Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Slow and Steady

My cardio session went really well today. I'm pleased to see steady improvement each time I get to the gym:

Date

Time

Distance

Av. speed

Calories

Maximum

Dec. 11

35 min

2.52 km

4.3 km/hr

153

4 min @ 4.8 km/hr

Dec. 15

45 min

3.47 km

4.7 km/hr

164

15 min @ 5 km/hr

Dec. 17

45 min

3.64 km

4.9 km/hr

170

25 min @ 5 & 6 min @ 5.3

Dec. 20

45 min

3.84

5.1 km/hr

176

5 min (2.5 min x 2) @ 5.5


It is, of course, still very frustrating ... especially when I know I have the strength and stamina to do it ... but I also know I can't do it right at this moment. I have to say, I think I'm being very sensible (I'm taking myself by surprise)!! Anyway.

I will continue at this slow and steady pace. I hope that I see some improvement each time I'm back in the gym. I'd definitely like to complete walking 5 km within 45 min by the end of this year -- but I won't push it. If I feel any strain, then I'll stop.

I think my food habits have been ok. I think my portions have been good, but the substance, I'm not so sure.

Oatmeal is my go-to breakfast. Occasionally I'll have a banana, but to be honest, I'm not eating that much fruit at the moment ... I really should make more of an effort. My lunches have a bit heavier - for the past 3 days I've had some sort of pasta. It's very unusual for me to have pasta, especially three days in a row. They've been small portions, but still ... I guess it's because I'm usually starving by lunch time (I eat breakfast at 5:30 a.m.) so I want something more substantial and definitely something that will keep me warm. I need to find a better alternative. I think I need to go back to either my lentils or my veggie scrambles. Dinner has just been a bowl of vegetable soup the past few days. I throw in a few croutons for a bit of crunch, and tonight I had a bowl of steamed broccoli and carrots for some added substance (I was hungry!!) - and that's it. So as you can see, nothing complicated about what I'm eating, but I'm wondering if I'm eating well enough. We'll see - now that I'm finally working out, albeit not as much as before, I probably need to tweak my eating plan a bit.

3 comments:

  1. Great to see wisdom in your steady approach... Very cool! :)

    Stir fry's, flash frying, grilling, broiling, there's main ways to get them veggies... And while I know it's cold outside, smoothies are great for fruit! :)

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  2. I'm definitely giving the slow and steady approach a try ... though it does take some conscious effort!

    I think it's time I start to stir-fry again! :)

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  3. I completely understand how frustrating it is to see the current state of your exercise compared to where we both were a short time ago. But I can see huge improvements in the two short weeks I've been back exercising and it sounds like you're seeing it too. I think we're back on the right track.

    You've been on my mind so much lately. I hope you're doing well. Be sure to update me when you have some news one way or another. Have a wonderful time on your upcoming vacation!!

    BTW I mentioned you in my blog post today :) http://bit.ly/vTgdl8

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Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I can use all the support I can get :)