Update On Tee Land

Things are still plugging along here in Tee Land. I have a few things to update here today. Nothing too spectacular, just little things.

On the fitness front, I'm now using 10 pound weights for my arm routine. I broke down almost a month ago and bought a pair from Amazon, and I'm glad I did.

The first day I used them, there was a big difference. I just did one set of all my arm exercises, and only did 10 reps. I'm now up to one set of 15 reps, except for the lying triceps extensions. I only do 10 reps of them. They're still tough. But I'll get there. I'm not quite ready for two sets, yet. It may be a while, as my arms are pretty much dead after I've done everything. It does feel good to lift more weight though.

My elliptical routine is going well. My left ankle is OK. I've done some more research online, and instead of tendonitis, I have muscle knots. That makes sense, because I can actually feel the knots. Stretching before and after my elliptical workout is helping, plus I use my new gel pack as a heating pad and that helps.




I love this ice pack. It gets freezing , but when you put it in the sleeve, it doesn't seem all that cold. When you take it off 20 minutes later, you realize just how cold it gets. Always use it in the sleeve, you'll get frost bite otherwise I'm sure. You can use it as a heating pack also, which is what I've been doing lately. It gets super hot, and the sleeve is a must or you'll burn yourself. It's definitely been a good buy for me.

Not sure if it actually does anything, but I'm using Icy Hot spray in my lower leg. I was expecting this stuff to go ice cold, and then heat up. It is cold going on, but I don't feel any heat.

I'm back up to .8 mile on my elliptical. I plan on aiming for .9 tomorrow and then a full mile next Friday. I like upping my distance on Fridays, because it gives me the full weekend to recover. I took last week off because I didn't like how my ankle muscle was feeling, and when I got back on it Monday, my endurance was still up there. So, taking time off is definitely a good thing now and then.

Once I get back up to one mile, I plan on doing .5 mile on my “off” days. I'd like to get back to doing a mile six days a week, but we'll see. I'll get there eventually, as long as I have no issues. Need to remember to heat or ice my muscles afterward. I can't tell which helps more, an ice pack or heat. I think heat works best on muscle knots, at least for me anyway.

On the writing front, things are still going well. I still have the person I write for from TextBroker. He sends me about 13 topics every two or three weeks. This is an “off” week right now, and I'm being a lazy bum. There's a lot of writing I could be doing, but I'm not. I did pick up one topic from Demand Studios and I have a week to get it written. I need to write more about that site soon, to give you a better idea of how I came to write there.

For now, I should probably end this, and get a snack. I've been a bottomless pit lately. I think it's because of my elliptical workouts. I seem to be hungrier when I'm more active. I see some sliced peaches in my near future.

Update On Tee Land

Things are still plugging along here in Tee Land. I have a few things to update here today. Nothing too spectacular, just little things.

On the fitness front, I'm now using 10 pound weights for my arm routine. I broke down almost a month ago and bought a pair from Amazon, and I'm glad I did.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=keemovtee-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000I1BR7Q&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

The first day I used them, there was a big difference. I just did one set of all my arm exercises, and only did 10 reps. I'm now up to one set of 15 reps, except for the lying triceps extensions. I only do 10 reps of them. They're still tough. But I'll get there. I'm not quite ready for two sets, yet. It may be a while, as my arms are pretty much dead after I've done everything. It does feel good to lift more weight though.

My elliptical routine is going well. My left ankle is OK. I've done some more research online, and instead of tendonitis, I have muscle knots. That makes sense, because I can actually feel the knots. Stretching before and after my elliptical workout is helping, plus I use my new gel pack as a heating pad and that helps.


http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=keemovtee-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0027CU1EY&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

I love this ice pack. It gets freezing , but when you put it in the sleeve, it doesn't seem all that cold. When you take it off 20 minutes later, you realize just how cold it gets. Always use it in the sleeve, you'll get frost bite otherwise I'm sure. You can use it as a heating pack also, which is what I've been doing lately. It gets super hot, and the sleeve is a must or you'll burn yourself. It's definitely been a good buy for me.

Not sure if it actually does anything, but I'm using Icy Hot spray in my lower leg. I was expecting this stuff to go ice cold, and then heat up. It is cold going on, but I don't feel any heat.

