Moving...

Just a quick note to anyone who stumbles onto this blog:
I'm going to be moving all my entries to my Wordpress installation in the next few weeks. I'll post the new URL when the move is complete. There are some missing entries here and some things might look a little funky for a while.
The new home is going to look pretty awesome, though. I'm excited about it. (I do hate leaving Blogger behind, but I am trying to keep all my blogs in one place and I am in love with all the little WordPress toys/apps/addons they have available.)

See you all soon - stay healthy!

UPDATE: Here is my new URL - http://jenergized.sunnycorner.com

Maintenance Continues

Well, it’s been a while since I posted here.  I kind of had a feeling that would happen.  I’m known for jumping around from project to project.

In any case, this is how things are faring for me these days.  Due to the injured foot, I never quite made it back to running…or any type of exercise…since last September.  My diet has remained the same as it was last spring/summer.  I was able to maintain my weight for about 6 months after ceasing my exercise routine.  It was at that point (in March 2009) that I contracted mono, which then seemed to trigger my panic disorder, causing a world of havoc for my poor body.  For anyone who has battled anxiety and panic, I assume you can relate my telling you that is was a long, scary battle to fight.  After being place on anxiety medication about a month ago, I lost another 5 pounds and I am now maintaining my weight at 117 pounds.  My anxiety is under control again and my energy levels are back to what they were before the mono.  What is interesting to note is that even though my diet is nearly flawless – all good fats, low-glycemic, whole grains, fruits, veggies (sometimes) – my cholesterol has gone up again.

This surprised me. 

I lost 45 pounds last year and I have kept my diet as healthy as it was last spring.  I was certain that this be enough to keep my cholesterol at the same levels. After consulting with a nutritionist, we determined that it is most likely due to 2 possible factors: lack of exercise and/or genetics.

Since my diet can’t really get much better than it already is…aside from possibly needing a few more veggies and a little more fiber…the only change from last spring is the amount of exercise I am getting (or not getting, actually.)  It sure does seem as though continuous exercise is going to be a necessity for me in order to keep my cholesterol low.  I am so used to seeing exercise as a means to lose weight that I forgot that it provides other benefits as well.  Additionally, it would also help keep my anxiety disorder under control.

So, all in all, I have to figure out a way to add exercise back into my life. Forever.  My food intake is enough to keep the weight loss where it is, but total health requires more than just a low number on the scale.  Staying active seems to provide the body with a boost that we can’t get anywhere else.  I am excited to see how much a change those cholesterol numbers show after 6 months of sticking to an exercise routine.  I’ll keep you posted!

Goals - August 2008

---------- GOALS for AUGUST----------
[ ] Get clearance from my doctor to begin running again.
[ ] Drink more water...6 water bottles a day.


Below you can see my goals from JULY and my Long-Term Goals. Items in red are the ones I successfully completed since my last 'Goals' post.

---------- PREVIOUS GOALS for JULY----------

[] Add an abs workout to my weekly exercise.
(Once I am back to my regular workout routine, I will finally add abs back in.)

[X] Inquire about a fitness test from my local gym.
(Will sign up for fitness test in winter when I join the gym for 3 months)

[] Revamp my weights workout
(I've been lax about my weight lifting overall - will have to revamp it when I actually strength training again.)

[] Drink more water every day. Fill up 6 water bottles and drink them all!
(Still not sticking with this one. Will have to try again!)

[X] Find a new bedtime snack (I'm getting tired of the one I keep eating!)
(I've been mixing it up - egg whites, different fruits, Greek yogurt, etc. )

----------LONG-TERM GOALS----------
[*] 137 lbs. (COMPLETED 4/14/08. 10 lbs. lost since my January restart.)
[*] 134 lbs. (COMPLETED 4/27/08. 30 lbs. since 2007)
[*] 132 lbs. (Normal BMI)
[*] 127 lbs. (20 lbs lost since January)
[*] 124 lbs. (40 lbs lost since 2007)
[ ] 118 lbs. (My college weight!)
[ ] 114 lbs (50 lbs. lost overall)
[ ] 112 lbs or Size 3/4 Jeans
[ ] 50+ HDL cholesterol level
[ ] Compete and place well in a 5k race
[ ] Get my daughter to join me in regular exercise
[ ] Healthy Waist to Hip Ratio

WiiFit : A Workout That Works

Okay, I've had some really awesome results with the WiiFit. Specifically, the Aerobics portion of WiiFit.

