Let's Get Physical

Still weary of getting back on the treadmill, today was the day I attempted the elliptical.

I can honestly say I don't think I have ever used one in my life. I have no i dea why, because it doesn't seem scary at all. Or  maybe I just answered my own question. The elliptical looks like you don't have to try and I am always up for a challenge.

Key word = "looks"

I wasn't feeling well, but knew I needed to get this workout in, so I opted for the "easy" workout on the elliptical. I turn the TV to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and start going. About three minutes pass and I start to get bored. I drink some water. Still bored. I read every poster in the room. Still bored. I watch the same episode with the 1920's Themed Party for the millionth time, hoping I'll hear something that makes me laugh that I didn't hear before. Still bored. In fact, I was bored the entire half an hour... all the while thinking to myself that the elliptical is the worst piece of excercise equipment in the world. And then it happens.

My 30 minutes are up and I go to step off the machine and all at once, my legs turn to jell-o. Very jiggly jell-o. By this time, two boys had to come into the gym and I wasn't about to shake my legs out in front of them. So I quickly gathered my things and walked back to my house to stretch. I was amazed the whole time at how bad (in a good way) I felt. I mocked the elliptical for a half hour, yet I felt the best when I was done.

I will definitly be giving that guy some more of my energy.

XOXO

Everybody's Working for the Weekend

It's the weekend and I am working out!

Sadly, that is an accomplishment. You see, I love to drink. And a dehydrated girl does not like to workout. Thus, a weekend Rachel does not work out. I'm such a nerd, that when I re-read this statment, this is what I envisioned in my head...

Rachel
Love to Drink
Less: Dehydration
No Workout

Yeah Rochester Institute of Technology for never letting me forget where I came from.

Anyway, I did the far burner again. I was in a full sweat. I envied my roommate on the elliptical because it looked all too easy. Next week, we try that.

Desperately need shower. And beer.

XOXO

Lowrider

Feeling defeated about the treadmill I went back to the bicyle that I know so well. I decided to try a different program out instead of my typical "intervals" and went with the "fat-burner." For as detail oriented as I am when it came to school work and now real work, you would think I would look at the pictures when selecting a program. I did not.

When riding "intervals" I am happy and smily for two minutes. Then I curse for two minutes. And it alternates like this for the half hour. When riding "fat-burner," I was smily for four minutes. Cursed for 22 minutes. Then I was smily for the last four. I thought I wouldn't be able to walk again, which is exactly why when I went with my roommate to check out a new wine bar that night, I wore heels. Dumb girl.

XOXO

Treadmill Take 2

So I thought I finally had that dang treadmill figured out... but I was wrong. I pressed what I thought were the EXACT same buttons. Well, let's be honest I don't know what I pressed. It started off at a nice little pace, then it got increasingly faster, then the incline started changing with the speeds and I just wanted to see what dress this girl ended up with on Say Yes to the Dress and my head was spinning and those 20 minutes couldn't come fast enough.

20 minutes you say? Yes, this is making the assumption that I can run 10-minute miles (which is highly unlikely at my current out of shapeness, but you have to start somewhere and I think that that's the perfect round number to work with).

They say 3rd time is the charm... we shall see.

XOXO

Just Dance is the new Sing Star

My roommate bought herself a Wii for Christmas... and then I bought Just Dance because the commercials crack me up everytime. I may never go to the gym again. I haven't been out of breath and dripping in sweat since running wind sprints in my athletic days. This game is like no other. It is so fun, and your abs get the best workout because all I do is laugh while it's my turn and then laugh at my roommates when it is theirs. Everyone should buy it.

I hear the Kinect version is pretty sweet too, but we don't have an xbox so I haven't been able to try it yet.

XOXO

Snow Shoeing

So my roommate and I decided that instead of going to the gym, we would walk to the bank because I had checks to deposit. It was a nice day out (it's so sad that I just referred to low-mid 30's as "nice") and the bank is a little more than a mile from our house. We figured we would grab some coffee on the way and get a good 2-mile walk in.