I'm back up to .8 mile on my elliptical. I plan on aiming for .9 tomorrow and then a full mile next Friday. I like upping my distance on Fridays, because it gives me the full weekend to recover. I took last week off because I didn't like how my ankle muscle was feeling, and when I got back on it Monday, my endurance was still up there. So, taking time off is definitely a good thing now and then.

Once I get back up to one mile, I plan on doing .5 mile on my “off” days. I'd like to get back to doing a mile six days a week, but we'll see. I'll get there eventually, as long as I have no issues. Need to remember to heat or ice my muscles afterward. I can't tell which helps more, an ice pack or heat. I think heat works best on muscle knots, at least for me anyway.

On the writing front, things are still going well. I still have the person I write for from TextBroker. He sends me about 13 topics every two or three weeks. This is an “off” week right now, and I'm being a lazy bum. There's a lot of writing I could be doing, but I'm not. I did pick up one topic from Demand Studios and I have a week to get it written. I need to write more about that site soon, to give you a better idea of how I came to write there.

For now, I should probably end this, and get a snack. I've been a bottomless pit lately. I think it's because of my elliptical workouts. I seem to be hungrier when I'm more active. I see some sliced peaches in my near future.

My Walk Across The Country

Today marks the end of my second year walking across the United States. Virtually, that is. A couple of years ago, I was looking into some sort of virtual walk. I could never figure out how to start my own, other than getting a certain distance from one place to another, like from where I live to where my parents live (cross country). That seemed pretty boring. I stumbled upon this site, and knew I had found what I was looking for. It tracks your progress cross country. You start out in Yorktown, VA and end up (eventually) in Florence, OR.

Every time you complete your walking, biking, or running for the day, you enter in your distance (up to the .1. It won't calculate .25 mile), and it gives you a snap shot of where you are on the route. It also gives you an updated tracking line. When you start, the line is red, and as you progress, it turns black. It gives you a picture of where you are (the snapshot) and also gives you a map of where you are in the general area, where you are in the state you're currently in, and a map of the whole country.

I've been doing this now for two years, and I've walked (on the elliptical) a total of 135.8 miles. I'm about 2.3 miles from Mineral, VA, and it's going to take me a very long time to reach OR. But that's OK. It's a great motivational tool to keep me going. I always look forward to entering my distance each time, and seeing where I am. I'm on a two lane road right now, with lots of green trees, and the snap shot for today has a few cars on the road.

 I thought it was a pretty cool site when I found it. And another cool thing is SparkPeople created a team almost a year ago and all of the members use that site. Most of the members have passed me by already, but that's OK. It's not a race. One of the team leaders just made it to the state of Kentucky. Pretty cool.

So, if you walk, run, or bike, check out this site, and start tracking your progress across the country. It's going to keep you motivated to keep moving.

My Walk Across The Country

Today marks the end of my second year walking across the United States. Virtually, that is. A couple of years ago, I was looking into some sort of virtual walk. I could never figure out how to start my own, other than getting a certain distance from one place to another, like from where I live to where my parents live (cross country). That seemed pretty boring. I stumbled upon this site, and knew I had found what I was looking for. It tracks your progress cross country. You start out in Yorktown, VA and end up (eventually) in Florence, OR.

Every time you complete your walking, biking, or running for the day, you enter in your distance (up to the .1. It won't calculate .25 mile), and it gives you a snap shot of where you are on the route. It also gives you an updated tracking line. When you start, the line is red, and as you progress, it turns black. It gives you a picture of where you are (the snapshot) and also gives you a map of where you are in the general area, where you are in the state you're currently in, and a map of the whole country.

I've been doing this now for two years, and I've walked (on the elliptical) a total of 135.8 miles. I'm about 2.3 miles from Mineral, VA, and it's going to take me a very long time to reach OR. But that's OK. It's a great motivational tool to keep me going. I always look forward to entering my distance each time, and seeing where I am. I'm on a two lane road right now, with lots of green trees, and the snap shot for today has a few cars on the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2006 Lawrence Berkeley Lab

I thought it was a pretty cool site when I found it. And another cool thing is SparkPeople created a team almost a year ago and all of the members use that site. Most of the members have passed me by already, but that's OK. It's not a race. One of the team leaders just made it to the state of Kentucky. Pretty cool.

So, if you walk, run, or bike, check out this site, and start tracking your progress across the country. It's going to keep you motivated to keep moving.

