What a week this has been! The good news? I did get to watch BL this week. The bad news...that's about it. I was consummed with work! Actually, I take that back, I have been able to fit in my workouts...and am going to work out again this morning.
Sooo. The BL dish? Let's see...they focused on the Purple team throughout the show so I was prepared for them to fall below the yellow line (or the White team!). The challenge this week was to walk across a balance beam that was placed over the width of a swimming pool...they had to carry beach balls across and the team who carried over 10 (??) balls first would win immunity. The Red Team won. Oh but there was drama. The Purple team Mom was worried because she had some medical condition that made her feet numb (something about being really overweight that made her feet numb! Ack!!!). And the White team Mom had a huge fear of water...this played out the first time that she was going to cross the beam...she freaked out...fell off the beam (I think she put one foot on it) and fell flat on her face...she was bleeding a lot...i think she smashed her nose and broke a finger. Sooo, the White team was disqualified (because White team Son went to hospital with Mom rather than to finish the challenge) and given a 2 pound penalty.
Since it was the second week...the losses weren't that huge (but really, much better than what I normally lose in a week! So whatever show!). In the end, one of my favorites...the Purple Team Mom...cause, wow...she really needed to be there...and seemed like a really nice lady...she went home. Two months later she'd lost a total of 40+ pounds.
I have no idea how I'm going to replicate that challenge. I thought about just getting a board and walking across it carrying a ball...but honestly, that's not really like the challenge because I imagine it would be quite different walking across a beam that's suspended over water. I've actually always been quite good on a balance beam...so I don't think it would be a challenge I couldn't do. But I just don't have access to a setup like that. Sooo...I need to think about this and come up with an activity that involves balance and movement. I was thinking...I have one of those exercise balls...perhaps I can find a kind of exercise that I could do on it (so that I'm incorporating balance)? Any ideas would be appreciated.
I am going to post this week's photo today. Sorry it's a few days late! Work has been a bear...and the stress and anxiety and depletion I've felt has been really hard to deal with this week. I'll write more about that in a separate post. But watch this space for this week's photo. I'm going to ask Cathy to take it after my workout so that I can post it here later.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The Bike
I went to the gym yesterday to ride 13.1 miles. My weekly challenge.
And it was going just fine...I mean, other than the fact that my booty was uncomfortable on that seat...I was tooling along just fine and had completed 6.3 miles in 20 mins...then I checked my calories burned. 108. Ack! I normally burn at least 200 cals in 20 mins. So I stopped and got on the treadmill. Sorry folks...but I don't have a huge daily burn to hit like the BL contestants...so I really need to hit it in the time that I have. I didn't realize that biking like that burned far less calories than being on the treadmill. Soooo...I jumped on the mill for another 25 mins so that I could at least make it to 350 cals. I wanted to bike 13.1 miles...and could have done it because, seriously, 6 miles was a breeze. But if I'd been on BL, I would have been one of those teams that was kicked off.
In addition to posting the results of my bike challenge...I also wanted to post a photo a week. Hopefully, next week, I'll get it together and be able to post all of this in one post (sorry about the multiple posts on this subject!). I asked Cathy to snap a quick photo of me when I got back from the gym.
And it was going just fine...I mean, other than the fact that my booty was uncomfortable on that seat...I was tooling along just fine and had completed 6.3 miles in 20 mins...then I checked my calories burned. 108. Ack! I normally burn at least 200 cals in 20 mins. So I stopped and got on the treadmill. Sorry folks...but I don't have a huge daily burn to hit like the BL contestants...so I really need to hit it in the time that I have. I didn't realize that biking like that burned far less calories than being on the treadmill. Soooo...I jumped on the mill for another 25 mins so that I could at least make it to 350 cals. I wanted to bike 13.1 miles...and could have done it because, seriously, 6 miles was a breeze. But if I'd been on BL, I would have been one of those teams that was kicked off.
