Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Weigh-in Wednesday

Back to school and I've been feeling great and the numbers are looking better. Here they are:

Weight: 177, down 2lb (I didn't post a weigh-in wednesday last week, but I was at 179 then)
Neck: down 0.5 inches
Shoulders: down 1.2 inches
Chest: up 0.4 inches
Biceps: down 0.1 inches
Arms: down 0.1 inches
Waist: down 0.7 inches
Hips: down 0.9 inches
Thighs: down 0.5 inches
Calves: down 0.2 inches

for a total of: 3.8 inches lost. I guess all I needed was to go back to class and hit the gym. All that walking between classes must be paying off. I've been eating better as well.


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Salmon Lettuce Wrap

This was my lunch and dinner yesterday. I'm not a big fan of salmon but this wasn't too bad. I did remark to Hubby though that if I'm going to be eating fish for lunch I really need to bring some gum or mints for afterwards. I spent most of the afternoon worrying about my breath.

Salmon Lettuce Wrap
servings: 3-4, calories per serving: approx 232 (if making 4), carbs 3g, fat 12g, protein 27 g.

1 small can of salmon (drained well)
3-4 lettuce leaves
1 tsp miracle whip
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3-4 slices provolone cheese
approx 1 tbsp of nut/seed trail mix

Okay this couldn't be easier. You put the cheese on the lettuce leaf. Next put about a tablespoon or so of salmon. Mix together miracle whip, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper and garlic powder. Put about a teaspoon of dressing on salmon (could probably mix it in with the salmon before putting the salmon on the lettuce). Sprinkle a teaspoon (about a pinch if not more) trail mix (mine had sunflower seeds, soy nuts, peanuts and raisins) if desired. Roll it up, or fold it, the best you can and enjoy.
I recommend draining the salmon very well, because this becomes messy if you don't. I didn't, so I had some liquid coming out of my wrap.

Day 1 of Fall Semester Went Well

I got up packed my healthy lunch and dinner of salmon lettuce wraps (I'll post the recipe next, they were pretty good), grapes and water. I got the kids on the bus. Set up the crockpot with a beef roast, potatoes, carrots and celery for the fam's dinner and took myself off to school.
Between my first and second class I have about 3 hours of spare time. I ate my lunch and talked to Hubby during his lunch and then went to the gym.
My workout consisted of the adductor machine, leg press, leg curls, glute press, and torso twist machine. I totally surprised myself with the adductor machine. Last May I was doing maybe 40lbs. Yesterday 40lbs was way too light, 50lbs still too light, 60 barely noticed. At 75lbs I finally felt some resistance. I was like WOW, I can squeeze 75lbs and I'm barely noticing it. I could probably do 80-85 easy, but wanted to take it easy and work up to heavier weights. Apparently my running over the summer has strengthened my thighs up considerably.
I also had to keep increasing weight on the leg press, stopping at 65lbs, could of gone higher easily. I stopped at 50lbs on the leg curls and did 70lbs with the glute press (which was also a big increase). The torso twist was a measly 55lbs, I'm sure I could do more here too. I just wanted to start easy since I haven't used weight machines in about 3 months. I've done dumbbells/free weights/resistance bands at home, but those aren't quite the same movements.
I also jumped on the treadmill and did a 5 minute warm-up, 20 minutes of intervals with 3 minutes running/2 minutes walking, then a 5 minute cool-down. This all plus walking about a mile and a half to two miles around campus going class to class.
Today's workout will be upper body, like I posted yesterday. I don't have a plan to say, it's easier to just do whatever machine is available and right down what and how much I did. They have some new equipment in the gym that I plan on giving a try. I'll also do 30 minutes on the elliptical, probably intervals similar to yesterdays treadmill workout.
My lunch and dinner today will be salads with a creamy dressing (miracle whip, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and garlic), salmon, nuts and seeds. I also have some grapes and of course water with it. Breakfast wasn't too healthy but not too unhealthy either. I had a banana, coffee and two very small sausage biscuits (the kind you pull out of the freezer and throw in the microwave).

