Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Day 15 - Prioritizing

I work a full time job, am currently rehearsing for a holiday show (Traditions of Christmas--East County Performing Arts Center--Dec 10th through the 23rd--contact me for tickets :D), am training for a half marathon and trying to find time to spend with friends and family during the holidays. How the heck do I add and EXTRA 6 hours a week of activity into an already busy schedule? (And I won't mention the time it takes to prepare healthy meals...) Talk about stress...my left eye is STILL twitching!

Last night, I came to the conclusion that my half marathon training isn't cutting it entirely as my 2 hours of cardio a week. Why? Because I'm not between 65% and 85% of my max heart rate when I'm running, which is the optimum heart rate zone for fat burning. I normally run at about 90% of my max heart rate and sure, I'm aerobically fit, but I want to incorporate some cardio in which I'm maximizing my fat burn rather than just depleting stored glucose. That's going to take extra time that I really don't have...or do I?

I've really been struggling with feeling like I've over-committed myself. I mean, there are only so many hours in the day and I CHERISH my sleep. I'm used to getting 8+ hours a night and lately I've been sleeping at around 11 and waking up between 5:00am and 5:45am. (Sooooo not enough sleep for me.)

I realize that my health is (and should be) my MAIN priority. I have to schedule a majority of my workouts at the crack of dawn, because it's the only time I can consistently do them. Yes, some mornings I spend more time than I should arguing with myself about whether I should hit snooze again or get up. Yes, some mornings I just don't have the energy and some mornings my warm bed tries to convince me to stay out of the cold air. But when I finish a workout I never think it was a waste of my time--I'm always thankful that I did it.  

Sure, there are times when unforseen circumstances can throw my schedule off track. In those times, I try NOT to think, 'Oh well, too bad I couldn't work out.' Instead I think, 'Okay, when can I fit this workout in later this week?'

Now that I've entered the third week of my program, I'm really starting to feel the benefits of the changes I've made to my lifestyle. I have more energy to get through the day (without the aid of caffeinated beverages). Food is starting to taste different to me. Last night on the way home from rehearsal, I ate some grilled chicken breast strips and steamed green beans. No salt, no sauce, and it was SO GOOD.

The results I'm seeing are definitely driving me to continue on this path. Despite the few hiccups I've had so far, it really isn't as hard as I keep thinking it should be. I just have to continue doing what I'm doing. I still have a-ways to go in reaching my ultimate goal. Right now, I'm 46% of the way toward my short term goal of 170 pounds and 19% of the way toward 145. Woot!

Oh, and by the way, my elbows are all better now. Just in time for Chris to throw some more planks in our workout tomorrow. :)

2 comments:

  1. Dang, I don't know how you're keeping up with your blog too but...rock on! You've definitely inspired me to get my own butt in gear. :)

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  2. what mariel said...you are so inspiring, girl. i actually ran today. it's thanksgiving. i've never worked out on thanksgiving in my life. but it was so good!

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