Overwhelmed

March 28, 2007

It has been an intense couple of weeks. I did not run in the 5 K. It was freezing and very windy so I wimped out.

I have been overwhelmed with all I am doing. I missed my work out last week because I am so busy at work. I have been working a few hours on the weekends and late at night. Michael signed me up for Pilates classes; this should be interesting.

I am being stretched thin. Buying and selling houses and doing a renovation on the new at the same time, plus work and everything else just puts strain on your life. My house has not sold yet and but we have closed on the new one and it needs a great deal of work. We have started and have been working with different contractors every day. Windows are ordered, walls are torn down, holes are everywhere. Now that spring is here I realize I will be mowing two lawns. I did not like mowing one before.

I will be having another open house on Sunday, which means the house has to be spotless. I will also be working this weekend. The only exercise I am getting is my walk from the new house to work (2.5 miles each way). I have been doing it in 40 minutes.

Next week I will start the Pilates. After next week work should be a bit less hectic, with any luck my house will go under contract, and the electrical will get done. The plan is to move in the middle of May. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Till next week.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Pilates Workout at Home


• WebMD Video: Exercise and Your Brain

Technorati Tags: fitness, exercise, walking, stress, weight loss, health-and-wellness

New Smaller Jeans

A little more than a week and I did loose a half a pound. I took a couple of days off to close on a new house with a great deal of work for us. My work out is going well and I have better form on my new program. Michael is pushing me to cut the food intake more. My goal is to loose another 5 to 10 pounds and then I should have a flat stomach. We shall see. I have shrunk even more. I am about 5.5" smaller in the waist.

I went to the GAP on Saturday and bought new jeans. I am swimming in all of my old ones. This is really a good feeling. I did want to wait, but nothing is fitting very well. I am having trouble with shirts because I have broad shoulders so medium shirts are a bit tight in the chest. I could have worse problems.

I am still having lower back pain but not as bad. Michael took my measurements and all in all, I have shrunk. I have mostly lost fat which is something I did not do in past when I lost weight. I have lost some muscle but I am much stronger than before. I am definitely eating so much better. I have decided I am going to work with Michael when I am done with this project with WebMD. I never want to go back to where I was before.

My run is Sunday, but if the weather does not improve I will wimp out on this run. We will see how the day is going to play out.

Till next week.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Extreme Exercise for Back Pain Relief
• WebMD Video: Gym Smarts: Upper Body (Chest)

Technorati Tags: weight loss, fitness, health-and-wellbeing

Joint Pain

Another week. I have been having joint pain and I am not sure why. My doctor took me off of Lipator to see if that is an issue. I will have blood work in a few weeks and we will see where I am. My numbers are very low and with the weight loss and eating better I may not need it any more. I am hoping that is the case.

I ran on Saturday and had problems running on Sunday. My knees, lower back and hip joint were in more pain than I would like. Any pain is not fun. I feel a bit better now. Time will tell. My run is in 10 days. The weather has been lousy, very cold starting Sunday afternoon and more snow today. We are making up for the mild winter in December. Oh well.

Did a work out this morning. Michael is having me doing more balancing exercises and I am a bit uncoordinated. Perhaps this will help. Tomorrow Michael will let me know how well I did this week. I am definitely looking more toned - something I have never been. Now all I have to do is finish working off my middle roll. That will be the challenge. We will see. I am hoping my joints feel better. Next week will be a busy one. My partner and I are closing on a new fixer-up house next Wednesday. Till next week.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Stretch to Prep Muscles for Workout
• WebMD Video: Therapeutic Benefits of Massage

Technorati Tags: exercise, fitness, health-and-wellness, weight loss, running

Moving Along

I have maintained my weight. Michael says he wants 2 more pounds next week Too much wine!

I will be running this week; it has warmed up so I can start running again. I have an 8K run in a couple of weeks and I am not ready for it. I am a bit stressed out over getting in shape for it. My new workout routine concentrates on coordination. Now I realize now how bad I am at it. I am also working on my abs, which will help my back. I have been experiencing lower back pain for the past few years and it continues to get worse. The best thing I can do is to strengthen my muscles.

Work has been very busy and we are closing on a new place in 2 weeks so I have been very stressed. My house just went on the market last Friday and it was a lot of work getting it ready to sell. Now we just have to keep it clean. I forgot how strange it is having people walk through your home.

