Milelage Monday

Been dealing with allergies for the past week, but not sure if it was that or some strange cold. Everyone in the house seemed to have a different version of the same thing. I've had a headache for the past who knows how long (a month?) off and on, and the last week and a half my sinuses have been aching and giving me a hassle. My husband had a bad headache for the better part of last week, and my mother in-law had the same sinus thing and a nasty cough. We all seem to be on the mend though. My sinuses still feel a little strange, but not as bad as they were.

I didn't do much in the way of exercise last week, but by Thursday or Friday, I had enough of feeling blah. The elliptical actually made me feel a bit better. Sweat it out of me, we'll see if that works.As long as my chest is clear, I should be fine to exercise.

I'm all caught up on my back log of virtual walk pictures. Which means I need to get my butt moving so I can get more pictures for next Monday. That's a good motivator right there. Since my last Mileage Monday post, I've passed through Howardstown, KY in Nelson county and I'm currently passing through White City, KY in Larue county. Let's get to the last of my saved pictures!

Mile 877.8 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 878.2 (elliptical for 1/2 mile)

Mile 880.6 (Leslie Sansone for 2.4 miles)

Mile 883.6 (elliptical for 1/2 mile and Leslie Sansone for 2.4 miles)

Mile 886 (Leslie Sansone for 2.4 miles)

Mile 887 (elliptical for 1 mile)

(photo credit - Virtual Walk Site)

I just came upon my 8 year Sparkaversary. I joined SparkPeople.com 8 years ago because I finally was fed up with the yo-yo exercise/diet circle. The website is still extremley popular even with other free weight loss sites and apps out there. I've been tempted to try out other apps (such as MyFitnessPal), but I'm a loyal Sparker. I do use the FitBit site, but FitBit and SparkPeople can be linked together so that's a bonus. I still would recommend SparkPeople to anyone who wanted to lose weight or become more active. It still has one of the best online communities I've come across.

Keep moving!!!

Mileage Monday: Hard Habit To Break

I realize now that I sometimes don't post a Mileage Monday entry because I have nothing to say. Well, today is one of those days. However instead of not posting anything at all (like usual), I am still posting the pictures and a short update. This is my first success at beating my procrastination and deadline issue too. It's almost 4 PM here on the west coast, and I am in fact posting. Woohoo for me!

Since my last Mileage Monday entry, I've passed through Maud, KY (Washington county) and Bardstown, KY (Nelson County). I have 20.5 miles to go until I reach Howardstown, KY.

Here are the pictures from the virtual walk site I still have from a long time back.

Mile 838.4 (walk down the street for .2 mile)

Mile 839 (elliptical for .6 mile)

Mile 839.6 (elliptical for .6 mile)

Mile 841 (elliptical for 1.4 miles)

Mile 842 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 843 (elliptical for 1)
(photo credit - virtual walk site)

It has in fact been way too many times that I skipped a Mileage Monday post. The .2 mile walk down the street (first picture) was back in October when I screwed up my upper back by startling. No more waiting until I have "something to say".

Keep Moving!!

Mileage Monday: Keep On Keeping On

Another Mileage Monday, and more pictures! Things are going well on the exercise side of things. I've skipped a few workouts here and there, but for the most part, I'm consistent. I'm still only doing strength training twice a week. That seems to be working well for a while. Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays are the days I aim for. If I miss Monday, that it's going to happen Tuesday. Cardio happens about 4 days a week lately. Hoping to increase that again.

Week before last I mentioned I had 1.1 miles to go until I hit the next town on the virtual walk site. I said I would push myself to get in 1.1 miles on the elliptical, when normally I only do 1 mile even. Well, not only did I do 1.1 miles that day (which was exciting), I also stayed on the elliptical longer than I ever have on NordicTrack A.C.T. elliptical. I made it to 1100 revolutions before I had to take my first break. I know I've made it to 800 revolutions (1/2 mile) in one shot, and I want to say I've made it to 900, but I don't think so. Very exciting indeed, and I surprised myself.

So, since my last Mileage Monday post, I've passed through Burgin, KY in Mercer county and Harrodsburg, KY also in Mercer county. Next up is Mackville, KY which is about 5.8 miles from where I am on the map. I've gone a total of 817.2 miles since I started back in April of 2008. Slow going, but great motivation still. Here are the pictures!

Mile 810 (elliptical for 1.1 miles)

Mile 812.4 (Leslie Sansone for 2.4 miles)

Mile 814.8 (Leslie Sansone for 2.4 miles)

Mile 817.2 (Leslie Sansone for 2.3 miles)

(photo credit - Virtual Walk site)

Keep Moving!!

Mileage Monday - Back To Strength

My efforts to make friends with my hand weights again is going well. Last week I managed only one day, but that's OK. I want to take it slow. This week my plan is two days. I already did my strength routine for today, and I'll do it again on Thursday. Then next week I may try for three days. We'll see.