My Answer To The Blog Envy Question

One of my favorite fitness and food bloggers, Tina Haupert from the blog Carrots 'N' Cake, recently wrote an article on Health.com about being envious of other people's health achievements. I enjoyed the article because she mentioned one of my other favorite fitness and food bloggers, Caitlin from the Healthy Tipping Point blog. Caitlin took part in the Disney Marathon in January of this year, and more recently the Wildman Olympic Triathlon in mid March of this year. She's done several 5k races, 10k races, 15k races too.

Back in February 2007, when I first got my butt in gear to get healthy again. I found myself reading blogs about running. I loved reading about other people's running experiences, whether it was a regular run around the neighborhood, or a 5k race or a marathon. I enjoyed reading about their experiences. I found myself a little envious that I “couldn't” do those things myself. But as part of my getting healthy attitude switch, I learned to be proud of what I could accomplish. I learned that I shouldn't compare myself to other people. I should be proud of me. I always knew these things, but the actual concept finally hit me over the head and sunk in. I am proud of what I can do. I try not to compare myself to others, but that's still a bit tough. I don't do that nearly as often as I used to. When I find myself comparing myself to others, I give myself a choice. I tell myself to find a way that I can accomplish that particular achievement and do it, or I tell myself to just continue on with my own goals.

Will I ever run a marathon? I highly doubt it. Will I ever run at all? Probably not. Do I want to? Yes, I do. It is possible for me to run. If I ever get my act together and work on my balance issues and confidence issues, I could make a stab at running maybe. It won't be pretty (just walking is not a pretty sight at times), but I can do it. I can do anything I want to...if I really want to. I might not be able to do it the way most people do it, but I can do it.

A story just came to mind that really has me considering the whole running thing. A few months ago I was watching the Glenn Beck show (I know, I just made myself a target by mentioning his name, but I like the guy, deal with it), and he told a story about his daughter Mary. Mary has cerebral palsy also, and is in college now I believe. When she was younger, Mary was on the cross country team at school. I think she was actually the captain of the team. Anyway, she would participate in the races just like everyone else on the team. And she was always last. When I say last, I mean dead last. The people in charge of the race actually took the scoreboard down before she was done. Glenn took a stopwatch to the races so he could time Mary himself. But, the point is, she finished, every time. And her time kept improving. Now that's inspiring, and gives me motivation to keep going.

That just goes to show you, that you can do anything you want to, you just have to want it badly enough. I have to keep that in mind as I work on my balance and walking (which I seriously need to do again).

In my opinion, it's not a bad thing to be envious of other people's health accomplishments, as long as you don't dwell on it for too long. Don't let it consume you, or let it eat away at you. If you want it badly enough, find a way to accomplish it yourself. Set up a plan set by step, and you'll get there. It may take a long time, but you'll get there.

Oh yes, Caitlin is now training for a century bike race in Napa Valley on May 23. Now a bike race is definitely something I'd be interested in. More than running. I love biking. If the rules allow for them, I'd ride a tricycle in a race.  I'd most likely go much slower than everyone else, but I think that would be fun to do. And I wouldn't care if the race officials cleared the scoreboard before I was finished. I'd finish and I'd be proud of that accomplishment.

This is getting a bit long, but those were the thought I had when I first read the article from Tina on Health.com. What are your thoughts? Do you ever feel envious of someone's achievements? How do you deal with it?

My Answer To The Blog Envy Question

One of my favorite fitness and food bloggers, Tina Haupert from the blog Carrots 'N' Cake, recently wrote an article on Health.com about being envious of other people's health achievements. I enjoyed the article because she mentioned one of my other favorite fitness and food bloggers, Caitlin from the Healthy Tipping Point blog. Caitlin took part in the Disney Marathon in January of this year, and more recently the Wildman Olympic Triathlon in mid March of this year. She's done several 5k races, 10k races, 15k races too.

Back in February 2007, when I first got my butt in gear to get healthy again. I found myself reading blogs about running. I loved reading about other people's running experiences, whether it was a regular run around the neighborhood, or a 5k race or a marathon. I enjoyed reading about their experiences. I found myself a little envious that I “couldn't” do those things myself. But as part of my getting healthy attitude switch, I learned to be proud of what I could accomplish. I learned that I shouldn't compare myself to other people. I should be proud of me. I always knew these things, but the actual concept finally hit me over the head and sunk in. I am proud of what I can do. I try not to compare myself to others, but that's still a bit tough. I don't do that nearly as often as I used to. When I find myself comparing myself to others, I give myself a choice. I tell myself to find a way that I can accomplish that particular achievement and do it, or I tell myself to just continue on with my own goals.

