A New Thing!

I have found the eliptical. I'm loving it! That is all.

Update and recipe

I haven't had time to blog about my last week! It's been crazy. I worked out 4 days and did well. I've decided to do an hour of cardio one day and then a half hour the next with weight training, too. That seems to work well for me. I need to up my cardio for my weight loss! I've been doing half the time on the treadmill and half on the bike--it's nice to change it up a little!

Here's a recipe that I've become really addicted to!

Cucumber Salad

3 large cucumber peeled and thinly sliced
1 c. white vinegar
3/4 c. water
3/4c. sugar (you can cut back on this if you want)
1 tsp. salt
cayenne pepper to taste (I like it hot so I add a lot of cayenne!)
dash of dried parsley flakes
1/8 tsp. black pepper
dash of dried leaf basil

Combine all ingredients except the cucumbers; heat until sugar melts. Pour warm mixture over cucumbers. Store covered in the refrigerator overnight. Serve the next day.

So, here's what I do. I make this up, sometimes I double it, and keep it in the refrigerator and snack on them. They are wonderful! The spiciness ups your metabolism as well, so that's good! I use them on sandwiches or wraps, as a side dish, and also just plain for a snack (one of my 6 small meals).

Enjoy!

Week in Review

Well, I've been wondering how to put what I've done this week. I think I can sum it up by saying, "Keep my eye on the end result and the journey."

I was a little discouraged at my weigh in this week. I've been working so hard, and lately, I've been really hungry! I was thinking about it until a friend of mine pointed out that muscle weighs more than fat and I've been diligently weight training along with my cardio. Also, hunger pains could be a sign that my metabolism is kicking in. That's good, I've never really felt hunger pains before, just tiredness and things like that. So, those are good things!

I'm struggling this week with lonliness. A lot of that has to do with where I live. I have good friends here, but, many of them are older than I and their kids are gone. They are in a different time of life. What's hard is, I'm home with my kids doing mom things a lot. They are more free to do other things. I'm not. It's hard because, eventhough I know they don't mean to, I feel left out sometimes. It's not them. It's really me. I'm dealing with all of this emotional stuff right now and I don't have anyone I can really talk to.

But, that's where God comes in, isn't it? He's always gently nudging me to know that He is there. He has brought me to this point to teach me something about Him and myself. So, here I go again! What will I learn this time? We start the new study Believing God this next week. I'm excited to see where it takes me.

Thanks to those of you who take the time to post encouraging things to me! It's really a blessing and I read them over and over to keep myself going. I would love to hear about others going through the same journey! If you know any, let me know!

Progress!

I was weighed in today and I lost 5 lbs. I'm glad for that, but, I wanted it to be a little more. But, it's progress. That's what counts. I've also lost body fat and my inches are coming down a little too. So all in all, it's good.

I'm low on water still, I can't believe it, but, there it is! I'll just have to keep on drinking. Today I upped my workout to 1 hour of cardio. I'm going to do this every other day with the other days combining cardio and strength training.

My friend gave me a book to read so I'll blog about it when I've looked through it. It's a metabolism diet. Hopefully it'll help!

Today's progress

Well, today I got up at 6:15 and had my quiet time and then left for the gym to work out. I had a rough week last week--not being able to get a really fast pace going and maintaining it. I was struggling with pain in my shins and my allergies being so bad. But, I persisted figuring it was better to do something instead of giving up.

Today, I was able to really get my pace going. I worked hard for at least 20 of the 30 minutes I was on the treadmill. I did over 2 miles, which is an improvement over last week, but, still not up to what I was doing before. That's okay. I have a friend who decided my shoes were the main problem I had so she bought me new New Balance shoes. I love them! They really made a difference, my shins didn't hurt at all. She was right!

Tomorrow, my goal is to up the pace even more and do strength training after on my arms and legs. I'm hoping to really get started on abs next week (we'll see!)

Tonight for dinner I'm making calzones with veggies and cheese and a low-fat crust. I let you all know how it turns out and write out the recipe!

Week in Report

I'm wanting to do weekly reports about how I've done, just for accountability. It helps to see it in black and white--facing reality, remeber that? I can't fool myself if I see it.

Exercise

I've worked out only 3 days this week. My goal is 4. This is the week I had to go to the City and also pick up the kids from camp, so 2 of my days were a little full. I was going to workout today, but, I woke up with stomach cramps and other symptoms I won't describe in full. I don't want to get sick so I'm staying around the house today. I may do some stair exercises here a little later if I can.

My workouts have been good, though. I've been doing 30 minutes on the treadmill going 2 miles and burning at least 200 calories (that's going pretty fast for me right now). My goal is to work up to 300 calories in the next month or so. I'm meeting with the gym doctor this week to see how I'm doing and what adjustments I can safely make.


Food

I've been doing great on the water, at least 10 glasses a day. I've also been drinking smoothies and lemonade with very little sugar (I like it tart, so this isn't a problem).

I eat my carbs early in the day and I'm upping my protein. I've been doing the 6 small meals as much as possible, this takes a lot of prep, so I'm working out a routine to make it more possible for me. I'm not eating after 7 pm in the evening, a full 3 hours before bed. This is the toughest thing for me. I've been in the habit of really snacking on fattening foods before bed. What I'm doing now is allowing myself 3 nights a week where I can snack on things like unbuttered popcorn (I put a little parmesan and chili powder on it), craisins, fruit or veggies, things like that.

I'm finding that the times during the day I want to snack the most are in the afternoons and evenings. So, I'm trying to get more active in the afternoons (not just with housework) like taking a walk with my dc or going nature journaling with them. Getting out! Experiencing things! That's been helpful.


Rest

I really think rest is essential for weight loss. I want my body to rejuvinate. I'm sleeping 8 hours a night. Previously, that wasn't the case. I really think, though I haven't read much about it yet, that resting helps your metabolism. I would either sleep less than 8 hours (much less) or every once in a while I would get so tired I would sleep much more than 8 hours. This isn't healthy. There needs to be balance.


Spiritually

I'm a part of a Bible Study group of ladies here who meet every Friday morning. We are going through Beth Moore's Believing God book (starting next week) and praying together. It's been a lifeline for me. I'm loving the time I'm spending digging into God's Word. This is helping me so much to gain perspective and understanding who I really am. It's good.

Body, soul, and spirit. That's what we are. We need to strive for balance on a 3. For so long my soul was great--mind, will, and emotions--but, my spirit lacked. Spending more time with God everyday is reviving my spirit and that is giving me the strength to work on my body. It's all connected.

Metabolism boost

I'm trying to boost my metabolism. It's been abused for years and years and now it's time to get it moving!!!!! Here's some things I'm doing right now to get it going.

1. Before I work out, I eat a carb (bagel, english muffin, or something like that). After I work out I fill up on protein. I don't eat anymore carbs until later in the afternoon. I don't mix carbs and proteins--more about why later!

2. I'm trying to eat six small meals a day.

3. Working out is great for boosting your metabolism. I'm working out at least 4 times a week.

I need to research this more, but, I'm starting to learn. As I find out more information, I will post it here!