I'm in the outer banks of North Carolina almost a year after the picture of me was taken in the big pink chair (when I had no hair). It's been 6 months since my final treatment and I am now able to workout every day for an hour (typically my P90X dvd) and just feel so good about this accomplishment. I'm also noticing that the combination of this work out and the food plan is helping me gain energy, have healthy skin, and just feel better in general. It's been tough to follow the food plan while on vacation ... but since I am on vacation I don't feel so bad about that. Typically I follow it every day until 5:00 then I enjoy the afternoon snacks on the beach and scrumptious dinners.
Although I continue to make progress on my dissertation I still get overwhelmed by the task. This could be due to the fact that I am working 3 part time jobs in addition to trying to get the writing done. Here I was thinking that I don't know how people go back to work fulltime so soon after treatments and yet in essence that is what I have done. My friends and family remind me to maintain the good balance in my life and not to get too down about what I can't accomplish rather focus more on what I have. My advisor continues to be very supportive and reminds me that the dissertation is really small potatoes compared to what I have achieved and that I will be able to get it done. This helps too!
July 10, 2010
June 23, 2010
It works!
I am so excited about the P90X program! For some reason I've been able to stick to the nutritional plan and the exercise and it really does work. I'm on day 15 and I can already see a difference - particularly in the reduction of my gut - but all over more firm than squish. I've lost 4 pounds which is a good rate for losing (2 a week) but celebrate more that my clothes are more comfortable. I cannot imagine what I will look like after 90 days ... I already know that I will feel great.
The nutrition plan really packs in the vegetables (4 servings a day) and protein (7 servings of 20 grams) but only 1 fruit and 1 carb a day. I had pizza the other night with family and I bloated for two days afterwards - crazy. I'm really going to have to be careful when I go on vacation and am surrounded by all kinds of temptations. I typically feel really bloated after vacation so I'll keep that in mind.
I'm still struggling with balancing all projects - I get behind on one so I work on just it but then am behind on the others. Now I'm playing catch up on my dissertation - I just want to get in the habit of working on it every day. Hopefully now that I finished one project I can do this!
The nutrition plan really packs in the vegetables (4 servings a day) and protein (7 servings of 20 grams) but only 1 fruit and 1 carb a day. I had pizza the other night with family and I bloated for two days afterwards - crazy. I'm really going to have to be careful when I go on vacation and am surrounded by all kinds of temptations. I typically feel really bloated after vacation so I'll keep that in mind.
I'm still struggling with balancing all projects - I get behind on one so I work on just it but then am behind on the others. Now I'm playing catch up on my dissertation - I just want to get in the habit of working on it every day. Hopefully now that I finished one project I can do this!
June 4, 2010
Bring it!
What a great week! I shared chapter 3 (methods) with my advisor (minus the measure section) and got some really good feedback. I worked really hard and was able to get a lot of it done. Afterwards my brain was complete mush and it's been a struggle to focus on other work I need to catch up on. Perhaps I just need a daily schedule where I spend a set amount of time on all the different projects in my life instead of spending days on one then to switch to another that I end up being behind on. Sigh - I'll give it a try next week!
I ordered the P90X program and am very excited! My friend loaned me her 10 minute workout DVDs from the same trainer (Tony Horton). I've done 2 workouts a day for the last 4 days. The first couple of days were very hard and I wondered what I would do when the P90X shows up and I have to work out an hour versus 20 minutes! Now it's getting more manageable and my body is getting into the rhythm of being pushed this way. I also make accommodations as needed so I don't hurt myself. Tony's catch phrase is "bring it" so you may see this popping up.
I also found an igoogle application that is a calorie counter. I went onto mypyramid.gov and found out that I should eat 2000 calories a day to lose weight (this shows you just how tall and overweight I am as most women need to eat about 1400 calories a day to lose weight!). It's very handy and motivating as I just have it open on one of my Safari tabs all day long and can even plan meals this way. Finally, I am tracking my activity and caloric intake on a calendar (just as my college roomie had us do) as a way to celebrate progress. Hopefully these are all things that can become part of my regular life so it is not a new and exciting thing that loses its zeal and fades away. I think the exercise will be the easiest to maintain now that I've gotten into a rhythm of needing to exercise each day!
I ordered the P90X program and am very excited! My friend loaned me her 10 minute workout DVDs from the same trainer (Tony Horton). I've done 2 workouts a day for the last 4 days. The first couple of days were very hard and I wondered what I would do when the P90X shows up and I have to work out an hour versus 20 minutes! Now it's getting more manageable and my body is getting into the rhythm of being pushed this way. I also make accommodations as needed so I don't hurt myself. Tony's catch phrase is "bring it" so you may see this popping up.
