There is that saying that you have to hit rock bottom to want to climb back up. I am currently standing at the bottom of a sheer rock wall with no chinks I can see for hand or foot holds, no ropes to climb, no elevators or escalators. the only way I can climb this wall is with sheer guts, hard work, sacrifice, commitment and determination.
I will share, I am 5'3, 38 years old and I weigh a whopping 234! Gasp! Awful, terrible, but I am putting it out there for anyone who might be reading this that feels like they have let themselves go to the point that there is no hope left even trying. I am going to try. Watch me! I am so upset and disgusted! I want that scale to say 134.
SO, I have heard that spinning is a great workout and burns calories. I need both. I tried spinning on Tuesday, and OMG talk about humiliation!
The pros:
Fantatic loud music
Dark room
No one looks at me this get Many points
Everyone is sweaty and smelly just like me
I can go at my own pace
Nice intructors that tell you to go at your own pace
The cons:
The Gnomes
It kills
It is so hard you want to cry
The humiliation
Ok so the Pros outweigh the cons because the cons as you can see is just me whining. There is no whining at rock bottom allowed if you want to climb that wall.
The Gnomes you might ask what are they? Well, you may have experienced this, when you try to do a lift on the bike you suddenly feel, or I do, a sharp stabbing pain in your quads as if someone has stabbed a knife into them. It is the Gnomes, the spinning Gnomes! They live in the spin room and torture all people that come in there and stab their quads with Gnome knifes when they do a lift. Ok, maybe not, maybe the Gnomes are just a story, I created to make myself feel better about my pathetic quads.
The short of it, is that there are more pros than cons. Now I am a pathetic spinner, it is humiliating, but if I want to get out of lumpy state, I have to let myself feel humiliated or I won't try. I love that it is in a dark room, it really allows you to focus on yourself and get in a sort of spinning zen. I love that you can do it at your own pace. Everyone else is doing all the lifts, but I do what I can and it is OK and no one is looking at me, it is in the dark and they are all in too much pain too. I can adjust my tension my way. There are no numbers, so you don't feel badly about yourself if your cranking it up is different that the perfect skinny person next to you.
Does it hurt, yep. After both classes have I felt like I might puke, collapse and have my legs not be able to walk. But, it feels good, because it is a workout. A workout I need.
I highly recommend spinning and I am going to continue it Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30am at the Y. Come join me!!
Watch out for those Gnomes though, they are nasty and mean!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Lumpy has a new workout plan!
I have a new routine that is reasonable for me to follow, so I am going to work on following it to see if I can maximise weight loss by varying my activities and working all sorts of different muscles. I want to strength train at the same time that I am doing different cardiovascular workouts. Of course at the same time I am working on my nutrition and intake. I am trying to increase my protein, eat more green eat less starch, cut down sugar and sob alcohol, yada yada.
Here is my proposed schedule:
Monday: walk/run 5 miles
Tuesday: Spin class
Wednesday: walk/run 5 miles
Thursday: Spin class
Friday: walk/run 5miles
Saturday:swim
Sunday: long run
Every day that I can, I am going to try to mix in a P90x tape for strength training, really need to strengthen my core. Still considering whether it is worth it to invest in a trainer to help me jump start this core strength. I need s Jillian to kick my butt!
I am starting off slow and by that I mean walking rather than diving into running every time, because I want to drop weight to reduce the pounding of all that extra weight on my joints and honestly, for my muscles, walking 5 miles right now is a great workout and makes them sore.
If anyone wants to join me for any or the above, please come! The walking days, I will have Daisy too!
I am looking forward to seeing if all this activity helps me drop the weight as I have a lot to drop, sigh.
First race on the books is April 10, either a 5 miler in Marblehead or a 5k in NH depending on things out of my control or if Bella dances that day neither!
Here is my proposed schedule:
Monday: walk/run 5 miles
Tuesday: Spin class
Wednesday: walk/run 5 miles
Thursday: Spin class
Friday: walk/run 5miles
Saturday:swim
Sunday: long run
Every day that I can, I am going to try to mix in a P90x tape for strength training, really need to strengthen my core. Still considering whether it is worth it to invest in a trainer to help me jump start this core strength. I need s Jillian to kick my butt!
