Here is my workout for today...
Treadmill
0.25 mi 0:5:00
Arc-Trainer
0.50 mi 0:10:00
Bike
1.35 mi 0:10:00
Elliptical
0.18 mi 0:06:00
I feel like a total gym failure today. I started off with the warm up on the treadmill like normal but then I moved onto the elliptical. The elliptical killed my knee and my desire to workout. The machine is a great workout but there is something about that repetitive motion that makes my knee act up. I knew there was a reason I always skipped this machine. As you can see from my workout I didn't make it very long on the elliptical. I should have just skipped it and went straight to the arc-trainer. Because of the knee pain that began with the elliptical it was hard to stay on the other machines because the damage had been done at that point.
31 minutes later my workout was done and I went home feeling like a failure. Who does 4 machines in 30 minutes?! That is not a workout at all!
I guess I shouldn't be so hard on myself because a lot of people don't even make it to the gym but I was striving to do more and I feel like I let myself done. I should also add that I went straight from work and didn't think to bring a snack. I was starving when I walked into the gym therefore making my workout seem like forever because I was ready for lunch. Next time I go after work I will bring a snack.
Here is to a better workout next time!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Healthy Eating and the Grocery Budget
I went grocery shopping with my husband this afternoon and spent over $100. We usually spend around $50 so doubling the bill was a total shock. I wasn't expecting to spend that much but healthy foods are more expensive. We shopping the perimeter for most things but there were a few things on the aisles we needed. I did take the time to read labels and pick the healthier choice so hopefully it will pay off.
It seems so much easier to eat the processed foods due to convenience and most of them run Buy One Get One Free often so you are never paying full price for the items. They also offer coupons for the convenience items.
I know I need to change my mindset and my grocery cart definitely looked different today. Hopefully I will be able to stick to this.
I should also add I am going to make a few homemade recipes that should come healthy and I will post about them in the near future. I can't wait to experiment with my foods!
It seems so much easier to eat the processed foods due to convenience and most of them run Buy One Get One Free often so you are never paying full price for the items. They also offer coupons for the convenience items.
I know I need to change my mindset and my grocery cart definitely looked different today. Hopefully I will be able to stick to this.
I should also add I am going to make a few homemade recipes that should come healthy and I will post about them in the near future. I can't wait to experiment with my foods!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
My Biggest Downfall: Soda
My favorite soda is Mountain Dew.
I will admit that it's not the best tasting soda out there but for some reason I am addicted to it!
Have you ever read the nutrition facts for a Mountain Dew? It's not a pretty picture.
31 grams on sugar? Wow. It's not easy to drink only one of these sodas either. An 8 fl oz serving size seems like nothing when you are sitting there with a bottle in front of you or at a restaurant with unlimited refills.
If I took Mountain Dew out of my diet I could save a few hundred calories and about 100g of sugar. That could definitely help my weight loss.
Cutting out sugary sodas will be one of my first steps on this weight loss journey. I have cut out soda before and did not drink it for a few months so I know I can do it again.
I will admit that it's not the best tasting soda out there but for some reason I am addicted to it!
Have you ever read the nutrition facts for a Mountain Dew? It's not a pretty picture.
31 grams on sugar? Wow. It's not easy to drink only one of these sodas either. An 8 fl oz serving size seems like nothing when you are sitting there with a bottle in front of you or at a restaurant with unlimited refills.
If I took Mountain Dew out of my diet I could save a few hundred calories and about 100g of sugar. That could definitely help my weight loss.
Cutting out sugary sodas will be one of my first steps on this weight loss journey. I have cut out soda before and did not drink it for a few months so I know I can do it again.
The Arc-Trainer
The Arc-Trainer
This must be my most favorite piece of cardio equipment at the gym. I have tried the elliptical but it hurts to legs after a while. The arc-trainer has not given me any problems and my legs and butt feel great after. I can also use the hand bars to get an upper body workout too.
The arc-trainers at my gym have different resistance levels as well as angles so if you are looking for a more strenuous workout you can definitely get one with the arc-trainer or if you are beginner you can set the levels lower.
After reading online it seems that the arc-trainer burns more calories than the elliptical and in my own opinion it is a lot more fun than the elliptical. The elliptical always seemed like work to get on but the arch trainer is not too much work and you don't even realize you are working out.
If your gym has this machine I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
Workout
I went to the gym today for the first time in about three months. It felt great to be working out and doing something good for my body.
Here is my workout from today:
Treadmil
1.00 mi 0:19:33
Arc-Trainer
0.50 mi 0:10:13
Bike
3.50 mi 0:20:00
I must say that I walked the treadmill without an interval and I did not use resistance with the arc-trainer. I am not to that point yet but I hope to be able to use the resistances in the near future.
I feel good about my workout today. I was at the gym for almost an hour and definitely worked up a sweat. I felt great while working out and still feel great. I need to make it to the gym more often.
Here is my workout from today:
Treadmil
1.00 mi 0:19:33
Arc-Trainer
0.50 mi 0:10:13
Bike
3.50 mi 0:20:00
I must say that I walked the treadmill without an interval and I did not use resistance with the arc-trainer. I am not to that point yet but I hope to be able to use the resistances in the near future.
I feel good about my workout today. I was at the gym for almost an hour and definitely worked up a sweat. I felt great while working out and still feel great. I need to make it to the gym more often.
Monday, October 25, 2010
My Revised Schedule
I can not change my wake up time / work schedule etc but I can definitely change how I do these.
I can make more filling breakfasts and bring my lunch to work for a healthy alternative.
I can also make a more vegetable / fruit based dinner rather than a huge piece of meat with smaller sides. I have it backwards with this.
