February, which feels like a long time ago now, was not a stellar month when it came to physical activity.
March, on the other hand, has been pretty darn good.
Wanna see what happened?
Running
Training is ramping up for the Niagara Falls Women's half so I've been adding a few extra kilometres every week. Plus I tossed in some speed and hill training to get my legs and my heart pumping. Things are feeling good and my running is going well.
Distance covered: 118km
Number of workouts: 14
Time spent: 14.5 hours
Cycling
My cycling went down a bit this month but for a good reason. I've added swimming back into the mix and, let's be honest, there really are only so many hours in a day.
Distance covered: 38k
Number of workouts: 2
Time spent: 1 hour and 48 minutes
Swimming
Yes my friends, I am back in the pool again. I hopped back in two weeks ago and have been trying to go twice per week. No Master's class. Just me and my little workout tucked into a waterproof baggie. I'm enjoying it much more than I did last fall and look forward to the workouts again.
Distance covered: 10,000m
Number of workouts: 4
Time spent: 4 hours
Erg'ing (aka rowing machine)
I've been going to my new fitness centre on Sunday mornings and doing a nice little workout. Thirty minutes on the erg followed by weight training. The distance is adding up and I'm getting a bit faster and a bit stronger with each session.
Distance covered: 31,822m
Number of workouts: 5
Time spent: 2.5 hours
Corefit and Weight Training
I'm tossing any weight training I've been doing into one big pot. Whether it's an hour CoreFit class or an hour lifting weights, it's going here. Sadly I haven't figured out how to convert ten minutes on the bench press into distance so I'm only going to report on the number of workouts and time spent doing them.
Number of workouts: 8
Time spent: 6 hours and 15 minutes
Grand total for March:
Number of workouts: 33
Time spent: 29 hours
Distance covered: 196.8km
Where does that get me to?
I have covered a total distance of 547km in three months.
In January I had made it from my house to Barrie. By the end of February I was just north of Parry Sound. And now?
Well, I've made it all the way to Sudbury, Ontario with enough left over to turn west and head another 70km towards Sault St. Marie.
Just to remind you, my goal is to run, swim, bike, row and walk (on the golf course) my way to Regina, Saskatchewan by the end of 2015. The total distance is 2396km from my front door. In the first quarter of the year, I've covered just under one quarter of the distance (23% to be precise). Which means I'm well on my way to getting to Regina by New Year's Eve.
The challenge for April?
Where to fit in my Sunday morning erg/weight workout once it warms up enough for our Sunday morning cycling group to hit the roads again? The schedule will once again have to be tweaked.
Showing posts with label corefit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corefit. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
February Roundup
I'm a few days late but here is what February looked like in terms of exercise and activity.
February is a short month to begin with. Add a few snow storms in there and a two-week vacation and it didn't add up to as much activity as I would like. But it does add up which is always better than not adding up.
So, for better or for worse, here's the report.
Cycling
Because of all the snow I did have to sacrifice two runs and hop on the trainer instead. So I cycled 5 times in two weeks which is more than I usually would do. I covered a total of 83km in just over 4 hours.
Running
I only managed to run 5 times which is a lot less than I normally do in a month. I ran twice at the beginning of the month but the constant snow made it too treacherous to do any more than that outside. I did run three times in Florida which was great but then didn't run at all during our second week of vacation. So the grand total is 52km in 6 hours.
CoreFit and Tabata
2 sessions. That's it. Just two. Two were cancelled due to weather and then I missed two weeks while I was away. Sad. I did do a bunch of weights on the weekend when we got back and was shocked to see how quickly things fall apart. Oh well, March is a new month!
So my total distance covered this month was 135km.
In January I covered a total of 216k which, when you string them all together, took me from my front door to Barrie. Add February's distance and I'm now just north of Parry Sound, Ontario.
Regina, Saskatchewan is still 2,396km away but, with half marathon training coming up, golf season almost here and outdoor cycling fast approaching too, I'm pretty confident that I can cover that distance in the next 10 months.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
A Bizarre Evening with Dear Diabetes
There are plenty of adjectives that can be used to describe diabetes.
It's not often that I would choose the word 'bizarre' but the other night, that's exactly how I would describe what happened.
I had a very tight window between the end of my workday (5pm) and my CoreFit class (5:30pm). I had to drive home, change and then drive across town in those precious 30 minutes.
Problem number one: I had gone to work with what I thought was enough insulin but ended up being down to 1 unit in my pump at 5pm. Not enough to get me until 7pm when I would be home again.
Solution? I turned my basal rate down to 10% for one hour. I figured I was working out anyway so I wouldn't go too high. Plus it was only one hour so I could just take a bit of extra insulin with dinner to make up for that difference.
It worked. My pump didn't alarm during class to tell me that it was out of insulin. In fact, it waited until I walked into my kitchen before making a peep. Unfortunately, just as I walked into my kitchen, it alarmed for three things, one immediately after the other.
Alarm 1: pump is out of insulin
Alarm 2: blood sugar is above 10.0
Alarm 3: blood sugar is rising quickly (double arrows up)
Alright, the blood sugar spike was a little dramatic but I figured I'd be fine as soon as I changed my pump and took an extra large dinner dose.
Problem number two: I removed my infusion site. That's the part of the pump that is stuck to my skin like a bandage and there is a tiny plastic tube inserted under my skin so the insulin has a way to get into my body. Usually I peel back the infusion site and either nothing happens or a small droplet of insulin leaks out. This usually happens if I change my pump too soon after taking a dose of insulin.
Never in my life have I removed the infusion site and seen blood gush out. And by gush I mean a spurt followed by an alarming amount of blood leaking down my abdomen. I grabbed a nearly tissue and pressed it hard against my side. Doug passed me the box and I added about five more to the pile. I soaked through all of them. More tissue. More pressure. It was a good five minutes before the bleeding stopped to a trickle and a few more before I felt confident that I could put a bandage on and not ruin my clothes.
In the meantime my pump kept alarming. The no insulin alarm and the blood sugar rising too quickly alarm. I was now 14.8 and still double arrows up.
Once the gushing stopped, I put a bandage on and then proceeded to refill my pump and put in a new infusion site. I bolused 1 unit for dinner (it was pretty low-carb that day) and 5 units for my spiking sugar.
By the time we were finished dinner I was 20.9 and still climbing.
It took me three more insulin doses and several hours to climb back down below 10.0 resulting in a rough night and a missed morning run.
None of it makes any sense to me.
One hour of reduced insulin is not enough to cause that kind of spike. My numbers were fine at 5:30pm so it's not like I was high to begin with. My CoreFit classes usually cause a dramatic drop in sugars, not a spike.
And what the eff was up with that gusher? It's like I had hit an artery and the only thing holding in the flood was a tiny plastic tube. Remove the tube and, well, it looked like a scene from Dexter.
At the end of the day I am grateful that my site didn't decide to gush before I pulled it out. Like in the middle of CoreFit class or during my work presentation. How dramatic would that have been as a bright red mark slowly worked its way across my shirt while I stood in front of a group of horrified onlookers completely oblivious?
Monday, February 2, 2015
Made it to Barrie!
It's hard to believe that January is already done and over with. It seems like only yesterday that I was setting goals for the year.
Well, we are one month in to 2015 so it's time for my first checkin of the year.
Running
So far, running has been going well. I am not training for anything specific at the moment but I'm keeping my mileage up at a point where I could slip into half marathon training without too much difficulty.
In January I ran 12 times and covered 104k in 12 1/2 hours. I like months where I manage to run 100+k. There is something fun about putting that kind of distance on my shoes. Particularly in the cold dark months of a January in Canada.
