Thursday, October 8, 2015

More on Week 2b

Having the same problems I was having last week. These include lack of motivation, among others. Not to make excuses for myself, but my shoulder still hurts almost all the time, and I can't quite even move around like a human being yet. And this has affected my emotional tone as well as my physical stamina. I'm making progress, but not as fast as I'd like.

After thinking about this more carefully, I realize I probably need to take a break for awhile. I KNOW what I NEED to do and what I CAN do, just need to get around to doing it. Which I WILL do. After a break.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Week # 2-b: Oct. 5-Oct. Oct. 11

Starting Monday the 5th I'll be starting what I should have done the second week:

Week 2: Continue Week 1 habits. Cut out all sugar, junk food, soda pop, and fast food! This is going to be the hardest week for all of us. My friend Joyce would say this is when your fight or flight mentality is going to come out! Just start getting prepared NOW and get all the sugar, junk food, and pop out of the house. This is as much a mental challenge as a physical challenge. Also, you can allow yourself natural sugars like fructose just make sure that you pair them with a protein to maximize energy. So, if you eat an apple pair it with some nuts or a string cheese. Also, you can have the sugar that is in a small amount of a sauce like a dressing or BBQ sauce.
Total Week 2 Points Possible: 14

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Week 2, Journal Entry

What a joke this has been! I'm going to do week 2 over again next week. I'll call it week 2-b or something. I did fine the first day of the week but went downhill from there.

Lots more to write about this, but not up for it now...but I'm recognizing a pattern, and seeing how this works is helping me so I'll get over it and start fresh and do better next time around.


Monday, September 28, 2015

Week # 2: Sept. 28-Oct. 4


Week 2: Continue Week 1 habits. Cut out all sugar, junk food, soda pop, and fast food! This is going to be the hardest week for all of us. My friend Joyce would say this is when your fight or flight mentality is going to come out! Just start getting prepared NOW and get all the sugar, junk food, and pop out of the house. This is as much a mental challenge as a physical challenge. Also, you can allow yourself natural sugars like fructose just make sure that you pair them with a protein to maximize energy. So, if you eat an apple pair it with some nuts or a string cheese. Also, you can have the sugar that is in a small amount of a sauce like a dressing or BBQ sauce.

Total Week 2 Points Possible: 14

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Week 1, Journal Entry

Once when I did this 8-week challenge we were supposed to write a blog post each week too. I don't know why this part of it isn't in my list of points this time around.

Anyway I'll still try to write something every week about how I'm doing with this 8-week challenge.

First, why did I choose to do this in a time period when Halloween will be happening (second week I'm supposed to cut out sweets and junk food---how will I do that?!?)? Answer: I had to get started, and now was the time, and I'll just have to deal with all that as I go along.

Second, why is keeping a food journal the very first challenge? Because it actually helps a person who is trying to get control of his/her eating habits.

The Web MD people  cite a study which found that "...people keeping a food diary six days a week lost about twice as much weight as those who kept food records one day a week or less."

What's weird about the Web MD link when citing this study, which I expected to link to the actual study, does not actually link to the original study but to another Web MD page with helpful hints for keeping a food diary. Here they are:

  • Write as you go. Don't wait until the end of the day to record what you ate and drank. "We recommend they write it down as soon as they can after they eat," says Stevens.
  • Focus on portion size. Practice at home with measuring cups, measuring spoons, or food scales. And be aware that people tend to underestimate how much food they're served.
  • Use whatever type of food diary works for you. It doesn't matter whether you use scrap paper, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a notebook. What matters is that you use it, says Stevens.
  • Don't skip your indulgent days. "We encourage people to keep records especially on days when they're tempted to eat," says Stevens. "What gets measured tends to get changed."
  • Cook at home. You'll have more control over what you consume, and you know what that food contains, and how much of it you're eating. That makes for a more detailed entry in your food diary.
 Okay, great hints from Web MD, but not great for people like me who want to read an actual study instead of someone else's summary of it. So I found the study myself, and here it is:

"Weight Loss During the Intensive Intervention Phase of the Weight-Loss Maintenance Trial"

And, oops, there are some problems with the data and the statistical analysis thereof: Over 130 "missing weights" at the end of the study had to be "replaced." Which is not okay. They used the famous (?) "Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling" method  to guess---yes, I said it---GUESS---what the missing values were and "replace" them. Then, "Parameter estimates were then averaged, standard errors were adjusted with a function of the between-imputation variation, and the degrees of freedom were adjusted to obtain unbiased p-values."

So, what I think is that when you average a bunch of estimates and adjust the standard errors AND degrees of freedom, you're just showing how desperate you are to get your study published. (If I did that for my own scientific work, I wouldn't have said scientific work any more.)

