No Cardio Today

For some reason, I just wasn't in the mood for it. So I just did as many of the Cybex machines as I could, which was most of them, including 3 I'd never used before--at least not in the current form. It's a good tired.

Took the Weekend Off

But I've made sure both Monday and Tuesday to stop at the gym on the way home. I'm also working my way around the Cybex machines. Some of them are much-newer versions of the machines we had at the Y; some are newer versions of the machines at 24-Hour Fitness. And some are completely alien to me, but work the same muscle groups as a couple of the machines at the Y. Weird. And, of course, I have to completely re-learn how to set each one up. I've also finally remembered which option I like for the elliptical. Still poking along with just 10 minutes plus the 3-minute cool down--such a long way from the hour I used to do pretty easily! Baby steps. It'll all come back.

Two Consecutive Days!

Another 13 minutes (10 + 3 min cool down) on the elliptical, then 3 of the Cybex machines.

Made It!

Made it to the gym today on the way home from work. A whopping 0.65 mile on the elliptical (13 minutes including the cool-down period). Plus I hit a couple of the upper body machines that I recognized and could figure out how to work them. I really do need to meet up with a trainer to go over the various machines and learn how to set them.

January 2011

33.704 walking miles. 6.18 elliptical miles. 38.64 cycling miles. 78.524 total miles.

On the latest journey through Middle Earth: 88 miles past Rivendell on the road to Lothlorien.

100 Days Challenge, Weeks 3 & 4

Week 3: 170 minutes, 7.18 miles
Week 4: 200 minutes, 8.151 miles

The first 28 days: 860 minutes (20 minutes' surplus), 38.38 miles of walking/trotting and elliptical.

100 Days Challenge, Week 2

Second seven days: 4 days walking on the treadmill, 6.696 miles, 160 minutes; 2 days using the elliptical at the gym, 6.18 miles, 90 minutes; one rest day. 250 minutes of intentional movement.

100 Days Challenge, Week 1

First 7 days: 10.173 miles walking on the treadmill, 240 minutes.

It's Been A While

I've really been lackadaisical about posting to either of my blogs since becoming so involved in Facebook--and I'm not even playing any games there! I'm planning, this year, to be more consistent about posting to my blogs. I do know that some time during 2010 I managed to complete the mileage for The Hobbit. The source material for the distances does not include the estimated mileage for Bilbo's return to The Shire, so I just did it as an "out and back" with the same distance for the "back" as for the "out."

When I was looking over my 2010 mileage, before I realized how far I'd gone, I decided to repeat the LOTR mileage, but this time selecting a path from Rauros and following that one through to the end, and returning to The Shire without regard for which group I was with when I left Rauros. Then I'll start over again from The Shire and join a different group at Rauros, and on and on until I've done the whole trip with all the groups. This differs from my original journey in that the first time, I accompanied a group from Rauros as far as Minas Tirith, where I teleported myself back to Rauros to join another group, until I'd traveled to Minas Tirith with all of them, and then returned to The Shire. I'm starting 2011 somewhere between Rivendell and Lothlorien, on the first of the new LOTR journeys.

I've also joined the 100-Day Challenge, wherein you commit to 30 minutes daily of intentional movement. My very dear friend Melissa turned me on to this one, and she and I talked about the nature of the challenge and how to deal with rest days in a challenge like this. She's decided, and I agree, that committing to 210 minutes per week is the best way to go. That averages to 30 minutes per day and leaves room for rest days.

My mileages for 2010 are pretty pathetic:
Walking (mostly treadmill, but also what turned out to be the last Surf City 5K): 121.32
Ellipticals at the gym: 29.3
Cycling (all outdoors in 2010): 1720.13
Total: 1870.562
Trips to the gym generally included the strength-training circuit.

There And Back Again

It's been a month since my last post here, and even longer since my last Rivendell update. Well, I've not only returned to Bag End, I've gone to the Grey Havens to see Gandalf, Bilbo, and Frodo off with the elves and gone back to Bag End with Sam! And am now on my way to the Lonely Mountain with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves. And have gone over 7,000 miles!! Total miles so far: 7042.573. A combination of walking, riding both stationary and outdoor bicycles, and ellipticals. A YMCA membership that I used in 3 different Y facilities (my home Y was Lakewood, but I also used Van Nuys and Fullerton), a hotel fitness room, a cruise-ship fitness room, and my home 24-hour Fitness. Plus a couple of home treadmills and some charity events both walking and riding.

