October 24, 2012

Holy crap.  No posts in September or October yet?  Huh.

Well.  Lets see.  What happened there.

I injured my foot a bit with some new too tight running shoes back in August.  So took a break from the hour+ walking stints that I was faithfully doing in the summer.

The weekend after labour day my sister and I had an intervention of sorts with our mother.  Not really.  Anyways she went to the hospital unwillingly to be treated for a serious condition that she did not want treated.  She was not pleased one bit.

So then... I spent the next 6 or so weeks dealing with her in the hospital (visting, bill paying, trying to figure out WHAT THE HELL?  Find out she had a stroke, is she ever going to be the same again etc. etc.)  That was on top of the usual back to school crunch, kids having to get up early again after sleepign in all summer, kids hockey tryouts, hockey team assignment drama, homework complaints, shorter days, colder weather STUFF that makes September a month THAT I HATE!

Now this Monday get a call from mom saying she was going to be discharged on Tuesday. Against medical advice of course.  She is very weak right now both physically and mentally.  She cannot take care of herself without help but the second she had a chance she was OUTTA THERE! Oh Joy!

So now she is at home, still bitter about the whole thing, still in denial that she was out of order.  Blah Blah Blah.

Now to top it all off, yesterday she called me to tell me the search company she hired last spring has found the address of the son she gave up for adoption 43 years ago.  Not great timing search company people!  Just sayin.  :)

Oh ya, and of course I have not been taking good care of myself.  Eating like crap and barely exercising.  Any questions?  :)

A Wrinkle in My Plan

OK.  So here is something a smart person would do.  Realize their running shoes were no longer cushion-y.  Decide to go buy a new pair.  Take their orthotics to the running store.  Try on shoes before buying them.

Here is what I did: Bought new shoes without trying them on.  Proceeded to wear them immediately on a 2.5 hour walk.  Got a blister on my second toe because they were too tight in the width.  Got a scary swollen pre-spur on the left foot where they were being squished.  Oh, and wear them some more before giving up.  The blister thing is whatever,  the swollen spur thing on the side of my foot.  YIKES!!!!

Soooo.... I have to solve this shoe problem before getting back to power walking.  I will actually try on the shoes this time before buying them instead of thinking hey, I just bought this same model and size 3 months ago, they must be perfect!

Which means... my kid is kicking my a$$ this week.  Damn!  He is racking up 2.5 hours a day of icetime.

I need to go to a summer camp!  :)

I wish I could walk around in Crocs while this spur thing goes away.  Crocs don't touch it at all.  Damn wide feet!

End of Week 1 "Doing what my Kid Does"

OK.  Mom versus Kid sounded a bit too negative.

Yesterday was the end of Week 1 of "Doing what my Kid Does"

That sounds much better.

Last week:  Kid was in powerskating.  5 days a week of 1.5 hours.  He also did a 1 hour ice time of shinny.  That's 8.5 hours of power walking "owed" by  me.

Mon: 1 hour power walking (plus 1 hour general walking)
Tues: 1.5 hour power walking (plus half hour general walking)
Wed:  2.5 hours power walking (plus 45 minutes general walking)
Thurs:  1 hour power walking (plus 1 hour general walking)
Fri: 1.25 hours power walking (plus 1.25 hours general walking)
Saturday:  2.5 hours power walking (plus 1 hour general walking)
Sunday: 1.5 hour power walking (plus 1 hour general walking)

Total power walking hours:  11.25 (2+ hour surplus over what kid did).  Total general walking hours: 6.5 hours.

This week my kid is in a hockey camp.  2 ice times a day, 1.25 hours each ice time = 12.5 hours power walking goal for this week.  This week is going to be a toughie but the following week will be a breeze with no more camps and just the regular season starting up :)

Me versus my Kid - Week 1

Me versus my 9 year old kid:  Exercise Hours

So far this week:  (3 days)

Him:  4.5 hours on ice
Me:  4 hours walking so I'm short half an hour.  Have to walk 2 hours today to catch up.

He's got 3 more hours on ice this week.

Next week he is in a hockey camp that has 2 one hour sessions a day so that will be 10 hours that week.


Nicole:  Too bad our kids are not in the same swim session or we could swim together!  *boo*  There is no way I can make it to  the early session though unless I quit my job.  (not going to happen)

However:  This is my kids third year the the swim club and if I make it into the pool in September, it will be my first time... so if you do make it into the pool on your kids first year... you are so kicking my ass!  :)

My eating still sucks.  Damn!  I feel like a loser.  Its like I have zero will power.  Argh!

Older sister challenged me to lose 5 pounds in August.  not.going.to.happen.  In fact .....I have gained???  dammitdammitdammit (beatingmyselfupbigtime!!!)

My Goal until the end of September

My goal until the end of September is to keep up with my 9 year old son as far as activity.

Like, if he has an icetime, I will walk the equivalent minutes.

If he has swim club, I will swim the equivalent minutes.

He will still be ahead of me on school days with gym and recess and all... but I figure if I match his extracurriculars... I would be doing good.

Congrats to Nicole and Amber on their 10K race.  You hot mommas you!!  :)

PS.  This week Josh in in powerskating.  1.5 hours on the ice from Monday to Friday.  Ready, set, GO!