I am starting off slow and by that I mean walking rather than diving into running every time, because I want to drop weight to reduce the pounding of all that extra weight on my joints and honestly, for my muscles, walking 5 miles right now is a great workout and makes them sore.
If anyone wants to join me for any or the above, please come! The walking days, I will have Daisy too!
I am looking forward to seeing if all this activity helps me drop the weight as I have a lot to drop, sigh.
First race on the books is April 10, either a 5 miler in Marblehead or a 5k in NH depending on things out of my control or if Bella dances that day neither!
Friday, March 18, 2011
10 Reasons You Might Suspect You Are A Runner
I am a runner which by my definition means that I run as my hobby and one of my sports and that I enjoy it. I am a slow and overweight runner with no style form or pizazz, but I am still a runner. I have been known to be passed at races by people walking, by men and women older than 80 and once by a woman who was running on crutches with only one leg, but I do consider myself a runner. It is also always easy to find my standings in any race I run, just go to the bottom of the results and start from there, you should find my name within the first 3 names, but alas, I am still a runner and PROUD OF IT!
Are you a runner? Here are the top 10 Reasons according to me, that you mights suspect you are a runner.
10. When doing your taxes, you add up how much money you have spent on races, running sneakers, GU, Band aids, Running clothes, sunglasses, hats, hydration belts, ect. and gasp when you realize it all totals in the thousands. You remember when you convinced your partner and friends and family that you were picking up running as a hobby because it was an inexpensive hobby that required no equipment.
9. When driving or walking if you see another runner go by you stare at them to the point where you almost walk into a tree or veer or the road; checking out everything about them from their gait to their sneakers. You wonder what their pace is, which training plan they follow if they cross train and if you have seen them before at any races. Yep, admit it, you have done this if you are a runner.
8. When you hear a new peppy song on the radio, you envision yourself running to that song and go download it from itunes onto your ipod.
7. In your spare time, you visit the site http://www.coolrunning.com/ and plot out and register for your next races. You also check for races in other towns you might be visiting, just in case you can squeeze one in.
6. You know what PR means and you can easily tell someone what yours' is if asked.
5. You can hold a conversation for 30-45 minutes on the art of hydration!
4. You are constantly thinking about your next run and do things like take drives, just to map out and measure new routes.
3. You have a ridiculous number of t-shirts in your closet from races you have collected.
2. You dream about medals.
1. You do crazy things like get up at 3am to go run in the dark, in the cold, in the snow, in the rain, in the heat in the humidity and you like it!
I would say that if you said yes to any of the above you are a runner in my definition, now get out there and go run!
Are you a runner? Here are the top 10 Reasons according to me, that you mights suspect you are a runner.
10. When doing your taxes, you add up how much money you have spent on races, running sneakers, GU, Band aids, Running clothes, sunglasses, hats, hydration belts, ect. and gasp when you realize it all totals in the thousands. You remember when you convinced your partner and friends and family that you were picking up running as a hobby because it was an inexpensive hobby that required no equipment.
9. When driving or walking if you see another runner go by you stare at them to the point where you almost walk into a tree or veer or the road; checking out everything about them from their gait to their sneakers. You wonder what their pace is, which training plan they follow if they cross train and if you have seen them before at any races. Yep, admit it, you have done this if you are a runner.
8. When you hear a new peppy song on the radio, you envision yourself running to that song and go download it from itunes onto your ipod.
7. In your spare time, you visit the site http://www.coolrunning.com/ and plot out and register for your next races. You also check for races in other towns you might be visiting, just in case you can squeeze one in.
6. You know what PR means and you can easily tell someone what yours' is if asked.
5. You can hold a conversation for 30-45 minutes on the art of hydration!
4. You are constantly thinking about your next run and do things like take drives, just to map out and measure new routes.
3. You have a ridiculous number of t-shirts in your closet from races you have collected.
2. You dream about medals.
1. You do crazy things like get up at 3am to go run in the dark, in the cold, in the snow, in the rain, in the heat in the humidity and you like it!
I would say that if you said yes to any of the above you are a runner in my definition, now get out there and go run!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
This is a lot harder than I thought it would be!
