Nutrition and a Weight Loss Challenge

First off, and aside... Egad, I have to run 12.5 miles tomorrow and check out the forecast! I am not too excited...

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Nutrition is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. Truthfully I've been a little frustrated that I'm so active but I just can't seem to get down to what I think a healthier weight for me would be. I have an idea of what some of my pitfalls are but was lacking...something...motivation??...to try to set it straight. When I first met with coach I told her that nutrition was a definite concern of mine. She advised me to start keeping a food log and then she would take a look and offer some suggestions. If my eating was way off kilter then she would recommend a nutritionist for me. I had been pretty resistant to the idea of writing down what I was eating. I didn't want to be one of those calorie counter sticklers. I enjoy good food and was worried that this would put me down the path to nibbling carrot sticks non-stop and fretting over what I was putting in my mouth. It turns out that keeping track of what I was eating wasn't quite as scary as I thought. The first week I didn't change too much, but I was honest in writing it down. The first feedback that I got was that I really needed to work on incorporating snacks in to my day more, and making sure that there was some protein in my snacks so I could stay fuller longer between meals. I started planning my food ahead a lot more - carrying and apple and peanut butter and some cottage cheese to work with me for snacks. I also was working hard to cook at home on a regular basis and make a double batch so I'd have lunch at work the next day. For dinner I'd start grilling up chicken I'd been marinating and a huge selection of veggies and I found that I was naturally starting to eat less. Writing my food down hasn't turned me in to an overzealous diet nut like I was worried about, but it definitely makes me think a lot more about when, where and how much I'm eating. It hasn't all been perfect, but I don't beat myself up for having a treat every once in awhile. But I find that I'm not craving those treats as often now. I feel like things are starting to go in the right direction and - knock on wood - the scale is starting to agree with me.

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And so with that in mind, in order to keep up the good work I'm participating in Viv's Marathon Season Independence Weight Loss Challenge. It couldn't come at a better time because now that I'm starting to see improvements I need to make sure I keep up with the good habits instead of falling back in to the old ones. If you think you are in need of a little motivation yourself, then head on over and sign up for the challenge. All you have to do is tell Viv what your starting weight is anytime between now and before the end of the day, Sunday October 12th. Good luck!

Pray to the weather gods

Sunday I went out for a cut back long run. It was supposed to be 7 miles, then I talked myself into 6 miles instead (thanks to time constraints). A mile in I decided to run up the switchbacks from Bowness Park up to Stoney Trail. My legs were exceedingly unhappy about this and they refused to get into a rhythm after this. Then my bladder started yelling at me so I decided to cut things short at 5.3 miles. Oops. Oh well. I went to hot yoga Sunday night for an extra workout and I was one hot, drippy mess. I have never produced so much sweat in my entire life. I was having difficulty holding poses because my hands and feet kept slipping. My most successful pose was Savasana where I nearly managed to fall asleep.

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Monday morning the weather gods were not looking kindly on the idea that I wanted to bike into work in nice weather. I loaded the bike in the car, drove to Neil's, then got vetoed on biking due to impending rain. I realized at work that my legs were exhausted so I'm sure they appreciated having a day off. Then there was the torrential downpour I drove through on the way home. Really, not biking was probably a great idea. The weather for the rest of the week looks sketchy so there may be minimal riding this week. I'm really hoping to go camping this weekend so I'm hoping that Mother Nature gives us a break from the rain. So seriously, pray to the weather gods for me!

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As for the Independence WL challenge I'm off to a rousing start. I rested yesterday, and pigged out on sausages and wine last night.

Core Assault, and a Weight Loss Challenge

Sheena was kind enough to make last night's Bikini Boot Camp class a participant's choice night. After we worked our arms like no one's business on Tuesday night I wasn't sure I wanted to kill my legs on Thursday so I voted for as many core challenges as Sheena could think to throw our way. Boy, oh boy, did she deliver! We did jump squats on to a Bosu ball, travelling planks, squats with a shoulder press and some hamstring work, all interspersed with various core exercises. Today it hurts to laugh so I know it was a good class!

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I think I'm ready for my du tomorrow. I'm off to the good folks at Bow Cycle to get the bike check taken care of tonight. I have the race instructions printed off, a map to the start...now all I need to worry about is getting a good night's rest. Wish me luck, and I promise to check in and let you know how it goes.

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Finally, I have to give a plug to Viv who is organizing an Independence Weight Loss Challenge. I'm not one to talk about my weight - especially on here, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think I could stand to lose a pound or two. There's a reason why I never posted shots from the Minnie Marathon. Okay, so maybe I've been too lazy to download them off of my camera so far, but when I saw the official race photos I was horrified. My stomach was rippling like a bowl full of jelly in my finish line shot. Oh...so...not...flattering. And people, I have been working my butt off at running and boot camp and biking and the scale has budged just not one little bit. Granted, I feel amazingly fit and like I've seen progress since the Minnie, however my bathroom scale has not. So anyhow...if you feel the same way at all then I encourage you to run over to Viv's at Excuse #1 I'm Not Fit to Run to learn the details of the challenge and to sign up. Entries required by the end of the day June 1st. Oh, and there are prizes involved...