Fav blog post of the day

I just found this blog via my fitness pal.

I REALLY love this POST: http://momto5k.com/2012/08/27/im-not-on-a-diet/


Reading her post inspired me to make this statement to myself:

• I’m not on a diet.This is something I can keep up with, and not be miserable. I don't care how long it takes me to "lose weight". I am doing what I am willing to do for the rest of my life. I am not willing to severely restrict carbs for the rest of my life. If it takes me 2 years to lose 20 pounds so be it. 

  
  

Removing all processed food from you diet?  Sure.  Removing bread from your diet? Sure.  But never eating whole grains like brown rice, barley, quinoa, starchy veg or high calorie fruit because they are "carbs"?  Give your head a shake.  Unless you want to lie around and have zero activity... (and even then it is probably still a bad idea).  You will probably end up a weak, angry noodle lying on your couch being hungry.  Ok, maybe not everyone but still... Everything in moderation right?  No elimination of whole food groups.  And I'm not talking about sugar.  Sugar is not a food group.  If you can eliminate processed sugar out of your diet, all the power to you. You are a stronger person than me.  Amen!

That being said I am not a huge success right now.  I am not losing much weight.  Since March I have bounced the same 5 pounds on and off of my body.  I am still fat.  (probably eating too many carbs.  HA! ;) But, I feel better now because I am moving myself and I am active.  Last March I was a MAJOR couch surfer.  I was doing *nothing*.  I was driving my kids to their activities but doing no activities myself.

Making small changes will eventually pay off.  Having small calorie deficits  in food in versus food out will eventually pay off.  I just have to have patience, and make it through the short daylight hours of winter that are coming soon :)  I refuse to be miserable starving at 1200 calories a day however tempting it may be to get faster results.

The biggest single thing I could probably do is to figure out why I started over eating in the first place and then work on fixing that.  I can't tell you why exactly I started (this time, aka fall 2008).  My best guess would be that I got overwhelmed by how busy my life became and I ate food that was easy, fast and comforting.  So, I guess I have to work on not allowing life to get out of hand.  And for me, going on long walks is helping with that.(#totallywishIcouldruninsteadbutmaybelaterwhenIamlighter)  Not putting myself last is helping.  So yay!

Never.give.up.

Hello Tuesday!

How are you this fine day?

I am good.  I have been walking up a storm.  9kms or more per day broken down into 2 big walks and general walking around the day steps.

For about 2 weeks I have been walking 4.5kms to work most days and then 4.5km back to my car after work.  Takes more time but gets lots of activity in.  Considering 6 months ago I was paying to park my car everyday this is another bonus!  Works fine in summer.  Will be more challenging in butt chapping cold weather of fall and winter but hey, cross that bridge when I come to it.

Aaaaaaand... my Fibit died.  Still waiting for their support to contact me about the problem.  So while my Fitbit stats are really good right now (My 7 day average is 16,900 steps) they are about to nose dive because NO FITBIT.  But never fear, I will keep walking even though I will have no proof  :)

Please Fitbit Support... Answer my effin' email!!!  Grrrrrr.  2 business days my ASS!

I was just blog hopping right now and come across this Ikea hack.

If you have young kids who have a shitload tonne of stuffies, this is a fabulous idea!

It is made up of a cheap Ikea utility bookcase painted into kid colours and some fitness bands to hold the animals in their "Zoo".

http://www.ikeahackers.net/

Hello Monday

Ug.  I do dread Mondays!

So I just noticed that I just passed 1 million steps with my Fitbit.

My first full day of wearing it was April 17th.  Fitbit has recorded 728 kms and 1,667 flights of stairs.

I still like my Fitbit.  It still motivates me to move more and it gives me a pretty good picture of my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).

Last week I forgot it at home one day so that day's reading is kinda low, but my average (daily) TDEE for last week was 2800 calories.  You can see why I might not feel so happy eating at 1200 calories?

My weight is not moving much but my pants (and bra) are fitting looser.

I am scheduled to have part of my Thyroid out in November.  It has non-cancerous "bumps" on it and has started to make me look like I have a small Adams apple.  Neither doctor has mentioned worrying about my hormone levels right now and it is totally my choice to take the bumpy part out.  I don't want it growing any bigger and apparently it can be harder to deal with at a bigger size.

Part of me wonders if my Thyroid hormones are A-OK or are they making it hard to lose weight (wishful thinking?).  I guess I could get a blood test but *meh* I'm sure they will monitor that after the surgery.

I went for a bike ride on the pathways on Saturday.  I rode 20kms and then turned around and went back for a total distance of 40kms.  I was kind of tired by the end.  I need to bike more this winter.

I read on a blog about an Aqua Bike in town.  Basically it was a half ironman without the run.  I think it was last weekend.  Sounds up my alley if I got my act together.  Hazel?  Is it up your alley?

T minus 6 weeks until kid's hockey season starts.  This year I have to keep my life under control and not be sucked in by the hockey vortex of doom.  My first plan is to skip the parent meetings for both teams.  If I'm not there... I can't volunteer to do anything right?  ;)  Heather who?

