Practice, practice, practice...and the benefits of regular exercise

If you've followed my exercise saga you know that last year I transitioned from Richard Simmons to Wii Fit Plus to power-walking/jogging/running and ultimately to the P90X workout regimen. Then, in September, an injury and subsequent tumble off the exercise-wagon gave me a bad case of couchpotatoitis. Travel and holidays and conflicting demands on my time, as well as a reluctance to dive back into the P90X all-out time commitment, contributed to my putting off any serious renewal of an exercise routine.

This year, my workout efforts are stumbling along in fits and starts; an hour here, 30 minutes there. As part of my 3 Words for 2011 and my goals defined for this year I decided that 4 hours per week should be sufficient to move me toward my fitness goals and to maintain some balance in my life. This week (the last week in January) is the first time I've met the 4-hour goal.

I know P90X is a great way to get in shape (such as the notable P90X devotee in congress that a friend highlighted for me). I know I was making fabulous progress toward my goals when I was exercising an hour to an hour and a half every day and strictly adhering to the P90X routine, but the trade-offs were high. I sacrificed the time available for reading & writing and that's not acceptable. But sitting around on an expanding tush isn't acceptable either.

Just as November's novel-writing effort required tremendous determination to push through the resistance of inertia brought on by a long spell of not writing, getting back into the swing of writing & exercising and having the discipline to set my own routine for reading, writing and using the P90X workouts is requiring determination. But I am not giving up. I will stick with my goals and commitments. I will practice discipline and I will benefit.

Still working on finding balance

This weekend has been incredible. I can't remember the last time I managed to get so much done in the space of 2 days. I'm quite sure that managing myself through a to-do list is a large part of what got me here ("here" being "exhausted and ready for bed at 10pm Sunday night").

Confession: I'm still working on Day2 of the to-do list. I couldn't get everything done. I did get *most* of it done, though.

Truth be told, I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished. I'm delighted to sit in my clean office. It's so much more relaxing than the engulfed-in-clutter condition it was in. Ditto for my bedroom. Feng shui is a marvelous lifestyle.

But...I didn't exercise at all this weekend. Despite writing "go for a run" on both days of my 2 days of to-do's, I did not go for a run.

I've cleaned house, read, practiced piano, invested in some Bible-study, done laundry, gone to church, written blog posts, commented on other blogs (could've/should've/would've done more of that) and spent effort cleaning up our sunroom. Oddly (or maybe not, considering the amount of bending, lifting, trotting up/down stairs, etc), I'm sore as if I'd exercised. But I didn't actually exercise. So...this week I vow to get in at least 3 workouts.

For now, I'll bask in the afterglow of what I did accomplish this weekend. Here are the before/after photos of the sunroom. Yes, darkness fell while I was working. In the morning, I'll be able to enjoy my quiet/prayer time here. Alabaster is setting a fine example (on the ottoman) in the "after" photo.

In Pursuit of Balance and escape from the 10 pound yoyo

In the 6 weeks since my last post (the post where I mentioned my need for balance in my life), I've absolutely failed at finding balance. But I've succeeded in my efforts to swing the pendulum. The trick now will be to land in place where I *can* find balance.

My vacation injury in mid-September benched me from most forms of exercise and I had to absolutely cease and desist from my daily P90X workouts. In October I got back off my duff and started a daily regimen of crunches and push-ups (not a lot, mind you, but something). Then in November, I actually put on my running shoes and put a mile-plus in, despite the fact that it was dark and cold out. Then I proceeded to spend the next week coughing and sniffling, which may or may not have been a result of the run.

On November 20th I celebrated my birthday by getting up at the crack of dawn and running in my 3rd 5K. This was the second time I'd run since my injury. Also, pretty much the 2nd real workout.

And I've gone for all of one run since then. So that's 3 runs in the month of November. After the daily discipline of P90X, I think "balance" should mean several work-outs per week (not per month). Somewhere along the way I quit the 5 minutes of crunches and pushups so really, those 3 runs are just about it.