Cycling
Cycling has also been going well. I have been much more consistent on the bike in the winter months than I was last summer.
I managed to get 6 rides in and covered a total of 106k in 5 1/4 hours.
Corefit and Tabata
I just finished my fifth straight month of CoreFit and Tabata classes and it's quite clear that these classes are a great addition to my workout schedule. I'm much stronger than I was and I do believe they have made a difference on my runs.
I did 6 classes in January - I missed one due to life and I missed a second one that was cancelled due to snow. I did work out at home that night but didn't count it simply because it was nowhere near as intense as it would have been had I had someone telling me what to do.
Swimming
Swimming has been good in the sense that I actually made it to the pool which is more than I could say in November and December. But I'm still not feeling any desire to get back in there and must force myself. I managed to swim three times for a total distance of 6.7k.
Nothing to brag about to be sure but a goal to try to beat in February I guess.
So how were things overall?
One month in and I have covered 216km.
My goal for this year was to walk, bike, swim and run the distance from our front door to Regina, Saskatchewan which is a grand total of 2747k.
My 216k takes my from our front door to the other side of Barrie, Ontario.
Slow and steady folks, slow and steady.
Well, we are one month in to 2015 so it's time for my first checkin of the year.
Running
So far, running has been going well. I am not training for anything specific at the moment but I'm keeping my mileage up at a point where I could slip into half marathon training without too much difficulty.
In January I ran 12 times and covered 104k in 12 1/2 hours. I like months where I manage to run 100+k. There is something fun about putting that kind of distance on my shoes. Particularly in the cold dark months of a January in Canada.
Cycling
Cycling has also been going well. I have been much more consistent on the bike in the winter months than I was last summer.
I managed to get 6 rides in and covered a total of 106k in 5 1/4 hours.
Corefit and Tabata
I just finished my fifth straight month of CoreFit and Tabata classes and it's quite clear that these classes are a great addition to my workout schedule. I'm much stronger than I was and I do believe they have made a difference on my runs.
I did 6 classes in January - I missed one due to life and I missed a second one that was cancelled due to snow. I did work out at home that night but didn't count it simply because it was nowhere near as intense as it would have been had I had someone telling me what to do.
Swimming
Swimming has been good in the sense that I actually made it to the pool which is more than I could say in November and December. But I'm still not feeling any desire to get back in there and must force myself. I managed to swim three times for a total distance of 6.7k.
Nothing to brag about to be sure but a goal to try to beat in February I guess.
So how were things overall?
One month in and I have covered 216km.
My goal for this year was to walk, bike, swim and run the distance from our front door to Regina, Saskatchewan which is a grand total of 2747k.
My 216k takes my from our front door to the other side of Barrie, Ontario.
Slow and steady folks, slow and steady.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Calories Burned and Other Witchcraft and Wizardry
I've learned a lot in the 2 weeks that I've been using My Fitness Pal.
I've learned that I was eating way too much food and that what I thought was a serving is actually enough to feed both Doug and I.
I learned that, if I eat healthy balanced meals and snacks, I can eat a more reasonable amount without feeling any more hungry. In fact the only difference is that I don't feel that heavy full feeling that I felt after most meals.
I've learned that eating 3 squares of chocolate as a treat after dinner tastes more delicious than eating 6 of them. I think our taste buds turn down a notch or two after the first few bites of food so I'm learning to take a bit of something, eat it, enjoy it, and then decided if I need a bit more.
In the last two days, I've also learned that calculating the amount of calories burned during exercise is less of a science and more of a combination of witchcraft and ruby-slippered heel clicking.
Since day one, I had been entering my runs and my bike rides into My Fitness Pal and it would immediately spit out a number of calories burned which it then added to my daily calorie total. All I had to do was pick the activity from their list, enter the time I spent doing it and voilà!
But then I tried to enter my CoreFit class on Tuesday night and the wheels fell off the cart. CoreFit is not a cardio exercise and it's not a strength exercise. It's both. And it's not on the list of activities that My Fitness Pal has for us to pick from. So I started looking at how calories burned are actually calculated and one website brought me to another one and soon enough I realized that it's just plain overwhelming to try to do anything other than estimate.
I learned that having a sense of my average heart rate over the course of the activity is helpful so, for research purposes, I put on my heart rate monitor for my Thursday morning bike ride. My average heart rate over the 51-minute ride turned out to be 121 beats per minute (bpm).
I entered the workout into My Fitness Pal (without the heart rate because you can't actually put that in) and it said I burned 498 calories.
I uploaded the workout into Training Peaks (with heart rate) and it said that I burned 602 calories.
I then tried plugging my age, weight, heart rate and time spent cycling into a formula that I found referenced at a variety of online sources and it said that I burned 333 calories.
One workout, three very different numbers.
For fun, I decided to wear my heart rate monitor to Tabata class on Thursday night. It's another workout that isn't easily plugged into My Fitness Pal. After class I uploaded the data into Training Peaks and learned that my max heart rate was 152bpm and my average was 116bpm.
Training Peaks said that my calorie burn over the 42 minute class was 319.
My formula said that it was 252.
Those two were a little closer this time.
I'll be wearing my heart rate monitor on Saturday's run and am very interested to see what that tells me.
My guess is that I will have to take any number given with a grain of salt, eat more food on days when I exercise more but not worry too much about the details.
______________________
P.S. the formula I was using for anyone who is interested is:
C = [(A x 0.074) - (W x 0.05741) + (H x 0.4472) - 20.4022)} x T / 4.184
C = calories burned
A = age
W = weight (in pounds)
H = average heart rate in beats per minute
T = time in minutes
Note: this formula was for females. There is a slightly different one for males that you can easily find by Googling if you want it.
P.P.S. I also learned that I apparently have a crazy low resting heart rate. I was walking around the house and my heart rate hovered around 65-75. I sat down and, within 15 seconds, was down to 48 beats per minute. I Googled that too and discovered that I'm supposed to tell my doctor if my heart rate is consistently below 60. So I sighed, stopped Googling and went to Tabata.
I've learned that I was eating way too much food and that what I thought was a serving is actually enough to feed both Doug and I.
I learned that, if I eat healthy balanced meals and snacks, I can eat a more reasonable amount without feeling any more hungry. In fact the only difference is that I don't feel that heavy full feeling that I felt after most meals.
I've learned that eating 3 squares of chocolate as a treat after dinner tastes more delicious than eating 6 of them. I think our taste buds turn down a notch or two after the first few bites of food so I'm learning to take a bit of something, eat it, enjoy it, and then decided if I need a bit more.
In the last two days, I've also learned that calculating the amount of calories burned during exercise is less of a science and more of a combination of witchcraft and ruby-slippered heel clicking.
+
=
Calories burned
Since day one, I had been entering my runs and my bike rides into My Fitness Pal and it would immediately spit out a number of calories burned which it then added to my daily calorie total. All I had to do was pick the activity from their list, enter the time I spent doing it and voilà!
But then I tried to enter my CoreFit class on Tuesday night and the wheels fell off the cart. CoreFit is not a cardio exercise and it's not a strength exercise. It's both. And it's not on the list of activities that My Fitness Pal has for us to pick from. So I started looking at how calories burned are actually calculated and one website brought me to another one and soon enough I realized that it's just plain overwhelming to try to do anything other than estimate.
I learned that having a sense of my average heart rate over the course of the activity is helpful so, for research purposes, I put on my heart rate monitor for my Thursday morning bike ride. My average heart rate over the 51-minute ride turned out to be 121 beats per minute (bpm).
I entered the workout into My Fitness Pal (without the heart rate because you can't actually put that in) and it said I burned 498 calories.
