every little bit counts

Very proud of myself today.

I had a doctors appointment this morning. So my plan was to do my first thing in the morning hike afterwords, but when I was headed to the appointment the weather was blazing. I've been going really hard with my exercise for a week and a half and I'm due for a muscle recovery day. So I decided today would be that day. But a break day for me still means walking. No bumming it on the couch for me. So, I added in 45 minutes of walking on top of what I do around town anyway.

Also, I'm going out to dinner with friends tonight, which means today will also be my indulgence day for the week. But for me, indulgence day means I still have to eat reasonably that day even if I'm not maintaining my usual calorie count. So I planned an even smaller than usual breakfast and lunch. And I stuck to it. EVEN though we went to my favorite cafe for lunch, and I REALLY wanted that waffle, I chose something within my calorie plan in anticipation of a larger than usual dinner tonight.

I rock. Go me. Onward to skinny.

stats, weight and daily calorie counts

I am replacing my weekly progress report with a daily calorie and exercise count. I think knowing that I will have to post that information every day will be extra motivation. I will also update weekly with the result of my Thursday weigh-in. Check it out in the tab above, or here.

Wish me luck and stay skinny!

progress report 5-27-2012: hiking breakthrough

Weight: 148.8 = gained 3.3 lbs. Bleh. But I already covered that here and I'm not going to dwell.

Waist measurement: no change. BUT, something's up with that. Yesterday I noticed a pair of jeans that were never tight on me were absolutely about to fall off without a belt. I asked my boyfriend if he could tell a difference and he said "Oh yeah. Your belly is getting tighter." Now that could just be him being a smart and thoughtful boyfriend telling me what I need to hear, but unforgivingly cut J Brand jeans don't lie, so here's what I think. I've been taking my measurement at my traditional waist, the smallest part of the waist, the middle of the hourglass, if you will. I was looking in the mirror and playing around with sucking in my stomach, and I noticed that that particular area isn't going to change much as I lose more weight. Maybe I should start taking the measurement around the biggest part of my belly to see more results. Hmm.

Finally to the good stuff!

Exercise total: 10.75 hours! BAM! Suck it belly! SUCK IT!

(Sorry about that. Gotta celebrate what I can.)

I totally set a goal this week that I would exercise every single day. Two hours at least on the days I could, but at least an hour every day. The stars aligned for my benefit and we've had fantastic weather all week. So off to the hiking trails I jaunt each morning. (I am SO going to miss having a mountain across the street.) The first day was a good, normal 2 hour hike. The second day, I felt a bit weak on my first climb. I took a lot of breaks and drank water, but I pushed through it. By the fourth day I hit my stride, broke through my wall, caught my wind, whatever sporty people call it. It was so glorious. I would get out of breath on climbs. I felt like I was getting a good workout, but I never felt weak. I never felt bad. My body was like, "Oh, this again? Well, let's get on with it then." I did a climb that normally takes me two hours in an hour-and-a-half. I didn't even feel like I had to take breaks. (I mean, I did take breaks. I'm not stupid, but definitely less than before.) And I have been riding that wave ever since. It totally reminds me why I started hiking in the first place. Instead of concentrating on just getting up the next rise, I can notice how the trees are getting really full, I can bird watch, I can try to spot old-growth characteristics of the forest. (Sorry, that's an environmental science major thing). I am totally becoming a hippie and it's great. It feels marvelous and maintainable. At this rate, the results will come. Those blasted things may come slowly, but I know they will. Onward Skinny!

calorie counting help

Counting calories is LAME, but it's what I've had to start doing in order to reach my goal. I'm always on the lookout for anything to make it easier, and the computer program, Calorie Balance, makes it way easier. 

It's freeware, so it's not perfect, but on the whole it works fine for my needs. You type in the foods you eat, and the amounts and it looks in its massive food database and spits out your calories, fats, carbs and other nutrients consumed for the day. You still have to measure your food yourself, ugh, but it's about as easy as it gets. If you have some restaurant entree or exotic new food it hasn't heard of, you can look up the nutritional info on the web and add it to the database. There is supposed to be a feature where it goes looking for you, but it doesn't work. (There are some internet-based calorie tracking programs that do this very well, but you have to live with the fact that your personal information, plus what you eat every day is being stored on someone else's server. Creepy.) The main food chart screen totals all your calories, carbs, fats, sugars, fiber, and protein in an easy-to-understand graph at the bottom. That works very well. There is also a feature where you can choose other nutrients (iron, calcium, etc.) to be tracked on the same graph, but it's pretty buggy. It does track that kind of thing for you, but you kind of have to total it yourself. 

It also has an exercise tracker, which I love. It tracks the calories you burn in different workouts. All you have to enter is the kind of activity ant the time spent, and since it's already keeping track of your weight, it does that calculation for you. Then it takes the calories burned and subtracts it from your total calories consumed, giving you the net figure. (Keep in mind, if you eat 1500 calories, you don't have to do 1500 calories worth of exercise. Your base metabolism rate will take care of a lot of that for you.)

I am a huge geek, so it's been a boon for me. It helps me compare foods, plan out my exercise and know every little thing I am consuming and burning.

Anyway, for absolutely free it's a great tool to try. Read cnet's review and download the program here. The download does ask you if it can install a web toolbar. It's just an ad (everyone's gotta make money right?) you can decline it.

I hope this helps you on your way to awesome!

ballet + skinny jeans = hot

Mental notes:
1. gotta get a pair of those
2. gotta take more dance classes
3. gotta increase the number of men wearing jeans in ballet

Seriously, maybe more dudes would realize dance isn't just for gay guys if we just ditch the whole tights-wearing thing.

progress report 4-29-2012: I found a scale!

