New Site!

My new site is ready! I am officially moving over to it: http://www.kellybewell.com - check it out!

 

The I-Can’t-Take-It-Anymore Workout

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

 

November Goals

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

• I began my re-design with some help in October and I’m hoping to be done with the “moving pains” before December!

 

Life Goals

- Get Better!!!

• Obviously, this is paramount. I’ve had this weird trouble-breathing-inflammation-issue for 3 weeks now

- Sit & relax by 8:30 p.m. every night

• I succeeded at the 9 p.m. goal I set in October, but could use a little more downtime in the evening, so I am upping it to 8:30

- Computer off by 9:30 p.m.

• I need work on this one. Since I joined twitter for the new blog site, I find myself on my computer way too late every night. I need to unplug.

- Get Christmas cards addressed

• I know…this sounds like a ridiculous goal for November, right? But I work for government, and we get 4 paid holidays in November. I always try to use one of those holidays to get my cards addressed because otherwise – it doesn’t happen!

 

Money Goals

- Set aside money for life insurance and car insurance; both which are due in December

• This was an October goal that didn’t go well — determined to get these two big ticket items out of the way before Christmas shopping/paying for gifts begins

 

Health Goals

- Get Better!!

• I know, this is listed twice…but it’s pretty important

- Once better, work at incorporating intervals to build back up from my 3 week hiatus

• I like intervals, but I always put off doing them. I don’t know why. Lazy I guess.

- Try some bodyrock workouts

• It’s all bodyweight, which is different than what I normally do, but I’m pretty bored with my routine, so it looks like it might be fun to try some

 

Food Goals

- Continue avoiding the 2pm candy monster

• I did well with this in October and would like to continue not raiding the candy dish

- Find a sweet, healthy snack for evening

• More often than not I want something sweet at night….and while I am generally successful at ignoring this want, I need a Plan B for those days I must have something

Bronchiolitis + October Goals Review

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

• Post at least 1x/week on the fitness blog – I was doing well with this until the plague hit.
• Post at least 2x/week on the food blog – Doing well here! I’ve been averaging 1 menu and 1 new dish per week
• Look into combining my food and fitness blogs into one blog – This one is actually in motion — I found a woman who is a SAHM and does some bloggy schtuff on the side, so I’m working with her. SO EXCITED!

Life Goals

• Stop taking BCP (seriously terrified about this!!!) – This one didn’t happen. Hubs is receiving a 20% cut in pay at work (!@#$), so I didn’t go off the pill. I figure now would NOT be a good time to accidentally get pregnant. Hubs is looking for a new job (but you know what the market is like out there. UGH) and we’re going to re-evaluate soon. It’s funny..I wasn’t really sure I was looking forward to having a baby, but now that it’s been taken away from me, I’m like WTF?!
• Start charting – This didn’t happen since I didn’t stop taking the pill.
• Make it a priority to be sitting down/relaxing by 9pm every night (earlier is better, but 9pm is a must!) – I am doing really frickin’ well with this, but I wonder how much of it is because I’m too sick to do anything else.

Money Goals

• Get back to saving monthly – Yeah…this…didn’t happen so much. The wedding the beginning of October kind of crushed this goal.
• Bank my car payment amount (I paid my car off in September, and will be looking to replace it in January, so I want to ‘bank’ my car payment amount until then!) – Doing well with this! And I’m glad, since my car just depreciated a little bit again. I’m chomping at the bit to replace it, but I am holding out for the deals to start on the 2011′s.
• Get life insurance and car insurance money together in Oct (due in Dec) – These didn’t happen. At all. Ugh. That wedding really wiped me out.

Work Out Goals

• Work on cardio endurance. More HIIT, more strength training circuits to increase stamina –Didn’t happen. I’ve been down for the count with this bronchio issue for most of October, and it’s hard to do HIIT or circuits when you’re having difficulty breathing.
• Yoga (minimum 2x a week)…focus on lengthening and stretching my incredibly cramped-up muscles – Doing well with this, all things expected. It’s hard to stay in downward dog when your chest is constricted.
• Focus on strengthening/stretching my hip flexors/glutes to work on my piriformis pain/knotted muscle – I did really well with this the beginning of the month, but have slacked off with my illness.

Food Goals

• Stop the afternoon candy dish attack. Seriously. I’m not even hungry, I just like how the sugar makes me feel. I’m willing to admit it. – Success on this goal! I am doing much better at not attacking the candy dish…I didn’t have any the last 2 weeks, and I have a ton of Halloween candy in my house I haven’t touched. Woohoo!
• Limit desserts. No, you don’t need it every.single.night – Doing well here too. On nights that I think I’ll go apeshit if I don’t have something to eat, I have a small mug of cereal+milk, and that’s helped immensely.

 

Rx for Wellness

This week’s Rx for Wellness:

+

+

 

Because I feel like….

True Story.

(Source)

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.

• 2 sweet onions
• 1 acorn squash
• 1 head green leaf lettuce
• 2 bunches of broccoli
• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 1 lb green beans
• 1 cantaloupe
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 red peppers

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!

Rough Week Recap

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

• I vow to make time for myself to sit, read, do whatever I want. We’ve been entirely too busy. It’s time for ‘me time’
• As much as I’d love to make fall treats this weekend, an entire week spent scarfing down wedding cake and wedding cookies which we carted home from last weekend means STOP THE SUGAR ALREADY. 
• Hubs is hunting, and I am working on trying to meal plan our freezer a little emptier…if he gets a deer…I don’t know where I’m putting it. LOL