Weekly update, 10/28/09

What's New?

Whew! What a week! Mr. Handsome-and-Handy went to Michigan for a family reunion, so I had a solo parenting marathon! (Honestly, give me a triathlon any day...*grin*.) This was made much easier by (1) both kids being in the same school, (2) being able to take two half-days to cover the afternoons, (3) after school center at the kids' school, (4) kids' dance class=mom can squeeze in a workout on Thursday, and (5) lots of local stuff to do over the weekend! Oh, and (6): dining out, dishwasher, and paper plates.

The kids were pretty darn good, although Thing 2 pushed it a bit at times. (*sigh*...I thought non-provoked sibling biting was so done after preschool...) We had a great time playing with Halloween face makeup. I hate the feel of that stuff, it's greasy, but I love the way Thing 2 gets all calm and sings softly to herself while smearing the goop all over my face and drawing grease pencil hearts up and down my arms...thank goodness that I was able to get it out of my Unapologetically Myself shirt! On Saturday, our library sponsored a special "family yoga" event; the instructor teaches at a studio that has kids' and family yoga classes, and there were several kids (including a couple from the kids' school), so she made it fun and very kid-friendly. Although Thing 1 was a bit grumbley at the start, he got into it and partnered up with the instructor for the partner yoga portion. He and Thing 2 liked doing the "lizard on a rock" pose. I especially appreciated the "Kids, scootch over here and I'll read you a yoga story while the grown-ups lay down and relax..." part. Oh, yeah! We also wandered in town, got cookies, got books at Thing 2's schoolmate's parents' new bookstore. On Sunday, we went to both a school carnival and the local lighthouse hostel's Halloween party. I love all the fall festivities.

On a personal note, though, I am really struggling with food lately. I'm just eating too much calorie-dense food, plain and simple. Part of the problem is that I'm not working out quite as intensely as I was pre-tri; I got used to being able to eat more and stay in the same weight range, and I rather liked it. (I guess managing the post-season ups & downs is part of learning to be an athlete.) And then, over the weekend, I found myself stress binging, big time. It's been a loooong time since I've gotten in this mode, and I feel ashamed. Sure, it was non-spiking foods, much of it healthy when taken in reasonable quantities, but it's not so much what I was eating but the quantity and the manner in which I was eating it. It's weird, part of my brain was going, "Um, you're full...you've been full for awhile now...you're belly-aching full now...you know, now might be a good time to stop doing this to yourself..." and yet I wasn't stopping. It's so screwy! Presuming that it stems from feeling anxious and out-of-control, why do I binge and compound the problem? I did make some damage-mitigation choices over the weekend at times (big crock pot of grilled veggie ratatouille, for example; eating only half of a cookie instead of the whole thing; one taco at the festival instead of five--you get the idea). But for the most part, no measuring, no portion control, no writing stuff down. Bleh.

It's not just a blip, either. My monthly measure shows a significant increase in my torso, and my jeans are tight in the waist: it's not muscle. *sigh*...So, guess it's time to buckle down and get back to doing the things I know I need to do. I know what they are. I don't particularly look forward to doing them, but I don't always look forward to a run on the treadmill or flossing my teeth, either. Sometimes I think to myself, when I'm feeling particularly out-of-control, "But what if it doesn't wooooork? What if I regain it all and then some?" To which my Inner Badass responds, "Oh, please. And how will the situation improve on the current course? Just do what you would normally do to be a healthy person. Move around a bunch, eat clean, eat reasonably, drink more tea. Uht! I saw that! Put down those Trader Joe's Marcona rosemary almonds right now, missy, and back away from the package."

On a Positive Note...

I hate ending posts on a negative note. So I have to announce that, as of the Pumpkin Run, I fulfilled my New Year's resolution to do one athletic event per quarter in 2009! Woo hoo! I also registered for two more events: a 5K on 11/8 (World Running Day!) and a stretch event, a local 10K on 11/22 that I found out about through Thing 2's Kindergarten teacher. And that's it for 2009. I'm looking forward to planning my events for 2010...so many possibilities!

Monthly measure

Up .5 inch in the bust, 1 inch in the ribcage and waist, no change in the hips. Bleh.

Progress last week

7-day blood glucose average: 97 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting blood glucose average: 94 (met goal of less than 120)

Weight goals: +3.4, which just puts me back in the 190s. 'Nuff said.

Food goals:
- Got in at least 6 meatless meals and 0 fish meals. (Met meatless, missed fish by 2)
- Fiber: at least 5/7 days were over 30.

