Back to the basics...

Being a teacher and having the summer off really is a blessing.  I know a lot of teachers who work during the summer, and every year I say I'm going to find a part-time job, but in reality, I really use this time to find 'me' again. I get 10 weeks to not be "Mrs. M", not the teacher who can come fix your computer or realign your smartboard, I don't have to worry about homecoming and prom, Friday football games (though I do love a good football game!), it's just me.

With the first two weeks of my break were wasted recovering, then a trip to the ER, and then back to recovering, I'm tired of recovering and want to really use this summer for what I can to get into the workout grind.  I do have to monitor my HR and BP closely, but that's reasonable enough.

I decided last night while hubs and I were walking that I am going to start fresh on the Couch25k program and see how that goes.  No skipping, no rush, just see.  If I still don't at that point enjoy running, then I'll stick to hiking and walking, and in a few months, try again.  The program is 9 weeks, if in 9 weeks I don't even slightly enjoy something, I don't think it's right for me at this point in my life.

I also got inspired by A Journey to Thin's blog and her 30 day challenge (actually, a lot of her progress and watching her transition has inspired me as a whole), so I will also challenge myself to do the 30 Day Shred for 30 days.  Ideally, 10 days on each level.  I will have to see how this will work with our mini vacation coming up, maybe do two one day, and two the day after we come home? Oh well - I will figure it out. And if somehow a day gets lost, I'll just tack it on at the end. I realize I can't control everything.

I also have my yoga lined up, at least twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday evenings) but once summer camp is back over with, I plan on going again on Mondays.  My Tuesday class always leaves me a little sore, so I like to take Wednesday off.

What do you do to recenter and refocus?

Related articles

• 10 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Summer Break (coolcatteacher.blogspot.com)

We finally got on the same page

A while ago I mentioned that husband and I had completely different workout styles and they were not compatible. This was pretty intrusive on our workout and fitness efforts. I think we've figured out a way to remedy this

I go running once a week and he comes to the park to support me, while taking random pictures of the park, or doing work.  Knowing he's there as support is great, but yet he doesn't have to run, which he doesn't enjoy - at all.


Then when I'm at yoga, which I like to do once or twice a week - he goes for bike rides, which he loves.  He's been riding lately in preparation for the American Diabetes Tour de Cure that he's riding here in a few weeks.


And then - to make sure we get time together - on the weekends we go hiking.  It's outside and naturey - which he likes.  And it's getting in miles, which I enjoy (I don't really care how I get them in). I've slowly started taking to the trails and accepting that bugs are touching me.  It's been a slow process, but I'm getting there.


How do you and your significant other work out together?

Gorge Metro Park

Hubs and I decided today would be a great day to check out another park.  We settled on Gorge Metro Park.  Neither of us had been there and from looking online, there were quite a few paths you could take.

We got there and originally were going to take Highbridge trail, so we parked on the regular lot and just walked over.  We started walking, and walking and walking, and were totally bored.  It wasn't even remotely interesting to look at. So we turned around and decided to take the Gorge Trail.  It's a level 3, and I can now see why.  Especially after all the rain, lots of mudsliding going on.

There's a part of it that is washed out, so we walked part way through it, an turned around (since we'd have to anyhow). All in all we walked about 3.3 miles and really had a great time outside. It would have been nice if it were a tiny bit warmer, but we survived regardless.  This and the Deep Lock Quarry are two that we want to go back to and check out again.

Husband doesn't leave home without his camera, so he snagged a few pictures.

The water was beautiful!

The water made a pretty wooshing sound! ;)

Husband, resting

And since he was resting, I took the camera! 

Thank gosh for a handful of fences, Im pretty clumsy. 

