I want to play video games AND I want to get exercise. So the new aim of the game this month is to find a treadmill that I can use for a treadmill desk. I have been thinking a lot about the desk portion, and decided rather than build one, I am going to research them and figure out which one to go with.
My favourite is the GeekDesk, a nice, clean and simple design, however they are a little larger than I am looking for, so the dear continues.
I've done enough research to know that I don't want a manual/crank adjustment sit-to-stand desk. I think the motorized adjustable is probably the best way to go at this point. That's also why I wouldn't be trying to build one; I have no idea what to do to motorize it going up and down.
Looking at the results so far, I think it's harder to find a sit-to-stand desk in Canada, and I think it's a lot more expensive than I would like to spend, but c'est la vie.
What else is new?
I've been struggling here and there with the food, but it was Halloween season, so I had a few pieces of candy every few days, and that showed up as stalled fat loss. My own responsibility. Regardless, I was definitely feeling the whole Halloween dress-up this year. Here is my second costume, as I had three throughout the weekend and on Halloween itself.
This week I have started back on eating really, really clean, and will be doing a low carb eating plan, as opposed to a slow carb eating plan for the next 2-3 weeks to jumpstart. It's not for everyone, I know, but I actually really enjoy the challenge of hitting my macros, and I figure if I gear down to slow carb every few weeks, I can make this work better. And of course, I get my free Saturdays still so I can indulge if I choose
My downfall as always is planning, so I have to commit to setting my menu and making sure that my food is available to cook, pack, or bring to work with me. For now I am going to use My Fitness Pal, as I can adjust the Macronutrients in the tracking section.
So I just went to a spin class, even though my intent was to do a much easier cardio class.
I took it on even though I was scared I would pass out/throw up. And I almost threw up, at least three time in fact! But I sat where I had to sit, I turned down the tension when I needed it to be turned down. My heart rate monitor reported 592 calories for the 50 minutes that I tracked (I always forget to start it!)
Afterwards the instructor came over to talk to me about how the class went, and to give me some tips. I was really surprised and happy that she went out of her way to do so! I've promised her that I will come back for at least FOUR more classes, to get acclimated to the activity.
On another note, I saw this amazing video today:
An occasional watcher of this show sent her a letter calling her out for being obese, and encouraging her to be a "better example" to the community, particularly young girls. In the spirit of Anti-bullying week, she did a piece on the letter, on the impact to her and her workplace, and to how people who are engaging in bullying behaviour have an impact on others around them, especially if it is a parent setting that example to a child.
I just realized how long it's been since I checked in, so here I am!
I had a minor hiccup here and there (for instance, a week of stomach flu) however that's not been in my way at all. I've just been rolling with the punches, and eating on plan as best I can.
I'm finding it easier to stick to the routine, now that I am paying a lot of attention to packing my lunch for the day. That way I don't get to work unprepared, and get tempted to eat junk/fast food. I've been sticking to the while salad with protein combo for lunch, and will use lots of different nuts and seeds, sprouts, vegetables, sometimes bacon tempeh, and usually a chicken breast on top with an oil and vinegar dressing. I'm not sure I can ever get sick of salads, and mixing up the toppings every few days keeps it fresh palette wise.
I'm pretty lucky to have access to a full kitchen at work, and as you can see, I am trying to take advantage of that!
I've been using my heart rate monitor a lot lately, and trying to get the amount of time in the 3 heart rate zones on a more consistent basis. I've also been doing fun stuff to get in my cardio; I tried a Zumba class at the gym, playing Just Dance 3 on the Wii, going for a walk with the kid, etc. I also have to rejoin the challenge at work, where some of the staff and clients are doing a certain amount of minutes on the elliptical per day.
The muscle activation stuff is going well, I have been doing hamstring activating exercises since the last session. It's had an impact on how my calves react when I walk, and there is a lot let of the crazy shooting pain in my legs the past two weeks. Bonus!
