Mileage Monday

Been a while since my last post again. Oops. I actually am still dealing with an achy left shoulder. I haven’t done any strength training for over a month. I think I’m going to try some light exercises maybe today. Or else at least pop in my Pilates DVD. I haven’t done that DVD in years (literally). I should probably do a review on that DVD, even if it is an old one.

Speaking of reviews, I’m planning to do a review in a few months about something I just received. I’ve been wanting a FitBit for years, and my husband surprised me with one last week. I now have a FitBit Flex. I’ve had it less than a week, and I love it so far! Way too early to write up a review on it though. But my first impressions are very positive. I’m now thinking about getting the FitBit scale, which is called Aria. We’ll see though.

On to the mileage part of this post. Since my last entry, I’m passed through the town of Mallie, KY in Knott county. I have about 2 miles until I get to Hindman, KY in Knott county. Here are the latest pictures from the Virtual Walk site.

Mile 624.6 (watp for 1 mile, elliptical for 1 mile)           Mile 625.6 (elliptical for 1 mile)

                      

Mile 626.6 (Elliptical for 1 mile)                                     Mile 627.6 (elliptical for 1 mile)

                      

Mile 628.6 (elliptical for 1 mile)                                    Mile 629.6 (elliptical for 1 mile)

                      

(photo credit - Copyright 2006 Lawrence Berkeley Lab)

I want to know what’s going on in this last picture. Lots of cars over there on the left!

Happy Labor Day! Keep moving!

Quick Little Post

I'm still not quite 100%. I'm still dealing with a stuffy nose and a cough. And headaches come and go at random times. I was hoping this cold would have been gone by now, but it still lingers. It's annoying, and I still lose energy if I do too much.

I was able to do a quick workout Monday. I did 20 minutes of my pilates video, and my floor arm routine. I plan on writing up the exercises I do regularly and posting them here to my blog for you all to get an idea of what I do three days a week.

I've been getting more writing done lately which is good. I still need to work on getting a set schedule set up. I find myself checking email and reading blog posts more often than I should. I have conquered the FaceBook problem though. I used to "play" several games one there and I've cut those out. They were a time sink and just silly. I'm thinking about taking a five or ten minute break ever 90 minutes to check mail and blogs and then getting back to it. That sounds like a good deal.

Not a whole lot is going on today. I'm still fighting this cold, like I said, and am taking it easy. Tomorrow I plan on doing more pilates and arm work. And of course more writing.

This is kind of a wimpy entry, but I thought I needed to write something just to keep me in the habit. Keep on moving everyone!

Quick Little Post

I'm still not quite 100%. I'm still dealing with a stuffy nose and a cough. And headaches come and go at random times. I was hoping this cold would have been gone by now, but it still lingers. It's annoying, and I still lose energy if I do too much.

I was able to do a quick workout Monday. I did 20 minutes of my pilates video, and my floor arm routine. I plan on writing up the exercises I do regularly and posting them here to my blog for you all to get an idea of what I do three days a week.

I've been getting more writing done lately which is good. I still need to work on getting a set schedule set up. I find myself checking email and reading blog posts more often than I should. I have conquered the FaceBook problem though. I used to "play" several games one there and I've cut those out. They were a time sink and just silly. I'm thinking about taking a five or ten minute break ever 90 minutes to check mail and blogs and then getting back to it. That sounds like a good deal.

Not a whole lot is going on today. I'm still fighting this cold, like I said, and am taking it easy. Tomorrow I plan on doing more pilates and arm work. And of course more writing.

This is kind of a wimpy entry, but I thought I needed to write something just to keep me in the habit. Keep on moving everyone!

Second Cold In Two Months

I was totally fine yesterday until around 4:30 PM when I noticed my throat was a little sore. Sore throat kept getting worse as the evening progressed and by 8 PM I also had a wicked headache. Woke up this morning with a full blown cold. Sore throat, headache, achy ears. Blah. This thing hit hard and it hit fast. I'm hoping it doesn't last long. The cold I had at the end of November (on my birthday no less) lasted off and on for two weeks. Hopefully it won't last that long.