Zumba those pounds off

I've been a member of a local YMCA for a while, and I joined because I like taking fitness classes.  However, I kept taking classes I hated.  So a friend of mine who takes a Zumba class invited me along.  My first experience was horrid.  I realized how my inner-diva was NOT Latin. Who knew? Not me.  All this time I just assumed I had a sassy latina inside of me ;)

I really should have known that it'd be an awkward experience, after all - I only managed 1 year of jazz dance and that was because my mom wanted me to try it.  I was awful.  I actually have amazing terrifying moves, they just aren't appreciated by anyone with any actual rhythm. And really, let's be honest. Do you think I can focus on what dance moves the teacher is instructing us with when I'm the chubby girl in a leotard in the back while the rest of the girls ribs were showing through? Of course not.

Class number two I started to get into the groove. There were some moves I remembered, and some that I could only giggle through as the girl next to me failed right along with me. She was equally confused, so we just chilled in the back, working up a sweat tripping over our own feet.  Hey, laughing burns calories, right?

Class three I got it.  Well, almost.  I got almost all of the dances and knew what was going. I couldn't do it outside of class without guidance, and I couldn't do all the moves, but I suddenly wasn't tripping over my own feet.

Here are some of my favorite dances (if you've never taken a class, you can do the dances to different music, it all varies depending on instructor). Now remember, when I AM doing these, they look far less graceful, and somewhere deep down low and hidden, I like to pretend my hips are doing what theirs are ;)
Here's a fun basic video:


And here's it in real action:

Deep Lock Quarry Exploring

This weekend started off with some miles at the gym. Husband is training for the Tour de Cure (feel free to chip in a few bucks if you'd like!) in Cuyahoga Falls this June, and I'm super excited for him. He is a diabetic and this will be his first ever 'event' he's participated in like this! Go hubs! But after that, we decided to check out a new trail in the MetroPark system that he has been wanting to get out to.  So we packed up our gear, grabbed a quick lunch at Jimmy Johns (ps - totally not worth it IMO) and off we went.

We went to the Deep Lock Quarry, and it shows on the map the Quarry Trail is 1.2 miles. So we decided to explore off the trail in the beginning, and then loop back to the trail and enjoy. We clocked about 2 miles total, and just had a lot of fun. I'm glad we got out there early, it was getting really humid and the sun was beaming down straight overhead. I am NOT an outdoorsy type of person, so this was quite a step for me.  We took some pictures along the way and I thought I'd share.  Anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to check this short trail out should really make a point to.  I can only imagine when the leaves fill in and then in the fall when they change colors how beautiful it would be! 

Part of one of the towpath trails that you can access from the Deep Lock Quarry entrance.

Starting out on the actual trail. Proof that I battled bugs (ew) for this trail for hubs.








I wanted to climb up, husband had a different idea.. He didn't want to haul me out with a broken leg.. So we took the long way up to the top.



Resting. It was so beautiful looking down!

*insert witty title*

I had my appointment on Friday of last week, and am feeling a little less hopeful.  I was praying that I would go in, he'd quickly see an issue, and be like 'here's the plan of attack' and move on.  Not quite the case.  I'm not a patient person, and this is pushing me to the furthest I can possibly go. This is pretty much a summary of everything I haven't blogged about because I've been in the 'blah' mood that keeps me away.

Mr. Fertility Doctor Recap:
Office was running behind. I'm OK with this - they are specialists and frankly emergencies happen. But I expect the same attention when I need it, so I will remember that. Procedure was easy enough, nothing too dramatic, but (tmi warning) that saline does come out quickly! phew. He told me he was looking for abnormalities and then there were a few 'oh ok, this is what we're looking for', 'oh, interesting' comments.  Then he proceeded to explain he believes I have a polyp or two, so once he looks at the pictures further, I suppose those will be addressed as well. All in all - I know nothing other than he found a few abnormalities and polyps.  I have another appointment next Tuesday. Hopefully I'll at least learn something new.  I'm getting frustrated and just need to know what the deal is.  But I know everything takes time.

