June One, Day One! Plus RW Updates

Well, today is June 1, which means day one of my new goals. I weighed myself last night, as well as this morning, and there was a two-pound difference (exactly), so I'm going to see what the scale says tonight after Zumba and take the average. THEN I am going to put my scale under my bed and say GOOD RIDDANCE until June 30. 

I'm interested to see how this experiment might change my frame of mind about this whole process; maybe I will come out of this month with less of a micro-managing attitude, which is something I constantly battle with internally. I'm a control freak. There. I said it. Control is something I feel is always need to have, which, I think, leads to a lot of unnecessary stress in my mind. It also drives me crazy because I am hyperaware of how and why I'm thinking the way I am, but I cannot bring myself to do anything about it. See a counselor? Hasn't worked before, so why start now? Maybe I don't want to change? 

But I digress. I'm going to use this next month to take a step back from myself, reevaluate "where I'm at" mentally and physically, and go from there! Sounds easy enough, eh? Eh?

In a river walk update, yesterday was TONS of fun.... I was feeling fairly fatigued yesterday from a lack of sleep from the night before (dang three-day weekend threw off my sleeping schedule), so I decided to go for a walk just to get out of the office on break. I was going at a leisurely pace, enjoying the bright blue radiating across most of the valley sky. Most, not all, of the Missoula valley was sunny and blue. Above Mt. Sentinel was a grey looking cloud, but nothing too threatening. I did not pay much attention, as I began my walk, as to the direction the grey clouds were moving.

Halfway between the Higgins St. Bridge and the Madison St. Bridge, it began to pour. Buckets. And then it began hailing. 

(Story to be continued very soon....)

Keep On Keepin' Up the Hard Work!

Well my hard work on the treadmill is really starting to pay off. Today I ran two miles without stopping at a 13:57 pace, up a minute pace-wise from last week and the week before!

It also looks like my average weight is down a pound from last week too! My weight has been fluctuating so much I don't trust doing the once weekly weigh-ins anymore. (One more reason I'm putting away the scale all next month... it'll be an experiment!)

My mind is still putting off starting weight training but I need to force myself to start soon!


I am also considering trying to buy more organic, healthful processed foods (i.e. Justin had boxed shells and cheese that looked, based on the nutrition facts, heather than Kraft mac and cheese.) We'll see, though, because those items come with a larger price tag.....

New Goals!

Well whaddaya know? I managed to keep my promise to myself,  as I've been trying to do as much as possible lately, so here I am! 

I've been doing a lot of pondering lately about all of the work I've been doing to lose some weight in order to reach a healthier BMI. And I've faced my other motives: to look better in clothes (and make it easier to find ones that fit) and feel a little better about myself. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I let my body image rule my life; I never have. But this is (was, at the beginning of my health journey) the heaviest I've ever weighed.

So this pondering.... I realized that making my goal to lose one pound each week will not be as productive for me as I thought it would be. I've caught myself, at times, putting too much emphasis on the number on the scale, and then I end up getting frustrated when it decreases by 0.1 pound, or stays the same, after a week of good effort. (Plus, my weight fluctuates based on how much water I've drank that day, how much I've eaten, if I'm on my period... any  number of factors. Also, I don't know how reliable my scale is, to be honest. It's new, but I weigh myself in one spot of the kitchen, I'm one weight. I move it to the other side and reweigh myself, it's off by a pound.) I realize that the long-term changes and weight trends are what matter most, and that nothing is going to just happen overnight, but it's nice to be able to reach shorter goals regularly.

With that said, I'm going to commit to some new goals for the rest of this month and for June. They are:

1. Scratch losing a pound a week as my continuous weekly goal. My overall long-term goal is to lose weight, but I'm talking short-term here.
2. My new week-to-week goal will be to increase my running time by at least a few minutes each week. I've started enjoying jogging on the treadmill. Right now I can run 30 minutes at a 4.0 mph pace (two miles exactly). Each week I will push myself to add at two minutes onto the 30 minute base. I will start this increase this coming Sunday, May 29th, and record it on my exercise calendar. (Note: I read about running programs a few weeks ago, and it looks like most programs up the length of time by two to three minutes each week, so I figure that's a good start.)
3. I will continue to do my best counting calories, keeping my intake around 1800 or less, depending on the amount of exercise I get that day, how my body is feeling, and the types of foods I've eaten over the course of the day (i.e. higher protein and fiber intake = fuller longer = less snacks). I'll still need to create a calorie deficit if I want to continue losing weight.
4. I will continue to weigh in this Thursday, May 26th, as I have done each week since the last week of March. For June, I will weigh myself on the first and the thirtieth, and not a single day in between. I might even put the scale away... who knows? 

Well I could continue writing, but I must retire to bed. I will continue writing about these goals in future posts!

A Lenghty, Yet All-Too-Concise Update

Well, it's my mantra these days that each day is a new one, and brings with it a new opportunity to start fresh, to renew your commitments to yourself, to jump back on the goal-purusing train if you happened to de-board for whatever reason.

So. An update. It's been a while since I've logged any of my river walks.

Reason #1: The weather during finals week, the week I trailed off from posting, was the first truly gorgeous, authentically spring weather. I took advantage of the spectacular sun by lounging about in the Oval during my lunch breaks. I now keep a neon orange fleece blanket in my cabinet at work just for sunbathing on my breaks now.

Reason #2: I've been finding it hard to make the time to blog. It seems like my day is a whirlwind, even the evening time. I get home from work, cook dinner (usually with Michael present), work out, come home and shower, do some cleaning if need be, and BAM! I look at the clock, and it's 10:30, which is usually the latest I can get away with staying up and still be functional in the morning. Grrr!