2 years ago, I made a life altering decision. I realized I was obese, unhealthy, a couch potato. I had let myself go. To my credit, it was not like I had nothing to do. I had had 4 children in 6 years, one who is severely disabled by Autism. My husband was finishing his residency board requirements and working full time, so I was essentially a single parent. All of this stress and toll led to me being 100 pounds overweight. I signed up for the Disney 2010 1/2 marathon, joined an amazing running team, Team All Ears Running with Purpose and starting working on changing my life.
If you had asked me 2 years ago where I would be today, I would have told you that I would be a pixie by now and running sub 10 minutes miles and probably have done about 2 iron mans by now. Well, I have made incredible progress, lost 40 pounds, gained 20 back, run countless races including 1 marathon and 2 half marathons, changed my family's entire eating habits and gotten us all more active in general.
Here is the big Question. Am I a pixie? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! It is very frustrating.
This is so much harder than I thought it was going to be!
When I cam up with the blog name A Journey at that time I really thought it would be more like a quick skip or a run, but it has in fact turned out to be a journey.
Am I giving up? No Way! I am more determined and resolved than ever. I know that due responsibilities for my children and family and my career, that sometimes, well actually a lot this past year, my exercise has had to take a step back. However, with spring here and my frustration level high, I am going to continue this journey and focus on my progress and the progress I have made on my journey.
Please keep sending me support and I promise I will be more accountable with consistent training, more weight loss and more blog posts!
If you had asked me 2 years ago where I would be today, I would have told you that I would be a pixie by now and running sub 10 minutes miles and probably have done about 2 iron mans by now. Well, I have made incredible progress, lost 40 pounds, gained 20 back, run countless races including 1 marathon and 2 half marathons, changed my family's entire eating habits and gotten us all more active in general.
Here is the big Question. Am I a pixie? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! It is very frustrating.
This is so much harder than I thought it was going to be!
When I cam up with the blog name A Journey at that time I really thought it would be more like a quick skip or a run, but it has in fact turned out to be a journey.
Am I giving up? No Way! I am more determined and resolved than ever. I know that due responsibilities for my children and family and my career, that sometimes, well actually a lot this past year, my exercise has had to take a step back. However, with spring here and my frustration level high, I am going to continue this journey and focus on my progress and the progress I have made on my journey.
Please keep sending me support and I promise I will be more accountable with consistent training, more weight loss and more blog posts!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Belly Blob
Why is it that you don't realize how really far gone you have let yourself go, until you really start paying attention to your body and finally start losing weight and them it smacks you in your face like walking into a brick wall with spiky nails sticking out.
Well, I am so mad about my belly blob. Disgusting I know, but it is all I can think about all day. I hate the feeling when I sit down and I feel the blob, I hate when I run, it jiggles, I hate everything about my stomach and have fantasies about tummy tucks and lipo, but I am going to do this the hard way through diet and exercise. I never realized how many inches I could actually pinch on my stomach until I started paying attention a few months ago. Now that my waist and my arms and my legs have been shrinking, my belly blog is more pronounced.
Anyone else have this problem? I am dreaming of a flat, hard stomach, so I will keep working on my diet.
Had a bad eating day yesterday, when you can say you ate pizza, some fries and some chips in the same day, ouch, it was a rough one, but today is a new day!
Ran 5 miles yesterday and that officially kicked off my training for the Salem wicked half marathon and the Boston 1/2 marathon, trying to decide if I am going to run the goofy in January or not, maybe I will create a poll.
Have to kick off my fundraising for breast cancer, please share any creative idea you have for me for fundraising.
Back to work, this weight loss thing is a full time job.
Well, I am so mad about my belly blob. Disgusting I know, but it is all I can think about all day. I hate the feeling when I sit down and I feel the blob, I hate when I run, it jiggles, I hate everything about my stomach and have fantasies about tummy tucks and lipo, but I am going to do this the hard way through diet and exercise. I never realized how many inches I could actually pinch on my stomach until I started paying attention a few months ago. Now that my waist and my arms and my legs have been shrinking, my belly blog is more pronounced.
Anyone else have this problem? I am dreaming of a flat, hard stomach, so I will keep working on my diet.