I found out the last goal for my Spark team challenge Sunday night. We are to choose one new exercise three days this week. For the first day (Monday), I chose a video from Netflix again. I had been meaning to look around Netflix for a weight training video for a while now and this gave me the excuse to go browse. I didn't find too many options as far as what I can watch "instantly", but I did find one. It's called 10 Minute Solution - Target Toning For Beginners. I like it OK. Seeing as the video is broken up into 10 minute segments, the arm section didn't work out my arms like my normal routine does. I did the arm section using my five pound weights. I normally use a set of eight pound weights. I may try this video again using my eight pound weights tomorrow. I also did the ab section. Again, it didn't feel like I got as good of a workout as the pilates video I've been using. So after this week, I think I'll return to my normal arm routine and go back to the Crunch video.

For Wednesday and Friday, I need to come up with two more "new" exercises. Not sure what I'll pick. May look into more videos on Netflix, but not sure. I'll have to think on it. I want to try and keep it easy and maybe a bit simple seeing as I don't want to over exert myself and make this cold worse.

Monday I did get on the elliptical as a sort of test, to see how my ankle is. Still not where I want it to be. So another week off from cardio. It feels pretty good today. Hopefully another week or two and it will be good to go.

I'm craving something warm for lunch today. I don't want another cold sandwich. We have a few soups out there. Dinty Moore Beef Stew, Ramen Noodles, Lipton soups. Although Lipton soups don't fill me up, so it's either Dinty Moore or Ramen. Think I'll go with the Dinty Moore. I haven't had that in years.

Not much planned for the day. I should get some writing done, but I may leave that for this evening. Might just take it easy and read for a while. Have a good day and keep moving!

Second Cold In Two Months

I was totally fine yesterday until around 4:30 PM when I noticed my throat was a little sore. Sore throat kept getting worse as the evening progressed and by 8 PM I also had a wicked headache. Woke up this morning with a full blown cold. Sore throat, headache, achy ears. Blah. This thing hit hard and it hit fast. I'm hoping it doesn't last long. The cold I had at the end of November (on my birthday no less) lasted off and on for two weeks. Hopefully it won't last that long.

I found out the last goal for my Spark team challenge Sunday night. We are to choose one new exercise three days this week. For the first day (Monday), I chose a video from Netflix again. I had been meaning to look around Netflix for a weight training video for a while now and this gave me the excuse to go browse. I didn't find too many options as far as what I can watch "instantly", but I did find one. It's called 10 Minute Solution - Target Toning For Beginners. I like it OK. Seeing as the video is broken up into 10 minute segments, the arm section didn't work out my arms like my normal routine does. I did the arm section using my five pound weights. I normally use a set of eight pound weights. I may try this video again using my eight pound weights tomorrow. I also did the ab section. Again, it didn't feel like I got as good of a workout as the pilates video I've been using. So after this week, I think I'll return to my normal arm routine and go back to the Crunch video.

For Wednesday and Friday, I need to come up with two more "new" exercises. Not sure what I'll pick. May look into more videos on Netflix, but not sure. I'll have to think on it. I want to try and keep it easy and maybe a bit simple seeing as I don't want to over exert myself and make this cold worse.

Monday I did get on the elliptical as a sort of test, to see how my ankle is. Still not where I want it to be. So another week off from cardio. It feels pretty good today. Hopefully another week or two and it will be good to go.

I'm craving something warm for lunch today. I don't want another cold sandwich. We have a few soups out there. Dinty Moore Beef Stew, Ramen Noodles, Lipton soups. Although Lipton soups don't fill me up, so it's either Dinty Moore or Ramen. Think I'll go with the Dinty Moore. I haven't had that in years.

Not much planned for the day. I should get some writing done, but I may leave that for this evening. Might just take it easy and read for a while. Have a good day and keep moving!

