Day 16 & 17: Still sleep deprived

Weight: 132.4

What I did today (and yesterday): Remember how I said I was going to really enjoy sleeping in on Saturday? Yeah, me too. Those were good times. Unfortunately, my cat Coco decided she wasn't down with that. At 7AM, on the dot, she started talking. Mrawh? Mrawh! MRAWH!

Sweet adorable kitten, or demonic furry alarm clock?

I tried to fall back asleep around 9AM, but by then it was too late. I spent the rest of my morning grocery shopping, including my first trip to the local health food store. That place is awesome. I loaded up on Almond Milk (for my Shakeology shakes), mixed nuts, raw wheat germ for my cereal, and a few other snacks. I'll be stopping by there often from now on.

My workout for the day was Slim in 6 Ramp it Up, the second video in the series. When I got the set, it said to do each video for two weeks, but for whatever reason when I scheduled the workouts online, it only had Start it Up for one day and then it went right into Ramp It Up. Boooooy was that a bad idea. I couldn't even do half of the moves. I finished the whole video though.

After that painful experience, I decided to do a hybrid program of Hip Hop Abs and Slim in 6. I'll alternate between the Hip Hop Abs 60 day schedule one day and do Slim in 6 the next. In the case of Slim in 6, I'll go up to the next level video only when I'm ready for it.

Today I went over to the Lehigh University outdoor track for Week 1 Day 2 (repeat) of C25k. Here's a summary of my thoughts while out there:

• My new Camelbak is awesome.
• Even though it was a little chilly the sun was out, which was nice.
• Walking is fun!
• Got my new inserts, but they aren't helping out at all. My knees honestly feel like they are breaking.
• Oh my god, make the pain stop.
• Repeat the last three bullets for 20 more minutes.

This was pretty disheartening. Again. I really really really hope my physical therapy appointments will help with this, otherwise I have no idea what I'm going to do. I need to be able to run at least part of the Tough Mudder course.

I spent the rest of the day resting my poor, tired muscles and trolling the internet. I also made a handy dandy spreadsheet to keep track of my diet in terms of the tiers from Michi's Ladder. I use myfitnesspal to log my calories, but I was bored and want to get an average each day of my diet "score." Today was 2.4!

Mmm delicious pizza

Finally I'd like to share this easy recipe with you. I'm really not a big fan of cooking, so anything I make has got to be incredibly easy. It can't get easier than this.

• Whole Wheat or Multigrain Pita
• Pizza Sauce
• Fresh Mozzarella (I use the pearlini so I don't even have to cut the mozzarella)
• Whatever else you want (basil, mushrooms, olive oil, etc)

Just preheat your oven to 350, and put about two tablespoons of pizza sauce on the pita (pick the side that's more bowl shaped). Then just add your mozz on top, and pop in the oven on a cookie sheet. Cook until cheese is melted, or around 8 minutes. That's it. The best part? It's only around 300 calories. Oh, and it tastes awesome too :) You can also use a tablespoon of pesto instead of pizza sauce and put some fresh tomato on it. I'll be making a batch of these but instead of cooking them, I'll wrap them in aluminum foil and stick them in the freezer. That way when I'm extremely lazy and in the mood for pizza, BAM! I've got dinner.

Day 15: What do they say about the early bird again? It's sleepy?

Weight: 131.2

What I did today: I woke up at 5:30 and worked out.

No, really. I can't believe it either. It took me a lot longer to roll out of bed than I anticipated, but around 5:40 I popped in Slim in 6 Start It Up, worked out, took a shower, got dressed, made breakfast, packed my gym clothes, and got to work on time (actually a few minutes early).

I wish it was 8:20 when Clocky woke me up.

I honestly thought I'd be fresh & energized by the time I got to work. Yeah, not so much. I felt pretty much the same I do every morning. I didn't feel bad though, which was a start.

The whole point of doing this in the morning was so I could free up my afternoons for other things, like getting back in to running. So after work I went down to the gym on hopped on the treadmill. I still haven't bought the inserts my doctor recommended but after tonight I'll put that on my priority list. My knees felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets, or whatever they're attached to.

I should probably know that, considering I was an archaeology major in college.

Anyway, I restarted Week 1 of C25k since it's been over a week since the last time I ran. I could probably use all of the practice I can get. After the treadmill I hopped on the elliptical and spent 15 minutes watching Paula Deen make some delicious looking chocolate ball things. Yes, there was butter.