My legs ache.  I'm doing everything I can to stay on track with the weight watcher's walk it challenge, but it's not happening. I did successfully finish Week 2 though :)  I should be starting week three, and I'm not there.  My shin splints are awful.  I'm working on a goal to be active for 7 days straight.  That starts today. So we'll see when I get home what I do.  Yoga counts, doesn't it? :)

My last weigh in put me down about 1.5lbs. Which was OK because I had gained a little.  So hopefully this is on the positive track back down :)

My spring break starts Friday, and I couldn't possibly be more excited.  Really.  This is the highlight of my week ;)

Week 1 - Complete

I have completed week 1 of the Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge.  Here was the breakdown:

I set it up so that Saturday would be a rest day (Day 7) and so I could do a long, leisurely stroll if I want, or if I want to be fat and lazy, I could do that too ;) 

Next week picks it up a bit. I think I am running wogging 5 minutes by the end of the week! We shall see... I of course will be reporting back.  

I'd also like to add that I plan on weighing in on Sunday, and despite eating OK (not great, not awful) and being active this week, I think I still gained. Which sucks, mega. 

Related articles

• Weight Watchers Update #6 (howdoyoupronouncethat.wordpress.com)
• Life Lessons From Weight Watchers: How To Make Goals That Work (blisstree.com)
• Weight Watchers' Points Program: Zero Calories for Fruit? (alternativendhealth.wordpress.com)
• Weighty Issues (ourviewfromhere.wordpress.com)

No Weigh In, Day 5 Walk it Challenge

I've decided to skip my weigh-in today and aim for Sunday.  Why you ask? Because when AF is here, I'm not letting her ruin my motivation. So I don't want to get on the scale and see the bloat.  I am considering changing my WI day to Sunday as it is.  I feel like that's a more convenient time. But we'll see.

So for today - skipping the weigh in! :)

However, in better news, I am on day 5 of the WW Walk it Challenge.

Yesterday was a 'rest' day, so rather than jog, hubs and I went for a walk in a nearby park.  Two laps around it and then headed off to dinner. I probably could have done two more, and gotten in 3 miles, but he always makes it easy to quit. He doesn't push me, I wish he did. Times like that are exactly why we don't work out together. 

Todays routine is to Run  2min   Walk 3min  for a total of 4 x

I plan on doing this tonight, before Yoga. I will NOT be stretching as hard as I did last time, because I've been suffering all week.  I don't plan on slacking, but there's one pose towards the end that I know I need to lay off a little bit.

 

Yoga - My First Day

I was sitting on the couch last night after my interval training for the Weight Watchers Walk it Off Community Challenge plan and boom - I felt everything I had done that day creep in.  My neck was sore, my abs hurt when I coughed (who even knew they were down in there under all this flab?) and my legs, oh the legs.

I talked hubs into giving me a neck massage, and took a motrin and went to bed. This morning, not so surprisingly, I'm the same sore, and I know tomorrow, it will be even a bit worse. Why you ask? Yoga.  I went to my first class in quite a while - and I struggled.  Who knew just stretching could be so difficult?

I went to Yoga Bliss in Akron, and had a great basic instructor. She was fun, helped guide me, and helped offer modifications so that I didn't overwhelm myself.

Why Yoga?

That's kind of easy.  Yoga is known to have so many benefits:

• Promotes overall flexibility and strength and increases your energy flow
• Promoting health and well-being, as well as peace and balance
• Helps increase metabolism and assists in weight loss 

And, most importantly, for me anyways:

• Builds mental focus and concentration.

So I figured I'd give it a go.


I walked into the studio and everyone right away was super sweet and nice.  I got my stuff put away, form filled out and got a spot in the back of the room so if I totally failed, at least I wouldn't be center stage for everyone.

The room was a nice size, and the class was a nice balance (about 5-6 of us).  The instructor explained everything, walked around making sure we were doing it right, and offered props and modifications. I really appreciate her attentiveness. I feel like right now if I learn something wrong or a bad habit that could possibly injure me, it's going to happen now that I'm learning, so I want to learn it right the first time.


