extra activity aka unplanned exercise

So...we've all heard "it's the little things" in so many different contexts.
But I'm here to talk about how this has to do with weight loss. One of the many things I learned from Beck's book is that every day you need to make an effort to add in "unplanned exercise"... now, what the heck does that mean??

You know how you like to muscle it out and carry all the groceries inside in one trip? Well, you'd burn more calories if you took a few trips. So... do that!
Need something from the corner store or gas station that's only a few blocks away? Don't jump in your car-- walk or hop on your bike.

Since moving to the big city I've started biking... a lot. Honestly, I started biking for MANY reasons, yet weight loss wasn't one of them, initially. Parking in Chicago is a pain in the butt (either impossible to find or costs more than I make an hourly) and gas in the city is about 40 cents more than it is elsewhere. Additionally, the time it takes for me to drive through the city from my apartment to my store near downtown is actually the same (or sometimes longer) than it takes for me to bike.
So... me and my single speed go everywhere in this city. Work, gym, convenience store, friends' houses, brunch... wherever.
THIS ADDS UP!!
I started using MapMyRun (has biking settings) to track some of my rides just to see what the calculated calories I burn are and I was astounded. This ap is amazing (I'm still sad that Nike+ doesn't have bike settings yet). And I realized, my "unplanned exercise" every day is REALLY adding up.

A big reason this adds up so much is because you're not recording these calories. I know a lot of dieters on various plans record all your workouts and then get to eat more that day because you have NET calorie goals and so forth... but that's the beauty of EXTRA activity. You're burning more...but it's not part of your recorded workout, so you see where this is going ;-)

Eat clean, drink water, work out... and start adding some extra activity to your day. The little things will add up and make a difference., I promise.

Reference: BECK

74

I'm a quarter of the way through my challenge... but I still have a long way to go. 100 days is a pretty long challenge. I know I probably could have really pushed myself to do a challenge like this in a much shorter period of time but I think this more drawn-out process will help to reset my brain with all of the positive habits that need to be part of my regular routine and I will be more likely to continue with the healthy lifestyle well after my 100 days are over.

Yesterday was definitely a personal disappointment - the amount I ate compared to the level of activity for the day was not balanced and so I'm a mad at myself for that. I am not getting my body wrap today due to working late but I will be going tomorrow after work so that I do have my detox before my weekly weigh-in. I'm going to the gym today, but probably not tomorrow (but who knows, tomorrow I might feel like going after my wrap and that would be great, but I'm unsure at this point what my time will look like.)


TODAY.
Beef Jerky (130 calories ~ I need to go shopping, I had it left over from the weekend and didn't have my normal breakfast foods in the house~ I need to shop)
1 Tbs PB
-
1 rockstar recovery
-
1 litre water
-
1 can progresso chicken & wild rice
-
1 pear
-
GYM:
30 minutes on bike -285 calories
15 minutes on elypitical -180 calories
1/2 mile walking cool down on the treadmill
-
pollock fillet cooked in nothing but water from the melting frozen veggies
spices
veggies
sweet potato
1/2 cup mushroom spaghetti sauce
-
1 skinny cow ice cream treat
2 glasses of water
-
1 bowl high fiber cereal
2/3 cup almond milk

80

Not sure if I'll make it to the gym tonight because I'm going to start training by observing/co-facilitating a group tonight with my new company... but I'm hoping to make it to the gym LATE for at least a little while on the eliptical trainer-- since tomorrow is my weekly weigh-in I really want to try and get a workout in the night before my morning scale-session =)

FOOD.
Breakfast.
FlatOut (flatbread tortilla) w/ 2 Tbs of PB
Snack.
1/2 pink grapefruit
10 saltine crackers
Lunch.
SmartOne meal (2pts)
2 light string cheese
1/2 pink grapefruit.
Snack.
150 calories of beef jerky (after such a long day working I NEEDED protein before hitting the gym)
Dinner.
BIG SALAD. Dark greens, black beans, salsa, 1/2 avacado, 2 Tbs ranch, fiber, vinegar, basil & oregano

Water goal? YES!


ACTIVITY.
Gym. 5 minute bike warm up.
25 minutes Random on sitting bike -200 calories
10 minutes Random on elyptical trainer + 5 minute cool down -150 calories
Unplanned.
Nothing that sticks out today...

82

FOOD.
2 fiberOne granola bars
1 pear
1 light string cheese
16oz PBR (just over half my 24oz)
2 glasses (12oz) water
1 garlic burger (half the bun) ~ naughty but after riding, WOW
1 granola bar
2 cups raw carrots
1/2 cup light ranch w/vinegar and fiber
2 cups red grapes
1 granola bar

ACTIVITY.
Snowboarding at Snowbird
Unplanned.
Walked across big parking lot to ShopKo then to Big5 and back to my car.

83

Didn't end up going snowboarding... going up tomorrow for sure though.

