Thursday, April 28, 2011

Rainy Days and Mondays

           This last week was a little different. I was on vacation on Friday, Monday and Tuesday. Usually vacations are a time for me to do a lot of things but this vacation I was lazy. First of all I was stiff. I tried to jump..no leap back into my normal exercise routine. I did a pretty good job of this. I went to the gym on Tuesday and Wednesday early in the morning after jogging on Monday evening. But I think I left out an important step. A rest day. Everyone has to pick and choose what or when to rest. Sunday is usually my day. I was aching pretty bad. The back of my thighs were sore no matter what I did. On Thursday I decided not to work out and give myself a break. After all, I was going to be off for four days in a row. Then there was the constant rain. It just keeps on raining. Soggy weather not only eliminates outdoor fun but makes you want to snuggle in bed and watch television.




what are the chances of a restaurant with Jake's name
            I was disappointed when I didn't go jogging on Friday morning. I forgave myself and told the boys that we were taking a trip to the Museum of Natural History.Once we got out of the train we were told to get on a line; the end of which reached the stairs back onto the street. We gave waiting on line a shot, even taking pictures of the murals painted in the subway station. But after twenty minutes of barely moving, I realized I it was going to be an extremely long wait and once inside loads of people. Apparently half of New York City decided to go at the same time. So I offered the boys a chance to go to lunch. We rarely ever dine out because it's a little expensive but a day out with my guys is worth it.  So where do you take two of the best brothers in the world? Why Brother Jimmy's BBQ!

  I can resist everything except temptation
~Oscar Wilde~

soda pop obsession




           We had a blast in Brother Jimmy's BBQ. Since it was a treat I decided to have some fun. Josh and I ordered light beers. We all had burgers. Josh and I had sweet potato fries and Jake had regular ones. I also shared a cole slaw side with Josh and Jake gave me his lettuce, tomato and pickles. Jake is not used to eating out so he insisted that he be allowed to order macaroni and cheese assuring me that he could eat it all. He didn't. He became so fascinated with the bottle of authentic orange soda pop that he only ate french fries. Guess what he had for lunch the next day? After taht we took a walk around the neighborhood and the guys were patient while I walked around Knitty City. This is a very cute yarn shop/community. Of course with its chic address comes expensive yarn. I could drool but not buy.
           Saturday it rained taking away Jake's hopes for a little league game. After my day out with the guys, suddenly I didn't want to do a thing. My legs finally stopped aching on Saturday.  I spent the day on the bed knitting and crocheting. I even nagged my hubby in to getting me a ride to the Michaels. A friend gave me a ride to the yarn craft store to get more supplies( as if I used all the other ones yet). I satyed on the bed Sunday and Monday instead of going out to play.
             The last day of vacation was Tuesday. Normally I go to the chiropractor's office where I receive a massage and life lessons from fellow patients.After that I go to Tuesday Night Happy Hour otherwise known as Melanie's Weight Watchers meeting. But I heard Jake telling my sister how I was not going to be at his little league game because of my Tuesday evening obligations. When it turned out to be such a beautiful warm and sunny day, I knew I needed to go to the game. Jake told me that he really loves playing first base. I tagged one player out. He looked so adorable catching a ball while keeping one foot on base. I am so glad I went.


THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITY
Tues. 32 mins treadmill, 30 mins bike + all day = 11pts
Wed. 30 mins treadmill, 5 mins stair climber, bike 25 mins + all day = 10pts
Thurs. all day = 1pt
Fri. all day = 4pts
Sat. all day = 1pt
Sun. all day = 0pt
Mon. all day = 0pt

WALK FROM NYC TO SEATTLE
2,724.24miles - 20.24miles = 2,704 miles to go

   I will leave you all with a couple of quips from Jake The Food Critic. On Sunday Jake asked me what was for dinner. I told him spaghetti with salmon. Jake said "hmmm, spaghetti with salmon, very interesting". On Tuesday I decided to make pancakes for breakfast. When Jake came into the kitchen just as his plate was ready he said "what are you doing?" I'm making pancakes, I answered. "It's not Sunday." No, it's not Sunday but I thought I would make a special breakfast, I replied. "No, I don't want it. I want my frozen breakfast sandwich"