Radio Silence

Radio silence usually means one thing...  I am not doing so hot.

Well... this time it just means I have not started strength training (as I said I would in my last post).  I guess I don't have the cojones to take it up.   I have never been a master of strength training.  IT is still something I think I want to do... but I'm not driven enough right now?

I am still keeping myself moving.  Nothing hardcore.  Nothing a 70 year old grannie could not do...  But, it is more than I was doing this past winter.  I know I am more fit than I was 3 months ago (running for the bus, walking up several flights of stairs)  Still wearing my Fitbit unless I forget to put it on.  Somedays I change clothes and forget to move it to my new pants and then it looks like I fell into a coma at like 5pm.  Fitbit link is on the sidebar.

My weight is hovering.  Truly I have not made significant progress on that front but, I have not gone back up the 11 pounds or so to my "highest" either.  So that is some sort of small victory.

My husband is grumpy.  Work has been quite stressful since about January.  Hopefully that stress will resolve itself in some form or another eventually.  Until then the forecast calls for drama!  :)

I am really enjoying the non-winter weather.  Like as in Spring and now Summer.  I am not a winter person.  I don't like being really hot either, so I wouldn't like a place like Arizona but really,  I could do without living in winter.  It is just too long around here.

My kids have done 2 triathlons this summer already.   I would like to do a sprint where the swim is in a lake and the run is 5K or less.  That is my goal for next summer.  They have a family friendly triathlon in Okotoks at Crystal Shores in early July.  Who is with me for next year?  They have a tri a tri distance and a sprint and a kids of steel.

I talked about doing a 5k run this fall but so far I think that would be unwise.  Maybe I will walk the Run for the Cure though.  Anyone want to walk with me or run it and meet me at the end?  Maybe I should try a Learn to Run in January.

Sometimes my knee randomly does really weird things.  Running on it right now would be plain stupid.  I need to wait until I am 40 pounds lighter.  Easier said than done but not impossible.

Thanks for the comments on my last post.  

Fatinah... Blog more (like I can talk :)   Have you fallen under a table in a Stampede party tent?  Got any goals right now?

Nicole and Amber... how goes the training for Las Vegas?

Catherine... what are you doing?  Still doing personal training?  How are the knees behaving?

Seabreeze... Please post some photos of the coast for us land lubbers.

Lurkers... who are you and what's new with you?  :)

For anyone who knows me from the old YT days... a bunch of people have formed a Facebook page.  Search "Lose2Gain"

Wed. June 6, 2012

Hello blog!

I have not been up to too much.   Still walking.  Still have too high a body fat percentage  :)  You know, the usual.

I am still using myfitnesspal.com daily to log my food.  Well most days.  I sometimes flake out on the weekends because ya know,  I don't sit in front of a computer all day on the weekends like I do weekdays and ask myself at least 5 times a weekend... "Where is my cell phone?"  So, that interferes a bit with my food logging.  Because I let it.  I know I know.

Right now my fitness goals include trying to get at least 10,000 steps in a day (as counted by Mr. Fitbit) and to have some sort of calorie deficit to get rid of fat. (but not too big of a deficit)  The 10,000 steps help me get there.

Here is my Fitbit link  (http://www.fitbit.com/user/2353KD).  If you go there try not to notice that for the past 4 days I was under 10,000 steps.  Shhhh!  To be fair, I did forget it at home yesterday so the 3,700 steps that I did get were all after 6pm when I finally put it on.  But I have not excuse for the other days.

I have not be dropping lots and lots of weight like some people (hi Lizabeth!) but I will take it.  It has been about 2 months of logging my food.  I am only down 4 pounds but that is OK with me.  My goal was never to lose it all in 4 months.  My goal is to do something that I can maintain forever.

A lot of talk on the myfitnesspal forums and elsewhere seems to be talking about women lifting weights and how they should do it.  The idea is to build muscle which raises how many calories you burn just by being alive and also makes your stronger and look better.  The new thing is the concept for women to lift weights just like men do ie) higher weights, lower reps.  If you do that you will build muscles.  Apparently you won't do that by using 5 pound weights in sets of 15.

I just started reading this book.

Lift like a man, Look like a goddess.  Hmmmm.....  that sounds interesting.

So far I am still in the theory part.  Will let you know when I actually pick up a weight!  :)

Damn I miss having a personal trainer twice a week.  Darn full time job and bills and stuff!  :)

I can't remember if I posted this before.  If I have please excuse my senility.  Check out this girl's story:

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Started out at 170 pounds.  Mega cardio and calorie restricted her way down to 113 pounds and was very hungry.  Started doing weights and eating Paleo. 

 Left: 131 pounds,  Right 142 pounds

Go to the link to read more.  It is very interesting.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

"When you strength train with very heavy weights for low numbers of repetitions, you build incredibly DENSE, tight muscle.  It’s funny, but if you really want that toned look in your legs, stomach, and arms – picking up small weights and doing lots of repetitions isn’t doing anything – it’s really heavy weights with low repetition that will sculpt the body you’re after."

Hey, Its Monday!