Another Week

I hope everyone had a great weekend and that so far your week is going well. My husband and I went to see the movie The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus on Saturday. I'm still not sure whether I liked it or not. I won't say I did not like it, but I won't say that I liked it either. It was very odd to say the least.

So far my week has been fairly slow in terms of the standard exercise. I did not do my pilates video or strength training on Monday. However I did do a ton of cleaning and straightening up. Lots of bending over picking up trash, pushing and pulling the vacuum cleaner, and scrubbing surfaces. By the time I was done I had spent about three and a half hours cleaning up and my lower back was aching. I decided to skip my routine yesterday seeing as I was already sore.

Monday night my husband and I took my father in law out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. My mother in law is out of town right now so we thought we'd treat him to a dinner out. I had the No Rules Pasta. I normally get the Atlantic salmon, but I was in the mood for pasta. When I got back from dinner I checked the calories for the meal and it was over 900 calories just for the pasta. I also had three pieces of their bread. Luckily we didn't order an appetizer. It was good, but I don't know if I'd order it again. Having a 1000 plus calorie meal is way too much for me. If I remember right the calorie count for the Atlantic salmon is only about 180 for the salmon and 110 for the veggies.

Although I had pasta last night for dinner, I also had pasta for lunch. I made a cup of noodles sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, 1 cup cooked broccoli, and three small carrots raw. If I could eat pasta for every meal I would. I love pasta.


















Monday was also weigh in day and I was pleased to see a 2 pound loss. I was surprised to see that because I saw a 2 pound loss last week also. I'm surprised at this because I've done no cardio for the last several weeks. I've only been doing pilates and strength training. I have been doing well with watching what I'm eating, I stayed within my range most of the time, only going over range one or two times a week and not by very much. Although last night I went over my range by about 500 calories. Oops. That's OK though, we don't go to Outback Steakhouse very often and I know the next time I go I will have the Atlantic salmon.

I'm not sure what the plan is for dinner tonight, but I think it's going to be Carl's Jr again. So I'll get the apple cranberry walnut grilled chicken salad again. I plan on having a fiber one bar for a snack later this afternoon. I got the chocolate peanut butter kind this time. My husband already had one last night and he said they were very good. One bar is 90 calories which I like.

I've got a few things to do today, such as finishing laundry, vacuuming our room, and getting some balance practice in. I skipped yesterday and I also skipped Saturday. Saturday we walked around for awhile before the movie. Not very much but if focused on body posture and that was one of my goals for the last few days.

How are you doing with your goals?

Another Week

I hope everyone had a great weekend and that so far your week is going well. My husband and I went to see the movie The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus on Saturday. I'm still not sure whether I liked it or not. I won't say I did not like it, but I won't say that I liked it either. It was very odd to say the least.

So far my week has been fairly slow in terms of the standard exercise. I did not do my pilates video or strength training on Monday. However I did do a ton of cleaning and straightening up. Lots of bending over picking up trash, pushing and pulling the vacuum cleaner, and scrubbing surfaces. By the time I was done I had spent about three and a half hours cleaning up and my lower back was aching. I decided to skip my routine yesterday seeing as I was already sore.

Monday night my husband and I took my father in law out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. My mother in law is out of town right now so we thought we'd treat him to a dinner out. I had the No Rules Pasta. I normally get the Atlantic salmon, but I was in the mood for pasta. When I got back from dinner I checked the calories for the meal and it was over 900 calories just for the pasta. I also had three pieces of their bread. Luckily we didn't order an appetizer. It was good, but I don't know if I'd order it again. Having a 1000 plus calorie meal is way too much for me. If I remember right the calorie count for the Atlantic salmon is only about 180 for the salmon and 110 for the veggies.

Although I had pasta last night for dinner, I also had pasta for lunch. I made a cup of noodles sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, 1 cup cooked broccoli, and three small carrots raw. If I could eat pasta for every meal I would. I love pasta.


















