My new site is ready! I am officially moving over to it: http://www.kellybewell.com - check it out!
My new site is ready! I am officially moving over to it: http://www.kellybewell.com - check it out!
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Doctor visit #3 for me today…it’s been 3 weeks since I had a good workout or could take a deep breath.
I *think* we’re finally getting somewhere, though — I’m to have bloodwork done for allergy testing, and also some kind of pulmonary test to see how sensitive my bronchial tubes are. Something is obviously wrong, and it appears to be affected by environment.
It’s just incredibly frustrating to go from working out and feeling powerful to thinking the 2-block walk from your work to your car feels like a marathon.
I just told the doc we have to find a solution….see…I use exercise to manage my anxiety condition…and 3 weeks…yeah.
I’m at my breaking point.
Luckily, today wasn’t one of my super-terrible-no-good-breathing days, so I managed to squeeze out my first workout in 3 weeks — no matter how wimpy it may be. And I needed it. My anxiety is through the roof.
(And who am I kidding…it kicked my ass. LOL)
This…is my coach. Note her stretching technique.
This….was my gym. 2-5 lb dumbbells (for shoulder work); 2-10 lb dumbbells (for upper body work) and a chair.
(Hubs and I have minimal at-home work equipment…5 lb, 10 lb, 20 lb and 30 lb dumbbells, and a nasty bench in the basement. I really need to add a pair of 15′s)
2 circuits as fast as my gimpy lungs would let me (took me 20 minutes)
1. Alternating Bicep Curls x 12
2. Tricep Dips x 12
3. Full Range Lateral Raises x 10
4. Pushups x 10
5. Upright Row x 10
6. Leg Raises (Abs work) x 15
7. Plank x 40 seconds
8. Squats x 15
9. Lunges (1 set forward and 1 set backward) x 15
10. Calf Raises x 15
Posted in Exercise | Tagged Anxiety, Sick, Workout | Leave a Comment »
As I’m still battling…whatever it is that I am battling..cold? I kept my health goals kind of…err.. minimal. Assuming the doctor can tell me more about what’s wrong at tomorrow’s appointment, I may revise them…but I’ve been on my butt for 3 weeks, so it’ll be a slow return anyway.
(Source)
November Goals
Blog Goals
- Finish redesign of the new Kelly Be Well site and import both health and cooking blogs
Life Goals
- Get Better!!!
- Sit & relax by 8:30 p.m. every night
- Computer off by 9:30 p.m.
- Get Christmas cards addressed
Money Goals
- Set aside money for life insurance and car insurance; both which are due in December
Health Goals
- Get Better!!
- Once better, work at incorporating intervals to build back up from my 3 week hiatus
- Try some bodyrock workouts
Food Goals
- Continue avoiding the 2pm candy monster
- Find a sweet, healthy snack for evening
Posted in Goals, Life | Leave a Comment »
Wikipedia’s Definition of Bronchiolitis: Bronchiolitis is inflammation of the bronchioles, the smallest air passages of the lungs. This inflammation is usually caused by viruses.
Kelly’s Definiton of Bronchiolitis: FREAKING CRAP IT’S HARD TO BREATHE. Why is walking from the couch to the kitchen suddenly HARD? And…oh yeah…look at that….not being able to breathe makes my anxiety trigger-happy. NIIIICE.
Yeah, so….I had a cold…the same cold my whole office had. Now we all have this mess. It FEELS like bronchitis, but because it’s viral, the only thing the doctor can give you is an inhaler. Which doesn’t particularly help all that much (at least in my case).
The funniest part is if you google this condition, it insists that it usually only occurs in children. SMALL children – 3-6 months of age – and yet a whole office of women between 23 – 60 years of age have it.
Naturally, since it’s hard to breathe, I haven’t been particularly active. I did work out last week 4 days, but it ended up making me feel worse. I’ve had this for about 10 days now, so hopefully the internet is right and around 14 days I will start to feel better.
God I hope so. Walking up and down one flight of stairs shouldn’t make me feel like I just completed HIIT.
The good news is, Holly did everything she could to make me feel better. See?
