8.19.2008

Meh

Lately I've been unaccountably unmotivated AND eating more. Fortunately, I'm not eating crap, but eating past my usual "full" point and having the urge to snack more. Just requires a discipline to move past, but I think the underlying issue may be that I'm feeling a little unsettled and food provides comfort. Something to keep in mind.

And now, I need to get to bed, 'cause I'm planning to get up at quarter past 5 so I can go to the lifting class. Yep. Discipline.

18 comments:

Shawn Powers said...

I'm eating bad AND not working out. So yeah, meh^2. :(

John the Scientist said...

Good for you. I'm warming up on the bike as I read this. ;-)

mattw said...

I guess I'm with Shawn, so meh^3 :(

Random Michelle K said...

I've been craving things like Terra Chips and Ben & Jerrys.

But in my case I know it's all stress.

Of course I walked 7 miles yesterday, and added pushups to my exercise routine. (I do NOT want John or Jim to watch me do pushups. I have almost no upper body strength, and so focused on keeping my form correct rather than trying to go as low as I should.)

IMO you can slack in some areas as long as you keep up others and no need to feel guilty.

After all, we can't be perfect.

Anne C. said...

Update: Got up on schedule and went to the class. As usual, it was a good workout. I also made hard-boiled eggs for a morning protein boost (they're still cooling, so I'll have a PB&J sandwich instead this morning). And if I eat early, I'm less likely to snack. We'll see how it goes. :)

Shawn, aren't you supposed to be doing pushups or taking your daughters for walks? I've got to catch up on your blog and find out what happened with that.

John, did anyone ever tell you that you're an overachiever? ;)

Anne C. said...

Michelle, good for you for adding upper body workout to your routine. I've read that weight or resistance (which is what I think pushups are) training is really good for women (to combat osteoporosis?). Having a "strong core" helps A LOT. You mignt also try those kinds of pushups that are at an angle (to a chair or handrail or wall). In the class, we just did weird "pushups" in which we started in the standard plank position, then got down on our elbows, then back up to the starting position. It seemed kinda easy at first, but by the 5th one (we did sets of five, then rested briefly), I was really pushing to get back up.

Random Michelle K said...

Anne, I've had an upper body routine for a couple years--I just decided to add push ups to it, because I was recently reading that they're also very good whole body exercise.

Osteoporosis runs in my family, so regular exercise and lots of milk are an important part of my daily routine. :)

My problem is that I have very little upper body strength, and so push ups are extremely daunting, so I feel like a fool doing 'em. :)

And I'm glad you made it to the gym this morning! I gave up on morning exercise, and resigned myself to after work, since I was missing more days than I was making.

Stupid sleep. :)

belsum said...

Perhaps you're preparing for hibernation?

Anonymous said...

I'm so not a morning person, so it's hard to get out of bed for exercise, but I'm groggy enough not to mind being bored or uncomfortable at that hour.

And I'm a night person, so exercising in the evening, even though that's a good energy period, revs me up worse at night, keeping me up later than is wise or healthy.

So when I exercise it's usually on my lunch hour. When I take one.

Meh^4.

Anne C. said...

My problem is that I have very little upper body strength, and so push ups are extremely daunting, so I feel like a fool doing 'em. :)
Michelle, women in general don't have a lot of upper body strength, so don't beat yourself up about it. When I started going to the gym, I went with a male friend who helped me establish a routine. On the upper body machines, he put on like 100 pounds or something and I had to put on 10 and really couldn't finish the set. I've worked my way up to... well, I can't remember what, but higher than 10.

So, good for you for doing what you can. :)

I'm groggy enough not to mind being bored or uncomfortable at that hour.

Jeri, that's exactly why I work out in the morning. Too groggy to put up a fight. ;)

Anne C. said...

Perhaps you're preparing for hibernation?
Heh. Bel, that's exactly the excuse I came up with first. ;)

Random Michelle K said...

Anne, I'm actually worse than normal.

I was a participant in a fascinating study a couple years ago, looking to see if there was a genetic component to strength and muscle building.

I believe it was (at least temporarily) dubbed the body building gene. Two copies meant you could easily build strength and muscle.

I have zero copies of that gene. (laugh)

(I can't find any of the articles from here, but Paul Gordon was the primary researcher.)

Thing is, knowing that I have a genetic reason for being weak made it easier to start weight training, because I know there is a *reason* for my slow progress, rather than laziness or not trying hard enough.

Jim Wright said...

Michelle, the thing with pushups is to go slow. Both in execution and in adding repetition.

Do this: Start with the maximum number of pushups you can comfortably do slowly and correctly (you are absolutely right to concentrate on form over repetitions). Whatever that number is, even if it is only two or three (or one) - do that number every day for a week, two or three times a day - pushups are great for loosening up your shoulder muscles and neck in the middle of a stressful day. The thing is, don't do more than the initial limit you set yourself - even if you feel like you can. Do this pattern for a week, or two. Then each week add 1, and only 1, pushup to each set - remembering to concentrate on form and correct execution.

The point here being that you'll build muscle mass slowly and steadily. By adding only 1 rep each week you'll gradually increase your strength and endurance without injuring yourself or over taxing your muscles. The trick, grasshopper, is there ain't no trick, only patience and perseverance.

Random Michelle K said...

Thank you Jim!

I was doing 3 sets of ten, but only going down as low as I could while still maintaining form.

My plan was to--as I eventually got stronger--work my way lower and lower, until I looked like I was going a real push-up. :)

My rationale is that I want not just the muscle in my arms and back to get stronger, but also the core muscle strengthening I'd get from having to hold myself in the correct posture for 10 (wussy) reps. (i.e. my abs and back etc)

Tom said...

I just got a new dragon egg, and it's code (kind of a name, until I give it a real name) is 4MEH. when I saw that, I just had to keep it. Meh!

Push-ups? I thought that was a kind of ice cream or popsicle.

MWT said...

Huh. I bet I have zero copies of that gene too. It would sure explain a lot.

I'm slowly gaining upper body strength via yoga. Maybe I'll work my way up to pushups soon...

MWT said...

Hmmm. I should probably point out that I'm also slowly gaining strength everywhere else via yoga, not just upper body. :p The yoga teacher was impressed with how flexible I can be - I just couldn't hold any pose for any length of time due to total lack of muscles. It's getting better though. ;)

Random Michelle K said...

mwt, it's more like bending my arms just a little while holding the plank position.

And it's only my upper body that's really weak. I did grow up in WV, and spent my summers as a kid on my bicycle, so I've got plenty of leg muscles. :)