map 2011 / fasting

Today was both easy and tough. From 3pm onwards I couldn't stop thinking about food. Cakes, biscuits, tarts, soups, delicious smelling dinner with pasta or noodles. I wanted food and I craved carbs.
But... didn't have any of it. Put on my walking shoes around 4 pm and started walking. The health food store, a book store - where I bought a cookbook ?! food was definitely on my mind. I managed to stay outdoors until 6.30 pm.
Finally - time to eat! I prepared 2 tiny lamb chops in coconut oil, with red cabbage and pear + a cucumber salad. Wonderful. My belly and tastebuds are satisfied again.
As a reward to myself I am now baking an almond banana cake, from elena's pantry. It took me a whole week to get all the ingredients together. Yesterday I finally managed to find some vanilla extract, in an English food store of all places and went to a specialised oil store to get my hands on some grapeseed oil.
I just hope I won't eat the whole cake in one go.
For the record - lots of walking today + interval cardio twice.
I am really going to try and do an improvised pyramid and meltdown tomorrow.

Another workfree day tomorrow - yippee.

map 2011 / raindrops keep falling on my head

Can't get that song out of my head these days.
Sunday was an almost exact copy of Saturday. Didn't feel like cooking dinner though, so I walked to my favourite health store, an excuse for a 30-minute walk (through the drizzling rain), and bought an organic chicken salad to take to work.
Also added some wild salmon, vegetable soup and a small salad for Monday breakfast and lunch.
Managed to avoid the nut section, don't want them in my house when I'm doing my second fast.
Another 30 minute walk coming back from work, then enjoyed an episode of Mad Men in front of the television, before calling it a day. I also managed 3 10-minute cardio sessions throughout the day. So an active Sunday, after a lazy start when I didn't feel like doing anything.
Today is a working at home day, this evening I'm heading over to a friends' house for my monthly ladies dinner.
It will most likely be high carb, so to compensate I'm going to walk (50 minutes) and back again (another 50 minutes), unless ..... it's pouring again.
It doesn't look good, it's been raining all morning, and I'm humming that song again

map 2011/ still improvising

The knee is still bothering me, so I'm doing improvised workouts to keep the muscles working.
Yesterday I managed half a pyramid and even added squats,but started at 2 and went to 8. That worked. And no lunges. All those reps deep bending are out for a while.
But the spiderman didn't bother me doing a meltdown, so I'm back to doing those.
Yesterday was a fast day for me. I started to hear my stomach grumbling around 12, with 6 more hours to go not a good sign. But managed until 4.30 and then caved in, ate nuts, and way too many of them.
Ate my dinner at 6pm and added a small bowl of yogurt/fruit dessert.
I was worried it would all add up on the scales, even with all the little interval cardio sessions and walking throughout the day.
But hip hoy - the weight is down by almost a pound this morning.
I am now just under the 140 lbs line. It almost makes me look forward to the next fasting day. Well, almost....

map 2011 / restarting

I had to go to the dentist this morning and that's a 25 minute bike ride (and then back again). So this was a testcase, would my knee feel allright after the ride?
Never mind my teeth, after poking around to see if all was well, I needed a coffee to numb the feeling. I could take a pain killer, both not ED approved, so I preffered to go with the coffee.
And thankfully my knee survived, so no more excuses and need to restart my workouts. I'll start with one this evening, and tomorrow two and then build up, to 3. I'm going to be very sore again, knowing this in advance doesn't help.
Come on girl, grit your teeth and get on with it!
First though, I'm going to enjoy one hour of leisure time, before heading to my studio for a portrait session. Through the rain! again (sigh) will this never let up.....almost 2 weeks now, it's time for a weather change.