Workin’ hard. Crazy dog. (Don’t mind my sheet-covered couch…pup sheds more than her bodyweight in spring/fall)
October Goals Review:
Following Janetha and Susan’s advice, I set some goals for October. Here’s how they went:
Blog Goals
Life Goals
Money Goals
Work Out Goals
Food Goals
Posted in Goals, Life | 2 Comments »
Posted in Life, Sick | Leave a Comment »
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Setting the scene: I’m at the farmer’s market this morning, picking up our week’s worth of veggies.
Farm stand helper: Okay, so, all together that’s $17.95
Woman standing beside me, while I’m digging in my pocket for my cash: WOW! Almost 18 dollars worth of vegetables! You must have a big family to feed!
Me: Nope…it’s just me and my husband
Woman: Holy cow…are you vegetarian?
Me(slightly annoyed now): No…but we try to eat relatively healthy, and make sure we get lots of variety in our fruits and veggies, so we eat a lot of different ones. I come every week and get what I can, here.
Now…
Wait for it…..
Woman: Is it safe to eat that many vegetables every week? I can’t imagine it. We don’t like them in our house much. Do you eat them for every meal? I can’t believe two people can eat this much green!
Me (beyond my polite abilities now): Yes, we do. But we eat other items as well. Nice talking to you…bye!
And with that I’ve paid, the farm stand helper is laughing his ass off, and I am high-tailing it to the other side of market to get milk and eggs.
I should’ve taken a picture of my $18 bounty when I got home, but it slipped my mind, and now it’s all been processed down (chopped, cleaned, bagged, etc) so I’ll just list what I bought. I didn’t think it was extraordinary.
Now…I know not everyone eats that many veggies. And to each their own. But she kept pestering me about it…it drove me a bit batty. And when she asked if it was safe to eat that many vegetables…that was my limit! In hindsight I probably should’ve tried a bit more education and a bit less temper-losing…but you’ll have that sometimes!
Posted in Food, Life | 1 Comment »
Monday
I was off Monday, and posted about it….
Tuesday
I worked, and felt pretty darn miserable from this quasi-cold I’m suffering from. I’ve been holding back the stuffies with Claritin and Flonase, but my throat is raw, mild fever, and fatigue. Oh…the fatigue.
Know what the best evening snack in the world is when you’re not only getting sick, but also getting your monthly friend?
Yep. That’s an orange broken out into slices and….a cookie dough truffle from the freezer. I was in heaven.
I told Dave if I’d have had the energy I’d have dipped the orange slices in chocolate, but that was close enough. Ha!
Obviously no workout. I thought walking the dog would be a genius idea…and then needed to sit quietly and rest when we got back after 30 minutes. Blah.
Wednesday
I took off from work to rest, and my car was in the shop, so I was forced to at least stay home
I rested most of the day, did some work from home, and decided I was stir crazy from my lack of gym time, so I went for a short and easy workout.
15 m elliptical, moderate pace, easy resistance and incline
2 sets of Julie Lohre circuits from her website.
Circuit 1: x2
| Exercise | Reps | Weight |
| Overhead Press | 10 | 10 lbs |
| Bicep Curl | 12 | 12.5 lbs |
| Single-Arm Tricep Extension | 10 each | 10 lbs |
| Skiier | 12 | 7.5 lbs |
| 4 minute cardio interval | ||
| *Plank | 45 sec | bodywt |
*I added the plank at the end to throw some abs in
Circuit 2: x2
| Exercise | Reps | Weight |
| Plate Lift (Straight In Front) | 15 | 10 lbs |
| *Hammer Curl/ Bicep Curl with Resistance Band | 8 | 12.5 lbs |
| Standing Tricep Kickback | 10 | 7.5 lbs |
| 4 minute cardio interval | ||
| Full Range Lat Raise | 10 | 7.5 lbs |
| *Russian Twists | 12 | 10 lbs |
*I did a hammer curl instead of using the resistance band, and, added the Russian Twists.
