I did not feel well going into my workout. I had a neck pain that spread into a pretty nasty headache, but I hoped that working out would help alleviate the problem, and thus, I went to the gym to do my scheduled run on the treadmill.
I started off, after walking the first minute, running at 5.5 MPH - a slight increase over the 5.2 I had been running recently. And I felt really good considering the actual run at hand. My breathing was great, my legs were moving just fine, and I was able to keep a steady pace, however my head was pounding. I ran for 10 minutes before slowing to a walk for 2 minutes, where I resumed running for 5 more minutes before again feeling the need to slow due to my head. I ran another 5 minutes over the course of the final 12, but really slowed my pace early to start my cool down.
In total, I completed 2.41 miles in exactly 30 minutes. I ran at 5.5 MPH for 20 minutes for a distance of 1.83 miles, and walked at 4 MPH for 7:30 for 0.50 miles. I rounded out the 30 minutes with a gradual slowing pace for the final 2:30 where I completed the equivalent of another 0.08 miles.
The running was fine, but my head ached too much to complete a full run. Still, given how I felt, to know I was able to fairly easily complete 20 minutes of running at 5.5 MPH is quite an accomplishment. I know my goals are attainable when I am able to do good things on days like these, when I know I'm not anywhere near 100%. Even though it was a disappointment from the perspective of not over achieving, I am happy with the results for the day, and hope to certainly build on those results as the week progresses.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Day 53: Monday, June 1, 2009
Today was the day to really get back on the horse since my vacation. Today was kind of a mish mash. I did a bit of everything but I will do my best to report what I did as specifically as possible, but no guarantees.
I started out, lowering the weight I was lifting. I did this for two reasons, really - 1) to ensure my form is accurate and 2) because I have a sneaking suspicion that the form I have been using is actually being counterproductive, at least for my left arm. With that said, I began with, what is considered lower, but about where I was before I upped the weights the last time.
I completed bicep curls at 25 lbs. for each arm for 30 reps. I completed 5 reps each at 30 lbs. and then another 10 reps with the 20 lbs. weight. All this, in efforts to improve my left arms balance to the results I feel I'm getting from my right arm.
I also completed the lat pulldown of somewhere between 30 and 40 reps at the 80 lbs. And completed 30 reps of the butterflies, also at 80 lbs. (in the week I did not report each workout, I had upped these weights to 90 lbs., but again, I want to ensure proper form, thus lowered the weights down again).
I also did some stretching and some pushups in between sets. When I was about half way through my workout, I got on the treadmill for 5 minutes and ran at 5.5 MPH for a half of a mile before resuming the weight lifting - I did this to give my muscles a break from the fatigue, so as not to, again, hamper my form due to that fatigue.
I then finished by walking on the treadmill for 3 minutes to cool down.
All in all, it felt like a good workout, and it feels good being back in the groove. Vacations are nice, but having a healthy looking and feeling body is much, much nicer.
I started out, lowering the weight I was lifting. I did this for two reasons, really - 1) to ensure my form is accurate and 2) because I have a sneaking suspicion that the form I have been using is actually being counterproductive, at least for my left arm. With that said, I began with, what is considered lower, but about where I was before I upped the weights the last time.
I completed bicep curls at 25 lbs. for each arm for 30 reps. I completed 5 reps each at 30 lbs. and then another 10 reps with the 20 lbs. weight. All this, in efforts to improve my left arms balance to the results I feel I'm getting from my right arm.
I also completed the lat pulldown of somewhere between 30 and 40 reps at the 80 lbs. And completed 30 reps of the butterflies, also at 80 lbs. (in the week I did not report each workout, I had upped these weights to 90 lbs., but again, I want to ensure proper form, thus lowered the weights down again).
I also did some stretching and some pushups in between sets. When I was about half way through my workout, I got on the treadmill for 5 minutes and ran at 5.5 MPH for a half of a mile before resuming the weight lifting - I did this to give my muscles a break from the fatigue, so as not to, again, hamper my form due to that fatigue.
I then finished by walking on the treadmill for 3 minutes to cool down.
All in all, it felt like a good workout, and it feels good being back in the groove. Vacations are nice, but having a healthy looking and feeling body is much, much nicer.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Week 19-20 Recap
So, I'm sure you noticed that there isn't any "week 19-20 workouts", so how can I have a recap, and why no reported on workouts? Well, that is simple really, I was on vacation. I did manage to workout a few times, but didn't have time to write up the individual reports, so I'll just recap now, and save myself time.
I managed to up the weights I was lifting in my time away (to 30 lb. curls and 90 lb. lat pulldowns and butterflies). I also managed to run at 5.2 MPH for 30 minutes straight on multiple occasions (2 I can think of with certainty off the top of my head). So with that said, things are progressing nicely, however, my food intake has not been as kind to me either.
On Sunday, May 31st, we were coming home, and driving, so fast food was a must. Sad but true reality sometimes. What that did, I'm sure is up my sodium intake and thus my weight retention. No worries, when I got home, I weighed myself in the evening, and then again this morning, so as to have a basis for my average weight, and what I came up with is I now weight 197 lbs. on average. Not good, but not as bad as it could have been since we were eating out quite a bit while on vacation. So, all in all, I've gained 2 pounds in two weeks since being on vacation. I guess I'll take it as a small victory of "maintaining" my weight, even though it was small gains, I know it could have been a lot, lot worse. Starting June 1st, I will get back on the horse and moving back towards my goals.
I managed to up the weights I was lifting in my time away (to 30 lb. curls and 90 lb. lat pulldowns and butterflies). I also managed to run at 5.2 MPH for 30 minutes straight on multiple occasions (2 I can think of with certainty off the top of my head). So with that said, things are progressing nicely, however, my food intake has not been as kind to me either.
On Sunday, May 31st, we were coming home, and driving, so fast food was a must. Sad but true reality sometimes. What that did, I'm sure is up my sodium intake and thus my weight retention. No worries, when I got home, I weighed myself in the evening, and then again this morning, so as to have a basis for my average weight, and what I came up with is I now weight 197 lbs. on average. Not good, but not as bad as it could have been since we were eating out quite a bit while on vacation. So, all in all, I've gained 2 pounds in two weeks since being on vacation. I guess I'll take it as a small victory of "maintaining" my weight, even though it was small gains, I know it could have been a lot, lot worse. Starting June 1st, I will get back on the horse and moving back towards my goals.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Week Eighteen Recap
Eighteen weeks in the books, at least, I think eighteen weeks - it's hard to say with certainty since I had taken so many weeks off in the middle of this entire regime. Either way, we'll call it eighteen weeks.
This week, however, I did not feel was a productive one. Sure, I completed some form of activity every day except Wednesday. And sure, I even completed almost a complete 5k without ceasing my running on Saturday, but something just told me, that the scale was not going to be too gracious to me. I think maybe, it was because I didn't count my calories for the week, thinking "I know what I'm doing" even though, I could have just as easily eaten too little calories as too many. I think, going forward, I need to be more conscious of everything I eat and when and why, so that I don't feel like I didn't do everything I could. And perhaps too, the scale would respond negatively to me, due to my negative thinking. All in all, I just didn't foresee anything good for my results this week.
In the morning I got on the scale, and to my dismay I saw a pound and a half increase in my weight since last week at the same time. However, I knew I had half expected this, and so I did not get down on myself. Instead, I just went about my day as usual, and even going to the gym and only completing "what I could" so as not to push myself too hard and injure myself. So in the evening, after not changing a single thing I would normally do on a Sunday, I weighed myself, 196.5 lbs., or a full 1.5 lbs. LESS than I weighed at the same time last week. Meaning, the average for the day was 195 lbs. or, the exact same weight as I averaged last week, where I weighed less in the morning and more in the evening than this week.
So it wasn't all a loss, I suppose. I didn't lose weight, but I didn't technically gain any either. Going forward for week 19, I plan to again track my caloric intake and do my best to get the scale moving downward again. Sometimes, the lack of positive thoughts, I know, can have adverse effects, and I feel I may have fallen victim to such effects this week. Going forward, I know I need to keep a sunny outlook, and things will happen as they should. Besides, the entire week wasn't a loss, I almost ran the full time it would have taken to complete the entire 5k (had the treadmill not stopped abruptly on me, I would have done it too). Another week down, and a lifetime still to be gained.
This week, however, I did not feel was a productive one. Sure, I completed some form of activity every day except Wednesday. And sure, I even completed almost a complete 5k without ceasing my running on Saturday, but something just told me, that the scale was not going to be too gracious to me. I think maybe, it was because I didn't count my calories for the week, thinking "I know what I'm doing" even though, I could have just as easily eaten too little calories as too many. I think, going forward, I need to be more conscious of everything I eat and when and why, so that I don't feel like I didn't do everything I could. And perhaps too, the scale would respond negatively to me, due to my negative thinking. All in all, I just didn't foresee anything good for my results this week.
In the morning I got on the scale, and to my dismay I saw a pound and a half increase in my weight since last week at the same time. However, I knew I had half expected this, and so I did not get down on myself. Instead, I just went about my day as usual, and even going to the gym and only completing "what I could" so as not to push myself too hard and injure myself. So in the evening, after not changing a single thing I would normally do on a Sunday, I weighed myself, 196.5 lbs., or a full 1.5 lbs. LESS than I weighed at the same time last week. Meaning, the average for the day was 195 lbs. or, the exact same weight as I averaged last week, where I weighed less in the morning and more in the evening than this week.
So it wasn't all a loss, I suppose. I didn't lose weight, but I didn't technically gain any either. Going forward for week 19, I plan to again track my caloric intake and do my best to get the scale moving downward again. Sometimes, the lack of positive thoughts, I know, can have adverse effects, and I feel I may have fallen victim to such effects this week. Going forward, I know I need to keep a sunny outlook, and things will happen as they should. Besides, the entire week wasn't a loss, I almost ran the full time it would have taken to complete the entire 5k (had the treadmill not stopped abruptly on me, I would have done it too). Another week down, and a lifetime still to be gained.
Day 52: Sunday, May 17, 2009
Another day, another day on the treadmill. I had had visions of performing two workouts on this day, one involving weights, and another involving the treadmill, however, my morning workout, the one meant for the weights just never happened, so I settled for one workout for the day, running next to my wife on the treadmill.
We decided to work together again here. We started with a warm up of one minute at about 3.5 MPH, upping it to 4 MPH until we hit a quarter of a mile. From there, we were going to run the next 2 miles at 5.2 MPH, of which we both succeeded upon.
The 2 miles took us just over 23 minutes to complete, and it was rough! For a moment, at the 1.5 mile marker, I thought about slowing my pace, but knowing that she was still running next to me, I pushed through. However, the thought remained in my mind that I should just stop, but I did not.
The problem I had was my breathing. The day before, I was able to take deep breaths that sufficed my needs whenever my breathing became too shallow, however, on Sunday, this was not to be the case. I couldn't catch a good breath to save my life, but I had to run with my wife.
Finally, we hit the 2.25 mile mark and we both slowed our pace to 4 MPH. I look over at her, and she seems just as worn and just as out of breath as I am. And at that moment, we decide to only walk the next few minutes until the 30 minute mark and call it a day - no sense in killing ourselves all in one workout. Sure, we had planned to run further, to do lesser intervals after the initial 2 miles, however, that just was not to be for either of us on this night. (in fairness to my wife, she was also sick, picking up what I had the previous week)
With all said and done, we completed about 2.40 miles in the 30 minutes, and as I said, we ran 2 miles straight in about 23 minutes at 5.2 MPH. It was a good workout, but very tiring to both of us. We'll try it again another night, and hopefully, we can build on this small success.
We decided to work together again here. We started with a warm up of one minute at about 3.5 MPH, upping it to 4 MPH until we hit a quarter of a mile. From there, we were going to run the next 2 miles at 5.2 MPH, of which we both succeeded upon.
The 2 miles took us just over 23 minutes to complete, and it was rough! For a moment, at the 1.5 mile marker, I thought about slowing my pace, but knowing that she was still running next to me, I pushed through. However, the thought remained in my mind that I should just stop, but I did not.
The problem I had was my breathing. The day before, I was able to take deep breaths that sufficed my needs whenever my breathing became too shallow, however, on Sunday, this was not to be the case. I couldn't catch a good breath to save my life, but I had to run with my wife.
Finally, we hit the 2.25 mile mark and we both slowed our pace to 4 MPH. I look over at her, and she seems just as worn and just as out of breath as I am. And at that moment, we decide to only walk the next few minutes until the 30 minute mark and call it a day - no sense in killing ourselves all in one workout. Sure, we had planned to run further, to do lesser intervals after the initial 2 miles, however, that just was not to be for either of us on this night. (in fairness to my wife, she was also sick, picking up what I had the previous week)
With all said and done, we completed about 2.40 miles in the 30 minutes, and as I said, we ran 2 miles straight in about 23 minutes at 5.2 MPH. It was a good workout, but very tiring to both of us. We'll try it again another night, and hopefully, we can build on this small success.
Day 51: Saturday, May 16, 2009
I began today on the treadmill. I started out with my customary 4 MPH walk for one minute as I worked to get the specs of the machine up to my standards. And actually, setting my "goal time" for the machine at a half an hour, ultimately became my downfall for the afternoon.
I started jogging at 5.2 MPH after that first minute, and I noticed that I just kept moving. The first time I checked the clock, I was already 20 minutes into my run. So I kept going. My breathing was good, my legs felt great, and everything was just falling into place. A few times my breathing became more shallow, but in these times, I was able to gasp a deep breath, and then continue on my way running. I look at the clock, 28 minutes, I'm doing so well, and I begin to think - maybe I'll just run until I get a full 5k in on the treadmill clock. I keep going.
Then I notice, that my speed has slowed, and I look down and my speed is now only 4.2 MPH. The treadmill, thinking that 30 minutes was my goal time, began me on a 5-minute cool down, that I no longer wanted. I upped my speed again to 5.2 and continued running, while I tried to change my "goal time" without any success - the option was no longer available. No worries, I thought nothing of it and continued at 5.2.
At the 35 minute mark - apparently, the 30 minute goal time, and then a 5 minute "cool down" - the treadmill just stopped on me. I tried to restart it, but it would not, it only wanted to show my my "workout results". Due to this reason, I decided to call it a day. The main reason being, that I would have to hit "stop" twice to get the machine to reset, and then hit "start" to get it moving again, and these treadmills being what they are, restart at 1 MPH, so by the time I were to up my speed again to 5.2, at least a full minute of "rest" would have passed, and my results would have become skewed. Not wanting this, I walked around the gym and stretched for a few minutes for a cool down.
On the treadmill, I walked a full minute at 4 MPH for 0.05 miles, and I ran at 5.2 MPH for the following 34 minutes (not quite counting that time that the treadmill started me in on a "cool down" that I did not want) - for a distance of 2.94 miles. In total, I completed 2.99 miles, falling 0.11 miles short of completing the 5k distance. Had the machine not stopped abruptly on me, I feel I would have had the 5k completed within 36 minutes. Still not perfect, but a heck of a lot better than I could have ever imagined just 4 months ago back in January. I am truly going to be able to complete the race - I have no doubt in my mind about that, and as a nice side effect, I will feel and look better than I have in a really long time. My life is becoming mine again.
I started jogging at 5.2 MPH after that first minute, and I noticed that I just kept moving. The first time I checked the clock, I was already 20 minutes into my run. So I kept going. My breathing was good, my legs felt great, and everything was just falling into place. A few times my breathing became more shallow, but in these times, I was able to gasp a deep breath, and then continue on my way running. I look at the clock, 28 minutes, I'm doing so well, and I begin to think - maybe I'll just run until I get a full 5k in on the treadmill clock. I keep going.
Then I notice, that my speed has slowed, and I look down and my speed is now only 4.2 MPH. The treadmill, thinking that 30 minutes was my goal time, began me on a 5-minute cool down, that I no longer wanted. I upped my speed again to 5.2 and continued running, while I tried to change my "goal time" without any success - the option was no longer available. No worries, I thought nothing of it and continued at 5.2.
At the 35 minute mark - apparently, the 30 minute goal time, and then a 5 minute "cool down" - the treadmill just stopped on me. I tried to restart it, but it would not, it only wanted to show my my "workout results". Due to this reason, I decided to call it a day. The main reason being, that I would have to hit "stop" twice to get the machine to reset, and then hit "start" to get it moving again, and these treadmills being what they are, restart at 1 MPH, so by the time I were to up my speed again to 5.2, at least a full minute of "rest" would have passed, and my results would have become skewed. Not wanting this, I walked around the gym and stretched for a few minutes for a cool down.
On the treadmill, I walked a full minute at 4 MPH for 0.05 miles, and I ran at 5.2 MPH for the following 34 minutes (not quite counting that time that the treadmill started me in on a "cool down" that I did not want) - for a distance of 2.94 miles. In total, I completed 2.99 miles, falling 0.11 miles short of completing the 5k distance. Had the machine not stopped abruptly on me, I feel I would have had the 5k completed within 36 minutes. Still not perfect, but a heck of a lot better than I could have ever imagined just 4 months ago back in January. I am truly going to be able to complete the race - I have no doubt in my mind about that, and as a nice side effect, I will feel and look better than I have in a really long time. My life is becoming mine again.
Day 50: Friday, May 15, 2009
Today, it had been a few days since I did any weight training, so I decided it would be a good day to do some lifting. The problem was, the gym is fairly busy this night, so I was kind of stuck to do all three sets of my lifts on a particular machine all at one time. Doing the lifting in this fashion, I do not feel I had sufficient time between sets to rest my specific muscles, and I'm not sure if the results suffered because of this. I do know, I really had to strain at times to complete the sets at hand. With that said, I will list the workouts here, just so I can keep the record of my lifting and where I am at.