So even though I'm really proud of myself and I'm committed to doing this for at least six more weeks on workdays, I'm still going to super enjoy sleeping in tomorrow :)

*note: Yes, the alarm clock in the above picture is on wheels, yes I own one and yes, it is the coolest alarm clock ever. Google "Clocky," thank me later.



Day 14: Presents from FedEx!

Weight: 131.0 (!!!!)

What I did today: Yesterday was a much needed day off. I wasn't as sore as I was the day before, but with the crappy weather my knees were pretty cranky. But I came home to find this on my doorstep:

Squee!!! I ordered the Hip Hop Abs Deluxe package, which included all sorts of extra goodies, including the weighted gloves. When I first started using Team Beachbody videos, this is what I was introduced to. I had so much fun with HHA, but when I decided to buy my first set, I went with Slim in 6 to try something different. I really enjoy Slim in 6, but I would always find myself missing Shaun T's awesome energy (you may know him from his more recent workout Insanity).

Today when I got home I just had to pop in my old friend Fat Burning Cardio. I must be in better shape than I thought, I didn't have any problems finishing it which I distinctly remember not being the case when I first started it. I even remembered all of the moves, even though it's been at least six months since I did it. I ended the workout with Slim & Limber, I really needed a good stretch.

Also today I really put the focus on what I'm eating. I've been using Michi's Ladder to try to make better food decisions. It's basically a tiered food system where you try and eat as much as you can in the top two tiers out of five tiers. I think I did a pretty decent job today. If you don't what a breakdown of everything I ate today just skip the rest of this post :)

Breakfast: 1 bowl of Special K (T2) with skim milk (T1), and coffee (T2) also with skim milk
Lunch: Shakeology chocolate shake (no tier but I'm pretty sure it's T1), very small piece of homemade pizza with fresh mozz & pesto (T5).
Afternoon Snack: Gala Apple (T1) with two tablespoons of Skippy peanut butter (T4)
Dinner: 4 oz of chicken breast (T2), roasted garlic quinoa (T1), and steamed broccoli (T1)

Not bad for a first try, I think. The pizza on the chart is delivery pizza so I think what I ate was at least marginally better, and the only reason I had the peanut butter (actually, not the only reason, I love peanut butter) was because I was over two hundred calories short of my calorie target before exercise. I felt like I was eating all freaking day, but it still wasn't enough. Go figure. I think it's going to take a while to get used to this.

Day 11 & 12: Workout video pain and cleared to "run" again

Weight: 133.2

What I did today (and yesterday): Slim in 6 was on the docket yesterday. Six months after I bought it and I'm still on the starter video. It's deceptively difficult - my arms are always burning when I do it. Since I need to really work on upper body strength in preparation for TM, I'm thinking I should really work through this. I'm tossing around the idea of waking up extra early and staring my day with SI6, then doing a different workout in the evening. Sounds like a good idea, until I remember that I am most certainly not a morning person.

Today my Camelbak came in, so I ran down to Saucon Valley Bikes and picked it up. Pretty bitchin, right? I was getting irritated with my crappy string bag bouncing around with my water bottle. This should cut down on the bouncing, plus it has reflectors, a key fob, and a handy pocket for my iPhone.

I also had my appointment with a sports medicine doctor today to see what's going on with my foot. After a few minutes of observation (in which I learned that I'm pretty much incapable of balancing on one foot), she said I have some wacky imbalances and some PT will help me greatly. Even better, she said I can get right back into C25k, and recommend just getting a very basic Dr. Scholls insert. Huzzah!

Tuesdays are Fit Club at the library, and tonight was Brazilian Butt Lift. Laugh all you want, but those workouts are killer. They always kick my decidedly non-Brazilian Butt. As a plus, now after the tenth or so time doing it, I'm pretty sure I've got the lambada down.

Finally, please keep your comments coming. I'm still having issues replying to comments, but I am reading them and they've all been really helpful. Thanks again everyone :)

Day 10: Peer Pressure FTW!

Weight: 134.0

What I did today: Since the weather was glorious today (50 degrees and sunny), I went biking on the Rail Trail again, but this time I brought a friend. Definitely glad I did! I noticed a huge improvement today with my seat and handlebars readjusted, but I was still getting tired. My friend kept pushing me to keep going though, and we ended up doing about 7 miles total! It was a little embarassing, I was huffing and puffing and my friend was just gliding along, but I need to keep in mind that there is a reason that I'm going through all of this: I need to get into shape. Every day that I continue with this I am going to get better.