A few poses I can do and enjoy (in no order - and I think I'm referring to them correctly.. who knows):

• Bridge
• Locust
• Cobra and upward facing dog
• Cat-Cow
• Child's Pose (though personally for me, it's not relaxing, it's uncomfortable.. maybe due to my weight and stomach still..)
• Chair
• Warrior 1 and 2
• Tadasana
• Uttanasana 
• Eagle - I'm semi on this, I kept losing my balance

Poses I am doing modifications to:

• Downward Dog  - I do NOT have the strength to hold my body weight on my arms and legs like that.  I did table pose instead pretty much for most of it. If it's a short hold, I can handle it, long holds of it I can't and didn't want to force myself
• Plank - No one likes a plank, but when you  have core strength, they are a lot more enjoyable.  Me - not so much.  So I did a few, and then modified it by doing it on my knees. 

Pose I didn't attempt:

• Crane

And my favorite:

• Final corpse

How can you not enjoy laying there and relaxing? ;)

So... The final verdict. Will I go back? Yes, I'm going back this week. And next Saturday I have a meditation class I'll be taking as well.

I figured I'd give it 11 classes (so I bought a package of 10).  If I still don't love it, or don't feel as though I'm benefiting from it after that, I'll stop. But I wanted to give it a fair shot.  And I will stick in the beginner class for quite a while. :)

Related articles

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April Goals

I like to start every month with fresh goals.  I need solid goals to aim to.

I felt short on my March goals.

Just a little. I did not workout 5x a week.  I started off on a good track and somewhere in the middle fell short. So now I'm going to do a weekly schedule of when I can get in at least a mile (bare minimum), 30 minute (good enough) or 60 minutes (ideal).

And I did join WW so I got food under control. I have a bit of a delay because I did horrid Wednesday and Thursday, so between that and not working out - we all know what the scale tells us.

And finally - my goal to workout with hubs on Sunday has changed to just 1-2x a week, regardless of WHEN it is.  I talked before about how we have totally different workout personalities, so this will be a challenge, for sure!

So April goals in full (Old and New included)

1. Workout 5x a week with three options: A mile (minimum), 30 minutes (good enough) or 60 minutes (ideal)
2. Stay on plan, all month
3. Include a workout with hubs 1-2x a week
4. Practice wogging (walk/jog) outside more once the weather breaks, need to adjust to outside versus treadmill
5. Water, Water, Water.  This month I am focusing on getting in at least 6-8 glasses of water a day, no less! 
6. I am continuing along with my 100 mile goal, I have 66 left to go. It looks like I won't meet that 100 by the end of April, I'd at least like to see about getting in 30 more towards it. :) 

What are your goals for April? 

Stuck, but at least I know why

I am going away tonight for an overnight retreat and won't get the opportunity to weigh myself tomorrow on my official weigh in day (and no, I'm not that obsessive that I'm taking my scale with me).  So I got on today, and will get back on Friday morning and just take the average, but I didn't lose anything based on today's reading.  And while it frustrates me, I didn't gain either - which is good.  I have followed the program and my points, but the big difference this week is that I didn't work out really.

Looking at my Daily Mile logs:

Workout Personalities Clashing it Out

http://www.visualphotos.com

I love hubby - don't get me wrong, but dang-it if I don't want to work out with the guy. I hate talking during a workout. If it's a casual walk - yes, bring on the chatter. But for all other times, I don't want to talk. I like to sort things out in my head, crank up the music and go! I want to get out and get moving. Enter: the dilemma. 

He needs to exercise, and he was on a great routine for a while. Now that I have been kicking it up a notch, I realize he's taken his down a notch. We are two totally different workout personalities. I like to take fitness classes and work out at home. He hates classes, and can't work out at home because he doesn't focus, so he needs to go to the gym.

I like to walk and am trying to run, he hates running - give him a bike and let him be. I like biking casually, but I have no interest in trekking miles on my bike, nor does my butt!  He likes to talk about his day and talk out things, where as I want to turn the ipod on and tune the world out.  He likes scenery and being outside. I hate the elements. I don't want to see the trail, the sun, the animals or feel the dirt.  I like my treadmill, in my basement, staring at a wall, because I look down when I'm on it anyways.