Bicep Curls - 25 lbs. each arm - free weights - 30 reps
Tricep Curls - 40 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Deltoid Laterals - 50 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Lat Pull downs - 80 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Butterfiles - 80 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Again, looking at the amount of weight and reps on paper, it doesn't seem like much, but when I am done with all my sets, my arms do feel like they want to fall off. I hope to be able to complete a few more cycles at these weights before I'll consider upping the weight again. Hopefully building muscles as I increase the intensity along the way. For now, for the upcoming week or two, this will be my workout when it comes to my lifting program. Hopefully, as I said, muscle mass will soon follow.
Bicep Curls - 25 lbs. each arm - free weights - 30 reps
Tricep Curls - 40 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Deltoid Laterals - 50 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Lat Pull downs - 80 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Butterfiles - 80 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Again, looking at the amount of weight and reps on paper, it doesn't seem like much, but when I am done with all my sets, my arms do feel like they want to fall off. I hope to be able to complete a few more cycles at these weights before I'll consider upping the weight again. Hopefully building muscles as I increase the intensity along the way. For now, for the upcoming week or two, this will be my workout when it comes to my lifting program. Hopefully, as I said, muscle mass will soon follow.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Day 49: Thursday, May 14, 2009
Well, after being too sick to do anything on Wednesday, I managed to have enough energy to get back on the treadmill on Thursday. I started off with the same basic goal that I always have now, running for at least 10 minutes, if not 15, before slowing my pace for the first time (after the initial minute to get the the treadmill settings correct, that is). However, today, I decided to really push myself, and say that 15 minutes was not long enough. I wanted 20.
I was running at 5.5 MPH, and as I was closing in on the 15 minute mark, I decided that 20 minutes would be more suitable, and so I pushed myself. My breathing was hard, but not overly laborious, so I kept going. With about 3 minutes left, my breathing did become more shallow. With two minutes left, more shallow still - to the point where I could not catch a deep breath, no worries, it's only two more minutes. I pushed my way through what normally indicated a limitation to me - and I proved I could do it. The remainder of the 30 minutes, I only ran one additional time for only 2 more minutes - I was that run down after the initial 20 minutes straight at 5.5 MPH.
In total, I completed 8 minutes walking at 4 MPH for 0.53 miles, 22 minutes running at 5.5 MPH for 2.02 miles, and complete with cool down, I completed 31 minutes for 2.58 miles, still, not quite a 5k, but definitely a lot better than the 2.20 I averaged when I began this endeavor just a mere 4 months ago. October 24th, here I come! I will complete the 5k, and I'll feel great doing it!
I was running at 5.5 MPH, and as I was closing in on the 15 minute mark, I decided that 20 minutes would be more suitable, and so I pushed myself. My breathing was hard, but not overly laborious, so I kept going. With about 3 minutes left, my breathing did become more shallow. With two minutes left, more shallow still - to the point where I could not catch a deep breath, no worries, it's only two more minutes. I pushed my way through what normally indicated a limitation to me - and I proved I could do it. The remainder of the 30 minutes, I only ran one additional time for only 2 more minutes - I was that run down after the initial 20 minutes straight at 5.5 MPH.
In total, I completed 8 minutes walking at 4 MPH for 0.53 miles, 22 minutes running at 5.5 MPH for 2.02 miles, and complete with cool down, I completed 31 minutes for 2.58 miles, still, not quite a 5k, but definitely a lot better than the 2.20 I averaged when I began this endeavor just a mere 4 months ago. October 24th, here I come! I will complete the 5k, and I'll feel great doing it!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Day 48: Tuesday, May 12, 2009
After not feeling well while running on Monday, and not feeling particularly well in the morning on Tuesday, I was seriously considering taking the day off, however, knowing I wasn't going to be on the treadmill and was on schedule to do weight lifting, I felt well enough to do that, I even upped my weights on the 3 pieces of equipment I hadn't upped previously. With that said, I'll just list the weights I completed.
Bicep Curls - 25 lbs. each arm - free weights - 30 reps
Tricep Curls - 40 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Deltoid Laterals - 50 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps (this is the hardest workout for me)
Lat pull downs - 80 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Butterfiles - 80 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Looking at the exercises on paper, it doesn't seem like much, but my muscles were sufficiently fatigued after the workout, and I hope it is doing something in building weight and increasing my metabolism. As I said, I increased the weights used on 3 of the 5 workouts - the Bicep Curl, the Lat Pull Down, and the Butterfiles all increased the weight by a net of 10 lbs. It made for a good workout, and I felt good after it.
As I said above, the Deltoid Laterals are the bane of this regime. It seems my arms just can't lift backwards as needed for these reps, however, I plan to work through it, until one day, I'm lifting the 50 lbs. with ease - hopefully that day will come.
Other than that, there isn't much to say, except to report that the workouts were completed (I complete the 30 reps in sets of 10, switching machines between sets). Hopefully, in time, more muscle will be added that can not only help me to look my best, but to boost that metabolism to help get rid of the remaining fat around my midsection. I still feel as if my body is moving in the right direction, and I don't even want to take a day off, if I can help it. Exercise truly is addicting.
Bicep Curls - 25 lbs. each arm - free weights - 30 reps
Tricep Curls - 40 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Deltoid Laterals - 50 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps (this is the hardest workout for me)
Lat pull downs - 80 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Butterfiles - 80 lbs. total - machine - 30 reps
Looking at the exercises on paper, it doesn't seem like much, but my muscles were sufficiently fatigued after the workout, and I hope it is doing something in building weight and increasing my metabolism. As I said, I increased the weights used on 3 of the 5 workouts - the Bicep Curl, the Lat Pull Down, and the Butterfiles all increased the weight by a net of 10 lbs. It made for a good workout, and I felt good after it.
As I said above, the Deltoid Laterals are the bane of this regime. It seems my arms just can't lift backwards as needed for these reps, however, I plan to work through it, until one day, I'm lifting the 50 lbs. with ease - hopefully that day will come.
Other than that, there isn't much to say, except to report that the workouts were completed (I complete the 30 reps in sets of 10, switching machines between sets). Hopefully, in time, more muscle will be added that can not only help me to look my best, but to boost that metabolism to help get rid of the remaining fat around my midsection. I still feel as if my body is moving in the right direction, and I don't even want to take a day off, if I can help it. Exercise truly is addicting.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Day 47: Monday, May 11, 2009
Today, I was ready to do some treadmill action. I didn't exactly have a set plan, but once I began, I found myself upping my speed to 5.5 MPH. Fine by me, I've done it before, and it shouldn't have been a big deal, so I started running.
Then I noticed, not long into my run that I was having a problem catching any good breaths. I tried to inhale deeply, to no avail. I continued to run, gasping in attempts to catch a sufficient breath, but it just would not come. Finally, at the 11 minute mark, I slowed my pace to 4 MPH - after running for 10 straight minutes. It wasn't quite what I wanted to do, but I could have done a lot worse too, considering my breathing issues for the night. While walking (which I did for 2 minutes) I took a few deep breaths, but none of them were as refreshing as I had hoped. Oh well, no time to dwell, I upped my speed again to 5.5 MPH.
I ran the next 5 minutes, still gasping for air before again slowing my pace, where I was again able to take a few deep breaths, but nothing lasting or really substantial. This time, after 3 minutes I sped back up to the 5.5 MPH where I ran for only 2:30 before slowing for 3 minutes and repeating the 2:30 pattern. I then walked for another minute or so before upping my speed for the final sprint of 7.0 MPH. When that was over, I slowed to 4 MPH before starting my cool down.
The entire time I was having a hard time breathing. As stated above, I attempted to use my walking times to gain a good, deep breath, but it never was substantial, and every time I ran, I was doomed to run with short, shallow breaths - with vain attempts at gaining that cleansing breath. I didn't know what was wrong, that is, until I left the gym. Then I noticed, my lymph nodes were partially swollen - indicating that my immune system is upon heightened awareness, sadly, for what, I cannot say. I hope I'm not getting sick, seeing as in how I have been working so hard and have come so far in my workouts. For now, if it persists, I'll take a day or two off before hopefully my body can recover.
Even with everything said above, I walked 9 minutes at 4 MPH for 0.60 miles, I ran 20 minutes at 5.5 MPH for 1.83 miles, I ran 1 minute at 7.0 MPH for 0.12 miles, and in total (with cool down) I completed 31 minutes for 2.59 miles. In spite of all the problems I was having, I still managed fairly decent numbers, and I am happy with that. Now, hopefully, I can kick this illness, whatever it may be, quickly.
Then I noticed, not long into my run that I was having a problem catching any good breaths. I tried to inhale deeply, to no avail. I continued to run, gasping in attempts to catch a sufficient breath, but it just would not come. Finally, at the 11 minute mark, I slowed my pace to 4 MPH - after running for 10 straight minutes. It wasn't quite what I wanted to do, but I could have done a lot worse too, considering my breathing issues for the night. While walking (which I did for 2 minutes) I took a few deep breaths, but none of them were as refreshing as I had hoped. Oh well, no time to dwell, I upped my speed again to 5.5 MPH.
I ran the next 5 minutes, still gasping for air before again slowing my pace, where I was again able to take a few deep breaths, but nothing lasting or really substantial. This time, after 3 minutes I sped back up to the 5.5 MPH where I ran for only 2:30 before slowing for 3 minutes and repeating the 2:30 pattern. I then walked for another minute or so before upping my speed for the final sprint of 7.0 MPH. When that was over, I slowed to 4 MPH before starting my cool down.
The entire time I was having a hard time breathing. As stated above, I attempted to use my walking times to gain a good, deep breath, but it never was substantial, and every time I ran, I was doomed to run with short, shallow breaths - with vain attempts at gaining that cleansing breath. I didn't know what was wrong, that is, until I left the gym. Then I noticed, my lymph nodes were partially swollen - indicating that my immune system is upon heightened awareness, sadly, for what, I cannot say. I hope I'm not getting sick, seeing as in how I have been working so hard and have come so far in my workouts. For now, if it persists, I'll take a day or two off before hopefully my body can recover.
Even with everything said above, I walked 9 minutes at 4 MPH for 0.60 miles, I ran 20 minutes at 5.5 MPH for 1.83 miles, I ran 1 minute at 7.0 MPH for 0.12 miles, and in total (with cool down) I completed 31 minutes for 2.59 miles. In spite of all the problems I was having, I still managed fairly decent numbers, and I am happy with that. Now, hopefully, I can kick this illness, whatever it may be, quickly.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Week Seventeen Recap
Exercise is an amazing thing; it truly is addicting. Every day while at work this week, I would think to myself, "I'm too worn down to go to the gym," and every day, I would find energy, and the fatigue would fade and I would find myself at the gym.
Week seventeen has been the first week that I have made it to the gym all 7 days of the week, even going twice on Sunday - the final day of the week. Every day except for Tuesday I managed to do at least some cardio, but Tuesday being the first time I truly began weight lifting, and given a lack of time on Tuesday, when the 30 minutes was up, it was time to return home and shower up. But it's okay, the performance on the treadmill the other 6 days certainly made up for it. Add in the fact that I have made some healthier decisions this week on my food intake, and I was hoping for some good results on the scale.
In the morning I weighed in at 192.6 lbs. A full 3.4 lbs. lighter than when I weighed in the same time the previous week. This was good news, and something, well, I hadn't really expected. I had expected two pounds, but 3.4, that was truly amazing.
In the evening, I weighed in again. A few things I think contributed to this weight. First, I had ended my cardio training only about an hour before, and I was still drinking lots of water to rehydrate after that workout - so I believe I was carrying a lot of water weight that hadn't had time to exit my body, however, even with that said, I weighed in at 198.2 lbs. - which is still 1.8 lbs lighter than my evening weigh in from the previous week.
My average this week came in at 195.5 lbs. That is a full 2.5 lbs. shed since last week. It's great, I feel great, I think I'm still on my way of looking great, and I'm almost to the 190 lb. mark I set out in January to obtain. With everything all said and done, this is the first week that neither morning nor night weigh-ins showed a number in the 200's ... it feels really good to know that, no matter where I'm at on any given day, that I do not weigh over 200 pounds. I can finally say, with confidence, that I am part of the "one hundred club" ... hopefully soon, I can exclaim being part of the "one-eighty club" as well. Only time, and hard work and dedication can earn me that privilege. Soon enough, I will have the body I want to have. I am truly back on the right track.
Week seventeen has been the first week that I have made it to the gym all 7 days of the week, even going twice on Sunday - the final day of the week. Every day except for Tuesday I managed to do at least some cardio, but Tuesday being the first time I truly began weight lifting, and given a lack of time on Tuesday, when the 30 minutes was up, it was time to return home and shower up. But it's okay, the performance on the treadmill the other 6 days certainly made up for it. Add in the fact that I have made some healthier decisions this week on my food intake, and I was hoping for some good results on the scale.
In the morning I weighed in at 192.6 lbs. A full 3.4 lbs. lighter than when I weighed in the same time the previous week. This was good news, and something, well, I hadn't really expected. I had expected two pounds, but 3.4, that was truly amazing.
In the evening, I weighed in again. A few things I think contributed to this weight. First, I had ended my cardio training only about an hour before, and I was still drinking lots of water to rehydrate after that workout - so I believe I was carrying a lot of water weight that hadn't had time to exit my body, however, even with that said, I weighed in at 198.2 lbs. - which is still 1.8 lbs lighter than my evening weigh in from the previous week.
My average this week came in at 195.5 lbs. That is a full 2.5 lbs. shed since last week. It's great, I feel great, I think I'm still on my way of looking great, and I'm almost to the 190 lb. mark I set out in January to obtain. With everything all said and done, this is the first week that neither morning nor night weigh-ins showed a number in the 200's ... it feels really good to know that, no matter where I'm at on any given day, that I do not weigh over 200 pounds. I can finally say, with confidence, that I am part of the "one hundred club" ... hopefully soon, I can exclaim being part of the "one-eighty club" as well. Only time, and hard work and dedication can earn me that privilege. Soon enough, I will have the body I want to have. I am truly back on the right track.
Day 46: Sunday, May 10, 2009
Today was a good day. Not only was I at the end of my workout week, having worked out every single day, but on Sunday, I had time to workout twice - working my muscles in the morning, and doing some cardio in the evening. It helped in breaking up the two workouts, and I think my activity level for each will prove that.
For starters, in the morning I lifted weights. I decided on Friday that I could up the intensity on a few of the machines, and that's exactly what I did. Again, doing the lifting, my arms do become fatigued, and I do have to fight though that fatigue, but I am able to overcome it by taking breaks between sets. Again, this will read much like past lists of weight training, but there are a few subtle differences, namely the amount of weight used on the butterflies and the tricep curls:
Bicep curls - free weights - 20 lbs. each arm - 45 reps
Tricep curls - machine - 40 lbs. total - 30 reps
Lat Pulldown - machine - 70 lbs. total - 30 reps
Deltoid Laterals - machine - 50 lbs. total - 30 reps
Butterfiles - machine - 70 lbs. total - 40 reps
Then, in the evening, I went back to the gym with my wife. We didn't work together, as we did on Saturday, but since she was going, I decided to work in some cardio as well. I began on the treadmill at 4 MPH for one minute to get the settings of the machine to match my body before upping the speed to 5.2 MPH. I felt good running, luckily, it wasn't 7, or even 6, MPH, so I was able to endure longer than I would at the higher speeds. I ran for 15 minutes - though I had visions of running longer, I simply did not - before slowing for 2 minutes. After walking for 2 minutes I upped my speed again, still feeling really good at the 5.2 MPH pace, and ran for another 10 minutes. At this point, I was assuming my wife would be done at the 30 minute mark, so I was planning to slow for a 3 minute cool-down. She then proceeds to ask me if it would be okay if she did the elliptical for 10 minutes, of which I readily agreed to.
Knowing I still had time to run, I decided to go ahead and walk the 2 minutes up to the 30 minute mark before again upping my pace. As I was running, I decided that only 5 more minutes of running would do me just fine, and so at the 35 minute mark, I slowed my pace to 4 MPH to complete my time. However, after 2 minutes I felt like running once again, so I decided to do a final sprint at 7 MPH for one minute before starting my ultimate cool down.
All said and done, I ran the first 25 of 28 minutes (given that I did the first minute at walking pace), and 30 of 35 minutes. Quite a big difference from when I began and could only run 10 minutes out of every 30 - and certainly not 10 minutes in a row.
In total, I walked at 4 MPH for 9 minutes (since I walked pretty much the last four, not including my minute sprint at 7 MPH) for a distance of 0.60 miles, I ran at 5.2 MPH for 30 minutes for a distance of 2.60 miles, I ran at 7 MPH for one minute for a distance of 0.12 miles, and complete with cool down, I completed 42 minutes for 3.40 miles. Quite an excellent workout, and quite a good day overall for me, if I do say so myself.
With the 5k in mind, I eclipsed the 3.1 mile marker at 37 minutes and 44 seconds - of course, by this time I was in my walking mode, and probably could have pushed myself for a better time, but I was in the gym for a well-rounded workout, not to complete the 5k, necessarily. Either way, it was certainly a good workout, my body felt good, my breathing was great, and my max heart rate was only 163 - meaning, at least I hope, that my heart is becoming healthier. I won't see the cardiologist for another couple of months yet, but I'm sure he'll be ecstatic at my progress.
