Lazy summer

I was lazy this summer. I didn't really do much fitness stuff. I avoided activity. And then I wonder why I don't lose weight?!?!?

Anyhow, today was my first kid-free time since June. School has finally started for both kids. Even though I had errands to do, I realized I had better go today or I'd be setting a slacker precedent.

I can't find my weight workout sheet. I have NO idea where I've hidden it.

So I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes, then went to stretch and do a few crunches. Ouch. They hurt when you haven't done them for a few months.

This counts as 31 for the walk and 15 for the stretch, plus 10 minutes walking to school. 56 down, 64 to go for the week.

See Dianne Run

Karen was sneaky. She pushed the right buttons to motivate me to run.

She was contacted by a new runner. Who lives nearby me. Who needs an experienced runner to get her started. Who runs slowly, at about a run 1 /walk 1 pace.

So today we finally got together and ran. We started at 7:30pm, which was about perfect. The heat of the day had passed, the evening breeze had started, most sidewalks were in shade.

We tested run 1/ walk 1. It worked. So we stuck to that for about 10 repeats, and walked the rest. It wasn't much running, but it was enough to get us moving.

That counts as 10x2 + 43x1 = 63 units. Not bad for one workout. (do I get extra credit for pushing a stroller?)

swim

I managed 30 minutes in the pool while son#2 had his lesson. He seemed to have a great time today. He was laughing and giggling before he even started, which is a nice change from the clinging "mommy you swim with me".

I grabbed some flippers and started swimming. My quads will likely scream later, when I try to use them again.

digging out the bike

Instead of the gym, I rode my bike: Tuesday 13 minutes, Thursday 15 minutes.

I added the hitches for the bike trailer and the 'trail-a-bike'. I'm not so sure about riding with the trail-a-bike though. It's really heavy (think old mountain bike), plus a child. I'm going to try moving it to my heavier mountain bike and see if that feels safer.

I'm doubling the count for my bike rides because they felt way harder than walking, and one was pulling David in the trailer.

sunshine makes me happy

Thursday last week I went to the gym even though it was pouring with rain and I didn't really want to go. I had missed the previous Thursday and Tuesday, so I couldn't justify missing any more.

I arrived late, so I only did one set of everything, except the hack squat because the high school boys kept using it, one after the other...

So I did 10 minutes walking, 30 minutes weights, 11:09.2 rowing for 2000m, 5 minutes walking to cool down, and 15 minutes of abs work.

That counts as 10 + 15 + 22 + 5 + 8 = 60 WOW!

Just keep swimming

Today I swam while son#2 had his swimming lesson for 30 minutes.

That counts as 30, so I have 90x to go this week. I'll be at the gym tomorrow. Maybe I'll get some cardio in this time.

We have beautiful weather this week, so I should be able to get a bike ride or 2 (either pulling a bike trailer or 'trailer bike'.

Dragging my butt

I dragged my sorry butt to the gym. I didn't wanna go. I was very late. I went anyway.

I promised myself that I only had to do one set of weights, just to remember everything from Tuesday's review session. Of course, once I was there, I did 2 sets. Unfortunately :), that left me no time for core work. No crunches for this girl. My stomach muscles thank me.

That counts as: 10 minute warmup + 45 minutes of weights = 33 units.

This week I'm at 103: 17 to go!

Personal reminder

I had a review session with my personal trainer. We just went over the program she set up for me back in March. She checked my form and reminded me about squeezing butt cheeks and tightening abs and all that stuff.

So today, I had a 5 minute warmup, about 50 minutes of weights, and 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill. And last night, I had a brisk walk from the LRT to the arena (about 10 minutes each way). So I'm at 70/120 for the week.

little swim

I had a short swim today during #2 son's swim lesson. I probably swam about 15 minutes.

Tomorrow, I have another session with the personal trainer to review my weight program. She's going to teach me again since I forgot everything she showed me last time. Duh.

gym time

The YMCA was in a state of controlled chaos. Some kids have spring break, so there were day camps scattered around the building. Some high school kids are in school, and they use the Y for gym class. And the normal volume of people were there too.

However, I managed to get my weights workout done before a batch of high school kids arrived, so I had some peace and quiet.

