Sickness is Still Strong!

This. Cold. Will. Not. Budge.

Welcome to Day 6.

I am furious. Yesterday, I walked on the treadmill for about an hour, nothing too intense. I felt great after, but I was EXHAUSTED. I went home, ate, took a shower and conked out for about two hours.

I have just been truckin' through, and that's probably my problem. I haven't devoted an entire day to just resting. I'm an on-the-go kind of girl and my salaries are hourly. If I don't show up, I don't get paid and that's just the way it goes.

I have probably used up about 70% of the tissues in this house. JUST TODAY.

I hope I'm somewhat better tomorrow, so I can at least go to my internship. It's easy work, but who wants someone sneezing and sniffling at a desk beside them? Nobody.

I personally hate being near a co-worker who sounds like they need to be in bed with a humidifier on. What do you think? If you're sick, stay home or should you power through?

Stay Healthy, please,

Katie

Sniffles and Sickness and Sneezes-- Oh, my!

It's officially that time of year again...the hacking, sniffling, sneezing and coughing of post-holiday sickness. Whether you're battling the cold and slugging through your day-to-day activities or you're bed-ridden with a fever and body aches, you hate to admit your illness.

I'm the type of individual who will fight to the death as far as sicknesses go. I went to school/work with pneumonia in high school for an entire week without knowing it. I thought I had a "bad cold" at the time.

In order for me to stay in bed, I must be really, REALLY, sick.

I've been fighting this cold for a few days now (first noticed my throat was sore on Sunday) and today has been the worst. My throat is all mucousy, swollen and sore. I feel like I'm breathing out fire and my head feels like it's about to pop (it's getting better, thanks to decongestant).

Of course, this all happens at once-- when classes begin. How convenient...

I can easily say that this cold has knocked any semblance of healthy living out of me. I still eat fairly healthy, but exercising has been a no-go. I might try to walk on the treadmill tonight at the gym, but yoga is dreadful when sick (especially with a runny nose).

My best friends while I'm sick have been:

Tea

I've been an avid tea-drinker for a while now. While I do love the occasional coffee, tea helps SO MUCH when I'm under the weather. It's like a liquid hug. Add some honey and my throat feels better instantly.

Sleep

Oh, man...I love a great nap or a great night's sleep. The problem is, I'm busy and I'm a night owl...but I have been carving out time for naps, especially since I've been feeling cruddy.

Water

I try to drink a lot more water when I'm sick. The downside: I pee a WHOLE lot. However, I do feel loads better because I'm flushing all the gunk and toxins out of my body.

I hope these couple of tips helped y'all out. I don't always take medicine for colds, or vitamins, so I try not to falsify "what works for me" if I don't really do it. If I feel bad, I'll pop a few Ibuprofen or a decongestant pill. Sometimes, if it's really bad I'll take a multi-symptom pill, too. 

That's all for now. 

Stay sniffle-free,

Katie

New Year's Resolutions

Hi all,

I just want to start out by saying Happy New Year 2013!

This is my New Year's Resolution:

I'm not about to go shouting from the rooftops about New Years Resolutions, considering I never keep the concrete ones I make (except last year, I vowed to stop biting/picking my nails and I haven't picked/bit SINCE).

New Years Resolutions are ridiculous. They just are.

But, I make them anyway.

I just started journaling (last night) in an actual, real life journal using--wait for it-- a PEN! Goodness. So high-tech. I'm excited to keep myself on track physically, emotionally and mentally. No matter how exhausted I am I need to write one thing per day.

I just want to get to know myself better and try to figure out what I want to do with my life after college. So, we'll see!

In other news, my dad got me a gift certificate to a REAL YOGA STUDIO!!!! GASP!

I'm a little too excited about that.

 I've always practiced yoga at the YMCA (with basketballs bouncing and sneakers screeching above the ceiling tiles) so it will be refreshing to try something more intense!

Well, that's all for now!

Stay motivated, y'all!

Katie

Keeping up with your workout

So...you're working out, and you realize, "when was I here last?"

It's a common problem. Time slips away from us all, and you have no idea when you were last breaking a sweat. You wrack your brain for answers, but you can't come up with a valid date.

You need to track your workouts more often! I'm not talking about calories burned or minutes spent at working out...but I am talking about knowing when you were last at the gym!

What Works for Me

I find that I am most motivated by having a calendar on my bedroom door. I check off each day I workout with a red crayon. I can then see, at the end of the week or month, the last time I worked out. 

This calendar method works best for me, but I also use dailymile.com. Dailymile is a website where you can track your workouts. You can track everything from you running route, to gym routine, to calories burned. You can even log past workouts--so it's great if you go on vacation. You can still easily log your miles and workouts. 