I have been reading about "Clean Eating" and I thinking that getting back to the basics with our food would be a great start. By not having all of the preservatives and ingredients I can't pronounce I would healthier. Most of these foods are not empty calories therefore I would stay fuller longer. I want to get more information and recipes on the "Clean Eating" lifestyle but I think it could be a great change for both my husband and I.
I do have a gym membership and was very good about going at least 3 - 5 times per week up until about three months ago when I fell ill. I have been to the gym once since then but I barely had any energy to walk the treadmill. My illness will not get better if I am not exercising and I will not feel better about myself until I get back into the gym. Even if I only get there 3 days a week the other 4 days I can walk my dog which would be something she would love. The weather is getting cooler and it would be ideal to be enjoying this wonderful weather.
I also started wearing a pedometer at work. I walk roughly 5k steps a day at work which would leave me another 5k steps to walk after work. It doesn't seem like a lot but if you don't get off the couch very often it seems like a daunting thing to do.
I can make more filling breakfasts and bring my lunch to work for a healthy alternative.
I can also make a more vegetable / fruit based dinner rather than a huge piece of meat with smaller sides. I have it backwards with this.
I have been reading about "Clean Eating" and I thinking that getting back to the basics with our food would be a great start. By not having all of the preservatives and ingredients I can't pronounce I would healthier. Most of these foods are not empty calories therefore I would stay fuller longer. I want to get more information and recipes on the "Clean Eating" lifestyle but I think it could be a great change for both my husband and I.
I do have a gym membership and was very good about going at least 3 - 5 times per week up until about three months ago when I fell ill. I have been to the gym once since then but I barely had any energy to walk the treadmill. My illness will not get better if I am not exercising and I will not feel better about myself until I get back into the gym. Even if I only get there 3 days a week the other 4 days I can walk my dog which would be something she would love. The weather is getting cooler and it would be ideal to be enjoying this wonderful weather.
I also started wearing a pedometer at work. I walk roughly 5k steps a day at work which would leave me another 5k steps to walk after work. It doesn't seem like a lot but if you don't get off the couch very often it seems like a daunting thing to do.
My Schedule Now
I have been thinking a lot about my lifestyle. I have a pretty set schedule and the way I do things which is pretty toxic to my body.
2:30 a.m. wake up (3 days a week)
5:30 a.m. wake up (2 days a week)
3 a.m. or 6 a.m. breakfast usually consisting of two pieces of toast / two eggos / two of something!
4 a.m. or 7 a.m. start work
6 a.m. or 9 a.m. -- snack time which is usually a granola bar
9 a.m. or 11 a.m. -- lunch time -- my early shift is either a bagel or a donut ... my late shift is usually a sub or fried chicken, sometimes chinese
12:30 p.m. go home if I work at 4 a.m. and I usually have lunch at this point which can be anything under the sun from a sandwhich to french fries etc
When I get out at 12:30 p.m. I usually take a nap because I am exhausted from work! I usually sleep until 4 - 5 p.m.
5 p.m. or 6 p.m. is when we usually have dinner depending on when DH gets out work
8 p.m. snack time which is usually something sweet and very unhealthy like ice cream
9 p.m. or 10 p.m. bed time
I leave very little room for exercise in my daily routine and I eat more meals than necessary with my 4 a.m. shift because I am essentially "awake" from 2:30am until 9pm (even though I take a nap)...
The foods I eat during the day aren't the healthiest either as you can see from what I described above. I am usually hungry again by 6a.m. because the toast does not fill me and hold me over. The granola bar does help until I can get to my lunch time but then I eat crap. It's hard to make healthy good at work because we don't have a kitchen assessable. I really need to bring my lunch in order to have a healthier meal at those times.
My dinners aren't terrible and usually include a couple of veggies etc but I don't get enough fruit into my diet. I am not sure why but it doesn't seem appealing to me. I just can't bring myself to gnaw on an apple. I know these would hold me over longer and not be too many calories...
Oh the changes that need to be made...
2:30 a.m. wake up (3 days a week)
5:30 a.m. wake up (2 days a week)
3 a.m. or 6 a.m. breakfast usually consisting of two pieces of toast / two eggos / two of something!
4 a.m. or 7 a.m. start work
6 a.m. or 9 a.m. -- snack time which is usually a granola bar
9 a.m. or 11 a.m. -- lunch time -- my early shift is either a bagel or a donut ... my late shift is usually a sub or fried chicken, sometimes chinese
12:30 p.m. go home if I work at 4 a.m. and I usually have lunch at this point which can be anything under the sun from a sandwhich to french fries etc
When I get out at 12:30 p.m. I usually take a nap because I am exhausted from work! I usually sleep until 4 - 5 p.m.
5 p.m. or 6 p.m. is when we usually have dinner depending on when DH gets out work
8 p.m. snack time which is usually something sweet and very unhealthy like ice cream
9 p.m. or 10 p.m. bed time
I leave very little room for exercise in my daily routine and I eat more meals than necessary with my 4 a.m. shift because I am essentially "awake" from 2:30am until 9pm (even though I take a nap)...
The foods I eat during the day aren't the healthiest either as you can see from what I described above. I am usually hungry again by 6a.m. because the toast does not fill me and hold me over. The granola bar does help until I can get to my lunch time but then I eat crap. It's hard to make healthy good at work because we don't have a kitchen assessable. I really need to bring my lunch in order to have a healthier meal at those times.
My dinners aren't terrible and usually include a couple of veggies etc but I don't get enough fruit into my diet. I am not sure why but it doesn't seem appealing to me. I just can't bring myself to gnaw on an apple. I know these would hold me over longer and not be too many calories...
Oh the changes that need to be made...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)