legends of the fall

A legendary fail.

You may recall that back on New Years Eve, the Great Appendix Escape occurred. While I wasn't out of commission for too long, I did have to take it easy on my body for a month or more.

A month or more. Of not working out. Of getting out of the routine.

I went eased back with Gentle Yoga classes for a while, then graduated back into my regular Yoga Renew.

I started cycling in February, with a goal of cycling 1000 miles this year.
  
But really, it was nothing like my 4-5x weekly workouts. A mix of early-morning Dance Dance Revolution and Wednesday night Yoga and cycling evenings or weekends or mornings or whenever the weather allowed. My yoga multi-class card ran out before our vacation in Mid-April, and I haven't bought a new one yet. When Able-Bodied Boy is out of town, yoga is more difficult to get to. My work schedule changed and I have less time in the mornings to workout.

The only bright spot is that I have started jogging again, with Bella. It's a quick workout in the morning, and Bella could sure use the exercise too. I am up to about 1.5 miles, without walking breaks, and hope to get that up to 3.5 miles by the end of the year. But I can't get too serious about it, due to a minor case of pigment dispersion syndrome. But I'm going to do as much as I feel is reasonable this year and check back with the eye doctor to see if things are looking any worse.

Able-Bodied Boy's schedule changes soon, and he'll be up quite early in the mornings. I'm hoping I can start rolling out of bed when he does (5a!), to beat the summer heat and get out on the road (foot or pedal) before work. (But 5a? Really? Should I be more realistic about this?)

I have a lot of plans for cycling events this year. The Get Ready Metric tomorrow, I hope; The DoubleCross; the Shorefire Century; the Jersey Devil Century; Bike to the Bay; and the Savage Century. But I have not really been training all that hard and still only have a hundred or so miles on my bike for the year. Even all these put together (doing anywhere from 30-75 miles per ride, at a major stretch of my abilities, based on their offerings) is only 400 miles.

How do you get your butt in gear when you're a girl with very little willpower, who'd rather come home to a gin & tonic and a relaxing evening than change into workout clothes? Whose self-bribing is undermined as often as possible?

(And don't even asked if I've hopped on the scale in the last six months... I'm sure it's not a pretty number and I'm too scared to look.)
Any suggestions?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl


  

the state of the body

Well, there haven't been too many posts about weight loss or working out lately, have there?





*coughcough*


Last week I did a little scale-surfing. Didn't like what I saw, so I did it again the next morning. Even worse. Not so good for morale, let me tell you.

I'll be honest, I haven't been working out so much (as I could be). By the time the rains let up, we got the chickens and Able-Bodied Boy was out of town most of the week. So I was incorporating animal duties into the morning routine and dealing with work stresses and not wanting to leave Bella alone even more than the 10.5 hours I was leaving her as it was...

Excuses excuses. I could have been doing ab-work. I could have gone on one of my big cycling rides on Saturday or Sunday. But I didn't. Though Able-Bodied Boy dragged me out on Sunday for one of our short 10 mile rides.

And boy did I feel like an idiot. A total idiot. I'm out there cycling with him, loving every minute of it. Loving the feel of my strong legs carrying me up the long, low side of Burden Hill. Loving the breeze in my face, watching the wild turkeys haul ass into the woods. The different types of road surfaces, the horse pastures (scaring them or peaking their curiosity). But mostly loving my legs.

Why don't I do this more often?!?!

My plan is to get back into the routine next week, while Able-Bodied Boy is back in town. Then making sure I have an extra 5-10 min in the morning to take care of all our ladies and give Bella some extra love when he's out of town for the Epic Summer Leaving (3 full weeks straight!).

For those of you that comment with questions: do you check back to see if I've answered? I never do because I don't think anyone does (sometimes sending the answers privately), but I will start responding. I really wish I could reply to specific comments in a thread, and you could sign up to get notifications of those replies... Apparently there is a way to fix that by using another website to host the blogger site (or something like that) but it's far too complicated for me to start fussing with :)

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl


  

flabby gut woes

Ugh. I'm really really not looking forward to the next scale-surf. (early March)

I don't feel any thinner. Even those first five pounds weren't noticed. My clothes don't really fit any differently, save a pair of jeans a size too small that I can just barely manage to tolerate for a day. My flabby gut still looks like a big swim tube. My only hope is that I'll be pleasantly surprised when I step on the scale, but I'm certainly not expecting it.

Jill of Lost and Not Found posted about abdominal work last week. She and I must have some sort of cosmic connection because I had just been telling myself that I probably ought to - at some point in the future but not really now cuz now is a really bad time - start doing ab work before bed. And lo-n-behold the voice in the back of my mind comes to life in her post and says NO REALLY THIS IS A GOOD IDEA!

