In 52 days I'll be 36-years-old and my Year of the Miniskirt will officially be over. I've decided it's time to completely buckle down and present the "52 Day 20-pound Challenge." I lost four pounds recently by not doing really anything different (and I've not been exercising regularly), so who knows exactly why I lost the weight, not that I'm complaining!
I figure if I can keep my caloric intake down and work out at least five days a week, I'll shed these pounds in no time. I may even invest in the 30-Day Shred with Jillian Michaels - my niece has been doing that program and says it's crazy intense. I like the fact that it's only 20 minutes per session, so that's totally doable.
So. I can do this...right? I want to conclude my year of blogging with the goal I set out to accomplish in the first place. It's been a year of ups and downs, mainly losing and gaining the same 10 pounds, so it's time to really commit and get it done. I'm only 35 for 52 more days. Oh, and you better believe I will be wearing a miniskirt on my 36th birthday ;-)
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
On Motivation - HELP!!
I just took a virtual stroll down memory lane with my blog. It's just over ten months old already - wow! Where does the time go? I've realized that I have taken off and put on the same 10-15 pounds for most of 2010 and now into 2011 (going down the scale now). This fact is quite fascinating to me. Looking over my blog posts, I see a consistent theme of two steps forward, one step back, sometimes one step forward, two steps back. I think the most difficult thing for me is that I have great self-esteem, and only I would perceive this as a problem - haha! The reason this is a problem is that it keeps me from being motivated from losing weight; I feel good and I'm still cute (self-esteem/narcissism, potato potahto). I don't feel like an overweight person, no one treats me like an overweight person - probably because a lot of us are carrying an extra 10-15 pounds anyway, not that I'm judging - and so I just do my thing. What is my thing? Cooking and baking... AND eating. I happen to love running as well, but not as much as cooking, baking and eating apparently.
What can I say? I do my best. I'm down 7.2 pounds (again) and while I'm happy about that, I also am concerned that when things get busy again in a few weeks with work and German class, that I will, once again, fall of the wagon of eating healthfully and regular exercise. I'm working on week four of my new lifestyle regimen and making a habit of eating well and exercising 5-6 days a week. Will I keep it up when the going gets tough? History says, "NO!!" but I want to break this cycle.
What do you do to stay motivated, especially for those of you who have a good sense of self and great self-esteem and are healthy even with extra weight? I'm all eyes (since I'm reading) for what you do to stay motivated.
What can I say? I do my best. I'm down 7.2 pounds (again) and while I'm happy about that, I also am concerned that when things get busy again in a few weeks with work and German class, that I will, once again, fall of the wagon of eating healthfully and regular exercise. I'm working on week four of my new lifestyle regimen and making a habit of eating well and exercising 5-6 days a week. Will I keep it up when the going gets tough? History says, "NO!!" but I want to break this cycle.
What do you do to stay motivated, especially for those of you who have a good sense of self and great self-esteem and are healthy even with extra weight? I'm all eyes (since I'm reading) for what you do to stay motivated.
Friday, January 14, 2011
And the Shoes Came Off!
Well, I've gone and done it. I've joined the ranks of those "kooky" barefooters. The Vibrams came off today in a grassy soccer field, which, apparently, is a tremendously great surface to run on. Not only is it grassy, which is comfortable and soft, but firm because the ground has been packed down quite a bit by those busy-bodied soccer players. It's the best of both worlds! I don't have to worry about dips twisting my ankle and it's gentle enough on my pretty virgin feet.
And... believe or not, I actually am following the sound advice of barefooters everywhere, I took it slow. I only ran around a couple soccer fields, I walked on the pavement and ran across a concrete lined bridge and then I stopped and put my Vibrams back on before I hit the gravel trail. I'm not brave (or stupid) enough to run on the trail sans shoes quite yet. One step at a time. Literally. It's funny because after I put my Vibrams back on, the minimal amount of material between the soles of my feet and the ground felt really thick. The mind-body connection while running barefoot is phenomenal. Wow.
I'm a bonafide barefooter and the abbreviation of my name, Barefoot Emily, is BFE - haha! That one really cracks me up in my runner's high brain...
Tomorrow, we hit the beach - winter in Los Angeles rules. Running will be a part of the day. I hope it's part of yours, too.