Monday was also weigh in day and I was pleased to see a 2 pound loss. I was surprised to see that because I saw a 2 pound loss last week also. I'm surprised at this because I've done no cardio for the last several weeks. I've only been doing pilates and strength training. I have been doing well with watching what I'm eating, I stayed within my range most of the time, only going over range one or two times a week and not by very much. Although last night I went over my range by about 500 calories. Oops. That's OK though, we don't go to Outback Steakhouse very often and I know the next time I go I will have the Atlantic salmon.

I'm not sure what the plan is for dinner tonight, but I think it's going to be Carl's Jr again. So I'll get the apple cranberry walnut grilled chicken salad again. I plan on having a fiber one bar for a snack later this afternoon. I got the chocolate peanut butter kind this time. My husband already had one last night and he said they were very good. One bar is 90 calories which I like.

I've got a few things to do today, such as finishing laundry, vacuuming our room, and getting some balance practice in. I skipped yesterday and I also skipped Saturday. Saturday we walked around for awhile before the movie. Not very much but if focused on body posture and that was one of my goals for the last few days.

How are you doing with your goals?

Procrastination, Goals, And Other Things

Well I'm happy to say that my abs don't hurt as much today as they did on Tuesday. On Wednesday I did the same pilates video I did on Monday. I was surprised that my muscles weren't achy or sore as I did the routine. Some of the movements were easier to do the second time around, I was more limber and flexible which I was pleased about.

I plan on finishing the week using the same pilates video as I used Monday and Wednesday, and then next Monday I plan on using the second pilates video that I found and saved. I think the second video has a lot of the same movements but there are few new ones as well. I plan on switching videos each week so I'm not doing the same thing every time.

I also plan on starting on my balance and walking practice. One of the teams I belong to on SparkPeople has a challenge of setting goals. For goal number two our assignment is to identify a bad habit and replace it with something good. I decided to change my habit of procrastination on my balance and walking practice and just get it done. I intend to focus on my posture as I stand in one spot. I tend to slouch and hunch over rather than stand up straight. I need to focus on my shoulders being in line with my hips and keeping my legs straight. I will also spend 10 minutes a day as I watch TV practicing standing on 1 foot for as long as I can for 1 minute and switching to the other foot for 1 minute. I'm starting out with 10 minutes because right now that's an easy goal to aim for.

If I feel comfortable I will attempt to use my walker around our room but if not I will not beat myself up over it. I will tell myself it's OK not take a step for two. I will just stand in one spot with my walker just to get a feel for it again.

















I tried something new to yesterday for a snack and I was surprised how good it was. I tried the Fiber One chewy bars, the oats and chocolate flavored ones. I tried their cereal a few years ago and couldn't stand it. It was so dry and not very tasty I had a hard time finishing one bowl. But these bars are pretty tasty and not dry at all. I plan on buying more of these for an afternoon snack.

I think tonight is a fast food night. Yesterday I was watching Bill O'Reilly on Fox News and he was talking about the new Carl's Jr ad. It showed a salad with sliced apples and cranberries and it looked pretty good. I checked the nutritional info on their site and its 300 calories which isn't too bad. I plan on trying it with no dressing at first and seeing what it tastes like. If it needs dressing I'll add their low fat balsamic vinegar dressing to it.

Do you find yourself procrastinating on something you know you should do? Is there a way to break it down into smaller sections? What is holding back?

Procrastination, Goals, And Other Things

Well I'm happy to say that my abs don't hurt as much today as they did on Tuesday. On Wednesday I did the same pilates video I did on Monday. I was surprised that my muscles weren't achy or sore as I did the routine. Some of the movements were easier to do the second time around, I was more limber and flexible which I was pleased about.

I plan on finishing the week using the same pilates video as I used Monday and Wednesday, and then next Monday I plan on using the second pilates video that I found and saved. I think the second video has a lot of the same movements but there are few new ones as well. I plan on switching videos each week so I'm not doing the same thing every time.