To give you a general idea of calories burned, I record all my WiiFit Aerobics sessions with my HRM (Polar 6 Heart Rate Monitor) and I currently seem to be burning about 4-7 calories per minute on average. I am getting better at burning more calories, too. I am adding bigger movements and more enthusiastic motion to each of the activities and I have seen an increase in my calories burned as the weeks have passed. I try to ignore the stares of my family as I wildly swing my hula-hooping hips or punch my imaginary punching bag.

As for which exercises are most effective, I definitely burn the most with the Hula Hooping and the Running. With the running, I actually run around a little and not stay in one place. I take a nice tour around my living room and sometimes travel into the dining room and kitchen, too.
The Advanced Step Aerobics gives me a moderate burn (but it's so much fun, so I do that one a lot.)
Boxing provides me with the lowest burn rate, so I save that one for last as sort of a cool-down activity. I'm working on ways to increasing the burn, but for now, it remains the least effective.
As a side note, I like the Free Step, too. I modify my step to include semi-lunges and that has been bringing my heart rate WAY up (about 75-80% of my maximum heart rate.)

Here are some examples of my burned calories for the past few weeks to give you an idea. I'm female, 33 years old and 127 pounds...so it will definitely be different depending on each person's stats. I have been exercising regularly for the past 6 months, so I am in decent shape, too.

These are all for aerobic-only activity sessions.

53 minutes = 202 calories burned
43 minutes = 223 calories
97 minutes = 390 calories
70 minutes = 356 calories
23 minutes = 171 calories
80 minutes = 489 calories
67 minutes = 407 calories
and...for a strength-only session...30 minutes = 70 calories.

All in all, I am very pleased with my WiiFit. I have continued to lose weight even after I substituted a few of my outdoor running days with my WiiFit workouts.

I really really wish they had a way, though, to string strength training and yoga exercises together instead of having to click through a bunch of menus to get to each one. That really breaks the entire flow of the workout. For that reason alone, I usually just stick with aerobics and just ignore the rest of the program.

I just found out that Wii Sports can give a pretty good workout, too. So, I think I'll have to try that on my next rainy day. After this, I have one more 'game' to buy - Yourself Fitness. It's for the PS2 or XBOX and it received pretty good ratings. I need all the variety I can get. I never want to get bored with exercise.

Goals - July 2006

Okay, here are my current goals.

---------- GOALS for JULY----------
[ ] Add an abs workout to my weekly exercise
[ ] Inquire about a fitness test from my local gym
[ ] Revamp my weights workout
[ ] Drink more water every day. Fill up 6 water bottles and drink them all!
[ ] Find a new bedtime snack (I'm getting tired of the one I keep eating!)
-----------------------------------------

Below you can see my goals from May (I forgot about June, so I only have May's goals) and my Long-Term Goals. Items in red are the ones I successfully completed since my last 'Goals' post.

----------PREVIOUS GOALS for MAY---------
[] Drink more water every day. Fill up 6 water bottles and drink them all!
(I didn't do so well with this one, so I'll try again this month)

[] Stick to my new weights routine. No more than 2 days in between.
(I think I need to revamp my entire weights workout...it bores me to death!)

[X] Break this weight loss stall/plateau!
(After 3 weeks of stalling, I fiddled with my diet and I started losing again...phew!)
----------------------------------------------------

----------LONG-TERM GOALS----------
[*] 137 lbs. (COMPLETED 4/14/08. 10 lbs. lost since my January restart.)
[*] 134 lbs. (COMPLETED 4/27/08. 30 lbs. since 2007)
[*] 132 lbs. (Normal BMI)
[*] 127 lbs. (20 lbs lost since January)
[ ] 124 lbs. (40 lbs lost since 2007)
[ ] 118 lbs. (My college weight!)
[ ] 114 lbs (50 lbs. lost overall)
[ ] 112 lbs or Size 3/4 Jeans
[ ] 50+ HDL cholesterol level
[ ] Compete and place well in a 5k race
[ ] Healthy Waist to Hip Ratio
----------------------------------------------

Taking a Break - Maintenance

Well, I have been dieting continuously for almost 6 months. Now some people think I'm not supposed to refer to this as a 'diet.' It's supposed to be called a lifestyle change; a permanent alteration to my habits in the direction of lifelong health and weight control.

