Today I celebrated hitting the 70 pound weight loss mark in my heart health journey! In my most optomistic hopes I did not think I would ever reach this milestone! In fact, the last time I saw this weight on my scale was before I became pregnant for my second daughter...and she will be 30 in November!! I have moved from the morbidly obese (how I hated that phrase) to obese, to overweight categories. I am beginning to believe that I can go the distance - only 15 pounds to go and I will be in a normal weight range (haven't seen that since 1979)!!
The downside is all this loose skin! I have flabby arms (mom calls it the "french" arms), flabby thighs, and I'm not even going to try to describe my abdomen. Last week I took action to try to battle the situation. I signed up with a personal trainer, Amy Williams, to begin to develope a routine that will tighten and strengthen. Although it is unlikely that exercize will completely solve the problem, it will help.
I should point out that my gym routine usually involves all cardio with some stretching and situps at the end. I really don't like doing weights and floor exercises..so I need to change my mindset!
Amy and I concentrated on my triceps and abdomen for my first set of workouts. For triceps, I have a series of sets that involve few reps but heavy weights. I am not very strong so I find them very challenging. Amy told me to go three days between the workouts to give the arms the ability to recover. I have done the workout twice and I am tracking them on a new sheet I created in my fitbit program. The ab exercises are more traditional, but challenging as well. I could really feel them the next day. Once again, the series of sets that I have been given are to be done only every three days.
I have changed my gym routine to incorporate the weight and floor exercises. It means doing no more than 30 minutes of cardio and lengthening my workout by 15-20 minutes. It means I have to rush a bit more to get to work in the morning. Feeling a bit more toned will be worth the effort!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Joggin the Noggin event : Keeping an eye on the Finish Line
Yesterday, over 150 women, and about a half dozen men, gathered at QVCC for a Follow the Fifty event that was called "Joggin the Noggin"! The agenda was a presentation by Division 1 Athletic alumna Monique Wolanin on the four "P"s of walking/running: Pre-warm up, Position, Pace, and Post -stretching; a brisk one mile walk/run, and a program on nutrition and its effect on good health.
The speakers were very good and the program was a lot of fun. I felt completely reassurred that I was doing all the right things and that gave me renewed enthusiasm and commitment. I have to say, however that the most poignant part of the day for me was during the one mile run.
I can now run a mile and felt confident that I would be up to the challenge for the course. I took my position beside two of my QVCC co-workers who are also FTF models. The course was explained to us, spotters were at each 1/4 mile mark, and the signal was given to start. We all started with a slow jog using the position info that we were given. We hit the 1/4 mile mark when I noticed that one of my co-worker was breathing shallow and fast. I wanted to keep running, but I also wanted to help my friend. So I told her we were going to walk a bit so our breathing can recover. Our other co-worker stopped too saying "we are going to do this together". For the remainder of the course, we alternated jogging slow and walking. We kept encouraging each other and before you knew it we had hit the mile marker. The instructors told us since that we could do the 1/4 loop again - AND WE DID!
What was so incredible was watching all of my FTF "sisters" along the route. Some were jogging, some were walking briskly, and others were slower in the back of the pack. Everyone had a smile! It wasn't important to anyone who was running, jogging, walking, or at a snails pace because we were all moving in the right direction and we were all keeping an eye on the finish line. This is true of yesterday's event and it is true as we move towards our goal of heart health. Some are off and running, others are struggling but courageously continue to move in the direction of the finish line. And no matter how fast or slow, we are cheering each other on, shouting encouragement, and taking each others hand to "do this together!" I plan to reach the finish line, and I will be in wonderful company when I do!!!
The speakers were very good and the program was a lot of fun. I felt completely reassurred that I was doing all the right things and that gave me renewed enthusiasm and commitment. I have to say, however that the most poignant part of the day for me was during the one mile run.
I can now run a mile and felt confident that I would be up to the challenge for the course. I took my position beside two of my QVCC co-workers who are also FTF models. The course was explained to us, spotters were at each 1/4 mile mark, and the signal was given to start. We all started with a slow jog using the position info that we were given. We hit the 1/4 mile mark when I noticed that one of my co-worker was breathing shallow and fast. I wanted to keep running, but I also wanted to help my friend. So I told her we were going to walk a bit so our breathing can recover. Our other co-worker stopped too saying "we are going to do this together". For the remainder of the course, we alternated jogging slow and walking. We kept encouraging each other and before you knew it we had hit the mile marker. The instructors told us since that we could do the 1/4 loop again - AND WE DID!
What was so incredible was watching all of my FTF "sisters" along the route. Some were jogging, some were walking briskly, and others were slower in the back of the pack. Everyone had a smile! It wasn't important to anyone who was running, jogging, walking, or at a snails pace because we were all moving in the right direction and we were all keeping an eye on the finish line. This is true of yesterday's event and it is true as we move towards our goal of heart health. Some are off and running, others are struggling but courageously continue to move in the direction of the finish line. And no matter how fast or slow, we are cheering each other on, shouting encouragement, and taking each others hand to "do this together!" I plan to reach the finish line, and I will be in wonderful company when I do!!!
Monday, May 21, 2012
It's all in the "View"!
Everyone who knows me is aware of my great love of Rotary! I have been a Rotary member since April 1994, and I have witnessed first hand the good that this organization does in the community, in our state, and around the world. Not only have I had the opportunity to serve my club, the Putnam, CT club as a past president, I am also very privaleged to serve the district as the assistant governor for area 5.
