Thoughts of exercise

I’m going through a period where all I can think about is exercise and food. When I’m not actively in the process of exercise I’m reading about it. I read food labels on every little thing I buy. I bought honey yesterday that didn’t have a label and I wondered what was in it. I assume it was 100% honey but with no label who knows. I’m eating cleanly and it shows in my energy level and my desire to stay up off the couch. My new favorite magazine is Oxygen. It’s published by the same folks who publish Clean Eating. It doesn’t have all the fluff that some other fitness magazines have. I’ve even subscribed to it. Can’t wait until the next issue.

I’m starting to add elevation when I walk on the treadmill. I’m still not very fast after my ankle injury but I’m building endurance. Yesterday at 1.0 elevation and 2.2 mph it felt really good. I felt like I was working and not just rehabbing an injury. I think I might be in the market for a Garmin thingy. I like having all the data. Any suggestions from those who use one?

More later…

Out of the way

I nearly got flattened on my way up the stairs today. One of our cardiologists was actually running up the stairs. I jumped out of the way when I heard him round the corner where I was trudging up. It must be good aerobically if a cardiologist was doing it.

I also did 40 min on the treadmill at .5 elevation and 3.0 mph. I'm getting a little faster each time.

For breakfast I had 1/2 cup gluten-free granola with organic vanilla yogurt and 1/2 c frozen blueberries. The granola had raisins in it that were like rocks. I ended up picking them out. For lunch I had a slice of ham with cooked zucchini, a baked sweet potato and a banana. As a snack this afternoon I had a rather large apple and I'm going to eat my container of yogurt after I finish this post.

Good day so far. Kansas had quite a few storms last night including 3 tornadoes down south. While I was in my kitchen cooking I heard water dripping and it sounded like it was coming from my ceiling. There was no wet spot this morning so maybe it was my imagination. I hope so anyway. I hate leaks.

More later...

Salad Day

Friday must be salad day at our cafeteria. Everything on the hot food line was breaded or battered. I mixed spinach, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, a couple of cubes of swiss cheese and I added a small can of tuna from my stash. I also ate a banana. I imagine there will be a container of yogurt this afternoon and an apple which won't survive til Monday.

I walked on the treadmill this morning for 30 min at 2.8 mph and 1.0 elevation. It wasn't long enough but I didn't want to clock-in late. I parked as far away from the building as I could and I did the stairs from the basement to the 7th floor. I'm going to do some stretching this afternoon and this weekend I'm going to curl up with a green monster and two issues of Outside that I borrowed from the library.

Yum.

Have an exercise filled weekend...

Washburn

I had a great walk on Saturday. I live a few blocks from the local university and for some time now I've wanted to walk the perimeter of the campus. It's two miles not counting walking from my house to the campus. I did it in 59 minutes and a few seconds. The weather was cool and the sky was mostly blue. It's a pleasant neighborhood, the sidewalks are in excellent shape, and there were lots of folks out running, walking animals and riding bikes. I felt like part of the fitness community and look forward to other walks in the coming weeks.

This morning I did my 40 minutes on the treadmill at 2.9 mph. The woman on the one next to me was doing 4.6 mph at a 10.0 elevation. I'm impressed. Something to aspire to right... I also did my 7 flights of stairs and some stretches for my lower body.

More later...

Ripple Effect

I'm getting to a point where when I run into people I haven't seen for awhile they want to know what I'm doing to lose weight, what skin products I'm using, and can they follow me around and do whatever it is that I'm doing. I am at a loss as to how to explain it. I'm not "on a diet" and I use soap, water, and a lotion with SPF. This journey started about a year ago and I changed one thing. I started putting frozen blueberries in my cereal. When that became a habit I started having two servings of vegetables for lunch. I kept adding healthy foods and the healthy foods just kinda pushed out the unhealthier ones. I didn't give up anything. After a few months I started doing some yoga every day, I then added walking around the block everyday. I kept adding blocks until I was walking for half an hour. Now - the only thing that has changed about my life is everything. It's the ripple effect in action. But everyone wants a quick solution and this journey hasn't been quick. I seek progress not perfection and I do these things one day at a time and it's working for me. I've got a long road to go but taking small steps makes the process nearly invisible.