So, two weeks ago while I was doing some shopping at a local mega-supermarket thing, I came across a shelf of bathroom scales. One had been taken out of the box and looked like it was used pretty regularly. So I thought, what the hell? I put down my bag and shopping basket and weighed myself. It came to 69 kilograms. Being a lazy American, I don't know crap about the metric system. (And being a cheap American, I'm not buying the scale when I'm moving out of the country in two months.) So when I got to work, I did a quick conversion on my computer, and astoundingly, it came to 152.1 pounds! That means I'd lost about three pounds so far! I know that I shouldn't be too excited. You need to weigh yourself consistently, in the same clothes, on the same scale, to really track your progress. So I went back this week, wearing the same shoes and pretty much the same outfit, and did it again. This time I was 68 kilograms, or 149.9 pounds. I know that 2.2 pounds may not seem like much for a week, but if I keep up this rate, I'll be two pounds from my first goal (130 pounds) by the time I go home! Beach trip here I come!

So, from now on my weekly shopping trip will include a weigh-in, and my weekly update will include a weight.

Exercise total: 8.25 hours, awesome!
Weight: 149.9 pounds
Waist measurement: lost another half-inch, which brings the total lost to 1.5 inches

I upped my ab workouts from two to three a week. My personal favorite is the one included in the Yoga Booty Ballet's basic workout. It really hits the lower abs, which are crucial for pulling up in ballet. But, I try new workouts all the time and I'm always on the look out for more! Any suggestions?

It's been a great week! I'm crazy motivated now and I hope you are too. Stay skinny!

top five reasons you need to go hiking right now

1. Hiking is the best burn! A 150 pound person burns almost 500 calories an hour, more if you're carrying a pack.

2. It's not just about the cardio! Hiking also builds muscle, the good kind, in your rear. Nothing puts the butt on the elevator going up faster than hiking. (Trust me, the significant other you already have or are looking for will probably love this more than the weight loss itself ;)

3. It's for everyone! Anyone with reasonably well-working legs can hike. There are low level trails for the less-fit, and you can take it at your own pace. Don't live near mountains? Do an internet search for cross-country trail maps in your area.

4. It's free! Well, within reason. All you really need is a good pair of shoes or boots that have high tread and  ankle support. You might already have something in your closet that will do. The first pair of hiking boots I bought were $40 bucks and they lasted me almost a year, and I hike A LOT.

5. Phytoncides! They may fight cancer, or they may be total crap. Either way, the air in the forest will be cleaner and smell better than anything you'll find in a gym.

Bonus: It's freaking gorgeous. The scenery, the flowers, the wildlife = you actually enjoy getting exercise. Have fun getting skinny!

top five reasons you need to go to a ballet class right now

Ballet is absolutely at the core of my body's transformation. It's something I work at and something I work for. It's an incredible source of inspiration and power, and here are the top five reasons why:

1. Nothing, not a bathing suit, not looking at yourself naked, nothing gives you a better assessment of where your fit situation is right now (and how far you've got to go) than a leotard and a pair of pink tights.

2. Every class you will get stronger, more flexible, more capable of the positions, and more toned. Some people see results faster than others, but you will notice progress in EVERY class.

3. Unless you're a dancer, ice skater or horseback rider you have crap posture. And crap posture means you stand with your belly poked out. Don't believe me? Go to a mirror, look at your profile, and try tucking your butt under and rolling your pelvis forward. Wow, makes a difference, huh?

4. Experience the joy of movement. Think about sprinters and skateboarders and how much fun they have just moving around in space. This simple joy is denied to a lot of un-fit people. Ballet gives you grace, balance and a taste of that joy.

5. The world can be a mean, cruel, competitive place. This is especially true in teenage dance classes. (Adult classes tend to be more relaxed, but as all grown-ups know, just because someone's an adult doesn't mean they act that way.) If you can learn to deal with it there, you can deal with it anywhere. Remember, you are doing this for you. Be strong for you.  

(Seriously though, it doesn't matter what your preferred style of exercise and movement is, just get out there. Do it, love it.)

progress report 4-22-2012

This week's grand exercise total: 7.5 hours, including a glorious 2.75 hour hike today! (Saturday was rainy and bleh, so I didn't even get out of the apartment for the hour of walking that I don't even count in my total, but anyway...)

And, my waist measurement... I've lost an inch. An INCH! In a week! Freaking amazing! Ok, so I'm thinking when I took the original measurement I was a little bloated, and I think when I took the measurement today I was a little dehydrated, but still, it's a freaking inch and I'm taking it. I want another dramatic result next weekend, so I'm already planning in extra exercise this week. Goal here I come!

exercise explaination

So, the good ol' USDA recommends getting 1.5 hours of exercise every day for weight loss. That is a LOT for most folks. Fortunately, my current urban lifestyle means a lot of walking. Walking to the store, walking to work, walking to the bus stop, walking out of the apartment before I kill the boyfriend, etc. That adds up to about an hour a day. An hour, done.

To hedge my bets and get to my goal faster, I want to get an additional hour of exercise every day - hiking, biking and ballet are the activities of choice. (This summer, the list will also include the most treasured - swimming!) I enjoy being active, so this is no punishment for me. It can, however be a punishment to my schedule. And, like everyone, I have days where I just don't want to get off the couch.

This is where mind power kicks in. I am strong. I have made a decision. I have set a goal.

To help stay motivated I will post my exercise totals every week, starting now.

This week's exercise total: 7.25 hours

Not bad.