This past weekend was a great celebration in the form of the Annual Rotary District 7890 Conference that was held this year in Plymouth, MA. Dear friends Gary and Karen Osbrey worked tirelessly all year planning for this big event! There were checklists for everything, several trips to Plymouth during the year to make sure all the details were right, and finally spending the entire time at the conference working on the schedule each and every minute. And the hard work paid off with one of the best conferences ever! It was the first year that I convinced my husband to join me, and he such a great time that I don't think I'll have trouble convincing him to join me in the future!
On Saturday morning, after enjoying an evening feast dining on 16th century fare at the Plimouth Plantation, I woke early. George was still asleep so I decided that I was going to go for a brisk morning walk. I got into my gym clothes and sneakers, grabbed my ipod, and headed out the door. The morning was magnificant - sunny with a cool breeze off the water of the bay! I headed out towards the bay and found a walk/bike path that parallelled the beach and water. As my ipod played upbeat walking music, I began to jog. Now you need to know that I have not jogged in years!! It is always such a chore to jog on the treadmill and if I do it is only for two minute intervals. Here I was maintaining a slow jog without feeling that same exhaustion! How can that be?
I think it might be the "view"! I was focused on the beauty of the water, the lovely homes along the waterfront, the people walking dogs or biking along the path. I forgot to get involved in all that self talk about how horrible it is to jog! When I returned to my room, my fitbit registered 3.22 miles! Not a huge jog/walk, but not bad either! After the morning Plenary session at the conference, we had the whole afternoon to ourselves, so George and I went out and enjoyed Plymouth! We walked over five miles seeing the "rock", touring the Mayflower II, doing some shopping, walking along the river in the park, and breathing in the fresh air and sunshine!!
Saturday was the most active day ever recorded on my fitbit, and it didn't feel like it at all! I believe that it is because I was enjoying the view and finding a way to make a healthy activity less of a chore and more of an adventure! Now if only I could have that beach scene at my gym...........hmmmm.
This past weekend was a great celebration in the form of the Annual Rotary District 7890 Conference that was held this year in Plymouth, MA. Dear friends Gary and Karen Osbrey worked tirelessly all year planning for this big event! There were checklists for everything, several trips to Plymouth during the year to make sure all the details were right, and finally spending the entire time at the conference working on the schedule each and every minute. And the hard work paid off with one of the best conferences ever! It was the first year that I convinced my husband to join me, and he such a great time that I don't think I'll have trouble convincing him to join me in the future!
On Saturday morning, after enjoying an evening feast dining on 16th century fare at the Plimouth Plantation, I woke early. George was still asleep so I decided that I was going to go for a brisk morning walk. I got into my gym clothes and sneakers, grabbed my ipod, and headed out the door. The morning was magnificant - sunny with a cool breeze off the water of the bay! I headed out towards the bay and found a walk/bike path that parallelled the beach and water. As my ipod played upbeat walking music, I began to jog. Now you need to know that I have not jogged in years!! It is always such a chore to jog on the treadmill and if I do it is only for two minute intervals. Here I was maintaining a slow jog without feeling that same exhaustion! How can that be?
I think it might be the "view"! I was focused on the beauty of the water, the lovely homes along the waterfront, the people walking dogs or biking along the path. I forgot to get involved in all that self talk about how horrible it is to jog! When I returned to my room, my fitbit registered 3.22 miles! Not a huge jog/walk, but not bad either! After the morning Plenary session at the conference, we had the whole afternoon to ourselves, so George and I went out and enjoyed Plymouth! We walked over five miles seeing the "rock", touring the Mayflower II, doing some shopping, walking along the river in the park, and breathing in the fresh air and sunshine!!
Saturday was the most active day ever recorded on my fitbit, and it didn't feel like it at all! I believe that it is because I was enjoying the view and finding a way to make a healthy activity less of a chore and more of an adventure! Now if only I could have that beach scene at my gym...........hmmmm.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Patience is a Virtue
When I left work after 4:30 on Thursday, I was completely spent. I had a full day at the college and was ready to go home, greet my hubby, and then meet our daughter Kristen in Putnam for dinner.
There was a huge construction project on Route 101- they were chopping up the road to resurface as far as the eye could see. Traffic was one lane only and my side had been stopped, but all I could see was a long stretch of lane with the other filled with trucks, bobcats, and equipment. It was at least ten minutes (maybe five but it felt like ten) before I could see cars coming down the lane in the other direction. It took another few minutes for those vehicles (I counted 28) to pass us and for our line to begin moving along.
I was the second car in line. As the cars piled up behind me, I began to feel impatient. I began to think, "What the heck are these workers doing still here at a time when people are trying to get home from work?". Then I looked behind. Some people were beginning to do three point turns to go back and find another route. Others were poking their heads out of the windows, or making gestures. I guess that as a society we are very impatient people. When we get impatient, we want to turn around and find an easier way because "waiting" is hard. As annoyed as I was, I just sat and waited!!
How does this relate to the Follow the Fifty Journey? Well, I believe that one of our worst enemies is impatience. We want to get healthy; we want to lose weight; we want our blood pressure to go down, or our blood sugars to be normal, ect.. We start off like I did when I left the college on Thurday afternoon - ready to get to our destinations and relax. The last thing we want is to be stopped in traffic, or have and obstacle put in our way! We have to learn to be patient. Our bad health habits did not happen overnight, and they won't go away any quicker. It is a process. We have to wait out the bad parts, be persistent, and then continue on our way.
