Activity 06/02 - 06/08

I had a pretty good week activity-wise. 

Monday - Morning spin. I spun in the morning doing 25 rounds of 1 standing and 1 down.  Good and sweaty. 
Monday - Walked 1.5 miles after work.
Tuesday - I walked on the gazelle in the morning for 35 minutes. I have no idea how to estimate mileage on that type machine.
Wednesday - 46 minutes spinning. Nice steady zone 2.
Thursday - I took the day off from exercise although I went to the blood center and donated a double of platelets (big double - 8.8). I am trying to catch up after 3 months off (2 months deferred and then trouble getting scheduled).  I still want to donate at least 12 times this year if not more.
Friday - 3.9 miles. I took the day off Friday for a variety of reasons.  I walked to the grocery store in 100% humidity. 
Friday - Tree sawing.  I sawed down 3 trees and chopped up the branches.
Saturday - I meant to work out but it just couldn't fit into the day.  My wife was sick all day and I spent the day doing errands and housework and then the guy came to install the garage door opener and I couldn't leave while he was there all day.
Sunday - 3.8 miles walking.  I walked to the store again in light rain and then home with groceries. I picked up recycling on the way home again.

Fitbit steps:

Monday - 12,249
Tuesday - 17,115
Wednesday - 12,116
Thursday - 12,083
Friday - 20,090
Saturday - 12,465
Sunday - 15,450

Total: 101,568

Activity 5/12 - 5/18

Wow. Look at that... Green on every day.  I had a really good activity week last week. I was in training all week which meant that I could wear jeans & T-shirts and sneakers to class. It also meant that every time we took a break or I finished a lab early or even after eating lunch on our long lunches, I went outside and walked.  It was sort of awesome but also creates quite a precedent for my first week with my fitbit.

So basically every weekday walking before/during training.
Thursday - Spinning with 24. I found that the newest 24 is on Hulu so I'm watching it while working out.  I always think it is the perfect show for watching while working out because you can just start and stop the show without having to finish the episode.  I only went 30 minutes (6 x 3 seated climbs (yes, my quads were burning) and 1 minute recoveries). 
Saturday - Early spin. I went an hour with 25 x 1 minute standing and 1 minute recovery. 
Sunday - Walked 45 minutes until the family woke up.

Hmmm.  I gained back 2 of the 4 pounds I have lost. I'm pretty sure it's a "that time of the month issue..."

Steps:
The fitbit is pretty awesome.  I've kicked my goal up to 11,500 and met it every day.  We'll see if I can continue to say that now that I'm back to working my regular job. 

Monday - 11,481
Tuesday - 12,538
Wednesday - 13,687
Thursday - 15,604
Friday - 15,809
Saturday - 15,166
Sunday - 14,991 (clearly I would have walked 9 more steps had I realized how close I was)

Total: 99,276

Activity 04/28 - 05/04

I know... I skipped a week.  That week the first part was good and the second part we went to the beach so we did a lot of walking to the beach and shops and restaurants and playing in the water but not much that I would record. 

So last week:
Monday - Walking 3.5 miles in 1:05.  I took the day off so I could catch up on laundry and such (7 loads) when we got home from the beach Sunday but managed to go for a walk in the neighborhood.  My phone died during the walk so I don't know exact time/distance/steps but this should be close.
Tuesday - Spin biking.  Zone 2 for 45 minutes. 
Wednesday - Spin session.  Hard work. I did warm up then 10 rounds of 2 minutes standing hill with 1 minute recovery. Then 10 rounds of 1 minute sitting hard with 1 minute recovery. Then warmed down. 
Thursday - Nothing.  I had a terrible terrible sinus/Migraine.  I went to work, came home from work to dunk my head and sleep, and then got up and worked from home a bit but activity was just not possible or advisable.
Saturday - Walking 4:05 in 1:15.  What a busy day.  Errands and more errands, lunch with family, more errands.  I finally got a walk into the day in the afternoon. It was hot out but still a good loosening walk.
Sunday - Walking 3.9 in 1:10.  I walked to the store and bought more groceries than usual. I texted the family and they pulled over on their way home from a different store so I could give them the groceries. Then I walked the rest of the way. 

Steps:
Monday - 11,897
Tuesday - 7,245
Wednesday - 5,011
Thursday - 956
Friday - 6,421
Saturday - 15,575
Sunday - 11,051*

Total: 58,156

* I know Sunday's total is low. The pedometer only tracked about 5000 steps on the way to the grocery store and back. That should be around 8400 steps for that time/distance.

