Lesley does the victory dance!

We made it! I really wasn't sure if I could, but my I got through the Round the Bays walk, and what's more it took less time than I expected. Many thanks to my awesome sister for doing it with me! Also to Habit, the best gym in the city according to me, where I'm gradually walking myself back to a more sensible size, and my trainer Hannah.

In a comment on my last post, Justy303 wrote "Polarpersonaltrainer along with Polar STAR-program has really changed my life", and that is exactly how I feel too. I don't think I would have seriously considered doing the walk today if it hadn't been for the encouragement and inspiration I get from all those great people who participate in the challenges, and the confidence I get from knowing how I'm doing.

I'm looking forward to finding out our official times from the newspaper tomorrow, but my estimate based on the training data from my Polar is that we did it in about 1 hour 45 minutes.  I had been hoping to do it within 2 hours, and I have exceeded my expectations. That's got to be a good thing!

My latest obsession

My less geeky friends and family don't really get it, but for me, polarpersonaltrainer.com is the best thing since whatever was best before sliced bread came along. It satisfies my gadget-freakery and my penchant for tracking numbers, and it has just enough social contact to help with motivation without creating heavy personal obligations.

The geeky aspect is that you can upload your training session stats to their server. That's where the gadgetry comes in - you do need a Polar heart rate monitor and a USB dongle that can upload its data.

Once you've got the hardware under control and started your personal training diary, you can start participating in challenges with other people who use the site.

I've only been using the site for a couple of weeks, but I have already "met" people from all around the world who face some of the same challenges as me. I may only know them by nicknames like Mikij, Big E and Drew2010 but their stories are inspirational, and the stats speak for themselves. These people have made sustainable permanent changes in their lifestyles just like I need to; they are my new role models.

Spinal Tap - Back From The Dead

Our workout today was a spot of retail therapy (I burned more calories than I normally would at the gym). Darren bought a copy of Spinal Tap - Back From The Dead (a CD) and this is how the cover looks when you follow the assembly instructions.

Climbing a new kind of hill

On 20 Feb, there is a Round the Bays event that combines a half-marathon and fun run/walk.  I haven't registered yet, but I am hoping to be fit enough to participate as a walker. Can I walk 7km without collapsing in a heap? I think so, but I will make the decision a little closer to the time, perhaps at the end of January.

Catching up

I just found some old drafts that I had emailed in and forgotten to publish. I don't suppose they really matter now, but I published them anyway.

Doing okay, I guess

I went to see the doctor this morning, and it seems I've lost about 3kg since the last time I stood on her scales. I choose to believe this is a result of my efforts at the gym, and not because I was a bit hyperthyroid for a few weeks while I was over-medicated with thyroxine.

Speaking of the thyroid thing... It feels like I'm always yoyo-ing between over and under medication, and the only time I feel good is in the transition phase.  4 tablets a day is definitely too much, but alternating between 3 and 4 is definitely not enough.  It's like trying to walk a razorback ridge in a 40-knot gale, almost impossible to get the right balance.

I also feel somewhat cheated (not by anyone in particular, I add hastily, just the dreaded System). Supposedly, after the RAI treatment (radioactive iodine) I was supposed to be able to go on a steady dose, and it would just need a little tweaking in the first year or two to get it right. Well, that was about 4 years ago I think, maybe longer, and here I am still lurching from overdose to underdose. I am not particularly impressed by the way our health system has handled my case.

October - O for Orsome!

OMG, what a week!

Daylight savings, husband on early shift, truly grotty weather, flooding, slips, train crash, recovering from dreaded lurgy, colleagues off work with lurgy, colleague at work sniffling, sister officially single again, blood tests, Big Boss retirement function, Wearable Arts... and tonight, Jones Deviation gig. (does this sound like a Billy Joel song yet?) I'm sorry democracy, I have not done the research I needed to do and once again I have not voted in the local body elections. But at least I did get to the gym a couple of times.

So far so good, September

Now THAT was a workout

Tonight I had time to spare so I did the weights exercises first, and then 30 minutes walking with the heart rate target set to 130. My back complained a little but on the whole it felt really good.

