As I sit here at 2:42 PM on Friday, I am yearning for the weekend.
More specifically, I'm anxious for happy hour tonight and then going home to rest. I'm hoping to get up early tomorrow morning, as I have schoolwork and a 3-mile walk to get in.
I had McDonald's for lunch today, due to too much bacardi and diet coke last night (after class, I met Brad and Matt at Langes). Because of my new eating habits, I did restrict myself. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich without mayo and a small fry (is it small fries?). Anyway, after entering it into my daily consumption log, the lunch was only 600 calories/15.5 grams of fat (which is within my 600/19g lunch allotment). Granted, it had tons of sodium and virtually no other nutritional value beyond protein. I'm still happy I didn't go and order my usual 3-piece chicken selects meal. I didn't bother to calculate the nutritional value of that entire meal after seeing the values for the 3-piece alone. Yikes.
Matt is going to Kenosha for the weekend tomorrow. He's helping his dad paint. I'm spending tomorrow morning training/studying, and then hopping in a zipcar and heading to the RAM Brewery in Schaumburg. That should be a fun time, despite the location. At least I talked them out of Bahama Breeze.
Sunday is another 3-mile walk, followed by Michigan State coming into Champaign for a huge game. It's a stretch, but if the chips fall where they need to, Illinois could end up tied for the top of the Big Ten at the end of next week. More than likely, they'll end up in 2nd or 3rd place (which still far exceeds my pre-season expectations. Heck, most anyone's expectations).
I'm enjoying posting on my blog more regularly. Being so busy has been a good motivator, as odd as that sounds.
27 February 2009
26 February 2009
Bing Bang Bong
4 days in a row.
This is probably a new record for me.
When I was only working out at Curves, their plan only requires 3 workouts a week, so I usually went a total of 3 days in any given week.
I went to Curves last night. I'm enrolled in their personal training program called "Curves Smart" - basically, it's just a little tag that you put in each of the machines as you work out - to monitor progress & change how you're working out (intensity-wise) as you're going through the circuit of machines. It's been very helpful for me. When I didn't have it, if I was having a bad day, or didn't feel like working out, I'd dog it throughout the workout. With this, there's a little light that flashes & you want it to stay green. When it turns yellow, I hear "YOU'RE DOING BAD! DO BETTER!" in my head. After the workout, you can then look at what you did, how many calories burned, what areas need to be addressed in future workouts, etc. It's pretty cool.
I went to FFC at lunch today, to see how I'd like it. To be honest,I'm not sure which I prefer (morning or lunchtime). In the morning, I don't feel rushed - it just stinks getting up so early. When I went at lunch, I felt rushed enough into taking a hobo shower (wipe down, spray self with body spray, re-apply deodorant). So, we'll see what I decide for future training... most likely a combo of both.
All of that said, I am SO happy to take tomorrow off. :) Back to the grindstone on Saturday, but once I head home from class tonight, I'm probably going to be pretty darn relaxed.
This is probably a new record for me.
When I was only working out at Curves, their plan only requires 3 workouts a week, so I usually went a total of 3 days in any given week.
I went to Curves last night. I'm enrolled in their personal training program called "Curves Smart" - basically, it's just a little tag that you put in each of the machines as you work out - to monitor progress & change how you're working out (intensity-wise) as you're going through the circuit of machines. It's been very helpful for me. When I didn't have it, if I was having a bad day, or didn't feel like working out, I'd dog it throughout the workout. With this, there's a little light that flashes & you want it to stay green. When it turns yellow, I hear "YOU'RE DOING BAD! DO BETTER!" in my head. After the workout, you can then look at what you did, how many calories burned, what areas need to be addressed in future workouts, etc. It's pretty cool.
I went to FFC at lunch today, to see how I'd like it. To be honest,I'm not sure which I prefer (morning or lunchtime). In the morning, I don't feel rushed - it just stinks getting up so early. When I went at lunch, I felt rushed enough into taking a hobo shower (wipe down, spray self with body spray, re-apply deodorant). So, we'll see what I decide for future training... most likely a combo of both.
All of that said, I am SO happy to take tomorrow off. :) Back to the grindstone on Saturday, but once I head home from class tonight, I'm probably going to be pretty darn relaxed.
25 February 2009
I got my hairs cut
I have no idea how I'm going to put my hair in a pony tail for workouts.
It's long enough to barely fit into a little bastard of a pony tail, but the sides are short enough that they fall out.
I did bring two rubberbands, so maybe I'll have to be all pippy longstocking tonight.
I guess we'll see.