I also found an igoogle application that is a calorie counter. I went onto mypyramid.gov and found out that I should eat 2000 calories a day to lose weight (this shows you just how tall and overweight I am as most women need to eat about 1400 calories a day to lose weight!). It's very handy and motivating as I just have it open on one of my Safari tabs all day long and can even plan meals this way. Finally, I am tracking my activity and caloric intake on a calendar (just as my college roomie had us do) as a way to celebrate progress. Hopefully these are all things that can become part of my regular life so it is not a new and exciting thing that loses its zeal and fades away. I think the exercise will be the easiest to maintain now that I've gotten into a rhythm of needing to exercise each day!
May 26, 2010
I'm Back!
Hot Yoga was a blast and feel that I got a great detox from the experience. I also had a lot of hot flashes that week too. I even found myself craving the experience - which is a good thing. A week later I went to a regular yoga class (thank you Lee) and realized just how much further you can push yourself when you are really hot and sweaty (mind out of the gutter folks!).
I'm recovering now from an ear and respiratory infection. Just when I was really excited about feeling good again I got sick. It was weird because I was almost out of practice ... I typically get infections like this once or twice a year but with all the chemo and radiation it's been awhile. It did put a damper on my activity level. I was down to just walking the neighborhood for about a week and now I already feel squishier again. But - I finished my antibiotics and am feeling alert and energetic again and will get back on track. I'm considering buying the P90X fitness program. My oncology surgeon used it and got great results (actually he's almost too skinny now ...). I looked and looked all over the web and really could not find any bad reviews. I think that everyone willing to make the time commitment (1 hour a day) and price ($140 with shipping spread over 3 months) got good results. With a 90 day guarantee I figure I would try ... my gym membership is up next week and this is like 3 months payments I would make for the gym anyway (and I don't go as much in the summer when it is nice out). After the hot yoga experience I know that my body likes to have more hot flashes when stressed so I will be prepared ... it's already so hot outside that I'm pretty uncomfortable anyway.
As for my dissertation ... I've been working on the methods chapter and have come pretty far! I've had to change the design of my study based on a new configuration at the school where I will do the study, but I think the change is for the better. It is a more authentic approach which means it can translate better into the classroom. Of course this means the design is not as "neat" so it may not be worthy of the high falutent journals for publications. Goal one is to get it out to teachers (which can be done through the Internet and a possible book) goal two is to present the findings and publish for career advancement purposes (academe really likes it when you publish!).
Hope everyone is doing well!
I'm recovering now from an ear and respiratory infection. Just when I was really excited about feeling good again I got sick. It was weird because I was almost out of practice ... I typically get infections like this once or twice a year but with all the chemo and radiation it's been awhile. It did put a damper on my activity level. I was down to just walking the neighborhood for about a week and now I already feel squishier again. But - I finished my antibiotics and am feeling alert and energetic again and will get back on track. I'm considering buying the P90X fitness program. My oncology surgeon used it and got great results (actually he's almost too skinny now ...). I looked and looked all over the web and really could not find any bad reviews. I think that everyone willing to make the time commitment (1 hour a day) and price ($140 with shipping spread over 3 months) got good results. With a 90 day guarantee I figure I would try ... my gym membership is up next week and this is like 3 months payments I would make for the gym anyway (and I don't go as much in the summer when it is nice out). After the hot yoga experience I know that my body likes to have more hot flashes when stressed so I will be prepared ... it's already so hot outside that I'm pretty uncomfortable anyway.
As for my dissertation ... I've been working on the methods chapter and have come pretty far! I've had to change the design of my study based on a new configuration at the school where I will do the study, but I think the change is for the better. It is a more authentic approach which means it can translate better into the classroom. Of course this means the design is not as "neat" so it may not be worthy of the high falutent journals for publications. Goal one is to get it out to teachers (which can be done through the Internet and a possible book) goal two is to present the findings and publish for career advancement purposes (academe really likes it when you publish!).
Hope everyone is doing well!
May 5, 2010
Cinco de Maio
Hello May!
Lots of fun things happening ... I'm in my one week trial of hot yoga and finding it to be a rejuvenating (although continually sweaty) experience. My skin feels good, I have not experienced much in the way of bloating, and I hurt in strange places. Yesterday I attended the low key class. We started with floor work and moved to standing. Some of the poses were the same as the original class, but now I see the advantage of warming up. Without the intensity of doing all the postures in a hot room leading up to some of the harder ones I found I was not so "bendy". This lets me know that when I try it on my own (without the heat) to not expect I can take my body as far as I do in the classes. I'm still walking with the neighbors and am back to twice a week walks in the afternoon with a friend too.
My nutrition remains about the same. I make pretty good choices but overall I ignore caloric intake and I think it may be time that I begin to pay attention. In no way am I saying that I want to diet, but I do need to reduce some pounds so some change must occur. Not sure of the plan yet but will let you know.
I continue to make good strides with my dissertation and am now trying to figure out how to have enough power to make a controlled experiment design worth doing (aka publishable) as I am not comfortable with other methodologies at this point.
