HYC Update: Autumn Goals Check-In #4

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

It’s finally starting to feel like Fall where I live, which is so nice.  I love Fall/Winter weather because where I live in the SF Bay Area it’s fairly moderate.  Yes, we get lots of rain, and yes, we have cold days, but “cold” is very relative, especially compared to my friends in the Midwest and on the East Coast.  (Having visited Chicago last Thanksgiving, I found this out all too well).  What I love most is the clothes, the food, and the overall comfort these seasons afford.  The summer is nice, too, but there’s something so cozy about this time of year that really can’t be duplicated.

And on that note, I think it’s time for the Autumn Goals check-in…

Autumn Goals Check-In #4

1. Track every bite in LoseIt, whether I’m proud of the choice I made or not. Track all exercise in LoseIt, as well. 6/7 days – Thursday  was really hectic all day, and before I knew it, it was over and I hadn’t tracked.
   
2. Stay within 1200-1400 calories on weekdays; 1600-1800 on weekends, if needed. I just wrote an email to Scale Warfare about this – my calories have been more along the 1400-1700 range.  I’m disappointed in myself because I’m not adhering to the 1200-calorie limit, but then I remind myself that I can still lose weight eating more calories AND I haven’t gone back to smoking (which increases appetite/snackiness).
   
3. Cook dinner for myself 5 nights a week, at least. Done!
4. Prepare breakfast and lunches the night before. Done!
5. Take a class/workout at the gym 3 days a week. 2/3 I had my  training appointments on Tuesday & Friday, but I didn’t make it to the gym for the 3rd time last week.
   
6. Walk Lulu every day. 7/7+ We’ve been taking a mini walk in the morning (about 10 minutes) and then another walk in the afternoon (at least 15-20 minutes) every day.
   
7. Supplement “gym days” with Wii workouts. Fail.
8. Keep the fridge/pantry/freezer/snack drawer stocked with healthy choices. Done!
9. Drink at least 64oz of water a day! Done!
   

I’m proud of myself for sticking to my goals, overall.  Now that I’ve done these for 4 weeks, I would say that they’ve become ingrained, for the most part.  Workouts still remain the most difficult part for me, but now the reason for that is more about schedule than it is about intention.

With that said, Scale Warfare and I were thinking that it might be a good time to start a Countdown to Christmas/New Year’s Challenge.  And for me, since working out has been the biggest issue, I think that’s what I’d like to focus on.  She and I are still deciding details, but we’ll let you know as soon as we’ve got it set.  Only 10 weeks before 2011!!!!

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HYC Update: Autumn Goals Check-In #3

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Last week I finally turned the corner in my bronchial virus, and I really started to feel better as the week went on.  I went to the gym twice (Friday afternoon and Sunday am) and enjoyed it so much both times.  I also realized that I always make going to the gym into this big ordeal in my mind, when really, there’s nothing to it.  Once I’m there I always enjoy myself, or at the very least feel better about myself walking out than I did when I walked in.  What’s not to like about that?

So, I think in much the same way that I avoided the gym all summer and chose to take my workouts outside (however few of them there were this summer), I’m going to start hitting the gym 4 times a week.  Here’s what I’m thinking:

Sunday – belly dancing

Tuesday – training

Wednesday – aqua aerobics

Friday – training + elliptical/other cardio

I’ll supplement this with my walks with Lulu, the Wii, or housecleaning on the other days, so I’ll be moving my body each and every day, but doing more intense workouts 4/7 days of the week.  A good start!

Speaking of good starts, let’s do an Autumn Goals check…

Autumn Goals Check-In #3

1. Track every bite in LoseIt, whether I’m proud of the choice I made or not. Track all exercise in LoseIt, as well. 7/7 days.
   
2. Stay within 1200-1400 calories on weekdays; 1600-1800 on weekends, if needed. Most days this past week that I averaged 1400-1500 calories each day, but I ate all healthy, whole foods, so I’m not too worried.
   
3. Cook dinner for myself 5 nights a week, at least. Done!
4. Prepare breakfast and lunches the night before. Done!
5. Pack a bag of workout clothes and keep it in my car, so I can go to the gym right after school, no excuses. I’ve realized that this one isn’t a priority for me.  I much prefer getting my workout bag together at night before dinner or right before bed.  This is the last time I’m going to have this one on the list.
   
6. Take a class/workout at the gym 3 days a week. I was sick for most of the week, but I did make it to the gym on Friday for 20 minutes on the elliptical and back again on Sunday for SharQui, the belly dancing class!
   
7. Walk Lulu every day, with 2 walks/day on the weekends. We took a walk every day, but I don’t know if that 2nd walk is really realistic.  I usually take her to the dog park (plus the walk) on the weekends, and that seems to be enough exercise for her.
   
8. Supplement “gym days” with Wii workouts. Sick, not completed.
9. Keep the fridge/pantry/freezer/snack drawer stocked with healthy choices. Done!
10. Drink at least 64oz of water a day! Done! The medication I’m taking makes me thirsty, so I’m doing really well on my water intake this week.

I would say that I’m 95% better, and only really cough if I’m over-exerting myself, so the workouts are going to continue, beginning with belly dancing on Sunday and continuing with my first official training session with Robbie this afternoon at 4pm!

This week is going to be another great one!

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HYC Update: Autumn Goals Check-In #1

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

This week I’ve been sick with a bad chest cold, and because of feeling so lousy, I haven’t worked out.  I walked the dog, but that’s only about 25 minutes a day, which is not nearly enough for a real cardio workout.  While I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able try a few new workouts that I’d been looking forward to, but I realize that when I’m sick the best way to get better is to rest.  Since it’s been a week and I’m feeling worse than ever, I have an appointment for later this afternoon to see my doctor.

Besides the workouts, I’ve been doing well on the rest of my goals.  I’m eating well, and I feel positive about my efforts.

Autumn Goals Check-In #1

1. Track every bite in LoseIt, whether I’m proud of the choice I made or not.  Track all exercise in LoseIt, as well. 5/7 days – I took the weekend off from tracking.  Not because I ate poorly, because I didn’t, but because I “didn’t have time.”
2. Stay within 1200-1400 calories on weekdays; 1600-1800 on weekends, if needed. Done!
3. Cook dinner for myself 5 nights a week, at least. Done!
4. Prepare breakfast and lunches the night before. Done!
5. Pack a bag of workout clothes and keep it in my car, so I can go to the gym right after school, no excuses. The bag was packed, but I wasn’t well enough to use it.
6. Take a class/workout at the gym 3 days a week.  Sick, not completed.
7. Walk Lulu every day, with 2 walks/day on the weekends. We took a walk every day, but I didn’t take two walks on the weekend.  I took her to the dog park instead, because I wasn’t feeling up to a 2nd walk.
8. Supplement “gym days” with Wii workouts. Sick, not completed.
9. Keep the fridge/pantry/freezer/snack drawer stocked with healthy choices. Done!
10. Drink at least 64oz of water a day! Not quite.  I’ve been drinking at least 48 and had over 64 some days, but not consistently enough.

So, I’ve got numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 down pat.  Now I just need to work on the other five, which is exactly what I’ll do this coming week.

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