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1LADYMYSTIC's Recent Blog Entries
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Sunday, May 19, 2013
This was not really a good week for me, though there were some good things as well. I feel as though so much happened and put even more on my proverbial plate than I have had in a long time.
Monday had me pretty deep in a low, one that came on without warning. I was panicky and even went on a manic spending spree. I had a low blood sugar level that just seemed to sneak up on me. I had to leave my designer meeting and eat something at my desk.
Tuesday I had off after an impromptu request to take PTO for. My low was that bad. I knew that I could not be at work like that. I got my oil and transmission fluid changed and returned all of the things that I did not genuinely need from the Manic Monday spending spree. It did not feel like a day off, but I kind of got to reconnect with Justin and Ash. I also gave my credit card to Justin to keep me from manic spending again.
Wednesday still had me in a low, even though I felt a little more grounded. Work had me a little stressed out. I did not get to go for my scheduled run, but I made up for it with a Peak10 More Cardio Interval Burn dvd. We took my son to the open house for kindergarten sign up, and I could suddenly see how much of Ash's little life I had missed out on by getting my school degree and putting in tons of hours at work. I've missed a lot. Now he's 5, getting ready to go to school and I don't connect with him like I should. That was an odd and uncomfortable moment.
Thursday had me feeling a little more out of my low. I thought that it would be a great day. Then I got up to go out check out a tote for a page that I was designing, and collapsed. I was shaking so badly and could not focus on anything or gather my thoughts. My boss went and got the head of HR and my husband. One of the other designers checked my pulse, kept me talking and had me eat a piece of chocolate. I had to be helped out to my car because I did not want to call an ambulance and opted to have Justin take me home. I had a very low blood sugar. I did not see any of the signs of a low and did not even feel hungry. It took the rest of the day for me to really bounce back, and things are a little bit hazy during that low blood sugar period. I don't even remember bumping into my friend while I was being helped out.
Friday had me back at work, tracking all of my food and testing my fasting blood glucose levels as well as after every meal, snack and exercise. They were all pretty low, with a few readings in the danger zone. I was shocked, to say the least, as well as confused. I was eating the same things I always did. I wasn't even hungry and I had to eat because my blood sugar was low. I was so frustrated and scared. Then to top it off, I got ghost chili pepper powder in my eye and to have my cubicle neighbor take me to the bathroom to wash my eye out. I was so done with the day, the whole week, in fact.
Yesterday had my blood sugars frustratingly low again. I felt so discouraged that I almost did not even work out. I ended up doing it, though, because I wanted to test out my new heart rate monitor. I'm taking the calories burned with a grain of salt, but it did show me that I am working way more intensely in my workouts than I thought. I also think that I've been classifying my workouts incorrectly in my fitness tracker. According to my heart rate monitor, I burned 621 calories during my 57 minute cardio workout yesterday. I think that I will shave 12% of that off, since that is the general discrepancy of calories burned, according to several studies, which brings that to roughly 546. According to the fitness tracker, I burned about 381. Huge difference there, which might explain a little bit about my blood sugars. I think that I might be burning more than I thought, including a more intense afterburn. Couple that with an increased weight training program and...well, you get the idea. My body might be a little too metabolically active for what I am currently eating.
I thank God for giving me unexpected tools and helping me with this issue, which has stressed me out more in 2 days than I ever thought it would. I'm used to having and avoiding highs, not dealing with constant lows. I thank Him as well for opening my eyes about my relationship with Ash and how easy it is to get my priorities wrong. He shows us the truth of a matter, even if it is a hard truth to swallow. I even thank Him for the ghost chili pepper incident! Why? Because, barring any permanent damage, it was kind of funny. =P I hope that everyone has a blessed day! I get to do Peak10 More Cardio Strength with some buddies in a couple of hours, so I am excited to see what my heart monitor has to tell me about what I am doing and burning with that. Let's hear it for more information!
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
This will be a short blog because I am feeling pretty wiped out, wiped out in a way that I have not felt in quite awhile. I ran 8.58 miles in 1:19 minutes, which is the longest distance that I have ever run. I was prepared this time and brought coconut water on the run. I learned my lesson!
On this run, I had a bit of time to think and I spent some of it thinking about what my workout routine should look like. I have been feeling a little divided about what I should be doing because on one hand, I need to lose weight to get back into maintenance, but I also need to start focusing on getting a base fitness level for endurance and training for my first half-marathon. The problem there is that on days where I am pressed for time, I know how to get my calories burned in, but those workouts don't actually help my cardio fitness. If I ran more for calorie burn, my strength training always takes a hit and I can only do one long run a week followed by much shorter 3-4 mile runs. It has been a little point of stress for me, even if I did not realize it.
