Exercise even if you don’t want to

Have you ever noticed that when you don’t want to exercise, that’s when you really need it the most?

I came very close to blowing off my workout tonight.  Instead, I did day 3 of Couch to 5K, which was surprisingly easy. I think I’m in better shape than when I’ve done it in the past, thanks to a month of walking hill intervals and strength training.

I had a couple technical glitches with HRM at the start; first it thought my heart was at 117%, then 0%. I think it might need a new battery. I started it over and it worked okay after that.

I followed  up the run with about 20 minutes of power yoga – not the practice I wanted to do, because apparently I had taken it off my ipod, but the one I have on video.  It was good, but I wish I could have done the other one.  It’s a more complete workout in a short amount of time and really, really stretches out the hamstrings, quads, and shins, which is great after a run.

I feel so much better and I’m really glad I didn’t blow this off tonight, like I almost did.

Daily mile stats

Nike + stats

Adult Fitness Test – May 2010

I did the President’s Challenge Adult Fitness test again this week. My overall score has improved 5 percentile points since last time.  I’m pleased, since I haven’t been focused on this.  It’s been almost a year since the last time I took the test and I really thought I might have gone backward.

Aerobic Fitness

* 1 mile walk in 16:29,  heart rate 138, V02 max 28.3; 20%ile – My time was a little slower than the last time I did the walk test, but my heart rate was lower also.

Muscular Strength

* Half Sit-ups in one minute: 23; 30%ile – same as last time.

* Push-ups: 14; 45%ile – I’m very pleased with this one, because last time I could only do 10, which was 30%ile.  I think the improvement is because I learned how to properly do a push-up (thanks Jillian Michaels).

Flexibility

* Sit-and-Reach: 14; 25%ile – same as last time

Overall Score

* 30%ile, up from 25.

I am definitely becoming a fitter chick.

Beautiful Morning Walk

I intended to do C25K W1D1 with Chocolate this morning. I got three running intervals done, but a little girl from the neighborhood wanted to walk her puppy with us, so I walked the rest of the time. Still good, though. Weather was perfect – cool, breezy, and sunny.

My HRM did that weird spike thing again. I’m pretty sure my HR didn’t get up to 225. I think it’s caused by electrical interference.

I used my Nike+ for the first time since last year, so that was fun.  However, I forgot to pause it when I stopped to to talk to my little walking partner – you can see the downward spike at the end of my Nike+ graph when we were saying goodbye.  I did pause my HRM, so I have a better measure of time from it (47 min from Nike+ vs. 38 min from HRM).

Daily mile stats

Nike plus stats

Sisterhood Running Month

May is Sisterhood Running Month, including a challenge to run, walk, wog – basically move your ass – for one mile sometime between May 6 and 8.  This works out perfectly for me as I had already planned to run in May and had scheduled May 8 as the day I would start Couch to 5K (again).

The plan for tomorrow to take out Chocolate, with her fancy new harness, and run/walk around the neighborhood.  I’m sticking close to home so that I can get the hang of my Nike Plus again (I haven’t used it since last year) and also because Saturday starts my “easy” exercise week, per the four-week workout cycle as laid out in The Female Body Breakthrough.

Pop over here for a chance to win a pair of New Balance running shoes – hurry, though.  Time’s almost up!

White beans with figs, leeks, and rosemary looks yummy.

Cute progress tracker found at Stumptuous.com.  http://www.stumptuous.com/progress-tracker-worksheet

It’s a Dog-Walking Miracle

I’ve seen those dog harnesses for years.  You know the ones.  They look like what sled dogs wear.  I’ve been meaning to get one for a long time, but never got around to it.  Since my bicep and more importantly, my elbow, are still sore from Saturday’s 5K, I stopped at Walmart today to pick one up.

The hype on the box says “Stops Pulling Instantly.”  I’m cynical by nature, so I thought “Yeah right.”  I expected Chocolate to keep pulling, perhaps not quite as strongly, since the force would be spread out over the area of the harness.

I got home from work and started the process of getting the harness on the dog.  First you pull the harness over the dog’s head, then thread her front legs through the straps.  Well, I got the harness over her head with no problem, but when I started trying to pull her legs through the straps, she thought it was some kind of game and starting rolling around on the ground, shaking her head, then jumped up and ran around the yard.  By the time I caught her, she had managed to get the left leg hole around her right leg and the right leg hole was around one of her back legs.  She was trussed up like a Christmas turkey and went crazy trying to disentangle herself.  I was afraid she would hurt herself, so I took the whole thing off and started over.

The second time worked much better.  We got the harness on and we were off.

Oh my god.  It’s a dog-walking miracle.  Chocolate always (and when I say always, I mean every. single. time.) gets out the garage door and takes off full-speed ahead down the driveway, dragging me along, because she is sooo excited to go.  Today, we walked out the garage and she trotted briskly down the driveway, tail wagging like a metronome.

You have to understand that this is a 50-pound dog who has been pulling me along for three years.  I cannot express what a different experience today was.  In the past, when we passed houses with dogs, she lurched in that direction.  Today, she walked to that side of the road, but as soon as she got to the end of the lead, she stopped.  In the past, if a car drove by, she would lunge toward it (she would love to be a car chaser; thank goodness I have a fenced-in yard).  Today, I choked up the lead and she stood calmly by my side as a car passed.

I seldom take her out of the neighborhood to walk, because it’s so difficult and I worry about what will happen.  I tried running with her last year, but again, stayed in neighborhood.  Our world just opened up.  I envision lots of new walking routes, hiking trails, and running, oh the running.

I can’t wait.  Chocolate can’t either.

21-Day Challenge – Day 4 Check-In

I was about to head off to bed, when I realized I hadn’t posted anything today.  So, a check-in!

I’ve exercised every morning (plus two afternoons) and posted every day (at least briefly).

This morning’s workout was tough.  I was still sore and tired, both mentally and physically, from yesterday’s 5K.  I woke up in the middle of the night to a throbbing bicep and couldn’t figure out why.  Then I remembered.  Oh yeah, I walked a 50-pound dog for 3.2 miles.  Talk about functional fitness!  Then today was the day that I upped my weights for strength training, which I had really been looking forward to and was actually fine.  It was the yoga that got me.  I do Power Yoga with Rodney Yee on weekends.  I had planned on doing the whole practice today (1 hour and 20 minutes), but my body (and my DVD player) gave out on me.  I started getting worried about the more challenging balancing postures.  My muscles were quivering and I really though I might fall and get hurt.  Then the DVD player kept stopping for no apparent reason.  After three times, I decided it was a sign.  So I made coffee and decided to get in a quick dog-walk this afternoon to make up the difference.

There’s a storm coming in and the power is flickering, so signing off.

Despite a few technical difficulties at the start, today’s 5K walk went very well.  I got in a good workout and my dog, Chocolate did great!  She and I are both exhausted.  I’ll write a more complete post later – I’m hoping to have some pictures to include.

Interesting article in Scientific American on the effects of fats and carbs (which is really worse?) that I found via The Great Fitness Experiment.