Archive for March 2010
The combination of re-entry into the wonderful world of strength training and my omission of post-workout stretching had me revisiting some tried-and-true pain relief methods last week. I’ll share them with you if you PROMISE not to consider them as medical advice.
Promise? Okay, then, here are the ways I address post-workout pain (but remember, you promised!):
For general aches and pains (a.k.a. muscle cobwebs), my first attempt at pain relief is a good old-fashioned Epsom salt bath. It’s inexpensive and requires only that I have enough strength to sprinkle a cup of salts into my hot-as-I-can-stand-it (or sit-in-it) bathwater. Epsom salts contain a mineral (magnesium sulfate) that acts like a topical muscle relaxer. That, combined with the increased blood flow from a soak in the hot water, is almost always guaranteed to ease my aches.
Another remedy that works for me in fighting general achiness is easy cardio. A moderately-paced walk or bike ride increases circulation and works to eliminate the lactic leftovers and leave me with some feel-good endorphins.
For more specific pains (hello, left knee!), I apply ice after the workout. If possible, I elevate the area in turmoil. (Caveat: I refuse to lay down with my butt up in the air on those sore glutes days. Flat works fine for that.) The cold slows down blood flow to the area to reduce inflammation. Generally, I use a homemade (crushed ice and a Ziploc) ice pack, but you can also use a bag of frozen peas. That’d be the only thing I’d use a bag of peas for. Yuck! Note: Be careful when using chemical ice packs. It is possible to develop frostbite if you leave them on too long.
If after a few days, I’m still hurting, it’s time to bring on the moist heat. Again, I usually go homemade–hot, wet washcloth and a Ziploc. Somewhere around here I also have one of those buckwheat wraps that you heat up in the microwave. The problem is that if I’m hurting, I don’t feel like hobbling around heating it up and carrying it back to wherever I’ve decided to relax and heal my wounds. I should maybe explore keeping a microwave in the back of the house for just these purposes. Or maybe I’ll just (melodramatically) keep hobbling the 10 steps into the master bathroom for a hot water refresh.
If all else fails, I resort to anti-inflammatory drugs: ibuprofen or naproxen (Advil or Aleve, in human-speak.) I try to avoid them, but given a choice between hurting all night or sleeping, I’ll choose sleeping, thank you.
Massage is also a good method of pain relief. For the DIY version, lately I’ve been using my Yoga Therapy Massage Balls. I’ve also been thinking about one of those foam rollers, which I understand can be useful for massaging out the pain.
The better alternative to all of those, though, is to avoid the need for pain relief by stretching properly. There are several good stretching video guides on YouTube. Not this one, since you apparently have to go home and lie on your garage floor to do it, or this one, which requires that you empty your closet and sit on the floor. Ahh, this is a good one, especially for beginners (or experienced people who really just want to do the basics. Plus, I like her outfit.)
Do any of these methods sound familiar? Any methods or routines you have that you’d like to share? (We PROMISE not to consider it as medical advice.) Sing out and share!
Wishing you a happy and pain-free Monday!
I owe Larkspur a kidney. Or maybe just a chocolate Easter bunny. Something, anyway. In her post yesterday, she discussed an article I linked to last week, an article I apparently read after a hit on the crack pipe.
The article in question is the one on Diet Cycling. When I read it, I thought the author’s focus was on eliminating severe restrictions in our diets, to instead move toward replacing unhealthy foods with healthy ones. Since that’s what I’ve been doing (and continue to do) and it worked so well for me, I agreed heartily. My yo-yo years of “dieting” were caused, in part, by eliminating everything I liked and trying to force myself to eat foods I didn’t like. Overwhelmed with the stress of denial, I’d eventually fall off the wagon. And that’s what I thought the article was saying.
After reading Larkspur’s post and re-visiting the article, I see that I missed a primary point with which I emphatically disagree:
“If you’ve ever been on a diet where you restrict your food intake and avoid specific foods, but allow “cheat days” to release the restrictions, that process can be very dangerous.”
