Commencement Weekend

It's Commencement Weekend!

In two days, approximately 200 engineering and computer science students will be crossing the stage to receive their diplomas from the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at the University of Rochester. The students, and we staff, have worked very hard to get to this point. And here we are. It's been a whirlwind.

And I can't shake this cold.

I caught this cold on Wednesday, April 25. It totally shut down my workout routine. I thought I had kicked it by Thursday, May 3, and began working out again. I switched from the treadmill to the elliptical machine and got the same workout in half the time. For two days.

Then on Saturday, the cold kicked me in the butt yet again. Slightly different symptoms, but still a cold.... low energy, foggy head, etc. Plus this time, a nasty cough. So, I haven't worked out since then. I HAVE been a good girl with the diet, but I've basically just maintained where I'm at, not really lost any weight.

So here I am, heading into Commencement Weekend, hoping to God I can keep my energy up. I have to be in several places over the course of the weekend, most of the time dressed up. I'm sweating just thinking about it.

So, no exciting news to report. Sometimes the only thing you can do it just slog through days and look forward to coming out on the other side and catching a break. Here's hoping that I do.

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights...

Ok, so I haven't blogged since May 2. And it's now May 9.

On May 2 I felt like a cold or something was coming on. So that night I took some nighttime cold medication and went to bed. I woke up Thursday morning feeling like do-do. I went to work because (a) it was to be the day our college seniors displayed and demo'd their senior design projects, and (b) I had a 2:30 pm appointment near work with my oncologist.

It was an incredibly difficult 6 hours. I couldn't focus on anything. I just wanted to put my head down on the desk. Needless to say, I (a) did not work out that morning, and (b) did not go to Senior Design Day, not wanting to infect the masses. After my oncologist appointment (which went well), I went home and went straight to bed.

Friday I called in sick and stayed in bed for the entire weekend, even missing church and only venturing out to (a) return my old cell phone, lest I get dinged to the tune of $500.00 and (b) buy more cold medicine.

Monday, the body felt somewhat better but the head was still in a bit of a fog. I returned to work and muddled through the best I could, getting a surprising amount of work done. Tuesday was better; I had a burst of energy and greatly reduced the "to-do" pile. That brings me to today.

It's May 9, and I haven't worked out since April 30. But I am still fighting the last vestiges of a cold. Mostly what lingers is the cough and low energy, in spite of what I wrote in the previous paragraph. I think it's gonna take the better part of the week to kick this thing, maybe this weekend too. All I know is I've got to kick it before NEXT weekend because that will be Commencement weekend and I'll need every bit of energy I can muster to work it. I hope to be able to pick up the workouts by next Monday at the latest. I will keep you posted.

Two Days Without A Workout.... And I Am Feeling It!

So, Tuesday I had plans to see my friend off at the airport. I knew I'd be losing two hours of work time so I skipped the workout and came in early to get things done. I did manage to get in a 30-minute walk, but it wasn't at the pace I am used to doing on the treadmill. And today, I have to leave work early for a check-up with my oncologist, so again, I skipped the workout and came in early to get things done. And today I am feeling it.

Even though I only had 4 days of going to the gym, there's a definite difference in how I feel. The workout leaves me a bit tired, but refreshed and happy. I feel like I am more productive and energetic afterwards. Yesterday and today I've felt a bit sluggish. So, thank God there's no reason for me to leave work early tomorrow. Because I am NOT missing my workout again!

Oh, I meant to publish my measurements. (I know what you're thinking... quiet, you!) I took them on Sunday, as a baseline:

Hips 53"
Waist 47"
Bustline 52"
L (& R) upper arms: both 16"
L (& R) upper thighs: both 24.5"
Weight: 192.6 lb. (Ugh.)

Those are all coming DOWN. I promise myself!

 Ok, since I am leaving early, this will be the end of today's post. I wish everyone a productive and "fit" day!

Hello... uh... (taps mic) is this thing on?

It's been an awful long time, I know. I've been bad... I gave up on the whole "get in shape, feel great" thing and just lived my life. It was ok for awhile, it worked for awhile, but now... not so much.

Last summer I had a full hysterectomy. Cancer was suspected, and cancer was indeed found. TWO kinds, ovarian and uterine, growing side-by-side. I was blessed to have had it caught early enough in the process that it all was totally contained in the uterus and the doctors were able to remove it all so successfully that I didn't need chemotherapy or radiation. So, recovery was a snap. Right?

