Archive for the 'Health/Wellness' Category

Uh *cough* hi…here I am again. I’m sure you all missed me something fierce. I really don’t know why I just get so gung ho about blogging and then peter out after awhile, especially when I was embarking on something totally new. I’m sure you all want to know if I indeed ran a 5K. Well, to satisfy your curiosity…yes! I did!!! I was so excited I wanted to call my old PE teacher from grade school. Well, ok, maybe not, but it was/is pretty exciting! The first 5K (Lisa, you mean you ran more than one?! Well, technically not, but I’ll explain in a minute) was in April in a little town a little ways from here. My good friends who had been training with me all carpooled. Let me tell you, I was nervous! I felt like I was running “The Mile” all over again, except it was a lot longer. So, we get to the place where we start, and it’s at a golf course and we were all like, where’s the pavement?! The entire course was on grass! Not only that, but it was pretty poor terrain, hilly in spots, and poorly planned out. At times, we had no idea where we were going either. And that last hill…I just have no words except that I was barely running. It was little better than a fast walk, but I was still technically running. My, my my. I was beat! Wanna know my time? It was 31:25. I was completely shocked because before that I ran 3 miles around our neighborhood and my time was close to 39 minutes. How in the world I shaved off over 7 minutes was totally beyond me, especially considering the last hill and the terrain. So, we find out afterward – it wasn’t a full 5K!!! What in the world?! It was probably more like 2 miles or so. I didn’t really feel like I had accomplished my goal of running in an actual 5K, so my friend, Cara, and I signed up for the Race for Ronald McDonald at our local lake. After this race, I wasn’t sure I really wanted to sign up for anymore only because it cost $30 and that is just too expensive for my economical blood. Anyway, the race was at the beginning of May

For as bad as the first race was, this race was so much better! First of all, it was absolutely gorgeous that morning, a little cool, definitely not cold, and the sun was shining through some puffy grey clouds onto the lake. It was beautiful. To top it all off, we ran on pavement the whole way! And want to know what else? I ran the whole way without stopping once. 3.1 miles, people. For a girl who never thought running would be something in my future (unless I was running from a robber ). My time? 41:04. Yeah, not great, huh? But David said, “At least you ran!” That’s right. And I got a $30 shirt out of the whole deal too. And this is kind of funny but the guy who got first place ran the whole thing in 19 minutes and 22 seconds. What I think is kind of comical about the whole thing is if he ran the whole thing twice…he still would have beat me! Oh well.

So what have I been doing this summer for running? Absolutely nothing! I’m sorry, people, but unless it’s a balmy 70 degrees outside (which it isn’t in late summer in Kansas), I’m inside with the AC running full blast. But I have been letting Jillian Michaels whip me into shape with her 30-Day Shred. And I’ve been working out to Level 3! But the weird thing is, today I went back and did Level 1 for something a little easier…and it was SO HARD! I’m not sure what happened there. Maybe my body just wasn’t used to doing those kind of exercises. I really hope this fall I can get back into running. I actually miss it. Who knew I would ever say that? There is a 5K on September 11th here in town which I would like to participate in. It probably won’t be 70 degrees, but hopefully it won’t be 100. If it is, I’ll probably think about all those hot, sweaty runners out there and eat my ice cream cone at Dairy Queen. In air conditioning.

Coming up next (and hopefully soon), I have a cinnamon-raisin biscuit recipe that is pretty much the bomb (in my humble opinion) that a friend requested I share. So you have that to look forward to. And if you run while eating a cinnamon-raisin biscuit, you will probably spill crumbs everywhere, but at least the running may cancel out the calories. And if you run long enough, you may even be able to have 2! Wouldn’t that be nice, huh?

Since diving headlong into the whole running scene, I figured I’d post a few things I’ve learned/experienced so far. Keep in mind, though, that this is nothing earth shattering, just some interesting bits of info on yours truly.

1. The first thing is that since beginning running (or just working out more consistently in general), I have noticed my sleep at night is better. I wake up more refreshed in the morning. It also doesn’t take me as long to fall asleep and I don’t wake up in the middle of the night. Not that I woke up in the middle of the night that often before, but now when I crash, I crash hard. It’s great!

