Milestones!

It is almost Halloween and that means costume making but I find myself taken aback at the fact that I have logged over 100 miles since the end of August. I know for some that is nothing but for me that is a great feat! The mere fact that I have kept it up this long, often going it alone save for Thing 3 who frankly isn't much of a conversationalist. I feel like I owe that in part to my walking companions and joining up on Dailymile and being able to get great feedback and motivation from all the people there. It really does make a difference when someone notices how hard you worked or how hard it was for you to get out there. I am glad that I found the site and that I joined a challenge. It's not a race but it keeps me motivated to keep going just so that I can finish. I would hate to say that I had 93 miles left to go and I pooped out. Though, that does sound easy to poop out of. Really, 93 miles? I am hoping to get it done by Thanksgiving but with all the aches and pains that I have from pregnancy of all things, I wonder if I will make it. I will definitely give it my best but my best will be accompanied by lots and lots of prayer.

Struggles!

This morning it snowed. That was bad enough but I decided to carry Thing 3 in my front pack with all the blankets to keep the little one warm. I thought it was cold outside so I wore sweatpants and a fleece shirt and a sweat jacket. I thought I would be fine. So the snow, plus a cold, strong wind, plus 20 or so extra pounds on my person, plus my pants falling down, plus sore feet and knees adds up to one slow, crappy workout. I had to convince myself that I could keep going as both my workout companions pooped out on me today. The fleece shirt made me sweat so much that I fogged up my ipod. Seriously, who does that? Me, apparently. The constant shifting of the little one and stopping to hike up my pants was really grating on my nerves this morning. I heard myself chanting my memory chant that lets me recall what lap I am on. I think it is harder to go in laps than it is to go distance because the scenery never changes and it feels like you've gone nowhere. Mostly because you haven't. I dislike doing laps but when the weather is crappy I hate to go too far from home just in case it gets worse. The wind was enough to make me want to quit but then I kept thinking about last week and how hard it was for me to make up the miles. I came out okay last week with two over my 15 quota but it was difficult trying to get it all in. So, I really don't want a repeat. I thought about that as I walked, though slow as it was. I thought, "I can get in at least one mile and then I'll stop." The more I thought about it, I thought I could make it two miles as Thing 3 fell asleep. So I thought some more. If I go just two more laps then I can get in three miles. I hadn't even gone two miles before I reasoned with myself again that I should make it at least ten laps today. And so I did. I know the neighbors who saw me thought I was crazy for taking Thing 3 out in the weather but for me it is a no brainer. I can keep my little one warm and I did. I checked Thing 3's nose and cheeks and they were barely lukewarm. Not even cold! So I don't feel bad about taking my little one out tomorrow though I hope that I don't have to. Not because of the weather but because I think I might be able to get in a better workout by myself since I'll likely be going by myself. I predict that my walking companion will not be joining me tomorrow. That means that I'll have to pick myself up and hit the road. This time I'll be the one listening to my ipod so as not to get caught up in my doubtful thoughts. I think that is a big deterrent for me. If I can hear myself doubting that I can go any further than I won't so I will have to drown out that nasty voice and fill the void.

I had a silly moment this morning. I seriously jumped for joy in the bathroom this morning after my weigh in. I lost another pound even with all the junk I have been eating. I think the exercise coupled with my conscious eating decisions has really made a difference. Slow though it may be, it is a difference. I told The Man that I lost another pound and he replied, "I can lose a pound just by taking a poop!" Well dear, I cannot. My fat clings to my frame and doesn't want to leave. It's like that annoying relative that just doesn't know when to leave. Well, eviction notices are coming daily! Pound number 6 just got evicted and I'm not taking new renters and squatters will not be tolerated! Next notice goes to pound number 7 and possibly 8. Hopefully this week. So number 7 and number 8...pack your saddlebags. There is no love left in these handles.

When is the best time to...

I have always thought that the best time to weigh in was first thing in the morning because I supposed that all of my swelling and what not from the previous day had gone down. It has come to my attention, however, that first thing in the morning may not be the best time. I often weigh myself after a workout and just before I get into the shower. Even if I have eaten something post workout pre-shower and time has elapsed, I find that I weigh less than I did first thing that morning. I wonder why that is. What, if anything, have you found to be the best time to weigh in. Perhaps I am just tricking myself into believing that this is so. Hmmm.

Speaking of swelling, is it weird that I am glad at times to see that my ankles are swollen? Or that I am retaining water? In my strange and twisted mind I see that as weight that isn't fat therefore it is hard to lose, I see weight that is water that is easy to lose. Demented? Probably. Genius? Possibly. At least I'm an optimist!

PAIN!!!

