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By kilax, December 31, 2009 5:33 am

We all want to know – how much exercise do we really need each week? How little can we get away with?

There was an interesting (although VERY confusing) article on the Well blog covering this topic yesterday.  The article stemmed from a study done in Scotland that concluded you only need 20 minutes of exercise a week to increase your contentment. Okay, but how much do you need to be healthy?

That’s more difficult to define. The article went into a discussion about “MET” minutes, which are “Metabolic Equivalent of Task” minutes. Huh? Apparently  you need 500 of those as week, and they vary based on what you are doing for exercise and how intense it is. For example, running at 6 mph is a 10-MET activity. So if you run for 60 minutes, that is 600 MET minutes. So, you’re done for the week then? Confusing…

Has anyone heard of this MET mumbo-jumbo before? How do you decide how much to exercise a week? Do you have any exercise goals for 2010?

I aim for at least 30 minutes a day, but usually go by how I feel. If I am in the groove, I will keep going! If I feel like crap, I won’t work out at all.

A few other interesting points from the article (repetitive, but interesting):

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines report, “It has been estimated that people who are physically active for approximately seven hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active for less than 30 minutes a week.”

Interestingly, they did not find that exercise beyond a certain point conferred significant additional health benefits. Instead, the “dose response” for exercise, the committee found, is “curvilinear.” In other words, people who are the least active to start with get the most health benefit from starting to exercise. People who already are fit don’t necessarily get a big additional health benefit from adding more workout time to their regimens.

You do not necessarily have to divide your exercise time into daily allotments, either. Existing “scientific evidence does not allow researchers to say, for example, whether the health benefits of 30 minutes on five days a week are any different from the health benefits of 50 minutes on three days a week,” according to the activity guidelines. Do what suits your schedule.

Meme time! Leah, Gelareh and Holly have all tagged me for the “7 Random Things About Me” meme. Thanks, ladies! Click “more” to read on…

And of course, Happy New Years Eve! Enjoy your evening and be safe!

Continue reading 'How little exercise can you get away with? / 7 Random Things About Me meme'»

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By kilax, December 3, 2009 5:15 am

This summer, a friend said to me, “You look great! Better than you ever did in college!”

Um, thanks?

Not to bash this friend – I know she meant it as a compliment. But ouch! The truth HURTS! Most of my five years of college were spent very overweight. And you know why? I felt like I had NO control over my schedule (until my last year). And I was STRESSED out. No time to exercise + stress eating = overweight Kim.

Now, I have a more stable schedule and a very supportive husband. Of course it’s easier to fit exercise in now, and make healthier meals (that doesn’t mean I’m not overweight now, I most definitely AM!). I don’t all the time, but I try.

That comment from my friend made me think – when do I want to be in my best shape? Should it have been in college? Should it be now? Should it be a goal for the future?

Sadly, there was a time when I told myself “You have years to get healthy. Eat those sweets, who cares?!” Whoa, that is MESSED-UP thinking right there. And why would I even ask myself to set a goal to be in my best shape? I would like to get there, and stay there, forever. I want to be one of those ladies who’s 60 but looks like she’s 50 because she’s so fit and active.

Do you think about this? Do you feel like you’re in your best shape now, or where in the past? Are you working on getting there?

Side Note: Don’t forget to enter my Eating Animals Giveaway!

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By kilax, October 22, 2009 6:49 am

As my weight has gone up and down over the years, I’ve noticed how differently I’ve taken it off and put it back on (ha!) each time.

Now, I know this is extremely unhealthy, and it is something I am trying to get away from (aren’t we all?), but I thought I would share.

When I first tried to lose weight, in 2004, I just ate less. I got the skinniest I had ever been, and it didn’t take that long, but it didn’t last that long either. Later on, I dabbled in exercise a bit, and lost weight, but was never really committed. However, when I started to really dedicate time to exercising and eating healthier in summer of 2008, I noticed that the weight came off faster, and I got to a smaller size sooner than I had when I was just eating less. And as my weight has gone up and down since then, I have always been able to fit in smaller sizes, at higher weights than ever before. It makes me wonder if I am retaining muscle and am a bit smaller at a higher weight, or if the sizes have just gotten bigger over the past few years (or if I have really, really stretched my clothes out).

This time around, besides running a few times a week, I am also doing weight training. It’s weird, because I am sore in places I have never been sore. It makes me wonder how my body will react to the weight training. Will I get smaller, quicker? Will it take longer? Will my weight stay high because I gain muscle?