Yeah, well, crossing the street can also be dangerous, but most of us manage to do it frequently and with great success. Or maybe we’re just lucky. Whatever. The point is that many people (specifically, Yours Truly) manage to have splurge meals and lose weight AND keep it off (though, not without the occasional Squish Belly.)
I apologize (profusely!) for not reading the article more closely and processing more completely the fact that it was, at least partially, in direct contradiction to the “tippy toe approach” I advocate so strongly. Those of you who’ve been hanging out here awhile know I love my splurges and have them regularly. Between my SMART splurging and my beloved Cake Day, I’m able to have fond favorites often enough to keep me happy, but not so much that I gain weight. It’s worked for me so far, and I’d hope it would work for you, if for no other reason than I hate to think of you living without {insert your pleasure here} forever!
And that brings me to the point of the lovely Larkspur’s post, which is that we’re all different people and what works for one will not necessarily be the best solution for someone else. When we find something that works for us individually, we should embrace it for all its worth, regardless of articles like this that would seem to imply we’re doing it wrong. (Don’t I wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me I couldn’t lose weight eating carbs!)
One of the things I love most about participating in our awesome online fitness world is the giving and receiving of ideas and suggestions. I do both freely and gladly, but always from the perspective of what works for me now and what’s likely (or not) to work for me in the future. (Sorry, vegan pals!) Should I ever suggest something to you, please know that it is merely for your consideration and not meant to imply that you’re doing it wrong.
As for the advice you give me, I always take it in the same vein. If you do indeed think I’m doing it wrong, you’re going to need to say so outright. I don’t read between the lines so well. As is abundantly clear in the fact that I recommended a habit that I don’t follow myself. Again, my apologies for that little mishap!
I’m off to pay penance by forcing myself to lie upon my bed with my eyes closed for a half hour. It’s tough, but that’s life in my own personal Blue Zone.
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Run to Home Base Fundraiser with FitBloggin’ Prize Packs!
0 Comments | Posted by admin in General
A few weeks back I mentioned an old friend and I will be participating in the Run to Home Base 9k this May in Boston. The only way to enter this race was by committing to raise $1000 each for veterans with combat stress disorders.
So far we’ve collected $705 but we are still far from the $2000 we need and of course it would be wonderful to donate even more! To help nudge you to donate I’m offering up FitBloggin’ Prize Packs! I have a few leftovers from the conference (surprisingly) and I’d love to pass them on to you.
Prizes include:
6 Basic FitBloggin’ Swag Bags filled with coupons, A weight Watchers Pedometer, a POM notebook, a GreenLiteBites bowl (as seen here) a FitBloggin’ thriv T-shirt (large), FitBloggin’ stickers and more! All in a reusable POM grocery bag!
3 Pumped up FitBloggin’ swag bags that includes all everything in the basic PLUS 5 additional free POM juice coupons and a 10 Minute Solution Ultimate Boot Camp
1 Grand Prize Prize pack that includes 10 free POM juice coupons, FitBloggin’ Stickers, a FitBloggin’ T-Shirt, a POM notebook, the reusable shopping bag, a GeenLiteBites bowl, New Balance socks, the 10 Minute Solution Ultimate Boot Camp DVD, Kickbox Underground DVD
How to Enter
Everyone who donates at least $10 between now and April 30 will be entered in a random drawing for the prizes packs. As a bonus, the person who individually donates the most money by that date will receive the Grand Prize Prize pack.
Here’s the problem… the Run to Home Base program doesn’t make donating too too easy. They don’t have any of those fancy embedable widgets or even an easy to understand page, so here’s what you have to do…
- Click here to visit our Team Page.
- Click on one of our names on the right hand side with with the dark blue background. Yes we both need to raise $1000 individually. So if you notice one of us is much lower then the other (you’ll see our individual donation amounts once you click on our names) please donate accordingly. All donations will count regardless if you donate under me or Andrea.
- Once you are on one of our individual pages, click Make a Donation in the Red Bar towards the top of the page.