Monday, August 29, 2011

Back to Class and Trying for a Healthy Semester

My fall semester begins today. I have a crazy class schedule. Mondays I go from 8:15am to 11:15 am, then from 2:20pm to 3:45, then from 5:30p to 6:55. Tuesdays I got class from 9:40a-1105a then 5:30p-6:55p. Wednesdays is my late day where I got the same schedule as Monday plus a lab from 7p to 8:55p. Thursdays are the same as Tuesdays and no class on Fridays.
So, I've got huge stretches of time with no classes. I don't want to drive the 35-40 minute drive home only to have to return. We just don't have the extra fuel cost in our budget. So I've got time at the gym planned plus plenty of study time. I'm going to be bored out of my mind for part of the time.
So I need to think of a workout plan. I'm thinking to hit the legs and abs on Monday and Wednesday, then arms,back,shoulders on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also 30-45 minutes cardio on either treadmill, stairclimber, elliptical, stationary bike, or combination of machines. I don't have any certain exercises planned out. I think with my gym it's better to have an open schedule. Some days I go in and you can get to the equipment fairly quick and easy. Some days it's super busy and you either adjust or wait.
I'm also going to be brown bagging it for class. I can't afford to eat on campus either financially or health-wise. Greasy burgers, pizza and Chinese food just isn't going to cut it this time. Okay maybe the occasional sushi dish will work in as a treat. Say if I pass a test I can have sushi, yum. Campus restaurants/food is expensive, like 3 dollars for a cup of grapes expensive. So it's much cheaper to fix my lunch and dinner at home and bring to class. I even bought this cute cooler to pack it in ( it's the same as this one but different pattern http://www.igloocoolers.com/Coolers_3/All-Coolers/Cooler-Tote-16-Black-White, mine has pink flowers on it). So today's lunch and dinner consists of salmon lettuce wraps, grapes, banana, and water to drink. Not a big lunch or dinner, I've also got a granola bar/meal bar to throw in just in case I get extra hungry. I'm throwing a beef roast with carrots and potatoes in the crockpot for the Hubby and kiddies so when I get home tonight I can also have a nibble of that if I need to.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

39:40

That is my unofficial time, the little card they handed to me said 173. So, I was 173rd place, kind of in the middle of the pack. The backside of the middle but still the middle. Did I run the entire 3.1 miles? Nope, I ended up having to walk up a couple of the hills. I made a plan, I would walk up the tallest hills, run down every hill and try to run up the smaller ones. I also tried to run the straight/flattish stretches. It worked most of the time, I did end up walking part way on a smaller hill. I ran the last stretch. I wanted to stop and walk, at the same time I didn't want to end that way.
So I ran, I smiled at the cameras at the finish. I smiled when they told me it was over and I could slow down now. My hand shook as I was filling out the little card with my name, age, gender. I still smiled. I'm still smiling, I did it. I ran my first 5k in under 40 minutes. It may of been just under, but it's still under.
I keep going between being tired and just feeling like I need to do more. I've found the energy that's been missing the past couple of weeks. So glad to have it back.
The Hubby snapped this pic at the starting area.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Tomorrow is the Big Day

I'm getting myself totally nervous. I'm not sure I'm ready for the 3.1 miles. I tell myself if I can run two miles I can run three. However, lately I've been pushing to get those two miles finished. Two weeks ago I felt ready. Since then I've just felt tired. I would run a mile, mile and a half and be like "That's it, I'm done". I've not done anything but run, no weights, or aerobic exercises. I've only been running 2-3 times a week. I've not had any energy really.
I'm scared that I'll make a fool of myself tomorrow. Then I think, no one running is going to say I'm a fool. No one watching is going to say or think that. They're going to think good job, no matter how badly I do. I most likely won't be last. I probably won't finish in 30 minutes like I'm hoping. 40 minutes is okay too, 45 is fine as well. I'll probably be just ahead of the walkers. I'll most likely have to walk a little myself.
I've read mixed advise on whether or not to run a day before a 5k. Most said that if you do run make it an easy one. So I'm going to go out here in about half an hour and jog aiming for 2-3 miles. Then I'll eat breakfast and do some cleaning. I think my plan today is going to be to just try and stay busy. I don't want to sit on my butt reading all day, I want to stay up and moving keeping my muscles going. I don't want to do any heavy exercising because running with sore muscles isn't fun (I've done that several times the past couple months).
I'm also going to eat light today. No heavy meals for me. Probably either stir fry or soup for dinner. I'm also going to drink nothing but water (after this last sip of coffee). Tomorrow is suppose to be the hottest day of the week (97 for a high, at race time it's going to be around 80 with humidity near 80%). I've already been training in those conditions, my body should recognize it and not be too affected by it (I hope).
I've got pre-race jitters 24 hours before the race, but I'm also ready to sign up for my next one. I'll do this, I'll finish as strong as I can, then I'll start training for the next one. I'm just keeping in mind that there are no losers, if you cross that finish line you've won.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Weigh-in Wednesday