Those people who decided to turn around and not wait out the traffic line probably took longer to get to their destination than if they had sat out the time in line. They may have decided not to go to the destination that they intended and sought out a different place. We do this to ourselves all the time. We turn around and look for something easier. We backtrack. We lose patience.
I hope that my FTF sisters can keep in line, heading for their destinations, and be patient when they hit "constuction", so that we will all arrive at our goal in December together!
There was a huge construction project on Route 101- they were chopping up the road to resurface as far as the eye could see. Traffic was one lane only and my side had been stopped, but all I could see was a long stretch of lane with the other filled with trucks, bobcats, and equipment. It was at least ten minutes (maybe five but it felt like ten) before I could see cars coming down the lane in the other direction. It took another few minutes for those vehicles (I counted 28) to pass us and for our line to begin moving along.
I was the second car in line. As the cars piled up behind me, I began to feel impatient. I began to think, "What the heck are these workers doing still here at a time when people are trying to get home from work?". Then I looked behind. Some people were beginning to do three point turns to go back and find another route. Others were poking their heads out of the windows, or making gestures. I guess that as a society we are very impatient people. When we get impatient, we want to turn around and find an easier way because "waiting" is hard. As annoyed as I was, I just sat and waited!!
How does this relate to the Follow the Fifty Journey? Well, I believe that one of our worst enemies is impatience. We want to get healthy; we want to lose weight; we want our blood pressure to go down, or our blood sugars to be normal, ect.. We start off like I did when I left the college on Thurday afternoon - ready to get to our destinations and relax. The last thing we want is to be stopped in traffic, or have and obstacle put in our way! We have to learn to be patient. Our bad health habits did not happen overnight, and they won't go away any quicker. It is a process. We have to wait out the bad parts, be persistent, and then continue on our way.
Those people who decided to turn around and not wait out the traffic line probably took longer to get to their destination than if they had sat out the time in line. They may have decided not to go to the destination that they intended and sought out a different place. We do this to ourselves all the time. We turn around and look for something easier. We backtrack. We lose patience.
I hope that my FTF sisters can keep in line, heading for their destinations, and be patient when they hit "constuction", so that we will all arrive at our goal in December together!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Divine women, divine intervention!
I can't even begin to express in words the magic that happened in the Tourtellotte Memorial High School building in Thompson last night. One hundred seventy one women, members of the FTF sisterhood, gathered for the program "Fitness at any Age" sponsored by TEEG. To see the sea of red and white shirts filling the auditorium was so inspiring and uplifting. There was an hour of time before the program to connect with old friends and new friends and talk about how we were doing, what we were doing, and inviting each other to join walks and other activities.
The speakers, were incredible, talking about exercise and movement. The activity was fun (although I did take an aleve before I went to bed LOL), and the information sheets, stress ball, and exercise bands will prove useful over the next few months. At the end of the evening, that ran almost an hour beyond its original schedule - and hardly anyone left - we had the beautiful, energetic, and inspiring Linda Collangelo share her excitement in ways that only Linda can deliver! It was a night of laughing, leaping, and learning!
I couldn't believe that I won two of the raffle prizes! I NEVER win raffles! One of the prizes was a $25.00 gift certificate to my gym. Amy Williams was one of the speakers (she was incredible by the way) and she works for Midtown Fitness as a personal trainer and instructor. She congratulated me and asked me if I needed directions to the gym. Funny lady. But that was when the idea struck me! I am going to use this $25.00 gift certificate to help pay for three sessions with Amy at the gym. I did this five years ago when I first joined, but honestly didn't make the most of it. Now is the time. As I have lost weight I have noticed that (how to put this delicately) I have more skin than body and I am hoping that I can tighten some of it up! I am sure Amy will put me on an intensive program to do that!
I am a believer that things happen for a reason. I think that the raffle prize was really a gift from above to inspire and challenge me to do new things. I'll let you know how it goes!
The speakers, were incredible, talking about exercise and movement. The activity was fun (although I did take an aleve before I went to bed LOL), and the information sheets, stress ball, and exercise bands will prove useful over the next few months. At the end of the evening, that ran almost an hour beyond its original schedule - and hardly anyone left - we had the beautiful, energetic, and inspiring Linda Collangelo share her excitement in ways that only Linda can deliver! It was a night of laughing, leaping, and learning!
I couldn't believe that I won two of the raffle prizes! I NEVER win raffles! One of the prizes was a $25.00 gift certificate to my gym. Amy Williams was one of the speakers (she was incredible by the way) and she works for Midtown Fitness as a personal trainer and instructor. She congratulated me and asked me if I needed directions to the gym. Funny lady. But that was when the idea struck me! I am going to use this $25.00 gift certificate to help pay for three sessions with Amy at the gym. I did this five years ago when I first joined, but honestly didn't make the most of it. Now is the time. As I have lost weight I have noticed that (how to put this delicately) I have more skin than body and I am hoping that I can tighten some of it up! I am sure Amy will put me on an intensive program to do that!
I am a believer that things happen for a reason. I think that the raffle prize was really a gift from above to inspire and challenge me to do new things. I'll let you know how it goes!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Have "FITBIT" will travel!
As I have stated, my daughter Kristen is my FTF coach but my husband George is my biggest cheerleader! He surprised me a little over a week ago with a little contraption called a Fitbit. The Fitbit is a very small clip that electronically records your fitness goals each day and then wirelessly reports them back to your computer! Men and women can clip it onto their slacks, a pant or shirt pocket, and women can (as recommended by the manufacturer) clip it to a bra.