If you're looking for a quick way to feel better about yourself, determine a routine (perhaps something as simple as two sets of 15-20 regular crunches and 2 sets of 15-20 side crunches) and stick to it consistently for a few weeks.  Do it at least three times a week, but you can do more if you want. You'll feel the difference in no time!

Ugh.

Wait. Why am I 'ugh'ing? I love ab pain! I stopped going to the pilates class because I felt the style wasn't giving me enough core work and next-day aches. I crave the ab pain! Bring it on!

So let's just admit what's going on here. I'm a lazy unmotivated bastard. Unless I have to do it, or have some sort of outside influence, I have a great span of excuses that keep me from doing anything above and beyond. My bedtime routine is perfect. I crawl into bed, take my sleeping pills, lay out my morning vitamins, do one last check of facebook, chat with Able-Bodied Boy about the day and upcoming plans, and turn on my sound machine. Why would I want to add ab work to a perfectly lazy evening??

And no, I still haven't gotten to go through all the wonderful workout stuff that Beth, Girl Explorer lent me. Me = lazy. I need help. Maybe I can beg Able-Bodied Boy to be my gut buddy at night?

If I had a web cam, you'd see that my face is skeptical and snarly right now. Not that I doubt he'd do it, but that it would mean I'd actually have to do it. Interrupt my lazy evenings for ab work. Ugh.

So here's the choice. The flabby gut 'ugh' or the lazy girl 'ugh'? Which is worse?

Probably the flabby gut. I just can't win :) I guess I'll try to get started on that sometime soon...


How do you work up to doing something you know is good for you but really don't want to make the effort to do?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl


  

me wednesdays

It has morphed over the last year, this night o' mine. A way to get out of the house. An attempt to find a central place to meet up for girl's night. A place to hang out while waiting for yoga. A night that Able-Bodied Boy can do his thing and I can go do mine. A night for me. A Monday. A Thursday. A Tuesday. A Wednesday.
  

Decidedly decaffinated.



I head straight for the coffee shop after work. It forms one point of a triangle separating work and home, which is neither great nor terrible. And considering the vast Bermuda Triangle of nothing within... I'd almost consider it a reasonable distance from home.



I order tea. Green or Rooibos or chamomile. I do not order coffee, or black tea. I did, accidentally, a couple of times, before they re-did their tea board in color codes. Drew was wrong about a tea once; it is still our favorite, but only Able-Bodied Boy is allowed to drink it. I just bounce and bounce and bounce and bounce...

Yes, I took a bite of the pears before
taking the photo. nom nom.

It's warm and inviting there. A big purple couch, a half dozen cozy arm chairs, plenty of tabled seating. The walls are rich, they hand-write all the menus and drink offerings in chalk on the wall, the display is full of less-than-humble baked goods and larger-than-life quiches and richer-than-god mac-n-cheese. It is paradise.

I sit. I read. They bring me my drink and food. Oh the food. It's a light cafe menu of paninis and salads and wraps, with regular soup specials and special specials (Drew has been tempting me to try the eggplant or veggie lasagnas as they come available). But I'm normally just looking for something light, so as not to make yoga uncomfortable, so I order their signature salad (greens, candied walnuts, mandarin oranges, pears, cheese, carrots) with a stealing of the sesame soy dressing they use on the asian wrap. ohmygod.

I eat. I drink my tea after it cools down. I read. I use their free wi-fi. 90 minutes fly by. Then I go to yoga.


 



FitnessYoga Studio, from their Facebook page

Oh peaceful place. The instructors are very personable, extending warm welcomes and assistance to new folks, while taking the time to get to know the regulars. I took my first class with Jackie, but didn't have any other classes with her until a one-on-one thai yoga bodywork session (ohmygod) a year later, during which she recalled nearly everything I had told her about my previous experience and recalled how I had fared in that first class. That's the sort of personal involvement they bring to their clients.



My regular Wednesday night class is now being taught by Karen, and my favorite part of the night with her (besides the awesome moves she gets us through) is Fiona Apple's "Across the Universe". I get so caught up in the velvety tunes that I nearly always forget to breathe, listen, or move with the rest of the class. But that's ok. It's a lovely moment to have, nonetheless. I <3 Karen's play list, I just have to remember not to sing along during class.





I used to have company for one part or another of my Wednesday's, but that's been hit or miss lately. Which is ok. It's nice to have a night set aside for nothing. Once in a while, I'll skip it for very pressing matters at home, but for the most part, I plan my week around having a Wednesday night just for me. The offer stands for anyone who wishes to join me!

