Sluggo

I hate what insomnia can do to a girl...

Not sure what my problem is - but I went to the doc yesterday to see if it was my new cholesterol meds... he didn't think so but to be sure - I get a break from them for awhile...I was noticing an increase in my restless legs at night - and thought it might be related.

I haven't been sleeping for over 2 weeks now ~ very frustrating... I knew I was pathetic when I popped in my step workout DVD and basically pushed thru mud throughout the whole thing... I had to really watch it because I would stumble if I wasn't paying attention... and I wasn't paying attention because I was so tired...  but yeah me!!  I did manage to squeak 25 minutes out of the workout...with no catastrophic falls...

that puts me within 349 ft of Camp I on Everest...

Makin' my way to Camp I

I'm closing in on Camp I on Everest... last I reported I had 1,129 ft to go until I reach 19,900 ft and Camp I... well... I'm 546 ft closer today - so that's 583 ft to go...

And this being the new year and all, I'm roasting butternut squash as I type... as my blog indicates, I'm a picky eater and I really don't like too many veges... (I'm the lady in the produce section pointing at stuff and asking... what's that??  how do you eat that over there??  WHY would you eat that  thing??)

but being a new year and all... you know how it is;     I had Butternut squash raviolli once and really liked it!!  so we'll see if I like this *stuff*

Starting off the New Year

Well ~ even though my scale says I'm down 3 pounds from when I started... I'm not too excited about that ~ because my weight has been fluctuating from week to week, and 172 has been one of the numbers I've seen lately...  but it's also the lowest weight I've seen...  so... anything after THAT ~ I will feel like it's an honest pound lost...

then I'll celebrate...

In the meantime...  HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!   It's gonna be a great year...

Shakin' like Elvis

Well...  as I mentioned before, I had replaced all of my workout VHS tapes with new shiny DVD's, and as I sat on the couch with my new heating pad, I realized I had a Tai Chi tape in that stack...  so I unwrapped the shrink-wrap and popped it in... after all, Tai Chi is joint-friendly and all...  so I should be able to do this in my incapacitated-state?

So I start with the warm up exercises and Intro to basic moves...   and five minutes into it, my thighs start a-quakin' -n-a-shakin'  like Elvis on stage... and the instructor, in his monk-like quiet voice, is telling me "you should feel relaxed... and breath..."  and I'm holding my breath, tension seizing up my back...  but ok... I'll breath...  one day I'll get this

and I'm quickly reminded why I got frustrated with Tai Chi tape the first time I tried it;  I'm trying to follow his instructions  "turn left, step out to the right..."   and next thing I know, my back is to the TV and I have no idea what he's doing...  but HE doesn't get turned around, so obviously I took a wrong turn somewhere...     and I think what's happening is... he says "step right" so I do - but he - facing me - steps to HIS right - which is my left...  so I step left just so I can mirror his movements;  but then, somewhere along the way, I forget - he says "step right" again - and I do go to my right - and I'm suddenly turned around...  I hate when the image on the TV is not the same as me....  especially since the choreography of Tai Chi is so beautiful... if you can follow along...

The Body Rebels...

As I knew it would and as it always does about now...  the body is rebelling... and this is where I get really, really frustrated 

and to top it off ~ I can't find the heating pad anywhere...  so I'm off to buy a new one

but I just - get - soooo - frustrated when the knees start hurting (they both have arthritis starting in them)  and today, there's the pinched nerve between the shoulder blades...  AND.... my big toe hurts    which means... if I'm not careful, I'll find that I can't walk.     Ugghhhhh!!!!....    I think that joint has arthritis starting in it too...

I HATE when this happens because it throws me out of the routine that I'm trying to build up here...  I'm always told "take it slow..."  but I don't know what that means.  If I go any slower... I'd be dead.

Hmmphh!

So... today will be spent with the heating pad... and with rolling the tennis ball under both feet (because when one goes... the other goes...). 

{if you're wondering about the tennis ball -thing, I read somewhere that rolling the ball under your foot helps stretch out the muscle - the planter fascia -thing that runs the length of your foot - and that helps to alleviate the pain.   I'm surprised by how much it helps too!  who knew???}

My furry personal trainer

Despite not sleeping well lately, I did manage to pop in the ol' step DVD by Reebok/Gin Miller and do my 25 minutes worth of huffin' and puffin'...  I'm still in the red zone when we stop to check our pulse... but I expected that.  This is only my 2nd time back on the step... 