For starters, in the morning I lifted weights. I decided on Friday that I could up the intensity on a few of the machines, and that's exactly what I did. Again, doing the lifting, my arms do become fatigued, and I do have to fight though that fatigue, but I am able to overcome it by taking breaks between sets. Again, this will read much like past lists of weight training, but there are a few subtle differences, namely the amount of weight used on the butterflies and the tricep curls:
Bicep curls - free weights - 20 lbs. each arm - 45 reps
Tricep curls - machine - 40 lbs. total - 30 reps
Lat Pulldown - machine - 70 lbs. total - 30 reps
Deltoid Laterals - machine - 50 lbs. total - 30 reps
Butterfiles - machine - 70 lbs. total - 40 reps
Then, in the evening, I went back to the gym with my wife. We didn't work together, as we did on Saturday, but since she was going, I decided to work in some cardio as well. I began on the treadmill at 4 MPH for one minute to get the settings of the machine to match my body before upping the speed to 5.2 MPH. I felt good running, luckily, it wasn't 7, or even 6, MPH, so I was able to endure longer than I would at the higher speeds. I ran for 15 minutes - though I had visions of running longer, I simply did not - before slowing for 2 minutes. After walking for 2 minutes I upped my speed again, still feeling really good at the 5.2 MPH pace, and ran for another 10 minutes. At this point, I was assuming my wife would be done at the 30 minute mark, so I was planning to slow for a 3 minute cool-down. She then proceeds to ask me if it would be okay if she did the elliptical for 10 minutes, of which I readily agreed to.
Knowing I still had time to run, I decided to go ahead and walk the 2 minutes up to the 30 minute mark before again upping my pace. As I was running, I decided that only 5 more minutes of running would do me just fine, and so at the 35 minute mark, I slowed my pace to 4 MPH to complete my time. However, after 2 minutes I felt like running once again, so I decided to do a final sprint at 7 MPH for one minute before starting my ultimate cool down.
All said and done, I ran the first 25 of 28 minutes (given that I did the first minute at walking pace), and 30 of 35 minutes. Quite a big difference from when I began and could only run 10 minutes out of every 30 - and certainly not 10 minutes in a row.
In total, I walked at 4 MPH for 9 minutes (since I walked pretty much the last four, not including my minute sprint at 7 MPH) for a distance of 0.60 miles, I ran at 5.2 MPH for 30 minutes for a distance of 2.60 miles, I ran at 7 MPH for one minute for a distance of 0.12 miles, and complete with cool down, I completed 42 minutes for 3.40 miles. Quite an excellent workout, and quite a good day overall for me, if I do say so myself.
With the 5k in mind, I eclipsed the 3.1 mile marker at 37 minutes and 44 seconds - of course, by this time I was in my walking mode, and probably could have pushed myself for a better time, but I was in the gym for a well-rounded workout, not to complete the 5k, necessarily. Either way, it was certainly a good workout, my body felt good, my breathing was great, and my max heart rate was only 163 - meaning, at least I hope, that my heart is becoming healthier. I won't see the cardiologist for another couple of months yet, but I'm sure he'll be ecstatic at my progress.
Day 45: Saturday, May 9, 2009
Another day, another workout. After lifting weights on Friday, I decided to give my muscles a breather and focus on the cardiovascular training for Saturday.
My wife and I tried something different for this workout, we decided to attempt to run together. That is to say, at the same speeds for the same amount of time. This is partly because we have found a 5k to run - on October 24th - so we could build up to that together, and partly just to do some activity together, instead of doing our own thing.
With that said, this workout won't seem much like a "traditional" workout in which I have performed before, but it's still movement, and it was actually a lot, lot harder than what I have grown accustom to "traditionally".
We began with a 5-minute warm up at 3.0 miles per hour, before upping the speed to begin our intervals to 4.0 MPH for the next two minutes - 7 minutes of walking, it wasn't too hard yet, but then, came time to run our first two minute interval at 7.0 MPH. We both upped our speeds and started running. I would say that two minutes never felt so long, but honestly, it wasn't that bad, and I say that because if I remember back to when I was just starting out, running at 5 MPH for only one minute, well, those single minutes never seemed like it would end - but at 7 MPH it was tiring, it was even hard, but wasn't impossible.
We slowed back to 4 MPH after that 2 minute "sprint" and my wife asks me "how are you doing" ... in which I answered breathlessly, "tired." So as time approaches to run again, she asks me "how fast do you want?" ... not one to back down, I said "seven." Since seven is what we set out to do, that's exactly what I'd do. We ran again, again, it was tiring. Then we slowed before running again. We slowed one final time to 4 MPH, and my wife mentioned that she wasn't feeling well - her breakfast wasn't sitting right - so she recommends walking for 3 minutes this time, so we do, before upping our speed, but only to 6 MPH this time. After that two minutes is up, I am tired, and ask to walk for 4 minutes. During that time, my wife decides that the bounce of the treadmill is upsetting her stomach, so she leaves me alone, as she goes to perform her activity on the elliptical.
At this point, I know I'm too worn out to continue with the intervals, so I set the treadmill at 5 MPH and begin jogging - and last for the 10 full minutes before slowing my pace for my cool down. A good workout - I pushed myself at times and other times, returned to what I knew I could do. I felt good for it, and we still had our full Saturday in front of us, since we had gotten up early and went to the gym directly after breakfast (see my wife having stomach issues).
In total, I walked at 3.0 MPH for the 5 minute warm up for 0.25 miles, I walked during the intervals at 4.0 MPH for 12 minutes total for 0.80 miles, I ran at 7 MPH for 6 total minutes for 0.70 miles, I ran at 6 MPH for 2 minutes during one interval for 0.20 miles, and I ran for 10 minutes at 5 MPH for a distance of 0.83 miles. With cool down, I completed a total of 36 minutes and 2.81 miles.
In January, 7 MPH for any length of time would have been unimaginable. Today is a good day, and hopefully workout number 1 to run that 5k come October 24th - more to come on that as the day approaches.
My wife and I tried something different for this workout, we decided to attempt to run together. That is to say, at the same speeds for the same amount of time. This is partly because we have found a 5k to run - on October 24th - so we could build up to that together, and partly just to do some activity together, instead of doing our own thing.
With that said, this workout won't seem much like a "traditional" workout in which I have performed before, but it's still movement, and it was actually a lot, lot harder than what I have grown accustom to "traditionally".
We began with a 5-minute warm up at 3.0 miles per hour, before upping the speed to begin our intervals to 4.0 MPH for the next two minutes - 7 minutes of walking, it wasn't too hard yet, but then, came time to run our first two minute interval at 7.0 MPH. We both upped our speeds and started running. I would say that two minutes never felt so long, but honestly, it wasn't that bad, and I say that because if I remember back to when I was just starting out, running at 5 MPH for only one minute, well, those single minutes never seemed like it would end - but at 7 MPH it was tiring, it was even hard, but wasn't impossible.
We slowed back to 4 MPH after that 2 minute "sprint" and my wife asks me "how are you doing" ... in which I answered breathlessly, "tired." So as time approaches to run again, she asks me "how fast do you want?" ... not one to back down, I said "seven." Since seven is what we set out to do, that's exactly what I'd do. We ran again, again, it was tiring. Then we slowed before running again. We slowed one final time to 4 MPH, and my wife mentioned that she wasn't feeling well - her breakfast wasn't sitting right - so she recommends walking for 3 minutes this time, so we do, before upping our speed, but only to 6 MPH this time. After that two minutes is up, I am tired, and ask to walk for 4 minutes. During that time, my wife decides that the bounce of the treadmill is upsetting her stomach, so she leaves me alone, as she goes to perform her activity on the elliptical.
At this point, I know I'm too worn out to continue with the intervals, so I set the treadmill at 5 MPH and begin jogging - and last for the 10 full minutes before slowing my pace for my cool down. A good workout - I pushed myself at times and other times, returned to what I knew I could do. I felt good for it, and we still had our full Saturday in front of us, since we had gotten up early and went to the gym directly after breakfast (see my wife having stomach issues).
In total, I walked at 3.0 MPH for the 5 minute warm up for 0.25 miles, I walked during the intervals at 4.0 MPH for 12 minutes total for 0.80 miles, I ran at 7 MPH for 6 total minutes for 0.70 miles, I ran at 6 MPH for 2 minutes during one interval for 0.20 miles, and I ran for 10 minutes at 5 MPH for a distance of 0.83 miles. With cool down, I completed a total of 36 minutes and 2.81 miles.
In January, 7 MPH for any length of time would have been unimaginable. Today is a good day, and hopefully workout number 1 to run that 5k come October 24th - more to come on that as the day approaches.
Day 44: Friday, May 8, 2009
On day 44, I simply had plans to work my muscles and skip the cardio. For the most part, I was able to accomplish that. It had been 2 days since I had lifted weights, so I was anxious to get back in that groove.
I worked out the same as I had on Tuesday, at least when it came to the weights. However, it only took me about 20 minutes to fulfill the rotation, so I decided to use the next 10 minutes to get in some minor cardio activity.
On the treadmill, I ran at 6 MPH for 2:30, but was A) fatigued from the weight lifting, and B) 6 MPH seems to be quite a huge step up over 5.5 MPH. With that said, I slowed my pace to 3.5 MPH to catch my breath before upping my pace again, but this time, to only the 5.5 MPH. I ran another 2:30 at the 5.5 before again slowing down, realizing that I was just too tired for too much cardio after lifting the weights. Oh well, no loss, I got the weight lifting in, and that was my main focus for day 44.
In total, I walked 5 minutes at 3.5 MPH for 0.29 miles, I ran at 6 MPH for 2:30 for 0.25 miles, and I ran at 5.5 MPH for 2:30 for a distance of 0.23 miles. Totalling for the treadmill 10 minutes for 0.77 miles.
With the weights, I will use the same format as before where I just list the activity but do not go into too much detail. The amount of detail that needs to be known is that yes, my muscles were fatigued, but I realized that they were fatigued more so on some weights over others, and for this reason, I realized today, that in the future when considering weights, there are some lifts that I can actually do more weight on - but for now, this list will look quite similar to Tuesday's activity - sans the push ups:
Bicep curls - free weights - 20 lbs. each arm - 45 reps
Tricep curls - machine - 20 lbs. total - 30 reps
Lat pulldown - machine - 70 lbs. total - 30 reps
Deltoid Laterals - machine - 50 lbs. total - 30 reps
Butterfiles - machine - 50 lbs. total - 30 reps
And thus, my Friday workout was complete.
I worked out the same as I had on Tuesday, at least when it came to the weights. However, it only took me about 20 minutes to fulfill the rotation, so I decided to use the next 10 minutes to get in some minor cardio activity.
On the treadmill, I ran at 6 MPH for 2:30, but was A) fatigued from the weight lifting, and B) 6 MPH seems to be quite a huge step up over 5.5 MPH. With that said, I slowed my pace to 3.5 MPH to catch my breath before upping my pace again, but this time, to only the 5.5 MPH. I ran another 2:30 at the 5.5 before again slowing down, realizing that I was just too tired for too much cardio after lifting the weights. Oh well, no loss, I got the weight lifting in, and that was my main focus for day 44.
In total, I walked 5 minutes at 3.5 MPH for 0.29 miles, I ran at 6 MPH for 2:30 for 0.25 miles, and I ran at 5.5 MPH for 2:30 for a distance of 0.23 miles. Totalling for the treadmill 10 minutes for 0.77 miles.
With the weights, I will use the same format as before where I just list the activity but do not go into too much detail. The amount of detail that needs to be known is that yes, my muscles were fatigued, but I realized that they were fatigued more so on some weights over others, and for this reason, I realized today, that in the future when considering weights, there are some lifts that I can actually do more weight on - but for now, this list will look quite similar to Tuesday's activity - sans the push ups:
Bicep curls - free weights - 20 lbs. each arm - 45 reps
Tricep curls - machine - 20 lbs. total - 30 reps
Lat pulldown - machine - 70 lbs. total - 30 reps
Deltoid Laterals - machine - 50 lbs. total - 30 reps
Butterfiles - machine - 50 lbs. total - 30 reps
And thus, my Friday workout was complete.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Day 43: Thursday, May 7, 2009
Well, even after my body being worn out on Wednesday, I still managed to find my way to the gym for Thursday. Seeing as in how my arms were still sore from lifting weights on Tuesday, I decided to not push the weight lifting regime. I figured it better to allow my muscles ample time to repair and build before trying to work them out again, in case injury could occur. With that said, I once again found myself on the treadmill.
Remembering how exhausted I ended up being the previous day, I decided to only do my runs at 5.2 MPH and hope that, with the slower pace, I could run longer, and thus further. Mission not necessarily accomplished. While I did manage to run longer, I did not go for a greater distance. But not to despair, I still did activity, and that is the important thing.
I got on the treadmill and as soon as I began to run I felt pretty good. I was making longer strides, not necessarily because I had to, but because I could. I felt good, my breathing was good, and I briefly felt as if I would be able to run the full 30 minutes. Not to be so, however.
I ran (after the initial one minute walk to set the settings for the machine) for the first 17 minutes. I had hoped for at least 20 full minutes of running, but I knew I couldn't do it as the time approached. I was certainly wearing down, both mentally and physically. I possibly could have pushed myself that extra 3 minutes, but I did not.
So I slowed for two minutes to a walk before running another three minutes. In the remaining 7 minutes of time, I only managed another three minutes of running.
In total, I walked at 4 MPH for 7 minutes for a distance of 0.47 miles, I ran at 5.2 MPH for 23 minutes for a distance of 1.99 miles, and I completed in total, with cool down, 2.50 miles in 31 minutes.
As I said, I improved the length of the run over Wednesday by 3 minutes, but given the fact that I ran at a slower pace, I completed a total of .03 miles less than Wednesday (running .16 miles more though). But as I said, no need to despair, the added activity can only benefit me, and I'm happy to get up and do it, even if some days I dread going to the gym, and even if, on other days, I cramp or become fatigued more quickly than others. Every day is different, but if the one constant can be actually working, then I know me and my body are moving in the right direction.
Remembering how exhausted I ended up being the previous day, I decided to only do my runs at 5.2 MPH and hope that, with the slower pace, I could run longer, and thus further. Mission not necessarily accomplished. While I did manage to run longer, I did not go for a greater distance. But not to despair, I still did activity, and that is the important thing.
I got on the treadmill and as soon as I began to run I felt pretty good. I was making longer strides, not necessarily because I had to, but because I could. I felt good, my breathing was good, and I briefly felt as if I would be able to run the full 30 minutes. Not to be so, however.
I ran (after the initial one minute walk to set the settings for the machine) for the first 17 minutes. I had hoped for at least 20 full minutes of running, but I knew I couldn't do it as the time approached. I was certainly wearing down, both mentally and physically. I possibly could have pushed myself that extra 3 minutes, but I did not.
So I slowed for two minutes to a walk before running another three minutes. In the remaining 7 minutes of time, I only managed another three minutes of running.
In total, I walked at 4 MPH for 7 minutes for a distance of 0.47 miles, I ran at 5.2 MPH for 23 minutes for a distance of 1.99 miles, and I completed in total, with cool down, 2.50 miles in 31 minutes.
As I said, I improved the length of the run over Wednesday by 3 minutes, but given the fact that I ran at a slower pace, I completed a total of .03 miles less than Wednesday (running .16 miles more though). But as I said, no need to despair, the added activity can only benefit me, and I'm happy to get up and do it, even if some days I dread going to the gym, and even if, on other days, I cramp or become fatigued more quickly than others. Every day is different, but if the one constant can be actually working, then I know me and my body are moving in the right direction.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Day 42: Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Another day, another workout. After focusing on lifting weights the previous day, I decided it was another treadmill night, and that's precisely what I did.
I started the night with the custom 1 minute walk at 4 MPH before upping the intensity to 5.5 MPH. As I ran, I felt okay, but as time progressed I grew increasingly tired, and my breathing became somewhat of a problem. I think, in times when my breathing becomes an issue, it's not so much that I'm out of breath, but that I'm breathing improperly and shallow. It seems, this is more due to the fact that I am focusing on the clock, rather than the run - so I know going forward, I need to focus more on the run.
With that said, I really didn't notice my breathing being an issue until about the 14 minute mark - I was attempting to run for 15 minutes straight at the 5.5 MPH; to do this, I would have to run until the 16 minute mark. But at the 14th minute or so, I began worrying what the clock was telling me, and began having issues. I finally did make it to the 16 minute mark, after all, it was only two minutes, but I did struggle a bit on the breathing - however, my legs still felt fine.
Then I slowed to walk at 4 MPH for 2 minutes. At the 18 minute mark, I wanted to run for the next 5 minutes, but I failed quite miserably - this time, due to my legs feeling fatigued. So I ran only 2 minutes until the 20 minute mark. I again walked for 2 minutes before trying to run for the next 3 minutes (up to the 25 minute mark) and once again, my legs failed me and I was only able to produce 2 minutes. I then walked for 2 more minutes as I was becoming increasingly exhausted, before running for one final minute to ensure I ran for 20 minutes before slowing my pace to end my 30 minutes on the treadmill.
In total, I walked for 10 minutes at 4 MPH for a distance of .67 miles, I ran at 5.5 MPH for 20 minutes for a distance of 1.83 miles, and in total, I completed 31 minutes for 2.53 MPH.
Initially, on this day, I felt good, but then that faded after my breathing started to go wrong at around the 14 minute mark. After that, every time I began to run, my legs instantly seemed more fatigued, and forced me to slow my pace even further. However, with all that said, I still was able to manage a respectable 20 minutes worth of running activity, which is still quite a fit in my own right, considering where I started from - and I never want to forget that and become discouraged over one night's worth of activity. Instead, I will try again, and again, until ultimately, I am running the entire 30 minutes - perhaps one day in the not so distant future, I can also complete a 30 minute 5k, but I won't get ahead of myself just yet. For now, I am happy with what I am accomplishing, and that's all that matters to me.
