I was absolutely psyched to start my exercise routine again on Saturday after taking the week off. I thought about going to my crossfit class, but I was a bit hung over and I wanted to savor my morning, and I didn't really want to shock my system quite that way. So instead I went for a gentle jog and it felt great. I loved it.
Saturday night, as we all know, I masqueraded as a European.
Sunday is my rest day, so I was out walking through a park when my foot started to hurt. A lot. When it hadn't gotten better by Wednesday, I decided a doctor was in order.
I saw the doctor who was available and not my regular doctor. She had no idea what was wrong and seemed very unfamiliar with sports injuries. I wanted to rule out a stress fracture, and she was confident there was no bone breakage. She said that it was soft tissue damage of some sort and prescribed a regiment of rest, no high heels, no motorcycle, and lots of ibuprofen. Boooooring.
What she really couldn't tell me was how to a) reintroduce exercise into my life in a safe way and b) avoid exacerbating the injury. So I called my coach.
"Carl, I've got this pain in my foot and it won't go away."
"Saturday night, were you out standing a bar in new high heels?"
"What? Yes. How'd you know?"
"Plantar Fasciitis. Do the ibuprofen thing, but don't be afraid of the gym. Come to CrossFit Saturday, it'll be good for you."
I won't lie, there was fist pumping.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
NSV!
It wasn't a fantastic week, but it wasn't the worst week either. My calorie consumption seems to be back on track. I feel more comfortable about it. It's not perfect, but it's not bad. And my low carb plan worked. I was far more in control of what I ate than I'd felt in a while. I had cravings, but I could ignore them.
Last week was also a week of no exercise and it ended yesterday when I went for a run. Now I'm back and ready to kick butt in the gym!
Oh, and last night. Let me just tell you about last night. Last night I went to my favorite dive bar, sat down, ordered a drink, and started talking to a cute Irish gentleman. A very cute, very drunk Irish dude. At first he thought I was European (thank you patent leather pumps!), and then he started asking me odd questions:
"Do you run?"
Not really.
"Do you swim then?"
No.
"Well, clearly you're in really good shape. You look really athletic. What do you do to exercise?"
Ladies (and gents, if you're around), I almost cried. I've worked so hard and spent so much time in the gym, and someone actually noticed. And while I'm sure he was trying to pick me up, I'm also pretty sure his comments were based in fact. He saw my arm muscles and thought I looked good.
I was walking on air that night.
Last week was also a week of no exercise and it ended yesterday when I went for a run. Now I'm back and ready to kick butt in the gym!
Oh, and last night. Let me just tell you about last night. Last night I went to my favorite dive bar, sat down, ordered a drink, and started talking to a cute Irish gentleman. A very cute, very drunk Irish dude. At first he thought I was European (thank you patent leather pumps!), and then he started asking me odd questions:
"Do you run?"
Not really.
"Do you swim then?"
No.
"Well, clearly you're in really good shape. You look really athletic. What do you do to exercise?"
Ladies (and gents, if you're around), I almost cried. I've worked so hard and spent so much time in the gym, and someone actually noticed. And while I'm sure he was trying to pick me up, I'm also pretty sure his comments were based in fact. He saw my arm muscles and thought I looked good.
I was walking on air that night.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Goals for the week
You may remember that I set goals last week and didn't do so well at sticking to them. I dug into why, came up with some theories, and then was so sick of everything weight-related that I took 3 days off from all things diet.
Well I'm back, refreshed, and armed with a plan of action.
I spent a lot of time over the weekend thinking about what I wanted in terms of lifestyle and why I wasn't happy with my results last week. The thing that bothered me the most about last week was not my weight and it was not, surprisingly enough, my calorie intake either. Those things were on the radar, but they were a distant second and third to my primary concern which was control.
I did not feel in control last week. Or last month. I wasn't eating the right things and I wasn't eating for the right reasons. Setting goals around calorie intake and tracking are all well and good, but meeting those goals really hinges on being in control of what you eat, and I didn't feel like I had that kind of command over my food choices.
