Tag: weight loss

Health

Uhm Running to PEI 2023

Getting to PEI (just catching up basically)

So it seems the last time I updated this was at the beginning of December. Which is really the last time I did anything consistently at all.

Here’s the post up to 4 December 2022.

And then from December to the end of January:

date	what	where		how far	how long	pace
22/1/2023	Run	random	Def	2.8 km	28:52	10:30
17/1/2023	Run	Treadm	Def	2.7 km	28:07	10:35
13/1/2023	Run	Treadm	Def	2.8 km	28:02	10:10
7/1/2023	Run	EG Track	Def	2.6 km	30:19	11:43
4/1/2023	Run	Treadm	Def	3.0 km	30:05	10:00
3/1/2023	Yoga		Def		20:00
2/1/2023	Run	Treadm	Def	2.6 km	25:04	9:43
31/12/2022	Run	random	Race	5.1 km	49:03	9:40
10/12/2022	Run	random	Def	2.8 km	31:06	11:14
6/12/2022	Run	random	Def	2.5 km	26:17	10:29

Oh look! ONE yoga session. One. Sigh.

28.5 km up to 4 December. And then 52.1 km (roughly) from then to the end of January – so 81 km. Which puts me really in the middle of nowhere it seems – between Newcastle and Newtonville in Ontario. Newtonville is considered the eastern end of the GTA (which, because I’m me, made me go look up “western end of the GTA” which is apparently Burlington. Distance from Burlington to Newtonville? 123 km by car as per google maps, 113 by foot.)

You’ll maybe notice a race in there. I decided to re-start running. Laura said “ohhh I like running with other people let’s run together.”

And then later, Laura “by the way, I may have roped Abby into this.”

And then “Oh and I found a race….”

So then Suzy (who’s moved on to marathons since the last time I ran with her) agreed to run the NYE race too.

The race was awful. I hadn’t run for 3 weeks before. I wasn’t nearly ready at all for a full 5k. But I did it and I didn’t die. Though maybe I should have had more than 1 pint before the race (even if I was the one driving).

*I was worried (as usual) about being late. We were early enough to have pints before the race.*

It did remind me though of all the reasons I like running (honestly it’s the time to myself, feeling the air and the rain (or snow) and being in the dark and the light and paying attention to new streets or sounds or smells. But the aloneness is awesome. And running by the lake? At night? In winter with the snow? BLISS.

As you can see from my tracking that bliss feeling kept me going for a week. And then I fell all to pot again with a really bad cold. So much so that I’m still trying to come back even though I’m writing this mid-February! I ordered myself a new Garmin running watch and also signed up for a new training app that I’ve never even heard of before. And well, tomorrow is a Monday so that’s as good a time as any to start again!

Tags #RedleafWalking, Getting to PEI, mental health, mindfulness, running, training plan, weight loss

Health

It all starts with a single step

Post author By whiskybaker
Post date 2022-09-28
1 Comment on It all starts with a single step

Getting Healthy 001

A few years ago (2016) I signed up for NerdFitness. It looks all different now but I signed up for a lifetime plan so I still have access to the basics that I want, and need, right now.

I don’t know if these posts will make it on the blog or not but I definitely needed a place to also type out what I was doing, along with my little notebook.

So here’s the plan: on Sunday 27 August I will step on a scale and I will take all sorts of measurements. I have a chart in my notebook for both. Measurements will be redone every two-ish months. Weight will be redone every two weeks. I’ll see how that goes.

The chart for measurements is complete – it’s just boxes to fill in.

The chart for weight is gonna be a dot graph. So the X axis represents the dates – every two weeks from 28/8 to 29/1 fits on a single page of my notebook (this is gonna change though; I want a big enough notebook for 1 month of lines on a page so I will have a longer time scale for this graph too; I’m gonna pick up a new notebook as soon as we’re home). The Y axis is gonna be the weight.

