[Girl♥Health]: Daily Motivation

THIS.

Someone explain to me why I'm at my most motivated to exercise when exercise is the last thing my body is able to do.  Because for the past two solid months, I couldn't be bothered to go for a run or a swim.  I couldn't be bothered to even think about going for a run or a swim.

And now that I'm on my ass midway through the slow back recovery process (yay!), all I want to do is work out.  I can't sleep at night because I imagine all the ways I'll be superfrigginfit once I'm able.  I picture myself in cute Lululemon gear I don't own and can't afford, lacing up the new shoes I haven't been able to buy in six years, running down streets that are not in my neighborhood, and doing that for miles instead of the 1.5 miles that I can actually manage.

The hard part is getting this motivation to last until I'm able to do something about it.


[Photo source: http://becausewecandoit.tumblr.com/post/3583690376/awesome-legs]

[Girl♥Health]: Crickets

Things have seemed quiet over here in GirlHeartsHealth land lately, hasn't it?  Ever since the big back debacle of March and April, I haven't really given any indication of how things have been going for me health-wise, and maybe it's seemed that I've given up on the whole exercise thing.

Well, not so, my friends.  Not.  So.

Let's start with a brief update on my back.  Yes, I'm still deformed.  But my back and hip area aren't giving me pain any more, so that's a plus.  After my initial diagnosis, I started seeing a chiropractor regularly.  At first, adjustments were coming daily, then eventually only a few times a week, then only one day a week.  Eight weeks later, and I'm down to one maintenance adjustment a month, and regular self-care treatments like stretching every day.

All that's left of what went down a few months ago is the lingering fear that I'll twist or overextend or stretch or bend or move my body in such a way that I'll be on my back, staring at my bedroom ceiling with nothing but my own thoughts for company once again.

And that would suck.  Like, suuuuuck.

So I try not to think of it while simultaneously never forgetting it.  It works, for the most part.

As soon as my chiropractor gave the okay, I also began running again.  And I can't tell you how good it feels to do that -- which is something I didn't really ever think I would feel or say.  But there it is.  I love running.  Well, okay, maybe it's too soon for love.  Let's just say I'm really happy to be running, and to be running in a way that feels self-motivated, rather than guilt-motivated.  I'm currently training for an as yet to be determined race (I have a crazy friend who wants me to do this...and maybe I'm equally crazy because I'm not telling her no immediately), and probably another 5k in November.  For full disclosure's sake, I just started week 3 of this training regimen.

Side note: If anyone (and I mean YOU, little sister!) wants to run any of these upcoming races with me and said crazy friend, give me a shout and we'll make it happen!

I'm also swimming laps a few times a week, which is just the excuse I use to go to the university pool and sunbathe as often as impending skin cancer (a bad joke, but probably true) will allow.  The rule is no sunbathing without laps.  It works as well.

I'm trying to work pilates back into my routine, particularly for cross-trainings' sake on my non-running days, but that gives me and my weak ass back a bit of a pause when I think about some of the poses and the pressure it can create at the hip joint area.  I feel like a geriatric but, like, an inflexible one.  If pilates doesn't work out, then I may just cave and get myself a little (read: light) set of free weights -- the pretty, colored girl ones, obviously -- to use around the house.

But from here on out, barring any more insane injuries, it's full steam ahead!

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout: Walk around the neighborhood with Finn, and run/walk on the treadmill.
Duration: more than 35 min.
Calories Burned: no idea
Description: 1 mile walk with Finn, 1 mile run on treadmill.  Walk on treadmill.

Today's workout was a little uncharacteristic in that I forgot to keep track of anything, took a pretty big break between my walk with Finn and my run on the treadmill, and used my workout more for stress relief than because I actually wanted to work out.

Whatever works, right?

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk around the neighborhood with Finn, and run on the treadmill.
Duration:  32 min
Calories Burned:  139 cal.
Description:  1 mile walk with Finn, .75 mile run on treadmill.  Stretch.

It's yet another slow start Monday (why is it impossible for me to begin the week with a strong workout?), and I only ran 3/4 of a mile.  But I did get a mile walk in with Finn before it started to rain, so there's a silver lining to it.

I spent a bit longer stretching today since, after the 2 mile walk Nate and I did yesterday (when I was wearing some less-than appropriate foot wear), my shins were a little tight.  It reminded me that I haven't yet begun to incorporate back stretches and strengthening into my workouts.  Maybe that's something I'll concentrate on this week.

All in all, a pretty standard morning.  Until my instant oatmeal exploded all over the microwave.  But that's another tale for another day.

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk around the neighborhood with Finn, and run on the treadmill.
Duration:  35 min
Calories Burned:  184 cal.
Description:  1 mile walk with Finn 1 mile run on treadmill.

