Billie and I

So I took Billie out to walk the other night. It was rather hilarious. I use to dread taking him through neighborhoods, dealing with the tugging and the chasing of squirrels. I really did just go bonkers constantly correcting him. Then we go through downtown. You know what's worse than chasing squirrels? Trying to eat every piece of gum on the sidewalk. I know, it's gross! We survived and had a good night. Then I got home and used mapmyrun.com to see we went just over 4 miles. Combine that with the weights I did earlier and it was a very athletic day indeed!

On the Road Again

Fitness Plus is having a Christmas Challenge...we are going to Santa Clause, IN. Err, we are walking the distance between FP and Santa Clause. I remember going there as a kid. It's called Holiday World now but.. yeah we aren't actually going. Wouldn't that be fun? Running around with Nikki and Sheila playing with water guns...

Anywho - the Challenge... Walk 150 miles between now and Christmas. Not only that, but do it quicker than anybody else. Let's just say - I have this one in the bag! I forgot to mention the "cheating" part... 15 minutes of Cardio = 1 mile. That means one hour of my Work Out workout video equals 4 miles.

I am taking Billie four miles today. But in order to be the fastest.. we are going to have to ramp it up peoples.

And mucho apologies to all my loyal readers... all both of you. I have been working hard on my newest project - www.thedogtreatjar.com to write about junk on here. It's been motivating though. Imagine how fit I can be if all I do all day is run my internet business. Eer, what I mean is - if that is the only thing on my plate, think of all the time I will have left over for other junk. Anybody else contemplating the next half marathon? Yeah, me neither but it could happen!

Step two

Step one was to join the wellness center. check

Step two was to sign up for a personal trainer (Amie told me it was the best thing for me to do...and I always do what my children tell me -- ok...you can stop laughing now....and sorry if you read that with liquids in your mouth :-) )

I had no idea it would be so hard to get a personal trainer! It took almost 2 weeks to get someone to call me! But I finally got a call from Ruth and we had our first session yesterday.

After doing all of the 'paperwork' that is included in the first session, we didn't have a lot of time to exercise so I wasn't really sore or anything (which is really a good thing!). The best part? finishing the session with the realization that I'm going to be in MUCH better shape in 6 months! :-)

Now, to go buy separate 'stuff' (shampoo, moisturizers etc) to keep at the gym so I don't need to carry the stuff back and forth (and forget to take important stuff). Besides, I should reward myself for doing my one training session....right?

Getting to know you, ... err, me

So the swine flu has started to pop up again all over. This had me thinking about how disconnected we are from our bodies. Just follow me here... isn't it crazy that you can have all sorts of things happening within your body and have no idea until there are outside symptoms?

Here's the leap - that's why endurance training is so unique. Or just running in general. Back when I was training for half marathons I would often get into this runners zone. It's like a unique conversation is happening with you and your body. You read it all the time in runners world and stuff - listen to your body. But what does that mean?

Maybe it is because you are focused on your body, or it might just simply mean you are listening for the first time. Think about it, if you spent the time to chronicle your feelings at length for a month you might have a much better idea of your health. Not to gross you fellas out but, a girl can learn a lot about herself when she pays attention to her "time of the month." This allows her to understand monthly weight gain, as well as some emotional pulls. And that is just one aspect of ourselves.

I don't have a solution, maybe Dr. Oz does... all I am saying is, we might all be in better health if we spent time each day focusing on our bodies and how they feel. Write in our journals when we feel an ache or pain. It could be simple weight gain, or something else.

Think of it this way, since many of you are dog lovers. Dogs can't speak, so they can't tell us that they are sick or feeling itchy or whatever. As dog owners you are suppose to pay special attention to your dogs actions and droppings so you can "speak" for your dog in case of illness. Our bodies can't speak either - we need to make the connection.

I'm All Wet!!

I had a GREAT workout today with Nikki. Schedules got mixed up and I got a fantastic 40 minute elliptical workout before we did our weight training. I really wish I had programmed my weight in before starting. It showed just over 400 calories burned (40 minutes, resistance 4, incline 9) but that was for a 150 lb person. Let's just think I burned atleast 500 with my extra 90 or so lbs of lovage :) Yippee. 500 calories before my workout - that's a happy day! And since I did all that cardio we did just weights, exactly the way I like it! It still amazes me how many different ways there are to work out. I mean sure, a lot of the time I do things that I have done before but considering how many times I have worked with Nikki in the past and now - it's just crazy that she finds completely new ways to work it!

