Archive for the ‘Health Group’ Category

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

Health Group- Year 5, week… who knows?

And I’m not even going to count because I don’t know if it’s going to be a weekly thing again or not. I’ve felt rotten, so Health Group hasn’t even been on my mind.

However, I think I’m solidifying the fact that dairy makes me sick. I’m so incredibly not happy about that. I haven’t figured out if it’s lactose or just dairy. I haven’t been avoiding things with whey in them, but it’s pretty clear that milk, cheese, sour cream, and butter (most likely), are upsetting me. I feel like throwing a tantrum, truth be told. In the words of Prince John from Disney’s Robin Hood, “it’s so miserably unfair!”

I love cheese.

That aside, I did manage to exercise 2 days this week. 30 minutes on the elliptical each time. I’m able to keep up my pre-pregnancy speed, but I don’t increase resistance anymore. It actually feels good to exercise, but I’m never in the mood to do it. The only reason I did it this week is 1., I thought I might actually be able to, and 2., my sister-in-law came over to exercise with me. I’m so glad she did.

So, I’m going to try to make a habit of it. It’ll be an uphill effort each time I’m sure, but I’ll be better off if I do.

Saturday, March 28th, 2009

Health Group- Year 5, week 41

I managed, through being extremely busy and extremely sick, to exercise 2x each week this month. I’m very pleased with that. I hope to do better in April, but I’ve been pretty diligent since the year started and it feels good.

Exercise has become more difficult since pregnancy, but I’ve noticed that it’s more a lack of lung capacity. My heart rate is still good.

To answer an anonymous question in the comments yesterday, the smocking stitch pattern is in the Harmony Guide, Volume 2.

I had a “good parent” day today. I’m quite proud of myself. The older two girls have a trade fair at school on Tuesday. We’ve had months of notice, but not a lot of opportunity for crafting. (We had made attempts. And failed. I tried SO hard to get the girls felting, and Liv was going to spin yarn). The combination of busy/sick mom, Abby’s lack of willingness to come up with ideas of things to make/trade/barter, and Olivia’s tendency to reach for the moon arrived us at the Saturday before Trade Fair with nothing. Nate and I spent our date collecting supplies for some ideas I came up with, and when we got home and showed the kids, they were very excited.

So, they planted 24 pumpkin seeds in little biodegradable pots.

They made 16 wave bottles.

They made 10 zen gardens out of plastic trays for planters, aquarium sand, marbles, shells, polished rocks and a plastic fork. (I’m particularly proud of that one).

They may make some yarn bracelets and necklaces, or some pendants with beads and wire. That’s up to them and we have the supplies readily available if they so choose. But I’ve done my motherly duty and my kids will have some groovy stuff to trade with their classmates at Trade Fair. Stuff that they made.

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Health Group- Year 5, Week 40 (and other things)

Last week was extremely busy at school. But that should all be over now. The medieval unit is over. The spinning teaching stuff is over. I’m so done. Except I’m hosting a cooking party this Saturday for moms to come over and cook stew for 40 people, 2 meals worth for an overnighter field trip next week. I was going to go on the field trip, but they didn’t need me, so I backed out.

I’m so done.

My house, and most every other aspect of my life has been completely neglected for a month or so while I’ve been doing school stuff. I’m going crazy. I want to set my house and everything we own on fire so I don’t have to deal with it.

That’s not true.

What I’d REALLY like is for the Garbage company to deliver one of those huge dumpsters in front of my house so I can throw away almost everything we own without having to sort through it. That way, I’d still have a house to live in, and I do like my house, but it’d be clean and empty. That sounds so nice.

So very, very nice.

But, it’s not going to happen. I can’t escape the fact that I have a phenomenal amount of work in front of me, and it’s all on me.

I managed to exercise 2 days last week. An hour on Monday and 40 minutes on Friday. Now that I’ve dropped out of school :-), that sounds so nice, I should be able to do at least 4 days a week again.

While carding tons of batts for young children to spin last week, I squeezed in two Tweedy Batts for myself.

I haven’t spun them yet. On Friday night and Saturday, in an attempt to decompress and relax a little bit, I spun an ounce + of a hand dyed Tussah silk/Baby camel top that was given to me a couple years ago.

I’m working on the second ounce now, then I’ll ply them together. I think it’d be pretty to knit into another of those little neck scarves with all-over beading.

It’s going to be really hard to focus on my house when I could be spinning that second ounce. But if I do that, it’ll just prolong my clutter-stress. And I don’t want that.

If you feel so inclined, leave me a comment to say hello. Seeing some friendliness in my inbox today will help lighten what looks to be a pretty joyless day.

Sunday, March 8th, 2009

Health Group- Year 5, week 39

I haven’t weighed and measured, and I got sick this week so I only exercised a half hour on Monday and an hour on Thursday.

I ate ok.

My pants are feeling a teeny-tiny bit looser. I don’t know if it’s legit or not.

How was your week?

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

Health Group- Year 5, week 38

Good morning. I’m not weighing or measuring right now because I feel enormous and don’t want the discouragement.

I did an hour on the elliptical Monday and Wednesday. I did a half hour Thursday and Friday. It was an incredibly busy week. I was at the school about 8 hours, and preparing stuff for school for many more. I’m very pleased I was able to exercise Thursday and Friday.

Tuesdays are just tough. I have one window of opportunity, and it’s squished in between two other things so that’s hit and miss each week.

I haven’t done well at recording calories or foods consumed this week. So I really don’t know how that went.

How are you all doing? We’re approaching March, which is when a lot of New Year’s resolutions die, if they haven’t already.

