Working it Out: Goals for August

Hallelujah! July is over. I feel like that took forever, even though I was too busy for life. Seriously, 4th of July seems like it happened months ago. Harry Potter, Nicole’s visit, and my friend Tiff’s wedding all seem like they happened months ago too, even though Tiff’s wedding was just last weekend, Nicole left this past Wednesday, and Harry was a mere two weeks ago. Why did July take so long?

Maybe because now that Harry Potter is over, my life is an empty shell.

I didn’t set goals in July because I knew I’d just be way too busy to put forth 100% and I didn’t want to half-ass things I really want to accomplish. It’s August though, and I’m back on the goal wagon, which will feel good. I like having goals.

Since there were no goals in July, there’s no July goal recap. I can tell you that in the month of July I ate a lot of food, skipped a week of working out, and was a bridesmaid. It was that last one drove me to eat (just kidding, Tiff!)  Going back to the gym after skipping a week is not advisable. I HURT for days. I’m back in action though, and feeling good about it, which brings me to my August goals:

Goal #1: Try the 6 small meals a day/grazing thing—I was reading up on hypothyroidism last night, since I was recently diagnosed with it (of course. OF.COURSE.) and I was specifically looking for recommended foods to eat and to avoid while dealing with the disease. Soy is number one on the no-no list, which didn’t surprise me. A couple of other things were on the no list that did surprise me though, like spinach, strawberries, and broccoli. I don’t know how I feel about that shit, so I’m going to ask my doctor about it. Anyway, while I was perusing, I noticed that everything I looked at specifically said that people with hypothyroidism should eat several small meals a day instead of three bigs. I know this is a method that works for a lot of people and I’ve even tried it myself in the past, but I never tried very hard. I have to admit, I do like to eat three regular meals, but I’d like to make my thyroid work correctly even more. Yesterday I gave the grazing throughout the day thing a try, even though it was a beach day. I had a banana on the drive to the beach, a pb&j when we got there, an orange about an hour later, crudites (carrots, cukes, and grape tomatoes) an hour after that, an Applegate Farms ham and cheese sandwich on wheat an hour after that for lunch, and I munched on Rainier cherries in the afternoon before we headed home. Once we got home I ran over to the farmer’s market and picked up a sweet haul for under $30, then had a simple shrimp cocktail and a watermelon and feta salad for dinner. I felt perfectly satisfied all day, my blood sugar never dropped, I never felt compelled to overeat or to indulge in the chips my friends were having on the beach, and I didn’t even feel like I needed dessert tonight (although that SURELY won’t last). Today I did the same thing, but at work instead of at the beach. Eating anywhere but the beach is automatically less fun, but it still worked out. I had something small about every hour or so, then a 300 cal dinner, then a little chocolate. I’m only human!

Goal #2: Strength, strength, strength—The thyroid stuff also really stressed how important strength training is for people with hypothyroidism who are trying to control their weight. Of course, I do my strength training every week, but this month I intend to do more than normal. A trainer at the gym recently pointed out that pretty much everything I do has a cardio element, and that she’d like me to do more plain strength training, so I’m doing it!  I like strength training better anyway–I don’t have to wash my hair afterward.

Goal #3: Wake up with the alarm—I like the snooze button. I like it so much, that sometimes I’ll hit it for two hours. Of course, I usually set an alarm for a reason, whether it’s to go to work, to go to the gym, to meet up with friends, or just to not sleep for 24 straight hours. Hitting the snooze is really a foolish act, if I think about it. This month I’m going to attempt to wake up with the alarm instead of hitting the snooze 800 times. This morning I did it! Up at 5:20 for 5:45 am Body Pump. Tomorrow I’m going to do it again, though a little later than 5:20 am.

I’m tired already.

Goal #4: Save money for a trip!—I’m not awesome at saving money. Not awesome at all. But I want to go on a trip in October (to Savannah) so I’m going to start putting money aside for it every paycheck. I need to get one of those piggy banks you have to break to get into, but I’d feel bad smashing a pig.

Well, that's unfortunate.

Here’s to August!

Working It Out: My Favorite Workouts

People constantly tell me that they hate gyms and that they don’t understand how I get the motivation to go work out almost every day and so consistently.  The first thing I tell them is that I don’t really have a choice–either I work it out, or I watch someone else eat a piece of blueberry pie and I turn into Violet Bearuregarde.

It's true.