I uploaded the workout into Training Peaks (with heart rate) and it said that I burned 602 calories.
I then tried plugging my age, weight, heart rate and time spent cycling into a formula that I found referenced at a variety of online sources and it said that I burned 333 calories.
One workout, three very different numbers.
For fun, I decided to wear my heart rate monitor to Tabata class on Thursday night. It's another workout that isn't easily plugged into My Fitness Pal. After class I uploaded the data into Training Peaks and learned that my max heart rate was 152bpm and my average was 116bpm.
Training Peaks said that my calorie burn over the 42 minute class was 319.
My formula said that it was 252.
Those two were a little closer this time.
I'll be wearing my heart rate monitor on Saturday's run and am very interested to see what that tells me.
My guess is that I will have to take any number given with a grain of salt, eat more food on days when I exercise more but not worry too much about the details.
______________________
P.S. the formula I was using for anyone who is interested is:
C = [(A x 0.074) - (W x 0.05741) + (H x 0.4472) - 20.4022)} x T / 4.184
C = calories burned
A = age
W = weight (in pounds)
H = average heart rate in beats per minute
T = time in minutes
Note: this formula was for females. There is a slightly different one for males that you can easily find by Googling if you want it.
P.P.S. I also learned that I apparently have a crazy low resting heart rate. I was walking around the house and my heart rate hovered around 65-75. I sat down and, within 15 seconds, was down to 48 beats per minute. I Googled that too and discovered that I'm supposed to tell my doctor if my heart rate is consistently below 60. So I sighed, stopped Googling and went to Tabata.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
November Fitness Wrap-Up
After October's fitness failure, November was a bit of a redemption month. As my energy came back after being sick for a few weeks I was able to add a bit more activity each week. One step at a time and, by the end of 30 days, I actually covered a fairly good distance.
CoreFit and Tabata
I attended 3 CoreFit classes and 3 Tabata classes in November. The only two I missed were last week when I was away for work. That a total of 6 hours of core, abs and legs. Did I mention that I love those classes?
Curling
We're back on the ice now for our regular Friday night curling battles. I don't usually report on curling but, the more I think about it, the more i think I should. It's a tough sport. The sweeping gets my cardio up the way the bike never does and it's great for the arms. It also works on leg strength as well as balance. I curled 4 regular games in November as well as three bonus ones thanks to the Lighthouse Bonspiel last weekend. That's a total of 10 1/2 hours on the ice. Did I mention that it's freezing out there?
Cycling
I managed to get on the trainer three times in November. Twice on Sundays and one nasty morning when it was just too windy, snowy and cold to run outside. I cycled 52.6km in total and pedalled for 2 1/2 hours overall.
Running
Running was much better this month. I completed 11 runs in November which is almost three runs per week (minus the snow day when I hopped on the bike). I ran a total of 11 1/2 hours and covered 102km. My longs runs were 10k, 12k, 14k and 15k. I'm clawing my way back to being able to run 1 1/2 hours straight without needing to spend the rest of the day on the couch. This past weekend's long run was the best I've felt in about 6 weeks on a long run. So yay for that.
I do have to admit that, without golf, my overall time spent moving is down significantly. I have also been neglecting the pool as you may have noticed. I started off missing because I was off, then I was sick. then I stayed off because I was exhausted. Now I'm not swimming because, well, because I don't really feel like it. I think I got a bit burned out from all the early mornings and the rigamarole that goes along with early-morning swims. So no swimming at the moment and I'm completely ok with that. I may go back this month for a few swims. I may not. I'm definitely back in the pool in January in order to prepare for the 2015 triathlon season. Between now and then - it will be what it will be and I'm not worried about whatever it is.
At the end of December I'll report back on the last month of 2014 as well as the grand total for the year. That's always fun. I wonder if I'll meet my goal of running 1000km in 2014? That would be fun.
CoreFit and Tabata
I attended 3 CoreFit classes and 3 Tabata classes in November. The only two I missed were last week when I was away for work. That a total of 6 hours of core, abs and legs. Did I mention that I love those classes?
Curling
We're back on the ice now for our regular Friday night curling battles. I don't usually report on curling but, the more I think about it, the more i think I should. It's a tough sport. The sweeping gets my cardio up the way the bike never does and it's great for the arms. It also works on leg strength as well as balance. I curled 4 regular games in November as well as three bonus ones thanks to the Lighthouse Bonspiel last weekend. That's a total of 10 1/2 hours on the ice. Did I mention that it's freezing out there?
Cycling
I managed to get on the trainer three times in November. Twice on Sundays and one nasty morning when it was just too windy, snowy and cold to run outside. I cycled 52.6km in total and pedalled for 2 1/2 hours overall.
Running
Running was much better this month. I completed 11 runs in November which is almost three runs per week (minus the snow day when I hopped on the bike). I ran a total of 11 1/2 hours and covered 102km. My longs runs were 10k, 12k, 14k and 15k. I'm clawing my way back to being able to run 1 1/2 hours straight without needing to spend the rest of the day on the couch. This past weekend's long run was the best I've felt in about 6 weeks on a long run. So yay for that.
I do have to admit that, without golf, my overall time spent moving is down significantly. I have also been neglecting the pool as you may have noticed. I started off missing because I was off, then I was sick. then I stayed off because I was exhausted. Now I'm not swimming because, well, because I don't really feel like it. I think I got a bit burned out from all the early mornings and the rigamarole that goes along with early-morning swims. So no swimming at the moment and I'm completely ok with that. I may go back this month for a few swims. I may not. I'm definitely back in the pool in January in order to prepare for the 2015 triathlon season. Between now and then - it will be what it will be and I'm not worried about whatever it is.
At the end of December I'll report back on the last month of 2014 as well as the grand total for the year. That's always fun. I wonder if I'll meet my goal of running 1000km in 2014? That would be fun.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Not So Tough Anymore
The human body is amazing.
Really.
I have been doing CoreFit and Tabata classes now for 11 weeks. Technically 9 since I missed two weeks due to travel and being sick.
The first week of CoreFit and Tabata was shocking in its difficulty. I barely survived the class and then I limped around for days afterwards as my muscles protested. The next few weeks were still pretty brutal but a little less so because at least I knew what to expect.
I missed two weeks and then the first week back was pretty tough.
The last two weeks though, something happened at Thursday evening's Tabata classes. I actually surprised myself by thinking 'this really isn't that hard anymore'. In fact, last week in the middle of the class I thought 'this really isn't challenging enough'.
I can hold the side planks. I can lift the weights. I can lift the weights while holding the planks. And at the end of it all I can drive home, have dinner, shower and not feel an overwhelming desire to collapse into bed.
I love these classes and I think they have really helped me get stronger in ways that my other workouts were not able to.
But I no longer walk into the class hoping to survive. I now walk into the class excited for a good workout followed by an evening luxuriating on the couch with a good book.
It's amazing what the human body can get used to isn't it?
What about Tuesday's CoreFit you ask? Well that class is another kinda beast entirely and still leaves me shaky-limbed and exhausted at the end. Gonna be a few more weeks yet before I write about how 'easy' CoreFit is.
Really.
I have been doing CoreFit and Tabata classes now for 11 weeks. Technically 9 since I missed two weeks due to travel and being sick.
The first week of CoreFit and Tabata was shocking in its difficulty. I barely survived the class and then I limped around for days afterwards as my muscles protested. The next few weeks were still pretty brutal but a little less so because at least I knew what to expect.
I missed two weeks and then the first week back was pretty tough.
The last two weeks though, something happened at Thursday evening's Tabata classes. I actually surprised myself by thinking 'this really isn't that hard anymore'. In fact, last week in the middle of the class I thought 'this really isn't challenging enough'.
