SweetNightshade’s BodyBlog

I’ve decided that I need a major check-in with myself. I’m going back to basics and will be keeping a calorie/nutrient content log of every thing I put in my mouth. I’m using the food tracker over at SparkPeople.com, so I probably won’t be posting my logs here anymore, but I’ll still be checking in. I’ve never received more support and positive attention on any health site than I get here at BB; I don’t intend to abandon you guys. (Which, by the way, I’m eternally thankful for.)
I’m also working on getting mini-workouts in throughout the day: weights while I watch TV, invisible jump-rope while I wait for my oatmeal to cook, etc. All of that will go into a Spark log as well.

I think that if I can focus on making small changes and being completely honest with myself, I can start seeing some serious changes again and get past my plateau.

Went for another ride yesteday, and I took my little brother with me. It was a great chance to reconnect to him. I’ll be moving out in August, so that’s real important to me. It’s also a chance for me to help him get in shape. Once my tire pressure was adjusted, it was a little easier for me, but definitely still a challenge, and I had to take some breaks (those hills are killers!). Chris on the other hand, well… kid has to build up his lung strength. We’re both asthmatics, so I think it’s even more important for us to fit in progressively harder cardio.

The best part though, was that it was the first time I’ve really had fun working out since I was a kid. I mean, don’t get me wrong. There’s a singular sort of victory one feels from pumping some major iron. But when I was out on the trail with my brother, I would have loved to continue for hours if I could.

If you aren’t having fun with your workout routine, switch it up! It makes it much easier, I promise.

During my depression I took a good long look at why I was depressed. Truth is, I wasn’t happy with my life. All my focus was going towards school and work and I simply wasn’t feeling fulfilled. So, I had to acknowledge that I have responsibility for my life and change everything that is in my power to control. It only makes sense that the way I approach exercise changes along with my new methods.

When I was little, I would come home from school and explore the military base on my bike for three hours straight, every day. I was a stick. I just took my first bike ride in years, and it lasted 15 minutes. At first, it was a bit of a shock to me. I wondered if the bike chains were sticky. I was checking gauges and tires. Then I slowly started to become aware of everything that is involved in a true bike ride. I can last for an hour, more if I push it, on a stationary bike. But a stationary bike doesn’t require balance. It doesn’t give you wind or hills to work against. It doesn’t need much momentum to get started either. The stationary might make me sweat buckets, but it doesn’t make my lungs whistle.

This put everything into a very real focus for me. I feel that using my exercise time to count calories burned is, right now, a misuse of my energies. I am instead choosing to focus on the big picture - my overall health. If I ride my bike every day, the toned body will come along as a natural side-effect. So, with that said, I am officially changing my end-of-March goal from an inches goal to an endurance goal.

By the end of March, I want to be capable of riding my bike for a full 45 minutes without getting winded.