Boy am I sore today!! Yesterday I was in a training all day. While in the training, I felt frustrated and wanted to help explain things in an easier way for people to understand, but it wasn't my place. The frustration steeped until our lunch break. During my break, I blew off some of this pent up energy by walking 9 flights of stairs.
I was on the 9th floor, so I walked down to the 6th floor, then back up to the 9th floor 3 times. I was able to accomplish this in 15 minutes. So this is what I got out of 15 minutes of stairs, wobbly and shaking legs for 2 hours and this morning sore calves, thighs, hips, and back. Even with the repercussions from the stairs, I am glad I did it.
I was able to decrease my frustration level and begin to relax. While I am sore today, I know that it did me well. I have been looking more and more at Dr. Doug McGuff's information, and some of what he is saying is that to burn fat and increase muscle, using short bursts of intensive activity helps. SO...I considered 9 flights of stairs in 15 minutes a short burst of intense activity (at least at my size :)
I have to give a hat tip to my love, Kat. She got me the best thing for Valentine's Day...a Striiv. This is a great gadget; I LOVE gadgets! Ok, so what does a new gadget have to do with my weight loss journey? The Striiv is a pedometer, but with many more features.
So yes, the Striiv is a pedometer; tells me how many steps I've taken, how many miles I've walked, the equivalent of how many stairs I've climbed, how many calories I've burned. I am able to earn trophies for goals accomplished i.e. walking 1500 steps. There are also challenges you can participate in to increase your activity. Because of these features, I find the Striiv to be more interactive and motivating. The thing is, that's not all! The Striiv also has a game that you can play. By walking you earn energy and you use this energy in the game to build up the land around you. The more you walk, the more energy you get and the more you have to build with. Yet, there is one more feature that really sold me on the Striiv; charity. Based on how many steps you walk, the company will make donations to your choice of 3 different charities in your name. The company is working with their corporate sponsors to make this happen. There is donating towards clean water for villages in Africa, providing polio shots for developing countries, and saving the Amazon rain forest. I have chosen to walk for the Amazon rain forest.
I like the design of the strive. It can be worn on your key chain, but I choose to clip it to the inside of my pocket. I don't even know it's there. It is advertised to be able to work in your purse, on your key chain, or in a pocket. I keep my Striiv on my key chain so I don't forget it, but as soon as I pick up my keys, I remove it and clip it on the inside of my pocket. It is an awesome gadget!
All the data is kept in the Striiv, the only time you need to synch is to download your donations for your charities. Striiv does not help manage your food, it is totally about motivating you to move. For me that is ok because I am already hooked up and successfully use caloriecount.com to help manage my diet and caloric intake.
Kat got herself the FitBit. This is another amazing device. It follows steps, calories burned, but also has an altimeter so it can sense when you are climbing stairs. This device will wirelessly upload this information to your web page on the FitBit site. It also connects with other applications like My Fitness Pal. On the website you are able to track your food intake and caloric needs. The really cool thing about the FitBit is that it also has a way of detecting how well you are sleeping and how many times per night you wake up; it a more holistic view of your health. The FitBit is small and easily clips on belts and bras. Kat clips her to her bra and states that she forgets that it is there.
Both of these are mid range in expense. We found ours at Amazon.com for about $100 each. I am looking forward to seeing how far this gadget will take me :)
As for today, I walked for 35 minutes in the parking garage. Amazingly, my calves and thighs hurt with stairs, but not the garage. Now my low back over my hips hurt. I've had that issue since I've started walking again. I am realizing that I am holding my upper body rigid and leaning forward when I walk. When I realize my back is hurting, I relax, settle into my hips and my center and bring the upper part of my body back. This doesn't totally relieve the pain, but it does ease it enough so I don't want to give up and quit the exercise.
Today's goal was to walk the parking lot-succeeded
Tomorrow's goal- meet my goal of 2000 cal for the day
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