Ehhhh.... not so much. The first 5 weeks went very smoothly. I had some pain, but did as the doctors told me and I managed very well. Then in the 5th week, I was hit with VERY intense pain, as the muscles began to knit back together in earnest. And the fat. The ever-present belly fat. It complicated things... sorry, doc  :-(  ... It doubled my recovery time. And it continues to slow me down. I can't run. I can't hike at a good clip. I can't easily bend at the waist. And finding pants that fit? Yeah, right.

So, I'm ba-ack..... 

This time, in addition to doing the "Eat Well, Live Well" challenge at work, I also joined the campus gym. For now, I'm doing the treadmill for 30 minutes, with plans to get an orientation on the other equipment and eventually incorporate other equipment. I have been going faithfully every morning (except Sunday) since last Thursday. So, 4 days in a row. Woo-hoo! I'm on a roll!
 

Ok, it's admittedly not much of a track record - yet. But it's a start. I haven't lost any weight yet, but I am determined to see this through. My ultimate goal is to lose 50 pounds and firm up my breasts, belly and upper arms.  Along the way, I hope to get into running and weight-lifting (for firming up, NOT bulking up. I have NO plans to compete as Miss Body-Builder USA or whatever they call that competition. Yecch. Not for me. I just want to look and feel my best).

So, if you haven't totally given up, feel free to follow my progress as I begin to peel off the pounds. Because, well, I'm thick and tired of it.

Hey Donna, where ya been?

Danke schön, denizens of dinner, dessert, drink, diet, and detox!

I am back after a lengthy absence. A friend and classmate who is also a doctor saw me at my 30th class reunion and asked me, “Donna, where is your blog?” I was sorely tempted to respond, “It blew into bloggerspace!” Grooaannn…

I haven’t written for a couple of reasons. First, work has been crazy busy these last several months. Heck, I haven’t played with my Facebook apps in months. Now, I know what you’re thinking. What does Farmville have to do with diet and exercise? Well, lots, actually. My unofficial and totally unbiased survey of friends indicates that the more Facebook activity, the less exercise.

Number two: I, uh,… haven’t been dieting and exercising… much. So, what’s to write about?

WHAAAA….? Whaddaya MEAN, you ain’t exercising?

We-ell…. It’s like this. We had this great competition going at work; I had my pedometer on, and was walking every day; it was beautiful weather to be outside; summer and salad go hand in hand; I was drinking lots of water; yada, yada, yada.

Then…. er, I, uh, accidentally dropped my pedometer in the toilet, uh, TWO of them, actually. I worked through lunch most days and ate at my desk. My number came up in the lottery and I got a closer parking space. It got colder. I got lazy. You name the excuse, I got it.

Sooo…. Here I go again, right on top of the dreaded holiday season. I’m attempting to get the ol’ metabolism going once again. Right after today’s going-away party for a co-worker, replete with goodies. (I would've posted this yesterday, but there was another going away party then, too. Any excuse for cake seems to be the theme.)

I pledge to find something healthy to discuss at least twice a week. Yeah, yeah, I know, I’ve said that before. Well, I’m trying again.

Today’s healthy thought (to paraphrase a favorite song): "GET UP OFFA DAT BUTT! And stretch till you feel better! GET UP OFFA DAT BUTT! And walk around the block!" I promise to do both.

Began and ended with rhymes

Tip for the day: get the walking out of the way!

It's Friday, I'm on a vacation from work and at the beginning of a glorious 4-day weekend. The weather looks to be fabulous, I live near a beautiful village with a canal running through it, and I don't have any serious responsibilities until Monday morning. So I can lie around and do nothing, right?

Wrong!

My new mindset is that I need to do something healthy early in the day, to set the tone. Today I met a friend and walked for 45 minutes, Half the walking time was to a canal-side diner, where we stopped for an English muffin and iced coffee, then the other half of the walking time was going back to my car. It felt great! Over the years, I've begun to take to heart that old saying, "21 days makes a habit." It has helped me to get rid of bad habits and incorporate good ones into my life. Now it's getting me out there walking. At this point, I don't feel comfortable missing walking on any given day.

Now I am doing for myself what I promised I'd do today: sit and catch up on my reading. I am rewarding myself for working hard over the past two months, preparing for and executing University Commencement activities.