Food is off and on, mostly due to poor planning. Last night though, I put together a huge crockpot of sprouted lentil and black-eyed pea soup, so that should help out for the week. Not all the food has been bad, just here and there. One of my challenges is eating out where I can do the lean protein, greens, and legumes. Thank goodness one of my favourite restos, Sneaky Dee's has the perfect meal for me, Spicy Eggs!
I've also committed to doing weight loss and nutrition coaching with my muscle activation guy, who is also certified as a personal trainer.
I also can't for the life of me find the DEXA scans that I did, which has been really pissing me off, and also hightlights to me how my level of disorganization just doesn't work for me.
First day back at school for the kiddo today, and I couldn't be happier. Also, I am getting back into my really early morning workout routine. This week I have a goal of 4x20 min cardio to start off my day.
I will also try to get a yoga class in this week at the gym. Although I say I hate yoga and it is the bane of my existence, I actually feel much better overall when I work it into the mix.
This is going to be a really quick, point form update, as it is WAY past my bedtime.
1. I am continuing to see my Muscle Activation Therapist, Alan Thrasher, and continue to be amazed at the small but powerful changes. I am also mostly remembering to do the exercises every day.
2. I sorted out the mishap with the gym membership through work, and yesterday I went to a BodyFlow class. It's a mix of yoga, pilates, balance, and stretching. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. I was super duper sweating buckets, and watched at least 4 people bail on the class. I couldn't do all the moves, so I modified as many as I could and just stretched or rested on the few I couldn't. I was sore today though, boy and how!
3. Went and got my inital DEXA scan done at the Bone Wellness Center, which was completely awesome. I called for info and managed to get an appointment the same day. The office was easy to find, and had a big poster about the DEXA process while I waited.
The lady doing the scan was great, and sat down to review the results with me even though it was past closing time. The scan itself took less than 10 minutes, and apparently has gives off less radiation than a cross-country flight. Here's a look at the scanner:
Basically you strip down to your skivvies and put on a nifty paper gown, lie down for a few minutes, and VOILA! Scan complete! I can't wait until next year to get another one and compare to this one. Stay tunes, I will post more on the scan in the next blog entry.
4. I am continuing to work on my rollerblading, and will be taking a third class with Stephen Fisher, but this time I am moving up a level. I am going to be able to rollerblade down the Lakeshore path by September, I swear!
This week I have been bike riding three times, just to work in some exercise. It's been a long time since I used my bike, and it was a really nice way to get around. Plus I got to use my heart rate monitor a bit!
I was without a helmet for a very long time, so I headed over to a few places to check them out. At Mountain Equipment Co-op, there were lots of cool designs, and great prices (think $35 and up!) however because I have a gargantuan noggin, there were no helmets on the shelves that would fit me.
I then started home, and passed a new bike store on the way, so I pulled over. It was a great store for bikes, but he had no helmets in stock yet! Ooopsy! I ran my kiddo over to his Jeet Kune Do lessons, and on the way back I tried to stop in at Broadway Cycle, but I had missed closing time by a few minutes.
The next day, Saturday, I decided to check out a new little place called My Roll Life, a niche rollerskate store in the west end of Toronto. And then I saw it...the wall of helmets!
Actually, there were two walls, but this was the first one that I saw. The gentleman working was really, really helpful and laughed at and with me about how rotund my head is. (I could put some of the XL helmets on, bend over so my head was upside down, and not have it fall off. Hahaha!) I ended up getting a Smiths Scabs Safety Gear helmet, black with blue straps. And then I decided to get a bunch of rollerblading pads (elbow, knee, wrist) for the roller blading lesson I was planning on attending the next day. One thing I have always wanted to do is learn how to roller blade.
The guy was SUPER patient with my pickiness, and I ended up with Triple Eight wrist guards, which I loved because it has three straps you can adjust, not the uncomfortable slide-on sleeve design. I also got some Capix elbow and knee pads. These things are SO crazy. I can drop my full weight onto one knee, and not feel anything but the squishy, fuzzy sensation of "landing on a care bear." And yes, I stole that phrase from the guy who was helping me.
