Dwayne the tub I'm drowning

My Dad used to tell (and still does) the cheesiest knock knock joke, the punch line was Dwayne the tub.

I grew up in AZ. I had a pool my entire life. And while my parents didn't love me enough to enroll me in swim team AND volleyball AND softball AND piano AND choir AND gymnastics AND dance.... I never got the privilege of being on a swim team like my cousins (dang my parents!) But I swam in the pool a lot, everyday from March till September for most of my life.

Well I have taken my first step into the water again. I swam this morning. And just like muscle memory, all my confidence paid off as I sailed past Michael Phelps (yeah, he and I are buds) looking like this













HAHAHA!!! Actually I think that during one point of my attempted drowning session this literally happened!
















OK, maybe I'm overemphasizing my morning but I had a COME TO MOTHER THERESA moment. I thought swimming would be so much easier for me than running, I think they're tied for which one will bring me to tears. But I actually am making improvements with running. I ran half a mile today, there is progress at least.




Something HELPFUL....my kids really love the gym. They have a large room with multiple Wiis and a lot of fun activities. Some days when I really don't want to workout, just having 2 kids BEGGING to go to the gym pushes me out the door!
K

Nothing tastes as good as being skinny

I stole that quote from a friend in the wards blog. And I have to say there is a lot to it. Like most human women, and almost every single friend I have (Fawn and Krystal don't count) I have a problem with my weight. I grew up with the expectation that every night I would get a "midnight snack" before bed. Usually popcicles, cookies...anything I choose. I've grown up with horrible eating habits, I honestly never had a thought to eat healthy until Sydnee was 6 months old. I had a popcorn, macaroni and cheese and Coca-Cola obsession! But it gets even worse, I hate vegetables, seriously HATE them! Fruit is great, but the majority of my life was spent eating carbs.

When I was 14 I got really sick. I couldn't move my joints, if I tried to sit down and bend my knees I would fall. The doctors thought it could be mono, juvenile arthritis... I actually had severe anemia, protein deficiency, calcium deficiency.... my eating habits were so bad. I still didn't really understand what it all meant. I gained 30lbs when I was pregnant with Sydnee, and I only lost about 10 after. Then I gained 35 more with Beckham and looked like this the day I delivered him....
I am 5' 2" and I weighed 214lbs. No wonder I couldn't walk from the parking lot into Kohls. I tried to do some last minute shopping for the baby and I had to turn around and go home. I had a lot of problems after Beckham's birth. I had 3 separate infections and a horrible labor. I think a lot of that had to do with how much I weighed. I don't really care that he was an almost 9lb baby. It was too much. Once Beckham was about 1 year old I finally decided it was time to dedicate and get as healthy as I could. At that point my doctor was insisting on frequent checks for diabetes, I had high cholesterol, and my hips were constantly hurting. I got a gym membership, and hooked up with a girl from work to work out. Luckily, her husband was a trainer who liked to hurt me. I cut all carbs from my diet, cut sugar, focused on protein, vegetables (I still don't like them) and low glycemic fruit. I worked out with weights and cardio and looked like this

I just have to say that before Beckham was born I wore a size 14-16 and I got down to a 2-4. I felt great!!! No starved, just that I had finally become me.

I've gained a lot back, I picked up my Coke habit, lots of popcorn, not caring what I ate. Deciding to train for a triathlon brings a different type of diet. I can't cut out carbs, I need them to train for endurance. But I have to eat more complex carbs; wheat bread, fruit, potatoes. I'm learning to balance an entire diet. I think that the best balance in a meal is a turkey sandwich. 12 grain, whole wheat bread, cheese, olive oil light mayo, turkey, and mustard. It's a good balance to keep me powered.

I'm still working on the skinny part. But I don't need the unhealthy carbs, I don't need the sugar. I don't need diabetes, I need to teach my kids how to be healthy by being healthy myself.

Something HELPFUL....Good friends who are supportive! Liss, you are inspiring me!

K

Hey do you see that line???

Let's all admit we are narcissistic creatures that cannot help but be fascinated by our own reflections. Especially when we're having a good hair day. So I was walking past my dresser mirror and had to stop and play with my super cute hair (I'm embracing a curly phase) and then I stopped when I noticed my arm. There was this strange line on the back of my arm, I've experienced this phenomenon before, but it's been forever since I noticed it. I have TRICEPS!! I obviously had to spend an additional few minutes flexing my arm and turning side to side admiring myself

But I digress....