For some reason, I stay more motivated when I discuss and post about working out. I think that's the main reason I love this blog as well as working out in general. I feel like I have to "practice what I preach" and that motivates me. 

What might work for you

• Making calendar appointments in your planner, phone or computer. The reminder can help motivate you and keep you going!
• Talk it up! The more you talk about being fit, healthy and living a healthy lifestyle, the more you will want to do it.

I hope that these ideas work well for you and your lifestyle. If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! Everyone has different methods. Let me know what works for you and how you track your workouts. 

Happy tracking,

Katie

Motivation Station: Workout with a Buddy

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Have trouble getting to the gym? Have you thought about finding a friend, co-worker, or someone from an exercise class to workout with? Working out with another person may seem burdensome, but if you can find someone who motivates you and has a similar schedule as you, it's a win-win situation.

Qualities in a compatible workout partner:

1. Find someone with similar goals. Do you know someone who has similar goals to you? Do you both want to run a 10k? Do they have a similar workout time in mind? If so, you might want to get together and hit the gym, pavement or track together! 
2. Make a no-excuses policy. Don't allow yourself to cancel for silly things like rainy days and sleepy mornings. Make your routine and stick to it. Knowing there is someone else there waiting on you should give you a decent dose of motivation. And don't let your workout buddy's cancellation keep you from working out!
3. Find someone who supports you. You can't make progress if your workout partner is sabotaging you. Make sure you have someone who helps you stick to your goals and supports you.
4. Don't have someone "out of your league." You don't want to be chasing after someone who pushes an 7 minute mile when you're at a 10 minute mile! At the same time, you don't want to be the ring leader, either. If you do get along great with your workout partner and you are different fitness levels, try sticking to the gym instead of going on outdoor runs where you may become separated.
5. Find someone you want to spend time with! If you don't value this person, you won't want to work out with them. You want a workout buddy who you enjoy. Also, hanging out with your buddy outside the fitness realm is always healthy!

As long as you keep these simple qualifications in mind and your eye on the fitness prize, you should have no trouble working out with a partner! Some people may not need to workout with a buddy, but if you need that extra push, meeting a friend might be the push you need. 

Your fit friend, 

Katie

Heart Rate Helper

When I first started working out, I tried the heart rate monitor on the cardio machines, but I had no idea what the numbers meant! I knew I was starting to sweat, but I never knew when I was at the right heart rate. Sure, there were charts in the gym, but my age group was not listed.

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Decoding the Chart

I try to keep my heart rate at 150BPM which is smack dab in the middle of the target heart rate zone! I try not to push myself too hard during workouts because it's dangerous. I'd say aim towards 140-160 BPM as long as you don't have any pre-existing heart conditions. 

How I manage my heart rate

I normally take my heart rate using the cardio machines that have the heart rate monitor option. I'll take it from time-to-time during my workout because the heart rate conductors are normally in terrible spots (like on the non-moving arms of the elliptical). I'd much rather not hinder my workout by worrying about my heart rate the entire time. 

As for taking my heart rate when I'm out on runs, I have begun to gauge myself on how I feel during the run and my breathing. If I'm panting and can't catch my breath-- I'm clearly going too hard. On the other hand, if I'm feeling good and I don't feel that I'm working hard enough, I will certainly push myself harder!

One day, I would love give myself a heart rate monitor! I feel like it would be extremely beneficial to have one for outdoor runs and even on the treadmill--because it's not safe to check your heart rate while running on a treadmill!

Good luck monitoring those heart rates!

Katie

Challenge Yourself!

Are your workouts getting easier? Are you not as exhausted after a workout? If you are trying to lose weight and hit a plateau, you might want to consider upping the ante on your workouts! Here are some great ways to take your workouts to the next level.

How to challenge yourself!

Extend your cardio time or push yourself harder during your cardio workout.

Easier said than done, but trust me, adding more time/effort to your cardio routine might be just what you need. Do you normally keep the elliptical at a lower resistance? Up it by five points or more, or stay on the machine for an extra 10 minutes. You could even do both!

Add weights or intensify your weight routine.

Do you weight train? If not, it might be time to start. 

According to an article in Women's Health Magazine, women who lifted heavier weights for a shorter amount of reps burned more calories. Plus, more muscle = more fat-burning power throughout the day. It keeps your metabolism revved and ready to go!

Mix it up!

Try a new group exercise class, try the elliptical instead of the bike, try the rowing machine, try a new running route, bike instead of walk! There are so many different fitness options out there, and there are so many ways to amp up your routine and get yourself feeling challenged again. 

I try to incorporate all different things into my workout. I try not to run too much because it's bad for my hips and I try to mix up my weight lifting routine. I try to take different classes and my yoga class focuses on different muscle groups each class. 

Remember variety keeps your muscles and metabolism in shape!

Sweat it up!

Katie