Had a bad eating day yesterday, when you can say you ate pizza, some fries and some chips in the same day, ouch, it was a rough one, but today is a new day!
Ran 5 miles yesterday and that officially kicked off my training for the Salem wicked half marathon and the Boston 1/2 marathon, trying to decide if I am going to run the goofy in January or not, maybe I will create a poll.
Have to kick off my fundraising for breast cancer, please share any creative idea you have for me for fundraising.
Back to work, this weight loss thing is a full time job.
The Belly Blob
Why is it that you don't realize how really far gone you have let yourself go, until you really start paying attention to your body and finally start losing weight and them it smacks you in your face like walking into a brick wall with spiky nails sticking out.
Well, I am so mad about my belly blob. Disgusting I know, but it is all I can think about all day. I hate the feeling when I sit down and I feel the blob, I hate when I run, it jiggles, I hate everything about my stomach and have fantasies about tummy tucks and lipo, but I am going to do this the hard way through diet and exercise. I never realized how many inches I could actually pinch on my stomach until I started paying attention a few months ago. Now that my waist and my arms and my legs have been shrinking, my belly blog is more pronounced.
Anyone else have this problem? I am dreaming of a flat, hard stomach, so I will keep working on my diet.
Had a bad eating day yesterday, when you can say you ate pizza, some fries and some chips in the same day, ouch, it was a rough one, but today is a new day!
Ran 5 miles yesterday and that officially kicked off my training for the Salem wicked half marathon and the Boston 1/2 marathon, trying to decide if I am going to run the goofy in January or not, maybe I will create a poll.
Have to kick off my fundraising for breast cancer, please share any creative idea you have for me for fundraising.
Back to work, this weight loss thing is a full time job.
Well, I am so mad about my belly blob. Disgusting I know, but it is all I can think about all day. I hate the feeling when I sit down and I feel the blob, I hate when I run, it jiggles, I hate everything about my stomach and have fantasies about tummy tucks and lipo, but I am going to do this the hard way through diet and exercise. I never realized how many inches I could actually pinch on my stomach until I started paying attention a few months ago. Now that my waist and my arms and my legs have been shrinking, my belly blog is more pronounced.
Anyone else have this problem? I am dreaming of a flat, hard stomach, so I will keep working on my diet.
Had a bad eating day yesterday, when you can say you ate pizza, some fries and some chips in the same day, ouch, it was a rough one, but today is a new day!
Ran 5 miles yesterday and that officially kicked off my training for the Salem wicked half marathon and the Boston 1/2 marathon, trying to decide if I am going to run the goofy in January or not, maybe I will create a poll.
Have to kick off my fundraising for breast cancer, please share any creative idea you have for me for fundraising.
Back to work, this weight loss thing is a full time job.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
More Recipies
Here are some more recipes, that we have made. I try to cook with all the kids since they are more likely to try it of they have helped to make it.
Zuchinni Pancakes
2-3 zuchinnis shredded
low fat cheese
a few tablespoons of whole wheat flour
olive oil
salt and pepper
scoop of flax and wheat germ
2 eggs
You can really make this with lots of veggies and sweet potatoes, summer squash, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, ect.
Shred the zucchinis and press out extra moisture, mix with flour, cheese, salt and pepper, flour, flax and wheat germ and eggs, mix all together. In a pan on medium high heat, put is a swirl of olive oil, they do not need to deep fry. Form small pancakes and fry on either side until brown.
Easy sauce that is good for dipping meat, veggies and pancakes in.
Plain greek yogurt
Fresh basil
Fresh minced garlic
Lemon juice
salt and pepper
Chop basil and minced garlic and mix with a few scoops of greek yogurt to make a delicious side sauce.
You can also substitute herbs, for example if you grill peaches or pineapple for a dessert you could mix with fresh mint and a squirt of honey instead for a delicious topping.
Crunchy Chicken
Chicken tenders
Whole Wheat Panko Crumbs
Eggs
Whole Wheat Flour
salt and pepper
Set up the dipping station, fill one container with whole wheat Flour seasoned with salt and pepper, one with two beaten eggs and one with panko crumbs
Take eat chicken tender and dip in the flour to coat, then the egg, then the panko crumbs. The kids love to do this!!!
