Detox

The idea of “detoxing” always sounds appealing to me. By detox I mean the whole drink a million smoothies and eat only spinach salads and tons of water routine. My normal diet isn’t too far from this, but I have an obsessive personality and taking healthy eating to the max, even for just a week or so, seems like a refreshing thing to do. I ran across this detox diet last night and was feeling good about it until, like usual, my optimism was derailed by the “no caffeine” clause. Specifically, no coffee and DEFINITELY no diet coke. Would my life be better without coffee? We will never know because there is absolutely no way I am giving it up. I’ve given up diet coke before, like prior to the wedding. I did have less bloating and my skin was tighter – that’s an incentive, for sure. I think I will stop drinking diet coke once my current supply runs out and reap those benefits once again. When I am sick I don’t usually drink coffee. The only thing I notice is more of a side effect than a benefit – increased crankiness, enough that Tyler becomes a coffee advocate and offers- repeatedly- to go get some for me (he lacks the coffee prep skills required to make it). Guess my body will have to stay toxic for now.

Blogs and Writing- Room for One More?

Sometimes I freak out when I realize how many other people there are (they’re called “bloggers” if you want to find out who I am talking about) who think they are writers/plan to be writers/cherish a dream of writing for a living. Why? Because this means more competition for me. Some of these people want to write about different things than I do. That takes care of a large percentage. Some of these people (perhaps most of them) are not talented enough writers to make it a career. That takes care of a larger percentage. Others have the talent and perhaps the inspiration too but will never realize their goals for whatever reason – lack of motivation, life challenges, etc. But there are still hundreds (thousands? tens of thousands?) of other people out there who are talented, inspired, and hardworking… and who I am going to have to mow down or leap over in order to reach MY goals. When I think about this, first I panic, and then I become determined to succeed. And I know, I know, very few if any of these people are my actual, direct competition. It’s not as if getting published is a giant contest with only one winner per year. But some of these people might be my competition-especially if they do what they say they will instead of just ranting about it on their blogs- and I find that idea much more motivational than thinking naively to myself that I’m the only one with a good vocabulary and a keyboard.

It is interesting how many people profess to be aspiring writers despite the stigma this “career” seems to carry. Saying “I’m a writer” produces an effect similar to saying “I’m an actor” or “I’m a waiter” — as if it is not a ‘real’ way to earn money and must be something you are doing on the way to or from an alternate career. Similarly, when I am asked about my scholarly pursuits (English Lit grad student, currently), I am ALWAYS asked “Oh, do you want to teach?” as if the only thing I could possibly be interested in with that degree is teaching. Sometimes I respond with a comment about how I am not opposed to teaching (although I view it as a last resort, below even barista-ing) and sometimes I tell the truth – that I plan to write. However, I always dilute this affirmation by remarking that I understand it’s difficult to earn a living off of writing alone – as if to reassure the questioner that I do, in fact, have good sense and that although I passed up law school I am not living in a world completely composed of fantasy – at least not yet.

Diet Days 8, 9

Great job to me! I’ve done excellently on the exercise part of my days yet again despite battling allergies and sinus problems. The new puppy helps me get in even more cardio but I got my run done yesterday + my strength training today. I’ve done marginally better on the dietary portion – I’ve cut out the snacking, but still need to up the discipline/focus. I start each day out well, but somewhere along the line my focus disappears and I stop counting calories and it goes downhill from there. Improvement each day, though, so I take heart in that. Hooray! Day 10 tomorrow:

-36 minute run + warm up/cool down

-dog walking

-skating?

Diet Days 4-7, 8

I’ve crossed a few more days off the calendar and can boast that I am doing splendidly on my running work out plan. Thursday, Friday and Saturday all went well (especially Friday, which was my rest day). Yesterday I skimped a little on the running due to the fact I was taking Rory (new puppy!) along for the first time. Did a little over half the running I was supposed to, but added an extra 30 minutes walking to make up for it.

So that was the good news.

The bad news is, my willpower has somehow diminished to near zero… Cookies + chocolate + ice cream have become my undoing. Somehow I have gained weight this week despite all the exercise (I say “somehow” even though I know exactly how it happened…). I used to have a will of iron – dessert once a week if at all! Those days must return or I will be in a sad state soon! I’m exaggerating, really- working out 6 days a week it’s hard to get fat, but I want to get my body to look as amazing as possible before I start the downhill slide into middle age. Think of it as preventative care. The better my abs look now… the less I will yearn for a tummy tuck later.

Anyway, today is day 8! Start of a new week. The running workout plan calls for:

Run: 32 minutes

Next 6 minutes alternate running 1 minute and walking 1 minute

I always sandwich my runs between two 5-minute walking warmup/cool down periods. I also plan to do about 20 minutes of strength-training for my arms.

This is my day off, so I woke up late and had a piece of french toast with half a cup of strawberries and a cup of coffee with skim milk for breakfast around noon. The whole “lots of small meals” thing sounds good in theory but simply seems to leave me prey to my snacky urges, so I am trying for bigger, more satisfying meals today and going back to counting calories like an obsessed ballerina.

I’m going to try and keep updating my blog with my diet progress – it really helps to keep me accountable, even though I don’t exactly qualify these entries as thrilling reading ; ).

