September Fitness Challenge

Friday. I am a good girl, all the way around. I had a 775-calorie lunch from Subway instead of the 820-calorie one. I did 32 minutes of cardio, some lateral pulls and lots of leg exercises. My legs feel delightfully noodley.

September Fitness Challenge

Wednesday and Thursday. A tale of two moods. I dunno. I just didn't get around to working out yesterday because of my work load (which is kind of a bogus excuse). Then, to make it worse, I let my sweet tooth get the better of me and I exceeded my 1890 calorie limit. I was too disgusted with myself to even blog about it.

So today, driven by guilt and self-loathing, I forced myself to work out. Naturally, I feel terrific! I always do after I work out. Why, oh why, can't I remind myself of that when the sloth monster threatens to take over my body?

September Fitness Challenge

Day 15. Stick-to-it-ive-ness. Met my friend John for drinks after work at our favorite burger joint. Only I didn't have a burger, nor did I have fries. I had a grilled cheese and knoshed on the peanuts on the table and "spent" the calories I saved on beer. Of the 1890 calories I'm allowed today, I came in at (drumroll, please) 1875! Yea!

PS John, who hasn't seen me since mid-summer, noticed I had lost weight!

September Fitness Challenge

Day 14. Fitness Failure. All I have done today is take a shower and put on makeup. While I'm very alert brain-wise, I am weary and lack the energy to move much. Wish I could give myself credit for at least one healthy habit, but alas, I cannot.

September Fitness Challenge

Day 13. Bad choices have consequences. I had a lovely, large coffeehouse breakfast. On the way home, I did a little grocery shopping and consumed a box of Hot Tamales candy, satisfying my cinnamon craving. All that heavy food and followed by a sugar crash left me a little sleepy so I lay down for just a moment ... and woke up during the 4th inning of the (also very satisfying) Cub game.

Dammit! I was going to use most of my naptime to do my laundry! The healthclub closes early on Sunday! I screwed up. Dammit.

So I'm paying the price. Just a bowl of oatmeal and some rice cakes for dinner. Period. I'll do leg lifts and maybe some sit ups during Mad Men.

Yesterday I had a good reason for missing my workout. A dental appointment to repair my crown and my friend Kathleen's problems are more important than my health regime. If there's a valid reason for a lapse, I'll forgive myself, toss the calorie count out the window and start anew tomorrow. But a lazy-ass nap and a big, movie-sized box of candy don't constitute a reason.

September Fitness Challenge

Day 12. Priorities. I stayed within my 1890 calorie limit and walked a little more, but no workout. My friend Kathleen needed me. She was very upset about her job and I couldn't fit my hair and dentist appointments as well as dinner with Kathleen and a workout all into one day. So I will exercise on Sunday isntead. Some things are more important than a nicer ass.

September Fitness Challenge

Day 11. 100 lbs.! I worked out for a good, challenging 40+ minutes today -- 32 devoted to cardio. Then I moved on to do 12 reps each on a trio of machines. Being 5'2, I spend a lot of time adjusting and readjusting the seats. When I got to the leg press, I was so focused on getting the seat right that I didn't even check on the weight, I just started moving my legs. It was hard, to be sure, but it felt good, too. I looked at the weights and saw it was set at 100 lbs.! I didn't realize I had become that much stronger (if not slimmer) since I've been taking all this more seriously. I'm really very proud of myself.

September Fitness Challenge

Day 10. Good choices. Yesterday morning I rode Amtrak down to the client's offices. I got there just in time for a quick meet 'n' greet with our client before The Big Presentation. We sat in the company cafeteria. Both she and my coworker/copresenter had salads. I really wasn't hungry but hadn't eaten anything all day and was worried that my stomach would make an unattractive rumble during the song and dance. So to stave off rumbling, I reached for a bag of chips. And put it back, instead opting for a low-fat raspberry yogurt.

My healthy wisdom didn't end there. Last night I stubbed my toe (I am a klutz) and sustained an interesting but unacceptable break on my right toenail. Part of it just chipped away and it looked like the eye of a hook-and-eye pair. I have plans Friday PM and all day Saturday so I decided I would just have to get a new pedi over Friday lunch ... even though I had planned to use that time to work out.

"Wait a moment!" I said to myself. "Does anyone really have to get a pedi?" So I actually grabbed the nail clippers and emery board and took care of it myself. Just like the pioneer women did! Thereby preserving time for my workout.

September Fitness Challenge

Day 9. Self restraint. Lunch at my desk, meeting prep for tomorrow, a new assignment ... It was a busy day. Limited myself to one 20-oz. bottle of Pepsi. That's the only caffeine I had during the workday. The rest of the day I drank water. I heard a can of Red Bull calling my name, but I resisted!