Stretching to finish it off
Total Time: 45 minutes
Calories: 325
Max HR: 158 (how I know I’m sick….b/c I wasn’t working that hard)
Avg HR: 128
Incidentally, those full range lat raises are SO MUCH FUN! I don’t know why I never did them before, but I love how they make my shoulders feel!
Thursday
Worked, and am starting to feel a bit better. The triple whammy of cold (sore throat/fever/fatigue), monthly friend (headache/fatigue) and prenatal vitamins (which make me tired as hell for some reason) all pounced on me this week!
Made it to the gym, though, for a similar workout to yesterday, but for lower body:
15 minutes easy hills on the treadmill
2 sets of Julie Lohre circuits from her website. Circuit 1: x2
| Exercise | Reps | Weight |
| Squat | 20 | Bodywt |
| Leg Press – Wide Stance w/ Toes Pointed Out | 20 | 90 lbs |
| Lunge @ 45 degree angle | 10 | Bodywt |
| Deadlift | 12 | 15 lb dumbbells |
| 4 minute cardio interval | ||
| *Bicycle crunches | 24 | Bodywt |
*Added the bicycle crunches
Circuit 2: x2
| Exercise | Reps | Weight |
| Lying Hamstring Curl | 10 | 70 lbs |
| Leg Curl | 10 | 60 lbs |
| Ab/Adductor Machines | 12 | 180 lbs |
| Hip Raises | 20 | Bodywt |
| Calf Raises | 20 | Bodywt |
| Reverse Curls with Leg Extension | 20 | Bodywt |
| 4 minute cardio interval |
Streeeeeeeetch
Total Time: 55 minutes
Calories: 320
Max HR: 148
Avg HR: 122
Friday
Bad news bears for us…because of a series of changes to their benefits policy, my husband’s employer is going to be cutting his income by 20%. Suck.
I was just about to stop taking BCP and prep for us having a baby, but now I think I’m going to stay on it until I know more. I have spent my whole life terrified of getting pregnant at the wrong time…and that isn’t changing right now!
Before the 20% cut, we were going to make it, but were concerned about daycare costs…it’s just so freaking expensive. But with the 20% cut and electrical rate caps coming off in January, day care is out….so baby is out as well.
Thank goodness it happened before we started trying, I guess!
I made it to the gym for a just-cardio day today
30 minutes moderate hill intervals on the treadmill
15 minutes moderate on the stationary bike
5 minutes on the stair machine – my nemesis
Streeeeeeeeeeeeetch
Total Time: 50 minutes
Calories: 350
Max HR: 155
Avg HR: 120
Weekend Plans
Posted in Life | Tagged Sick | 1 Comment »
I’m home…the wedding went beautifully!
Most of these are courtesy of my husband…or my mom! I was kind of busy. LOL
My best friend (also Kelly) wanted to get married at my Dad’s farm. His farm is more “working farm” and less “quaint farm you use for weddings” but we made it work! Here’s some pictures!
Ceremony was in the upper portion of the barn, and everyone sat on straw bales
Me and the bride!
Kelly + Joe… <3 <3 <3
My dad, playing valet to make sure we got everyone in…she had 100+ guests!
Me and the bride! We’ve been best friends since I was 4!
Me and my momma!
Me, mom, and grandma
I was a giant towering over them in my modest wedges. Apparently I’m the tallest!
It was fun, chaotic, and exhausting. But it was a blast
I had Monday off for Columbus Day, and honestly, it’s just been an errand day:
- Ollie’s (Christmas Cards! I buy them here every year…cute designs, and cheap prices!)
- Target (Basal thermometer and Boss’s Day cards for work)
- Grocery store (fruit + cereal that I can’t get elsewhere)
- Farm store (mums + pumpkins for front porch decor)
- Car wash (vacuum dog hair out of car + wash bug splatter off windshield)
- Home (neighbor ran scanner on my car because my check engine light is on +septic tank pumping guy came + made chicken meatballs for meatball subs + laundry)
At this point, I am due for a workout, BUT…
I’m fading fast.
I’ve had a sore throat for 2 days, and today I am very-so-slightly feverish (I run about 97.4 and I’m at 98.6 right now. For most, it’s not a fever. For me? It definitely is.) and I’m feeling pretty rough.
