You Can Dodge a Wrench, You Can Dodge a Ball...

Hello all my lovely readers! I hope everyone had a fantastic day, I know I did! :)

Today I met up with Wojoku (Kurt) and we went to work. We ended coloring hands and making flowers with the group of girls after school at the Boys and Girls Club today. The kids were a blast and watching them make flowers was SO adorable! They even ran around afterwards asking everyone to smell their flowers (which were made out of tissue paper). After work we went to the gym. It was my first time at Kurt's gym and it was a little overwhelming. The gym I usually go to is comparable to Average Joe's gym from the movie Dodgeball. Kurt's is more like Global Fitness. I have a free 2 week pass to go and use the gym, thanks to my friend Chelsea, so today seemed like a good day to check it out. It was a little different set up than I'm used to- at my gym the cardio machines and weights are in separate rooms, and here there were all mushed into one room. However, this gym has a pool, hot tub and sauna. Sweet! I was on a time crunch today so I only got to do a run and then shower, as we had a show to get to, but I fully intend on going back and utilizing the hot tub and sauna.

I did a full 2 mile run today, and I'm happy to say that I managed to do over 5 miles this week. I'm rather proud of myself. I'm still unhappy that my body is not gaining endurance as fast as I would like it to. I was hoping I would be able to run almost 2 miles straight by now, but I still tend to have to stop and walk after doing only 1. Anyone know what can help with my endurance, besides just more running? Both Kurt and my trainer/tour guide at the gym today mentioned circuit training to build up my core and leg strength. I'm open to any and all advice. I'm also still waiting (Sunday cannot come fast enough) to get my Non-Runner's Marathon Guide so I can check out what kind of training schedule she used and figure how I can work it into mine.

I feel almost like my body has hit a brick wall for running and I just need to get over this hurdle so I can move on, but I'm stuck. I've been running since last summer, so granted it's only been a few months, but I feel that having built up enough endurance to run for 2 miles straight is a feasibly goal, so why am I not meeting it? Grrr.

Anywho, it's late and I have to work in the morning so I'm not inputting all of the numbers for today. I will still break down what I ate though:

Peanut Butter and Banana Soy Protein Shake
2 Clementines
Carrots and Hummus
Chicken and Biscuits (which ruined my whole carb free day- boo!)
Banana and Peanut Butter
Strawberries (3 sliced ones)
Blackberries/Raspberries (about a handful of both combined)
Roasted Chicken (about a cup serving)
I'm sure I'm well within my caloric range for today, especially considering I did run 2 miles. Woot! Tomorrow I am going out of state, so I'm going to have to pack some fruits and such to go along with me. I also am going to be very conscious about what I eat as we are going out to dinner. And on Sunday, my parents are taking me out to Red Robin for my birthday, so it's another day I will have to be careful about what I choose on the menu. But, I can do this!

...And a Little of That

I ran 2 miles today! Yay! Well, technically, I actually ran 1.5 of the 2 miles, the other parts I ended up having to walk. But my endurance is getting MUCH better! Hooray! At first I wasn't going to go to the gym to run because I forgot to set my alarm and woke up later than expected. I had a bunch of errands to do, but I motivated myself and went and I'm glad I did. I've officially completed 3.5 of my 5 miles for the week! Woot! I think I'm going to run the other 1.5 outside this weekend hopefully- it depends on if it snows or not.

Here's today's breakdown:

Food

Sushi (I forgot the name of the roll, but I looked at the nutrition label at least)- 95 calories
Garlic Hummus (4 servings throughout the day)- 240 calories
Baby carrots (2 servings)- 70 calories
Sliced white mushrooms (3 servings)- around 30 calories
Chicken Soup: homemade (half a serving)- 100 calories
Peanut Butter on Whole Wheat Bread- 450 calories
Banana Nut Cheerios with 1% milk-150 calories
1 glass of 1% milk- 110 calories
Half of a 12oz sugarfree redbull- 7.5 calories

Grand Total: 1252.5 calories



Exercise

2 mile run in 20 minutes- 245 calories
Dancing for 30 Minutes- 300 calories
Acting for 2 hours- 500 calories

Grand Total: 1045 calories burned!

(I wonder if I'm burning more calories than this though because I do the entire show in 3 inch heels? Possibly? If anything, my legs are getting toned, haha!)

All in all, it was a good day. I'm glad I managed to motivate myself to go to the gym, even when I didn't really feel I had it in me to go. But, not only did I go, I pushed myself and did more than I had originally planned. Awesome!

A Little of This....

Howdy Howdy Howdy!

Tonight is probably going to be a short update, but oh well, I suppose not every day needs to be a novel haha.

First, we shall start out with a story..... Today I went shopping for a new bra for the show I'm in (because the one I was wearing is too big, which is fun times). I decided, whilst shopping for my brassiere, to also try on a pair of pants, just to gauge where I am size-wise in a particular store. I managed to slip into a size 17 comfortably, which was exciting. I didn't try to push to a size 16 though. The 17's were comfy on the waist, but loose in the legs, so I figure I have a few more pounds to go before I hit a 16, but it's not far away by any means. Hooray me!