Reason #3: Some of the walks I have taken lately haven't been true river walks. Michael has started meeting me and walking with me, or sitting on a bench at the river with me. These breaks have been particularly pleasant because he tends to meet me on days that I'm having a rough time, or on days that we know we won't be spending time together in the evening. I always have tons of fun with him, and he always brightens my spirits, so it's refreshing to have some boyfriend time to get away from the front-desk bustle and to help me bail out of the overstressed mindset I all too often find myself in come midday at work.

Well, now that I'm done making excuses for myself, I realize that it's time for me to hit the sack. My goal this week is to drag my sorry behind out of bed early enough to shower, get dressed, and eat. Basically, I want to give myself time to actually wake up before getting to work. The past month or two I've just been rolling out of bed, taking a five minute shower if needed, then throw on clothes, brush my teeth, pack my lunch, and get out the door. This whole routine takes me a whopping twenty minutes (thirty if showering). 

I am interested to see how I feel by the end of this week, as I will be getting a few minutes less of sleep each day, but will be more prepared to start the day by the time I get to work. It's always been hard for me to alter my daily routines once I'm used to them, but you never know. Right now is a time of personal change for me, with the exercise and healthier food choices, so what's one more minor one, eh?

(I am promising myself to blog again tomorrow about my exercise goals and future river walks or lunch break excursions.)

An Accomplishment Anyone'd Be Proud Of!

On Sunday, I managed to hike the M AND jog a mile (not counting the walking intervals). I must say that it felt so good to work my body hard and have it still respond positively. (Or, rather, not negatively.) As I was stretching down in the sunshine after my two-hour morning adventure, I realized that I had totally underestimated what I was capable of. Sunday morning gives me even more motivation to continue working hard to better my cardiovascular fitness and to lose weight. I'm going to make it a goal to continue to add variety to my exercise routine. (I almost hit the gym again on Sunday, but decided to try hiking after I saw how sunny it was outside.)

Hiking the M was far from a cakewalk, but about halfway up I felt warmed up and spent less time resting at each switchback. I made it up in just under 25 minutes, and spent about fifteen minutes sitting on my favorite rock cluster directly above the M enjoying the beautiful valley.

As the instructor in the sit-up DVD I checked out from the library said, "First the price, then the prize." I think that will be my mantra as I continue on my fitness journey. : )

[Video from atop the M to come forthwith. That is, as soon as I have the time and patience to fanaggle it off of my fancy phone.]

River Walk #7

Date: Thursday, May 5

Weather: Pretty blustery, cloudy, but warmer

Wearing: Tennis shoes, grey fleece sweatshirt

Music: Good ol' Britney

There was really nothing to report on this walk at all. I had to wear my sweatshirt the whole time because the darn wind. It would have been very pleasant without the sudden gusts of wind.

I spent the majority of the time walking behind a younger woman who was a bit heavier. (I'm guessing she was... thirty? Not much older than that.) She was pushing a stroller and wearing a baby blue teeshirt, black yoga/workout pants, and tennis shoes She had extraordinarily large, silver headphones that, from behind, looked like two small bowls or teacups attached to the sides of her head.

She actually set a fairly good pace for me. Every once in a while she would jog for a bit (mainly when the path cleared of all the bikers and walkers, since the stroller she was pushing was large), but kept it at a brisk walk for the majority of the walk. It was almost like I had a walking "buddy," only she didn't know about it. I did my best to keep the same distance between us.

I found myself wondering how much of a better workout she was getting pushing that stroller than if she was doing the exact same walk/run pace(s) without it. Huh.

No pictures this walk.

River walk #6... not so close to the river but still a walk!

Date: Wednesday, May 4
Weather: Sunny, pleasantly warm but still needed a sweatshirt
Music: None, I had fabulous company instead : )

So, after yesterday's not so pleasant, well, day, I decided to call in the troops to keep me in the walking spirit. Michael joined me on today's walk, and it was great to spend some time with him out in the sunshine. I also asked him to walk with me because I didn't get to see him yesterday, and Wednesday nights we do our own thing (I have zumba, he has pub trivia night), so I figured I could get my near-daily fix this afternoon.

The two of us had a nice time strolling through the University district oogling all of the pretty houses. And, as my afternoon walk luck would have it, my sister drove by us and pulled over. We chatted for a few moments before she had to head to her clinical/practicum experience at the high school down the street. (And she continues to make it perfectly clear it is NOT an observation time, as I continue to incorrectly call it.)

Today's photo is a litter find a block or two from one of the elementary schools in the nieghborhood. Looks like someone's learning how to read and write extra goodly!



On an unrelated note: Is it Friday yet?!? Blah.

River walk #5

Date: May 3, 2011

Weather: Sunny, cloud clusters rolling through, sharp wind gusts

Wearing: Grey fleece sweatshirt zipped with hood up, tennis shoes, purse
Music: Linkin Park, Reanimation album

I was cranky today. My walk didn't help much; well, what little walk I completed. The balls and heels of both feet were feeling sore today, so I spent the majority of my break on a bench next to the river. The picture below pretty much sums things up.

Things aren't looking good for #5....

So I just checked out the forecast for tomorrow, and I'm going to have to be sure to throw my umbrella in my purse tomorrow just in case.... Doesn't the saying go, "April showers bring May flowers?" I guess that doesn't apply to Montana. Oh well, we shall see....

Finally, the color of the western Montana landscape matches the color of The Weather Channel's precipitation predictor chart!