Well last week was pretty awful! :( I almost didn't want to even post my update, but what would be the benefit if I can't see the weeks that I am not doing well. Right now, I will be able to look back and see why I didn't go to the gym much last week, and hopefully change that for future weeks so this doesn't happen as frequently. (Looking back, I guess I did better than I thought I did…I still went three times last week). Ironically, I can keep track of my exercise routine on my fertility app! So I type in what I did and then I can go back and see. For those that don't know, these fertility apps help you to track ovulation and your period so that you can plan baby making around the right times of the month. You can add in your emotions on a certain day, whether or not you did the deed, answer questions about your cycle, track your temperature (which helps to pinpoint ovulation..or when the egg is released and ready for fertilization) and a number of other daily activities. It really helps to keep everything handy on one app.
Sunday (May 17): 30 Minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weights.
Monday: 30 minutes of cardio
Thursday: 30 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weights.
So now today is Tuesday and I am feeling down because I haven't worked out since Thursday. My reasons will probably be lame excuses, but I am attributing it the holiday weekend. Fridays are difficult because its the end of the week and I am wiped out by then! And I prefer to go every other day, don't want to exhaust my muscles too much. Eventually, maybe I will be able to go more days in a row, but I don't want to burn myself out. Saturday, I wanted to see my cousins new baby. *sigh* I love baby snuggles. Since Hubby and I are going on vacation soon, I wanted to see the baby before we left because who knows how long it would be before I got another chance. Not to mention I like to bring new parents a nice meal and if I wait a month, its not as meaningful, I would think. Sunday was just a huge cookout at my Aunts house. Again, its my only day to sleep in, so if we have plans, I can't always fit gym time in. And yesterday, I think the gym was closed.
But today is a new week! I had emailed my PT at CF clinic two weeks ago to update him on my exercising routine. I told him I have been doing cardio, shoulders and abs…and he was kind of like you should be doing more strength since you also have weak hips, legs and basically everything. LOL. *insert shame face* So he offered to help me figure out some good activities for everything and added bonus…its covered by insurance! So I am working a half day today and going in to see him this afternoon. He says he will be able to show me all types of exercises and weight training to strengthen my whole body. I hope this session is as helpful as I want it to be and that its not a waste of my time.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
Exercise Update
Sunday (May 10): 15 minutes of weights. This was my ab and shoulder work. Then I also did 25 minutes of running on the treadmill. I alternated 5 minute warm up, 5 minutes running, 5 minutes slower, 5 five minutes running and then a 5 five minute cool down.
Wednesday: 15 minutes weights, ab and shoulders again. And again 25 minutes running/walking on the treadmill.
Thursday: 40 minute walk along the river after work. It was a gorgeous day! A coworker and I brought sneakers and walked after work. So I was walking and talking for 40 minutes. Walking and talking has always been difficult for me as I get very out of breath. I am hoping with all this exercise, that will get better.
Friday: 15 minutes of weights, abs and shoulders. And again 25 minutes of running/walking. Today I was able to do 7 minutes of straight running, then a few minutes slower, then another 5 minute running spurt. So in total I ran at speed 4.0 for 12 minutes! My distance in still pretty low, I think I hit 1.3 miles or so. I'd like to work up to be able to do a 5K distance. Not sure if I'd ever actually do a 5K, but maybe if I can gain some confidence, it will motivate me to register for one.
Sunday: TONS of yard work. I consider this exercise because I was super sweaty and salty by the end and I was getting out of breath. I was lifting plants, shoveling dirt, picking weeds, spreading mulch and raking. But I am happy to say it was worth it because our yard looks perfect!
Unfortunately, I did not do before and after pics, wooops. And I did not plant EVERYTHING in these pictures yesterday, but I did do a lot of work.
Wednesday: 15 minutes weights, ab and shoulders again. And again 25 minutes running/walking on the treadmill.
Thursday: 40 minute walk along the river after work. It was a gorgeous day! A coworker and I brought sneakers and walked after work. So I was walking and talking for 40 minutes. Walking and talking has always been difficult for me as I get very out of breath. I am hoping with all this exercise, that will get better.