I was SET to swim yesterday. New suit, swim cap (which I'm weirdly not hideous in. Yes, I tried it out and walked around the house for an hour or so) goggles, towel.... The pool was empty but I wanted to get in a solid workout before so I first went and after my typical warm up (1.5miles on the elliptical about 20min) I biked for 7 miles, which takes me 28:52. I'm not thrilled with that time, but like everything else I'm not pushing for my best. I'm just trying to maintain a steady pace throughout. Well afterward I was ready to jump in the pool and start my first swim. And when I walked out to the pool area what I saw; was this...

Ok not this picture EXACTLY, but something pretty similar. So went home, ate my Smores Protein Bar and pouted that the old ladies ruined my workout. Ok actually I just went home with the intention of swimming later than night. But one 5 hour drive to Denver (Krystal better love me) and back in a snow storm ruined that thought too... Then I agreed to work an extra shift today, and tomorrow....

I swear I am going to swim this week! It's going to happen, there might be a follow up post about how I choked on water and have all the grace of Carrot Top in the water, but I shall swim!

Relief and motivation has arrived in the mail

Well I already own the iPod, but I lost the charger. So I had to order a new charger. I've been suffering with an armband with my iTouch, and I've missed my shuffle and how easy it just clips to my shirt. Makes my workout so much easier!

Something HELPFUL... So during my adventure to Denver after I had stopped to fill up the gas tank I realized it had been 3+ hours since I had eaten and needed something. So what exactly is available in a Gas station? Well all the chips, candy, normal fare was OUT! And I am really allergic to sunflower seeds (which are a healthy snack) I found all organic natural pepper beef jerky. High protein, no carb, no sugar... It worked! I'm not a big red meat eater, but beggars can't choose Doritos!

K

Get comfortable being uncomfortable!

I work 16 hour shifts, every Monday and Tuesday! 6am till 10pm. How exactly am I supposed to get any kind of workout? Well I've decided to dedicate these days to yoga. Jillian Michaels to be precise. And my heart races! I enjoy quick paced yoga, constant moving keeps me warm and doesn't let my brain start taking over saying how much I'm shaking.


Ooo I learned a new breathing technique from my Triathlon book! And the first time I did it I felt tingling in my fingers from the hyper oxygenation! I'm really working on improving my breathing technique during cardio. I don't inhale deeply enough or through my nose. So word for word... here's my new breathing technique


"1. Sit erect and place your hands lightly over your stomach. Close your eyes and clear your mind. I've done this laying down too



2. Breathe in through your nose, pushing the lower part of your lungs downward and outward (called diaphragmatic breathing) You should feel your stomach move outward (Yes, aim for a Buddha belly!!) The full inhalation should take 3 to 5 seconds. Visualize the fresh, healing oxygen swirling into your bloodstream and to every corner of your body I literally try to feel it in my fingertips


3. When you feel as though you've fully inhaled, breathe in a little more. Then a little more. Go on, challenge yourself. This will expand your lung capacity dramatically. Hold that inhalation for 3 seconds After surgery, patients are forced to cough to expand the alveoli in the lungs which clears bacteria and prevents post surgical infection. So inhaling 3 times fully stretches and expands the alveoli, my medical brain likes this thought"



4. Exhale slowly out of your mouth, with a slight "Ahh" sound. Visualize every bit of your stress dissolving with that breath Ryan keeps looking at me funny as I am frequently saying "Ahh" as I'm breathing

Do you know how much fun Amazon's wish list option is? I have a million books, a dollhouse, cricut cartridges.... But my newest WISH???

The Garmin Forerunner 305. Everything I read about this makes it more amazing. I am obsessed with the numbers. What my heart rate zone should be (that's a whole other post) how far I've run, calories burned, carb intake, sodium, hours between eating. I'm obsessed! Well this little baby looks like it could be my new best friend...maybe I'll reward myself if I set and beat a goal. OOooo!!! I know! I shall buy this amazing baby once I have run/jogged an entire mile nonstop! There's some motivation!