Exercise goals: Well, at least I'm still exercising....
- Wednesday: 60 minutes BodyPump
- Thursday: 40 minute walk (poor dog needed one badly) + 15 minute run (outside, with hills! it felt good.)
- Friday: 60 minutes BodyPump (ooo, twice in one week? love it!)
- Saturday: 60 minutes of family yoga at the library!
- Sunday: Active rest-4 hours of kid-wrangling at festivals.
- Monday: 5 minutes rowing machine, 25 minutes running.
- Tuesday: Rest.

Sleep: I had some <7 hour nights of sleep over the weekend. I'm certain that didn't help with making lucid choices.

Goals for this week

7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.

Food goals:
- Up the veggies, and make a bunch of cooked ones. For example, make another batch of grilled crockpot ratatouille; that was *good*, but with less oil.
- Rein in the nuts and dark chocolate; pass by some of the "just a taste of this" and "I'll have a dab of that."
- Bring lunch from home 4/5 work days.
- Plan for a little desserty something on Halloween.
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)

Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of activity 5 days/week. Prepare for the Theta Breakers 5K run on 11/8 and the Pillar Point 10K on 11/22.

Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.

Weekly Update 10/21/09

Shrink for Good Challenge - The Finale

Today, on Pubsgal's "Wide World of Cans":

"The thrill of victory..."

"...and the agony of defeat" (background image from Wikipedia Commons)

I lost a net of 2.2 pounds during the challenge. I'd hoped for more, but on the other hand, I'm relieved that I experienced a net loss. Overall, there was a 14.8 pound fluctuation over the course of the challenge! So I think that would be a fitting donation. I gained a total of 6.4 pounds, and lost a total of 8.4 pounds. Wow. So I guess that if I hadn't tried at all, I would be back at 195.2; but on the other hand, if I'd tried harder, I could have been at 180.2.

In Other News...

Got my recent lab results. Holding steady with a 5.3% a1c! Woo hoo! And my cholesterol panel was terrific...triglycerides and cholesterol have never been lower, and I finally got my LDLs below 100, but my HDLs are way too low. The doctor has recommended 4 grams of omega 3 (fish oil) and aerobic exercise. (I couldn't help but snicker a little...she doesn't know I'd been training for a triathlon.) My previous doctor had mentioned the possibility of niacin, but I'm hoping we don't have to go there. So it looks like upping the fiber and the triathlon training helped with the rest of the panel. We'll see in a few months what happens with those HDLs.

Progress last week

7-day blood glucose average: 98 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting blood glucose average: 99 (met goal of less than 120)

Food goals:
- Got in 4 meatless meals and 1 fish meal. (Met meatless, missed fish by 1)
- Fiber: at least 5/7 days were over 30.

Exercise goals: Not bad....The Friday and Monday rest days weren't exactly planned, but I think they helped. I felt good for the race and wonderful during and after spin class (mostly!). My legs are still a little sore.
- Wednesday: 60 minutes BodyPump
- Thursday: 60 minutes walk.
- Friday: Rest
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: 5K race, about 8 miles of biking to and from town twice, 4 hour shift in the booth at the festival.
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: 60 minutes spin class (When I looked back over my logs, I noticed that I'd gone 5 weeks without spin class! Note to self: Do not go more than 2 weeks without spin class if you want to avoid having to, er, get used to mashed girly bits again.)

Goals for this week

7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.

Food goals:
- Keep tracking.
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)

Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of activity 5 days/week. Prepare for the Theta Breakers 5K run on 11/8.

Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Run 5K

I ran the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Run 5K this morning. It didn't have quite the excitement of last year's event--which was on par with my sprint tri this year--but it was a nice boost in my exercise malaise all the same. I saw Thing 2's Kindergarten teacher and some former neighbors (the kids did the 5K adults' race and their dad ran the 10K!). Loved watching the kids' race, their little faces totally lit up as the ran to the finish, crowds cheering, and getting that bag of goodies as they passed under the arch. (My crew was home sleeping in...did they sleep late yesterday? Noooo...*sigh*)

I beat last year's time (would have been rather embarrassed to not have!) but it wasn't my best 5K time in 2009. Officially time was 33:55, including a little detour to the bathroom at mile 1. :-) It felt good to run outside and with a bunch of other people.

P. S. - How'd I do compared to last year? Much better!
2008 - time was 39:29; I was 203rd out of 275 overall and 34th/46 in the women 40-49.
2009 - time was 33:55; I was 164th out of 328 overall and 20th/39 (correction; my cell phone photo of the list was fuzzy!) in the women 40-49. So solidly mid-pack this time around (squeeee!).