I have really been enjoying the outdoors since winter went away.  This past weekend my son had an
"away" hockey tournament north of the city.  Husband and son went off to go to that on Friday and Saturday morning daughter and I took off for the mountains.  Score!  No hockey tournament for me!  (*bad mommy*)

So at 10am on Saturday daughter and I headed west.  We had 3 new Canadians in tow (my kid's caregiver and two of her friends).  They had never been to the mountains before.  They were most amusing too.  They loved to have their picture taken while striking a pose.  So funny!!!  Seriously, it was like we were on a fashion shoot every stop we made.  Picture!Picture!

Anyways... we went for a walk at Johnston's canyon.  We made it to the upper falls.  According to my fitbit we walked up the equivalent of 76 flights of stairs.  The whole hike took us about 2 hours.  Daughter and I (and Bing)  want to go back and try to make it farther to the "Inkpots".  Daughter is only 7 so I am a little bit worried that she would not make it the whole way without whining.  Decisions, decisions.

Sometime this summer I want to go up Ha Ling peak in Canmore.  It is supposed to be an "easy" hike but it is a long way up.  I have been up a few times but not in the last 9 years!  :)  Who wants to come with me?  I'm thinking July.  Gotta work on some fitness before then... plus it is cold up there right now!  :)  Are you with me?  OK, September if you are going camping all summer.  I'm looking at you Amber (if Amber reads this blog...)

On Sunday daughter wanted to go roller blading (we stayed overnight in a hotel).  Which we did on the new Legacy trail that starts at the East Park Gate.   We started out at a parking lot a little bit west of the gate.  All was going fine until we came to an extended downhill.  Unfortunately daughter was wearing her hockey roller blades (bought by her father not me!!) and she had no brakes.  This resulted in her taking off her blades to walk, which resulted in sulking and turning back.  Lesson learned.  Should have gone east towards the gate not west towards Banff!

Anyways...

Back to last Friday when I challenged myself to walk 20,000 steps.  I got off work early and walked from downtown to the zoo.  There were only 3 sketchy characters along my way and they seemed friendly enough.  I was on the north side of the river.  Still... with cars whizzing by it is not the most serene walking route.  I did enjoy looking at the baby geese and only had to intimidate one mommy goose who tried to take a run at me.

Once I got home I think I was at around 18,000 steps.  In the end I made it over 25,000 steps by going on another walk on the pathway.  But, that was not a wise move.  My feet started hurting in the old way of pre-orthotics.  I think for now I will cap my walking at 15,000 steps.

So that is all I have to say for now.  Are you enjoying spring?

Happy Friday!

Ha Ha!  Fatinah!  You so funny thinking I would make cooking videos!  :)

Happy Friday everyone.  50 more minutes until my factory shuts down.  OK, I don't work in a factory but they are letting us go home early at 2pm.  YAY!

For some unknown reason I suggested to my MyFitnessPal friends this morning ( ie) my 2 sisters and about 3 internet people...) that today we should all do 20,000 steps.  I think I have done it twice before and I was really really tired by the end of the day.

20,000 steps works out to be about 15kms of walking for me but probably less distance for those of you who have shorter legs.  My younger sister took me up on the challenge.  Radio silence from my much older sister.  :)

So far it is 1pm and I am at 8000 steps.  12,000 to go.  If I am feeling really perky I might try for 25,000.

If you want to know if I make it or not check my public fitbit page tomorrow.  I only sync once a day at about 10pm.

http://www.fitbit.com/user/2353KD

The days steps are listed on the bar graph.  You just have to hover over the bar for each day to see that day's steps.

My younger sister got a fitbit this week.  My older sister is too afraid of me kicking her ass so she is using a body media.  Scaredy cat!!!  mwaaaahahahahaha.

On days when I don't make an effort to walk more I would probably be doing about 3000 steps or less so the more steps the merrier!

Oh, someone asked me where I bought my fitbit.  I just bought it on the fitbit.com website.  It took about 2 weeks to ship to Canada.  Online shopping bites for us Canadians!

Couple of Cooking Videos

Youtube - How to make California Rolls

http://youtu.be/xqFL4Qn4ANw


How to make Salad Rolls

http://youtu.be/_VsV3wgBIow

Hello Bloggers! Friday May 4, 2012

These shoes belong to my little (almost 7 year old) daughter and her dad.  I found them sitting this way in the basement.  She has taken to working out when her dad does.  She rowed 3000m on the rowing machine the other day while he rode his bike.  She was pretty proud.  This is her first pair of tie up shoes.  She is in grade 1 going on grade 7.  If they would take her in Junior High she would go.

I am still chugging along.  Did I mention I picked up my orthotics a few weeks ago?

I have been wearing them non stop.  I no longer get the foot pain I was getting before (top of foot mostly left foot) but I am nowhere near ready to start running.  Need to drop a bunch of weight and need to strengthen the small muscles that support my knees.  I would be stupid to try to run now.  I would be hurt in no time.

I have not been doing a super lot of exercise aside from marching (walking).  I often walk an hour at lunch on week days and sometimes in the evenings outside and a little bit on the treadmill at home.

Right now I am focusing on dropping some pounds by watching my calorie intake.  From my worst in Sept 2011 I am down about 15 pounds.  I still have about 12 to go until I get to my 2007 worst though  :)  Oh well.  I will get there.

