I am getting back on track after Christmas. I went through the last part of December feeling like crap. Why? It was self-inflicted. I chose to eat poorly and dropped the ball on exercise. (I shouldn't be too hard on myself because I did run twice when we were in Vegas for three days, but overall, I know I can do better.) After working out half-heartedly and sporadically for a couple of weeks, I am back on the treadmill.
The last couple of days I've mixed it up a little. I do about 10 minutes or maybe 1 mile on the treadmill and then jump off to do something else (weights, the punching bag, etc.) for a few minutes. It helps break up the monotomy of the treadmill and gives me more of a full body workout.
Today I did a total of 3 miles on the treadmill. I broke that 3 miles into three 1 mile segments, with leg work in between. I also did some core stuff at the end. I think the whole thing took about 55 minutes. It was really pretty tolerable, maybe even enjoyable. It went really fast. I think tomorrow I may do something similar.
I am wondering if maybe I could find a cheap pair of dumbbells that I could add to my little basement workout room. I have 5 pound and 8 pound ones, but I am wondering if some 15 pound ones would be beneficial to me. I need to pick up on the strength training. I have decided that running is great, but I think that strength training might be the key to keeping off a few pounds now that I am in my 30's.
I'm also eating better. This is my third day of the Eat Clean-Eat Real Food plan. I had a major slip-up tonight. I decided to make myself some oatmeal (not instant) on the stove. I thought I would add just a little bit of wheat bran. I do not recommend adding wheat bran to your oatmeal. To counteract the odd flavor of the wheat bran, I had to add some brown sugar. Then more brown sugar, and finally, more brown sugar. This directly contradicts my master plan to greatly reduce the sugar in the diet. But overall, I am eating less added sugar, more fruit, and more fiber.
Tomorrow night there is a UNI men's basketball game. Bill and I will be there, of course, and I already see the challenge of changing what I eat at the games. I love getting big prezels, and I love getting the carmel corn. Because I am reducing white flour and simple carbs, I should pass on both. I guess I could get a piece of cheese pizza. This is not necessarily ideal, but I think it's okay in moderation.
For the spring semester, I intend to plan a little better to make sure I keep on track with exercise and food. I can pack food instead of eating whatever I can scrounge up at work. I can avoid cookies and candy when they turn up in our faculty work room. I can actually put my work outs and runs on my calendar and schedule around them.
My primary motivation is that I feel fatigued (and grumpy) when I don't exercise and eat right. I've always thought I was a person who needed a lot of sleep. Maybe I am. However, I learned about two years ago that I had lived most of my life in a state of dehydration. I would be on my way to the start of a 1/2 marathon drinking a Diet Coke. I lived and died by the diet soda. And I still do, unfortunately. But a couple of years ago I decided to drink more water (and water with those little Crystal Light packets). I realized that I was a lot less tired--because I wasn't continually dehydrated. I am wondering if maybe I can eat better and see a similar increase in energy. I also need to start drinking my water again. I need to set a goal--maybe 60 ounces a day?
Honestly, I've never really struggled with exercise. I have taught aerobics since I was about 19, and I started considering myself a serious (although definitely not fast) runner when I was about 25. Last summer I did four 1/2 marathons. I currently teach step aerobics at the rec center once a week. The eating part has always been much harder than the exercise part for me. Someimes I fall off the exercise wagon, but usually I regroup quickly and get back in gear. I think a couple things help with this: 1) I get paid to teach aerobics and have no choice on whether to show up; people are counting on me, and 2) You can sign up for races several months in advance, and this serves as motivation for training.
In summary, for those of you who are reading this and have made it this far despite how boring my post is, my goals relate to eating better, exercising regularly and hard, and also drinking more water. I am thinking I need to make these goals more specific--obviously eating "better" and drinking "more" water could be more specific. More on that at a later date.
A week and a half until I return to work...I have a love/hate relationship with both Christmas and summer break. I love my job, but I do look forward to academic breaks when I don't have to grade, lecture, do administrative tasks, etc. However, when those breaks come, my excitement doesn't last long. I don't know whether or not I can say I get bored, but I just don't know what to do with myself. Now, of course, I could go into work and find plenty of stuff to work on. However, I don't want to do that because I will soon be there 40 hours a week and I want to use this time to NOT work. Yet, when I am NOT working, I don't know what to do. Here is what I did today:
10:00 wake up (yes, at 10:00, and that's the earliest I've been up in 3 days)
10:30 eat breakfast
11:00 change into workout clothes and workout
12:30 take a shower and put pajamas back on (why kid myself and pretend I'm actually going somewhere today?)
1:00 eat lunch
1:00-3:00 put away laundry, work on syllabi and course websites, make a smoothie
3:00-5:00 sleep
5:00 wake up and eat dinner
8:30 play Scrabble online with my father
I didn't leave the house, and I don't want to leave the house despite having some sense of cabin fever. I just don't know what to do. I need a hobby to delve into during academic breaks. Something I can really look forward to doing. (Yes, I know, I've said this before but nothing changes.)
Tomorrow I have to be back at work for a couple hours or so, and Thursday and Friday I have some plans to see friends during the day. So it appears that I cannot just alternate between pajamas and workout clothes. I will have to wear real clothes.
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