Quite the Difference

The Y is a quiet place, with no music being broadcast into all the rooms, whereas 24-Hour Fitness blasts the staff and customers with an obnoxiously loud sound system.

There are also 3 different kinds of ellipticals there, one of which is lower-body only, while one of the combined upper and lower machines could best be described as the bastard offspring of an elliptical and a stair-stepper. On the more traditional machine, the rise is higher and the stroke shorter than the LifeFitness machines at the Y, so these are going to take some adjustment. I'm also seriously missing the fans that help keep the cardio rooms cooled down at the Y.

Ever since I got the bike(s), I don't spend much time on stationary bikes, but they do have both the upright and recumbant styles

Four TVs in the section of the cardio area where the ellipticals and bikes are located, one on some morning talk show, one on ESPN, one on Faux News, and one on some game show; I didn't pay any attention to what the TVs in the other section (treadmills and traditional stair-steppers) were showing. The TVs gave me something to look at besides the panel on the machines while I was listening to my music.

I did it.

I discontinued my membership at the Y and joined 24-Hour Fitness. I needed a gym with more hours available, and the Y couldn't provide that. I have an appointment with a trainer on the 24th to learn how to set up their strength-training machines.

2008, Week Nineteen Recap

Bicycle only this week. No treadmill time, no gym time.
Monday, May 5: 10.57
Tuesday, May 6: 12.96
Wednesday, May 7: 15.39
Thursday, May 8: 15.07
Friday, May 9: 13.08
Saturday, May 10: 12.35
Sunday, May 11: 15.98
The good thing is that I'm leaving the house at pretty much the usual time, give or take a few minutes, but since I don't have to be at work until 11 (instead of 10) I'm taking advantage of the longer riding time available. The bad thing is that I know that the bike isn't enough, that I need to spend time on the elliptical, the treadmill, the sidewalks, and the strength-training circuit.

Total miles for the week: 95.40
Distance from Bag End: 1843.28
Distance to Minas Tirith: 735.72

I really need to get back on the treadmill, since the Downtown Anaheim 5K is only a month away!!

March Recap, April Goals

March recap:
Walk: 18.41 miles (February: 11.92)
Elliptical: 2.63 miles (February 11.64)
Bike: 257.20 (total miles on stationary bikes: 0) (February 186.17; February miles on stationary bikes 0)
Total: 278.24
Cybex Circuit: 6

How I did: Nice improvement in the walking and the biking, but a very poor showing indeed on the elliptical! In fact, the elliptical could be considered a complete flop! Improved performance on the Cybex circuit, too, but need more improvement in the form of making certain I get to the Y at least twice each week.

April Goals: Increase all three distances. At least twice weekly on the Cybex circuit. Increase sets on Cybex circuit.

And in the really good news dept: the monthly weigh-in showed a loss of 5.75 lbs for the month of March, which puts me below 260 for the first time in I haven't a clue how long.

2008, Week Two Review

Oh, but this was a sucky week! What is it about putting your vehicle in the shop that is so damned dispiriting? Especially when it turns out to be expensive. Shouldn't I have been at the gym getting it all out?
Monday January 7: Started off the week well with morning and evening stops at the gym, 2.27 miles on the elliptical and then the Cybex machine circuit.
Tuesday January 8: Zip, zilch, nada.
Wednesday January 9: Zip, zilch, nada.
Thursday January 10: A single pathetic stop at the gym, 1.82 miles on the elliptical. Admittedly, I did punish myself in the little time I had that night at there—5 minute warmup at Level 3; 5 minutes in Reverse at Level 3; forward again for 5 minutes at Level 3; 5 minutes at Level 5; 5 minutes at Level 7; 5 minutes Cooldown.
Friday January 11: Zip, zilch, nada. And for no good reason. Not even a bike ride before work, which makes it even more disgusting.
Saturday January 12: Why on earth do I need a "rest day" for such a pissy-assed slothful week? Well, okay, I did give myself 0.10 mile of walking credit for all the errands I ran.
Sunday January 13: didn't go to the gym, but I did cruise over to Yorba Regional Park in East Anaheim/Yorba Linda and rode for 20.03 miles. Beautiful little park with lots and lots of bike/walking trails, a no-bikes 5K trail (no, I didn't take advantage of this, though goodness knows, I should have!), and multiple access points to the Santa Ana River Trail. I even ventured out onto that for a short distance. I really should have gotten the regular bike shorts instead of the baggy bike shorts; it's still a bit chill out for riding in shorts, even on such a gorgeous day as today was, and the regular bike shorts could be worn under something else without looking pretty damned silly.
Totals for the week: 5.09 on the elliptical; 0.10 walking; 0 on the stationary bikes; and 20.03 on the road bike. Overall, 25.22 miles.
Currently 867.30 miles from Bag End and 409.30 miles from Rivendell. We've left the Mines of Moria and entered the woods of Lothlorien.