The second thing I tell them is that for me to stay motivated and consistent, I had to find exercises I don’t absolutely loathe.  It took some trial and error–when I first joined the Y almost a year ago, I quickly discovered how much I hate doing anything that requires an ounce of rhythm (like Zumba), because I have none.  I get overly concerned with trying to do everything right, I can’t keep up, I get self-conscious, and I end up just looking like a drunk, messed up Oompa Loompa performing an Irish jig.

"What are you trying to say?"

During the trial and error process, I discovered that my favorite exercises are one that are well-structured in segments and that allow me to sit down sometimes.  Really!  The other day I realized that all of my favorite exercises have floor segments (or, in spinning, first position sitting) that take momentary bits of the load off.

Now, it’s not that I like exercises that allow me to sit down because I’m lazy–quite the contrary. I like the exercises that have floor or sitting segments because they’re always more strength-focused and as we all know by now (I hope), building strength is key for maintaining a healthy body weight.  Rachel’s post about how you must strength train, even if you are fat, is my favorite blog post that covers this issue.

Think about it–when you run on the treadmill, put in a 30 minute session on the elliptical, shake it in a Zumba class, or grind it in a hip hop dancing class, you’re pretty much doing pure cardio, which is great and it’s necessary, but you’re not really building much strength at all.  You’ll never find me in any dance-oriented cardio class because I just don’t have the rhythm (remember, drunk Oompa Loompa), and while I did a lot of treadmill running in preparation for my first 5k and will hop on the elliptical here and there, I’d much rather combine my cardio and strength or focus purely on strength in my workouts. 

These are the exercise classes I discovered work best for me:

1.  Spinning: Spinning seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it exercises.  It’s hard, it’s in the dark, you get drenched in sweat, the music is loud, and there’s usually an instructor yelling, so people tend to get intimidated by it the first time they go.  But it’s for all those reasons that I love spinning and why it works for me.  I love classroom environments, which is why I almost always go to classes instead of working out on my own.  I thrive when I have the ability to see how to do things correctly and I’m motivated by working out with other people.  Spinning is so structured and while it’s an amazing cardio blast, it also builds some serious strength in the legs and glutes. It is recommended that you try spinning at least three times before you decide you absolutely hate it.  I find that the instructor makes all the difference for me.  If I don’t like the instructor I usually have a really bad ride, so I only go to instructors I like.  Simple enough.  Spinning also helps keep me up to date with all of the popular music I wouldn’t otherwise know, which in turn helps me know what’s going on when I’m in gay dance clubs.

"Everybody take it off!"

It was ’80s night.  I don’t always rock a side ponytail, although I probably should.

2.  Les Mills Body Pump: Body Pump is a 60 minute barbell-based weight training class that challenges all of the major muscle groups in the body.  Before I started Body Pumping, I’d walk by the classes and think “I could never do that.”  I eventually got up the courage to give it a try and I loved it right away.  Body Pump is structured, challenging, and I GET TO LAY DOWN! Chest, triceps, and abs are mostly done on the back, and the class is structured to load up opposing muscle groups so that you can actually get through each exercise; that means after intense squatting with weight across the back, we lay on our backs and do chest presses.  I think it’s awesome.  What I really love about Body Pump is that I have someone to watch so I can constantly correct my form.  I also started seeing results within two weeks.  I took several inches off my arms from doing Body Pump, and my arms are one of my biggest problem areas.  I don’t think I ever would have started weight training without this class; I certainly never would have walked into that free weight room at the gym and started lifting by myself.  I would have had no idea what to do!  Now that I know what to do, I could do weights on my own, but again, I love the classroom environment, so Body Pump is for me.  I really wish my gym held other Les Mills classes because I’ve looked them all up and they all look amazing!

3.  Yoga/Power Yoga: Yoga is one of those things that is just really simply good for you and there are modifications for pretty much every pose, so even the most basic beginners should be able to do yoga and feel good afterward.  When I first started going to the gym, spinning and yoga were the only two classes I went to.  They both really helped me build my weak little muscles into muscles that could take on heavier work, like Body Pump.  I kind of fell out of yoga for awhile because I got so focused on doing “harder” things, but I missed it and went back at the beginning of this year, then I wondered why I ever stopped going.  After my 5k last month I prevented shin splints by going to yoga after the race.  When I’m aching from one of the “harder” classes, yoga helps heal my muscles immediately–better and more quickly than a day off from exercising.  Yoga has also helped me with my balance (I’m not known for my gracefulness) and it’s helped me deal with my stress better.  Power Yoga is just a faster version of yoga.  I enjoy both.

Gentlemen also enjoy yoga. This position is called "plow." No joke.