I started the night with the custom 1 minute walk at 4 MPH before upping the intensity to 5.5 MPH. As I ran, I felt okay, but as time progressed I grew increasingly tired, and my breathing became somewhat of a problem. I think, in times when my breathing becomes an issue, it's not so much that I'm out of breath, but that I'm breathing improperly and shallow. It seems, this is more due to the fact that I am focusing on the clock, rather than the run - so I know going forward, I need to focus more on the run.
With that said, I really didn't notice my breathing being an issue until about the 14 minute mark - I was attempting to run for 15 minutes straight at the 5.5 MPH; to do this, I would have to run until the 16 minute mark. But at the 14th minute or so, I began worrying what the clock was telling me, and began having issues. I finally did make it to the 16 minute mark, after all, it was only two minutes, but I did struggle a bit on the breathing - however, my legs still felt fine.
Then I slowed to walk at 4 MPH for 2 minutes. At the 18 minute mark, I wanted to run for the next 5 minutes, but I failed quite miserably - this time, due to my legs feeling fatigued. So I ran only 2 minutes until the 20 minute mark. I again walked for 2 minutes before trying to run for the next 3 minutes (up to the 25 minute mark) and once again, my legs failed me and I was only able to produce 2 minutes. I then walked for 2 more minutes as I was becoming increasingly exhausted, before running for one final minute to ensure I ran for 20 minutes before slowing my pace to end my 30 minutes on the treadmill.
In total, I walked for 10 minutes at 4 MPH for a distance of .67 miles, I ran at 5.5 MPH for 20 minutes for a distance of 1.83 miles, and in total, I completed 31 minutes for 2.53 MPH.
Initially, on this day, I felt good, but then that faded after my breathing started to go wrong at around the 14 minute mark. After that, every time I began to run, my legs instantly seemed more fatigued, and forced me to slow my pace even further. However, with all that said, I still was able to manage a respectable 20 minutes worth of running activity, which is still quite a fit in my own right, considering where I started from - and I never want to forget that and become discouraged over one night's worth of activity. Instead, I will try again, and again, until ultimately, I am running the entire 30 minutes - perhaps one day in the not so distant future, I can also complete a 30 minute 5k, but I won't get ahead of myself just yet. For now, I am happy with what I am accomplishing, and that's all that matters to me.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Day 41: Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Cinco de Mayo. Ah, what a glorious day! As an American, it's only natural that I would want to celebrate the Mexican Holiday that commemorates the Mexican Army's unlikely victory of the French way back in 1862. Certainly, nothing would delight me more than to drink some Mexican beer. Oh what joy, and given that Tuesday has been a traditional, of sorts, well, "holiday" for me while going through my workouts, it would make for a natural celebration day for me, right? Not so fast.
I actually skipped Cinco de Mayo. Which was the first time in a very long time, and I did one better than that, I actually hit the gym!
I didn't, however do any cardio. I spent about 30 minutes in the gym total, focusing on weight training - since I have been feeling as if some of my weight loss has been due to loss of muscle (I do not have any concrete evidence on this, it was just how I was feeling before hitting the gym).
When I hit the gym, no one was present, which was good since I don't enjoy hitting the weights with too many people, seemingly, standing around watching. I don't like the feeling of prying eyes, as if everyone is scrutinizing just how much you can lift. Anyway, it was empty, so my spirits were instantly lifted.
I did my rounds on a few different machines and free weights, so instead of long boring details about how I felt on each machine - by the way, I felt great the entire time, and I even feel my initial thought of "having lost muscle weight" was inaccurate, as I was able to lift longer, not necessarily more (I didn't try) than I had lifted in a long, long time. With that said, I will just list the exercises, machines (if any), weight used, and reps.
Bicep curls - free weight - 20 lbs. each arm - 55 reps
Tricep curls - machine - 20 lb. total - 30 reps
Push ups - floor - no weight - 30 reps
Lat pulldown - machine - 70 lbs. total - 30 reps
Deltoid Laterals - machine - 50 lbs. total - 30 reps
Butterflies - machine - 50 lbs. total - 30 reps
It wasn't a whole lot. I probably could have gone longer, but I didn't. The main focus was to attempt to get a more broad spectrum of weights and types of workouts in, and I feel as if I accomplished that. For a traditional day off, it felt good, and it also felt good knowing I haven't lost any muscle mass in my weight loss - but they needed to be nurtured again, to remind me that they are there. I will - hopefully - going forward, add 3 days of a similar routine to my workout schedule. For a traditional day off, at least by my standards, I'll take the added activity. My arms and muscles, also appreciate the love! Cinco de Mayo be damned!
I actually skipped Cinco de Mayo. Which was the first time in a very long time, and I did one better than that, I actually hit the gym!
I didn't, however do any cardio. I spent about 30 minutes in the gym total, focusing on weight training - since I have been feeling as if some of my weight loss has been due to loss of muscle (I do not have any concrete evidence on this, it was just how I was feeling before hitting the gym).
When I hit the gym, no one was present, which was good since I don't enjoy hitting the weights with too many people, seemingly, standing around watching. I don't like the feeling of prying eyes, as if everyone is scrutinizing just how much you can lift. Anyway, it was empty, so my spirits were instantly lifted.
I did my rounds on a few different machines and free weights, so instead of long boring details about how I felt on each machine - by the way, I felt great the entire time, and I even feel my initial thought of "having lost muscle weight" was inaccurate, as I was able to lift longer, not necessarily more (I didn't try) than I had lifted in a long, long time. With that said, I will just list the exercises, machines (if any), weight used, and reps.
Bicep curls - free weight - 20 lbs. each arm - 55 reps
Tricep curls - machine - 20 lb. total - 30 reps
Push ups - floor - no weight - 30 reps
Lat pulldown - machine - 70 lbs. total - 30 reps
Deltoid Laterals - machine - 50 lbs. total - 30 reps
Butterflies - machine - 50 lbs. total - 30 reps
It wasn't a whole lot. I probably could have gone longer, but I didn't. The main focus was to attempt to get a more broad spectrum of weights and types of workouts in, and I feel as if I accomplished that. For a traditional day off, it felt good, and it also felt good knowing I haven't lost any muscle mass in my weight loss - but they needed to be nurtured again, to remind me that they are there. I will - hopefully - going forward, add 3 days of a similar routine to my workout schedule. For a traditional day off, at least by my standards, I'll take the added activity. My arms and muscles, also appreciate the love! Cinco de Mayo be damned!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Day 40: Monday, May 4, 2009
Well, during the day on Monday, I did not feel like going to the gym. I still felt worn down from the weekend all day, and my legs were still aching, much like they had done on Sunday, Day 39 when I cut my workout short, so I really wasn't sure if I'd even make it to the gym, let alone if I'd be able to produce while there. Well, I'm writing this post, so it's obvious I did make it.
Actually, when I got home, I felt good. I had energy, I had a great dinner (tofu chicken and lite Caesar salad in a weight watchers 100 calorie whole wheat pita), and I wasn't going to be denied the gym.
When I got downstairs, I hopped onto a treadmill. I walked the first minute at 4 MPH - as I've stated before, so I can enter my specifications and get the right music set up - before I began to jog at 5.2 MPH. Then, I notice, in front of me is a hockey game (the Penguins vs. the Capitals) and the third period had just begun, which for me, is absolutely perfect - I knew the game would keep my mind off the actually running at hand.
Nine minutes pass - still feeling good, so I know I can go another 5 minutes and hit the 15 minute mark. 15 minutes comes, and I realize, that in order to have been running for 15 minutes, I need to hit the 16 minute mark. As 16 minutes approaches, I decide I'm going to shoot for 20 minutes, I'm just feeling that good. My legs did not ache, my breathing was good, and the game was keeping me occupied (for the most part, I still noticed the time as it inched by, but it was a good game). Then, I hit the 19 minute mark, and think "one more minute" - not so, however, as I realized, one more minute wouldn't suffice me, I needed two more minutes so I could slow my pace at 21 minutes, meaning I would have been running at 5.2 MPH for 20 minutes straight, and I pushed myself to accomplish this feat.
Running for 20 minutes in a row was something that was absolutely unthinkable when I started on day one where I was quoted as saying (when I only ran 10 minutes of the full 30 minutes), "At least a few times, I had the thought in my mind that I should just stop - that running was way too hard for me . . ." Indeed, it used to be excruciating pain to run just one minute of every 3, so to run for 20 minutes straight, is really a great, great accomplishment!!! I may get that 5 k yet!!!
So I did it, I slowed at the 21 minute mark, but what I did, was walk for only one minute before picking my pace back up. I then proceeded to jog for the next 5 minutes, before slowing again to begin my cool down session.
In total, I ran 25 minutes at 5.2 MPH (and 25 of the first 27 minutes) for a distance of 2.17 miles, I walked at 4 MPH for 5 minutes for a distance of .33 miles. Complete with cool down, I completed 2.53 miles in 31 minutes. And with that, my workout was complete. For someone who didn't think they'd even make it to the gym, I feel it was a great accomplishment. I am still glowing today (Tuesday) from it!!!!
On Monday, also, I got an unsolicited "you look like you're losing weight" comment from an unexpected source. It was nice to hear - and I think it added to my motivation for the day.
Actually, when I got home, I felt good. I had energy, I had a great dinner (tofu chicken and lite Caesar salad in a weight watchers 100 calorie whole wheat pita), and I wasn't going to be denied the gym.
When I got downstairs, I hopped onto a treadmill. I walked the first minute at 4 MPH - as I've stated before, so I can enter my specifications and get the right music set up - before I began to jog at 5.2 MPH. Then, I notice, in front of me is a hockey game (the Penguins vs. the Capitals) and the third period had just begun, which for me, is absolutely perfect - I knew the game would keep my mind off the actually running at hand.
Nine minutes pass - still feeling good, so I know I can go another 5 minutes and hit the 15 minute mark. 15 minutes comes, and I realize, that in order to have been running for 15 minutes, I need to hit the 16 minute mark. As 16 minutes approaches, I decide I'm going to shoot for 20 minutes, I'm just feeling that good. My legs did not ache, my breathing was good, and the game was keeping me occupied (for the most part, I still noticed the time as it inched by, but it was a good game). Then, I hit the 19 minute mark, and think "one more minute" - not so, however, as I realized, one more minute wouldn't suffice me, I needed two more minutes so I could slow my pace at 21 minutes, meaning I would have been running at 5.2 MPH for 20 minutes straight, and I pushed myself to accomplish this feat.
Running for 20 minutes in a row was something that was absolutely unthinkable when I started on day one where I was quoted as saying (when I only ran 10 minutes of the full 30 minutes), "At least a few times, I had the thought in my mind that I should just stop - that running was way too hard for me . . ." Indeed, it used to be excruciating pain to run just one minute of every 3, so to run for 20 minutes straight, is really a great, great accomplishment!!! I may get that 5 k yet!!!
So I did it, I slowed at the 21 minute mark, but what I did, was walk for only one minute before picking my pace back up. I then proceeded to jog for the next 5 minutes, before slowing again to begin my cool down session.
In total, I ran 25 minutes at 5.2 MPH (and 25 of the first 27 minutes) for a distance of 2.17 miles, I walked at 4 MPH for 5 minutes for a distance of .33 miles. Complete with cool down, I completed 2.53 miles in 31 minutes. And with that, my workout was complete. For someone who didn't think they'd even make it to the gym, I feel it was a great accomplishment. I am still glowing today (Tuesday) from it!!!!
On Monday, also, I got an unsolicited "you look like you're losing weight" comment from an unexpected source. It was nice to hear - and I think it added to my motivation for the day.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Week 16 Recap
Well, this has been my first fully reported on week in quite some time. This is the week where I also started eating differently. The difference in my eating habits is in that I realized I have to eat more, in order to lose the weight, but in eating more, I needed to eat healthier options. I had been eating a lot of processed foods, and that is never a good thing. With that said, it is time to see how the new eating habits and workout regime have benefited me, if at all.
The workouts went fairly smoothly this week. I really pushed myself when on the treadmill to run for as long as I possibly could. I increased my running times for 3 of the 4 days (on the 4th day, I was extremely drained). I had a total distance of 2.53 miles on Monday, 2.47 miles on Wednesday - of which I ran longer than Monday, but at a slower rate, and 3.30 miles on Thursday - when I completed 40 minutes of activity. Sunday, I only completed 20 minutes for 1.58 miles total.
On to my weigh-ins. I was extremely surprised to see a 196 on the scale on Sunday morning, but then I was equally disappointed to see a 200 at the end of the day on the scale. All in all, with the average, my current weight is 198 pounds, which is the least I have weighed in since starting this program, and definitely the lowest I've been in a really, really long time - probably 10 years or more.
Last week I had weighed in at 200.8 pounds, so a one week weight loss average of 2.8 pounds, I will take for this one week. It feels good, even though, I dreaded the gym on Sunday, and right now, on Monday morning, I can't say I'm really looking forward to the gym tonight - hopefully that changes, and I keep pushing towards my weight-loss goal.
The workouts went fairly smoothly this week. I really pushed myself when on the treadmill to run for as long as I possibly could. I increased my running times for 3 of the 4 days (on the 4th day, I was extremely drained). I had a total distance of 2.53 miles on Monday, 2.47 miles on Wednesday - of which I ran longer than Monday, but at a slower rate, and 3.30 miles on Thursday - when I completed 40 minutes of activity. Sunday, I only completed 20 minutes for 1.58 miles total.
On to my weigh-ins. I was extremely surprised to see a 196 on the scale on Sunday morning, but then I was equally disappointed to see a 200 at the end of the day on the scale. All in all, with the average, my current weight is 198 pounds, which is the least I have weighed in since starting this program, and definitely the lowest I've been in a really, really long time - probably 10 years or more.
Last week I had weighed in at 200.8 pounds, so a one week weight loss average of 2.8 pounds, I will take for this one week. It feels good, even though, I dreaded the gym on Sunday, and right now, on Monday morning, I can't say I'm really looking forward to the gym tonight - hopefully that changes, and I keep pushing towards my weight-loss goal.
Day 39: Sunday, May 3, 2009
I woke up today knowing I had to get to the gym. It had been a couple of days since I had made it there, so I made it a point to go as soon as I got the chance, which just happened to be after an early morning grocery store run to buy my weeks worth of fruits and vegetables.
I got the gym and I really wasn't feeling it, but I knew I had to do some activity or else risk missing my third day in a row. So I start with the free weights. I do a few sets of curls before realizing, it was time for me to get onto the treadmill.
On the treadmill, I felt like I had lead in my shoes. My running was labored and my breathing was hard. Also, the sun was shining brightly into my eyes - and the windows at the gym do not provide any shades to stop this phenomena. With all that being the case, I was not able to go a full 30 minutes - and definitely didn't complete anything more than that.
In total, I completed 50 curls of a 20 lb. weight per each arm. On the treadmill, I walked at 4 MPH for 8 minutes for a distance of .53 miles, I ran for 3 minutes at 5.5 for a distance of .27 miles, and I ran at 5 MPH for 9 minutes for a distance of .75 miles. Complete with cool down, I completed just 21 minutes for 1.58 miles.
It wasn't a spectacular workout, but it was more activity than I had done previously, but as I mentioned, my legs were drained - walking the previous day around Chicago, and walking to the grocery store that morning had made them rubber - so I am content with the extra 1.58 I added to my day worth of activity.
I got the gym and I really wasn't feeling it, but I knew I had to do some activity or else risk missing my third day in a row. So I start with the free weights. I do a few sets of curls before realizing, it was time for me to get onto the treadmill.
On the treadmill, I felt like I had lead in my shoes. My running was labored and my breathing was hard. Also, the sun was shining brightly into my eyes - and the windows at the gym do not provide any shades to stop this phenomena. With all that being the case, I was not able to go a full 30 minutes - and definitely didn't complete anything more than that.
In total, I completed 50 curls of a 20 lb. weight per each arm. On the treadmill, I walked at 4 MPH for 8 minutes for a distance of .53 miles, I ran for 3 minutes at 5.5 for a distance of .27 miles, and I ran at 5 MPH for 9 minutes for a distance of .75 miles. Complete with cool down, I completed just 21 minutes for 1.58 miles.
It wasn't a spectacular workout, but it was more activity than I had done previously, but as I mentioned, my legs were drained - walking the previous day around Chicago, and walking to the grocery store that morning had made them rubber - so I am content with the extra 1.58 I added to my day worth of activity.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Day 38: Thursday, April 30, 2009
Well, today I ran (more accurately jogged) - and kind of just kept going. I improved over the previous few days workouts, at least on the treadmill.
When I got on the treadmill, I walked for one minute at 4 MPH - this initial walk, I do not think I will be able to do anything about, since during this time I work to get my weight and age entered into the treadmill and to make sure everything is as it should be - at any rate, I walked for the first minute, and then I began at 5.2 MPH. I ran for the next 14 minutes straight before slowing my pace again to 4 MPH to catch my breath. One minute of walking later, I began to run again, and ran for the next 4 minutes, until the total time on the treadmill totaled 20 minutes.
I then slowed again, and began to walk, this time, for two minutes before upping my speed to 5.2 MPH again, which I then ran for 3 minutes before again slowing my speed. I slowed again after 2 minutes and then walked another one, before upping my speed for another 2 minutes - effectively giving me 24 minutes worth of running in 30 minutes.
But I wasn't done. At the 30 minute mark, I walked until 31 minutes into my workout and began to run again. I ran for another 3 minutes, growing weary at this point, before again slowing to a walk. I had to do it though, I had to push myself to get to 30 minutes worth of running in 40 minutes time. I upped my speed after another minute of walking, and ran for 2 minutes, I was almost there, but I had to slow. I walked for 30 seconds before upping my speed to run that final minute needed. I then slowed to a walk to complete my workout and cooled down for a minute at varying slowing speeds.
