Comments (20)

By kilax, March 18, 2009 4:10 am

I have to share two dirty little secrets:

1. I am a runner who NEVER does strength training. (BAD BAD BAD!!!)
2. I am a runner who NEVER gets sore from running. I push myself, but never feel the burn the next day. Lucky, I guess.

With that being said – for me to find a workout DVD that gets the strength training in, AND makes me feel sore as hell, that means a lot! And that’s not mentioning that is also gets my blood flowing and my heart rate up.

I’ve been doing Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred at Level 1 for four days now. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the DVD, it is split into three levels of workout intensity. You become comfortable with one before you more on to the next. I think the idea is that you do it once a day for 30 days straight, but it never actually explains that on the DVD… anywhere that I’ve found anyway!

Each level is a “20” minute (more like 30) workout with a warm up, then 3 intervals each of 3 minutes on strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs, and a cool down. It is fast paced and keeps your heart rate going the whole time.

Pros: Just doing this for four days has me walking around like I have stiff, sore legs. It hurts to bend over. My chest is sore. It feels great! I can really see this DVD changing my body in the next 30 days. And I like that it only takes 30 minutes of my time, can be done without leaving my house, and requires minimal equipment – just free weights.

Cons: I worry that the DVD is only going to strengthen my upper legs and chest/upper arms. I hope that we get to a calf exercise in the later levels. And I find Jillian annoying and fake. But I bet a lot of people say that. (In the last ab exercise of Level 1, she says “I know you feel that little knot in your stomach. That’s your body getting stronger.” Ugh. Every time she says that, I DO feel it. Those bicycle crunches ARE HARD.) And one more thing – the DVD doesn’t play nice with our DVD Changer. Oh well.

Overall, I really like it, especially being the first workout DVD I’ve ever tried. I hope that if I ever surpass Level 3, I will have a new found inspiration to continue strength training on my own! I really think anyone* could do this DVD – no matter what your exercise level is. It is tough at first, but even four days later, it’s feeling easier to me.

Side Note: I just remembered that Jillian Michaels has this game for the Wii. I don’t have the Wii Fit, but the game sounds kind of cool.

*Let me know how it goes if you try it! I know Tori is talking about it! And based on offline conversations with Denise, Mom, Courtney and Gina – I think you four would like it as well!

Comments (14)

By kilax, March 17, 2009 6:54 am

Do you ever have a strong urge to call a friend and let all of your emotions and frustrations out, but you hold back, because you don’t want to burden/bother them?

What is with the filter?

I had a day yesterday, that, let’s just say, didn’t make my sour weekend mood go away. Let’s just say it built on it. There’s a lot going at work. It’s nothing bad that reflects on me individually, but something that affects my organization. It was enough to stress me out after I left work and make me have dreams about it last night.

I needed to call someone last night and talk about it. I used to always call my mom first. She has always been my #1 go-to person, and probably always will be. She’s a great listener, and always gives me the reaction I need.

But she’s not always available. She has important daily commitments. And I don’t want to bother her when she’s busy. And quite honestly, I am selfish, and I don’t feel like I get the attention I need when she’s busy (makes sense – she’s busy).

So last night, I had the urge to call a friend first. Someone who is also a good listener. Someone who can relate.

But, I didn’t. I didn’t want to burden her with my work stress, when she already has her work stress.

Thinking about it now, that’s bull-crap. Our relationship is not set up on the premise that we both have perfectly wonderful lives with no stress. Yeah, we’re both generally happy and know we have a lot to be grateful for, but what’s to say I can’t call her and just let her know how stressed I am at the moment?

I believe it’s fine to say I am stressed out about my job right now, without having to justify it with “I am grateful to have a job.” OF COURSE I am. But for the moment, I let that hold me back.

I believe my friend and I are both the nurturing type. We have the tendency to listen a lot to other people’s problems first, before we share ours. It’s not that we don’t share them, just that we don’t prioritize them all the time. We maybe sit on them. I sometimes do, anyway.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. I’ve had strong urges to reach out and call her other times. Once, when I was having some food related issues. I just needed to talk to someone who understood. But still, I held back.