MyFitnessPal is REALLY helping me.  Logging my food.  Being aware of what I am eating if nothing else.  It helps that my two sisters are on there to comment on my status updates along with a couple of other Internet people.  Hello Internet people!  You rock!  If you want to see my health status updates me I'm over on MyFitnessPal!  Its like Facebook for fitness!  :)  My username is PlanetSparky.

Fitbit is helping me take lots of steps instead of sitting on my butt like normal.  Still liking it!

This time of year is soooo much easier to make healthy choices and be active.  The darkness and cold of winter really do make it tough.  When I am old I want to be a snowbird and flock down south with other old Canadians.

Question from Zurple:  What did I do when I was on my solo fitness weekend a few weeks back.    Basically, I ate healthy food to stay within my calories (but did allow myself a couple of treats).  I walked a lot.  My steps were 15,000+ I think, and I roller bladed a couple of times.  I also used the fitness center at the hotel twice.  Oh ya, and I read and slept whenever I wanted to.  So decadent!!!

My Fitbit Review

So, I have been using my Fitbit for about a week now.  I still really like it.

If you are looking for something easy to use that motivates you to move more (and i my case eat less) then this is the product for you.

It is small and therefore not very noticable.  Unlike some products where you have to wear an armband.  The Fitbit site says:  "It does not scream "I'm on a diet!".  Great marketing Fitbit.  hahaha

Right now I am using MyFitnessPal.com to log my calories.  Fitbit works seamlessly with that automatically telling MyFitnessPal how may calories I have burned over and above the calories I would have burned if I had zero activity for the day. 

All I have to do is dock it once a day (it will "dock" itself wirelessly too if your usb dock is plugged i to your computer).  I wait until the end of the day to do this because that way I can figure out what my activity has earned me by comparing what my fitbit says my current calorie burn is versus what the fitbit website says my current calorie burn is (until I "dock" the fitbit, the website does not know about my activity for the day)

Fitbit has an acelerometer in it similar to Nike + and other devices.  It can tell how far you have moved based on your stride length (that it estimates from your height or you can manually enter it yourself).  It can tell how much incline you have done in the day.  It uses math-e-magic (algorithms) to figure out how many calories it thinks you have burned based on your current weight and the activity it has detected during the day.

There are some activities that it will not give you enough credit for.  eg) rollerblading.  It does ot actualy know you are rollerblading (which burns tonnes of calories).  However,  if you want "credit" for those higher calories you can just manually log them yourself on the website.

Anyways... This device will not give you exact data with respect to how many calories you have burned in a day.  The website claims it is 90% accurate.  Same with the Body Media by the way.

If you think there is a device out there that will give you exact calorie burned data there just isn't.  It doesn't exist yet.  Maybe in the future it will but it doesn't now.

That being said.... the Fitbit works for me for the following reasons.

1.  From the day I got it I have been far more active.  I am now conscious of actually moving more.  This little gizmo shows me in real time how much I have moved.  It has a little display on it that shows up when you press the little button.  Otherwise it just looks like a black clip.

2.  I now do more stairs.  I take stairs even when I don't need to (like instead of crossing the flat street, I will take a flight up to a +15, and back down on the other side).  This is a good idea.  It is good for your heart even if it doesn't burn a super tonne of calories.

3.  By putting more effort into moving I have been less likely to say "screw this" and eat more than I was supposed to.  I know the effort I put into being active, why wreck it?

4.  It is small and easy to wear.  I don't even know it is there.  It is not in charge of me.  I am in charge of it.  It does not beep at me, I don't have to wear a clunky watch or keep a footpod on my shoe etc.

5.  You can use it to monitor your sleep.  It will tell you how many "wakes" you had in the night.  That part does work.  The night my child came and woke me up, yep, right there in the log.  It also told me I had wakes that I did not know about (sometimes I sit up and talk in my sleep).  Some nights I had no wakes.

6.  Money.  Once you buy the unit (currently $99) thats it.  No fees to use a website  It is free forever.

7.  Integration with MyFitnessPal.  I like using MyFitnessPal to log my calories.  It has a social media newsfeed with you and your friends.  It is encouraging when you have friends that comment.  I need more friends.  Come join!  Love me!!!!  hahahahaha  Aside from MyFitnessPal it integrates with a bunch of other sites that I don't remember.


Who would this thing work for?

Basically I would recomend it for someone who is trying to move more.  Period.  If moving more and watching your calories isn't a concern for you... you don't need one.

If you want a device that will precisely calculate all the calories you use doing pushups, lifting weights that type of thing, Fitbit will not do that for you.

If you want a small gadget that is easy to use and motivates you to move more:  more steps, more stairs, and does not have additional fees once you buy it...  Fitbit would work for you.
.
.
.

Do it yourself Fitness Retreat

(view from my room this weekend)

I would love to go to the biggest loser ranch but it is not a possibility for me. If I can't go away for a whole week, what about a weekend?

Last week I was playing around on Hotwire and found a deal for an unamed hoted for $156 all in for 2 in a nearby picturesque town.