I do find myself enjoying my strength training workouts more since I've cut out the ab routine. I had such a long ab routine (20 minutes just for ab work), that I found myself really dreading strength training days. For now I don't plan on adding any ab work back into my routine. I may pick and choose a few moves to add back in further down the line.

I'm doing OK with my cardio workouts. I have to say it again, if I don't get my workouts in early in the morning they tend not to happen. I had a few days like that last week, and I regretted not getting those workouts in. So far so good this week.

Since my last Mileage Monday post, I've passed through Burgin, KY in Mercer county, and I have about 1 mile to go until I reach Harrodsburg, KY in Mercer county. It's actually 1.1 mile I have left to go. I plan on doing the elliptical tomorrow, and I typically just do 1 mile on the elliptical. I may have to push another tenth of a mile to get to the next town. I've been thinking about increasing my mileage on the elliptical for a while, so this might be a good excuse to do that.

Here are the pictures I have from the virtual walk site for the last week.

Mile 805.6 (Leslie for 2.4 miles)

Mile 806.6 (Elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 809 (Leslie for 2.4 miles)

(photo credit - Virtual Walk site)

Make it a great week, and Keep Moving!

The Return! Mileage Monday

Well, I've been back from vacation for several weeks, and you're right, there's no vacation recap yet. I know I said I'd have it up soon after I got back, but it's not. It's an overwhelming task I admit it. I think of the overall picture of writing three or four posts all at once, and it's daunting. I need to look at it one post at a time, sit down, and just get it done. I've already got the web links for everything, I just need to write them up. And I was smart this time around. Rather than trying to remember where and what I ate after I got back from vacation, I wrote it all down that night.

It is coming, I just won't put a due date on it. I stress myself out that way. I'll write it when I write it. But I will write it. Had some adventures, that's for sure.

Back to Mileage Monday updates. I said I would make friends with my hand weights when I got back from vacation, and well, I did my best. The hand weights aren't the problem, it's the crunches that did me in. I think I'm going to get rid of a lot of my ab routine. I strained my neck pretty good, and aggravated a pinched nerve I have from time to time. I couldn't turn my head for about a week, well maybe not a week, but a good 4 days at least. I did go to the chiropractor, and he got it all sorted out.

Apparently, my lower back was in rough shape, because he said it was way out of whack. I didn't realize it because I had so much pain in my neck. He said "pain masks pain", and he's right. He spent longer than usual on me, and he had to do the ultrasonic therapy (heat therapy) twice on me, because I had pain still. It took several days before I could really turn my head (also bending my head backwards was painful) again. Even now, it's not quite right. A lot better than it was though.

So yes, ab routine is going away for a while. I'm not too bothered by it. My abs are strong as it is. The elliptical and Leslie Sansone DVDs take care of any ab work also. Particularly the elliptical. I'll give my hand weights another go this week and see what happens.

I've gone several miles on the virtual walk site since being back. I've now gone a total of 803.2 miles, and since my last Mileage Monday post, I've passed through Bryantsville, KY in Garrard county. I have about  3 miles until I get to Burgin, KY in Mercer county.

Here are the latest pictures!

Mile 797.8 (Leslie for 2.4 miles)

Mile 798.8 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 799.8 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 802.2 (Leslie for 2.4 miles)

Mile 803.2 (elliptical for 1 mile)

There ya go! Hope everyone is having a great Monday so far. Keep moving!

Mileage Monday!!

Where does the time go? I blink and it's been a month since my last post? Wow. Sorry about that. I need to give myself a big kick in the rear as far as this blog goes. I've neglected it far too much lately. Since my last Mileage Monday post, I've passed through the town of Bighill, KY, Berea, KY, and Kirksville, KY, all in the county of Madison. I have about 6.5 miles until I reach Bryantsville, KY in Gerrard county.

I'm sill going strong with my elliptical and my Leslie Sansone DVDs. I feel like I have a lot more stamina now than I did a few months ago. I'm still taking breaks every quarter mile on my elliptical, and that frustrates me. I don't get how I once was able to do a full mile with no stops. That was on my old machine. As soon as I got my new machine about three years ago, I haven't been able to do more than half a mile straight. I don't get it. But that's OK. As long as I keep moving, that's all that matters. I can still do 65 minutes straight of Leslie Sansone.

Lots of great pictures from the virtual walk site lately too. I'm excited to share these, they're very pretty. The virtual walk site is still a great motivator to get me up and moving. Here are the pictures!

Mile 771.6 (Leslie Sansone for 3.7 miles)

Mile 775 (Leslie Sansone for 3.5 miles)

Mile 778.6 (Leslie Sansone for 3.6 miles)

Mile 779.6 (Elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 780.6 (Elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 781.6 (Elliptical for 1 mile)

(photo credit - http://exercise.lbl.gov/index.html;jsessionid=1F4E2B8269D80C6DF557FB31D1D6D77B)

And there you have it! Hope everyone is having a great Monday. Make it a great week! Keep moving!