Been craving carbs all afternoon... trying REALLY hard to resist.
~~ ended up giving in and having a bag on sunchips. Yum :-)


FOOD.
Breakfast.
1 high fiber granola bar
1 tortilla
2 Tbs PB
Lunch.
1/2 cup black beans
1/4 cup mushroom spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cup steamed broccoli
1/4 cup light ranch dressing w/fiber & vinegar
Snack.
Snack-sized m&m mcFlurry (only about 200 calories. Yum!)
Added fiber powder and mixed in some high fiber cereal... this is one of my fave treats when dieting!!
Dinner.
2x turkey dog w/spinach & peperoncini on zero point tortilla
sun chips
1 can rockstar hydration
Snack.
1 pear


ACTIVITY.
Gym.
5 minute bike warmup
15 minutes Random workout on bike, level 12 -200 calories
15 minutes Fat Burn on elliptical -135 calories
15 minutes on treadmill, 4mph w/3lb weights in each hand. Shoulder and abdominal toning -? calories
30 incline situps w/10 lb weight
3 sets of 2x8 leg lifts w/twists (obliques)
Oblique toning w/15lb weight (body turns)
5 minute walking cool down on treadmill @ 3.5mph

86

FOOD.
Breakfast.
1 high fiber granola bar
2 TBS pb
Snack.
4oz natural apple sauce
2 light string cheese
Snack.
1 yogurt
Dinner.
Dark green salad with crab meat, carrots, cherry tomatoes and 4oz of remulade dressing and lots of vinegar
Snack.
1 tortilla w/pb

1 litre water at work? YES!

ACTIVITY.
Gym. 5 minute walk warm up on treadmill, 25 minutes of "random" on elliptical - heart rate average 165, 10 minute intervals on bike, 5 minute cool down on stationary bike.
Inner & Outer thigh/hip toning on machines: 3 sets of 10 on each

88

New week, back on track after yesterday's holiday ridiculousness.
I have a body wrap appointment this afternoon, so I'll go do that after work and then go to the gym, tan and then do at least a little bit of cardio to get my body moving after a few days of not enough activity.

Breakfast.
1 high fiber granola bar
1 TBS pb
Snack.
1 red grapefruit
Lunch.
1 smartOne frozen meal (2pts)
Snack.
1 light string cheese
1 weightwatchers yogurt
Dinner.
1 can progresso light soup
4oz white mushrooms (added to soup)
4oz spinach (added to soup)

Activity.
Gym: 30 minutes on the elliptical w/heart rate 155-165, 10 minute cool down walking on the treadmill at 4mph

Thermo body wrap... getting out those toxins


**************
I need to drink more water every day.

89

Easter.

I woke up and drove home after a pretty awesome 24 hours with a new person (I won't go into details, but I kinda think they're great).
I decided to drive straight to the gym because I felt like I should try to get a workout in before brunch (junk). I got downtown and saw the sign on the door~ closed for Easter holiday... BLASTED!!! I was sad. So, I just went home and relaxed, ended up just taking it easy (including a nap) until I went to my friends' house for Easter brunch.

Breakfast.
1 high fiber granolda bar
8oz pineapple tidbits in juice
2 tortillas 2/pb
Brunch.
Ham
Potatoes (SO naughty)
Green beans w/pecans
1 Cut Throat pale ale
Lots of fruit (strawberries and kiwi)
2 rice crispy treats
1 scoop of heaven (idk what that was but it was so good, I'm sure it was horrible for me)
Snack.
Salsa & chips

Activity.
Driving range: 100 balls.
Not exactly what I would call activity but at least I got out and did something.

Overall it was a bad day food wise. It's REALLY hard to be good when you're around people who just don't understand how hard it is for you to say no.

93

Doctor upped my antibiotics schedule to get this crap gone... because it's hella annoying.
To make myself feel a bit better I went to get a haircut, I really needed it. I went to see my girl Bre at LUCID ENDS SALON...I love her. She definitely helped me feel better.
She also recommended I try out this thermowrap body contouring thing that she has been doing as her wedding fast approaches! It's kinda expensive ($89 for 5, 1 hour sessions) but it's a crazy kick start to my body work and it's removing toxins (not just dehydrating)... I'll report back on how I feel about it after I've gone more than this one time. But WOW, I sweat a ton!!

FOOD.
1 light string cheese
2 TBS peanut butter
1 high fiber granola bar
2 cups high fiber cereal
1 cup almond milk
1 rockstar hydrate
4 celery heart stalks w/peanut butter (total 1TBS)

Hmm...didn't eat much today. Weird.

ACTIVITY.
I went to the gym!! 25 minutes on the elliptical and 10 on the treadmill... and a quick first tanning session to start working my skin away from it's current pasty tone. Eeep!

94

Another sick day...

1 quart orange juice
2 turkey dog w/veggie wrap
4 cups apple sauce
1 grapefruit
2 granola bars (high fiber)
3 TBLs peanut butter
1 can progresso light soup
1 sweet potato w/spray butter

REALLY don't want to go to work tomorrow... I want to just quit and find some part time work. Ma blew my mind today... she paid off my entire credit card bill and made me put away the card. I have no idea how to thank her. I just need to figure my life out with work because the commute is costing me way too much money with gas and wear on my old car. I need to not only shape up physically, but my life needs reshaping. I need to shape up. Pronto!

