supposed to happen, it was difficult to switch modes and just follow their guide.
But, I had a good time. It was a lot of dancing/hopping/galloping on the balls of my feet, which reminded me horribly of my overpronation. What that essentially means is that the tip section of my big toe does not bend up the way it should to take a correct step. My whole toe is rigid and so the whole toe bends up. Try it with your thumb. Put your thumb out horizontally even. Push up on the tip of your thumb with your opposite hand's index finger. See how just the tip bends up? That's what a toe is supposed to do. If we're still using the thumb to toe analogy, push up on the knuckle of your thumb. See how the whole thumb went up? That's what MY toe does. So, in order for me to be able to walk, instead of walking with a straight gait (lol, I'm a poet and I don't know it :D), I have to walk so I roll off the inside part of my toe to end the step. Usually it's not a huge deal because when I'm walking, the toe is doing about 1/5 of the work for the step. But when I'm dancing and the step is reduced to the ball of the foot and the toes, that means the toes are doing 1/2 of the work now. Since I don't walk correctly to begin with, you can imagine how much my toes liked carrying the brunt of the responsibility. So, my big toes are staging a revolt at the moment. At least my nerve problem is not bothering me for the most part. :)
So, anyway, on to the actual fitness part of the entry. We were there about an hour and 50 minutes. Some of that was spent taking water breaks, watching the instructor and honestly just sitting out because in the second hour they had "free dance" and I didn't know the steps (i.e. tango, waltz, etc). So, I'll split the difference and say 55 minutes of true dancing. I think that actually gets me to my 3 hour goal for the week! It actually puts me 10 minutes over, I just checked. Yay!
LOL. So, a friend of mine has talked to me about a dance class he had been going to for a while. It's totally drop-in, so you go whenever you want, and pay for each class individually. They focus on one style of dance per month (I think) and each week they do different moves for said style of dance. I had talked with him the last week or so about going, and finally just decided I would go today. Apparently he hasn't been in a while and having me to go with him gave him a little more motivation to go again.
So, I got there and he had warned me from the beginning that street shoes weren't allowed, so I decided I'd just do it sock-ed. I guess that's fine, but when you're dancing around, that can get pretty rough on the balls of your feet with no cushion underneath, which I found out and will elaborate on later. They did polka today. I was a little disinterested when I heard, but figured that I had come to dance and that's was I was going to do, doggonit. It actually ended up not being so bad.
My problem is that a lot of times in partner dances, I am the one who either knows more about the dance or is picking up on in quicker, so sometimes it's hard to take a lead from someone who is understanding it less. There were several guys there tonight who ranged in ability and experience level. Like I said, I had never polka'd before, but I picked up on it quickly and when I knew we were supposed to "flip" (switch directions by turning 180` mid-dance) and I wasn't getting the lead to do it, it was hard to just keep going rather than initiate the "flip." On the flip side (pun intended), when I had a partner who did know when things were supposed to happen, it was difficult to switch modes and just follow their guide.
But, I had a good time. It was a lot of dancing/hopping/galloping on the balls of my feet, which reminded me horribly of my overpronation. What that essentially means is that the tip section of my big toe does not bend up the way it should to take a correct step. My whole toe is rigid and so the whole toe bends up. Try it with your thumb. Put your thumb out horizontally even. Push up on the tip of your thumb with your opposite hand's index finger. See how just the tip bends up? That's what a toe is supposed to do. If we're still using the thumb to toe analogy, push up on the knuckle of your thumb. See how the whole thumb went up? That's what MY toe does. So, in order for me to be able to walk, instead of walking with a straight gait (lol, I'm a poet and I don't know it :D), I have to walk so I roll off the inside part of my toe to end the step. Usually it's not a huge deal because when I'm walking, the toe is doing about 1/5 of the work for the step. But when I'm dancing and the step is reduced to the ball of the foot and the toes, that means the toes are doing 1/2 of the work now. Since I don't walk correctly to begin with, you can imagine how much my toes liked carrying the brunt of the responsibility. So, my big toes are staging a revolt at the moment. At least my nerve problem is not bothering me for the most part. :)
So, anyway, on to the actual fitness part of the entry. We were there about an hour and 50 minutes. Some of that was spent taking water breaks, watching the instructor and honestly just sitting out because in the second hour they had "free dance" and I didn't know the steps (i.e. tango, waltz, etc). So, I'll split the difference and say 55 minutes of true dancing. I think that actually gets me to my 3 hour goal for the week! It actually puts me 10 minutes over, I just checked. Yay!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
2 in 1
This will be 2 days worth of exercise in one post.
