Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The Right Direction

I was on track with the eating and the exercise today. I got a little bit of cleaning done around the house too which hopefully burned a few extra calories. That’s the one good thing about a busier schedule: natural activity comes easier.

I have Christmas baking to face sometime in the next week. I am actually not expecting it to be too much of a challenge. I think having the goodies just sitting around may be a little tempting, but I doubt that their preparation will prove to be a problem. I think putting most of them into the freezer will help keep me from munching on them once they are completely done too.

I need to remember that right now it is better to workout earlier rather than later; that way I am sure to get in a decent amount of activity prior to running out of time by the end of the day. That seems to be my biggest issue when I get busy and is the exact reason I put an exercise tracker up for this month. I have to stay focused so that I don’t get distracted with my many projects, and I have to remain motivated - to meet my goal of a minimum of 35 hours of activity for December - so that I can avoid making excuses for not living up to my own expectations. I want to keep heading in the right direction and I need to ensure that any potential obstacles are removed.

I had really high energy for the majority of the day, but I think I have finally crashed. I am very ready for bed, yet I am also already thinking about all the things I need to get done tomorrow. So many errands and so little time.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 12 glasses of water throughout the day
- 1 banana
- 1 toasted whole wheat English muffin with light strawberry jam
- 1 mug of gingerbread steamed soy milk
- 1 Mandarin orange
- 1 sandwich on whole wheat bread with sliced deli chicken, cheese, lettuce, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 1 pear
- 3 cups Caesar salad with fat free dressing and croutons
- 3/4 cup fat free blueberry yogurt

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour of walking completed in 2 outings (40 minutes long and 20 minutes long)

13 comments:

  1. I also have to workout early in the morning because if I don't, then it often times doesn't get done. When I was on my journey and had to do the Christmas baking I did exactly what you are going to do. I froze the things that could be frozen, and waited to cook the other things until I absolutely had to.

    Have a wonderful, productive day.

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  2. I agree that early morning workouts are best. Easy to say for a total morning person, which I am. Interestingly though, my work schedule during the week necessitates me not hitting the gym until 2:45 p.m. I never thought I'd stick with that, as my biorhythms peak early and wane from noon on! But I've gotten very settled into that pattern. I haven't been able to do much at the gym because of a bum L knee, but I'm getting it scoped, and fixed Friday. Can't wait, because I'm eager to return to the working out.

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  3. I too am going to tackle some holiday baking. Freezing most of it and making less than last year should help :)

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  4. You are more brave than I! I'm still too chicken to bake any Christmas goodies. I am still trying to come up with a safe plan.

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  5. I commend you for baking a Christmas time. I said I wasn't going to this year, for fear my will power would not be as strong as yours. Bravo. I admit it, I'm weak. :)

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  6. No baking for me - I don't really entertain so its rather easy to avoid having stuff in the house.
    Wish I could work out early but I have to leave the house at 7am to get to work on time so its just impossbile - I refuse to get up before 5:30 no matter what the reason.

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  7. You will do fine! I have faith in you. You are way too motivated to let a few sugar cookies get in your way.

    Congrats on the recent awards by the way. Very well deserved.

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  8. Getting to that workout as soon as possible is a definite benefit! I try to do so as much as possible.
    And good luck with the holiday baking, you'll do great with it I'm sure, but I will be following your progress closely. Mainly for selfish reasons, as we are getting ready to start our holiday baking as well. I need all the moral supposrt I can get on that front!
    And speaking of moral support, thanks so much for being a steady commenter and supprot system these past few weeks. It really means a lot to me!!!
    hugs-
    Amy

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  9. It is a tough time of year but we can get thru it. Sounds like you have a plan!!!

    I work out first thing in the morn.. well, very early & almost mid night since I have a 24 hour gym BUT I have always done it first thing when I could so nothing else gets in the way or stops me later in the day, especially being too tired after a long day.

    I am being nosy.. you seem to eat not too many calories OR I guess not too much? Do you track that. Just curious because in my younger days I kind of did things not too right & ate too few calories & too little fat. Once I figured it out, I had a lot more success & energy. I hope I do not offend you by asking this!

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  10. What kind of stuff do you make for holiday baking? I would like to do something, but I don't know what. I usually don't make season specific treats. Just muffins and chocolate chip cookies. I would love some more ideas!

    That said, I'm also a little scared to do much baking! I guess there IS always the freezer...

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  11. Great comments today!

    Amy, you are more than welcome! I hope you are having an easier go of things now.

    Jody, no offence taken at all! I have had a couple of people question me on the calorie intake and I will assure you, as I did them, that I did speak with a nutrition and fitness expert when I realized (about a month into this journey) that my calories were on the low side. He told me that as long as my energy is up (which it generally is) and that as long as I am not feeling deprived (which I never do) that recommended calories are more of a guideline since everyone's body is different. I gave him my calorie, fat, and protein totals over a ten day period and he said that seem fine and that worrying about it is more likely to undo the work I have done than anything else. His basic advice was to do what feels right, which I have been this whole journey. I don't count calories because I want this jounrey to be one I will do forever and I don't personally see records such things as sustainable for me... but I know from those ten days (and the occassional check in) that I eat approximately 1200 calories per day. I really appreciate your asking! I know that it comes from a good place and please don't ever feel like any topic is off limits here!

    Lainey, I mostly make cookies for the season, although there is the occassional departure depending on what recipes peak my interest. My staples include shortbread, pinwheel cookies, almond bark, sugar cookies, and sometimes rum balls. Hope that helps!

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  12. 266, thx for answering my question & so glad I was not the first to ask.. whew! Glad you have talked to a professional too. Keep up the good work!!!

    Me, I work out more so I can eat more calories. We all have to make our way! I think this came from the days I restricted way too much.. below your 1200 & I just never got over that part.. so, for now, I work out a bit more to eat more but who knows, that may change one day too! :-)

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  13. Another thing for me to consider is that I actually lead a fairly sedentary lifestyle apart from the workouts that I post, so I think my calorie burn is generally low (again, apart from the exercise).

    I love hearing about other people's plans! It's amazing how different techniques work for different people at different times!

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