This week has been great for my workouts. Went for a run, of course, on Monday for 4 miles, biked a lot throughout the week to work, and even made it to the pool a couple of times for some laps and chasing the boy I babysit for.
Today had to be the best day of my workout week, though. I was doing my usual two mile run to the nearby mall. I walked a couple of laps around the mall, like I do. But, after my quick stretch before running home, the skies opened up and dumped a lovely rainstorm on me all the way back! It cold and beautiful. It felt so great after being hot and sweaty.
Moments like those make being alive and healthy that much more important to me. It gave me such a boost of energy; made me smile and become extremely content with where I am in my life. Times are tough, money is tight, but I'm here and I'm living for the present.
I am going dancing tonight with some co-workers to kick of Gay Pride Weekend! Dancing = My favorite workout :)
Friday, June 17, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
buzz buzz buzz
Hmmm... If my calendar serves me right, today is June 13. That means that it has been 3 MONTHS since I have blogged about my exercise! Not cool. Kind of disappointed in myself but, a lot has been happening personally. Not really an excuse; a laziness of sorts I suppose. I HAVE been running, lifting, etc. just not recording it like I promised myself I would.
I just got rid of my facebook account today. It is too much of a distraction in my life right now. I spend unnecessary time on it when I should be writing here, or reading, or exercising, or living, you know?
So, workout-wise, I ran 4 miles today in this beautiful weather. It is hot, but thank goodness there is no humidity! Felt really good. I have been hella stressed lately and have been trying to keep myself busy; the mind is a dangerous thing... so running for me has become more like a drug now more than ever. Not only do I get to listen to how my body is feeling, but my worries and concerns escape my mind for that brief hour.
Eating-wise, I have a new healthy addiction to quinoa. Not only is it one of the main foods available in my house, but it is so very simple to make. Quinoa is gluten free and is packed with protein. Boil it up for 15 minutes like you would a rice or pasta and I just squeeze lemon all over. Yum.
Looking forward to another run/lifting session tomorrow. I also may swim some today and I have a volleyball game as well. See, told you I'm trying to keep myself busy...
I just got rid of my facebook account today. It is too much of a distraction in my life right now. I spend unnecessary time on it when I should be writing here, or reading, or exercising, or living, you know?
So, workout-wise, I ran 4 miles today in this beautiful weather. It is hot, but thank goodness there is no humidity! Felt really good. I have been hella stressed lately and have been trying to keep myself busy; the mind is a dangerous thing... so running for me has become more like a drug now more than ever. Not only do I get to listen to how my body is feeling, but my worries and concerns escape my mind for that brief hour.
Eating-wise, I have a new healthy addiction to quinoa. Not only is it one of the main foods available in my house, but it is so very simple to make. Quinoa is gluten free and is packed with protein. Boil it up for 15 minutes like you would a rice or pasta and I just squeeze lemon all over. Yum.
Looking forward to another run/lifting session tomorrow. I also may swim some today and I have a volleyball game as well. See, told you I'm trying to keep myself busy...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
hey there, mister blue!
Beautiful weather today. Went for an awesome run. I had a lot on my mind and just couldn't stay indoors. Sunny, gorgeous, 62 degrees in Denver. Put in 4 miles, came back and threw some frisbee with Oz, and then went on a relaxing bike ride.
After having the all too common winter weather depression, you have to take advantage of all the sunny days that lead up to Spring. It felt GREAT! I was amazed at how much happier I was today because I went outside. We are expecting the next few days to be just like today so, I will definitely be enjoying it when I'm not working.
St. Patty's day "runnin' of the green" is coming up this Sunday as well. 7k. Soo psyched. It's been awhile since I've done a race... I think my last was in May 2010? Yikes. I am still in decent shape though so, hoping I get a good pace down.
After having the all too common winter weather depression, you have to take advantage of all the sunny days that lead up to Spring. It felt GREAT! I was amazed at how much happier I was today because I went outside. We are expecting the next few days to be just like today so, I will definitely be enjoying it when I'm not working.
St. Patty's day "runnin' of the green" is coming up this Sunday as well. 7k. Soo psyched. It's been awhile since I've done a race... I think my last was in May 2010? Yikes. I am still in decent shape though so, hoping I get a good pace down.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
morning workout blues
Alright. So, 6am came and went. Oh, and so did 7am. There was indeed no workout this morning before work at 9 BUTTT I did come immediately home this evening after job #2 and went straight to working out! YES! Did some weighted squats, planks, a variety of ab exercises, arms, and stretching. Felt good especially have some Godsmack in the background to fuel my fire. Seriously, if you want to get amped for a workout, Godsmack is the way to go.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a better day out here in Denver weather-wise. 62 degrees of sunshine and no work until 3:30pm? Uh, yes to running! I'm sick of this cold and ready to run in the sun.