As with last year, the women's 40-49 age group was the largest. Interestingly, I was passed by the lead runner in the 10K while in the last half-mile or so; he ran a blistering 33:18 (5:22/mile!). WHEW! I was also handily beat by 6 participants in the 60-69 age groups and a 77-year-old guy! Gives me hope for being able to keep this going for many years to come, and hopefully getting better at it! I really want to break the 30 minute mark one of these days.

Virtual NICU Baby Shower at Baby Tea Leaves!

Just wanted to put out the word that my pal Christie O. at Baby Tea Leaves is sponsoring a Virtual NICU Baby Shower. Her preemie mom's group is pairing up with their local HUG program and the March of Dimes to throw the families at the NICUs in her area a baby shower, because so many families of premature babies don't get to have one.

I asked Christie what she would recommend if people were interested in helping with this in their local communities:

[T]hank you for asking!! I would contact the local March of Dimes to see if they work closely with the NICU's and if not, they are usually able to put you in touch with a contact at one or some of the hospitals. You can also call the local hospitals and ask for the NICU social worker, who can tell you how you go about starting a project to help NICU families. We've had to do all of the above, depending on the hospital and now we're helping SIX! Maybe 7! [A]nd also many areas have either non-profits or mom's groups dedicated to this (our are had neither until now!), so a Google search for that would help! I know there are non-profits (I just did a quick search and found one called www.miraclebabies.org in San Diego!)

To find out more, or if you're interested in helping, please visit her Baby Tea Leaves blog.

Weekly Update, 10/14/09

What's New?

Well, it was a lack-luster week for exercise, a so-so week for nutrition, but a good week in life. We helped out at the Things' school by clearing a bunch of tree branches and leaf piles behind the school buildings with a group of other parent volunteers, then took a scenic drive, and we tried a restaurant we hadn't been to in awhile (the kids enjoyed it; my dish was so-so, but Mr. Handsome-and-Handy's was quite tasty).

On Sunday, we went to Swanton Pacific Ranch for their annual Cal Poly Day event. There's a great tri-tip BBQ lunch, and train rides on the Swanton Pacific Railroad, a 1/3 scale hobby railroad created by the gentleman who bequeathed the ranch to Cal Poly. They were running the little steam trains used for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco and a little diesel switcher. I was happy that this part of the ranch was spared the Lockheed fire that ravaged the area over the summertime. (Thank you, firefighters!!!)

Pubsgal and Things 1&2 with one of the little trains. Speaking of little trains, if your kids love trains, Lois Lensky's "The Little Train" is an excellent choice.

We also took a detour to the ranch's apple orchard, and we had a great time picking their delicious, organically-grown apples! It was a little late in the season, so the good pickings were up kind of high for the kids to reach them, but we managed to find 7 pounds of good apples. Mr. H&H was a little uncertain about going--apple picking in Michigan typically involved long hikes to the trees--but this small orchard was located right on the road back to the highway.

Thing 2 with her apple...

...and Thing 1 with his. (And no, Mom isn't the only one enjoying these.)

The pictures remind me of what Thing 2 said on our way back. She was tired in the car, but reluctant to nap. "I don't want to wake up and have you say, 'Burp!' and an empty bag!"

Shrink for Good Challenge

Well, I'm up +.4 this week. Guess one of the good little cans got jealous that the others went to Paris last week....

Progress last week

7-day blood glucose average: 98 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting blood glucose average: 102 (met goal of less than 120)

Weight goal: Up .4 this week.

Food goals:
- Got in 4 meatless meals and 0 fish meal. (Met meatless, did not meet fish)
- Fiber: at least 4/7 days were over 30.

Exercise goals: Weird, busy week. I felt somewhat derailed, but got something in most days.
- Wednesday: 40 minutes walk.
- Thursday: 20 minutes walk.
- Friday: 40 minutes walk.
- Saturday: 90 minutes yard work at the Things' school
- Sunday: Nothing. (Some walking around, but that's about it.)
- Monday: 60 minutes at gym - 40 minutes treadmill run, 10 minutes upper-body strength
- Tuesday: Nothing. (I wanted to do the belly dancing class again, but we had a big storm and I wanted to get home before dark even more.)

Goals for this week

7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.

Food goals:
- Keep tracking.
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)

Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of activity 5 days/week. Prepare for the Pumpkin Run 5K on 10/18 and the Theta Breakers on 11/8.

Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.

Shakin' the Post-tri Blues

Well, I had a fun time at the belly dancing class at my gym yesterday evening. It was great for the core and I got slightly sweaty, which was good. I amused my classmates and instructor with my "Unapologetically Myself" t-shirt. Being my first time trying this, I did feel quite a bit awkward at first, but it was fun after awhile. It was a brain challenge, too, to move one's feet in the right way while simultaneously shaking isolated segments of one's body. I would have preferred that the instructor explain the motions first; rather, she had us try to follow along, and then she broke it down. Maybe she was trying to assess where the newbies were at. (There were a few of us, identifiable by our lack of bangles.) I liked the energy of it, and I could see where one could really get into the flow of it. What I liked the most? It didn't feel like a workout, yet it was a good hour of gentle moving and working on developing abdominal strength. I'm still learning to trust that every exercise session does not need to be at spin class intensity levels to meet my health objectives (although intensity does have its rightful place).

Shrink for Good Challenge Update

Well, it was a "no change" week, and I'm feeling grateful. I'm still down for the challenge a net of 3.2, which means that I'm maintaining. After years of seeing my weight go steadily up-up-up, having it hold steady at a weight I'm feeling good and healthy at is pretty darn nice for a change.

Good Little Cans

So...why go for more? I don't think it's so much the scale number I'm chasing, it's health, so I have been looking for cross-referencing health indicators to help me know when I've "arrived" at the right shape for me. I've been doing a bit of reading about visceral body fat. According to the Mayo Clinic article, over 35" in the waist is not good, and I'm 38" right now. But the medical web sites also mention a waist-to-hip ratio of .85 or less. I've noticed, since I've been keeping measurements, that I've consistently had a 5" difference between my waist and hips, from the very start of my taking measurements. So I'm not sure that I'd ever be able to get both to a point at which there would be .85 or less. So I guess I'll do my best at targeting the coveted 35" and let the ratio fall where it will (even though--sigh--it's supposed to be the better indicator, according to this Harvard Health article). Which makes me also wonder where they came up with this formula; I haven't been able to dig up anything about that.

I did get a little postcard this week...looks like I'm not the only one shakin' it!

Underlying image credit (and apologies to): "Moulin rouge Paris Cancan 1890," Jules Chéret (from Wikimedia Commons)

Progress last week

7-day blood glucose average: 103 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting blood glucose average: 103 (met goal of less than 120)

Weight goal: No change this week. Still 5.7 away from breaking into the 170s.

Food goals:
- Got in 3 meatless meals and 0 fish meal. (Not met)
- Fiber: at least 5/7 days were over 30.

Exercise goals: Well, not exactly what I had planned, but it worked for me this week.
- Wednesday: 60 minutes BodyPump class.
- Thursday: 20 minutes strolling
- Friday: Nothing
- Saturday: 60 minutes "playout" at park with Thing 2
- Sunday: 35 minute run and 45 minutes "playout" with the kids at the park
- Monday: 45 minutes at gym - 35 run, 10 arms & abs with weights
- Tuesday: 60 minutes belly dancing class

Goals for this week

7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.

Food goals:
- Keep tracking.
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)

Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of activity 5 days/week. Prepare for the Pumpkin Run 5K on 10/18 and the Theta Breakers on 11/8.

Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.

"Where is the Looooove?"

(Or, "The One in which Pubsgal Moans About 'Post-tri Letdown'.")

Happy Monday! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful weekend! We had *nothing* planned for a change, and it was nice. Thing 2 & I went on an outing on Saturday to the library and the park; I loved our playtime together. On Sunday, our family tried to go to our favorite pumpkin farm, Little Creek, but when we drove by, no pumpkin patch! I was really bummed. I suppose The Things are starting to outgrow the simpler ones, though, when there are so many exciting rides and things at some of the other ones in our area. Thing 1 solemnly said that line that so often comes out of our own mouths: "You get what you get, and you don't get upset." (I need to discuss "context" with the lad, obviously...or maybe use that line a little less often.) So yes, I silently mourned for awhile. We ended up going back in a northerly direction and stopping at a park the kids hadn’t been to in awhile, and that cheered us all up greatly.

