Workout Update

Yesterday I did a lap around the neighborhood with Chloe. She saw me putting on my tennis shoes to hit the gym and I didn't have the heart to leave without taking her for a run. I also then did 1.41 miles at the gym. So, total mileage yesterday: 2.21 miles.

I was just planning to run a bit at the gym on the treadmill because I broke open one of my knuckles (it's scabby now, but a little painful) and was very sore yesterday, but a class started while I was there and I decided to join in. So I have also taken three 30 minute boxing classes this week as well. They involve not only boxing and kicking, but a variety of boot-camp type body weight exercises (and some small weights exercises as well). It's a lot like Jillian Michaels, but I have a bag to punch and kick. I have to adapt the hell out of most exercises as well. I still am not able to do full push ups, and can only handle full plank pose for a short amount of time. And my lower abdominal muscles need a lot of work, the weaklings.

This is a real difference in what my routine is, and I am hoping that will really shake up my waistline.

Bye bye my Y

After buying the new house a good 35 minute drive (in good traffic) away from the place I used to live, it was my full intention to quit the YMCA and search out other options. At my old place, my Y was fairly new (built in the last 10 years), so the facilities were clean. There were lots of hdtvs with cable channels on them, usually at least one news and one sports, but there were usually 15 or so to choose from. Additionally, about half the treadmills had their own television sets on which I could choose my own television show and channel, especially when my shuffle ran out of power, which it is doing a lot more lately.

In my new house, the closest Y is a 25 minute drive away from home, in normal traffic, and easily 10 more minutes in heavy traffic. Also, the facilities are more cramped and older. The locker rooms don't have many stalls for their showers (yeah, open air showers!) and they are carpeted, leaving the smell of chlorine strong in the rooms often. Their are about half as many tvs, and usually all but one are set on news or sports (or financial news) channels. Boooring! Although I will miss some of the things the Y offers (pool, steam room, cardio, and free or cheap classes) in one package, I will be exploring my options over the next few weeks. There are a few storefront gyms nearby, chain gyms without pools, a boxing gym with a weight room and a few cardio machines, one of the universities I work at has a decent, though small, fitness center (with no weekend hours during the summer, and limited weekend hours during the school year, and no pool), and another school I work at has a pool but almost no fitness center.

So my last workout today consisted of 4.85 miles run, and 1 mile on the bike. I'm pretty tired today, and I still have some grading to do. Only one more week for one of my summer classes, and then 3 weeks of summer left. Too bad my other class doesn't let out early enough to allow me any time off.

So starting tomorrow, I will be

Workout Update

Today's run: two laps around the neighborhood with Chloe. 1.6 miles. I think it should count as dexterity training as well, with all the dodging I have to do when she jumps out in front of me, stops suddenly, or sees a rabbit and decides to try and chase it.

Running Update

I ran 5.07 miles yesterday. 42 minutes was at an elevation of 1.0 or above, and 36 of those minutes at 2.0 and above, most at 2.5 or 3.0% elevation. And it felt pretty good, too. Of course I only ran at about 5.5-5.7 mph, but it was invigorating. I followed up with Tony Horton's Ab Ripper 100.

I took a rest day on Saturday, literally as well as figuratively. I took quite a nap, and watched a lot of television on my beautiful couch and snuggled with my doggie. Chloe is getting a lot more grey hair on her belly. She's getting to be an old gal.

I did remeasure myself over the weekend, and it appears I've lost an inch on my bust, and my weight is 154 lb instead of 156 lb, but that is in the level of ordinary fluctuation and may be more a mark of retaining water, having eaten lunch, or some other factor.

Kickbox and Exhaustion

I am so smelly that I am sure little stink waves are raising off my body. I only ran 2.73 miles today, but I also took a kickboxing class at the Y (an hour long class with not a lot of warm up and cool down) and I am pretty tired.

I'm actually unsure as to whether I will do my Sculpt 1-2 today since the class involved so many squats, lunges, and other weight training type exercises. I don't know if my tired muscles can take another round today, though I am considering some gentle yoga and an ab workout to round out the day.

I am also considering a nap, but I need to write a quiz, and it wouldn't hurt if I did some reading for work. I have a whole stack of pleasure and history reading that is getting bigger at an exponential rate.

The fence is nice, and it smells lovely, though Chloe running free through the back yard has meant she is free to find a bit of dead rabbit and roll in it. The outdoor bath yesterday was pure joy. Let me tell you, it is easier to keep Chloe in a tub and block her exit than to bathe her with a leash in one hand and a hose in the other.