Today's workout: 10 min walk, 30 min weights, 9 minutes run/walk, 10 min rec. bike = 49 units

And it's a beautiful day, so I might go for a bike ride with son #2, if I can get my back tire inflated properly. I'm having trouble getting the valve stem in the pump properly. I'm sure it's just me...

finding the wagon

I need to get back on the workout wagon. First I have to find it. I could have gone to the gym today, but I went for coffee with a fellow pre-school mom instead.

I did nothing on spring break except the hiking required to get to wherever we were heading. I chose to pack up for departure instead of swimming.

I did do a good grocery shop yesterday so we have lots of healthy stuff to eat around here.

Tomorrow is a play date for my son. Gym on Thursday for sure! I have to get running to catch Dawn!

on the bike

(oops! this has been sitting as a draft for 2 weeks...)

I did manage a 15 minute bike ride with my kids. Son #1 rode his bike and son #2 rode in the bike trailer. I need to acquire a second 'hitch' attachment for the 'trailer bike', and see if #2 is able to ride it.

I Ran!

When I woke up, I didn't want to get out of bed. However, being late means my son is late for the bus which means I have to pack up his brother too and drive him to school. Too much work. So I dragged my sorry butt out of bed and got son #1 out the door.

Now for son #2. Pirate day at preschool. He won't wear his bandana. Fine. I get myself ready for the gym, even though I really don't want to go. My house cleaners arrive and I get out the door finally. Son #2 wants mommy to stay at school with him. 30 minute later I manage to sneak out and head off.

Once I'm child free, I come up with 20 different things I could do instead of go and workout. I could go out for breakfast (I haven't eaten). I could shop. I could ... just suck it up and go to the gym. I bought a granola square to eat on my way into the locker room, and save half for after.

Once I'm upstairs at the weight room, I check out the program Jen wrote up for me. Hmmm. I'll have to decipher it later.

I walk for 12 minutes on the treadmill, trying to get my heartrate higher than 65%. The only way is to run. And I really don't like running on a treadmill. So I head to the track which circles the weight room.

I ran 1 minute / walked 1 minute, eight times. That was enough. I walked for another few minutes and headed out.

I'm not as tired anymore.

Counts as 12 (walk) + 8 (walk) + 16 (run 8) + 5 (walk) = 41

Rowing challenge

There's another rowing challenge. Our virtual team rows as many meters as possible from March 15 through to April 15.

So I have a reason to get rowing again.

Swimming again

So today I got back in the pool. My triceps were objecting. They thought the water was too thick today. I did about 20 lengths in about 20 minutes. That was enough.

I'll be heading to the gym tomorrow.

120 - 20 = 100 minutes to go this week

Cardio today

Today I did cardio, since Jen hasn't finished writing up my new weight workout yet.

I did 30 minutes walking on the treadmill, followed by 2000m on the rower (11:26.9 min). Then I did 2 laps of the track and headed out.

It didn't even occur to me to stretch. Duh.

Me and my trainer

I had a one hour session with a personal trainer today (which ended up lastin 90 minutes!). The intention was to consolidate my 2 weight workouts into one, and replace some of the free weight moves with machines - since I tend to skip the free weights, but do all the machines.

I used a bunch of different machines that I've never used before. It's amazing what they've created to replace free weight moves. Jen (the trainer) was very good about making sure that I was using the right muscles properly. I think she took one look at me with my large stomach and large butt and decided that she was going to make me smaller.

One machine that works the shoulder blades is still killing me. Ow. I must have pulled something. I was doing weights to fatigue, not exhaustion. Well, that fatigue caught up with me at about 4pm. I lay on the couch and napped for 2 hours. I can't even remember the last time I needed a nap.

She's going to write it all up for me and it should be ready by Friday. So I guess I'm doing cardio on Thursday.

Swim (not!)

Monday, I was lazy. I didn't swim. I didn't even take my son to his lesson. We were late getting organized to head out and it just didn't happen.

Finally!

I swam on Monday for 750m in about 24:xx minutes (PR!). That counts as 25 units (round number!).

I made it to the gym on Thursday. I knew it was going to hurt.

So I walked for 20 minutes on the treadmill. Then I rowed for 1500m. I waffled about doing some weights as I walked around the track for a lap to cool down from rowing.

