Hey all,
This week was good.
I haven't been getting my water but I have been getting my exercise...
The fact that things aren't moving is proof positive I haven't had my water..
tmi...oh well...you all will live. lol.
There is a new developement on the coffee front.
I can take it or leave it.
I didn't have any yesterday...today I had half a cup.
This is huge for me.
I started drinking coffee when I was 12 years old.
I don't think there has been a day that I haven't drank coffee.
seriously.
I did all three days of situps...
upper body..one day...again.
I loathe lifting.
I can cardio till the sun goes down...I didn''t miss a day this last week.
lift weights.
meh.
It's not even meh...it's a kind of a growing antipathy..
I'd rather do a pushup.
I would rather hit a bag.
lifting weights feels very artificial to me.
Kind of like walking on a treadmill...or even doing the elliptical.
Right now the elliptical is a necessary evil....
But I think I am starting to develop a kind of philosophy regarding exercise...
(wow, i didn't think I was going here in this particular blog)
Okay then...
here's a fact about me....
I don't like anything in my house that isn't functional.
That just "takes up space'...
unless it's art.
That is for my walls.
Art is art for arts sake.
Art is an exterior expression of the inner man...or the divine essence of the soul.
Everything else should find it's beauty in it's function.
Which is why my body was so out of whack.
I had diverted my body from it's natural operation to support my psychological need for safety.
Which was in the end, was why my body didn't function properly.
I didn't allow it to.
I abused it....for a misguided purpose.
wow, okay...back on track.
I feel like lifting weights is an artificial use of my body..
Don't get me wrong..it serves a purpose...just like my ellipticalling serves a purpose.
To burn fat, to build muscle...but to what end?
To increase the functionality of my body.
To increase health...to live life to my fullest.
When I lift...I don't really feel like it's 'time well spent'.
Where as when I do cardio, I am burning fat.
I would rather do kickboxing and build muscle that way...
or take a self defense class and build muscle that way.
or cycle...and build muscle that way...or walk or hike or swim.
Things that can protect me, propel me or save me.
Functionality.
Or even line dancing...
not functional, but it does help you enjoy life while exercising.
I want things that build my spirit.
Not just my body.
I am on track with my perfect 10 goals.
I feel pretty good about all of it.
Oh,
I got a bunch of 14's today..now I fit into a size 14 my friend amber gave me...but she said they were big, so I thought it was kind of a fluke.
well, I got a ton of size 14's from the same lady who gave the last set of clothes.
They all fit.
The dress, the three pair of jeans and the shorts...with room to spare.
I am around 172/173 in the mornings...so I guess so.
Size 14...Normal.
I am only about 3 lbs away now from 'overweight.'
I am looking forward to crossing that thresh hold.
oh, and speaking of art for arts sake....
I wanted to pop up and say something about johnny weir, the figure skater.
At some point in the configuration of time...we are going to have to learn to accept people for who they are.
I love Johnny's exuberance and flair for life.
I love his skating...and he IS an athlete...I don't care how Gay he is.
If we on the conservative side of the aisle want people to be judged on the merits...on their talent alone..on their aptitudes, skills and abilities. If we want people to put up or shut up and keep everything else to themselves..then Johnny should be our poster boy....the door needs to swing both ways. He is an excellent skater. Whatever he chooses to wear, and however he chooses to express himself.
Go Team USA.
Chris out...
14 comments:
Congratulations on the continued excellent progress, and also for the fact that Queen came out of the computer this morning when I opened your post! Makes me want to put my IPOD on to move and groove. Once hubby is out of the shower, I'll have him get it for me, because even though I want the move part as well as the groove, the going is slow this morning.
HOWEVER - this morning the knee feels a molecule less acute than last night, and it's been 6 hours since Vicodan. I'll take some in a bitl, but I've been infused with a wave of optimism - yahoooooo!
Looking forward to at last getting back in gear and chasing you down the scale! You're progess is great, and it won't be long before you're passing the 14s along to another. Take care!
How interesting! I am also trying to cut down on the coffee. I am fortunate in that I have no real addiction to it, I just love the taste of fresh roasted coffee. I think I have had one cup in the last ten days or so though. I may roast some beans this weekend for special occasions, but not to use every day. I am trying to substitute white tea - it is not the same though. :-)
Like you, I just can't get in to lifting weights. Also like you, I can do push ups. I would love to try boxing or some form of martial arts sometime, but that time is not now.
14s? Awesome! You are getting closer to the 10s. Can you smell it yet?
I think I feel the same way about weight training. I actually started with that and a little cardio and now I do tons of cardio with some weight training.
I do not sweat as much with weights. Even though I challenge myself with the weight I use, I still feel weak, not as strong as I should be. But I may always feel like that. I do it still for 2 reasons. #1 - it makes the body burn more calories at rest (cardio does not do that) and #2 - it shapes the body, for real. It maybe the reason why at this weight I am a size 10 instead of a size 12 (like I was when I was this weight before). I like the looks of my guns now.
