Making time for exercising is my biggest challenge when it comes to following a fitness schedule. I know that I can meet my fitness goals but when life gets busy exercising is the thing I put aside. I forgot about the many benefits of exercise: how it gives me more energy, makes me feel much less stressed out, makes me get less colds, helps me feel and look string and fit, clears my head, etc, etc. And, of course, those are just the short0term and immediate benefits. The long-term benefits are even more dramatic.
But, when daily life gets busy and I feel tired, exercising is the last thing I want to do.
I am hoping I can change that starting now. I really want to do the half marathon that I am signed up for on May 27th. This is the fourth one I have signed up (and paid) for and, so far, I have not run any. I basically stopped training in the last few months but I am determined to do it and have started running again. I know that I will be very slow and that maybe I'll have to walk the last few kilometres but I will finish it!
I am also starting a new gym membership and I plan to start weight training. I have been reading a book on weight training for women and am sold on the benefits of women building muscles - not merely toning. I plan to book one personal training session and have him/her show me how to use the free weights like the menfolks. Not that I want to be surrounding by a bunch of grunting, sweating men but I do want to be strong and fit and to boost my metabolism with some big muscles. I am convinced that women who do not take steroids can not get muscular like a man and that there are many benefits to building muscle. I especially want to work on my arms and core.
The time I allocate for exercising is always unrealistic but, I hope to run three times a week (one a long run) and weight train three times a week in the month of May. My new gym is corporate which I don't like but that means there seems to be a club in every neighbourhood in the city, including one near almost every library. I'm hoping to be able to combine working out at the gym with working. Maybe I'll even be able to squeeze in a zumba class.
And, this may be a silly, shallow goal, but i would like to look good in a bikini by the beginning of July. I have a really cute, custom-made retro bikini. Some of you might think I already look good in it but I want to feel confident that I do. Silly, shallow, ok but not everything in my life has to be deep and meaningful (I am learning this).
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Spring Cleanse update
The Spring Cleanse is going pretty well. I made a conscious decision to abandon it last night to go to this event http://www.lplevent.ca/b2e/index.html and to have a night out. Yes, I ate sugar, yeast breads, and drank alcohol. oh well. I think being too dogmatic about food is detrimental - at least for me.
In general, it has been very easy to give up sugar. I have also avoided foods that have any type of sugar except dried or fresh fruit in the ingredients list. As long as I don't surround myself with a lot of it, I am happy to avoid it. Giving up coffee has also been fairly easy although I am not sure how much less caffeine I'm consuming since I am drinking black tea like crazy. It's not just the caffeine, though, coffee is just generally very hard on my body and I always drink too much of it. Can't seem to do coffee in moderation. Yeast bread has been the hardest thing to not eat.
The hardest part of the cleanse is to get back on a decent exercise schedule. My life gets so busy that exercising is the thing I am most likely to skip. This is not a good thing. It's hard to remember - when I'm feeling tired and busy - that exercise has so many benefits that go way beyond losing weight or building muscle. Getting enough exercise will help me with my energy level, fighting sicknesses, reducing stress, and on and on. My main goal this week is going to be getting back on track, exercise wise. Really it is about getting into a habit and routine. And actually this week is unusually busy so getting into a routine this week is impossible. Groan.
I can try to form these habits this week:
1. Bike to work
2. On mornings when I don't have my kids, set my alarm early and run. Even if there is a nice, warm person in my nice, warm bed. He'll still be there when I get back!
Next week, I need to develop about a more structured routine.
In general, it has been very easy to give up sugar. I have also avoided foods that have any type of sugar except dried or fresh fruit in the ingredients list. As long as I don't surround myself with a lot of it, I am happy to avoid it. Giving up coffee has also been fairly easy although I am not sure how much less caffeine I'm consuming since I am drinking black tea like crazy. It's not just the caffeine, though, coffee is just generally very hard on my body and I always drink too much of it. Can't seem to do coffee in moderation. Yeast bread has been the hardest thing to not eat.
The hardest part of the cleanse is to get back on a decent exercise schedule. My life gets so busy that exercising is the thing I am most likely to skip. This is not a good thing. It's hard to remember - when I'm feeling tired and busy - that exercise has so many benefits that go way beyond losing weight or building muscle. Getting enough exercise will help me with my energy level, fighting sicknesses, reducing stress, and on and on. My main goal this week is going to be getting back on track, exercise wise. Really it is about getting into a habit and routine. And actually this week is unusually busy so getting into a routine this week is impossible. Groan.
I can try to form these habits this week:
1. Bike to work
2. On mornings when I don't have my kids, set my alarm early and run. Even if there is a nice, warm person in my nice, warm bed. He'll still be there when I get back!
Next week, I need to develop about a more structured routine.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Spring Cleanse - part 2
Tomorrow the group spring cleanse officially starts and I am pretty excited. I started on my own April 1 and did pretty well. Until Easter weekend I had no coffee or sugar or alcohol. I allowed myself a few exceptions for the holiday. It`s hard to celebrate with others and completely avoid those three things. Yeast breads were actually the hardest thing for me to do without and the thing I`ll need the most support with. I didn`t think I ate a lot of bread but when I realized pita bread and pretzels fall into this category, it became harder than I thought. Also BBQ season is upon us and a veggie burger is just such a nice thing. I am only going to do the yeast part of the cleanse for two weeks. The rest I will try to do until May 1.