And... believe or not, I actually am following the sound advice of barefooters everywhere, I took it slow. I only ran around a couple soccer fields, I walked on the pavement and ran across a concrete lined bridge and then I stopped and put my Vibrams back on before I hit the gravel trail. I'm not brave (or stupid) enough to run on the trail sans shoes quite yet. One step at a time. Literally. It's funny because after I put my Vibrams back on, the minimal amount of material between the soles of my feet and the ground felt really thick. The mind-body connection while running barefoot is phenomenal. Wow.
I'm a bonafide barefooter and the abbreviation of my name, Barefoot Emily, is BFE - haha! That one really cracks me up in my runner's high brain...
Tomorrow, we hit the beach - winter in Los Angeles rules. Running will be a part of the day. I hope it's part of yours, too.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Running the Stiff Out
Happy New Year... seven days into it! Of which, I've exercised five. No new year's resolutions are coming from this gal, though, since I usually set the bar too high and fail along the way. One day at a time for me. I know I'm going to have good days and bad days and that's okay. I'm just hoping that for the next five weeks that I'm not working that my healthful eating and exercise regimen will become a habit so that I can continue that while I'm back speaking German and teaching art history. That will be the true test.
Anyway, the real point of this blog is about letting go and staying loose when running. On the treadmill today (yes, I know I should be out on the trail, but am having some weird aversion to it right now), I was really thinking about my form. Then I let it go. Really, I let the idea of how I was running go and just went sort of limp. I kept running, but let all the tension out of my body, even my facial muscles. What an amazing relief! It was only then that I got into a real groove. Actually, it reminded me of this scene from "Friends" when Rachel was pretty embarrassed by how Phoebe ran, but then Rachel realized how much more fun running was when she let go: Phoebe and Rachel running.
I felt more connected to my body because, let's face it, our bodies know what they need to do. Our brains get in the way much of the time. I'm an overactive thinker and sometimes that's not a good thing. When we over-think what we are doing, we tend to wreck what's best for us whether it's exercise or making an important decision. As human beings, I think we lose sight of and mistrust our instincts in a variety of situations. I'm always telling students to go with their gut feelings when they are taking exams because those instincts are usually right. Yet, we tend to push them aside, or more accurately, our brains take over and get mighty bossy.
I wish for you a mindful, yet mindless, 2011. Take each day at a time. Don't forget to enjoy whatever you are doing from moment to moment, even if it is eating yet another salad or exercising the sixth day in a row. Loosen up and have fun!
Anyway, the real point of this blog is about letting go and staying loose when running. On the treadmill today (yes, I know I should be out on the trail, but am having some weird aversion to it right now), I was really thinking about my form. Then I let it go. Really, I let the idea of how I was running go and just went sort of limp. I kept running, but let all the tension out of my body, even my facial muscles. What an amazing relief! It was only then that I got into a real groove. Actually, it reminded me of this scene from "Friends" when Rachel was pretty embarrassed by how Phoebe ran, but then Rachel realized how much more fun running was when she let go: Phoebe and Rachel running.
I felt more connected to my body because, let's face it, our bodies know what they need to do. Our brains get in the way much of the time. I'm an overactive thinker and sometimes that's not a good thing. When we over-think what we are doing, we tend to wreck what's best for us whether it's exercise or making an important decision. As human beings, I think we lose sight of and mistrust our instincts in a variety of situations. I'm always telling students to go with their gut feelings when they are taking exams because those instincts are usually right. Yet, we tend to push them aside, or more accurately, our brains take over and get mighty bossy.
I wish for you a mindful, yet mindless, 2011. Take each day at a time. Don't forget to enjoy whatever you are doing from moment to moment, even if it is eating yet another salad or exercising the sixth day in a row. Loosen up and have fun!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Meditation on a Fire Extinguisher
I checked out the fitness room at my new place today and reacquainted myself with the elliptical machine. Yawn. What a boring device (no offense to those who use them because they are not able to run). My feet go numb because they are stationary. I gave it thirty minutes of my time and then switched over to the treadmill. I put my speed on 5 mph and concentrated on what was outside the window, namely a red fire extinguisher. I like it when my mind empties and can have singular focus on one thing. I was in the zone and I could have stayed in the zone for another twenty minutes, but I can't exercise all day long so I limited myself to 45 minutes today.
