Running Won't Kill You

"Running won't kill you, you'll pass out first."

This used to be one of my favorite quotes. I used it as my senior quote in high school. Before high school I, like many people, viewed running more as something you do only when someone is chasing you. Running makes me feel a little bit special because I choose to do something that is not easy. In choosing this quote, I was identifying myself as a runner... kind of snarky one at that. I felt that it embodied my philosophy of just putting my head down and going the distance, even if you get there last. Then one day, my husband collapsed at the end of a five mile run and stopped breathing. Suddenly this quote seemed a whole lot less amusing.


Now don't get me wrong, I understand that this quote is meant to be funny and many others like it aren't actually suggesting you run/work out until you die - but I think it is important to remember to exercise (no pun intended) a little bit of caution.

In my husband's case, he hadn't been working out much and was dehydrated which led to an escalation that ended in heat stroke in 60 degree weather and a permanently disabling muscular condition. The sergeant that was in charge wanted to punish him for being out of shape, and pushed him to keep going (ah, but that's an angry rant for another day) far past what his body could handle.

The point I'm trying to get to is that sometimes you can push too hard. As runners, I think most of us know this line pretty well. I know that my bad knee will usually hurt for about the first mile, but that it will pass, or that my left ankle gets stiff after a good workout but will loosen up if I walk for a bit. When I used to have trouble with asthma, I knew exactly how hard I could push on a run before I needed to either back down or grab an inhaler. We all have those little things that we are in tune with. I think the danger comes when we venture into uncharted territory - conditions or terrain we're unfamiliar with - or when we allow peer pressure, pride, or someone of authority to override our instincts.


I am struggling with this a bit right now with my pelvis/back situation. I can usually "gut" out a run on tired legs, or when my bad knee is bugging me, but I have no frame of reference for whether pushing past the pain could make things worse in this case. So far, I've been erring on the side of caution and trying to let my body heal after having a baby, but sometimes it's hard. I just want to prove that I can do it no matter what. I've always been proud of the fact that when I set my mind on something, I can just duck my head and keep going until I get there. I have to keep reminding myself that that's not always the smartest move. Sometimes pain means you should stop. Sometimes you have to take it easy - no matter how hard that is :O).

Does anyone else have trouble backing down when they know they should?

The Continued Saga of the Treadmill and Thursday Randomness

Little man woke me up at 3:58 this morning for a diaper change (his, not mine). I think he was trying to make sure I got up for my workout. How he knew my alarm would be going off in two minutes, I don't know. Maybe he's psychic.

He's not a morning person.

Good news - I had an awesome 45 minute workout. Bad news - it wasn't on my treadmill. Sigh. The saga with my treadmill continues. I trimmed the frayed edge off the belt (by the way, did you know treadmill belt is one of the five things in the universe that duct tape won't stick to?) and made sure nothing was catching and then started things up. Two minutes in, the belt flipped AGAIN - WTF?? I'm going to have to do some research and see what else I can do. Anyone have this problem before?

So, since it's pizza Thursday and my plan was to do 45 minutes on the treadmill, I did the 45 minutes Les Mills Combat DVD. Whoa, Nelly. It's been awhile. I've felt pretty good doing the 30 minute workout, so I didn't think stepping up to 45 would be that different. Yikes! There was a lot more twisting in this one, which I definitely felt in my lower back and pelvis toward the end. I stuck with the modifications to take out the jumping, but had to make a few of my own to reduce torque on my lower back (i.e. switching a jab for a hook).  I'm going to have to get outside and do some running this weekend, otherwise I'll have to change the name of my blog to lazywalkerdvdgirl.

I give you proof of sweatiness. FYI - I'm not a morning person either.

Awesomeness.

In other news, I have a job interview on Monday! I'm a bit freaked out since I've been at the same job for seven years. The position is a staff accountant at the local medical center - which lines up perfectly with my soon-to-be-finished degree (estimated graduation August 2017). I think I would enjoy the work, but there are going to be a ton of factors to consider if they are interested in hiring me. Don't worry, I have lists. I'm going to finish jotting down all of the factors to consider, as well as going through my resume and the advertised job description, and then try not to dwell on it until Monday morning. If nothing else, it's flattering to get an interview.

I will leave you with a few random thoughts for Thursday:
*I've had calorie deficits between 1300 and 1500 all week (yay!) and am starting to see some downward movement on the scale.
*Today we have seasonal socks that match my toenail polish. If only I had a clean purple shirt - I'd be unstoppable.
*Lola felt the need to follow me everywhere and decided that she, too needed her picture taken.

This is the first one where she didn't move right at the last minute.

Happy Thursday, Friends!

Teething Keys and Calculating BMR

I mentioned in yesterdays post that I was "good sore." Oh my. Things tightened up at work and I had to really put some effort into not hobbling. After my last walking-break, I sat for a long stretch, and I think that's when things really got tight. But, I'm pretty sure being sore contributed to an amazing night's sleep. I kept dozing off on the couch, so Cody sent me to bed at 8:30 and I slept like a rock.

You know that feeling when you've been really "good" and you get on the scale feeling smug and expecting it to be down...but it goes up half a pound? Yup, that happened today. Logically, I know it's just fluid retention from being sore, but I did give the scale a dirty look.

Today, I'm going to take a break from Wishlist Wednesday except to report that I bought the Nuby Teething Keys. I snagged them at the store when I went to buy teething tablets. They are awesome! The other two teething toys we have are a little to big for S's mouth and he gets kind of frustrated with them. The keys are a great size and they stay cold for a long time after you take them out of the fridge. S really likes shaking them and chewing on all the different surfaces.

The other thing  thing I wanted to chat about today was the method I'm using to calculate my BMR and calorie deficits. **BMR for anyone that doesn't know is Base Metabolic Rate, the number of calories you need to survive without moving.

A lot of aps and websites for weight loss will automatically calculate your calorie needs for you - which is awesome. Sparkpeople was the first website I used to actually calculate calorie needs specific to me - whereas before, I used some one-size-fits-all calorie range.  This, in and of itself, was kind of a huge revelation, and was instrumental in my first 70 pound weight loss. Obviously I didn't keep the weight off, but that is a story for another post, and I feel this method is something that works well for me.

Because I like the feel of keeping track of things manually, I ordered this food journal that had a really great explanation of how to calculate the number yourself. As a numbers nerd, this is something that I really enjoy. For me, it makes things very straightforward and logical and takes out some of the emotion.

So - the basic formula is:

At my current weight, this works out to be:

BMR = 655 + (4.35 x 312lbs) + (4.7 x 70in.) - (4.7 x 31yrs)

BMR = 655 + 1357 + 329 - 146

BMR = 2195

Of course, this is the number of calories you burn if you don't move at all. So, you then take this number times a factor depending on how active you are throughout the day. I always default to sedentary because I like to consider any activity I get "extra" - like earning bonus points. The factor for a sedentary lifestyle is 1.2. So:

BMR x 1.2 = 2195 x 1.2 or 2634

This is the only time during weight loss that I'm happy to weigh more. Of course, for those of you that aren't quite so nerdy - using an ap or website does the exact same thing without the work will make mores sense. But for me - the act of calculating the number and then manually adding and subtracting calories every day really boils a complicated issue down to balancing a spreadsheet, or managing a budget.