Last night was a cold, windy, rainy 3.4 mile run. H didn’t really want to go to running club and run but came along since I was going with or without him. As usual, it wasn’t nearly as bad as feared and it’s much more fun to run in awful conditions when you’re with a group of friends. No rain today, just windy and colder, but I’m planning on a 5 mile run after work.
SalveMater - you’re getting lots of good input from everyone. 700-900 calories is not sustainable. How about adding in a protein bar (those can be 200 calories or so) and maybe some greek yogurt with fruit and a bit of granola as snacks during the day? Or an apple with peanut butter? If you’re not hitting 1200 calories per day, you shouldn’t be using hunger as a guideline for eating.
CountingDown - I’m sorry that your husband isn’t more supportive of your efforts. That must be really frustrating. I hope you push forward with what you want to do and what you think is best for your health. The gym membership sounds like a good option for you and if you take advantage of the available classes you can get your money’s worth and more. It’s all in what you’re motivated to do, and you are clearly motivated!
Bunsen - I like your positive attitude about your upcoming trip! I hope the bruising goes away quickly but I know you’ll have a fabulous time regardless.
The two full marathons I’m registered for are in April and November.
Lizardly, I haven’t done any of those. I’m on seven meds that cause dizziness, and I have had a couple bad spills when dancing or making sudden postural changes. Also have two bad rotator cuffs,two bad knees and two bum neck vertebrae for which I’m currently getting PT. Even a basic plank is hard these days with the shoulders.
Basically, I walk a lot, do the elliptical, Airdyne bike, hand weights and a few leg and arm machines at cardiac rehab. Would like to do more stair climbing, machines and start spinning. Would also like to be able to get up off the floor!
I’m the poster child for why you should treat your body better when you’re young!
There’s a feature article in the WSJ about Jack in the Box tacos- described as a
“wet envelope of cat food.” I used to really like those (before I discovered what healthy eating meant). Apparently the Jack tacos are quite the “thing”! 170 calories each- 50% from fat. What could go wrong?
LOL - MOWC, my brother used to eat those daily by the bagful as a teenager. I love almost anything Mexican, but I don’t think those really qualify. We used to joke that they were made out of kangaroo meat. I’m not sure that would be any worse than reality.
Went to a “gentle” barre class after work that was terrific. Slower paced does not mean easier! Got in a lot of stretching and some good Pilates abdominal work. I like Barre but quite a few of the classes move too quickly for me and it’s hard for me to get into position or get enough of a stretch at the end. Today was perfect.
I have a hard time keeping all the different diets straight. My diet is basically anti-inflammatory but doesn’t require natural ingredients, herbs or other supplements. People will do strange things if they think they will lose weight or feel better as a result.
After we discussed my aversion to running upthread, I ran across this article in Shape about 20 superfit women who don’t run and their fitness regimen. One gal said, On running: “I hate running! I feel like my bones are shaking and my entire body is being pounded with every stride. I swear that even my teeth hurt when I run!” Haha melodramatic but also me!
It was just too cold and windy to run tonight (19 degrees and 18 mph wind when I got home from work). So a quiet evening in tonight and I’m OK with that. I have a conference call every night this week at 10:00pm (started on Sunday, New Years Day!) and that is when I like to be heading to bed. So I am content to have today be a rest day. At least I am at 16,430 steps so far for the day.
Bunsen - last year I tried to do your 20 push-ups 2x per day routine but forgot one day in mid-January and gave up. I am trying it again this year but this time I am smarter. If I forget one day, I’m not going to give up. I’ll just do the make-up push-ups when I realize I forgot and carry on. Duh!
@dmd77 Thanks for the encouragement about runnning and for your solution to limit chocolate intake lol. So much good advice here from lots of people. Thank you all. DH had a gall bladder attack Friday and can’t see a surgeon until tomorrow so I’ve preoccupied with catering to him. Did go to a zumba class tonight. Felt good to move I may do a little strength training tonight- just have to look back to wear I think BunsenBurner posted some upper body exercises.
A positive of DH’s gallbladder issue is that he is supposed to eat very low fat. It feels cruel to eat chocolate or anything else high fat in front of him, so I’m down 2 pounds!
I’ll be the first to say (as someone who for the first 53 years of my life did not/could not run) that running isn’t for everyone. BUT I will say this. You don’t just go out one day and “run” and succeed at it. There is a method to the madness. Breathing. Endurance. Pace. And it takes lots of practice, lots of patience, lots of guidance, lots of learning your own body - not to mention a true need for the right clothing and SHOES.
