tea berry-blue

This is a quick one, but I just wanted to tell people that yesterday I made it to 3k! I did 3k again this morning. I’m very pleased with myself! This week, I am going to start working on getting up to 4k.

My parents say they can actually see a physical difference since I started running. It’s only been three weeks, though, so I don’t really believe them. I think it’s more that they’re proud of me for doing it :-P I am going to take more pictures, though, and see if there really is any comparison to some of my earlier fitness pics.

3k is hard stuff! I was actually more proud of myself the second time, because doing it once could just be a fluke. Twice is getting more like I can do it consistently.

Mirrored from Antagonia.net.

Before I start this post, there is something I feel like I need to say.

After last week’s post, someone said that these fitness posts were triggering to them, but didn’t offer any details as to why. They asked me to cut them, and I said no.

That’s not something I will say very often, but in this case, for me, the purpose of making these posts is to challenge taboos about looking at bodies and discussing the way our bodies make us feel. It’s also for myself, to help me become more aware of the way I think about my body, and make me braver about my physical self. It’s very important for me, for the purposes of personal self-improvement, and putting these photos under a cut would not serve the same purpose.

I’m also troubled by the idea that photos of a woman in shorts and a sports bra could be so severely upsetting or cause such a severe physical reaction that someone can’t even look at them, especially since I see people dressed like this on the street when they’re jogging, or in less clothing when they’re swimming– or on billboards. Imagine how you would feel if someone told you that even a glimpse of your body could cause severe negative emotional or physical reactions to them. That really upset me. Even if it’s not what intended, it’s effectively saying “looking at your body makes me sick,” and I’m sure anyone who has ever had any kind of insecurities about the way they look or feel would be hurt if they heard that.

That being said, I realize that I have always been pretty healthy and able and for the past several years, on the slender side of normal as far as my body type. So if any of you ever take specific issue with something I say about body shapes or body types or anything like that, or think that anything I say shows an insensitivity toward other people’s bodies or ignorance about other people’s ability levels, please feel free to tell me what it is. I will try to listen and improve. After all, the purpose of these posts is to try to engage in body-positive thinking. But please don’t suggest that it’s bad for me to work on improving my self-image in my own journal in the way that I need to for myself.

On to this week!

So, last week I did my exercises every day but Friday, because we went to Delaware. So I didn’t get to take my pictures till today. I missed out on exercising yesterday but I walked a bit instead and I did some today.

I really enjoy stretching. I think it is my favorite type of exercise and it’s the one where I feel the most marked improvement every time I do it.

Once I move, I am going to get some weights and start working on my upper arm strength because I think that is the place where I am doing the least to improve my physical fitness. I feel like my upper body is very weak, especially my left arm, which is funny because that’s my dominant arm, so I really should start doing something about it. But a lot of the exercise routines are getting easier and easier. On a few of them, I still can’t do the “extra challenge” bits, but I can do most of the regular bits and that is making me really proud of myself. Especially when there’s this bit that I thought I was doing right all this time, and then I realized that my legs had become stronger and that in and of itself changed the way I did that exercise. It was a sudden realization of wow, so that’s how those muscles are supposed to work!

Mirrored from Antagonia.net.

This past week was the first week where I didn’t manage to exercise every day at lunch. I had two errands I had to run on Monday and Tuesday, so those days were out– One day I managed to exercise in the evening, the other one I just did some stretching. But then, on Friday, I left work early to go to my parents’ for the long weekend. So I did a little stretching that day as well, but I really did not stick to the plan, Stan.

Also, these pictures were taken today, Tuesday, not Friday like they should have been!

Some high points of last week–

I flt increasingly comfortable stretching and more flexible overall! I think the highlight of the week for me came on Thursday when I did a routine I hadn’t done in about two weeks. This routine involve toe-touching, and the last time I did it, I could not really get my hands down past my shins without bending my knees. This time, though, my hands went flat on the floor with no problem! I was really proud and excited about that. It was the first quantifiable sign of progress for me!