Then bake on a sheet in a 375 oven for 20-30 minutes and you have crunchy chicken!!
Sliders
The possibilities are endless for sliders, you can use ground bison, beef, sirloin, chicken or turkey. You can add spinach, onions, peppers, cheeses, tomatoes, shredded broccoli, really anything. This is what we made and they were delicious!
Ground beef 90%
scoop of wheat germ and flax
1 egg
low fat shredded cheddar
spinach
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and using a slider make press the tiny burgers into shape. Then grill on a grill pan and serve, easy, simple and yummy.
Get creative!
Home made Mac and Cheese
Cooked whole wheat pasta of your choice.
small pat of kates butter
low fat shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
nutmeg
skim milk
Put the cooked pasta in a baking dish and preheat oven to 375.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, cheese and milk together and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. When all melted together pour over the pasta, you can top with panko crumbs for a crunchy top and bake for 20 minutes.
Spinach salad and grilled shrimp
shrimp
seasoning of choice, some ideas, old bay, cajun, salt and peppper, ect.
lemon
Spinach
walnuts
dried cranberries
red onions
garlic
olive oil
balsamic
Coast the shrimp in seasoning of choice and grill in a grill pan until cooked and then squeeze fresh lemon juice at the end.
Toss spinach leaves, walnuts, diced red onion and dried cranberries with minced garlic, olive oil and balsamic. Top with the grilled shrimp and enjoy!
Zuchinni Pancakes
2-3 zuchinnis shredded
low fat cheese
a few tablespoons of whole wheat flour
olive oil
salt and pepper
scoop of flax and wheat germ
2 eggs
You can really make this with lots of veggies and sweet potatoes, summer squash, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, ect.
Shred the zucchinis and press out extra moisture, mix with flour, cheese, salt and pepper, flour, flax and wheat germ and eggs, mix all together. In a pan on medium high heat, put is a swirl of olive oil, they do not need to deep fry. Form small pancakes and fry on either side until brown.
Easy sauce that is good for dipping meat, veggies and pancakes in.
Plain greek yogurt
Fresh basil
Fresh minced garlic
Lemon juice
salt and pepper
Chop basil and minced garlic and mix with a few scoops of greek yogurt to make a delicious side sauce.
You can also substitute herbs, for example if you grill peaches or pineapple for a dessert you could mix with fresh mint and a squirt of honey instead for a delicious topping.
Crunchy Chicken
Chicken tenders
Whole Wheat Panko Crumbs
Eggs
Whole Wheat Flour
salt and pepper
Set up the dipping station, fill one container with whole wheat Flour seasoned with salt and pepper, one with two beaten eggs and one with panko crumbs
Take eat chicken tender and dip in the flour to coat, then the egg, then the panko crumbs. The kids love to do this!!!
Then bake on a sheet in a 375 oven for 20-30 minutes and you have crunchy chicken!!
Sliders
The possibilities are endless for sliders, you can use ground bison, beef, sirloin, chicken or turkey. You can add spinach, onions, peppers, cheeses, tomatoes, shredded broccoli, really anything. This is what we made and they were delicious!
Ground beef 90%
scoop of wheat germ and flax
1 egg
low fat shredded cheddar
spinach
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and using a slider make press the tiny burgers into shape. Then grill on a grill pan and serve, easy, simple and yummy.
Get creative!
Home made Mac and Cheese
Cooked whole wheat pasta of your choice.
small pat of kates butter
low fat shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
nutmeg
skim milk
Put the cooked pasta in a baking dish and preheat oven to 375.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, cheese and milk together and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. When all melted together pour over the pasta, you can top with panko crumbs for a crunchy top and bake for 20 minutes.
Spinach salad and grilled shrimp
shrimp
seasoning of choice, some ideas, old bay, cajun, salt and peppper, ect.
lemon
Spinach
walnuts
dried cranberries
red onions
garlic
olive oil
balsamic
Coast the shrimp in seasoning of choice and grill in a grill pan until cooked and then squeeze fresh lemon juice at the end.
Toss spinach leaves, walnuts, diced red onion and dried cranberries with minced garlic, olive oil and balsamic. Top with the grilled shrimp and enjoy!
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