map 2011 / no workouts for a few days

I've given up on the workouts for a few days. Due to the knee problem I started doing more arms and shoulders workouts, but feeling I'm doing too much there. Maybe I'm doing the exercises in the wrong way?
Anyway, I decided I am going to take it easy a few days. I'm doing some cardio and a little walking (it's raining all day again). Then will see how my knee reacts to doing some squats on Monday, and if that goes well, slowly build up again to 2 workouts a day.
As for the nutrition: 3 days low carb doesn't sit well with me, I remember that from the first time doing map, so I'm having a carb breakfast on day 2 (a yoghurt smoothie with fruit and omega-3 seeds) - sorry Dax. The rest of the day I hope to manage the low-carb eating. And on day 3 a whole day of low-carb. See how that goes.
I'm preparing more low-carb snacks to eat if I feel hungry, so I won't get tempted to eat carbs.
This hasn't been a great map challenge for me so far, but not ready to quit.

map 2011/ new scales

I ordered new scales online a few days ago: all digital, with bodyfat measuring, bone density, water etc. The things they can make these days! Probably not very accurate, but still, good as a settting point.
Of course, this was before my knee gave out, and I saw the fat slipping off my body this month with rigorous workouts.
Got my package today, but not as enthousiastic as I was when I ordered them. Still, better than my old ones.
I tried a new workout today, from Reboot 12, called the arms race. A workout with dumbbells, all standing up, 3 exercises 100 reps each (in sets of course). It took me 14 minutes to complete, and was tough, even with the 2kg weights I use. So I'll keep doing this one, trying to improve my time + the the improvisation I came up with. And walking more, so I can still be reasonably active.
And eating ED, that didn't go well yesterday, I was hungry almost the whole day, it felt like my body was screaming for carbs, so in the evening I gave in.
Back to low-carbs today, it's been better, but only because of the carbs I ate yesterday I think.
I'll be really happy to be eating rice and beans tomorrow and yoghurt and fruit! Looking forward to it already!

map 2011 / feeling like an invalid

Somehow my right knee has become really sore. I think there's an inflammation, but not quite sure.
It does mean most of the map workouts are now beyond me. Squats, lunges, any bending is painful.
Even walking and stitting down are awkward - and this is no muscle soreness, I know what that feels like.
So I've come up with an improvised workout that doesn't involve knee bending, will do that twice a day.
And will now also faithfully fit in a first half of the mobility matrix, that's a bonus I guess.

It's no excuse to get off the nutrition part of Map. Although I do feel a bit sorry for myself and can easily see myself sitting down with my right leg elevated, watching a DVD with a box of chocolates next to me.
Oh, lovely fantasy.
It's a low carb day, so I'll be cooking my chicken, stir fry vegetables to take to work this afternoon and eat this cold, as micro-waving is not allowed.
I've eaten an egg, salmon and spinach omelette prepared in olive oil for breakfast and will have a vegetable soup for lunch.
I'm also taking an advocado an a boiled egg to work, if  I'm in need of a snack....

map 2011 / a hectic day

Saw a beautiful movie last night: Winter's Bone. I can really recommend it!
Biking home through the rain and cold afterwards - brrr.
Today has been very hectic, only 2.20 pm and I'm supposed to be finished with everything.
Which of course I didn't manage as I was working hard to meet a deadline. Did succeed doing that.
But the workouts suffered, I only got in 2 sets of ICT, half a meltdown and almost a whole 46 reps power circuit, but of course crossed out the walkouts for today (hardest, why do they have to be at the end? hardly any energy left when I start on these, I sometimes take a 10 minute break before doing these).

Food was fine - Breakfast: a yoghurt/fruit/omega-3 seeds smoothie and for lunch a very nice, hot-spiced lentil soup. Maybe added just a little too much hot chili, but good for another glass of water.
Now I'm ready to jump under the shower and head over to the train station - my cardio walk, and go to a friends' dinner party who lives outside of Amsterdam. It was planned for December, but she got the flu, now it's awkward because of  ED, but I'm not going to offend my hostess by refusing her food. So hopefully not eating much yesterday and today (so far), I'll be able to contain the damage. I have been saying no to a lot of dinners and gatherings since June last year, for fear of adding the pounds on again, but have made a resolution to be more sociable in 2011. I can easily say no to the alcohol anyway - or just have 1 glass. And plenty of water instead. Need to drink another 1 1/2 litres today.
I'll probably be back in Amsterdam quite late....