Getting back on the horse

Special thanks to my dear sister for the encouragement after yesterday's post.  I've just been back to the gym, determined to make a proper effort this time, to make up for my rather token efforts during the week.

I extended my walking time to 30 minutes today. I nudged the heart rate limit back down to 126bpm to make sure I would make it through the time without hurting my back, and sure enough, it worked! So hopefully tomorrow I will come back and do it again with more effort.

I also, at last, added in some of the weights exercises and ab crunches that my trainer gave me a week ago.  I don't know how many times a week I'll be able to do this, because it adds another half an hour onto my workout time.

And finally, I'm still very cross with that iPhone app that won't run any more. It was going to be the perfect way to make my progress visible because I could do the data entry immediately after the session and the graphs could be posted here straight away if they were interesting.  I'm contemplating the possibility of upgrading the iPhone to the latest OS version, but I've heard a few horror stories about the performance post-upgrade, and frankly, it isn't exactly lightning quick as it is.  Maybe I should have got a 3GS instead of going for the older less expensive model.

Slacking off a bit

It hasn't been a good week for exercise this week. I ran short of time on Tuesday and Wednesday so only did short sessions, then yesterday I had a really bad day and didn't go at all. And tonight, well the gym closes early on a Friday so it was another short session. I have promised myself I will go in the weekend and get a good workout.

Battling the blues

I don't know if it's the short winter days, lack of sleep, or just because, but the black dog has been hanging around me a bit for the last couple of weeks. That'll be why I haven't blogged much.  I have been keeping up with the exercise though - it's a good thing to do, as the endorphins help a lot.

When it comes to strategies for dealing with depression, getting enough sleep is high on the list. It's hard enough to overcome that "can't be bothered" feeling without adding the opportunity for the "I'm too tired" excuse.

Another thing that helps no end is turning off news programmes - it's mostly bad anyway - and instead listening to music that cheers you up.  Personally, I like Radio Hauraki for this.

And one last thing - avoid looking directly at the mountain of work ahead of you, whatever it might be, and focus on making progress with little tasks. Give yourself a pat on the back, even for the smallest achievements.

Out into the real world again

Today D and I abandoned our existing plans for the day and went for a
walk in the Sanctuary (now known as Zealandia). It was the first time
we've been there together for about two years, and we were soon asking
ourselves why we had left it so long. It wasn't a long walk, but very
relaxing.

The first week of August

Minus 10 points for modern technology

My handy little iPhone app that I used to generate those graphs
doesn't work any more. An update came out, so I updated it, and now it
crashes when I try to run it. Grrrrrrrr!

It's getting easier

I came to work by bus today. The bus was fairly full so I had to stand
most of the way. If I had not started this walking habit, my lower
back would have been giving me hell - but it was fine. My knees, too,
are feeling the benefit of the exercise. When I first started they
were making themselves known by the end of my ten minutes, but today
they are still okay after twenty. Yay!

It seems to be working!

Tonight I extended my walking session to 20 minutes, and it felt no
harder than the first ten-minute session I did three weeks ago.

I have also noticed a difference in the way I feel about walking
generally. I no longer mind the walk if I have to park further away
from work than usual. It costs more, and takes longer to get to work,
but it's now more a nuisance than a big deal. This feels better.

A fresh look

Welcome to my new page layout. Thanks to Blogger's awesome template system, I've rearranged it all without losing any content.

Three weeks in

I'm feeling a bit down today, because I tried a few yoga stretches and realised how badly I'm being affected by the additional bulk of my body. It's all very Catch-22 - I need to get more exercise to reduce my size but my size is getting in the way of the exercise. But I'm determined to make progress. I have to, otherwise I'll just keep going downhill.

Time to focus on the positive. I've just posted my exercise record for the first three weeks. I'm pleased with my 6-day streak last week, and I'm pleased to say it's feeling good to go to the gym after work every weekday. I've averaged five big red ticks a week - let's see if I can get it up to 6 over August.