This is all extremely vain, I know. I just wondered – have you experienced anything like this?

Gosh, what I would LOVE to get to a goal weight/size/comfort level and just MAINTAIN it. Maybe that will be one of my goals for 2010.

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By kilax, October 21, 2009 7:20 am

Ugh, I have been excited about the holiday season since September. That is just sick! Let’s just blame it on the cooler temperatures we had this year, and move along…

We have a lot to look forward to this year:

• My mom, dad, and grandma are coming to Chicago the week before Thanksgiving for the 2009 Cookie Extravaganza.
• We may host Thanksgiving at our house this year with friends (if any Chicago friends are around)
• My sister will be in town late Thanksgiving Day, and possibly stay until the following Saturday, so we can have another fun meal with her and maybe do some “window shopping”
• Steven’s family is coming to our house this year for the holidays, so we get to decorate (And get a real tree! Data will be so excited when I tell him.), and plan fun meals and activities
• We may go visit some college friends in December
• We will get to see my family for the holidays sometime in December or January
• There is a slight possibility that we will travel to Disney World in January to run a half marathon (if not, we will be looking to get rid of our entries)

Our first real tree, in 2005!

We have fun, busy times ahead to look forward to. And I didn’t even mention that we have sometime planned practically every weekend until the holidays hit. Luckily, those events are close to home, and we don’t have to travel (much).

I think I get so excited about the holidays each year because I love to plan. Even though every year, I realize more and more how things don’t ever turn out exactly as planned (hey, that’s life!).

Do you get excited about the holidays? Do you love to plan things out too?

Do you live in a little fantasy world in your head like I do? Ha ha.

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By kilax, October 19, 2009 12:52 pm

More and more, it’s become aware to me how many people (myself included) will treat the same situation differently, depending on who is involved. I know, I know, it’s obvious. I guess what I should say is, it has become more aware as to how UNFAIR it is. Why give one person leeway when you won’t to another?

I’ll give you an example (I wish I could give you my really good ones, but it wouldn’t be appropriate). In college, one of my close friends NEVER answered my calls or texts. NEVER! I had to wait for her to call me. If anyone else did that to me (now, then, ever) it would piss me off to no end, and I would just quit trying to communicate with them. But with her, for some reason, I didn’t really care.*

I still notice myself doing this now. If person A does X, I get more upset than if person B does X. And in the future, I may act differently around person A entirely.

I think I do this because I subconsciously evaluate who I think people are in my head, then expect them to act a certain way. Here’s another example – my mother is often late… so I’ve come to expect that as part of her character. Now, if anyone else is late? Boy, I am not happy.

It’s not fair to expect people to act a certain way or do a certain thing, especially if you don’t have the opportunity to talk to them about it. Everyone gets to live life their own way, and dealing with different types of people is part of the fun (right… right?).

Of course, there’s more to it than all this. Sometimes it’s better to expect more of someone (like in a work situation) so they improve. Sometimes the reason you treat someone differently is because there is a history between you or some sort of communication breakdown.

But sometimes, it’s just because you’re being unreasonable.

Do you do this? Has it happened to you? It has certainly happened to me – that is what inspired me to write this. I kind of had an “Aha!” moment today. But I can’t be too upset about it, because I do it myself!

(And just so you know, I’m talking about people I’ve had multiple encounters with here, not people I’ve just met.)

P.S. Does this make ANY sense?

*Actually, there were a lot of things about her that bothered me, but we had the most fun together. I think it is because when something bothered me about her, I just told her (Like her gum smacking, hated it. I made her spit out her gum when she was in my house if she couldn’t close her mouth. Bitchy much?), and she did the same for me.

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By kilax, August 24, 2009 7:04 pm

Yesterday my sister told me she couldn’t wait for school to start (today) because she was bored and sick of summer.

My sister is popular and in a sorority. I think she is looking forward to seeing all of her friends (and all of that exciting school work, of course!).

But wow. I never looked forward to the start of school and I never got sick of summer. Summer was my freedom. I had a somewhat reliable schedule that I could plan around. I knew when I would get to see Steven (we were in a long-distance relationship for four years). I knew I would get enough sleep. I knew I would feel sane.

College was the opposite*. My schedule meant nothing. Everything was up in the air. I had no stability. Teachers would slam us with ridiculous assignments. I felt like I had no control over my schedule. I felt like I had no free-time, until my (first) senior year.

I felt extremely anxious ALL THE TIME.