So…I’ve rearranged my work-out schedule (god willing I can kick this cold and get to the gym tomorrow) and will just do a long hill walk with the pup + gentle hatha yoga this evening.
Posted in Life | 2 Comments »
Monday
I headed to the gym with Janetha’s full body workout in my pocket. And what I learned is…
I knew I’d kind of been slacking on the intensity of my workouts, but I literally only made it through 2 of Janetha’s circuits before I called quits.
I did:
9 minute warm-up on the elliptical: I set for a moderately low incline, and increased the resistance every minute for 9 minutes
Circuit 1: x3
| Exercise | Weight | Reps |
| Bulgarian Split Squat with Shoulder Press | 7.5 lbs | 12 |
| Deadlift to Bent Over Row | 10 lbs | 12 |
| Ball Crunches Holding Weight | 10 lbs | 24 |
Circuit 2: x3
| Exercise | Weight | Reps |
| Bench Step Up with Knee Up (holding dumbbells) | 10 lbs | 12 |
| Lunge with Bicep Curl | 10 lbs | 12 |
| Bench Tuck Crunches | Bodyweight | 24 |
10 minutes of intervals on elliptical – 30s fast, 1m steady
Streeeeeeeeeeeetch….
Duration: 1 hour (and she fit two more intervals in there! YIKES!)
Calories: 579
Max HR: 170
Avg HR: 140
….I.am.out.of.shape. It wasn’t so much the weight or combination moves that did me in (honestly, the weight was light. I kept it light so I could keep moving quickly) it was the circuits. It was so fast! And I only did half! I always did suck at moving fast through leg moves…it’s like I get Charlie horses or something. LOL
Tuesday
Thought it was a good day to try Gina’s cookie dough cereal – it looked delicious, and it tasted delicious. Only one problem: oatmeal and I do not get along. I’ve tried, for years to like the stuff…it seems the whole health world and blog-o-sphere is obsessed with it. The problem? It hurts my stomach. I eat plenty of fiber, so that’s not it….but oatmeal prepared makes me feel bloated and gross, or, when eaten raw (like in the cookie dough cereal, or in a smoothie) it just gives me painful cramps.
In short? I need to learn oatmeal isn’t for me.
(Source)
That being said, Gina’s cookie dough cereal? Delish. I’m a texture eater, and it had GREAT texture! And it was easy to mix up and transport to work, which is also great.
Work has been really rough lately, and I was invited to go out for a quick happy hour – so I went. Let’s call it “mental health exercise”.
I didn’t drink (just water with lemon, please) but it was good to laugh with my co-workers for an hour or so. I set a limit for myself that I had to leave by 5:30 so I could stop at the eye doctor and get my glasses adjusted (I feel like I do this weekly. I have no idea how my glasses continually get off kilter) and still make it home in time to do a brisk hills walk with the pup (bonus points for combining cardio and walking the dog!) as well as some yoga.
40 minute hill walk with the pup (hubs even came! Family affair!) + 25 minutes of Yoga for Runners
Duration: 1h5m
Calories: 360
Max HR: 155
Avg HR: 125 (Yoga brought it down)
I don’t know that it was a successful return to cardio, but I’m impressed I managed to do happy hour, glasses adjustment, walk the dog, cardio, and yoga in 3 hours! Hubs was kind enough to heat up our leftovers which also helped immensely in the whole timeframe thing!
Wednesday
Having been humbled by my attempt at Janetha’s workout on Monday, I decided to finish up the circuits I missed.
9 minute warm-up on the stationary bike; increasing resistance each minute
Circuit 3: x3
| Exercise | Weight | Reps |
| Wide Stance Barbell Squat | 40 lb barbell | 12 |
| Side Lunge with Upright Row | 10 lbs | 12 |
| Elbow to Knee Crunches (Bosu) | Bodyweight | 24 |
Circuit 4: x3
| Exercise | Weight | Reps |
| Lying Butt Bridge with Dumbbell Chest Press | 10 lbs | 12 |
| Lying Side Leg Raise | Bodyweight | 12 |
| Donkey Kicks | Bodyweight | 12 |
And then I added some Lying Leg Raises (on a bench) – 3×12 for abs
10 minutes of intervals on the stationary bike – 30s fast, 1m moderate
Streeeeeeeeeeeetch….