So how have I been making it work? I work out after work (I get home about an hour or so before him), and then, when he gets home, if he didn't go to the gym, I go out - again, for a casual walk. I know *any* exercise is better than none, but 30 minutes around the neighborhood isn't going to cut it. I mean that would be nice occasionally, but he really needs to get going to the gym and get an hour in more than he is. I keep bringing it up, and he keeps getting further annoyed. So I stopped. And I will keep dragging him out (hey an extra 30 minute certainly won't kill me!) but I'm just so frustrated. We are complete opposite for exercise and it's getting really hard to find a nice balance!

Best "Run" Yet

I like to use Sunday as a day to gauge my progress in my weight loss efforts. I usually weigh in on Sundays  and Thursdays, and I usually do a workout on Sunday that is either the longest, or fastest to see my progress.  Yesterday, I got on the treadmill, and figured I'd just jog it out and see how far I could go. I was encouraged after reading Cupcake Dream's experience.  She was talking about how she just went out and kept saying they were only at a mile, and kept pushing to do a little more, and by the time they finished - they had done like 4+ miles...

So that kind of stuck around in my head.  I hopped on the treadmill and figured I'd see how far I could go just jogging (4.0 mph).  The most I had previously done was 3 minutes, without feeling like I wanted to die.  So I was jogging along and actually hit my 3 minute mark OK.  Then a new song came on and I told myself I'd just do one more song on my iPod.  Then that ended, and I figured, I could do one more.  Towards the end of this song I started wondering how much further I could go. I peeked at the distance and saw that I was at around the .7 mile mark and I just wanted to make it to .75, then when I hit .77 I knew I could make it to .8 and I did.  .8 however though was where I had to crank it down and walk the rest of the .2.

So now, next week - the goal will be to jog the entire mile! 

Related articles

• Weight Loss Journey Begins (missnicolette.wordpress.com)
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Ready for my next 12 weeks..

I'm a member of the local YMCA and the location I go to is a brand new location. So things have been a little slow there, but I really like it (and the price is really affordable!).  So I saw a sign yesterday to sign up for a free 12 week wellness program that you can get as a member.  One of my previous students works there and wanted to be my coach, and I was hesitant at first, but he's a good guy.  So I went with it.  I have my first meeting on Thursday and then we will meet about every 3 weeks after that to monitor my progress and make a plan.

My two main goals:

Run (well OK, walk/jog) a 5K in under 45 minutes and to work on incorporating more strength training. I get intimidated when I head over to the weight section in the gym  because I don't really know what I'm doing - so I usually avoid it.

I also started using weight watchers on my cell phone - I'm giving it a shot for a month to decide if I like the new plan. So changes are coming - just hope they're good changes :)

iPod + Walk = amazing

Yesterday I talked about wanting to run.  But I also said I wanted to focus on really just getting distance and time in. I was strolling along in the basement today on the treadmill (that I'm still bitter I can't get iFit on), but me and my ipod were bopping along, and before I knew it, here I was.  Walked just over an hour already and time flew by.  I snapped this pic as proof (I ended up walking 3.12 to finish).

Here's my proof (and motivation)

I varied my speed the entire time, but pretty much floated between 3 and 3.3. It's amazing how much a good playlist can make you forget what you're doing and keep you going.

Here's the one I created this morning. It's completely different than any of my others, but after looking around online I figured I would try it.  It's in no specific order - I use shuffle so that I don't get into a routine with the music.

