"The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants." -- Gichin Funakoshi

Sunday, October 08, 2006

stick with it

Ok, so I never got back to my pushups after I was down with that stomach bug. And I've gained a lot more weight than I realized. So it's time to light a fire under my tushie and get moving. And, even though I haven't stuck with my challenge, I'm adding to it already.

1. Pushups - 20 every morning before I start this computer nonsense.

2. Fast food - is now a thing of the past. I haven't cooked a real meal on a regular basis in I don't know how long. It's just so convenient to swing by McDonald's or Taco Bell on the way to the dojo or on the way home. Well, that stops now. I bought plenty of groceries at Walmart last night, so I'm limiting fast food to one meal a week.

3. Running - Sensei-hubby and I did really well with our plan to run on non-karate nights for about a week and a half. Time to start that up again too. So Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday nights I'm running - with or without Sensei-hubby. Starting today.

I'm doing this for real this time. No more of this starting out with good intentions and fizzling out crap. I've got 40 pounds to get rid off and just talking about doing this stuff isn't gonna get it gone.

6 comments:

~Amber~ said...

Dear Lord, what have I signed myself up for?!? That 15 minute run was torture! But at least the weather has cooled off considerably since our last attempt at running.

Mir said...

I applaud your constancy in your goals to improve yourself physically! You've carried this goal for months now. Many people would have given up, but you are holding on. GOOD!

I think that you are putting some heavy expectations upon yourself. I would suggest going for smaller changes that are easilly achievable.

Here are some thoughts:

Push ups: Take them in smaller doses.. perhaps your mind cringes at the thought of 20 push ups in a row. BUT.. how about just 5 of them? What if you did 5 push ups, read an email/ blog, then did another 5 push ups.. etc. How long does it take to do 5 push ups? 30 seconds? Can you spare 2 minutes of push up time as you are on your computer? So mix the two activities together. You enjoy computer... and a few push ups now and then will not ruin that enjoyment. Maybe this can help?

Fast food: Just change what you order when you go through that drive through.. Have a Veggie burger for a change ( that is the only kind of burger that I eat) .. order a salad or a soup instead of fries.. Have water with your meal instead of sugary pop.. Eat stir fry veggies with rice.. You will be amazed at how you can adjust little things and see positive results! Just remember that fruits and veggies should make up 75 % of your daily eating, and BOOM.. you will eat better, feel better, and lose weight.

Running: 15 minutes runs are torture for someone who hasn't developed a "habit" of running. Start off with the run/walk method.. Run at a moderate pace (where you would be able to hold a conversation with someone without having too much difficulty).. when you feel breathless, slow down your running, and start walking at a medium pace... when your heart rate, and breathing calm down, start running again. Remember to enjoy the activity.. look around you at all that is happening, feel the fresh air going into you, feel the warmth of the sun, or the coolness of the breeze. Enjoy life... today might just be the last one that you have to run in. You never know.

~Amber~ said...

Thanks for the advice. Pushups - I would break them down into smaller increments, but I know me...if I don't do them all before I do anything else I won't get back to them. That's just the way I am. Fast food - it's not just a fitness goal,it's a budgeting thing too. We seriously eat out every day and that has to stop. Running - we're doing the run/walk thing, it's just one of those things that is killer to get started with.

Anonymous said...

Sorry that I flooded your blog with comments all at once. I wasn't trying to be Mrs. "Know it all", but I just wanted to share what knowledge I had in hopes that it helps.

It looks like you have a good plan going. All that I can do is cheer you on!

~Amber~ said...

Don't apologize - I welcome the advice :)

Mathieu said...

*cheering*

Keep it up. :)