As part of the cleanse I am really going to try to get back on some sort of fitness schedule. I am always over-ambitious with this which means I always fail. I do need to run three times a week in order to get back on my half marathon training schedule. And I would like to do yoga 2-3 times a week. Plus, now that it is Spring, there are few reasons for me not to bike every single day (thunderstorm and illness are the only good reasons). One of the library branches I work at is a somewhat scary bike ride but I think I just have to overcome that fear. And also start wearing a bike helmet just in case.
So, here is the Spring Cleanse as I will do it:
* No sugar (in any form other than what exists in whole foods), no alcohol, no yeast breads, no coffee
* Eat brassica veggies, flax or chia seeds and parsley every day
* Run three times a week (one has to be 12 km or longer)
* Do yoga 2-3 times a week
* Bike as much as possible
* Blog about it everyday :)
And then on May 1 when it is finished, I am going to start a weight training program based on the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women. Exciting!
As part of the cleanse I am really going to try to get back on some sort of fitness schedule. I am always over-ambitious with this which means I always fail. I do need to run three times a week in order to get back on my half marathon training schedule. And I would like to do yoga 2-3 times a week. Plus, now that it is Spring, there are few reasons for me not to bike every single day (thunderstorm and illness are the only good reasons). One of the library branches I work at is a somewhat scary bike ride but I think I just have to overcome that fear. And also start wearing a bike helmet just in case.
So, here is the Spring Cleanse as I will do it:
* No sugar (in any form other than what exists in whole foods), no alcohol, no yeast breads, no coffee
* Eat brassica veggies, flax or chia seeds and parsley every day
* Run three times a week (one has to be 12 km or longer)
* Do yoga 2-3 times a week
* Bike as much as possible
* Blog about it everyday :)
And then on May 1 when it is finished, I am going to start a weight training program based on the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women. Exciting!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Spring Cleanse
Welcome to this blog. I want a place to publicly write about my fitness and health goals because I like to write and I love to get support and hear other folk's ideas and experiences.
I feel the need for a Spring cleanse and since my favourite cookbook author - Jae Steele - is facilitating one on facebook, I will be doing one this April starting tomorrow. The cleanse with Jae starts on April 9 but I really feel the need to start early and keep it up for a month. I also plan to do a month of yoga at the Yoga Shack. My goal is to do a yoga class 30 days this month but 20 days will be amazing too.
This is what the Spring Cleanse (with Jae) will entail (this is from the facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/events/237364069695644/):
In the mildest form of this cleanse, we will be going 2 weeks without:
* sugar (including white sugar, brown sugar, glucose, fructose, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, etc)
* alcohol
* yeast (in breads, alcoholic beverages, etc)
If you are up for an EXTRA CHALLENGE you'll also integrate as many of the following as possible:
* eliminate or reduce coffee (as it can mess with our hormones)
* enjoy something from the brassica family each day: cabbage, kale, Brussle's sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, collards.... (for liver detoxification)
* enjoy chia seeds, flax seeds, aloe or slippery elm everyday (to help the toxins slip-slide out of your bod)
* enjoy parsley and/or cilantro most days
* reduce your intake of other sugars: maple syrup, honey, agave, molasses, fruit juice, etc.
*******************
I am going to do the extreme version (of course) and in addition to this and the month of yoga, I am hoping to follow my running schedule for the half marathon I WILL be running May 27.
So, I am enjoying a last cup of coffee and I just ate a yummy cookie (and cookie dough). Last time having these things for a month. From April 1 - May 1 no sugar, no coffee, no booze, no active yeast, and lots of brassicas, parsley, and flax seeds!
Plus, I am reading a book by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and he recommends a whole bunch of things to do in regards to eating mindfully. I hope to start following those as well. Although I do NOT plan to wash my dishes like I am washing the baby Buddha because, well, I really like my dishwasher (and I would never put a baby in a large appliance!)
I feel the need for a Spring cleanse and since my favourite cookbook author - Jae Steele - is facilitating one on facebook, I will be doing one this April starting tomorrow. The cleanse with Jae starts on April 9 but I really feel the need to start early and keep it up for a month. I also plan to do a month of yoga at the Yoga Shack. My goal is to do a yoga class 30 days this month but 20 days will be amazing too.
This is what the Spring Cleanse (with Jae) will entail (this is from the facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/events/237364069695644/):
In the mildest form of this cleanse, we will be going 2 weeks without:
* sugar (including white sugar, brown sugar, glucose, fructose, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, etc)
* alcohol
* yeast (in breads, alcoholic beverages, etc)
If you are up for an EXTRA CHALLENGE you'll also integrate as many of the following as possible:
* eliminate or reduce coffee (as it can mess with our hormones)
* enjoy something from the brassica family each day: cabbage, kale, Brussle's sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, collards.... (for liver detoxification)
* enjoy chia seeds, flax seeds, aloe or slippery elm everyday (to help the toxins slip-slide out of your bod)
* enjoy parsley and/or cilantro most days
* reduce your intake of other sugars: maple syrup, honey, agave, molasses, fruit juice, etc.
*******************
I am going to do the extreme version (of course) and in addition to this and the month of yoga, I am hoping to follow my running schedule for the half marathon I WILL be running May 27.
So, I am enjoying a last cup of coffee and I just ate a yummy cookie (and cookie dough). Last time having these things for a month. From April 1 - May 1 no sugar, no coffee, no booze, no active yeast, and lots of brassicas, parsley, and flax seeds!
Plus, I am reading a book by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and he recommends a whole bunch of things to do in regards to eating mindfully. I hope to start following those as well. Although I do NOT plan to wash my dishes like I am washing the baby Buddha because, well, I really like my dishwasher (and I would never put a baby in a large appliance!)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)