Thursday, April 21, 2011

A Change Is Gonna Come

      I have been away from the blog for a couple of weeks. There has been a lot going on in my life.When I last checked in, I was getting into using the gym. I have been trying to go to the gym a few days a week. It still feels a little strange being in one. I like the gym that I picked. It six blocks away from my job and open at the crack of dawn. But every time I walk in there, I feel a little weird. Kinda like I don't belong. I have to do some positive self talk to convince myself that I belong there. I paid my fee. I want to change my life for the better. I want to make it known that I belong there. I also need for everyone to know that I know what it feels like going to a place where everyone looks amazing. For instance, there's the treadmill. Most people are jogging on the treadmill. I am still in 'oh man, I'm going to fall off this thing any minute' mode.I like being on the treadmill because I love love love walking.  The other machine I am getting to know is the stair climber. I already know how to climb stairs (and I have not climbed the stairs in my building for a while) but this machine totally busts my butt.
          The other machine I have been using is the the exercise bike. I like to try to do as much as I kind in the time I am allowed. I find myself pedaling really fast. I feel accomplished  doing that and I have missed bike riding. All of this is worth every ache and pain I feel. I walk on the treadmill  for 30 minutes and then ride the bike for 30 minutes or use the stair climber for 10-20 minutes and then the bike for 10 -20 minutes. I am slowly becoming brave enough to let go of the handles on the treadmill. A few times I had the speed high enough to almost jog, but I'm sorry, I'm still chicken. The good part about joining the gym is that I gained more activity points.Awesome!
            Another awesome activity was our monthly 5K on April 7. Mother Nature is still not cooperating, so we were a little cold. But it was still a fun 5K. Tam took us on a new route around midtown Manhattan ending at Grand Central Station. I even met a new WW friend who is a hard core knitter. And Cindy's boyfriend Pete joined us. After the 5K, Pete, Cindy, Tam and I went to a pub where I indulged in a juicy turkey burger and fries. Yummy!
















           On Saturday and Sunday we went to Jake's first official baseball games. That's right folks, Lake is officially a little leaguer for the first time ever. It doesn't stop him from playing baseball in the apartment. Jake is so proud of being on a team. Early in the morning before Jake's game, I got up and went to the track. I managed to jog all four laps which I had not been able to do. And I beat myself previous time with 51.59 minutes.
Last week's Activity
Tues. 20 mins stair climber+ 42 mins treadmill + all day = 18,211 steps= 13pts
Wed. rest day= 1pt
Thurs. 10 mins on bike + 41 mins treadmill + all day + 5K= 24,920 steps= 18pts
Fri.41 mins treadmill + 10 mins bike+ leg weights + all day = 6pts
Sat. for got to record mileage= 0pts
Sun. 4 laps(5K) jogging + all day = 22,974 steps= 17pts
Mon. all day = 2pts
Total pts= 57pts
      My world went a little upside down on Monday. My Mommy passed away. She had been in the hospital for a very long time. Mommy managed to survive losing my Dad to advanced liver cancer in 1973. She had multiple sclerosis for almost 40 years. She survived double pneumonia, breast cancer mastectomy and a thyroid condition which had to be treated with radiation. She survived emergency open heart surgery due to a tear in her aortic valve which left her bedridden for the last two years. Finally renal failure, anemia and infections took her away. I want to believe that she is in a place she is young and healthy and with my dad.
      During the week, I was home from work, making preparations with my sister for my mom's homegoing. Feeling shock and having so many important tasks to complete, I could have easily shoved food in my mouth to comfort me. That is what food has been to me for a large part of my life. But I honestly have to say that some of the WW plan must be at home in my brain. I ate breakfast. I only ate when I was hungry. I did not work out. But this is my life now. Sure there will be falling of the wagon or the occasional binge but for once when something so profound happened in my life, I did not numb it with food. I used food to feed me.
        The wonderful thing is that life goes on. I took Jake to little league practice during the week. And on Monday, one week after my mom died, on my first day back to work, I came home and jogged two laps around the track earning myself 5pts and timing 1.64 mile at 25.42 mins. This week I lost one pound. I now weigh 229.4lbs. I'm back in the 220's!







WALK TO SEATTLE
last 2,771.84 - 47.6 (in 2 wks) = 2,724.24 miles to go
             

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Get Into The Groove

            I am getting back into the groove folks. I am re-commiting to a plan of activity. I was suffering from burn out for about a week but after last week's meeting I decided that it was time to push myself. There are always going to be other things going on in life. My mom is still in the hospital. But I need to remember one of the most important things about my Weight Watchers journey. That it's all about me and what I am going to do about it. My schedule will be a bit hectic from now on but I have to get into the groove.