I also plan on starting on my balance and walking practice. One of the teams I belong to on SparkPeople has a challenge of setting goals. For goal number two our assignment is to identify a bad habit and replace it with something good. I decided to change my habit of procrastination on my balance and walking practice and just get it done. I intend to focus on my posture as I stand in one spot. I tend to slouch and hunch over rather than stand up straight. I need to focus on my shoulders being in line with my hips and keeping my legs straight. I will also spend 10 minutes a day as I watch TV practicing standing on 1 foot for as long as I can for 1 minute and switching to the other foot for 1 minute. I'm starting out with 10 minutes because right now that's an easy goal to aim for.

If I feel comfortable I will attempt to use my walker around our room but if not I will not beat myself up over it. I will tell myself it's OK not take a step for two. I will just stand in one spot with my walker just to get a feel for it again.

















I tried something new to yesterday for a snack and I was surprised how good it was. I tried the Fiber One chewy bars, the oats and chocolate flavored ones. I tried their cereal a few years ago and couldn't stand it. It was so dry and not very tasty I had a hard time finishing one bowl. But these bars are pretty tasty and not dry at all. I plan on buying more of these for an afternoon snack.

I think tonight is a fast food night. Yesterday I was watching Bill O'Reilly on Fox News and he was talking about the new Carl's Jr ad. It showed a salad with sliced apples and cranberries and it looked pretty good. I checked the nutritional info on their site and its 300 calories which isn't too bad. I plan on trying it with no dressing at first and seeing what it tastes like. If it needs dressing I'll add their low fat balsamic vinegar dressing to it.

Do you find yourself procrastinating on something you know you should do? Is there a way to break it down into smaller sections? What is holding back?

Oh My Aching Abs

My abs are sore today. Why you may ask? Because of this.











Crunch: Pick Your Spot Pilates

I watched this video through Netflix. I also watched about three other types of pilates videos, but this one seemed to be the easiest one for my ability. I did this work out Monday morning and it was pretty tough. I had to modify a lot of the exercises but that's OK. The video had one person doing an easier version of the routine and I like that very much.

I woke up this morning and when I sat up in bed my abs started to scream at me. My abs have not hurt like this in a very long time. That just tells me I have not been working my core muscles as much as I should be. I will definitely be doing this video again.

I recently got a few goodies in the mail from SparkPeople. I bought one of their water bottles as well as a stress ball. The water bottle holds 24 ounces and I love it. Maybe now I will be able to get my full eight cups (64 ounces) a day. Only problem is I keep having to make a dash for the bathroom every 15 minutes or so it seems. Maybe once every half hour. I keep hearing that it will get easier over time but I've tried this before and I keep having to run to the bathroom constantly.

















I'm enjoying the stress ball also. I squeeze it as I watch TV, switching from one hand to the other, sort of like playing catch with myself. It gives me something to do with my hands so I'm not tempted to go to the kitchen and find a snack to munch on.

My plan for today is to rest and give my abs a chance to recover. I plan on finishing The Spark book and getting caught up on various blogs. Tonight is the start of a new season of The Biggest Loser. I will most likely let it tape tonight and watch it tomorrow. I'm curious to see the contestants for the season as I haven't really heard much about them yet. I know they're paired up again with family members or friends but that's all I know.

Are you looking forward to the new season of The Biggest Loser?

Oh My Aching Abs

My abs are sore today. Why you may ask? Because of this.











Crunch: Pick Your Spot Pilates

I watched this video through Netflix. I also watched about three other types of pilates videos, but this one seemed to be the easiest one for my ability. I did this work out Monday morning and it was pretty tough. I had to modify a lot of the exercises but that's OK. The video had one person doing an easier version of the routine and I like that very much.

I woke up this morning and when I sat up in bed my abs started to scream at me. My abs have not hurt like this in a very long time. That just tells me I have not been working my core muscles as much as I should be. I will definitely be doing this video again.

