The long and winding road to fitness, day 161

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Words can’t possibly do justice to the beauty of having a day off of work.  I slept in (if you consider getting out of bed at 5:30 sleeping in).  Fed the hungry kitties, prepared a healthy breakfast and a cup of hot tea with pumpkin spice creamer…yum…ate breakfast while going through my email.  It felt so good to just take my time, not to feel rushed…gotta go, gotta go, gotta go!!!  I then got ready to go out and run a few errands.

Can you think of a really fast way to drop $30?  Go to the gas station.  I really shouldn’t complain, the $15 a week that I’m spending on gas is the equivalent of one cab ride from home to work.  So see, I’m actually saving money…

I stopped at Aldi to pick up some produce and eggs.  Bought lettuce (some kind of gourmet blend…looks good, I’ll let you know), carrots, and tomatoes for salads for lunch at work.  Also bought some frozen corn and peas.  I was in and out in about 10 minutes, no long lines, not a lot of people there.  I suppose the pouring rain may have had a little to do with that.

I came home and got some vegetable beef soup started in the crock pot (slow cooker?  what do you call it?)…the house smells soooo good.  I’m looking forward to dinner in a few minutes.

And then, what to my wondering eye should appear?  Why, it was snow, falling from the sky, my dear.  Really heavy snow for a little while this afternoon.  Not a lot of accumulation, nothing at all on the roads, just a little in the yard and on the trees.  We might get more tonight.  I’m always excited at the first snowfall and, yes, tired of it by February.  Have you ever noticed that there seems to be a hush all around when it snows?  I love going outside early in the morning after an overnight snowfall…no one is around, everything is so quiet and peaceful.  I  was watching a bright red cardinal at the bird feeder outside my kitchen window…he was sharing the feeder with a little finch…and the snow was falling all around them…beautiful…I wish I could have taken a picture, but I haven’t quite figured out how to get a good picture through the window and I didn’t want to disturb the birds’ dinner.

I hopped on the exercise bike this afternoon…woohoo!  First time in quite a while.  I could tell that my fitness level has decreased just by how my legs felt with the tension I’d been used to.  I kind of dialed it down after the first few minutes and finished my workout.  Looks like I’m going to have a lot of ground to make up once the holiday season is over.  But I’ll do it.  I’m determined to do it.

Well, the aroma of that soup is causing my stomach to growl.  I think it just may be time to eat~

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The long and winding road to fitness, day 158

Whew…I’m so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open.  We went to work this morning at 4…that’s right, 4 am!  Who does that?  Oh…I guess today that would be Chris and myself as well as Karen and Donna Mc.  We got a lot done before we opened, we kind of have to do all of this stuff before we open because, once we open, it’s a mad house.  If there really is trouble with the economy, you sure can’t tell it by how much people are spending at our store.

No exercise today, other than ladder climbing and a ton of walking.  And working for almost 12 hours, on my feet for most of that time.  It seems strange, but I’m looking forward to being able to actually work out again.  How pleasant it will be to be able to go outside and take a walk (yes, I realize there will likely be snow on the ground by the time all the madness is over, but still…), or climb on the exercise bike or turn on some music and dance.

My eating?  Oh gee, I did okay, but still ate some junk.  I did have a little bit of turkey and a little bit of ham, some veggies, no fruit, and no vitamins.  I need to at least take them to work with me and take them when I stop for a break.  I sure don’t want to get sick after all of this is over.  When I finish here, I’m going to grab a packet of the vitamins I take (it’s an assortment of vitamins and supplements, very convenient) and pour a mug of oj to take with me in the morning.

I’m just really, really tired…need sleep…lots of sleep…

The long and winding road to fitness, day 107

Tired…so very tired…and I have to be at work at 5 am tomorrow…blah!  This was just another crazy day at work, busy, lots to do and just way too busy to get it all done.  Oh well…you just do the best you can, right?

 Today for lunch, I had one of the best Lean Cuisines I’ve ever had.  It was a tortilla crusted fish with some kind of rice.  Usually I think most of them taste just about the same, but this one topped the taste charts.  I’ll definitely buy this one again.  I ate a couple more veggies than I’ve been eating and my usual perfectly fine intake of fruit…why is it that fruit tastes so much better than most veggies?  And you know, it’s not like I really hate most veggies, there are just a lot of things I happen to like better.  Of course I know there aren’t a lot of things that are healthier for me than veggies…guess it’s time to act like an adult and do what’s good for me…but I like being a kid…waaaaaaaa!!

I did strength training and range of motion exercises before work, walked 30 minutes and went crazy with the walking at work…seriously, I’ve got  to dig out those pedometers to see how far I’m really walking at work.  Great motivation too, kind of get that competitive spirit going.