I also, on Friday morning, officially met my weight goal, which was to hit under 140 lbs. Yeah, then I gorged so much this weekend I gained 2 lbs back, but since weight loss isn’t my main concern, I’m not sweatin’ it. I just felt like I should say so for those of you who are following my fitness adventure and thinking about starting your own. I know it probably doesn’t sound like a ton of weight, but I lost approximately five lbs in four weeks without changing my diet at all, and only making exercise part of my daily life, and I think that is a great thing to know!

Mirrored from Antagonia.net.

This past week was the first week where I didn’t manage to exercise every day at lunch. I had two errands I had to run on Monday and Tuesday, so those days were out– One day I managed to exercise in the evening, the other one I just did some stretching. But then, on Friday, I left work early to go to my parents’ for the long weekend. So I did a little stretching that day as well, but I really did not stick to the plan, Stan.

Also, these pictures were taken today, Tuesday, not Friday like they should have been!

Some high points of last week–

I flt increasingly comfortable stretching and more flexible overall! I think the highlight of the week for me came on Thursday when I did a routine I hadn’t done in about two weeks. This routine involve toe-touching, and the last time I did it, I could not really get my hands down past my shins without bending my knees. This time, though, my hands went flat on the floor with no problem! I was really proud and excited about that. It was the first quantifiable sign of progress for me!

I also, on Friday morning, officially met my weight goal, which was to hit under 140 lbs. Yeah, then I gorged so much this weekend I gained 2 lbs back, but since weight loss isn’t my main concern, I’m not sweatin’ it. I just felt like I should say so for those of you who are following my fitness adventure and thinking about starting your own. I know it probably doesn’t sound like a ton of weight, but I lost approximately five lbs in four weeks without changing my diet at all, and only making exercise part of my daily life, and I think that is a great thing to know!

Mirrored from Antagonia.net.

So, I continued to exercise regularly last week– did my nice little ten minutes at lunch, and then some walking after work a few days. I did a lot of walking last week just looking for a new apartment (more on that later).

Fortunately, I found a great new apartment that I love! And it is much cheaper than where I am living now. Unfortunately, there will be no more walking home for lunch, and that means I need to rethink my exercise schedule.

I also started doing ten minutes of stretching right before bed, which seems to be helping with the restlessness I described last week.

Some routines are still very hard, but other ones I feel like they are much easier than they were when I started. The stretching is something that I enjoy and is so easy! My flexibility is pretty good– If I sit with one leg stretched out, I can old onto my big toe with the fingers of the opposite hand. That’s better than it was when I started.

Still no really visible signs of toning, as far as I can see, but the fact that the routines are seeming easier is a plus for me. I’m also getting higher scores in a lot of the Wii Fit games.

I’ve lost about 2 lbs since I started my exercise. The Wii Fit, ever the overbearing wannabe trainer, thinks I need to lose six pounds. I disagree and will be happy if I maintain my pants/dress size so I don’t have to buy new ones.

Of course, my weight frequently fluctuates up a pound or so in the course of a day. The Wii Fit thinks this is a reason to scold me and tries to tell me I need to think about my calorie intake. I am starting to think maybe I should skip the body test portion and just play the games.

Finally, this week’s pictures:

Also, my good friend whirled has also started recording her fitness activity! You can read hers here! Go, Whirled!

Mirrored from Antagonia.net.

So, I continued to exercise regularly last week– did my nice little ten minutes at lunch, and then some walking after work a few days. I did a lot of walking last week just looking for a new apartment (more on that later).

Fortunately, I found a great new apartment that I love! And it is much cheaper than where I am living now. Unfortunately, there will be no more walking home for lunch, and that means I need to rethink my exercise schedule.

I also started doing ten minutes of stretching right before bed, which seems to be helping with the restlessness I described last week.