If I am lucky enough to have this wonderful, understanding friend that I can relate to, and who is also a great listener, why don’t I let myself be 100% MYSELF to her?

Comments (19)

By kilax, March 16, 2009 5:11 am

Since I’ve started exercising so much, and not sleeping on the train in the morning, I’ve been having really strange energy peaks.

I get to work energized and refreshed. I feel great until about 3:00, when I usually start to feel a bit tired, dizzy and weak. I have a snack of veggies, hummus and fruit, to try to snap out of it.

If it works, then am pretty pumped the rest of the day. And I mean pumped – my heart is racing. If I don’t nap on the train ride home, my heart doesn’t slow down until late in the evening, sometimes around 11:00 or later. If I nap on the train, I am somewhat doomed. It takes me awhile to snap out of the sleepy fog when I get home, but then my heart starts to race again afterward, and I am still up too late.

If the snack doesn’t work,  I can’t snap out of my fog – I spend the rest of the day in a daze. Whether or not I sleep on the train, it doesn’t  matter – I’m going to be out of it.

This new energy pattern is alarming to me, because I am hitting so many highs and lows. I am fairly steady most of the day, but then my heart really starts to race, and I get anxious and excited and energetic. It feels great to be so energetic, but it doesn’t feel great to come down from it. I am trying to eat balanced meals throughout the day, and drink plenty of water, and am TRYING to get enough sleep, but I don’t know what else to do to normalize my energy levels.

And I doubt I will be sleeping much on the train anymore. I bought myself an HP Mini to use the internet while I ride. Yay! I have been wanting a smaller computer to take on the train for a long time.

Letting Data use the new computer – it’s more “his” size!

Comments (13)

By kilax, March 15, 2009 2:44 pm

I can’t figure out why I am so angry/frustrated/anxious this weekend. I tell myself that recognizing something is wrong is the first step in solving the problem, but I am not going to get very far if I can’t figure out what is bothering me so much.

We’ve had gorgeous spring weather here all weekend, which means I got to do both of my runs outside. Yesterday was a quick 3-miler. Today, I did Level 1 of the 30 Day Shred*, then, after my legs quit shaking (approximately 20 minutes later), I did my 8 mile run. I used a hydration belt for the first time, and even brought along some sport beans to take for energy. The park in our neighborhood has a .48 mile (thanks to Steven’s Garmin for the calculation) oval sidewalk, so I just ran that 16+ times. It was a great run, and I felt like I could keep going. I felt great when I was done. I love running outdoors. I love that the breeze keeps me cool. I love watching people in the park, to keep myself entertained. I love the warm sun on my skin.

So why, after my glorious run, did that rotten mood come immediately RIGHT BACK?

I’d like to blame it on hormones, but I think it is more than that. My energy levels have been having some weird swings** lately, and I wonder if I have some sort of imbalance that might be affecting me. Yeah. That’s be great – if I could blame it all on biology!

*I’ll try to write a review of the 30 Day Shred later on, after I’ve been using it awhile. For now, just let me say – push ups and crunches kick my butt!
**More on that later too.

Comments (25)

By kilax, March 14, 2009 8:13 am

I participate in an alternate work schedule at my office, so every other week, I get a Friday off. I use it as a day to get a lot of errands done so Steven and I can have a relaxing weekend. Yesterday, I ran 5 miles, went to the dentist*, went  shopping for a suit (FAIL), picked up a DVD (more on that below) and went grocery shopping (at 2 different stores) all before 1 pm!

Then I came home, ate lunch, walked Data, got the mail, read blogs… and passed out on the couch for an hour and a half. Oops!

Anyway, I decided to surprise Steven by getting up early and making him some of those banana donuts**  different people (Meghann and Mica) in the blogosphere have been making. Here’s the recipe, which I halved, making six donuts.

One minor problem with the recipe – it calls for egg whites, and I started mixing everything up before I remembered we used the rest of the eggs for Thursday night’s dinner. I had a little mini-panic and contemplated giving up and pouring the batter into the trash, then decided to improvise by using an extra tablespoon and a half of oil. Not the healthiest alternative, but it worked. The only other way I altered the recipe was by putting in a tad of banana extract flavoring.