I don't know why, but today's run felt great.  My pace is getting quicker without me even realizing it, and I'm less exhausted after running a mile.  Plus, I've discovered the awesomeness of listening to audiobooks while running -- makes the time fly so fast.

Right now it's "The Hunger Games".  I tried to read it once before for my bookclub, but a bunch of stuff happened and I never got to finish it.  Now, because the movie is coming out next month (I think), I really do have to finish it.  But I've got a bunch of other stuff to read and free time when I'm running -- voila!

Best idea ever.

I'll take Finn on a second walk this afternoon, so I'll add that to these daily stats after it happens.

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk and run on the treadmill.
Duration:  27 min
Calories Burned:  168 cal.
Description:  1 mile walk on treadmill, .5 mile run on treadmill.

I got sort of a late start on the day; woke up nearly an hour after I intended to.  And between all the things I have on my to-do list today -- Stratejoy work, grocery shopping, a conference call, errands, planning for my trip with my sister next month -- I cut my run short so I could get started.

I'll try to fit in a secondary workout (or I'll just take Finn for a walk) later this afternoon, but for now it's off to the shower and then getting to work!

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk and run on the treadmill, and a walk around the neighborhood with Finn.
Duration:  54 min.
Calories Burned:  236 cal.
Description:  .5 mile walk on treadmill, 1 mile run on treadmill.  Then a 1.25 mile walk with Finn.

What I think I love most about running is that it's a form of instant gratification:  If what I want is to run a mile, than I can make that happen immediately.  In that way, running is such a positive cycle -- it's so easy to accomplish your goal if you just push yourself, and then when you do accomplish that goal, you want to do it even more.  Maybe it's like that with all things, but with running, it's just so much more obvious.

I didn't intend to run a mile today.  I was going to be lazy [again] and only run half of it -- especially since I'm working from home today and needed to get to it.  But then there was the music and the adrenaline and pace, and sooner or later, the mile was done.

Love it when that happens.

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk around neighborhood with Finn, finished up on treadmill.  Followed by a run on the treadmill.
Duration:  48 min.
Calories Burned:  216 cal.
Description:  1 mile walk around the neighborhood, 1 mile walk on treadmill, half a mile run on treadmill.

My workout question today is this: how do you feel about doing less one day (i.e. not running as long or far) than you did the day before?  Is this okay, since you're ultimately in control of your own workouts and there's really no Exercise Police who're going to come around and scold you for not going as hard.  Or is this something you should try and avoid doing, simply because you should keep pushing yourself, especially if the doing less comes from a place of laziness.

I obviously already know the answer to this.

I'm just looking for someone to tell me I wasn't a lazy ass today for running only a half mile instead of the full mile I know I'm capable of.

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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk and run on treadmill (at 7am)
Duration:  56 min.
Calories Burned:  at least 139 cal. (accidentally turned the treadmill off halfway through and restarted the calorie count
Description:  2 mile walk on the treadmill, followed by a 1 mile run on the treadmill. Stretch.

I was not feeling the run today and sort of dragged my butt through it.  Mornings are always tough for me.  Plus, when the workout is particularly blah, it's so much easier to cut corners, you know?  Especially when the alternative is sleeping in for an extra hour.

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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk with Finn around the neighborhood; run on treadmill
Duration:  59 min.
Calories Burned:  276 cal.
Description:  2.1 mile walk with Finn, followed by a 1 mile run on the treadmill.  Cool-down walk and stretch.

The one mile run is still kind of a beast for me, but I'm hoping that by next week I can move up to running (no walking, no stopping) 1.5 miles.  I'm still pretty psyched every time I run the mile, especially since for the first half of it, I'm thinking, "OK, so maybe I won't run a mile today because God this is tiring!"  But then I push through and it happens and I do a mini-celebration (read: singing and dancing in the shower) afterward.  I'm a happy gal these days.

In case anyone is wondering, for my walks around the neighborhood, I'm using the free iMapMyRun app on my iPhone to keep track of distance, time and calories.  Does anyone else use this app?  If you do, are you liking it?  I can't figure out if it's accurate or not, and I know for sure that my treadmill isn't 100% accurate -- every 4 seconds or so, it'll get stuck for about 3-4 seconds before moving on, so I'm definitely running more than I intend, but that's fine with me.  If you use another app and you're liking it more, I'd love to hear about it!

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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk and run on treadmill; hike with Nate and Finn
Duration:  1 hr and 36 min.
Calories Burned:  at least 367
Description:  .5 mile warm-up walk, followed by a 1 mile run and .1 mile cool-down walk.  Then a 2.7 mile hike with Nate and Finn at the Sunol Regional Wilderness Reserve.