In addition to posting the results of my bike challenge...I also wanted to post a photo a week. Hopefully, next week, I'll get it together and be able to post all of this in one post (sorry about the multiple posts on this subject!). I asked Cathy to snap a quick photo of me when I got back from the gym.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Biggest Loser - Week 1 / Mini-cap
So we start with 4 minutes of previews...Sheesh. Seriously. Get on with it, already!
It's the fattest season ever...and I'm going to say right up front, I am seriously beginning to have a problem with this show. I'm starting to feel like I'm watching TLC's Brookhaven Obesity Clinic. I fully expect that we will be watching the BL producers using a crane to transport next season's contestants to the ranch. I wish, for just one season, they'd make all the contestants have a more realistic amount of weight to lose. You know? Like 60 pounds. Yeah, I know it's not as dramatic but I think more folks could relate. Though everyone would probably bitch about how boring it is. ;>
So, first challenge...26.2 miles on a bike. Damnit...totally called that one wrong. Thanks show! Guess what I'll be doing at the gym tonight? However, notice...each TEAM had to ride 26.2 miles...so since I'm a team of 1, I'll be riding 13.1 miles tonight. Gad. I hate the bike!
So the Blue and Yellow Teams lost the challenge and were kicked off.
And it's all sad and stuff...there's crying in the limo but then we see some really cute legs...you just know it's Bob and Jill...and they both jump out in front of a limo and yell, "Stop" and then run around and open the doors. Bob for the Blue Team and Jillian for the Yellow Team. They have 30 days at home (and Bob and Jillian will come train them) and then will come back to the ranch to weigh in against each other.
Then there's killing them with the workouts...and suddenly we are at weigh in. Most of the guys lost 24-34 pounds. In a week, folks! Damn and Wow. So it comes down to the "half ton twins" and the gang sends home the one with the bum leg. He's got a pool. And it must have worked for him because in the "where they are now" segment, he'd down 100 pounds in 2 months (2 months!!!! Sheesh! It's taken me 12 months to lose 15 pounds).
Speaking of...so as I said...I'll post my weight loss for the week along with this BL recap. I weighed this morning and am happy to say that I've lost 2 pounds since my last weigh-in (Friday). I was going to post a photo but didn't have time to take one this morning. I'll get Cathy to take one of me tonight on my way to the gym and then will come back here and post it. And I'll let you know how I did on the 13.1 mile bike ride. :)
It's the fattest season ever...and I'm going to say right up front, I am seriously beginning to have a problem with this show. I'm starting to feel like I'm watching TLC's Brookhaven Obesity Clinic. I fully expect that we will be watching the BL producers using a crane to transport next season's contestants to the ranch. I wish, for just one season, they'd make all the contestants have a more realistic amount of weight to lose. You know? Like 60 pounds. Yeah, I know it's not as dramatic but I think more folks could relate. Though everyone would probably bitch about how boring it is. ;>
So, first challenge...26.2 miles on a bike. Damnit...totally called that one wrong. Thanks show! Guess what I'll be doing at the gym tonight? However, notice...each TEAM had to ride 26.2 miles...so since I'm a team of 1, I'll be riding 13.1 miles tonight. Gad. I hate the bike!
So the Blue and Yellow Teams lost the challenge and were kicked off.
And it's all sad and stuff...there's crying in the limo but then we see some really cute legs...you just know it's Bob and Jill...and they both jump out in front of a limo and yell, "Stop" and then run around and open the doors. Bob for the Blue Team and Jillian for the Yellow Team. They have 30 days at home (and Bob and Jillian will come train them) and then will come back to the ranch to weigh in against each other.
Then there's killing them with the workouts...and suddenly we are at weigh in. Most of the guys lost 24-34 pounds. In a week, folks! Damn and Wow. So it comes down to the "half ton twins" and the gang sends home the one with the bum leg. He's got a pool. And it must have worked for him because in the "where they are now" segment, he'd down 100 pounds in 2 months (2 months!!!! Sheesh! It's taken me 12 months to lose 15 pounds).
