This is a very big deal. I have given up my cookie-a-day habit. If you have eaten one of my cookies, you know they are pretty tasty. But, they are nutritionally garbage at 211 calories and 11 grams of fat. That’s 1/4 of my fat allowance per day! So instead of a cookie, I’m now eating a yogurt, 140 calories, only 6 grams of fat and the added bonus of 4 grams of protein. (more…)
Woo hoo!!! I’ve been working with my new trainer, Shawna, for four weeks now and seriously following her recommended dietary changes. AND IT’S WORKING! In four weeks I’ve lost 5 pounds overall and dropped to 22.5 percent body fat. I’ve actually lost 6 pounds of fat and gained a pound of muscle.
There’s nothing like seeing some results to recharge your batteries and keep you motivated. 
I didn’t do much this week: a couple of biking videos, some yoga and met with my trainer twice. I stuck with my scheduled workouts through Wednesday. Thursday morning I woke up with that tickling in the back of my throat that tells me I’m a getting a cold. Thursday was the last day of school before Spring Break and it was a rainy day – indoor recess – twenty-nine fifth graders cooped up all day, the day before a break. I was pretty wiped out and just ready to veg by the end of the day. I had planned on doing a bike ride outside on Friday, but it was raining and my cold was getting worse. I read three books instead. Saturday I actually had a low grade fever and napping was the order of the day. Sunday was gorgeous and Thom and I went out for a short ride on the tandem. I tried to not work too hard since whenever I did my chest would start rattling. We’re a little rusty as a team, but things smoothed out as the ride went on.
The time off was actually a good thing. I had pulled or strained a muscle in my right leg last week and the down time gave it a chance to heal. I’m on vacation this week. Not having a schedule is nice. I plan to do lots of reading and relaxing.
A few years ago, we decided that our Santana tandem wasn’t really working for us. The biggest issue was the space for Veronica, in the stoker’s position. On most tandems this space is significantly shorter than the comparable space on a regular road bike. The handlebar position for the stoker also has very limited adjustability. This leads to the stoker being folder over like a pretzel. OK, maybe it isn’t that bad, and the Santana is no worse than most tandems, but after riding her Rivendell Veronica found the tandem uncomfortable. Secondary problems were the difficulty of packing 700c (road bike) sized tires in airline luggage, lack of disc brakes and the generic nature of it. We wanted something with a little more character.
I almost completed my ambitious training plan this week. I followed it all the way through Thursday morning.
Monday morning I rode my bike in the trainer. I did the video Zoot Challenge. which is one of my favorite videos. It is much easier to get on the bike in the morning when you like the video. In the afternoon I had my trainer session. Monday is leg day and we’re focusing on increasing my muscle endurance. Shawna, my trainer, had the ladder out on the floor and I did many, many reps of fast feet moving in and out of the ladder, fast feet sideways down the ladder, jumping down the ladder on one foot, long jumps down the ladder and goodness knows what else. In between ladder sets it was jog in place with high knees or step ups. What I like about doing endurance work is it tires out my muscles, but it doesn’t leave me really sore.
Tuesday morning I did Yoga for Triathletes and in the afternoon I did a 3.5 mile run. The run was okay. It was hot and it reinforced that I should not eat oatmeal for breakfast on a run day.
Wednesday morning was another yoga session. This time it was Rodney Yee’s Flexibility routine. In the afternoon I did a two mile interval run on the treadmill before doing upper body work with Shawna. This was a great run and I wish I had gotten there early enough to do a longer session. Eggbeaters are a much better breakfast for running on.
Thursday I hooked up with some friends and rode up the south side of Mt Diablo. It was a social ride and I ended up not having enough time to go to the summit and get back home in time for a meeting I had. It was nice to ride with some of my buds though. I got in 28 miles and 2200 feet of climbing.
What did I skip?
Thursday afternoon yoga - I was wiped out after my meeting and decided to think about cooking a real dinner instead. Okay, so honestly Thom barbecued the steak and I cooked the rice.
Friday morning run – I had to finish packing for our whirlwind trip to San Diego to get the tandem. There will be more about that later.
I’ve been doing pretty well with my food intake. It was hard on the trip to eat healthy. It has been two weeks since I have had a Red Bull. I find myself really craving one every now and then. I really wanted one after Tuesday’s run. I made do with OJ mixed with water. Apple slices have become my new chocolate. Maybe I’m a pod person…
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