Here is today's stat updates:

Food

Deli sliced chicken sandwhich with honey mustard and 1 slice of American cheese (white) on whole wheat bread- around 550 calories
Can of Light Italian Vegetable soup- 200 calories
Pistachios- about 85 calories (for the small serving I had)
Veggie Burger with Honey mustard- 180 calories
Small serving of Kielbasa and Sauerkraut- 140 calories
Redbull sugarfree 12 oz- 15 calories

Grand total: 1170 calories


Exercise

Acting for 2 hours- about 500 calories
Dance for 30 minutes- around 300 calories

Grand total: 800 calories burned!

And I swear I'm going to start next week with the weigh-ins because I have to get a working scale. Tomorrow's plan is to run another mile and a half, though I may push it to 2 miles tomorrow if I really feel like it. Then, more dancing and acting with the show tomorrow night.

A Good Way to Start the Day

Today was a very productive day. I woke up early and went running (of my own free will haha) at the gym. I ran a short mile and a half run, but it was so much better than expected. I finished it in 22 and a half minutes flat, so I'm running about a 15min/mile. The exciting part, however, is not only did I run over a mile of the 1.5 miles (I managed to run 1.1 miles in total) but I also ran for 12 minutes straight without having to stop to walk!! I'm so proud of myself! And considering I haven't run since the 5k, this is awesome!

Kurt also helped me map out a 5k run on the streets around my house so I can do some outside training as well. I've given myself a goal of running 5 miles a week. So, however I feel like breaking it down is up to me and how I am feeling that week, but I am going to meet or exceed 5 miles every week, for the next 6 weeks. Once I've completed 6 weeks worth of this goal, I'm going to increase it to 8miles a week, then 10 miles and so on and so forth. I've decided that, not only do I want to run in a few more 5ks, but I also would like to possibly attempt a half-marathon. I'm hoping to be able to run in the ING half-marathon in Hartford this fall.

Anywho, now on to today's stat updates-

Exercise:

1.5 miles run in 22 and a half minutes- 181 calories
Dance (for the show) for about 30 minutes- around 300 calories
Acting on stage for 2 hours- about 500 calories

Total calories burned- 981 calories!!

Food:

Soy Protein shake with 1% milk- 220 calories
Can of tuna fish with light mayo- around 100 calories
Soy Protein shake with 1% milk- 220 calories
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry (homemade)- around 350
Hummus and Rice Crackers (90 calorie pack)- 170 calories

Grand Total- 1060 calories!!

All in all, not too bad of a day though I am under in calories. Tomorrow's plan is to do some toning and/or strength training. Hooray!

Healthy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to everyone!
I hope y'all had a fantastic holiday weekend with loved ones, I know I did. :)

I did a lot of cooking this weekend: kielbasa and sauerkraut, bbq kielbasa ham, turkey, broccoli cheese and rice casserole, chicken curry, cocktail sauce for shrimp and a key lime mousse pie. Phew!

I ate little bits of different things, but managed to not go overboard thankfully.
I also used some of Kurt's ideas from his blog and did little spurts of exercise throughout the day. Calf raises while cooking, bicep curls while carrying dishes, played with my new Wii dance games and my brother's new Xbox Kinnect. The Kinnect is pretty awesome and I fell in love with the Kinnect Adventures Rallyball game. Sooooo much fun. My brother and I also played beach volleyball, river rafting, agility courses, and bowling.

I also received my S2H Replay watch that I had mentioned in an earlier post. I've already wracked up over 60min of exercise time and got my first points (yay!) Some people think the watch is weird but I think it adds some extra motivation to my life. I can get gift cards to Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, a Spa, Farmville, all kinds of crazy places. I love it!

Kurt also gave me my own headwarmer for when I run, since during the race I had to borrow one of Chelsea's. (Another very exciting gift!) I also received a lot of candles (I have a passion for candles and scarves lol), a really cool infinity reflections candle holder, Wii exercise dance games and lots of healthy foods (pistachios, soy protein, hummus, etc). All in all, a fantastic holiday!

Leave a comment and let me know how your holidays went and what cool presents you received!

Not too Shabby

I'm currently sitting at my desk, having just gotten in from rehearsal. I made myself a small salad and decided, while I (finally) have a free minute to myself, I should update. (Also, Kurt reminded me at rehearsal to update, so- Thanks Kurt!)

Today was another day of the same ole same ole. I worked, hunted down some more things I needed for my costume, finished some last minute holiday shopping, picked up the keys I needed for the place I will be house-sitting next week, showered, changed and got dolled up for rehearsal.
Rehearsal was good, I'm enjoying doing the dancing, I'm just sad it's the only physical fitness I have time for in my schedule right now. (I don't think walking around the store for 5 hours really counts, though sometimes I do break a sweat).