I was coming up with workout ideas when I remembered an old SHAPE article with Allison Sweeney discussing her recent marathon training and her comment that her goal wasn't to lose weight, but the svelte body that she got from it was a perk. Well, dang. I needed to pick a goal. I cannot keep tugging myself in several different directions. I have decided that running will be my focus. If weight loss happens, awesome! If does not, well, better to maintain than gain, I suppose. Now I am off to sprawl out on the couch and read a book. It looks like it will be an early night for me.
Thank you, God, for keeping me safe on my run and helping me through my problems, both big and small. I hope everyone had a good day and a better tomorrow!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Oh, my legs! They feel so exhausted! I ran another 7 miles today. I switched up my normal Wednesday short run for the Friday long run because I will only be working a 6 hour day and would miss my jogging group. My son is having a birthday celebration and requires me to get off early. That's fine, though, since nothing sounds better than getting of early to run around like a maniac with my son!
Oh, how poorly I planned this run! I was expecting to run in the sunshine, and made sure to bring a snack and coconut water for after the run. I was not expecting to run in 85 degree weather with almost no shade, feeling my skin burning as mouth dried out and shriveled up. Was it so hard to bring the coconut water with me or throw sunblock in my bag?! I need to be thinking ahead. It is only going to get hotter and I need to be prepared for that. The only thing that I prepared for was tracking my speed and distance and being hungry and thirsty afterward. I think that I am just used to preparing for short and colder runs.
On the upside, I ate very well today! I am back to simple recipes and still being a happy vegan in the kitchen. This time, I just make sure that I am chewing mint gum while I am cooking so that I don't "taste test" over and over again only to sit down for a whole meal that I am technically not even hungry for anymore. I get the feeling, though, that tomorrow is going to be a hungry day. It always hits me the next day, which stinks because tomorrow will be a rest day. I'll just have to be careful!
Thank God for giving me courage to push myself and for blessing me with the support of my older sister and the help of my jogging group. I don't think I would try as hard without them!
Monday, April 22, 2013
Now that I have "gotten out of the kitchen" and have settled into a new workout schedule, I made the decision to restart my weight loss goals, something that I've never done. Why? Because I have developed a "bread belly" and tacked on 7 pounds.
7 pounds? That's nothin', right? Wrong, oh-so-very-wrong. When you are determined to beat the odds and maintain your weight loss, 7 pounds is a scary number. That far exceeds my "weight fluctuation" allowance. I can also feel that my clothes are a little bit tighter and, as previously mentioned, my "bread belly" is staring back at me every time I look down.
I restarted everything because this is a different journey than the one that I started in 2011. I am in a different place in my life, my goals are different, and this somehow feels... fresh. It feels like a fresh start to get back down to maintenance and reeducate myself and my body. We seem to have gotten some miscommunication going (purely the fault of my brain), but we are going to work things out.
My sister has also been inspiring me with her own journey, and I have to acknowledge that I would be a hypocrite if I cheered her on because she is every effort only to let myself feel bad about my weight gain and how it makes me feel. With my fresh start, I'm going to lose the weight and make tweaks to my own lifestyle and habits for a healthier future. We always have room to grow. I thank God for my wonderful sister and a fresh start. I hope everyone has a good night and a better tomorrow. =D
Sunday, April 21, 2013
I am still over the moon about having a race to train for and even a race to train for in the coming year (I want to complete the Portland Marathon in October next year). I am really feeling the ol' runner's high, which only adds to my determination and pushes me further.
Unfortunately, I am already aware of what that excitement can push me into: overuse injuries. Running is great for you and something that I absolutely adore, but I have to keep myself making slow progress. Two years ago, I got into running and went full throttle, trying to run every single day, pushing myself to the point of utter exhaustion and convincing myself that all I needed was to run. Needless to say, that period of time was chock full of injuries, bouts of being rundown and ill, and not much gain in speed or endurance. That is still quite fresh in my mind.
I now know how important rest/recovery, cross training, strength training, interval training, proper footwear, proper running form and tempo runs are. I think back to my beginning days and cringe. I could have seriously hurt myself!
I still feel that urge to go all out, to go everyday and to ignore any kind of pain, but I now have knowledge on my side. I can practice restraint because above all else, I have seen way more gains in speed and endurance by "slowing down" than I ever did by "giving it my all" every time. No more throwing caution to the wind!
I suppose I am spouting off about this because getting back into running has forced me to rethink strategies and compare my past experiences. It's a learning process that I first experienced with my weight loss here on Spark, which really armed with knowledge and taught me to question and "slow down". I ran my longest tempo run on Friday and every time I got too overeager on speed and exertion, I reeled it in. I also took yesterday as a rest day. Let's just say those are things that I would never have done before.
I am going hiking for my son's birthday today (he's 5 now, and hiking was actually his idea), so I hope that everyone has a blessed day and stays active, or rests, whatever your body needs!
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