Short and sweet today...
Tomorrow is supposed to be a better day out here in Denver weather-wise. 62 degrees of sunshine and no work until 3:30pm? Uh, yes to running! I'm sick of this cold and ready to run in the sun.
Short and sweet today...
Monday, March 7, 2011
Weekend Workout Woes
It has been 2 days since I have written. Looks like that goal of mine went out the window pretty fast, eh? That's not the only thing that dwindled over the weekend...
As we know, Saturday and Sunday can be VERY eventful and they go by extremely quickly. We may have our job to go to still and we definitely have to find time to socialize/feel human after our Monday to Friday grind. It's very hard to say Yes to a workout and even harder to say No to a friend and a beer. I, myself, definitely dropped the ball on this one.
It now being Monday evening, I still have yet to say I have worked out for this week. After such a fast, friend-filled, and fattening weekend it is often difficult to find the motivation to get back into your workout plan. A lot of the time, I know this is true for me, your eating habits tend to carry over from the weekend into your following week. Soon, you see that you've done nothing physical for your body for 3 days. When do you tell yourself, "Enough! Let's get busy!"? It's a vicious cycle we find ourselves in way too often.
There are two lessons to be had by this particular blog: having an eating/exercise schedule is CRUCIAL in accomplishing your fitness goals AND you also need time off from your rigorous workout/diet plan. Write out your goals in a journal and analyze your week ahead so you are able to know when you will be working out in between your job and home. Try your best to stick to this plan. If something comes up and you have to miss a session, immediately decide when you can make it up.
Stick to the plan, but also have a day off. If you want to stay sane, trust me, you need a day where you allow yourself to eat pizza and be lazy. I remember when I was at my heaviest in college; 176 to be exact. My fiance was a personal trainer at the time and he put me on a strict eating/exercise schedule (this was my decision I will add; he prefers me thicker anyways :) But, he also said that I needed to choose one day a week where I could have the things I normally wouldn't eat during this weight loss process. This didn't mean for me to go overboard and get carb-crazy, just to enjoy a nice slice of pizza or eat ice cream while I watched an episode of "Lost". Within a year and a half I had dropped down to 145 lbs. and I made that happen because I stuck to my regimen in the gym, but I also gave myself a breather when my body needed it.
My plan tonight is to go to sleep at 10pm to wake up at 6am for a in-home workout before my job at 9am. I'm feeling motivated now, but the true test will be when the alarm goes off in the morning. Wish me luck!
As we know, Saturday and Sunday can be VERY eventful and they go by extremely quickly. We may have our job to go to still and we definitely have to find time to socialize/feel human after our Monday to Friday grind. It's very hard to say Yes to a workout and even harder to say No to a friend and a beer. I, myself, definitely dropped the ball on this one.
It now being Monday evening, I still have yet to say I have worked out for this week. After such a fast, friend-filled, and fattening weekend it is often difficult to find the motivation to get back into your workout plan. A lot of the time, I know this is true for me, your eating habits tend to carry over from the weekend into your following week. Soon, you see that you've done nothing physical for your body for 3 days. When do you tell yourself, "Enough! Let's get busy!"? It's a vicious cycle we find ourselves in way too often.
There are two lessons to be had by this particular blog: having an eating/exercise schedule is CRUCIAL in accomplishing your fitness goals AND you also need time off from your rigorous workout/diet plan. Write out your goals in a journal and analyze your week ahead so you are able to know when you will be working out in between your job and home. Try your best to stick to this plan. If something comes up and you have to miss a session, immediately decide when you can make it up.
Stick to the plan, but also have a day off. If you want to stay sane, trust me, you need a day where you allow yourself to eat pizza and be lazy. I remember when I was at my heaviest in college; 176 to be exact. My fiance was a personal trainer at the time and he put me on a strict eating/exercise schedule (this was my decision I will add; he prefers me thicker anyways :) But, he also said that I needed to choose one day a week where I could have the things I normally wouldn't eat during this weight loss process. This didn't mean for me to go overboard and get carb-crazy, just to enjoy a nice slice of pizza or eat ice cream while I watched an episode of "Lost". Within a year and a half I had dropped down to 145 lbs. and I made that happen because I stuck to my regimen in the gym, but I also gave myself a breather when my body needed it.