I noticed that the acronym of the post title, "WITL," is one transposition away from spelling "WILT." How appropriate. The post is so-titled, even after a lovely weekend, because I think the post-race letdown finally caught up with me. I read about it, of course, and was expecting it last week. However, it seems to have delayed itself until this week. I took it really easy last week, and I had missed my planned workout on Friday, so it was weird: I simultaneously felt like I MUST be doing *something*, but I also didn't feel like doing *anything*. (Except eating and napping...got the first done but not the second, and I really wish it had been the other way around, except that napping makes the weekend seem shorter.)

I was throwing on my running clothes on Sunday morning, about to run to the donut shop to get the kids' breakfast. Thing 2 decided that she wanted to come with me. I turned to Mr. Handsome-and-Handy, verging on an exercise-denial tantrum: "I'm going to take her with me now, but I HAVE to get a half hour to run sometime today!" But when run time arrived, I felt absolutely no joy in my run. Even though the weather was gorgeous, running didn’t energize me like it often does when I've rested for a couple of days. And today? Meh. I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill, but I am so not feeling the love. I guess scaling back one week wasn't really enough. I thought it would be after only doing a sprint triathlon.

I did find an article to re-read that offered some advice: "Don't Be Singin' the Post-Race Blues." I'm not feeling sad, per se, but just very lack-luster on the exercise front. The article gave me some ideas, though: I think I'll be taking it a bit easier this week. Oh, I'm still on for the Pumpkin Run on the 18th, and I have another 5K planned for November 8th ("World Run Day!"), but I'm not going to go crazy with the training. I'm really glad now that I didn't sign up for the 10K options in a fit of post-tri euphoria. I was kind of hoping that I'd set a new PR at the Pumpkin Run this year, but after my last two runs, I'm not so sure. I think I might try the belly dancing class tomorrow at the gym, do my usual BodyPump (not dreading that!) on Wednesday, and then perhaps a walking day on Thursday, followed by a gym day (run + light strength) on Friday.

Post in honor of Livestrong Day

Well, I know all y'all read MizFit, so all y'all probably know about POD and her promotion of Livestrong Day today. I've never met POD in person, but I do so enjoy reading her comments on other blogs we both seem to frequent AND she generously generously shared her butter chicken recipe with me. My kind of people. :-)

I'm not wearing yellow, but I ate a banana in my yogurt today. I thought about the people I know who've had cancer.

Survivors I know:

• My mom, a breast cancer survivor. They caught it early; thank goodness she went in for her long-overdue mammogram that year. (Keep current with your mammograms, people, that's all I can say.)
  
• My Aunt Connie, also a breast cancer survivor.
• My cousin Derek and his wife, Ana, are both cancer survivors.

People I know who have cancer:

• My mother-in-law, who was diagnosed with leukemia several years ago.
  
• My childhood friend Stephanie, with whom I just reconnected with on Facebook, is still battling. :-(
  

People I know who have died from cancer:

• My Aunt Pat, who died this year. She was a lovely lady who enjoyed traveling, her cats, and was an excellent needlepoint artist. I'm proud and happy that she made several pieces for us, including a wedding piece and birth pieces for both of our children. I'll always remember the time she called me to meet with her in San Francisco. We hadn't seen each other for a long time, and so we circled the hotel lobby, wondering, "Hmmm...which one is it...is that her?" Until one of us finally spoke up and said "Hi!"
• My great-grandmother, Ruth. We did not see each other often, but I do remember the time we went back to Michigan for a visit. She was in her 80s at the time, and as we pulled up in our motor home, she was mowing her front lawn with a push mower. She freaked out a little, not recognizing my dad (and his 1970s style extreme perm...I'd have freaked out, too). But she took us in, and made us muffins and elderberry pie, and we got to explore her cellar, quite the adventure for us California kids.
  

Coincidentally....

My sister-in-law asked if my triathlon was a benefit for a cause. I vaguely remembered something about it, and when I looked it up before the event, I noticed it benefited the Breast Cancer Fund. When my mom was battling breast cancer, she wore three gold bracelets on her wrist, and when she had beaten it, she gave one to my aunt and one to me. So if you look reeeeeally closely in the photos, you'll see mine. I wore it on my right wrist, in honor of her, of my friends and relatives who've had it, and of all of the other women who are fighting cancer. The event organizers informed us that the 2009 event raised over $12,000 for the Breast Cancer Fund through the See Jane Run donation and individual fundraising.

(If you're peering closely at the photos, you're probably thinking, "I don't see a gold bracelet, but I do see a light blue one." That was my other memento, from Christie O., and I wore it in honor of all the bloggers who have supported me in my getting healthy/battling type 2 diabetes journey. Which is easy-peasey compared with cancer, but they both suck, big-time.)