Speaking of...so as I said...I'll post my weight loss for the week along with this BL recap. I weighed this morning and am happy to say that I've lost 2 pounds since my last weigh-in (Friday). I was going to post a photo but didn't have time to take one this morning. I'll get Cathy to take one of me tonight on my way to the gym and then will come back here and post it. And I'll let you know how I did on the 13.1 mile bike ride. :)
Monday, January 4, 2010
My 1st Mile...
"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'"
~ Peter Maher, Canadian marathon runner
Yesterday I chose to be strong. I was nervous...I didn't think I could do it. But I really surprised myself. I did it and felt pretty strong! My time was between 13:00 and 13:15.
It was very cold but I warmed up fairly quickly. Honestly, the hardest part was getting off my street (1/10th of a mile). Once I turned that corner, I felt pretty good. And once I passed the 1/2 mile mark, I knew I could do it. I surprised myself and am really glad I took up the challenge!
Cathy met me at the finish and took photos...thought I'd share them with you:
~ Peter Maher, Canadian marathon runner
Yesterday I chose to be strong. I was nervous...I didn't think I could do it. But I really surprised myself. I did it and felt pretty strong! My time was between 13:00 and 13:15.
It was very cold but I warmed up fairly quickly. Honestly, the hardest part was getting off my street (1/10th of a mile). Once I turned that corner, I felt pretty good. And once I passed the 1/2 mile mark, I knew I could do it. I surprised myself and am really glad I took up the challenge!
Cathy met me at the finish and took photos...thought I'd share them with you:
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Biggest Loser - Week 1 / Challenge 1
I'm getting ready to run a mile.
I know that the first episode of BL will feature all the contestants attempting to walk a mile. Since I've been working out for months, and often walk at least 3 miles at each workout, I thought I'd adapt that challenge to suit me. Thus...run a mile.
I'm nervous.
It's cold out 17 degrees F!!! I have asthma and I have an eye that tends to water in cold, windy weather. And, I'm not a runner!
I don't know that I can do this but I'm going to give it a shot.
Cathy's going to meet me at the finish and take a photo that I will post this week.
Here we go! The 'official' start of my very own Biggest Loser challenge...
I know that the first episode of BL will feature all the contestants attempting to walk a mile. Since I've been working out for months, and often walk at least 3 miles at each workout, I thought I'd adapt that challenge to suit me. Thus...run a mile.
I'm nervous.
It's cold out 17 degrees F!!! I have asthma and I have an eye that tends to water in cold, windy weather. And, I'm not a runner!
I don't know that I can do this but I'm going to give it a shot.
Cathy's going to meet me at the finish and take a photo that I will post this week.
Here we go! The 'official' start of my very own Biggest Loser challenge...
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Biggest Loser - Season 9 - Tues, Jan. 5th
"What have you done, today, to make you feel proud?"
~Theme song by Heather Small
The Biggest Loser (TBL) starts again next week. I have not missed an episode of this show since it started a couple of years ago. Sad, but true. ;>
To be honest, though, I have to say that I can be fairly snarky when it come to the show. But I also find some motivation in it as well. I mean, yes, I'm fully aware that the contestants take off work for 3 months...leave their families...their lives...behind while they go to "the BL ranch" to work out and eat healthy and be motivated by being on TV and working with others who are in the same boat. So, really, who couldn't meet their weight loss goals in circumstances such as that??? (The contestants get on my nerves when they say, "If I can do it, anyone can do it!" because...shut up! You're at an adult fat camp....of course you can do it!)
But. I do watch it and do find some motivation in the show. I adore Jillian and I can usually pick up a new kind of exercise here and there. But what really motivates me is watching these contestants change right before my eyes. It makes what I'm trying to do more concrete.
What I'd like to do this season is to have my own little Biggest Loser Challenge. I'd like to set several goals to meet each week and set up challenges here that I will try here as well. There are 19 episodes scheduled and it might be interesting to see what I can do in 19 weeks.
I'm thinking that I could post a photo of myself each week (a la BL style...maybe not in a sports bra and biking shorts...but in my workout outfit...seriously, it's too freaking cold here to wear that little clothing!).
