I think I've done a really bad thing: The week of December 21st

This past week I managed to exercise twice: one was a really nice 5k run. The other was a 5 mile run with the one minute walk breaks throughout after every 5 minutes of running. I'm going to be doing all of my longer runs that way now, given my propensity for injury.

As for my "really bad thing"... well, I signed up for UW-Madison's online marathon training class. It begins January 20th and goes through May 19th. How in the world they can train you for a marathon in 16 weeks is beyond me. But, I thought I would go along for the ride, so to speak and at least see what additional resources they have. The training ends on the weekend of the Madison Marathon, which is the same weekend as Syttende Mai. I'm NOT doing the Madison Marathon but am going to stick with Syttende Mai. The class description said you can use the program to train for shorter distances as well--anything from a 5K to a marathon, so I'll shoot for the 17 mile Syttende Mai.

I've decided for training purposes I really like the Jeff Galloway book-- which takes a 26 week approach. That being said, I have quite a shift to make towards being active 6 days a week....

Sunday, 27 December... Just a Bit Better Than Last Week

This week I beat my blistering pace of one work-out per week. I increased it to three work-outs, but one of them really barely counts:

Monday: 50 Minutes (7.5 km, or about 4.6 miles)

Saturday: 30 Minutes (about two miles... most of this was done walking. It was the day after Christmas, and my stomach still felt really full!)

Sunday: 60 Minutes (8.7 km, or about 5.4 miles). I really wanted to go for 2 hours today... but I just kind of quit.

My goal for next week is to work-out four times... and to have one really long/slow distance in there- maybe 2 hours/8 miles.

I'm a loser too!

I exercised one time also! Yesterday!!! I did get on the treadmill one other time for a whole mile, but I don't think that even counts...

Yesterday I did a really long session of 8.5 miles... 120 minutes. I would jog 20 minutes, then walk 5. This is only HALF of what Syttende Mai is.... my knees started to hurt so I stopped. I suppose if I would actually exercise one or two other days during the week it might help??? Maybe it's the treadmill???? Maybe it's because I also am a dirtbag????

Sunday, December 20... and I'm a LOSER!

Well, I am officially a dirt bag. I exercised ONE whopping time this week- Monday: 40 minute treadmill. That means I took the following days off: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Okay, it's the week after my PT test, but COME ON! Why was I working out- due to fear of a stupid PT test, or because I respect myself and want to feel good/take care of my body?.... REALLY! Tune in next week to see if I am really, truly a dirt bag... or if this was a temporary slump.

Sunday, December 13

Well, I am posting this a week late- this is the exercise I did the week before my PT test, the week before I lost my pants! So... I did quite a bit, particularly compared to my next post! I exercised 5 times this week-

Monday: 60 minutes treadmill (8.6 km)
Wednesday: 60 minutes treadmill
Thursday: 40 minutes treadmill
Friday: 30 minutes treadmill
Saturday: PT Test (2 miles in 19:25 :(, 20 push-ups, 70 sit-ups). Lots of room for improvement!

Am I Back????

Okay, there is NO WAY I can top that post! I did NOT lose my pants, nor did I shat in them! FINALLY i think I am getting some relief from that! I had to cry uncle and move my exercise indoors, which meant two days of activity:

Saturday: 3.75 miles of hill walking
Sunday: 7.5 miles (took me nearly 2 hours). What I did was jog 1 mile then walk .25-- then jog a mile and walk a quarter. So, I really jogged 6 miles in all. I was hoping to go 8, but I tripped at 7.5 and knocked the key out of the treadmill and shut the thing off. I figured that was close enough. It finished up the pattern evenly anyway.

As for my stomach, i did have to take a quick 2 minute bathroom break around 2.25. But it wasn't as scary as it has been. I think I'm making a recovery. Let's hope in Hawaii there are porta-potties though... just to be safe.

Oh, the humiliation...

Well, I took my PT test today. Army doesn't have a waiver like Air Force does, I took it outside in -26 F weather. It was so cold that my pants slid down... and were around my knees before I even noticed. That was a first for me, and also for the poor NCO who was grading my PT test. Luckily, I have experience with these types of situations (like when I shat my pants)... so I am confident I will bounce back.

Well, um, okay

So, you think it's bad that you've posted 5 days late! I've posted so late I can't even remember what I did! I had to read my last post to remember where I left off! I've been having a lot of "stomach" issues that have really put me behind in my training... like jog as far as you can go in the city without stopping in someone's yard. Last week I think I exercised twice. What am I up to THIS week (Friday)... um... one.

I have to figure out something. I'm losing all the progress I was making.

Sunday, 6 December

Last week I exercised 5 times... nothing really high mileage, lots of slow sessions of jog/walk mixed.

Tueday: 2 Miles on Treadmill (17:13)
Thursday: 30 Minutes on Treadmill (SLOW; JOG/WALK 2.2 miles)
Friday: 2 Miles on Treadmill (18:01)
Saturday: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes (SLOW!!)
Sunday: 1 Hour (Super-Slow; 4 miles JOG/WALK)

Sunday, 29 November

Well, it's probably not a good sign that I'm posting last week's post on the Friday of the FOLLOWING week (essentially 5 days late). I exercised 4 times last week, though- two really short exercise sessions and two long ones. Monday I did a 30-Day Shred Work-out (a 20-Minute workout... I did the arms only; no squats/lunges because I wanted to save my knees). Wednesday I ran two miles (to see what my PT test time was looking like)... I ran it in 17:18, not a blistering pace, but good enough to pass the PT test. Thursday I did a long one- 2 hours and 5 minutes... about 9 miles I think (really slow jogging with a bit of walking). Sunday I did another two hours ... even less mileage and even slower (much more walking), but I stayed on the treadmill long enough to counteract the worst effects of multiple Thanksgiving dinners.

Okay, our Thanksgiving celebrations in Mongolia didn't look exactly like this one... but I managed to pack down quite a few calories anyway!

Back on the Wagon?

Well, I've tried to get back on track this week after a very bumpy couple of weeks. I did jog/walk four times this week: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each day I went 3.1 miles except for Sunday when I could only do 2.25. My legs felt fine; the issue was my stomach. I clearly have something going on. The challenge was how quickly I could finish up my route and get back inside (I was out in the neighborhood) to the bathroom... What a pleasant blog post... My loving supportive husband suggested I just wear brown pants or else find a neighbor's yard somewhere. At least that thought entertained me Sunday... If I REALLY couldn't make it, where would I stop in the middle of the city...

No Post, No Difference

I could not post at all this week, and it wouldn't matter because I had essentially NO workouts! :( I am a loser. I ate horribly this week, using my birthday week as an excuse. the only day I exercised at all was Sunday, and I walked a total of 2 miles on the treadmill. I had a horrible headache (I was even throwing up from it) earlier in the day.

I HAVE to get back on track!