Yesterday:
Went to the gym by myself... AZL was leading zumba. I still couldn't do the whole hour. Stupid feet. I crapped out after 1/2 hour, then did 15 minutes of weights. 90 lbs on obliques (4 sets of 10); 200 lbs on leg press (4 sets of 10); 45 lbs on pecs (4 sets of 10). Weighed myself before. 158, I think. Might have been 157.
Today:
Ben came with me. Yay! I did 30 min on the elliptical (a little over 2 miles). Then I did 10 minutes on the weights. 45 lbs on delts (4 sets of 10); 35 lbs on triceps (4 sets of 10). Weighed myself today. 156 again. Glad it's going down, just wish it would stay there.
Yesterday:
Went to the gym by myself... AZL was leading zumba. I still couldn't do the whole hour. Stupid feet. I crapped out after 1/2 hour, then did 15 minutes of weights. 90 lbs on obliques (4 sets of 10); 200 lbs on leg press (4 sets of 10); 45 lbs on pecs (4 sets of 10). Weighed myself before. 158, I think. Might have been 157.
Today:
Ben came with me. Yay! I did 30 min on the elliptical (a little over 2 miles). Then I did 10 minutes on the weights. 45 lbs on delts (4 sets of 10); 35 lbs on triceps (4 sets of 10). Weighed myself today. 156 again. Glad it's going down, just wish it would stay there.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Well, it would be unfair not to talk about why I titled it the way I did right out of the gate. So, Ben and I went to the gym last night. I weighed myself when I got there. 160 again. SERIOUSLY?? SERIOUSLY??? Four pounds difference from Sunday. FOUR. I find it very hard to believe that I gained four pounds in twenty-four hours. I know weight fluctuates, but four pounds? Gah. I feel very, very discouraged.
1. I have virtually eliminated candy and cookies from my diet since February (candy since mid-February, cookies since April 1). No change in weight.
2. I don't drink soda hardly at all. I just don't like it. So, it's not like I can cut out soda from my diet-I already drink OJ and apple juice and milk and grape juice. No change in weight.
3. I have been doing pretty well about exercising at least twice a week since January, if not more. No change in weight.
4. I snack on fruit or tortilla chips or pretzels. No change in weight.
The only thing I can think of that might make any difference is my portion size. I have been trying to work on that, but it's not easy. The problem is, I don't want to go on a diet I'm not going to be able to stick to. That's why I've been eliminating things that I know I shouldn't eat. I am averse to trying a quote/unquote DIET that will have me lose weight quickly only to have me gain it back when I stop following the plan. I can't count carbs for the rest of my life. I can't eat salad for the rest of my life. I can't do weight watchers for the rest of my life. Anything I do, I want to be able to continue doing after I've lost the weight I want to lose, because it's healthy. I want to do a lifestyle change rather than a quick fix. I just want to see results. Something, anything.
Anyway, I'm done whining about it for now. I went to zumba for a half hour, ran on the elliptical for 10 minutes (got there 10 minutes early for zumba) and did weights for 10 minutes. 45 lbs on deltoids, 4 reps of 10; 15 lbs on biceps, 2 reps of 10 (was finishing my set from Sunday).
1. I have virtually eliminated candy and cookies from my diet since February (candy since mid-February, cookies since April 1). No change in weight.
2. I don't drink soda hardly at all. I just don't like it. So, it's not like I can cut out soda from my diet-I already drink OJ and apple juice and milk and grape juice. No change in weight.
3. I have been doing pretty well about exercising at least twice a week since January, if not more. No change in weight.
4. I snack on fruit or tortilla chips or pretzels. No change in weight.
The only thing I can think of that might make any difference is my portion size. I have been trying to work on that, but it's not easy. The problem is, I don't want to go on a diet I'm not going to be able to stick to. That's why I've been eliminating things that I know I shouldn't eat. I am averse to trying a quote/unquote DIET that will have me lose weight quickly only to have me gain it back when I stop following the plan. I can't count carbs for the rest of my life. I can't eat salad for the rest of my life. I can't do weight watchers for the rest of my life. Anything I do, I want to be able to continue doing after I've lost the weight I want to lose, because it's healthy. I want to do a lifestyle change rather than a quick fix. I just want to see results. Something, anything.