- Scroll down, enter the amount you’d like to donate and follow the rest of the instructions. It is a tax deductible donation and you will receive a receipt. I will also be notified of your donation and you will be automatically entered into this contest upon receipt.
Let me know if you have any questions and thanks in advance for your support.
Oh! and since I am handling the shipping no location is off limits! I’ll ship anywhere. 
I need SLEEP but I thought I’d update real fast while watching Life. Have you see it by chance? It’s mesmerizing. We let little guys stay up late for it and it’s fun family TV.
So Saturday started with my boot camp class. Boy are they kicking our butts lately. It’s an intense hour but I love it. Waking up early and getting to the gym really sets the tone for my entire weekend. I also love that it’s right next store to a Trader Joe’s. I get to stock up on some weekly supplies while I’m there. It’s a win-win.
After I got back little guy and the husband headed outside for some yard work. . .
It wasn’t the warmest day but it sure was pretty. Soon it was time to get ready for the little guy’s big day. He had his first T-Ball practice and his last indoor soccer game. He’s loving the sports and so is Dad.
The soccer medal hasn’t left his neck either. . .
The day ended with hubby and I watching Up in the Air. I enjoyed it but hubby not so impressed.
As for today, it was just as fun as yesterday. Little guy and I made some fruit salad and recorded a video for GreenLiteBites. I haven’t had time to upload it yet but I hope post it tomorrow night. He was in rare form.
Afterwards we cleaned up, got ready for the week and some old friends came over to visit. We hung out all afternoon while the husband played Gaelic football. Yup… the husband… out.. active… getting exercise. Believe me I’m shocked too! He signed up for a 5 week league and I’m proud of him. He’s making an effort to get more active. It’s nice.
Once he came home we all headed to the movies to see How To Train Your Dragon which gets 3 thumbs up from us. By far one of the best DreamWorks movies yet!
Ok, it’s time for me to go. I did have a nasty case of the munchies this weekend. Nothing is satisfying me and even though I’m full I find that I want to continue to munch munch munch. I go through these stages some times. You’ll have this.
I didn’t eat the chicken leg because
I was so stuffed from everything else I ate.
Their friend John brought his guitar along and
played a little. He is pretty good & has a CD coming out in
May (although I forgot to get his name, I’m lame like that)
Me and the birthday girl, Laura.
Alexa & I.
(Before class.)
Meghan and I.
(After class.)
For just doing a workout class, Meghan looks
pretty good compared to my sweatiness self!
After class, I met my family & grandparents for breakfast
and then Carlos and I window shopped. I’ll tell ya
why tomorrow…ya’ll are gonna be so excited!
How was your weekend?
- workout 5 days a week.
- journal food.
- drink water.
Workout 5 Days A Week
I did get another workout DVD that I tried last week and did not like it. I’ll do a review on it later this week to tell you more about it.
*Fine print: I received the Yoga for weightloss & Ultimate Bootcamp DVD’s to review at no cost to me.
Food Journal
Goal #3:
Drink Water
GOAL MET
“Dr. Haas says that on average, Americans consume about 4 cups of water per day from food sources, one cup comes from food digestion, and we have to actually drink the remaining 7 cups.”“Even if we only need to consume an additional 7 cups per day in order to stay hydrated, that is still 56 OUNCES of water!”
Wow…!!! I have to be honest, I thought I was being an overachiever because I normally get 64 ounces of water but now I’m learning that’s the minimum I should be getting. Better step off my high horse, huh?! I only had 2 cans of soda last week. Either way, good news is that for all of last week, I did get about 56-64 ounces of water so I’m good on this goal.
I’m not so much worried about the working out and water but more anxious about the calorie journalism.
That really is the hardest part of this challenge for me right now. Specifically, I can do fine when I’m at work but if I’m not sitting at my desk, forgeddabout it. Maybe I need to find a Blackberry Journal. Any recommendations?How are you doing
A while ago on some post where I wrote about something exciting, someone left me a funny comment. Since I can’t remember what post I can’t find the comment but it was something about how my life was never boring. I found it funny because my life is usually quite boring.