Friday: 15 minutes of weights, abs and shoulders. And again 25 minutes of running/walking. Today I was able to do 7 minutes of straight running, then a few minutes slower, then another 5 minute running spurt. So in total I ran at speed 4.0 for 12 minutes! My distance in still pretty low, I think I hit 1.3 miles or so. I'd like to work up to be able to do a 5K distance. Not sure if I'd ever actually do a 5K, but maybe if I can gain some confidence, it will motivate me to register for one.
Sunday: TONS of yard work. I consider this exercise because I was super sweaty and salty by the end and I was getting out of breath. I was lifting plants, shoveling dirt, picking weeds, spreading mulch and raking. But I am happy to say it was worth it because our yard looks perfect!
Unfortunately, I did not do before and after pics, wooops. And I did not plant EVERYTHING in these pictures yesterday, but I did do a lot of work.
In this picture, I only did the plant on the very end of the house, you can barely see it, but it'll probably come back stronger next year. Its difficult to see, but it is a lilac bush! I adore lilacs and LOVE the scent. I debated whether to do this one in the front or the back, because we will more often sit in the back so I think I'd have enjoyed it back there. But husband said we already had too much out back! I will settle for this being outside my bedroom window!
In this picture, I laid out the raised garden bed. Again we debated where to put this because it is vegetables and will need full sun. This seems to be the sunniest spot as we are surrounded by trees in the back and bushes on both sides of the yard. It doesn't appear sunny in this picture, but this was taken late in the day around 6 or so. I also spread the mulch around the patio and planted that gorgeous blue hydrangea. I have another on on the other corner from last year that hasn't quite come up yet. I also moved the hosta (thats the plant you can see straight ahead in the opposite corner). Because of where we placed the vegetable garden, that plant was blocking an entrance to the patio. Those come back heartier and heartier every year! ((it only kind of bothers me that our patio is no longer symmetrical))
The vegetable garden has only a few plants for now. I want to start small and if this works, then I'll add more next year. We can always buy more of those wooden beds. So for now, we have a tomato plant, eggplant plant and zucchini. The marigolds are there to keep out animals. And there are two potted plants (with I think geraniums) on the front steps and two on the side steps (with full sun/hearty impatiens) for some color in the front of the house. There is also a hanging plant near the side entrance/driveway.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Mother's Day
I wasn't going to post about this day because honestly I didn't/still don't know what to write. I wasn't expecting to have such mixed emotions, but as the day got closer, it was harder and harder for me to grasp and I don't want to be a "debbie downer" all the time on this blog…but hey, this is what I started the blog for. I needed an outlet for my feelings when a therapist or social worker is unavailable.
I am not a mother yet. I have wanted to be a mother since like forever. I always wanted to take care of my little cousins and I begged my parents to have more children so I could snuggle babies (they didn't listen of course…and I only have one sister). I love looking at baby equipment and if I do get pregnant I pretty much have my whole nursery picked out. I dream of the day that I can start knitting or crocheting projects for my baby. I don't want to start now, because I feel like I may jinx it in some way. I have not purchased anything for my own future children because it would be too heartbreaking to have in the house. I love to nurture and help and I want to be able to watch my own children grow, not just other peoples kids.
My mom lost her mother at a very young age. My heart breaks for that. Although I may not say it to her, I am incredibly grateful to still have my mother around with me. And also my paternal grandmother. We are all very close. My sister and I spent the day with mom, thats all she wanted. We weren't supposed to spend money on her, just time. We took her to lunch and then went over to my grandmothers, where my dad and uncles were helping Nana. Nana (and our family in general) has had a difficult few months and it was lovely to see her and just talk.
So overall, I did have a nice Mother's Day. It is the start of a new month of trying to conceive, of new hopes that this will be the month. And if not, in the words of Tom Petty "I won't back down". I will not give up. My husband starts his new job in a few short weeks and if we still are not pregnant the normal way, maybe we can go back to fertility treatments as soon as our new insurance takes effect!