The fitbit tells you the time, serves as a stopwatch, measures your sleep/wake patterns, tells you how many steps you climb, the number of steps that you take, the total number of miles you walk each day, and the number of calories that you are burning. The fitbit summarizes your daily activity; it resets itself at midnight each day. When I log into the fitbit "dashboard" on the computer, I can also graph my progress, add weight and fitness activities, and use their food log. I can also set goals and it will measure how well I do each week towards achieving them. It is a pretty amazing piece of technology that is no bigger than my pinkie. (For more information go to www.fitbit.com )
So where I go, my fitbit goes, and it has been pretty amazing. After my first week, I logged into the dashboard to see the results: Steps: 56,298 (Goal 70,000 per week so I made 80%); Stairs: 74 floors climbed ( 106% of my goal of 70); Miles: 26.83 miles (Goal of 35 miles per week- I accomplished 77%). I burned between 1750 and 2300 calories per day. And I lost 1.2 pounds. Not a bad first week!
There is a saying that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Now that I have this amazing gadget, I know exactly how many steps I am making towards my heart health journey!!!! Thanks, George!
The fitbit tells you the time, serves as a stopwatch, measures your sleep/wake patterns, tells you how many steps you climb, the number of steps that you take, the total number of miles you walk each day, and the number of calories that you are burning. The fitbit summarizes your daily activity; it resets itself at midnight each day. When I log into the fitbit "dashboard" on the computer, I can also graph my progress, add weight and fitness activities, and use their food log. I can also set goals and it will measure how well I do each week towards achieving them. It is a pretty amazing piece of technology that is no bigger than my pinkie. (For more information go to www.fitbit.com )
So where I go, my fitbit goes, and it has been pretty amazing. After my first week, I logged into the dashboard to see the results: Steps: 56,298 (Goal 70,000 per week so I made 80%); Stairs: 74 floors climbed ( 106% of my goal of 70); Miles: 26.83 miles (Goal of 35 miles per week- I accomplished 77%). I burned between 1750 and 2300 calories per day. And I lost 1.2 pounds. Not a bad first week!
There is a saying that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Now that I have this amazing gadget, I know exactly how many steps I am making towards my heart health journey!!!! Thanks, George!
Friday, April 27, 2012
Week Four or "How much can one person fit into seven days?".
It is 8:20 p.m. on Friday night. I am sitting at my keyboard with a decaf tea wondering how to summarize the past week. Like last week, I knew that this one would be filled with many obligations and more that a little stress. And like last week, I survived with a little help from my friends!!
Last weekend was pretty pleasant. I started with a two mile walk with my teammate Sue and her daughter/coach Rachel. We walked around Roseland Park on a spectacular spring day, passing people with children in the park, kids riding bikes, couples walking along the lake, and parents watching their sons and daughters playing little league and t-ball. I could have easily walked another two miles, but both Sue and I had other obligations. I did some more gardening and did up a sketch of the addition to our back deck for George to bring to the town hall for a building permit. Sunday brought some showers, and then rain. I spent time with my beautiful daughter- and coach - Kristen. We saw Linda Collangelo and Laura Crosetti at the 99 Restaurant and I was reminded of the incredible sisterhood that has been formed in Northeaster CT! I had the salmon with roasted veggies for lunch! I relaxed in the evening with my hubby! It was all good!
Monday I hit the floor running at 4:45 a.m. After a trip to the gym I began a week of non-stop activity. After a long workday, I had a meeting of my committee for the Arc Capital campaign and a walk through at the banquet facility we are using. Started Tuesday at the gym and at the college I made final preparations with vendors and the college facilities folks for our two day "Open Air Fair" at the college; the Open Air Fair began on Wednesday along with SGA elections (and all the crazy stuff around that). I not only vompleted a good workout at the gym, but I also had physical therapy for my shoulder in the afternoon. No gym on Thursday morning as I attended the Rotary District Assembly in West Springfield beginning at 7:30 a.m.. I left Springfield at noon, travelled back to the college, wrapped up the "Open Air Fair" at the college in the afternoon, and then headed for the Kick off for the Community phase of the ARC Capital Campaign that same evening. Missed the gym again Friday because I was up at the crack of dawn to get to WINY radio for 7 as part of the Anti-Drinking and Driving campaign for NECASA. The Putnam Police and EMS personnel turned a car on its roof in front of the station and we put NECASA Executive Director, Bob Brex inside where he would stay until we raised money for programming to be provided to teens during prom season. I left WINY after doing some air time and spent the remainder of Friday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford where the "Heroes for Hire" job and training fair was held for CT veterans! It was crazy and tiring, but now that it is over I realize it was also filled with accomplishment and purpose!
I usually get so caught up in the craziness of weeks that are busy like this that I forget to take care of myself. Not so long ago I would be catching meals on the run, or eating whatever was available just because it was there - or convenient. I've always been a stress eater, and a week like this should have put me over the edge. It didn't! Why?
The answer, I believe, is because one of the things that I added to my busy lifestyle is a huge commitment to myself. Why is it, as women, we usually take care of everything and everyone but don't put ourselves on that top priority list? What changed is that there are 180 plus women who have made themselves and each other a priority for the next few months. In order to take care of them and cheer them on, I have to take care of myself. It is a commitment and promise that we made to each other, and I keep promises and commitments.