I put up a half asleep pic of the new do/due? on Facebook.
That aside, I am looking forward to happy hour this Friday with friends I only see at these scheduled happy hours. Should be a good time. Thanks to my pal Tom for organizing these.
Saturday I'm headed out to Schaumburg to meet up with former coworkers from TMP. TMP was my first job out of college, out in Des Plaines - worked there from May 2000 - November 2002. I'm really looking forward to seeing Angie and Robyn. Both have kids now, live in the burbs, and *might* both be stay-at-home moms. Besides Jen & Teri, who I still keep in touch with and am very close to, Angie and Robyn were my two favorite people at TMP. Stinks that I have to drive all the way to the burbs, but I'm still excited about it. (Also excited about trying out zipcar for the first time) (( Matt and I recently signed up for zipcar - a car sharing program in larger cities).
That's all for now.
You're all welcome for 3 new blog posts 3 consecutive days. (and by "all" I mean Megan & David - and possibly Brooke and Mike).
It's long enough to barely fit into a little bastard of a pony tail, but the sides are short enough that they fall out.
I did bring two rubberbands, so maybe I'll have to be all pippy longstocking tonight.
I guess we'll see.
I put up a half asleep pic of the new do/due? on Facebook.
That aside, I am looking forward to happy hour this Friday with friends I only see at these scheduled happy hours. Should be a good time. Thanks to my pal Tom for organizing these.
Saturday I'm headed out to Schaumburg to meet up with former coworkers from TMP. TMP was my first job out of college, out in Des Plaines - worked there from May 2000 - November 2002. I'm really looking forward to seeing Angie and Robyn. Both have kids now, live in the burbs, and *might* both be stay-at-home moms. Besides Jen & Teri, who I still keep in touch with and am very close to, Angie and Robyn were my two favorite people at TMP. Stinks that I have to drive all the way to the burbs, but I'm still excited about it. (Also excited about trying out zipcar for the first time) (( Matt and I recently signed up for zipcar - a car sharing program in larger cities).
That's all for now.
You're all welcome for 3 new blog posts 3 consecutive days. (and by "all" I mean Megan & David - and possibly Brooke and Mike).
24 February 2009
Training - Day 2
I made it to Curves last night after work. Begrudgingly. I was all pumped for it all day, but as I was off the train, walking toward Curves, I wasn't looking forward to it. Once I was finished and stretching (my favorite part), I felt much better. I worked out harder than I planned to, and had my heart rate up most of the workout. When I walked home, I counted how many steps away Curves is from my front door. 148 steps. Yes, that's right. It's 148 steps away & I hadn't been since October. Awesome.
Now, onto today. Because I have observation hours I need to do at lunch, and a haircut planned for after work, I needed to get my first 3-mile training walk in somehow. That meant I had to work out before work. What the eff? I woke up just fine at 5:55 this morning. Got changed, brushed my teeth & washed my face, grabbed by bag and left. (I packed my bag the night before, so I couldn't use that as my excuse). I hopped on the train and went to the gym downtown, about .7 miles from my office.
Thank goodness for treadmills with personal televisions mounted on them. In the 55 minutes I walked (yes, it took me 55 minutes to walk 3 miles), I watched the end of Saved By The Bell: Miss Bliss Years, Devon Harris hit the game winning-half court shot on Sportscenter, Mike and Mike talking about Golic's 11.5 sacks in his career, and 35 minutes of Law & Order: SVU.
After my 3 miles, I didn't stretch like I should have. The stretching area is in the middle of all the machines, with all machines pointing toward it. I'm not interested in stretching while everyone watches. I'll likely regret that later. In the locker room, I picked up a towel the size of a hand towel and realized this was what I had to use for a shower. What I didn't realize, is that people usually just walk to the bathroom naked, or with this towel wrapped around them. I went fully clothed and had to throw my clothes over the shower stall door as I showered. Oops.
I was able to get ready rather quickly and ended up walking into work around 8:30 (so, only about 15-30 minutes later than normal). I'd like to say I'll do this on a regular basis - but the train ride into the city took forever & made me sleepy. The hoofing of the gym bag and work bag a total of about a mile sort of sucked. I do have another option, a gym is near my house, but the same sort of schlepping would be required.
I am proud of myself for sticking to the training schedule & getting started on time. Let's hope this keeps up.
Now, onto today. Because I have observation hours I need to do at lunch, and a haircut planned for after work, I needed to get my first 3-mile training walk in somehow. That meant I had to work out before work. What the eff? I woke up just fine at 5:55 this morning. Got changed, brushed my teeth & washed my face, grabbed by bag and left. (I packed my bag the night before, so I couldn't use that as my excuse). I hopped on the train and went to the gym downtown, about .7 miles from my office.