I can hold the side planks. I can lift the weights. I can lift the weights while holding the planks. And at the end of it all I can drive home, have dinner, shower and not feel an overwhelming desire to collapse into bed.
I love these classes and I think they have really helped me get stronger in ways that my other workouts were not able to.
But I no longer walk into the class hoping to survive. I now walk into the class excited for a good workout followed by an evening luxuriating on the couch with a good book.
It's amazing what the human body can get used to isn't it?
What about Tuesday's CoreFit you ask? Well that class is another kinda beast entirely and still leaves me shaky-limbed and exhausted at the end. Gonna be a few more weeks yet before I write about how 'easy' CoreFit is.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Progress. Slow and Steady.
Two weeks into my return to the land of the healthy and my attempt to rediscover my old, familiar fitness level.
Two weeks worth of early morning runs.
Two weeks worth of after work CoreFit and Tabata classes.
My morning runs have gone from terribly hard to kinda hard to ok fine I'll go but I'd still rather stay snuggled under the covers to yay it's 5:15am, time to get up and run.
My evening classes have gone from it would be much easier to hold this plank if I wasn't coughing so much and shaking like a leaf to having the energy to not only do the cardio but bounce while doing it to thinking that the 7lb weights aren't quite heavy enough to sure, I'll join you for mussels and a glass of wine after class.
I'm still convinced that the chronic-ness of type 1 diabetes has less of an impact on my ability to live my life than a simple cold does.
Four weeks after feeling the first scratch in my throat I'm still coughing in the morning when I wake up and at the end of the day. My energy is probably 75% and people still, lovingly I'm sure, say things like "wow, you look exhausted" at uncomfortably regular intervals.
That being said, I'm writing this after a 7k early morning run and a tough tabata class. I still have the energy to prepare a healthy dinner rather than make a quick bowl of cereal and, after my dishes are done, I'm planning to spend an hour listening to a new podcast my sister recommended.
Then I'll head to bed.
Progress people. Slow but steady progress.
Soon, I hope, I will forget what it felt like to be sick because I'll be so happy enjoying what it feels like to be well.
Two weeks worth of early morning runs.
Two weeks worth of after work CoreFit and Tabata classes.
My morning runs have gone from terribly hard to kinda hard to ok fine I'll go but I'd still rather stay snuggled under the covers to yay it's 5:15am, time to get up and run.
My evening classes have gone from it would be much easier to hold this plank if I wasn't coughing so much and shaking like a leaf to having the energy to not only do the cardio but bounce while doing it to thinking that the 7lb weights aren't quite heavy enough to sure, I'll join you for mussels and a glass of wine after class.
I'm still convinced that the chronic-ness of type 1 diabetes has less of an impact on my ability to live my life than a simple cold does.
Four weeks after feeling the first scratch in my throat I'm still coughing in the morning when I wake up and at the end of the day. My energy is probably 75% and people still, lovingly I'm sure, say things like "wow, you look exhausted" at uncomfortably regular intervals.
That being said, I'm writing this after a 7k early morning run and a tough tabata class. I still have the energy to prepare a healthy dinner rather than make a quick bowl of cereal and, after my dishes are done, I'm planning to spend an hour listening to a new podcast my sister recommended.
Then I'll head to bed.
Progress people. Slow but steady progress.
Soon, I hope, I will forget what it felt like to be sick because I'll be so happy enjoying what it feels like to be well.
Monday, November 3, 2014
October Wrap Up
It's been November for three days already. Before October fades too quickly from my memory, I figure I had better fess up report on how the month was fitness-wise.
What is the opposite of stellar? Whatever word pops into mind is probably a good one for describing how the month went.
Out of 31 days, I only worked out on 12 of them. The other 19 days I did absolutely nothing. At least nothing particularly physical.
I did not swim once.
I did not cycle once (inside or outside)
I ran 6 times for a total of 34 kilometres. It took me 3 hours and 50 minutes.
I was able to squeeze in 12 hours of golf, walking a total of 30km.
I did 2 CoreFit classes and 3 Tabata ones. So five hours of weights and core workouts.
I could blame it on my cold and my never-ending cough.
I could complain about the struggle to regain the fitness level I had back in September when I was running 20k sans problème.
Instead, I'll look at it as a much-needed opportunity to rest my body a bit after a summer of tough workouts.
We're three days into November and I've already got a run in and a hill workout on my bike (indoors).
Looks like the rest period is slowly coming to an end.
What is the opposite of stellar? Whatever word pops into mind is probably a good one for describing how the month went.
Out of 31 days, I only worked out on 12 of them. The other 19 days I did absolutely nothing. At least nothing particularly physical.
I did not swim once.
I did not cycle once (inside or outside)
I ran 6 times for a total of 34 kilometres. It took me 3 hours and 50 minutes.
I was able to squeeze in 12 hours of golf, walking a total of 30km.
I did 2 CoreFit classes and 3 Tabata ones. So five hours of weights and core workouts.
I could blame it on my cold and my never-ending cough.
I could complain about the struggle to regain the fitness level I had back in September when I was running 20k sans problème.
Instead, I'll look at it as a much-needed opportunity to rest my body a bit after a summer of tough workouts.
We're three days into November and I've already got a run in and a hill workout on my bike (indoors).
Looks like the rest period is slowly coming to an end.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Begetting
When I exercise regularly, which is most of the time, I look forward to exercising. On running mornings it's rare that I don't want to get up and run. On CoreFit and Tabata nights it's rare that I don't want to change, grab my mat and head across town for another crazy workout. When the little voice in my head suggests that it might be nice not to work out, the much louder one tells it to shhhh and there is rarely an argument.
Exercise begets more exercise.
For two weeks while I was sick, I did not exercise. At all.
This week, I'm back at it but only about 60%. I'm running but not quite as far and I'm back to CoreFit but only just. Swimming isn't even on the table yet.
The biggest lesson I learned is that not exercising begets even more not exercising.
The body gets used to whatever it does the most. When I exercise regularly, that becomes the norm and it is what my body knows and expects. It feels best when that pattern is maintained.
When I couldn't exercise, the first few days were tough. I felt awful but wanted desperately to go out for a run anyway. Didn't matter how long. Fifteen minutes was fine. I just wanted to move.
As every day went by, I became more and more comfortable not exercising and, in less than two weeks, not exercising became my new norm.
I knew I wanted to get back out there and run but it was my mind telling me to, not my body. My mind knew it was good for me. My mind knew that I would feel better and have more energy once I was moving regularly again. My mind knew I would use less insulin and have fewer highs once exercise was the routine.
My body was quite happy to sit on the couch after work. It was quite happy to sleep in until 6:30am, shower, eat and go to work. No 5am alarms.
I think I understand now how difficult it is for people to motivate themselves to exercise when they are not used to doing it. It's hard to get motivated. It's exhausting the first few times you do it and you're more tired afterwards. I don't think the endorphins come out to play for the first few weeks.
Only the fact that I know how good I'll feel once I get over the first few days gets me up when the alarm goes off. Only the fact that I have a vague memory of how much I love CoreFit convinces me to head out, in the dark, after work for a class.
For folks out there who are trying to find a way to motivate themselves to move more, here are my two cents for what they are worth. Use your mind to motivate you at the beginning - tell yourself all the reasons why it's important to walk, run, swim or whatever it is that appeals to you. Convince yourself of the value and talk yourself into moving. Once you get used to moving, your body will take over and motivate you to keep doing it.
Because, I have to say, it feels so darn good to be active. And the memory of feeling that good is what gets me moving again.
Exercise begets more exercise.