A couple of things felt extra nice today: 1) Sticking to my work-out routine even though it's a Saturday and I usually use that as an excuse not to, and 2) Getting outdoors and seeing "Little Yosemite" at Sunol Regional Wilderness.

It's been a great day, so far.

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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk and run on treadmill (at 7am)
Duration:  56 min.
Calories Burned:  339 cal.
Description:  2 mile walk on the treadmill, followed by a 1 mile run on the treadmill.  .1 mile cool down walk and stretch.

Do you know what my word of the day is today?  PAIN.  Pain, pain, pain, pain, PAIN.  And it's really a toss up as to what hurts more: my muscles (thighs mostly, though abs are putting up a fight too) which have not experienced this much consistent exercise since the end of November, or the humongous blister I have on the side of my foot right below my big toe.

Really, can you imagine how I'm walking right now?  I'm hobbling.  And yet still, still I want to exercise tomorrow.  But I'm thinking of resting on the running for a day.  Definitely doing the walk, but then trying some pilates or something instead.  Or back strengthening exercises.  Whichever.  Anything but smashing on my foot some more.

The really craptastic part is that I'm thinking this means I need to consider investing in better shoes.  I'm hopeful it's a fluke blister (because why now?  why not when I was running more consistently back in October?) since it's not like I'm rolling in cash right now, but if I get any more of these suckers, new shoes it is.

Got any favorite running shoes?

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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk with Finn around the neighborhood; run on treadmill
Duration:  1 hour (and 2 min)
Calories Burned:  290 cal.
Description:  2.2 mile walk with Finn, followed by a 1 mile run on the treadmill.  Cool-down walk and stretch.

So today is sort of a mini-celebration day.  For one thing, it's my first day back working out after over a month of lazy-assing around.  And for another, this is the first time in my life that I've been able to run a mile straight without stopping to walk for a bit.

Happy dance!

I know, it's doesn't seem like that big of a deal, right?  Because I've done a 10k and a 5k and my high school had the most nightmarish of P.E. programs ever (although to be honest, I miss it now), but I've just never gotten through that mile without stopping at least once to rest and walk and catch my breath.  It's like having a mental block -- it's been a hurdle I've just had the hardest time overcoming.  It just goes to show how out of shape and unhealthy I've been.

But it's also this crazy sort of accomplishment that feeds a desire to keep going, you know?  So I'm looking forward to sitting down and thinking of my January action plan over the next couple of days.  I'll post that as soon as it's ready!

How are your workouts shaping up in the new year?

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[Girl♥Health]: Mermaids and Miles

This past weekend, my good friend Marisa and I ran the Mermaid Series 5k in San Francisco.  And aside from the fact that I had to get up at a God-awful hour, be outside -- on the water -- in the freezing cold and, you know, run, it was actually a lot of fun.  As you know, I've had my doubts and nerves, and have been half dreading, half anxiously awaiting this return to running and racing.  This was the first race I've run since high school, and I'm sort of excited for the next one already!

 The route we ran through Crissy Field was gorgeous, with views of the Golden Gate bridge as we headed out, and views of the city just waking up as we headed to the finish line.  With this particular race, an all women's race which I thought was a good way to re-introduce myself to running, you had an option of running either a 5k, a 10k or, if you were a child, a "mini-Mermaid dash," so it was overall a great spread of people with lots of different age groups and abilities.  It made it that much more relaxed.

 I didn't end up running the entire thing -- I probably ran half of it total, with walking interspersed with running.  It came down to about a 15 minute mile for 3.1 miles altogether and I'm super okay with that for now.  This told me a few things: 1) I need to train better and try to get outside more, and 2) Yay for me for not hating myself when I didn't run it all!

So at this point, I'm in search of another race (haven't decided if it's gonna be a 5 or 10k yet) for February or March.  It's such great motivation to keep on running that I'm almost scared I'll start lazy-assing it if I don't have something coming up!  Taking suggestions!

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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Treadmill - run/walk
Duration:  15 min.
Calories Burned:  112.9 cal.
Description:  5 min warm up walk, next 9 min alternate between 1 min walking and 2 min running, 1 min cool-down walk. 

So the flu I thought I was coming down with turned out to be a vicious chest cold instead.  The congestion made it nearly impossible to run without coughing, and I decided to just rest of up for the week instead of trying it.  I feel better now, but today was definitely a sloooooow start to getting in the running groove.  Hopefully I'll be able to pick it up this week and get back on track.

I feel like so much of October has been spent "getting back on track".  It's a little disappointing, but I'm trying to not let it get to me.  I'm going to focus instead on the fact that I'm still at it, still trying to get healthy, and still not giving up.

