Tale of the Scale: Ooops

If you work out, have you heard about interval training instead of static cardio work? The idea is you work at a normal aerobic pace for a period of time, then work at a much faster pace for a short interval (2/3rds easy pace, 1/3rd maximum.) In a 20 minute session, you can get your body to burn more calories (and have the burn extend to 5 hours after the session is over) than a 45 minute static aerobic session.

Efficient and fast.

Had a scheduled work out with Guido this morning and prepared for it the same way I have been: with an half hour of cardio on my own to warm up. Today was the treadmill "hill" program at it's highest setting and 3.5 MPH pace.

That part was easy.

Then he started our session with a 12 minute interval training session. We worked on a different machine than I normally do (some kind of slide stepper thing..), and we worked HARD. I'd say I think this is too hard; and Guido would counter that I was doing fine.

It was only 12 minutes.

Then I headed over to incline bench press for the next part of our workout.

And got kinda dizzy.

I ended up laying on the floor for about 5 minutes, sitting up to guzzle some water, but I knew I wasn't in a place where I could continue. Guido knew it too.

I slowly walked down to the locker room, stripped, and headed into a tepid shower. I sat on the floor (groady place that it was) and let the water stream over me for about 10 minutes. Dressed, took the elevator up and just sat and recovered for about another 1/2 hour.

We are talking about the intensity and length adjustments for next week. Oh that hill program? Not going to be part of my workout in the future.

Geek Girl, Subpar

67% GeekMingle²




Is it wrong that I wish my score was just a little higher??

Tale of the Scale, The Return

For 14 days I was travelling through Southern Europe and Asia Minor... eating cruise ship food(which, yes, means it's available almost 24 hours a day, often cooked with butter and cream, and in the restaurants comes with appetizer, first course, main course and dessert if you choose). The first couple days I did what everyone does: eat what they put in front of me.

My favorite pants, that I had just "out shrunk", started to fit again. I knew what that meant! Time for a return to something approaching normalcy here. My breakfasts and lunches became fairly routine, and I ate reasonably at dinners. My 3 snacks were usually fruit.. but with some kind of grain product, too. (a small piece of cake or a scone..). I also was able to pretty much maintain my gym workout schedule on the ship.

The end result?

I came home well-rested, in a good frame of mind, wanting to return to Italy, and one pound lighter than when I left.

I've broken into the 120s!!

Good bye, So Long.. Auf Weidersehen...

Ok, Folks. The computer is bound for it's stay at the "spa".. and I'm within days of winging it to our cruise.

This is it for blog posts until the end of June, unless I break down and find an internet cafe sometime between here and there. (there's a coffee shop with free internet at the bottom of my hill. wonder how long until I walk down there and use it?).

We shall see....

Tale of the Scale.. With Good News!!

Weight this morning (at home): 130# This is within 10# of my likely final goal.

Weight at the gym (after breakfast, snack, a couple bottles of water, and 30 minutes of hard cardio): 137.5#!!

Now the unfair thing about this is all the calculations on body composition we made today are based on the 137.5# number , NOT the "truer" morning one!

Lean Muscle Mass: 91 pounds

Body Fat: 46 pounds with an 18% body fat loss since I started in November.

I've lost 3" in the bust (I really need that number to drop by another inch or three...), 4 inches in the waist and 4" in the hips. It sure looks like more!!

These will be the final numbers I use before eating my way across the Mediterranean. Let's see what 2 weeks of cruise meals, combined with walking around 7 different cities does!! (yes, I'll be using the gym on the ship during "off" days...)

Now for the good news: Guido has decided that I look like I'm leaning up enough that he is beginning to transition me from the "weight loss" workout program to the "lean and fit" program.

Hey!! That means I'm approaching of my ideal body composition and my ideal weight!

Let's all party with a healthy bowl of fresh berries and some nice unsweetened Silk soy milk!!

Tags: 24HourFitness, Tale of the Scale, fitness, healthy weight weight loss.

Green Grocery Bags...

I have been recycling my paper grocery bags for about 15 years now. I fold them up and carry them in them in car so they are always there waiting for me if the impulse to stop and pick up a half a cow should hit me. A set of bags lasts me between 3 and 6 months before they get too thin along a fold, or something leaks inside them. I would do it even if SafeWay didn't give me a 3 cent refund for every bag I recycle.

It's one of those simple "green" things I do.

But a couple weeks ago I got an email telling me a great item I had to have. (really I had to have this!!). Ya see I subscribe to Steven Leckart's COOL TOOLS email, so once in a while my mailbox will tell me about the best things I might want. And this email actually had SOMETHING I WANTED.

It was from Lehman's Hardware in Kidron, Ohio; a hardward store that specializes in things for the Amish, the Simple Livers, and those moving away from the grid. What did they recommend? A Natural Peanut Butter Stirrer.
If you use the natural stuff, the worst part is stirring the oil back into the solids without losing it or making too much of a mess. This baby does it all. Welcome to the Simple Life!