As we're about to leave, we notice that it has started to snow. Since it hadn't snowed all week, I assumed it would just be a few minutes worth and we should go anyway. Kat seemed skeptical, but played along.

Well, the snow did not stop. In fact, it got worse. And worse. And worse. By the time we made it to the bank, four inches of falling with no signs of stopping. WE WERE FROZEN. Wegmans is about a block from the bank, so we decide we will just go into the grocery store and walk around for a while until we warm up and then try and make it back home.

We walked and walked and were leaving puddles all over the store when all of a sudden we hear someone making cat calls. We both roll our eyes and look up (because honestly, who is going to be hitting on two sopping wet girls), and we realize we know the voice behind it. He takes one look at us and laughs trying to figure out how we were so wet. We tell him our whole story and he offers us a ride home. We were saved!!!

XOXO

Day 2 - Small Wins

Small Win #1 - Say Yes to the Dress
I knew I loved this show, but what I didn't realize is that it could engorge me so much so that I would literally forget what I was doing while watching. This worked to  my advantage last night as I figured out how to use the TV at the gym (instead of listening to the same freaking play list over and over again on my iPod).

Small Win #2 - Defeating the Treadmill
Well I don't know if this should be considered a win, because again I just started pressing buttons, but this time I put it at a setting that I was able to run at. I couldn't figure out how to set the time... and since this week was supposed to be 1-mile runs, I was just going to set it at 10-minutes and figure it was about equal. Instead I managed to get it to say 20-minutes and I was just going to hop off after 10. That was before I got consumed by the TV in front of me and before I knew it I had passed the 10-minute mark.

Small Win #3 - Complete Run
I had decided to start with 10-minute runs because I really believed I couldn't go any longer, but I was able to finish the entire 20-minute run and wasn't even out of breath (well that's not true, but I would have been able to have a conversation had I been with anyone). Go Rachel!

XOXO

Week 1, Day 2 - Complete :)

Day 1 - Tales of an Idiot

It's been years since I had an organized lifting session at the gym, and even when it was organized I basically went with my best friend, we put on cute gym outfits (well as cute as boys mesh shorts and a tank could get) and our favorite c.d. and giggled like little school girls as the men's hockey team yelled sexual inuendos at whatever it was we were stretching. I was in the best shape of my life because I was flirting away at the gym for hours everyday.

You see what I mean about "Tales of an Idiot" - all I remember from going to the gym is the boys, not the routines we did, not the order they were done in, not any of the important stuff. So I go to the gym last night and my plan is to run 1-mile, stetch and lift some weights. What I actually did was ride the bike, stretch, lift for point two seconds and practically fall off the treadmill. There is some logic behind this, I swear...

One thing I do remember is doing a little warm-up before stretching. This usually lasted 5-10 minutes depending on what we were deep in convo discussing, but since I don't know how to use the bike at the gym I was using just pressed some buttons and started going. It started counting down from 30 minutes, and I didn't know how to change it, so I just did it. It was also an intervals workout and every four minutes I was almost in tears because my thighs were burning so bad. I finally make it through and stretch it out. Everything feels great and I'm ready to head home for dinner... but then I remember the whole point of coming to the gym was to RUN.

My legs are still feeling like jell-o so I thought I would try and do some weights. Background on these weights is that this gym is owned by my landlord, so it's slim pickings outside the standard treadmill, bike, elliptical... so when I go to do free weights I want to die when I see the lightest set are 10lbs. Now in my prime, this would not bother me at all, but currently, I was looking for some 5lb or 8lb... maybe even a 2 or 3 if they make those? I dicked around with the 10lb guys and did a set of 5 for about 6 different random excercises and then was like this is dumb. So I did something I know how to do... squats and lunges... then squats and lunges with weights... and then I again remembered I had to RUN.