And now I am sad because I just dropped my salad all over my floor because I accidentally knocked it off my desk. 5 second rule applies, right? :( SADNESS!!!!
That was the last of my lettuce too. Argh! I guess my Gatorade will have to tide me over till morning.

Anyway, things I have eaten today:

a handful of cheez-its (roughly around 13 crackers, which is the serving size oddly enough): 150 calories
a handful of strawberry peanut butter m&ms: roughly around 240 calories
3 molasses chicken legs (the tiny, party size): around 350 calories
small salad with deli sliced buffalo chicken and a teaspoon of peppercorn ranch dressing: around 400 calories
low calorie gatorade: 45 calories
3 glasses of Smart Balance fat free milk: 330 calories

Grand total: 1515 calories

I don't think that's too bad. I just need to start taking a protein shake to work with me so I don't snack on random things during my break. I'm proud I kept the serving sizes small though so the calories didn't add up at all. I also drank around 8 glasses of water today, so yay me!

As far as exercise goes I walked for 5 hours today, but it was at a very slow pace, so I'd say that burned around 500 calories (I was loading and unloading large boxes of product as well, so that counts too). Then I did dance, sporadically, for about 30 minutes, which burned about 300 calories.

Grand total: about 800 calories burned.

Not too shabby I suppose. I would like to get it to wear I am burning at least 1000 calories a day.

I forgot to purchase my body band today so I could start my new toning routine. I have it on my list to do so for tomorrow though- along with working, wrapping presents, rehearsal, etc etc.

Short Posted Apology

I know I always use the same excuse, but I truly have been BEYOND busy lately. Working in retail is a hectic schedule, as some people may know. I've been trying to snag as many hours as possible, then most of my other free time is devoted to show rehearsals and running.
But, here's a short update as to how things have been going:

I ran and COMPLETED a 5k run on Dec. 12th :) My friends and I ran it in 47min. (Well, they could have really run it twice over in that amount of time but they ran with me at my pace, so it was slow moving). We dressed up as reindeer, as it was a Christmas run. We even got interviewed on one of the local news shows, so I have legitimate proof that I was at the race and ran in freezing rain. The cold wasn't too too bad, but the being wet and weighed down by water part I could have done without haha. All in all, it was a good time though. And I can cross that off my bucket list. Now, I just need to find the free time to get back into the gym and continue running. Oy.

My nutrition has been better. I've tried to cut down on my car intake, which has definitely helped me. I added more vegetables and proteins to my daily foods, so I tend to stay fuller, longer. I also found that my body tends to not be able to digest carbs very well. From what I understand, carbs, when broken down, turn into glucose which are then absorbed by organs for energy, etc. My body has a glucose intolerance, meaning when my organs are supposed to be taking in all of the glucose for energy, etc, they don't and it just sits in body, floating around like excess waste. So, cutting down on carbs is helping me a lot. I still try to make sure I get at least 1-2 servings of whole wheat or something similar, a day so I'm not depriving myself of nutrients though. My eating schedule has shifted a bit as well. Ive found that, even though I eat something quick for breakfast before I go to work at 10, I don't tend to get hungry until around 4 or 5. And then once I get home from rehearsal at 1030, 1100, I'm ravenous.

On the exercise front, I've found (in fitness magazine) a few new toning and sculpting exercises I would like to try out. I just have to invest in a body band, so that is now officially on my Christmas list.

Oh! Exciting news for me! We were trying on costumes for the show tonight and the shirt I ended up getting is a size 1 from Torrid (which means it's a 14/16) and a Large size skirt from Target (the Xhileration brand, which is about a 14). I'm SOOO thrilled, I just had to share!

Slightly More Balanced...

Howdy folks!

Another day, another update for you.
Today was somewhat of a disappointment exercise wise. We didn't even do any dance at rehearsal :( However, I did work for 4 hours today which means I was up and walking around for all that time. Granted I wasn't running or power-walking, but I try to keep moving while in the store. So, I'd say that counts for something, right?

Exercise for the day:

4 hours of slow paced walking: I'd say that's around 300 calories.

Grand total burned: 300 calories

As for food- I had homemade pumpkin pancakes, a protein shake, a tossed salad with (deli-sliced) cheese, roast beef and buffalo chicken. I also had one glass of milk and a burrito from Taco Bell.

Nutrition for the day:

Pumpkin Pancakes: around 200 calories
Salad with deli meats, cheese and dressing: around 500 calories
Strawberry Banana Protein Shake: around 300 calories
Burrito from Taco Bell: 490 calories
Glass of 1% milk: 110 calories
5 glasses of water: 0 calories

Grand total: 1600 calories

Much better nutrition-wise today. And considering I still managed to burn around 300 calories, I think I had a fair balance. I also managed to get in a fair amount of vegetables too. Just have to cut out the fast food.
All in all, not a bad day though. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to step it up fitness wise. I plan on getting some winter running gear and then heading to the park for a run. Yay!