Tag Archives: exercise

Top Ten Tuesday: Questions and Tips for Couch to 5K

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I’ve been very inspired by the other Losing It contest participants! While I’ve done, well, dreadful, I am so proud of those who have taken the challenge and run with it. Inspired by Dedra, I’ve been trying to do the Couch to 5K program (#c25k). 

So I’ve done it … twice. Once about a week and a half ago and once tonight.  So I feel totally qualified in offering advice about it. :) But more importantly, I have lots of questions for those of you who’ve done/are doing the program.

Seawall run

5 Tips on Starting Couch to 5K

1. Really do start slow. The first time I did the first week run/walk, I thought I was going to die. I thought it was just because I am SOOOO out of shape (does that imply being in shape once? Cause I’ve never been in shape). The founder of the program suggests,

You should ease into your running program gradually. In fact, the beginners’ program we outline here is less of a running regimen than a walking and jogging program.

I think I just tried to do the jogging pieces too fast. The guy on the podcast kept telling me I should be able to talk while jogging, and I was gasping for air. So tonight, I proceeded to run the slowest jog in the world. And for me, that worked.

2. Use music you like. I did download all the podcasts, and those are convenient because they tell you when to start running, stop running and start walking, cool down, etc. But the music was just not my style. I had a much easier type rocking it out to the Glee soundtrack tonight and just counting down the 60 and 90-second intervals myself by the iPod timer.

3. Don’t worry about what your neighbors think. I am SO self-conscious, especially when I am exercising. I am working on convincing myself I am not the same chubby fifth-grader who couldn’t run a mile. I may be chubby, but I am awesome!! God made me how I am, and who I am to question it? I don’t care if my neighbors are laughing at how slowly I am jogging. Who cares? It’s better than sitting still.

4. Really do warm-up and cool-down. That’s just common exercise sense! Some stretching at the end of the circuit will help you not to feel so sore, too.

5. If you need to, set rewards. I like exercise once I do it–usually–but sometimes in order to make myself do it I have to say, “OK, if I go do this, I can talk on Skype for 30 minutes, or watch a certain TV show, or take a bubble bath.”

5 Questions I Have about Couch to 5K

1. Did you buy better running shoes before you started the program? My shoes are old and iffy, and I know they don’t have enough support for my weird feet. I am, however, scared to make any investment.

2. Am I the slowest jogger in the universe? I think I only covered about 1.5 miles tonight in 30 minutes.

3. What kind of stretching should you do at the end of each program day?

4. Is it possible to buy a sports bra when, um, you have this problem? (I’m not longer nursing and not quite as…problematic…but still an issue.) Right now I am wearing two bras for support. Should I confess that on the Internet? Too late.

5. How long did it REALLY take you to be able to run the 5k?

Seriously, I want answers! Help me out in the comments!

For more Top Ten Tuesday, visit OhAmanda.com.

Click on photo for source. This post includes Amazon affiliate links. Read more in my disclosure policy. 

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Losing It: Week 1

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Disclosure: Amazon affiliate links included in this post. 

I don’t like to do things that are hard.

I don’t suppose anyone does, right? Or is it just me? I feel like I have an especially hard time fighting cravings, pushing myself when it comes to exercise, and dealing with my emotional turmoil.

One of my epiphanies from The Biggest Loser was that I always refused to actually do hard exercise, the kind that might hurt a little the next day or cause me to feel like I can’t do it. Just maybe (shocker, I know) pushing myself a little was what it would take to actually lose weight. Doing more than one mile on Walk Away the Pounds or strolling the neighborhood.

Nearly a year ago, the phenomenon of Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred was sweeping the blogosphere. It seemed that all my favorite mommy bloggers were getting into that torturous DVD.

 Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred

It took me 11 months, but I finally got the courage to jump on that bandwagon this week. Sunday afternoon I banished Mr. V to the bedroom so he couldn’t make fun of me, donned some maternity yoga pants, and revved up the DVD. By the end of the first strength segment, I couldn’t feel my legs.

I am SERIOUS.

I wobbled through the rest of the DVD and Sunday evening.

Can I ask you a question? Have you ever been scared to sit down for fear of not being able to get up? Have you ever been sure you were going to “have an accident” because you literally could not get down to the toilet?

Yeah, me neither. Cough.

Monday morning I did Walk Away the Pounds to try to loosen up my legs so I could, you know, SIT DOWN. By Monday night I was SURE there was no way I could Shred. But Mr. V urged me to try, and so I did.

Tuesday night I started it by myself and five minutes in started yelling, “I can’t do it!!!” Mr. V brought Libbie in the room and they cheered me on and did some of the moves with me. (Libbie marching in place? SO CUTE!!!) And we made it through.

Mr. V wasn’t home Wednesday night. I didn’t do it. And now it’s Thursday afternoon, and my muscles finally seem to be somewhat normal again, and I am working on mustering the courage and energy to don the yoga pants and stick that evil circle into the DVD player.

WEEKLY GOAL PROGRESS
Body weight percentage lost: .95% (I’m a little disappointed, but it’s something and I honestly already see a small difference in my waist and feel stronger from all the Shredding!)

Sodas drank: 2 (goal is 1)
Water: drank a decent amount most days
Exercise: 5/7 (check!)
Whole foods: mostly. I did eat some Chick-Fil-A, some frozen ice cream bars, and a Sonic wrap. I am tracking my foods and exercise on SparkPeople, and that does help me keep accountable!

How did you do this week? Link up your post at Giving Up on Perfect, and don’t forget to visit Ashleigh at Heart and Home, too! If you have no clue what I’m talking about, read about the Losing It competition here.

P.S. On Twitter, we’re using the hashtag #LosingIt10 to find each other and root one another on!

I don’t mean to knock Walk Away the Pounds. I do think it’s good aerobic exercise. I just don’t tend to push myself when I do it.

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Gym Types

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Like every good American, I am at the Y in January doing my thing on the treadmill (truth be told, I was there in December as soon as I found out about my PCOS). The downtown Y is about two blocks from my office and thus tons of people from work go there. That’s unfortunate. I don’t really love seeing my co-workers in biker shorts. But then again, they probably don’t love seeing me in my too-tight little workout pants I’ve had since 1999 (and 35 lbs ago…).

I love to people-watch, probably because I have an insanely overactive imagination and I like to make up stories about them or use them as characters in stories I write. There is a girl I see in the elevator at work whom I’ve never met but she is a main character in the novel I’m writing. At least, I mean, I picture her when I write that character.

There are so many fun types of people at the gym:

–Old guy, who has one of those weight belts around his waist and carries about a 60-lb weight effortlessly;
–Old guy who moans between weight sets and you worry he might up and die right there in the YMCA;
–Guy who is pretending to ride a cycle, but only pedals between talking with his friends and laughing loudly;
–Tiny, model-type girls who do the elliptical trainer until they are going to pass out and then squeeze in a few reps on the inner and outer thigh machine;
–People who run funny;
–People who give me nasty looks when I giggle at them running funny;
–And then the rest of us, just trying to fit in a 30-minute workout so we can go home and eat pizza and not feel so bad about it. (OK–yes I did have pizza tonight, but it was homemade Oat Bran Pizza Crust with Asian chicken topping…not so bad for me!)

I love the post-New Year’s rush at the Y when there are other people who don’t know what they are doing populating the place as well. It makes me feel better. The parking lot was so full on Saturday afternoon someone waited for my space. So they didn’t have to walk any further to the front door. Wouldn’t want to overexert themselves, you know?

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