2. The second thing I’ve noticed is that my recovery time after a workout has improved significantly. Today after I ran, it didn’t take hardly any time to bring my heart rate down. Not only that, I wasn’t utterly exhausted when I was done. That’s pretty neat!

3. The third thing I’ve noticed physically is that my endurance is improving. When I was running today, I was able to keep up without feeling like I needed to gasp for air. My legs were getting pretty sore, but I really felt like I could keep going. In fact, I did! I was supposed to run 20 minutes today (day 3 of week 5; I was a day behind and will start week 6 tomorrow). Instead of running 20 minutes, I just tacked on another 5 minutes at the end. And you know what? It was great!

4. I am beginning to realize that I really like running. This factoid is earth shattering, at least in my book. I never, ever, ever, in my life thought I would ever say that. I mean, why would someone want to run voluntarily unless a gun was held up to their head? I really think the key is starting out slowly and then working your way up. Like Elizabeth said in her post about setting goals, set little ones along the way instead of going for the big one, losing steam, and then giving up. It was overwhelming when I thought of running 3 miles a few weeks ago. Now, though, it seems totally doable. Just keep at it. One foot in front of the other. You can do it.

5. Another thing I’ve found (and this is probably a no-brainer) is that it is SO much easier to run with someone else! (Thank you, Cara!) To have someone there to talk to is a great encouragement and makes the time fly. I highly recommend a workout buddy! I don’t get to run with someone everyday but I’m sure thankful for those times when I get the opportunity!

I’m sure there will be things to add to this list as time goes on. I’m already looking at a 10k training schedule that looks doable (changing my rest days to Sunday). Keep going everyone! You can do it!

I ran today. The end…

Okay, okay! I know I can’t just leave you hanging like that so I’ll fill you in on the nitty gritty. What have I been up to this week? Amidst flurries and mud, I actually found time to run. But when the flurries were bad, I worked out inside. Yesterday the sun was out and it was such a nice day, if not a bit cold, so I got all decked out in my running gear…and took a nap. Yes, I did! I’m not exactly sure why I was so tired but I could hardly keep my eyes open. The bad part was that when I woke up I felt like I hadn’t even taken a nap at all. And then I had to work when I woke up too. Blah. Today though was a good run. I am still doing week #4 of Couch to 5K. It seemed a little easier today than before. Yay! I am planning on running again tomorrow and Saturday. Sunday it’s supposed to be cold and snowy again. I’m definitely looking forward to spring. And here’s a news flash for ya: I  just realized that I’ve worked out everyday this week so far! Yippee!

Stay tuned for more workout/running updates and maybe just for kicks I’ll throw in a recipe or two or something totally random just to keep you coming back for more!

Hello all! I decided to update and encourage you all by posting my progress on my blog. Isn’t that so exciting? Let me tell you what I did yesterday. I ran. Wow! Who knew? But, it wasn’t just any run, you know. This is technically week two in my Couch to 5K program. However, after looking at what I was going to be doing, it didn’t look challenging enough, so I decided to skip ahead to week four. First is a 3-minute jog, then a 90-second walk, then a 5-minute jog, then a 2 1/2-minute walk, then a 3-minute jog, etc. That first three minutes went by very slowly and let me tell you, I treasured every second of that next walking period! Then came the 5-minute jog. I was really dreading it but made it all the way through. It helps to have some techno music playing in the background. At any other time, I don’t like techno, but it helps keep me going when I run. By the end of my training session, something interesting happened. Not only did I make it through my very last 5-minute run, but I felt like I could keep going! I realized it wasn’t so bad after all, so you know what I did? I kept running…for another 10 seconds…and then I decided to call it quits for the day. After all, I had to, uh, work or something like that. I didn’t end up running today, although I planned on it. My morning was a bit busier than expected. However, I plan to run tomorrow, weather permitting as we are supposed to have rain and/or snow over the next few days. But, my fellow runners, stay tuned for the next installment on my journey. It should prove to be interesting at the very least, humiliating at the very worst, and comical all the way around. For some helpful tips on exercising and eating right, I highly recommend my fellow runner and very good friend, Elizabeth. She has an excellent blog on all things fitness. Check her site out and encourage her too! She ran/walked 4 miles the other day! What a show off good example!