For two weeks while I was sick, I did not exercise. At all.
This week, I'm back at it but only about 60%. I'm running but not quite as far and I'm back to CoreFit but only just. Swimming isn't even on the table yet.
The biggest lesson I learned is that not exercising begets even more not exercising.
The body gets used to whatever it does the most. When I exercise regularly, that becomes the norm and it is what my body knows and expects. It feels best when that pattern is maintained.
When I couldn't exercise, the first few days were tough. I felt awful but wanted desperately to go out for a run anyway. Didn't matter how long. Fifteen minutes was fine. I just wanted to move.
As every day went by, I became more and more comfortable not exercising and, in less than two weeks, not exercising became my new norm.
I knew I wanted to get back out there and run but it was my mind telling me to, not my body. My mind knew it was good for me. My mind knew that I would feel better and have more energy once I was moving regularly again. My mind knew I would use less insulin and have fewer highs once exercise was the routine.
My body was quite happy to sit on the couch after work. It was quite happy to sleep in until 6:30am, shower, eat and go to work. No 5am alarms.
I think I understand now how difficult it is for people to motivate themselves to exercise when they are not used to doing it. It's hard to get motivated. It's exhausting the first few times you do it and you're more tired afterwards. I don't think the endorphins come out to play for the first few weeks.
Only the fact that I know how good I'll feel once I get over the first few days gets me up when the alarm goes off. Only the fact that I have a vague memory of how much I love CoreFit convinces me to head out, in the dark, after work for a class.
For folks out there who are trying to find a way to motivate themselves to move more, here are my two cents for what they are worth. Use your mind to motivate you at the beginning - tell yourself all the reasons why it's important to walk, run, swim or whatever it is that appeals to you. Convince yourself of the value and talk yourself into moving. Once you get used to moving, your body will take over and motivate you to keep doing it.
Because, I have to say, it feels so darn good to be active. And the memory of feeling that good is what gets me moving again.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Thirty Minute Goal
Guess what I'm going to do this tomorrow?
I'm going to go for a run.
A
Thirty
Minute
Run
No fuss. No muss. Just gonna tie on my shoes, head out the door and lope along my familiar thirty minute route.
My goals?
To not beak into an uncontrollable coughing fit partway through and be forced to walk home.
To run the entire thing from start to finish.
To feel good at the end.
If it goes well, I might try the same damn thing on Sunday.
If that goes well, I'm running 7k on Tuesday morning and, if the stars align, I'm back to CoreFit on Tuesday night.
Swimming is going to have to wait another week I think. It's one thing to gasp my way through a run. It's another thing entirely to not be able to breathe 100% and to hop in the pool.
This damn cold has dragged on for two weeks now but I'm definitely on the mend. I know because instead of feeling a desperate need to sleep, I'm feeling a growing need to move.
She's baaaack!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
CoreFit Challenge
When to folks in the lab coats develop things to make living with diabetes a little easier - like pumps and continuous glucose monitors (also known as Roses and Dexters) - I'm pretty sure they have to run them through a whole barrage of tests.
Like how well the infusion sites stick.
Do they hold on after a shower? After two showers?
Does the CGM receiver receive a signal when the transmitter is on your stomach and you are sleeping face down under a mound of blankets?
How much pulling can the infusion site take before it rips off? Can it survive if you drop the pump and it's dangling at the end of the tubing? Can it survive if the tubing gets caught on a doorknob as you stroll by? As you run by?
How cold can it be before everything stops working right? How hot?
If someone sleeps on top of their insulin pump, while buried under a pile of blankets, for oh, say, 8 hours, is that hot enough to cook the insulin into uselessness?
So many things to test - no wonder it takes so long for new products to reach the consumers.
After the last few weeks, I'm working if I should contact Animas and Dexcom to let them know about a few more tests that I've been running on their products.
I like to call them the CoreFit Challenges.
The Pressure Test: Take a stability ball. Lie on it with all of your weight on your stomach. Ideally, directly on top of the Dexcom transmitter. Bend forward to put as much pressure on the transmitter as possible. Lift up using your back muscles. This will stretch out your stomach and pull the skin as tight as possible. Hope like hell the transmitter does not rip off. Repeat, oh, I don't don't, 10,000 times.
The Pump Clip Test: Clip your pump to your workout shorts. Begin class. Move pump around to the back in order to lie on your side. Then move pump back to the side in order to lie on your back. Move to stomach in order to lie on your side. Move from stomach to back in order to lie on your stomach. Hope clip is strong enough to handle 60 minutes of sweaty-palmed not-so-gentle manipulations. Repeat twice a week until pump clip disintegrates.
The Up and Down Test: I could probably get a job at Dexcom or Animas right now simply based on the knowledge I have re what happens to diabetes products during a long run. Running involves a lot of bouncing up and down but it's an up and down forward motion. I have never tested these things in a purely up and down fashion while waving my arms in various directions. As in while doing jumping jacks. Or while jumping up, spinning 180 degrees and landing. After each set I reach down to check if Dexter is still there because all the bouncing makes it feel like he's ripping off.
The Vibration Test: I dislike beeping noises so I have switched every pump alarm I can on my pump to vibrate. I never miss an alarm when I'm sitting at my desk. I rarely miss one while sleeping (although Doug may argue with that statement). Can the vibrations be felt while madly doing jumping jacks? While doing football runs? And, more importantly, will the vibrations cause me to lose my balance while in a side plank with one arm and one leg in the air?
Dexcom. Animas. If you have any questions about how your products performed during the CoreFit Challenge, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Like how well the infusion sites stick.
Do they hold on after a shower? After two showers?
Does the CGM receiver receive a signal when the transmitter is on your stomach and you are sleeping face down under a mound of blankets?
How much pulling can the infusion site take before it rips off? Can it survive if you drop the pump and it's dangling at the end of the tubing? Can it survive if the tubing gets caught on a doorknob as you stroll by? As you run by?
How cold can it be before everything stops working right? How hot?
If someone sleeps on top of their insulin pump, while buried under a pile of blankets, for oh, say, 8 hours, is that hot enough to cook the insulin into uselessness?
So many things to test - no wonder it takes so long for new products to reach the consumers.
After the last few weeks, I'm working if I should contact Animas and Dexcom to let them know about a few more tests that I've been running on their products.
I like to call them the CoreFit Challenges.
The Pressure Test: Take a stability ball. Lie on it with all of your weight on your stomach. Ideally, directly on top of the Dexcom transmitter. Bend forward to put as much pressure on the transmitter as possible. Lift up using your back muscles. This will stretch out your stomach and pull the skin as tight as possible. Hope like hell the transmitter does not rip off. Repeat, oh, I don't don't, 10,000 times.
The Pump Clip Test: Clip your pump to your workout shorts. Begin class. Move pump around to the back in order to lie on your side. Then move pump back to the side in order to lie on your back. Move to stomach in order to lie on your side. Move from stomach to back in order to lie on your stomach. Hope clip is strong enough to handle 60 minutes of sweaty-palmed not-so-gentle manipulations. Repeat twice a week until pump clip disintegrates.
The Up and Down Test: I could probably get a job at Dexcom or Animas right now simply based on the knowledge I have re what happens to diabetes products during a long run. Running involves a lot of bouncing up and down but it's an up and down forward motion. I have never tested these things in a purely up and down fashion while waving my arms in various directions. As in while doing jumping jacks. Or while jumping up, spinning 180 degrees and landing. After each set I reach down to check if Dexter is still there because all the bouncing makes it feel like he's ripping off.