So now, when it’s “back to school” time, I think about how lucky I am to work somewhere where I get paid salary and don’t have to work overtime, and have all of my weekends off. My schedule is respected. I am in control – even if me being in control means I still overbook myself.

But that doesn’t mean I am not excited for everyone who is going back! I am. I wish I wouldn’t have let anxiety be such a huge part of my life then.

*I feel it is necessary to mention that I was in the architecture program, which practically requires marrying your projects if you want to be successful. Most students end up spending most of their free time in the studio, getting by on 3 hours of sleep or less for days and days on end. I had to cancel weekend plans a lot because I had so much to do.

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By kilax, October 28, 2008 1:07 pm

While reviewing my senior portfolio, one of my college professors (a mentor, really) advised me not to go into a specialized field when making my “first job out of college” decision. He explained that he worked for a firm in Chicago known for designing skyscrapers. After he left that firm, every other place he worked for wanted him to design skyscrapers – even if other projects were going on in the office.

I was walking to work yesterday thinking about this. I passed a building that is being renovated – they are tearing down the exterior to install new offices.

Seeing that made me think about the fact that all I do is interior build-outs. We don’t do any “ground-up” construction. I am only getting experience in… a somewhat specialized field. I wonder if I should be trying to learn other things.

I wonder if I should take my professor’s advice.

I should just be cautious.

I love what I do and really like the people I work with. I just think about these things… from time to time.

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By kilax, August 26, 2008 1:50 pm

Yesterday was my sister Christina’s nineteenth birthday AND her first day of class (Happy Birthday, right?!). [She is applying to the interior design program this winter, so she is taking classes similar to the ones I took! Drafting! Elements of Design! Woo-hoo! Maybe someday we will work together…]

We took her skydiving for her birthday back in July, but Steven and I still sent her a gift – this “sisters” necklace. I bought one for myself as well.

Christina is the only sister I have, but she has a lot of other sisters – sorority sisters.

And here’s the part where I try to explain what it is like to be jealous of a bunch of girls that I have never even met.

I feel like I wasted most of our time growing up together, playing the part of the bitchy older sister (while she was perhaps playing the part of the bratty younger sister?). We’re only five years apart, but I never felt like we were even close to being in the same stage of our lives during those five years – until the last few years.

Now it’s like I’ve met this really cool person for the first time and I want to spend a lot of time with them, but I can’t – because they live in a different state than me.

Don’t get me wrong – I’ve always loved my sister to death, and would do anything for her. There’s never been a huge rift between us, I just never felt a true sisterly bond with her. Not like this anyway.

Hence, why I am jealous of all of her sorority sisters – that get to live with her, and hang out with her, and share all their day-to-day adventures with her. While I am lucky if I even get to see her 10 times a year.

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By kilax, May 27, 2008 5:41 am

On Friday I met with a college classmate of mine for lunch.

Good god, what is wrong with me? I literally work TWO blocks away from this guy. I really enjoy his company and consider him a friend. And I hadn’t seen him for maybe… 5 months?!?! No one is that busy.

Anyway. He was updating me on our classmates’ whereabouts when he told me one of our classmates is looking for a job in Chicago, but having a hard time getting interviews and responses.

Before I even thought about it, I blurted out, “She should send a resume to my firm. We are looking for people right now.”

Then, I had a really, really weird feeling in my stomach.

Working with a former classmate shouldn’t be that strange, right? You spent at least four years of school with them, and chances are, have worked with them before. And you wouldn’t recommend a person you don’t like send a resume to your firm (I didn’t), so it should all be fun and games!

But I think I’m a bit territorial. And settled. And comfortable. It would be SO WEIRD to have someone I know from college waltz into my office and sit across from me.

It might be fun. But it might be weird. Those are just the thoughts that went through my head.

It’s highly unlikely anything will happen anyway…

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By kilax, May 5, 2008 10:16 pm

Today marks one year since I’ve graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Architecture.

Woo-hoo!

I hate to admit it, but I am curious as to what my classmates are doing. I wonder who’s working, who’s not, who hates their job, and who loves it.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much more I like work than school. School is good for learning to be creative and think conceptually… but it is so much neater to see something you design being built. In real life.

A few weeks ago a client called me and rattled on and on about how much the staff loves the new space we designed for them, and all the details and thought that went into it. That made me feel good.

(The next week the client called and told me the staff was complaining and nitpicking. Hey, I had my moment while it lasted).

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Today’s Idiom: feeling no pain – drunk

After a couple of glasses of wine, I was feeling no pain and ready to meet up with the in-laws. What can I say? I’m a light-weight.

(Just kidding!)