DGN Lisa, my stitching and general life blog is over at Gathering Place.

Ugly Weather

Although goodness knows, we need the rain! So it doesn't look like there'll be an outdoor ride today. Bummer.

Looks like there'll be three of us locally (as in the Orange County flatlands) becoming "Goal Sisters" on our paths to health. Maybe we should bring our bikes to Stitch Class every month and ride to lunch? Anyway, we're talking about starting to get together monthly for a ride on one of our non-stitch class weekends. I'm looking forward to it!!

But Why is the Rum Gone?

Found this on both Melissa's and Terri's blogs and of course have to join in!

The Recipe For Darla

3 parts Slyness 2 parts Recklessness 1 part Genius Splash of Warmth Serve over ice

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

I know I usually try to post the weekly progress on Sunday, but it's nearly the end of both the month and the year, so I've decided to wait a couple more days. Didn't make it to the Y today, but I did visit a nice bike shop in Fountain Valley before cruising by Mile Square Park. It looks like the bike path at Mile Square is pretty much limited to the sidewalk that goes all the way around the park. There's also some construction going on there, and I thought that would complicate things. So I opted to take my Sunday ride at Cerritos Regional again. As long as I wasn't moving, it was a pretty nice day, but once the bike got rolling the windchill really brought the temps down! I felt like I could have gone 20 miles today but for the windchill, so I only did 15. And no, I didn't try out my new shorts, although I did take them with me. Definitely need some kind of windbreaker for the upper body and leggings or tights or something to extend the shorts, 'cause I don't think the sweats will do the job.

Day One...

…of the new program was today. Met with Terry yesterday (Saturday) and was congratulated profusely not only by Terry but by anyone within hearing range. Don't know yet what kind(s) of congratulatory goodies are involved beyond the certificate of completion. Terry said this was her first finish in this particular Y.

The last day of the 12-Week Fitness Program was spent on the elliptical and the weight machines. I managed 2.75 miles Friday, and moved the level up one step. So, same old program for the elliptical, but at Level 3 and Level 6 instead of Level 2 and Level 5. Still only spending 5 minutes in reverse, but my speed is definitely increasing. Not as fast as forward, but better than it was.

Today I spent an hour on a bike ride to nowhere for 12.64 miles. Twenty minutes at Level 7, 5 at Level 10, 5 at Level 7, 5 at Level 10, 5 at Level 7, 15 at Level 9, and finally a 5-minute cooldown. Then an hour on the treadmill, bouncing back and forth between 2.5 and 3.0 mph, all at Incline 3.

Monday I start work 3 hours earlier, so I'll be getting up 3 hours earlier and hitting the Y three hours earlier. The cool thing about this shift is being able to stop at the Y on the way home, too. At least some nights. I'm sure not going to count on using the after-work time for my main workout; it'll just be used for extra time, like maybe getting back on the treadmill on a more regular basis. Even if I leave the office right at 8pm, by the time I get to the Y there's only about an hour left before they close.

Is it true?

I found this in the "Fitness Tips" on my Google homepage. Should I be hitting the home treadmill when I get up in the morning?

Do Cardio. The overall best way to shed fat fast is to do cardio (30 min minimum) right when you wake up. Your body will search for energy to use, when it finds nothing in your stomach, it will go directly to your fat storage for energy and the fat will burn up so fast!

12-Week Fitness Program

Week One, Day One: 18 minutes of cardio on the elliptical. 3 sets of 10 reps on each of 4 lower-body weight machines and 2 upper-body weight machines. Then 25 more minutes of cardio on one of the recumbent-style bikes. And just under 10 miles more toward Rivendell. It's about a dozen or so more miles to Bree.