Big storm has shut everything down so I got to sleep in today.
Last night - yay me! 35 minutes of rowing at the gym. I have downloaded the itunes interval running mixes that have coaching built in…and I just up the effort whenever I am told. I thought it would feel very geeky but I like it a lot.
47 minutes of walking at 4 mph in the bloody freezing rain last night. Actually, it was more like a mist and I didn’t realise how wet I was until I walked in the door and started dripping.
What would Canadians have to talk about if it wasn’t the weather? Loverboy calls me every night. Instead of phone sex we spend 10 minutes comparing temperatures and forecasts.
That’s 3 days in a row of good, hard outdoor walking. Tonight I have promised to go to the gym with Son #1 - I figured out he is being a bit shy about walking in alone and just needs some moral support to get through the door. Then I am sure he will pretend he doesn’t know me. Especially once he sees my turquoise and flamingo knee length shorts.
I might have sorted out the Nike+ iPod problem with the store. It appears the one I have is defective - after only 2 weeks, it is saying that the battery in the little unit is low, and since it can’t be replaced this is a big problem. I really want it to work and now the store is offering to replace it. That would be a huge relief and if it works then I will start saying nice things about it.
Here’s some news….
A study suggests extreme happiness may be bad for you. Findings <http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/uoia-dwb012408.php> : 1) “The highest levels of income, education and political participation were reported not by the most satisfied individuals, but by moderately satisfied individuals.” 2) Extremely happy people “earned significantly less money” and earned lower school grades than moderately happy people. 3) They “may not live as long,” either. Theories <http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTON87744820080128> : 1) Happiness makes you complacent and kills your drive. 2) It makes you slow to adapt. 3) It makes you too optimistic and insufficiently vigilant about your health. 4) It may overstimulate your cardiovascular system. Researchers’ conclusions: 1) “Happiness may need to be moderated for success.” 2) “Extremely high levels of happiness might not be a desirable goal.” Human Nature’s conclusions: 1) Success may need to be moderated for happiness. 2) Extremely high levels of success might not be a desirable goal.
From SLATE magazine
Yay me. 3km on snowshoes, 36 minutes. That is pretty good. My legs are like damp pasta….tomorrow will not be fun. But today was!
Damn I am tired of having to ADD to the weight ticker. This is ridiculous. I know EXACTLy what I need to do to change this trend and I am NOT doing it. Obviously a problem deep in my little brain I need to think through.
Well, I am heading out for another hike. Dog must sense my intentions - he is following me around the house with this goofy expectant look on his face. I’ve been doing laundry and other fun activities and he isn’t allowed in the basement, so he sits on the top of the stairs and leans down as far as he can to watch. Otherwise he is no more than 6″ away at any given time.
I finally tried the fancy features on my scale - it is one of those bodyfat sensor types. Not hard to program, once I read the manual, but the results feel wonky. According to it, I have a BF %age of 45. That is almost off the graph in the manual, can that be possible? Maybe I am getting the BF% and the BMI confused - should they be the same? To think I have spent all those hours reading fitness mags and I can’t understand this.
Well, why am am I anxious to find new numbers to torment myself with? I can do enough mental damage focusing on the traditional weight, waist and hip trio, thank you very much. I have decades of practice with those.
Yay me. A little over 2.6km in 40 minutes - if this little nike thingy is correct, that’s a pace of 4km/hour, not bad in snowshoes. I hiked around this small bay, with the dog bounding through snowdrifts. Then, one the way home, I did NOT a) stop for cappucino and biscotti, b) pick up a bottle of wine or c) drive through the TH for Tbits. I did NOT swing by the mall, or the drugstore for more lipstick….I came straight home to plan dinner.
I admit it - I wimped out tonight. It is cold, I am tired, and I promised Son #1 I would pay for pizza any night this week AND take him to the movies if he walked the dog. Yes, 23, and he is still open to blatant bribery.
Having him here is making it easier to deal with Loverboy moving away, and all this work stuff that is landing on me lately. He mainly does his thing and I do mine, but we eat dinner together ( a family rule I enforced for years that has still stuck - good to know something did) and it is nice to have someone to chat with. I am afraid I would be drowning in chocolate and vodka if he wasn’t around. Poor poor me, I know.
Continuing the pity party theme - the nose is red with a purple squiggly scar down the middle, and about 150% bigger than it should be. Message: make your kids wear sunscreen!!!
I am a bit high on the calorie count but not out of control, and I have only had one cookie the last 2 weeks - that’s good. I am making up the extra on fruit, cheese and whole wheat bread. Trust me, could be a lot worse.