The benefit of the treadmill is to be able to fixate on one thing while running. My mind tends to wander a bit and creates "roadblocks" when I'm running out on the asphalt or trail. The red fire extinguisher allowed me to focus all my attention to it and not pay attention to the time or distance on the treadmill.
The negative aspect of the treadmill is that the surface is not super comfortable. Sure, I run on trails that have pointy pebbles on them and that's not always comfy, but it's different. Earth gives under your feet. Plastic does not.
I guess I'll have to weigh the pros and cons tomorrow when my body tells me whether or not it liked running on the treadmill. Time will tell.
The benefit of the treadmill is to be able to fixate on one thing while running. My mind tends to wander a bit and creates "roadblocks" when I'm running out on the asphalt or trail. The red fire extinguisher allowed me to focus all my attention to it and not pay attention to the time or distance on the treadmill.
The negative aspect of the treadmill is that the surface is not super comfortable. Sure, I run on trails that have pointy pebbles on them and that's not always comfy, but it's different. Earth gives under your feet. Plastic does not.
I guess I'll have to weigh the pros and cons tomorrow when my body tells me whether or not it liked running on the treadmill. Time will tell.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Prodigal Daughter Returns
Is it just me or we sensing a theme here? I write and run, I disappear, and then I come back. I'm back, at least, for this blog entry. Whew! Where do I begin?
It's been almost a month since my last entry and that's mainly due to the fact that we had to move. Long story short, banks suck, not making enough money sucks, yadda yadda yadda. We moved to a community in Ventura County called Moorpark. For those of you who don't live in Southern California, it's about 30 miles west and a little north from where we were in Northridge. We found a great 3-bedroom apartment that is not lacking for anything; in short, we have tons of amenities in our unit and at the complex as a whole. The city is less expensive to live in, the schools are excellent, and people are quite nice and friendly here. All in all, we are doing well. The kids are adjusting beautifully and like their new schools. There's not a whole lot I can complain about. In fact, there's nothing that comes to mind.
Anyhow, one of the coolest things about living here is that our building has a river behind it. Now, for those of you who think of rivers as being rough and rugged places, um, you've not experienced a Southern Californian river. We like to contain them in concrete. Yeah, it's classy. I will say, however, nature is taking its course in taking back some of its territory. Gabriel and I took a walk back there today as both sides of the river are flanked by dirt paths that stretch for miles. We saw cranes, ducks, wooly caterpillars, crawfish shells, and lizards. Gabriel found rocks for collecting and enjoyed throwing rocks into the water. It was quiet and the sun was shining.
I walked with my Vibrams and I can now say I will be starting out easy running on the paths. There are tons of little rocks and pebbles and even with the protection of the Vibrams, those rocks are sharp! My feet are going to have to get used to them before I start running on that surface, but it's going to be so much better than concrete or asphalt.
I'll post pics of the trail and detail how my inaugural walks/runs go soon. Until then, happy running, people!
It's been almost a month since my last entry and that's mainly due to the fact that we had to move. Long story short, banks suck, not making enough money sucks, yadda yadda yadda. We moved to a community in Ventura County called Moorpark. For those of you who don't live in Southern California, it's about 30 miles west and a little north from where we were in Northridge. We found a great 3-bedroom apartment that is not lacking for anything; in short, we have tons of amenities in our unit and at the complex as a whole. The city is less expensive to live in, the schools are excellent, and people are quite nice and friendly here. All in all, we are doing well. The kids are adjusting beautifully and like their new schools. There's not a whole lot I can complain about. In fact, there's nothing that comes to mind.
Anyhow, one of the coolest things about living here is that our building has a river behind it. Now, for those of you who think of rivers as being rough and rugged places, um, you've not experienced a Southern Californian river. We like to contain them in concrete. Yeah, it's classy. I will say, however, nature is taking its course in taking back some of its territory. Gabriel and I took a walk back there today as both sides of the river are flanked by dirt paths that stretch for miles. We saw cranes, ducks, wooly caterpillars, crawfish shells, and lizards. Gabriel found rocks for collecting and enjoyed throwing rocks into the water. It was quiet and the sun was shining.
I walked with my Vibrams and I can now say I will be starting out easy running on the paths. There are tons of little rocks and pebbles and even with the protection of the Vibrams, those rocks are sharp! My feet are going to have to get used to them before I start running on that surface, but it's going to be so much better than concrete or asphalt.