MAP 2011 / aching muscles

I woke up this morning with aching muscles, bit of a bore (to say the least). I thought working out the past few months would have saved me from this, but  many new muscles got worked I guess. A good sign I know, but not something I enjoy.
It didn't prevent me from doing all the workouts, started with cardio to get warmed up, and then through the day the rest. I wanted to finish everything early and blog as well, because I have an appointment for this evening.
I forgot how much running around to get everything done it involves, not just working out, but the shopping, cooking, taking the supplements. And writing comments and blogs (never mind reading other peoples comments and blogs). Which means I've really been slacking while doing Reboot.
Today I also opened my freshly arrived package from Bodyweight Culture with the protège bands + DVD.
I was really looking forward to that, but the DVD was a disappointment. I thought I would be able to do lots of stuff having it hooked to my door, but all the shown exercises could only be done with the bands hanging from the ceiling.
I improvised - and did some great stretches for my hamstrings, arms and back. Until I figure out how to connect it to the ceiling this will be what they're used for. My living room is slowly being transformed into a gym studio!
This day is MAP complete (except for the water, need to drink another litre) and am now off to the movies!

Map 2011 / day 2

I was really happy this morning, getting out of bed with hardly any muscle soreness. Lucky me, I thought.
Really made an effort with the workouts, 4 rounds of IC, as I only did the assessment yesterday.
A quick 10 minute cardio session at the end of the morning and then meltdown before going to work. (2x 20 min walk, more cardio).
Coming back from work I did the power circuit and felt how stiff  I'd gotten. Normally I can bend down and touch the floor with my fingers, but now I could only get half way to my calves. After 30 reps it got better, but now I'm really starting to feel my legs, mainly hamstrings. Oh boy, don't like this.
Food wise mostly it went well, although didn't feel like eating much.
Breakfast was fresh pineapple parts with a boiled egg. Then didn't have lunch, because I knew there would be a New Years' celebration at my workplace. Trays of food, but NOTHING ED. The sensible choice would have been to not eat until dinner, but... with hardly any breakfast?
So I had 2 little snacks, just to fill me up a bit.
Dinner was good, omelette with boiled carrots and a green salad. And some yoghurt with berries for dessert.
I also drank 2 litres of water, so improvement there.
Now it's late and I need to get to bed!

Measurements

My current weight is 64 kilos = 140.8 lbs
My measurements are:
4 inch above knee:       16.9"
8 inch above knee:       20.5"
hips:                             40.5"
waisline:                       29.3"
bust:                            35.5"
under bust:                  32.3"
upper arm:                  11.6"

map 2011 / day 1

I started slowly today, yesterday went to visit friends and we toasted to the new year - with Australian prosecco, very nice! But this morning I felt like walking around in a fog for the first hours, had to remind myself I  needed to do 4 workouts, and go to work, so I'd better get a move on.
I managed meltdown before lunch, but that was it.
At work I had a quiet half hour and did a power circuit (40 reps), but had to the walkout at home.
And have just finished the individual circuit, numbers not great.
I will have to do an extra set tomorrow, as I'm really too knackered to do that now.
Walking 2x 20 minutes fast paced (to and from work) was cardio.
So I managed most of it, I'm not sure if I'm going to be sore tomorrow. It doesn't feel like it, so all those Reboot workouts are paying off I guess.
Food was mostly ED, but I need too be more compliant tomorrow. And drink more water - 6 glasses today.
Still need to take the supplements. And comment on the day 1 page.
Also forgot to take measurements today, that's for tomorrow....