What I did accomplish, even though my speed was only 5.2 MPH during the times which I ran, was completing 3.1 miles (the distance of a 5k) in about 38 minutes. Something, that a few months ago seemed highly unlikely! And while I was tired, I wasn't THAT exhausted. Yes, I did have to slow my pace at the times that I did, and yes, towards the end of my time tonight, I was worn down - my legs ached slightly, but mostly, my breathing was becoming increasingly intense. I probably could have continued, but I figured, why push myself too far too fast? After all, running for 30 minutes out of 40, even at the pace of 5.2 MPH, is a big deal for me, and I'm happy I was able to complete the task (though, technically, I did not set out for this to be the task, but as time moved forth, I knew I could do it, and began striving for it).
In total, I walked 10 minutes at 4 MPH for a distance of 0.67 miles, I ran at 5.2 MPH for 30 minutes for a distance of 2.60 miles, and complete with cool down, I completed 41 minutes for a distance of 3.30 miles. It was definitely a good workout, and I am certainly moving in the right direction again (after my weeks of falling off, due to circumstances or otherwise). This week has been a good week - and good for motivation.
When I got on the treadmill, I walked for one minute at 4 MPH - this initial walk, I do not think I will be able to do anything about, since during this time I work to get my weight and age entered into the treadmill and to make sure everything is as it should be - at any rate, I walked for the first minute, and then I began at 5.2 MPH. I ran for the next 14 minutes straight before slowing my pace again to 4 MPH to catch my breath. One minute of walking later, I began to run again, and ran for the next 4 minutes, until the total time on the treadmill totaled 20 minutes.
I then slowed again, and began to walk, this time, for two minutes before upping my speed to 5.2 MPH again, which I then ran for 3 minutes before again slowing my speed. I slowed again after 2 minutes and then walked another one, before upping my speed for another 2 minutes - effectively giving me 24 minutes worth of running in 30 minutes.
But I wasn't done. At the 30 minute mark, I walked until 31 minutes into my workout and began to run again. I ran for another 3 minutes, growing weary at this point, before again slowing to a walk. I had to do it though, I had to push myself to get to 30 minutes worth of running in 40 minutes time. I upped my speed after another minute of walking, and ran for 2 minutes, I was almost there, but I had to slow. I walked for 30 seconds before upping my speed to run that final minute needed. I then slowed to a walk to complete my workout and cooled down for a minute at varying slowing speeds.
What I did accomplish, even though my speed was only 5.2 MPH during the times which I ran, was completing 3.1 miles (the distance of a 5k) in about 38 minutes. Something, that a few months ago seemed highly unlikely! And while I was tired, I wasn't THAT exhausted. Yes, I did have to slow my pace at the times that I did, and yes, towards the end of my time tonight, I was worn down - my legs ached slightly, but mostly, my breathing was becoming increasingly intense. I probably could have continued, but I figured, why push myself too far too fast? After all, running for 30 minutes out of 40, even at the pace of 5.2 MPH, is a big deal for me, and I'm happy I was able to complete the task (though, technically, I did not set out for this to be the task, but as time moved forth, I knew I could do it, and began striving for it).
In total, I walked 10 minutes at 4 MPH for a distance of 0.67 miles, I ran at 5.2 MPH for 30 minutes for a distance of 2.60 miles, and complete with cool down, I completed 41 minutes for a distance of 3.30 miles. It was definitely a good workout, and I am certainly moving in the right direction again (after my weeks of falling off, due to circumstances or otherwise). This week has been a good week - and good for motivation.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Day 37: Wednesday, April 29, 2009
When I went to the gym on Day 37, I was surprised to see that there was only one other person there. With this revelation, I decided to do some weight training before hoping on the treadmill. I probably only worked about 10 minutes with the weights, but with that time, I was able to push my arms pretty well, while not high with weights, definitely high on intensity and repetitions, since it was only 10 minutes worth of activity.
I began with the weights doing 20 curls (two sets of 10) with a 20 lb. weight for each arm. I then rested and decided to drop the weight to 15 lbs. With the 15 pounds, I did one set of 10 curls, before picking the 20 lb. weight back up. With the 20 lb. weights, I did inclined presses - 2 sets of 10. Then I grabbed the 15 lb. weight again, doing curls into military style presses - I do two sets of 10 reps each for this activity, before finally ending my weight training session by simply curling the 15 lb. weight one final set of 10.
Then I got on the treadmill. I walked the first minute at 4 MPH to get myself into the game, before I upped the speed to 5.2 MPH. At 5.2 MPH, while being slower than Monday's 5.5 MPH, I was hoping to run for a longer duration than Monday - which I both succeeded and failed at. I succeeded in that, I ran for 14 minutes straight (therefore running 14 of the first 15 minutes), however, I failed in that I still only totaled 20 minutes of running at the 5.2 MPH. What I did do, was upped my speed for a minute towards the end to 6.5 MPH. In times I was not running, I walked to catch my breath at 4 MPH. I would have, and probably could have, ran longer, if I didn't have a stitch in my side - it made it really hard to focus on the running and breathing. Still, all in all, running for 21 minutes of 30 minutes is a definite improvement from where I first began when every 1 minute of running made me feel as if my lungs couldn't possibly gasp enough air.
In total, I completed 4 sets of curls with 10 reps each - 2 sets at 15 lbs. and 2 sets at 20 lbs., I completed 2 sets (again, 10 reps per set) of curls into military presses at 15 lbs., and I completed 2 sets (10 reps) of inclined presses with 20 lb. weight per each arm. I'm not a body builder, but it is a place to begin - and I'm happy I got the chance to do some strength training.
On the treadmill, I completed a total of 31 minutes for 2.47 miles. Walking at 4 MPH for 9 minutes for .60 miles, running at 5.2 MPH for 20 minutes for 1.73 miles, and running at 6.5 MPH for one minute for a distance of .11 miles. The remaining distance needed to add up to 2.47 miles came from my cool down session of one minute.
I feel good. I feel like I am accomplishing something. And I feel like I will lose weight this week, without question. My attitude is positive, and I can truly feel that a 5k is not out of my grasp. With as far as I've come, I am certain that, with time, I will be able to complete a 5k within my desired amount of time - that is to say between 30 and 40 minutes. It will certainly be a challenge, but I look forward to the accomplishment.
I began with the weights doing 20 curls (two sets of 10) with a 20 lb. weight for each arm. I then rested and decided to drop the weight to 15 lbs. With the 15 pounds, I did one set of 10 curls, before picking the 20 lb. weight back up. With the 20 lb. weights, I did inclined presses - 2 sets of 10. Then I grabbed the 15 lb. weight again, doing curls into military style presses - I do two sets of 10 reps each for this activity, before finally ending my weight training session by simply curling the 15 lb. weight one final set of 10.
Then I got on the treadmill. I walked the first minute at 4 MPH to get myself into the game, before I upped the speed to 5.2 MPH. At 5.2 MPH, while being slower than Monday's 5.5 MPH, I was hoping to run for a longer duration than Monday - which I both succeeded and failed at. I succeeded in that, I ran for 14 minutes straight (therefore running 14 of the first 15 minutes), however, I failed in that I still only totaled 20 minutes of running at the 5.2 MPH. What I did do, was upped my speed for a minute towards the end to 6.5 MPH. In times I was not running, I walked to catch my breath at 4 MPH. I would have, and probably could have, ran longer, if I didn't have a stitch in my side - it made it really hard to focus on the running and breathing. Still, all in all, running for 21 minutes of 30 minutes is a definite improvement from where I first began when every 1 minute of running made me feel as if my lungs couldn't possibly gasp enough air.
In total, I completed 4 sets of curls with 10 reps each - 2 sets at 15 lbs. and 2 sets at 20 lbs., I completed 2 sets (again, 10 reps per set) of curls into military presses at 15 lbs., and I completed 2 sets (10 reps) of inclined presses with 20 lb. weight per each arm. I'm not a body builder, but it is a place to begin - and I'm happy I got the chance to do some strength training.
On the treadmill, I completed a total of 31 minutes for 2.47 miles. Walking at 4 MPH for 9 minutes for .60 miles, running at 5.2 MPH for 20 minutes for 1.73 miles, and running at 6.5 MPH for one minute for a distance of .11 miles. The remaining distance needed to add up to 2.47 miles came from my cool down session of one minute.
I feel good. I feel like I am accomplishing something. And I feel like I will lose weight this week, without question. My attitude is positive, and I can truly feel that a 5k is not out of my grasp. With as far as I've come, I am certain that, with time, I will be able to complete a 5k within my desired amount of time - that is to say between 30 and 40 minutes. It will certainly be a challenge, but I look forward to the accomplishment.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Day 36: Monday, April 27, 2009
Well, as I said in Week 13-15 Recap that I would be starting keeping a written journal for my workouts again, but to be fair to myself that I am not starting over, and since I don't have a written reminder of how many days I did workout through those weeks, that I would just start again where I left off - hence, this is day 36 on my journal, even though, more than likely, it is somewhere between 40 and 45. For this logs purpose, it is only day 36.
And so the journey continues. Last night, I only had a half an hour to do any activity, and knowing that I still have some pesky pounds to drop, I decided to get on the treadmill. However, I do not run in the traditional fashion (at least the tradition I had begun with the running/walking in three minute intervals) - instead, I run when I feel like running, and slow when I feel like slowing. I would like to say, I still have a "goal" - and I do, but how I get to that goal, or if I even do get to it, is not that important as it used to be to make sure that I ran an exact portion of the three minute intervals. I had begun that "interval" training as a way to improve my conditioning and heart - but now, I feel like I am strong enough to not have to worry about pushing for only a minute of time running and then needing a 2 minute cool down session to be able to run only another minute.
At any rate, last night I began with a short 1 minute walk at 4 MPH before upping the speed to 5.5 MPH. My plan was to run as long as I possibly could at the 5.5 MPH - and really, my "goal" was to get to 10 minutes before slowing - my breathing did not coorporate, and I made it to only the 8:00 mark before slowing my pace - but 7 minutes of pure running (jogging, whatever you want to call it) is much better than I could do at the beginning of 2009.
After that initial run, I went back to walking, but that lasted for only a minute or two, and then I ran some more. This trend continued, where I ran as "much as I could" before taking a minute or two "resting" period and slowing my pace before picking the pace back up. The ultimate goal for me (and the reason I try to push myself out of the gate is to be able to obtain this goal) is to run for 20 of the 30 minutes on the treadmill. I labored towards the end - when I had 3 more minutes worth of running remaining, with only 5 or 6 more minutes of treadmill time left, but I made it to my goal.
In total, I ran at 5.5 MPH for 20 minutes (pushing myself to finish that last minute and a half) for a distance of 1.83 miles. I also walked at 4 MPH for 10 minutes for a total distance of 0.67 miles. Complete with cool down, I completed 31 minutes for a total of 2.53 miles. Not quite the 3.1 miles needed to complete a 5k within 30 minutes, but definitely a good starting point, at least, a starting point from this day forth - from the past, it is much better than the 2.20 miles I was able to complete on day 1 of my program.
I did not complete any strength training on this day.
And so the journey continues. Last night, I only had a half an hour to do any activity, and knowing that I still have some pesky pounds to drop, I decided to get on the treadmill. However, I do not run in the traditional fashion (at least the tradition I had begun with the running/walking in three minute intervals) - instead, I run when I feel like running, and slow when I feel like slowing. I would like to say, I still have a "goal" - and I do, but how I get to that goal, or if I even do get to it, is not that important as it used to be to make sure that I ran an exact portion of the three minute intervals. I had begun that "interval" training as a way to improve my conditioning and heart - but now, I feel like I am strong enough to not have to worry about pushing for only a minute of time running and then needing a 2 minute cool down session to be able to run only another minute.
At any rate, last night I began with a short 1 minute walk at 4 MPH before upping the speed to 5.5 MPH. My plan was to run as long as I possibly could at the 5.5 MPH - and really, my "goal" was to get to 10 minutes before slowing - my breathing did not coorporate, and I made it to only the 8:00 mark before slowing my pace - but 7 minutes of pure running (jogging, whatever you want to call it) is much better than I could do at the beginning of 2009.
After that initial run, I went back to walking, but that lasted for only a minute or two, and then I ran some more. This trend continued, where I ran as "much as I could" before taking a minute or two "resting" period and slowing my pace before picking the pace back up. The ultimate goal for me (and the reason I try to push myself out of the gate is to be able to obtain this goal) is to run for 20 of the 30 minutes on the treadmill. I labored towards the end - when I had 3 more minutes worth of running remaining, with only 5 or 6 more minutes of treadmill time left, but I made it to my goal.
In total, I ran at 5.5 MPH for 20 minutes (pushing myself to finish that last minute and a half) for a distance of 1.83 miles. I also walked at 4 MPH for 10 minutes for a total distance of 0.67 miles. Complete with cool down, I completed 31 minutes for a total of 2.53 miles. Not quite the 3.1 miles needed to complete a 5k within 30 minutes, but definitely a good starting point, at least, a starting point from this day forth - from the past, it is much better than the 2.20 miles I was able to complete on day 1 of my program.
I did not complete any strength training on this day.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Week 13-15 Recap
Okay, so things haven't been going too smoothly for me, at least, in the realm of posting my workouts and updating my progress. This is due to a few factors. As I said in A New Regime I was under the impression that my workouts were becoming too abstract, and with that said, it would be difficult to write out the workouts, but I have since gotten comfortable in the gym, and found my niche, meaning, the workouts are more productive as they become more streamlined and less abstract. With that said, I will now recap the past three weeks now, since I had lagged behind.
As for the "workout number" I am on, I cannot say. I know I have worked out a few times each week at the very least - but with that said, going forward, I will start right where I left off - from Day 36 will be posted for Monday, April 27's workout.
However, this post is about the recap. My weight has been, as follows:
Last time I posted my weight was in the post New Beginning and I weighed 206 pounds at that point. For the past three weigh-ins since that post:
April 12th - 203.5 pounds
April 19th - 202.25 pounds
April 26th - 200.8 pounds
And what we can see here, is that there have been results. No, the pounds are not melting away effortlessly, but they are melting away.
In fact, yesterday, I hit a milestone that I have been becoming increasingly pushing towards - I ran 21 minutes of 30 total minutes on the treadmill. 20 minutes at 5 MPH, and 1 minute at a "sprint" of 6.5 MPH - and I would have sprinted at a faster clip, if the treadmill would provide me with an easier way to lower my speed, once my sprint is over; that is to say, instead of just jumping off.
At any rate, with the better balance and better structure, I hope to continue with my posts again. It seems, with them, comes a sense of responsibility to myself to ensure my hard work is monitored and continues to be increased. I did complete 2.41 miles in 30 minutes on my workout for Sunday (sorry, the post for that workout will not be updated, since I am planning on going forward from here and Sunday was the end of week eleven) - but 2.41 miles is inching closer to the 3.1 for a 5k I hope to complete. First things first, I need to be in better shape, and likely shed 10-15 pounds of fat still along the way. Working out feels good, reporting it, even if only to myself, feels great!
A 5k will be mine in the future, I have no doubt about that.
As for the "workout number" I am on, I cannot say. I know I have worked out a few times each week at the very least - but with that said, going forward, I will start right where I left off - from Day 36 will be posted for Monday, April 27's workout.
However, this post is about the recap. My weight has been, as follows:
Last time I posted my weight was in the post New Beginning and I weighed 206 pounds at that point. For the past three weigh-ins since that post:
April 12th - 203.5 pounds
April 19th - 202.25 pounds
April 26th - 200.8 pounds
And what we can see here, is that there have been results. No, the pounds are not melting away effortlessly, but they are melting away.
In fact, yesterday, I hit a milestone that I have been becoming increasingly pushing towards - I ran 21 minutes of 30 total minutes on the treadmill. 20 minutes at 5 MPH, and 1 minute at a "sprint" of 6.5 MPH - and I would have sprinted at a faster clip, if the treadmill would provide me with an easier way to lower my speed, once my sprint is over; that is to say, instead of just jumping off.
At any rate, with the better balance and better structure, I hope to continue with my posts again. It seems, with them, comes a sense of responsibility to myself to ensure my hard work is monitored and continues to be increased. I did complete 2.41 miles in 30 minutes on my workout for Sunday (sorry, the post for that workout will not be updated, since I am planning on going forward from here and Sunday was the end of week eleven) - but 2.41 miles is inching closer to the 3.1 for a 5k I hope to complete. First things first, I need to be in better shape, and likely shed 10-15 pounds of fat still along the way. Working out feels good, reporting it, even if only to myself, feels great!
A 5k will be mine in the future, I have no doubt about that.
Friday, April 17, 2009
A New Regime
So, not for lack of want, or lack of working, have I not posted lately, but for a change in regime. I have been going to the gym fairly regularly (an injured knee has altered my strategy, but not deterred me), but what I noticed, is with a gym at my disposal - my workouts are becoming much more abstract and much more full body intensive.
With that said, it is hard to me to gauge and remember exactly what I have done with my workouts each and every day - and with that said, I cannot report my specific workouts any longer. Sure, I could write down what I have done as soon as I do it - but that will take away from what I could be doing for my body. Somehow, this website's needs does not come before my own.
I will still happily write updates on a weekly basis - and possibly even talk about some of the specific workouts that I did for the week at that time, but to write up the individual, abstract workouts, does not seem plausible.
With that said, I feel my body is back on the downward trend of losing weight - and again, it feels great after a period of being without. Look for my weekly recap on Monday, as usual.
With that said, it is hard to me to gauge and remember exactly what I have done with my workouts each and every day - and with that said, I cannot report my specific workouts any longer. Sure, I could write down what I have done as soon as I do it - but that will take away from what I could be doing for my body. Somehow, this website's needs does not come before my own.