So, to the models, their coaches, my teammates, my coach, and my cheerleaders - and all the beautiful women of the Follow the Fifty movement - thank you! I had a lot to fit into seven days this week... but left room to take care of myself as well!
Last weekend was pretty pleasant. I started with a two mile walk with my teammate Sue and her daughter/coach Rachel. We walked around Roseland Park on a spectacular spring day, passing people with children in the park, kids riding bikes, couples walking along the lake, and parents watching their sons and daughters playing little league and t-ball. I could have easily walked another two miles, but both Sue and I had other obligations. I did some more gardening and did up a sketch of the addition to our back deck for George to bring to the town hall for a building permit. Sunday brought some showers, and then rain. I spent time with my beautiful daughter- and coach - Kristen. We saw Linda Collangelo and Laura Crosetti at the 99 Restaurant and I was reminded of the incredible sisterhood that has been formed in Northeaster CT! I had the salmon with roasted veggies for lunch! I relaxed in the evening with my hubby! It was all good!
Monday I hit the floor running at 4:45 a.m. After a trip to the gym I began a week of non-stop activity. After a long workday, I had a meeting of my committee for the Arc Capital campaign and a walk through at the banquet facility we are using. Started Tuesday at the gym and at the college I made final preparations with vendors and the college facilities folks for our two day "Open Air Fair" at the college; the Open Air Fair began on Wednesday along with SGA elections (and all the crazy stuff around that). I not only vompleted a good workout at the gym, but I also had physical therapy for my shoulder in the afternoon. No gym on Thursday morning as I attended the Rotary District Assembly in West Springfield beginning at 7:30 a.m.. I left Springfield at noon, travelled back to the college, wrapped up the "Open Air Fair" at the college in the afternoon, and then headed for the Kick off for the Community phase of the ARC Capital Campaign that same evening. Missed the gym again Friday because I was up at the crack of dawn to get to WINY radio for 7 as part of the Anti-Drinking and Driving campaign for NECASA. The Putnam Police and EMS personnel turned a car on its roof in front of the station and we put NECASA Executive Director, Bob Brex inside where he would stay until we raised money for programming to be provided to teens during prom season. I left WINY after doing some air time and spent the remainder of Friday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford where the "Heroes for Hire" job and training fair was held for CT veterans! It was crazy and tiring, but now that it is over I realize it was also filled with accomplishment and purpose!
I usually get so caught up in the craziness of weeks that are busy like this that I forget to take care of myself. Not so long ago I would be catching meals on the run, or eating whatever was available just because it was there - or convenient. I've always been a stress eater, and a week like this should have put me over the edge. It didn't! Why?
The answer, I believe, is because one of the things that I added to my busy lifestyle is a huge commitment to myself. Why is it, as women, we usually take care of everything and everyone but don't put ourselves on that top priority list? What changed is that there are 180 plus women who have made themselves and each other a priority for the next few months. In order to take care of them and cheer them on, I have to take care of myself. It is a commitment and promise that we made to each other, and I keep promises and commitments.
So, to the models, their coaches, my teammates, my coach, and my cheerleaders - and all the beautiful women of the Follow the Fifty movement - thank you! I had a lot to fit into seven days this week... but left room to take care of myself as well!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
The Week from Purgatory
I knew going into the work week that it was going to be a challenge to maintain my composure and optomism. My calendar was full of both personal and work related activities.
I knew on Monday morning that I was going to be behind the 8 ball each and every day. I was feeling the stress before I had started. Luckily, I did start off the day on Monday at the gym. I felt energy when I left and thought I could face the day with ease. Unfortunately as the morning wore on it was apparent that my fears were to be realized. Each day became more stressful as demands increased and I began to feel like I was falling behind! I did go to the gym every morning except Thursday (I did a radio spot at 7:30 that morning for the Arc Capital Campaign). A couple of mornings required a serious self pep talk to get out of bed. I worked late each evening and had meetings each night. By Friday I was dragging. It was the week from Purgatory!! But I got through it.
During the kick off for Follow the Fifty, one of the stations that we visited demonstrated breathing and relaxation techniques as well as another that demonstrated yoga. I am sure that I forgot many things, but I do remember the relaxation breathing that was part of both stations. I did find myself practicing this a little and I must admit it helped.
Friday morning's gym routine was the most intense workout yet. I found myself amazed that I was able to finish it!! After my aerobic routine I always do a few situps and some stretches. I use a exercise ball for sit ups because of my back problem. I have a "gym buddy" that I met five years ago and have come to enjoy as I do my routine. We both arrive at the gym a few minutes before it opens at 5:30 a.m. and begin our workouts at the same time. We usually talk while on the elliptical and bike, and we do our stretches afterwards. While I was doing my situps, he commented on how many and how quickly I had done them. When I started in January adding the situps, I would do a set of ten. Now I do two sets of fifty. Its funny but I never realized how much stronger I had gotten! I was thinking..."o.k. I am going to really get a lot accomplished at work today".
Well it didn't turn out that way and when I left the office at 5:00, I left behind a stack of work that will face me on Monday. I needed to get to the home of a fellow board member of the Arc to prepare for a home social that is part of our Capital Campaign. I'm glad a got there a little early because I helped cut up veggies and arrange cheeses, breads, and fruit on platters.
