Approximate Steps per Mile

@#$% scale

I've been feeling "lighter" recently and decided to d hop on the scale at the gym this morning...just to see how much I'd lost -you know? Well it turns out I'm 160.4 which is NOT lighter.

On the up side, I hopped on the scale AT THE GYM.

Ginger: Back (sorta)

Wow, how long has it been since I've posted here? Hard to quickly summarize everything that's happened during the break. New gym, new trainer, and old habits (apparently they die hard). Suffice it to say I'm still in need of a healthy lifestyle "community" to support the changes I want to make. Posting seemed like a good way to ease back into something resembling accountability. Right now, I'm supposed to be making weekly visits to the trainer. Ultimately, the goal is to actually keep those appointments AND get to the gym on my own for BodyPump (2x/week) and cardio (3x/week). On the food front, I've stopped eating after 7:00 pm which seems to help minimize the gain (especially when workouts are shady). More soon...

Ginger: Plan B Book Review

This book deals with life’s detours – the twists and turns that derail our dreams. I enjoyed Plan B because it doesn’t try to offer easy answers; Pete Wilson frankly acknowledges that we don’t always understand why things happen (or don’t happen). Instead, Plan B uses biblical and contemporary references to reveal an ever present God who offers hope, comfort, and purpose during times of crisis. I’d recommend this book to people who are working through a difficult event or disappointing season in their lives.

Sporty: Health Check-in 4 (Nov 30)

Hey People! Another 2 weeks have gone by. How did things go for everyone?

Going to give myself a B+ for effort. With the exception of "6 problems foods", I've stuck with the others most days. Gonna stick with these same areas:

1. Move more -exercise 3x/wk
2. Stop eating 2 hours before bedtime
3. Take vitamin
4. Eat three meals and snack
5. Stay hydrated
6. Work on 6 problem foods (soda,white bread, fried foods,high-fat diary,trans fats,alcohol)

Pressing on...

Sporty: Health Check-In 3 (Nov 15)

Hola! How have the last few weeks been for everyone?

Last check-in, I committed to going to spin 1x/wk and 3-5 fruits/veggies a day. I made the spin goal again and saw progress with the fruits/veggies goal. Yay! I also discovered and started flirting with the "Best Life" plan by Bob Greene. It seems like a "casual" and gradual lifestyle shift plan which fits with where I am right now.

So, for the next few weeks I'm going to focus on phase one of the "Best Life" plan:
1. Move more - 2x/wk spin
2. Stop eating 2 hours before bedtime
3. Take vitamin
4. Eat three meals and snack
5. Stay hydrated
6. Work on 6 problem foods (soda,white bread, fried foods,high-fat diary,trans fats,alcohol)

Slow and steady.

Ginger: 5 miles moderate walking (check)

Late night...blaring alarm...snooze button...snooze button...snooze button...no AM workout.

Damn.

I seriously consider skipping it but the last couple days provided some "3-Day" momentum. After work I drive to the track, park the car, and reach for my headphones.

No headphones.

O-kaay. Whatever. I walk up to the gate -and it's CLOSED. Seriously? Well, I'm laced up and out the car so I might as well go for it, right? Commence 1 hr 45 min of walking around campus with no music.

Good GOD. It's soooo much easier to exercise in the morning.

Tomorrow: not gonna happen. do you see the time??

Ginger: 30 min moderate cross-training (check)

The alarm went off at 6:00 am (as usual). I played the "Maybe-I'll-Work-Out-In-The-Evening" game for a few minutes and then admitted that it probably wouldn't happen. Got out of bed with a little effort, made it to the Y and scored an elliptical machine WITH a television. It's the little things...

Tomorrow: 5 miles moderate walking

Ginger: 4 miles easy walking (check)

Today I jumped back into the 3-Day training schedule -mainly to avoid injury when the real walk rolls around. There isn't much time left.

Tomorrow: 30 min moderate cross-training.

Sporty: WW check-in

More progress. Lost .4 lbs. Didn't really track but tried to stay mindful. For this week, my goals are to track foods and exercise for 10 mins daily.

Sporty: WW check-in

Made it to WW again this week. Lost .8 lbs after all the weekend's festivities so I'm pumped. Thinking that running after the twins had something to do with it. Maybe if I have a kid, I'd lose weight...

Sporty: Worth it?

"I'm not telling you it is going to be easy -

I'm telling you it's going to be worth it"

~ Art Williams ~

Sporty: Effort Required

I've done the research.

No way around it.

Effort required.

Sporty: I blame Steve Harvey

I took the plunge today. Yup, started the training to get ready for the training...lol.

