Experiment gone awry... sort of

Finally made my reappearance at the gym. It had been weeks literally. Definitely something you shouldn't be hearing from someone claiming to be trying to get in shape and squeeze into a wedding dress. But, clearly, I'm dedicated.

As for my experiment, it's something I've been cooking up and wanting to try. And perhaps, for the first trip back, it was a little ambitious. Here's what I wanted to attempt, and mind you, this is after a 30 minute weight-session with the trainer:

2000 meter row
6 mile bike
2 mile run

I managed to get through the weights, the row and the bike. My ambition started to fade after that. No run for me. I was going for a mini-triathlon of sorts, without the complicated logistics of a swim... hence the rowing. I was close, and all-in-all, not bad for the first day back. I return tonight with renewed spirit and energy, and will once again try to tackle the tri. All I can say is wish me luck, and I hope today is not a leg day on the weights.

My diet's been darn close to on track. For yesterday:

Breakfast: Fat-free Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries and a hint of honey
Lunch: Turkey breast with roasted vegetables and avocado
Dinner: Mexican night out - handful of chips and salsa, fajitas with mostly the good-for-you stuff, and a cerveza because it's what you do when you ditch your run and go have Mexican!

Today so far:

Breakfast: Chicken sausage, sauteed spinach, the last of the strawberries
Lunch: Turkey breast, avocado, and an orange

Tomorrow, another date with destiny... er, my dress. Yet another fitting. I hope my days of slothing and eating don't take their toll!

72 days until I do!

One day does not a new habit make

But... yesterday, I did it! I dusted off the running shoes, and got out there and ran a whopping... wait for it... 2.5 miles!

Yes, I know this is less than spectacular, but the fact I was outside, shoes on, and moving, is a major moral victory. We had some afternoon showers, which cooled things off to a balmy 85 degrees and probably 99 percent humidity. It was terribly sticky, but I did it. I realize as I was mid run, I have seriously gotten out of shape. I used to be able to run 3 miles no sweat, no pun intended. I'm not one of those girls who simply glistens, unless you consider sweat dripping down my face glistening.

2.5 miles was hard. Now granted, I'm still feeling the ill affects of the masochistic massage therapist I had the pleasure of crossing paths with last weekend. Every muscle felt like it had been ripped from the bone. I thought these things are supposed to be relaxing (apparently not). But the massage can't be the only thing to blame, I have definitely let myself go a bit. I am not conditioned to running in the heat. The sauna outside was nearly enough on it's own to send me back into the cool A/C. And my ability to tolerate cardio for more than 10-15 minutes, seems to have deteriorated drastically. I was huffing and puffing. But, I'm turning the corner again. Remotivated for the time being, and hopefully, taking advantage of it! Tonight, I have training at the gym, then off to try a little experiment. More to come...

Even my diet's gotten a little better:

Breakfast today:
One egg scrambled
Handful fresh strawberries
Half of avocado

74 days til I do!

If the dress fits...

Eat, drink, and be merry, right? We got the dress zipped up after a few tense moments... Luckily these were with the petticoat not the dress. So technically I'm go to go, at least until my next fitting. It's been a complete free for all for the last week. Eating and drinking to my heart's content, lazing about. Now granted, we did have family in town. Both set of parents. That's enough to drive anyone to eat or drink heavily! But they all left several days ago, and I haven't regrouped yet. Diet's still gone to pot, and my running shoes have a nice layer of dust on them I'm sure. The only working out I've been doing lately is walking dogs, and I'm not really sure that counts... it takes us 40 minutes to walk 3/4 of a mile, 30 if we're really moving! Definitely time to regroup.

What I've eaten lately:
Um... how do you spell Paleo again?

My workouts:
The sound of crickets chirping...

Days til 'I do'... 79!

Weekend Roundup

My usual goal is to do really well during the week, and allow a few freedoms on the weekend. A little rest and relaxation, and whole lot less rigidity is needed to recuperate from a long week and gear up for the next. Well last weekend, the wheels fell off completely. So let's recap things:

The Good: My Saturday morning workout
2 mile run
1/2 mile walk
5 (or maybe 6 because I lost count) rounds of 'Cindy':
5 Pull-ups (I do knees to elbows for now)
10 Push-ups (I do girlie style)
15 Squats

The Bad: My non-paleo indiscretions
Two (small) pieces of chocolate cake decorated with Oreos and M&Ms
Two cupcakes
Two trips to Fro Yo
Pub sliders

The Ugly: Dress fitting tomorrow

Yikes! I'd like to be able to say I've regrouped since the week started, but no. I've pretty much written off this whole week too. Next week will be better... it has to be!

86 days til 'I do'

On The Road

Traveling always puts a kink in my good habits. It's hard to stay on track while living in a hotel room, hanging out in airports, and meeting with customers. Good thing is lately I only travel about once a month. One overnight trip. That was me this week, and I did well sort of, until the wheels fell off. Diet wise I had a few indiscretions, but I did manage to put together a quick impromptu work out in my hotel room. I was proud of the bit of resourcefulness. When I travel overnight, I pack light. There isn't any room for work out gear and running shoes. The hotel fitness center would have made sense, but I wasn't equipped for that.

So here's what I pulled off:

4 rounds of
10 burpees
15 squats
1 minute plank (a couple of these turned into 45 seconds... I have to admit)

My diet for the trip:
Day 1
Breakfast: Chicken apple sausage with sauteed squash and zucchini
Lunch: Leftover chicken tenders and green beans
Dinner (at the airport): Chef salad with just a hint of blue cheese dressing (I tried to avoid most of the bacon)
Late night snack: Nonfat Chai Latte and a piece of pumpkin loaf from Starbucks* (I was tired from traveling and craving some comfort food)

Day 2
Breakfast: Lara bar
Lunch: Gone Greek! Hummus, pita, gyros and Greek salad*
Snack: M&M's on the plane (One of my weaknesses)
Dinner: Sushi

Yeah, there were definitely some kinks in the plan. I was proud of the workout. The sole motivator at that point was the dress. Next fitting is this week!

Days til 'I do' - 90!

The Paleo Diet

This is my strategy, my new 'lifestyle change' to kick me into high gear... well combine that with some good old fashioned working out. I've been reading the book diligently. The Paleo Diet... essentially as much as you'd like of lean meats, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. No grains, no dairy, no processed foods. I already tend towards this way of eating. Perhaps it has everything to do with my thirty-something body, but nowadays, my ability to tolerate a lot of bread or dairy in my diet has been nil. This really does suck, because I do love a nice slice of pizza, some decadent ice cream, and cheese in general is one of my favorite treats with a glass of wine. No more! Well, no more, unless it's for one of my 'open meals.' Yeah, I'll still treat myself every now and then, it's one of the keys to sustainability. But I suspect, the better I feel without those foods in my diet, the more likely I will continue to avoid them.

So for example, my day yesterday...

Breakfast: chicken and apple sausage with sauteed squash and zucchini, half avocado
Lunch: salad* with leftover peppercorn pork tenderloin, half avocado
Snacks: banana, Lara bar
Dinner: Italian inspired baked chicken tenders*, steamed broccoli, cantelope

* So technically, the light champagne vinagrette I used on my salad is not part of the diet. And technically, the panko bread crumbs and parmesan I used on the chicken tenders are not part of the diet. But I think I did quite well. I'm not going to take this too seriously. Maybe over time, the little *'s will disappear from my menus. I figure the more I write down, the more accountable to myself I'll be.

My workout yesterday...
30 minute leg and ab workout with trainer
4000m row (20 min)
2.25mi bike (10 min)

Days til 'I do'... 94