Mileage Monday

It's time for another Mileage Monday post. I skipped the last few weeks it seems. I'm still moving right along across the country on the virtual walk site. I've been entering my mileage consistently now for five years. Hard to believe, it only seems like yesterday that I found that site. Pretty good motivator to keep moving.

Since my last Mileage Monday post, I've passed through Bighill, KY and Berea, KY both in Madison county. I have about 1.9 miles until I reach Kirksville, KY also in Madison county.

I made up my mind about the dilemma I've been having with my Leslie Sansone DVDs. I've decided to go with the mileage from my FitBit. It seems very accurate every single time I do the DVD. Always 3.6 or 3.7 miles for the "5 mile" DVD. I'm also doing my best to get in 10,000 steps a day. And on the days I do Leslie's "5 Mile" DVD I make it. Just doing the DVD gets me up to 8,000 steps.

I'm also going to incorporate "march in place" breaks throughout my day to get up to 10,000 steps. If I notice I've been sitting too long, I'll get up and march in place for 10 minutes. I'll try to do that once every hour. See how that works.

On to the virtual walk pictures!

Mile 258.8 (Leslie Sansone for 2.3 miles)

Mile 759.8 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 762.2 (Leslie Sansone for 2.4 miles)

Mile 763.2 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 766.8 (Leslie Sansone for 3.6 miles)

Mile 767.8 (elliptical for 1 mile)

(photo credit - http://exercise.lbl.gov/index.html;jsessionid=1F4E2B8269D80C6DF557FB31D1D6D77B)

Very pretty area. I wonder what it would be like to actually be on that road. It always looks so quiet and empty.

Keep moving!

Mileage Monday And Pre-Experiment Thoughts

In my FitBit One review, I told you all about the experiment I was going to do. Well, the Leslie Sansone portion of the experiment is done, and I found it interesting. I'll do the experiment on the elliptical tomorrow and then share all of my findings.

For now though, here are my saved pictures from the virtual walk site. I've now passed through Wisemantown, KY and have about 7.15 miles until I get to Bighill, KY in Estill County.

Mile 749.6 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 750.6 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 752 (Leslie for 1.5 miles)

Mile 753 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 754.8 (Leslie for 1.8)

(photo credit: http://exercise.lbl.gov/index.html;jsessionid=1F4E2B8269D80C6DF557FB31D1D6D77B)

Stay tuned for my experiment results. It should be up tomorrow sometime. I plan on getting my workouts done early from now on. And of course as soon as I say that, something will happen that will make me postpone. That always seems to happen. As soon as I make plans, or tell my readers I'm going to do something, something always makes me have to postpone. Life happens though, so I try not to make "promises" anymore with my postings here.

Keep moving!

Mileage Monday

Feeling a lot less sluggish than I was last week. I am glad I took last weekend off from exercise. I am also taking today (Sunday) off. It’s important to take days off every now and then or it can you can get run down. Haven’t made up my workout schedule for the week yet, but it might just be random. I am planning on strength training Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but cardio might just be whatever I do and whenever I do it. My niece (“K”) is down this week, and we’re planning on a bike ride Monday through Friday. Might squeeze in something else during the week.

Here are some more pictures from the virtual walk site. Since last week’s post, I’ve passed through Vincent, KY in Owsley county. I have about 38 miles until I reach Irvine, KY in Lee county.

Mile 692.8 (elliptical for 1 mile)                           Mile 696 (watp for 3.1 miles)

            

Mile 697 (elliptical for 1 mile)                              Mile 698 (elliptical for 1 mile)

             

Mile 706 (watp for 5 miles)                                  Mile 708.4 (elliptical for .3 mile)

             

(photo credit - http://exercise.lbl.gov/index.html;jsessionid=1F4E2B8269D80C6DF557FB31D1D6D77B)

Hmmmm. my miles seem to be off. Oh well. Not sure what happened. I must have had a brain fart along the way when I was organizing the pictures. Pretty area of the country still! A little more than 700 miles in, and the trees are still green.

I’m getting close to getting caught up on the pictures. I have one left (from Saturday). Have a great week, and keep moving!

Mileage Monday

Still going strong with the virtual walk. I’ve been feeling a bit sluggish for the last several days, but I make sure to keep moving. Took the weekend off from exercise, and that helped a bit. Back at it today though. Since my last Mileage Monday post, I’ve passed through Booneville, KY in Owsley county. I have about 3.5 miles until I reach Vincent, KY. Should get there tomorrow with the five mile Leslie Sansone I have scheduled. Here are more pictures from the site.

Mile 681.6 (elliptical for 1 mile)                               Mile 684.8 (watp for 3.1 miles)

                

Mile 687.8 (watp for 3.1 miles)                               Mile 689.8 (watp for 2 miles)

                

Mile 690.8 (watp for 1)                                           Mile 691.8 (elliptical for 1)

                 

 

(photo credit - Copyright 2006 Lawrence Berkeley Lab)

Have a great week! Happy Veteran’s Day!