Gelatin and Mayo everywhere

Yesterday I did not bother logging my food -- but it's safe to say that it's not the sort of day to ever be repeated.

I threw a retro food/1950's themed housewarming last night. In the preparation -- I ate sampled a lot of cured meats and pickled vegetables. During the party, more than necessary amounts of gelatin and mayo were consumed. And a very necessary amount of cocktails were had.

Although this morning my stomach feels like a dump truck, which is a really good sign that jelly-filled-polony is not a nourishing foodstuff.

It's about barriers pt. 2

Another big barrier is having the option of not needing to actually go anywhere to get exercise in.

I love swimming -- I finding soothing and invigorating. But I hate having to muster the effort to find the time when the pool is open, get dressed, organised, drive to the pool, and pay for entry before I've even swum my first lap. I want something free, with minimal scheduling needed.

I bought myself a recumbent stationary bike second-hand from gumtree. Upright bikes hurt my crotch, and I've heard this issue is worse for those of the testically-inclined. It was the best $100 I've spent in a long while.  It means that when it's 9pm at night, and all I want to do is go to bed -- it doesn't take very much effort to sit and ride the bike while I watch something on netflix. It's so comfortable -- well, as comfortable you can get when you are sweating and panting.

(This is just a tribute)

It's about barriers

One of the biggest barriers to me working out is getting dressed in work out gear. Fat girl workout gear is usually pretty uninspiring, and makes me feel like a frumpy housewife, so I'm never excited to wear it. If exercise is pretty blah already, having crappy clothes that make me feel like crap is definitely not a way in incentivise me to do it.

What I want, ideally, is workout gear that doubles as casual wear. The sports luxe and athleisure niches that have been big these last few seasons have made wearing good quality active wear way more acceptable to be worn outside the gym. I know that when I get home for the day if I can just change into a cool outfit that doubles as activewear, that means I have the flexibility to continue about my day until the moment to workout takes me. Then I can just do it.

This is why I've been keeping a close eye for cute, adorable active wear in size fat. They do exist! But that's another post of it's own. But now that I have some, getting exercise in has been much less of a drag.

Do a little bit nearly everyday

My philosophy on exercise is to do a little bit nearly everyday.

Which just so happens to agree with the Australian Department of Health's recommended guidelines for physical activity for adults.

• Doing any physical activity is better than doing none. If you currently do no physical activity, start by doing some, and gradually build up to the recommended amount.

• Be active on most, preferably all, days every week.

• Accumulate 150 to 300 minutes (2 ½ to 5 hours) of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes (1 ¼ to 2 ½ hours) of vigorous intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both moderate and vigorous activities, each week.

• Do muscle strengthening activities on at least 2 days each week.

For people like me, who are perfectionistic and time starved, we really want to do exercise that is the most efficient to achieve good health. And in the quest of trying to do the BEST POSSIBLE THING (tm), we get swept up in the mythos and dynamism of the diet industry and bro-culture. So sometimes it's important to remember that being healthy is not about being the best all the time, but it's about moderation and consistency - because every bit accumulates. So for me, that means doing a little something nearly every day.

My tale of woe

I bought new loafers-- they are good quality leather, and as stiff as [genital reference]. I was so excited to wear them, that I didn't do any of the usual prerequisite breaking in. No socks, no ice, no hairdryers. It took 5 minutes before my heels were torn up, and I had to take them off and walk around the shops in bare feet.

Cut to that evening, and I want to go for a walk. So I put on thick socks and band-aids to protect my heels, and even though my trusty Asics are fairly cushioned and padded, it was too painful to walk. Unperturbed, I decide to walk in my Birkenstocks.

Now I have blisters on the bottom of my feet, and it hurts to stand.

I guess I need to figure out an alternative form of exercise that don't use my feet at all.

Monday Logs (4th May to 10th May)

Lots of LISS (low intensity, steady state) this week, because that was the exercise I felt most like doing. Also the weather is excellent for walks right now.

Monday 
Food - Food - Click
Exercise - 2 hour walk, 9km - with friend

Tuesday 
Food - Click
Exercise - 1.5 hour walk, 9 km - 2 kms around uni, 7kms walk with Dad (something about this entry doesn't feel right -- I think I got length of time wrong).

Wednesday 
Food - Click
Exercise - 30 min walk, 2.5 km - with friends, uphill

Thursday 
Food - Click
Exercise - 30 mins stationary bike, 7km, resistance 3/8

Friday 
Food - Click
Exercise - 30 mins stationary bike, 6km, resistance 2/8

Saturday 
Food - Click
Exercise - N/A -- went to quiz night. Lightly active during day doing errands.

Sunday
Food - Click
Exercise - 1 hour walk, 4 km - with husband.

Fat Girl Working Out Problems

Is there such a thing as workout pants that don't fall down when you do pylometrics because your junk is shaking them off with enough force to hammer nails into plywood?

Monday Logs (27th April to 3rd May)

For accountability and transparency, I thought I would post my food and exercise logs (flogs and elogs?) on this blog weekly.

Monday 
Food - NA
Exercise - Fitness Blender Low Impact Cardio Workout

Tuesday 
Food - NA
Exercise - Darebee Kickboxer

Wednesday 
Food - Click
Exercise - Darebee One and One

Thursday 
Food - Click
Exercise - Darebee Beowulf

Friday 
Food - Click
Exercise - Darebee Masterpack

Saturday 
Food - Click
Exercise -  60 minutes cycling on recumbent bike, light effort

Sunday
Food - Click
Exercise - Darebee You Had Me At Bacon

I like to ride my bicycle

Good News Everyone!

I picked up a recumbent stationary bike on gumtree for $100 on Friday. I really like recumbent bikes -- they are way less aggressive on the vagina than regular bikes. Finally, now I can watch netflix and sweat disgustingly without having to buy a bucket of KFC. All my dreams have come true.

Babble: Rekt

So when I started this blog I got it into my head that FIVE DAYS OF BODY WEIGHT TRAINING IN A ROW would be a good idea for someone who sporadically works out. This was not a good idea. Yesterday was day 4 and I was wrecked so I skipped it and got some sleep. However, I woke up this morning not wanting to die, so that was nice.

Yet another lesson in taking it slow and steady.

To do: find some low impact, low intensity forms of exercise for alternate days.