Did you get tired of seeing that glowing picture of me every time you stepped over to my blog this week? Sorry folks! I’ve still been exercising but have not made the time to update on here. So, here I am!

Let’s see, I checked out Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds, 3-Mile Walk at the library last week and like it pretty well. It’s not real intense and a tad cheesy (but you’ll hardly find a workout video that isn’t) but it’s decent. Some of the cheesy parts are when occasionally the people working out will exclaim how much they like the workout, what part of their body they’re really “feeling it” and then will let out an occasional, high-pitched “Wooo!” Get the picture there? But, it doesn’t come close to the cheese level you’ll find with Denise Austin, bless her heart.

And then…my Mom got me Jillian Michael’s 30-Day Shred (thanks Mom!!). I now know why they use the word “shred.” I was hardly able to walk yesterday. My legs and arms were so incredibly sore that I considered taking a “break” and doing Billy Blanks Ultimate Bootcamp. Seriously. Ouch! I figured for those who are interested, I’d post my own little review of the workout so here goes:

The video has three levels on it, the first one being the “easiest.” Let me tell you, my friends, that Level 1 was what I started with and what has gotten me so sore. Each level is broken down into three circuits and each circuit has 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs. Rinse. Repeat x3 for a total of about 18 minutes plus a warm up and cool down. The first day I got it, I thought, “Pshh, only 20 minutes? I’ll do Level 1 and 2 to get a good workout.” Um, I hardly made it through Level 1! I felt like a gelatinous mess by the end and curled up in a fetal position on the bed afterwards because I felt physically ill. And then the next day, I did it again! Only this time I was able to make it through a little better. Yesterday, I did the same thing and it got a little easier. I worked out despite being terribly sore and that’s when I could hardly move. Today, I don’t feel nearly as sore and am planning on working out later this evening. Here is a list of pros and cons about the video:

Pros:
1. It’s short.
2. See above.
3. The moves are very basic and easy to follow, no fancy foot work or anything.
4. It is an extremely intense workout in a very short period of time.
5. You feel like you really accomplished something by the time you’re done.
6. She has a no-nonsense attitude about working out.

Cons:
1. Jillian is a tad masculine. Some people might not have a problem with that. I just thought it was a little off-putting.
2. She also seems kind of arrogant.
3. In Level 2 (which I have only watched) she says if we want to be a bad a** to watch one of the girls in the background. It certainly isn’t terrible. I just didn’t think it was really appropriate.
4. At the end of Level 1, she says it’s time for a cool down and, “God knows we deserve it.” It just seemed kind of flippant when she said it. God knows all things but I don’t think we “deserve” a cool down. He knows we may need a cool down but “deserving” something so trivial…I don’t know. So I’ll just say I think she should have been more thoughtful.

And there you have it: my two cents about the 30-Day Shred. You’re also supposed to follow her diet plan but you have to buy her book. I don’t plan on doing that so I’ll just keep exercising and try to be mindful of what I eat. This past week, I’ve done an okay job with my portions and what I’ve eaten and stuff. That is until last night. We went out with some friends after church to IHOP. They have a new coffee drink special going right now. It’s iced coffee and it comes in vanilla, mocha, and maybe one or two other flavors. And free refills! Who can pass up something like that? But, as if that wasn’t bad enough, we also ordered an appetizer sampler x2. It had (drum roll please) onion rings! I was sharing the appetizer basket with my son and he doesn’t like onion rings so I did my part and “helped” him out. Wait! It gets even better because no onion ring would be complete unless you dipped it…in ranch dressing! Yum. They were so good. The funny thing was, I had fixed a fruit smoothie for dinner because I really was trying to be careful about what I ate. Good thing I was being so careful, eh? Yeah…good job, Lisa. So, it’s back to being careful after my little slip last night.

For those of you joining me on this challenge, how has exercising been going for you? Are you noticing a change yet? Do you find yourself enjoying it more?