I will still happily write updates on a weekly basis - and possibly even talk about some of the specific workouts that I did for the week at that time, but to write up the individual, abstract workouts, does not seem plausible.
With that said, I feel my body is back on the downward trend of losing weight - and again, it feels great after a period of being without. Look for my weekly recap on Monday, as usual.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Day 35: Monday, April 6, 2009
Another day, and another workout. I have to say, I didn't feel much like going to the gym, but I did. Then I didn't feel like finishing my time on the treadmill, but again I did. So, at least things are going right in that regard. I do know, that once my workout was complete, I felt extremely good, sore, but good.
On day 2 of the new beginning, and day 35 of the year - I began with a set of free weight curls of 20 lbs. per arm. I opened with a set of 15, followed by a set of 10 per arm. I then moved onto the treadmill.
On the treadmill, my eyes started out larger than my stomach - or, at least, my mind started thinking bigger than my legs and heart would allow. I began at 4.5 MPH for my 2 minute warm-up before running my first minute at 6 MPH - as the rain winded down, I decided it was best to go back to my traditional 4 MPH walking speed.
I alternated walking at 4 MPH for 2 minutes for every 1 minute running at 6 MPH. I completed the total of 30 minutes, even though, at the 15 minute mark I seriously wanted to quit - and then again at the 20 minute mark ... but I did not give in to the "easy way out" and kept running even though my legs were BURNING given the previous day's squats.
When I was done with the treadmill, I went back to the free weights and completed another couple sets of curls with the 20 lb. weight per arm. Again, I did a set of 15 and a set of 10 each.
In total, I walked 20 minutes at 4 MPH (the additional .5 MPH on the first two minutes was negligible, and thus, no need to really report on it) for a distance of 1.33 miles, I ran 10 minutes at 6 MPH for a distance of 1.00 miles, and total with cool down, I completed 2.38 miles in 31 total minutes. I also did 50 curls per arm of a 20 lb. weight.
The new beginning is off to a good start.
On day 2 of the new beginning, and day 35 of the year - I began with a set of free weight curls of 20 lbs. per arm. I opened with a set of 15, followed by a set of 10 per arm. I then moved onto the treadmill.
On the treadmill, my eyes started out larger than my stomach - or, at least, my mind started thinking bigger than my legs and heart would allow. I began at 4.5 MPH for my 2 minute warm-up before running my first minute at 6 MPH - as the rain winded down, I decided it was best to go back to my traditional 4 MPH walking speed.
I alternated walking at 4 MPH for 2 minutes for every 1 minute running at 6 MPH. I completed the total of 30 minutes, even though, at the 15 minute mark I seriously wanted to quit - and then again at the 20 minute mark ... but I did not give in to the "easy way out" and kept running even though my legs were BURNING given the previous day's squats.
When I was done with the treadmill, I went back to the free weights and completed another couple sets of curls with the 20 lb. weight per arm. Again, I did a set of 15 and a set of 10 each.
In total, I walked 20 minutes at 4 MPH (the additional .5 MPH on the first two minutes was negligible, and thus, no need to really report on it) for a distance of 1.33 miles, I ran 10 minutes at 6 MPH for a distance of 1.00 miles, and total with cool down, I completed 2.38 miles in 31 total minutes. I also did 50 curls per arm of a 20 lb. weight.
The new beginning is off to a good start.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Day 34: Sunday, April 5, 2009
I debated with myself whether I should use "Day 1" or "Day 34" as my starting point after taking such a lengthy period off, however, I decided, since this is a lifestyle change - that, even with the time off, I have not drastically killed my body - and thus, it is all part of the overall effect I have, and that is why, I decided that day 34 will suffice. I am not starting over from day 1, and thus, I should not reflect that I am starting over.
As I wrote previously on the post New Beginning I now have a gym at my disposal. This means, there will be some things that are inaccurate from what I previously wrote. Most notably will be that on Sunday, I was able to run at 6 MPH, rather than my customary 5 MPH. The speed of the new treadmill in the gym, just seemed a lot slower than the 5 MPH I was used to with my home treadmill. With that said, I don't know which is correct, but if I did run at 6 MPH on Sunday, then I have to believe I was running at a much greater clip with the home treadmill, though, I could be wrong - since the home treadmill was more confining due to lack of space. At any rate, the discrepancies shouldn't raise too much concern going forward, so long as I am keeping my body active.
On Day 34, I completed 30 minutes on the treadmill. Due to my month long inactivity, I decided to "start anew" and begin with my old starting times of 2 minutes walking for every one minute running. With that said, I walked 20 minutes at 4 MPH for a distance of 1.33 miles and ran for 10 minutes at 6 MPH for a distance of 1 mile. With a minute cool down, I totaled 2.37 miles in 31 minutes.
I then lifted weights. I failed to lift weights before and after running, and thus, my arms were too fatigued to lift for too great a time. With that said, I used free weights, with 20 lbs. per arm - and completed 35 reps each. I also completed 15 squats while holding a 25 lb. weight in each hand.
The activity felt good. I can't wait to go back tonight and refocus my efforts of getting into shape and getting healthy.
As I wrote previously on the post New Beginning I now have a gym at my disposal. This means, there will be some things that are inaccurate from what I previously wrote. Most notably will be that on Sunday, I was able to run at 6 MPH, rather than my customary 5 MPH. The speed of the new treadmill in the gym, just seemed a lot slower than the 5 MPH I was used to with my home treadmill. With that said, I don't know which is correct, but if I did run at 6 MPH on Sunday, then I have to believe I was running at a much greater clip with the home treadmill, though, I could be wrong - since the home treadmill was more confining due to lack of space. At any rate, the discrepancies shouldn't raise too much concern going forward, so long as I am keeping my body active.
On Day 34, I completed 30 minutes on the treadmill. Due to my month long inactivity, I decided to "start anew" and begin with my old starting times of 2 minutes walking for every one minute running. With that said, I walked 20 minutes at 4 MPH for a distance of 1.33 miles and ran for 10 minutes at 6 MPH for a distance of 1 mile. With a minute cool down, I totaled 2.37 miles in 31 minutes.
I then lifted weights. I failed to lift weights before and after running, and thus, my arms were too fatigued to lift for too great a time. With that said, I used free weights, with 20 lbs. per arm - and completed 35 reps each. I also completed 15 squats while holding a 25 lb. weight in each hand.
The activity felt good. I can't wait to go back tonight and refocus my efforts of getting into shape and getting healthy.
New Beginning : Week 9-12 Recap
Okay, so I've been M.I.A. for quite sometime. This was due to circumstances in my life that had changed my time, philosophy, and effort. No excuses, really, except I moved, and early in the stages of moving, I got rid of the treadmill. Being in Chicago, it has still been too cold to run/walk outside, and thus, all activity ceased for the period. I attempted to still eat well, though, some days, this even fell by the wayside. Once we were even closer to moving, we no longer had food in the house, which meant eating out daily ... the results show.
I weighed myself on Sunday, April 5th, the day of my new beginning - and the average for the day came in at 206 pounds. Still, a far cry from the 226 pounds I began at, but certainly not below 200 - which I had been before falling off in my practice.
Today, April 5th begins my dedication to my body again. I now have a gym to utilize, and I used it yesterday - it seemed, so much better and easier. I used the treadmill for my customary 30 minutes - but, what I found, was running at 5 MPH was, well, SLOW - so I don't know if this treadmill is the more accurate of the two, or if my old treadmill was - either way, you will find some inconsistency to my new beginning, but I am not to worried about them - the main thing is, activity of some sort. Also, I have a full array of machines and weights at my disposal now - so here too, you will see inconsistencies, but hopefully an overall better benefit to my body.
Without delay, the new beginning is upon me . . .
I weighed myself on Sunday, April 5th, the day of my new beginning - and the average for the day came in at 206 pounds. Still, a far cry from the 226 pounds I began at, but certainly not below 200 - which I had been before falling off in my practice.
Today, April 5th begins my dedication to my body again. I now have a gym to utilize, and I used it yesterday - it seemed, so much better and easier. I used the treadmill for my customary 30 minutes - but, what I found, was running at 5 MPH was, well, SLOW - so I don't know if this treadmill is the more accurate of the two, or if my old treadmill was - either way, you will find some inconsistency to my new beginning, but I am not to worried about them - the main thing is, activity of some sort. Also, I have a full array of machines and weights at my disposal now - so here too, you will see inconsistencies, but hopefully an overall better benefit to my body.
Without delay, the new beginning is upon me . . .
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Week Eight Recap
What can I say, there isn't much to recap. I completed the equivalent of one workout over the course of two days. It was not a productive week due to quite a few things beyond my control, and then other things I just couldn't not control or use in my favor (stress from work).
There is no one to blame but myself - and so I hopped on the scale on Sunday as usual. What I found, is based on my eating habits that have endured, even in times of inactivity, that I was still able to lose weight from the previous week, but not by much, and I still am not back to my weight low from two weeks ago. Even still, if it's a lifestyle, I can't beat myself up over a missed week, or if the missed time endures.
I weighed in on Sunday at 198.5 lbs in the morning, and 203.0 lbs in the evening, for an average, net weight of 200.75 lbs - or 200 lbs. and 12 ounces. Like I said, for the lack of activity, I will take the one pound loss from last week.
I really need to find my motivation again, however, or I risk falling into the same rut and bad habits that created the weight gain to begin with. Hopefully, the weather can improve and I can at least get outside for some "sneaky" workouts by way of playing with and/or walking the dogs - anything would be better than nothing.
There is no one to blame but myself - and so I hopped on the scale on Sunday as usual. What I found, is based on my eating habits that have endured, even in times of inactivity, that I was still able to lose weight from the previous week, but not by much, and I still am not back to my weight low from two weeks ago. Even still, if it's a lifestyle, I can't beat myself up over a missed week, or if the missed time endures.
I weighed in on Sunday at 198.5 lbs in the morning, and 203.0 lbs in the evening, for an average, net weight of 200.75 lbs - or 200 lbs. and 12 ounces. Like I said, for the lack of activity, I will take the one pound loss from last week.
I really need to find my motivation again, however, or I risk falling into the same rut and bad habits that created the weight gain to begin with. Hopefully, the weather can improve and I can at least get outside for some "sneaky" workouts by way of playing with and/or walking the dogs - anything would be better than nothing.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Day 33: Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Today, I completed a very abstract workout. That is to say, I did some curls, but do not remember exactly how many I completed. If I had to guess - I would say I hit about 75 or so (if not a lot more, but it's hard to say). I also did 20 military presses with my same 40 lb. weight.
I then got on the treadmill, I only had limited time, but I felt the need to make up for the previous evening, where I was forced to stop early, in order to effectively ward off any migraine that may have been creeping in.
My run was sufficient, and I actually pushed my limits a bit in the 15 minutes I had to spare. I ran two times for 3 minutes a piece, as I said, slightly pushing my limits.
In all, I walked at 4 MPH for 6 minutes for 0.40 miles, I ran 9 minutes at 5 MPH for 0.75 miles, and in total with the cool down, I completed 1.18 miles in 16 minutes.
For the rest of this week, I want to get back into my normal routine of 30-minutes spent on the treadmill - which shouldn't be an issue since i have nothing planned throughout the week.
I then got on the treadmill, I only had limited time, but I felt the need to make up for the previous evening, where I was forced to stop early, in order to effectively ward off any migraine that may have been creeping in.
My run was sufficient, and I actually pushed my limits a bit in the 15 minutes I had to spare. I ran two times for 3 minutes a piece, as I said, slightly pushing my limits.
In all, I walked at 4 MPH for 6 minutes for 0.40 miles, I ran 9 minutes at 5 MPH for 0.75 miles, and in total with the cool down, I completed 1.18 miles in 16 minutes.
For the rest of this week, I want to get back into my normal routine of 30-minutes spent on the treadmill - which shouldn't be an issue since i have nothing planned throughout the week.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Day 32: Monday, March 2, 2009
Today was my day to get back on the horse, after slacking immensely last week. All my previous cravings have been quashed, and I felt this week would be a great one. However, my workout did not go according to plan, as my body seemed to work against me.
I began by doing 60 reps of curls of the 40 lb. weight. It felt good, and my arms were groaning slightly at the activity, which is a custom of mine before getting on the treadmill - typically, I have been completing 30 reps after my treadmill activity to get to the 90 total reps I have been reporting, today, I never got to those additional reps.
I began my time on the treadmill in the traditional mode - walking at 4 MPH for 1:30 and then running at 5 MPH for 1:30 and repeating until I reach my goal of 30 minutes. Today, I only completed 15 minutes, and the strange thing is, I don't feel guilty for stopping early.
As I ran today, I began to notice the lights of the treadmill seemed brighter than usual - and they began to seriously affect my eyes. Ever time I blinked, I saw "spots" - which in my world, is a great indication of a potential onset of a migraine. I closed my eyes, but not a good idea while running on a treadmill, so I began slowing my pace - the time read 14:54 the last I read it. I slowed enough until I could manage walking comfortably enough while holding a towel over my face in order to keep the light from my eyes. Eventually, I stopped the treadmill (after increasingly slower intervals) and sat down, still holding the towel over my face. I kept this position for a few minutes before jumping in the shower.
Sure, I never did develop a migraine - but I did not want to go back to the treadmill, just in case the irritation returned. I am not exactly happy about only completing half of my time, yet, in the same breath, I am happy I was able to recognize the triggers of a potentially migraine and not force my body to continue if it was not willing. Recognition of one's body is the key to health, and migraines are included.
In all, I completed 7:30 walking at 4 MPH for 0.50 miles, running at 5 MPH of 7:30 for 0.625 miles, and total of - with cool down estimated since I did not look at the clock or miles completed after seeing the 14:54 time (near conclusion of my run leading up to the 15-minute mark) I completed a total of about 16:00 minutes for 1.16 miles.
I did complete my 60 reps of the 40 lb. weight as mentioned above.
I plan on doing my best to make up the lost time, at least, on Tuesday night - if things work in my favor with a Tuesday, which is usually jam-packed day in my world. Hopefully, I can find a moment to myself to make up the lost time.
I began by doing 60 reps of curls of the 40 lb. weight. It felt good, and my arms were groaning slightly at the activity, which is a custom of mine before getting on the treadmill - typically, I have been completing 30 reps after my treadmill activity to get to the 90 total reps I have been reporting, today, I never got to those additional reps.
I began my time on the treadmill in the traditional mode - walking at 4 MPH for 1:30 and then running at 5 MPH for 1:30 and repeating until I reach my goal of 30 minutes. Today, I only completed 15 minutes, and the strange thing is, I don't feel guilty for stopping early.
As I ran today, I began to notice the lights of the treadmill seemed brighter than usual - and they began to seriously affect my eyes. Ever time I blinked, I saw "spots" - which in my world, is a great indication of a potential onset of a migraine. I closed my eyes, but not a good idea while running on a treadmill, so I began slowing my pace - the time read 14:54 the last I read it. I slowed enough until I could manage walking comfortably enough while holding a towel over my face in order to keep the light from my eyes. Eventually, I stopped the treadmill (after increasingly slower intervals) and sat down, still holding the towel over my face. I kept this position for a few minutes before jumping in the shower.
Sure, I never did develop a migraine - but I did not want to go back to the treadmill, just in case the irritation returned. I am not exactly happy about only completing half of my time, yet, in the same breath, I am happy I was able to recognize the triggers of a potentially migraine and not force my body to continue if it was not willing. Recognition of one's body is the key to health, and migraines are included.
In all, I completed 7:30 walking at 4 MPH for 0.50 miles, running at 5 MPH of 7:30 for 0.625 miles, and total of - with cool down estimated since I did not look at the clock or miles completed after seeing the 14:54 time (near conclusion of my run leading up to the 15-minute mark) I completed a total of about 16:00 minutes for 1.16 miles.
I did complete my 60 reps of the 40 lb. weight as mentioned above.
I plan on doing my best to make up the lost time, at least, on Tuesday night - if things work in my favor with a Tuesday, which is usually jam-packed day in my world. Hopefully, I can find a moment to myself to make up the lost time.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Week Seven Recap
Seven weeks. I've worked out for seven weeks in a row! It's a great accomplishment, and I hope to continue to build on this!
Week seven was not necessarily a productive or active week for me. This wasn't all by choice, but sometimes, some things are just out of our hands. I did, however, find time and energy and effort to work out 4 times. Which is 4 times more than I would have worked out on typical weeks before beginning my regime.
I also ate a lot more than I believe I should, and I know this will be reflective on the scale, but just how much, however, I could not say leading up to my weigh in. What I did do, was eat out, and eat junk far too often over the course of the week. Which is good and bad.
First, how can this possibly be considered a good thing? Well, it makes me aware of just how much is "too much" and it also gives me new resolve. All the cravings I had felt, leading up to my binge, have been quashed. Meaning, I can now move forward over the coming weeks with a new found energy and spirit - not wanting to slide too far for too long.
Yes, it is bad. Yes, I gained weight, and yes, that is a set back. However, I really, really feel more motivated now, knowing my binge did not wreck everything I had done previously - after all, in the previous 6 weeks, I had lost 13 pounds, and since the time I "maxed out" I have lost over 30 - it would be very hard to put all that weight back on in just one short week. So I have found new resolve to start week eight with a bang.
But for week seven, I weighed in. Even though I did dread it, it was Sunday, and thus, by design, I was forced to endure the unforgiving scale. Last week, I was under 200 pounds for the first time in a long time, weighing in at 199.75 for the average - this week, however, that was not to be.