I recently got a few goodies in the mail from SparkPeople. I bought one of their water bottles as well as a stress ball. The water bottle holds 24 ounces and I love it. Maybe now I will be able to get my full eight cups (64 ounces) a day. Only problem is I keep having to make a dash for the bathroom every 15 minutes or so it seems. Maybe once every half hour. I keep hearing that it will get easier over time but I've tried this before and I keep having to run to the bathroom constantly.

















I'm enjoying the stress ball also. I squeeze it as I watch TV, switching from one hand to the other, sort of like playing catch with myself. It gives me something to do with my hands so I'm not tempted to go to the kitchen and find a snack to munch on.

My plan for today is to rest and give my abs a chance to recover. I plan on finishing The Spark book and getting caught up on various blogs. Tonight is the start of a new season of The Biggest Loser. I will most likely let it tape tonight and watch it tomorrow. I'm curious to see the contestants for the season as I haven't really heard much about them yet. I know they're paired up again with family members or friends but that's all I know.

Are you looking forward to the new season of The Biggest Loser?

Adapting But Still Moving

I've been inspired by the blog called Carrots 'N' Cake. Tina shares photos of her day and posts them to her blog. I decided that I will try and do the same thing, maybe not every day or even every post, but I will try to post some pictures here and there as I see fit.

My exercise routine is going to have to change some again for a little bit due to more shin splints. This time I have shin splints in my left leg, while the last time I had shin splints it was in my right leg. They seem to be switching from one leg to the other. I had just gotten back to doing one mile again after not being able to do a mile for a few months. I just started to have pain in my left ankle and shin last week. Instead of trying to force myself to complete one mile every time I was on the elliptical, I decided to take some time off. I think I caught it in time, because it does not really hurt when I'm off the machine. When I first had shin splints I remember it hurt no matter where I was, I could be standing or sitting or even lying down and it would ache. So I am being smart this time and am not pushing it.















Next Monday is the beginning of Spark People's boot camp called Spark Your Body Boot Camp. It lasts for one month, just like all of their other boot camps. During this boot camp they will show a ten minute workout video everyday for the first week. After that the videos will replay for the following three weeks. Also five days a week they say you should do some sort of cardio exercise for 30 minutes every day. I hope my shin splints are gone by then, but if not I will do some sort of cardio other then my elliptical. Spark People has a few cardio videos that last for ten minutes that I can do as a replacement. The instructor, Coach Nicole, gives alternate ways of doing the movements which I love. These videos are adaptable to anyone's needs.

So because I have to stop my elliptical workouts for now, I need to really pay attention to what I eat. I adjusted my fitness goals to reflect my lack of cardio. Doing this changed my calorie range to 1200 to 1500 calories a day. I'm going to try to eat in the lower range as much as I can. If I have to eat half a sandwich then I will. I am in control of what I eat for breakfast and lunch, but dinner I have no control over as I do not cook that meal.


















For today's lunch I had the last of my left over Domino's pizza. Two slices of Philly steak and tomato pizza, an apple, and for my drink I had my usual water. Not the best lunch, but it could have been worse. Two slices of medium pizza was about 360 calories. So far today I am at a total of 647 calories. My dinner can be anywhere from 563 to 913 calories. I intend on having a banana for a snack in about an hour and I honestly have no idea what dinner will be. Hopefully it won't be anything too heavy.

As far as today's exercise went, I did do my strength training routine, which consisted of my normal ab routine, floor arm routine with eight pound weights, standing arm routine with eight pound weights, and standing leg routine. I did two sets of the arm routines and for the most part I felt fairly strong while doing it. I did get on my elliptical for about five seconds before deciding there was no way. It would be too uncomfortable and I would have injured myself further. I did that last time, and ended up taking a two month forced break.


















On my off days, which are Tuesday and Thursday I intend on doing my workout DVD which is a pilates DVD entitled Pilates Beginning Mat Workout. I bought this DVD about four or five years ago before I really got serious about losing weight and getting fit. I bought this DVD because it has the entire routine on the floor, so I don't have to worry about my balance during the exercises. The trainer in the video, Ana Caban does, the routine the traditional way while her assistant does the routine in a modified format. During this video I try to do the traditional version but on occasion I have to do the modified version. My legs are not as flexible and they won't straighten out totally. While she has her legs straight in the air, I place mine in a tabletop position (90° angle).

