thinnest of the dog group

I’m not often impressed, but  I’ve read some blogs on this site lately that blow me away, they’re so articulate! Wow! I’m in good company.

I walk over 2 hours each day… my goal is to ramp up the intensity. Walking faster, with more motion. Running a little, on a suddenly clicking knee. Counting steps, then minutes then miles.  The dog stops me sometimes, but he’s going faster too.

Took him out with the bike last weekend and he was awesome!!

Put it all together. Track, Chew, Stay in the moment, Plan, Control Cravings. One or even three out of five doesn’t cut it.

Today I will track. I walked only 30-40 mins this AM in heavy, cold rain.

Posted on June 19th, 2009 by jaxie
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OK - now for the second half. I’ve plateau-ed for 6 months, now I’m moving on.

Taking advantage of the long light filled days, coming back to my blog, tracking, getting up extra early for a longer walk, wanting to run, walking - jogging at the beach evenings and mornings, tracking what I’m eating online. 

Evenings and weekends it’s still hard to track because the last place I want to be is sitting at the computer. Weekdays I have no choice, I’m here anyhow and can take a minute to blog and log… and read other posts.

Posted on June 11th, 2009 by jaxie
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In the 60’s I hiked. Backpacked in the mountains, cross-country and downhill skied in the winter, rode my bike in between.

In the 70s, making very little money as a school librarian, and ran. I started with a half mile, then a mile, then two. Quit smoking for good. I ran every day, I ran when I couldn’t sleep, on hot nights, snowy evenings, early mornings. I rode my bike for 30 - 40 mile loops when I wasn’t running, working or sewing. I made all my clothes, except t-shirts… I remember being excited when the pattern for Calvin Klein jeans came out. I sometimes made jeans from upholstery fabric, tennis shorts from old sheets, tops from linen dishtowels. I spent what little money I had on running shoes, Shaklee vitamins and fabric.  I bought a dozen and a half fresh eggs, fresh vegetables from the farmstands, shellfish and packets of Oodles of Noodles weekly - and cooked it all up together, pretty much every night. I baked loaves of bread, made pizza dough and cinnamon rolls.

In the 80’s I went back to college, became an geologist, moved to an urban part of the state. Traveled a lot. Running became an on and off thing, handy when I was travelling but not an everyday thing anymore. I biked and kayaked on my time off. Longer and longer bike rides. I bought kayaks (4), one for rivers, one for creeks and two for the sea and camping. I spent a lot of time exploring the coast in my sea kayak, camping on the islands. In Spring I paddled down the local whitewater rivers with groups of paddlers.  On a nice weekday summer or fall morning I’d strap my bike and kayak to the car, drive somewhere I wanted to paddle, drop the kayak, drive to the takeout, drop the car, ride the bike back to the kayak, lock the bike to a tree, kayak all day, then load up, drive to the bike, pick it up, and drive home.

In the 90’s I rode my bike more, longer and longer distances. Lots of charity rides, across states, Boston to New York… sometimes I’d ship a bike to a job site and ride it in the evenings after work. I lifted weights, started running again for awhile.  It wasn’t hard to start again, but I began to have sore knees, hips, so I’d lay off. Some hiking, swimming, kayaking, when I had the time.

I still didn’t own a home, have a big circle of friends outside of work. Didn’t own a sofa, a TV. I had 2-3 bikes, 4 kayaks, a small sailboat, skis, snowshoes, racquets, balls, boots, straps. Lots of straps. I got awfully good at tying things to my car or truck. When I saw a cliff out the window on a trip, I’d be out there the next minute or chance I got, climbing up have a look.

After Y2K I bought a house. Biked a lot, still. Camped. Walked. Sometimes hiked with friends, paddled a bit. Ran for a while, 6 months. Started looking for a dog. Got some friends, connections. Got a less active job, biked around town. Got the dog. Walked. Walked more 

I have one kayak now, but the dog doesn’t fit into it and I can’t strap it to the roof of the convertible I drive so it’s in my cellar. I have my x-c skis, but rarely use them, maybe once or twice a winter, my boots give me blisters. Have snowshoes. Have three bikes, the carbon-fiber road bike stays on it’s rack. Last Spring my right knee swelled to twice its size when I rode only a short group ride, I’m reluctant to head off for the day (and I don’t want to leave the dog), so I ride 3-5 miles maybe once a week. My Tai Chi teacher moved out of town.

I walk the dog 2-3 times a day. On the beach. Sometimes around time, early morning, evenings. I walk fast up hills. My legs are strong. I want to run.

I blew up the tires and lubed the folding bike this weekend, put it in the car trunk. I think about running a lot. During my walks, I run a little. I want to run. It won’t be like it was, I know that from the way I shuffle now. It is a shuffle, but it doesn’t have to be. Won’t be, if I start again, keep at it. I read a few things in the Times by Jeff Galloway about run-walk training. That’s how I started running again several times, and I want to do it again.

I’m trying to get free of debt. I’m on a strict self-imposed budget. There was a time when I might have been able to retire in a year or so, but not now. Investments are back at 1990’s level. 20-odd years of saving gone, or gone for now, because I’m an optimist.

But I want to buy some running shoes. I have some ASICS but they’re not very good. I want to run.

Posted on June 9th, 2009 by jaxie
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2009 hasn’t been fun yet. I feel like the people with overinflated egos and super-entitlement issues are crowding me out. Like big balloons, there’s no room for me. To breathe. I’m unhappy, unmoored. I was doing so well last year, but now… not.

