Just getting ready to head out with the dog. Weekend hiking options are limited until the snow disappears, but yesterday I found that for some reason the roads are ploughed through the campground I often walk through. They must be taking out some trees or working on the buildings. It was deserted, but I could tramp around easily without snowshoes and even went out on the ice. The campground is on a point right where the river meets Lake Superior. I was surprised that there was still solid ice all the way to the horizon. Well, solid-looking. I wasn’t about to test it very far from shore. I know the water is very shallow for a long way out off that point so I wasn’t nervous at all near the beach.
(Sorry to say, nothing blooming here yet and boy do I wish I could see anything green poking through the ground! or even see the ground…lol)
I have downloaded some music mixes from a site called podrunner. These are one hour paced exercise music mixes by DJ Steve ranging from 130 - 175 beats per minute. Wow. Really keeps you on pace. The 130 bpm was good enough for me - right now I can’t imagine maintaining the 175 bpm speed.
I am finding the low-carb thing hard to maintain at two specific times each day - about 4pm, when I really want a chocolate chip cookie, and about 8pm, when I start thinking about bread. At least I know that I only have whole wheat organic bread in the house. The cookie thing is harder to bear because I know they have baked fresh cookies in the cafeteria every day.
It is sunny and not too cold ( still -3C though) and I am going to pack up the dog and head out for a snowshoe hike. I WISH I could say it is likely the last one of the season but I doubt it. However, the snowbanks have lost about 2 feet of height this week in the sun. Yay.
Well, I do seem to be getting my energy levels back up. Yesterday was a high-carb day - I had three meetings back to back from 10 - 2, with the middle one the only one with food, and only those gigantic muffins. Instead of fainting, I had a muffin. Then, back on track for dinner. So I forgive myelf…lol
I have almost finished redecorating my bedroom. I moved into this place in 2003, and at the time I splashed some paint samples on the walls, hung a sheet over the window, and then tackled the rest of the house. But over the years, I have bought everything needed to finish it off, and finally last week started the job. I must say I am very happy with how it is coming along. I have to hang curtains and artwork, and put up some shelves, and then I will be done. It is a small room and I have a king-sized bed so there is only room for the bed and night stands, and that is it. No closet, no dresser - all that is in another tiny room. It’s a very strangely designed house. If I had the money I would reconfigure the space but I will have to leave that for the next owner.
Last night I power-walked around the neighbourhood - 44 minutes. Not my fastest pace, but it felt good.
Stumbled around the neighbourhood last night - the sidewalks are again very slippery which makes it quite treacherous. I like to exercise outside, so this is quite discouraging for me. I keep trying to make myself go to the gym but, truthfully, I am just not interested right now. There have been times in my life when I loved it - maybe it is because right now I am feeling lumpy and old and weird, that I don’t want to be sweating in public. Also it is so much effort to get dressed for outside, then dressed for the gym, then reverse the whole process to get home.
The low-carb thing is working out ok, I think. I have lost about 5 pounds since I started it. I am STILL way over my start weight, never mind my goal weight, but I am sceptically optimistic. At least in the short term.
Have been visiting Loverboy this weekend. I am halfway to James Bay and it is still very cold here. I am flying home this afternoon into what sounds like another ’severe winter storm watch.’ I really really need a tropical beach experience.
Still feeling pretty good, did have a carb blow out last night (lasagna AND dessert) but that’s ok. I went for a 45 minute walk too. Overall, life will balance out. I am back to the low carb thing today and I feel so much better. I am in a coffee shop killing a couple of hours until it is time to head out to the airport, just enjoying the quiet.
Actually, (she says trustfully), I read an article somewhere recently that reported some scientific research that showed that ‘mental exercise’ DOES result in a measurable increase in strength and agility. Something to do with training neurons.
Yeah.
Right.
Day 3 of my own version of low-carb, which is: aim for very little or no flour, sugar, rice, potatoes or pasta. Only 100% whole wheat grains, and only one serving of those. Moderate fruits ok, (which means one fruit smoothie every couple of days) veggies ok, meat, eggs, cheese, ok. Don’t count calories, but pay attention and don’t be a glutton. Exercise.
Exercise. I have a good collection of exercise dvds and home equipment, plus the cool ipod nike thingy. I have a gym membership that I use about once a month. I have a great bike and rollerblades that I haven’t touched in three years. (ok, the last two will have to wait a few more months.) Am I hoping that mental exercise - imagining using all this - will count?
Day 2 of the Low Carb (atkins-type) routine. The first thing I notice is hunger - real hunger, when I am hungry. Not that ‘oh I could nibble’ feeling, or that ‘ I still have 500 cals left for the day - what can I have?’ feeling.
I know I feel so much better overall when I eat this way, why don’t I do this all the time? I know why, I love love love sugary baked things. But since I am a glutton by nature, this is contributing to my un-health. My challenge is to maintain my knowledge of this truth and not bargain myself away from this knowledge, into the cookie jar.
Work week started out SO BAd but ended with a pretty good day. Today I felt: pretty, smart, cool, and was able to keep the blind panic about my inability to handle my workload at bay. Also my employer agreed yesterday that I can hire one more person to help, and that will make a huge,huge difference. My team was literally dancing on air all day - they are all feeling the strain too.
Also it was ‘casual day’ - normally I don’t participate but today I wore jeans and the last time I wore this particular pair I had to squeeze into industrial strength control pantyhose first, and then try to go the whole day without sitting. ( I know, silly but true)
This morning, they fit perfectly. Oh yay.
I am enjoying a shrinp and veggie thingy for dinner; Son #1 is not around; sweet jazz playing throughout the house…I hope I can maintain this calm at least until tomorrow.
OK, out with the dog for my walk, and it is nasty for walking - ice, puddles, collapsing snow drifts - the snowbanks are so high that walking down the sidewalks feels like I am snaking my way through a canyon. But it is just below freezing which means that someday, someday, someday it will be gone.
I was pretty happy to see (according to my nike ipod thingy) that I made it around the neighbourhood at a 6km/hour pace. I am not sure I ENTIRELY believe it but I will take the win!
I am starting to worry a bit. Since I started logging food and exercise, and paying attention to calorie intake, I have gained 14 lbs. That’s one year, folks. This is the puzzling thing to me: if I were to rely on the calculations done by this program, I should have been losing, consistently, 1.37 pounds per week, instead. This is based on the charts for my height, age, gender, etc and the amount of activity I have in my day. (Actually, this is with me saying I am bedridden.) So either: my body chemistry etc is SERIOUSLY out of whack or I am eating MORE when I log than when I don’t. I do believe I am being careful and accurate.
I am going to try not logging my food for a month. I am going to pay attention to what I am eating and how I am feeling; I am going to keep up with the physical activity, but I am not going to use fitday for one month.
I am also going to consider going to a naturopath and review my nutritional status. I take a lot of vitamin and mineral supplements - but maybe I am missing something crucial.
We’ll see.
