A Week To Build An Ark

Rain was the big story locally as local freeways were submerged.  It seriously felt like it rained every day or it was super cold for being mid-August.

The Pilates Studio suffered a caved in roof.  Classes resumed but my Tuesday class time is the only time that there are two classes taught simultaneously.  Linda and I had the choice to sit in with Heather's class but we both declined.  I like Heather, but this was a last minute switch and I like the challenge Cassie gives me.  Plus Heather's class is made up of people who have done Pilates for less than a year, so I just didn't want to go.  I will be making the class up on Monday at 7.

Sunday morning I did Week 1, Day 1 of the Couch To 5k program.  I'm not doing the program again, I just used it as some HIIT training since Sarah wasn't working on Sunday and I needed something to do.  I did well, but sweat like crazy.  I may try to incorporate that some place in my weekly program.

Monday and Saturday were my rest days or in the case of Saturday, try to use my arms as little as possible.  Sarah killed my arms on Friday afternoon.   For more on my training sessions go here.  Seriously, my arms were jello.

Thursday was Jumpboard Pilates.  It was just me, Megan, and Rose.  We were in the back room due to the roof mess.  I didn't like it, it was more like sardine pilates because we were on top of each other and I kept banging into Megan's legs during leg circles.  I have been really whiny in jumpboard the last two weeks.  I'm usually not a whiner, but sometimes I just like to annoy Cassie.

So, that was my week.  The upcoming week has me doing Pilates three times.  That combined with personal training will have me working out five days in a row, which I try to avoid.  This should be interesting.

One Year Anniversary

                                                     May 23, 2013                                    May 15, 2014

Today marks the one year anniversary since my first workout with Sarah.  Wow, an entire year.  We sure have been through a lot.  We started as trainer-client and I would definitely say that we are friends, too.  I have to text Sarah every day for something even just to check in.  

I remember that first workout and how I was unable to finish it because my blood sugar was going wonky.  I felt like such an asshole.  Sarah must have thought I was a mess.

But I've kept plugging away and made some huge strides.  I lost 50 pounds and then gained a little back and settled into a plateau, but maintaining my general body fat percentage more or less.   I am currently doing D.tox in an effort to get more control of my diet, press the restart button, and move forward with progress.  All the while maintaining a positive outlook about 90 percent of that time.

One year ago today, my knees ached, my blood pressure and blood glucose were under control.  Now, my knee pain is maintained, my blood pressure and blood glucose are lower and within normal levels.  My doctor is thrilled with my progress and hopes to get me off my meds soon.

I've tried my hands at Pilates, yoga, spinning, and running.  I love Pilates and have now increased to two classes a week.  I try to do yoga at least once a week.  I've taken a break from spinning because of an adrenal fatigue issue I had.  I don't run because I just don't like it.  I prefer to just do the first week of Couch to 5k over and over than distance training.  I prefer sprints.  

The weight is coming off slow and that's cool.  I'm learning how to take the every day challenges that come with working hard to achieve what you want.  I can splurge and that's fine.  I can plateau and not let it get the best of me.  I can learn what my body likes and dislikes.  My body hates carbs big time.

I've been off pop and fast food since early June 2013!  I've never been off pop this long ever!!  I've even stopped biting my fingernails.

I've even gotten comfortable showing my pictures.  That is huge for me because I haven't had Sarah show me any of the progress pictures we've taken throughout the year.  I think I'm really turning a corner.

I'm really excited to see where I'll be a year from now.  I'm reflecting on the last year today, but tomorrow starts the work on Year 2.

I'm Still Here!!

It feels like forever since I posted, right?  I'm still here.  I'm still plugging along.  My birthday totally derailed my eating last week.  It's okay.  What's important is that I return to proper eating.  I don't think I went too crazy.  I'm still not drinking pop, I'm still fast food free.

So here is a little update on me.  The Fitbit challenge started last Monday and I have achieved the 10,000 minimum steps so far.  Go me!  I almost lost on Friday because I had a power outage and so did LTF-Novi.  But I did get my steps!  It was tough and I was up until 1030 pm getting them, but I got them.  

On Saturday, I went on a fundraising trip to Greektown Casino with my friends Jackie and Thad.  We got several thousand steps walking around the casino.  We were the only people we saw that took the HUGE staircase up to the second flood.    We did that TWICE.   We even took the staircase down.  We actually beat Tom and Bob (their friends) who took the escalator!  