I asked husband if he he was interested in a family weekend getaway. Unfortunately my son has a hockey game early on the Saturday morning of the proposed weeked so that would not work out so hot (get up early, drive back to city, play game, drive back to hotel). However, my husband being the gem that he is suggested that I take off for a quiet weekend by myself. For $156 dollars that sounded like a fabulous idea.

I left straight from work today and settled in at 5pm. Perfect.

Today at work I did not get a chance to go for a walk at lunch because the whole company (including me) went offsite for a tour. Sooooo.... my fitbit stats today are not fabulous... but I'm ok with that. I know I will get lots of moving myself tomorrow and Sunday.

Meanwhile... I have a stocked mini fridge with healthy food from home and I am a happy clam. I brought veggies, fruit, yogurt, cottage cheese, cooked chicken breats and bought some milk when I got here.

Some might find it weird that I did not bring along a friend and that I went away all by myself. I don't have a huge number of friends and those I have I rarely see.... but... I am the kind of person that is OK with a little solitude. For 2 days I will have no responsibility as a mother, wife or homeowner. Saweeeet!!!!

My plan is to eat healthy, get myself moving, and get some reading in too.

Thanks Seabreeze for the question about the Fitbit.

I will write a post next week once I have been using it for a week. So far I am super happy with it. I find it really motivating to get moving instead of sitting. The sleep data is pretty cool too.

Fitbit - New Toy

I came home after work yesterday to find my FitBit had been delivered.

Basically it is a pedometer on steroids with a web interface.

It has a function to track your sleep so I tried that out.

Here are my sleep results from last night. I won't be recording my sleep every night but this is kind of cool. I think the 2 "wakes" are the 2 times I hit snooze :)

Here is a link to my FitBit profile:


Update: As my genius sister pointed out. The "wakes" were not the snooze button. They were at 11pm and just before midnight.

Walking

In an attempt to add more activity to my life I have taken up walking.

I mentioned previously that my feet, particularly the left one was really bugging me.

I went to the RR and bought a pair of neutral shoes (used to always wear stability shoes)

Overnight I could walk much longer and farther without the nasty *top of the foot* pain.

File that under *dumbass*

Seriously? I just needed to change my shoes. Rookie mistake!

I still have to pick up my new orthotics.

File that under *procrastimus maximus*

Hopefully they will be magic because although the top of the foot pain is greatly reduced, my calves are now cranking out. Big babies! :)
.
.

Pins

Sometimes at lunch I spend the hour cruising through blogs. If I want to remember stuff I add it to my "Pins" blog.

Yes, I know about Pinterest but I am used to using blogger :)

I have that blog private though but if you want to read it leave me a comment and I can add you.

Quinoa Salad

http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/03/26/mexican-quinoa-salad/


Another recipe site.

Cute Food For Kids

OK Moms. I just found this blog.

Great craft ideas for the inevitable "I'm Bored!" conversation.

http://www.cutefoodforkids.com/
.
.
.

.
.
.

I really like this quote.

When parents allow their children to take risks, it sends an important message, "My parent trusts my ability to make good decisions and, therefore, my parent has confidence in my abilities."


Man, sometimes it feels like the air is always buzzing with helicopters. If only the helicopters could digest that little nuggest of advice. By micromanaging your kid's life you are telling them "You are not capable to do this yourself". Is that the message you want to send to them?

Another quote I like:

Your school aged child do not need a security detail when they leave your house to go to the park on your street.

So true. At least where I live.

Maybe it will swing the other way by the time I am a grandmother. I hope so.

http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/
.
.
.

Crock Pot Pork

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/crock-pot-asian-pork-with-mushrooms.html

Another great Food Blog

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/chicken-rollatini-with-spinach-alla.html

Awesome Food Blog

http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/02/roasted-cauliflower/


Stumbled across this blog.

I have only browsed it a bit but it looks awesome. Lots of photos and how to's.

Wow.

Jamie Oliver has a great idea trying to help people learn to cook. This guy's blog is just like that.

Perfect for kitchen-noobs like me.

http://www.macheesmo.com/

Join me

Now microblogging about my weight and fitness struggles / goals over on myfitnesspal.com

It is a bit like Facebook in that you can update your status, and the website tells your friends when you have logged your food and excercised. If you lose weight it tells your friends too.

If you want to join me or just see what is up with me add me as a friend.

My username is planetsparky.

I promise to support you back! :)

Diet Coke

After lunch my brain always screams SUGAR! Give me Candy!

And unfortunately the kitchen at work has a 25 cent candy dispenser.

But today instead of getting some food of the gods jelly beans... I drank a can of diet coke.

I know a lot of people get hooked on pop... (I am not currently one of those people) but surely drinking a diet coke instead of eating candy has to be a step in the right direction?

And yes I know fruit would be better, but I didn't have any fruit OK! ;)

PS. I got the diet coke from the free pop fridge at work. I normally don't drink pop though that fridge is stocked with at least 3 varieties of diet pop.

PPS I do not have any gum on me either.
.

Broccoli?

Am I the only one that can't eat raw broccoli without ranch dip? (eating my lunch here) Seriously. I can eat cooked broccoli but raw broccoli needs help...

