OK, so I have been a monument to inefficiency and laziness for the past week. It has been Spring Break, and in the grand tradition of people everywhere, I sat on my butt the whole week and did nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Squat.
Well, I take that back. I went all through Guitar Hero II and III and got five-star ratings on every song (on easy and medium; a rock goddess I am most certainly NOT). And I watched such wonderfully mind-expanding movies as Clue and Ratatouille. And I was not entirely sedentary. I did have my hand weights and exercise ball at home, so I did actually work out at least once a day each day, lifting arms, doing squats and lunges, and doing crunches (after I would play a song on Guitar Hero, I required myself to do a set of something before I could return to the game). And I did manage to behave myself on the eating, for the most part (darned Cadbury eggs). So I did not end Spring Break on a horrible weight gain.
However, neither did I end the week on a significant loss. (Nor did I grade any of the papers I should have graded over the week.) I have successfully established that minor physical activity coupled with somewhat moderate eating is not enough for me to drop poundage. *insert shocked look here*
So, I'm trying something new for the next few weeks, hopefully for the entire month of April if it looks like it might have some success.
First of all, since I've done poorly over the months dragging my butt out of bed at 4:00 a.m. to make the long drive to the gym, I'm going to try sleeping in a whole half hour (4:30 instead of 4:00) and running through the neighborhood for at least 30 minutes each morning, then coming home to do crunches on my exercise ball before showering and heading to work. I'm hoping that the extra half hour, coupled with less frantic ablutions after my workout (usually I have to pack up all my toiletries and several outfits to take with me before I leave for the gym, as well as cram breakfast down my throat), might make my morning ritual more of a, well, actual ritual as opposed to something I do once or twice each week.
Now, I started small this morning. Very small. I am not much of a runner under the best and fittest of circumstances (I'd pretty much rather have smoldering bamboo slivers shoved under my nails), and I haven't kept my cardio up very well recently. I walked for five minutes to warm up, then ran for a minute. I repeated that until my 30 minutes were up. My goal is to gradually increase the length of time I can stand to run (those one-minute intervals seemed very long to me!) while decreasing the time I walk in between, until I can run for a full half hour without stopping. Then I can increase the time I run from them (which may mean I will need to start getting up earlier again).
This also may be helpful to me in the long run (ha ha, see what I did there?) when it comes to weight loss. Running is a much more high-impact sport than most of the other cardio I've done, and it seems that the higher impact cardio is more efficient for weight loss.
I will still go to the gym in the afternoons after school, for weightlifting and more cardio. I think weights will also help: more muscle mass=more stuff to burn calories with.
The next thing I'm trying, along with the whole running thing, is food-related. Dinner seems to be the meal of the day that has the biggest impact on my weight. Meals such as burritos and pizza are absolutely devastating to my weight, but it seems to affect my weight more when I eat those things for dinner instead of lunch. I've seen as much as a three-pound swing in my weight due to those foods eaten at dinnertime. Obviously moderation in my portions is a big part of successful weight loss, but along with my attempts at that, I am going to stop eating meals after 5:00 p.m. for a few weeks. In the afternoons I will instead start eating something small (or perhaps drinking a Slim Fast shake) as I leave work (which can be anywhere from 3:45-4:45) to give the energy to survive a gym workout. Then when I get home I will maybe have a small yogurt or a cheese stick, something small and <100 calories. I'm hoping that will be enough to keep my metabolism up in the evenings without my wanting to gnaw on my ankles from hunger.
Now, I know that not eating in the evenings is going to make me hungry. I will need some help on the willpower front. As far as the rest of the day is concerned, I will try to eat a breakfast that is filling enough to keep me going until lunch at 10:45 (I know, what kind of crazy school makes the kids eat lunch so early?). I've bought a nice big box of Shredded Wheat. If I find myself getting hungry earlier, I can bring carrots and dip like I did today (I got a really cool snack container that looks like a thermos but has a small ice pack in it instead and keeps veggies and dip cold)--I ate about a cup of carrot sticks with a little ranch dressing at around 9:15 this morning, and that kept me going. I'll try to stick to sandwiches and salads for lunch, and then bring some fruit or yogurt for a mid-afternoon snack. Then whatever I eat when I leave work, and my evening snack...I really hope this works!