Obviously there is room for improvement overall and in steps.  I'm pondering changing my work hours back to my usual "Winter" hours which have me getting up an hour earlier and walking at lunch. The problem: It will soon be >100 degrees at lunch time every day.  My other option is to walk in the morning before work but I'm feeling really nervous and creeped out about walking in the dark.  I know it was my habit for years but now I'm feeling quite afraid of it. 

Activity 04/14 - 04/20

Tuesday - Walking 1.8 miles. I walked on my breaks and quickly at lunch and managed some miles. 
Tuesday - Spin 8 miles/40 minutes.  While putting the kids to bed etc. I managed this.  I did 10 rounds of 2 minutes standing hills and 1 minute recovery. 
Wednesday - Spin video. I found this on Youtube and rode along with a group. It was a well done video with clear cues.  I guessed 11 miles in 40 minutes. 
Thursday - Walking 3.2 in 1:05.  This was a combination of walking on breaks and mostly during lunch. 
Friday - 1.5 miles in 30 minutes.  Friday lunch walk to Chipotle with a friend.  Lovely. 
Saturday - no exercise.  Shopping.  Getting stuff done.  Installing a water softener (mostly done by my wife and our family friend who was our total hero). 
Sunday - Glider. We got a Gazelle Glider for free off Craigslist and this was my first time to try it out.  It's a better workout than walking but not as good as spinning or running.  Very boring. I went 25 minutes. 
Sunday - Spin 1 hour.  Good spin. Warm up, then 1 minute effort (standing or sitting) and 1 minute recovery.  Then warm down. 

Steps:
Monday - 5,072
Tuesday - 10,186
Wednesday - 6,349
Thursday - 11,251
Friday - 9,905
Saturday - 7,354
Sunday - 5,167
Total: 55,284

General:  We are getting ready to take a much needed vacation for a few days. I hope it goes well.  A few of the things going on in our lives this week:  Broken garage door opener, Old/dead Water softener, we need a new A/C and heating system, the cat is very sick, realizing that the dryer vent desperately needs cleaned before we can use it.  We have been trying to get all of those issues handled as quickly and safely and wisely as possible but it has all caused a lot of stress both financially and emotionally.  Both kids have been sick with colds or sore throats for parts of the last 2 weeks. 

In other words - life. 

Activity 04/07 - 04/13

Well this week wasn't ideal either but it's better than the one before.  Some or all of the family has been sick for the past week whether with bad allergies, sore throat and cold, or some undefined stomach bug. 

Monday - 1.2 mile walk in 20 minutes. This is what I could fit in.  The family is sick so I went or a quick walk while the dinner was cooking.
Tuesday - 1.8 mile walk in 35 minutes.  Walked around on morning break and lunch.
Tuesday - 51 minutes.   Tri Harder climb spins. I was going to do a spin session on YouTube but the Wii was out so I listened to a podcast.  It's a good workout but I wish it were longer. 
Wednesday - Spin for an hour.  Warmed up and down and in between 1 standing hill, 1 standing recovery. Repeat.  Intersperse a lot of letting the dogs in or out, dealing with kids, etc.
Thursday - 2.4 mile walk in 42 minutes. After work walk after a day of very little sleep and lost time at work.
Friday - Lunch walk and break walk. 
Saturday - 3.9 miles 70 minutes.  Walked to and from the grocery store against a very strong wind coming home.
Sunday - Walk of > 4 miles in 1:15.  I was going to ride my bike but then expected rain. It never rained but was very humid (gross). 

Steps:
Monday - 8,673
Tuesday - 12,956
Wednesday - 5,288
Thursday - 10,487
Friday - 10,159
Saturday - 12,351
Sunday - 10,346 *
Total - 70,260

* The Sunday number should be higher.  For some reason the pedometer didn't pick up many steps on my walk. I walked 1:15 which normally would be between 9000 and 9750 steps.  At the end of the walk, my pedometer had only picked up about 5000-5500 steps. 

I've started tracking my food and activity on the Livestrong app again.  On one hand I want to follow the Approaching the Natural philosophy completely but on the other, my weight is so high... I need to fit into my clothes and feel comfortable in my body. 