                Last Wednesday, I started with a long walk around the neighborhood. I usually use my local track but I wanted to invigorate my new start. At the end of my work from home day I grabbed my hubby, two sons and my son's friend and we all did a tour around the perimeter of our complex. We were lucky because the weather cooperated.We walked at a pretty good pace and talked and played games like "that's my car" and tag. No adults were harmed during tag. My hubby and I did not run from "it". We just kept tagging each other until one of the kids came too close. Then we tagged them. We saw the first few signs of Spring. At the end, I did not want to go inside( the temperature was going to drop again that night).
               On Thursday I joined a local gym that I have had my eye on lately. After the extraordinary winter we've been having, I did not want to lose my walk/jogging skills that I am trying to build up. I chose this gym because it's six blocks away from the office and it's open 24 hours Monday through Friday. I will have to miss out on the weekends because I probably won't come into the city just to work out. So first thing Friday morning, I woke up at 4am so that I could catch the 5am bus into Manhattan. All you single ladies out there- there is nothing but men traveling at that hour. So I climbed on the "testosterone bus" and made my way to the gym. I have not been inside of a gym since 1996. Yes, I did say 1996. I was not sure that I knew how to work the equipment. I could not get an instructor for that morning but I could not wait one more day. It has been fifteen years, you know. So I winged it. I found the stair climber in an isolated area ( that use to been my favorite exercise machine back in the day). It's not so hard. Climb on. Press start. Enter your weight. Enter you level (hello? one!).I entered twenty minutes and the next thing I knew, I was climbing. It actually wasn't so bad thanks to Ms. Bitchcakes stair climbing challenge. Before I knew it, it was five minutes, then ten, then fifteen and finally twenty minutes. I didn't explode or disintegrate. I had climbed 40 flights of stairs.
                      The next machine I tackled was the treadmill. I have a confession to make. I have never used a treadmill. By that time there were other people around. So I climbed on, pressed start and started walking. Once I got my walking legs, I turned up the speed a little at a time. Then I turned up the incline. I walked for 30 minutes. Then it was time to get to work. This was a brand new experience for me. I am very excited by it. I do not have pictures of the gym yet because I am still feeling my way around. It's a nice gym.



   On Saturday, it was my first official( which means paid and timed) 5K in Flushing Meadow Park near CitiField (Home of the New York Mets baby!). And I got to do it with my two WW homies Cindy and Tamra. My sons Josh and Jake traveled from the Bronx to Queens so early that it was still dark outside. Even though I started practicing a few weeks before, I was feeling a little run down. Cindy and I decided to do the walk/jog combo and keep up with each other. Tam, who is practicing for another race wanted to  do her best time. We gave her permission to flat-leave us. I went to the porto potty run before the start of the race. There was a mirror on the door. I looked right into the mirror and told my nervous self that "the only thing stopping me is me". How's that for a little positive self talk. And then we were off. Cindy and I started off jogging and then we alternated jogging and walking. It was lots of fun. There were others alternately jogging and walking in groups or in pairs. There was nothing intimidating about. I took a few pictures along the way but my batteries died at the one mile mark and Josh was holding my bag.















              As we ran to the finish line, there was Tam, Cindy's boyfriend Pete and my sons Josh and Jake cheering us on from different areas. Then it was onto to the post race snack line. I was thirsty but I took a donut and muffin for the guys. For some reason they did not pass out water. I was forced to drink blue powerade which I promptly turned over to Jake after a few sips. We went to a "Got Milk" table and Tam and I had our pictures taken. We walked around for a bit cheering on the 13.1 mile runners and then searched for a place to eat. For some reason that proved a little too hard for us. We will plan for a "chow down" restaurant for our next race. We did a little shopping. I rewarded myself with a new pair of sneakers.They're sliver and pink. Yeah! In the end, me and the boys made our trekk from Queens to the Bronx. When I got home, I made myself my first peanut butter and banana sandwich. I never had one before. I did not know what I was missing. Yum. After I rested a while, I went back out to hang out in Barnes and Noble. I am a book geek. I could spend hours in a book store. I read my pedometer at the end of the day. It said I walked 27,729 steps.

             



                   




      







       Sunday and Monday were not big workout days. But first thing Tuesday morning, I was back on the "testosterone bus" back to the gym for my 6am workout. This time I pressed level 3 on the stair climber for 20 mins. I had to keep talking myself through that one but I was proud of myself at the end. I did 42 minutes on the treadmill. Every few minutes I raised the speed and the incline. It felt great.
This Week's Activity
Tues.- all day- 3pts
Wed.- walk around the hood - 7pts
Thurs. -all day - 8pts
Fri.- 20 mins/40 flights stair climber + 30 mins treadmill + all day - 11pts
Sat. 5K + walk round Queens and the Bronx - 18pts
Sun. 0ptsMon. 3 pts
TOTAL PTS = 50 pts
                 This week I lost 1.2lbs bringing my weight loss back to 47lbs so far. This week's meeting topic was about challenging yourself and boy do I know about that. Everything I do is a challenge. When I think back to the way I was before, I can hardly believe the things that I can do now. Weight Watchers promotes it's WALK-!T Challenge at this time of the year. Last year, since some of us did not want to do an organized 5K or we created our own by walking around Manhattan for 3.1miles mapped out by Tamra. I think that walking together chatting and taking pictures makes it feel less like a race but it is still a challenge. We kicked off the first 5K of this year last month. This Thursday is the second 5K of the year beginning at 6:15pm on the corner of East 43rd St and Lexington Avenue( in case anyone wishes to join us). 
               One of my addictions to walking has been a pedometer. There is something gratifying about seeing all those steps I took after a long walk. For example, here is what I walked this week,
T- 8452 steps
W- 10,788
TH-11,591
F - 15,068
S- 27,729
M- 8,243
                  So get out there and do what you can and enjoy what you do.
WALK FROM THE BRONX TO SEATTLE
2,806.64 - 34.8 miles = 2,771.84 miles to go