Yankee Giving Lessons

Encouragement

So I've been plugging along this year--I'm working to improve my diet, drinking lots of smoothies, running lots of miles. It's just that I see me in the mirror every day. Same flaws, same problems, same me.

What's really helped me out lately is, oddly enough, a friend coming out and taking pictures of me in breeches with my horse. Yeah, I don't look perfect, but my legs are tighter (even if they wear the same size as before) and my position is so much stronger. I'll never be a super model, but I can get closer to being the rider I've always wanted to be.

Plus, I made it back to my pilates class this morning and my teacher commented that I had lost weight. Nice... she's earning her paycheck. ;)

Feetsies Part Duex

Look at my pretty new shoes!! :)

Feetsies

So I have been working out a few days a week, riding, mucking stalls (LOTS of them) and walking around campus with a heavy backpack so one could say i've lost a few lbs :)

However, my feet HURT. Bad.

Its not just like soreness, I think I actually pulled ligaments in my soles.

I have a theory.

I normally wear minimal shoes...flip-flops, sandals, chuck taylors, etc. My feet hate shoes of substance (and socks) and when I can, I go bare. Otherwise I am in my chucks (no socks) or flippies. I've done this since I was about 12 I think and I'm used to it. I am most comfortable that way and I stay "sound".

Recently, my flip flops broke, and I've been wearing actual tennis shoes. Why not my chucks you say? As noted before, I HATE socks. In wicked heat (100 deg), chucks are NOT comfy at all. If its like, 75 or below, they're fine. The tennis shoes have the whole shibang-arch support and all that blither blather CRAP.

The result of wearing tennis shoes for almost 2 weeks? EXTREMELY sore feet. Like I can barely walk. For sure "lame".

My theory is that since my body and feet are SO sososososososoooo used to me essentially going barefoot (the way people should go, I think) and then switching to extreme padding and fluff, my body reacted negatively.

I am a HUGE supporter of the barefoot movement and I personally feel that most running shoes are pieces of crap that only do damage to the body. Feet are not supposed to be supported like that, and in the long run I think they do more damage than good. However, I am NOT an expert at all, I just feel this way from personal experience.

Take my mom for example. Col. in the USAF, marathoner, tri-athelete, super-dooper-mega-fit-crazy and she has scores  of problems with her knees, back, and hips that developed over time. I, too, have had numerous injuries to my knee, shins, and tendons on my left leg and am nowhere near as fit as her, and all my injuries are new and not related to running.. She is one of those people who has the latest running shoes and swears by them, yet she is always "lame" or  not able to run well. I, on the other hand, CAN run even with fresh injuries with my flat shoes or barefoot, to an extent, only limited by fitness and strength at this point.

See where I'm going with this? Here's a website some skeptics might find interesting.

So. Off to find some flip-flops so I can get back to working out!!

So... Diets

I know, when I started blogging here I was all "rah rah rah exercise" and not so much on the diet bandwagon. I try to eat well, but I don't believe in torturing myself over food.

Enter crashing fall.

Now, like it or not (mostly not), I am on the world's most ridiculous diet. I eat a minimum of three fruit smoothies a day. I'm all crazy-go-nuts on the dairy products, and I'm inhaling my potatoes. I think my only real carb intake right now is the occasion pasta when I'm tired of plant-y products.

And yes, it's vegetarian. I mean, people tell me you can put meat in a blender... but yeah... just sounds nasty and I'm not that desperate yet.

I do need to figure out how to make veggie smoothies. Any cool recipes floating around out there?

Long Time No Blog

Its been a while...

as usual I am beyond BUSY.

If any of you follow my other blog, www.tbeventer.blogspot.com, you all know I've been showing up the wa-zoo and have 2 jobs AND take summer school classes in attempt to graduate on time.

I've been busy...wait I said that already...

SO. The working out dieting...has gone by the permanent wayside I think. I get up at 5am or 7:30 to go to work, work till 4PM, go to my other job at 5PM, work till 7:30PM and then get home around 8...almost everyday. On the days I don't work both jobs, I have homework to catch up on and assignments to do as well as household chores like groceries to buy and bills to pay and cleaning to do.

This leaves me a tired panda and highly unmotivated to go workout at 10PM...I don't know what to do anymore.

I can't not work since I have so many bills to pay and I can't give up sleep or school but I NEED to get back to working out. Even when I was working out 4 days  week I lost almost 12lbs in a month. I'm pretty sure I've gained that allllllll back.

Also, with the tiredness, cooking has gone by the wayside...or I just throw together mac and cheese. Lovely right?

ALSO I simply cannot buy fresh produce! I don't have enough time to sit and cook/prepare myself food evevrynight so half the time, my delicious, crisp veggies, fruit and meats gets thrown away. OFTEN. I've prolly thrown out $100 worth of food over the last month. $100 I can't afford.

So yeah I'm pretty much in a MAJOR catch-22 right now.

Sigh.

Interesting Thought

I'm still plugging along, but I've expanded my blogging horizons into reading about exercise and weight loss, too. Here's an interesting post about the effects of dieting that I thought I'd pass along.

Fat and Diet

Huh. It makes me feel better about not wanting to diet.