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Treadmill - run/walk
Duration:  30 min.
Calories Burned:  240.8 cal.
Description:  5 min warm up walk, next 21 min alternate between 1 min walking and 2 min running, 4 min cool-down walk.  Stretch for 15 min.

So running is not the easiest thing when your throat is scratchy and your chest is congested with crap.  But I did it anyway, because I don't want to slow down my pace with the 5k being not so far away.  And it didn't end up being that bad.  It was tiring, yes, definitely.  But after I was done stretching I just felt so damn good.

Plus, I had a lot of things on my mind and I'm finding that running is a good way to sort of wade through it all, then end up energized and ready to take on the world.  Or, on the flip side, too exhausted to care anymore.

I also realized this morning that I haven't been keeping up with my attempts at yoga and/or pilates or even hiking.  I feel like there's just been so much going on, and so much to do, that I've let that fall to the wayside.  But I'm trying to recommit right now, so hopefully I'll see more of those activities in the next couple of weeks!

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Treadmill - run/walk
Duration:  25 min.
Calories Burned:  187.9 cal.
Description:  8 min warm up walk, next 15 min alternate between 1 min walking and 2 min running, 2 min cool-down walk.  Stretch for 15 min.

To say that this has been a lazy week would be a wild understatement.  And when I say that, other than a few specific activities, I did nothing but sit on my bed and read would be completely accurate.  It was rainy, a little cold, and I just didn't want to do anything other than get lost in cheesy romance novels.  So, since last week Friday there has been no running, no stretching, no yoga or pilates, and no blogging.

And I don't feel guilty at all.  Because it's exactly what I wanted and needed.

But then I woke up today with stress already building.  For someone without a job, my schedule has become absurdly packed.  I know I've got a lot to do for the rest of the week, but I couldn't let myself start without a clear head.  So I ran, and it was exactly what I wanted and needed too.

Also, it's exactly 1 month until my run.

And I think I'm coming down with the flu.

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Treadmill - run/walk
Duration:  30 min.
Calories Burned:  217 cal.
Description:  10 min warm up walk, next 15 min alternate between 1 min walking and 2 min running, 5 min cool-down walk.  Stretch for 15 min.

Today's post is coming a bit late because I seem to be running late all over the place.  I woke up well passed 9am, stayed in bed until well passed 10am, did my workout, stretched, then laid on my mat dozing for another 20 min before finally getting up, taking the longest shower on earth, and getting started with my day.  It's noon.

It's been a strange morning.

But the run was great.  My butt (I know I should probably call it my glute or something, but I'm just a "butt" kind of gal) feels super tight, so I spent some extra time stretching it out after the run.  I'm starting to worry more about more about my 5k, and that I won't be able to run the whole thing.  I know for someone who hasn't run in forever, running 3.1 miles straight right off the bat probably sounded like an unrealistic goal, but I really want to do it.  So I guess I should stop focusing on my doubts and just concentrate on my accomplishments.  Think positive!...or something.

Oh, so as an update to my attempts to wake up early on internship days?  It didn't happen yesterday.  It's my first sort of "failure" of this whole journey and, though I know there will be others, I feel really bad about it.  So I'll renew my efforts and try again next week.  (See?  That's me thinking positive.)

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Treadmill - run/walk
Duration:  30 min.
Calories Burned:  201.6 cal.
Description:  10 min warm up walk, next 15 min alternate between 1 min walking and 1 min running, 5 min cool-down walk.  Stretch for 15 min.

Today was difficult for me.  Not because the distance was too much or I'm too out of shape.  No, definitely not one of those reasons.  Instead, today was difficult because -- and this might be TMI -- I've got the worst stomach cramps in the history of the world.  And, get this: Even though I haven't mentioned it before today, I've had these cramps for about 3 days now.

What.  The.  Hell?!

Am I coming down with something?  Did I get a mild case of food poisoning and not know it (I'm actually surprisingly really susceptible to food poisoning...maybe I'll tell you all about it one day).  Or is it just my regularly scheduled lady friend being an extra huge bitch this month?  Who knows.

So even though I powered through, and even did some really nice stretching after I finished running, I didn't get nearly as much enjoyment out of today's workout as I usually do.

Blah.

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Treadmill - run/walk
Duration:  30 min.
Calories Burned:  178 cal.
Description:  10 min warm up walk, next 10 min alternate between 1 min walking and 1 min running, 10 min cool-down walk.

Today's run/walk was fairly simple (and you wouldn't believe how much of a hard-won statement that is coming from me!); I didn't find myself overly tired at the end of it, though I didn't necessarily want to keep on going either.  It was just a nice way to ease into a day that'll be pretty stressful for me and a week where I know I'll be pushing myself to run longer than I have before.

Things are gearing up around here now that it's October!