For dinner on Saturday, I swear I ate my weight in Greek food.  And then we went across the street to Astoria where I bought two desserts and ate them that night.  

I've taken a break from the Couch to 5k program because I suffered a severe burn on my low back and it is painful.  It hurts when I run and it just hurts in general.  I hope that once the pain goes away, I am able to run.  

Today, I took off from work because the roads were treacherous.  I am so sick of winter.  I am sick of driving for hours to get to work and back.  I decided to go in for a spinning class.  It was a good class but tough.  I haven't taken a spinning class in weeks!!!  

I had a training session with Sarah on Sunday, but I will post more about that in my weekly training post.

Couch To 5k - Week 6 Day 1

I had today off from work.  Yay!  I went to Lifetime Fitness at around 8 a.m. to do my next day of the Couch to 5k program.  I took yesterday off from the gym.  I realized I had not taken a day off from the gym since December 26th!  Holy cow!  I totally didn't mean to that and I wouldn't suggest it.  The body does need to rest!

The weather in Michigan is starting to warm up and so is the gym.  There were plenty of cars in the parking lot when I got there.  I think the weather has sort of derailed or delayed some New Years resolutions because the gym has been pretty quiet when I've been there.

I chatted with Sarah in the locker room and she passed her Health Score Certification!!!  Go Sarah!

I made it upstairs and prepared for my run.  You can see from the picture above what I had to do today.  I was a little nervous about the 3 minute walking.  In the past that hasn't been a lot of time for me to "rest" before starting to run again.

The first five minutes was a breeze.  I'm really getting used to running at least five minutes.  I walked for three minutes, then I started the 8 minute run.  It went well and I ran the whole thing.  It did seem to last a while and just as I was checking my phone to make sure the app was still working, it told me to start walking.  Ah!
Then it was time to run the second five minutes.  I knew I could do it.  It was only five minutes.  I did change the speed.  I ran the other two intervals at 5 mph, but I did the first four minutes of this interval at 4.8 mph.  I did the final minute back up at 5 mph.

I have to say I hate running while I'm doing it, but I love it when I am done and have accomplished something.  :)

Couch to 5K Week 5 Day 3

I did it!  I DID IT!!  I flipping did it!!!!  Twenty minutes!  Two Zero!!

I called off from work because of the snow and the nearest freeway to my home being an accident magnet this morning.  I had to shovel myself out of my parking space, and unbury my car, and let it warm up for a half an hour, but I got to the gym and ran it out!

I got a lot of help on my run from my playlist.  A lot of great music came on my shuffle workout mix.  I guess you can say I got a little help from Beyonce and Jay Z (and Monica and Katy Perry, too.)

The temptation to stop running was strong from the get go.  I mean I did some serious shoveling before I got there.  No one would blame me for stopping.  That snow was heavy and was a workout by itself.  But I ran on.  Just keep running.  Just keep running.  

Before I knew it, the app voice chimed in "You are half way done."  Yes!  Ten minutes down, ten to go.  I can do this.  My ears were sweating so bad, I had to take my headphones off around minute 16 and run without music.  I put them back on about a minute and a half before the end so that I could hear the app tell me I was done.  I also put a towel over the screen again, but I did keep peeking.  I took it off for good around minute 15.  The last two minutes seemed easy.  I think my stride got stronger with a minute and a half left.  I think I might have been smiling during the last 30 seconds!  

And finally it was over!!  

I have to say that my body wasn't sore.  It was definitely mind over matter.  You just have to think that you can and you'll do it!

Couch To 5k Week 5 Day 2

I did it!  I did today's program without any issue!   W5D2 consists of two 8 minute runs separated by a 5 minute walk.

Besides deleting "Stillness Is The Mood" from my playlist, I put a towel over the screen on the treadmill so that I wouldn't obsess over how much longer I had to run.  It really helped!  I will continue to do that.  I will admit that during the running phases, I ALWAYS watch the clock on the treadmill.

First of all, I need to give myself props for going to Lifetime Fitness this morning when it was just a mere -4 degrees out.  Wow.  It's crazy cold here, but I can handle cold better than heat.

The first 8 minutes was fine.  My right knee started a little achy, but it got better.  I'm guessing the frigid weather has something to do with that.  The 5 minute walk was a perfect recovery.  Then it was time to do the second 8 minute run.  My body was doing fine.  I was mentally thinking about the time (UGH!).  I did take the towel off the screen a few times.  I had estimated that by the time the clock got to 27 minutes I should be close to finishing.