My plan tonight is to go to sleep at 10pm to wake up at 6am for a in-home workout before my job at 9am. I'm feeling motivated now, but the true test will be when the alarm goes off in the morning. Wish me luck!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Margarita's and No Workout!?
So, as you can see, I did not get to do a workout today. Sometimes I feel bad about that, but then I need to realize that "Ok, Norrell... you ran two days in a row. Don't be so hard on yourself!"
Sometimes when you have your 3 jobs to go to on a Friday (EESH) it's not so easy to fit a workout into the rest of your hour and a half you have to yourself. My solution: make your work your workout.
I currently work at The Gap as a sales associate. Most of the time I am moving: stocking, helping customers, running to the dressing rooms, etc. I also happen to get there at 9am to begin cleaning. I usually go for the vacuum so i get that arm workout in! Also, there's A LOT of squats and bending. So, use whatchya workin with. Literally!
Sorry so short, off to my show!
Sometimes when you have your 3 jobs to go to on a Friday (EESH) it's not so easy to fit a workout into the rest of your hour and a half you have to yourself. My solution: make your work your workout.
I currently work at The Gap as a sales associate. Most of the time I am moving: stocking, helping customers, running to the dressing rooms, etc. I also happen to get there at 9am to begin cleaning. I usually go for the vacuum so i get that arm workout in! Also, there's A LOT of squats and bending. So, use whatchya workin with. Literally!
Sorry so short, off to my show!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Running With Cupcakes
Today, March 3, I turned the big 2-5. I felt it was perfect timing in my life for me to start a blog. Yes, I have been bitten with the blog bug. Two days ago as I was going for a run I decided that I really wanted to start writing a personal report of my daily exercise and nutrition habits for mainly motivational purposes. But, then I got to thinking... my weight and the way I see myself has been a rollercoaster for a big portion of my life. I KNOW that other women have those same insecurities and struggles when it comes to weight loss, exercise, or maintaining a good weight. So, I hope my posts can inspire some good for both you and me.
Running with cupcakes you say? Well, being my birthday I had to have some sort of cake to celebrate! After a hearty breakfast of eggs and "nice crispy bacon", as the hobbits would say, my fiance and I decided it wouldn't be such a bad idea to get our workout in for the day by running to the cupcake shop. Then, we wouldn't feel so bad about eating a whopping 700 calories if we burned a few first.
Well, once we ran about 2 miles to Big Fat Cupcake and got our order we were still quite full from our breakfast, very thirsty, and DEFINITELY not hungry for icing. Blah!! We picked up our pace and started running back home, cupcakes in hand. The more we looked at those monsters in their little plastic container tied with a pretty pink bow the more the thought of putting those into our bodies was a massive mistake. I finally took A BITE around 10:30pm this evening. Happy Birthday to me!
The lesson learned here today is that you must listen to your body. Sometimes it is screaming at you what it needs, but other times it isn't that easy to hear. Go with you gut, literally. And yes, it would have been fine to eat that cupcake after the run. I put forth the effort to workout so that the cupcake would be even more worth it. But, after running with cupcakes in your hand a girl just has to say no.
Running with cupcakes you say? Well, being my birthday I had to have some sort of cake to celebrate! After a hearty breakfast of eggs and "nice crispy bacon", as the hobbits would say, my fiance and I decided it wouldn't be such a bad idea to get our workout in for the day by running to the cupcake shop. Then, we wouldn't feel so bad about eating a whopping 700 calories if we burned a few first.
Well, once we ran about 2 miles to Big Fat Cupcake and got our order we were still quite full from our breakfast, very thirsty, and DEFINITELY not hungry for icing. Blah!! We picked up our pace and started running back home, cupcakes in hand. The more we looked at those monsters in their little plastic container tied with a pretty pink bow the more the thought of putting those into our bodies was a massive mistake. I finally took A BITE around 10:30pm this evening. Happy Birthday to me!
The lesson learned here today is that you must listen to your body. Sometimes it is screaming at you what it needs, but other times it isn't that easy to hear. Go with you gut, literally. And yes, it would have been fine to eat that cupcake after the run. I put forth the effort to workout so that the cupcake would be even more worth it. But, after running with cupcakes in your hand a girl just has to say no.
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