Do you compete against yourself with your exercise or in another area of your life?

Poor little tired Spooky.  Kind of looks like she’s  ready for a camping trip, doesn’t it?

The long and winding road to fitness, day 80

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Sweet…80 days..and today was a pretty good day on the eating and exercising front.  Maybe, just maybe, I’ve got this thing turned around again.

I walked, biked, did core strength training and some stretches today…oh yeah, and worked a truck…lots of ladder climbing, running around and lifting heavy (and some not so heavy) boxes.

I also ate well today.  I have tomorrow’s meals and snacks packed.  Yes, you heard me…tomorrow…Chris said he needed me to come in for a while tomorrow so I went ahead and packed up my healthier food options.  We’re going in at 5 am and I can guarantee you I won’t feel like cutting up cantaloupe before I go.

This is going to have to be super short tonight because I really, really need to get some sleep.  How was everyone’s day after Labor Day?

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The long and winding road to fitness, day 74

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Wild and crazy day today.  Absolutely gorgeous weather this morning…all day, really…the sunrise was breath taking..I wish I’d taken the time to take a picture, but I didn’t.  I was kind of running behind on my way to work…same old song and dance, I’m afraid.  Stay up too late, sleep a little later, then rush around getting ready.  At least I have tomorrow off, although I’ve been considering going in for a few hours just to get some work done.  We’ll see…

I didn’t eat enough veggies today, but I did manage to get in three fruits…only three veggies for the day, should have at least two additional servings.  I finished the day with 1575 calories, so I’m not complaining.

I walked for 40 minutes and did a few core exercises.   Not quite as much exercise as I’d like, but it’s certainly better than nothing.  I feel some dancing on the agenda for tomorrow.  That reminds me, I just saw the announcement for the cast of Dancing With The Stars.  I’m not sure about this season.  Of course, I say that just about every season and then end up really liking a couple of the stars.  I’ve watched this show since the beginning, always dreaming that I was up there on the stage dancing with one of those gorgeous dancers…whew!!  I’ve really got to get back to my dancing…dancing and running have been the best exercises for me as far as weight loss goes.

So, what exercise helps you the most with weight loss/maintenance?  Do you do it because you enjoy it or because it helps you control your weight and feel better?  For me, dancing is something that I love, it always puts a smile on my face.  Running makes me feel good (well, back when I was running) I think, in part, because I’ve set a goal and worked toward it.  Why in the world do we stop doing the things that make us feel good?

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The long and winding road to fitness, day 71

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A much, much better day today.  Ate healthy food, fruits and veggies, whole grains…stayed right at 1600 calories for the day.  So I feel better today, feel like I managed to get right back with it rather than allowing myself to stumble over the cliff of overeating.  I had a Morningstar Farms veggie BBQ rib thing for lunch along with whole wheat pasta salad and veggies…very tasty and filling.

I rode the exercise bike today and did core exercises.  I kind of took it a little easier today, trying to rest up a little from this crazy work week.  But I’m ready to hit the exercise hard tomorrow.  A walk first thing in the morning is in order.  I think I’ll end up on the exercise bike again at some point tomorrow.

I planned to go to Kroger this morning, but changed my mind when I realized I didn’t really need anything and that I was daydreaming about ice cream and pizza…I knew I didn’t need either of those things and was kind of concerned that I’d end up buying one or the other (or both) and eating too much of something that isn’t really all that good for me.  So I just didn’t go and saved myself a lot of calories and money!

On the agenda for tomorrow…cooking.  I need to cook some food to take to work and possibly a batch of fruit muffins to put in the freezer.  I’m going to be better prepared this week.  I’m going to take my lunch instead of eating fast food or vending machine junk.  It’s all in the planning and preparation…

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The long and winding road to fitness, day 69

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Oh my, am I ever tired tonight!!  We had a huge truck come in today and that’s what I spent my entire workday doing…well, okay, I did set up some interviews with some job applicants for tomorrow and we did sing happy birthday to Allen in front of all the customers…do you think he enjoyed that? Does anyone ever really enjoy that?  So why do we continue to do it to people?  I guess our thought is that we had to endure it so they should too.

I walked for over an hour today, did upper body strength training and then there was all that walking and lifting I did at work…good day with the exercise, for sure.

Believe it or not, my eating wasn’t too bad even with all that food everyone brought in to work today.  I still finished the day at just under 1900 calories so managed to achieve my goal of consuming less than 2000 calories for the day.  Now to just get right back with my healthy eating tomorrow.  At least everyone took their leftovers home, so all of that good home cooking won’t be staring me in the face tomorrow.

It was really a nice day to be outside today.  I almost didn’t mind working outside for close to five hours…”almost” being the operative word.  But at least we had cooler temps and lower humidity.