This is turning into a long entry so I will end this for now. I will have more things to say soon. New Year's Eve goals, and things like that are to come.

When you have an injury how do you compensate for it? Do you find alternate ways of getting exercise in or do you just take a complete break and do no exercise at all?

Adapting But Still Moving

I've been inspired by the blog called Carrots 'N' Cake. Tina shares photos of her day and posts them to her blog. I decided that I will try and do the same thing, maybe not every day or even every post, but I will try to post some pictures here and there as I see fit.

My exercise routine is going to have to change some again for a little bit due to more shin splints. This time I have shin splints in my left leg, while the last time I had shin splints it was in my right leg. They seem to be switching from one leg to the other. I had just gotten back to doing one mile again after not being able to do a mile for a few months. I just started to have pain in my left ankle and shin last week. Instead of trying to force myself to complete one mile every time I was on the elliptical, I decided to take some time off. I think I caught it in time, because it does not really hurt when I'm off the machine. When I first had shin splints I remember it hurt no matter where I was, I could be standing or sitting or even lying down and it would ache. So I am being smart this time and am not pushing it.















Next Monday is the beginning of Spark People's boot camp called Spark Your Body Boot Camp. It lasts for one month, just like all of their other boot camps. During this boot camp they will show a ten minute workout video everyday for the first week. After that the videos will replay for the following three weeks. Also five days a week they say you should do some sort of cardio exercise for 30 minutes every day. I hope my shin splints are gone by then, but if not I will do some sort of cardio other then my elliptical. Spark People has a few cardio videos that last for ten minutes that I can do as a replacement. The instructor, Coach Nicole, gives alternate ways of doing the movements which I love. These videos are adaptable to anyone's needs.

So because I have to stop my elliptical workouts for now, I need to really pay attention to what I eat. I adjusted my fitness goals to reflect my lack of cardio. Doing this changed my calorie range to 1200 to 1500 calories a day. I'm going to try to eat in the lower range as much as I can. If I have to eat half a sandwich then I will. I am in control of what I eat for breakfast and lunch, but dinner I have no control over as I do not cook that meal.


















For today's lunch I had the last of my left over Domino's pizza. Two slices of Philly steak and tomato pizza, an apple, and for my drink I had my usual water. Not the best lunch, but it could have been worse. Two slices of medium pizza was about 360 calories. So far today I am at a total of 647 calories. My dinner can be anywhere from 563 to 913 calories. I intend on having a banana for a snack in about an hour and I honestly have no idea what dinner will be. Hopefully it won't be anything too heavy.

As far as today's exercise went, I did do my strength training routine, which consisted of my normal ab routine, floor arm routine with eight pound weights, standing arm routine with eight pound weights, and standing leg routine. I did two sets of the arm routines and for the most part I felt fairly strong while doing it. I did get on my elliptical for about five seconds before deciding there was no way. It would be too uncomfortable and I would have injured myself further. I did that last time, and ended up taking a two month forced break.


















On my off days, which are Tuesday and Thursday I intend on doing my workout DVD which is a pilates DVD entitled Pilates Beginning Mat Workout. I bought this DVD about four or five years ago before I really got serious about losing weight and getting fit. I bought this DVD because it has the entire routine on the floor, so I don't have to worry about my balance during the exercises. The trainer in the video, Ana Caban does, the routine the traditional way while her assistant does the routine in a modified format. During this video I try to do the traditional version but on occasion I have to do the modified version. My legs are not as flexible and they won't straighten out totally. While she has her legs straight in the air, I place mine in a tabletop position (90° angle).

This is turning into a long entry so I will end this for now. I will have more things to say soon. New Year's Eve goals, and things like that are to come.

When you have an injury how do you compensate for it? Do you find alternate ways of getting exercise in or do you just take a complete break and do no exercise at all?