Sunday, 15 November AND Sunday, 22 November

Well, I think I fell off the wagon just a bit... I'm now combining 2 weeks of posts into one, and I realize that the week before last I didn't really do a good job using my workout diary/notebook.

Here's the week of Sunday, 15 November: 3 workouts (#1- 2 miles in 17:47, #2, a 30-Day Shred Workout with arms only, no lunges/squats to save my knees, #3, a 60-minute treadmill session). The long distance was the 60-minute treadmill session. I did 7.5km, so that's about 13-minute miles. Wow, way to burn it up...

Here's the week of Sunday, 22 November: 3 workouts (#1- treadmill: 8 km in 60-minutes, #2- treadmill: 60-minutes, #3- treadmill: 2 HOURS! My long distance this week was 2 hours on the treadmill- impressive from a time standpoint, but not really a distance standpoint. I went 15km (a 7.5 kph pace, which is about 13 minute miles). I am glad that I stayed on that long... I'm going to try to do another really long workout next weekend- if for no other reason than to burn some calories before my 4 DEC PT test.

Emms... I think we're going to be okay for 8 miles in Honolulu. I'm planning on jogging with my camera and taking time to get some photos along the way. Just a nice long, slow jog/walk with time to enjoy the scenery.

Finally, a 10K!

This week I finally made it for a 10K. It took me about 80 minutes, which meant the sun was rising when I started and setting when I was finishing. I completed this yesterday: Sunday.

Other activity this week included a 5K hill climb Monday, a 5K jog over a lunch hour Tuesday and a BodyPump class Thursday.

I am working with the idea that I have a wheat/gluten sensitivity... which has been interesting to test. I did not test positive for celiac disease, which is a good thing, because that's a nightmare. But, I'm finding that you can have allergies/sensitivities regardless of large scale tests. So, I've been trying to get wheat out of my diet for long enough to see what happens. It appears that my sinuses are clearing up and my stomach doesn't hurt nearly as much. But, I have not been able to clear out all wheat for long enough to get a really good test. Maybe by the end of November I will know...

5 days in a week is a lot... but not really

I accomplished a lot of DAYS of activity this week without really doing much activity. I felt like I was coming down with a bit of a cold, so that took the zip out of my step a bit. I ended up: jogging a treadmill 5K on Monday, walking a steep treadmill hill 5k on Tuesday, lying in a coma on the couch on Wednesday, walking a WHOLE MILE!!!! on both Thursday AND Friday, walking 3 miles on Saturday... and going to the dog park on Sunday if that counts...

I'm feeling a bit better this week, so I hope to get at least one distance in there of 4+ miles.

Sunday, 8 November

Well, it was a pretty good week. I exercised 4 times- 1) 20 minutes (2 Miles), 2) 30-Minute Shred DVD workout, 3) 60 Minutes Treadmill, 4) 60 Minutes Treadmill. The 60-minute treadmill sessions were pretty slow (15 minute miles)... but at least I did something.

Two Days in a Row!

Well, this week was pathetic, but I tried! I had a conference that I had to go to-- I didn't take my running shoes (ooops), and I was really busy. I was conference chair, so it was a lot of long days -- basically 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. That meant no exercise at all until the weekend...

I did exercise Saturday: jogged 5 miles.
Sunday I walked 3.5.

Hopefully this week I can get back on a regular routine!

Sunday, 1 November

Well, no INSANELY long treadmill sessions like last week... but I still did 2 long jogs, with a total of five exercise sessions this week. Monday, I jogged 2 Miles on the treadmill, Wednesday I did my long 60 Minutes on the treadmill (15 minute miles so 4 miles), Friday I did another 2 Miles (20 minutes), Saturday I did 60 Minutes again (15 minute miles again), and Sunday I did 30 minutes on the treadmill. Lots of slow jogging this week, but nothing hurts, and I got quite a few sessions in so it was a good week!

My Head Hangs in Shame

Why on EARTH is it your goal to hit 13 miles by February? Are we doing the 1/2 marathon? If so, S#!T. I thought we were doing the 15K... I almost had myself convinced I could make it for that. 13 miles... NO SIR... Please don't make me cry. If you want to enter the 1/2 marathon, I'm fine with it. I just can't run it all.

I did only 2 exercises last week: One BodyPump class on the 22nd and a four mile jog on the 24th. My entire week this week is shot, as I'm going off to a conference in La Crosse that I am co-chairing-- 11 states in all, and I forgot my running shoes. So, I couldn't even WALK if I wanted too! This weekend will have to be it for me....

Sunday, 25 October

It was an OK week- I exercised three times: 1) a two-mile (3.21 km) jog on the treadmill, 2) 30 minutes on the treadmill (mild hill program; 8kph... probably about 12/13 min miles), 3) 90 minutes on the treadmill. I made my goal to do a 10K before the end of the month... although it took me 90 minutes to do it (15 min miles)! I don't care, though, I'm just trying to put in the time. I'm using the same method I used to work up for the Army 10-miler. Just try to do SOMETHING/ANYTHING 2-3 times during the work week; then do one long-slow distance workout on the weekend; take the other weekend day off. I will try to gradually increase the long, slow distance until February. (Although I think my next goal won't increase dramatically, maybe one 12K some time by the end of NOV), one 13K by end of DEC, and one 15 K by end of JAN. (15 K is about 9 miles, and if I can jog 9 x 15 minute miles, I'll be convinced that I can jog/walk 13 miles by end of FEB. We'll see... wonder if I can do the treadmill until FEB? I should try to get outside... maybe next weekend for my long/slow distance jog?

Okay, you're smokin' me!

Well, you're smokin' me! I've been trying to keep up on the exercise, and you can still go farther than me.... Anyway, I do like the idea of posting every week with a summary... Last week I did okay ( I thought I did until I read your post): One four mile walk, one treadmill run of three miles with a one mile walk, and a four mile jog (yesterday). My goal was to jog four miles by the end of October, and I made it!

I, unlike you, need time to work up to a 10K. I'm hoping to hit that by the end of the calendar year. I've set a goal of hitting 5 miles by the end of November, 6 miles by the end of December, 7 in January and the 8 miles in February. That would work except that the Hawaii run is a 15K. Well, whatever.... I never was a distance runner, so this is HARD for me!

Sunday, 18 October

One more week of posts... I did the last 2 weeks really close together. My first post was a really good week - this one not so good. I exercised twice - one 5K on the treadmill and one long 60 minute treadmill. (I did the 2 miles in 18:24... then jogged really slowly. At least 18:24 is enough to pass a PT test). Will try to exercise at least 4 times next week. And I'll try to have at least one LONG/SLOW distance each week. Have to try to get outside this weekend - maybe Sunday. The treadmill is already starting to make me crazy.

