Zumbabalance

March gone. Done and dusted. How did it all go:
Exercise and heath: The calf injury at  the beginning of the month forced  me to give up exercising for two weeks. It was very frustrating  and I was  impatient to get back on track. Mid March I started  my exercise programme again at first with cross training and weight lifting,  next balance and then back to zumba.  And  it went a bit pear shaped again as I did three zumba sessions in a row every other day.  Obviously my body didn't like it and developed a mild flue. Tisk tisk. Nothing major but a little chesty cough started to lurk there in the mornings. Lessons learnt
- do not do three zumba sessions in a week however much you love it if you not fit to do so
- everything in moderation and in balance: variety, variety
- go back to the basics: a little cardio, short weight lifting  followed by a bodybalance session is really what I need to do regularly
- exercise  less (time wise) but do it  more often
- no more than two zumba sessions per week and have a longer break between them
- MerjaUK you are stiff like a stick: Research for a home stretching programme which would be SHORT but effective
Eating: My daily calorie intake is planned for  - 500 kcal  / day in order to  lose approximately 2 kgs per month. This hasn't happen  regardless that I have followed the system. What a puzzle. Either I'm cheating, or I fill some estimates wrong or my metabolism is so slow that I should aim for bigger daily calorie loss. This is something I need to look at this month.
Emotions. Fine. I am  a happy bunny and zen with my "Fit for Fifty" plans and actions.

Next Steps: Carry on. Give love away:

EDIT Food for Thoughts:
"To be a miner of diamonds,
take care of your picks and shovels.
To be a miner of your spiritual Self,
take care of your body, breath, and mind.
But don't confuse the tools and the goals."

%&@~! Arrrrrrrrghhhhhhh and February Update

Pulled-Muscle.com

Do I need to say more!  It just happend. I was happy zumbaing on Thursday and suddenly there was something  that felt like a kick on the side of my left calf. I didn't slip or lose my balance and this happened 40 minutes into the session. The Big Unpleasant Surprise: And snipping pain. And  the first aid. And the cold compressor. And elevation. And rest.

I have never experienced anything like this: calf strain or torn calf muscle. Oh dear, I am not laughing as nobody knows at the moment how long this takes to heal and when I am able to go back to my exercise plan.  The doctor just said to see how it goes and rest. Airy Fairy.

And what is the difference anyway with a rupture and distension? Just the other ends of the same thing I believe. On Thursday and Friday I couldn't put weight on my left foot at all and I was unable to stand straight. My calf was really really painful. I am not a happy bunny as I am still limping.

However thinking back to February I am pleased. I eventually won the battle against nasty flue bugs and finally felt well towards the end of the month. Back to the gym experience has been great and weight loss is happening on steady slow pace.  Now I have a bit of a challenge in March as frustration and disappointment are the words in my mind: How to keep positive regardless of my injury?

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Edit: Maaretta - welcome to our blog!
Edit 2: Welcome you travellers in the Universal Blogland  from Finland, Great Britain, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, New-Zealand, Italy, United States, Canada and Belgium

January review

Exercise:

Health wise it hasn’t been the best start to the New Year: two weeks sick leave because of number of infections like tonsillitis, ear infection, bronchitis and sinusitis. And today, when it was time to start my PT sessions I am poorly again. Where does all that phlegm come from? And sore throat and feeling rotten? So I had to cancel my booking and I heard that my instructor had just been sent home poorly. That’s that then; for a while.

Eating:

What has happened though is that I have been more conscious about what I eat. I have managed to cut down amount of cheese and I do not drink wine at home. My portion sizes are mainly OK. However my weight loss hasn’t been that much; only a bit less than 2 kg in a month.  I am not willing to cut down more calories as my rough guess is that I eat about 1500 kcal per day – some days more and some days less. Perhaps I should do a calorie count for two weeks to see if I am right? Hmmm.

What do I eat then?

Breakfast 7.00 am: 1 Activia natural yoghurt. 1 tbls of walnuts + couple of almonds. 1 small banana. A little bit of other soft fruit as ½ mandarin or 5-7 grapes. 1,5 tbls  of spelt serials. 1,5 dl orange juice. Coffee with milk.

Morning 11.00 am: coffee with milk

Lunch 12.45 pm: Usually 3 dl vegetable soup, orange, 2 hard breads (hapankorppu) with 1 25gr slice of lowfat (17%) cheese OR salad with a tin of tuna and tomatoes + fruit

Afternoon 3.30 pm : a piece of fruit

Dinner some time between 5.30-7.0 pm: something such as quorn or tofu and vegetables. Normal vegetarian dishes like lasagne, tacos, shepherdess’ pie, jacket potatoes, mince sauce etc. and salads.

Evening snack 9pm: Greek Total 0% yoghurt with some fruit.

If I have felt like needing an extra snack I have had a piece fruit or couple of hard breads with low fat Philadelphia cheese.  And yes, every now and then (rarely though) I have had a piece or two of chocolate.  

Writing this list now I can see that

-         I might need a mid morning snack (fruit)

-         I need to be careful with my extra snacks

-         again revisit my portion sizes at dinner times

What I am going to do for two weeks now is to write down what I eat. My aim is around 1400 kacls per day.

Level of optimism:

I feel more at ease with my eating and weight los plan. It is a pity that I have been poorly and not been able to start my exercise plan. However the big thing is that I am aware and conscious about what I eat - in  a relaxed way. Generally I feel positive and optimistic. The disappointment of the month is the amount I have lost. Perhaps this just highlights the fact that controlling my eating can not be the only factor for successful weight loss.  I feel better in my body and I do not think that this minimal weight lost is completely water retention. I have drank lots of water though and tea as I feel thirsty when I do not feel well.

Summa Summarum:

Carry on regardless.Keep the rhythm.