Thank goodness for treadmills with personal televisions mounted on them. In the 55 minutes I walked (yes, it took me 55 minutes to walk 3 miles), I watched the end of Saved By The Bell: Miss Bliss Years, Devon Harris hit the game winning-half court shot on Sportscenter, Mike and Mike talking about Golic's 11.5 sacks in his career, and 35 minutes of Law & Order: SVU.
After my 3 miles, I didn't stretch like I should have. The stretching area is in the middle of all the machines, with all machines pointing toward it. I'm not interested in stretching while everyone watches. I'll likely regret that later. In the locker room, I picked up a towel the size of a hand towel and realized this was what I had to use for a shower. What I didn't realize, is that people usually just walk to the bathroom naked, or with this towel wrapped around them. I went fully clothed and had to throw my clothes over the shower stall door as I showered. Oops.
I was able to get ready rather quickly and ended up walking into work around 8:30 (so, only about 15-30 minutes later than normal). I'd like to say I'll do this on a regular basis - but the train ride into the city took forever & made me sleepy. The hoofing of the gym bag and work bag a total of about a mile sort of sucked. I do have another option, a gym is near my house, but the same sort of schlepping would be required.
I am proud of myself for sticking to the training schedule & getting started on time. Let's hope this keeps up.
23 February 2009
Training - Day 1
To be fair, I haven't really started training, beyond packing my clothes for Curves. But, I will say that I woke up somewhat excited to get it started again. This is definitely an oddity for me. Typically, even the idea of packing a gym bag puts me in a bad mood.
I think I'm also looking forward to going to Curves tonight because the woman who runs it has called me twice over the past month, asking where I've been and encouraging me to come. She sympathized, "I know, it's tough when it's so cold. No one wants to walk to workout" - if only she knew, I live virtually across the street from Curves.
I've also started keeping a log of what I consume. I'm currently limiting myself to 1800 calories a a day. I've used this metric in the past and I've had success with it, so I'm hoping I'll have similar outcomes this time.
I think having an attainable and tangible goal (finishing the 3 Day/60-mile walk) is a definite motivator this time around. It's been tough for me to work out for the sake of working out. Seems really silly as I'm writing it, but working out and eating right is a lifestyle change. It's one that needs to be kept up, and is difficult.
Here's to hoping I feel as good as I do this morning at the end of week 1 of training.
I think I'm also looking forward to going to Curves tonight because the woman who runs it has called me twice over the past month, asking where I've been and encouraging me to come. She sympathized, "I know, it's tough when it's so cold. No one wants to walk to workout" - if only she knew, I live virtually across the street from Curves.
I've also started keeping a log of what I consume. I'm currently limiting myself to 1800 calories a a day. I've used this metric in the past and I've had success with it, so I'm hoping I'll have similar outcomes this time.
I think having an attainable and tangible goal (finishing the 3 Day/60-mile walk) is a definite motivator this time around. It's been tough for me to work out for the sake of working out. Seems really silly as I'm writing it, but working out and eating right is a lifestyle change. It's one that needs to be kept up, and is difficult.
Here's to hoping I feel as good as I do this morning at the end of week 1 of training.
19 February 2009
Four million miles by foot
Ok, so my blog post title is a little bit of an exaggeration, I'll admit it.
I've decided to walk the 3 Day Breast Cancer walk to benefit the Susan G Komen foundation (I wonder if I posted that correctly, there are rules, apparently). Anyway, the walk is in August, which seems like a ways away, but for someone who hasn't worked out in a couple months (:eek), it's sooner than it appears.
Based on training tips given by the walk organizers, I'm going to put myself through the 24-week training regimen. Counting back the weeks means I begin said training next week (February 22nd). As if I weren't busy enough with work and school, now I have to fit walking AND working out into my schedule? Sionara free time.
The training seems pretty well thought out, and fairly easy to follow - but that's also easier said than done. The first six weeks only require 20 miles or less per week, seems doable. The majority of the training calls for the bulk of the walking to happen back-to-back on Saturdays and Sundays. Additionally, the training calls for taking Monday off, walking Tuesdays and Thursdays, and doing light to medium cross-training on Wednesdays and Fridays. I'm hoping my 30-minute work outs at Curves will suffice for that. I'm also lucky, I organize and run the gym membership program at work - with that, comes a free membership to Fitness Formula Clubs... which will be heavily beneficial for walking in these cold months at the beginning.