My Pledge to Post Weekly - Every Sunday

Well, I have basically proven to be a dead-beat blogger... so I am going to try to do something new. I will post every Sunday and review the week's worth of work-outs. Might be helpful to see how much (or little) I've done in a one week period. Last week was a bit strange because I returned from Uvs Aimag (northwestern Mongolia) on Wednesday, 7 October. So I didn't really have a full week to exercise. I did get a good amount of exercise, though - with 1 x 40 Minute treadmill session (8 KPH/Level 8), 1 x 30-Day Shred Workout (20 Min), 1 x 2 Miles on Treadmill in 18:59 (OK, for some reason it's important to me that it was under 19 minutes!), and 60 Minutes on the Treadmill (8.2 Kilometers). I WANT TO WORK MY WAY UP TO 10K on the TREADMILL by the end of the month. I will make it my goal. It will probably take 1 hour, 20+ minutes, but I would like to do it.

Wow! I rode a bike....

...for the first time in three or four years? I was trying to guess. For sure the last time I rode was the last Muddy Buddy we did. A friend from work "invited" me to ride with her on an 18-mile charity ride in Lake Mills. I thought about it, and once I saw that you got a t-shirt, two drink tickets (I had root beer), and a pork dinner, I signed up! It was the Tyranena Oktoberfest Bike Ride http://www.tyranena.com/bikeride/
Naturally, it poured rain when I got there. But, at least it let up for the ride. It was cold, but I made it! I could have walked on my two feet faster than I biked up some of the hills, but at least I kept going!

Maybe now it will only be 2 years before I get on the bike again???!!!! Probably not.

Triceps, Pecs and Shoulders... Oh My!

I forced myself to go to BodyPump over my lunch hour yesterday. I lifted about two pieces of paper and a toothpick for most of the exercises with the enthusiasm of a drugged rat. Yet somehow I still woke up this morning a little sore. I managed to gain back that two pounds I lost, too. I guess the new phrase is, "Some pain, some gain."

Why do Creepy People go to Health Clubs?

I guess that includes me? I ran on the rat wheel at the health club after work earlier this week (jogged 3.25 miles-- walked .75). I didn't really do much with the incline; I think I only pushed it up to 3.5? So, it was a nice lazy jog.

I did notice that "odd" people seem to spend a lot of time at Health Clubs. I only went there because I didn't have time to exercise at home, and I left work early to go there. It's nice to sneak out every now and then. I suppose I shouldn't judge-- but really, some of the people were odd....

Dog Jog

.... Okay, really it was more of a Dog Walk... but Pistol had fun anyway! We did a 2 mile benefit for the UW Vet School with about 100 other dogs and walkers. In fact, he was so revved up, that we had to go to the dog park afterwards and burn off some steam. Run, doggie, run.

My New Perfume

First off, I hope you had a Very Happy Birthday, Lisa! The thought of nice smelling things (ie your birthday gift from me) made me think of the theme for this post. I decided today to go to the gym over an early "lunch hour" (10:30 a.m.) and jog on the tread mill. I didn't have a lot of time, so I went for three miles-- only running two of them in hopes of not getting TOO sweaty.

None-the-less, I worked up a good smelly sweat anyway, as the dumpy gym where I work out has no air conditioning (yes, it's still hot in Wisconsin and not snowing like it is in Mongolia). I promptly put my work clothes back on, which included a nice fall sweater, with little more than a light dousing of deodorant, and, alas, here I sit back in my cubicle stinking up the place. Happy Friday everyone!

I'm a loser.... but not really

Okay, I'm pretty embarrassed. I actually HAVE been exercising. I did lose some weight (about 2.5 pounds)... thus the loser comment. But, I seem to have put it back on when I went on vacation last week... thus the "but not really part" of my subject line.

I've probably been averaging three days a week since my last post about three weeks ago. I've jogged a couple of 5Ks and jog/walked a few also, along with a couple of jog/walk 4 milers. Nothing overly exciting (or fast) (or strenuous).

I AM finally posting because I did do my weightlifting class again, and I really wanted to mark the momentous occasion. As long as I don't sneeze or raise both arms over my head at the same time, I'll be okay today. My pecs (or where they are supposed to be) are hurting along with my triceps-- apparently those are the gooey things that dangle from the underside of the arm. I always thought mine were filled with soft cheese.

I promise to get back to posting regularly. It really does speak to my laziness when I can't even summon the energy to type...

30 Day Shred (Day 1)

Well, I have gotten to the gym 5-6 times in the end of August, but I'm not doing anything on a regular basis. ... So I decided to get one of Jillian Michael's workout DVDs - 30 Day Shred. It is 20-minute workouts, centered around 3 circuits of strength, cardio, and abs. I did Level 1 and will probably stay there for a week or so. At least this will give me something to do - NO EXCUSES - when the gym is closed. We'll see how it goes...

The Butt of It all....

I should have known to call "uncle" and just give up when I discovered the dog had started out the morning by snacking on toilet paper. A normal person would know that today was going to be a challenge. I actually have been getting out and exercising-- trying to enjoy summer while it still exists. I've been running/jogging 5Ks to 4 miles. Today I felt awesome and was hoping to run 4 miles... until my stomach exploded. I made it home.... I guess that counts for something!

Okay, I'm STILL behind...

.... I mean really behind...

I have actually been working out a little. Since August started I've done an amazing four...yes count 'em four workouts! This includes two 60 minutes for Wii Steps, a 4 mile walk on the treadmill and a 4.5 mile walk/jog outside. the walk/jog was yesterday.

So, here's to watching summer go away without me putting up much of a fight.... :(

Finishing up July with 4 more workouts

Okay, I'm WAY behind on posts, and I don't have ANY more sloth pictures. I have 4 entries to round out July and I might as well start out clean for August. I ended up gaining back the weight I lost at the end of July ( I was at 11.5 pounds total). Bleck. Now I barely made it to 10. I can't break that barrier.

Anyway, I did one 5k outside, I walk on the treadmill, and 2 Wiifat step workouts --one of which did set a new record of 4500 steps!

Now, I'm going to do better in August.... really!

Oh yeah???

I think my sloth is cuter... well, maybe grumpier!

Okay, now it's ON!

Who's sloth is cuter? I think mine! It's more accurate anyway...

I WiiStepped for 40 minutes Tuesday the 14th and wasn't happy about it AT ALL. I must find a way back on the wagon. I regained half a pound... so I CANNOT break the 10 pound mark and stay there......

RE: Back on the Wagon

Okay, I guess earlier when I posted that I was back on the wagon, I was actually OFF THE WAGON... that is the off the sloth train. Well, NOW I'm back on the wagon again... that is ON THE SLOTH TRAIN. UGH!!!!

Does rolling over in your sleep count as exercise?

That's what I'm counting on! I've exercised ONCE since my last post. It was one hour of steps on the WiiFat on Wednesday, July 8th. I did do nearly 8400 steps. And, I finally broke the 10 pound mark. 10.1 pounds in 10 weeks.