Do you have a time or a place of your own to relax? Where/when? What does it do for you?

Much Love,

Able-Bodied Girl

ps. no establishment gave me anything in return for my love of them.

 

 

the state of the body

It's that time again, when I go scale-surfing and try to hold my head high as my eyes drop to see which way the numbers go.

And we're.... DOWN a total of 5lbs since the beginning! Which means I'm losing weight a little faster than I intended, but I'm ok with that at this point. I suspect that I'll reach a threshold at some point that will take a little more effort to break through...

(And let me just say, I was very very very nervous about getting on this morning, like butterflies-since-last-night nervous. For some reason, I've felt really big the last 24 hours.)

So what am I doing wrong and what am I doing right, based on my goals?

Water consumption: up, but not all the way up. Probably around three 750-ml bottles, but not the four I'm looking to get. On random days I'll get to 4, other occassional days I'll be at 2.

Eating habits: doing pretty well during the week. I'm eating good breakfasts, snacks, and lunches through the day; buying the necessary fruits & veggies as needed; making the other foods to supplement; all without too much lazy excuse. The evenings are tough, especially when Able-Bodied Boyfriend is out of town. I find myself coming home to face the Hunger Hobbit growling from beneath the steps into the house. Years of habit, I suppose, just like not being able to read Bon Appetit without drooling mouth and grumbling tummy. Weekends are tougher (especially when snowed in!), but I'm trying to self-restrain from just eating mindlessly. My schedule has been a little off lately, but I've tried to do good in remembering to take snacks and stick to it no matter where I am. I'm about to start a certificate program at the university, but I have already planned to get a salad from Salad Works on my way each week, to keep things light (they have salsa in the back, which you can request in lieu of a calorie-heavy salad dressing, woot!).

Working out: mostly Fail. In the last couple weeks, I've only done my DDR an average of three times each week, although a couple of mornings were spent shoveling, which counts in my book! And I missed yoga due to the snow once too. I have dropped the pilates class, though I have yet to break into any of Beth, Girl Explorer's videos and games she left for me to try. Ugh. I have excuses and nothing else.
This week, however, I'm breaking them. In the past, if I stayed up past my bedtime (10p), I'd use "a good night's sleep" as an excuse not to wake up early for my workout. Not this week! I'm getting up, and Able-Bodied Boyfriend is even gone too! That's a double-win in my book :)

The clothing dilemma: thanks for all the input everyone! I think I'm going to only buy a few things - absolute necessities and shoes/socks/other things that won't really change in size - but with only half my usual budget.

Overall well-being: feeling great! I blew off a tempting scale-call last week, and don't plan to jump on again for another few weeks.


Thank you all so much for following along, encouraging me, and being the supportive community I need :) I always love hearing your thoughts and feedback!

How are all of you, my Able-Bodied Friends?


Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl


  

the first hurdle

Able-Bodied Boyfriend was gone for part of the week. One day of which was a holiday. His first travel of the year.

Which means what I really wanted to do was lounge around in pajamas, catch up on TV shows, eat massive amounts of indulgent foods (ie, goat cheese!) and whatever leftovers I could find, go out to eat with friends, sleep in late, stay up late, neglect dishes and the mailbox and trash pickups and my health, and generally live like a bachelor for a few days. Weeee!

Oh wait. I'm trying to get in the habit of eating better and such. Crap. My main cheerleader (strike that... bad image) motivator and stabilizing factor is out of town. What to do? Especially with an entirely free day included?!!?

I went shopping, full day spree of secret gifts for family and friends teeheeeheeeheeeee. But I did two things before I left that were game-changers. One, I packed my ice skates. Two, I packed my snacks and cold lunch. Sooo, I managed to be gone from the house from 10a (yeah, I still slept in...) until 4:30p, didn't eat a single thing out, met up with friends for iceskating (aka, real exercise!), and only ate the leftovers in reasonable portions.

I did, however, have goat cheese. Once. That beautiful goat cheese. Just one ounce. With one serving of triscuits. It was sooooooooo good.

happy/wierd goat cheese face from ireland; courtesy Neil, and the undead.

That reminds me of something Michael Pollan said in Food Rules: that food is all about the first bite, that no bite after that is as good, and that this should encourage us to have smaller portions and more quality interactions with our food. That book has sorta been central for me lately, in terms of qualifying ideas I already had on relationships with our food. More on that later...


What's your favorite snow day/day off/suddenly-finding-yourself-alone thing to do?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl


 

the big post of weight loss plans

Well, I'm off to a good start, if being more conscious of my habits along with a few changes in habits can be considered so.

