Monday, May 5, 2008

First breakfast, now six a.m. walks

I haven't been riding the bike very much lately, or, you know, at all even. Still, I've been working on my weight in different ways.


We're going into the sixth week of getting up and eating breakfast together at the table nearly every morning. I've noticed that, usually, I don't feel the need for snacks most of the day when I've had a good breakfast. In fact, I'm less hungry most of the day as long as I've eaten well by 730am. On days when I'm less hungry I tend to eat smaller meals at dinner, even though I usually have a hard time getting dinner started on time. That may have something to do with the late hour of the sunset rather than when I'm eating.

Since it's been six weeks of mostly successful breakfasts, I'm adding a new piece to the morning puzzle: walking at 6am. This morning while A. and K. were both grumbling and trying to dive back under the covers (typical for her, not so much for him), I was flipping on lights and chirping that it was time to get up and go outside to exercise (not so typical for me). We were out the door a little later than I had wanted, but we made it.

Over the weekend we "measured" the center lane of the apartment complex with the odometer on the car. Going from our cul-de-sac to the front, then all the way to the back, then back to our drive was roughly 0.4 of a mile. This morning while I was walking, I worked out that since there are four median breaks and they're all pretty evenly spaced, I'm fairly confident that lapping one of the medians (on the outside) is roughly 0.1 of a mile. It would stand to reason, then, that if I walk to the front, then all the way to the back, then back to my starting point then loop one of the medians on either side of my drive, that should be roughly half a mile (0.4 plus 0.1 equals 0.5 which is half a mile). Right?

Sounded good to me as I was walking at 6am so I did loop the median. If my numbers are correct, I did roughly half a mile in just at fifteen minutes. Not... the best time ever, but certainly not the worst, either.

Afterward, I cooked breakfast while A. and K. took showers and got ready for work and school and we sat down and ate.

So why get up when it's still dark to go walk while it's still dark? Well, because I live in Florida and it won't be too much longer before it'll be stifling hot at 6am, but not near as much as it will be at 9am, or noon, or 3pm, or even 6pm. Besides, it's dark outside and I can wear my exercise clothes and no one can see my fat jiggling because everyone is inside their apartments either sleeping or trying to get the coffee IVs started. Also, it's just a nice way to start the day.

I am hoping to start adding the bike back into my daily routine before too much longer. I've started taking my vinegar pills again so while my knee has been aching from all the abuse I've heaped on it during these past few weeks, it's not aching near as bad as it could be. That's a good thing in my world.

I've got to work on eating lunch at a reasonable time, though. Because I've been eating breakfast and not being as hungry throughout the day, lunch often does come until almost 2pm... and that's far too late. Oh. Maybe that's a factor in me not getting dinner started on time. Anyway, I need to work on that.

And that's all for now. I need to hop back on the chore wagon and get some stuff done.
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Friday, January 18, 2008

Checking in.

Wednesday I didn't get the chance to ride the bike because I was out all day shopping with my mother. When I woke up Thursday I was terribly sick and spent the day napping on the couch with almost no activity at all. We're still not sure what caused that but I'm much better now.

I didn't eat much today but I did fairly well in my choices and drank lots of water. I also rode further in my ten minute ride.

And I think I might ride again tonight before I go to bed. Maybe. I'm not sure yet. I feel energetic enough but I don't want to strain my knee. I suppose I'll give it another hour or so and see how I feel.


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mile check: 5.2
weight check: 273.8

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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Stretching is good for you.

For the most part, I've never stretched. Ever. According to my mother I didn't even know how to bend until I was nearly five.

Taking that into account, it's odd that lately I've been stretching. Or maybe it's not so odd. It feels... good... to stretch. Both physically and emotionally.

I rode the bike again today. Yay me! I'm really not pushing myself other than making the effort to stay between 9.5mph and 10.5mph. It's a comfortable speed for me without being too slow. In ten minutes I can do 1.7 miles. Towards the end I do feel it burn a bit in my things and today I felt my knee start to strain just before the 1.5 mile mark. Eventually I'll progress beyond ten minutes, or I'll start making two miles in ten minutes. Either way, it will be progress and I'll know my body is ready for to try a little harder or just go a little longer.

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mile check: 3.4
weight check: 273.4
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Monday, January 14, 2008

New beginnings in 2008

While I don't do the typical New Year Resolution thing, I do tend to start things over with the changing of the calendar year.


For instance, I've gone into my Virtual Trip Across America account and wiped out all the 2007 data while adding the 1.7 miles I rode today. I won't be reposting the pictures for the first 30 or so miles, and even after that I may not post them at all. It's still too early to know how I'll feel about it.

I've also started adjusting my eating habits. During the months of November and December (2007) I was looking over my food logs and discovered that on days following a series of low carb days, I felt more energetic, ached less, and generally felt better. So! While I'm not exactly working towards a low carb life-style, I am working on keeping my carb intake per day lower than what I have allowed it to be in previous years.

And, finally, my weight. As I enter this new year it's up again, but I did spend a great deal of time not exercising during the later part of 2007. When I stepped on the scale this morning I was told that I weighed 273.8 pounds. I haven't yet set any weight goals for this year. I'm focused more on feeling better and having fewer days that I spend curled on the couch because it simply hurts too much to move. If I shed some pounds along the way then yay! I get new clothes! If not, then I'm ok with that too. And I still get new clothes.

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mile check: 1.7
weight check: 273.8

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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Ugh.

Wow, talk about a month of slacking...

Between the busted up knee and some serious crisis moments recently I've either not been on the bike at all or not tracking what I rode, which admittedly wasn't much. (Like today; I rode 1 mile.)

I do, however, have plans to get back into the swing of things starting the September 1. I'd start tomorrow but there's supposed to be contractors here to, basically, rebuilding the bathroom in this apartment and it's going to be rather chaotic. Depending on how things go on Thursday, I may try to ride a mile tomorrow night or I may just drop into bed and sob myself to sleep.
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Friday, July 13, 2007

Sigh. On hold while I nurse my knee

A few weeks ago I slipped and twisted my knee a little bit. A normal knee would have shrugged it off after a few days, but no, not my knee.



In the early fall of 1987 I was in a car accident that left both my knees quite temperamental. They don't tolerate much of anything and have the tendency to swell and stiffen just because they want to. Actually abuse them in any way (such as slipping on a damp floor and twisting them) and they get downright cranky.

Since the day I slipped, it's been an ongoing battle with me looking like I'm smuggling a softball where my knee should be on most days. Needless to say, bike riding is not so much of an option on those days. Walking is enough of a strain on my poor abused knee. So, the Virtual Tour is on hold until I can coax my knee into tolerating me being on the bike again.

And let me just say for the record, this sucks and I'm not happy about it at all.
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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Checkpoint - 26 miles

I was a total slacker today. I only did four miles tonight after dinner. I'm still in Jamestown, VA and only three miles away from Chickahominy River, VA. This is where I'm at now:



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I have a lot of thoughts twirling about inside my head but I'm not grasping anything too firmly just yet, so I'm heading to bed. Maybe I'll get things worked out in a day or three.
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