Ouch!

Call me a glutton for punishment, but I took another spinning class. I didn't actually get a bruise this time which was good. It didn't hurt quite as much as the first time but it still hurts a little to sit...

Maybe third time's a charm?

Have a good night!
LP

The Next Best Thing...

This morning was a struggle. I couldn't get myself out of bed to save my life! (probably because I stayed up late to watch The Biggest Loser Finale). I have to work this afternoon/evening, and I knew as much as I didn't want to do it, I had to get some exercise in...

So, I did the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga (which was available on OnDemand). This was my first yoga experience. It was challenging, but definitely do-able. I got a good workout in and never had to leave my house (although I did eventually have to get out of the bed).

I guess the moral of the story is (once again) the importance of getting rid of the all-or-nothing mentality. If all I did was beat myself up for not making it to the gym, I would have missed out on an opportunity to try something new (and burn some calories in the process!).

Striving for excellence, not perfection...

Happy Humpday!
LP

Not your momma's exercise video...

I'm getting bored with the cardio again. The elliptical machine and the treadmill provide me with good workouts, but I'm finding the need to expand my horizons...

Sean recently brought in a DVD player and Wii into the gym. Usually he has on Rocky videos as a source of inspiration, but tucked in the corner was his collection of P90X workout DVDs. I decided to give them a try...

... and I'm glad I did! It's been a welcome diversion. So far I've tried the KempoX (which is a kickboxing/martial arts workout) and the CardioX DVDs. They're a lot of fun and super challenging! I've never been one to enjoy exercise tapes but these are different... no girls in leotards or sports bras here! And I'm apologizing in advance at the stereotype, but I think because they were designed for men, there is no complicated choreography to master.

I'm pleased to say that I have a new option... and keeping things fresh is what I need to succeed!

Happy Tuesday!
LP

Accepting the challenge...

One of the things I love about blogging is following my friends who are on similar journeys and have like-minded blogs...

Stef, a good friend of mine from college, had a really great idea. Yesterday she blogged (on her "It's a Lifestyle" blog located over there with the other cool blogs) about the President's Challenge program, which encourages all Americans to adopt more active lifestyles and become healthier through exercise. So, she decided to take the challenge and encouraged her readers to do the same... what a cool idea! I signed up today :)

So, here's to being more active... come join us!
LP

Checking in...

Hi all,

So, even though I know I shouldn't, I really am beating myself up about the blip in my progress... And the not weighing myself is killing me -- since I was on my way up, in my head I've gained 15# so far (even though that is probably not the reality). And as I mentally went over my routine, I couldn't figure out what I could do to step things up... It's a helpless feeling to think that you are doing all you can and your progress has stalled despite your efforts.

Which is why I love my journal... I decided to look over things and see what I could change. And I actually noticed some interesting stuff. Since August and my leg injury, my cardio has tapered off. Initially the "taking it easy" was justified and important but this far out probably isn't necessary. I was doing 45-50 minutes of cardio every "non-trainer" day (except Sundays) in July and going at least 5 miles on the elliptical. Lately, I've only done about 30-35 minutes and I haven't done any interval training. Aha!... something objective I can change. Suddenly, I've been given back some control. Time to kick it back into high gear!!!

So, take home message: journaling isn't just a chance to use pretty pens and cool office supplies or a place to write what you're doing as a meaningless exercise. It can provide some objective data and show you about what you can do to change things... And to Jason and the fam: thanks so much again for my new journal... I can't wait to start writing in it!!!

Happy Sunday! Have a happy and healthy week...
LP

"You're on vacation, but not from your health"...

Hello everyone!

So, yesterday began my whirlwind trip through the Northeast... It started with a trip to Laurence Harbor, NJ to visit my friend Lori who I had mentioned in an earlier post. She made me an awesome dinner (that was both healthy and delicious) and then we spent a good portion of the night just catching up.

This am, we went on a walk... I had asked that we incorporate some exercise into my visit (I know that I'm probably going to go astray multiple times this weekend so I figured that I better be good when I can). She lives near a state park and so we went their and hit their walking trails. We were having a fine walk when all of the sudden she "surprised" me with bench dips and lunges. And to think, I was worried about missing my workouts with Sean...

Then she reminded me, "You're on vacation, but not on vacation from your health". This resonated with me. I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. And while I fully intend to enjoy this crazy trip I have planned including cheating when it's worth it, I have no intention of blowing all of my efforts. I'm trying to learn the balance of maintaining my healthy habits while having fun and not stressing too much. But practicing this, just like me and the title of my blog, is a work in progress...

Have a wonderful Thursday night!
LP

Why does failure have to come in multiples of 5???

Sometimes, when Sean is unavailable, he has me work out with Hope. He writes up a workout for me and then Hope leads me through it. Saturday was one of those days...

... and they worked me hard. It was a great workout -- very challenging! I'm sure some of the weights that we did were completely new to me. I even looked at Hope a few times in a "are you kidding me?" kind of way. And as for the number of reps that I had to do, there were many, many exercises that I had to do "until failure" -- meaning, until I couldn't physically lift the weight one more time...

Before Hope was a trainer, she was an accountant, which means she's really good with numbers. I can appreciate this... my muscles, however, did not. For example, even though my muscles reached "failure" for a given exercise at let's say 17 reps -- since 17 is not a nice round number-- I would be "encouraged" to do 3 more. And, don't get me started on ball crunches -- let's just say that with that exercise in particular, failure is a very difficult place to reach...

I was super sore on Sunday... It felt like I had a "last chance workout". Hopefully it will pay off tomorrow morning!!!

Happy Monday!
LP