But does keeping a daily food journal help people lose weight? I still think it does, though admittedly the basis for my conclusion is even less solid than the statistical methods used in that study. I think it does because it has helped me in the past.

And I think it does because, as the Web MD people note, "What gets measured tends to get changed."

Friday, September 25, 2015

Week # 1, Sept. 21-27

First week, Sept. 21-27:

Start Keeping a Food Journal.  Each day, write down what time you wake up, the time you eat, what you eat, how much you exercise, how much water you drink and what time you go to bed. For those of you who work, it may be easier to keep track of this on a little notebook kept in your purse. Earn 1 point for each day that you complete a full journal.

Total Week 1 Points Possible: 7

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Eight Weeks

I'm going to start this again. I'm thinking tomorrow, Monday the 21st, because Monday is a good day to start something like this. Anyone want to start with me? We can just do the postings and reporting back and forth by comments here or by email messages to each other. 

I'm pasting below the 8-week challenge as I've done it with friends in the past. We don't have to do it this way, don't have to do it with points, the way it's written here. In fact, I think it works better without that competitive edge.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The purpose of this challenge is to motivate us and help us take one step at a time toward a healthier lifestyle, NOT overwhelm us! We need do this the right way so that we can make PERMANENT changes. We will start by going for 8 weeks. Each week, we will work on adding one new healthy lifestyle habit. Together we can take things to the next level. We will write on this private blog to help support each other. This will be a fun part of our challenge and and will provide us with the accountability and motivation to stay in it. Participants earn 1 bonus point each week for blogging on our private blog. ***(See note at the bottom about bonus point blogging)

Here's the full scoop on the points structure---

Week 1: Start Keeping a Food Journal.  Each day, write down what time you wake up, the time you eat, what you eat, how much you exercise, how much water you drink and what time you go to bed. For those of you who work, it may be easier to keep track of this on a little notebook kept in your purse. Earn 1 point for each day that you complete a full journal.

Total Week 1 Points Possible: 7

Week 2: Continue Week 1 habits. Cut out all sugar, junk food, soda pop, and fast food! This is going to be the hardest week for all of us. My friend Joyce would say this is when your fight or flight mentality is going to come out! Just start getting prepared NOW and get all the sugar, junk food, and pop out of the house. This is as much a mental challenge as a physical challenge. Also, you can allow yourself natural sugars like fructose just make sure that you pair them with a protein to maximize energy. So, if you eat an apple pair it with some nuts or a string cheese. Also, you can have the sugar that is in a small amount of a sauce like a dressing or BBQ sauce.

Total Week 2 Points Possible: 14

Week 3: Continue Week 2 habits. Eat 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables per day.

Total Week 3 Points Possible: 21

Week 4: Continue Week 3 habits. Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week. This can be as simple as brisk walking. The goal is to raise your heartbeat. If you're feeling a good cardio workout, working up a sweat, increased heart rate, it counts. Also, the more that you can vary your exercise routine the better. So, do cardio one day and weights another. Try different forms of exercise (i.e. an elliptical one day and swimming another). Try to establish a routine. If you must, you can split this into three 10 minute segments for a total of 30 minutes.

Total Week 4 Points Possible: 26

****For the remaining weeks, we will need to eat low glycemic, sticking to the recommended foods list and we will earn a point for each day that you do so.

Week 5: Continue Week 4 habits. Drink at least 64 ounces of water per day, but current studies suggest that drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces per day is a better choice. So, if you weighed 200 pounds you would need 100 ounces of water per day.

Total Week 5 Points Possible: 40

Week 6: Continue Week 5 habits. Take supplements each day as recommended on the packaging. This can be a simple vitamin or something more as you need it.

Total Week 6 Points Possible: 47

Week 7: Continue Week 6 habits. Start your day with "Quiet Time" every day. This should be at least 30 minutes of meditation, but can include your own scripture study or other meditation that you currently do.

Total Week 7 Points Possible: 54

Week 8: Continue Week 7 habits. Sleep at least 7 hours each night.

Total Week 8 Points Possible: 61

Cumulative Points Possible for the ENTIRE 8 Week Challenge: 270

Friday, September 11, 2015

Getting Back to Training

I just saw an orthopedist today, eleven days after having my shoulder rotator cuff operated on. He checked the puncture wounds in my shoulder (healing nicely) and gave me advice about how to treat them (no more antibiotic ointment and no bandages), and told me to keep taking it easy on my arm.

