Thinking Food

Another week almost over. Only one day left and then the weekend! Woohoo! This morning it was cold and icy. Leaving super earlier before the bulk of the traffic is great because you don’t have to deal with the dumb people who don’t know how to drive in the first place let alone when the weather is a little off. Thank you workout schedule for allowing me at least one sane drive on my commute each day.

Only did 60 minutes at the gym today (3.58 miles on the treadmill). I was going to go longer but I was having an upset stomach so I decided that an hour is good right? I mean every other day this week I have done 90 or more minutes so one day at a little less won’t kill me. Besides this morning when I was getting dressed I realized I had not washed any gym pants so I had none to wear and put on capri’s haha…not the most comfortable work out attire in the world. I am still sticking with it and going to the gym that is what counts.

Today work hasn’t been quite as slow as it had been earlier in the week which is nice. Too slow makes the day drag on so. Still it hasn’t been as busy as I would like to make the day go by super fast. It was slow enough that I spent a lot of time thinking about food today.

Not thinking about food in the “Oh My God I have to eat everything” or “I AM SO HUNGRY” but just thinking about different foods I should explore. Sometimes I feel like I eat the same things over and over and I should be expanding my horizons. More variety so I don’t get bored. I’m thinking being bored may be what is going on with my burnt out feeling with my new eating habits. I don’t know. I need to find time and money to try new recipes.

In one of the audio books I just finished listening to while working out the guy is a vegan and in the end of the book when it went over the appendixes he was talking about his diet and different things that are good alternatives to the same thing that people eat when they are not vegan. He made mention of chocolate pudding he makes using avocados and how his kids love it. I was intrigued so I started looking up recipes for this and found tons of them. One I found in a blog post where the lady posted pictures and described it so well made me start wanting to run home and make it (although I don’t have the ingredients) haha. So I was texting my mom about the recipe. She tells me how gross it sounds. I told her “well I don’t know what I have read says it’s really good and the avocado gives it the nice pudding texture.” So she had all the ingredients on hand and I emailed her the recipe and she tried it. She said it was really good. So now I know I definitely have to get the ingredients and try it soon.

Here is the pudding she made (yes blurry picture with the dirty blender in it too  but  what the heck I haven’t posted many pictures lately so this can use one).

I also really like a good veggie burger. I don’t mean the boxed ones at the grocery store like boca or garendburger (although some of the varieties of them taste good) but the kind that taste homemade. I have found some really good ones at different places I have been out to eat. However they can be expensive…or more expensive than I want to pay. So I have been looking up veggie burger recipes and after the first of the year I think I am going to go on a mission to try different recipes at home until I find the one I think is perfect.

Anyway these are my ambitions today. Everything is subject to change so tomorrow this could all be different!

Almost over the hump that is hump day

Another morning I did not want to wake up at 430am. Another morning where I did anyway. I just haven’t been sleeping well at all. I never really sleep great but it’s been worse the last couple of weeks. Last night I had horrible heartburn in my sleep. I haven’t had heartburn in quite a while and I forgot how badly it sucks!

Another 90 minutes completed at the gym. That brings my total miles walked so far this month to 64.74 miles. Pretty good I think and I am not done with the month yet. I checked the gym holiday schedule and the only day it’s going to be closed all day is Christmas. So I shouldn’t have a problem getting to the gym the days surrounding Christmas before work.

I am dreading after the first of the year. So many people (in previous experience) make their resolution to get fit and they join the gym and the gym usually becomes insanely crowded for about a month. Hopefully the time of morning I go it won’t be an issue. I shall keep my fingers crossed…I don’t want to have to stand around and wait for a machine to exercise on every morning.

95 minutes at the gym

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Just got done doing 95 minutes on the treadmill at the gym. For some reason I felt really out if breath all day today. It started when I was trying to sleep in a little this morning and I just felt like it was kind of hard to breath. Then this afternoon when we got to the gym and I walked up the stairs (all the cardio stuff is on the 3rd floor) I felt out of breath and that hasn’t happened for awhile now…and then the first 45 minutes on the treadmill I felt pretty winded. Who knows maybe it’s the antibiotics I am on?

Whatever I still feel good making it to the gym today. I didn’t want to go. I wanted to be lazy and feel sorry for myself gaining weight this week. My youngest son however bugged me until I took him and his friend so they could practice basketball for their game tomorrow. Then once I was here I might as well work out. No point sitting and waiting or wasting gas leaving and coming back.

Going to relax now and get ready to watch the season finale of Homeland. A new work week starts tomorrow and up at 430am to head back to the gym before work. Hopefully this week can end my yoyo loss of the last months! I don’t know how much longer I can handle it!!

I am back

Thursday, December 12, 2013

So the spider bite I got last week got infected. I went to the gym Sunday night and my foot hurt pretty bad. Then the next morning it was hurting more and swollen but I still woke up early and went to the gym. I know probably not the smartest thing to do. By the time I got into work I was in a lot of pain. So I talked to my supervisor and asked if when everyone got in (it was 7am and everyone gets in by 9am) would it be ok if I left and went to the ER for my foot. She offered to let me leave then but I didn’t feel right about leaving with no one else in yet to cover me so I told her no I would stay unitl 9am. Besides by doing that I would be missing most of the rush hour traffic. I ended up being stuck on the phone with an airline until about 10am before I could leave. By the time I left and got to the ER near my house it was close to 11am. My foot was really swollen and the infection was spreading up into my lower leg. It hurt really bad. I was in the ER for several hours and they gave me some antibiotics via IV and some pain meds.