I put the weights away and I finally hopped on the treadmill only to discover I don't know how to work this machine either. I press some buttons and I am on my way. The only thing going through my head while running on here is the watching the Biggest Loser the night before and this poor boy (man?) falling off the treadmill. This was it. I was going to be that boy. But no medical staff was going to come save me. And on top of this, I told my roommates I was going for a run (vague on the details so they wouldn't stall my sudden motivation), I didn't bring a cell phone and I was in a locked room in the basement of an apartment building. This is how I was going to die. Lord knows if I fell I was most certainly hitting my head. You know how cats always land on their feet... that's how my head works. It's a magnet for disaster.

I worked myself up so much that I made myself walk because I did not feel so stable running... this would have been fine if the speed and elevation didn't keep changing on me. I was helpless and alone on the verge of tears because the treadmill kicked my freaking butt. It was time to go home. Defeated I made my way back across the parking lot to my house to eat dinner, shower and pass out.

Perhaps we will have better luck tomorrow?... If I even go tomorrow.

XOXO

Week 1, Day 1 - Complete

'stickK' ing with it

Alright so wayyy back when this blog first started, my only motivation for running was the fact that I spent money on a race [read here if you don't remember]. I tried this theory again last March, but it didn't quite work as well. I mean yes, I did sign up for the race and yes, I ran the whole thing, but I ran once maybe twice before the actual race. In all reality I could have walked it faster. I was so out of shape at that point and it had only been a a couple months since I was running multiple times a week (since Christmas to be exact). So it makes me SO freaking nervous to take on this New Year's goal of running a half-marathon. Since money was my original motivator, I figure it can't hurt to give it another try. I found this website [http://www.stickk.com/] which appears to be the answer. 

This site allows you to make commitments to yourself. You start with a goal: 

• Lose Weight
• Excercise Regularly
• Quit Smoking
• Race
• Maintain  Weight
• or Create Your Own 

Then based on the goal you answer a few questions. Like for 'excercise regularly' you pick the number of days per week you can commit, the number of weeks you want to do this for and when your commitment starts. The next page is where the money comes into play...

The page starts with 'where does my money go if I don't succeed?' and allows you to choose from a number of categories. The first is an anti-charity. If it is hatred that motivates you then when you don't complete that week's commitment some amount of money will be donated to a charity you are against. There is also an option for a charity of your choice, as well as a 'friend or foe,' or if money doesn't motivate you, you can choose not to donate anything.

Once you pick your category (I chose 'friend or foe' but really I'm going to have it sent to my savings account), then you choose the weekly amount that will be donated if you can't keep your promise. I did $5.00 for 17 weeks which could potentially equal $85.00.

After this you can choose a 'referee' who will report each week if you completed your task. I decided to go with the honor system and not assign that job to someone else.

Finally you can add supporters. I don't want to add any until I at least run once, so I'm holding off on this for now.

And you are done!

Now all you have to do is remember to go in each week and report that you did (or didn't) do what you said you would that week. If you complete it, great, and if not, $5.00 of my money will be donated to my savings account... and not the one that's linked to my checking and has barely any savings, but the one that I don't know how to take money out of ha.

So there we have it. I have promised to exercise 3x per week and also put the Flour City Half-Marathon on there as well.

If you want to be a supporter let me know and I can send you the link.

So back to the beginning of this post where I said I was freaking out... I know that on even my worst day I can make it a mile, and that is where we start. It's already Wednesday and I haven't braved the elements once yet. Week 1 does not appear to be going well. I do have today, tomorrow, Friday and Saturday to get three one-mile runs in, and since it is only a mile, I think I'll be alright? Slash $5.00 is a lot of money to a girl fresh out of college (or a year and a half out, but likes to pretend she's not getting older), so I better damn well complete this.

XOXO

PS - before Christmas, my roommate and I were discussing how the red wii would match our living room purrrfectly... and since her shopping habits are way worse than mine, she bought it as a Christmas present to herself. So now we have a wii and wii fit, which I'm sure will bring lots of posts of my uncoordination and my ability to get hurt doing just about everything. So far, all we have figured out is out to make our miis. Mine is adorable with a side pony because lets face it, that look will always be in style.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

Just wanted to add a couple resolutions. Okay, just one, but it's a good one.

I promise to NOT hit the snooze button in the morning.