Something HELPFUL.... You're not allowed to use your iPod during a triathlon (I almost cried when I read that) but one guy said he picked 3 songs that really keep him going and listened to them so much he memorized EVERY word to sing to himself. I already know I'm going to do this... first song... Wounded by Third Eye Blind FAVORITE band EVER!!!
K

TRI the RIM

I'm registered!

TRI the RIM

Durango, CO

Fort Lewis College

April 17th 10:00am

500 meter swim

10 mile bike

5k run

I've started a few "brick" workouts. And I got my book in the mail which I am quickly devouring. I'm trying to take the advice and train slowly. Not push too fast because this is about endurance.

I'm also really working on eating every few hours. And making sure I have good snacks around me. I got a new swimsuit, goggles and cap. This week I planning on making my splash in the pool and I'm really focused on learning proper swim technique.

Something helpful... You need to eat within 30min after a workout. It keeps your blood sugar from dropping and helps your body to keep metabolism higher for longer. My new favorite is PURE PROTEIN bars, they are by far the healthiest (I spent forever comparing nutritional facts) and the Smores flavor is really good. Beckham begs every time I eat one

K

Muscle Memory

I used to work out a lot, A LOT!!! It was the only few hours in the day where I was doing something just for myself and I became obsessed. I don't know what it is about working out that makes you eat healthier, but after an hour on the elliptical, a bowl of strawberries sounds a lot better than a piece of pizza.

I went to the gym this morning and actually worked out! Kinda my day 1. And what I was shocked by was how quickly my body remembered my routine. And it's been 1 1/2 YEARS since I was last hard core. My amount and times suck! But I did it and I'm ready to go again.

So here are my current stats, I'm following a few different training programs and kinda meshing to fit me.

1 mile elliptical warm up (I once had a trainer tell me that you need a cardio warm up to stimulate the mitochondria in your cells to start breaking down fat cells, unless lifting weights only builds muscle without fat loss)

Upper body workout- Since my legs are my strongest part of my body, I really need to up my arms. Swimming 500 meters??? I'm hoping I can get some killer biceps. I didn't push it today. 3 sets x15 reps. Pretty basic.
Chin ups
Dips
Chest fly
Chest push
Row
Lat pull down (my FAVORITE!! Seriously I use that machine even on leg days I love how it feels)

Then I worked on a tiny "brick" workout.

Brick means that you go from one activity straight to the next. Without a long transition. So I went bike to elliptical
2 mile bike, took me 8 min 43sec (I didn't push though knowing I still had 30 min on the treadmill)

I CAN'T RUN
I have tried so many times to become a runner. And even in my best shape I could not RUN a mile to save my life. 10 miles on an elliptical; no prob. I think it's a mental thing.

So I'm really going to FOLLOW the training on how to learn to run, which the first day was 30 min of WALKING.

Alright so I ran for about 4 minutes of it, I can't be a complete wimp.
30 minutes on the treadmill, I went 1.9 miles.

The triathlon is a 5K at the end. Which means it would probably take me 45 minutes and the rest of the world 15. Hopefully within a few weeks, I will be posting that I've been able to run an entire mile.

For lunch I'm eating half a grapefruit, half a turkey sandwich with avacado and mustard!

Something HELPFUL....I'm obsessed with my Camelbak water bottle. If I fill it up and carry it around I drink constantly.
K

Day #....

I've talked about this for awhile. I've even researched races and talked to friends about joining me. And basically I've achieved NOTHING!! So now it's time to kick my own @ss! This isn't day 1, technically it's day 438 or so. My goal, not my New Year's Resolution, my new mission is to become a Triathlon athlete. And I'm going to track the journey. So I can't vent on my frustrated days, be inspired by the triumphs and basically become responsible for improvement and outcome.



First, it was that I needed to cut some serious flaws in how I eat. Normally I'm a pretty good eater, but I have some habits that completely kill and good. Popcorn, sorry gotta go. Coke, even Coke Zero, can't do it. Pretzels... I can't only eat a few, so I can't have any.



That's my start. Plus ensuring that I only make healthy foods when I go to work, because I'm a bored eater. Another reason for this blog. It keeps me busy at work.




I ordered a book, the highest rated one from Amazon (isn't Amazon AWESOME?!?)

So here goes....

Something HELPFUL... Taking a 500mg supplement of Quercetin daily (an antioxidant from skin of apples and grapes) has shown to increase mitochondria (energy producing cells in muscles) Guess I'm going to GNC.
K