While I was getting the antibiotics I felt itchy but didn’t think much of it. I wasn’t crazy itchy just a bit. I felt sick to my stomach the rest of the night. In the morning when I woke up to take my antibiotics within 10 minutes I had a really bad reaction. I felt like I was burning from the inside, I was super itchy and red, hot and cold, and throwing up. So I went back to the ER. Where I spent half of my day waiting to see someone to tell me what I suspected. I was allergic to the antibiotics they were giving me. So they switched me to a different kind. Which of course cost $80 instead of the $8 the ones that I was allergic to cost. Such is my luck though I guess.

Anyway I basically spent Monday-Wednesday (except the hours I was in the ER) in bed and feeling pretty dang sick. Missed work and obviously no gym. Even in my sick frame of mind I felt guilty for not exercising! haha. Today I feel much better than I have in days though and I am back at work. I also went to the gym this morning. Did 80 minutes on the treadmill. I was only going to do 60 but since I felt just fine after the 60 I just went to 80. So I am back and still staying on track with exercise.

I didn’t eat the best while I was sick but I did track what I ate so I should be fine. two days I went over my daily points but I still have over half of my weekly points left and the activity points I have earned. I feel kind of bloated right now though. I am thinking it is from all the medication I have been taking this week so hopefully I have lost at least some come Saturday.

A Cold Week

Sunday, December 08, 2013

When I said I had my right shoe tied too tightly the other day and caused blisters that was only partially correct. I thought I had three blisters (one in the side and two on the top). I only have two blisters and one big swollen spider bite. The bite is on the top of my foot right between where my big toe and second toe meet. Today it’s swollen really bad and u can see the fang (puncture) marks.

I didn’t do too much this weekend. Yesterday I pretty much sat in the house trying to stay warm. Today I did go out to see my dad and take one if my sons to Dick’s to get a new knee brace (support) for basketball. Then we went to Panda Express (his choice I would have preferred somewhere else) and I should know better than to wait until after I have eaten and get home to count up the points. My lunch took 26 of my daily points. I guess I should be happy I didn’t go over right? So far I haven’t been hungry since then though so I guess that is good.

Tonight my youngest and I went to the gym. He played basketball and I walked on the treadmill for 80 minutes. So I am happy I got in exercise at least one day this weekend. The previous two I didn’t. Tomorrow I traded shifts with my coworker so I can make it to my son’s first basketball game if the season. I start at 7am instead of 9am so I am going to get up at 330am to be able to get at least 90 minutes in at the gym tomorrow. Hopefully my foot feels better in the morning.

Morning two…how many more to make it a habit?

Another day and I have kept my promise to myself. I woke up at 5am again and headed for the gym. Believe me when the alarm went off I did not want to get up. My first thought was turn it off and reset it for 6am. Then my next thought was no if you do that you will be stuck in bad traffic and be mad at yourself for not keeping the promise you made to yourself to go to the gym. So here I am another hour on the treadmill down and another hour of my audio book listened to.

Yes I have taken to listening to audio books recently. It makes me feel old to say that haha. I love to read and for the last few years I have trouble finding the time/quiet to do it in. One day I was sitting in traffic and thinking as I always do what a waste of time this is. Then it occurred to me it would be a perfect time to “read” a book. So the past few months I have been listening to my books to and from work. Yesterday I decided to try and start listening to them while at the gym to see if the distraction helps the time go by faster.

I really should start staying longer than an hour at the gym though. Here I am over an hour until I start work and sitting in my car. Yes I should have stayed longer on the treadmill or switched and done at least 1/2 hour on the elliptical. Maybe tomorrow. But before I worry about that it’s most important to stay focused on making morning gym visits a habit.

The gym

I am sitting here on a bench outside of a 24 hour fitness right now. Why you ask am I sitting outside in front of a gym? That would be because I just joined the gym. I am now (again) a member.

My boyfriend, my youngest son and I came down here because I wanted to inquire about membership offers. I wasn’t planning on signing up today. In fact I don’t get paid until next Friday and I am pretty broke. My boyfriend agreed to pay the $40 down for us each to join today. I was surprised he was so quick to do so considering he is usually the one who wants to go home and think about it first before making commitments. But he signed us up and got my son a 14 day guest pass (I am hesitant to sign up my 13 year old with a membership that I don’t feel he would utilize really during football season when he practice 4-5 days a week for 3 hours).

So the two if them are inside playing basketball and I am sitting here on a bench outside the club. See although I intended on coming back and signing up I was not prepared to be signed up today and didn’t come ready to work out. I feel funny sitting here outside. Oh well I guess.

The membership isn’t cheap. So I need to make sure and utilize it and not waste the money. This means I need to get over my anxiety of the gym. I always feel good once I start working out but making myself get there is the hardest part. It would be so much easier if I had a workout buddy. Although sitting here watching the people go in and out has eased my anxiety a bit as they are all ages and shapes.

Ultimately why I decided on 24 Hour Fitness and not another gym was because the hours. I don’t like how restricted the other gyms around here are with their hours. I felt like yeah I might be getting a better membership price but what’s the point if I don’t use it? Oh how I miss Las Vegas Athletic club (one if the few things you will ever hear me say I miss about Vegas). I really liked those clubs!

Anyway I just wanted to post on here that I joined the gym. It seems when I put stuff here I feel more accountable because I know others are reading this and I will feel pretty dumb in a month if I come back and say that I never use my membership here.

I do think that I like walking outside better so I will keep doing my outside walks on the weekends and use the gym for the evenings after work. I am still not sure about trying to run on the treadmill so it makes me apprehensive about my zombie 5k training. I guess I have to just make it work . One step at a time!