By the time the guests arrived everything was done and I began to relax. After an hour or so, I spoke to the guests about the importance of the Arc to me. I felt this great surge of pride and purpose. I also felt the stress of the week begin to slip away. I remember a quote (although i can't remember who was quoted) that said,"the most effective exercise for your heart is bending down and lifting someone up". That pretty much summarizes the experience. My heart felt wonderful as I worked to help an organization that I felt passionate about. And looking a the face of one of the other presenters, Keith, who is a remarkable friend who was born with downs syndrome, I knew that I had done a good job!!
So I survived the week from purgatory! I guess it is because I am pointed towards heart heaven!!
I knew on Monday morning that I was going to be behind the 8 ball each and every day. I was feeling the stress before I had started. Luckily, I did start off the day on Monday at the gym. I felt energy when I left and thought I could face the day with ease. Unfortunately as the morning wore on it was apparent that my fears were to be realized. Each day became more stressful as demands increased and I began to feel like I was falling behind! I did go to the gym every morning except Thursday (I did a radio spot at 7:30 that morning for the Arc Capital Campaign). A couple of mornings required a serious self pep talk to get out of bed. I worked late each evening and had meetings each night. By Friday I was dragging. It was the week from Purgatory!! But I got through it.
During the kick off for Follow the Fifty, one of the stations that we visited demonstrated breathing and relaxation techniques as well as another that demonstrated yoga. I am sure that I forgot many things, but I do remember the relaxation breathing that was part of both stations. I did find myself practicing this a little and I must admit it helped.
Friday morning's gym routine was the most intense workout yet. I found myself amazed that I was able to finish it!! After my aerobic routine I always do a few situps and some stretches. I use a exercise ball for sit ups because of my back problem. I have a "gym buddy" that I met five years ago and have come to enjoy as I do my routine. We both arrive at the gym a few minutes before it opens at 5:30 a.m. and begin our workouts at the same time. We usually talk while on the elliptical and bike, and we do our stretches afterwards. While I was doing my situps, he commented on how many and how quickly I had done them. When I started in January adding the situps, I would do a set of ten. Now I do two sets of fifty. Its funny but I never realized how much stronger I had gotten! I was thinking..."o.k. I am going to really get a lot accomplished at work today".
Well it didn't turn out that way and when I left the office at 5:00, I left behind a stack of work that will face me on Monday. I needed to get to the home of a fellow board member of the Arc to prepare for a home social that is part of our Capital Campaign. I'm glad a got there a little early because I helped cut up veggies and arrange cheeses, breads, and fruit on platters.
By the time the guests arrived everything was done and I began to relax. After an hour or so, I spoke to the guests about the importance of the Arc to me. I felt this great surge of pride and purpose. I also felt the stress of the week begin to slip away. I remember a quote (although i can't remember who was quoted) that said,"the most effective exercise for your heart is bending down and lifting someone up". That pretty much summarizes the experience. My heart felt wonderful as I worked to help an organization that I felt passionate about. And looking a the face of one of the other presenters, Keith, who is a remarkable friend who was born with downs syndrome, I knew that I had done a good job!!
So I survived the week from purgatory! I guess it is because I am pointed towards heart heaven!!
How my flower bed reflected my blossoming health
Week three of Follow the Fifty began in a very positive fashion. With a rare burst of energy I took advantage of a beautiful spring day and began to work on my flower beds. I'm embarrassed to say that I never so much as pulled a weed last year and they were a mess! I have five areas in my yard with perrenials, and looking at the whole thing made my heart sink. I felt overwhelmed! How could I possibly clean up this mess and where do I start? I decided to tackle one area and not focus on them all. I began in the smaller bed on the side of the deck to our kitchen door. This is the garden that I see most as I enter and exit the house.
There is something about playing in the dirt that is very therapeutic. As I started tilling and pulling at weeds, I felt happy and ethusiastic. I thinned out the lilies, and pruned my large perrenial plants. I cut limbs off my lilac bush and ran an edger all around the perimeter to give it a fresh and clean line. It took a little less than two hours, and when I was done it looked better than it had....well ....ever! I was tired and glad that I had decided to only do one garden. I had a lot more to do in the coming weeks, but this one was done!
After I took a shower and made a cup of peppermint tea, I started to think about what I would blog. While pondering on how my gardening activity related to a heart health journey, I was struck by the metaphor of cleaning up the gardens. Like my gardens, my health had been ignored and neglected. It was no wonder that I was a mess when I started in October. Fortunately for me, Dr. Monet and my nutritionist Kristen broke down what I needed to do in steps and stages. Like pulling the weeds and tilling the soil, I had to remove the things that were toxic in my body. Weeding and getting to the rich dirt underneath a garden bed is my least favorite job - detoxing was equally painful. But in both cases it needed to be done to get to the rich dirt beneath. Pruning, cutting, and edging result in a neater, more attractive area. By trimming away the foods that had been the cause of ill health, I found a more attractive me!!
I still have four garden areas to work on in my yard, and I still have a lot of work to do to get to my ultimate goal of health. I am confident that when I finish up, I will be very pleased with the results.
There is something about playing in the dirt that is very therapeutic. As I started tilling and pulling at weeds, I felt happy and ethusiastic. I thinned out the lilies, and pruned my large perrenial plants. I cut limbs off my lilac bush and ran an edger all around the perimeter to give it a fresh and clean line. It took a little less than two hours, and when I was done it looked better than it had....well ....ever! I was tired and glad that I had decided to only do one garden. I had a lot more to do in the coming weeks, but this one was done!
