Officially 1 week

8:13 AM | 0 Comments

It has been 1 week of solid of exercising every day. I must admit how tired I am. The last couple of days I've been finding it harder and harder to wake up. I do still wake up though and I think that's what is most important.

I walked my short 1.4 mile route this morning. I stopped twice to do bench push ups. I made it to 16, but it was difficult and I had to stand halfway before finishing. I've decided to stay at 16 for a while since I find it so challenging. Once I've got a good handle on the 16 push ups I will start increasing the number again.

I brought along my 1 lb weights and ankle weight switching ankles at the halfway mark. I still get that pain in my shins and can't wait until I can get some new shoes. I know it will help to have a lighter shoe. For once in my life I plan on paying more than $30 for a pair of shoes.

So, off the topic of exercise, I've been thinking about when I was younger. I used to write all the time. It was my thing. I even thought I wanted to be a reporter which is why I ended up taking journalism. Ever since I graduated from journalism I have had no interest in writing. It's like journalism sucked all of my creative writing out of me.

I don't think I was a great writer, not by any means. I used to actually enjoy writing. The point I'm trying to get to is that I like writing in my blog everyday. I'm enjoying writing again, maybe it's not all that creative or even interesting, but I love it and I think that matters.

It's salad and veggie samosas for lunch today :-) Have a great day.

Time for a break...or is it?

8:02 AM | 0 Comments

Good morning. This will be a short post today because I decided at 5 am that I would not take a walk or bike ride today. My fear is I'll take a day off and just never go back to exercising. I like this routine and I want to keep doing it. After overdoing it yesterday my legs are very stiff and sore and needed a break. So, I reset the alarm for 5:30, intending to sleep in just a little but I got out of bed at 5:23.

With my stiff legs I decided to work the top half of my body by hitting the punching bag and lifting weights. I only did one rep of 10 for every weight lifting move I could think of, I believe there was eight. Since I didn't go for a walk or ride I didn't have a bench nearby, so I used the stairs for my push ups. I managed 15! Twice! My first set I managed to go straight through to 15. My second set was done after hitting the punching bag a while and I had to stand up at 9 push ups before finishing the remaining 6. I'm quite proud of myself for accomplishing this since I hate push ups so much.

I'm still hitting the punching bag slowly so I can get into a rhythm and not hurt my wrists. Gradually over time I will increase my speed and strength. The last time I used my punching bag, (and I mean really used it) I hurt my wrist so badly I had to wear a brace for a couple of weeks. Apparently I bend my wrist when I go too fast. I did get into a rhythm this morning though. I hit the bag about 600 times alternating with each fist. (I like to count so I know how much I've done, helps me to feel like I've really accomplished something.)

I probably didn't burn many calories but I want to tone up as well as lose weight. Weight loss in the past for me was mostly about fitting into nicer clothes and just generally being smaller. This time around I want fitness. I want to be strong. That is why I am doing all of this. I want muscle (not body builder I look like a man muscle). I want my kids to see me as a strong woman not as the fat, tired woman I am today. I want to be able to challenge them and win.

I'm quite tired this morning and my brain is kinda fuzzy. I took a call and totally spaced out, I couldn't think of a word, it was weird. I think I'm going to have to go to bed even earlier tonight and see if that helps. Come to think of it, Riley woke up last night and didn't want to go back to sleep. I remember being super frustrated, because normally I can give her a bottle and she goes right back to sleep. She did eventually go back to sleep after rocking her for a while, but I was super cranky. Oh and my cell rang at midnight with a restricted number, some guy looking for Allison. How is it my cell phone gets so many wrong numbers?

Have a great day.

An Addition for the Day

10:01 PM | 0 Comments

Man, am I tired and boy do my legs hurt! In addition to the 3.6 miles this morning and my already sore legs from the 21 storey flight down the stairs I also biked 1.8 miles this evening. I biked to my in-laws to pick up the car so I could do some grocery shopping. I dropped the groceries off at home and brought the car back and biked back home.

I made supper and then made a salad and now I am so ready for bed. I am not sure if I will be able to move tomorrow. I'm going to pray tonight that I will be able to get up and go for a walk tomorrow. Maybe I'll just pray that I can move at all tomorrow...

Total miles biked today: 5.4 miles

Well I am off to bed. G'nite

Feelin' the burn

7:58 AM | 0 Comments

Good Morning Vietnam!

I am so tired today and I think my legs are broken. They don't want to work anymore. I woke around 5:18 after hitting the snooze a couple of times, (I only remember hitting it once). I was very tired so I decided to bike instead of walk. I am now regretting that decision!

I tried for my 4.3 mile route but cut it short before the hill. I am proud to say that even with my shorter route I still managed 3.6 miles.

Remember my 420 steps down yesterday? Well, my legs certainly remember and who's bright idea was it to bike and use the same already strained muscles? Oh yea, that was me.

Now I am at work and for fear of never being able to stand up again I have to stand up every few minutes to keep my legs from seizing.

Today I seriously considered taking a break and not going at all. I don't want to do that, no matter how tired I am. I need to keep going. I'm afraid if I take a day off it will lead to me stopping completely. I'll take a break once I've been at this a while longer and it's habit more than necessity.