1. Party Animal - Gucci Mane
2. Down on Me - Jeremih & 50 Cent
3. Woohoo - Christina Aguilera
4. Put it in a Love Song - Alicia Keys
5. No Bullshit - Chris Brown
6. Get it All - Sean Garrett
7. Untouched - The Veronicas
8. Lotta Money - Diamond
9. S&M - Rihanna
10. Bottoms Up  - Trey Songz
11. Patron Tequila - Paradiso Girls
12. Start it Up - Lloyd Banks
13. Already Taken - Trey Songz
14. Shawty Got Moves - Get Cool
15. Peacock - Katy Perry
16. Turn Around (5,4,3,2,1) - Flo Rida
17. Move that Body - Nelly, Akon and T-Pain
18. 6 Foot 7 Foot - Lil Wayne
19. Teach me How to Dougie (Remix) - Cali Swag District 

It's just over 80 minutes which is perfect because I usually skip a song or two, so I pretty much get through the whole thing. 

Related articles

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Oh Fitbit - You Rock! Fitness Goal Time...

Image via Wikipedia

I have had my Fitbit in use since 12/26 (and even that day it was only half of the day).  Since doing it - so far my best stats:

• 7,614 steps on Dec 28, 2010
• 2,931 calories burned on Dec 29, 2010
• 3.35 miles on Dec 28, 2010
• 731 active score on Dec 29, 2010
• 23 very active min on Dec 28, 2010

When I make my post for January - end of month, I'll do another summary. 

• I'd like to regularly hit 7,000 steps, but I'd like to have a few days (maybe one a week) where I hit 10,000. 
• My goal is regularly hit 2,900 calories a day - again with a few days where hitting 3,200 would be nice. 
• My goal is to have a day where I do 5 miles, and I'd like to have to an active score in the 900's. 

I think all that's pretty reasonable, yes?

In order to get back on track starting tomorrow I return to Fit4Life Bootcamp.  This usually kicks my ass. This is how I lost my 35lbs a few months ago - and until I see a positive sign on a pregnancy test, this is what I will continue. 

I also took hubby over to the new YMCA that they just built and signed up. I like working out at home, he doesn't.  He insists he has too many other things to do. So the Y is on his way home and he's going to go there before even coming home. Luckily we have another Y right within the area so if this one gets super busy (it's brand new) we have another option.  I signed up for a membership there because I figured I can go on Tuesdays, Saturday and Sundays (when there is no bootcamp) and once I get pregnant, that's where I'll go to compensate for missing bootcamp. 

I'll check back at the end of January and hope I meet these goals ;)

I'm in love again! (Shh, don't tell DH!)

Image via CrunchBaseFor Christmas, as I mentioned yesterday, I got a Fitbit. This thing is amazing. I only got to wear it for half of yesterday, if I had worn it all day I KNOW I would have broken my goals and made it.  But alas, I didn't.

Let me tell you about this little thing.  Here's what she looks like: (Yes, it's a She, considering she's attached to my bra most of the day, I feel it's only appropriate).
Here's how small she is:

Here's a breakdown of what the interface looks like (and No, it's not my account your peaking in on ;) )

It logs your calories burned (even those for just sitting there being alive) and you can enter your foods that you eat.  I am going to use that feature especially right now to make sure I can get myself on track and figure out an average amount that I normally consume, and then what I need to burn to lose 2-3 a week. 

You can track your water intake, journal, feelings, blood pressure, glucose, etc.  The list goes on and on.

Last night I wore it for sleep, and I had to kind of laugh  because even though I woke up 20 times (which I counted 16, so it was right on track), I still managed a 89% efficiency for sleep!
I'll be logging my daily reports in my training log - but I imagine I will be coming back to brag about this little bugger as time goes on ;)

Couch to 5K... Again

I'm back trying this whole couch to 5k ordeal.  I'd really like to follow through with it. And this time around I have two people who I know will push me and keep me on track. There's a ton of different resources out there for it.

• The Original - Cool Running
• From Couch to 5K (I think this is my personal favorite right now)
• BeginnerTriathlete (Two plans to choose from)

So here I am.... Getting moving with this and I found an app for my Andriod to download.  It's ExerTime.  I usually don't listen to my phone while I workout. I use my shuffle. So this might be a little tricky. We'll see I guess.

So here I am:

Week	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
1	5 min walk 2 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 2 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 3 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!

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