Day Sixty-Four

I ended up taking three days off at the end of the week. I think I would have been better with just two, but I am content that I reached my fitness goals. Today marks the start of a new week and I am already off to a good start. I went to the gym today and got in a solid 50 minutes on the Elliptical. I finished up the session with a good burn on the leg press machine and I'm prepared for a more intense workout tomorrow.

I am sure that I can reach my goal again next week. Taking a few days helped me avoid boredom, but I know that I'll need to switch up my routine (there's more to life than the Elliptical) to help keep myself motivated and working at a similar intensity.

Asking for Help

It seems at times that the most effective way to manage a chronic health condition is to minimize its impact on your life and too focus on the positive. This strategy make work a significant part of the time, but it is bound to fail at some point. Having a chronic health condition means that one is not fine all the time. It is simply a reality. During a flare or when experiencing complication it almost becomes easier to pretend that things aren't as bad as they seem, but they are. And, not being able to communicate what is happening or the effects that it has on your physical and mental health can cause problems that linger long after a flare goes away. The "grin and bear it" mentality must make room for the "this really does suck" mindset every once in a while. This does not have to be the first step on a slippery slope of pity parties. In fact, asking for help and receiving it is a natural part of the healing process. One just has to remember to nurture and give back in the times when they are feeling well again.

This is Not Top Scallop

I love Top Chef. At best, the routine and discipline demanded by my diet makes planning meals and eating a chore. At worst, it is something that inspires fear and loathing. The hours that I whittle away planning my diet (or, more accurately -- planning to avoid eating things that are not in my diet) does not inspire me to want to cook or have fun in the kitchen. Top Chef changes that. Seeing the culinary artists at work -- the pride they demonstrate in their craft and the colors, flavors, and smells it produces reminds me that food can be enjoyed and that the emotions evoked need not be negative. Top Chef makes me want to test myself in the kitchen and I think that the coming winter months will provide an opportunity to refine my low residue recipe portfolio. First on the list, of course, is scallops.

Don't Call it a Cure

The colon manifests symptoms, but is not the actual cause of inflammation in ulcerative colitis. So why would removing it be the cure? Isn't that like removing your head when you have a headache or your ear during an earache. Isn't a cure supposed to treat the cause instead of the symptoms? Pondering this stuff could send one around in circles. However, the absurdity of trying to remove a head for a headache goes a long way towards helping me see the hilarity of treatment for IBD.

It's not lost on me that doctors use language like "managing symptoms" when discussing new drugs. Cure seems to be a word reserved for races and researchers. I am a strong supporter of these efforts and have donated dollars for many a cause, but I just don't have doctors that talk about cures. Maybe they learned to talk about "manging symptoms" in a class devoted to managing expectations? It is fine and even necessary for surgeons and cutting edge researchers to talk about new advances and fix alls, but I suspect that the practitioners charged with the day-to-day care of chronic health conditions spend more time worrying about patients taking medicine and not developing troublesome side effects. Is this right?

Should doctors be talking about cures?

Crazy Cardio Stats: A success

Crazy Cardio Stats: Days 57-63

Saturday – 40 minutes Elliptical; 20 minutes Treadmill; 30 minutes Upper Body Strength Training & Abs
Sunday – 40 minutes Elliptical; 25 minutes Lower Body Strength Training & Abs
Monday – 40 minutes (moderate) Walking; 40 minutes Elliptical
Tuesday - 25 minutes (moderate) Walking; 40 minutes Elliptical; 5 minutes Abs
Wednesday - 25 minutes (moderate) Walking
Thursday - 25 minutes (moderate) Walking



Minutes to go: Who knows?! I already reached my goal and I have a day to go!

Day Sixty-Two

Yesterday was a so so day.

I decided to forego the gym. I think I would have been able to scrape up the energy to go, but my muscles felt extraordinarily fatigued and I felt a rest day would better equip me to do an effective cardio and strength training workout tonight. However, I feel tired and overly sluggish today and don’t have the same excitement for my workout that I did just days ago. I am not sure if it is the cumulative effects of so much activity or the result of little exercise and (comparatively) poor eating last night. I stayed within my calorie limits, but it was through a combination of poor choices.