Sure, when I do something I do it big. I’m moving across the world in a few months. I’m trying to lose 100 pounds. I’m trying to change my life in big ways. I have been changing my life in big ways. But for the most part the day to day stuff is incredibly boring.
Take today for instance. I woke up and ate a yummy breakfast thanks to my mom cooking me a pancake. Shower, get ready, all to work at home. I spent an hour fighting with the terrible internet and ended up not being able to fix it. I spent a couple hours writing and editing (I’m trying to be a real writer who gets paid and everything! Hire me!). Then I spent some time cleaning and organizing since I couldn’t get online. Really, really exciting, right?
Now I’m about to make lunch and then head to the public library so I can post about how boring my life is. Go ahead and laugh now, because it’s funny. It really is.
Most days are like this. I either work from my house or from the library. Sometimes I will take a walk at the park or take my scooter for a spin. I cook dinner for my mom and myself. I exercise at night, because that’s my favorite time to do it. For the most part I just work every day on making my goals become reality. I don’t do anything super exciting. Considering how boring I am I wonder why anyone reads my blog. You must all just be waiting around for something big to happen.
The thing is, the day to day stuff is almost boring when you are working toward something big. There is a lot of boring, repetitive work that seems to get you nowhere but is just what you have to do to build a foundation and inch yourself closer to your goals.
When you are working toward losing weight you will have to do the eat right/exercise stuff every day. Sometimes it gets boring. It gets tedious. It gets hard to see the big picture when you have a big goal but only lose a little per week. It can be frustrating and it can make you want to quit if you don’t like when things get “boring.” I’m not a huge fan of it but I’ve accepted that sometimes my days and actions will feel boring. I try my best to make things exciting by cooking new foods and trying new workouts. I might not be able to do something hugely exciting every day but I can do something new each day.
I know that the boring day and actions are helping me get where I want to be. I know that sometimes you have to sacrifice the instant satisfaction for something better in the end.
What about you? Are you boring like me?
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If you couldn’t tell from the title, this week is a gain. Yeah!
VIDEO CHECK IN TIME!
The video this time is a little longer (4 minutes instead of two). I blame the cat, who kept making appearances and distracting me. You probably should watch the video just for the cat who shows up in the very beginning. It’s hilarious and super cute.
Well, lame. It seems to not be working. If it’s not and you want to watch it, go here.
WEIGH IN STATS
In case you don’t watch the video:
Current weight: 212.6 lbs
<a href="http://amerrylife.com/2010/03/14/weigh-in-marching-toward-weight-loss/”>Previous weight: 210.6 lbs
weight loss: + 2.0 lbs
weight loss in March: + 0.8 lbs
weight loss Total: 38.4 lbs
<a href="http://amerrylife.com/2009/04/21/biggest-loser-challenge-update-1/”>Starting weight: 251
Yep. Two pound gain! Woohoo!
WEEKLY WORKOUTS
Well this sections is short. I walked around a lot this week while trying to pass my evil kidney stone. But that isn’t measureable. The only things I did as actual exercise: last Saturday I ran a mile and this Saturday I walked a mile! Woohoo!
THOUGHTS
Being sick threw off my entire schedule this week. I’m behind on everything because I spent three days doing nothing but trying to get home then doped up waiting for the kidney stone to leave. But it’s all good! Things will get done, work will be finished, exercise will happen and this next week is going to be AWESOME!
Hope you have an awesome week too!
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I recently asked the folks on Lynn’s Weigh on Facebook (BTW, are you a “fan” yet? Click here to check it out!) what they do with clothes that no longer fit as they lose weight. Most folks said they give them away (Debra suggested the organization Dress For Success), which is what I eventually did, but it took awhile for me to trust myself not to need them again.
Getting rid of old clothes is empowering, but I strongly urge you to keep one item of clothing to remind you where you’ve been and how far you’ve come, especially on those days when you struggle and think, Why am I doing this?