I'm pretty sure this isn't normal

I did notice only an hour or two after biking yesterday some bruising on the inside of my thigh. Today it got even worse. Obviously I must be doing something wrong, but I'm not sure what. It doesn't hurt when I'm riding (actually it doesn't really hurt at all) but it's pretty scary looking. I'll have to pay more attention next time I go riding to see if I can zero in on the issue. 

But then again, I biked seven miles today!! WOOT WOOOOT!!!

Day 8 & 9: Why I love my town

Weight: 133.6

What I did today (and yesterday): Still focusing on low impact exercises. Yesterday I went to the gym and spent thirty minutes on the elliptical. I'm noticing a marked improvement in my stamina on it. Usually I have to slow down because my heart rate gets out of control, but now I can go faster without it getting too high. I also did three of the weight lifting machines (too embarrassed to say what weight I was at). Even after my workout I was full of energy yesterday, which has been an awesome side effect of all this working out. It's actually difficult to be in a bad mood.

I also think I look pretty hot in the new workout clothes I bought myself :)

Today, since the weather was nice, I hopped on my bike for a ride on the rail trail. Try as I might, I can only go about a 1/4 mile at a time and then I have to stop. I learned from a coworker this week that rail trail have a slight grade to them in one direction, which explains why it's so much easier for me on the way back.

When I was wrapping up my pitifully short ride, I accidentally clicked a gear while walking the bike and the bike chain fell off. Luckily for me Saucon Valley Bikes was only a quarter mile away. Not only did they put the chain back on (that made me feel a little silly) but when I complained about my quads burning with the fire of a thousands suns they readjusted my seat and handlebar height, saying it should help. We'll see tomorrow when I hop back on my bike :)

After that was done, I ambled over to the local coffee shop to grab some java and lunch, ran into a friend, then spent a few minutes in the park. All without ever having to get into the car! After years of living in the middle of nowhere I don't think I'll ever get sick of this.

When I got home I did Slim & Limber again, and I'm already noticing improvements in my flexibility. Stretching is vitally important to any exercise - if you don't do it you can injure yourself. I usually do a few quick exercises right after I warm up if I can, but I always make sure to do a good stretch after I'm done when my muscles are warm and stretch-able.

Then I took a nap. And it was awesome.

Day 7: Fridge stocking fun

Weight: 134.6

What I did today: I decided to take on off day since my right foot is still smarting. It's a little weird, after doing some kind of physical activity for four days straight I'm finding that I miss it. I made myself feel better by buying some new workout gear at Target (on sale, of course) and loading up on delicious yummies from the grocery store. And since I have nothing else better to do, I'll tell you what I got and why.

• Skim milk. I love cereal forever and ever for breakfast, and I've always preferred skim.
• Rotisserie Chicken. I hate cooking, but I can't eat out all of the time (sadly). I use a rotisserie chicken as a shortcut: I strip the meat off, separating the dark meat from the white, and freeze the chicken in one cup amounts in freezer bags. Deli meat never lasts long enough for me to eat it and I can throw the chicken in other things.
• Whole wheat wraps. I tried one of these a few weeks ago when I realized that wraps are delicious and found these to actually be tastier than a regular tortilla. Shocker, right?
• Apples! For snacks and juicing :)
• Quinoa. Mostly bought this because it's so much fun to say. Keeen-waaaa! I figure I can throw some chicken or veggies with this for a nommy lunch.
• Dried Apricots. I've never even had an apricot before, so this was a little risky. I had read recently dried apricots are an excellent source of potassium, even better than bananas. Which is great, because I hate bananas. Barf.
• Cavatelli pasta & shredded Parmesan. Throw this with some olive oil and some broccoli and I'm pretty sure I'll have a tasty meal. I think.
• Sun Chips. Needs no explanation.
• Spinach. Taking Popeye's advice. I sauteed some with garlic and olive oil tonight to throw on my wrap for lunch tomorrow. I'll use a bunch in some juice later this week as well.
• Assorted Green Giant steamer veggies. I love these things, it makes eating a side of veg with every meal ridiculously easy. No, these don't have cheese.

All for under fifty bucks :) Most of this should be easy to throw together for meals. I may start really trying to track my calories on MyFitnessPal to see if this helps me get all of my nutrition goals.

As for my foot pain, I've scheduled an appointment with a sports medicine doctor for next Tuesday. In the meantime, C25k is on hold and I'll be doing low impact exercises (my Slim in 6 DVDs, the elliptical, or if the weather is good a nice bike ride this weekend).