Man, I have heard a enough of these to last me a lifetime. From work, to friendships, family, workouts, fitness, I mean the list could go on and on. I have made them, we all have made them, but lately they are just grating on my nerves. Does anyone else ever feel this way?
I saw this quote yesterday in the midst of fielding everyone's half-assed excuses and I couldn't help but fall in love with it:
"Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure."
Amen to that! I mean it is so true. Why make an excuse, just tell the truth. We all have the urge to make an excuse but it is so much better for your mind to just say that you didn't do something because you didn't feel like it. I skip workouts for that exact reason all the time. If I start a long run and I am draggin ass for the first mile or two, I stop and go home. I know it won't be a good run and I will regret trying to complete it. I don't say, oh my head hurts and I have so much work to do, so I should go home. Because truth be told, even if that was the case, I would run. I won't run when I don't want to.
And making these excuses then makes it even easier to excuse you way out of the next thing. It is like you convince yourself that as long as you make an excuse for something the decision is justifiable.
Now I am sure you are wondering why I am up on my high horse about this. Well I am dealing with a particular situation in my life where one person is constantly giving me excuses for not doing things, mostly dealing with fitness, but other things as well. To be honest, just don't make the plans with me, so you don't have to bother thinking up lame excuses when you don't come through. It seems like a lot of wasted energy to me. And I know the excuses aren't real and that is the worst part.
As a person I am pretty determined. When I put my mind to something I do it, no excuses. I work hard and but I also love to play hard, but if I play hard, I know that the next day I have to deal with the consequences and complete all my tasks, no excuses. So having listened to these particular excuses for so long puts me, well at wits end.
Breathe......ok I am done! Ha, I hope this person doesn't read my blog, I don't think they do.....or maybe I want them to, and get the hint. (ooofa I am bad!) Now I am going to have a vodka soda and think about my workout schedule for tomorrow and remind myself a vodka drink, while delish, is not an excuse tomorrow. Bottoms up!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
No...Sleep....Til......
UGH, who knows! I haven't been sleeping well since Sunday night and it is starting to get to me! This morning Nick got out of bed, walked the dog, showered and I was sleeping so heavily I didn't hear a thing until he said goodbye. Which sadly was my cue to get up and get on my bike. That was after 1 hour of sleep. I have no idea why I am not sleeping but it has to end soon. I am hoping tonight after I teach I just crash.
Well after I managed to peel myself out of bed, I made some coffee and whipped up some blueberry muffins for breakfast. I am in search of a good low fat, high fiber muffin recipes if anyone has any and would like to point me in the right direction to grab the recipe. I used to use Fiber One muffin mix but I can't seem to find it anywhere. So today I settled on blueberry muffins, made some coffee while the baked then ate one fresh out of the oven. Then it was on the bike for 1:40 Zone 1 ride. I actually felt pretty good and it seemed to go fast so I was happy with the whole thing.
The ride was my only planned workout for today so I did some laundry and sat on the couch and banged out some work for the next 8 hours. Now I am sitting waiting for the clock to reach 6:45 so I can head out teach my class and hopefully get some rest tonight.
Tomorrow I have an early swim so I need to get some sleep. Although I guess if I am feeling it I can just float on my back and nap for my allotted swim time tomorrow. I mean at least I will be in the pool. That counts right? I think I may try and get off the comp now and try to take a nap. I have an hour to kill and sleeping may the best use for it.
Well after I managed to peel myself out of bed, I made some coffee and whipped up some blueberry muffins for breakfast. I am in search of a good low fat, high fiber muffin recipes if anyone has any and would like to point me in the right direction to grab the recipe. I used to use Fiber One muffin mix but I can't seem to find it anywhere. So today I settled on blueberry muffins, made some coffee while the baked then ate one fresh out of the oven. Then it was on the bike for 1:40 Zone 1 ride. I actually felt pretty good and it seemed to go fast so I was happy with the whole thing.
The ride was my only planned workout for today so I did some laundry and sat on the couch and banged out some work for the next 8 hours. Now I am sitting waiting for the clock to reach 6:45 so I can head out teach my class and hopefully get some rest tonight.
Tomorrow I have an early swim so I need to get some sleep. Although I guess if I am feeling it I can just float on my back and nap for my allotted swim time tomorrow. I mean at least I will be in the pool. That counts right? I think I may try and get off the comp now and try to take a nap. I have an hour to kill and sleeping may the best use for it.
Monday, November 28, 2011
What's is my social responsibility here?