I am not a mother yet. I have wanted to be a mother since like forever. I always wanted to take care of my little cousins and I begged my parents to have more children so I could snuggle babies (they didn't listen of course…and I only have one sister). I love looking at baby equipment and if I do get pregnant I pretty much have my whole nursery picked out. I dream of the day that I can start knitting or crocheting projects for my baby. I don't want to start now, because I feel like I may jinx it in some way. I have not purchased anything for my own future children because it would be too heartbreaking to have in the house. I love to nurture and help and I want to be able to watch my own children grow, not just other peoples kids.
My mom lost her mother at a very young age. My heart breaks for that. Although I may not say it to her, I am incredibly grateful to still have my mother around with me. And also my paternal grandmother. We are all very close. My sister and I spent the day with mom, thats all she wanted. We weren't supposed to spend money on her, just time. We took her to lunch and then went over to my grandmothers, where my dad and uncles were helping Nana. Nana (and our family in general) has had a difficult few months and it was lovely to see her and just talk.
So overall, I did have a nice Mother's Day. It is the start of a new month of trying to conceive, of new hopes that this will be the month. And if not, in the words of Tom Petty "I won't back down". I will not give up. My husband starts his new job in a few short weeks and if we still are not pregnant the normal way, maybe we can go back to fertility treatments as soon as our new insurance takes effect!
Monday, May 11, 2015
Exercise Check-In
Again I had all intentions of going to the gym more last week. :(
Monday (May 4): I did go to gym after work. Yay! I did 15 minutes of weights, 10 minutes walking on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the elliptical.
Tuesday: Break
Wednesday: 15 minutes of weights, 10 minutes walking on the treadmill, and 25 on the elliptical.
Thursday: Break
Friday: Break
Saturday: Was planning on going, but forgot something at home and then husband needed help there. Although it was good that I was home for my new vest machine (more on that later).
Sunday: 25 minutes running on the treadmill and 15 minutes of weights. I usually use my treadmill time as a cool down, but I didn't like the options for the elliptical (would have had to choose a machine next to someone…LOL). So I decided to do all my cardio on the treadmill. I did a bit of a warm up…working up to a speed of 4 and incline of 1. I wanted to run because I knew that would get my heart rate up and get me sweating. I did two spurts (over the course of 25 minutes) of five minutes each at that speed….but according to the heart rate monitor on the machine, my heart was racing at over 160. So I slowed down. I know those aren't 100% accurate, but my PT at CF clinic said to stay around 140-150.
Ab Exercise: I am still doing quite a few of these (they are included in my weight time, even though I don't use weights for these. Laying on my back, feet in the air, crunches. I started a 30 day Plank Challenge with some of Cysters. You do progressively more time and more intense plank exercises which fully engage your core. I've been able to hold a plank for 20 seconds. I know its not much right now, but its a start. Also this machine which I never thought I'd be able to do! It seems to be getting easier, but that may just be in my head! You lean with your back against the ball and lift your legs (i do it with my knees bent) up towards your abs.
Weight routine: I don't know if went over this in a prior blog post, but for my weight routine I have been concentrating on my shoulders and my abs. I think those are very important muscle groups for a CFer to have good strength in and mine are very weak. I don't know what the exercises or the machines are called, but the shoulder ones have been working with 8 pound dumbbells. I lift them over my shoulder with my arms bent, then I lift them (the dumbbells) out in front of my chest, then I also do a shrugging motion. Theres one other machine I use also for my shoulders, but I really don't know how to describe it. Each of these exercise I do three sets of 8-10 reps each. This is a picture of the machine. I use it standing behind the bar and lifting up towards my shoulder...so the opposite of this picture. If that makes sense. I don't do any weights on this yet, just the bar is enough.
Monday (May 4): I did go to gym after work. Yay! I did 15 minutes of weights, 10 minutes walking on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the elliptical.
Tuesday: Break
Wednesday: 15 minutes of weights, 10 minutes walking on the treadmill, and 25 on the elliptical.
Thursday: Break
Friday: Break
Saturday: Was planning on going, but forgot something at home and then husband needed help there. Although it was good that I was home for my new vest machine (more on that later).