Well today's measurements kinda suck. I have a lot more ups then downs, but I'm confident that'll change soon. My energy levels have been dragging so bad, I'm worried about the race coming up. I've been kinda taking it easy this week. Partly due to the upcoming race and not wanting to run with sore legs and partly because I feel so sleepy most of the time. I'm thinking it's a diet thing and I really need to straighten mine out. It's like I'm trying to run a Lamborghini on regular unleaded and I need to be running on super.
So here's the damage:
Weight: 178 (woot, down a pound)
Neck: Up 0. 7"
Shoulders: up 1.7"
Chest: no change
Biceps: down 0.1"
Arms: up 0.1"
Waist: up 0.3"
Hips: up 0.1"
Thighs: up 0.2"
Calves: down 0.2"

For a total loss in inches of: -2.8.
So some how I've gained nearly 3 inches? Something's not quite right with that number. It is once again that t.o.m. and so some of that (probably most) can be bloat. Not eating as well as I could (too much white sugar, processed foods) is a lot of it too. I think it's odd that I can lose a pound but gain inches. Looking forward to what the next week brings.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Where's the workouts?

I haven't posted a workout for a few days, not because I've not done anything. I just haven't been doing much exercise-wise. I've been running 3-4 times a week and doing Jillian's 30 day shred 2-3 times a week and that's about it. My energy levels have been so low and other activities (namely schoolwork) have been high that it's affected my working out. I'm up at 4:30-5 six days a week and by 1pm I'm ready for a nap. By 7pm, I'm really dragging. I'm usually in bed around 9pm and asleep by 10 so I'm getting about 6 and a half hours of sleep a night. Sunday's I try to sleep in until about 7 or 8am. Yea, it sucks that sleeping till 7am is considered sleeping in. I guess it's a sign that I'm an adult, huh.

I've got my first 5k in many years one week from today. When I think how soon it is I start to feel the pre-race jitters already. I'm not sure I'm ready for it, but this is more of a test to see if I can do it then a race to win. If I can finish all 3.1 miles, running/jogging the whole way, I've won. If I can do it in about 30 minutes, I've really won. I'm still out-of-shape and so I'm not expecting to beat people who are more experienced runners. I'm happy with being in the middle of the pack (which is where I'm hoping I end up, I don't want to have to end up with the walkers).

So I've got a plan for working out for the next 7 days. It goes like this:

Saturday(today); Jillian's 30 day Shred, 45 minutes on the gazelle.
Sunday; 30 minutes of yoga, 30 minutes running(day 3 week 5 c25k)
Monday; day 1 week 6 c25k, Jillians 30 day Shred
Tuesday; day 2 week 6 c25k, lower body weight/resistance band workout
Wednesday; day 3 week 6 c25k, Jillians 30 day Shred
Thursday; either day 3 week 6 again or day 1 week 7, upper body weight/band workout
Friday; 30 minutes of yoga, otherwise a rest day full of drinking water in order to make sure I'm properly hydrated for the next days race.

I'm hoping this will help me be somewhat ready for next Saturday's race without making me too tired to do it. The Jillian's 30 day shred plus running combo leaves me with sore legs so doing it on Wednesday and then just running Thursday and only yoga Friday will hopefully give me time to get the soreness out and be ready to rock the race.