It's not like I wasn't busy. You can read here to find out how I spent my time last month. But football games, eating out, Thanksgiving feasts, etc. combined with the lack of aerobics have taken their toll and I'm sad to see that I've regained ALL of the weight I'd lost since shaking off my couch-potato ways. In my battle with the bulge the enemy has regained a lot of territory.

If you know me, you know I'm no quitter. I may have addictive tendencies (ahem) to say the least, and I may have a propensity to take things to the extreme (ahem) but I'm going to try to work those to my favor and commit myself to defining (and maintaining) boundaries that provide balance in my life. Balance between working, writing, working out, playing piano, reading...I can do this. I know I can. I shall be extreme in my determination to not let any one area dominate my life.

Cheers!

9 weeks of P90X + 3 weeks of inactivity = square one

For those who've never tried it, the P90X commitment is not to be taken lightly. The workouts take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half (if you're doing the "Ab Ripper" workout after weights). The routine varies between weights and aerobics, yoga, stretching and kenpo (my favorite). There is daily variation and weekly variation and the whole program is nothing short of intense.

My last post was 6 days in to the 90 day commitment. I started right after the 4th of July weekend.

A month after I started my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a beautiful ceremony/reception. Preparation for that consumed plenty of time and energy. Around that time my beloved husband gave me a new used piano, which introduced a new discipline of 30-minutes-a-day of piano practice into my already busy routine.

In mid-August I spent a week in Taiwan on a business trip. In mid-September my husband and I spent a week in Hawaii on our "honeymoon" vacation. On the last afternoon of our vacation I slipped on a lava rock and sliced open my toe, requiring 6 stitches and a hiatus from my workout routine. I couldn't risk pulling the wound open. Although I'd diligently maintained my workout discipline throughout all of the demands of life, work and travel I suddenly found myself "grounded."

That was September 23rd, the end of my first week of inactivity (vacation). The slice on the bottom of my foot restricted my walking to a slow limping pace, which further slowed me down. Yes, maybe there were some things I could still do but I'd lost my momentum. It's amazing how quickly things unwind. This week I started with some baby steps - push-ups on my knees (so I don't flex my torn toe), crunches, a few wall squats. It's depressing to realize how quickly the flab returned. And I look back and realize how much time flew by while I was busybusybusy with exercise, piano, reading, etc. But not writing.

So, no "after" photos yet of the great beachbody the P90X routine is supposed to yield. I'm not sure how I'll tally the time devoted given the on-again off-again nature of this effort. I'm not sure I want to go back to the 7-day-a-week regimen. I definitely do NOT want to give up completely on the exercise. Maybe there's a happy medium because one thing I DO want is to find time to write again.

When I get back on my feet (or rather the balls of my toes) I will be seeking balance, and not just through yoga training.

Before, Really Before and Really, Really Before

Maybe it was quitting smoking (June 10, 2004) or maybe it was my hysterectomy (May, 2007?I think) but somehow weight began to creep up on me in a big way.

Here are photos from December, 2008:

I realized something had to change so I renewed my relationship with Richard Simmons. For a year, I worked out 3-4 times per week. By the end of the year I was doubling my workout, which pushed the aerobics up to almost 30 minutes. But really, the results were not so remarkable.

Here I am in December, 2009:
I had to buy larger pants for the trip to China. None of my clothes fit.

For Christmas I gave myself a Wii Fit Plus and began working out daily. I introduced yoga, strength training and of course, aerobics. I definitely enjoyed the Wii as a fun way to get off my booty and get moving. But...the results were not remarkable. Here I am in March, 2010:
Now, I'm taking it to the next level. If you've been following this blog you know I graduated to running and ran my first marathon in June. Running has been great, but it's hard on my joints. A friend convinced me to try the P90X. Here are my "before" photos from earlier this week:

Admittedly, I had to rotate the photos, which (I swear) makes me look more squat than I am. But hey! These are "before" photos, so what the heck. I can say that the jeans I was wearing in March are now way too big for me.

