Carol: Week 2--Bliss Me Not

(The following post first appeared in my column at technorati.com Yes, I am walking in the Susan G. Komen 3 day for the Cure walk. If you can find it in your heart to help sponsor me, please click on the 3-day for the Cure logo on the right or simply click here.)


Part of the training for the 3-day for the Cure walk includes the catch-all "cross training" category. Lucky for me, the nifty little Walker's Manual considers yoga as cross training.
My yoga, however, isn't anything like the yoga mentioned in a recent article in The New York Times where people plunk down a couple of hundred dollars just for the correct attire or  take a Yoga Caribbean vacation for six thousand smackeroos. (Geewillikers, I have to practice my deep calming breath just thinking about it.)

I'm more like the "Yoga to the People" featured in the article where "this yoga is for everyone" (good), where "there will be no correct clothes" (even better) or where it seems to be OK for "the mighty and the meek, bones that creak" (best).

On May 15, yoga hits the Washington mall, marking the fifth anniversary of DC Yoga Week.  I wonder how many creaky bones will show up for that.

Although the NY Times article noted that the number of people taking yoga has dropped from 16.5 million in 2004 to 15.8 million, spending on yoga classes and yoga stuff has almost doubled from $2.95 billion to $5.7 billion.

Even without all the designer yoga frills, I know I've thrown money into that billion dollar pool on a yoga mat ($15),  pants ($20) and top ($18). (Of course, that pool probably doesn't include the billions spent on pedicures for pretty yoga toes. But if it did, I'd have to confess to another 40 buckeroos for pink toes with daisies.


And speaking of pink, let's do a ferret's on crack speedy quick update on my Pink Me Out progress for the cure…For Week 2, I walked 11.3 miles, just a tad under the suggested 12-mile goal, and for my cross training, I attended an hour power yoga session. So far, I've raised $408 of the required $2,300. If you're feeling generous, you can donate here.

Joel: The Art of Slow Slow Slow Running

I read a comment today on the Couch To 5K's Facebook wall that sorta got to me.

One person commented that she ran a mile in 33 minutes. Someone asked if she meant that she ran it in 13 minutes, because she couldn't see how someone could run for 33 minutes and only go a mile. One more person chimed in basically saying that even someone walking slow could walk a mile in 20 minutes.

While I understand that it was an issue of confusion, I responded:

---

How does it take someone 30 minutes to run a mile? They have the guts to get out there no matter how out of shape they used to be in and run slower than most people walk.

They get over the years of excuses to not work out and just set out with a plan to push themselves harder than they have in years (or decades). The first day they realize that 60 seconds nonstop is miserable. ONE TIME.

But they don't give up.

They don't make it through the first day, but they don't give up. Maybe it takes them two months to get to Week 1 Day 1, maybe it takes longer.

But they don't give up.

The weight loss is slow, it's not like the fad diets they have tried numerous times in the past. It's frustratingly slow, because they know that when they lose the weight, their speed will go up and their risk of injury will go down dramatically.

But they don't give up.

By the time this person is to the point where they can run 1 mile nonstop, something inside of them changes.

So they don't give up.

They see the benefits, they feel that they can breathe like a normal human being again (at least sometimes), they can't imagine going back to the place they were just a few months ago.

So they don't give up.

It may take them an hour or more to finish a 5K race. But they run the entire time. How many people finish the race in 30 minutes and can't run the whole thing? It took years of bad decisions to get them to this point, but they have seen the results and have developed the fortitude to push through no matter what other people are doing.

So they don't give up.

I have a friend who can run 5K in 17:30. I can walk/run it in 53:00. Now. But eventually, I'll be running 10K, and half marathons, and who knows what else...

This is why people like me don't go to the gym for years and years...not because there are a bunch of rude and judgmental people (you're not, just confused...I understand that), but because the fear exists that there are a bunch of rude and judgmental people.

Joel: What Was I Thinking?

I walked 5K tonight. No, the plan didn't start out that way. In fact, I was just going to take a nice relaxing 15-minute 3/4 mile walk and be done. 1 lap at the park and out. No problem.

Then I started thinking.

"Hey, I don't have anything else going on tonight. Why don't I go two laps like I normally do?"