Nothing new to report.

Husband is still working like crazy. We don't know much about what will happen but honestly I am not sweating it. If he loses his job and still doesn't have a job in a year I will worry about it then...

Hockey is winding up. 8 hockey games between the 2 kids this weekend. Next weekend they have practices then thats it. Well except the boy is doing "Spring Hockey" for 2 months so who am I kidding. At least it will be the end of 7am practices on weekends until next September.


My orthotics are ready to be picked up. I just need to buy a new pair of neutral running shoes. My current ones are for pronating. Apparently I should not wear my new orthotics in them. I will plan to go out after the kids have swimming on Thursday. Tonight they both have hockey games :)

Once I have the new shoes and orthotics I should hit the sidewalks.

Someone said I need a plan and a goal.

How about I set a goal and work on the plan later?

Finish a 5K in the fall?

One of the moms at hockey is a runner. She did a speed workout the other day. 5K in 24 minutes. Bazinga! At this point I would settle for for 40 minutes! hahaha. She had to let me know it was on flat ground. Who cares! 24 minutes is badass from a mom of 6 year old and a 4 year old! :)
.

Hello Blog

Hello blog. It is a sunny Friday afternoon . Winter has been so kind to us this year we are almost past the scary cold months. Yay!

I don't have much to report.

Husband has been working very insane hours. Like some days he only gets 3 hours of sleep at his office then starts up again. And no he doesn't get paid overtime. Darnit!!!

Hopefully it is going to come to an end next week and he will be back to *mostly* regular office hours. He will likely be out of a job in July but it is OK because he will get a severance package so that is not causing me any worry. Change can be good right?

The kids are pretty cranky these days. It only dawned on me this week that their daddy working all the time would be putting them off kilter too. Not to mention that daddy is so tired from working he is CRANKY at them. Too bad I can't just hide under my bed when they won't behave.

It has been about 6 weeks now of him working 100 hour weeks? Or maybe 5. Anyways... a while.

Looking forward to his crazy hours stopping.

Hey, hockey season is almost over too.

Its the most wonderful time... of the year!!!!! (to the tune of that bad back to school commercial)

Monday Feb. 6th

Got to work at 7am. Love days like that because I face the afternoon knowing I don't have to work late to make up for getting in late.

Took a short lunch and left at 3 to get home. Jman had a 4:45 practice.

I dropped him off at 4:15 and went back home and treadmilled for 45 mins on an incline. Yay me!

I can get back into the habit of exercise. Especially now that I have way less stress.

Another good thing... the sun. The sun is back! It is so nice to go home from work in the light. Looking forward to the time of year when the sun wakes me up too.

Another good thing. Winter was mild this year. Really only one week of it-is-so-freaking-cold-your-skin-will-literally-freeze-after-10-minutes. Really lucky. Yay for mild winters!

Friday Feb. 3rd

Well its Friday. The main business application that I use at work is down so here I am with a blog entry.

Wednesday I read a blog by http://michelletheeverydaycritic.blogspot.com/ talking about myfitnesspal.com.

My sister had tried to get me into it last year but then she got pregnant blah blah blah so I drifted away from it.

Anyways... since reading Michelle's post I have been logging my food on there. Just by the mere act of loggin my food I have been more conscious about my choices and I have exercised too. Duh! This is not news. Anyways... that is what I am doing for now.

If you want to be my "friend" my username is planetsparky.

It is easy to use and I can use it on my phone too.

I am sure they are gathering all sorts of anonymous information about me but oh well.

Yesterday I: went for a brisk walk at lunch (inside in the +15s), did 30 mins on the treadmill at home, and 15 mins on the eliptical.

I just made an appt with a podiatrist for Feb. 13th. I am slightly alarmed that I now get foot pain during the day for no apparent reason. My feet scare me especially since my friend Steph has been completely sidelined from running because of her feet.

Be good to your feet people! :)

Phewsh

I don't think anyone actually read that last post where I committed to doing Jenny 100%.

Phewsh! Because here I am a week later flip flopping on the floor as I am want to do eventually.

I am done with Jenny (I think... hahaha)

I just want more freedom to make my own choices. I can't hack eating their food anymore. Although I do like their Canadian Bars and their frozen sweet treats. Nom! The rest of it sends me running away screaming Nooooooooooooooooooo.

*FAIL*

Next plant of attack: Log my food. I'm using MyFitnessPal.com. If you want to be friends let me know what you user name is. Mine is planetsparky.

Yesterday (January 31st) I had my kid to the arena an hour before his game (team rule) so I decided to go for a walk for half an hour. Yay me! Another mom came with me too.

I am going to do it again today when I take my daughter to her practice. If I walk for half an hour while they are at the rink that should be better than sitting on my butt doing nothing.

I am really grateful that the sidewalks are mostly ice-free right now so hardly any danger of falling on my heinie!

I have not weighed myself since my last Jenny weigh in. I will weigh next Wednesday.

Older sister is doing WWs right now. She is weighing on Wednesdays.

Younger sister just had a baby on New Years Eve and is doing MyFitnessPal.

Turning 40 this year in less than 4 months. Yikes!!!! Need progress pronto!