Is there any reason I couldn't do weights today? Nope. So I fished out my workout sheet from the filing cabinet and did one set of most of the machines. I reduced the weight by 5 pounds on some of the machines. Just moving the 5 pound weight seemed like lots of work.

One set was enough. I skipped the stretching and core work (bad girl!), and left.

So, that counts as 20 (walking) + 20 (rowing) + 10 (weights), for 50 units plus the 25 swimming for 75 out of 120 for the week. I'm behind. I should make a concerted effort to catch up over the next few weeks.

I have swimming today, and a personal trainer session for one hour on Tuesday. She's supposed to help me consolidate my 2 workouts, and change some of the free weights to machines (which I'm way more likely to do).

Slacker

Slacker girl returns!

The last 2 weeks have been too busy, and I've missed out on workouts.

Week One: Swimmer boy had a cold, so we skipped the pool Monday. I helped out at preschool on Tuesday, and missed my own workout. Thursday we picked up Grandma from the airport, and both kids were off school, and I missed my workout.

Week Two: Monday was a holiday, so no lessons. Tuesday, I had an appointment, and had to drive Grandma back to the airport. Thursday... hmmm.... Oh yeah. My son demanded I stay with him at preschool (unusual), and I had a bunch of stupid errands to do that actually got done since I was kid-free.

So two full weeks of no workouts. Not good. This week is back to the usual routine.

Splash!

I finally jumped back into the pool. My son had swimming lessons today for 30 minutes, so I put my swimsuit on too and hopped in the lane pool for some lengths. I think I managed 28 lengths (700m) in my available time. I could have done a few more, but we were a few minutes late, and I talked to my lane-mate about her goggles.

Since my current 750m PR is 25:45, that's not too bad. I'll have to do a time trial next week.

120-25=95 minutes to go this week...

Reviewing Goals - January

I promised I would review my goals on Feb. 1. Better late than never...

180 minutes isn't happening. I manage 100 easily (I'm shocked!). So for February, I'm going to aim for 120, with the intention of increasing this each month. I have a few days coming up where I won't be able to go on my usual kid-free Tues/Thurs time slot. This means scheduling babysitting in advance.

The fruit and veggies goal... I'm not even remembering it. So for February, I'm putting it on my fridge, and working on better meal planning.

So I've been fairly consistent about heading to the gym regularly. I have done NO swimming, and no cycling (not even the stationary bikes). There's no reason I can't haul my bike inside onto a wind trainer. I haven't done any running. Maybe I should slide a bit into my walking...

Last week's workouts

Oops. Forgot to blog last week!

Thursday, I did the usual 10 minute warm-up on the treadmill, 2000m on the rowing machine, followed by weights.

That counts as 10 + 10x2 + 45/2 = 53 (rounding up)

Total for the week: 180 - 64 - 53 = 63 left

January Challenge complete

I contributed a mere 7562m to the Team Canada virtual team for the Concept2 January Virtual Challenge. The team total is an amazing 38,633,993m rowed. There are a total of 301 team members.

It really works! Fitness theory in practice

Last Thursday, during my weight workout, I noticed that a few of the weight settings seemed easier. So I made some notes on my workout log sheet to try increasing them. Today, I dutifully increased the weight where I had noted. And it felt about right.

My personal trainer had said that you should be increasing the amount of weight about every 2-3 weeks. If you stay the same, you're not even getting the same benefit as when you started. And amazingly enough, she's right. This is the first time I've been consistent about working out regularly. And after 3 weeks, I'm ready to increase the amount of resistance. Wow!

I've been lazy about the free weights. Machines are just easier to use. Of course, the free weights make you pay attention to posture and position. And they help more than just the muscles that a particular exercise is designed for. So I'm really being lazy.

I did get on the foam roller for a bit of IT band torture.

Today, I did 10 minutes of treadmill walking, 12 minutes of rowing, 10 minutes of walking on the track, 40 minutes of weights and stretching. So that counts as 10+24+10+20 = 64 Hey! That's more than a third of 180! I'm getting better!

(I would have done more rowing to contribute to the January team challenge, but someone hopped on the one I was using, and I didn't feel like getting back on after a few minutes of walking. Apparently 2000m is enough right now.)

Catching up

Now here's change! I'm behind in blogging instead of behind in workouts!

Tuesday I went to the Y. I managed to talk to the personal trainer who set up my weights workout, and she clarified a few free weights things I couldn't remember.