Well, the truth is these lifelong habits are currently being used to lose weight. When I finally reach my goal weight, I will continue these habits. The difference is that I won't be counting calories and exercising in order to lose weight. I will be doing those things in order to maintain my weight and stay healthy forever. That will be my permanent 'maintenance diet'. In the meantime, though, I am still on a 'weight loss diet'. I use the word 'diet' here to signify my eating and health habits...not in the sense that this is a fad.

With all of that being said...I am a little tired. A weight loss diet puts stress on the body - mentally and physically. The body likes to have things stay the same. It likes steadiness and consistency. When we are losing weight, we are constantly forcing it to change. We force it to work a little harder. So, after six months of this, I decided to step back a little bit and do a little bit of maintenance. I am still counting calories and staying active (although, I will be honest and say that my exercise has dwindled a bit, but my foot injury and bad weather are to blame for this) but I am eating at my maintenance level of calories and I have not attempted to lose weight for a few weeks.

I figured this would be a nice way to let my body get used to my current healthy weight (127 lbs, thank you very much!) before I attempt to tackle the final 10-15 pounds.

How is it going so far?

Pretty well. I have stayed steady at this weight for nearly 4 weeks now. My injured foot has healed nicely and I am about ready to resume next week with increase my exercise to my previous level and consuming the calories needed to lose my 1 pound a week again.

In essence, I basically spent the past few weeks practicing what I will be doing forever...keeping my calorie intake at the level my body needs to maintain my current weight. Of course, if I had been more active these past 3 weeks, I would have been able to eat a lot more (because the more we exercise, the more we can - and should - eat!) But, I am glad I took it easy on the activity because I was really overworking my foot injury and possibly heading towards some long-term problems. (That's what I get for running with the wrong type of sneaker!)

In any case, I just thought I'd share my experience on 'maintenance dieting' and how I fared in my attempt to take a break from 'weight loss dieting.' Honestly, calorie counting has changed how I will eat forever. It just makes the most sense to me...calories in, calories out (for the most part.) It's not an exact science, so it always require tweaking, but I'm obviously doing something right because I have lost nearly 40 pounds this way. Wish me luck for the final 15!

Fueling My Body

I've been reading up the past few days on glycogen stores and how to ensure we have enough fuel to do a proper workout. The reason for this is that I was noticing a huge amount of fatigue during my daily run.

When I began to assess what might be causing this problem, I realized that my calorie intake has been decreasing a little lately. I was also doing double workouts on some days...running and then a round of WiiFit in the evening. Overall, I think my poor body just wasn't keeping up.

From what I have read, when we eat carbohydrates our body uses what it can at the moment and then stores the rest away. It converts the food into glycogen and packs that glycogen away in our liver and muscles for later use. Our body can hold about a half a day's worth of glycogen at one time.

Eating small, frequent carbohydrate meals will give your body a nice constant supply of glycogen for you to use throughout the day. You don't want to eat too many carbs at one sitting because whatever can't be stored as glycogen is then stored as fat. Don't restrict, but don't overdo. Low carb dieters tend to complain of fatigue. This is because they aren't filling their reserves. What is worse is that they will then try to exercise, too, which will very quickly deplete what is left of their glycogen stores. This is partially good because the body will then turn to their fat stores for energy, but the body will also start converting protein for energy, which can have an adverse affect on our muscles.

So, what I decided to do was take a few days off from exercise and just recharge myself a little. By the end of two days, I was able to run a good 4.5 miles...and still feel like I could run some more. I am now making sure I feed myself after I run, too. This has given me the energy I need to recover for my next workout. More energy also means a better, longer, and more effective workout. The duration of a workout really is key when it comes to weight loss. I feel like I finally have the energy to make each of my workouts really count.