Coming Clean

OK people who read this blog.

Time to come clean.

The past 2 years or so have been a steady decline into the "unfit" territory. I slid past my previous "worst weight ever" and kept going. There were no brakes. In 2011 I managed to gain a further 10 pounds over 2010.

I never exercised. I ate unhealthy. I did not restrict my calories. I did not look in the mirror and avoided the camera at all costs.

In June I hired a nanny. It took until late December for her to arrive from overseas. Now that she is here though... almost all burdons have been lifted off of me. I know I am really really lucky. I still have a full time job and the kids still do extracurriculars basically 7 days a week, but still, I now feel like I can breathe.

So, back in September I knew I was sliding in the wrong direction. My friend Nicole had done "Jenny" a few years previously and she completed the program and has been maintaing ever since.

One day I called them up and went in. In the first 3 weeks I lost 11 pounds because I was following it to the T.

However, after that I just mucked about, never stopped going but did not follow the plan and got nowhere. Well, I guess I stopped gaining so there's that...

Anyways... this Wednesday I went in again. It was either quit the program or do it right so I am choosing to do it right. I have one day under my belt of 100% on plan. I *can* do it. I just have to choose to do it.

Roadblock this week: parents are visiting. They are not staying with me so that helps but tonight they are coming over for dinner and Bing is cooking (Bing is our nanny).

Did I mention she makes delicious home cooked meals? That she will cook whatever I ask her to? Ya, hard to face frozen Jenny food when there is fresh cooked whole food as an option... Anyways......

I will stay on the Jenny today. I will only eat non starch veggies and salad from the homemade food choices. I will only drool at the homemade Filipino steak *to die for argh!*

I will report back tomorrow on my success.

I have a 4 week rotation of hormones in my life. I am in a "safe" (non-hormonal crazy) week right now so I should be able to hold the fort. (of will power). Man, I dread the crazy week.... but alas, I don't have to deal with that right now.

Goal # 1: lose 5.4 pounds. That will get me to 220.
From there I will focus on each 10 pound increment.

I feel I would be healthy at 180 even though in theory I would still be 20 pounds overweight. I would be a hell of a lot better off at 180 than I am at 225. What do they say? Progress not Perfection?

And finally....

A big hello to Angela at Knitting Nutty (formerly known as thinby40). You are inspiring me. You are doing the Couch to 5K right now in the midst of all the health issues. Holy crap! I'm embarassed to be such a potatoe when you are dusting yourself off and working at it!

Visit Angela here: http://knittingknutty.blogspot.com/ and cheer her on. She is amazing!!
.
.

Kittens are contagious

In mid December my mom got this little charmer. My kids and I went to the animal shelter to help mom pick her out. My mom let my daughter name her so her name is Chrissy Christmas. Her shelter name was Brittney.

At the time we had one very old 17 year old cat. I couldn't resist going back to the shelter and adopting 2 kittens for us. I had forgotten how fun and crazy kittens are. The 17 year old cat suddently seemed very old.

The two kittens had names of Ivy and Holly at the shelter. I picked them up 2 days before Christmas and kept them a surprise for the kids until Christmas morning.

Considering that the potential names that the kids came up with for my mom's cat had been Nacho, Taco and Tofu I did not let the kids rename the kittens and with the excitement of Christmas they forgot to ask.

baby steps

instead of taking the bus like i normally do when i have a dr appt during the i walked from my office to the appt (20 mins)

i think i will walk back too because it won't take too much longer than waiting for a bus to come and then riding on it....

these small thinhgs if done often enough should add up right?

Reader Comment from NickieChickie

"Nickiechickie said...

Put your words into action chickie, less talk more do! It can be a great year for you. What is your plan of attack? "


....................


It can be a great year for me. I am hesitant to make a plan. I know! I know! Me of the Mega Plan fame with no plan!


I have just had so many plans that have come to naught. (sp)

I have been having more trouble than ever with my feet. As in they hurt now just during the day even when I wear running shoes. So I guess I need to visit a Podiatrist.


So, for sure there is no running in my near future. Only walking.



I am toying with the idea of joining the gym at my building and working out before work since I will be commuting with Husband-unit and he goes to work early.


Or... I could save that money and work out in the basement when I get home from work. That one is probably a good idea too but has the potential for mayhem when kids hockey is thrown into the mix. Before work is probably more reliable.

Thoughts?



P.S. Less Talk? I only had 8 posts in 2011 as opposed to 196 in 2008! Hahahaha

Happy New Year!

Gee, I suck at being a regular blogger! Oh well.

Here I am, January 2012, still battling.

My life just got a whole lot easier though. I have more help at home. I can now get to work on time. I can now take a lunch break at work. Since I have help at home I don't have household crap dragging me down so there is no more "I'm too busy to even think about wanting to exercise". I know I am insanely lucky and I am really grateful to have help.

I've got some rebuilding to do. These last 2 or 3 years have been a big slide fitness wise. Yucko!

Anyways... I haven't forgotten about this blog. Probably everybody else has though! Hahahahaha.

More updates when there is something worth updating about.

Oh, I am so loving the weather today. 15 degrees on January 4th on the prairies. What an insanely good day!