Focussed

I have been focussing on my my fitness goals this week and am so happy to be doing strength workouts again.... I am never going to love this kind of Core work, but I am doing it anyway.

At one time I was a huge fan of Pilates. I have a couple of DVDs and a few years ago I did them faithfully about 3 times a week... for some reason now, my ears bother me when I change the position of my head by moving up and down too quickly so I don't do them anymore.

For example, if I am laying down on my back and sit up to do a ROLLUP and then lay back down, after 2 or 3 times, I am a bit dizzy.  Or if I am on the floor and stand up too quickly, I get that dizziness too.  I did experience postional vertigo some time ago and had some manipulations done by an ENT so I guess this is likely a holdover from that, and I just try to avoid/manage it.

If I do the movements more slowly, it is better.  So, perhaps what I should do is try my Pilates workout again, and just not try to keep up with the leader, and stop or take a rest if the dizziness occurs.  It is not debilitating, just annoying.

But I am so happy to have a nice roomy area in the apartment to workout in, and the floor is hardwood so I can do aerobics and then just lay out my yoga mat to do floor work... and yes, I can jump up and down if I like cause their is nothing but storage lockers underneath us.  It is a bright cheery room and I love it.
 
I have scheduled a run for Thursday, and it supposed to rain, but I think I will go out and do it anyway... running in the rain when it is warm is not a problem for me.  And 5km will go very quickly anyway. 

I am also doing very well with my food choices this week.  I have reduced my starchy carb in take by a lot, and the only sweets I am eating are fresh fruit, and a few dark chocolate-covered almonds.  I have even turned up my nose at Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Oh Henry Bars so I am very proud of my little self for that.

I have been loving Chobani yogurt with fresh strawberries and sliced almonds...

and have been slicing strawberries and adding them to my lunchtime salads, too.

and today I did a new Sludge... mixed a ripe banana with crunchy salted peanut butter and a couple of spoonfuls of fat free plain yogurt.  Mmmmm.  Who needs bread?



I have been reading about The Metabolic Effect and find that I am what is called carb-sensitive.  If I don't eat protein every few hours I get light headed and hangry (that means very cranky and likely to stuff the first edible thing I find into my mouth, or just chew your arm off, whichever comes first).  It is not pretty, ask The Captain.

I am going to do some more research   The book, I read is dated and I know there are newer ones around.  I have to thank Tamara, who writes FitKnitChick for posting a vlog about her own struggles with starchy processed carbs and naming some books to read on the subject.  I have them on reserve at my library.

And one more tidbit to share... for those of you who were asking about the swelling in my legs since running my first half marathon on May 13th... I had ultrasounds done on both legs and there are no blood clots!  Which is great news but now to continue searching for the cause of the swellling.  Since I have been drinking the hot lemon water faithfully first thing every morning since the beginning of the month, it has gone down a bit.

Have you read about the metabolic effect?

Are you carb-sensitive?