The long and winding road to fitness,day 61

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I had a good day today, a really good day.  The goodness began simply because I had the day off work, didn’t have to climb out of bed at a quarter to four in the morning.  I did wake up at about 4:30, but I didn’t get up.  I read for a little while, then turned the light off and went back to sleep until almost seven…seven, I couldn’t believe it!!It was nice to start the day without that shrill alarm scaring me out of a deep sleep, just woke up peacefully…ahh…

I did my online work with fitness and nutrition…the program that my insurance company provides…have a plan set now for the next eight weeks.  I feel good about that, like I now have  goals in place with some guidance to help me reach them.  As a result, I got in a couple of good workouts today…rode the exercise bike, did intervals on the treadmill, and did upper body strength training.  I was pushing myself on the treadmill and it felt great!  One thing I’ve noticed about myself…I’ll work harder on the treadmill than I will outside…I don’t know why.  Maybe because I’m always looking at things outside, thinking how this would make a good picture or how that would be good material for my blog…or maybe just because I feel uncomfortable (since I’ve gained so much weight) doing a hard workout where people can see me…kind of silly, huh? But I don’t think that’s an uncommon feeling for a lot of us.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard enough rude, mean comments to last me a lifetime…I know those comments say more about the idiots who make them than they do about me, but they still have the power to hurt.  I need to get over that, I know…

My food intake was good today…well, pretty good…I could have eaten a couple more servings of veggies, but did okay with everything else.  Ended up eating just under 1700 calories for the day.   I’ve already packed my lunch and snacks for tomorrow…and there will be plenty of veggies in tomorrow’s menu.  That’s one of the things that I need to focus on with my diet…and I’m going to.  It seems like I’m able to eat more veggies once the weather gets cooler…I love to make soups and stews and have a bowl of that with a side salad…I know most people say they have an easier time eating enough veggies during the summer…I’m just weird…and there’s no need to agree with me on that in the comments…lol

I’m feeling focused and motivated…it’s been a while since I’ve had these feelings so I’m glad to have them back…sure makes sticking with the routine easier.  Of course, the real key is to stick to the routine when you’re not feeling motivated, right?  Anybody have any tips for doing that?

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My new training routine

Image by cindy47452 via Flickr

Okay, don’t laugh, but I did this last year and it worked.  So I figure it’s time to pull it out, dust it off, and go for it once again.  Last summer I decided I needed to start a training routine to get me in shape for the long hours of work during the Christmas season.  I tackled it just like a basketball player would tackle training for the upcoming basketball season (with that basketball analogy, how could you not know I was from Indiana?)…well, maybe not exactly, but you get my meaning.  I sat down and charted where I was and where I wanted to be and what I needed to do to get there. 

I did cardio every day, mostly walking, biking or dancing.  I also did a lot of strength training and flexibility exercises.  I knew I wasn’t in any kind of shape to get me through those 12+ hour workdays and decided to do something about it.  I’m right back in that same place again this year…yes, I need to figure out how to avoid going back and forth between fit and unfit, fat and thin…so I’m going to attack my training routine just like I did last year.  But I’m adding the online fitness and nutrition courses that my insurance company offers (for free…how cool is that?) to make these changes become permanent.  I have to admit, I was starting to think about bariatric surgery, but man, is that a huge step?  Now I’m going to attempt this once again, and I’m hoping that this new doctor I’m going to see next month will be able to help me solve this ongoing problem once and for all.

I’ve got a cardio plan set up for the next eight weeks, utilizing mainly walking and biking…but I’ll gladly throw in some different forms of cardio for variety.  The cardio plan is set up for five days a week and is very do-able for me.  I’ll also be doing strength training six days a week for the next eight weeks.  I’ll go to the site and track my cardio as well as my food intake…after the assessment, I rated my diet as fair, but the counselor rated it as good…needing a few tweaks here and there…need to eat a few more veggies, another serving of calcium and another serving of protein a day…doing well with whole grains and generally well with fat intake.  So I’m encouraged to see what I need to do laid out in those simple steps.  Up until today, I was feeling a little discouraged because I don’t feel like I’ve made the progress I’d like to have made during the past two months.  But now I see how making a few easy, small changes will get me where I want to be.

My Christmas season training routine is underway…starting right now…I’ll keep you posted!!

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