didn't meet my goals

So, this is the first week where I haven't met my workout/exercise goals of doing that 3 times a week. I was able to get a short workout in tonight, but due to a lack of sleep and having a lot of school related work my heart simply was not in it, so it ended up being a brief workout.  So, while I was able to workout tonight, it was my only workout this week and thus, I didn't reach my goals. But with class tomorrow I will be starting a new week, so I can begin again and get back into the swing of things!

much too busy

This week so far as been crazy busy and I have made no time at all for my weekly workouts so far. For the past few days I've been in Missouri for the Financial Therapy Association (FTA) conference which has taken up the vast majority of my time. Being out of town, having a packed conference schedule, being away from my usual routines, prepping for doing a presentation, being away from my usual exercise areas, and having a midterm exam the day after I get back (today) has all weighed heavily on my inability to find time to work out.  Thus, this week has been a total bust so far. Hopefully, I will find time tonight to get in at least one workout.  But it goes to show that when things get busy, the things that get cut are usually some of the things we need the most and are the best for us.

sleepy this week

This week has been very tiring for me and I haven't gotten a lot of sleep due to assignments, assistantship work, and prepping for my upcoming FTA conference this weekend and early next week.  However, I was able to get in my third workout for this week reaching my goal.  It was not as good of a workout as I usually do, but my heart was not in it and I am crediting it to the lack of sleep I've been getting.  But at least my goal was reached.

I also wanted to comment on the Ratey (2008) reading we have to do this week and say that its great to read this article that backs up all the exercise and work ethic I am trying to accomplish.  It discusses how exercise creates an environment which allows the brain to be more willing and able to learn. And I think I have definitely seen that to be prove, as for most of the time (provided I am also getting enough sleep) I am much more alert and focused in my classes.  I think the article was a good incentive to keep up the work and continue to meet my goals!
 

Good motivation

After writing my last post I found that it was actually pretty motivating to go do another workout... so that's what I did. The writing and reflecting upon my previous workout and how I felt energized afterwards actually gave me a push to go do a workout today.  Its a little exhausting doing a workout right after I just did one last night, but its a good kind of exhausting where I'm sore but I'm mentally energized.  I'm glad I was able to get one in tonight.

My diet is pretty off and on.  Well I should restate that, my choice in foods is getting better- haven't cut wheat out, but I am watching my intake, and I'm eating more fruits and vegetables- but I am not always doing great with my portion control or late night eating. Since I am a night owl, I get hungry late at night and its definitely been a struggle to not grab a snack or something which undoes all my efforts for the day.  So, I still need to work on that aspect of self-control, but its hard cause food is so damn good!

Another late night but a good one

So, my sleeping schedule has been really off recently which is good and bad.  I'm a very late night person so its not uncommon for me to be up till 1 or 2 in the morning doing work or just hanging out.  But last night I decided to put being up late to good use and decided to get in a workout then.  Around midnight I got a huge second wind and had a lot of energy so I went and did a nice workout to burn off that energy.  It did kind of energize me for a little while after so I didn't get to bed till around two, but the workout felt good and I actually was able to get up quite easily in the morning.  So, I think this week is off to a decent start so far.

Made it!

Despite the delay in writing this blog, I was able to make my exercise/workout goal this week by getting in some exercise yesterday. Thankfully with no class on Thursday, I was able to reach my weekly goal by instead getting up that morning and doing a six mile bike ride. Now I know six miles on bike isn't all that much, but it was still exercise and allowed me to reach my weekly goal.

Thanks for all the comments, suggestions, and support. Don't worry I'm not killing myself trying to reach these goals or anything (I actually found the late night work out kind of relaxing to end a stressful, work-filled day).  And yes, I agree I think I need to redefine my definition of what a workout and exercise constitutes since time doesn't always make itself available and different types of exercise take a different amount of time.  Though my workout routine, its typically an hour long so that will pretty much stay constant. But for the rest of it, I guess its up to my discretion of what constitutes a good workout.  

But I'm definitely starting to see a difference from these three workout/exercises a week! The food portion control is helping too. I've been able to hold off the initial weight loss and as of today lost an additional two pounds. I'm seeing a different in my overall appearance as well as having more energy and focus for other activities like school work. Just gotta keep it up!

Late Night

So as I expressed in my last post, I was under a crunch time to get my three workouts/exercises in this week and would have to do them back to back each day in order to meet my goal. Well unfortunately I ended up having a lot of school work to do today which meant my workout plans got pushed back and then back further still. Thus, I ended up doing my workout at midnight tonight. Fortunately, with no class tomorrow morning I can sleep in, but it is still exhausting and I know I wasn't doing a 100%. On the bright side I am meeting my goal, but this is not an ideal set up and I know I will have to work harder to set a schedule next week for meeting my goals.

Been a Hard Week for Motivation

Its been a hard week to get motivation to work out. I was able to work out today fortunately, but I haven't done anything since Thursday so far. I had plenty of time (relatively speaking) to get an hour workout in but I couldn't find the motivation to start.  I also had trouble keeping up with my diet and I definitely ate a lot of wheat products. So, overall not a great week so far. But as I said I was able to motivate myself to get a good workout in today, as well as eat a little better today. But with Thursday fast approaching, it means that I have to workout or doing something active both tomorrow and Thursday morning to keep my goals up.  I want to meet my goals each week, but not liking the pressure of having to get it in with this time constraint this week.  Lesson learned for future reference though I guess.

More Basketball

Whew! Just got back from a session of playing basketball again with Deepu and boy was it another good cardio workout with running around a lot. It was another great workout that has left me now exhausted, but at least I won this time! I think this will definitely help improve my endurance and is a hell of a lot more fun then just going out for a run in my opinion because its with a friend.  It also builds a sense of community and support for accomplishing this exercise program.  And because Deepu and I set times to do this, it gives me a sense of an obligation  to do the exercise so it is not as easy to shrug off the workout.  So, overall this working out is definitely helping me and going well I think.  The only thing is that my weight is not dropping any more, it did great when I first started and I have been able to keep it off so far but I can't lose anymore. I'm thinking this may have to do with my diet. As per our class discussion last week of how wheat products make you gain weight, I have been thinking about that more and more because I eat a lot of pasta, breads, and rice in my diet.  So, if I want to drop more weight, I'm thinking I will seriously have to consider cutting more wheat out of my diet- which sucks!

Supportive Workout

Yesterday evening, I was able to get a good cardio workout in by playing basketball with Deepu.  This killed two birds with one stone so to speak because it helped allowed me to run around and get exercise for my weekly goal and allowed Deepu to help reach his weekly goal of doing something physical. Additionally, the support and sense of community that one gets from doing an activity with other people, I think really helps to motivate me to stay on top of my goal.  And though it was tiring and Deepu kicked my ass at a friendly game of basketball, it was a lot of fun.  So, with these elements of support, exercise, and fun I think I should add this too my weekly routine in reaching my workout goal!