Day 17 Tuesday January 28, 2014

Still feels weird to write 2014. Tuesdays are still a little bittersweet, I've done the same workout class for almost 2 years, so now I see all the girls go in and I feel like I should be too. I am still very happy with the decision to shake things up, and my workout partner is solid, but change even when wanted can be a hard thing.

We did a mini boot camp "44" so reps of jumping jacks, squats, crunches and pushups. Then cardio on the elliptical for 30 minutes.

I love running, and can't wait to break out my bike, I have learned to love spin, but my favorite cardio machine is still the elliptical, but only when I use a program. There is no way I am ever going to jack up the tension unless it is being done for me!

My favorite form of cardio outside is still downhill skiing. Then cycling, then running. I actually have all my badges in swimming too and am a fish in the water.

My hair is in a dangerous cycle of being in a forever pony tail! I actually go three days without washing my hair. Gross right? I do use a dry shampoo, but my favorite is still a good baby powder brush through.

Yesterday I went through all my gym clothes, threw away a few stained, gross, ripped things and put everything else in a plastic drawer system sorted the drawers with socks/tanks/shirts/shorts & skorts/long pants, and a basket with bras on top. That way I am not fumbling for stuff in the morning, and its not mixed in with my regular clothes. I have tons of workout gear/clothes so I can go a whole week and just do a big load on the weekend, otherwise I am inundated with laundry all week. I have one drawer dedicated to ski stuff and running clothes.

This is me and my workout partner!! LOL

Day 14/15/16

Day 14
I started an early day in Edmonton, so I took advantage of the beautiful sunshine and went for a run after my meeting. I have been dealing with exhaustion, I am ready for bed at 9:00!! I have planned my meals and snacks as nutrient dense as possible! No empty calories for me. Hope it helps.

Day 15

Well today was one of those days that I didn't want to exercise. It happens. I'm tired, it's Friday and I just wasn't very motivated. I finally forced myself outside at 4:00 and went for a really nice walk for an hour. Felt good to stretch out my legs and my back. Still tired but at least I got that out of the way.

Day 16

Today was my first "long" run although 8 km doesn't se that long. But I paved myself, timed myself and was happy with my run. And I was COLD, that sun was deceiving in fact after the first 2 km I wasn't sure if I could make it, but I did warm up! Thank goodness! I've been walking and running lots   And usually don't get much except a few all blisters when I up my mileage. My favorite "blister treatment"
Is the first aid dr. OZ treatment. Always works for me. I've started supplementing with coconut oil in the hopes of a little more energy. The healthy eating is working great and I feel more energetic, back to the gym tomorrow( Monday).

Day 11/12/13 100/100

Day 11
I think I will send my blogs out every 3-4 days. That way I don't feel obligated to publish a blog every day. After all it is the exercise that is paramount. I do find the act of journaling my progress quite cathartic, and I can see the benefits of journaling as a daily practice. Although during this process I am only blogging about 1/10 of my day, it is still an interesting experience to look back and reflect on my exercise.

Today it was a relief to be back at the gym. I love the freedom of deciding what to do from day to day, but I like the familiarity of a place, program and workout partner. Some days it is just a challenge to get moving, and the gym cleans away the clutter, and reminds me that the only reason I am there is to workout. There are usually no distractions and most people there are fairly focused. I am glad we go early, our workout dragged on a little this morning and I noticed that it started to get busier, and my anxiety level went up!

Also on days I workout on my own I tend to do my exercise later in the day, and I love the early workouts that let me get on with my life. I always feel like I have at least accomplished that goal for the day and everything else seems to be easier.

I have a nagging back ache, so I am assuming my core needs work. Usually a back ache signals the fact that I need new shoes, but my shoes are good right now, so maybe just a lot of walking/running. Tommorow I am going to do a hardcore spin at the gym and see how that works, I have a video on my phone.

I am organizing my workout gear a little today, the travelling has left me with gear everywhere. I usually have a kit of workout stuff in my car (yoga pants, tshirt, socks and shoes) and that just stays there. It serves as an emergency "to go" bag if I am stranded in either Jasper or Edmonton which rarely happens, and also gives me an option if I want to work out on the fly.

I am organizing all my running gear in one space (by the front door) and put up a chain of clips that I can put my gloves, bula, hat, running lights, spikes etc.

I have a bag with all my swimming gear, bathing suit, towel, large toothed comb, swim pass hanging in the same area.

I am also going to keep my gym bag in the car. I bought some white towels that are (somewhere?) just for the gym, I have a glass bottle that I fill with tap water, and my inside shoes. I need to bring my ipad in so I can recharge, and I usually come home after so I don't worry about makeup/clothes/or toiletries. I think I'll pack some stuff for the steam room after, might be a nice treat on a day when I'm not so busy!

Day 12
Back to the gym, spin and arms today. Whew! I am exhausted currently supplementing with scads of caffeine.