Desperation from the Marketing folks.  In the food labeling world, Marketing is on one side and regulations are on the other…and I’m the enforcer. So what I perceive as a barrage of pure make believe “what-if…” “let’s pretend…” etc. is just no fun. Suspending judgement and belief isn’t the point when you’re the regulatory affairs coordinator.  They ask me if it’s legal, I say no, then it’s my fault they can’t make a product claim with no basis… HELLO??

So I say “maybe” when I mean “In your dreams!” then I stop at DQ on the way home for an ice cream cone. It’s my choice I know, I sound victimized… but the truth is it’s hard to keep a handle on emotional eating issues when things are so stressful for much of the working day.

Posted on June 1st, 2009 by jaxie
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No, I didn’t eat some crone’s magical pie… but my pant’s size has dropped and my midsection is smaller. People have commented. Of course, I may have been thinner for awhile, who would know with the Spring we’ve had? I wore my winter coat to the dogpark Sunday afternoon, after all. Ah, Spring in New England!

I’m comtemplating just measuring various bodily circumferences to gauge the results of all my hard work staying on track. Besides, which, I’ve slid off to the edge of the track (ouch!) a few times, what with a few birthday celebrations and the opening of the Dairy Queen. But that’s history, full steam ahead!

Posted on May 11th, 2009 by jaxie
Filed under: weight loss | 1 Comment »

In stark contrast to the past year, this one has been a bit strange, a bit of a struggle. I’m not focused the way I was, struggling a bit more to stay on track.

I think I’m OK though. I do. Especially after reading this. http://tinyurl.com/dxstru
It fits so well with my PEEP post a few months ago.

Posted on May 7th, 2009 by jaxie
Filed under: Serendipity, weight loss | No Comments »

I’m off to Lake Forest! Driving to Chicago area to see relatives… looking forward to the time off, new sites and places… it should be fun! I loved what I saw of Chicago the last time I was in the area.

I decided not to fly out, I’m driving. It’ll be a chance to blow off the winter doldrums… Spring has been a long time coming this year, but now a bit of green is popping up, daffs beginning to bloom, etc. I’m looking forward to coming home in a week to find the huge forsythia on the front lawn in bloom.

Posted on May 1st, 2009 by jaxie
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Yes, actually. Self to jaxie?? I think one thing and do another.

Case in point, Yesterday: 48g Total Fat, 220g Carbohydrates, 2433mg Sodium, 75g Sugars, 55g Protein, 32g Fiber, 27mg Cholesterol.

And only 1320 Calories - ! 60 minutes of exercise whittles the calories down to 1100.

 OK - I ate 80% of a box (4) of PEEPs… wolfed is more like it, they were in my Easter basket and I just wanted to “disappear” them… Of course I could have tossed them to get rid of them.  In my dreams!

The sad truth: I hit my daily goal for Calories, Dietary Fiber and Cholesterol, the Protein total is OK though more than a person needs… and the rest is abysmal… pathetic… just awful. I don’t count Carbs (I’m a nutritionist and don’t care for the low carb hype) but that’s still just about 8 times as many Carbs as I’d like to have consumed… Yikes!

So I can only do better today.

Posted on April 14th, 2009 by jaxie
Filed under: Fits and Starts, Rant, Temptations, weight loss | 2 Comments »

…hope springs eternal. Spring on the calendar if not the air. Peep season is (hopefully) over.

After my pathetic trash-diving-impulse-averted episode (see post February 17th), I thought I would be able to resist the annual Peep-cravings this year… and was doing so well…!

My mistake was to tell someone the story. So, I arrived home last week to a courier package from afar, and inside found two boxes of Peeps. I made them last just 4 days, on the theory of just getting rid of them as soon as possible! Then, yesterday, in my Easter basket, another box! PURE SUGAR. Pure Bliss, I love Peeps. Esp half stale ones that are chewy…

Well, that was that. Blew up the bicycle tires, the ice is gone from the roads and the town has been around with the sand sweepers, so I can finally go for bike rides after work. The wind, which has been blowing hard the past three days, is supposed to settle down by this afternoon. I can’t wait. Maybe I’ll take Jackson with me, see if he can run alongside without being afraid of the wheels. I don’t want to tax his little legs too much… but he loves to come with me. And I need to break in my “seat” since I haven’t been riding over the winter.

Posted on April 13th, 2009 by jaxie
Filed under: Temptations, weight loss | No Comments »

I had hoped some perspective would be available as this wretched week ground on, but that hasn’t been the case. I have in some way displeased the gods, my good karma has drained away… thank heaven it’s just work!! In a few hours I’ll leave it behind for the weekend. Weekend, I’m counting on you!

Thinking about exercise. I have a standup office (my preference), I rarely sit down all day, except during the commute (an hour a day). I walk around the buildings - twice around is a half mile - and I don’t “count” any of that time as “exercise” - but I do count the time I spend walking with Jackson.

Why? Because we walk in beach sand every morning. We go up and down on trails in the woods. I swing my arms, occasionally with wrist weights. I do lunges while I walk, and pushups against boulders and trees. I run up steps. I spend some of my walks jogging, or at least doing a fast shuffle.  The dog is running with me, usually off leash. We play chase and catch in the playing fields. I break a sweat, and know I’m working hard.

Inside, I do yoga with a DVD a few times a week and each afternoon I do my Tai Chi form in my living room.  I don’t count these as “exercise, because they’re for balance, flexibility and relaxation and because they’re just part of my life… 

I truly dislike exercising indoors, esp in gyms.  I always want to be outside. 

Posted on April 10th, 2009 by jaxie
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