I'll post what I've lost at each weigh in every week with my goal being to lose 1-2 pounds a week. (Yeah, yeah, I know it's not BL weight loss but I want to set reasonable goals that I can actually attain...you know, since I can't actually set my burn to 5000 cals a day!).
I'll have a workout goal each week and try to match at least one of the challenges they do for each episode. So, for example, I am pretty sure that the first episode of this season will find our challengers walking 1 mile. So I'll measure out a mile in my neighborhood and try to run it. (I've been working out for a few months so I know I can walk it as I usually walk 3 miles at each workout...but I haven't run that far yet, so I'll make that my challenge). If they do an obstacle course, then I'll set up a challenge for myself like that...and so on.
I'll post a short recap of the episode each week along with my own results...so watch this space!
Want to join me? I don't have $250k to give away but I could give away a percentage of that...$25. Of course, then you'd have to send me your weight each week and send a photo of yourself as well. And, it would be an honor system...but since the prize would only be a fraction of TBL prize, I trust you. Besides that...the real prize will be losing 19-40 pounds and changing your life!
~Theme song by Heather Small
The Biggest Loser (TBL) starts again next week. I have not missed an episode of this show since it started a couple of years ago. Sad, but true. ;>
To be honest, though, I have to say that I can be fairly snarky when it come to the show. But I also find some motivation in it as well. I mean, yes, I'm fully aware that the contestants take off work for 3 months...leave their families...their lives...behind while they go to "the BL ranch" to work out and eat healthy and be motivated by being on TV and working with others who are in the same boat. So, really, who couldn't meet their weight loss goals in circumstances such as that??? (The contestants get on my nerves when they say, "If I can do it, anyone can do it!" because...shut up! You're at an adult fat camp....of course you can do it!)
But. I do watch it and do find some motivation in the show. I adore Jillian and I can usually pick up a new kind of exercise here and there. But what really motivates me is watching these contestants change right before my eyes. It makes what I'm trying to do more concrete.
What I'd like to do this season is to have my own little Biggest Loser Challenge. I'd like to set several goals to meet each week and set up challenges here that I will try here as well. There are 19 episodes scheduled and it might be interesting to see what I can do in 19 weeks.
I'm thinking that I could post a photo of myself each week (a la BL style...maybe not in a sports bra and biking shorts...but in my workout outfit...seriously, it's too freaking cold here to wear that little clothing!).
I'll post what I've lost at each weigh in every week with my goal being to lose 1-2 pounds a week. (Yeah, yeah, I know it's not BL weight loss but I want to set reasonable goals that I can actually attain...you know, since I can't actually set my burn to 5000 cals a day!).
I'll have a workout goal each week and try to match at least one of the challenges they do for each episode. So, for example, I am pretty sure that the first episode of this season will find our challengers walking 1 mile. So I'll measure out a mile in my neighborhood and try to run it. (I've been working out for a few months so I know I can walk it as I usually walk 3 miles at each workout...but I haven't run that far yet, so I'll make that my challenge). If they do an obstacle course, then I'll set up a challenge for myself like that...and so on.
I'll post a short recap of the episode each week along with my own results...so watch this space!
Want to join me? I don't have $250k to give away but I could give away a percentage of that...$25. Of course, then you'd have to send me your weight each week and send a photo of yourself as well. And, it would be an honor system...but since the prize would only be a fraction of TBL prize, I trust you. Besides that...the real prize will be losing 19-40 pounds and changing your life!
Monday, December 28, 2009
How to fix a flat...
"When you get a flat tire, you don't get out and slash the other three tires, do you? NOOOO! You change the tire, then go on your way!
~Jillian Michaels
Soooo. ;>
Yes, I got a flat tire. I ran over something and from December 4th until now, I gained 5 pounds. Now, granted...I'm at my moontime. It's probably not 5 pounds of fat...surely there's a pound or so of "water" weight in there as well.
I am not freaking out about it. I'm just going on. Because, I really understand now that there are going to be times in my life when I'm going to have a slip. As the saying goes, "shit happens."