Some routines are still very hard, but other ones I feel like they are much easier than they were when I started. The stretching is something that I enjoy and is so easy! My flexibility is pretty good– If I sit with one leg stretched out, I can old onto my big toe with the fingers of the opposite hand. That’s better than it was when I started.

Still no really visible signs of toning, as far as I can see, but the fact that the routines are seeming easier is a plus for me. I’m also getting higher scores in a lot of the Wii Fit games.

I’ve lost about 2 lbs since I started my exercise. The Wii Fit, ever the overbearing wannabe trainer, thinks I need to lose six pounds. I disagree and will be happy if I maintain my pants/dress size so I don’t have to buy new ones.

Of course, my weight frequently fluctuates up a pound or so in the course of a day. The Wii Fit thinks this is a reason to scold me and tries to tell me I need to think about my calorie intake. I am starting to think maybe I should skip the body test portion and just play the games.

Finally, this week’s pictures:

Also, my good friend whirled has also started recording her fitness activity! You can read hers here! Go, Whirled!

Mirrored from Antagonia.net.

I am way super behind on things I want to post! Special family news from this weekend, plus two ice creams and three cocktails coming up soon! But this is the one that is the most behind.

It seems like I’ve been doing this for longer than two weeks! A lot of the routines seem easier than they did in the beginning. Even though I can’t follow along perfectly– or even well- yet, I actually feel like I’m not hopeless or lost, and nothing feels like it’s out of the realm of “ever possible.” Two days this past week, I had barely broken a sweat after ten minutes of working out, so I did another ten minute routine. The third day I tried that, though, I was too tired and achey after one to try to do more.

I’m also getting significantly better at several of the Wii Fit routines! The one problem with the Wii Fit is it automatically weighs you and uses your BMI as a milestone for how well you’re doing. I wish there were other ways to set to measure your progress! I am not really interested in losing weight, but it’s annoying for the machine to keep telling me I’m not meeting my milestones because I’m not losing any weight. Well, I am, but not as much as the Wii thinks I should. My weight is down about a pound after a week and a half.

I have been walking a lot outdoors, lately, too. Today, I walked for about two and a half hours, not including the approximate hour I spent walking between home and work twice. I’m impressed I walked as much as I did!

A lot of people say that working out regularly gives them more energy and makes them sleep better, though, and I don’t feel that at all. In fact, I’ve been sleeping worse and having a harder time waking up in the morning since I started.

I think that is all the update for this week!

Mirrored from Antagonia.net.

So I continued doing my ten minute of exercise last week, and on Friday, I actually got a check for some freelance work I did, so I went out and bought myself a Wii Fit and an extra game for it. (This game, which boasts the “first game ever to be played with your butt”).

I haven’t played the Ravin’Rabbids game (I have the first one and enjoy it immensely, but I have been enjoying the Wii Fit, although that thing is seriously all about the insults. Man! And it makes this sound when you step on it like you’re hurting it or something. But the games are fun and extremely challenging.

I don’t think that one full week of exercising produces many visible results, but I wasn’t expecting it to. But by the end of the week, many of the exercises I tried to do the first day that were too difficult, and that I was certain would be impossible forever, were much easier by the end of the week. Some of them were still really difficult, and make me feel like a weakling, because they were beginner exercises and I couldn’t for the life of me even do them the “modified” way that was supposed to be easier. I still can’t do all of them, and some of them I can only do the modified way, but ten minutes feels like a short time and not an unending amount of time now. So I think I am improving.

Here are this past Friday’s photos for comparison to last week’s– as I said before, not much discernable difference. But I’m waiting till there are a bunch of them and in a few months it will look awesome!

Mirrored from Antagonia.net.

So I continued doing my ten minute of exercise last week, and on Friday, I actually got a check for some freelance work I did, so I went out and bought myself a Wii Fit and an extra game for it. (This game, which boasts the “first game ever to be played with your butt”).