Since my ride was shorter I decided to work out with my punching bag. I hit it 200 times with each fist in different methods. I also lifted a 5 lb weight for 10 reps each direction, (Sorry I don't know the name of the different styles for lifting weights).

My big accomplishment for the day was 14 bench push ups at the start of my ride and 14 bench push ups at the end of my ride! For those of you who are new to my blog, bench push ups are my nemesis, in fact I hate ANY push ups. This is why I started doing bench push ups. The more I force myself the better off I'll be. I started at 10 and I am up to 14. Today I proved to myself that I am capable of more. Tomorrow I will do push ups at the start and end of my route!

For now I leave you with my yoga pose of the day. You may find me in a similar pose while standing at my desk (my foot does NOT go that high...yet!)

Tree Pose

Why
Yoga begins with stability and balance, and no yoga poses teach them better than the one-legged balancing Tree. Patience, please: Trees take hundreds of years to become strong, rooted, and stable, so it will take you some time to get grounded, too.



How
Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart and your arms at your sides. Shift your weight onto the left foot. Bend your right knee and, reaching down, use your right hand to place your right foot on the inside of the left thigh, just above the knee. Open the right knee out to the side.

Be the tree: Imagine that your left foot has roots growing out the bottom of it that anchor you, and visualize your torso as the stable trunk. Make sure your pelvis faces forward.

Bring your hands together in front of your chest in prayer position. Fix your gaze to a spot on the wall in front of you to help your balance. Stay here for a full minute, or as long as you can. Slowly lower your arms, then come back to standing. Repeat on the other side.

Do the yoga pose on the first side again. This time bring your arms overhead with hands separated shoulder-width apart and palms facing one another. Visualize your arms as a tree's branches, strong and steady. Repeat the pose (with the arms overhead) on the other side.

Part 2

11:12 AM | 0 Comments

I know I could have just added this to my original post today but I just had to add a whole new post. I'm at work at the moment, and have been since 7:30 am. I work on the 21st floor of a 27 storey building. Around 10:20 this morning the fire alarm went off because of a fire on the 22nd floor.

We walked down 21 flights of stairs! I was great! My legs were not shaky at all. We were allowed back into the building about 30 minutes later. Now when I go to stand up my knees are all weak and wobbly. It's great! I think I am the only one in the entire building who was happy we were walking down 21 flights of stairs! (Everyone was of course happy to get out of the office but no one likes going down the stairs.)

I had to share my extra exercise for the day. I averaged it out and I'm pretty sure it's about 420 steps, too bad I couldn't do that everyday!

Flapping, Slapping Feet

8:10 AM | 0 Comments

Good Morning. It's Monday and a fresh new week. I woke up at 5:09 am ( I just had to hit snooze once). My two youngest Joey and Riley kept waking up last night and I wanted nothing more than to go back to bed, but I got up and I walked.

This morning I was equipped with my 1 lb weights and an ankle weight (not sure how much it weighs). Today was the 2 mile walk. I switched the ankle weight to the other side on my trek back to ensure an even workout. I also managed 13 bench push ups.

It was hard this morning, I felt tired and my shins hurt while I walk. I've been reading about that today and I think the main problem is my shoes, but I'll have to make do until the middle of August. I won't use my shins hurting as an excuse not to walk.

Flapping, Slapping Feet are a sign of improper walking. Instead of rolling through the step with your forward foot from heel to toe, your foot is flattening out prematurely. Either you are fighting stiff, heavy shoes or your shins are too weak to let you roll through the step. I learned I can strengthen my shins by writing the alphabet in the air with my toes.

I refuse to let anything stop me from my routine. Not even my poor husband, who keeps getting woken up at 6 am because the kids wake before I get home.

I've had a song stuck in my head since I woke this morning. So, I leave you with the lyrics for We are one in the Spirit by Colleen and Grace. Be blessed this day!

We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity
May one day be restored,
By our love
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians
By our love

We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
And together we’ll spread the news
That God is in our land

All praise to the Father
From whom all things come
And all praise to Christ Jesus His only son
And all praise to the Spirit
Who makes us one

Make us one, Lord!

Make us one, Lord!

On a roll

8:34 AM | 0 Comments

Today is Sunday, and it's that time of the month, so I feel like crap, but I WENT!!!! Yup, Riley woke up at 4:57 and I desperately wanted to go back to bed, instead I went for a walk! I know God has been helping me with this. It's no coincidence that I keep waking up at 5 am!

Today was my shorter route, but I brought my 1 lb weights. Oh and today I managed 12 bench push ups! Thursday I started with 10 and I keep adding 1 every time I do it.

I really feel like I'm on a roll now. Usually, I go out a day here, a day there and I'm lucky if it's been 3 days in the week. Most of the time I just bike to the store to get bus tickets and junk food, which doesn't really counts.

So far this week I've gone out Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday! I'm exhausted! Although a big part of that is aunt flow, ever since my tubaligation it's been out of whack. I know this is all totally worth it though because I am so tired of being tired, and I'm even sicker of being fat!