I kept one lone item of clothing from my 300-pound days: my size 28 black stretch pants. I wore them every day. They were my constant companion. They even went with me to the Adirondacks where I allowed my husband to take the only full-body photo of me at my highest weight (see “I *Heart* Burlington, Vermont” for the full story).
My size 28 black stretch pants were literally stretched to their limit. As I grew larger, holes began to form. Stains no longer washed out. I didn’t know it at the time, but those holes and stains reflected how I felt about myself, namely that I wasn’t worth taking care of.
Eventually I invested in weight Watchers rather than another new wardrobe, but my confidence level was still pretty low. Fifty pounds into my weight loss, I was still wearing my old size 28 wardrobe. I posted on the WW discussion board (the 100+ To Lose board was my salvation) that my clothes bagged significantly, but that I wasn’t sure if I should buy new clothes or wait. I felt guilty about spending the money since I wasn’t convinced I wouldn’t gain it all back, and sadly I’d given away all my smaller clothes as I marched up the scale, convinced I’d be morbidly obese the rest of my life. (*See my side story at the end of this blog.)
A WW board member named CrispyRice encouraged me to invest in a few things in a smaller size. She said wearing clothes that fit would help me see the results of my weight loss, which in turn would encourage me to keep going. She also told me to not buy all black – my typical “hiding” color – and to shop at Goodwill and other second-hand shops.
Her advice was spot on. Not only did I feel good about buying a smaller size – a pair of size 24 khaki shorts and a white XL shirt (down from 3X) – I felt smaller in lighter colors and wearing fabric close to my skin as opposed to it hanging limp and devoid of form.
More importantly, I felt confident in my new, smaller clothes. Confident that I’d no longer need my larger sized wardrobe. Confident that I wasn’t gaining my weight back, not if I had anything to say about it. I bagged up the 28s and the 30/32 pant suit and gave them to Goodwill, all except for the size 28 black stretch pants – which, lest you think me tacky, I wouldn’t have actually given away given their condition. But I didn’t throw them away, either, because we have a history. They elicit the same feelings I have about photographs or special gifts.
My size 28 black stretch pants are my friend. I was wearing them the moment I joined WW online. They were on camera with me when I was on Today (both times) and Entertainment Tonight (crazy, I know) when I was promoting the People magazine’s “Half Their Size” issue in 2008. And as my friend, my pants help me through those days when I wonder: Why am I doing this? Why do I journal my food? Why do I eat the way I do? Why do I (usually) say no to chocolate cake, mac n’ cheese, and half in half in my coffee? I love those things!
“Ah,” say the size 28 black stretch pants, “but you love yourself even more.”
See why we’re BFF?
(*Side story: The only exception to giving all my smaller clothes away as I was gaining weight the last time, was a size 16 lined suit that I’d only worn once. I called it my “dream suit.” When I was 300 pounds, I dreamed that it would one day fit again, but dreaming was all I did about my weight for several years. When I started to lose weight, that suit became my “goal suit.” I tried it on every other week when I got down to 200 pounds. I used the zipper as a gage for how many inches I was losing. When I was 180, Larry and I moved and I got so busy unpacking that I forgot about my goal suit. By the time I dug it out, I weighed around 155 and it was too big. Sigh. I’d missed my window of opportunity. But I still honor it for the icon it was, even though it’s probably hanging in someone else’s closet.)
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Thank you to all of you for your comments and email on my last post regarding sexuality and weight. NOT an easy subject to think about, let alone talk about, but a few brave souls did.
Congrats to Alexandra for winning the “Cardio Striptease” DVD! Alexandra blogs at “Adventures of a Done Girl Named Alex” if you want to give it a look see.
We’re all about girl power up in here, so when Jenn and I heard about the Women Empowering Women Summit 2010, we knew we had to pass the info along to all of you fearless females in the crowd. Each all-day event features a panel of speakers who will share their tips, stories and life [...]
