5 Days Until Shamrock!

Today I had CPR training for work so I did not get my lunchtime run in today like I had hoped. For lunch I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a very grain-y and oat-y bread. It was tasty and very filling. I was so full I didn't have to eat a snack in the afternoon. During the training, they discussed strains and sprains, which I found very interesting since I've suffered from both before! I figured I would share the info here since exercising of any kind can cause a strain, sprain, or worse. Remember to RICE.

REST...Protect the injured muscle.
ICE...use ice packs for 15-20 minutes at a time on the injured area. (Longer exposure can damage the skin, so don't over do it.)
COMPRESSION....reduces swelling. Wrap the area in an ace bandage.
ELEVATION....reduces swelling.

NOTE: If your injury does not improve within 24 hours of the injury and you did the RICE diligently, call your doctor asap.

I went to the gym tonight since it was very cold out today and the gray clouds were threatening nasty rain (and I was right!). I spent 40 minutes on the stair-master and then did about 20 minutes of weights. It felt good to be back in the gym and working on my weight program! Tonight I spent most of my time on my upper body (especially my triceps). I burned 540 calories.

Dinner was left over Spinach Ravioli and pesto (my sore throat is much improved!) and steamed cauliflower.

There are 5 days left until the Shamrock Run. I feel very unprepared. I wish I could get one last long run in before Sunday but I think that would do more damage than good at this point.

UPDATE: I forgot to post my weight in yesterday's post. I weighed in at 158.

Saturday's Food

We can always find excuses for NOT EXERCISING. The most common excuse is "I don't have time." The trick is to FIND the time. I woke up this morning at 8am to go to the gym. We had plans with friends today at 11am and I wanted to make sure I got my workout. Did I want to get up at 8am? No. Was I tired and feeling like I'd rather go back to sleep? Yes. I still dragged my butt to the gym. Glad I did too!

Before heading out the door, I had a quick "breakfast". The Atkin's Shakes are really tasty, low calorie AND low sugar! A lot of the shakes out there are super high in sugar and carbs--basically defeating the whole "diet" shake concept. I highly recommend Atkins.
I spent about 40 minutes or so on the stair-master. It's my new favorite machine at the gym. Then I went upstairs and did about 30 minutes of weights and ab work. I burned 630 calories. Woo hoo! For the rest of my breakfast, I ate a toasted English muffin and a handful of granola.

We met up with some friends at the Portland Japanese Gardens. Today was "Free Admission" day and I'd never been. Luckily the weather was decent and we walked around the 5 acres of gardens and enjoyed the day. Afterward, we had a leisurely lunch at Produce Row Cafe (I had a turkey sandwich--even though I really wanted the nachos!).

Tonight, Michael and I are making fajitas (one of his specialties). I will still come out pretty good for today's calories!

Favorite moment of today: Michael noting that he thought I'd lost weight lately!! Awww! :D (And that's why I bought him flowers! The orange carnations.)

Tomorrow's plan: bike ride. Crossing fingers for no rain!

How to Stay Motivated

Vegas before....and after! The picture on the right was taken last summer in Vegas. I was the skinniest I'd ever been. I gained about 15 pounds this last year. I hate it. I felt like a failure after losing 110 pounds! Part of it is muscle because I really changed my work out routine this year (added a weight program and started running). The main part of that is medication I took for a year. It was nasty stuff. I'm off it now and hope the weight starts to come back off. I want to get back to that Vegas weight.

I think most people start exercise/diet programs with the best intentions but it's difficult to stay motivated. Here are a few tips I've learned along the way:
*Listen to music while at the gym. Or talk radio. I recorded a few radio shows I liked but couldn't hear at work and it helped me stay on that elliptical machine longer.
*A few gyms now have mini television screens attached to the machines. I've been known to get sucked into an HGTV program and all of a sudden I've been on the treadmill for an hour!
*Choose an exercise that you enjoy.
*Get a buddy! Having someone to work out with keeps you motivated because it's fun and you're accountable to each other.
....And the most important for ME:
*Have achievable goals!

Achievable goals are less overwhelming. Want to run a marathon? How about making your goal to run a half marathon instead? It's less stressful and overwhelming. Sometimes when I run, I start to feel overwhelmed, tired, or bored and want to stop. I tell myself, "I'll just run to that next light post" and once I get there, I usually keep going. :)

While I was losing weight, it helped immensely to have goals and specific dates to reach my weight loss. Here is an example:
1. I wanted to lose 50 pounds by my brother's wedding.
2. I wanted to train for my first 5k run.
3. And currently, I am training for Reach the Beach and Hood to Coast.

Saturday Work Out

I slept in a bit this morning and then headed to the gym. The above picture is me in my workout clothes. The other are my new shoes! My last pair of Nike running shoes died this week. On my lunchtime run Monday, I realized half way through my 3 miles that they were dead and going to cause me blisters. Ouch! My new shoes are Addidas running shoes. I've never had Addidas before, but I'm willing to try.

At the gym I spent about 40 minutes on the stairmaster and then did my weight training routine. I paid particular attention to using the ab machines because that's the area of my body I dislike the most. I spent an hour and 10 minutes at the gym and burned 615 calories!