Here I am in all of my honest, soul-bearing glory. I'll post another set of photos of myself in 84 more days..."after".

Peace,

My first 5k is behind me

Here we are (Saturday June 19), having just finished Vern's No Frills 5k. My hubby surprised me by running most of the way. He finished about a minute ahead of Sherie (my coach and friend) and me.

I'm proud of my results, finishing 5k in about 38 1/2 minutes. We ran a pretty steady race for the first 2 miles. We ran most of the last mile (one short little walk). I said "Oh my goodness!" about 50 times and Sherie reassured me every time that I could do it. For the last stretch she coached me as though I were swimming. I raced as a swimmer from the age of 6 to 16 so it was very effective to talk to me in terms of 50m laps in an individual medley.

This marks a major milestone and is a reflection of tremendous progress since investing in the Wii Fit Plus back in December.

We have a winner!

My Darling Hubby and I are going to participate in a 5K! Vern's No Frills 5K in Georgetown. He's walking. I'm running (and walking). He says he will keep up with me. Humph. We'll see.

We'll be joined by friends. I'm really looking forward to this!!! The "race" starts at 8am. Given the current weather, it will probably be hot and muggy already by then.

My current best rate is 4.5 mph. OK, folks. Look out! I'm in training.

"5K" anyone?

If someone had told me at the first of the year that I'd be considering running in a 5K before the year was half over I'd have said "5K"? Or something equally witty because seriously, it would have been beyond reason to even imagine such a thing. Now I'm not only imagining it, I'm actively researching my options and looking for the lucky winner of my first 5K entry. Runtex offers quite a variety and that's only a start.

Last summer I swam laps (our pool is a 33' lap lane), dreaming of the day I might participate in a Danskin relay (swimming, of course). I often joked that I wasn't a triathlete, I was a uni-athlete. I don't run and I don't bike. But it turns out I do run and I can certainly ride a bike. So maybe after I finish my first 5K I'll look into my options for a triathlon.

It turns out, Austin is filled with fitness-fiends. I'm just one of a crowd. And I'm really looking forward to experiencing this milestone. I've come a long way, baby.

Ye Ol' Medicine Ball

I've let my runs dominate my workouts. This morning I reintroduced Gin Miller's medicine ball (Power Abs) workout. Whew!

That was a nice change of pace.

The workout takes a little over 30 minutes. I'm working out with a 10 pound medicine ball.

Wii Fit Plus and more

For Christmas we gave ourselves the Wii Fit Plus. It totally rocks. And it is well worth the investment.

We're almost 4 weeks into our Wii Fit adventure and I'm definitely an advocate for this device. We'd play Wii Sports before but it's nothing compared to this. It's like playing a video game that requires you to engage physically. And it tracks your exercise history, graphing it all out. Breaking out aerobic vs. Yoga vs. strength training, etc. I've also taken walking up a notch. At least once a week I've gone on a power-walk (2-3 miles at 3-4 mph).

Next step is more focus on diet. But I'm already reaping the benefits of the additional exercise so I consider this last bit "tuning." And self-control.

Reading, Writing and Arithmetic

On Reading: Although I regret being harsh in my criticism of Cryptonomicon, I don't regret putting the book down. The irony that I was "let go" "laid off" "terminated" affected by a "Reduction In Force" the day I posted "I am not a quitter" is not lost on me. I've known for a while that my employer would have to give me the boot as I was too stubborn or lazy to quit and go through the job hunt. I didn't expect my ex-employer to be so good as to "transition" me to my next job. So...here I am. Since I put down Crypto, I read Compulsion, by Kellerman. I'm about to start Left Behind by LeHaye/Jenkins. I suspect that with the job transition, I will be blessed with more time to read and to write.

On Writing: I was humbled by the extensive rewrite of my story for Guideposts. The key takeaways for future submissions are to include dialogue and to be artful in the telling. My submission was a linear chronology of events. I definitely need to exercise my dialogue muscles. I will continue my discipline of daily posts. Perhaps I can find more opportunities to slip dialogue into my blog. More importantly, I believe in new beginnings and clearly I'm in a time of change and renewal. Monday I'll be relocating my cube to a lab (one floor up). I'm still not clear on the details or scope of my assignment. I do know that it will be a while before the new gig hits the level of "demanding" that typified the old gig. Seems like it's time to do more than blog.