The Vibration Test: I dislike beeping noises so I have switched every pump alarm I can on my pump to vibrate. I never miss an alarm when I'm sitting at my desk. I rarely miss one while sleeping (although Doug may argue with that statement). Can the vibrations be felt while madly doing jumping jacks? While doing football runs? And, more importantly, will the vibrations cause me to lose my balance while in a side plank with one arm and one leg in the air?
Dexcom. Animas. If you have any questions about how your products performed during the CoreFit Challenge, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Playing in the Sandbox
It's been almost 12 years since I discovered that my pancreas was sputtering to a halt. Twelve years since I stepped into the role of Pancreas CEO, with nothing on my résumé to indicate that I was ready for the job - well other than a love of numbers and patterns, a degree in biology (which helps a lot actually), and a desire to learn and do well.
So, after 12 years, you'd think I'd know that there is no formula to predict how blood sugar will react to a situation - particularly a new one. Say, like a one-hour CoreFit class that happens at night rather than first thing in the morning. A new activity at a time of day that I rarely choose to work out. What could possibly go wrong?
I have 12 years of experience living with diabetes. I have been running with diabetes since 2008. Cycling with diabetes since 2010. Curling with diabetes since 2011. Swimming with diabetes since 2012 and golfing with diabetes since 2013.
So why was it so surprising so discover that my blood sugar did something completely unexpected during the first class? Or that it did it again the second class because I didn't think my blood sugar's behaviour during my first class was, I don't know, characteristic?
My blood sugar drops during all the sports I listed above. A lot during running and curling. A little during cycling and golf. Even less during cycling.
Guess what it does in a CoreFit class?
According to Rose it spikes from 9.0 to 15.0 within the first 15 minutes. With double arrows up and vibration alarms aplenty.
Guess what happens after I learn this and decide to take a wee bit of insulin before class because I'm so smart?
I drop, double arrows down, within the first 15 minutes, have to eat a package of fruit chews partway through class and then I spike back up to 15 by the end.
On Tuesday, during my fourth week of this, I thought I had it pretty figured out. I ate a snack before but it was entirely protein (not the best pre-workout plan I know but I didn't want the spike again). I made sure I had no insulin on board. I made sure my blood sugar was hovering around 7, nice and steady.
The class started and I climbed up to 9.0 before slowly moving back down to 7.0 again by the end. I ate the second half of my dinner when I got home. I spiked up to 15.0 (bah!) but then slowly and steadily dropped back down over the next few hours (I was asleep but Rose told me what happened).
So the newest plan is to avoid eating too much before class to keep a steady number heading in. Then the plan is to take a full bolus with my post-CoreFit dinner (which is kinda scary because I go to bed not long after but I have to trust the patterns...and Rose to wake me if I'm horribly wrong).
I don't have it down to a science quite yet and, as soon as I do, the diabetes gods will certainly throw in something to eff it up anyway, but I do think I'm getting the hang of my latest fitness pursuit.
One day soon, diabetes and corefit may play happily together in the sandbox.
Until then, I'm keeping my candies at the ready and waiting the full 20 minutes to eat after I bolus for my dinner.
So, after 12 years, you'd think I'd know that there is no formula to predict how blood sugar will react to a situation - particularly a new one. Say, like a one-hour CoreFit class that happens at night rather than first thing in the morning. A new activity at a time of day that I rarely choose to work out. What could possibly go wrong?
I have 12 years of experience living with diabetes. I have been running with diabetes since 2008. Cycling with diabetes since 2010. Curling with diabetes since 2011. Swimming with diabetes since 2012 and golfing with diabetes since 2013.
So why was it so surprising so discover that my blood sugar did something completely unexpected during the first class? Or that it did it again the second class because I didn't think my blood sugar's behaviour during my first class was, I don't know, characteristic?
My blood sugar drops during all the sports I listed above. A lot during running and curling. A little during cycling and golf. Even less during cycling.
Guess what it does in a CoreFit class?
According to Rose it spikes from 9.0 to 15.0 within the first 15 minutes. With double arrows up and vibration alarms aplenty.
Guess what happens after I learn this and decide to take a wee bit of insulin before class because I'm so smart?
I drop, double arrows down, within the first 15 minutes, have to eat a package of fruit chews partway through class and then I spike back up to 15 by the end.
On Tuesday, during my fourth week of this, I thought I had it pretty figured out. I ate a snack before but it was entirely protein (not the best pre-workout plan I know but I didn't want the spike again). I made sure I had no insulin on board. I made sure my blood sugar was hovering around 7, nice and steady.
The class started and I climbed up to 9.0 before slowly moving back down to 7.0 again by the end. I ate the second half of my dinner when I got home. I spiked up to 15.0 (bah!) but then slowly and steadily dropped back down over the next few hours (I was asleep but Rose told me what happened).
So the newest plan is to avoid eating too much before class to keep a steady number heading in. Then the plan is to take a full bolus with my post-CoreFit dinner (which is kinda scary because I go to bed not long after but I have to trust the patterns...and Rose to wake me if I'm horribly wrong).
I don't have it down to a science quite yet and, as soon as I do, the diabetes gods will certainly throw in something to eff it up anyway, but I do think I'm getting the hang of my latest fitness pursuit.
One day soon, diabetes and corefit may play happily together in the sandbox.
Until then, I'm keeping my candies at the ready and waiting the full 20 minutes to eat after I bolus for my dinner.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
CoreFit - Week Four
It's hard to believe that I have already been to four weeks of CoreFit sessions. Or as Doug calls them, my Hercules classes. It feels like only yesterday that I finished my first class and woke up the next morning to discover that I could not sit down or stand up without support and could not get out of bed without rolling off the edge of the mattress.
How young and innocent I was back then when I first walked into that big empty gym and grabbed my fitness ball and my weights. How little I knew about what lay ahead, how hard it would be and yet how quickly I would adapt.
In four short weeks I have gone from being unable to hold those tippy-toe squats to trying not to throw up while I held them to kinda wishing we did one more before we move on.
I have gone from being unable to hold the plank for the allotted time to being able to lift weights while planking (oh yes, it is indeed possible).
In fact this week I even managed a side plank while hoisting weights up over my head. Not once but 15 times.
My arms, legs, abs and back all feel stronger and, for the first time, feel like they are working team rather than every muscle for themself. And the challenge-seeking part of me enjoys the fact that every week we do a few new things that continue to keep us pushing hard and laughing at ourselves.
For example: at the end of Tuesday's class we were asked to lie down on our stomachs. Put our hands into fists and plant them (knuckles down) firmly on the ground on either side of us - right near the bottom of our rib cage. Plant our toes. Tighten all of our muscles and, in once graceful motion, lift ourselves up into a plank.
Most of us lay on the ground laughing because we couldn't raise our bodies at all without our abs and arms turning into al dente spaghetti noodles. Our instructor however made it look so easy and motivated me at least to want to be able to do it.
By the end of the class, we were promised, we would be strong enough to be able (or almost able) to do that move. Yay! A new goal.
Four weeks in, eleven to go.
Come back tomorrow to find out how well CoreFit and Diabetes play together in the sandbox.
How young and innocent I was back then when I first walked into that big empty gym and grabbed my fitness ball and my weights. How little I knew about what lay ahead, how hard it would be and yet how quickly I would adapt.
In four short weeks I have gone from being unable to hold those tippy-toe squats to trying not to throw up while I held them to kinda wishing we did one more before we move on.
I have gone from being unable to hold the plank for the allotted time to being able to lift weights while planking (oh yes, it is indeed possible).
See?
In fact this week I even managed a side plank while hoisting weights up over my head. Not once but 15 times.
Sorta like this
My arms, legs, abs and back all feel stronger and, for the first time, feel like they are working team rather than every muscle for themself. And the challenge-seeking part of me enjoys the fact that every week we do a few new things that continue to keep us pushing hard and laughing at ourselves.