Problem is...I've been eating like there's no tomorrow. Cupcakes, skittles, handfuls of M&Ms. Why do people keep this crap around??? I kept saying that when I fall of the wagon I fall off hard... Problem is, I still have wheel ruts on my ass.

Back on the Wagon?

Well, today I worked out for the first time since returning from Germany. 30 minutes on the stairstepper. Very slow, but at least I did it.

Here's how Jillian would have reacted - What the @#%* was that?!

July 5: 2009

And today was another poor excuse for exercise. I made it a record 1.5 miles of walking on the treadmill. The only thing running was my stomach -- and me to the bathroom. It was not a pretty day. Tomorrow I work LATE and have a cat show to judge, so no exercise at all until the 7th. I promise to start doing better, I really do. But I'm not even bothering to weigh in at all this week. The bad news will put me over the edge after a stressful week. At least I've started working on my dissertation again.....

The Irritable Fattie: July 4, 2009

When I fall off the wagon, I really fall off hard. I had the day off work on Friday the 3rd, but I didn't exercise at all. In fact, my eating habits have been atrocious, and my attempts at exercise have been even worse. I slogged out three miles on the treadmill, but Andy nearly got his head ripped off in the process. It was NOT a pretty sight.

Biggest Weight Loss on Record: 0.2 pounds

What a stellar weight loss week it's been for me: a net loss of 0.2 pounds! I suppose given all the ups and downs I've had with eating and not so stellar exercise, I should be glad it isn't a negative number. I was really counting on breaking that 10 pound mark this week, but I think I'm jinxed.

I still felt pretty crappy from the migraine, so I walked 3 miles on the rat wheel last night. It was essentially a death march, but I did it.

Today is a great way to start out a new month: full of eating and parties. I have a lunch meeting a work, then a reception to honor every who's been employed "landmark years of service" (10, 15, 20, etc.). ... Yes, I made the 10 year mark....WE have to actually honor people who stay employed with us for that long... AND I have a retirement dinner to go to. All in one day! It's going to take me a full week to get over that.

I think I could use some horhog just to clean out my digestive track. Any way to send that electronically?

June 29: the Pig is Gold!

I still wasn't feeling so hot last night after the weekend migraine. But, I was determined not to let that stop me from doing a little exercise. I reverted back to my favorite all-time brainless activity: WiiFat Free Step! I did 60 minutes of steps while Andy played guitar hero Aerosmith. It was miserable (the stepping, not Andy's playing). But, at least I made it through.

You'll be happy to know that when you reach 10 hours of "play time" on the WiiFat, your piggy bank turns gold. Now I truly am motivated to tears to continue on for another 10 hours of fat burning excitement. I can't wait for what lies ahead.

June 28: Migraine for Rhythm N Booms

After the intention of being a gluttonous pig on grilled steak, vegetables and a over sized Corona, I planned to plant myself in the grass and watch Rhythm and Booms from the yard. Problem was, I cam down with low grade migraine around 7 p.m. (no doubt from too much food and beer). I could sleep or even sit still, or I ran the risk of throwing up (AGAIN). Desperate for relief, I plopped along on the rat wheel for two miles at the slowest pace a human could go. I've known movement to occasionally bring relief to my headaches, and it did in this case for a little bit.

In all honesty, it's not fair to put this entry on my exercise blog because I really didn't get much out of it other than a few desperate moments of headache relief. But, I'm going to count it anyway. My diet has been terrible, and I don't want to weigh in later this week.....

June 27: The Slowest 4 Miles on Record

I've started to wonder if all the "hills" I've climbed in lieu of actually jogging on the rat wheel has actually done me any good in terms of actually getting in shape. Today was time to actually find out. Zipping along at a 14-minute mile pace, and a searing incline of 1 percent, I trotted along for 4 miles ... without stopping! Seeing as how I haven't actually jogged in a really long time, this was an accomplishment for me. To tell you the truth, it was a piece of cake. The hills and steps really do make a difference.

June 26: "I'm Fat, I'm Fat...."

"Don't you call me pudgy, portly or stout..." Ah yes. All in honor of Michael Jackson's demise. I had to revisit some old songs... good stuff to use the WiiFat to step to. Granted this was actually Weird Al's version, but none the less, I had a masterful session on the Free Step, hitting an all-time high of 4349 steps in 30 minutes, followed by another 4310 in the next 30 minutes.

I've been eating like there's no tomorrow, so I have to work it off somehow. 8659 steps in one hour should help.

I Caused a Rut

I think it's a cardinal rule that you're never, ever, ever, ever, ever supposed to weigh yourself more than once a week. Now, I know this rule, and I tout this rule to people I know who are trying to lose weight. The reason is that your weight can fluctuate wildly from day to day, causing you to feel crappy when it goes up for perfectly normal reasons.

So, anyone care to guess what happened????? I was ecstatic Tuesday that I lost 1.5 pounds for the week, bringing my total to 9! Yes, you can see my post from that day. What did I do last night? Step back on the scale. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? I actually hadn't eaten much of anything all day-- about 600 calories worth (not intentionally, mind you-- just nibbled on low calorie stuff). What did the piece of crap scale say? That I'd gained .7 pounds from the day before.

Bite me, bitch. That's what I say! So, I broke my own rule and paid for it.

Oh yeah, my exercise for the day: 50 minutes of steps, totally approximately 6800.

A Stepping While a Pee-Pee I Go!

Well, no pie last night. But, it did get me through a successful weigh-in on WiiFat. I'm SO close to the double-digit mark... but not really. That last pound is gonna be a killer! I've hit nine pounds lost in 8 weeks.

I did 50 minutes of free step and hit around 7600 steps. I was satisfied with that effort.

I hooked myself up to a pedometer for the first time today. It said it was mandatory I have the thing in a tight pocket. Well, I don't have any pockets in the skirt I was wearing. In fact, most of my outfits don't have pockets. And, Andy tried it in loose fitting pockets and it way over calculated. So I figured something nice and snug was the answer.... like my gut sucking undies! No WAY was that sucker gonna slip around in there. I tucked it right in one of that fat rolls on the side of my hip and figured it was good to go for the whole day.

Turns out these puppies are VERY sensitive. I got credit for 10 steps just while sitting down to pee in the afternoon! Now I'm very scared to look in there and see how I'm doing -- okay despite the fact that I work in a cube farm and it would be socially unacceptable to do so anyway.

I guess I better figure out a Plan B.....

Pie for Dinner: Sunday, June 21, 2009

Okay, when I fall off the wagon, I REALLY fall off. Let me say first, that I DID work out on Sunday the 21st. I did 3.3 miles of a slow walk on the rat wheel. I couldn't pick up a jog, I couldn't spike the incline over a 3, I couldn't get the speed over a 3.2. It was b-a-d.