So I warmed up with a 10 minute walk on the treadmill, then 2000m in about 12:00 on the rower. 40 minutes of weights, no stretching or cooldown (ouch!).

Does a frantic drive to pick up my son on time count as a stress workout?

Today I went again to the Y. 10 minute warmup on the treadmill, 2000m in 11:49.4 on the rower. 40 minutes of weights, no stretching or cooldown. I'll pay for that later!

It's amazing how much of my 2:15:00 of free time is spent in non-gym activity: driving, walking, locker room, shower... It's at least an hour. It makes it hard to do a workout when you have to decide what not to do. Oh well. I'm sure I'll get more efficient as time passes.

D.

180 - 54 - 54 = 72 to go...

Row Row Row Your Boat

So I've discovered rowing. That would be indoor rowing on the Concept 2 rowing machine at my local YMCA. Carlene is always so excited about her rowing that I decided to try it. I thought 10 minutes would be a good way to start. I managed to pull 1562m in that 10 minutes, with a few pauses to fix the foot straps. Not bad for a first try.

Then I did a 10 minute spin on the recumbent bike to ease that tightness in my calves. Rowing pulls on your calf muscles. I better remember to stretch before I get on next time.

I did my old weight workout, then some stretching - esp. those tight calves.

so this counts as 50 units against this week's 180:
10 minutes rowing (20 units) plus 10 minutes spinning (10 units) plus 40 minutes weights (20 units) = 50 units
130 to go...
Ack! How did it get to be Friday already???

Slug ventures out in the cold

It's -21C today, but I bravely ventured forth to the gym anyway.

I did 15 minutes warmup on the upright stationary bike, and a lap of
walking. Then 45 minutes of weights and stretching. I also did 5
minutes of cooldown on the treadmill.

That counts as 18 + 22 + 5 = 45 minutes.

This week's total so far: 180-41-45 = 94 to go.

I have to phone my trainer and ask if she can show me half of the
free weight motions again. I've forgotten them.

And... she's off!

So I managed to catch myself in a self-sabotage moment and stopped myself. Well, I didn't go swimming with my family, but I did go for a walk.

41 minutes, 3.7 km

139 minutes to go for this week. YAY!

I dressed about right: t-shirt, track pants, longer cuff socks would have kept my ankles warmer, Sugoi transition jacket, fleece head band, cheap gloves. I skipped the cell phone and iPod. I'll wait on the iPod until a walk seems really boring (which hasn't happened yet, ever). It's not something I've ever used outside.

Temps: +5C, wind 65 km/h (I was sheltered about half the time)

Happy New Year and Happy New Me

This is just a recap of a bunch of resolutions/goals that I've been talking about in too many different places.

MC had the idea first. Her goal for 2006 was to walk for 180 minutes, during 4 walks per week. I like the idea of counting minutes instead of workouts. You get extra credit when you do more, and it's easier to 'catch up' when you have a bad workout or week.

So, I'll start with the same plan:
Walk 4 times per week for a total of 180 minutes.

However, other activity counts too. 1 minute of walking will equal 30 seconds of running, 1 minute of cycling, 1 minute of swimming, and 2 minutes of weights.

That will do for a start. I'll refine it in February, when I see how this is really working.

My nutrition needs to improve. I'll start by eating one fruit and one vegetable minimum per day. Yes, this is a sad place to begin. This will be reviewed Feb 1, with a possibility of increase.

Some other ideas for goals:

• Improve my swim time for 750m to under 20:00
• Improve my run time to under 37:00 for 5km
• Improve my bike time to under 60:00 for 20km

It would be ideal to nail these in one fell swoop in one sprint tri. However, reality may trash my dream. I'll settle for nailing them one at a time, even in a non-race setting.

Right now, my 5km time is about 39:59, my swim time is hovering around 26:00, and my bike time (which always seems to have a headwind on the return trip) is around 1:20:00. So I do have some work to do. But these times are my default times when I do absolutely no training. So any training will improve things. I haven't done a swim time trial since last May. I had some major swim technique improvement this fall. I haven't tested whether it's made me any faster.

(I'm starting my new year today, since I was sick all last week)

I'm adding rowing to my fitness units. 1 minute of rowing equals 2 units.