I am hopeful that my enthusiasm and energy will pick up as the day progresses. I’ve known for a long time that the mindset is critical and that confidence in my ability to accomplish my goal is the difference between success and failure. I need to remind myself of why I am putting in the effort and how it is beginning to payoff. So, with a thought to focusing on the positive:

Including today, I have gone to the gym 8 of the past 13 days.

I have written consistently in my food diary for the past 9 days.

I have consumed at least 8 ounces of water for the past 9 days. (Not necessarily something to boast, but I wasn’t doing it before so I give myself credit!)

For my efforts:

I have felt good in everything that I have put on this week.

Stop. Did I just write that? Wow. Every morning this week I have picked out an outfit, tried it on and felt good about the way I looked! I wouldn’t have realized it if I hadn’t written this down, but it is true. I even wore a pair of pants yesterday that I haven’t worn in several months. I unpacked my clothes this weekend and had to stuff a drawer full of items that just don’t fit – they’re 5-10 pounds away from where I am now. I put them in another closet because I thought looking at them ever day when I was getting ready would set me up for failure. Who wants to start off the day that way? I left behind all the items that do fit and I have been focusing on looking good and maximizing what I can wear. It’s working.

The scale is moving down.

I am not going to put very much stock in this because any real trend will become evident over time. My weight has fluctuated within a 6 pound range over the past week and a half and it looks to be consistently going down. However, much of this could be water and I don’t want to get too caught up in the exact number yet.

I feel stronger physically.

My heart rate goes up and my brow begins to perspire as I make my morning jaunt to the subway, but it gets better each day. My legs protest when I go up and down the stairs, but I see and feel the results in everything I do. A burn settles in to my quads as I start my cycle on the Elliptical, but it soon gives way to resolve to finish the routine that I’ve set out for myself.

I feel stronger mentally.

I am completely confident that I can and will achieve my goals. I find reasons to smile in the morning and throughout the day and the ups and downs seem to effect me less.

Day Sixty-One

am going to reach my goals this week. This is the first time since I started writing that I can say that I concretely achieved a goal within the time period. And, it is not just one – the crazy cardio challenge has been fun. However, evenly spacing small meals and focusing on my water intake has been consistent as well. My sleep has been off for the past few days – I have been waking up in the middle of the night. But, I am still averaging 7 hours per night.

Getting a schedule down for my commute has been really helpful. It’s like a good diet – having a nice frame or base from which to work makes the deviations a little less harmful. Obviously, I can’t control meetings and evening events – but, sticking to this at least three nights of week will be great. Here is how it shapes up:

7:15 Up; Breakfast; Get Ready
8:20 Walk to Subway (.6 mi)
8:35 Depart Subway One Stop Early for Starbucks!
8:45 Walk from Starbucks to Work (.7 mi)
9:05 Start the Work Day; Focus on Water and Mini-Meals
6:30 Depart Work for Gym
7:00 Arrive Gym; Workout for Hour (50 minutes of Cardio w/stretching or 30/30 split of Cardio and Strength Training)
8:00 Depart Gym/Get on Subway
8:25 Depart Subway; Walk Home (.6 mi)
8:40 Arrive Home
10:30 Bedtime

The planner in me views the above as near perfection. Why? Because I believe that planning + discipline = goal achievement. The coming winter months are challenging. It gets dark sooner and the cold weather drives me home to eat instead of to the gym. However, I am really determined to make this work and looking at it in print makes the crazy cardio challenge slightly less crazy, too. I am sure I can keep this up for at least the next four weeks as I’d originally planned. And, then I can see where I stand.

Next Week – I know already that it will be challenging next week because of jury duty and at least one planned dinner. I will have to leave the house earlier in order to make it to Starbuck’s before getting to the Courthouse at 8:30. However, I will be done earlier, which means I can push up my gym time by a 60-90 minutes and then get home and get to bed earlier. Perfect!