Petty annoyance: I prefer thinking in KG but my scale is in pounds BUT now I figured out how to switch it to KG. So now the petty annoyance is just going to be that it seems like everyone else in the world thinks in pounds for weight. I’m still gonna stick to KG. So I’ll fill in the Y axis with whatever I weigh on the 28th and then each line will either be 0.5 of a kg or a kg – knowing I can put the damn dot for the weight anywhere in there.

The next is supposed to be finding my “Big Why” – I’m supposed to find the motivator for changing what I’m doing. The idea is that articulating the reason(s) will help when you get stuck: “Those who have a ‘why’ can bear with almost any ‘how.” The more personal, the more “deep” the better or something. So not just “It’s good to be healthy” – of course it is, we all know that but it’s not enough to have had me change up till now so it’s definitely not gonna be enough going forward.

And then I’m supposed to share the big why(s). I’ll have to think about how best to do that. I have a lovely group of online friends I’ve known, heck for over fourteen years now, and I have shared my start with them. We’ll see if I get around to sharing that part publicly or not. But for now, I guess it’ll suffice to say I’ve come up with a couple of Big Whys and shared them with Toby and a small group of friends.

Then my plan for the week from a health perspective:

– find time for mindfulness every day

– move a little bit more than yesterday

– drink water and take my iron & vit d

I did write all that up there before August 27, 2022.

And I started off well.

And then life happened and Toby went to BC for a couple of weeks and I just did my best to get the basics done while he was gone.

So now he’s back and I’m gonna re-start and so I am going to post this now as a way to help keep me accountable. By Sunday October 2 I want to re-read my notes from back in August and see how I can plan out a re-fresh starting on October 11 – yes, a Tuesday but that’s when I will be back from almost a week in PEI!

Tags health, mental health, mindfulness, Nerd Fitness, weekly planning, weight loss

Health

One foot in front of the other

Post author By whiskybaker
Post date 2016-08-02
No Comments on One foot in front of the other

I found a website called Nerd Fitness. And tomorrow, Tuesday August 2, 2016 will be Day 1 (yes, it’s probably my 52nd day 1 but hey, at least it means I’m still trying right?)

I’ll get Toby to help take pictures and do measurements tonight AND I’ve made a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow so I have an official, unbiased, third party that I’m going to report in to in about 5-6 months. I need that accountability right now and I’m good with that.

My Big Why

Part of the groundwork for Nerd Fitness is coming up with your “big why” – the reason I’m doing this. Right now my “big why” is just that I’m tired of being overweight, of not fitting into my nice clothes, of feeling squished on the streetcar. I want to not be too tired to run around with Q. To be able to continue to run. That sort of thing.

Me in 5 months

Next is to think of who the new me will be a short time in the future – I’ve picked 5 months ’cause that will take me to the end of the year. I’ve decided that my new me will be someone who is (physically) stronger, faster, and more flexible. Personally, I’ll be someone who doesn’t procrastinate (as much) and who makes taking care of myself a priority.

Which leads to the creation of five smaller goals – things to do to get to where I am going to be by the end of the year (so 5 months really)

1. I will continue to run every day. At least once every two weeks I will run faster (at 10k race pace (about a min or two faster than my current easy pace); at least once every two weeks my workout will incorporate running up one of our local hills.

2. I will strength train 2 – 3 times a week and do yoga 1 – 2 times a week. I haven’t done strength training in ages and will start off small. Right now I have a lunch time yoga once a week and will incorporate the NF yoga too.

3. I will cook one healthy meal a month with enough left over for a couple of lunches. I will help Toby plan meals. This should be fun. Y’all know I don’t like to cook – so I see a lot of casserole or slow cooker things in our future.

4. I will get 7ish hours of sleep a night; cutting down on “screens” so that by the end of October (3 months) I won’t be on my phone/TV/Computer within 45 minutes of bedtime.

5. And one I think of as most important – “I will make considered choices.” Meaning, if I want the beer I have the beer but it’ll be a damn good beer not just a beer ’cause it’s there. Same with other foods or spending time online or hunting Pokemon etc.