If I look on the surface, I can tell you that this month has been very stressful for me...moreso that usual. Heh. And it's been very busy...in every aspect. At work, it was our second busiest December ever (which is the busiest month of the year). And at home, of course, we were running around trying to get so much done before the Solstice and Christmas. And, in the end, I hit that wall of being tired. Exhausted.
If I look deeper, I see that I need to learn to "go with the flow" more often. I need to figure out how to stop swimming against the currents that are constantly moving against me.
I'm not really sure how to do that.
Maybe more meditation, more yoga? Maybe focusing on my priority list? But it seems that I often put myself first. Well, maybe...but when I look back at this last month, I see that I spent a lot of time doing things for other people. And quite often I didn't put my basic needs first (exercise and meditation/stress-relief).
So, New Year's Resolutions? Perhaps it would be to keep my basic needs at the top of my priority list. And if I can meet those needs, then maybe I need to take a look at my schedule and cut out something that I'm doing for others (particularly when I'm not getting anything out of it).
I hate to sound selfish. But isn't that what we're all afraid of? I mean, don't you think that often, women in this country, girls...are raised to the refrain of, "..don't be so selfish!" We are taught that we must always put the needs of others before our own. It's such a hard habit to break. Because we love the people in our lives and we want to make everything better for them...so we put ourselves last on our priority list because we want to feed our children and spouses what they want and we end up giving so much of ourselves that we have nothing to give ourselves. Even if we don't have kids. I can't tell you how many days I come home from work so freaking tired of taking care of everyone else...stroking their ego, trying to make them feel better about themselves or trying not to piss someone off or just trying to deal with exhausting personalities...that when I get home, I have nothing else to give. I'm so tried of giving my spouse what's left of me. Doesn't she deserve the best of me? Don't I?
So how do I change this flat tire? I guess it's about finding balance, I guess. I must stop driving over all the stuff that takes me off the road, off track.
~Jillian Michaels
Soooo. ;>
Yes, I got a flat tire. I ran over something and from December 4th until now, I gained 5 pounds. Now, granted...I'm at my moontime. It's probably not 5 pounds of fat...surely there's a pound or so of "water" weight in there as well.
I am not freaking out about it. I'm just going on. Because, I really understand now that there are going to be times in my life when I'm going to have a slip. As the saying goes, "shit happens."
If I look on the surface, I can tell you that this month has been very stressful for me...moreso that usual. Heh. And it's been very busy...in every aspect. At work, it was our second busiest December ever (which is the busiest month of the year). And at home, of course, we were running around trying to get so much done before the Solstice and Christmas. And, in the end, I hit that wall of being tired. Exhausted.
If I look deeper, I see that I need to learn to "go with the flow" more often. I need to figure out how to stop swimming against the currents that are constantly moving against me.
I'm not really sure how to do that.
Maybe more meditation, more yoga? Maybe focusing on my priority list? But it seems that I often put myself first. Well, maybe...but when I look back at this last month, I see that I spent a lot of time doing things for other people. And quite often I didn't put my basic needs first (exercise and meditation/stress-relief).
So, New Year's Resolutions? Perhaps it would be to keep my basic needs at the top of my priority list. And if I can meet those needs, then maybe I need to take a look at my schedule and cut out something that I'm doing for others (particularly when I'm not getting anything out of it).
I hate to sound selfish. But isn't that what we're all afraid of? I mean, don't you think that often, women in this country, girls...are raised to the refrain of, "..don't be so selfish!" We are taught that we must always put the needs of others before our own. It's such a hard habit to break. Because we love the people in our lives and we want to make everything better for them...so we put ourselves last on our priority list because we want to feed our children and spouses what they want and we end up giving so much of ourselves that we have nothing to give ourselves. Even if we don't have kids. I can't tell you how many days I come home from work so freaking tired of taking care of everyone else...stroking their ego, trying to make them feel better about themselves or trying not to piss someone off or just trying to deal with exhausting personalities...that when I get home, I have nothing else to give. I'm so tried of giving my spouse what's left of me. Doesn't she deserve the best of me? Don't I?
So how do I change this flat tire? I guess it's about finding balance, I guess. I must stop driving over all the stuff that takes me off the road, off track.
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