After a fun and exciting Sunday of steaming our carpets and buying groceries for the week, we hit the hay nice and early and much like every other Sunday, insomnia crept in and slept about 2 hours. Ah, it was worth a try! When the alarm went off at 5:20 I had been wide awake since 4am, so it made it quite easy to get out of bed and get ready to teach. I got to class and was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a full, all girls class. It is seldom that it happens but when it does, it seems I can push them all a bit harder than I would the guys and really give them a good Monday morning workout.
After class, I headed out to do my sit ups, which I am not sure if I mentioned I have challenged myself to do 3 sets of 60 sit ups a day, with a plank in between each set for the next 2 months, to see A., if i can do it and B., what I will look like when I am done. So I hit the mat for sit ups and then into the pool for the following set:
Warmup:
6 X (50 fist, 50 free)
Main Set:
6 X 100 aerobic paddles (no buoy8 X 25 all out -- no kick, no buoy -- rest is half of repeat time
Cooldown:
200 free at Z1 pace
After the pool, I had had enough so I stretched and headed home.
So now I am sure you are wondering how any of this has to do with my blog title for today. Well, a lot. Now I know anyone who sees me on any given day in the gym, or during my multiple trips to the gym is probably wondering what the hell is wrong with me and thinking I work out too much. Those who know me, know I am constantly training, those who don't would have no clue what my agenda is and could even think maybe something was up with me.
Well at my gym there is a girl who is there 1 hour prior to class on the elliptical, then takes my 45 min class and then hits the treadmill for another hour or so. Now, I have talked to her and she is not training, she is just "working out". This would not be a cause for worry for me except that she weighs about 98 pounds. And having dealt with an eating disorder personally, this is concerning to me. I would say that her arms have the diameter of a clementine orange in some spots and her legs are the same. With all this being said, it makes me wonder, as a business, that works to help people maintain a "healthy" frame of mind, is there a sense of responsibility there? Can anyone even say anything in this situation?
To be completely honest I have no idea what the answer is, but since I met this girl about a year ago, I have watched the situation and thought something is wrong here. I worry that one morning she will pass out during my class or hurt herself because she looks so tired. But what can I do? I do not believe much in this situation, which is kind of sad.
A little deep for a Monday post? Maybe. But this morning in particular I couldn't stop thinking about it. One can only hope someone will step up and help her out.
After class, I headed out to do my sit ups, which I am not sure if I mentioned I have challenged myself to do 3 sets of 60 sit ups a day, with a plank in between each set for the next 2 months, to see A., if i can do it and B., what I will look like when I am done. So I hit the mat for sit ups and then into the pool for the following set:
Warmup:
6 X (50 fist, 50 free)
Main Set:
6 X 100 aerobic paddles (no buoy8 X 25 all out -- no kick, no buoy -- rest is half of repeat time
Cooldown:
200 free at Z1 pace
After the pool, I had had enough so I stretched and headed home.
So now I am sure you are wondering how any of this has to do with my blog title for today. Well, a lot. Now I know anyone who sees me on any given day in the gym, or during my multiple trips to the gym is probably wondering what the hell is wrong with me and thinking I work out too much. Those who know me, know I am constantly training, those who don't would have no clue what my agenda is and could even think maybe something was up with me.
Well at my gym there is a girl who is there 1 hour prior to class on the elliptical, then takes my 45 min class and then hits the treadmill for another hour or so. Now, I have talked to her and she is not training, she is just "working out". This would not be a cause for worry for me except that she weighs about 98 pounds. And having dealt with an eating disorder personally, this is concerning to me. I would say that her arms have the diameter of a clementine orange in some spots and her legs are the same. With all this being said, it makes me wonder, as a business, that works to help people maintain a "healthy" frame of mind, is there a sense of responsibility there? Can anyone even say anything in this situation?
To be completely honest I have no idea what the answer is, but since I met this girl about a year ago, I have watched the situation and thought something is wrong here. I worry that one morning she will pass out during my class or hurt herself because she looks so tired. But what can I do? I do not believe much in this situation, which is kind of sad.
A little deep for a Monday post? Maybe. But this morning in particular I couldn't stop thinking about it. One can only hope someone will step up and help her out.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
A Week of Cooking and Cleaning Complete...Let the Holiday Season Begin!
Well Happy belated Turkey Day to everyone. If you had a week like mine you spent a few days food shopping, followed by 2 full days of cooking, only to feed 14 people 1 meal and send them all on their way. Nick and I have hosted Thanksgiving for the past 3 years and we love it. But as much as I love it I am happy to sit down and have a glass of wine in the peace and quiet once it is over!
