Blast from the Past

So today I got an IM from an old friend. The premise was business but the result was great. It was so nice chatting and catching up and things are really go well for both of us! It's strange how just that tiny reconnection with a friend can make you smile... minutes... after the conversation is over - and of course, no one can even see that I'm smiling. In fact one of my favorite quotes is "If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it." By Andy Rooney I think it's very true. If no one is around you are smiling for yourself, because it's what you REALLY feel. (this conversation also proved to be a much better alternative than the ice cream sundae I was going to have!)

OK enough of that .. back to business...
It looks like I get to start reading a new book tomorrow - I think I"ll end VERY close tonight, but not quite enough. I did however go out and buy the book today.. so it will be ready and waiting for me.
I learned an important lesson today - or rather figured out a potentially disasterous problem. The last few days, when I've been kicking my own butt at the gym, I 've come home and had a terrible upset stomach. I've eaten like I should but both Wed and Thur I headed to bed early in an attempt to make it go away. Today when I got home from the gym, it happened again, after successfully devouring a pita with turkey and cheese and strawberries (The strawberries weren't in the pita!) . So I did some research and found that one cause of an upset stomach after a workout is dehydration. UH OH. So today, as I was feeling rotten, I re-filled my water bottle and continued sipping on it... and tada! it went away. I now know (especially on days when I really push myself) I need to keep drinking water, long after my workout is over.

Today on the treadmill (and the 3 mins or so on the bike) the bottoms of my feet were killing me. Any ideas why? I also got on the new Precor elliptical/stepper machine. I didn't like it. It's cool, it adjusts to your strides so you can be doing steps, a short stride, or long stride like skiing. But I had a hard time keeping it where I wanted it. After running on the treadmill, I wanted to just work my quads - my calves were beat up enough. I think I'll stick to the regular ellipticals from now on.

Yesterday was my rest day - and I decided I really deserved it. So I curled up on the couch and watched "Catch Me if You Can"

I guess that's all for now. This week's motivational quote has been "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over is you just sit there." I have to remind myself to get up an move sometimes!

And we're off!

Lots of things new...
Yesterday started the Biggest Loser competition at the gym. I'm on the team "Life is Good". Well the way I view it... it's getting better all the time.
My starting weight there was 220. YUCK! But my goal is to be at 205 by March 8.

To help me along the way this time, I bought a new toy. Hee hee. Ever watch the Biggest Loser on Tv? Know that armband they all wear? Well I got one of those. Yep! So far today I know that I've burned 616 calories (I got a late start figuring out how it worked) The program's pretty cool too. It's called a bodybugg. They were also running a special, so I go the digital display for free. The DD (Digital Display) can be worn as a watch or a clip. I'm up to 621, burned 5 calories typing this paragraph!

Last night at the gym they also had a guy there who did our body composition - talk about being a little emabarrassed. However- I was pleased that his results are right about the same that my bodyfat scale reports. I feel more confident relying on my scale now- rather being pinched everywhere!!

Also last night at the gym I noticed something unusual - and I don't like it. I did my "week 1" run that I usually do outside on the treadmill and I didn't go nearly as far, nor did I burn as many calories. Is it normal to go slower on a treadmill than on the road? Should I be concerned about this?



Well that's all I have for now. I am in the middle of a gigantic project (and have to go to the eye doctor - yearly checkup)

Later!

Getting Back Into Things

So today I was inspired. The weather was cooler and it seemed the perfect day for me to get back to running. I've been hesitating on answering Michelle's questions about running until I have gotten back to doing it regularly- so I can remember why I love it so much.
So I got my shoes on, dug my headphones out, headed to the driveway where my iPod greeted me with an error message "Cannot Find Receiver". This was my signal that it had been WAY TOO Long since I had last run, because I had no idea what it was talking about! I searched for 15 minutes to find it. (I did, thank goodness). So as I was about to venture outside once again I noticed, much to my dismay that it was pouring down rain! Phooey. I thought it let up at one point but then as I was about to go again, it started going heavier again.
So, determined not to lose my motivation, I quickly packed up my gym bag and headed to the gym.
My intended goal was to walk/jog/run for 5k. As I got on the treadmill I kinda realized I was a bit rusty. I stayed on the treadmill for 20 minutes, then rode the recumbent bike for 10 minutes. My feet were numbing in weird places. I guess that's an ok re-start workout. I'll be able to go further again soon, I'm confident.