95

SICK DAY =(

Well, I went to the doctor and actually got on their very accurate scale :-/ And after my very naughty weekend their scale said 186. Really not that bad. I also just got my period so that means I'm a little heavier than normal anyhow.

But yeah. I'm hella sick. Have strep and some other virus (rapid tests didn't identify) so I'm on antibiotics and pain meds because my tonsil is bleeding and MASSIVE. So, no contact with other people until after noon tomorrow at the earliest...I'm over this sick stuff...

so today my diet was weird. Not really in "meals" so I just sort of ate between movies and naps today.

Apple
Tortilla w/pb
*doctor visit*
sugar free Slurpee (felt SO good on my throat)
ice cream cone from McD (hey, on WW that's only 2 points!! but the cold felt great!)
Progresso light chicken noodle soup - 1 can
2 cups natural (no sugar added) apple sauce
2 bowls high fiber cereal w/almond milk
1 pudding w/fresh blackberries
1 quart orange juice (yeah, it stings)

I'm SUPER happy that this (whatever it is) isn't Mono like the doctor suspected because that would mean I would have a hold up when it comes to working out.
I'm just hoping to get healthy and back on track...

96

What a weekend... all that snowboarding... and the great times at Bike Prom? HAHAHA incredible. The emotional hickup yesterday after a terrible phonecall from a toxic person really put me in a down mood and then I wasn't even thinking about all the crap I was eating. Today I was better... no idea about points. I'm just going to start keeping track of everything I'm eating and not worrying about converting points~ I know when I've eaten too much for a day..

Breakfast.
Gandolfo's sandwich
Unsweatened Tea
Lunch.
Salad w/no oil dressing
Snack.
100 cal popcorn
Dinner.
Salad w/no oil
Apple w/pb
Snack.
Pudding
Tortilla w/PB

Activity.
Snowboarding (2 hours of slush!)
Unplanned Activity.
multiple trips to/from the car with my laundry.

I'm really excited to own a bike now... and to have people who are excited to be active with me. Midge wants to be my guest at the gym and she's already inviting me on mountain biking/camping trips (friends have extra bikes for me since mine is just for around town). I'm pumped to be outside and active this spring and summer!!
165lbs here I come!!!!

97

HOLY BAD FOOD DAY :(

Yeah... so I had 2 BBQs with friends today and ate entirely too much garbage to even keep track of =(

Activity.
SNOWBOARDING (4 hours of park laps in slush).
DANCING (2 hours at Bike Prom).
Unplanned Activity.
Walked to 7-11 to buy firewood.

We all have to have a cheat day right? Eh, wrong... I really shouldn't have eaten that stuff and I'll be making up for it this week when I finally get to the gym!

98

Breakfast.
3 - celery sticks w/PB
Snack.
3 - string cheese
0 - grapefruit
2 - pieces of candy from coworkers**BAD
Lunch.
2 - smartOne
1 - yogurt
Snack.
8 - BAD**Erin's leftover lunch...from Cafe Rio
Dinner.
4 - salad w/a turkey dog and no-oil dressing
1 - carrots
2 - cereal & almond milk
Snack.
1 - yogurt w/blackberries
1 - pudding
TOTAL: 28 =( NAUGHTY

ACTIVITY:
Planned. I went for a bike ride!! (yep, I bought that bike after work)
Unplanned. carrying the bike up and down the stairs twice. Parked REALLY far away on purpose at wallyworld


I ate too much... didn't drink enough water today. I'll make up for it with all the snowboarding and biking planned for this weekend!!

motivation

I'm pretty upset with myself... I have YET to go to this new gym where I bought a membership a month ago. I really do want to work out but every night I get home from work and have no motivation to get back in my car, drive downtown to the gym etc... where can I find this motivation? I need some.
I really do want & need a bike. I may be going to the Bike Collective on Tuesday, but I would really like a bike sooner than that. I might go to wallyworld and just pick up a cruiser for $100 tonight after work. I think having a bike will be motivating for me~ I'd much rather ride my bike around the city than get in my car and spend MORE money on gas!

99

I didn't go grocery shopping last night, nor did I do any exercise... very naughty. I need to grocery shop and get my laundry done before Saturday so I will definitely get at least one of the two done tonight... and DO SOMETHING ACTIVE! I need to get over to the gym.
I'm also going to keep tabs on both the planned (gym, bike rides, hikes etc) and unplanned excersise I do. Unplanned is like when I take the long way walking somewhere, or make several trips with groceries instead of trying to carry it all in one load and so forth.

Today's Food:

Breakfast.
3 - 2 cups dry cereal
Lunch.
6 - salad from subway. Double meat: Chicken w/honey mustard and vinegar
Dinner?
1 - carrots
3 - dressing
4 - 2 PB on tortilla
Snack?
1 - WW yogurt
2 - 2 sugar free jello pudding
TOTAL: 20 points

Activity:
Planned.
Not much =( Just walked to 7-11 (3 blocks) to get milk when I forgot to buy it at the grocery store. Did light core toning before bed.
Unplanned.
Took the stairs down 6 flights twice today. Walked the longer route to Subway at lunch. 2 trips into the house with groceries.