This week I am going to sign up for some sort of exercise class - whatever I can find. I need to schedule something to get my body moving in a different direction. I have tried to start yoga again on my own in the a.m. but a) I would rather sleep and b) the dog thinks it’s a good game to headbutt me when I am in reach. The monster. Gives a whole new meaning to downward dog.
Despite the fact that there is a nasty snowstorm out there, I did 2.18 km in 33 minutes - dressed like the michelin tire mascot. I have this little nikeplus ipod pedemetre thingy and it is SO FRUSTRATING. Took me four days to make it work, and then tonight it seemed to only record 1/2 of tthe trek. I will try to calibrate it at the gym’s track this week, but I am very very disappointed. By the comments on the usergroup, I am not the only one having problems, apparently there are a lot of people who paid for this cute little doohickey only to find it is at best a beta device.
However, I have mapped my usual walking routes on google so I can calculate speed and distance. I am faintly thinking of working up to running. If only I was a graceful, flowing runner, instead of a leaden plodder.
It is -20 today so I won’t be snowshoeing again. It did feel good to get out on the trail yesterday, although it was very cold. I go out to the edge of the lake and tramp around a big campground. I didn’t go onto the beach because the wind was whipping snow around in big white curtains. I stayed in the trees…I was the only person there and it was beautiful. Dog chased phantom squirrels. After 30 minutes of breaking trail I made it back to the car.
Son #1 made steak and veggie stir fry for dinner. When I said I’d give half of my steak to the dog he jumped on it instead, insulted I would even suggest such a thing…lol.
This afternoon we are both going to the gym, I want to row and he wants to try out the weight room.
Loverboy is moving today - he has packed up his truck, left 1/2 of his things in a storage locker, and he is gone. I really, really don’t know what I feel about this. We talk like we are a couple, building a life together, but we do nothing that actually demonstrates that. I am trying not to be sad but I can’t help it, this doesn’t feel like a way forward for us.
Well, nothing I can do about it today. Today I will go to the gym then come home and finish the laundry for the week. Well, I hope I make it to the gym. Son #1 appears to be reneging and I might not actually feel energetic enough to get there on my own today.
Lots of snow yesterday and it is a bright beautiful day. It won’t last - more snow is on the way, according to the weather report, but I am heading out to shovel my drive and if it is still nice I will go for a snowshoe hike with the dog, even though it is -15.
Son #1 made jambalaya and grilled calamari last night…he has a list of things for me to get at the grocery store…lol.
I keep asking him, “Who are you, and what have you done with my son?” He laughs, but I wonder…
I was reassured to see he still does not understand the toilet paper roll mechanism. If he starts replacing that when needed I will search his room for the secret alien radio transmitter and the basement for pods.
Yay me! brought my lunch to work Thursday. It didn’t have any appreciable impact on the total caloric intake, but at least it was beans and veggies and fruit and not french fries and chocolate covered peanuts that filled the space.
My new 24/7 hobby - loading my cds into itunes so I can then load them into my ipod, to work with my Nike imonitor….huh? What happened to tapes? Remember when cassettes were SO COOL and the Sony Walkman cost $300? Which, for the record, I DID not buy until was about $100…lol. Ohmigod, remember laying on the floor in your bedroom listening to the Donny Osmond LP and lifting the record needle up and back to the start of your favourite song over and over again? And when it started to skip balancing a dime on the arm for extra weight? I am officially so old…
Just about to head out for my winter walk with the dog. I feel so much better after the 45 minutes of fresh air. Helps with the insomnia immensely. Next week I think I can start rowing.
There’s an instructor at the gym who does pilates and yoga - I have taken her yoga classes and I had some trouble cause she turns the lights out, puts candles in the middle of the room, and teaches in the dark. It is very hard to follow along with a teacher when you can’t see her. Anyway, I was always insanely jealous/admiring of her because she is beautiful, very toned, and can sing. (I ran into her at a karaoke night…don’t ask. Please.) I just found out she used to be more than 100 lbs overweight. Now I am just very admiring of her. (But I still don’t want to take yoga from her. ) I really want to ask her for her story.
Son #1 made tacos tonight - I was starving when I got home and scarfed down three. Lesson - don’t let myself get that hungry! Associated sinful secret - the sour cream was delish.
Now that my office is close to the staff kitchen I can bring lunch and snacks - if I can do it 2x a week I will be very happy with myself. In my defense, I did not intend to spend all day at work, but once I was there it was hard to leave. But tomorrow, I know I will be there all day and I can plan for it.