I ordered it, ofcourse, and they recommended a couple other things that might interest me. I usually don't bite on these offers, but then I espied something quite interesting:


Reuseable Grocery Cart Bags.

I mean.. how cool are these?? They fold up quite small and are almost inconspicuous in the back seat of my car. Yet they unfold, and stretch to fit 2 inside a grocery cart. The plastic clips clip onto the sides of the cart, keeping them open.

Now I load my cart with what I want and no worries!! No roasts rolling into the bread; no produce bruised by that jar of natural peanut butter. Everything is organized and contained.

When I get to the checkout, I empty the bags and push the cart through. Then the clerk puts it all right back where it came from. (well, actually, they usually do it better than I did.. but they do the separate produce from meat and such). Then I take the 2 bags out, put them into the car. Pick up the handles and carry them into the house. (OK, I actually use collapsible plastic cartons to hold them.. but that might be too much information).

The really interesting thing about using these bags? Not one other shopper has stopped to examine them; but every employee around stops to admire them. They all see the logic, neatness, the value of these bags. And they all want them! I need to print out the info for the next time I shop.

Better yet, I still get credit for recycling grocery bags. (though only 2 instead of the 4+ bags they are really replacing).

Ok.. geeky grocery shopping moment over...

Do You Twitter??

There is a phenominon spreading like wild-fire through the internets: Twitter.

Such a simple idea: tell your friends and the world what you are doing right now in 140 characters or less. And your friends can "hear" about on thier computer screens, their mobile phones or the IM screens.

Great, you think, Deb. But why?? What's the point?

--One of the points, I believe, is to stretch your communication skills. How entertaining can you be in a brief format? This is a great way (140 characters used) to practice honing your lines to their juicest parts.

Or: One twitpoint is to stretch your communication skills. How entertaining can you be in a brief format? You hone to your juiciests parts. (3 characters left).

Examples of great honed lines:

StephenColbert There's nothing wrong with stretching the Truth. We stretch taffy, and that just makes it more delicious.

chrisheuer Def: ADD = abundance of distractions and disruptions.

Can you write either of these concepts more succinctly and more entertainingly? I didn't think so.

--Another point of Twitter: sharing news in real time.

During the recent earthquake in Mexico City, while one person on the ground twittered about what was happening from his perspective, those removed from the excitement provided information such as USGS reports. It was news in real time for the world to see.

And last month when I walked the Bay to Breakers, I stopped about every half mile or so to update with my location and whatever things were happening around me. People got to "know" to the race from the inside. If I had taken the time to immediately send my photos to Flickr, they could have read and seen in nearly real time.

Now a number of news agencies such as NPRNews are using Twitter to broadcast their news feeds. And politicians are signing on so interns can Twitter thier daily calendars.

An aid for the sleepless: Because every single post is published on a public page, you can while away time reading what's going on around the world. (here is where it would help to be poly-lingual.) Can't sleep? See what's happening on the other side of the world.

There are interesting applications being added to Twitter all the time: You can twitter from inside FaceBook, or check the public timeline on a Twitter world map (it moves you around the world as each twitter comes in). Twitter from your browser while on a different website. (a moment to refresh your mind while working on a difficult edit? Priceless.)

OK.. so there is stuff happening there.. why would it interest me??
Maybe it wouldn't.

However, if you have social contacts (family, friends, associates) and you all (or most) decide to sign on, you have the chance to know quickly about something from someone. Imagine just one 140 character post to tell everyone you know that you're a grandmother! Or that you were just in a car accident and will be heading to ER for some stitches, but you're OK.

Imagine being at a HUGE show or conference, finding the perfect something.. and wanting to share it with all your friends attending the show. Right. Now. If you all had twitter accounts and activated your phones, one message could tell them all where to come. Or where to meet for lunch. Or where the best freebie is being handed out.

No phone tag.

This is an application in it's earliest iterations. Yet the ways people will choose to use it in the future are limitless.

A brilliant example: You know when you're at college and you want to most efficiently time your access to the dorm laundry? (yeah.. when you're not shipping the laundry home to Mom??...).
Someone has put their dorm's laundryroom on Twitter with the explanation:

• I am a laundry room at Olin College. I have two washers, two dryers, and a condom dispenser.
• Location: Third floor, West Hall.

Each half-hour or so, the laundryroom lets the world know how many machines are available.

Granted, this can't help me, but if someone decided to start Twittering the average commute times on the freeway (the ones that are posted on the freeway signs), I'll be checking that out. (Can you here me, CalTrans??) Remember.. I can get these updates on my phone to know how to plan my travels.

Think about the possibilities for a minute.. and wonder what should you be Twittering?

I am (ofcourse) darinhercules on Twitter...