For example: at the end of Tuesday's class we were asked to lie down on our stomachs. Put our hands into fists and plant them (knuckles down) firmly on the ground on either side of us - right near the bottom of our rib cage. Plant our toes. Tighten all of our muscles and, in once graceful motion, lift ourselves up into a plank.
Most of us lay on the ground laughing because we couldn't raise our bodies at all without our abs and arms turning into al dente spaghetti noodles. Our instructor however made it look so easy and motivated me at least to want to be able to do it.
By the end of the class, we were promised, we would be strong enough to be able (or almost able) to do that move. Yay! A new goal.
Four weeks in, eleven to go.
Come back tomorrow to find out how well CoreFit and Diabetes play together in the sandbox.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
September Roundup
September is the new August. I have heard that a few times, often in jest, but this year it is most definitely true in Southern Ontario. Last week, when we were off, we enjoyed blue skies and temperatures in the mid 20s every single day. It was glorious. Here is hoping it lasts well into October.
Well, since it's the last day in September, I guess I owe you all a summary on how the month went in terms of activity. Here's how it shook down:
Swimming
I swam twice. That was due to a) the pool being closed at the beginning of the month and b) my not swimming last week when I was off. That being said, I did get 3 hours in the pool and managed to swim 6350m.
Cycling
Cycling continues to be abysmal and I have pretty much given up on the entire activity until next spring. Or at least until I head down into the bowels of the basement and do my mid-winter Bending Crank Arms videos that I love to hate.
I cycled once and covered 36.5k on the ride. C'est tout.
Running
Running went much better since a) I'm pretty religious about it most of the time and b) until last week I was right in the middle of half-marathon training. So I logged exactly 100km of running in September and ran for a total of 11 hours and 15 minutes. The runs went well for the most part and I plan to continue with the routine with a few changes for October. I want to go back to doing interval and hill training. I enjoyed that for a few months but then stopped once I started increasing my long run distance since my shins can only take so much pounding. And I plan to keep my weekend runs up in the 12-16km distance so I am ready for the Boxing Day ten miler on, you guessed it, Boxing Day.
CoreFit and Tabata
I started CoreFit and Tabata classes in September for the first time ever. I crawled home after the first week, I shuffled home after the second week and I bounced home after the third. After only three weeks I can tell I am stronger and my body is able to handle all the planks and tippy-toe squats we have to do. I enjoy it and am glad that I will have these classes to keep me moving in the winter months. So in total I did seven one-hour classes in September.
Golf
Golf continues to be my new-found passion and I love it more with each game. The weather has been so lovely that I have been able to play a lot. And by a lot I mean that I played 10 games (3 9-hole games and 7 18-hole games). I spent 31.5 hours on the golf course and walked a total of 77km. I brought my handicap down one more notch which is both frustrating and satisfying all at the same time. If we're lucky we'll get one more month in before it gets too cold to play. And then all I can do is dream until the buds are back on the trees...or convince Doug that we really need to head somewhere in February to play a few rounds. You know, to keep our edge.
In total I did 32 different workouts on 22 different days. I doubled up on several days by running in the morning and then going to CoreFit or Tabata after dinner. Heck, last Tuesday I managed to run 7k, play 18 holes of golf and get back on time for CoreFit. It was crazy but fun.
Well, since it's the last day in September, I guess I owe you all a summary on how the month went in terms of activity. Here's how it shook down:
Swimming
I swam twice. That was due to a) the pool being closed at the beginning of the month and b) my not swimming last week when I was off. That being said, I did get 3 hours in the pool and managed to swim 6350m.
Cycling
Cycling continues to be abysmal and I have pretty much given up on the entire activity until next spring. Or at least until I head down into the bowels of the basement and do my mid-winter Bending Crank Arms videos that I love to hate.
I cycled once and covered 36.5k on the ride. C'est tout.
Running
Running went much better since a) I'm pretty religious about it most of the time and b) until last week I was right in the middle of half-marathon training. So I logged exactly 100km of running in September and ran for a total of 11 hours and 15 minutes. The runs went well for the most part and I plan to continue with the routine with a few changes for October. I want to go back to doing interval and hill training. I enjoyed that for a few months but then stopped once I started increasing my long run distance since my shins can only take so much pounding. And I plan to keep my weekend runs up in the 12-16km distance so I am ready for the Boxing Day ten miler on, you guessed it, Boxing Day.
CoreFit and Tabata
I started CoreFit and Tabata classes in September for the first time ever. I crawled home after the first week, I shuffled home after the second week and I bounced home after the third. After only three weeks I can tell I am stronger and my body is able to handle all the planks and tippy-toe squats we have to do. I enjoy it and am glad that I will have these classes to keep me moving in the winter months. So in total I did seven one-hour classes in September.
Golf
Golf continues to be my new-found passion and I love it more with each game. The weather has been so lovely that I have been able to play a lot. And by a lot I mean that I played 10 games (3 9-hole games and 7 18-hole games). I spent 31.5 hours on the golf course and walked a total of 77km. I brought my handicap down one more notch which is both frustrating and satisfying all at the same time. If we're lucky we'll get one more month in before it gets too cold to play. And then all I can do is dream until the buds are back on the trees...or convince Doug that we really need to head somewhere in February to play a few rounds. You know, to keep our edge.
In total I did 32 different workouts on 22 different days. I doubled up on several days by running in the morning and then going to CoreFit or Tabata after dinner. Heck, last Tuesday I managed to run 7k, play 18 holes of golf and get back on time for CoreFit. It was crazy but fun.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Tabata
Ever heard of Tabata?
I had no idea what it was. All I knew was that the Thursday night CoreFit class was a Tabata class.
Tabata, as it turns out, is like CoreFit on speed.
The class is broken up into 4-minute segments. Before each segment we are explained the four things we are about to do.
I had no idea what it was. All I knew was that the Thursday night CoreFit class was a Tabata class.
Tabata, as it turns out, is like CoreFit on speed.
The class is broken up into 4-minute segments. Before each segment we are explained the four things we are about to do.
Each segment seems to have a cardio thing (like jumping jacks), an arm weight thing (like bicep curls), a core thing (like side plank) and an ab thing (like lie on your back and then raise and lower your legs). You do each activity for 20 seconds and then immediately move on to the next and the next. When all four are done you immediately repeat the entire set of four.
The entire segment takes 4 minutes.
Then you sit panting on the mat while the instructor quickly explains the next four moves. Repeat this until you have finished 8 complete segments. All the while there is a recording of a guy counting down the 20 second sets and playing wacky music in between.
It's fun. It's fast. It's hard. And it's manageable because, no matter how hard something was, you only had to do it for 20 seconds.
I laughed a few times because all the other ladies were sore from Tuesday as well and every once in a while a collective groan could be heard as the move we did used one of the sorer muscle groups. It's bizarre how comforting it is to share pain with others.
I crawled home again on Thursday night hoping my body would have enough time to recover before my 20k run on Saturday morning.
I have to say that I am impressed with the classes and pleasantly surprised at how the first week went. It will be interesting to see how far I get after 15 weeks of this. At this rate I'll be able to bench press a car by Christmas.
A small car mind you.
A small car mind you.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The Run
Thursday morning, 36 hours after my first CoreFit class, I dragged my screaming body out of bed. Everything hurt. Abs, back, legs, glutes. In fact, the only muscles that didn't hurt were my arms.
I really need to grab heavier weights next week.