In the past, I've always rewarded myself with a gooey treat from Starbucks and a venti-sized coffee that was more like liquid candy than coffee. Nothing wrong with either of those things, you understand. Starbucks is still one of my fave places. But I am starting to rethink the ways in which I reward myself. Food isn't really an ideal reward, unless it's healthy food. Unfortunately, I'm not yet at the point where I view healthy food as a reward (although I believe in my heart that I WILL get there :) , so I'm trying to think of non-food kudos to give myself. And allowing myself the luxury of 5+ hours of reading (interrupted only by updating my blog or checking out the occasional Facebook update) is an absolute delight, and something I rarely ever get these days, what with work, chores, church activities, and taking care of my four kitties.

I even put off my grocery shopping until tomorrow. Even though I'm genuinely excited about buying, cutting up, mixing in a salad and eating fresh fruit, I'm going to enjoy my day of well-earned downtime. I may not get 10,000 steps in today, but then again, I may, as I'm already over 5,000, thanks to that earlier walk. Sometimes it's ok to pamper yourself.

Tomorrow? Chores await. Today? Life is great!

My, how time flies...

It's Thursday, May 27. Let's see, I haven't blogged since... oh, May 13? Wow, time has flown by. Well, that's Commencement for you. They like to keep me very busy here. Fortunately, keeping busy keeps my mind off other things, like my progress towards my fitness goals. Actually, some of the progress has been great! And some, not so much.

Here's how my goal of 10,000 steps/day has fared, so far:

Week 1: 8143.9
Week 2: 6899.7
Week 3: 10767.3
Week 4, to date: 11,367.5

Yes, friends. My AVERAGE for 1.5 weeks has been OVER 10,000 steps/day. Isn't that fabulous? I think it's because I'm wearing this pedometer daily and have sworn to be faithful in reporting my steps. I fear my own punishment of me, should I fail, lie, cheat, steal, litter, gossip, etc. So I'm diligently stepping up. Even though due to the heat in Rochester, I am sweating in places I didn't know could sweat. (Bah-dum-bum.)

**ALERT: Side note** I'm listening to Pandora.com and have programmed it to play "Carpenters-like music." (So I'm an old fart; so sue me.) The song on playing is "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi. Question: in what universe is Bon Jovi "like" The Carpenters? ** We now return to Donna's regularly scheduled blathering.**

So, I'm sure you are all waiting with bated breath (Yes, it's "bated," not "baited;" I looked it up. "Baited breath" would be, like, worms. Gross.) to see how I'm doing on my fruits and veggies. Well, I'm not doing so hot. Yes, I'm getting them in. No, I'm not getting enough of them in. Unfortunately, I'm not prone to punishing myself for lack of food discipline. It's my guilty pleasure.

Here's my "cups" goal of 5/day update:

Week 1: 3.21 cups (off to a decent start.... hey, that's probably more than I've gotten in per day my whole life!
Week 2: 2.29 (boo, hiss, throw the bum out!)
Week 3: 2.64 (better, but not by much)
Week 4, to date: 3.13 (almost back to where I started. This is progress?)

My overall averages so far are:
Steps: 9294.6 (this is because I sucked wind in the beginning)
Cups: 2.82

This is an 8-week competition, and we're almost at the half-way mark. Ok, so I'd better step it up. OMG I just realized... the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge is, like NEXT WEEK!!! Ummm.... keep walking, D. Keep walking.

I have a 4-day weekend, starting at the end of the day today. In the past, I would have spent the long weekend lying around, reading, eating and just generally being a blob (albeit a happy one). NOw, it would seem, I no longer have that luxury. Ah, the curse of getting older.

I promised myself one day of immersing myself in reading. That day will be tomorrow. I'll get my steps in, but NO chores. I've earned a day of respite. Saturday through Monday are going to be for cleaning the gutters, washing the exterior of the house, cleaning inside, and hopefully a couple of nice long bike rides.

Food-wise, I'm going to buy some fresh fruit and make a salad, and maybe grill some veggies on a kebab. Mmmm, doesn't that sound good? Ok, I've never actually DONE that, but I do have kebabs. How hard could it be? (image in brain: Eddie Murphy comedy sketch about huge flames coming out of grill and Dad rolling around on ground to put out fire on his clothing because Uncle insisted on using lighter fluid. "Now THAT'S a FIRE! Just roll him on the ground, he'll be all right.") Beyond that, I don't know. I'm taking suggestions for quick and easy holiday weekend meal ideas that will help me strive for five. I promise to let you know how your ideas turn out.

Happy stepping and fiving, everyone!