Tomorrow marks the one-month anniversary of the start of my attempt to become (at least somewhat) fit. I’ve lost 6.6 pounds and feel as though I should be pretty encouraged by this number.
But all I feel is tired and a bit aimless at the moment.
I can think of three reasons for this.
One: I have not been getting enough sleep, and as Diana Sugiuchi of Nourish told me, that is a key element to health. Sleep-deprived people often have slow metabolisms (meaning they burn calories less quickly), and that makes getting in shape more difficult. And my metabolic test at Nourish already showed that my rate is pretty slow.
Two: I didn’t go to the gym yesterday. I have been going every other day since the time I started this plan. I actually kind of look forward to it. (Who said that?) As part of the p.r.e.p. program, I’m supposed to try for three days a week, so I’m not technically off track. But I think mentally it was good to have a pattern.
I actually got off track for a decent reason: I wanted to try the Boxing Fitness class today. Punching things repeatedly sounds pretty awesome if you ask me. But my knees have been bothering me again — not just achey from my arthritis but big twinges of pain, maybe left over from when I tore my ACL a few years ago.
Sometimes just turning to get something out of a drawer will be painful and make me feel as if the top half of my leg is not attached to the bottom half. I was afraid boxing might have too much pivoting. I had intended to go watch part of the class today to check it out, but was too tired. See #1.
The Boxing Fitness class at ACAC that I didn’t take
Three: I’m feeling a little flummoxed by trying to eat healthy. As I’ve mentioned, I’m a vegetarian, so finding low-calorie sources of protein can be a little challenging. I know it’s not impossible, but it’s just a bit complicated. And I don’t love to cook and am one of those people who routinely look up from the computer and say, “Oh, look, it’s 5:00 PM. I wonder what I should make for dinner tonight.” (Or maybe there aren’t other people who do this, I don’t know.)
So I’m going to go back to see Diana for more help. And I’m going to stop Pinning and start shopping and actually cooking more. But how do I feed myself and my family, who don’t need to really watch calorie intake? Do they just take two or three servings while I have one? Any advice from the “been there” folks?
I will say that I’ve been eating a lot more yogurt lately. A little trick I devised was flavoring my plain yogurt with the drops made for flavoring water. I like the Stur brand (which I get at Target) and the SweetLeaf brand (which I get at MOM’s) because they use stevia instead of chemical sweeteners. I just squirt a tiny bit into the yogurt to give it a fruity flavor without all the added sugar.
My routine; some “weights” are actually resistance levels
OK, so, no joke. I’m headed to the gym now. No new fun class for me; I’ll just stick to the trusty elliptical. (Doing the 2-1 interval to maximize calorie burn.) It’s not super exciting, but at least I’ll get to see what Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon are up to.
Progress so far:
Pounds lost: 6.6 of 40
Inches lost: ? of 7
-Kris Henry,
Towson Flyer