Also working on meal plans, once I get done inventorying my pantry. The fridge and freezers are done just got the pantry then to figuring out meals. Have 2 or 3 baseball games this week and one doctor's appointment(this dr usually runs about an hour behind, so 1:30 app't will start at around 2:30 and we'll probably get out close to 4 and home around 5). So need to plan either quick and easy or crockpot meals on those days.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

6 Weeks Progress(?) pics

I don't see a lot of progress from the past 6 weeks. I think my face is slimmer and my upper body(from the waist up) seems a bit smaller. I think my hips/love handles are looking smaller. My belly seems to be doing some funky looking thing...maybe I'm bloated, or newly formed muscles are pushing the fat in odd ways. Don't know, wish I was seeing more of a reduction in body fat then I am. I know I need to tweak my eating a bit, not been doing so well past few days (fried fish is not a diet food, but Hubby cooked and I didn't have to). I just have to keep pushing on, hopefully my body will catch up soon.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Weigh-in Wednesday

I didn't do one last week because there was no change in measurements. This weeks measurements are:

Weight: 179, up 2 pounds
Chest: down 1/2 inch
Biceps: up 0.3 inches
Hips: up 0.1 inches
Waist: up 0.7 inches
Thighs: down 0.2 inches
Calves: no change
Forearms: no change
Shoulders: down 0.7 inches
Neck: up 0.3 inches

These measurements add up to a total change of 0.0 inches. No change. Given the way I've worked out and ate the past week, I'm not really surprised. I'm trying to amp it up a bit. I did no workouts on Monday. Tuesday I ran 2.3 miles and did Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred workout. Today, so far, I've ran 1.5 miles. I was going to do 2.3 or more, but when I got to the point where I stopped I was gave out. I guess the humidity (at 89%) and the heat (81 degrees) was a bit more then I could deal with this morning. The heat shouldn't of been so bad where it was, normally I find the lower 80s to be a perfect temperature.

Sustainability

~I typed this out once and was trying bloggers new editor hoping that it was working properly. However, it's not and the entire post didn't save a single word! I don't know if the editor doesn't work in Chrome, or it's stupid and just doesn't work right at all. So back to the old editor and to rewrite the post. It was kinda long, so maybe I can truncate it a bit~

Sustainability:

capable of being sustained; of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged <sustainable techniques> <sustainable agriculture>; of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods <sustainable society>


I'm looking for an eating plan that is sustainable in my household. One that is affordable(on a very tight budget), tasty, and supports great health. I also need the ability to fix convenience type foods. Stuff that's quick, easy, requires little thought or energy to put together. Also need foods/recipes that my family will eat willingly. Stuff that does not result in grumbling, weird faces, or sneaking plates under the table for the dogs to nibble on. Foods that are familiar and liked by them.


I've been reading on primal/paleo eating. Mostly primal. The plan seems easy enough. If it moves, eat it. If it can be found growing in the wild, eat it. If it was a shelf life of 3 years, don't eat it. However it says no sugar, and very few beans(legumes), grains, potatoes. Also it says to eat unprocessed organic, local meat and veggies.

Well, I'm for little to no sugar. Sugar really does no positive and a ton of negative things to the body. I can't agree on the no beans, grains and potatoes. I think I could make these as smaller servings, but I cannot cut them out of our diet at this time. I need these to kind of round out our meals calorie-wise and for satiety. My weekly food budget averages out to about 100 a week for 2 adults, a 14 year old boy, a 13 year old girl, a 11 year old boy and a 10 year old boy. We do qualify for government assistance. I cannot work at this time due to my class load. Yes I could cut the load back and get a part-time job, but that really doesn't help much. I need my degree in order to make a livable wage. As a nurse's assistant in this area you top out at around 15.00/hr. To get there you have to work in one place for several years. Starting wages average about 9.00/hr. Please thank your nurse's assistant because they bust their ass for peanuts basically.


I digress...so we make do on one income right now. It's doable, you can live fairly well on what my hubby earns if you're smart about it. It means making sacrifices though. Is an organic whole chicken better then the 10lb bag of chicken leg quarters? Most likely, but I can make 3-4 meals out of the leg quarters for about 5.00. For 5.00(if I'm lucky and can catch a sale), I could make 1-2 meals (maybe 3 if I boil the chicken and skimp on the meat in the meal) out of the whole organic chicken. I don't buy a lot steaks, they're usually out of our budget averaging 5-7 dollars a pound. I buy some pork when it's on sale. We eat ground chuck (not ground beef, we are willing pay 12-13 dollars for 5lbs to not have a skillet full of grease and little meat when cooked). We also eat the occasional deer and squirrel. We eat fish as well, but not store bought fish. We eat catfish, bluegill, bass, etc. That we catch out of the lakes and rivers around here.