Anyway, I'm done whining about it for now. I went to zumba for a half hour, ran on the elliptical for 10 minutes (got there 10 minutes early for zumba) and did weights for 10 minutes. 45 lbs on deltoids, 4 reps of 10; 15 lbs on biceps, 2 reps of 10 (was finishing my set from Sunday).
Sunday, May 2, 2010
back on the wagon
Ben and I went to the gym today. In hindsight, it wasn't the best idea. I passed on Triumph this weekend because I felt like crap and have been having more than one kind of digestive problems. I thought I felt ok enough to go to the gym. First of all, the muscle cramp in my leg (from Wednesday) has not fully relaxed, even though Ben has graciously rubbed it twice for me. As a result, I was not able to go much more than a quick walking pace on the elliptical machine. I was on it for 20 minutes and then went to the weights.
That's where problem #2 happened. I did 4 reps of 10 on the deltoid machine (45 lbs), 4 reps of 10 on the tricep machine (45 lbs), 4 reps of 10 on the ab machine (125 lbs) and 2 reps of 10 on the bicep machine (15 lbs). You're probably wondering why I only did 2 reps on the bicep machine. That's because I almost passed out. It hit me all of a sudden and I could barely see anything with the spots in front of my eyes and barely hear anything. I was in a complete fog and I bet I made some people mad as I sat on the bicep machine trying to keep myself from fainting completely. I had been drinking Ben's water and took a couple more drinks, which seemed to help a little. I knew I had to elevate my legs if I wanted it to stop. I told Ben we needed to go and I high-tailed it out to the car, praying I wouldn't pass out on the way. As soon as I got in the car, I elevated my legs and things got much better. I took a shower when I got home and almost passed out again. No fun.
On the bright side, I started exercising again after a week of neglecting it and Ben and I have scheduled four days of gym time this upcoming week, because he's back in Dayton, at least temporarily for now. His job has let him work from home on a trial basis. I think he'll show them it's ok and he can be just as successful here as in Indy and it will be enough to convince them to make it more permanent. On another bright side, I weighed myself before working out. 156. I don't know how much of that is related to my on-again, off-again sickness for the last week, but I'll take it.
That's where problem #2 happened. I did 4 reps of 10 on the deltoid machine (45 lbs), 4 reps of 10 on the tricep machine (45 lbs), 4 reps of 10 on the ab machine (125 lbs) and 2 reps of 10 on the bicep machine (15 lbs). You're probably wondering why I only did 2 reps on the bicep machine. That's because I almost passed out. It hit me all of a sudden and I could barely see anything with the spots in front of my eyes and barely hear anything. I was in a complete fog and I bet I made some people mad as I sat on the bicep machine trying to keep myself from fainting completely. I had been drinking Ben's water and took a couple more drinks, which seemed to help a little. I knew I had to elevate my legs if I wanted it to stop. I told Ben we needed to go and I high-tailed it out to the car, praying I wouldn't pass out on the way. As soon as I got in the car, I elevated my legs and things got much better. I took a shower when I got home and almost passed out again. No fun.
On the bright side, I started exercising again after a week of neglecting it and Ben and I have scheduled four days of gym time this upcoming week, because he's back in Dayton, at least temporarily for now. His job has let him work from home on a trial basis. I think he'll show them it's ok and he can be just as successful here as in Indy and it will be enough to convince them to make it more permanent. On another bright side, I weighed myself before working out. 156. I don't know how much of that is related to my on-again, off-again sickness for the last week, but I'll take it.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
cheating
So, I've cheated on my "giving up" pledge. In case you forgot, I gave up candy for Lent (middle of Feb) and cookies in April. I'm planning on giving up cake in June. So, back to the cheating part. I wanted to be forthcoming. In the two and a half months since I started giving these things up, I've cheated three times. Once when I had a chocolate truffle, once when I had some Girl Scout cookies and once today when I had a serving of Runts. You see, some of the afterschool specialists got me some candy for my birthday earlier this month. I didn't have the heart to tell them I had given it up. So, I accepted it graciously and it's been in my car ever since. I tried to give them away today and no one wanted them. So, I had 12 pieces (1 serving, according to the package).
Overall, that's pretty darn good, I think. I'm not proud that I cheated, but I am proud that I have been able to resist so many other times. :)
Overall, that's pretty darn good, I think. I'm not proud that I cheated, but I am proud that I have been able to resist so many other times. :)
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