After I took a shower and made a cup of peppermint tea, I started to think about what I would blog. While pondering on how my gardening activity related to a heart health journey, I was struck by the metaphor of cleaning up the gardens. Like my gardens, my health had been ignored and neglected. It was no wonder that I was a mess when I started in October. Fortunately for me, Dr. Monet and my nutritionist Kristen broke down what I needed to do in steps and stages. Like pulling the weeds and tilling the soil, I had to remove the things that were toxic in my body. Weeding and getting to the rich dirt underneath a garden bed is my least favorite job - detoxing was equally painful. But in both cases it needed to be done to get to the rich dirt beneath. Pruning, cutting, and edging result in a neater, more attractive area. By trimming away the foods that had been the cause of ill health, I found a more attractive me!!
I still have four garden areas to work on in my yard, and I still have a lot of work to do to get to my ultimate goal of health. I am confident that when I finish up, I will be very pleased with the results.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Off and running (...well walking anyway)..
It has been two weeks since the Follow the Fifty (FTF) kickoff.
I have had a gym membership for five years, and have continued to visit the gym during that time. I must admit that I did not attend everyday and my workouts were not always very intensive.
Since the kickoff I have faithfully gotten up out of bed at 4:45 a.m. most every weekday morning (except for two mornings where I had early meetings) and have gone to Midtown Fitness in Putnam. My gym time is somewhat limited to 45 minutes, but I have been trying to make the most of it. I have been challenging myself on the arc elliptical trainer by choosing a different program each day rather than just doing a flat manual program. The most difficult program is the full interval program which has high stepping at a tougher tension. The easiest is my manual program where I have upped the difficulty level a bit. I do a half hour on the eliptical minimally.
One of the best parts of FTF has been connecting with my teammates. I met with Sue and Kathy on April 7 at Sue's house. Rosemary wasn't able to join us at that time. We planned our first strategies that include:
Today, on April 14th, Sue met me at my house and we walked a two mile walk that I had clocked. We also discussed some of the challenges we are finding aand strategies that we are using. The discussion is very helpful. We also have the mileage marker for a 3 mile walk and I am going to go to Roseland Park today to determine the lap distance at the park. I think it is 1.25 miles but I may not remember it correctly. That way we can set a goal for five laps prior to the Deary Race.
So we are off and .....walking!! More to come!
I have had a gym membership for five years, and have continued to visit the gym during that time. I must admit that I did not attend everyday and my workouts were not always very intensive.
Since the kickoff I have faithfully gotten up out of bed at 4:45 a.m. most every weekday morning (except for two mornings where I had early meetings) and have gone to Midtown Fitness in Putnam. My gym time is somewhat limited to 45 minutes, but I have been trying to make the most of it. I have been challenging myself on the arc elliptical trainer by choosing a different program each day rather than just doing a flat manual program. The most difficult program is the full interval program which has high stepping at a tougher tension. The easiest is my manual program where I have upped the difficulty level a bit. I do a half hour on the eliptical minimally.
One of the best parts of FTF has been connecting with my teammates. I met with Sue and Kathy on April 7 at Sue's house. Rosemary wasn't able to join us at that time. We planned our first strategies that include:
- Walk two or more miles every Saturday. We agreed to meet at 1:30 p.m. at Roseland Park each week whenever possible. We will bring coaches when we can.
- Do one physical activity per day and track them.
- Track what we are eating if we can.
- Participate as a team in the Deary Memorial Road Race, Walk, and Bike event (we will probably do the five mile walk but at that point .... who knows?)
- Participate in the DKH Triathalon in August in some way. We may relay it, or maybe do it all....again who knows where we will be at that point.
- Kathy will set up a facebook page for Team #44 (that's us!)
- Participate in the FTF events as a team!
Today, on April 14th, Sue met me at my house and we walked a two mile walk that I had clocked. We also discussed some of the challenges we are finding aand strategies that we are using. The discussion is very helpful. We also have the mileage marker for a 3 mile walk and I am going to go to Roseland Park today to determine the lap distance at the park. I think it is 1.25 miles but I may not remember it correctly. That way we can set a goal for five laps prior to the Deary Race.
So we are off and .....walking!! More to come!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
The Journey Before the Journey begins....
I guess I would not have imagined, back in early October of 2011, that I would soon be embarking on a journey that would lead to my decision to become a "model" for the Follow the Fifty campaign. I was so overweight and tired all the time. My blood sugar was consistently in the 300 range. I was very stressed and becoming a little depressed. It appeared that I would need to go on insulin. I had back and knee pain each day. But the scariest part was that each day I would live with a pain in my chest that was part of living with Barrett's Disease. Each day I wondered, "is it my heart", or is it "just the Barrett's". Although I went to the gym, my attendance was dropping off and my workouts were not very efficient. The pain in my knee and back was an excuse to stay away from all physical activity.
I've always had a pretty good attitude about my life. I try to stay positive, I forgive easily, I let go of the past and move on to the future, and I get great joy out of my community service activities. But I was beginning to feel negative, and wonder if I would ever "get back to normal". I spoke to my Primary MD and was resigned to go on insulin in early October. That day, I got a voice mail message in October from Aveena Wellness Center reminding me that I had an appointment scheduled the next Tuesday morning. I had forgotten about that appointment.
You see, I had made the appointment five months earlier when I was inspired by a presentation by Dr. Alison Monet, a naturapathic physician at a Chamber of Commerce event. She was excellent and spoke about taking control of your life through better nutrition. It was spring and I was ready to go! I remember being disheartened that it would take five months to get an appointment when I was so ready to make changes in my life. I made the appointment anyway.
