Staying On the Right Path

This week has been tough. From being physically hungry, to the work outs, to the emotions (sometimes I hate being a girl), to my work schedule... this week has been exhausting.


It's hard staying motivated to do the right things, eat the right things, exercise, get enough sleep when it is so much easier to grab some fast food and sit on the couch. The thing that keeps me going is knowing how much better I feel during and after exercise. I've also noticed lately, that the foods I eat affect my emotions. 


I gave myself a treat the other day as a reward for having done so well the past few weeks. I got called in to work to do a transfer to Dallas. While in Dallas, my partner and I stopped at Denny's. I had been craving nachos for some reason, so I got some chicken nachos. They were absolutely delicious. But after eating them, I could actually tell a difference in how I felt. This was a first for me. I've never noticed before what kind of impact food as on my emotions or energy level. From now on, I think if I treat myself, I will treat myself to something a tad more healthy. 

I haven't felt like I have been getting quite enough exercise lately. Since scaling back my walks from 5 miles to only 1.5 miles, I have felt like I should be doing more. I've tried push ups and sit ups, but I can't do very many of those before I reach muscle fatigue. Last night I went to the gym and spent about 3 hours there. First I did the bike where you are actually in a chair with your hands to your side and the pedals are out in front of you. This part was easy. I did 35 minutes without a lot of trouble. Next I did 45 minutes on the treadmill. This part was a little tougher. I wanted to stop so bad! My legs were burning, sweat was pouring, I was hot, I was thirsty (forgot my water bottle), and I was tired. I set a goal though, and I knew I had to stick to it. I pushed through that 45 minutes and moved on. My next exercise was the actual bike. You know, the kind with the seat that is uncomfortable no matter how you sit... ughhh. I was tired from the first two exercises, but again, I knew I had set a goal and I had to reach it. 30 minutes on this bike and I was done. 


In between my cardio exercises, I sucked down some water from the fountain. I did some pretty light weight lifting - just toning my arms so that they won't be flabby. I also tried to do some assisted chin ups and dips. I'm not there yet. It was ridiculously hard. I did 5 assisted chin ups and 10 assisted dips. I didn't try any more after those because my arms felt like jello. 


Tonight after I walk my dog, I plan to go back to the gym for some more cardio. I felt great when I was done last night! This time I won't forget my water bottle.


My air conditioning in my apartment has decided to stop blowing cold air for some reason. It's 85 degrees in here right now... it's only 82 outside. Thank god for the rain we got yesterday that cooled things off. I'm not sure I would survive if my air stopped working on a day it was 105 outside!