As for my eating, I am doing well except for the Girl Scout cookies -- they are so good, I just can't pass them up!

I will have to run a couple more miles. I am in the home stretch and I do want to get down about 12 or so more pounds. It is going to be hard. I have been snacking on carrots and cherry tomatoes. I still sneak chocolate (I don't think I will ever be able to give that up).

Well, 'til next week.

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• WebMD Video: Fabulous Abs: What Gadget is Right for You
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Technorati Tags: exercise, fitness, workout, snacks, abs, health-and-wellness, weight loss

Down in the 180's

February 22, 2007

When I went to weigh in on Tuesday for my workout I was hoping I had lost but was not sure. I was thrilled! I was down 5.5 pounds in a couple of weeks. I thought I had lost but was not sure.

I have been really watching what I was eating and it paid off. Michael Lin is giving me a new workout and it seems to incorporate more balancing and coordination than what I am used to. It is quite a challenge but I think it is going to be good.

This just adds to an already hectic life for me. My partner and myself have bought a house in town that is great need of repair so we have our work cut out for us. I will be getting my work out in ripping this house apart.

It is causing stress with trying to sell the current house and closing on the new one in a couple of weeks. I will add this to my workout routine. It's a challenge I am looking forward to.

I will be doing my 8K run the weekend after my closing and I need to get out and start running. It has been way too cold until this weekend to run. If it is not raining tomorrow morning I will run in the morning it will be interesting on how well I do. Till next week, I am on a roll. Michael wants me down 2 pounds by next Thursday.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Workout Foods
• Sneaky Ways to Shed Extra Pounds

Technorati Tags: Fitness Rx Challenge, health and wellness, fitness, exercise, weight loss

Getting Sick Is No Fun

February 8, 2007
This has been a very bad week for me exercise-wise. I have had a prostate infection which has caused me to have a very bad backache; in fact, I could barely bend over. I have not done a thing in a week. I have felt uncomfortable and been unable to sleep.

It sucks getting old. The weather has been freezing. I feel like a slug. I missed a day and a half of work. I think tomorrow I will do my swimming and on Saturday I plan to workout. My back is beginning to feel better. I am hoping that even without the workout I have not gained any weight. I did not work out with Matt this week at all. This is short because I have not done anything. Soup tonight and bed early and start fresh tomorrow.

February 12, 2007
I screwed up on my new g-mail account and did not get my posting up. Not much more has happened since last week other than I got the stomach bug that is going around and was sick most of the weekend. I did no exercise and ate very little; in fact I did not eat at all on Friday. Ginger ale and water was all I could keep down.

Winter flu is so much fun. But today I am beginning to feel human and have had normal meals and I walked to the metro. Tomorrow I plan to do a workout provided we are not iced in. I feel like a blob. I have done nothing in a week and a half. That is how things go sometimes.

Related Topics:

• 8 Winter Steps for Healthy Living
• Winter Super Foods with Antioxidants, Fiber and Vitamins

Technorati Tags: Fitness Rx Challenge, exercise, flu, workout

Picking up Steam: 3 pounds lost!

I am sorry I am so late in my blog. I should have been early. The eating less is paying off. I lost 3 pounds when I weighed in last Friday.

I am really seeing the loss. We did the photo shoot last week for the next magazine issue and everyone could see a difference. I must say I am feeling great. Winter is tough for me I don't like the cold and the dark and in the past I would just eat. Saturday turned out to be a great day so I was able to run. This was the first time in several weeks that I was able to do it. I was surprised how easy it was for me. I expected not to be able to what I had done in the past but that was not the case.

Matt is pushing me hard and now I am meeting on Thursday, so when I did weigh in this morning I had gained a pound back. I think it is just my fluctuation. I have been eating less and being very conscious of what I am eating so I am not so concerned.

I did slip a bit and have a couple of pieces of chocolate. However I don't think that was the cause. The New York Times Sunday magazine had a very good cover story on nutrition. I found it enlightening and as it turns out I have been following the advice given in the story. Eating less and spending more on quality food -- just eat real food, not processed stuff.

I noticed when I was shopping on Saturday that I had filled half the cart with produce before I went to the rest of the store. I am eating less and not buying much of anything that is processed. Another thing I read was eating a grapefruit every day helps in weight loss and I don't know if it is true but I have been having one for breakfast every morning for the last month.

I'm really on a downward trend. I will let you know how things are going next week.

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• Ethnic Eating-Out Tips
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