Diet Day 3

So far so good on day 3. I’ve been sticking with the small, balanced meals every 2-3 hours (in fact I am having one now – small piece of toast, apple, 1 ounce cheddar cheese). I did accidentally supplement my lunch with 2 chocolate chip cookies, but I am adding extra cardio tonight to make up for it. I went ahead and switched my “day off” on the workout, so I am doing the “Rock Solid Abs” strength training workout + elliptical trainer today and the running + skating tomorrow.

I’ve done several of the strength training workouts from the Women’s Health website this summer and they have all been pretty good! I did the “Tone Zone” plan last night and thought the way it challenges your body in unique ways is really effective. I mentioned I workout a fair amount, doing a combination of cardio, strength training, and flexibility workouts each week. For the past few months I’ve felt like I had plateaued and no matter how hard I worked out, I wasn’t very tired and I was never sore. Well, after the Tone Zone workout, I am pleased to report soreness! Check it out if you are looking for a way to mix things up.

I just have to stay focused throughout the rest of the evening. That means no snacking! (my bane) Stay out of the cookie jar…

Diet – Days 1 + 2

It’s been 6 months since the wedding and I’m tired of toting around the extra 10 pounds that somehow stowed away sometime after/during the honeymoon. I didn’t realize domestic bliss translated into weight gain, but I should have realized that this might happen. I’m still active – I work out 5-7 days per week, but during the year before the wedding I was so busy with school and planning that I rarely had time to cook let alone bake. I’ve been indulging in culinary adventures quite a bit over the past several months and I’m paying the price.

I’ve been attempting to “diet” on and off with no real success. I decided that making a public announcement (although I’m not sure how public it can really be since the readership of this blog has dropped off to nearly nil) might do the trick.

So, in the spirit of old-fashioned accountability, I hereby declare that it is my goal to lose 10 lbs in the next 6 weeks. For workouts, I am following the Intermediate Women’s Health Running for Weight Loss program, but adding cross-training cardio on the strength training days. I have successfully completed days 1 and 2 of this program.

I am yet to successfully start the diet part of my weight loss plan – I am attempting to follow the “deadline diet” women’s health plan, at least as an inspiration. This plan involves eating 5 small meals a day, incorporating lean protein into almost every meal, adding lots of fruits and veggies, avoiding processed sugars/flours etc. and all that good stuff. I’ve had good results with this “diet” before and consider what I am doing more of getting back into line with a lifestyle rather than a “diet”. I’ve been using food as a reward way too much lately (mostly to make up for what I perceived were the hardships I endured when I was too busy to cook last year) and I’ve indulged myself enough. So, tomorrow will be day 1 of the diet and day 3 of the workout. I will be running 30 minutes, stretching, and skating for at least an hour.

If you happen to read this – feel free to post encouragement or share your own fitness goals! I could use the support : )

Not Knowing

Sometimes I purposely avoid finding answers just so I can have some fodder for my imagination. Information is so easily accessible that I worry that it makes our brains lazy. Part of the fun of life is wondering about it and allowing our minds to stretch their little creative legs. I have noticed myself consciously deciding NOT to look up an answer to a query simply so I can continue imagining the possibilities. Things like the origin of a word, phrase, or custom are much more fun and satisfying for me to imagine than to actually know. This is a game I entertain myself with often, especially in the bath. My favorite “position” is reclining (hmm, starting to understand why I always have struggled to keep a fit figure) and I take almost daily baths. These leisurely soaks are restorative opportunities for both mind and body. Next time you find yourself thinking, “I wonder why…”, just let yourself wonder. You might like it.

Checking the Mail

I love getting mail addressed this way:

Mr. and Mrs. : Wow, I guess that’s us now!

Back to School! Or… not so much.

I’ve decided to take this semester off. I phrase it that way because I have not yet decided if I am quitting school or taking a break. But I really hate school. If I can find an alternate route to my goals I plan to take it. At the very least, I am reevaluating if the grad program I am in at the school I attend are right for me. One or more of those variables may have to change, and I really would not like to give WSU another cent if I can avoid it.

Anyway, this is the first time in my life that I have not been charging full-steam ahead at a school agenda of some sort. It already feels strange not to have books and school supplies on my brain, but there is plenty else to think about!

If you want to see what I have been up to lately instead of school, check out my other blog: http://tothestarsthroughdifficulty.wordpress.com

The First One Hundred Days – in review

Yesterday marked the hundredth day of my marriage. Although our union is still young enough to measure in days, making it to the triple-digit mark seems worthy of a bit of celebration and a bit of reflection. During the first one hundred days, we:

-honeymooned in Jamaica

-unwrapped our wedding gifts

-finished thanking all of our wonderful wedding guests and vendors

-rented a new house together and cleaned and painted that house for days!!

-packed our belongings and moved into our new place

-battled sewer issues at our old place

-cleaned out the old place and fought with the ex-landlord over the terms of our departure

-adopted a dog

-had to return the dog

-I finished the spring semester, Tyler finally got his promotion approved at work

-settled into our new place

 

Plenty of stressful, life-issues to deal with, but we’ve handled them well. I’m afraid that the eventful spring has taken its toll on my and I am recovering from a particularly nasty illness, but following that, we are looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the rest of the summer – and the next hundred days!