Obviously, everything I eat is my choice. And I know from experience that losing weight by calorie counting is just plain hard. It's hard to say no to hunger. But last week wasn't just about hunger. It was about cravings too. I'd be hungry because I was restricting calories and I'd be craving something stuffed with carbohydrates which wouldn't keep me full. I was fighting a battle on two fronts and losing both.
The plan for this week is primarily to get the cravings back under control. I plan on doing that with what I know works: low carb, low gluten eating. It would be no gluten, but I like croutons on my salad. I want to spend the week eating low carb and then see what kind of effect that has on my cravings. If I can stay within my 1700 cal/day goal, so much the better. But that's not my primary worry right now.
Enumerated, here's the list of goals:
You'll notice there's no exercise goal this week and that's because I'm taking the week off. I've been training very hard for a few months, and I've got a back injury that needs some TLC. My training starts again on Saturday. I may attempt some low grade pilates during the week though. I get weird when I don't work out.
It's a new week, with a new set of goals, which means it's time for a new theme song. I'm a metal girl and I need to feel like I can destroy whole worlds when I'm working out, so from my workout playlist, I give you Disturbed - Indestructible:
Well I'm back, refreshed, and armed with a plan of action.
I spent a lot of time over the weekend thinking about what I wanted in terms of lifestyle and why I wasn't happy with my results last week. The thing that bothered me the most about last week was not my weight and it was not, surprisingly enough, my calorie intake either. Those things were on the radar, but they were a distant second and third to my primary concern which was control.
I did not feel in control last week. Or last month. I wasn't eating the right things and I wasn't eating for the right reasons. Setting goals around calorie intake and tracking are all well and good, but meeting those goals really hinges on being in control of what you eat, and I didn't feel like I had that kind of command over my food choices.
Obviously, everything I eat is my choice. And I know from experience that losing weight by calorie counting is just plain hard. It's hard to say no to hunger. But last week wasn't just about hunger. It was about cravings too. I'd be hungry because I was restricting calories and I'd be craving something stuffed with carbohydrates which wouldn't keep me full. I was fighting a battle on two fronts and losing both.
The plan for this week is primarily to get the cravings back under control. I plan on doing that with what I know works: low carb, low gluten eating. It would be no gluten, but I like croutons on my salad. I want to spend the week eating low carb and then see what kind of effect that has on my cravings. If I can stay within my 1700 cal/day goal, so much the better. But that's not my primary worry right now.
Enumerated, here's the list of goals:
- Low carb, low gluten eating 4 out of 5 days (it's Tuesday now, and I'll reevaluate on Sunday). For me this means:
- No bread at breakfast or lunch
- For now, dinner is ok because I spend the next 8 hours asleep.
- No snacking on pretzels, cheez its, pita crisps, etc. These are all freely available in my office, and although it hasn't been a problem, I'm calling it out here. The dark chocolate stash is still fair game though, as that doesn't seem to affect my cravings.
- Assuming the low carb goal is hit, determine whether this eating pattern keeps my cravings under control.
- Track every day
You'll notice there's no exercise goal this week and that's because I'm taking the week off. I've been training very hard for a few months, and I've got a back injury that needs some TLC. My training starts again on Saturday. I may attempt some low grade pilates during the week though. I get weird when I don't work out.
It's a new week, with a new set of goals, which means it's time for a new theme song. I'm a metal girl and I need to feel like I can destroy whole worlds when I'm working out, so from my workout playlist, I give you Disturbed - Indestructible:
"I'll have you know,
That I've become...
Indestructible.
Determination that is incorruptible.
From the other side.
A terror to behold.
Annihilation will be unavoidable.
Every broken enemy will know,
That their opponent had to be invincible.
Take a last look around while you're alive,
I'm an indestructible master of war."
That I've become...
Indestructible.
Determination that is incorruptible.
From the other side.
A terror to behold.
Annihilation will be unavoidable.
Every broken enemy will know,
That their opponent had to be invincible.
Take a last look around while you're alive,
I'm an indestructible master of war."
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