So, here we go with the renewed (again) attempt at weight loss. My goal is 10 lbs in the next eight weeks (that will take me to the end of the school year). I would love to lose more than that, but hopefully 10 will be completely reasonable and will make me happily surprised when I drop more than that. I've got a long way to go, though, to get to my target weight of 150 lbs. Maybe be the end of next school year...
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 07, 2008
To a teacher, or a student too really, there isn't much more unfair than a snowstorm on a Friday afternoon.
It'd been building up; the newscasters had been hyping the storm for a few days. But it really didn't look like it was ever going to get here. It seemed to dawdle over Arkansas a lot longer than most weather fronts do. I figured it wouldn't even get here until this evening. I half-expected schools and businesses to close for the day anyway, simply from the threat. In the South, the mere possibility of severe weather sends droves of people to the stores to load up on essentials, just in case we're all trapped in our homes for a few hours. But I knew we wouldn't get out of school. Today was the last day of this grading period, so all the teachers were trying to get grades recorded and all the students were grubbing for extra credit. Also, our lower school had Grandparents' Day today, and with all those guests on campus there was no way they were going to cancel anything.
But sure enough, my students returned from their lunch period to inform me that it had started to snow. It was pretty light, more tiny ice crystals than actual flakes, and snowing with no real enthusiasm for the job. At first it didn't even stick but rather blew around in big swirls. The girls kept asking if I thought there was any chance we'd get out early. I felt it was unlikely; in the six years I've taught at the school I think we've had something like three snow days. And sending kids home early is logistically much more difficult than canceling school early in the morning before the students arrive. Not all our kids drive themselves, not all our parents can change their schedules that quickly to come collect their children, and we have no school-provided transportation available. So I told the kids to strap themselves in and deal with it.
But by golly after a while it started to stick, first on the playground wood chips, then on the grass. Apparently the powers-that-be decided that sticking on the pavement would come next, because an announcement came over the loudspeaker at about 2:25, just at the beginning of the last class of the day, announcing that the seniors were released (our 12th-graders receive a number of privileges that come with seniority). After they had cleared the hallway (it took all of maybe three minutes), a second announcement released the sophomores (our juniors were off-campus at a retreat and had apparently already been released), and a final announcement at about 2:35 released the freshmen (I teach 9th grade).
It was entertaining to see the reactions of the freshmen: 1) excited about the rare escape from school (although I was quite gratified to hear more than one student in my last class complain that they were going to miss their favorite class); 2) overjoyed at the chance to run around in the snow; and 3) distressed at the effect the weather might have on their Friday night plans (really, how many parents are going to want to run shuttle for a gaggle of giggling girls to the movie theater in the snow?). These conflicting emotions really highlight how the freshmen are perched between childhood and adulthood.
But, man, somehow getting a forty-minute snow day is like winning $20 in the lottery. It's appreciated, but it had the potential to be so much more.
I wonder what this relapse into winter weather will do to our local flora, after enough warm days to bring out the buds on the trees. The daffodils had started to bloom, and the forsythia bushes were working on some nice flowers. Some of the pear trees had started blossoming too. Oh well. We may not have many flowers this spring. Poor little guys, so easily beguiled.
It'd been building up; the newscasters had been hyping the storm for a few days. But it really didn't look like it was ever going to get here. It seemed to dawdle over Arkansas a lot longer than most weather fronts do. I figured it wouldn't even get here until this evening. I half-expected schools and businesses to close for the day anyway, simply from the threat. In the South, the mere possibility of severe weather sends droves of people to the stores to load up on essentials, just in case we're all trapped in our homes for a few hours. But I knew we wouldn't get out of school. Today was the last day of this grading period, so all the teachers were trying to get grades recorded and all the students were grubbing for extra credit. Also, our lower school had Grandparents' Day today, and with all those guests on campus there was no way they were going to cancel anything.