I really wanted them to look like donuts, so I put all of the batter into a large plastic bag, then cut off the edge of the bag and squeezed the batter through to shape into donuts.

They look kind of “donut-y!”

I am estimating that one has approximately 200 calories.

I had to jump on the treadmill and run my 5 miles before I could try one. I was a bit worried they wouldn’t taste that good, but Steven LOVED them! He even took a couple to work so I could live up to my reputation as the wife who bakes things (formerly, “the wife who bakes cookies“). And I tried one after my shower – I LOVED them too! They make a very good breakfast, and are not too sweet.

I picked up Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred DVD while running my errands. I’ve been reading a lot of health and fitness blogs lately and I think about 50% of them are using this DVD to work out at home! I can’t wait to try it today, with Steven!

*I am SO EXCITED to have dental insurance now. I love going to the dentist. I hadn’t been since September of 2002. A lot has changed since then! Now they can take photos of your teeth inside your mouth and show it to you!
**I AM THE BONANA KING!!! If you have time, and a sense of humor, spend the 6+ minutes to watch this ridiculously silly video.

Comments (26)

By kilax, March 13, 2009 5:31 am

Would you rather see a movie in the theater on opening weekend when there are big crowds, or wait and go after it’s been out awhile and the theater is more empty? Or, would you rather wait for it to release on DVD and watch it in your home?

I get really excited about some movies, and feel like I have to see them the weekend they come out – The Dark Knight, Iron Man, the Star Wars movies, and last weekend, Watchmen. It’s kind of fun to sit in the crowded theater, with a bunch of people, watching a movie. There is a different vibe then when the theater is empty.

Steven and I saw Taken a few weeks after it came out. We saw it on a Friday night. BIG MISTAKE. I think every mom in our neighborhood was dropping off 4 or 5 teenagers at the theater. Ugh, they were everywhere. The actual theater we sat in was fairly empty, but two teenage girls texted and gossiped throughout the entire duration of the previews. I don’t know who was more pissed off, me or the guy in front of me, who looked like he was going to get up a few times to go smack them. I warned Steven I might do the same.

Oops. That story was kind of unrelated. Anyway, I really enjoy the “full house” theater for some movies, but not all. And if I go opening weekend, I have to get there early to get the seat I want*. When we went to see The Dark Knight we had to sit in front… HUGE bummer.

*And I have to see the trailers! That is one of my favorite parts of seeing a movie – adding new movies to my “to see” list.

Comments (13)

By kilax, March 12, 2009 5:07 am

When did I become so cynical?

I loved sizzle’s post last week about how someone double-parked her, and she left a note on their car, and they actually left an apology letter on hers. I felt like sizzle wrote that post directly to me, like she was saying, “Wake up Kim! You aren’t perfect either! Give people the benefit of the doubt!”

You see, I’ve become quite… fed up with human interaction in public spaces lately. It’s mostly in the morning and evenings, on my walks from the train station to work. I know I walk faster than most, and I don’t expect people to go my speed, but I do expect them to get the HECK out of my way.

I’m sad to admit, I’ve developed the habit of bumping into people and not saying anything. Why should I always be the one to have to move out of the way, you know? It’s just that crowded.

Well, the day before sizzle wrote that post, TWO people stepped in front of me in the morning. But you know what was weird? One apologized, and the other said, “excuse me.” I immediately felt guilty for all those times I’ve been so rude, because I was simply assuming the other person is just a jerk.

And on Tuesday, while dining with a friend, a woman apologized to me for bumping into my chair when she left her table. I didn’t even feel it. How polite!

Now, I am not the type to be rude and not say something when it’s due, but I have just spent so much time assuming most of the people downtown were self-centered jerks, that I’ve sort of given up. And decided to be pushy as well.

I’m different in the suburbs, surprisingly (or not?). One day at the theater, I opened the door to leave (the exit only door) and a bunch of people rushed in, bumping into me. Steven wondered why I wasn’t upset. I explained that it was nothing compared to my morning and evening walks downtown, simple as that. He explained that HE was fed up with holding the door for others, letting others go by first, etc., and feeling taken advantage of all the time. I understood – that is how I feel in the city.