Will I ever run a marathon? I highly doubt it. Will I ever run at all? Probably not. Do I want to? Yes, I do. It is possible for me to run. If I ever get my act together and work on my balance issues and confidence issues, I could make a stab at running maybe. It won't be pretty (just walking is not a pretty sight at times), but I can do it. I can do anything I want to...if I really want to. I might not be able to do it the way most people do it, but I can do it.

A story just came to mind that really has me considering the whole running thing. A few months ago I was watching the Glenn Beck show (I know, I just made myself a target by mentioning his name, but I like the guy, deal with it), and he told a story about his daughter Mary. Mary has cerebral palsy also, and is in college now I believe. When she was younger, Mary was on the cross country team at school. I think she was actually the captain of the team. Anyway, she would participate in the races just like everyone else on the team. And she was always last. When I say last, I mean dead last. The people in charge of the race actually took the scoreboard down before she was done. Glenn took a stopwatch to the races so he could time Mary himself. But, the point is, she finished, every time. And her time kept improving. Now that's inspiring, and gives me motivation to keep going.

That just goes to show you, that you can do anything you want to, you just have to want it badly enough. I have to keep that in mind as I work on my balance and walking (which I seriously need to do again).

In my opinion, it's not a bad thing to be envious of other people's health accomplishments, as long as you don't dwell on it for too long. Don't let it consume you, or let it eat away at you. If you want it badly enough, find a way to accomplish it yourself. Set up a plan set by step, and you'll get there. It may take a long time, but you'll get there.

Oh yes, Caitlin is now training for a century bike race in Napa Valley on May 23. Now a bike race is definitely something I'd be interested in. More than running. I love biking. If the rules allow for them, I'd ride a tricycle in a race.  I'd most likely go much slower than everyone else, but I think that would be fun to do. And I wouldn't care if the race officials cleared the scoreboard before I was finished. I'd finish and I'd be proud of that accomplishment.

This is getting a bit long, but those were the thought I had when I first read the article from Tina on Health.com. What are your thoughts? Do you ever feel envious of someone's achievements? How do you deal with it?

Random Update

It's been a bit longer than I'd like since my last entry here. I still haven't gotten a post schedule down for this blog. I really should set a schedule, but I never seem to be able to stick with it.

My first week back on my elliptical went very well. I only did one tenth of a mile three days last week, but that was my plan. Best to start slow, and build up from there. This week, I'm up to .2 mile. It's actually getting easier, as far as endurance. I really wanted to keep going yesterday, once I hit the .2 mark. I really thought about it. But I decided to stick with the plan and only go the .2. I may go for .3 tomorrow though.

My ankle is playing mind games on me. When I first start, it's really stiff, and I almost convince myself to stop. But it eventually loosens up and feels great. The first couple of days, I kept thinking I felt a twinge here or there. I really do think it was my mind playing tricks on me. It doesn't hurt at all, and I just tell myself to keep going.

Seems as though Wednesdays are my slack off days. I did do my workout, but it took me forever to get it all done. I honestly don't know why. I got into my workout clothes around 8:15, and finished at around 10:30. It should not have taken me that long. I didn't have that many bathroom breaks. I did do the pilates workout, and that adds about five minutes. Then after my workout, I got caught up on Biggest Loser. And that also took forever to finish. I made lunch about halfway through it. The husband got back from work, so I turned it off, and we watched the show Justified (on FX). When I finally finished Loser, it was about 5 PM.

I got absolutely no writing done, but that's OK, I don't have any pending assignments at the moment. I planned on writing a blog here yesterday, but time got away. Also managed to get two loads of laundry done, so that's something.

So, today, I'm getting busy. It's an early work day for my husband (he was actually awake by 4:45 AM and gone by the time I got up at 6 AM). I should have gotten up when he did, but that's too early. Crazy early.

Sorry this post is so boring. I plan on addressing a question from Tina's blog very soon.

Need to start getting my workouts done earlier, the desert heat is coming back soon, and it will be 120 before you know it. Supposed to be 90 today. Time to break out the shorts. Bah.

Have a good one.