Now, for the pie. Yesterday, Monday the 22nd, I had to drive 3.5 hours (one way) for a 1.5 hour meeting with a couple of colleagues. Then we made the 3.5 hour drive back. Of course we got stuck in a traffic jam. In all it was a 12 hour day, not including the 2 hours I put in at the office before I left. I got home at 9 p.m. Now, I'm not complaining much, except that it was virtually all sitting in a car, which stinks.

There's this famous pie place, Norske's Nook, in Osseo, Wi.-- about 3 hours from home. Guess what dinner was? Yeah.... Um..... Hmmmm. It was SO GOOOOOOOD. Of course, to be sure to notice the size of the pie relative to the size of the plate...

Hills on the Treadmill: Saturday, June 20, 2009

For some reason, I haven't been able to bring myself to jog on the stupid treadmill. I feel like a rat running in a wheel. Except the hamsters don't seem to mind all that much. We've actually hit a record-breaking heat wave here in Wisconsin with the humidity index, so I've wimped out and used that as my excuse for not working out outside. I have to admit, the air conditioning is REALLY nice.

But, I did burn off 600 calories doing 5 miles of a brisk walk (3.5 pace) at a solid incline -- up to 8 percent per 1/4 mile-- on the hamster wheel. I was dog tired when I was done.

Step-A-Holic: Friday June, 19, 2009

Weekends are a real problem for me. It seems like any weight that I manage to burn off during the week, I put right back on over the weekend. My eating habits go downhill and my exercise comes to a screeching halt.

I left work a bit early with a really bad headache, after meeting Andy for lunch. The fact that I had gorged myself on tacos at Laredo's wasn't making me feel to proud of myself either. I knew the headache was going to let me jog-- not that I wanted to anyway-- so I dug out the WiiFat and started the Free Step.

Since I had broken the 4,000 step mark, I now wanted to know how fast I could go. I put on a good c.d. and hit the "plastic." For 30 minutes I cranked along-- totalling 4250! I did another 20 minutes after that at a much slower pace, but I cranked out another 2500. I was a good enough workout.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Not only am I behind with my posts, but my behind is ... well.... still there. I mean REALLY there. I felt okay that this was the third day in a row of exercising during the week, though. It's hard for me sometimes because it's 5:30 by the time I'm home and changed, and I'm hungry, and gross feeling. So, the last thing I want to do is exercise until 6:30. That means Andy and I don't eat dinner until 7.

This week has been B-A-D in terms of eating, so I'm scared to step on the scale. I'm trying to not be obsessive about it, but I have some work to do before next Wednesday when the WiiFat makes me weigh in again. That's the only device I'm using to record my weight....

This particular night, I got home from work, and Andy had already done a lot. He'd used the WiiFat and broke my FreeStep record for 30 minutes by hitting the 4,000 step mark.

Now, if you want to work hard but do something brainless, put the WiiFat on Free Step for 30 minutes, and do a pace that gets 4,000 steps in. You really do have to move along. Not wanting to be outdown, I had to try to beat him. I came in just under 4100. I did another 10 minutes after that as a cool down for about another 12oo.

It's kind of fun to discover cheesy mindless activites you can do that actually make you work a bit.

Can't Keep Going: Tuesday June 16, 2009

Whenever I seem to be in a great groove, I fall off the wagon! I bet I've gained back every single pound I've lost. I did the third workout on the WiiActive 30-day challenge, and it was pretty lame. According to the calorie counter, I burned off a whopping 100 calories, and I didn't work very hard this time. It was a lot of arm things with the orange band. Not that I don't need it, but I didn't really work up a sweat. So, I ended up doing 30 minutes of Free Step on the WiiFat afterwards. It ended up taking me more than an hour to do this workout, and I don't feel that I got that much done.

Green with Envy

Okay, after the gorgeous pictures Lisa just posted, mine not only look ridiculous, but very, very boring. I would KILL to be in Germany right now jogging through streets that look like that.

What have I got going for me? Hill climbs on the treadmill, 4 miles in length, to a VIDEO TAPE of Italy. Andy was clever enough to buy a 50-minute video of a beautiful Italian village. Litterally, all it is is some dude walking through the beautiful countryside. We stared at it while working out, wishing we were there. How ironic that I was staring at the tv screen, while my sister was actually seeing such beautiful things.

City Streets in Germany

For my #2 run in Germany, I decided to jog some of the streets in the old town of Landstuhl. I jogged for about 30 minutes only, but it felt good.

Hotel Christine (where I stayed) in the background

Streets in Old Town

Streets in Old Town

Just had to get a picture of the some of the signs... note the cafes everywhere!

Flowers everywhere!

Country Roads in Germany

Run #1 (well, actually "lumbering jog" #1) in Germany was 45 minutes (probably 3 miles) down a bike path and into a wooded area. Ahhhh.... it was really beautiful. We appreciate living in Mongolia, but the running scene just isn't good, particularly for a single woman out by herself. This means I have to rely on indoor exercise. Amy, next time we Skype, maybe you can tell me good ways to use the WiiFit. Really need to stop with the excuses and just get on with it.

A beautifully groomed bike path... little need to fear being run off the road or followed by a pack of dogs!
The entrace to the wooded area began at this asparagus/strawberry/flower field.

Ahhhhh....!

Ahhh....!

There Really IS a Virtual Running Buddy for Everyone!!

Yes, it's true... fear not, all ye faint of heart. For leave it Wii to once again find a work out buddy for me to fill the empty void while my sister spends time overseas. NoBoobs has her place, mind you, but she doesn't run... not like the avatar I created of myself in Wii Active. Just look at the pure rapture on my face as my avatar ran laps around the track while I jogged in place. My favorite was the high butt kicks. Sheer bliss, those were!

Perhaps I am just being nasty because I was sweating and embarrasingly out of breath, with the avatar coach proudly proclaiming "Wow, you look like a track star!" Oh, so many long years ago in my baby life I WAS fast on the track... Somehow that doesn't fit the scene now.

Wii FATctive is the New Game in Town

Why is it that I'm a glutton for punishment? Probably because I've been a glutton for cake for far too many years? Andy and I decided to buy the new Wii Active "game" so we had more "stuff" to do with our Wii board. This one promises dozens of new things to do, like boxing and some weight lifting with those little band thingies.

I did try one of the medium workouts on it and felt that I did sweat it up pretty good. Problem was, it said I only burned 131 calories. Now, the simple fact that I had to do many of the activities 85 times to get the stupid motion right should have counted for something. But, at least I didn't give myself a black eye with the stupid elastic band. After the 27 minutes of that, I went back to WiiFat and did 30 minutes of steps. That last 10 minutes about killed me from monotony. But I made it.

My ultrafat Mii lost another 1.1 pounds and is now down to 28.1 BMI-- Big Mastodon Indicator. Seriously, I'm down 8 pounds in 44 days. I'm very pleased with those results. I'm ALMOST ready to post some more pictures....