Day 13
I am fluctuating between feeling tired and bursts of energy. I really think I have to eat better and drink more water! Today was a leg day, doubled our reps for legs, added in some squats and did about 100 crunches in between. Tomorrow I am in the city of Edmonton, so I am wearing my running stuff and get a run in before I leave the city. I just don't want to leave exercise till the end of an already long day. From the New Year I have been sporadically keeping track of my diet, but I will go back to a 1500 calorie eating plan, still allows me as much vegetables, tea, coffee, sugar free jello etc as I want. I think the combination of working out and eating right to be what I need! Oh and for the record I am actually down a couple of pounds......

Day 10 100/100

Thanks for all the kind words of encouragement yesterday. I forget what a support system is out there for me! Today was definitely one of those days that I would have forgone exercise if I wasn't up for the challenge so to speak. These are the pictures of my most faithful running partners. Missy has gone on lots of walks/runs with me over the years, but she is too old to keep up now. That doesn't stop her from thinking that she can still come, and most days I have to put her in the house. Today I forgot and we found her exhausted on the road halfway home from our 5km walk. We limped her back home.

Skip is my new running partner and he gets so excited it is funny. Since he has been fixed he has put on a pile of weight :( so the mileage is good for both of us)>

I was teaching a class in Jasper today so I got my hour in before I left this morning. It was a gorgeous day for a walk, and a drive. Back to the gym tomorrow, maybe they have the Jacob's ladder in??

Day 9 100/100 Well I am almost 10% through my challenge! Good and Bad news!

Of course I started my challenge just before a trip. I have maintained the hour of exercise a day. That part has been non-negotiable. The planning takes a little more consideration and I have more laundry too! I was pleasantly surprised at how this challenge has helped me get motivated.

I maintained my weight. No loss, No gain.  So I made good choices, but I did eat what I wanted and there was lots of wine and beer on holidays so initially I was a little disappointed, but then I can't remember the last time I didn't gain weight on a holiday? So all in all that is a win! I also seem to gain a little muscle when I first start exercising heavy so I know that this will help me down the road.

I am not a natural "blogger" although if you know me well I LOVE to chat. I looked into some popular blogs about fitness (a disclaimer, this blog is about my experience and not a fitness blog) but they were very interesting and I thought I would pass them along:

http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/best-fitness-blogs#1

I also would love to hear what gadgets you can't live without when it comes to fitness. I love my iphone and my nike app http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2012/06/nike_running_the_most_beautiful_app_you_ever_did_see.html) my playlists (iTunes), my Garmin, when I get really into the longer distances and pacing more. I have knuckle lights that are fun in the dark. I use my ipad for weight lifting, I downloaded the alpine circuit online and formatted in pages, that way I can just update my reps.

Also another touchy subject to get your thoughts on. I am going to exercise through any illness or injury. Right now I am coming down with a bit of chest congestion. I am taking it easy it will just be an hour walk in this beautiful sunshine with my very very very happy dog. I promised you a video so I will upload that once I unpack and find all my cords.

I will leave you with the unexpected exercise of yesterday: My flight from Savannah was delayed by 2 hours and 20 minutes. My layover in Houston was 2 hours and 30 minutes. Which gave me a whopping 10 minutes to get from gate to gate. How big is the Houston airport? Here is a picture:

I had to get from Terminal B to Terminal C gate 22. Take into consideration just one of these gates is the same size as the entire Edmonton Airport. I had packed tight so I wore my DKNY heeled HEELED boots on the plane ride. As I got off the plane I asked the United Representative if I had enough time to make the flight. He took a look at the boarding pass looked at his watch, and looked at the boarding pass again, and laughed a little and said "maybe, can you run? I would suggest running" So I took off and RAN my ass off through the Houston Terminal like one of those bad movies. I actually yelled at people to get out of my way. Well I made it. Barely. I missed the bathroom, supper, and my phone was nearly dead. I was so happy, apparently it was the last flight to Edmonton, so I would have been SCREWED if I hadn't made it. I don't know how it happened but the plane was packed but I had a seat by the window, no one sitting beside me, and I was in the emergency lane, so I had so much leg room! I was sweating like a madman, and I can't describe how bad I had to go to the bathroom, and they won't let you go until they are well in the air. But all in all it was an exciting trip, and not quite as relaxing as I was hoping!

Day 7 100/100

Day 7 my favorite day this week was a run on the beach!

Day 8 100/100

Day 8 100/100

It travel day again today and I won't be home until midnight so I got exercise out of the way. The resort had aqua-size at 9:00, so that it what I did. I have to give this resort an A+ on quality instructors, they really know what they are doing. It's one of the few times the instructor was in the pool with us. I was introduced to lots of new moves including lots of underwater kickboxing. Anyway it's lots of relaxing, reading and travelling ahead of me :)