Duration: 1h5m
Calories: 473
Max HR: 163
Avg HR: 135
Delicious dinner was fish tacos with baja cream sauce. OMG they’re good. And SO fast to make.
Thursday
By this point in my week, I.am.tired. Life has been super-stressful since we returned from vacation, and it’s all catching up with me!
I had some trouble sleeping this week and turning my brain off…hoping it will all be better once the wedding this weekend is over with!
I’m a Type-A/obsessive planner, and my best-friend-forever….is not. At all. And she’s getting married. And she’s driving me insane, because there are no details. ARGH!
She’s of the attitude “eh, we’ll figure it out on Saturday.” – see, I’d prefer not to. Just sayin’.
I headed to the gym after work today to crank out some cardio:
Duration: 1h10m
Calories:516
Max HR: 164
Avg HR: 120 (Yoga brought it down)
Friday
Leaving work early…packing up the car and heading back to my hometown for the wedding!
Neat Schtuff
Healthcare.gov - the government was mandated to provide a single place for people to shop for public and private health insurance (as part of the health bill that was passed) and have recently released this site. I’m lucky to have insurance through my employer, but thought it might be helpful to others if I post it here!
The Value of Reducing Stress – just in case we all needed a reminder (including me!):)
I grabbed these from Angela @ OhSheGlows….important to remember
:
Zuda Yoga Teacher Training – 7 axioms/Universal Truths
1. You are exactly where you are supposed to be – my favorite one!
2. Fear and pain are life’s greatest teachers
3. Laughter and play are the keys to the fountain of youth
4. Exercise and rest are the keys to vibrant health
5. Touch and intimacy are basic human needs
6. Everything is impermanent
7. Everything is connected
Posted in Exercise, Weekly Plan | Tagged Oatmeal, Workout | 4 Comments »
(Source)
I don’t have a particularly good track record with goal setting. When I started on this healthy living journey, I guess my goal was my wedding. I was in-between dress sizes when I purchased my wedding gown, and went with the smaller size. It was a good thing I did, as I ended up having the smaller-sized gown taken in at my last fitting, because I’d been successful at dropping about 30 pounds in the year prior to the big day.
But since then, my fitness and foods haven’t been particularly goal-oriented. At least not to the point where I’d been writing them down.
I started lifting heavy, but I did it because I wanted to be stronger, and I didn’t set a specific goal.
I started running (and then, subsequently, quit running after a bout with piriformis syndrome that was unresolved by physical therapy) because it looked like a quick and efficient cardio workout – and I’ve never been much of a “cardio queen”
I changed my eating habits, but it was more in response to being tired of my IBS symptoms and feeling sick constantly, than any specific goal-set.
But through it all I never set goals. At least, I never thought about them as goals.
When I started this blog, I was full of vim, vigor, and an abundance of free time, as we were just coming off the holiday season, AND we were buried in about 2.5 feet of snow. Goals sounded like a fantastic idea!
But know what? I haven’t done a single one. Not one. And what’s worse, looking back on them, I don’t have much desire to do any of them….well, except maybe try spinning.
And then here recently, Susan focused on goal setting. And every month I read Susan’s goals with excitement anyway. I LOVE reading other people’s goals! And then Janetha posted her monthly goals. And I thought…well…maybe I can do goal-setting, but maybe I need a shorter time frame. Shorter than a year. J
I am, after all, an instant-gratification kind of gal
So…baby steps. We’re starting with October. Monthly goals. I picked my categories rather randomly…basically setting the goals and then dumping them into “categories”
I’m already 5 days in to October, so it’s time to get crackin’!
October Goals
Blog Goals
Life Goals
Money Goals
Work Out Goals
Food Goals
So there it is…October’s goals!
(Source)
Okay, it’s kind of inappropriate, but it’s hilarious nonetheless
Posted in Goals, Life | Tagged Goals | 1 Comment »