The first bit food-wise is just tracking food. Not necessarily changing anything really but tracking what it all is. So back to My Fitness Pal I go and because tomorrow is Day 1, I’m making plain slow-cooker oatmeal tonight to have for breakfasts this week 🙂

Tags Nerd Fitness, running, training plan, weight loss

Health

10K runner – week four

Monday – Rest day – and physio. Still not cleared for yoga or strength training but I have some exercises to do for my wrist with weights and if it goes well then I can go back to yoga!

Tuesday – Up and out early 🙂 6:15 am – so not as early as I had hoped but still got it done.

Week 5 Day 1 of the 10k Runner app.

Total time: 32 minutes Total Distance: 3.7 km Pace: 8:43 min/km

Wednesday – Toby has a night class on Wednesdays now so it was Q and I at home for the evening. Nice but no running.

Thursday – Physio – still no approval for anything other than running 🙁

Week 5 Day 2 of the 10k Runner app. Spent equal time running and walking today.

Total time: 36 minutes Total Distance: 4.1 km (yippie! cracked 4 km) Pace: 8:45 min/km

Friday – Week 5 Day 3 of the 10k Runner app. And ran more than walked fro the first time! 😀 (5 min warm up walk; 8 min run; 5 min walk; 8 min run; 5 min cool down walk)

Total time: 31 minutes Total Distance: 3.7 km Pace: 8:23 min/km

Saturday – Week 6 Day 1 and back up to 10 minute runs

Total time: 35 minutes Total Distance: 4.1 km Pace: 8:34 min/km

Saturday was also a “day off” from my usual very low carb way of eating. So I had beer.

Terrestrial India Brown Ale from Wellington Brewery

Much very yummy beer which of course led to….

Sunday – I should have run. I really should have. Then I would have had 5 runs on the week. But I wimped out 🙁 and felt like poor Nim:

Definitely have to jump back on the wagon on Monday!

Tags beer, keto, running, training plan, weight loss

Health

10K runner – week two

Monday – Rest and some cooking and cleaning around the house.

Tuesday – Another physio appointment. My shoulder is also acting up so now I have exercises for my wrist and my shoulder and reminders on the importance of posture!

Week 2 Day 2 of the 10k Runner app.

Total time: 28 minutes Total Distance: 3.1 km Pace: 8:58 min/km

Wednesday – Long day out with my dad for the TFC-Impact game and TFC won! Woohoo!

Thursday – More physio. I can’t do yoga or anything yet but I stumbled across this routine that I thought I would add to my day for the next two weeks – doing it twice a day, once mid-day at work and once at home before bed.

BUT I did want to run today, the evening just got away from me and I didn’t even end up getting to sleep until almost 12 🙁 Which means of course I have to run Friday – Saturday – Sunday to make my 4 runs a week minimum goal!

Friday – I wore my “fast” shoes today. The Saucony Cortana 3s. I’m still trying to get used to them – they have a much smaller heel drop than my usual shoes.

Week 2 Day 3 of the 10k Runner app.

Total time: 31 minutes Total Distance: 3.5 km Pace: 8:57 min/km

Saturday – Saturday was a whole lot of running around. We went and got some craft things at Michael’s for Q and I and some new clothes for Toby. Then a swimming lesson for Q and a soccer game for my dad and I. Oh and after that I had to do all the packing!

Week 3 Day 1 of the 10k Runner app.

Total time: 26 minutes Total Distance: 3 km Pace: 8:34 min/km

Sunday – I didn’t want to run! I wanted to sleep in! Q was at my parents’ house but I had to run to get my four runs in on the week so I did. Week 3 Day 2 of the 10k Runner app. I forgot to start my watch in time so the first 5 minute walk were just an estimate. In the cool wet rain!

Total time: 26 minutes Total Distance: 3 km Pace: 8:44 min/km

Sunday was also the weigh in the other dietbet I’m in. it was hard but I’m happy to say I made this dietbet’s challenge – now of course, I know myself and we’re off on a family vacation so I am going to try and be reasonable! Keep up with the running and the posture thing and cut myself a little slack on the food.

Tags running, TFC, training plan, weight loss