I haven’t played the Ravin’Rabbids game (I have the first one and enjoy it immensely, but I have been enjoying the Wii Fit, although that thing is seriously all about the insults. Man! And it makes this sound when you step on it like you’re hurting it or something. But the games are fun and extremely challenging.

I don’t think that one full week of exercising produces many visible results, but I wasn’t expecting it to. But by the end of the week, many of the exercises I tried to do the first day that were too difficult, and that I was certain would be impossible forever, were much easier by the end of the week. Some of them were still really difficult, and make me feel like a weakling, because they were beginner exercises and I couldn’t for the life of me even do them the “modified” way that was supposed to be easier. I still can’t do all of them, and some of them I can only do the modified way, but ten minutes feels like a short time and not an unending amount of time now. So I think I am improving.

Here are this past Friday’s photos for comparison to last week’s– as I said before, not much discernable difference. But I’m waiting till there are a bunch of them and in a few months it will look awesome!

Mirrored from Antagonia.net.

So I decided recently that I desperately need to get more exercise. I’ve been consistently gaining weight, and while I’m not really at an unhealthy weight, I’ve noticed that I’m not nearly as flexible or as physically strong as I once was. And that can be frustrating.

I am very much against dieting. I don’t do it. I think that, when you’re discussing people like me, who have relatively healthy relationships with food, at least (I know it’s different for other people), out bodies tell us what kind of food we want to eat and it’s because those are the foods that have the nutrients we need. I rarely eat fast food or red meat, and most of the food I eat in my home is vegan and raw, but I don’t limit myself to a specific diet. I rarely drink soda and save it for when I have a headache or allergies, and when I drink sugary juice, I drink it half-and-half with seltzer. So my eating habits are already pretty healthy.

But I don’t exercise at all– I mean, other than the ten blocks I walk each way to work every day (that’s about a 12 minute walk for those of you who aren’t familiar with NYC blocks). And my upper body strength is abysmal. So I decided I needed to do something about it. I don’t want to be one of those people who didn’t exercise when she could have and realizes at fifty that I have health problems I could have prevented in my thirties just by taking better care of my self.

I recently turned my Netflix account back on after nearly five years, and discovered that I can get fitness videos on Play Instantly. I also got my Wii set back up for Play Instantly, and that means one of two things:

1) I can play more Wii games, which are more active than some of my other stay-at-home activities
2) I can use fitness videos

So, starting Friday, I have been walking home from work at lunch, doing ten minutes of beginner fitness video workouts (ones that are designed to be short stretches and such), eating lunch at home (cheaper than eating at work!), and walking back. I’ve also been playing more of the more active Wii games I own. This adds close to a half-hour of walking to my daily schedule, plus the exercise in between, and at night.

I don’t know if it will really have an effect, but I’m certainly willing to try. It’s been nearly a year since I stopped using shampoo and that was an excellent personal improvement. It seems like it’s about time to fit in another one!

I’ve decided I’m going to take progress pictures so I can see if there’s any visible progress from my increased exercise. I’m going to take them every Friday. This is sort of my way of holding myself to the self-improvement goal, because while I don’t really have a goal of losing a lot of weight, I do want to see more muscle tone on my body and an overall healthier look. I also feel like this is the kind of thing that people don’t often talk about in real, visual terms. Lots of people feel like they have awkward bits on their bodies no matter what shape their bodies take, and we’re all too used to seeing airbrushed models. I feel like the more we get used to seeing normal bodies, the better off we’ll all be in the long run. I’m a little, I don’t know, apprehensive about this, because part of me feels a little weird putting up pictures of myself in shorts and a sports bra where everyone in the world can see, but hey, it’s more clothes than I would be wearing at the beach. So here’s Week 1:

Tea Gets Fit Week 1--Front

Tea Gets Fit Week 1--Side

And no, this isn’t going to preclude my usual food posts. Like I said, I don’t do dieting. Plus, I just made a quart of Earl Grey ice cream and it’s in the fridge freezing.

Mirrored from Antagonia.net.