Monday, March 25, 2013

A pathological fear of wallpaper

Is that possible?  I think I am developing one.

While Mark took the master bedroom from this:


To this:


I took the dining room wallpaper from this:



To this:


I still have a wall and a half to go, and I'm at 10 hours of stripping.  With a steamer, up and down a ladder.  So I'm giving myself credit for 90 minutes of the 6 hours I spent on Saturday lifting a 5 pound steamer up and down.  I'm going to have great shoulders for summer at this rate.

I have been really good with the water, but horrible with the fruits and veggies.

All in all, Spring Bootie Buster has been pretty much a bust for me.  Then again, spring has been pretty much a bust at this point since it's still cold and wet and gross here.

Here's to a better week!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

21 Days

Today is day 21 of Intuitive Eating.  I am not calling it a "challenge" anymore because really it is a lifestyle change, not a temporary challenge.

I'm finally starting to feel like I have a handle on my emotions and why I eat when I am not hungry.  I'm starting to figure out ways to go around that, and to keep it from happening.  And sometimes that actually means dealing with why I feel stressed or tired or sad.

I'm starting to not give food the power to convince me that I am hungry when I am not.  Or that I need one more bite.  I'm a big girl. If I get hungry later, I know where to find more food.

I'm starting to understand that emotionally a doughnut is the same as an apple - both are food and neither should have an emotional good or bad value.  The only questions are am I hungry and is that what I am craving?

Still a process, still learning, still going to keep challenging myself and the way I think.  But when a friend at work kept saying "somebody eat that piece of doughnut left so I don't have to" I realized that it had NO power over me anymore.  I didn't care if there was half or a whole box - I didn't want one mentally.  And that is where the "challenge" comes in.

I'm sure I will have ups and downs.  I'm sure that some days I will eat emotionally and know I'm doing it and not care. But life is a process all the way.  And it's nice to stop using food as at crutch, diets as an excuse and allowing myself to fail because I didn't really want to try in the first place. 

Food is food.  Life is too short.  Go play.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Decided to Dance Tonight

Headed out to the local park for a 3 mile run.  Went ahead and did 5k because really, what is another .1 anyway right?  It was a good run.  I've switched to new shoes - Gel Kayano 19 - and I am really enjoying the feel of them.  Softer than the ones I was in (New Balance 990) and less, um, granny.  Still stability, but much lighter and more flexible.  Makes me feel like dancing!!

3.12 miles - 39.11

Monday, March 18, 2013

SBBC Week 2

Not really a fail, but this week was a mess and I frankly just didn't manage to get much done.  I got in some water, and a 90 minute walk yesterday with a friend who was in town.  It was supposed to get nice this week so that I could actually start running again, but then they changed our forecast and who knows.

Spring will come eventually and I will be able to get outside and get on with it, right?

Monday, March 11, 2013

Spring Bootie Buster - Week 1 Roundup

Since 90% of my activity involved working on the house, this week was kind of a bust.

Doing curls with the Shark steamer while working on the wallpaper (for 3 hours) and doing squats and toe lifts while painting trim (about 2 hours) doesn't seem to count in the challenge.  But tell that to my poor legs and arms!

So - what did I manage:

Monday - WATER to the tune of 90 (!!) oz - that's a point.  Only 3 servings of fruits/veggies (freggies) so no points, and no points for activity or workout of the week (WOW) as it was a rest day.  1 point for the day.

Tuesday - WATER - 72 oz = a point.  But no points for freggies.  I did the WOW and ran for 35 minutes so that is 4.5 points total.  5.5 for the day.

Wednesday - spent quality time with the steamer, moved the appliances and cleaned behind them, and scrubbed the grout lines in the small bathroom with a toothbrush. Lived on Diet Coke, but I did have broccoli & salmon for dinner.  No points.

Thursday- WATER - 72 oz = a point.  Thank goodness for my Tervis tumblers.

Friday - Nothing.  Thursday and Friday were kind of nuts at work.

Saturday - worked on the house - painting squats :P  Not a point.

Sunday - did laundry, cleaning, cooking, and rested.  No points.

So that makes 7.5 for the week.  Not very good, but I'm not stressing over it.  Things are crazy and I know what I need to do rather than what I want to do, which is all part of being an adult.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

All Fired Up

(TL:DR Summary - Not quite a PR, great run, two challenges)

So I took some time off, did a little mental regrouping, and today started my half marathon training again.  I really needed this run, and it felt like there was a conspiracy to keep me from doing it.  Tons of little frustrations piled up one after the other.

And then I was outside, on the pavement, with a new playlist and putting one foot in front of the other.  Take it easy, enjoy the run, and don't push too hard.

I didn't push too hard.  When I thought I wanted to walk, I would ask what hurt (nothing) and could I breathe (usually) and if breathing was the problem I slowed my jog a little and asked is that better (yes, quite).  And I ran mostly the whole way (except the tricky part over the tree root getting into the park, and when I had to stop and tie my shoe).  And it was awesome.

I love it when a plan comes together. 

My all time PR for the 5k is 35:20 back in November of 2011.  Today's time:


Perhaps I shouldn't have stopped to tie my shoe....

In other news, I am doing a couple of challenges this month:

The Run to the Finish Spring Challenge.  Yesterday was day one.
March 4, 2013:
Water - 90 (!!) ounces (1 point for going over 64)
Freggies (Fruits & Veggies) - 3 (no points - my diet honks)
Workout of the Week - no
Daily Workout - no

March 5, 2013:
Water - 72 ounces so far and still drinking (1 point)
Freggies - 1 (I know, it's so sad)
WOW - YES (1 point) - the cat helped and thinks he should get a point too
Daily - YES - 3.5 points

So far for the week I'm at 6.5


Additionally, I am doing an Intuitive Eating Group.  I don't want to call it a challenge - it is, but not in that way - I am challenging myself and my views on food.  I'm going to break the cycle of diets and learn how to eat the way I need to for myself.  More on that later - or go to Studio Eats and check it out!