Long Fitness Update

Here's how it's going. I'm not weighing myself or even measuring myself because I don't want to get stuck on numerical goals.  I'd rather aim for a general wellbeing and fitness level.   That way it might be more sustainable.

Nutrition: I'm doing a modified South Beach, low carb but not ultra low carb style.  The hardest part is remembering to eat six times a day and not letting myself get hungry.  I know this is a nutrition principle that's crucial for keeping your metabolism working properly, but it's tough, especially since I have a tendency to get really focused on something and postpone eating.

For breakfast I'm usually eating omelettes with a little parmesan and ajvar... ajvar is a spicy red bell pepper and eggplant spread. We have a lot of Bosnians living nearby, which is how I discovered ajvar, which tastes awesome, and is really convenient as a filling and additive for all kinds of dishes.  Then for a mid-morning snack I'll have some miso soup or a handful of almonds.  At lunch I'll have vegetables with hummus, veggie burgers (I'm not a vegetarian but I like veggie burgers) and/or a lentil or bean soup.  Then for a late lunch I'll have some more almonds or half a roll-up with a low-carb wrap, and maybe an apple.  For dinner I'll eat whatever I cook Sunny and Guy, but without the rice.  Then for dessert, after exercising, I'll have a small protein drink: unsweetened soy milk with hemp powder, a dash of vanilla and cinnamon and a Splenda packet.  The flavors make it not taste entirely like ass (that's the kindest thing I can say about it).

I'm planning on making some rolls with those Vietnamese rice paper things so I can replace the small low-carb wraps, which don't taste very good. 

Here's my exercise log.  Start it Up is the first level of Slim in 6.  Ramp it Up is the second. You're supposed to do Start it Up for only 2 days or until you "master the moves".  It took me a LONG time to "master the moves".

Tue Oct 20         Start it Up
Wed Oct 21         Start it Up
Thu Oct 22         Start it Up
Fri Oct 23         Start it Up
Sat Oct 24         Start it Up + Weight Training
Sun Oct 25         REST

Mon Oct 26         Start it Up
Tue Oct 27         Start it Up
Wed Oct 28         Start it Up
Thu Oct 29         Start it Up
Fri Oct 30         Start it Up - and evil fire drill
Sat Oct 31        horrible pain
Sun Nov 1        horrible pain

Mon Nov 2        horrible pain
Tues Nov 3        slightly less horrible pain
Wed Nov 4         Start it Up
Thu Nov 5         Start it Up
Fri Nov 6         Start it Up
Sat Nov 7         Start it Up + Weight Training
Sun Nov 8         Zuma (dance fitness) class

Mon Nov 9         Ramp it Up
Tue Nov 10         Skipped - did 20 mins of cardio + flexibility instead
Wed Nov 11         Ramp it Up

Start it Up and Ramp it Up are tough, but they're good for my back. After the first week, my back pain disappeared.  Unfortunately, the day before Halloween, and the day before we left to visit Sunny's home state, the evil fire drill happened and that ruined my exercise schedule for a while... otherwise, I would have been able to start Ramp It Up sooner.

I'm going to try and do weight training twice a week, and Zuma every week, but for now, I think I can only count on once a week. 

The first time I did Ramp It Up, it was hard on my arms. I felt like one of my muscles that I use doing pushups was close to being pulled.  So I decided to skip it and do a different, simpler cardio video instead: Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. It was popular and had good ratings... but it was a really bad idea. One move involved jumping while rotating your whole body 180 degrees.  The first time I did it, it hurt, and I should have known to stop, but I tried to keep up.  The next day my lower back really hurt.  Luckily the pain went away in time for me to get back into the schedule by doing Ramp It Up later that night.  My arms don't hurt as badly anymore, although one of my legs feels very sore, and I 'm thinking about getting a full-body massage this weekend.

I wish there was some way of telling which exercise videos are back-friendly/scoliosis-friendly and which aren't! I can twist -- in fact, I need to twist, because that strengthens core muscles and helps my back -- and I can jump, but now I've learned that twisting while jumping leads to certain doom. Plus, Jillian Michaels glares at you in kind of a freaky and frightening way, whereas Debbie Siebers (Slim in 6) strikes a better balance between perky and aggro.

I can mostly keep up with Ramp It Up except for the part where you get on your elbows and knees and kick your feet in the air. That's hopeless.  I'm starting by simply doing half of whatever Debbie Siebers doing.  Then I'm going to gradually work it up until I'm doing the same number of kicks.

At this slow rate, I don't think I'm going to get to Burn it Up level in 6 weeks. Oh well.  I'm fairly happy with the way things are going, and my energy level and mood have improved.