Running around

In mid-October, my doctor asked if I would participate in an eating/exercise program (otherwise known as a 'diet' to the rest of the world) because all of the workers in his office (himself included) had already done the program and he was encouraging every one of his patients to give it a try. Not just to lose weight, but to make exercise an important part of life and to learn healthier eating habits. Geez, who couldn't use that, right?

I had switched to a low sodium diet just before that and was doing T-Tapp workout (www.t-tapp.com) just before this. I was really seeing good results but I knew it would be hard to continue the workout part with my hectic schedule. And while it builds strength and flexibility, I never found T-Tapp to build cardio endurance, so I decided that I would give this new program a try. I was supposed to start with 15 minutes of walking (5 mins slow, 5 mins faster, 5 mins slow) on the treadmill, then do some 'weight' training with soup cans (boring!) at home and follow the eating program. The workout room in our apartment's clubhouse has a treadmill with an interval program, so I followed some online advice -- start at 20 mins, then the next week do 22 mins, then 24, then 26, then 28 and then 30 mins. Once you've done the same speed/incline program for 6 weeks, 30 mins will feel comfortable so you can challenge your body with a higher speed/incline but reduce the time to just 20 mins (3 times/week) and then repeat the pattern of adding 2 mins each week... That was working well for me. I detest weight machines and working out with weights/soup cans, etc at home. So I came up with an ingenuis idea. Our clubhouse has an outdoor (covered with a roof though) hottub that is open year round. I could do my walking/jogging routine on the treadmill and then head out to the hot tub afterwards. The warm water feels GREAT on tired muscles and I can do three really good arm/upper body exercises out there. I use the bench in the hottub to do 'arm dips'. The water gives resistance but also makes it much easier than just trying to do them using a chair. Then I stand up and do 'push-ups' against the side edge of the hot tub. Again, good resistance from the water but much more fun than a regular push up or even a modified push-up against the wall! Finally, I kneel & pull my body in towards the wall, gripping the brick edging. I feel that in my lats. At my first check-in with the doctor (AFTER Thanksgiving! Doh!) I had actually gained 3 lbs (doh!) but I'd gained 4 lbs of muscle so he wasn't too concerned. He said, "At some point more muscle is going to burn off fat, so your weight will be going down." My biggest struggle is with the eating program. You're supposed to eat a balance of protein and carbs in the morning (biggest meal), then moderate carbs and more protein at lunch and a high protein/low carb meal for supper. Oh, with snacks throughout the day too. Ummm, 1) who has time to COOK all this specific stuff and 2) who has time to EAT all through the day?! Not me! So that has been a struggle! My dr said, "It doesn't have to be fancy. Find which recipes you like and have that every single day -- or every other day -- if you don't like to cook..." Yeah, easier said than done! I have found a modified plan that requires almost NO cooking that I can do every other day. Breakfast is a high protein bar like Balance Bar. Mid-morning snack is a FiberOne bar. Lunch is 1/2 footlong (turkey, lettuce, cheese -- easy to pick up at Subway) & some fruit like an apple or grapes. Afternoon snack (if I have time) is a piece of string cheese. Supper is 1 can of broth and 2 cups of frozen veggies. That doesn't sound like much of a supper but on a cold winter's night, it really tastes good. And it's minimal cooking. I've also been reading that hot cocoa can lower blood pressure, so I try to have some of that in the morning to start my day. Olive oil can counteract simple carbs and so I'm trying to add that to most meals. Grapes & soy have antioxidents that work well together so I have switched to soy milk (I can't drink/use Skim milk that fast anyway -- it often spoils or gets close to it in my fridge) and will try to eat more grapes. Small steps...

I needed new running shoes. I had some great ones right after K was born and I literally wore them out. The next pair (which I've been using for a year or so) weren't as great. I read about the Nike+ system online. A sensor goes into a small place under the shoe liner and another sensor attachs to the bottom of your iPod Nano. It tracks how many miles, time, calories, etc for runs. I don't consider myself a runner, but I do know that graphs motivate me if I can visually see my progress. You don't have to buy the special Nike shoes for the sensor to work (you can tape or velcro them to the tongue of any tennis shoe) but I found a pair I liked that were 40% off, so why not? I splurged for the Nike+ sensor kit since I already have a Nano. It is awesome. I loved it. I set out for a 3K walk/run and it was fun to hear someone say, "You've completed 1 K. You've completed 2 Ks...." etc. Cool! It's been hard to find a new routine when I'd been doing so well on the treadmill in Idaho. I never did get to the Bloomington high schools' gyms to work out with my mom when we first got into town. I did have fun playing the Wii with my in-laws but that's not the same. I experimented with our treadmill here yesterday but found it frustrating to continually be changing speeds and inclines. I finally tried out a pre-programmed option on our treadmill and I really enjoyed it. Now it's off to iTunes to download some new workout music. I used to walk/jog to audio books. BORING... then I switched to Johnny Cash (which is what I walked to this past summer for HOURS), which was much better but is definitely getting OLD... so I think some new music will help make it even more fun. :)

Oh, and we got a call at 9 p.m. tonight. Our real estate agent has been asked to leave her agency. Shocking. Not. She hasn't done MUCH for us at all. Her former partner, who has been an agent for 10 years, called to tell us. And to tell us that someone wants to look at our house tomorrow. So, we'll see. We won't finally meet the new agent until Sunday but I think it's important that I get to meet her because we're really ready to either pull the house from the market for the rest of winter or look for another agent! She seemed to understand and I'm hoping she'll do a much better job because I'm not willing to waste another 6 months with no results. Keeping our fingers crossed and saying lots of prayers tonight! :)

- Tanya