But a lot happened between April 2011 and October 2011. I had dealt with some terrible stressful situations at work, I was eating poorly, I had all the physical problems I have already listed, and I was far from wanting to make changes. The thought of having to do anything exhausted me. I considered cancelling the appointment. My husband encouraged me to give it a try. I am so glad that I listened.
I can't say the early part of this journey was easy. I first learned that my body was extremely pysically stressed. Blood work confirmed that my glucose levels, liver, kidney, and cardiac markers were in dangerous ranges. I met with a nutritionist who helped develop my "plan of attack". Three weeks of "detox" off of the foods that were slowly killing me, learning a new way of eating, understanding what food does for - and to - me, and accepting that this is not a short term problem or solution, were all lessons that I experienced. And all of this during the holiday season!! Yikes!
I learned that dairy and beef are not tolerated by my body and that they caused inflammation in my gut. Although I can tolerate gluten, I learned that I cannot tolerate yeast, so I am mostly on a gluten free as well as dairy free diet. I learned that I have an intolerance to kidney beans, oats, egg whites, peanuts, shrimp, and tuna! Would anyone like to take a guess at what my favorite foods have been for the majority of my life?????
After only three weeks, my blood sugar was below 200, I had lost 10 pounds, and I was starting to feel a difference in my health. By February, I was down nearly 30 pounds, and began to have more "normal" blood sugar readings (for me) of between 120 and 140. Most importantly, I had not had any chest pain or other Barrett's Disease symptoms for some time.
In February I also learned about the "Follow the Fifty" campaign. They were looking for women who were between the ages of 25 and 60 to make a commitment to fight against heart disease - the #1 killer of women. It would end in a grand celebration on December 1, 2012! I thought "This is what I have been doing!!!" And there was a group to join! Not a "diet" program, but a cause! Sign me up!! And they did!
On March 31, 2012 I participated in the kick off with 173 other women who had signed up too! It was an incredible day of motivation, inspiration, and support!! As of the kickoff, I had lost over 50 pounds, had been taken off of four medications, and was tracking in non-diabetic levels of 80-90. I am ready to go! I learned that my "team" (#44) would consist of three other women, Susan Foster, Kathy Chase, and Rosemary Howard. We would work together, along with all the other "models" towards a healthier future. I am feeling so positive about this next chapter in my life!
The Follow the Fifty journey began!!!
I've always had a pretty good attitude about my life. I try to stay positive, I forgive easily, I let go of the past and move on to the future, and I get great joy out of my community service activities. But I was beginning to feel negative, and wonder if I would ever "get back to normal". I spoke to my Primary MD and was resigned to go on insulin in early October. That day, I got a voice mail message in October from Aveena Wellness Center reminding me that I had an appointment scheduled the next Tuesday morning. I had forgotten about that appointment.
You see, I had made the appointment five months earlier when I was inspired by a presentation by Dr. Alison Monet, a naturapathic physician at a Chamber of Commerce event. She was excellent and spoke about taking control of your life through better nutrition. It was spring and I was ready to go! I remember being disheartened that it would take five months to get an appointment when I was so ready to make changes in my life. I made the appointment anyway.
But a lot happened between April 2011 and October 2011. I had dealt with some terrible stressful situations at work, I was eating poorly, I had all the physical problems I have already listed, and I was far from wanting to make changes. The thought of having to do anything exhausted me. I considered cancelling the appointment. My husband encouraged me to give it a try. I am so glad that I listened.
I can't say the early part of this journey was easy. I first learned that my body was extremely pysically stressed. Blood work confirmed that my glucose levels, liver, kidney, and cardiac markers were in dangerous ranges. I met with a nutritionist who helped develop my "plan of attack". Three weeks of "detox" off of the foods that were slowly killing me, learning a new way of eating, understanding what food does for - and to - me, and accepting that this is not a short term problem or solution, were all lessons that I experienced. And all of this during the holiday season!! Yikes!
I learned that dairy and beef are not tolerated by my body and that they caused inflammation in my gut. Although I can tolerate gluten, I learned that I cannot tolerate yeast, so I am mostly on a gluten free as well as dairy free diet. I learned that I have an intolerance to kidney beans, oats, egg whites, peanuts, shrimp, and tuna! Would anyone like to take a guess at what my favorite foods have been for the majority of my life?????
After only three weeks, my blood sugar was below 200, I had lost 10 pounds, and I was starting to feel a difference in my health. By February, I was down nearly 30 pounds, and began to have more "normal" blood sugar readings (for me) of between 120 and 140. Most importantly, I had not had any chest pain or other Barrett's Disease symptoms for some time.
In February I also learned about the "Follow the Fifty" campaign. They were looking for women who were between the ages of 25 and 60 to make a commitment to fight against heart disease - the #1 killer of women. It would end in a grand celebration on December 1, 2012! I thought "This is what I have been doing!!!" And there was a group to join! Not a "diet" program, but a cause! Sign me up!! And they did!
On March 31, 2012 I participated in the kick off with 173 other women who had signed up too! It was an incredible day of motivation, inspiration, and support!! As of the kickoff, I had lost over 50 pounds, had been taken off of four medications, and was tracking in non-diabetic levels of 80-90. I am ready to go! I learned that my "team" (#44) would consist of three other women, Susan Foster, Kathy Chase, and Rosemary Howard. We would work together, along with all the other "models" towards a healthier future. I am feeling so positive about this next chapter in my life!
The Follow the Fifty journey began!!!
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