My cats, meanwhile, are trying to figure out what the hell is going on...  all of this jumping around by the human - shaking the house - is disturbing their afternoon naps.  One ~ napping on the couch nearby, had to get up and go upstairs to find a more peaceful place in the sun...  the one from upstairs (Cleo) came running down to see what all the commotion was...  then sat there, in front of me, staring up at my cherry red face, wondering why anyone would flail around like that...  she's also my little trainer of sorts; whenever I'm on the treadmill or lifting weights, she's sitting right there... making sure I do it right I guess...

what a little task master...

and that's 198 more ft towards Camp I  (of my imaginary climb of Mt Everest) - only 1,129 ft to go...

Leaving Base Camp

So... for my first report on my imaginary "climb" up Mt Everest...I'm happy to report I made it out of Base Camp (at 17,600 ft) and have gone 972.56 "feet" so far.   I'm now passing thru the Khumbu Falls, and have 1,327.44 ft to go until I reach Camp I (at 19,900 ft)...

Unexpected motivation

Today - I stayed home from work because the washer stopped working last weekend, and the repairman was coming to fix it.  And damn...    that was a nice pair of jeans on that guy!!!      So now I'm thinking... I gotta lose me some weight...  then break the dryer 

Motivation can come from many sources, right..??

Climbing Mt Everest

A friend of mine once introduced a fitness challenge at work - and it's been an on-n-off  thing I've been doing with my coworkers at other places I've worked as well.  It's been a big hit when I first introduce it... but after awhile, you get tired of tracking all of your activities and figuring out how many miles you earned for your efforts  (kinda like keeping a food journal)

But I'm thinking I'm going to start my own little challenge - just me - and I don't care how long it takes, but I'm going to "climb" Mt Everest ~ something I really wish I could do some day, but know I won't.  I think pretending to climb Mt Everest might help keep me motivated..?

I discovered the Activity log section of EP and thought I could use that to calculate my progress up the mountain.  For every KCal it tells me I burned, I'll say I moved 1 ft up the mountain.

Base Camp on Everest is at 17,600 ft; the summit is at 29,028 ft.  I've got 11,428 ft to climp to get up there...  I guess I'd better get started 

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

It's snowing today, so out of nowhere,  I grab my boats, coat, and mittens and head for the great outdoors, despite the screams of the evil voice inside "but it's cold outside!!  It's snowing!!!  We'll meee-lt!!"   Shut up, I tell her... we've always loved being outside when it snows... 

It's so peaceful and beautiful outside when it snows... I remember - when I was growing up in Minne-snowta - I'd always grab the snowsuit and head outside - especially at night - when it was snowing... I don't know what it is about the snow, but my world doesn't seem right if it's not snowing during the winter months.

The neighborhood I live in has a little park that I like to walk around (yet I don't do it very often) - and today it's just me and the snowflakes.  I make two trips around the park, and notice that the first tracks from my boots have already disappeared.  Way cool... it's like I'm the first to blaze a trail... again...

and I'm thinking... if anyone looks out their windows, they will see this crazy lady walking in the snow... who in their right mind walks in this kind of weather??   -they will think.  

It's kind of symbolic of my excuses for not exercising in the past... the weather sucks outside; I'm too tired from sitting at my desk all day;  it's dinner time...  it was never the "right conditions" for exercising.

My biggest concern - regarding my excuses and it's the one that continues to stop me in my tracks - is getting into a routine of exercising after work.  I hate it when I miss the national news at night - and I especially love to hear Charlie Gibson sign off with "and I hope you've had a good day"...  I love that!!   So I can't miss that 'cuz his saying that always makes my day...  then it's dinner time... I tell myself I can't exercise first - because I HATE to eat dinner after 7pm at night.  I don't know what it is... I just can't eat after 7pm.  I hate it.   But then... if I eat first, I have to let the food digest...  blah blah blah.

So... I know there's the option of getting up early to exercise - but I'm not a morning person;  I finally have a job where I don't have to get up at 4:45am to get to work... and I want to sleep in until 6am  (even that is too early!)   But... I know... it's never the right conditions...

so what do you guys do??  how did you discipline yourself to workout on a regular basis??   (I'm thinking I should just tape Charlie, workout, then eat...  maybe I'll try that...)

I go back to work on Thursday... so I need to figure out a plan by then.   I can always find a way to work out on days I'm not working... but when you work 5 days a week... that doesn't allow much time to get into a routine.

What do you guys do?