Today was a 40 minute session on the treadmill at 2.8 mph. It felt good. Did I periodically want to stop - yes. Did I stop - no. I kept telling myself how the rest of my day would go knowing I'd gone the entire 40 minutes. I also thought about how disappointed I would be if I didn't.

Then for lunch my boss is out of town today so my co-worker and I decided on Mexican. I had a bean tostado, a ripe banana, and a big container of ice water. It tasted good. It wasn't diet food and it satisfied me for now.

Sorry about the rant...

Treadmill morning

This morning was a wonderful 40 min walk on the treadmill. I'm up to 2.7 mph which may not sound like much but a couple of months ago I could barely do 2.0 mph. I'm working on endurance more than speed right now anyway. It felt good. I worked up a healthy sweat. It is definitely neat to have a gym so close to my cubicle. It's a benefit of working for the hospital.

Last night I fixed some brown basmati rice with french cut green beans, brussels sprouts, onions and a can of tuna. Very satisfying. I think I'll add some canned tomatoes next time. I've ordered some garlic sprinkles from Kath's (KERF) Open Sky store. I love adding garlic to everything and she seems to like this brand a lot.

Glad it's hump day...

Treadmill trials

It was stormy this morning and I do not like walking while carrying an umbrella so I left at the same time I would have if I were walking to work. Parked my car, left my stuff at my desk, and walked down the hall to the fitness center. I love that it's so close - no excuses. I used the treadmill. It was one of those mornings when I simply sailed along. I could have walked a lot longer but my director would not have been happy if I told her I was late because I couldn't bear to hop off the treadmill.

Last night I tried sweet potato fries for the first time. Yum. I couldn't stand to eat them with ketchup though so I sprinkled them with a little cinnamon/sugar. It's a good thing I didn't fix the whole bag because I would have eaten the whole thing.

Looking forward to the weekend.

More later...

Green Monsters

I finally had my first green monster. It was a simple one like the one in Polly's video "Polly goes green". This morning I started the day with one - 1 ripe frozen banana, 1 c vanilla almond breeze and a bunch of spinach, blend til smooth. This is the first one I've had then gone to work so we'll see how well it will hold me.

*** Update ***

I didn't make it to lunch. I had to have a piece of fruit and a handful of almonds. I think maybe if I get some protein powder or get up the nerve to put Barney Butter in it would help satisfy me longer.

I worked nights this weekend. For those of you who have experienced working nights you can testify to the upside down feeling when you flip back to days. I'm going to go walk on the treadmill. Green monsters and a walk - good ways to start off the week.

Treadmill - Day 2

My walk this morning felt much easier. I was more steady and actually took my hands off the railings for a few. I didn't add minutes but I did increase speed so I went farther. I got up to 2.5 today. I think I could get used to this. I know this about walking for exercise: No matter how bad you feel when you start you feel better by the time you've finished.

Last night's meal was a nibbler's delight. I had fresh zucchini strips, red pepper strips, and organic baby carrots with a scoop of raw hummus to dip them in. I topped them off with an Activia prune yogurt and a bowl of sliced strawberries with a little brown sugar sprinkled on them. I also brewed some Lipton's Peach Tea and put it in the fridge to cool. So today I can have iced tea. I'm starting to crave fresh fruits and vegetables. That's a good thing !

For lunch today I had a baked chicken breast w/stuffing, carrots, and green beans w/almonds. I also had a cup of watermelon chunks. I wasn't going to eat the stuffing (it came w/the chicken) but I couldn't resist a bite. It was SO salty. Prepared foods are beginning to taste almost unbearably salty. That's good thing. My body isn't craving salt.

Treadmill Trek

This morning, during the time I usually allow for reading blogs, I went to the fitness center. It's just down the hall from the library so distance and convenience aren't good excuses not to go. I walked. Boy am I slow. I used to walk between 3.5-4.0 mph. This morning 2.1 was pushing it. I felt unsteady. I haven't done much exercise walking since my accident last fall and the lack of movement really shows. I'm proud though because I did something toward getting better. I felt good when I got off. I think it's better to do something than do nothing. Progress not perfection...