So I took a week off. Not intentionally, but I went camping and came home to a broken water heater. While I was gone, I started to hurt. Not the sore, I need to workout hurt, but my feet have been aching. It feels like bone pain. So I have cause for alarm. I don't have the patience right now to really research what my problem is so I have been looking for ways to stave off the pain. I was on dailymile and "melanie" posted the "5 most common mistakes new runners make" and of course I'm sure that I fall in to more than one of these even though I've only been walking. I do try to keep the pace up so maybe that is my problem. One of the problems is stretching and that is for every runner. I, myself have not been stretching so it is something to which I should pay attention. There was a link for stretching that gave some good stretches for muscles that runners use. I have found that I am experiencing tight muscles in a lot of these areas. So much so that I had to stop my walk to stretch a bit. So I guess that will be my next issue on hand and tip of the day. As for things, I have to take it easy this weekend because I probably overextended myself trying to make up for lost time because of my trip and the water heater issues.
But, on a lighter note, I am only 107 miles away from completing my challenge. I think I should finish by the first week in December barring any other problems. And my weigh in was good. I am back down to where I should be so far with a loss of 5.5 pounds. At least according to Mr. Taylor.

It's been a while...

So I went camping for four days and then came home to a broken water heater wherein I lost about a week of exercise. Add to that the gluttony that usually accompanies the lack of a stove or a fridge for that matter and you have major problems. This is me. No exercise, bad food, but good company. Does that make up for it? No, it really doesn't. I came home thinking that I had gained back everything that I had lost this last month and luckily, I only gained about a pound back from where I was before I left. Though, that means that I have to change my widget because that is two pounds more than my widget says. So sad! I am hoping that the change in weight is actually due to water retention because I have a lot of that. Four to six hours on a trail with no bathroom in sight does not make for good company. Thus in preparation of these outings I go on the defensive. I cut back on my water consumption and it has hurt me because while out in the desert, my salt consumption went up. So the imbalance left me with huge ledges where my socks were. Gross! I got in almost 7 miles today but I am still behind on my weekly mileage for my running challenge so I am trying to catch up. I hope I make it!

I had a great salad recipe, though not very calorie friendly it tasted good. So I add it because I liked it and may someday like to make it again. The original recipe called for walnuts and more onions and the nuts weren't candied but I like it better this way. This salad has about 274 calories per serving.

Apple Pecan salad with a Cranberry vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup cranberries
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 10 cups mixed salad greens, rinsed and dried
• 2 Green apples, cored and chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 C Brown Sugar

Directions

1. Place 1 Tbs Olive Oil,1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar, and Brown sugar into a pan and heat on medium heat until simmering, add pecans and toss until lightly toasted. About 4-5 minutes.
2. In a food processor, combine the cranberries, vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Puree until smooth; gradually add oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3. In a salad bowl, toss together the greens, apples, onions, and enough of the cranberry mixture to coat. Sprinkle with pecans, and serve. 

Something new

So I've been looking for ways to incorporate new exercises into my routine so that it doesn't get boring and make me plateau and also so that I can work out different muscle groups without adding extra time. I am doing a challenge on dailymile right now to get 180 miles in before the new year. In just two weeks I've logged about 44 miles and I'm doing good. That means I'm almost a week ahead of schedule. I figure that I have to get in at least 15 miles in each week in order to complete it on time. Making allowances for holidays, vacations, injuries, and bad weather, I think I'll need the extra miles in while I can. If not, then I just finish early. Right now motivation is key. It is the one thing that I lack. I have the ability and the desire, I just need to convince myself to do this for myself. I think women have a tendency to do things for other people first and put themselves last. There's that, but I need to be forced into exercise. Helping out a friend, not letting someone else down, because I have no choice...you get the picture. As for the other exercises that I have incorporated into my "workout," I was searching online for things to do especially since my workout buddies and I all have strollers to push. I came across a few stroller workouts. I'd link to one but not many are actively updated. But here's an example.



This is just an example. There are many more on the web to choose from. So the exercises that we did this week were walking lunges with the stroller and walking leg lifts (arabesque) around the park. I think form is key here because there were times that the exercises didn't seem to make a difference except for the lunges, but all in all, after the routine my legs were jelly. That's good! I can feel it today two days later making me want to stretch. Needless to say, I will be incorporating more of these exercises into my routine to combat boredom.

Too good to be true?

This weekend I was reading the Yahoo headlines as I do and I came across this little gem. Is it possible to be fat and healthy? Or is it just too good to be true? I hate these articles that give you the gray area in the entire article. There is no resolution in the article just a "this article says this, but this article refutes it and says this." Is it possible to be overweight and healthy? I'm sure it is for some people. I believe that God has made our bodies highly adaptable to the ever changing things we do to ourselves. In His infinite knowledge He knew that we would do things to ourselves and made provisions for it. It's a good thing too. But as for myself, I do not believe that I can be overweight and healthy at the same time. I think that something would get me in the end. Therefore I walk!
I have been walking for the past month or so and I don't know if it has made a difference. I would like to think that it has but I am a realist and I don't want to disillusion myself. If nothing else, I think that it has helped me not to get bigger. That's something. Isn't it?