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September 19, 2005

The Power of Moving Your Butt

This is just amazing.

According to my cycling software program, I’ve burned 76,000 calories so far this year. Thirty-seven weeks of 2005 have gone by, and I’ve blasted my way through 76,000 extra calories.

And that’s just on my bike. I’ve torched more calories than that, if you take my running, swimming, lifting, and everything else into account. Throw those in, and the total jumps to around 117,000 calories.

That really blows me away. I never thought to look at my cumulative total. 117,000 calories. Wow.

What is 117,000 calories, anyway?

117,000 calories is more than 33 pounds that I’ve NOT gained this year.

117,000 calories is 450 additional calories that I get to eat, every day. (Yeah!)

117,000 calories is 487 bags of M&Ms. (No, no, no . . . the little bags.)

117,000 calories is one extra meal a day, or 2-3 snacks a day.

117,000 calories is 130 sticks of butter . . . that are no longer sticking to me.

117,000 calories is one bookmark, 4 gold stars, and one “I’ve lost 25 pounds!” magnet. (You WW’ers know what I’m talking about.)

117,000 is 1,603 cups of oil-popped, buttered popcorn. (Or, 3774 cups of air-popped corn.)

117,000 calories is nearly half my total weight loss.

Behold, the power of moving your butt! It’s one of the most powerful forces on earth. ‘Tis far better, if you ask me, to burn an extra 450 calories a day, than to cut rations by that much. I may have mentioned before that I don’t do the deprivation thing. Keeping my butt in gear ensures that I get to eat enough to keep me happy.

So , please, do me a favor . . . The next time you think it’s not worth it to climb on the elliptical trainer for “only” 20 minutes or so, or you think it’s stupid to go out and do a 15-minute walk . . . Remember my 117,000 calories. Everything you do to move your butt adds up. Every single thing. No, you may not rack up the calories at the rate I do (it takes a true bicycling ~~fanatic~~ enthusiast to do that), but I assure you, it WILL make a difference. For example, if you’ve been earning a mere 2 Activity Points every day, you have burned an extra 50,000 calories so far this year. That’s more than 14 pounds.

Is that worth anything to ya?

Thought so.

What are you waiting for? Get moving.

Vacation's Over

As I write this, hubby and I are flying back from a 10-day vacation in the Pacific Northwest. We had a great time: 4 days on the Oregon Coast, and 4 days in Seattle. (And two days in transit . . . oh, well.) We did the winery thing in the Willamette Valley, had fresh salmon fish ‘n chips, roamed the breathtaking overlooks and tide pools on the coast. Those of you who read my companion blog, Carbon Fork, know that we biked 40-some miles in Seattle, enjoying frequent, um, “rest stops” from time to time. (So why should a vacation bike ride be any different from one at home? I‘m well-known, in certain circles, for my triple-Starbucks rides.)

Yeah, I’m sure I gained a couple of pounds. I kept food logs as carefully as I always do, and I estimate that I ate about 6,000 extra calories, despite a fair amount of activity -- two runs on the beach, hiking, and that storied bike ride. Enough to put on nearly 2 lbs of fat.

So. The hammer goes down -- immediately.

Mind you, I had tons of fun, and regret none of it. We enjoyed some great food, including some treats I’m not likely to encounter again for a long time, if ever. Such as: orange-sugared almonds From Pike Place Market. Dilettante mochas from Tully’s. Marionberry cobbler.

But hey, isn’t that what vacations are about? New experiences? Relaxation? Good food, in relative moderation? I sure think so.

Here’s my take on vacation eating: I enjoy it, and I give myself permission to eat more, with the proviso that I record every last bite. I also promise myself that I will hop right back on my usual food plan, the minute I get back home. That’s what I did in January, right after we did a week in Florida. That worked out great, and I dropped my vacation avoirdupois pretty quickly.

OK. Summer’s over. It was a blast, but the season is changing. My daily bike rides are over. It’s time for me to launch a new fall plan. Here’s what I’m going to do --

1. Base calorie level: 1420. I will eat more on days I work out, including bike event days. (Very important.)

2. Weight training twice a week.

3. Spinning at least once a week, and maybe twice a week, if my work schedule will permit.

4. Stretching and back/core/stability ball exercises, first thing in the morning, Monday through Friday.

5. Rotator cuff exercises, twice a week. (And a planned visit to my orthopod later this month, to see if we can figure out what’s with my shoulder, which has not responded to therapy.)

6. Bike riding, weekends and whenever I can otherwise sneak it in.

My goal is to drop whatever weight I accumulated on vacation, as well as to (finally) drop down into the 120s. I also am going to see if I can build another pound or two of muscle. I have not been very diligent, over the summer, with my weight training. So, I’m rearranging my priorities to get more “iron” into my diet. A friend of mine has been working out at a higher level for several months now, and has developed the ability to do unassisted chin-ups. I can’t let her beat me at that, now, can I??

Now, remember: this is MY plan. I’m setting it up for my metabolism, my preferences, and my own particular physical challenges. I had back surgery last year, hence the back and core exercises. I also have a right-arm irritated biceps tendon (and possibly something worse . . . hope not), so I will continue my rotator cuff strengthening exercises, and avoid any activities that invoke shoulder pain.

I don’t want you to think that my plan would be a dandy plan for you. We are different, you and I, and any plan you undertake should be tailored to your own desires and needs. I’m offering plan as a sample only, and to give you an idea of what a post-vacation plan can look like.

Also . . . Notice that I didn’t say anything about going on starvation rations. I don’t believe in deprivation. I’m just not good at it. I am cutting BACK, not cutting OUT. I think I’ve had my fill of fried foods for a while, but other than going back to baking, roasting and poaching, I intend to eat well. For instance, there’s still a lot of great produce to be had. I’m sorry that Rainier cherry season is over, and peach season is waning, but there are still plenty of lovely fruits out there that I will incorporate into my food plan. I’m hoping I can still find some golden kiwi.

I’m also going to step up my consumption of veggies . . . I admit I didn’t eat enough of ‘em, these past few days. I’m better at getting fruits in, than veggies, especially when my schedule gets compressed.

Also, I’m going to have lots of fish. Fortunately, I really love it. Salmon is my hands-down favorite, and bluefish runs a close second. Tilapia, too. I will keep my rice cooker busy, and stock up on my favorite whole-grain breads. Oh, and 365-brand peanut butter, hummus, and extra-virgin olive oil.

And, as always, I’ll have sushi at least once or twice a week.

I can’t wait to get started. Vacations are fun, but it’s always good to get back home. Likewise, it’s good to get back into a normal food routine. It’s comfortable, y’know? Like a favorite pair of socks. Think I’ll slip mine on as soon as I get home.