I'm supposed to be able to walk 3 miles in 1 hour by 4/26/09 to be on target for the 6 months of training leading up to the big 60 mile walk in October. Well, I'm not quite there but I'm close ... 2.9 miles in 1 hour.

I blame Steve Harvey.

I got so caught up reading how to "Act Like a Lady ...Think Like a Man" that I slowed down during mile two. Damn you Steve Harvey. Oh well, he did make some good points...keepers, sports fish, 90 day rule, mama's boys ...

3 miles down ....582 training miles to go.

Going Pink: Oct 9-11, 2009

Join me?

Ginger: I Heart Flex

Ladies...what's up? Just dropping a quick note to say how much I'm enjoying WW online. I tried the core plan for a few weeks before switching to flex and I definitely like having more...umm...flexibility. I also like the way that WW provides strong incentive to work out without dictating the particulars. The pounds are slowly coming off. As long as I keep focusing on "off" and not "slowly" it's all good. I don't think I would have considered WW online if Scary hadn't suggested it but it's clearly a winner. Thanks!

4th Quarter: 2008 Milestones

Just try something!!
Anything!
A little something, is better than nothing!
Make a choice and commit!
Something simple. Something doable.
Let's reconnect and end 2008 with a weight-loss/health-gain Bang!
You with me???

Habits Diet

Decided to go on a personal "lent" for 30 days. Oct 4th, I gave up random snacking and snacks. I said goodbye to cheese curls, cheese balls, Spee's fried Split peas, cheese sticks, kiss cakes, and other assorted snacks that can be my "tie over" to the next meal or just a random thing to do. First day started with me remembering how ingrained this snacking habit was. Popped 5 chocolate chips into my mouth first thing in the morning. Only remembered my commitment after I swallowed. Great. But that's ok. I've been chugging along since. I'm in the hallucination stage where snacks are talking to me at the grocery store. But that's ok. It's 30 days. Well..

While I was exercising today, decided to push for an end of year bang. After my 30 days are up (interestingly Nov 4th) I'm gonna allow myself a 1 day free pass to touch base with my snacks again and release any cravings I may have. But the next day, I'm back on my no-snacks PLUS I'll be adding another "Lenting" item. Thinking of giving up soda and fake juices. Not sure what my December "give up" item will be though. I'll be allowing exceptions for the Christmas day but now as I type, I think I should still be able to do it with no snacking and no soda. I can still enjoy Christmas without those. So we'll see. I'll also throw in some exercise as I've been doing. Nothing scheduled. Just fitting it in as I can and as inspired. So far, I did 2 days last week and I exercised today.

I'm liking the experience so far. Instead of focusing on multiple things, I'm dealing with one thing, the habit. All my snacks are dispensable calories that I can live without and don't need. I am allowing some healthy "snacks" (like 94% fat free popcorn) but I haven't had any all day snacking experiences. Used the popcorn to "make it through" while cooking a meal etc. So, if I'm hungry and it's not meal time yet, I have to eat something healthy that can not fit into a random snacks list. Requires me to be honest with myself of course, but so far no probs. I'm kinda looking forward to the success of saying I did it for 30 days. Well, 29.5 (the chocolate-chipgate experience).

Spent the year vacillating around 210lbs give or take a few pounds. Weighed in at the end of the first week of "lent" at 205.4 lbs. Last year around this time I was 205.2lbs. The next week I had gotten down to 204.2lbs. I'm hoping to get past 204.2 lbs this year and even lower.

Come Jan 2009, I'm hoping that I'll want to continue the discontinuance of the habits that I tried to kick in the last months of 2008 and then I'll be adding things on instead of giving things up... example... one month I may add on vegetable/fruit servings.... or taking calcium pills or vitamins.... Basically, adding on some new habits.

I'm rediscovering the whole thing of as I focus on one health thing and implement it, I become aware of other things. So while I feel no pressure to exercise, cause all I've committed to is the giving up of snacks, I feel good about getting some workouts in. It's like a little perk. I'm also figuring that with a little exercise, I can max out a bit more from combined diet modification and working-out.

If anybody's willing to join me on giving up some habits for a weight-loss "Lent" I'd love to have company!

Here's to keeping up the fight-- whatever strategy we're doing!

Sporty: Whohoo

So, I have to celebrate this am .... for the first time in MONTHS I actual stuck to my health goals. Yesterday I exercised and STAYED within my points. WHO-HOO!

Let's do this people!

Sporty: Back on Track Wk 1 (9/8/08)

Let's get "back on track" who's with me? Over the next 4 weeks the goal would be to "ramp-up" to "being on". Are you in? See below for our week one goal.

Week 1: Get back on the scale

Much love,
Sporty