... and one more time... June 9, 2009

I was convinced I was going to run tonight.... but I didn't do it! I walked/jogged three miles tonight on the treadmill. I think I ran half. I intended to go for a 5K, but I didn't have it in me... I did lose one pound this week..... Ah, so it is!

June 7, 2009

Again, 4 miles of hills on the treadmill. I kept the pace up as fast as I could.... I haven't been running, though, and I need to get back to it. ... Tomorrow????

June 6, 2009

I seem to have a lot of problems with weekends. And multiple days in a row. To try to start a new pattern, I did 4 miles of hills on the treadmill today!

Wii Who Are Fat take a Big Spill on the Hill

Andy has been doing a lot with the WiiFat lately-- using the aerobics thing where all you do is step on and off the board for a set period of time. He used it a couple of times earlier in the week while I was treadmilling and put it on for 30 minutes. He seemed to work up a good sweat and got like 3200 steps in. I decided last night to try that-- I was bored and crabby, which was a really new experience for me. Although I must admit that someone at work told me that I looked like I'd lost a lot of weight (only 6 pounds in all). I guess the evil elf babies have crawled out of my gut now. I think they only appear for pictures becasuse I'm pretty sure I don't look as bad as I do in that one photo. That WAS my favorite sweater, but now that i've burned it in effigy, maybe everything will be better....

So, I cranked up the Tom Petty and stepped on and off the board for a total of 40 minutes. It REALLY worked my calves. After all, it was more than 5000 steps in all. I'm not really sure of the total because I had to reset the board after 30.

Anyway, we went to run some errands afterwards, and I did a beautiful swan dive down the hill in the front lawn. Lots of neighbors were outside too! If only I'd stuck the landing! The look on Andy's face was priceless when I got up and said, "Well, that wasn't all that bad, was it." It was something between horrified and desperately trying to rein in the hysterical laughter.

No broken bones, but I am taking today off, since I'm a wee bit sore from the tumble. I have my meditation class tonight anyway.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Once again, I did the 3 mile hill climb on the treadmill... I tried to keep the pace at 3.3 for as long as I could-- dropping down to 3.2 when I hit the 12% incline. I burn about 400 calories on this walk, which isn't horrible. I just haven't felt like running-- probably because of the evil elf twins that are still stuck in my belly.

Monday, June 1, 2009

After serious humiliation at that last picture, I've at least exercised the last three days in a row. Which means I'm once again behind on my posts. I did my 3 mile hill climb on the treadmill on June 1st-- the 3-12% incline up and down at 1/4 mile intervals.

All Hail: The Incredible Pregnant Elf!

No, I'm NOT really pregnant. But I'll tell you, all it takes is one really disgusting photo to make you want to work out like a fiend. Or, well, sit and wallow on the couch like a fiend. I got this picture from a work event last Friday and I instantly wanted to burn it-- #1 I look like I"m 3 feet tall. I did get confirmation that the guy talking to me is about 6'7. Still... THEN, you've got the enormous gut being chopped off by the garbage can so I look like I'm carrying twins. NO-- I am NOT preggers. BUT OH MY GOD! Is this picture bad.

I did exercise a little bit, even though i had a migraine most of the weekend.... I mowed the lawn on Friday (does that count????), and I went to the dog park on Saturday AND on Sunday. I'm going to exercise more seriously beginning tonight, I really am..... right?????

One more 20 Minute Exercise Session

Yesterday I got on the treadmill for 20 minutes. I can't run on that thing - it just feels like it's pounding my knees, but I took your advice, Amy, and cranked up the incline. I was walking, but I felt like I got a pretty good workout!

Stomp on You, WiiFat!

Yesterday was one of those days that I really, really, really, really, really didn't want to exercise. How that made it different from any other day I'm not sure except that I actually DID exercise. I tripped horribly for 15 minutes of step aerobics and then did 20 minutes of monotonous stepping-- on the WiiFat, off the WiiFat. On the WiiFat, off the WiiFat. The OCD in me got really agitated by the fact that I managed to knock off about 2,480 steps in 20 minutes... but NOT an even 2500. If I'd known I would have gone faster--but not TOO much faster. Only 20 steps faster. Ooooh that irritated me. In all, I lasted 40 minutes on WiiFat.

The Incredible Cheese Stick Diet

Okay, this week was not the best in terms of diet. My eating habits were atrocious. I think I ate at Pizza Oven twice, split a GIANT plate of nachos once, and, well, it was a holiday weekend as well, so I grilled out and drank some beer also. On top of that, today was the only time I exercised! I did 3 miles on the treadmill, jogging 2. Somehow, miraculously, the WiiFat said I lost 1.1 pounds for my 6 day weigh-in. I guess it was the cheese sticks.

After a long break...

Well, after ANOTHER long break, I finally got back on the stair stepper again... only 20 minutes, but it's better than nothing. I haven't had the courage to let the Wii Fit analyze me because I know I've been sliding backwards. I MUST try to do SOMETHING at least three times a week! UGH! I'm in a rut, and I just have to show a bit of perseverance to dig myself out!

A Small Sign of Progress?

It's been three weeks since I officially started with WiiFat. I've gotten mixed reviews from NoBoobs, and my last weigh-in was a zero-sum game. I sucked it up last night and braved her wrath for 30 minutes. On the plus side, it reported that I lost 1.3 pounds-- a total of 5 pounds in three weeks! Now, I'm not raising any eyebrows here, but at least I'm finally moving in the right direction.

No Fun: Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Today was one of the days I deserve a piece of cake just for getting on the treadmill at all! I worked until 7:15 (a dinner party where I was sorely tempted to poke my eye out with the dessert fork). I did borrow $2 from a colleague to pay for a $4 beer to get me through the smiling and chatting from 4:30 to 6 until the food arrived. The buffet food was okay-- I did stick to salad and a spinich stuffed mushroom. Fortunately there was no dessert! I got home and actually plodded two miles on the treadmill before Deadliest Catch started at 8 p.m.

Hill from Hell

I wasn't in a very good mood last night. My first attempt on the treadmill resulted in a 0.1 mile walk. I promptly got off, and Andy and I went out to eat. I was starving, since I only had 300 calories worth of grocery store sushi for lunch and some water. I would have eaten my own hand.

Plus, I finally went in to the doctor and got my shoulder looked at. About 3 months ago I fell over my own feet while leading my young Percheron horse around the arena. To be fair, he was acting up a little bit and did bump into me, pushing me into the wall.... But, truth be told, he didn't knock me down, which would have made a better story. He banged into me, and I tripped over my own feet. I crashed to the ground with a horrible thud, landing on my right hip and my right shoulder. I'm still dealing with some mild nagging pain when I try to lift my arm over my head--well-- about shoulder height really. Turns out I tore my bicep and strained my rotator cuff. Not even knowing what a rotator cuff is exactly, I now have to do PT to restore the full range of motion. Apparently I waited too long to get it fixed, and shoulders like to get stiff without proper use. So, klutzes beware-- seek treatment if you don't heal up after 4 weeks or so, even for minor aggravating pain.