But sure enough, my students returned from their lunch period to inform me that it had started to snow. It was pretty light, more tiny ice crystals than actual flakes, and snowing with no real enthusiasm for the job. At first it didn't even stick but rather blew around in big swirls. The girls kept asking if I thought there was any chance we'd get out early. I felt it was unlikely; in the six years I've taught at the school I think we've had something like three snow days. And sending kids home early is logistically much more difficult than canceling school early in the morning before the students arrive. Not all our kids drive themselves, not all our parents can change their schedules that quickly to come collect their children, and we have no school-provided transportation available. So I told the kids to strap themselves in and deal with it.
But by golly after a while it started to stick, first on the playground wood chips, then on the grass. Apparently the powers-that-be decided that sticking on the pavement would come next, because an announcement came over the loudspeaker at about 2:25, just at the beginning of the last class of the day, announcing that the seniors were released (our 12th-graders receive a number of privileges that come with seniority). After they had cleared the hallway (it took all of maybe three minutes), a second announcement released the sophomores (our juniors were off-campus at a retreat and had apparently already been released), and a final announcement at about 2:35 released the freshmen (I teach 9th grade).
It was entertaining to see the reactions of the freshmen: 1) excited about the rare escape from school (although I was quite gratified to hear more than one student in my last class complain that they were going to miss their favorite class); 2) overjoyed at the chance to run around in the snow; and 3) distressed at the effect the weather might have on their Friday night plans (really, how many parents are going to want to run shuttle for a gaggle of giggling girls to the movie theater in the snow?). These conflicting emotions really highlight how the freshmen are perched between childhood and adulthood.
But, man, somehow getting a forty-minute snow day is like winning $20 in the lottery. It's appreciated, but it had the potential to be so much more.
I wonder what this relapse into winter weather will do to our local flora, after enough warm days to bring out the buds on the trees. The daffodils had started to bloom, and the forsythia bushes were working on some nice flowers. Some of the pear trees had started blossoming too. Oh well. We may not have many flowers this spring. Poor little guys, so easily beguiled.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Saturday, March 01, 2008
As I try to remotivate myself (again...and again...and again...there seems to be a real problem here), I've got a few things that I'm going to try to focus on. Found this article on another blog and thought the points were really interesting.
10 Tips to Change Yourself From a Dedicated Couch-Potato to a Gym Enthusiast
Written by Gretchen Rubin of the Happiness Project.
Exercise helps keep you happy and vital. Studies show that folks who exercise are healthier, cheerier, more energetic, think more clearly, sleep better, and have delayed onset of dementia. What’s more, they get relief from anxiety and mild depression—comparable to medication and therapy.
But of course, no one really disputes the benefit of exercise. The trick is actually DOING IT.
My own favorite activity is reading in bed—preferably, while snacking. It took me a while, but I’ve managed to get myself into the habit of exercising regularly.
These ten strategies helped me stick to my routine:
1. Always exercise on Monday. Starting the week on the right foot makes it easier to stick to your plan.
2. Never skip exercising for two days in a row. You can skip a day, but the next day, you must exercise no matter how inconvenient. This rule dramatically increased the number of times I exercise over the course of a month.
3. Remember, exercise GIVES energy. If you feel too tired to exercise, remember that exercise boosts energy. It took me a long time to notice that I’d drag myself to the gym, work out for forty minutes, and leave feeling far more energetic than when I went in.
4. Any work-out “counts.” Give yourself credit for the least effort. My father, a runner, always said that all he had to do was put on his running shoes and close the door behind him. Why does this work? Because if I know I can quit after five minutes, I get started—and once I start, I usually follow through with my usual routine. Getting out the door is by FAR the toughest part.