As per our on going Thanksgiving weekend traditions, on Black Friday, we pack up our hiking and drinking gear and head out for a weekend in New Hope, PA. New Hope is for sure an interesting place and it never disappoints. We stay at the Fox and Hound Bed and Breakfast, which is about a half mile outside of town and spend the weekend sampling beers at the brewery, hiking and window shopping. We had a fun night out on Friday and slept in on Saturday, then spent the day walking around on Saturday to be back in bed playing scrabble by 10pm on Saturday night. Yep! We are old, but we are embracing it!
Outside of Thanksgiving prep last week I logged a lot of time on the bike and treadmill. With the longest ride at 2:21 in Zone 1. I also spent some time thinking about next season. Right now I am in the process of training for a March marathon down at the Jersey shore (Anyone want to join me on this one?). Then I plan on doing an April half marathon and then open my tri season with Devilman in May, but other than those I don't have a solid plan yet. I am open to any suggestions! I am hoping to have a plan by December and just continue to try to lose these honeymoon pounds by then.
This week again is just a lot of the same with less cooking. But I will keep you posted if anything exciting happens.
As per our on going Thanksgiving weekend traditions, on Black Friday, we pack up our hiking and drinking gear and head out for a weekend in New Hope, PA. New Hope is for sure an interesting place and it never disappoints. We stay at the Fox and Hound Bed and Breakfast, which is about a half mile outside of town and spend the weekend sampling beers at the brewery, hiking and window shopping. We had a fun night out on Friday and slept in on Saturday, then spent the day walking around on Saturday to be back in bed playing scrabble by 10pm on Saturday night. Yep! We are old, but we are embracing it!
Outside of Thanksgiving prep last week I logged a lot of time on the bike and treadmill. With the longest ride at 2:21 in Zone 1. I also spent some time thinking about next season. Right now I am in the process of training for a March marathon down at the Jersey shore (Anyone want to join me on this one?). Then I plan on doing an April half marathon and then open my tri season with Devilman in May, but other than those I don't have a solid plan yet. I am open to any suggestions! I am hoping to have a plan by December and just continue to try to lose these honeymoon pounds by then.
This week again is just a lot of the same with less cooking. But I will keep you posted if anything exciting happens.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
My How the Time Flies...
This week has been a full one! I will start with Saturday, which consisted of a 2:21 Z1 ride followed by 30 min T run. The ride, not bad at all, the run, well it felt more like a crawl. I didn't feel tired, but the heart was not in the mood to cooperate with me, putting me at a pace that was 1 minute slower than normal. Encouraging? I think not! After my workouts we headed into the city to return some gifts and pick up some new home decor. Then it was back to the house to hang up the new purchases and to cook some sauce. Nick has this recipe in his family for tomato sauce that on it's own, can be a meal. Every year we make a big batch and freeze it for the winter. So we spent the night cooking and eating and headed to bed nice and early.
Sunday I started with a 1:15 ZR ride with 15 min at Z3. Now, I have been doing this one for 3 weeks and I can't quite master it. I can't get myself up to Z3 that quickly, I usually hit it right near the end of the 15, but hey, at least I try! I mean I could just stay in bed and get some sleep like a normal person right? But normal, I am not!
After the ride, I headed out for a 1:36 Z1 run and contrary to my results the day before, it was great. I averaged 9:23 miles and felt fantastic. I wish I understood what the deal was with the day before but oh well. Then it was time to sit on the couch and watch my team lose miserably. Well, you can't win them all (or the last three).
As always the week has been filled with spinning classes, working and working out. I was supposed to do a 5k this weekend but the one I was going to sign up for was full, so instead I have 1 mile repeats on the brain. With a race planned for this week, my training is a bit light, which is a nice change.
More importantly, it is time to get ready for Thanksgiving! We host every year and it is just too much fun. I have begun my shopping and already have a very full freezer, so I am not sure where the rest of it will go, but I just can't wait to cook it all. The funny thing is I don't even like the food served at Thanksgiving, but I do love to cook, so it works out well for me.
For now, it is time to get back to work. I have two 30 min Z1 rides to get in today, which sound like a perfect lunch break and something to do after work. Have a great hump day!
Sunday I started with a 1:15 ZR ride with 15 min at Z3. Now, I have been doing this one for 3 weeks and I can't quite master it. I can't get myself up to Z3 that quickly, I usually hit it right near the end of the 15, but hey, at least I try! I mean I could just stay in bed and get some sleep like a normal person right? But normal, I am not!
After the ride, I headed out for a 1:36 Z1 run and contrary to my results the day before, it was great. I averaged 9:23 miles and felt fantastic. I wish I understood what the deal was with the day before but oh well. Then it was time to sit on the couch and watch my team lose miserably. Well, you can't win them all (or the last three).
