Long overdue update

Who knew having my husband around 24/7 was going to create such a challenge? I love having him home and will be happy when he retires. I just have an issue with working a full schedule when he's home. NOT his issue - but mine. he is the most important part of my life and my most supportive person. So I don't want to work my 10-12 hour days when he's home. He is also dealing with boredom due to restrictions with the use of his hands - the right in particular since that is the one he had carpal tunnel surgery on first. Surgery which has made NO difference so you can imagine his frustration level at this point.

I've been on the treadmill almost every day. I'm starting with a half mile and building myself up gradually. I've also purchased the copper knee socks and they seem to be helping a little. I say 'almost every day' because on the days I've been working in the garden, I am getting a workout. I am building a straw bale garden so that means toting bales of straw and lots of steps. I am also trying to remember to clip on the pedometer every day. Some days are easier than others.

I also cleared my profile from the Wii Fit and started from scratch. The results are not pretty but they will get better as I am on the Wii 3 days a week minimum.

I leave for Texas in five weeks. In that time I need to be able to fit comfortably in my jeans and in a couple of the cocktail outfits I'll need for the Romantic Times Convention in Dallas.

To top everything else off, more of my teeth are loose. I can't get them taken care of right now as I don't want to be doing interviews in May without teeth and I can't get the teeth pulled and dentures in that quick. So I'm careful with what I eat for now. New teeth are on my agenda beginning in June.

All in all I am still Enjoying the journey!

Stepping it Up!

So are you curious about today's topic? I suggested you go shopping for a pedometer. I know it was short notice, so I'm going to give you the rest of the week to purchase one. But come Monday morning I'd love to see all of you joining me on this challenge. It really is a lot of FUN!

One of the things about exercise is for the most part it's BORING! I mean, who wants to do the same routine over and over again? When we get the living room remodeled (within the next two weeks- Yeah!), I'll have a bit more floor space for putting my many work out tapes/ dvds to use. But one thing I really enjoy is WALKING! And it's the best exercise you can get.

Running and jogging are hard on your heels, knees and hips. Why anyone would promote them as healthy is beyond me. I think it's all in that 'he who runs the fastest wins' thing. I like competition but not at the expense of damaging my body.

Walking is a smooth, easy pace that gets your heart rate up as your walking speed increases without doing damage to the body you're trying so hard to make BETTER!

Almost three years ago, right after we moved down here to the Ozarks, I set the course to get in better shape. I loved the Jorge Cruise thought process of eating the right foods in specific portions. I'll talk more about Cruise later in the blog. As part of the program I joined a Yahoo group of ladies also using the Cruise program. Our big exercise push was to WALK. Not just walk but to strap on the pedometer and strive to walk 10,000 Steps in a day. 10,000 Steps is equivalent to 5 miles and is one of the best things you can do towards having a healthy heart when it comes to exercise.

Last week, the choke cable went out on my riding lawn mower. I discovered this when I went out to mow a BADLY needed lawn. I let it go another week and finally couldn't stand it anymore and decided to get out the push mower. How bad can it be to push mow, right? And it's good exercise. So out of curiosity I clipped on the pedometer and hit the turf.

2.5 hours and 5 miles later, the lawn looked good. Surprisingly I was not as sore the next day as I thought I'd be. Might have had something to do with the 2 analgesics I took before I went to bed. hehe But it got me to thinking. Why haven't I been wearing my pedometer and keeping track of my steps/ miles? It was motivating me when I did it before? Well, it all went back to my daughter/ granddaughter moving in and my routine falling apart.

At first I couldn't remember how many miles the 10,000 steps equaled so I went searching the net and found a terrific sight called. 10,000 steps.org It's a great site put together by a group from Australia who started the 10,000 steps phenomenon.

On this site you create an account (which requires your email and a password - super easy). This gives you access to log your daily step count PLUS you can enter the number of minutes you spent doing every day activities (either moderate or easy) and it will calculate it into steps for you! Next to each day there's a notepad. Clicking on it will give you a pop-up to enter any notes about your day. Maybe keep track of what location you walked that day (if you used a specific walking track) or what you did to gain that many steps (like my mowing the yard). It all helps to give you a visual! I'm a visual person so this really helps me a ton!

I recommend looking at their LIBRARY tab. Some Great information there! Don't try to absorb it all at once though. You don't want to get overwhelmed. You want to be MOTIVATED. So just click on the links that apply to you now and know the other information is always there when you need it.

You can even request a buddy or join a challenge to help motivate you. Right now I have my own personal challenge. As you'll see to the right, I want to walk the miles equivalent to walking the Ozark Hiking Trail. I figure if I do it a couple of times in bits and pieces, I'll be in the condition I need to make the journey for real.