 

 

Ideally, my eating habits will be to:  drink more water, eat more fiber, gradually reduce eating throughout the day (more at breakfast, less at dinner), eat smaller snacks more frequently, eat less meat, eat *better* fats.  Able-Bodied Boyfriend and I find that eating more fiber results in fewer calories, more fresh fruits and vegetables, and more vegetarian meals, which has worked for both of us in the past.  I also would like these habits to become normal, and not a "special" thing that gets dropped for old "bad" habits once I've reached my goal; that just leads to the yo-yo effect.

 

Right now, I'm struggling to enjoy my morning oatmeal, and have avoided it without substituting with an acceptable level of fiber.  I gotta work on that.  My work snack/meals are also a bit stagnant and lacking in fiber, so I need to start mixing it up.  I think most of that has been the fact that this is only the second "normal" post-holiday week and I'm still getting up and running.

 

However, there are challenges.  Primarily, Able-Bodied Boyfriend.  His dieting habits trend a bit differently than mine, so we have to reach compromises and I'll make some adjustments.  Another twist to this is his frequent travel, which does leave me part of the time of my own will.  Mixed blessing, as I have a tough time transitioning routines when he's away.

 

Ideally, my exercise habits will trend up through the year, too.  I would like to attend at least one evening yoga class per week, and at least one session of pilates.  I would like to have a pre-work aerobic workout every morning.  I would also like to get some sort of targeted strength training eventually.  And as the seasons warm, getting out on the bike on the weekends will definitely be a regular thing, as well as getting back out on my bike in the mornings for my aerobics, or maybe trying my hand (feet?) at jogging again.

 

Right now, I'm heading to a yoga studio twice a week for yoga or pilates; I'm not overly impressed with their pilates, but I'm giving it another few weeks of chances.  Since it's too cold for my fragile self to do outdoor exercising, I have Dance Dance Revolution 3 on the Wii, and I get in about 170 calories worth of dancing before work.  Very fun :)

 

Challenges to working out.

• The yoga studio is 25min away from home, 25min away from work, with 45min between work and home.  So for my usual Wednesday night yoga class, I have to find something to do for a couple hours between work and yoga because going home is just a waste of gas and time.  And the between time can't be a waste of money by shopping or eating out.  I think I have some good things in place to deal with that, just have to maintain the habits.
• If I'm not going to attend the yoga studio's pilates classes, I do know enough to do a workout on my own; I just lack the self-motivation to actually do a full workout by myself.  Gotta work on that.
• I have Wii Fit, but it just annoys me; a friend offered to let me try Wii Active, so I might find it to be a good purchase later on down the road.  It might provide the strength training I'm looking for, maybe even pilates?
• As for the possibility of using a gym, I have two concerns: money and time/logistics.  I tend to prefer working out in the morning, at home, so I can get showered/changed/fed before heading to work.  Not a huge fan of using gym facilities to prepare for work, but work clothes tend to be casual and I will consider a gym membership later in the year if the need is warranted and everything else falls into place.  Again, there aren't too many that are local to home, but probably a few near work so I can consider those too.
• We have an elliptical machine in the bedroom; if any of you have ever kept workout equipment in your bedroom before, you can probably envision the massive amounts of clothing and shoes that have collected on and around it that make it ("it" being a substitute piece of furniture) a big pain to use.  However, we have a TV/DVD player upstairs so I am quite at home hopping on the elliptical for some time while zoned out with some movie or show.  Able-Bodied Boyfriend's work schedule is such that I wake up to work out before him during three seasons of the year, but in the summer he's up before me.  So, the elliptical tends to be my summer rainy-day morning workout, but can really only be used evenings/weekends any other time of year.
• And speaking of his schedule, that whole travel thing, again, gets me all out of whack.  I have trouble maintaining routines when he's away, so I might have to post more often so that my readership can act as surrogate encourager/challenger/accountability officer.
• Last major challenge to various avenues of working out: I have pigment dispersion syndrome.  This means that I have cells in my eye that float around and get all worked up when I do anything high impact.  If I do too much high-impact exercise, they can float back into my eye and cause glaucoma (ie, blindness).  So.... as much as I would love to join all my friends/family who run and do 5ks and 10ks and triathlons... sorry.  I can handle a bit of jogging, but I'd rather not go blind.  For anyone who does run/jog/other high-impact sports, especially men between 20 and 40 years of age, I highly recommend making sure you go to your annual eye exams just to make sure you know you don't have it.  The onset for glaucoma is pretty quick, so you might not know until it's too late.  According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, 30% of those with the syndrome develop glaucoma.

 

Challenges are just things to get through.  What sorts of challenges have you encountered in weight-loss plans?  What creative ways have you solved them?

 

 

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl