In 90 minutes of mowing a person my size burns about 1,000 calories! It probably doesn't account for the fact that parts of my yard have an evil slope to them because the upper part is raised. ;) Add to that the fact that it felt like a sauna outside last night and I not only burned off my cheese and fruit snack, but I lost five pounds in pure sweat. LOL. Don't worry, the water weight is back today.
Today is a day off from working out so that I could work-work-work. I know, nothing unusual there. But I have to work tomorrow too. In fact, I will be doing a live broadcast outside and I will probably end up mucho sweaty, so I am going for a swim at the YMCA Healthy Living Center after that. Bonus!
Well, I need to go for now, I want to start my evening.
Yours in Health,
Kate
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Life is Beginning to Swirl Again
Getting that 'so busy I am feeling crazy' vibe again. I worked, I ate lunch while filling in for someone else - TIP: Smokey D's will skip the bun on a sandwich for you AND charge you 75 cents less! What a great way to save on calories, it's the amazing smoked turkey I want anyway!
I had a great workout with Gwyn at the YMCA Healthy Living Center. We did upper body and core. I tried to knock her out with one of the weight machines, but she is cagey and was able to move in time. ;o)
Then I came back here to work and now I am taking work home to do. Tomorrow even busier including a party for LITE listeners tomorrow night at Mercy West Lakes - my new favorite hospital.
But this is also the week we are trying to put !ntuition Magazine to bed and I have MUCH writing to do before we can do that. So, that's what I am taking home. BTW - This is a special issue of the magazine because it will feature LITE 104.1's Outstanding Women You Should Know. You can catch a preview and see pictures of these wonderful women - here.
Yours in Health,
Kate
I had a great workout with Gwyn at the YMCA Healthy Living Center. We did upper body and core. I tried to knock her out with one of the weight machines, but she is cagey and was able to move in time. ;o)
Then I came back here to work and now I am taking work home to do. Tomorrow even busier including a party for LITE listeners tomorrow night at Mercy West Lakes - my new favorite hospital.
But this is also the week we are trying to put !ntuition Magazine to bed and I have MUCH writing to do before we can do that. So, that's what I am taking home. BTW - This is a special issue of the magazine because it will feature LITE 104.1's Outstanding Women You Should Know. You can catch a preview and see pictures of these wonderful women - here.
Yours in Health,
Kate
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
I LOVE Boxing!
I hit the YMCA Healthy Living Center to workout with Gwyn today. Did I mention she rocks? :)
She had me beating the heavy bag again, it's always a great release. Tons of sweat, thumping, anger and heavy breathing rolled into something constructive. She keeps telling her son he would like it - she's right. Imagine teenage aggression channeled!
That's why the Des Moines Police Department has had great success with their boxing club. It takes kids off the streets and away from senseless violence and gives them a way to put their fists to real use. It's really too bad that budget cuts have caused them to have to cut the program. Some great company like Everlast or Coca-Cola (Gatorade) should sponsor the program and ask for naming rights. (Just sayin'.)
As for me, my arms end up like jell-o and my heart races, I never have to wonder if I have 'worked' - oh, I have worked! The only real problem for me is my kicking. I am getting into that part because my knee is handling more output, but my hips are another story. Gwyn had me try side kicks today - um, no.
My hip flexors are so tight I thought I was going to rip something. I tried the right leg too, thinking the left was the only problem because of my knee - um, no. It didn't put me in as much pain as the left, but it still got really cranky. The left side is still sore. So, when I go to PT with Kristi next week, I will have to talk to her about that.
And about my left shoulder. LOL. It's always my left, if anyone can explain that, please do. My left shoulder has some kind of connector on the top that just feels like a knife is going through it depending on what I am doing. Push-ups are okay, unless I have down arm raises first. Today it was keeping my arms up for jabs that started the pain. Yes, half the time I feel like a broken toy. :0
But that said, I won't let these measly pains stop me, there is much work to be done and I am up to the task.
Yours in Health,
Kate
She had me beating the heavy bag again, it's always a great release. Tons of sweat, thumping, anger and heavy breathing rolled into something constructive. She keeps telling her son he would like it - she's right. Imagine teenage aggression channeled!
That's why the Des Moines Police Department has had great success with their boxing club. It takes kids off the streets and away from senseless violence and gives them a way to put their fists to real use. It's really too bad that budget cuts have caused them to have to cut the program. Some great company like Everlast or Coca-Cola (Gatorade) should sponsor the program and ask for naming rights. (Just sayin'.)
As for me, my arms end up like jell-o and my heart races, I never have to wonder if I have 'worked' - oh, I have worked! The only real problem for me is my kicking. I am getting into that part because my knee is handling more output, but my hips are another story. Gwyn had me try side kicks today - um, no.
My hip flexors are so tight I thought I was going to rip something. I tried the right leg too, thinking the left was the only problem because of my knee - um, no. It didn't put me in as much pain as the left, but it still got really cranky. The left side is still sore. So, when I go to PT with Kristi next week, I will have to talk to her about that.
And about my left shoulder. LOL. It's always my left, if anyone can explain that, please do. My left shoulder has some kind of connector on the top that just feels like a knife is going through it depending on what I am doing. Push-ups are okay, unless I have down arm raises first. Today it was keeping my arms up for jabs that started the pain. Yes, half the time I feel like a broken toy. :0
But that said, I won't let these measly pains stop me, there is much work to be done and I am up to the task.
Yours in Health,
Kate
Monday, June 14, 2010
Mmm... Soup
I started my day with a very upset digestive system. But I don't have time to be sick. ;) So I kept plowing forward, came to work and then on to my workout with Gwyn at the YMCA Healthy Living Center.
I love working out with Gwyn. The whole idea behind a trainer is that they push you harder than you would push yourself AND they teach you new things. I walk away from every session sweaty, exhausted and excited. Not only do I know I had a real workout, I now have new tricks for the days I train on my own.
I realized I wanted something warm, not cold. In fact, I am noticing cooked items satisfy me much more than things straight from the fridge, which is good knowledge to have. The myriad of restaurants within arms reach of the HLC went through my head and then it hit me, Panera. Panera has always been a fall back for me when it comes to eating healthy.
I'll be the first to admit many of their sandwiches are not so goo because of their toppings, but they have recently started allowing people have to their sandwiches their way, so you can take off the extra. Yet, it's not the sandwiches I crave, it's the soup. I love soup. It is nourishing and comforting and even when my tummy is running amok, I can usually depend on soup.
And at Panera, I have a new favorite. With the exception of the sodium level in this sucker it is pretty darn good for you. It is a new fall back post workout - it has protein, a little fat, some carbs and yes, some sodium. You can see the picture of the nutrition breakdown below - you can click on it to make it easier to read. Another favorite is the black bean.
Well, I better go, work won't do itself and I have to get out the door on time for IE class.
Yours in Health,
Kate
Sunday, June 13, 2010
A New Coat of Paint & The Weekend
First, how do you like the new look of the blog? I am gleeful! Blogger has introduced a new tool to help create templates that are beautiful, not generic, I love it. The new look is a much better reflection of what "Get Healthy with Kate Garner" is all about. And now on to just that...
Friday, as I mentioned, I took the day off. I slept in, I ate a late breakfast, I did some housework, I took a nap, I did even more housework, I had a friend over for drinks, I went to dinner with my brother and I landed back at home to relax. It was a busy, except for the naps, fruitful day. I kept my food relatively under control and only had one drink with my friend.
My workout on Friday was a combination of housework, stair climbing and lifting weights. I was surprised by how trying to move quickly throughout the house actually kept my heart rate up. By the time I hit the shower for my friend's visit I was sweaty, tired and satisfied I had worked out.
Saturday I woke up with a migraine as the storm rolled in. I was convinced the lights flashing were in my head until I was finally able to focus on the distant clouds, LOL. So, I dropped four ibuprofen and snuggled back in the sheets. When I woke up three hours later the headache was all but gone, thankfully. Then I did a healthy breakfast, worked out with weights and dancing, went to work, ran an errand, got my hair trimmed and went to see the A-Team with my dad. It was a fun popcorn movie, so that's what I ate - it also acted as my lunch. Not a great choice, but I didn't add M&M's, so that must count for something. :)
Then I checked my e-mail via phone and my day went off the rails. I got an e-mail from a friend telling me that someone I once cared for deeply was getting married. She even included a link to their wedding planning site - I am not a complete masochist, so I didn't look. But the very idea hit me hard anyway. I mean, I haven't seem him in almost two years. I knew he would end up marrying this woman. I don't have overt feelings for him anymore and yet, there was that pang.
I know there were a couple of factors at play - 1. 'There goes another person getting married before me' and 2. The standing self-worth issue of 'why am I alone'. Rather than suffer with the memories and pain they brought up, I ate. That's what emotional eaters do. Rather than feel the pain or anger or frustration, we eat. I went straight to a favorite barbecue joint, got my favorite sandwich, sweet potato fries and went home to stuff it down.
I made myself sick. I never eat that much in one sitting anymore and I knew I was going to feel like I needed to puke when I got done. So, I stuffed it down faster than my body could register the load. A few minutes after I finished, my body bloated and I was miserable. Not only physically miserable, but emotionally miserable. I was angry with myself for once again letting someone else's actions make me self-destructive. Rather than go for a walk or play another game of my favorite food distraction (Bejeweled) I fell back to my old friend food. It was pathetic.
And there it is, the last of beating myself up for faltering with food and emotions. I have to let this incident go. If I continue to harp on myself or drag this out, it will only cause more binging. My self-flagellation will only encourage me to get depressed and thereby eat ice cream to assuage those feelings - the circle would just keep spinning.
Instead, it's Sunday and I begin again with more knowledge about myself than I had yesterday and that is what I need most. I need to recognize the problem, deal with it and move forward, not look back. So, today I have had my oatmeal and coffee and now I am craving a salad for lunch. I think it's my body asking for a detente, I will oblige. In fact, the remainder of the day only holds healthy options as I work my way to a funeral and then on to doing laundry and then to a new week.
Yours in Health,
Kate
Friday, as I mentioned, I took the day off. I slept in, I ate a late breakfast, I did some housework, I took a nap, I did even more housework, I had a friend over for drinks, I went to dinner with my brother and I landed back at home to relax. It was a busy, except for the naps, fruitful day. I kept my food relatively under control and only had one drink with my friend.
My workout on Friday was a combination of housework, stair climbing and lifting weights. I was surprised by how trying to move quickly throughout the house actually kept my heart rate up. By the time I hit the shower for my friend's visit I was sweaty, tired and satisfied I had worked out.
Saturday I woke up with a migraine as the storm rolled in. I was convinced the lights flashing were in my head until I was finally able to focus on the distant clouds, LOL. So, I dropped four ibuprofen and snuggled back in the sheets. When I woke up three hours later the headache was all but gone, thankfully. Then I did a healthy breakfast, worked out with weights and dancing, went to work, ran an errand, got my hair trimmed and went to see the A-Team with my dad. It was a fun popcorn movie, so that's what I ate - it also acted as my lunch. Not a great choice, but I didn't add M&M's, so that must count for something. :)
Then I checked my e-mail via phone and my day went off the rails. I got an e-mail from a friend telling me that someone I once cared for deeply was getting married. She even included a link to their wedding planning site - I am not a complete masochist, so I didn't look. But the very idea hit me hard anyway. I mean, I haven't seem him in almost two years. I knew he would end up marrying this woman. I don't have overt feelings for him anymore and yet, there was that pang.
I know there were a couple of factors at play - 1. 'There goes another person getting married before me' and 2. The standing self-worth issue of 'why am I alone'. Rather than suffer with the memories and pain they brought up, I ate. That's what emotional eaters do. Rather than feel the pain or anger or frustration, we eat. I went straight to a favorite barbecue joint, got my favorite sandwich, sweet potato fries and went home to stuff it down.
I made myself sick. I never eat that much in one sitting anymore and I knew I was going to feel like I needed to puke when I got done. So, I stuffed it down faster than my body could register the load. A few minutes after I finished, my body bloated and I was miserable. Not only physically miserable, but emotionally miserable. I was angry with myself for once again letting someone else's actions make me self-destructive. Rather than go for a walk or play another game of my favorite food distraction (Bejeweled) I fell back to my old friend food. It was pathetic.
And there it is, the last of beating myself up for faltering with food and emotions. I have to let this incident go. If I continue to harp on myself or drag this out, it will only cause more binging. My self-flagellation will only encourage me to get depressed and thereby eat ice cream to assuage those feelings - the circle would just keep spinning.
Instead, it's Sunday and I begin again with more knowledge about myself than I had yesterday and that is what I need most. I need to recognize the problem, deal with it and move forward, not look back. So, today I have had my oatmeal and coffee and now I am craving a salad for lunch. I think it's my body asking for a detente, I will oblige. In fact, the remainder of the day only holds healthy options as I work my way to a funeral and then on to doing laundry and then to a new week.
Yours in Health,
Kate
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thursday - Friday
I am actually taking a personal day tomorrow. I have not had a day off in weeks and my mind and body are telling me this must happen, so I will listen. That meant today I was trying to work ahead and I am just getting to leave work, so there was no workout today.
I would go do it now, but I have to pick-up a prescription and then go to my friend Chris's Mom's funeral. By the time I finish with that the day will be gone.
But the good thing is tomorrow I will have time for me and get in a really solid workout. I will also have time to relax and not stress eat. The last two days have been bad. Yesterday I was able to distract myself. Today the animosity in the building built up to the point I ate a donut and three slices of thin crust pizza. It was ugly. But all I can really do is forgive myself, learn from it and practice or find new coping methods.
Anyway I better go get my errand done before the funeral.
Yours in Health,
Kate
I would go do it now, but I have to pick-up a prescription and then go to my friend Chris's Mom's funeral. By the time I finish with that the day will be gone.
But the good thing is tomorrow I will have time for me and get in a really solid workout. I will also have time to relax and not stress eat. The last two days have been bad. Yesterday I was able to distract myself. Today the animosity in the building built up to the point I ate a donut and three slices of thin crust pizza. It was ugly. But all I can really do is forgive myself, learn from it and practice or find new coping methods.
Anyway I better go get my errand done before the funeral.
Yours in Health,
Kate
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Mid-Week Wrap
It has been a long week (yes, I know it's only Wednesday) with little in the way of useful blogging, so I thought I would cover the week thus far and end with a funny story.
Monday - It was a lower body workout with trainer Gwyn at the YMCA Healthy Living Center. This was when I found out I use my left leg to push back as I pull the mower up the mini-hill time and again in our slightly sloped yard. My left calf felt like it had been ripped apart and when I commented to Gwyn, she made the very common sense query, "So which leg did you use pulling the mower up?" This is why I love her!
Then Monday night it was on to Intuitive Eating class at the Mercy Weight Loss and Nutrition Center. Two weeks away had left some people feeling they had lost momentum. I personally felt about the same, though disgusted with my lack of ability to push away the 'food police'. (Cue Cheap Trick's "Dream Police" because this is what I hear in my head every time dietitian Katie uses the phrase.)
Anyway, the 'food police' can be anyone including YOU. It's the rules that are put into place around food and most of them can be damaging or at the minimum, useless. We tend to pick these up from every diet we have ever tried, our parents and in magazines. In your mind, as you debate food they can sound like - "You can never eat brownies because you never stop at one." or "The fat in that will go right to your thighs." The first one assumes failure and the second is just plain biologically incorrect.
The food police can be outside of you as well. It sound like, "You aren't going to eat THAT are you?" or "What do you mean you don't want ice cream?" The latter is food police/ food pusher all rolled into one and it's that one that I struggle with most. I am bad at saying 'no', in fact, I suck at it.
I am a people pleaser, even if it makes me plumper. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by turning away that homemade cake or not joining in the social communing of ice cream sundaes. But really, for the temporary hurt it may cause (or probably won't and I am just being hyper-sensitive), I am only hurting myself. I hurt myself by eating the things that aren't good for me, but also by giving up my control and my choice. No one else should have that power but me. I have to work on this.
One of the big things that we work on on IE class is that no food is 'bad'. There are better choices, but if you REALLY want that chocolate cake it's better to have a small piece now than deprive yourself and binge on the cake itself later. Or worse yet, eat what you think you should eat, it doesn't satisfy you and you keep eating everything in sight because you are hungry. Truth be told, you are not hungry for just anything, you are hungry for the thing you have denied yourself and your body won't really be satisfied until you follow through on its original craving. It all makes sense when you look at it, but we have spent so long dieting and denying that we have lost all ability to tell what is real and imagined in with our hunger and food cues.
Tuesday: It was all about upper-body with Gwyn. I love working my arms and shoulders, even when it's hard and my arms end up jelly. I love that my collar bones have made a slight appearance and that I am getting muscle definition back in my biceps - both of these were goals from the beginning. However, I had another 'lawn mower' moment when I whined that my right bicep really hurt and Gwyn and her common sense spoke up again, "Would that be the arm you used to pull the mower up those hills?" LOL. Duh, yep.
Wednesday (um, today): I worked out with Gwyn, today was core. In the middle of the workout something slipped in my back and balled up my muscles. Now every time I bend too far to the left or breathe too deep my back hurts. But that didn't stop me from finishing the planned workout. I did skip the third set of planks though, because that made it hurt the most. When I was trying to figure out why my back hurt out of nowhere, Gwyn commented that it might be the mower again, because that would be the motion of pulling the cord to start it. Again, she may be on to something as the elderly thing required about 30 pulls to get it started, even with priming.
I sat in the steam room and then took a long shower, it feels a little better. But I'm sure after sleeping on it tonight, it will be very stiff in the morning. That's why I am planning a water workout. It always helps to get in the water and get the extra stretch that buoyancy allows.
And as for the funny story...
I go to the gynecologist today and am sitting waiting for the doctor. And waiting and waiting. I went to ask how much longer it would be and they apologized - he was called away to deliver a baby! LOL. You can't argue with that. He came back as quickly as he could and then they rushed me through with further apologies. I asked if the baby was happy and healthy, the doctor said, "Yes" and I told him, "Then there's no need to apologize." :)
Yours in Health,
Kate
Monday - It was a lower body workout with trainer Gwyn at the YMCA Healthy Living Center. This was when I found out I use my left leg to push back as I pull the mower up the mini-hill time and again in our slightly sloped yard. My left calf felt like it had been ripped apart and when I commented to Gwyn, she made the very common sense query, "So which leg did you use pulling the mower up?" This is why I love her!
Then Monday night it was on to Intuitive Eating class at the Mercy Weight Loss and Nutrition Center. Two weeks away had left some people feeling they had lost momentum. I personally felt about the same, though disgusted with my lack of ability to push away the 'food police'. (Cue Cheap Trick's "Dream Police" because this is what I hear in my head every time dietitian Katie uses the phrase.)
Anyway, the 'food police' can be anyone including YOU. It's the rules that are put into place around food and most of them can be damaging or at the minimum, useless. We tend to pick these up from every diet we have ever tried, our parents and in magazines. In your mind, as you debate food they can sound like - "You can never eat brownies because you never stop at one." or "The fat in that will go right to your thighs." The first one assumes failure and the second is just plain biologically incorrect.
The food police can be outside of you as well. It sound like, "You aren't going to eat THAT are you?" or "What do you mean you don't want ice cream?" The latter is food police/ food pusher all rolled into one and it's that one that I struggle with most. I am bad at saying 'no', in fact, I suck at it.
I am a people pleaser, even if it makes me plumper. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by turning away that homemade cake or not joining in the social communing of ice cream sundaes. But really, for the temporary hurt it may cause (or probably won't and I am just being hyper-sensitive), I am only hurting myself. I hurt myself by eating the things that aren't good for me, but also by giving up my control and my choice. No one else should have that power but me. I have to work on this.
One of the big things that we work on on IE class is that no food is 'bad'. There are better choices, but if you REALLY want that chocolate cake it's better to have a small piece now than deprive yourself and binge on the cake itself later. Or worse yet, eat what you think you should eat, it doesn't satisfy you and you keep eating everything in sight because you are hungry. Truth be told, you are not hungry for just anything, you are hungry for the thing you have denied yourself and your body won't really be satisfied until you follow through on its original craving. It all makes sense when you look at it, but we have spent so long dieting and denying that we have lost all ability to tell what is real and imagined in with our hunger and food cues.
Tuesday: It was all about upper-body with Gwyn. I love working my arms and shoulders, even when it's hard and my arms end up jelly. I love that my collar bones have made a slight appearance and that I am getting muscle definition back in my biceps - both of these were goals from the beginning. However, I had another 'lawn mower' moment when I whined that my right bicep really hurt and Gwyn and her common sense spoke up again, "Would that be the arm you used to pull the mower up those hills?" LOL. Duh, yep.
Wednesday (um, today): I worked out with Gwyn, today was core. In the middle of the workout something slipped in my back and balled up my muscles. Now every time I bend too far to the left or breathe too deep my back hurts. But that didn't stop me from finishing the planned workout. I did skip the third set of planks though, because that made it hurt the most. When I was trying to figure out why my back hurt out of nowhere, Gwyn commented that it might be the mower again, because that would be the motion of pulling the cord to start it. Again, she may be on to something as the elderly thing required about 30 pulls to get it started, even with priming.
I sat in the steam room and then took a long shower, it feels a little better. But I'm sure after sleeping on it tonight, it will be very stiff in the morning. That's why I am planning a water workout. It always helps to get in the water and get the extra stretch that buoyancy allows.
And as for the funny story...
I go to the gynecologist today and am sitting waiting for the doctor. And waiting and waiting. I went to ask how much longer it would be and they apologized - he was called away to deliver a baby! LOL. You can't argue with that. He came back as quickly as he could and then they rushed me through with further apologies. I asked if the baby was happy and healthy, the doctor said, "Yes" and I told him, "Then there's no need to apologize." :)
Yours in Health,
Kate
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