I decided to do a weekly total every Sunday of how many miles I've walked/biked.
Week 1 Total: 14.8 miles (23.82 km)
Biked: 10 miles (16.09 km)
Walked: 4.8 miles (7.72 km)

Wow that's impressive! I love mapping out my routes to see how far I've actually gone it gives me a higher sense of accomplishment this way. The pedometer is fine to see how many steps in the day but I'd rather see how far I've gone. Besides my pedometer no longer works since my middle child Joseph put it in the tub. He loves to bring toys into the tub that have no business in the water.

I must say overall this week I AM PROUD OF MYSELF! And writing that and seeing it brings tears to my eyes...stupid hormones! It's been a long time coming and I can't wait until I can tell you I've lost x amount of weight or even better I fit x size pants! That time will come for now I'm just so happy I've got a routine and I've been sticking to it. It takes 28 days to make it a habit, 7 down, 21 to go.

Thanks for listening. It's off to church for me. Have a blessed day.

It's Saturday

6:17 AM | 0 Comments

Good Morning. Yup, I've become a morning person and I AM chipper. Don't you all just hate me now? :-)

So, I sat up in bed at 5:08 am thinking I'd forgotten to set my alarm. Guess what? It's Saturday! I figured since I was already awake I may as well just get up. Being as it is Saturday and I wasn't in a hurry I decided today would be my 4.5 mile bike route. (we needed milk anyway)


I left at 5:25 and was home by 6:11 because I made a few stops along the way. I stopped for a drink of water after a rather large hill. (I can't wait until the day that hill is no long huge to me.)

I stopped at Sobey's to buy milk and a couple other items. Then it was back on my bike with the groceries on my back. I briefly considered going the even longer way around but decided I'll try that once I've been at this longer.

I made one more brief stop when I noticed my father-in-law was awake as I drove by. I stopped in for a cup of coffee and a quick chat.

The last leg of my route was hard but I kept telling myself I was almost home and to "just keep peddling". For those of you who've seen Finding Nemo every time I say it I'm reminded of Dory singing "just keep swimming".

Well I'm off to hit the showers and work on my friend's website before the kids wake up. I'll leave you until next time with Dory's Just Keep Swimming Song. Enjoy!



My Routes

8:23 AM | 1 Comments

On Tuesday this is the route I took for my bike ride. It is 4.3 miles and was quite the workout! More the half of the route was done with a 4 L bag of milk and other groceries in my backpack. My goal is to take this route a couple of times a week.



Yesterday my 11 month old daughter Riley needed a bottle at 4:55 am. When I laid back down in bed (the alarm was set for 5:50) I heard a voice tell me to go for a walk. Yes, I know how crazy that sounds, but it is true.
The voice said, "Why don't you just get up and go for a walk?"
To which I replied "But I can sleep for another 50 minutes. "
"What's 50 minutes, when you could just get up and take a walk?"
So, at 5:10 am I walked out of my house and walked for 20 minutes and then walked home another 20 minutes. The route was 2 miles by the time I get back home.


This morning I woke up at 5:09 after hitting snooze only once. I chose to go around my rather large block. This route is 1.4 miles and although it is the shortest of my 3 routes I also brought along my 1 lb weights to life weights while I walk. Let me tell you how much of a workout that was! I would do the same movement 100 times before changing to another movement. I know I must have looked utterly ridiculous but who cares, losing weight is much more important than looking like a fool.
I stopped briefly at Ultman Park and did 10 bench push ups. I hope to do 15 tomorrow. I got home 10 minutes earlier than I had expected so I hopped on my bike and took the same route.
Fitness for the day 1.4 mile walk and 1.4 mile bike ride.


Soon I will also be joining the gym for a swim membership. Some people think I'm crazy because they'd never bare themselves in public in a swimsuit. These are women of course, most of which are smaller than I am. But again to that I say who cares! I want to lose weight. Will I feel uncomfortable, of course I will, but I'm going to do it anyway!
For now I will stick with my walks or bike rides and as soon as I've got the extra $38 I'll add swimming to my FITNESS RAMPAGE!


In the beginning...

7:00 PM | 1 Comments

Everyone has to start somewhere. I've been battling my weight pretty much since I hit puberty. The last time I won the battle was after my first child, Dale. In the summer of 2004, Dale was 2 and I was at 160 lbs. I felt great and looked good. Since then I've had two more children and put on a lot more weight. According to my scale (which I know is not accurate) I weigh 239 lbs.

Here is a picture of my playing Wii Boxing at work


Why now? The other day a co-worker sent me this link:
Man Named 'International King of Weight Loss' After Shedding 172 Pounds

Something changed when I read the article. If a man who is 68 years old who goes from being over 350 lbs to weighing less than me can do it then I think I can get off my duff and do it too!

My problem lately has been that I've lost weight before. I've followed Weight Watchers and I've joined website communities that support you. But right now in my life I don't want to follow a specific plan or count calories. I'm a mom of 3, work full time, have a web design business on the side and I'm trying to help my husband with a business plan.

I know what needs to be done, I've always known. I just needed to be ready to do it. So, I'll eat balanced meals, and practice portion control, but mostly I'm focussing on EXERCISE!

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