May 7

This weekend is busier for me than many people's weekdays are for them.  My goal for the day: to keep my eating in check.  There will be baked goods & pizza served throughout the day, and I like baked goods & pizza.

I think I'll be smart and pack some fruit and other healthy choices to see me through today's high calorie minefield.  Look at me - planning ahead!

~Karin

May 6

It was thoughts of my friend Kathy which convinced me to get out of bed this morning.  I'd woken up on my own long before the alarm clock even thought about blaring, and I was thinking how cozy and bound by inertia I was.  And then thoughts of Kathy, the tracker of my 229 pound goal, crept into my head.

I could devote a good paragraph or two to Kathy's wonderfulness, and she'd chortle and crow and make everyone around her smile.  But since I know the previous sentence already did the trick, I'll leave well enough alone.

So, knowing that I owe Kathy a few more pounds in order to reach 229, I decided I'd better get to the gym, cozy or not.  If I don't hit that 229 mark soon, she's likely to put me in her car and drive me to the gym herself!  If you'd ever had the pleasure of being Kathy's passenger, say when you were undergoing cancer treatment to which she drove you daily, and she distracted you so much with laughter that you both had tears of mirth in your eyes, and that she would drive very safely but, umm… safely, you'd also decide it in your best interest to get to the gym under your own power. 

At the gym "Mr. Brownstone" was my anthem of choice: "I used to do a little, but a little wouldn't do it, so the little got more and more; I just keep trying to get a little better, a little better than before."  That's what I did, on the recumbent bike of all things! 

I'm proud to report my first accomplishments of the day:

·         Within the same time period and at a higher intensity, I blew away my previous best.

·         While biking, I thought about some people in my life who by example are reminding me of why I'm doing what I'm doing.

·         I created a Karin's Commandment today: "I shall not buy candy for myself."

·         I will make mid-week the starting point of my food tracking.

And, perhaps most impressive: I had sweat pouring down my head!

~Karin

 

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.  It's about learning to dance in the rain.

May 5 Kenny Rogers

As Kenny sang, "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."  My workout for today will consist of fighting a virus.

~Karin

May 4: Look, Ma! No Wheels!

When thinking about the bike portion of the Euclid Y's triathlon, I saw that I had a couple of options for getting it done: spin class or recumbent bike.  I've never seen the use of recumbent bikes: they're too easy to pedal, other people with bad knees seem to use them as a recovery tool, and yet when use them, they have the opposite effect and make my knee hurt.  The other option: spin class. 

I chose to see if I could get a workout on the recumbent bike, using techniques I'd learned in spin class, coaching myself through uphill strength and downhill sprints, and reminding myself to keep my feet flat.  And because of the bonus advantage of having an electronic display, I gave myself rpm goals.  I can honestly report that I worked up a mighty sweat on the wheel-less bike to nowhere

I made note of my workout summary today, and will work to improve on it.  I've got an ice pack on my knee now, so I must have done something right.  J

In other news: On the horizon is an event to which I invite all my fellow contestants and anyone who happens to be reading: Euclid's Relay for Life.  I'm sure I'll write more about it as we approach (it touches me on many levels both as a cancer survivor and an aspiring healthy person), but for now:  May 13-14, Euclid High Stadium.  We walk all through the night (great exercise opportunity!) and I'm sure that my team, Euclid Moms, isn't the only one which would welcome you.

Oh, and an accomplishment from yesterday: The salad I ate at dinner took up way more room on my plate than did my so-called main dish.

~Karin

May 3

I wish that I had something worthwhile to write about today, but I'm at a loss.  My exercise is really excellent, my food intake is improving, and my attitude is positive.  My shoulders and upper arms are looking less flabby, and I've set a goal of being able to honestly say the same about my lower body.  Calories in, calories out.

~Karin

May 2: A good swim

My May Triathlon is underway!  I started by swimming this morning, and I have to say it was a good day for a swim.  During the first few laps I contemplated the early morning's headlines and prayed for peace.  Then I spent a few laps thinking about my short-term commitments.  And then as I was swimming along it struck me: A length is not a lap!  I'm supposed to be swimming 186 lengths, and I'd budgeted for 186 laps!  This means that after completing this morning's swim, I'm already more than a quarter of the way done with my swimming portion!  Thank goodness, because I'm going to need extra time for the land events.

And I'm happy to report that my eating was right on yesterday, and I'm looking forward to a good breakfast (one meal at a time!).

Best wishes to all in this new day, week, month, leg of the contest!

~Karin