Lots of fun things happening ... I'm in my one week trial of hot yoga and finding it to be a rejuvenating (although continually sweaty) experience. My skin feels good, I have not experienced much in the way of bloating, and I hurt in strange places. Yesterday I attended the low key class. We started with floor work and moved to standing. Some of the poses were the same as the original class, but now I see the advantage of warming up. Without the intensity of doing all the postures in a hot room leading up to some of the harder ones I found I was not so "bendy". This lets me know that when I try it on my own (without the heat) to not expect I can take my body as far as I do in the classes. I'm still walking with the neighbors and am back to twice a week walks in the afternoon with a friend too.
My nutrition remains about the same. I make pretty good choices but overall I ignore caloric intake and I think it may be time that I begin to pay attention. In no way am I saying that I want to diet, but I do need to reduce some pounds so some change must occur. Not sure of the plan yet but will let you know.
I continue to make good strides with my dissertation and am now trying to figure out how to have enough power to make a controlled experiment design worth doing (aka publishable) as I am not comfortable with other methodologies at this point.
April 30, 2010
April 30
What a great day! I got bunches done on my dissertation this morning then had a good meeting with my advisor (via ichat - just love technology). We addressed different questions then set a new timeline that sounds VERY manageable. I will finish chapter 3 in May and chapter 2 in June then we have all of July to refine it. Send it to committee early August and set a date of Aug. 20 tentatively to defend the proposal!!! Gotta keep this good feeling of productivity and motivation rolling.
Also had a good day of eating so far (well, did finish off a solid chocolate bunny ...). Always helps when I pack my meals (as mentioned yesterday). Now I'm off to hot yoga class - that's right day two!
Also had a good day of eating so far (well, did finish off a solid chocolate bunny ...). Always helps when I pack my meals (as mentioned yesterday). Now I'm off to hot yoga class - that's right day two!
April 29, 2010
April 29
I was away from home the first half of the week but I managed to do a pretty good job with all three areas that I am trying to hold myself accountable for. Foodwise I cooked on Sunday and packed most of my meals so when I was hungry/it was meal time I was able to make good choices. I even went out for my favorite meal: salad bar and organic section at the grocery store. I see that it is important for me to eat enough so that I am full and not let long periods of time pass before eating again (when I want sugar the most!). I'm proud to share that I continue to spend less money on food now that I am more thoughtful about what I want to prepare (organic doesn't have to be expensive!).
I made it to the gym on Monday, took a nice walk on Tuesday, walked to the gym on Wednesday (bonus!), and today I walked with the neighbors then went to a 90 minutes hot yoga class. This was different than the last one. Lots of time getting into different postures - most of which require great balance. Good for me to work on. I got to show off my strength and flexibility along with my lack of balance and squishy gut. There were several "bendies" in the class (my sister's term for young skinny things that can flop into any position) along with older folks who know their poses. I was the tallest in the class, tied for being the broadest (one guy in the class), but at least there was one person with a larger abdominal area than mine ... the teacher! Of course I go to yoga for peace of mind, to flush out toxins, to strengthen and tone, but I also hope to lose weight and get rid of my belly shelf! If the teacher is so big it makes me wonder ... I'm just going to wonder that she used to be even bigger and is now smaller ;)
I attended a dissertation defense of a friend this week and was so proud of her! She had a tough time writing her dissertation so it gives me motivation (if she can do it so can I!). And her study is very similar to what I am doing but with a different population so it gave me many ideas and resources. I met with one of my committee members this week and she was very helpful with ideas and letting me know that she is here to help. Looks like I can use some time in the summer to finish up my proposal so I can defend before the school year starts and I want to start my study ;)
namaste
I made it to the gym on Monday, took a nice walk on Tuesday, walked to the gym on Wednesday (bonus!), and today I walked with the neighbors then went to a 90 minutes hot yoga class. This was different than the last one. Lots of time getting into different postures - most of which require great balance. Good for me to work on. I got to show off my strength and flexibility along with my lack of balance and squishy gut. There were several "bendies" in the class (my sister's term for young skinny things that can flop into any position) along with older folks who know their poses. I was the tallest in the class, tied for being the broadest (one guy in the class), but at least there was one person with a larger abdominal area than mine ... the teacher! Of course I go to yoga for peace of mind, to flush out toxins, to strengthen and tone, but I also hope to lose weight and get rid of my belly shelf! If the teacher is so big it makes me wonder ... I'm just going to wonder that she used to be even bigger and is now smaller ;)
I attended a dissertation defense of a friend this week and was so proud of her! She had a tough time writing her dissertation so it gives me motivation (if she can do it so can I!). And her study is very similar to what I am doing but with a different population so it gave me many ideas and resources. I met with one of my committee members this week and she was very helpful with ideas and letting me know that she is here to help. Looks like I can use some time in the summer to finish up my proposal so I can defend before the school year starts and I want to start my study ;)
namaste
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