Maybe I could use the meat as more of a side or flavoring rather then a main course item. My family would grumble some, but maybe I could appease them with the occasional steak dinner or something. Nothing else there's Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Three holidays that I fix a huge meal with whole turkeys, large hams and the works. So if they ate modestly during most of the year they would have these dinners to look forward to.


Okay the grain issue is a big one. We like baked goods and treats. Nothing better then slavering butter on fresh out of the oven, homemade bread and muffins. That warm, melt-y goodness of a fresh chocolate chip cookie. Freshly baked cobblers, pies, tarts with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I know I couldn't give these up permanently and for sure my family couldn't.


Also we like pasta. Spaghetti dinners with a meat and tomato sauce, noodles cooked just right. Large salad and a breadstick on the side. Macaroni and cheese, egg noodles with butter and garlic. These are frequent meals and side dishes. They are cheap and easy to fix and taste pretty good too.


I also fix rice often, and oatmeal is a favorite breakfast food of 4 out of 6 us. So giving up grains would be a no go here. Cutting back is a possibility. However if I'm cutting back grains, I need to replace it with something. So I guess we could add more salads to the menu. More fresh greens are possible. Actually fresh greens are not something I cook often. I'm not a fan of spinach. We ate what seemed like tons of canned spinach when I was a kid. I don't think my mom added anything but maybe salt and pepper to it. I hated it, I would give my serving to my brother. We usually had the Popeye spinach and he wanted to have strong arms. I'm finding, as an adult, that I can tolerate frozen and fresh spinach. Still not my favorite vegetable, I still have flash backs of the slightly slimy, mushy stuff served to us. However, I'm finding with a few tweaks I can make it edible. My Hubby and kids loves stuff, go figure. I don't know If I've ever ate kale. I've tried collard and mustard greens and they're not too bad. I like swiss chard. So more greens is a possibility.


A big thing would be working on convenience foods. I'm guessing there's not a lot of freezer meals, or fast food items that would go along with primal eating. We have a busy lifestyle. I take 17-18 hours of college classes a semester, my kids have several activities (baseball, choir, band, civil air patrol, FFA), Hubby works anywhere from 40-60+ hours a week. On top of all that, there are nights where we just don't feel like cooking.


So in order for this type of eating to be sustainable in my household I would need to:

  1. Figure out how to eat more organic and local foods on a slim budget.
  2. Figure out how to make or buy convenience foods that don't stray much from the plan.
  3. Figure out grain substitutes or make grains a tiny part of our eating.
  4. Also, though I didn't mention it above, Figure out snacks. We eat a lot chips, popcorn and other snack items. How do I replace those.
Sounds like I got my work cut out for me in order to have a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

Sustainability

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Tuesday 8/2/2011 workout (and Mondays too)

Okay I did workout yesterday, just didn't get a chance to come on here and post it. Monday's workout was upper body plus Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred plus day 3 of week 4 of couch to 5k.
For upper body I did:
Dumbbell reverse grip bench grip; 3 sets of 6
Dumbbell bench press; 3 sets of 10
Incline dumbbell flys; 3 sets of 12
Decline dumbbell flys; 3 sets of 20
also for some core work...planks; 5 sets of 10
I also got an extra 1.5 miles of walking in while the boys' were at baseball practice. Would of been more but I formed and popped a blister on my heel. Being without band-aids, I had to stop because it hurt.
For today I did lower body plus another day3 of week 4 couch to 5k(I didn't feel like I was able to move on yet...I did awesome today so thursday will begin week 5) plus 30 Day Shred. My lower body exercises were:
Band hip adductors; 4 sets of 12 (each leg)
Figure eights(or leg scissors, whichever you want to call them); 4 sets of 12
One leg Bridges; 4 sets of 12 (each leg)
Squats; 4 sets of 12
Calf raise jump; 4 sets of 12
Side planks; 4 sets of 12
Needless to say, after today's workouts my legs are good and sore. Tomorrow I have a full body workout planned plus it's weigh-in time, hopefully we'll see some signifcant loses. See ya then.