I have one more day to work and then it’s that wonderful, glorious thing that only comes around every once in a while…a weekend off.  I have no real plans for my weekend.  I’m thinking farmers market Saturday morning, then who knows?

What have you got planned for the weekend?

The long and winding road to fitness, day 67

I had the day off work today and accomplished virtually nothing all day.  I worked 12 hours yesterday, woke up aching this morning.  It hurt to walk, my hands were hurting, everything was hurting.  I pulled myself out of bed, wobbled around for a bit until I loosened up.  Then I  fed the cats, gathered the trash and took a walk.  The sun hadn’t even peeked over the horizon yet.  There was a cool breeze ruffling my hair, the birds were serenading me, and there wasn’t another person in sight.  I love walking in this kind of weather, early in the morning before the rest of the world wakes up and gets crazy.

When I came back in to the house, I was still hurting so I decided to take a couple of Advil and go back to bed.  I laid in bed reading, constantly shifting positions trying to find  some way to make the pain go away.  I eventually dozed off and slept for a little over an hour.  I felt a little better after napping, but still didn’t feel like doing much of anything.

That’s pretty much how my day went.  I did hop on the exercise bike (okay, “hop” may be too active a way to describe what I did…maybe I should have said “I gently eased myself onto the exercise bike”) and stuck with it for 15 minutes…I have to tell you, I really wanted to quit after about 3 minutes, but I didn’t.  That kind of feels like success to me today.  I also did six core exercises today and some stretching.  So not a bad day of exercise considering how lousy I felt for most of the day.

Today was going to be a day of pushing myself as far as the exercise went, but I just couldn’t do it.  It wasn’t lack of desire on my part, it was just my body telling me to take it easy.  I guess working 12 hours the day before might not be conducive to a power workout, at least not for me at this point in my life.

My eating was okay today primarily because I just didn’t feel well enough to eat much.  I finished the day with a little under 1400 calories.  I did prepare a pasta salad with veggies and hard-boiled eggs.  I ate that for my dinner tonight (sorry, no pictures) and will take it for lunch for the remainder of the week.  I almost always use whole wheat pasta these days, so it’s a little healthier…very quick and easy lunch for tomorrow.

I’m going to make myself go to bed a little earlier tonight and keep my fingers crossed that tomorrow will be a day with less pain.  I’m not even asking for a day free of pain, just to be able to manage it a little better than I did today.

The long and winding road to fitness, day 63

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Oh, I was in a much better mood today…I got in an adequate amount of sleep last night…and I didn’t let myself get overly hungry either…plus I only had to work part of the day since I went in and worked on my Sunday off.  Combine all of those elements and you’ve got a happy girl on your hands!!

When I left work today, I stopped at Kroger for a few groceries.  You will not believe this (I can hardly believe it myself), but I bought diet Pepsi today.  What?  I’d gone how long without it only to cave and buy it today? But I did, and you know what?  It still tastes just as good as it ever did.  Do they put something in those things that make them addictive?  Don’t say it’s the caffeine…there’s plenty of caffeine in coffee and tea, but coffee and tea don’t call out to me like a diet Pepsi does.  One of these days…I swear, one of these days I will succeed in giving it up for good.  Someday but not today.

I rode the exercise bike this evening…the nice thing about an exercise bike is I can read from my stack of magazines while I get in a cardio workout.  I’ve got to do something to reduce that pile of magazines, guess I better put in a lot of miles on that bike, huh? 

My eating was so so today…I know I didn’t have enough veggies once again.  But I made up my cucumber, tomato and onion salad to take to work tomorrow…so I’ll be sure to get in a couple more servings tomorrow.  I bought an Asian pear at the grocery store today.  I don’t think I’ve ever had one of these, not being the biggest of pear fans.  But they looked interesting, so I said, “why not?”.  I’ll let you know if that goes on my like list of freggies.

It looks kind of like an apple, doesn’t it?

I also bought a box of the Fiber One brownies…this time I thought I’d try the peanut butter ones.

If these can keep me from buying  something sweet from the vending machine at work, it’ll save me about 250 calories a day…I can go for that!

Now I’m ready to make some salsa…I’ve got a few tomatoes that will be ripe in another day or two…then watch out!  Salsa!!  Was it on the Seinfeld show where they kept saying “salsa” over and over again?  I can’t help myself…there are just some words that I enjoy saying repeatedly, and salsa is one of them…along with origami…okay, now you’re getting a clue into how crazy I really am…not serial killer crazy, just crazy in a weird way…

Do you have any quirky little mannerisms you’d like to share with the rest of us?  Come on, don’t leave me hanging here by myself.

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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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