I've noticed that I have to turn up the volume on the voice that says "This won't last forever, you can do this," as opposed to the voice that says "OMG, you can walk a little and then jump back into it."  Now, I was not in any pain or having any respiratory issues, it's just that annoying voice that tries to stop me.  And then I thought about you, my readers.  I've received some positive feedback from several readers about this blog and how inspirational it is.  Thanks for the support, everyone.

After the run, I was happy it was over and I felt like I had really accomplished something.  The previous two days of this program I have had to alter the run a little bit and I felt disappointed.  I think the Commitment Day 5k and the words of encouragement that I have received from my friends have kept me going.  My friend Maddie told me on New Years that she was proud of me.  Now, I'm not the best at accepting compliments, but I thanked her and I have thought about her comment several times since that day.

The Last Workouts of 2013

I meant to do a post about my last workouts for 2013, but I ran out of time.  So, I guess I will do it now.

Sunday, I trained with Sarah.  It was leg day and it was a tough workout.  My hamstrings were still a little sore from yoga, but nothing major.  This was a last workout for 2013.  It's hard to believe how much progress I've made since mid-May.

Monday, I did the Couch to 5k Week 5 Day 1.  This day consisted of running 5 minutes and walking 3 minutes and repeating 3 times.  I ran into the same stupid problem that I had with Week 4 Day 3, I couldn't finish the last 5 minutes in one full run.  I did better this time and finished just over 3 minutes before I had to walk.

There was one common denominator between the two days.  The same song came on my playlist.  I have it on shuffle and by some cruel coincidence it came on at the same point of this run.  The song is "Stillness is the Mood."  The version on my playlist is the original band that recorded the song, The Dirty Projectors.  I MUCH prefer the version by Solange (Beyonce's sister), but it is unavailable for download.

Here are the two versions and judge for yourself:

  

 

The Solange version is better, right?

So, I deleted the song altogether from my playlist.  I just can't continue to have it cause me these problems.  I literally dread when the Dirty Projectors version comes on.

Tuesday was my last workout for the year and it was a Pilates class.  Cassie scheduled two classes in the morning and I decided to take the 8 am class.   It was a great class, but my thighs were sore.  Oh, well, I'll live.

There you go, my last workouts for 2013.  It was a great year and I can't wait to see what I accomplish in 2014!

Couch To 5k Week 4 Day 3

Today I went to the gym to finish out Week 4 of the Couch to 5k program.   I've been having a real issue with the second five minute run.  I am just so out of breath by the time I have to do it.

I got about 1:19 into the last 5 minutes and had to walk.  I did eventually finish the remaining 3:41, but I did it in 3 additional rounds.  So, I did do the 5 minutes, but I needed more than the 90 seconds of recovery.  I was disappointed in myself, but I also didn't want to cause any sort of injury or respiratory issue if I pushed myself too hard.  I know when to stop.

So, the thing I had to ask myself is whether to move forward with Week 5 or continue to try Week 4 Day 3 until I nailed it.  I took a look at the next run and decided to move forward.  My main issue was the recovery time and the next few runs have longer recoveries.  Week 5 Day 1 is run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes and repeat 3 times.   This should work out a little better for me.  I plan to try this on Monday afternoon.

Training This Week

I trained with Sarah on Monday before I left for my mom's house and today, Thursday.  I was super sore on Monday from doing the Couch to 5K two days in a row and the Sunday afternoon Spinning class.  I'd have had to overdose on Glutamine to feel better.  I was seriously sore in my abs.  But I remember the old saying,  I think it was Gandhi that said:

On Monday, we did a little bit of arms and legs, and my cardio was mountain climbers.  On Thursday, we did arms with my cardio being running .25.  Both days were pretty tough.  I thought I was going to die today.  You would have thought I had taken a month off and not two days!  

But I survived and I am glad I stuck it out.  I'm really trying to hit that 50 pound mark by December 31st and I am so close.....

Massage Saturday

Today was my monthly massage.  I look forward to these Saturdays because the massages really help the issue I have with my left thigh going numb.  I had surgery in 1999 on my low back.  I had herniated discs at L4, L5, and S1.  I had horrendous sciatica and I have suffered some long term nerve damage in the form of my outer left thigh going numb.  It wasn't much of an issue when I was sedentary, but once I started working out, it became an issue.  Luckily, since I've been working with Drea at the LifeSpa, it has gotten much better and only flairs up occasionally.  

