Let's here it for LISS!

I have a confession to make. I like my LISS (low intensity steady state cardio)! Yeah I said it. I am not a cardio bunny by any means but yes, you will sometimes find me on the treadmill and here's why.

I don't have to think! My mind is ALWAYS going. I have to think at my job, at home and when I weight train (so I don't kill myself), etc. I'm always thinking about what I have to do, where I have to go, what time it is, what we need to buy and how we are going to buy it, what stupid thing I said/did the other day and did I really look that stupid, worrying about my kids, my job, deadlines, things at my kids' school . . . . well you get the idea. With HIIT or weight training, I have to count and concentrate and keep track of what I am doing. With Steady State cardio, other than watching out for the passing car or animal if I am outside, I DONT HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT I AM DOING and that feels GREAT!!!

I can't hack 5 intense workouts a week. My 3 weight training days a week are very intense. I am usually sore the next day. When I do SS cardio at a low intensity, it feels like I am "sneaking" exercise into my body, like my body hardly notices. It's easier on my body. Yes is doesn't burn as many calories as HIIT, but frankly I just couldn't function the other 23 hours of the day if I did 5 hard workouts a week.

The endorphan high or whatever it is that makes me feel RELAXED but ENERGIZED after a SS cardio session. I usually feel relaxed after weight training and HIIT but pretty much drained afterwards. BUT with the lower intensity, I feel like I have something "left over" to finish my day.

On good days, I feel like a kid when I run.

And finally, I have a lot of good memories of my steady state cardio run/walks outside. I remember running along the beach, watching Spring come over several weeks (tree and flowers blooming), smelling all the yummy cooking smells and sweet laundry detergent smells from people's dryers, and many other good (and sometimes adventurous) memories from my runs.

Mostly I just daydream when I'm running/walking. It is truly my time and I love it! So say what you want to say about HIIT. I do HIIT from time to time but don't take away my LISS! :)

It's a GO! on the exercising! SORE TODAY!

I have been working out more consistently the past two weeks. And my eating has been much better.

Today I feel like crap though. It has been a looong time since I did deadlifts at the gym. Well Monday not only did I do them again but I did 6 sets of them and one set was my all time highest weight that I have ever done on deadlifts. Stupid me, thinking that after not doing deadlifts for a long time, I can just waltz back into the gym and pick up where I left off on weights. Ugh. I have ONE WORD.

OW!

I seriously can hardly walk today and it is the second day. My legs are SO SORE. That was NOT very smart of me. Anyway I also had a migrane yesterday. I was wondering if overdoing it in the gym brought it on.

I have really cut back on my food the last four days and it is starting to catch up with me. I feel "hollow" and weak in my body. I think I need more calories.

And as usual, my weight is about the same. I really think I can drop a few pounds though by just watching how much I eat, cutting out the junk and exercising. However today I feel like crap from not eating my normal junk!

A Schedule

O.K. I at least have a schedule now.

BUT . . .

IF I am not successful this time getting things done on my own (which I feel I SHOULD be able to do), I may have to swallow my pride and hire a personal trainer already!!

Kind of Crappy

It has been a crappy week. The last two weeks have been crappy. I am eating horrible. I couldn't make it to the gym because I have stayed late at work every night this week and I get home late. My poor kids have been battling colds/coughs for 2 to 3 weeks now (must be February/March). And my husband has been really busy at work, so he is kind of crabby, leaves early and comes home late. My daughter had some kind of behaviour problem at school this week. She hasn't been getting enough sleep because she just won't settle down and sleep at night.

I need to get on a schedule.

Yes I am still here

Yes I am still here. I have been sick on and off for two weeks and had a migrane for 5 days. My eating has been horrible, totally off plan, not even trying really. So I think I am ballooning up! I need to drag myself back up. I re-started taking BC pills about 4 months ago and my hormones are going crazy. I am craving junk food, depressed, overwhelmed and have been getting migranes every month. So this is all wrecking havoc on my plan to lose this fat! I know it just sounds like a lot of excuses. Actually that is why I haven't been writing, because I don't want to just write that I am failing, yet again and sound like a whiner. But I really wanted to update. So I did. There you go. Not a good update, but an update. I sometimes wish I could hire a trainer/nutritionist to help me but no $ right now for that. Maybe later.

Life Got In The Way This Week

Yes this week, life has got in the way of my focus on myself. I find myself just saying screw it! My daughter was sick, so I was home with her and off my schedule. I find it much harder to eat right when I am home all day rather than at work. I know this is not a good excuse. I need to just work with what I have. Now I am sick and have NO energy to work out. I am taking it easy because I think my body needs the rest. I think I am PMSing because I am super CRAVING chocolate and various carbs! Ugh need I say more.

After two weeks I took measurements and I am up about 0.125 inch in waist measurement and up about a pound so that is not good progress. I am wondering if I need to hire a professional to help me out because I don't seem to be doing very well on my own.

On a off topic, I am SICK OF feeling like a failure because I ONLY get 15 things done out of the 25 things that I have to do everyday. In other words even though I can get some things accomplished, I still am frustrated that I didn't do EVERYTHING!

Working on it

I have been taking a sneak peek at my waist and "pooch" measurements the last two mornings to see if I am making progress. My pooch is smaller and my waist is up and down. My weight is up which is not unexpected. I always gain weight at first when I diet. It's very weird. I'm thinking of not even going by the scale, at least for a little while, just try and get my waist circumference DOWN! That is really what I want anyway.

So I'm not sure if I am making progress. I might be, but I should probably work a little harder. Like I said before, sometimes I feel thinner. But in the evenings I just feel HUGE.

I have been hitting my workouts good. I like playing with my new heart rate monitor. But it confirms what I expected, that I am not working hard or long enough. I am averaging about 200 cal per workout session and this should be a little higher. I am also getting my walking in. I like playing with my pedometer. (All these fun Christmas toys!) But the pedometer also confirms what I thought, that I am not very active. My steps rarely get above 5300 or so.

So for now I am focusing on working out harder and longer and getting my steps in. Now if I could just get a handle on not cheating with the food. I am working on that too.