Now I am trying to be less judgmental and pushy. I won’t be walked over, but I can at least give people the benefit of the doubt.

It’s hard.

Related: I think Hilly was on the same page with her manners bullet from an older post.

Comments (21)

By kilax, March 11, 2009 5:02 am

This article in the paper got me thinking – basically, it says retailers are more likely to listen to customer’s requests for clothing design now, because of the declining economy. Retailers are working hard NOT to turn off any potential customer. And apparently, those customers are requesting… more coverage?

People are asking for “…a decent supply of sleeved shirts or prom dresses that show more fabric than skin.”

“People want to be more comfortable and more covered.”

vs.  

Hmm, I guess I’ll buy that. I don’t want to see my coworkers walking around in a Britney Spears-esque outfit flashing their reproductive organs, and I HAVE seen my fair share of slutty prom dresses! But I can appreciate some muscular legs, a nice neckline or bare arms (apparently, a lot of people are appreciating Michelle Obama’s!) when displayed appropriately.

What would you ask for if the retailers would listen?

I would ask for pants that are the right size at my hips, but not too tight in the butt. And button-down tops that don’t gap because of my (once, *sniff sniff*) mammoth sized breasts. Oh yeah, and how about some longer tops? Thankfully, they’ve picked up on that last one, but the others…?

Comments (13)

By kilax, March 10, 2009 5:22 pm

I love technology. But I hate how much it can control my mood. Examples:

• My laptop won’t turn on. I’m frustrated*.
• My laptop is frozen. I’m frustrated.
• The internet won’t connect. I’m frustrated.
• The internet is TOO slow. I’m frustrated.
• I forgot to charge my MP3 player. I’m frustrated.
• My heart-monitor watch battery is dead. I’m frustrated.
• The digital photo frame is frozen again. I’m frustrated.
• The universal remote is not working**. I’m frustrated.
• My cell phone won’t make calls. Or allow me to text anyone. Who cares…?

My cell phone decided to die out on me today. It wouldn’t work this morning, and now it won’t turn back on. This is probably the only piece of technology I should actually care about (since it could be useful in the case of an emergency)… but I don’t. I hate talking on the phone, and have a work BlackBerry if I really had to use it for an emergency.

But it made me think – I don’t like how impatient technology has made me become. I want things now now now. I always expect things to work. I get moody when they don’t. Should something inanimate control my moods? Probably not. But they do. That’s something to work on.

Update: Technology hates me. I got home and the garage door opener in my car and the keypad wouldn’t work to let me in the house. Ha. I think that might be because someone was messing around with the fuses though…?

*Frustrated can be interchanged with “pissed off” and “furious” in all of these examples.
**This could possibly be user error.

Comments (14)

By kilax, March 9, 2009 5:43 am

It seems like every weekend, without fail, there is some item on my to do list I am absolutely dreading. Every fiber in my body resists my completion of the item. Just thinking about doing it makes me feel upset.

It usually isn’t house chores. Yeah, I put those off, but I don’t dread them. I just would rather do something else!

And it isn’t the long runs. I look forward to those long weekend runs, where I can just have some time to myself and focus on my run. Yesterday was my first 7-miler – fun!

This weekend, it was my panel report for work. Today marks my three-month date at my new job. It’s hard to believe the time has passed so quickly!

I was placed in a trainee program when I got this new job, based on my recent graduation (2007) and experience outside of work. As part of the program, I am required to write a panel report and give a presentation of my work quarterly in my first year, and semi-annually in my second year.

My supervisor places high importance on the panel report, and has given me time to work on it while at work. But so far, I haven’t been able to get much done on it there. It’s strange to me – I love to write, and I’ve pulled together all of the facts I need! I just couldn’t concentrate very well on writing something long the last few days.

So I brought it home, even though I didn’t need to. And I put it off, until about 8 pm on Sunday night. But, I did finally work on it and get the bulk of it done. Now I just to need edit it at work.

It’s funny. I always dread these tasks, but feel so much better when they’re close to done!

What have you been dreading on your to do list?