Sunday: 25 minutes running on the treadmill and 15 minutes of weights. I usually use my treadmill time as a cool down, but I didn't like the options for the elliptical (would have had to choose a machine next to someone…LOL). So I decided to do all my cardio on the treadmill. I did a bit of a warm up…working up to a speed of 4 and incline of 1. I wanted to run because I knew that would get my heart rate up and get me sweating. I did two spurts (over the course of 25 minutes) of five minutes each at that speed….but according to the heart rate monitor on the machine, my heart was racing at over 160. So I slowed down. I know those aren't 100% accurate, but my PT at CF clinic said to stay around 140-150.
Ab Exercise: I am still doing quite a few of these (they are included in my weight time, even though I don't use weights for these. Laying on my back, feet in the air, crunches. I started a 30 day Plank Challenge with some of Cysters. You do progressively more time and more intense plank exercises which fully engage your core. I've been able to hold a plank for 20 seconds. I know its not much right now, but its a start. Also this machine which I never thought I'd be able to do! It seems to be getting easier, but that may just be in my head! You lean with your back against the ball and lift your legs (i do it with my knees bent) up towards your abs.
Weight routine: I don't know if went over this in a prior blog post, but for my weight routine I have been concentrating on my shoulders and my abs. I think those are very important muscle groups for a CFer to have good strength in and mine are very weak. I don't know what the exercises or the machines are called, but the shoulder ones have been working with 8 pound dumbbells. I lift them over my shoulder with my arms bent, then I lift them (the dumbbells) out in front of my chest, then I also do a shrugging motion. Theres one other machine I use also for my shoulders, but I really don't know how to describe it. Each of these exercise I do three sets of 8-10 reps each. This is a picture of the machine. I use it standing behind the bar and lifting up towards my shoulder...so the opposite of this picture. If that makes sense. I don't do any weights on this yet, just the bar is enough.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Exercise Check-in
I need to come up with a snappy name for these segments…ideas welcome! :)
Here is where I am going to update you with my exercise routines for the past week. I am hoping this will motivate me to continue exercising. I need that accountability or I will fall off the wagon. My hardest part is Wednesday to Friday. I just get so wiped out by work and life that I just don't do it. So last week, this is what I did (I was going to post yesterday, but it was too damn nice out)…
Saturday (April 25): Gym workout. This consisted of 15 minutes of elliptical and 15 of treadmill. I don't usually pay attention to distance, but that is something I'd like to start doing also. I'd love to see how far I can run. Then I did a bit of weights, I can't remember what muscle groups I worked.
Sunday (April 26): T25 Alpha Cardio video at home. This again, was pretty intense cardio and I was drenched in sweat. Makes me feel like I am actually working out and that its doing something! Also did some yard work and moved our bedroom furniture.
Monday: Break day.
Tuesday: Another gym workout. 30 minutes of cardio, then weights concentrating on my shoulders (which are very weak) and my abs. I met with a trainer because it sort of "came with" the gym membership. I was not wholly impressed with him. We sat down and chatted a bit, I told him I wanted to work my shoulders and abs most…but that I was open to any and all weight type training. He showed me the bare minimum. I did get some great ideas for shoulders and abs…but that was all. Nothing more. It was supposed to be one free hour of training and it was half that. Maybe I asked too many questions. I did ask a lot about how do I know when to increase weight and reps? Which he went over, but again it was mediocre. And all the ab workout was on the floor…no weights. So basically I don't need the gym for that. Meh. I guess I will have to research more myself.
Wednesday: Nothing
Thursday: Nothing
Friday: Nothing
See a trend here??
Saturday (May 2): Gym workout. 30 minutes of cardio and then my ab and shoulder workout.
Sunday: Yard work! It was a picture perfect day here in the Northeast. I treated my front yard for grubs (EWWWWWWW!!), then watered with the hose as we don't have a sprinkler. Then I raked about 1/3 of the backyard to get rid of all the dead grass. Then I fertilized that section of lawn (there are no grubs in the back) and watered that as well. Raking is great exercise! It worked my shoulders pretty intensely. It wasn't much cardio, but with the heat of the day, I was sweating nicely.
And because I thought my blog was boring without any pics…let's hope I do not become like Chandler from Friends! I can do this and I WILL continue!
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