Now, I hogged down a cheeseburger at dinner and came home feeling REALLY guilty. So, after a minor bout of stomach pain, I hit the treadmill for round 2. It was 6:30, and the tragic event of the final episode of 24 started at 7. I did stay on for nearly an hour and did my lethal hill climb: one quarter mile at each incline of 1,3,6,8,10 and 12. Then back down, stopping at 0. I didn't push the speed much-- just under 19 minute miles for a total of 3. I must be getting somewhere, because it wasn't as excruciating as it used to be. Today I don't even feel sore like I thought I would be.

WiiFat Returns

After a weekend of not eating very well (pizza with a friend on Thursday)... okay, pizza, cheese bread AND cheese sticks, and beer.... and tacos with a frito pie on Friday-- I wasn't feeling too proud of the whole "Gee, I've lost two pounds," thing.

I decided to check in with NoBoobs on the WiiFat. Surprisingly, my weight was exactly the same as four days ago. I was delighted that I had not gained any weight! I did aerobics activities on there for 38 minutes. This was on Saturday the 16th. As I'm entering this on Monday the 18th, my calves still hurt from doing the stair step one-- I guess i didn't realize that I wasn't putting my heel down when stepped off the board. My goal was 1,000 steps in 10 minutes-- I made it nearly to 1,100. Thus, the reason my calves hurt. Put your foot flat on the floor when you step off the board.

Wednesay, May 13th

Okay, I'm STILL behind on my posts. I did two miles on May 13th-- feeling fairly good that I actually exercised four days in a row.

Finally, I'm caught up!

Tonight I did some walk/jog thing on the treadmill for three miles. I found out I didn't get the job I was a finalist for-- I thought I would be disappointed, but I'm really okay with it. It wasn't going to be the right fit for me anyway, and deep down I knew it. So, I put on the Tom Petty and waddled along. Afterwards, I decided to plug in the WiiFat and have a talk with NoBoobs to see how I was progressing. Apparently I wasn't as bloated this week, as it recorded me as having lost 4.5 pounds in 9 days since last logging in. I think 2.5 sounds more logicial. Based on the gross picture, I still have a long way to go: 19 more pounds until the 3 month goal--according to NoBoobs.

Monday, May 11, 2009

After work, I took a nice walk with Andy for two miles. He's on board with trying to lose weight, too! So, we are now eating better and exercising more jointly, which is helping the cause.

May 10, 2009

I'm way behind on my posts. I guess that's a good thing-- meaning I've actually risen above the ranking of couch potato. Today I managed to get off my duff and walk 3 brisk miles on the treadmill during The Amazing Race. I hadn't watched it all season, but there was nothing on tv. At least it motivated me to move a little.

It's Been a Week

Technnically this should have been posted on Tuesday, May 5th. It's been such a chaotic week that I'm only remembering to post it now! How fabulous of an entry is it.... a whopping 2 mile walk on the treadmill. I have not touched any exercise since, but I think I do have good reasons. I was late to my acupuncture appointment on Wednesday the 6th and ended up driving home with a needle in the top of my head! Thursday night was my meditation class. Ahhhhhh-uhhhmmmmm. Now it's Friday and I'm REQUIRED to have a beer with the boss after work to celebrate the launch of a new degree program which has been the bane of my existance for the past 3 to 4 months. Never mind the fact that I've NEVER been so stressed in my life-- one beer will make it all better. Right! Anyway-- I appreciate the gesture as much as I appreciate the vomitted up wad of grass the dog left in my bed last night (See, you knew there had to be a reason for his picture on here).

Wii Screw You!!!!

How can it be that-- by my scale upstairs-- I've lost 2 pounds. But on the WiiFat I've actually gained 1.5 pounds... AFTER TAKING MY SHOES OFF! The happy thing about this is, it now knocks me officially into the obese category. I "worked out" on the stupid thing for 51 minutes last night. By the way, the name of my personal fitness trainer is "No Boobs." Her favorite thing is yelling at me for "looking a little shaky." No crap, really??? I'm not an avatar, and I don't like the tree pose. Clearly I have some anger to deal with along with my obesity.

It's WiiFat not WiiFit

Stay tuned for more details and a VERY depressing photo. One that puts Lisa's to shame. Yes, we purchased WiiFit, and I rank just outside obese by about a pound. I did 35 minutes of activities -- some of which are very pathetic. I feel so proud of the fact that Andy -- the same person who played Guitar Hero Metallica while I jogged three miles to it-- beat me in the running! I guess no one ever said life was fair.

God Bless Metallica!

Okay, seeing as how it's been a l0ooooong time since any real exercise, I owe a lot to the rock legends. Really, I do. I managed to plod out a 5K on the treadmill while Andy played Guitar Hero Metallica on the Xbox 360. I actually showed some signs of life during the last mile when he let me pick the songs. You can't help but pick up the pace to Enter Sandman! Granted, I look like I've been possessed by Satan in this photo, but you can't blame that on the music. I never was particularly photogenic once I got past the age of 18.

Anyway, bless you boys... and, yes, Andy, that goes to you too, for hangin' in there and sacraficing yourself once again and helping me exercise.... even while I walked the extra mile for cool down. You're the best!

Two posts in one!

After much time off for various lame excuses, I'm back at it. However, I've regressed back to shameful walking. I did a two mile outdoor walk on Tuesday April 14 to blow off some steam after a stressful day at work. And, last night I went back to the evil treadmill for miles again. I've got new resolve to keep at it this time.

Kicked in the Butt by my Wii Fit!

Ufft! Because of the cold weather in Mongolia, I got Mike a Wii Fit for his birthday. It has some pretty good workouts, as well as fun games. One other feature, though, is a board that acts like a scale (and much more too) and tracks changes in weight/body mass index. I'm not a big fan of the BMI scale, but any way you cut it, I am over-weight... and I actually gained weight since my last weigh-in 27 days ago. My Wii wasn't afraid to tell me so either!

Working it in Korea!

It has been exactly 10 weeks since I had my finger pinned in a surgical procedure, and I am happy to announce that I finally had the pins removed the day before yesterday! The pin removal was an out-patient surgical procedure, but I had to travel (again!) to Korea to have it done. I celebrated by jogging for 30 minutes yesterday. It is the second time I've done any exercise since I broke my finger... hopefully it can be the true start of a routine. The weather is warm and beautiful in Korea, and while I was jogging, I noticed that the cherry blossoms are blooming everywhere. Beautiful! The jog was slow (really just a shuffle), but the fresh air felt great!