On Arithmetic: If I write a page a day, 7 days a week, in 52 weeks I should have a 364 page novel. Or maybe 52 short stories. I have ideas for both. I have the support of my family. I have access to the tools I need. It's just a matter of math. And discipline. And commitment. And determination.

I am not a quitter

Just as Marty McFly could predictably be incited by accusations that he was a chicken, the voice in my head that whispers "quitter" brings out my stubborn streak. I quit smoking in 2004 and I'm proud of that. I quit drinking Diet Coke in 2006 and I'm proud of that. I tried to quit delivering my youngest mid-way through the process, but the OB/GYN insisted I finish. My 23-year marriage is as much a product of stubbornness as a testament of steadfast love (probably more so). I am not a quitter.

In 1983 I dropped out of UT. Then went back in '84. Later in '84 I dropped out again and ended up traveling with Ringling Brothers (& Barnum & Bailey). Quitting that gig was harder than dropping out of school. In '89 I went back to UT and finished my degree in Mechanical Engineering. I've had 2 employers in the last 20 years. I quit my last job only because "down-sizing" was inevitable and I was a Mechanical/Electrical Engineer in a chemical company (limited opportunities). My survival instincts overrode my "I am not a quitter" instincts.

Why am I boring you with my life history today? Cryptonomicon. My Dad loaned me this 1130 page paperback with an endearing note of recommendation. I took the book with me to China in March. I never got past page 3. I picked it up again a few weeks ago and have been grinding through it. I've tracked progress as "percent complete". I decided to wait until I was at least 10% complete before passing judgment. By then I seemed to be on a roll so I kept reading. I am now on page 148 (13%) and I am at my limit. I am not a book critic, but I'll capture a bit of the brick wall....

The scene is WWII London. A cryptographer is describing the nature of the British. "There is no in between with these people.... None of them have cars but when they do they are three-ton hand-built beasts. The concept of stamping out a whole lot of cars is unthinkable - there are certain procedures that have to be followed, Mr. Ford, such as the hand-brazing of radiators, the traditional whittling of the tyres from solid blocks of cahoutchouc."

I have a stack of other books to read. My MIL loaned me the entire Left Behind series (about 4 years ago) and I really want to start plowing through those. I've been left behind by Harry Potter (I think I have 2 left to read). And I've promised our youngest I'll read Twilight before the movie comes out in December. So, why do I feel guilty about putting down a book that hurts my teeth leaves me so motivated to try my hand a novel-writing?

One lesson I take from Crypto is that this book was a New York Times bestseller. Out of fairness to the author, Crypto is not in my preferred genre. When I read my favorite authors I tend to feel intimidated. "I can never write this well." This book has inspired challenged me. "I can do better." Can I? Will I? What will be the impetus?

Note to self

"Do not let blogging become your new addiction."

I'm blogging as part of my new discipline in living a balanced life. I have successfully shaken an addiction to World of Warcraft (an online game, also fondly referred to as "World of Warcrack"). In the game, one thing tends to lead to another and you can spend hours (and hours) playing, completely losing track of time. It seems in the blogging network, something similar happens. Some level of discipline is required to avoid getting sucked into the vortex.

As part of my new discipline, I have made some commitments to myself. I must continue my regular work-outs (at least 5 times a week I spend 15-20 minutes with Richard Simmons). I must continue to work (professionally) because I enjoy the regular paychecks. I am still writing monthly pieces for my church newsletter, and the October deadline is fast-approaching.

I have not done any bible-study homework this week (since Sunday, when I realized we weren't meeting for 2 weeks)! This is not fitting with the new discipline. I should maintain some level of study, so I will use the extra time to study scripture on "obedience" and "submission". What exactly is the difference?