In the morning, I weighed in at 200.8 lbs. and in the evening, I weighted in at exactly 203 pounds - for an average net weight for the day of 201.9 lbs, or 201 pounds and 14 ounces. For a weekly weight GAIN (the first time I can say this, but it is inevitable, given my week and given that you can't ALWAYS lose) of 2 pounds and 2 ounces.
Yes, it was a weight gain, but no, it is not the end of the world. As I fully admit, I did binge (though, I ate far less per meal than I would have 3 months ago), but in that binge, I got my cravings out of the way so that I can begin to re-focus on my workouts and my weight loss. A small speed bump, nothing more. I look to be back under 200 pounds at next weeks weigh-in.
Week seven was not necessarily a productive or active week for me. This wasn't all by choice, but sometimes, some things are just out of our hands. I did, however, find time and energy and effort to work out 4 times. Which is 4 times more than I would have worked out on typical weeks before beginning my regime.
I also ate a lot more than I believe I should, and I know this will be reflective on the scale, but just how much, however, I could not say leading up to my weigh in. What I did do, was eat out, and eat junk far too often over the course of the week. Which is good and bad.
First, how can this possibly be considered a good thing? Well, it makes me aware of just how much is "too much" and it also gives me new resolve. All the cravings I had felt, leading up to my binge, have been quashed. Meaning, I can now move forward over the coming weeks with a new found energy and spirit - not wanting to slide too far for too long.
Yes, it is bad. Yes, I gained weight, and yes, that is a set back. However, I really, really feel more motivated now, knowing my binge did not wreck everything I had done previously - after all, in the previous 6 weeks, I had lost 13 pounds, and since the time I "maxed out" I have lost over 30 - it would be very hard to put all that weight back on in just one short week. So I have found new resolve to start week eight with a bang.
But for week seven, I weighed in. Even though I did dread it, it was Sunday, and thus, by design, I was forced to endure the unforgiving scale. Last week, I was under 200 pounds for the first time in a long time, weighing in at 199.75 for the average - this week, however, that was not to be.
In the morning, I weighed in at 200.8 lbs. and in the evening, I weighted in at exactly 203 pounds - for an average net weight for the day of 201.9 lbs, or 201 pounds and 14 ounces. For a weekly weight GAIN (the first time I can say this, but it is inevitable, given my week and given that you can't ALWAYS lose) of 2 pounds and 2 ounces.
Yes, it was a weight gain, but no, it is not the end of the world. As I fully admit, I did binge (though, I ate far less per meal than I would have 3 months ago), but in that binge, I got my cravings out of the way so that I can begin to re-focus on my workouts and my weight loss. A small speed bump, nothing more. I look to be back under 200 pounds at next weeks weigh-in.
Day 31: Sunday, March 1, 2009
Day 31 - I have now entered the realm of working out over the course of three months! Something I never would have expected three months ago.
On Day 31, I decided to try to gauge "where I was at" and thus, workout slightly differently than I had previously. I had told my wife, who wants to consider running the the St. Patrick's Day 5k that I would see if my body is ready - after my workout on day 31, I feel I am not ready.
I began my treadmill workout by running - at 6 MPH. This is something I had not done yet before, but something, I felt was possible. I ran for 2 minutes, and I felt good. Some heavy breathing - but not unmanageable. My breaths were deep and cleansing, but I slowed my pace just the same, so as not to push it too hard. I walked at 4 MPH for one minute before running the next two minutes at 5 MPH. Again, my breathing became slightly labored, but not too unmanageable. I again, slowed for one minute to 4 MPH, only to pick up my pace again to 6 MPH for the duration of the next 2 minutes. And that was about the time I realized, I was not ready. My breathing was still good - deep and not hurried, but my throat began to burn, as if it was having a hard time remaining moist enough for air to pass easily. I slowed again to 4 MPH - where I remained for 5 minutes, before running at 5 MPH for the next two - I then slowed again to 4 MPH for the next 5 minutes and concluded my workout.
It started out great, but I know I am not yet ready since I only completed 20 minutes total. I felt my breathing needed the 5 minutes at walking pace just to recover. The plus side of the 20 minute run/walk, however, was that I completed over 1.5 miles - which, as I've stated previously, 1.5 miles is a LOT better than I was doing just 3 months ago! Also, on the plus side, I feel the change in routine provided sufficient shock to my body, and I was feeling it in my legs hours after the run/walk.
In total, I completed 12 minutes of walking at 4 MPH for 0.80 Miles, 4 minutes running at 5 MPH for 0.33 Miles, 4 minutes running at 6 MPH for 0.40 Miles, and so complete with cool down, I completed 1.55 miles in 21 minutes.
I did also complete 90 curls of the 40 lb. weight.
It was certainly a different workout, maybe one I can build off of. For now, I think I should go back to my normal routine in order to build my stamina. A 5k, at least at this juncture, seems unlikely for me.
On Day 31, I decided to try to gauge "where I was at" and thus, workout slightly differently than I had previously. I had told my wife, who wants to consider running the the St. Patrick's Day 5k that I would see if my body is ready - after my workout on day 31, I feel I am not ready.
I began my treadmill workout by running - at 6 MPH. This is something I had not done yet before, but something, I felt was possible. I ran for 2 minutes, and I felt good. Some heavy breathing - but not unmanageable. My breaths were deep and cleansing, but I slowed my pace just the same, so as not to push it too hard. I walked at 4 MPH for one minute before running the next two minutes at 5 MPH. Again, my breathing became slightly labored, but not too unmanageable. I again, slowed for one minute to 4 MPH, only to pick up my pace again to 6 MPH for the duration of the next 2 minutes. And that was about the time I realized, I was not ready. My breathing was still good - deep and not hurried, but my throat began to burn, as if it was having a hard time remaining moist enough for air to pass easily. I slowed again to 4 MPH - where I remained for 5 minutes, before running at 5 MPH for the next two - I then slowed again to 4 MPH for the next 5 minutes and concluded my workout.
It started out great, but I know I am not yet ready since I only completed 20 minutes total. I felt my breathing needed the 5 minutes at walking pace just to recover. The plus side of the 20 minute run/walk, however, was that I completed over 1.5 miles - which, as I've stated previously, 1.5 miles is a LOT better than I was doing just 3 months ago! Also, on the plus side, I feel the change in routine provided sufficient shock to my body, and I was feeling it in my legs hours after the run/walk.
In total, I completed 12 minutes of walking at 4 MPH for 0.80 Miles, 4 minutes running at 5 MPH for 0.33 Miles, 4 minutes running at 6 MPH for 0.40 Miles, and so complete with cool down, I completed 1.55 miles in 21 minutes.
I did also complete 90 curls of the 40 lb. weight.
It was certainly a different workout, maybe one I can build off of. For now, I think I should go back to my normal routine in order to build my stamina. A 5k, at least at this juncture, seems unlikely for me.
Day 30: Saturday, February 28, 2009
Well, I woke up and decided to get my workout out of the way. I wasn't much feeling like pushing myself too much, but I knew some activity would do my body some good.
I got on the treadmill and only completed the minimum - that is to say 1:30 walking at 4 MPH for every 1:30 running at 5 MPH and alternate for 30 minutes. I will have to say, it is very much a good thing that I did my regime in the morning, and not waiting until the afternoon - I never would have gotten in the mood the way my day went.
But for the day, my breathing was pretty even throughout, and I did not really suffer while on the treadmill (nor after I got off, everything was pretty smooth).
In all, I completed 15 minutes of walking for 1.00 miles, 16 minutes of running for 1.33 Miles, and complete with cool down, I did 2.35 miles in 32:30 minutes.
I also completed 105 curls of the 40 lb. weight.
I got on the treadmill and only completed the minimum - that is to say 1:30 walking at 4 MPH for every 1:30 running at 5 MPH and alternate for 30 minutes. I will have to say, it is very much a good thing that I did my regime in the morning, and not waiting until the afternoon - I never would have gotten in the mood the way my day went.
But for the day, my breathing was pretty even throughout, and I did not really suffer while on the treadmill (nor after I got off, everything was pretty smooth).
In all, I completed 15 minutes of walking for 1.00 miles, 16 minutes of running for 1.33 Miles, and complete with cool down, I did 2.35 miles in 32:30 minutes.
I also completed 105 curls of the 40 lb. weight.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Day 29: Thursday, February 26, 2009
I took Tuesday and Wednesday off. I hadn't exactly planned for either, but sometimes, circumstances dictate our lives and nothing can be done about it. Thursday, I got back on the horse.
Today's workout was pretty typical. Beginning with the same intervals from early this week and last week of 1:30 at 4 MPH for every 1:30 at 5 MPH and repeating until 30 minutes have elapsed.
My breathing was fine. My form is getting better. I'm improving myself still, even if I did take the two days off - progress is all that is important though, not dwelling on the failures of any one particular day.
I completed 15:30 walking at 4 MPH - the additional 30 seconds due to the fact that when I completed my final run, out of habit, I simply reduced my speed to 4 MPH, instead of the usual 3 MPH for my cool down - and completed 1.03 miles. I also completed 15:00 running for 1.25 miles. Complete with cool down I completed 31:30 for 2.31 miles.
I also completed 90 reps of the 40 lb. weight - I realize my number of reps have not increase drastically here, but I do also notice that my range of motion and form are improving. I feel I am to the point where I am doing it the right way, and not "short changing" myself in my reps - and thus, I still feel, even though I still say 90 reps, that I am improving in this regard.
I also did 15 squats without any added weight.
Today's workout was pretty typical. Beginning with the same intervals from early this week and last week of 1:30 at 4 MPH for every 1:30 at 5 MPH and repeating until 30 minutes have elapsed.
My breathing was fine. My form is getting better. I'm improving myself still, even if I did take the two days off - progress is all that is important though, not dwelling on the failures of any one particular day.
I completed 15:30 walking at 4 MPH - the additional 30 seconds due to the fact that when I completed my final run, out of habit, I simply reduced my speed to 4 MPH, instead of the usual 3 MPH for my cool down - and completed 1.03 miles. I also completed 15:00 running for 1.25 miles. Complete with cool down I completed 31:30 for 2.31 miles.
I also completed 90 reps of the 40 lb. weight - I realize my number of reps have not increase drastically here, but I do also notice that my range of motion and form are improving. I feel I am to the point where I am doing it the right way, and not "short changing" myself in my reps - and thus, I still feel, even though I still say 90 reps, that I am improving in this regard.
I also did 15 squats without any added weight.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Day 28: Monday, February 23, 2009
Wow, I did not feel like doing anything today. Well, let me take that back - I did, initially, but that quickly changed.
I did my lifting first - only 60 reps of curls before getting on the treadmill. I began with similar intervals to last week 1:30 at 4 MPH followed by 1:30 at 5 MPH. Immediately, I was hot. I was sweating more than usual, and was just plain feeling warm. I didn't know if I was sick or not, or if something was wrong, but I continued. I got to the 6 minute mark and wondered if I should stop. Then the 9 minute mark, same conclusion - should I just stop? I decided I would stop after 15 minutes - where I would slow to walk 5 more minute to complete a full range of 20 minutes.
I did not stop, however. I couldn't allow myself. So I was hot, so what? I was running and working out, isn't sweat expected? Sure, I felt worn down, beat down, but I had a mission to adhere to - I had 30 minutes to complete, the least I could do was complete my minimum time.
So I pushed. Running was easier than it had been since starting the new intervals - the breathing was normal, the strides were steady, but I was just overwhelmingly hot, and I couldn't explain it. But I continued to push - what gain would there be if I wasn't willing to be uncomfortable from time to time? 30 minutes wasn't so bad.
I counted down - 3 runs left, 2 runs left, and finally, the last run. And I completed my "minimum" regime.
I walked at 4 MPH for 15 minutes for 1.00 miles, ran at 5 MPH for 15 minutes for 1.25 miles, and completed with my cool down - 31 minutes for a distance of 2.29 miles.
It was a rough workout, but I'm happy I was able to endure it. I would have felt as if I short changed myself had I not. Tuesday night had been (thus far) a weekly night off, and at this point, I'm thinking it will continue in this trend.
I did my lifting first - only 60 reps of curls before getting on the treadmill. I began with similar intervals to last week 1:30 at 4 MPH followed by 1:30 at 5 MPH. Immediately, I was hot. I was sweating more than usual, and was just plain feeling warm. I didn't know if I was sick or not, or if something was wrong, but I continued. I got to the 6 minute mark and wondered if I should stop. Then the 9 minute mark, same conclusion - should I just stop? I decided I would stop after 15 minutes - where I would slow to walk 5 more minute to complete a full range of 20 minutes.
I did not stop, however. I couldn't allow myself. So I was hot, so what? I was running and working out, isn't sweat expected? Sure, I felt worn down, beat down, but I had a mission to adhere to - I had 30 minutes to complete, the least I could do was complete my minimum time.
So I pushed. Running was easier than it had been since starting the new intervals - the breathing was normal, the strides were steady, but I was just overwhelmingly hot, and I couldn't explain it. But I continued to push - what gain would there be if I wasn't willing to be uncomfortable from time to time? 30 minutes wasn't so bad.
I counted down - 3 runs left, 2 runs left, and finally, the last run. And I completed my "minimum" regime.
I walked at 4 MPH for 15 minutes for 1.00 miles, ran at 5 MPH for 15 minutes for 1.25 miles, and completed with my cool down - 31 minutes for a distance of 2.29 miles.
It was a rough workout, but I'm happy I was able to endure it. I would have felt as if I short changed myself had I not. Tuesday night had been (thus far) a weekly night off, and at this point, I'm thinking it will continue in this trend.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Week Six Recap
With the incoming of week 6, I reevaluated my interval times - reducing the walking portion and increasing the running portion by 15 seconds each. This kept my intervals at a total of 3 - minutes (which they have been since the beginning of week one), but now, with half of the time allotted for each activity.
The new regime brought some new challenges, at least where Monday and Wednesday were considered. On Monday I did find myself laboring a bit with the new timing structure, but I was able to endure and complete my workout. Then, on Wednesday, it was still hard, but I was able to regain my breathing to normal almost instantly after each run.
On Thursday, I learned of the "proper form" for running - to keep your arms at a 90-degree angle and symmetrical (not over-working one arm), to keep your hands loose and thus, not tense, to stand up straight, and to not run hard - or to keep the steps "soft." This added a new dimension to my workout, but I have been holding true to it since - I have even, on Saturday and Sunday, been able to improve my form by way of not feeling forced to keep it, that it comes pretty naturally.
I weighed myself for the average weight on Sunday. My morning weigh-in came in at 198.5 pounds (hooray me!) but my evening weigh-in came in at 201.0 pounds (boo!). The 201.0 was 4 ounces MORE than I weighed in last Sunday in the morning, and only 12 ounces less than my previous evening weigh-in. Seems like I made minimal strides, at least, on my evening weigh-in, but considering my morning was as good as it was, it helped my overall average.
My average weight for the week was still progress - and is under 200 pounds - at 199.75 pounds, or 199 pounds and 12 ounces. For an average total weight loss for the week of 1.5 pounds, or 1 pound, 8 ounces. Not great, but as I've mentioned before, 2 pounds is "healthy" and not to mention, as I lose more, weight loss will inevitably become less as well.
However, I will not complain, I still lost 1.5 pounds - and I'm still moving in the right direction. I would think my ideal weight is in the 185-190 range (BMI calculators put it at 187 to be in the "normal" range), and once I get into that range, I will reevaluate my look - that is to say, do I still have the belly fat or not - and if I need to keep pushing a few pounds off, I will keep going. But for now, I still have 10-15 pounds to go, so maybe, hopefully, that will shed that belly fat and I can start focusing more on building muscle and increasing stamina, rather than just plain weight loss.
Six weeks down - and the results are already pretty noticeable, if even to myself and my scale - at least we are noticing.
The new regime brought some new challenges, at least where Monday and Wednesday were considered. On Monday I did find myself laboring a bit with the new timing structure, but I was able to endure and complete my workout. Then, on Wednesday, it was still hard, but I was able to regain my breathing to normal almost instantly after each run.
On Thursday, I learned of the "proper form" for running - to keep your arms at a 90-degree angle and symmetrical (not over-working one arm), to keep your hands loose and thus, not tense, to stand up straight, and to not run hard - or to keep the steps "soft." This added a new dimension to my workout, but I have been holding true to it since - I have even, on Saturday and Sunday, been able to improve my form by way of not feeling forced to keep it, that it comes pretty naturally.
I weighed myself for the average weight on Sunday. My morning weigh-in came in at 198.5 pounds (hooray me!) but my evening weigh-in came in at 201.0 pounds (boo!). The 201.0 was 4 ounces MORE than I weighed in last Sunday in the morning, and only 12 ounces less than my previous evening weigh-in. Seems like I made minimal strides, at least, on my evening weigh-in, but considering my morning was as good as it was, it helped my overall average.
My average weight for the week was still progress - and is under 200 pounds - at 199.75 pounds, or 199 pounds and 12 ounces. For an average total weight loss for the week of 1.5 pounds, or 1 pound, 8 ounces. Not great, but as I've mentioned before, 2 pounds is "healthy" and not to mention, as I lose more, weight loss will inevitably become less as well.
However, I will not complain, I still lost 1.5 pounds - and I'm still moving in the right direction. I would think my ideal weight is in the 185-190 range (BMI calculators put it at 187 to be in the "normal" range), and once I get into that range, I will reevaluate my look - that is to say, do I still have the belly fat or not - and if I need to keep pushing a few pounds off, I will keep going. But for now, I still have 10-15 pounds to go, so maybe, hopefully, that will shed that belly fat and I can start focusing more on building muscle and increasing stamina, rather than just plain weight loss.
Six weeks down - and the results are already pretty noticeable, if even to myself and my scale - at least we are noticing.