The last month or so I've also had some issues with my neck.  I think it has to do with how I am sleeping and it can get quite painful.  It hurts to turn my head to the left sometimes.  So, we started the massage this morning working on my neck and upper back area.

My neck feels so much better and my leg doesn't have the numbing feeling anymore.  My next massage will be on January 11.  

After the massage, I made my way over to a gluten free bakery in Plymouth that I've been dying to check out.  Oh my God, it was AMAZING!!!  Gluten free as far as the eye could see (hey, that rhymes!).  If you are gluten free and in the Plymouth area, check out Rumi's Passion Gluten Free Bakery.  You will not be disappointed.  I bought a loaf of white bread for my mom, some pepperoni and cheese bread and a peanut butter brownie for myself.   I'm eating the brownie right now and it is slap-your-mama good.

Then I made my way to Lyon Township to pick up some gluten free Italian fare at Bon-a-Rose Foods.  Their website is currently down, so you might want to try back in a few days.  They have the most amazing apple sauce (GF), which is actually made of beets.  Their marinara sauce (GF) is also incredible.   They sell other great products as well as frozen meals.  I'm not sure of the GF status of the prepared foods, but I have had the lasagna and the meatballs.  I know that some of the pastas they sell are organic.  So good!!!  And it's great to support local businesses that make the effort to bring healthy foods to people watching their diet.  

I plan to take some of the products from both Bon-a-Rose and Rumi's to my mom's house and have a healthy Christmas Eve and Day.  

I got home and then caught up on some of my DVR'd shows.  I then went back to Lifetime to do Week 4 Day 2 of the Couch to 5k program.  I had planned on going to spinning this morning, but I just couldn't get out that early.  I decided to let over 30 hours go before I ran again since I did Day 1 yesterday.   I would say Day 2 went better than Day 1 although I was sweating even more this time.  The second five minute run was still a killer, but I got through it.  I will probably do Day 3 next Friday.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Couch To 5k Week 4 Day 1

I'm writing this post as I sip on my latest mixed drink L-Glutamine and water.

Today (aka Day 1 of Christmas Vacation), I went to Lifetime bright and early to start tackling Week 4 of the Couch to 5k program.  Let me illuminate you on what Week 4 is.  As with every week of the program it starts and ends with a 5 minute walk.  After the warm up, you run 3 minutes, walk 1.5 minutes, run 5 minutes, walk 2.5 minutes and repeat the sequence a second time.

I prepared by putting some nasal spray up my nose about an hour before I arrived at the gym in order to fully open my nasal passages.  There is no way I'm going to run with a plugged nose.  That's just crazy!

I got through round 1 okay and the second 3 minute run.   I was a little nervous about the second 5 minute run.  I was really pooped...well, I could have used an extra one minute of recovery is what I should say.   But I knew that I would be super disappointed in myself if I didn't do the program as planned.  So, I started the program when prompted by the app and I did the full 5 minutes.  Ahh!   I was happy to be done with that and thoroughly enjoyed the 5 minute cool down.

My feet were so sweaty, it was gross.  I ate breakfast at the Life Cafe and I really wanted to kick off my shoes, but unfortunately I have a horrific foot odor problem.

I plan on doing Day 2 on Sunday and Day 3 on Thursday.  Then it's on to the dreaded Week 5.

Year's End!

I am done with work for the year!  Thank goodness!!!

One of the things I am most excited about is being able to come in and workout early and take some group classes.  I'm also looking forward to starting Week 4 of the Couch to 5k program tomorrow.

This was a good week for me in Pilates and with personal training.  I am loving the Glutamine powder I bought.  It sure is helping with recovery.  I'm not even sore after Sarah trained the crap out of me this week.

Today, I bought my first ever Groupon.  It was for 2 weeks of unlimited boxing/kickboxing classes at Title Boxing in Farmington Hills.  The groupon doesn't expire until April, so I will probably use it some time in February or March.  

I'm also thinking about some potential New Year's resolutions.  I am considering possibly doing a 5k every month.  We'll see because that could get pretty expensive since most of them are over $30.  I definitely want to do the Super Bowl 5k since it is here in Novi.   Definitely going to continue training with Sarah for the near distant future.  I want to continue losing weight (duh!).   I want to resume doing yoga at least once a week.   Continue with Spinning/Studio Cycle.  And of course, continue doing Pilates and maybe even bump it up to twice a week.