But like you, I will take cardio over weights anyday of the week. It makes me feel more successful. I just do both on weight days.
As a side note - I added in about 300 more calories per day so I am up to about 1900. I am mostly eating more fruit and nuts with those calories. I hope my body can take it. I feel like I need the calories.
Okay, I am going to get on my weight lifting soapbox, so you are forewarned!
Strength training, when done properly, can burn as many calories during the workout as cardio does. The cool thing about weight training is that the "afterburn" (where your metabolic rate is slightly higher than it normally is at rest) can last for up to 39 hours after your workout. Cardio? You burn what you burn when working out and that's it.
What's more, strength training builds lean muscle mass, which increases your basal metabolic rate overall, too. Basically weight training turns you into a fat burning machine!
I totally agree, though, that doing a biceps curl for a biceps curl's sake is kind of lame feeling. And I love the idea of doing body weight resistance training. I highly recommend checking out the book The Female Body Breakthrough: The Revolutionary Strength-Training Plan for Losing Fat and Getting the Body You Want . This book has tons of body weight exercises as well as instructions for how to get the most out of your strength training when you're trying to lose weight OR do fine-tuning with your body.
Stepping off soapbox now...
:)
I am NOT telling anyone they are doing anything wrong - obviously Chris you are doing stuff RIGHT since you've had such great success. I just encourage you to not give up on the strength training because I think it has far more capacity, in the long run, to change your body and help you mold it into something strong, functional, AND beautiful
I'm probably always going to be the voice in the wilderness who isn't going to be all over the weight points of your blog, which is okay (I hope). I am so happy for you and totally rooting for you but I know you are going to get 40 coments from people breaking this down with you.
I'm always fascinated when people surprised themselves and go into unexpected territory like you did today. It happens to me all of the time. The mind is a funny thing. Chris, it will probably happen again. You have never *stuck to it* before. When the road got too scary you turned around. I find the thing about fear is this: it is less scary when you shine a lot on it and you share it with your friendds. It sorta loses all the power it held over you. So, don't lose heart.
As for the weights and ellipticals (and I said I wasn't going there...) it's about perspctive. Can you imagine them into something that works for you? I realize we are playing pretend here. Who lifts weights that kicks ass? You can pretend to be that girl. What can that elliptical machine magically turn into that is useful? Think about it.
Robin
I only like functional things as well. I am a minimalist and I don't really have a lot of things. I am trying to reduce more and more.
Great job on the 14s!!!
Excellent post, as always. :)
It's funny, I'm almost opposite on the exercise. The elliptical and treadmill drive me nuts...the treadmill is so BORING, and the elliptical still sets my quads on fire, and I've been on that dang thing for over 2 months now!!! I kind of like the weight stuff better, and I think the whole reason is because of the variety, so many different exercises to do with them, moving around to different areas in the gym, VARIETY...lol. I totally get the whole "functional" idea though. I don't have a lot of useless crap sitting around my house either...some might call it spartan...I call it hating clutter and a total aversion to having to dust too much crap. :)
Free Acai Berry trial really worths, you should try it too
Wasn't what azzurra said above me very meaningful? lol
I totally agree with you about Johnney Weir. It's nice to know someone veering on the conservative side feels the same way. I still can't figure out that look his mom had after he was done skating. Was it a look of disappointment for Johnny or the judges? Hmm..I dunno.
Oh, and very deep what you said about diverting your body from it's natural operation. Good insight. :)
I love your cat's name.
And I had to read up a bunch on free weights before I was able to see their functionality in my world. It's the progression that makes them have a point to me.
Not that a heavy bag workout of a kickboxing video don't feel so much better on the endorphins, because I agree they do.
But try checking out (and preferrably reading) one or both of these books at your local library and see if it changes your attitude about lifting:
Body for Life for Women
The New Rules of Lifting for Women
♥
I like things to have a purpose too. I got over "trinkets" a long time ago - a few special ones, but not everything you see! This is why I'm into combining form and function into one thing - like in terms of furniture and landscape design.
And I also understand about feeling like time in the gym isn't time well-spent. I have a thing about "natural" activity too. Getting on the machines is efficient, but I always feel like it's time away from REAL LIFE. If there were better ways to combine exercise with real life (walking, jogging, dancing, working on the house, gardening, building things, carrying things) those things seem to make more sense to me.
Congratulations on making it to size 14!! Woo hoo!
I love how you write
I love how you talked about art
Made me think of my body
I hate doing the treadmill but as for right now thats all i have maybe if we work through what we dont liek we will get to where we want to be and function!
I drink more tea than coffee these days but still love a good cup of strong joe.
I love Johnny Weir too. Yay! TEAM USA!
Chris, incredible job. I don't want to scare you, but you're almost in the 160s! And, yes, you're very far from 200 now.
And I know I'm the sole liberal voice in the wilderness here, but certainly the skater should be who he is, whatever his sexual orientation.
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