September Fitness Challenge

Day 8. Good gal. I knew I wouldn't be able to work out today, but that's OK because I exercised so thoroughly for the last three days my muscles could probably benefit from a night off. But I have stayed well within my 1890 calorie limit, partly because I went with grapes for dessert instead of the cinnamon candy I really wanted. I also walked an extra half hour to Union Station to pick up my Amtrak ticket (client meeting on Thursday). Feeling more virtuous than deprived, which is a good thing.

September Fitness Challenge

Day 7. My legs are delightfully achy. 35 minutes of cardio followed by leg curls and leg presses will do that. Did more than a dozen reps on my new love, the fixed lateral. Gulped 12 oz. of water during the workout, too. I do feel better when I hydrate. (Old dog, new trick!) I rewarded myself with a brownie and yet am still within my 1890 calorie limit. Think it's because I resisted the temptation to stop at Five Guys on the way home. (Bows deeply.)

September Fitness Challenge

Day 6. Pushed the cardio to 45 minutes! And I discovered a new machine -- the fixed lateral. It works well with my usual lateral pulls. I also did sit ups. That hurt a little bit, not in the abs but because my bum knee makes it hard to get up off the floor. Maybe tomorrow I'll devote my workout completely to cardio ...

September Fitness Challenge

Day 5. A full 40 minutes of cardio! Split between the bike and the elliptical. Then I went on to do lats and leg curls and leg presses. I wasn't completely worn out yet and was tempted to do a little more. But I don't want to do any damage to my banged-up right leg. So I reminded myself I'd be back tomorrow and headed for the locker room.

September Fitness Challenge

Day 4. No excuses. At least, no legitimate ones. I not only stayed well within my calorie limit today, I took care of my major weekend chores -- laundry and grocery shopping. I checked the local health club's weekend hours and they are open until 6 Saturday and Sunday and until 3 on Monday. So my goal is to get over there three times over the next days. Wish me luck!

September Fitness Challenge

Day 3. Planning ahead. I am looking at my day differently now, giving more thought to what I consume and even anticipating my day ahead of time. For example, today is Beer Cart day. On a day like this,* I KNOW I will want that brewski. So I had a lighter lunch -- hard-boiled eggs, grapes, cheese and crackers. My Bud Light is guilt free, and, in fact, acting as my muse, and I'll still be able to have whatever I want for dinner without going over my 1890 calorie-allotment.

*Writer's block AND a Cub loss to the White Sox!

September Fitness Challenge

Day 2. 35 minutes of cardio followed by leg presses and leg curls. It'll be close, I admit, but I just might stay within my calorie intake goal today, too!

September Fitness Challenge

Day 1. I'd like to be able to say that I started this month on the treadmill but alas, I'd be lying. We took our consultant, Maggie, out to lunch to wish her a fond farewell, so I couldn't work out during the day and I didn't get home until late. BUT I did do something to aimed at keeping me healthy. Because I had such a yummy, albeit calorie-laden, lunch, I opted to have a nutritious dinner. Apples and cinnamon oatmeal. Just 250 calories and 24 grams of fiber. It tasted all the better because it made me feel so virtuous!

DAY 30 -- September Fitness Challenge

You may not be able to tell, but our jump-roper is not smiling. At the end of the September Fitness Challenge, I don't believe I have lost a frigging ounce, which could be because I only moved my exercyclist seven spots toward my ultimate goal (which is to be in noticeably better shape by December 1).

This makes me sad.

I will try to focus on the bright side. It's been a source of amusement to some of you commenters, but I am VERY PROUD of the fact that I have virtually eliminated candy from my diet. Throughout the entire month of September, my candy/bakery intake has been:

• One chocolate chip brownie
• One package of Twizzlers (which I had at the movies, and since I consider Twizzlers or Sno-caps a part of the film-going experience, I'm not sure I regret it)
• One scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream

I have a prodigious sweet tooth, and have instead been satisfying it with yogurt and fruit. That makes me happy. Therefore I will concentrate on that as my September Accomplishment, and try to stay on the wagon, as it were.

DAY 25 -- September Fitness Challenge

Haven't eaten much today. Haven't felt hungry at all. (Maybe doing a TT about candy bars cured me of my chocolate lust.) Anyway, what I have had today (two hard-boiled eggs, cheese, crackers and green grapes) was all nutritious. So even though I didn't work out, I am awarding myself the coveted jump rope again today.

DAY 23 -- September Fitness Challenge

I have been a bad gal lately, not maintaining my focus on health. But today I redeemed myself a bit -- 35 minutes on the stationery bike (all the treadmills were full), 16 reps on the tricep machine, 8 excruciating reps on the pec machine, and 16 leg lifts (each leg). I felt very healthy as I left the health club ...

And, ironically, almost got creamed by a cab that was running a yellow light. Isn't life funny?

Oh well, since I made it back alive, I get to eagerly move that excericon at the bottom of the page.