CoreFit part two was Thursday night and I was a little worried about how sore I was. I didn't want to go to a second class if it meant sacrificing my Saturday 20k run because I couldn't move. So I made myself get up Thursday morning and go for a 5k run. Just to make sure I could.
I stood at the end of my driveway in the cool, dark early morning with my finger poised over my watch. Ready to hit start and head off down the road. Ready? Hit the button Céline. C'mon girlie hit the button.
Just.
Hit.
The.
Damn.
Button.
BEEP!
I willed my butt muscles into gear and headed off. After the first ten seconds of awkward fumbling while I tried to remember how my legs worked, it felt ok. Not run like the wind ok but I think I'll survive the run ok. I was slower than normal but I was moving and nothing really hurt very much. Just stiff and really achy.
I warmed up for 2 1/2 kilometres and then figured I should stop and stretch a bit. I did and it felt really good. Then I tried to start running again. I almost laughed out loud as I felt my butt muscles quiver in fear and do their best to help propel me forward. It was a little more of a lurch than a lunge but I was moving again and ran the second half without incident.
I made it home and felt better knowing that I could indeed run.
Looks like I would be going to Thursday's class and looks like I would be running 20k on Saturday after all.
I really need to grab heavier weights next week.
CoreFit part two was Thursday night and I was a little worried about how sore I was. I didn't want to go to a second class if it meant sacrificing my Saturday 20k run because I couldn't move. So I made myself get up Thursday morning and go for a 5k run. Just to make sure I could.
I stood at the end of my driveway in the cool, dark early morning with my finger poised over my watch. Ready to hit start and head off down the road. Ready? Hit the button Céline. C'mon girlie hit the button.
Just.
Hit.
The.
Damn.
Button.
BEEP!
I willed my butt muscles into gear and headed off. After the first ten seconds of awkward fumbling while I tried to remember how my legs worked, it felt ok. Not run like the wind ok but I think I'll survive the run ok. I was slower than normal but I was moving and nothing really hurt very much. Just stiff and really achy.
I warmed up for 2 1/2 kilometres and then figured I should stop and stretch a bit. I did and it felt really good. Then I tried to start running again. I almost laughed out loud as I felt my butt muscles quiver in fear and do their best to help propel me forward. It was a little more of a lurch than a lunge but I was moving again and ran the second half without incident.
I made it home and felt better knowing that I could indeed run.
Looks like I would be going to Thursday's class and looks like I would be running 20k on Saturday after all.
Monday, September 15, 2014
CoreFit
Last Tuesday I tried my first CoreFit Class. I had never been to a class like that before.
I knew it would be hard.
I knew it would be good for me.
I knew I would probably curse in my head a few times, perhaps curse out loud once or twice but, at the end of it, I knew I'd probably want to come back again.
The class started off with a warmup that had me feeling incredibly grateful that my mother and I used to go to step classes together. Being rather uncoordinated and often unable to make my arms and legs follow instructions at the same, those almost forgotten step class moves miraculously reappeared, allowing me to almost keep up with the warmup.
The warmup ended with squats. Lots and lots of squats. Plain squats. Squats with weights. Squats that you hold while standing on your toes. Squats that have you shaking so badly that when you a finally allowed to stand up again you're not sure if you actually can.
The squats were followed by planks. And more planks. And side planks. And planks with weights (who knew that was possible??). Planks where you slide backwards and forwards (now I know why we needed those cloths!).
And abs. And more abs. And abs with your legs in the air. Abs while balancing on balls.
Finally arms. Lots of arms. Arms, as it turns out, were my favourite. Probably because I grabbed weights that were too light which made me feel super strong. Probably also because my arms are much stronger than they used to be thanks to all the swimming and it made me feel kinda badass.
By the time we were ready to cool down, I was shaking so much I wasn't sure I could stand up for the cool down. I did. And I was grateful to see that most of the other women were looking as exhausted as I was.
I stumbled home and into bed. I felt great for having done it but I knew I was going to be in for a few days of sore muscles. What I didn't realize was how quickly that soreness would appear and how sore I would be. By Wednesday morning I could not sit up in bed without using my arms and by Wednesday afternoon I could not lower myself down into a chair or stand up from a seated position without a deep steadying breath and some pretty major arm action.
The first time is always the worst and I was still looking forward to the following Tuesday to do it all over again.
Problem was that there was another class on Thursday and I wasn't sure I'd be able to climb into my car let alone survive part two.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
More Than I Can Chew? Perhaps. But it's Tasty.
Last week I ran three times, cycled once and golfed twice. A nice amount of exercise but also the kind of week that gave me a few days off.
This week, things seem to be cranking up a notch.
Here's the plan:
- I'm still running three times with a 20k run on Saturday.
- The fall masters session at the pool started so I'm aiming to be there twice.
- I have three golf games planned (all 9 holes since they are after work)
- I'll be cycling on Sunday if the weather is good
- I'm starting that new core fit class I mentioned a few weeks ago which runs Tuesday/Thursday evenings for an hour
That's a LOT of activity for one week. Considering I do have other things like work, eat, sleep and perhaps do a chore or two to do.
If I do it all, I'll be trying to fit 11 activities into 7 days. If you look at it in terms of time, I'll be running 4.5 hours, swimming for 3, golfing for 6, cycling 1.5 and core-fitting for 2. That's 17 hours of activity over 7 days, not counting the time spent getting ready and then recovering from these workouts.
That means a) a lot of exercise and b) two days of double workouts (running an hour before work and then doing a core fit class after work).
Being a) not a big fan of evening workouts and b) an complete neophyte when it comes to core fit anything, I'm expecting to be a wee bit tired and sore by Sunday. In fact, I imagining next Sunday afternoon to be one of those glorious couch-filled, tea sipping ones.
This is not a routine I expect to be able to sustain for very long. No days off plus a few days of double workouts makes for quick burnout in my books.
That being said, I'm doing it because a) I can (or I think I can anyway), b) it won't be for long, it's just because golf and cycling season haven't ended yet but the fall activities are ramping up and c) I'm a stubborn lassie who doesn't want to postpone the start of one activity simply because another one hasn't ended yet.
Feel free to make violin noises if I start whining later this week.
This week, things seem to be cranking up a notch.
Here's the plan:
- I'm still running three times with a 20k run on Saturday.
- The fall masters session at the pool started so I'm aiming to be there twice.
- I have three golf games planned (all 9 holes since they are after work)
- I'll be cycling on Sunday if the weather is good
- I'm starting that new core fit class I mentioned a few weeks ago which runs Tuesday/Thursday evenings for an hour
That's a LOT of activity for one week. Considering I do have other things like work, eat, sleep and perhaps do a chore or two to do.
If I do it all, I'll be trying to fit 11 activities into 7 days. If you look at it in terms of time, I'll be running 4.5 hours, swimming for 3, golfing for 6, cycling 1.5 and core-fitting for 2. That's 17 hours of activity over 7 days, not counting the time spent getting ready and then recovering from these workouts.
That means a) a lot of exercise and b) two days of double workouts (running an hour before work and then doing a core fit class after work).
Being a) not a big fan of evening workouts and b) an complete neophyte when it comes to core fit anything, I'm expecting to be a wee bit tired and sore by Sunday. In fact, I imagining next Sunday afternoon to be one of those glorious couch-filled, tea sipping ones.
This is not a routine I expect to be able to sustain for very long. No days off plus a few days of double workouts makes for quick burnout in my books.
That being said, I'm doing it because a) I can (or I think I can anyway), b) it won't be for long, it's just because golf and cycling season haven't ended yet but the fall activities are ramping up and c) I'm a stubborn lassie who doesn't want to postpone the start of one activity simply because another one hasn't ended yet.
Feel free to make violin noises if I start whining later this week.
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