Okay, that was simple enough.

Then I started thinking some more.

"If I can do two laps, I can do three."

As I came to the end of my third lap, I saw the guy who had been sprinting. He was all tired out and looked like he was finished. I asked him how far he had gone. His response was 3.1. I know that's four laps at the track (actually, four laps is 3.16 miles). I told him I was doing the same and was about to start my fourth lap.

So I committed myself then.

But ya know, I have been noticing over the past couple of weeks that the biggest difficulty with the exercise habit (as well as the eating habit) is not the physical challenge. That's big and all, but the biggest problem I have encountered he the psychological one.

It's hard to change who I am. I am a fat, lazy, out-of-shape, ugly 31-year old. Now, I'm in the process of transforming myself into a slightly overweight, athletic, ugly 32-year old. At least that's the plan.

Each time I decide to get off my butt and go work out, my mind is what wants to stop me. It's not my body being tired, but my mind telling myself that my body is tired. I have to beat it into submission. Ugh...

Joel: I'm Alive!

The last few weeks have been pretty busy, and so I haven't updated on here. I have been slowly making my way through the Couch To 5K program doing my "low-impact running". This evening, I did Week 3 Day 2. I used a treadmill for the first time this year on Friday morning when I was in San Antonio for the Texas Music Educators Associaion Convention. It was really cool. When I got tired, I was able to hold myself up so my legs could keep working but wouldn't have to support my entire body weight. Not sure it's the best thing for the treadmill, but it was the hotel's and not mine!

This is the beginning of my eighth week of working out. A few weeks ago, I decided to only run 3 days a week and try to do Wii Fit the rest of the days. After three weeks of doing that, I am certain that this plan will not be most effective for weight-loss. So I'm going back to exploring outdoors 5-7 days a week. If it gets too bad, I'll just run around my living room for 30 minutes with Wii Fit, but I really do prefer the outdoors. Something about nature and open air.

I have been doing this now for seven weeks. It's crazy when I think that I hadn't run in over a decade as recently as January 3rd. Now I am getting my breathing under control when I run and things are starting to get easier.

Slowly.

The weight loss has slowed a bit, but I think a lot of that has to do with me not getting out of the house to exercise every day. So far in 7 weeks, I have lost at least 5 pounds. If I can maintain even this slowed rate, I am on track to lose more than 35 pounds this year.

And this is without the use of any underhanded methods such as low-carb crash dieting or even as extreme as fasting.

Speaking of extreme methods, the school weigh-in is coming up on March 8th. I need to schedule about 5-9 days of fasting between now and then. Hey, I do want to win the money since it's there for the taking!

Joel: No More Excuses

I haven't blogged on here in a week and a half, but I have definitely been working out. I started the Couch To 5K workout plan for real except that instead of actual running, I am doing my low-impact running (also called power walking). I figure the last thing I need to do is blow out a knee or ankle trying to act like I'm 20 years old. So until I can lose about 25 more pounds, I'm sticking with the low-impact running. And Wii Fit!

So what I have been doing is posting status updates on my personal Facebook account chronicling my workouts and getting encouragement from friends. As I read some of them, I find people who are in far better shape than I am giving excuses about time or schedules or whatever. It's easy to do, I did it for over a decade.

But there must come a time when excuses run out

Until that time comes, you're not going to change a thing. But once it comes, everything changes in the way you view your time. Have you had that change yet?

Joel: More Wii Fit Fun

So I took Tuesday off from any physical activity. Yesterday, I took a much more reasonable approach to the running and opted to go to my middle school's track (flat surface and all) and did four cycles of 4 minutes walking and 1 minute running. It worked out fantastically. I guess the only real problem was that I didn't drink enough water throughout the day and it was somewhat humid out, so I had to stop at the water fountain and get a quick drink about halfway through. No worries.

Today, I decided to opt out of walking or running and spend some quality time with my Wii again. on Saturday afternoon, one of my friends called me and reminded me that the new season of 24 debuted on Sunday night. He offered to let me borrow the DVD from last season to get caught up (I had a big DVR fiasco during spring break where I lost all of my unwatched episodes of 24, so I just blew it off till later knowing he would get it). So I went over and got it and have been watching that all week. As a result, I have done very little with Wii Fit except for the almost daily check-ins and maybe a little bit of stretching.