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Health Group- Year 5, week 37

I know some of you are waiting for a post. Here I am. Tired. Busy. Not feeling very creative at the keyboard. And my internet has been evil and temperamental limiting my opportunities to post.

We had a wonderful time on Hood Canal. Aside from bringing ants home with us (eww), I can’t think of a negative. Well, Nate couldn’t come and we missed him.

I took over 300 pictures.

This week is crazy. I am going to be at the girls’ school a LOT this week, and I’m basically looking to fit my elliptical in somehow every day, and survive. Those are my two goals.

I hope to be more interesting next week. And I hope to post some of the trip this week. Like the way cool gnome I’m working on.

So, Health Group…

On Monday of last week, I did an hour on the elliptical. I think. It might have been 45 minutes. I don’t remember.

I walked up the HUGE hill (truthfully, it’s a combination of huge hills, all right on top of each other) at the cabin once, Friday night. The cool part of that was not getting winded, or even raising my heart rate much. I was happy. And confused as to why the stairs at Madrona kicked my butt repeatedly when the hills didn’t. I most definitely ascended to a higher elevation with the hills than the stairs.

I’m on my vitamins again, and am loving it.

Oh, this is interesting. I looked in my account settings in Calorie King today and they’ve updated their site a few times since I signed up nearly 3 years ago. When I signed up, they had 3 activity level options for you to choose from that they take into consideration when calculating your daily calorie target.

Now they have 5 or 6, and they had me down as “minimal activity- ie bedridden”.

Pah-lease! I am so not bedridden. So I upped it one level to “office job”. I get at LEAST that much activity in a day. That alone bumped my minimum calorie target to 1750 from 1550.

I guess I was really under-eating the month and a half that I was exercising like mad and not losing anything since I couldn’t even get close to the 1550.

It’s really hard, making sure I eat enough. Now, if there’s donuts, cookies, ice cream, etc around, I can totally go over, no problem. But if I’m eating healthy, or even just normal food without the junk, I’m not hungry enough to eat that much. So that’s going to take some effort.

And that sounds totally stupid.

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

Health Group- Year 5, week 36

So, I was only able to exercise 2 days this past week. Tuesday was super busy, and I was at Madrona all of Thursday and Friday. Very much fun. I did plenty of walking and stair climbing those days, and I must say that with as much exercising as I’ve done the past month and a half, I was super annoyed to be winded after climbing them.

I ate pretty well. A few treats but not too much food overall. I packed lunches. This next week will be tough. Tomorrow I have a sister-in-law coming over to work out, but after my guitar lesson on Tuesday, the kids and I are going to Belfair for mid-winter break. I am SO very excited about that little vacation. I only hope my truck can hold everything we want to take with us. We have grand plans for grand play.

If you recall, there is a huge hill at the cabin in Belfair. Huge. I might climb it once a day for some exercise.

Maybe.

If it isn’t going to interfere with the vacation-ness of my vacation.

I’m up all of the 4 pounds I lost last week (I told you that was a freak event though) and have gained yet another. Whatever. I’m down a half inch in my hips, nowhere else.

All in all, I’d say I’m the same as I ever am. Another two weeks and I’ll go to the doctor for some blood work.

Probably.

Perhaps.

If I’m grumpy enough.

Have a great week. I’m not sure if you’ll hear from me again ’til we return.

But you might.

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

Health Group- Year 5, week 35

I don’t know what’s going on. My appetite is crashing through the floor. I didn’t eat a lot this week AT ALL. I had a big lunch on Thursday, and that’s about all I ate for the day. Yesterday was the worst, I was over 1000 calories below my target. Monday thru Wednesday I was about 500 calories below target, meaning I netted around 1000 calories (and burned off the others through exercise). So while I’m down 4 pounds this morning from yesterday morning, it’s probably because I didn’t eat yesterday. Yesterday morning, I was the same weight as I ever am, and my measurements haven’t changed a bit. However my wedding ring is falling off, and that’s inconvenient. My fingers weren’t fat.

For some reason, the weight not changing doesn’t bother me. I expect that. My measurements not changing, my clothes not getting looser is REALLY TICKING ME OFF!!!

I did an hour on the elliptical on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I’m going to try to make up Thursday’s hour today.

So I’m thinking that I need to eat more. My metabolism must be shutting down. That’s the only thing I can think of. I don’t really know how to do it, though, and it kind of scares me. It feels so counterintuitive. I’m trying to LOSE weight. Force feeding myself seems wrong. So I’ll be thinking about that today.

How was your week?

My silk dyeing went well. I’m excited to show you on Monday.

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

Health Group- Year 5, week 34

I’m short on time, so this will be quick.

I did an hour of elliptical on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and 50 minutes on Thursday. I did 30 minutes of weights and strengthening a couple times this week, including Friday, and I intend to get an hour of elliptical in today.

I’ve lost the three pounds I gained last week, so I’m back to where I was 2 weeks ago. My measurements are basically the same. I’m down an inch in my waist, but again, that had shot up last week, too. So, I’m pretty much the same. After 4 weeks of dedicated exercise and calorie counting.

Here are my thoughts.

The first week when I dropped four pounds, I was drinking a ton of water. I’ve struggled to do that since. So I can work harder at that. I’m frequently coming in under my minimum calorie target. So that may be something to think about. I’ve been out of my vitamins for a couple weeks, so I need to get those. I feel a lot better when I take them, and they’re the first vitamin EVER I’ve been able to say that about.

All in all, while I would love to be losing weight, I’m really happy with the effort I’m putting in. I feel better. And I’m still optimistic that my body will change. So I’m going to keep on, keep on.