Not much progress

Well, this post was actually supposed to be done on Monday, the 23rd. But, I haven't been feeling well. I managed to walk two miles on the treadmill Monday night only because my husband sat in the livingroom with me and talked to me the whole way through. I was in agony. My whole body hurt. Needless to say, I haven't taken a single step since. I was really hoping I could make a major race by May, but I'm seriously running out of time. I'll have to see how I'm feeling next week.

First 5K.... in a LOOOOONG time

I should have written this up last night, but I was too busy eating a Big Mac and fries. Naturally, I have no idea why I'm not losing weight, even though I really am trying to exercise more. I actually jogged a 5K on my hated treadmill last night (and did another mile as warm up and cool down for 4 miles total). It went really, really well. I'm not even sore today! However, I really can't brag much, seeing as how when I was feeling all proud of myself I noticed that I had forgotten to put the incline up. So, I did the whole thing with an incline ... of zero. The fact that I did it at all is a miracle in itself-- no inhaler needed. Of course if I had not eaten the McDonald's afterwards-- which is NO joke-- I would probably feel something closer to pride than the gut rot I've actually had all day today.

Happy St. Patty's Day

Actually, this post should have been done last night. I hit the treadmill-- logging in 3.5 miles. I ran 2 of it, and felt great. Now I think I need to stop with the walking and start running in full. We'll see how that goes.... still a lot of weight to lose.

I Shuffled with the Shamrocks!

Yesterday was my first official race-- if you could call it a race! My friend Lara and I entered the 5K run at the Shamrock Shuffle in Madison, WI. They had a 2mile walk, but that didn't seem like anything. So, we did the 5k. Believe it or not, we actually beat 10 people! And, this was Lara's first run/walk. She's never actually run in anything before, and we did actually run a little bit! I was glad we could do this together. I think we finished in 49 minutes. That's not breaking any records, but it is a fast walk. As for the photo, I'm not sure why I'm tipping over, even though this was taken after the race, outside of State Street Brats, and AFTER we decided to have a beer to celebrate. The other picture was actually pre-race and contains only coffee, but seeing as there were no bathrooms on the route, I did nearly have an "Ooops I crapped my pants moment" on Observatory Drive. It passed without passing shall we say... and we shuffled on to the finish line sweaty but otherwise clean.

Still Ouchie

It's certainly humbling to whine and complain when someone else is exercising with a cast on their hand. But, whining is what I do best, and I figure it must take up at least 3 additional calories per hour. Last night-- still in pain from last Thursday's weight lifting-- I walked on the treadmill 3.1 miles. It was the laziest excuse for workout I've ever had. No incline, no jogging, no motivation-- nothing. Just one foot hopelessy in front of the other. Of course if I hadn't tripped over my own feet the day before and crashed to ground, leaving a huge bruise on my hip I wouldn't be in so much pain. The ricochet is no doubt hitting Mongolia right about now. I claim no responsibility for Tsunamis or earthquakes in early April. Oh, the photo posted has no relevance whatsoever. I simply like the Stay Puft character, and it fits my demeanor at the moment.

My struggle to get off the couch...

Well, we’re seven days into this new highly motivating blog site idea, and I just today did something that even resembled a workout. I did 30 minutes on the stair stepper… at level 6 (of 20)! The machine didn’t give me the number of miles – mercifully! At least I finally did something, but if you spread the 30 minutes over the whole week I should have been exercising, it averages to only 4.3 minutes per day… which begs the question, why even bother?! But that was the old Lisa… who was an extremely logical (if not very fit) woman. :)

P.S. Sorry the picture is post-workout. We have a very small gym, and we chickened out of taking a picture in there at the last minute… but the photo provides some sort of proof nevertheless… as I’m most definitely too lazy to put on my running shoes just to stage a photo.

Confessions of a former weightlifting snob

Today over my lunch hour I walked back into my old stomping grounds—my health club where I used to do regular weight lifting classes at least twice a week. It’s been a year since I’ve lifted a bar over my head, and boy could I feel it! Every time the instructor kept saying “now for this song you can push it a little harder with your weights because it’s a short one, “I’d think to myself… ‘what, the fact that I actually got here and am lying down on the bench in my sweat pants doesn’t count for trying ‘harder’? Of course there’s the fact that the class actually cost me $300 because it was the first time I’d set foot in there for a whole year.

THEN, add on the fact that I have arthritis in my knees and my orthopedics guy made me promise that I would never do a lunge again in my life. So… when we get to the lunge track and I sit it out, the 65-year-old grandma glares at me. I’m thinking—“Sorry lady. This time I really do have an excuse. It’s not just because I’ve been grunting every time I lift the 3 pound bar over my head… Cut the glaring, it’s not like I farted—Though trust me, I’m thinkin’ about it!”

Anyway, I figured I better post this workout synopsis now before the pain sets in and I find myself in tears. I’m pretty sure that jiggly part under my arm is my tricep. It’s probably going to hurt tomorrow whatever muscle it is…

To the Inventer of the Treadmill....

Whoever invented the pre-programmed workouts on the treadmill clearly needs to have his head examined. And yes, I'm automatically going to blame it on a "he." A woman would not design something for people who are going to be stepping on to it wanting to lose weight and get back into shape after some time away-- and then be expected to be in good enough shape to run 8 minute miles on 10 percent inclines! I spent most of this 3.1 mile jog/walk workout pushing the buttons back down for a more reasonable speed/incline. See photo for opinion of whether I plan to use pre-programmed workout in near future. Thank goodness there's a brownie left over with my name on it!

More Pain and Excitement

For today's workout it was back to the treadmill, which I always hate. One of the best things to at least get the most out of that crappy experience is to crank up the incline. So, I did my favorite workout of a 3.0 mile walk, while upping the incline every 5 minutes. I did the whole stinking thing between 6 and 12% incline. At least my husband sacrificed himself for me and plopped down on the couch to play Guitar Hero on the big screen tv so I had something to watch while I was working out. It actually worked really well at distracting me from the pain in my rear. What a man!

Day 1

Okay, I never promised Day 1 would be immediately following my first entry. At least I actually waddled my way to the tread mill instead of taking a nap, like I usually do on most Saturdays. I slogged along today for 3.25 miles-- a happy combination of jogging and walking. My good friend and I have signed up for a 5K run (which we will walk) on March 17th. I figured I need to get started if I actually want to get back into shape, which I really do. It's just so much easier to put pounds on than it is to take them back off. But no one ever said life was fair.

Welcome Virtual Running Buddy

Welcome Virtual Running Buddies!

Enjoy this site-- or at least the experience of watching me try to get back into shape after many years off. The goal is to find motivation to lose some weight, start exercising again, and, somewhere along the line, see what shoes I'm wearing without sucking in my gut! Ha! We'll see how Day 1 goes.

Calling on you to get in shape!!

Here we go. A partnership that enables you to encourage, or harass, your virtual buddy to become fit enough to run in races throughout the world, either physically or virtually.