Most people don’t start out swimming a mile in a pool either. Or biking at a high rate of speed for multiple miles. It takes practice, dedication and eventually, skill. Same with running.
I completely agree with you, abasket. Running, just like any other athletic activity, requires proper technique and equipment. Somehow, people forget about it, because it looks so simple - like walking, just faster. After all, we all used to dash to the playground during recess when we were in grade school.
That said, variety is the spice of life, so if running is not one’s cup of tea, there are thankfully other types of cardio activity available.
I had tried running on and off for years, and was one of those who said running just wasn’t for me. I was always out of breath. Then my doc told me I should do more weight bearing exercise …
I started on a treadmill, setting the pace really slow – around 5-5.5 mph. Ran for just a few minutes, then walked. I slowly increased the number of minutes I was running. I discovered that if I ran at a slow pace, I didn’t run out of breath. This was a revelation.
But what really made the difference for me was the iPod. I created playlists of music just for running, songs that had a beat that matched my slow running speed. Suddenly I wasn’t running out of breath when I ran outside. As I got stronger, I found songs with a faster beat.
No one is more surprised than I am that I am now a runner. But it took a long time for me to get there. I’m not running half marathons or full marathons (I have no interest in running for that many hours), and I don’t run every day to preserve my joints. And I’m not getting faster. But I can now run for about 75 minutes without stopping.
I’ll chime in here as someone who started running last year as I was turning 59. Running was (is) hard for me. It took a long time for me to be able to run very far at all and my pace is still slow. But I have gotten better. The key for me was just to keep at it - consistently 3X/week. I can run plus miles now.
I also realize that there are folks who really can’t/shouldn’t run due to bad knees, etc.
Agree with the running comments above. I’ve always been a group ex junkie and figured, “I’m in good shape, of course I can run, anytime I want!” Not true. I’d start and get tired and sore and discouraged (and usually injured). This time (spring of '15), I started slow, didn’t put any pressure on myself, and it turned out much better. I told myself that is was a chance to be outside enjoying the fresh air, not “ugh, a run”
H and S are good, competitive runners, I’ve always envied them because they truly ENJOY the act of running. I haven’t gotten there yet. Running beats me mostly in my head. I have trouble convincing myself that’s it’s OKAY, NORMAL to have a bad run. H tries to tell me that “any run is a good run”. I’m trying to feel that way!!
But like you @fireandrain … Nobody’s more surprised than me that I’m “a runner”
PS, I’ve found, for me, that I can’t run with an iPod. My old instructor instincts kick in and I start choreographing in my head, counting 8-counts, etc. Plus I’ve never been able to find a pair of ear buds that stay in my ears!!
3.3 on the treadmill followed by a 2 mi outside pup walk this morning…
So morale of the story…running isn’t for everyone - BUT if you have the desire to try, if your body doesn’t have the physical limitations of a bad knee for example, with time and dedication and a plan, you can learn to run.
I was running at a local park recently. I felt like I was in a hare vs. tortoise race. I was running my usual 10:30-11 minute/mile very comfortable pace. There was a young woman ahead of me running, more speedy. This may have totally been her plan but I noted that what she would do was short bursts of running decently fast. The time seemed pretty erratic. But, she didn’t seem to be able to go very far. She would run a bit, walk. Rinse and repeat for sometimes walking more than running. Meanwhile, I kept at my pace. I finally passed her. She ended up passing me a couple times, but keeping my pace consistent I would consistently pass her on her walk portion. The point being, she may have been doing what people would call “running” and I may have been “jogging” but I think I had the stamina and pace to KEEP. GOING. I wasn’t out of breath gasping. My slow and steady made the run feel complete and not staggered.
A few of us here started running in our 50’s. Or late 40’s. Athletic certainly doesn’t describe me! When I exercise I want to look “good” in terms of my clothing - decent at least. But do I care if I look the best on the equipment or the track or the pavement? To a degree. But it’s more important that I am breathing, sweating, and feeling accomplished when I complete a workout. Even athletes sweat - sweat is good!!!
And finally a recipe for the day! Get some natural sweetness from onions! I love roasted vegetables - from beets to garlic - and now onion! I can wait to try these! Someone suggested having them alongside a lean roast beef or pork chops. So simple, anyone can make! http://joythebaker.com/2015/01/whole-roasted-onions/
I may do a little strength training tonight- just have to look back to wear I think BunsenBurner posted some upper body exercises.