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

7/25/13 (weigh in)

Weigh-in at 9am this morning: 171.7 :)))) That means I'm -25!!!! I can't wait to see that middle digit change!

Nervous about going home this weekend. I have to STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN!!! Ma always has so many snack foods (nuts, crackers, leftovers, PB, chocolate chips, potato & tortilla chips) and I'm so weak with those temptations. I have 2 days to mentally prepare :)

9:00
100 - apple

9:45
150 - 1/2 cup oats
100 - Greek yogurt

12:45
220 - sweet potato (just microwaved and then cut open face)
70 - 2oz deli ham
35 - pepper mix
10 - 6 grape tomatoes

2:30
90 - chicken sausage
50 - cabbage, spinach, pepper mix & mustard

3:30
100 - Greek yogurt
15 - 1oz organic blueberries

bike to work, lead run/walk group (about 2.2 miles), bike to gym, 15 min elliptical and then 30 minutes of core, bike home
220 - Grabbed a cliff bar at work ate most of it

10:00p
330 - protein pancakes recipe from yesterday... added more water to thin out the batter, but then added fiber :)
30 - blueberries

Trying to down a ton of water so that I don't feel hungry anymore...

11:30p
100 - Greek yogurt
.1700.

Calories

So, my nutritionist told me to go for a goal net calories per day-- taking into account that day's activities and adjusting my calories to make sure I am making up for what I'm losing during various daily workouts etc. But I read a new site and I'm wondering if I should just aim for a certain number every day. No matter what my activity level is for that particular day, but instead averaging my weekly activity level to create a goal.
That would mean no matter what my activity level, I should aim for about 1900 calories every day and stay with that. I'm thinking that with meal prep this could be WAY easier to stay consistent; however, this means that there won't ever be those days where I get to indulge because I worked so hard...
My thought is that this consistent method may benefit me right now while I'm working on building back up will power and control... then once I'm a bit more solid with that, I can add the flexibility back in with aiming for net.

SO... for now... my new goal:
Do something active EVERY DAY (gym/run/bike at LEAST 4, ideally 5)
1900 Calories a day

Here we go!


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