I'll post pics of the trail and detail how my inaugural walks/runs go soon. Until then, happy running, people!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Change... 1200 Calories at a Time
What I *should* be doing is studying for my impending German test tomorrow, but I have too much in my brain to study right now. The one thing that I can at least get off my mind by blogging about it is the recent change to my diet that I made two days ago: eating only 1200 calories a day. I make a solemn vow now that I will keep this up until Thanksgiving. I'm really done with faltering on the eating front. I really do want to lose 30 pounds, so no more excuses. With the help and support of my "dieting expert" (ooooo, I really don't like that word "dieting" but don't know what else to call it) partner and husband, Dana, I am going to get it done. A lot of you have seen Dana, so it's a pretty safe bet to call him an expert at this point.
What does 1200 calories look like? It's rather shocking and kind of sad really. Unless you are a rabbit, 1200 calories doesn't look like a lot. For me, it's making better choices that satisfy longer. This means lean protein. My favorite go-to food is low-fat cottage cheese. Damn, that stuff is tasty. Luckily, I've always loved it plain, so I don't even need a delivery system to go with it. With that being said, and I digress here, the best delivery system of cottage cheese in my book is potato chips. Don't knock it until you try it!!! It's soooooooooo good. Needless to say, I am NOT eating potato chips right now. I want to make my calories count! Other than that, my diet consists of: lettuce (all types), vegetables (mostly non-starchy ones), fruit, lean meats, beans, very few grains (even whole ones are being limited for the next few weeks), a teensy-weensy bit of nuts, and the occasional whole-grain Ak-Mak cracker (blessed be the mighty Ak-Mak!). I'm hungry a lot of the time, but I'm eating more consistently to keep my metabolism going. Here's the breakdown:
250 calories for breakfast
300 calories for lunch
75 calories for afternoon snack
500 calories for dinner
75 calories for after-dinner snack
Sometimes I have spare calories from lunch so I add it to my snack in the evening. I write my calories down, I weigh my food, and consult a calorie counter religiously.
So far, so good, although I have been a bit cranky about being hungry the past couple of days. This is mainly due to the fact that (close your eyes men out there who don't want to read it) my monthly visitor is here. Generally, I want to devour lots of things I shouldn't this time of month, and I'm not, so my mood isn't the best, but I'll live.
If anyone has some great tips of how to curb hunger and/or stay satisfied longer with fewer calories I would love to hear about them. Leave me a comment here or on Facebook.
Until next post...
What does 1200 calories look like? It's rather shocking and kind of sad really. Unless you are a rabbit, 1200 calories doesn't look like a lot. For me, it's making better choices that satisfy longer. This means lean protein. My favorite go-to food is low-fat cottage cheese. Damn, that stuff is tasty. Luckily, I've always loved it plain, so I don't even need a delivery system to go with it. With that being said, and I digress here, the best delivery system of cottage cheese in my book is potato chips. Don't knock it until you try it!!! It's soooooooooo good. Needless to say, I am NOT eating potato chips right now. I want to make my calories count! Other than that, my diet consists of: lettuce (all types), vegetables (mostly non-starchy ones), fruit, lean meats, beans, very few grains (even whole ones are being limited for the next few weeks), a teensy-weensy bit of nuts, and the occasional whole-grain Ak-Mak cracker (blessed be the mighty Ak-Mak!). I'm hungry a lot of the time, but I'm eating more consistently to keep my metabolism going. Here's the breakdown:
250 calories for breakfast
300 calories for lunch
75 calories for afternoon snack
500 calories for dinner
75 calories for after-dinner snack
Sometimes I have spare calories from lunch so I add it to my snack in the evening. I write my calories down, I weigh my food, and consult a calorie counter religiously.
So far, so good, although I have been a bit cranky about being hungry the past couple of days. This is mainly due to the fact that (close your eyes men out there who don't want to read it) my monthly visitor is here. Generally, I want to devour lots of things I shouldn't this time of month, and I'm not, so my mood isn't the best, but I'll live.
If anyone has some great tips of how to curb hunger and/or stay satisfied longer with fewer calories I would love to hear about them. Leave me a comment here or on Facebook.
Until next post...
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