For some retarded reason I had my hair down today, which only makes the whole scenario worse. So, I am sweating like crazy before Nikki and I even get down to business. Then our session was great, then the walk home. It was raining. I use to hate the rain, probably because in California any sort of weather that isn't perfect bugs the crap out of us. It's like our barter with mother nature got messed up. 'I will live with crazy people and terrible traffic, you just give me clear skies and mid seventies - ok!' Anywho, so I am walking home, and I forgot to mention I brought my sachel with me to carry this meat I had purchased from a local beef farm that delivered to the gym. I just want you to have the full picture. I have this full sachel over my shoulder, my hoody sweatshirt zipped up and my hair down. I am drenched in sweat and the rain. That's right, it was beautiful. For a minute there I started to hear the Rocky theme in my head and imagined this beautiful intro sequence. "That's right, she can do... it's AMIE MARSE!"

Don't be jealous of my imagination :) Go get your own.

The best part of the story, I went straight home and had my planned lunch. No special extra because of the excess calories burned. Now that is a miracle!

"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." - Lance Armstrong

All the components

It is so important to know yourself. To recognize what motivates you, what makes you sluggish. That is how to keep yourself on track, know your pitfalls.

I was feeling less than 100% today and I was wondering why I had this lull about hitting the pavement with Billie.

And it hit me - No Nikki!! My personal trainer went on vacation this week and so our appointment changed from tuesday to tomorrow. No biggie but, it made me realize that tuesday is a perfect day to see Nikki. See, Monday nights are my "out with Lisa" evenings. Where we eat italian (one of my two cheat meals a week) and go grocery shopping. I also stuff myself and feel groggy the next day. If I don't have Nikki to snap me out of it that grogginess grows... hence my lull today.

I realize this sounds stupid, but I am just saying. It is important to have all the components for a well run machine. Working out with Nikki is like getting a pick me up, filling the tank, etc.

What's holding you back?

"There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don't become one of them."

Personality Transplant

Mike touched on this a bit when he wrote about how you view soda...

We all know that we are not living the most healthy of lives. So, how does one go about making major changes in their lifestyle? Changes that will hopefully stick with us. How to make great choices a regular habit. Habits take so many days to ingrain...yadda yadda.. I have heard this and I am not convinced. The problem is that making better choices is more than a simple, 'I will now put my left sock on first' type of change. It's complex, it's ever changing. One day you are at the grocery store looking at cookies, the next at a carnival looking at candied apples. How do you prepare yourself to make the right decision. Like everything else - preparation is key!

At some point, a change for the outside means a change on the inside. If you want to drastically lose weight, like myself, you must recognize that your entire life must change. Instead of 5 hours of TV a day, you have to find an active hobby. Instead of going to the grocery store without the foggiest idea of what you want, you need a list. Candy bars are no longer snack items. Soda is no longer a refreshment. Both of these items are treats, and should be treated as such.

This is where a personality transplant comes in. A total shift. For example, instead of thinking of food as my comfort mechanism, or even worse not thinking about food at all and just stuffing your mouth with it, put food in its proper place. Start thinking of food as fuel for your body. We are back to "eat to train, not train to eat." There are many levels to this but in the spirit of keeping it simple let's narrow it down to two major aspects.

The first aspect is that food is energy. Calories in/Calories out should not be this epic battle between finding how to fit your favorite food into your "diet." Rather, it should be a roadmap that I want to do something (run a mile, play tennis, etc) and so I will need some extra energy to do so. Of course while you are in the losing weight stage of your program, such as myself you are also always looking for that deficit. So even on a super active day, I need to keep my calories between 1300-1500.

The second aspect of food is the way it interacts with your body. This is the type of food you are eating. What sort of nutrients are you putting in your body? This is why a bowl of cantaloupe is better for you than say a bag of baked potato chips. The calories might be the same, but one is full of vitamins and good stuff while the other is just, as they say, "empty calories."

So there you have it, the most basic roles of food. The energy you need to be an active, healthy person and the source of good vitamins and minerals.

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but instead will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." - Thomas Edison