5. You don’t have to shower. One problem—mostly for women—is that taking a shower can take too much time. Look for exercise like strength-training, yoga, or walking, that don’t make you sweaty.
6. Throw money at the problem. Spend more to go to a more convenient gym, or to get an iPod, or to work with a trainer. Exercise pays off BIG in your quality of life, so this is a place to splurge.
7. Don’t set the bar too high. I have a friend who thinks it’s not worth exercising unless she’s training for a marathon – and so she never exercises. She’d be better off going for a one-mile run five times a week.
8. Don’t kid yourself. Belonging to a gym doesn’t mean that you go to the gym. Having been in good shape in college doesn’t mean you’re in good shape today. Be honest about what your habits really are now.
9. You have time. Just take a twenty-minute walk. If you can’t do more, do that! Just a twenty-minute walk will really pay off.
10. Exercise for SANITY not VANITY. I find it more motivating to think about the fact that exercise is going to make me feel happier, calmer, and more energetic, right now, rather than to think about vaguer long-term benefits, like strengthened immunity or longer life. It’s not clear that exercise has much impact on weight loss, so don’t be give up when the pounds don’t fall off. It’s worth doing for so many other reasons.
If you want to visit the original blog, here's the link: Life Remix.
10 Tips to Change Yourself From a Dedicated Couch-Potato to a Gym Enthusiast
Written by Gretchen Rubin of the Happiness Project.
Exercise helps keep you happy and vital. Studies show that folks who exercise are healthier, cheerier, more energetic, think more clearly, sleep better, and have delayed onset of dementia. What’s more, they get relief from anxiety and mild depression—comparable to medication and therapy.
But of course, no one really disputes the benefit of exercise. The trick is actually DOING IT.
My own favorite activity is reading in bed—preferably, while snacking. It took me a while, but I’ve managed to get myself into the habit of exercising regularly.
These ten strategies helped me stick to my routine:
1. Always exercise on Monday. Starting the week on the right foot makes it easier to stick to your plan.
2. Never skip exercising for two days in a row. You can skip a day, but the next day, you must exercise no matter how inconvenient. This rule dramatically increased the number of times I exercise over the course of a month.
3. Remember, exercise GIVES energy. If you feel too tired to exercise, remember that exercise boosts energy. It took me a long time to notice that I’d drag myself to the gym, work out for forty minutes, and leave feeling far more energetic than when I went in.
4. Any work-out “counts.” Give yourself credit for the least effort. My father, a runner, always said that all he had to do was put on his running shoes and close the door behind him. Why does this work? Because if I know I can quit after five minutes, I get started—and once I start, I usually follow through with my usual routine. Getting out the door is by FAR the toughest part.
5. You don’t have to shower. One problem—mostly for women—is that taking a shower can take too much time. Look for exercise like strength-training, yoga, or walking, that don’t make you sweaty.
6. Throw money at the problem. Spend more to go to a more convenient gym, or to get an iPod, or to work with a trainer. Exercise pays off BIG in your quality of life, so this is a place to splurge.
7. Don’t set the bar too high. I have a friend who thinks it’s not worth exercising unless she’s training for a marathon – and so she never exercises. She’d be better off going for a one-mile run five times a week.
8. Don’t kid yourself. Belonging to a gym doesn’t mean that you go to the gym. Having been in good shape in college doesn’t mean you’re in good shape today. Be honest about what your habits really are now.
9. You have time. Just take a twenty-minute walk. If you can’t do more, do that! Just a twenty-minute walk will really pay off.
10. Exercise for SANITY not VANITY. I find it more motivating to think about the fact that exercise is going to make me feel happier, calmer, and more energetic, right now, rather than to think about vaguer long-term benefits, like strengthened immunity or longer life. It’s not clear that exercise has much impact on weight loss, so don’t be give up when the pounds don’t fall off. It’s worth doing for so many other reasons.
If you want to visit the original blog, here's the link: Life Remix.
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