He told me that different orthopedic surgeons give different advice about how to recover. He said the one who did my surgery has a somewhat conservative approach: Don't start doing any exercises for at least eight weeks. Why? Because he believes the possible risk to the surgical repair is too great with exercising too soon. Some surgeons have you raising your hand above your head and so on; my surgeon wants me to wear my sling faithfully and to do only those little pendulum exercises three times a day until I see him in another three weeks.

"He says the purpose of the surgery is to fix the joint and relieve the pain; you may have stiffness from not exercising sooner, but you don't risk tearing out the tendon attachments."

And I say, "Hurray for that opinion." I totally agree. Stiffness can be dealt with later. In fact, it seems to me that with other joint and muscle injuries I've had in the past, when I worried about getting stiff and exercised those muscles too soon I just incurred further damage; when I was forced to lay off the exercise for awhile, I started recovering much sooner.

So I'm going to be watching the men's semifinals whenever they come on, binge-watching "Sherlock" for as long as those old episodes keep being replayed, and reading, reading, reading.

And then I'll get back to training.

Veni Vidi Vinci (Put the Ball in the Court)

One thing about having my left arm in a sling (and still with the pain, in spite of alternating between aspirin and acetaminophen every 3 to 6 hours), is that for the first time ever I've been watching the U.S. Open without too much guilt. Still some, but not as much as in the past.

So today, rooting for Serena all the way, I watched Roberta Vinci beat her in the semifinal, and I was crushed. Not as much as Serena was, obviously, and what struck me was the courtesy with which she handled the inane questions from the "press" right after the match.

Some started off with the usual stupid question: Can you tell us how disappointed you are? Serena gave the perfect reply: "I don't want to answer any questions about how disappointed I feel. If you have any other questions, I'll be able to answer them." And she went on answering for a good 10 minutes longer. Brave woman.

It reminded me of a press conference she had to participate in after the quarterfinal. So many questions, so many of them idiotic and undoubtedly maddening to Serena, or anyone. Finally someone asked her why she wasn't smiling. She said (paraphrasing), "Well, it's 12:30 in the morning, and I'm tired, and I have to get up early tomorrow to practice, and you all ask the same questions all the time..."

Now, for what Roberta Vinci said after her amazing win, replying to the usual set of inane questions, this time about what she said to herself, how she powered through and won even when she was down in the second set, and kept on even facing break points in the third set:

"Put the ball in the court, and then run. Run. Run."

A great philosophy for all of life, not just tennis.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Angie (Again)

I love going into classes taught by teachers who have been with their "peeps" for a long time. Too bad Angie is moving back east in a couple of weeks. We'll miss her.

"Hi, my name is Angie, and I have an Oreo problem."

She uses basic words of encouragement and facts about exercise and fitness that end up encouraging us, too. A few of her gems:

The heart is an inefficient pump, and it takes awhile for it to catch up.

The central nervous system only makes changes if it absolutely has to. You have to create a deficit for it to make changes. 

Remember, you walked in here with a goal, and what you're doing now, you're achieving it.

I want you to keep going. ATP. This is it. Three. Two. One. You did it. 

We're almost done. This has been a relentless ride, and you guys have crushed it.

Calories are expended in oxygen consumption, AKA respiration, so it makes sense to work hard so you'll need more oxygen.

You guys want me to tell you how much time you have left on this interminable climb? No?




Wednesday, March 11, 2015

First Ride of 2015

Last Saturday. (Not for Jason, bur for me.) Good experience, reminding me that what I'm doing in all those spin classes is NOT the same as riding on the road! We only did about 12 miles, but it wore me out. Here we are, about halfway:


It was a perfect day, and then Jason (who had already done a bike ride earlier in the week) rode his bike to and from work yesterday. For me, it was back to spin classes, but with the resolve to ride outside if and when we get another clear day.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Forks Over Knives

People (North Americans) seem to think you need to eat a lot of meat to be healthy and strong. Of course we get those ideas through years of unwittingly being on the receiving end of huge billion-dollar marketing and lobbying campaigns by the meat industry.

Every once in awhile I read about super athletes who are vegetarians, even vegans. Now, added to that list, is Frank Medrano, whom I just heard of yesterday. I found this article about him from the folks at "Forks Over Knives," a program followed by our friend Rick, whom we met our first year at Reach the Beach.

Here's the official Forks Over Knives Web site.  Here's the Web site of another vegan body builder. 

Hmmmm. Looks like all these guys are selling something! That's okay with me. But is the vegan diet for super strength really legit? Lots of people say it isn't. Just Google "forks over knives debunked" to find out more.

I'm not planning to go completely vegan, but I'm always looking for healthy ways to eat and get stronger....without succumbing to that whole orthorexia phenomenon, where you become so obsessed with "healthy eating" that it becomes an eating disorder!