I'm also faking myself out into thinking I'll be willing to wake up earlier and get the walks (or part of the walks) completed before work. In about a month, I'm sure I'll be laughing at myself for even considering it.
Another benefit I have - I work downtown - so some of the walks required over the summer will be the perfect length for me to walk home. I live about 6 miles away from my office, and there's an awesome lakefront path, so, at least I have that to look forward to. Too often over the past few summers, I've told myself I'd walk home more, but ended up being lazy/wanted to get home for a baseball game/going to happy hour instead... so, now with a training program in place, as well as Matt & at least one teammate also working downtown, I'm hoping I'll do a better job at walking home from work.
Speaking of my team, four of us went to Fleet Feet this past weekend to buy shoes. Fleet Feet has an awesome practice of fitting people with the proper shoes. They ask what your shoe needs are, watch how you walk, and then fit you into 3 or 4 pairs of shoes, based on their assessment. I'm pretty thrifty/cheap when it comes to buying most things, especially shoes... so this sort of freaked me out. I told myself prior to going, that I would not base my selection on purchase price, but rather, how well they felt and fit. (Seems normal to most people, I'm sure, but not me. If I find something cheaper & slightly less comfortable, I will ALWAYS buy the cheaper item). Anyway, I ended up buying the most expensive pair (go figure) - and they were most expensive by a long shot (I tried on shoes priced at $105, $115 & $140). I didn't look at the prices until after my purchase. A lot of money to spend, but it's all toward a greater good, so there's nothing I should really complain about.
Anyway, I've put a link to the walk to the left. The picture is all cut off and stuff, but you can still click on it to get to my page, in case you want further info on it, or wish to support me...
happy day.
I've decided to walk the 3 Day Breast Cancer walk to benefit the Susan G Komen foundation (I wonder if I posted that correctly, there are rules, apparently). Anyway, the walk is in August, which seems like a ways away, but for someone who hasn't worked out in a couple months (:eek), it's sooner than it appears.
Based on training tips given by the walk organizers, I'm going to put myself through the 24-week training regimen. Counting back the weeks means I begin said training next week (February 22nd). As if I weren't busy enough with work and school, now I have to fit walking AND working out into my schedule? Sionara free time.
The training seems pretty well thought out, and fairly easy to follow - but that's also easier said than done. The first six weeks only require 20 miles or less per week, seems doable. The majority of the training calls for the bulk of the walking to happen back-to-back on Saturdays and Sundays. Additionally, the training calls for taking Monday off, walking Tuesdays and Thursdays, and doing light to medium cross-training on Wednesdays and Fridays. I'm hoping my 30-minute work outs at Curves will suffice for that. I'm also lucky, I organize and run the gym membership program at work - with that, comes a free membership to Fitness Formula Clubs... which will be heavily beneficial for walking in these cold months at the beginning.
I'm also faking myself out into thinking I'll be willing to wake up earlier and get the walks (or part of the walks) completed before work. In about a month, I'm sure I'll be laughing at myself for even considering it.
Another benefit I have - I work downtown - so some of the walks required over the summer will be the perfect length for me to walk home. I live about 6 miles away from my office, and there's an awesome lakefront path, so, at least I have that to look forward to. Too often over the past few summers, I've told myself I'd walk home more, but ended up being lazy/wanted to get home for a baseball game/going to happy hour instead... so, now with a training program in place, as well as Matt & at least one teammate also working downtown, I'm hoping I'll do a better job at walking home from work.
Speaking of my team, four of us went to Fleet Feet this past weekend to buy shoes. Fleet Feet has an awesome practice of fitting people with the proper shoes. They ask what your shoe needs are, watch how you walk, and then fit you into 3 or 4 pairs of shoes, based on their assessment. I'm pretty thrifty/cheap when it comes to buying most things, especially shoes... so this sort of freaked me out. I told myself prior to going, that I would not base my selection on purchase price, but rather, how well they felt and fit. (Seems normal to most people, I'm sure, but not me. If I find something cheaper & slightly less comfortable, I will ALWAYS buy the cheaper item). Anyway, I ended up buying the most expensive pair (go figure) - and they were most expensive by a long shot (I tried on shoes priced at $105, $115 & $140). I didn't look at the prices until after my purchase. A lot of money to spend, but it's all toward a greater good, so there's nothing I should really complain about.
Anyway, I've put a link to the walk to the left. The picture is all cut off and stuff, but you can still click on it to get to my page, in case you want further info on it, or wish to support me...
happy day.
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