4.  Interval/Circuit Training (Next Level): At my gym, this class is called Next Level because it really does bring you to the next level of fitness.  It’s 30 minutes of interval training.  There are usually four stations, two exercises per station, 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off and we go around the circuit twice.  Sometimes that switches up a little bit–yesterday the trainer made us do each exercise four times instead of two on the second round–but it’s generally 4-2-2.  I sweat more in Next Level than I do in all of my other classes combined.  It combines cardio and strength and it’s just so efficient.  I love efficiency, and of course, I love the structure.  There are new exercises every time–we do things like mountain climbers (ugh), jumpsquats, and high steps, we use kettleballs, weights, TRX, weighted balls (hehehe), and sometimes we even use sandbags.  There’s always something different and some new different muscle aches the day after every Next Level session I put in, which is a good thing.  If your gym has any kind of interval/circuit training and you’re looking to really push yourself or get out of a plateau, give it a try.  You’ll definitely see results quickly.

5.  Cardio Strength: I don’t always love this class–this is another one that really depends on the instructor.  As you might expect, Cardio Strength combines cardio and strength, much like Next Level, but you stay stationed in one spot for the most part and the class is usually 45 minutes to an hour.  I prefer the efficiency of Next Level, but there are days when Cardio Strength is in a better time slot for me.  It’s like a longer, yet lesser version of Next Level, but it certainly burns calories and builds strength, so when I have to, I go.

6.  Pilates: When I first started going to the gym I tried to go to pilates a few times and it just felt so hard.  I guess now that I’ve built up so much strength I’m able to appreciate it more, because I just started going again and I’m enjoying it so much more than I did the first time around.  Pilates focuses on using core muscles to work on strength and flexibility.  It’s mostly done on the floor, on a yoga mat, and it’s another one that puts those little often-ignored muscles to work.

So, those are the main workouts that I do in the gym.  I also try to fit in brisk walks when I can.  I run when I’m 5k training.  The classes, though, have changed the way I view going to the gym. I really think it’s just a matter of finding what you like.  My workout buddy, Chiara, hates spinning and loves Zumba.  Of course, she naturally has rhythm and never looks like a drunk Oompa Loompa when she does those dance workouts.

If you find the thought of running on a treadmill or plugging away mindlessly on an elliptical or recumbent bike absolutely depressing (which I do), please give classes a try.  There are gyms with reasonable rates (or you may be able to get a discount through your workplace) and there are yoga studios everywhere that offer reasonable packages.  The group setting tends to be really helpful and after awhile you start recognizing people.  You might even make some friends!

Or, you know, you can just make like Augustus Gloop and throw yourself into a river of chocolate to test out your swimming skills.  Good luck with that.

"Whoops."-Augustus Gloop

Working It Out: Just Do It/Feel The Burn!

You want to know something about working out?  A lot of work has to go into it.

Aaaaaaaaaand...one.

There are times when I’m in the middle of a spinning class or Power yoga or Cardio Strength and I just think to myself, “God.”

“This.”‘

“Is.”

“So.”

“Hard.”

And it really is.  It can be so, so hard.  But it can be so good, too.

I don’t really think about how good exercise is when I’m doing it.  I’m usually too busy trying to talk myself into pushing it just a little bit longer or trying not to throw up. It’s often just something that I have to do, the same way I have to brush my teeth and wash my face.  I just have to do it and get it done.  I don’t often think about the benefits of teeth-brushing or face-washing; I do those things because I know they’re good for my health, my teeth, my skin, and my general well-being, and because I was taught to do them every day, but I don’t think about them until I’m getting my annual check-up at the dentist or buying new face wash.  I just do them.

I’ve kind of gotten to a point where I just do exercise.  I’m mostly on autopilot.  I do it well.  I put a lot of time, energy, and effort into doing it, but in the end, I just do it.  I don’t think about it while I’m doing it.

However, I’ve found that I think about it when I’m not doing it.  When I’m standing in line at the grocery store and I flex my calves to get a stretch, I think about it.  When I lug a 25 pound box of cat litter from the car into my house and my arms feel strong and powerful, instead of like limp noodles, I think about it.  When I crouch down to pick up something I dropped and I come back up quickly without a tremble in my legs, I think about it.  I’ve come to really appreciate my own strength and the different ways the effects of exercise show on my body when I’m just doing every day normal things. I find myself savoring those moments when I notice and I’ve tried to start reminding myself about how good those moments feel when I’m huffing and puffing my way through an exercise class, trying to just get through it.

It’s kind of amazing when I stop and think about it.

I feel the burn and it feels really good.