So, like I said, just trying to get healthier and stay healthier.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Archery

I just posted this on my Aunt Louise page, where I also posted a few weeks ago a video of some amazing archery tricks.

Here's the new and amazing archery trick: 



And here's part of a workout of one archer. Hmmm...seems like a workout that would be good for anyone and everyone!


I found these at Frank Medrano's Web site. Anyone know anything about his programs? They look intense and look like they give good results, for those who are committed (and don't have shoulder issues!). Anything else?

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Hippie Chick Half

Yep, I'm all signed up. I'll be "running" (jogging and walking) this event with my friend Lara, who did it with me last year. It was a great event, the day before Mother's Day, all the participants  women, except for the kids who participated in the various fun-run activities. And what I really loved about that day were all the husbands/dads who were there to support their ladies.


I've decided to keep regarding all these events as training exercises, to keep myself from getting too stressed out about them or worrying afterwards that I should have done this or that better.

I'll be signing up soon for a couple of duathlons and I think I'll do another triathlon this year, after skipping that whole idea in 2014. But...I'm not positive about any of this. We'll see. There are lots of other things to do on Saturdays!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Huntsman 140 Training Season Starts

....with this message and training calendar from the folks at the Huntsman:



WEEK
DATE
TIME
50 | 75 MILE
100|140 MILE
LOCATION


1
3/7/2015
9:00 AM
15
30
Highland High School

2
3/14/2015
9:00 AM
20
35
Highland High School

3
3/21/2015
9:00 AM
20
45
Highland High School


3/24/2015
6:30 PM
HHH Cycling Team Orientation
Huntsman Cancer Foundation

4
3/28/2015
9:00 AM
25
50
Highland High School

5
4/4/2015
9:00 AM
15
25
Highland High School

6
4/11/2015
8:00 AM
30
60
Highland High School

7
4/18/2015
8:00 AM
25
50
Sandy, UT

6:00 AM
SALT LAKE CITY BIKE TOUR
Salt Lake City, UT

8
4/25/2015
8:00 AM
30
60
Highland High School

9
5/2/2015
8:00 AM
25
50
Sandy, UT

10
5/9/2015
8:00 AM
40
70
Highland High School

11
5/16/2015
8:00 AM
40
80
Centerville, UT

12
5/23/2015
8:00 AM
25
50
Highland High School

13
5/30/2015
7:00 AM
20
40 - LRRH
90 - H140
Sandy, UT

14
6/6/2015
7:00 AM
50
100
Sandy, UT

---
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
Lewiston, UT

15
6/13/2015
7:00 AM
25
50
Highland High School

16
6/20/2015
---
HUNTSMAN 140
Salt Lake City, UT

 
I'm impressed, aren't you? And here are their words of advice on training:



HOW TO PREPARE FOR TRAINING
·         Base of 15 miles for 50 | 75-mile events & 30 for 100|140-mile events
·         Have your bike tuned and ready for the season
·         All riders MUST wear a helmet at all times
·         Ride 2 to 3 days during the week in conjunction with the long ride on Saturday with the group.  These mid-week rides will help you get use to time in the saddle and should take about half the time it will take you to ride your upcoming long ride that week.
TRAINING TIPS
  • Do some weight training for upper body strength.  You'll need arm and shoulder strength to fend off fatigue.
  • Play games to make the cycling more interesting.  Try pedaling with only one foot and then the other. This helps teach smooth cycling technique.
  • The up-stroke on the pedal is important. Wear toe clips or clipless pedals to optimize each rotation.
  • When training, tackle wind and hills.  You'll likely encounter both on your century ride, so be prepared.
  • Take the century ride in segments.  Don't think of it as a 100-mile ride.  Just do the distance from one rest stop to the next.  Before you know it, you've done 100 miles.
  • Take a break if you get tired.  Even a short break of five minutes will revitalize you.
  • Use a mirror to see behind.  Not all cyclists like using mirrors attached to the helmet or bike handlebars but they are helpful for looking for traffic and other cyclists.
  • Be sure your bike is the correct size.  This includes the correct leg extension and posture.  Keep your back straight and at a 45-degree angle.  You will need a bike that fits to ride 100-miles or more.
  • Use a bicycle computer.  Develop a better understanding of what you can do, keep track of your improvement and enter your training accomplishments in a log.
  • There's no alternative to training!  You must have experience in the wind, heat, cold, rain, steep grades and thirst.  You need to get to a "bonk," which is that condition where you run out of energy and feel you can't go on, but do. Then you're ready to manage the challenge of a long ride.

Okay, so, it's on, and I'm on it!