Maybe you'd like to climb Mt. Everest. Or walk across America from coast to coast. What about walk across your state? Find out how many miles your destination requires and divide by 5. That will tell you how many 10,000 step increments you need to walk to meet your goal. Or you can cheat like I did and just go to tickerfactory.com and set up your own goal chart. hehe.

So as I look out the window at a cloudy sky and storms threaten, I'm clipping on the pedometer and heading into town to walk for a bit. I love walking out here in the country but don't do it so much when Bob's gone. Safety first and being out on back roads alone really isn't safe - even in broad daylight. And right now with people's yards starting to show signs of spring, It seems like a good way to spend the morning before the storms arrive.

So come on! Leave a COMMENT and let me know you'll join me on this quest. I CHALLENGE you!

Enjoy the Journey!

Gaining Ground

I'm not quite where I want to be yet, but this morning I upped the peak speed to 3mph. From the result numbers, I'm thinking I'm going to have to be doing 3.5 - 4mph to meet the 1 mile in 15 min. The treadmill was throwing a bit this morning so need to have hubby look at the belt. It was enough that I don't think I'd want to try walking 4 the way it is. We'll have to see.

23min/ 1mi/ 172cal/ 3peak

And the journey continues

Another rough night

At least I didn't share the hide a bed with the granddaughter. With a pop-up storm (no rain just lots of light and noise) I spent the night in the recliner and slept in. I did get on the treadmill first thing before the day got crazy. The first full day Bob is home off the boat is always nuts. It actually turned out rather calm. I even got a nap. Here's the stats:

30 min/ 1.18 mi/ 207 cal/ 2.6 peak

I got a bit more done on the mileage because I failed to switch to cool down until the final two minutes instead of the last five minutes. It felt good but I knew the cool-down of 1.5mph was important.

I've been at this 5 straight days and it feels AWESOME!

Enjoying the Journey

Challenge day

The first day my husband is due home is always a challenge for me. In the back of my mind I worry about him making that long drive from Chicago to the southern MO Ozarks. It isn't a bad drive but there are so many drivers on the road who don't pay attention.

Add to that my previous evening. For some unknown reason my minutes after going to bed last night my granddaughter became filled with such sorrow, the sobs seemed to come all the way from her toes. She has NEVER cried like this before. In fact, she really isn't a crier. She's a very happy child. When she cries, you know there's something wrong.

It was also a night of predicted storms. For me, that means pulling out the hide a bed and camping out in the living room... the only place my 13+ year old Sheltie feels semi-safe during thunder and lightening. And she won't sleep in here alone.

Needless to say, it was almost 12:30 by the time my granddaughter had settled down to sleep, all the animals were tucked in somewhere for the night and I was trying to get comfortable without my body pillow on one side and the 2.5 yr old tucked into the back of my neck on the other side. That is until 6 a.m. when I feel a pat on my head and 'Hi Ma' in a very wide-awake voice. Too cheerful for my little sleep, LOL but precious just the same. I couldn't be upset with her. So during the time I'm usually enjoying quiet time, Handy Manny was already on the TV and I was in 'straighten the house' mode.

It would have been so easy to skip the treadmill today. Trust me. But I am so afraid if I miss one day then each day that follows will become easier and easier to let slide. I don't want to do that. So after getting supper underway, I gave hubby instructions for finishing and I laced up the shoes. I did the mile in just under 30 min. That mile would be faster if I didn't spend 10 min at 1.5 in warm up and cool down. But it will come and soon I'll be doing my mile in 15 minutes and working towards a new GOAL. For now.. here are today's stats.

1.08 mi./ 2.6 peak speed/ 195 cal/ 30 min.

And the Journey continues...

Walking still going strong

Okay, I know it's only Day 3 but trust me, with the way the last 18 months have been, doing the same thing three days in a row is HUGE.

I feel good about getting back into my old routine. It use to be (before kidlet and grandkidlet moved in) I was up, having fed the dogs, walked the Sheltie, made breakfast and carrying my coffee downstairs to the office all by 7:30. I usually didn't exercise until mid-day.

So with that in mind, I look forward to Day 4. For now, here are today's stats:

30 min./ 1 mi./ 2.6 peak speed/ 186 cal.

Enjoying the Journey

Exercise Check In

Okay... I did roll over and go back to sleep for about an hour this morning. The cool air in the bedroom sans rain was refreshing for a change and I just couldn't pass it up. It was remembering I needed to put the birdfeeder out that got my feet on the floor.

So here are my stats for today:

30min./ 1 mi./ 185 cal.

I think it's a little better than yesteday and it will improve with time and persistence.

And the Journey continues...
Kelly