Day 27: Sunday, February 22, 2009
Day 27 had much the same feel as day 26 - in that I really didn't feel like getting off the couch, but knowing I have a schedule to adhere to, I had no choice but to get up and get moving. My body, seemingly worked against me today, in that I had some additional aches and pains, but I pushed through those, and completed slightly more than the self-prescribed minimum.
I began the same as I have all week - beginning to walk at 4 MPH for 1:30 for every 1:30 running at 5 MPH - and almost instantly, I felt a twinge in my left knee and thigh. It wasn't like anything was damaged, or that I was actually hurt, it just hurt for the moment. The longer I ran, however, the intensity of the "injury" did not increase - and so I persevered through the pain.
Despite feeling "hurt," I was able to actually slightly g0 over my time on my final run - by completing a full 2 minutes over the 30 minute mark - or, in other words, I ran for a full 3:30 on my final run before slowing for my cool down.
Today was much easier than earlier in the week - where I was having slight trouble with the new regime (thinking 1:30 while running never felt so long, and 1:30 walking never felt so fast). I was able to keep my form and even sing along with some of my music (while not gasping for air). I again (or still?) feel like I'm truly moving in the right direction - soon, perhaps, my body will look as I wish it too.
Today I completed 15:00 walking at 4 MPH for 1.00 miles, 17:00 running at 5 MPH for 1.42 miles, and totaling (with cool down) 33:30 for 2.47 miles.
I completed 90 curl reps of the 40 lb. weight.
Week 6 is in the books - onto week 7 beginning Monday evening.
I began the same as I have all week - beginning to walk at 4 MPH for 1:30 for every 1:30 running at 5 MPH - and almost instantly, I felt a twinge in my left knee and thigh. It wasn't like anything was damaged, or that I was actually hurt, it just hurt for the moment. The longer I ran, however, the intensity of the "injury" did not increase - and so I persevered through the pain.
Despite feeling "hurt," I was able to actually slightly g0 over my time on my final run - by completing a full 2 minutes over the 30 minute mark - or, in other words, I ran for a full 3:30 on my final run before slowing for my cool down.
Today was much easier than earlier in the week - where I was having slight trouble with the new regime (thinking 1:30 while running never felt so long, and 1:30 walking never felt so fast). I was able to keep my form and even sing along with some of my music (while not gasping for air). I again (or still?) feel like I'm truly moving in the right direction - soon, perhaps, my body will look as I wish it too.
Today I completed 15:00 walking at 4 MPH for 1.00 miles, 17:00 running at 5 MPH for 1.42 miles, and totaling (with cool down) 33:30 for 2.47 miles.
I completed 90 curl reps of the 40 lb. weight.
Week 6 is in the books - onto week 7 beginning Monday evening.
Day 26: Saturday, February 21, 2009
Well, I didn't much feel like working out on this day, and I think it showed since I failed to really push myself at all, but I will give myself a reprieve since I did actually do some activity, and we all know some is always better than none at all.
On Thursday's workout, I started running more "proper" and it showed in I was having a hard time keeping my form while maintaining my breathing - oh sure, I did, but it took effort. On Saturday, however, I was more relaxed in the new form.
I began on Saturday in the same fashion as the past week - 1:30 walking at 4 MPH for every 1:30 running at 5 MPH. Half and half. Just like every time I have changed my running dynamics, at the beginning it was hard - to the point where I scarcely thought I could finish my workout - to increasingly easier; I think this has gotten into the "easier" category now.
I didn't really breath heavy at all completing my intervals today. I was pretty even in my steps, and was able to maintain my form - i.e. standing up straight, soft steps, breathing deeply, with arms symmetrical and loose. Despite not completing a long workout (I did hit the minimum I have set up), I felt like I had made big strides to where I am hoping to be - which, for starters is running for 30 minutes straight, in order to be in shape to complete the 5k.
In all - I walked for 15 minutes for 1.00 miles, ran for 15 minutes for 1.25 miles, and in total, completed 31 minutes for 2.28 miles.
I also completed 45 curl reps of the 40 lb. weight.
Like I said, it wasn't much, but it much, much more activity than I had grown accustom to just 6 short weeks ago.
On Thursday's workout, I started running more "proper" and it showed in I was having a hard time keeping my form while maintaining my breathing - oh sure, I did, but it took effort. On Saturday, however, I was more relaxed in the new form.
I began on Saturday in the same fashion as the past week - 1:30 walking at 4 MPH for every 1:30 running at 5 MPH. Half and half. Just like every time I have changed my running dynamics, at the beginning it was hard - to the point where I scarcely thought I could finish my workout - to increasingly easier; I think this has gotten into the "easier" category now.
I didn't really breath heavy at all completing my intervals today. I was pretty even in my steps, and was able to maintain my form - i.e. standing up straight, soft steps, breathing deeply, with arms symmetrical and loose. Despite not completing a long workout (I did hit the minimum I have set up), I felt like I had made big strides to where I am hoping to be - which, for starters is running for 30 minutes straight, in order to be in shape to complete the 5k.
In all - I walked for 15 minutes for 1.00 miles, ran for 15 minutes for 1.25 miles, and in total, completed 31 minutes for 2.28 miles.
I also completed 45 curl reps of the 40 lb. weight.
Like I said, it wasn't much, but it much, much more activity than I had grown accustom to just 6 short weeks ago.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Day 25: Thursday, February 19, 2008
Another day, another workout.
I began pretty pumped. My routine was changed, so that I could actually do more lifting, or, at the very least, have more time for my lifting, before using the treadmill. I had visions of great lifting numbers, however, that did not come to pass.
Sure, I probably could have done more. I probably could have, and should have, dug deeper - but my muscles were sufficiently fatigued by working out in such short duration that I still only managed 90 reps of the 40 lb weight worth of curls, 40 push ups, and 20 squats - all while holding the 40 lb. weight. Not too bad, I suppose, but I felt it could have been better.
On the treadmill, I began with the same routine as earlier this week - walking at 4 MPH for 1:30 and then running for 1:30 at 5 MPH - only to repeat ten times until reaching the thirty minute mark.
However, at times I labored, but I know why - I was using better form. I was keeping my back straight, my core centered, I was loose, and I tried to run "softly" - instead of heavy footfalls. I also did my best to focus on long, deep breaths - cleansing breaths.
I was hurting. At times I noticed my back begin to arch and my shoulders sag over the front of my core. I quickly corrected it each time I noticed it. At other times, my right hand began to tense, as if, in that tension it could push the rest of my body forth - I relaxed my hand immediately as this occurred. Other times, my feet fell heavy, and I would correct this to a light step. And even other times, my breathing would try to go shallow - hypervenilative, even - which had not happen since the first few weeks of working out, probably due to the fact I am now using proper form, it makes the regime harder to endure - but I would correct the breathing, allowing only one shallow breath, if need be, for every deep, cleansing breath taken.
Running and walking, however, I completed my intervals without really much incident. Keeping the form, I will not jot down to incident. I didn't want to run, I was pumped to begin the workout, but then not 2 minutes in, I felt miserable, and actually, briefly, considered stopping - I endured - and by the time I was 9 minutes in, I told myself, "you're almost done now."
In total, I completed 15 minutes walking at 4 MPH for 1.00 miles; 15 minutes running at 5 MPH for 1.25 miles; in total, completing 31 minutes for 2.28 miles.
No matter how you slice it, I'm still being active, and my time running is still increasing from that first week, were running one minute per every three, I thought would kill me. It feels good to be active again.
I began pretty pumped. My routine was changed, so that I could actually do more lifting, or, at the very least, have more time for my lifting, before using the treadmill. I had visions of great lifting numbers, however, that did not come to pass.
Sure, I probably could have done more. I probably could have, and should have, dug deeper - but my muscles were sufficiently fatigued by working out in such short duration that I still only managed 90 reps of the 40 lb weight worth of curls, 40 push ups, and 20 squats - all while holding the 40 lb. weight. Not too bad, I suppose, but I felt it could have been better.
On the treadmill, I began with the same routine as earlier this week - walking at 4 MPH for 1:30 and then running for 1:30 at 5 MPH - only to repeat ten times until reaching the thirty minute mark.
However, at times I labored, but I know why - I was using better form. I was keeping my back straight, my core centered, I was loose, and I tried to run "softly" - instead of heavy footfalls. I also did my best to focus on long, deep breaths - cleansing breaths.
I was hurting. At times I noticed my back begin to arch and my shoulders sag over the front of my core. I quickly corrected it each time I noticed it. At other times, my right hand began to tense, as if, in that tension it could push the rest of my body forth - I relaxed my hand immediately as this occurred. Other times, my feet fell heavy, and I would correct this to a light step. And even other times, my breathing would try to go shallow - hypervenilative, even - which had not happen since the first few weeks of working out, probably due to the fact I am now using proper form, it makes the regime harder to endure - but I would correct the breathing, allowing only one shallow breath, if need be, for every deep, cleansing breath taken.
Running and walking, however, I completed my intervals without really much incident. Keeping the form, I will not jot down to incident. I didn't want to run, I was pumped to begin the workout, but then not 2 minutes in, I felt miserable, and actually, briefly, considered stopping - I endured - and by the time I was 9 minutes in, I told myself, "you're almost done now."
In total, I completed 15 minutes walking at 4 MPH for 1.00 miles; 15 minutes running at 5 MPH for 1.25 miles; in total, completing 31 minutes for 2.28 miles.
No matter how you slice it, I'm still being active, and my time running is still increasing from that first week, were running one minute per every three, I thought would kill me. It feels good to be active again.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Summary Workouts 11 through 20
This post is just a way to quickly and easily find the times and distances spent walking, running, and total, so as not to have to go back and read all of the 10 posts leading up to this summary:
For this post, all times listed under "walk" refer to 4 MPH, all times listed as "run" refer to 5 MPH, and all "curl reps" refer to doing curls of a 40 pound weight. If the squats were completed while holding the 40 pound weight, it will be noted, otherwise, assume no weights were used in completing the squats:
For this post, all times listed under "walk" refer to 4 MPH, all times listed as "run" refer to 5 MPH, and all "curl reps" refer to doing curls of a 40 pound weight. If the squats were completed while holding the 40 pound weight, it will be noted, otherwise, assume no weights were used in completing the squats:
- Day 11: Wednesday, January 28, 2009: 17:30 walk - 1.17 miles; 13:00 run - 1.08 miles; 32:30 total - 2.32 miles. Curl reps = 75; push ups = 30; squats = 10.
- Day 12: Saturday, January 31, 2009: 18:00 walk - 1.20 miles; 13:00 run - 1.08 miles; 32:30 total - 2.33 miles. Curl reps = 75; push ups = 30.
- Day 13: Sunday, February 1, 2009: 30:00 walk - 2.00 miles; no running; 31:00 total - 2.03 miles. No weight training (I was sick)
- Day 14: Monday, February 2, 2009: 15:00 walk - 1.00 miles; no running; 15:00 total - 1.00 miles. No weight training (I was sick)
- Day 15: Wednesday, February 4, 2009: 17:30 walk - 1.17 miles; 13:30 run - 1.13 miles; 32:30 total - 2.35 miles. Curl reps = 90; push ups = 45; squats = 10.
- Day 16: Saturday, February 7, 2009: 17:30 walk - 1.17 miles; 12:30 run - 1.04 miles; 32:00 total - 2.32 miles. Curl reps = 90; push ups = 30.
- Day 17: Sunday, February 8, 2009: 17:30 walk - 1.17 miles; 12:30 run - 1.04 miles; 32:00 total - 2.31 miles. Curl reps = 90; squats = 15.
- Day 18: Monday, February 9, 2009: 17:30 walk - 1.17 miles; 12:30 run - 1.04 miles; 31:00 minutes - 2.25 miles. Curl reps = 45
- Day 19: Wednesday, February 11, 2009: 18:00 walk - 1.20 miles; 15:30 run - 1.29 miles; 35:00 minutes - 2.55 miles. Curl reps = 75; push ups = 30; squats = 15.
- Day 20: Thursday, February 12, 2009: 16:15 walk - 1.08 miles; 13:45 run - 1.15 miles; 31:00 total - 2.25 miles. Curl reps = 60; squats with weight = 15.
Day 24: Wednesday, February 18, 2009
After my typical day off on Tuesday, I was kind of itching to get back on the treadmill on Wednesday - not totally looking forward to it, but I knew I had to do it.
I began with the only weight lifting I would do - by completing 60 reps of the 40 lb. weight in curls.
I than began in with my regime I started on Monday - 1:30 walking at 4 MPH for every 1:30 for running at 5 MPH.
This time I found it easier. I was able to run, and not really labor in my breathing. Sure, there were times where I was hopefully my time running would come to an end, but instantly, my breathing returned to normal. I think this is the greatest testament that the added activity is benefitting my body - I have a greater lung capacity.
I ended up running passed the 30:00 mark tonight because, well, my music play list was off. I thought I knew the lyric where I would need to cease running, only to find that the lyric in question would have ended me at 30:15 - so once I realized I had already, inadvertently, bypassed 30 minutes, I decided to run to the next whole minute.
In total, I walked 4 MPH for 15 minutes with a distance of 1.00 miles; I ran at 5 MPH for 16 minutes for a distance of 1.33 miles; in total, I completed 32 minutes for a total distance of 1.35 miles.
And as stated above, I completed only 60 reps worth of curls at 40 lbs.
I am feeling healthier, I am having increased stamina, I am sleeping better, and I am not tired throughout the day (another attribute to the increased stamina). All things considered, I feel so much better, even if I drag myself onto the treadmill once or twice per week when I don't "feel like it" - I'd much rather force myself to exercise than go back to my lethargic ways.
I began with the only weight lifting I would do - by completing 60 reps of the 40 lb. weight in curls.
I than began in with my regime I started on Monday - 1:30 walking at 4 MPH for every 1:30 for running at 5 MPH.
This time I found it easier. I was able to run, and not really labor in my breathing. Sure, there were times where I was hopefully my time running would come to an end, but instantly, my breathing returned to normal. I think this is the greatest testament that the added activity is benefitting my body - I have a greater lung capacity.
I ended up running passed the 30:00 mark tonight because, well, my music play list was off. I thought I knew the lyric where I would need to cease running, only to find that the lyric in question would have ended me at 30:15 - so once I realized I had already, inadvertently, bypassed 30 minutes, I decided to run to the next whole minute.
In total, I walked 4 MPH for 15 minutes with a distance of 1.00 miles; I ran at 5 MPH for 16 minutes for a distance of 1.33 miles; in total, I completed 32 minutes for a total distance of 1.35 miles.
And as stated above, I completed only 60 reps worth of curls at 40 lbs.
I am feeling healthier, I am having increased stamina, I am sleeping better, and I am not tired throughout the day (another attribute to the increased stamina). All things considered, I feel so much better, even if I drag myself onto the treadmill once or twice per week when I don't "feel like it" - I'd much rather force myself to exercise than go back to my lethargic ways.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Day 23: Monday, February 16, 2009
Well, today was my day to change my routine. It had been a couple of weeks since I had upped my running portion to 1:15, and the time had come where I have been able to run this time frame with, essential, ease, and so my body needed a new shock so as not to grow complacent.
I decided to keep my speeds constant, that is to say, walking at 4 MPH and running at 5 MPH, but change the duration to be 1:30 per side - repeating until I hit the 30 minute mark.
Something about 15 seconds just doesn't seem right - who knew 15 seconds could make such a huge difference. I was slightly worn down, and hoping that my running periods could feel shorter. I definitely had to push myself a bit more - which is not, necessarily, a bad thing.
I was able to complete the 30 minutes with fairly minimal strain. My breathing (which is an important one) didn't seem too terribly labored. The steps, on the other hand, felt hard, as my legs pushed forward, they wanted to stop - not cease up, but just stop, as in rest, but I wouldn't let them.
I completed the 30 minutes at a half and half split of running vs. walking - then I walked at 4 MPH for 3 minutes before beginning my cool down for the next two minutes.
In total, I completed 35:00 for a distance of 2.50 miles. I walked at 4 MPH for 18 minutes for a distance of 1.20 miles and ran at 5 MPH for 15 minutes for a distance of 1.25 miles.
I also completed 90 curls at 40 lbs. - completing 60 of these before getting on the treadmill and 30 after. I also did 15 squats on either side of the treadmill workout - 15 before non-weight aided, and 15 after while holding the 40 lb. weight.
Week 6 is off to a good start - we'll see how long it takes for me to get fully used to the new regime and new duration of running.
I decided to keep my speeds constant, that is to say, walking at 4 MPH and running at 5 MPH, but change the duration to be 1:30 per side - repeating until I hit the 30 minute mark.
Something about 15 seconds just doesn't seem right - who knew 15 seconds could make such a huge difference. I was slightly worn down, and hoping that my running periods could feel shorter. I definitely had to push myself a bit more - which is not, necessarily, a bad thing.
I was able to complete the 30 minutes with fairly minimal strain. My breathing (which is an important one) didn't seem too terribly labored. The steps, on the other hand, felt hard, as my legs pushed forward, they wanted to stop - not cease up, but just stop, as in rest, but I wouldn't let them.
I completed the 30 minutes at a half and half split of running vs. walking - then I walked at 4 MPH for 3 minutes before beginning my cool down for the next two minutes.
In total, I completed 35:00 for a distance of 2.50 miles. I walked at 4 MPH for 18 minutes for a distance of 1.20 miles and ran at 5 MPH for 15 minutes for a distance of 1.25 miles.
I also completed 90 curls at 40 lbs. - completing 60 of these before getting on the treadmill and 30 after. I also did 15 squats on either side of the treadmill workout - 15 before non-weight aided, and 15 after while holding the 40 lb. weight.
Week 6 is off to a good start - we'll see how long it takes for me to get fully used to the new regime and new duration of running.
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