So today, Sunday, a friend and I headed out to a class run by Stephen Fisher, an all-around nice guy and very patient instructor. I did a lot better than I thought I would, and I chalk that up to ice skating when I was a kid. I had to remember to do the left side oblique crunches and toe raises before starting, as prescribed by my Muscle Activation Therapy guy, but I did them and off I went!
We went to a city arena, which is smooth and easy to learn on. At one point, a pretty sketched out shirtless guy wanted to come into the rink too, and he was so twitchy we thought "no" would not be received well, so we said "yeah, go ahead man" and stayed away from him. He ran around the west end of the rink, yelling, screaming and singing, then just as abruptly he left. Bizarro.
I'm looking forward to the next lesson, which will be next Saturday. That will give me more time to work on getting back into the self-defense course on Sunday afternoons. My goal for the end of the summer/beginning of fall is to be able to go along the waterfront trail.
The first day of June this year marked the day I was at my heaviest weight and body fat percentage EVER in my life.
So I made a few changes. Remember me trying to remember to pack a lunch for work? Now I make sure that there is food in the freezer and cupboard at work that I can eat. I also pack a serving of Vega One (Vanilla Chai flavour) and usually two hardboiled eggs for breakfast, if I don't have time to eat at home.
I also made a $250, one-sided bet with a friend. If I didn't re-comp 20 lbs. by September, I would owe her the money. If I DID recomp 20 lbs., she owed me nothing. (I got the "Slow Carb" eating and the money tips from the Four Hour Body book by Tim Ferriss. Watch the neato video below.)
I also started seeing a Muscle Activation Therapist, Alan Thrasher, to see what could be done about the crazy pain in my legs. I have had a lot of issues with my legs for many, many years. I can't walk fast, if I try jogging or running, I last no more than 10 minutes, and the sides of my lower legs swell for 3-5 days. I have trouble being on my feet for long periods, have to sway when I stand, can't do lunges, have trouble with squats, hell, I can't even bend forward at the waist with my legs straight after a shower to put a towel on my hair.
In an earlier post I outlined many of the things that I have done to address my leg problems, and I mentioned that it all started in my upper back, but no one could figure it out. Well, Mr. Thrasher was able to figure it out in something like 30 minutes to an hour. (This was a few weeks ago and I forgot to write it all down.) Turns out my upper back is like that because my left hip was "locked", causing my right side to take most of my weight, my back to torque to the right, my neck to the left etc. He demonstrated the lack of range of motion in my left side compared to my right, and spent some time working on the left side only.
(Keep reading, CRAZY results are at the bottom!)
After the first session, I was sore for a few days. My knees were popping, my shoulder was sore, my calves were twitching randomly. Also, something kinda crazy happened. I could walk up stairs without having to walk on the balls of my feet only. I know it sounds like a little thing, but trying hiking a huge hamper of laundry up the stairs with all that weight, ya get a little unsteady! After a few more days, I noticed that my arms were actually swinging when I walked, albeit with a click in my left shoulder, but yikes! (For years, my friends have been able to identify me from afar by the way I walk - my arms don't swing and I look like Lurch from the Addams Family)
Anyhoodles, I have not been doing my workouts other than walking, but I have been eating amazingly well Sun-Fri, and loving the "refeed" day on Saturdays. On my refeed day, I can have anything I want, as long as I make sure I
overeat my calories for the day. Pizza? Yup. Chocolate? Yup. Grilled
Cheese? Yup. In fact, this Saturday, I will be attempting to destroy the Cancer Bat's creation, the Destroyer, superloaded nachos on a bed of Fries. A billion calories, and a challenge to complete solo!
The Destroyer, presented by Sneaky Dee's
It's been 28 days since that highest weight and body fat percentage ever. I am down 18.3 lbs of fat, or to put it another way, 4.8% body fat. I've taken 2 inches off my hips, 1 off my waist, and 0.5 off my arms. In a fricken' month. That is extra weight that will not continue to stress my hip, back, and legs.
Since it's been 28 days, I can officially say that I am in the habit!