Fitness Update

I was quite sore the day after my first Sculpt workout with Tony Horton. I did the abs portion that evening as well, though my abs weren't all that sore. It was my thighs and glutes that killed me the next day. I did some yoga to alleviate the stretching, and yesterday I did another round of Sculpt with 8 pound weights instead of 5 for the back exercises. I'm not all that sore today, which is welcome, but surprising since after the workout my legs were shaking for the rest of the evening.

Today I ran 3.85 miles, rode the stationary bike for 4 miles, and was planning on running the dog around after dark, but my parents stopped by to see my new house, and since I didn't want to be too smelly for them, I took a shower. I guess I could still run and take another, but with the eczema my doc usually doesn't encourage me to shower twice a day; she says try every other day if possible. I've been especially itchy lately, so I think I shall listen.

The Weight Program, Day 1

I've heard it referred to as happiness weight. With the hectic schedule I have had, it can also be referred to as "stress weight" I think, as well. Still, as I have settled down into domesticity with the Baker I have revved down the workout routine and revved up the eating. Drat his good cooking and large portions!

One of my goals for the summer was to whittle down and fit back into my size 8 dress pants, of which I have several pair. Part of this is pure vanity, and part is frugality. I can't afford a full new wardrobe, and I am tired of clueless college boys asking me if I am pregnant. Right now I weigh 156 pounds, only one pound shy of my highest weight of all time. I'm wearing a 10 or 12 in most clothing, though since most of my clothing isn't fitting and I'm reluctant to buy more larger clothes, I don't wear a wide variety of outfits. Now, this may sound okay to most people, however, I am only 5'4'', and I have a small frame. The positive side of this is that the last time I was near this weight, I was a full 2 sizes bigger in clothing, so at least I'm a thinner 156. Additionally, I love to run, and the more weight I carry, the more my knee problem exacerbates, and the more I can't run and the more weight I gain. It's a lovely catch-22.

I have no weight goal, per se, though I wouldn't mind dropping to the 120s if possible. I guess I'd like to drop 30 pounds all said and done, though if I could comfortably wear my old clothing at 20 pounds less, I'd be thrilled and satisfied. I'm not sure how many inches that means I need to take off my waist, but we'll see how that goes.

The last time I tried this I started keeping records, but I always tend to lose those slips of paper I write things down on, so I decided to report on my progress here. Here are my stats, day 1.

Weight: 156 pounds
Measurements (in inches): 41 chest (no wonder my shirts won't button!)
36 waist
40 abs (around my hip bone level)
20 right thigh
11.5 right bicep

The plan is to move more, to stretch more, and to lift weights regularly,and eat more vegetables. My mileage goal is 15-18 miles a week, 2 yoga or extensive stretches a week, 3 weight training, and additional cardio (I'm going to start kickboxing soon, but I am also loosely following a variety of dvds including Power 90 and some Jillian Michaels). If I keep disciplined about my work this summer, it should be possible. I just can't sit around watching Hulu for too many free hours instead of grading papers!

Right now I'm loosely following Power90, which worked well for me this past fall- I did it for about 40 days before finals, then the holidays, a broken dvd player, and an elopement and moving all occurred in quick sucession. I lost about 7 pounds and a pants size during the time I did it this fall, but the cardio tape ("Sweat") that is part of the workout for 3 days a week tends to bore me fairly quickly, so I might substitute runs and other cardio 2 days a week to keep me from dying of repetition. I also have my eye on being able to begin P90x at some point as well, and hope that Power90 (and Power90 masters) will get me ready for that.

Additionally, I'd like to rev my running back up again. I used to comfortably run around 6.1 mph after warm up, and go as high as 7.4 mph for shorter speed intervals. I could also run 8-10 miles distance for my longer runs without too much effort. Now I'm pushing 5.5 for my regular runs, and 5 miles is about my limit without extensive walking breaks (or chafeage- I'm having a huge arm chafing issue lately that's driving me nuts.) I'd ideally like to be able to get back to that level again, perhaps with a gain- 6.3 mph comfortable speed, and a 9-11 mile long run. That really is secondary, but would be very rewarding.

For today, I finished my Sculpt 1-2 using 5 lb weights for most exercises, and have to wait until it cools off outside later today to run my 2 laps around the neighborhood with Chloe. That's a distance of 1.6 miles.

Hopefully this blog will keep me honest, and plot my progress. I promise that this set up is probably longer than most of my updates will be, but now that I've set the parameters, let's see how it goes!