Activity (or lack thereof) 03/31 - 04/06

Not a great week but I should be consistent in posting.  My activity:

Monday - Good evening spin for an hour.  I did a warm up, 25 rounds of 1 fast standing and 1 sitting recovery and warm down.  We watched the end of HIMYM.  I called 1/2 of the "surprise" ending about a month ago and then read speculation about the other half so it was not a surprise to me.  But I did not like the ending. 
Wednesday - Lunchtime walk. 2 miles approximately. I walked to and from walk as well as on morning break.  Felt like crud because of the pollen but at least I did it.
Wednesday (2) - I did a solid zone 2 spin. No racing. Just steady and let my mind wander while watching TV. 
Weekend - I had no activity over the weekend.  I had a very uncomfortable and personal medical issue that prevented my doing anything from Friday to Sunday.  It seems to be healing so hopefully I can get back to some activity soon. 

Steps - I had a good week with steps.  But after a few months of a lot of frustration with my phone, on Friday I reset it to the factory defaults. It didn't occur to me to record the steps before I did that. 

Weight - I weighed myself on Sunday.  Wow.  I had no idea how much weight I had gained. I knew that I gained enough that my pants aren't fitting and that I can see it but in pounds, I had no idea.  Wow.  I'm disappointed. At the same time, I'm aware that there are a lot of issues going on right now: family stress and commitments, allergies (mine and daughter's), broken treadmill.  I need to eat less junk/chocolate and less snacking.  But other than that, I'm not really committed to making a lot of other changes at this point. 

Hmmm...

Activity 3/24 - 3/30

I took lots and lots of steps this week.  I'd say that most of the week I did a great job just fitting in what I could fit in. 

Monday - 3.6 miles in 1:15.  My wife had been out of town all weekend helping her folks so I told her on the phone that I needed to go for a walk when she got home.  It was lovely to just breathe deeply and be alone for that time.
Tuesday - 2.5 miles in 50 minutes.  It's a combination of lunch time walk to meet a friend, afternoon break walk, and walk with the family and dogs after work. 
Wednesday - Spin biking.  1 hour interrupted: The traditional... Warm up, 10 x 2 minute standing hill 1 minute recovery,warm down, stop, put the kids to bed, lay down with the 6 year old, get up, ride 20 minutes mostly steady seated resistance.
Thursday - Walk 2.55 miles in 55 minutes.  Walked on break at work and also with the family after work. 
Friday - 4.15 miles in 1:15.  I walked on my morning break and then left work early to enjoy being outside. I walked to the store for food for dinner and just barely beat the rain and hail home.
Saturday - 3.65 miles in 1:05.  Early morning walk.  Crisp and clear. 
Sunday - 1.5. mile walk. I woke up all stuffy and with a sore throat.  I took an allergy pill but still felt like crap all day.  Still, I felt too still so I took a 30 minute walk. 

Steps:Monday - 17,123 *
Tuesday - 11,308
Wednesday - 8,296
Thursday - 13,804
Friday - 16,005
Saturday - 16,701
Sunday - 8,451
Total - 91,688 **

* New one day record!
** New one week record!

Activity 2/10 - 2/16

It's a few days late to be posting but I wanted to be consistent about posting some activity.  Last week:

Monday - I got up early to fit in 2.55 miles in 50 minutes on the treadmill. 
Tuesday - Treadmill again 3.05 miles in 1 hour while the wife worked and the kids played.
Wednesday - Spin while watching Olympic coverage. I started with 5x3 standing hills with 1 minute recovery. Then 5x2, then 5x1. This ride was a real challenge to my conviction to take whatever I can work in since I had to get off the bike to let the dogs out, let the dogs in, tell the kids to stop clowning around and go to sleep, let the cat through the gate, let the cat back through the gate the other way, check on the clowning kids, and answer the phone.
Thursday - Lunch walk. 1.75 miles in 30 minutes.
Friday - The day was beautiful out so I took a few hours off and took ChocolateDaughter to hike at the park along with out friends and their dog (and a houseguest dog).  We didn't cover many miles but it was beautiful and fun.  I guestimated 3 hours but that's probably high.
Saturday - 3.4 miles in just over an hour. The day was beautiful out and although I felt busy and had a lot to do, I just enjoyed the sun and wind.
Sunday - I indulged in lazy!  I took the kids to cheer at the marathon but otherwise watched Olympics and crocheted. 

Steps:
Monday - 10,835
Tuesday - 11,201
Wednesday - 9,038
Thursday - 8,993
Friday - 11,943
Saturday - 12,691
Sunday - 4,419
Total - 69,120 - Not as good or consistent as the week before.