Tonight, I spent 34 minutes with it so far, am going to go have dinner with some friends, and then will come back and watch some 24 and probably do some step aerobics and walking around my house a little bit. So which exercises did I choose tonight?

• Lunges (ugh)
• Rhythm Kung Fu
• Snowboard Slalom
• Skateboard Arena
• Rhythm Boxing
• Lotus Focus (not really a workout, but more relaxation)

I also decided that it's time for me to lose the carbonation. I am replacing sodas with mostly water, and some occasional tea and/or coffee. I'll allow myself cappuccinos on the weekends if I've been good. So the journey continues...

Joel: You're Kidding Me, Right?

I've been aware of this for a while, but today's assigned exercise regimen was to walk 5 minutes, run 3 minutes, walk 5 minutes, run 3 minutes, and walk 5 minutes. I knew it wouldn't be happening. There seems to be a sincere possibility that I'm going to fail week 2 and have to repeat it again next week.

Yesterday morning in 7:30am, there were no problems walking 15 minutes, running 1 minute, and walking another 3+. All good. Even in 24 degree temps.

Today. Another story altogether. So here's sort of how things went down:

5:15
Other Band Director: "Bye, I'll see you tomorrow."

Me: "If I don't call you by 8, call the hospital."

OBD: "Yeah."

Me: "Seriously, I think I'm supposed to walk 5 minutes, run 3 minutes, walk 2 minutes, and die"

5:30
I get home, change into my old worn out and beat up sweatpants, and post my final Facebook status update ever...also reminded myself that there's over $250 waiting at the end of this horrible miserable journey

6:00
Leave to go run

6:14
Find the most secluded track in town and get out to walk

6:15
Begin walking for 5 minutes

6:20
Begin first 3-minute run

6:21:30

Wow, it's been 90 seconds! Time to walk again.

6:21:35

Begin gasping for breath

6:24
Let's try this again...

6:25
Stop running, resume walking, resume gasping for breath

6:28
I can run some more...let's give it one last push!

6:28:20

Has it been 3 minutes yet? No...

6:28:30

Wow, that was the slowest 3 minutes of my life. Time to walk.

6:31

Collapse in my truck

On a positive note, I got 16 minutes of exercise in (plus I played a little Wii Fit later this evening) and I was quite impressed that my legs were hurting before my heart completely failed on me. Maybe there's hope for me yet!

Joel: Favorite Wii Fit Plus Workouts

So my workout schedule is here. It's not a distance thing as much as a time thing, which works well for my analytical/logic-based mind. I started on Sunday by walking 15 minutes. Then I went out yesterday to Walk 5 minutes, Run 1, Walk 5, Run 1, Walk 5. But I only glanced at the schedule quickly and forgot the "Repeat 1x" thing, so I only Walked 5, Ran 1, and Walked 5. So today I went out and did yesterday's workout right. Tomorrow and Friday, I'll Walk 15 and do today's workout again Thursday.

In addition to the walking/running, I am trying to do a little bit on the Wii Fit each day. I actually have Wii Fit Plus, which has some additional exercises that the original one didn't. So far, I really am enjoying the Rhythm Boxing and Driving Range workouts. I started playing golf this past summer (see post), so the driving range is great in that it helps me with my stroke, and also counts as exercise. The rhythm boxing is cool because it's sort of like step aerobics stuff, and it involves both arms and some somewhat involved footwork. The step aerobics thing is also kinda fun. The cool thing about these is that they don't require a whole lot of intense coordination, so they fit my style just great!

Note to Carol: Set a goal that is specific, realistic, measurable, and written. It will work wonders for your motivation. Also, tell people about it. Nothing's worse than the guilt you put on yourself. Personally, I'm more interested in telling my friends who already run about my goals. I hate running, but they motivate me. My lazy friends say stuff like, "cool!" My active friends say stuff like, "Awesome! You can do it! You'll love it!" I'll take that one any day.

So we haven't gotten any comments yet. I know people are coming here and reading...so feedback time. What are your Goals for the New Year? What are you doing to make your goal be more than a wish?