As always the week has been filled with spinning classes, working and working out. I was supposed to do a 5k this weekend but the one I was going to sign up for was full, so instead I have 1 mile repeats on the brain. With a race planned for this week, my training is a bit light, which is a nice change.
More importantly, it is time to get ready for Thanksgiving! We host every year and it is just too much fun. I have begun my shopping and already have a very full freezer, so I am not sure where the rest of it will go, but I just can't wait to cook it all. The funny thing is I don't even like the food served at Thanksgiving, but I do love to cook, so it works out well for me.
For now, it is time to get back to work. I have two 30 min Z1 rides to get in today, which sound like a perfect lunch break and something to do after work. Have a great hump day!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Annnnnd I'm Back, for Real this time! Not like my Last Post!
So I am back and so many things have happened. First I will start will saying sorry for disappearing on you, but life got in the way, in a good way. So here is a quick breakdown. I got married! WOOOO HOOOOOOOO!! Yup, October 8th was the most amazing night of our lives, surrounded by all of our friends and dancing our butts off. And you would think nothing would change by getting married, since we have lived together for years and all that. But something has. Somehow we have gotten closer and happier. How it happens, I am not sure, but I am liking it. Here is a quick shot of the wedding day:
So after getting married we headed to Hawaii for 2 weeks and for the first time in 3 years I decided to just relax. And by that I mean I decided that exercise shouldn't be the focal point of those 2 weeks, like it is every other week of my life. I decided to kick back, eat and drink whatever I wanted and forget about training for a bit. And man, was it worth it. I may have gained a few pounds and lost a bit of fitness, but it was great. And it isn't like we didn't do anything active. We went on 11 mile hikes in Waimea Canyon, we kayaked up the Wailua River and then hiked until we found some hidden water falls and hey, we even swam in the falls when we got there. But I didn't record any of it, I didn't have to add it to my exercise log when I was done, it was all for fun. And fun it was!
After being in Kauai for 3 days I also made another decision. I was pulling out of the NY Marathon. I figured if was going to let myself relax and enjoy this trip I couldn't be focusing on big training. And it didn't hurt that I didn't have a bike to complete half my training anyway. I contacted Coach P and let him know that I felt like I wouldn't be ready with missing half my training while I was there and we decided it would be best to pull out. So I will run NY next year and instead I will run a marathon in March this year to make up for the missed one.
So now here I am back in New Jersey, getting back into training and trying to focus on what I want for next year. And I mean really, who knows? Half of me wants to try my luck at an Ironman (Nick would probably not speak to me for the time leading up to it!) and the other half wants to do nothing. So I am working on the the halfway point where I will feel perfect. I know I want to do two marathons and I have a few triathlons that I want to revisit this year, but other than that, I've got nothing! I hope to have a plan laid out by the end of this month, so we shall see! I will let you know when I come up with it!
But for now, I am going to focus on making breakfast and getting on my bike for a few hours. I promise to not be a stranger anymore! Have a great weekend!
So after getting married we headed to Hawaii for 2 weeks and for the first time in 3 years I decided to just relax. And by that I mean I decided that exercise shouldn't be the focal point of those 2 weeks, like it is every other week of my life. I decided to kick back, eat and drink whatever I wanted and forget about training for a bit. And man, was it worth it. I may have gained a few pounds and lost a bit of fitness, but it was great. And it isn't like we didn't do anything active. We went on 11 mile hikes in Waimea Canyon, we kayaked up the Wailua River and then hiked until we found some hidden water falls and hey, we even swam in the falls when we got there. But I didn't record any of it, I didn't have to add it to my exercise log when I was done, it was all for fun. And fun it was!
After being in Kauai for 3 days I also made another decision. I was pulling out of the NY Marathon. I figured if was going to let myself relax and enjoy this trip I couldn't be focusing on big training. And it didn't hurt that I didn't have a bike to complete half my training anyway. I contacted Coach P and let him know that I felt like I wouldn't be ready with missing half my training while I was there and we decided it would be best to pull out. So I will run NY next year and instead I will run a marathon in March this year to make up for the missed one.
So now here I am back in New Jersey, getting back into training and trying to focus on what I want for next year. And I mean really, who knows? Half of me wants to try my luck at an Ironman (Nick would probably not speak to me for the time leading up to it!) and the other half wants to do nothing. So I am working on the the halfway point where I will feel perfect. I know I want to do two marathons and I have a few triathlons that I want to revisit this year, but other than that, I've got nothing! I hope to have a plan laid out by the end of this month, so we shall see! I will let you know when I come up with it!
But for now, I am going to focus on making breakfast and getting on my bike for a few hours. I promise to not be a stranger anymore! Have a great weekend!
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