Remember the whole best laid plans from yesterday? Well. Around 7pm, I went to cook my frittata. I sliced my veggies and then realized, I was out of gas. I run my stove only on propane. Our heat is electric. So, rather than deal with AmeriGas, whom I despise, we just use a little 30 pound tank. It lasts us about 2.5 months. We ended up eating leftovers and salads. It was all good. This morning, I called Tractor Supply to 1. See if they were open ( I live in the South, we had a “snow event.” That is a blog for another day) 2. To make sure they had propane. There is a propane shortage. I think it is everywhere. They were open. No propane, though. We certainly are not going to starve. I am adaptable. I also own a toaster oven, microwave oven, griddle, two slow cookers, and a deep fryer. Tonight, I am cooking fajitas. Low calorie, because it is simply seasoned beef with peppers and onions.
I am not going to post my recipe because it is simple. However, if you need one, my friend Rachael Monaco has a great one here. http://www.examiner.com/article/honey-cilantro-shrimp-fajitas-recipe-for-cinco-de-mayo-celebration Feel free to substitute chicken or beef for the shrimp. I also prefer a warm corn tortilla to save on some calories.
Today is Wednesday. My rest day from exercise. I am so happy. I was telling my sister, Judy Jetson (name changed, privacy, yada yada yada), how much I hate exercising. She stated that EVERYONE hates exercising. I asked about people who run marathons. She stated these people had simply found an exercise they hate less than any of the others. Interesting thought.
Let me start out saying I hate my exercise routine–With the white-hot passion of a million suns in a million different solar systems to the millionth power. BUT. It is sadly good for me. I can barely move. Every muscle deep inside is SCREAMING at me. I find it akin to torture. But my blood pressure, which has been completely unstable for years, even with meds, has run around 119/79 since I started hurting myself, torturing myself exercising. So, I SUPPOSE I will continue this.
I have been on my lifestyle change (remember, not a diet) for almost three weeks. Week One, I spent just adjusting to tracking my food, making healthy choices, googling all my beloved fattening foods and planning. Week Two, I decided I needed a little exercise thrown in there. Mickey bought me a recumbent bike almost a year ago. I’ve spent that year decorating it for Christmas, looking at it and THINKING about exercising, moving it around my living room, offering to sell it for extra cash and sitting on it when I have more company than seating. I decided to FINALLY bite the bullet and get on it. Day One, I rode for 20 minutes and it was okay. Days two and three I bumped it to 30, still ok, but I really felt I should be doing MORE. I am unsure as to why I thought this, since I didn’t want to do anything anyway.
For some strange, crazy reason (alien attack in my head maybe?) when we went to Wally World last Friday morning, I bought a Jillian Michaels DVD and a set of three pound hand weights. It’s the DVD “Ripped in 30.” It doesn’t say 30 what. I suppose for MOST people it is probably 30 days, but for me? MAYBE 30 weeks. I am thinking it will more than likely be 30 months and quite possibly 30 years. I can tell you I have done Week One for 5 days and I am no where near ready to move to Week Two. I am thinking HER Week One will be my Month one. The good part about this DVD is she shows modifiers and it is circuit based. Just about the time I think “I am dying, Jesus here I come.” she switches the exercise and I can somewhat breathe. I can now plank for an entire 7 seconds on a good day.
The DVD runs about 24 minutes. I am also biking for 16 minutes at a moderate pace. I personally think it is an ATOMIC pace, but that is because I haven’t biked since I was 16. So, I am now exercising for 40 minutes. Because I am TFGND, I burn lots of calories, too. About 650 each session. I can tell because I have never had sweat fall of me the way it does when I am following Jillian. I look like the Wicked With of the West after Dorothy throws water on her. I also have a greenish hue to my skin because all that exercise makes me feel as if I were going to puke.
I am unsure how and why anything that makes me feel as if I were going to puke is good for me. I also hate the fact that I had better do my blogging and any housework prior to the workout because once I actually do the workout, I am useless. My legs don’t even want to carry me down the hall to the bathroom. Then, they don’t want to squat, so I can sit on the toilet. Once down, they don’t want to raise me back into an upright position. In fact, I have a large pot sitting on my stove that is clean. It belongs in the bottom of the pantry. Know why it isn’t there? BECAUSE I AM NOW INCAPABLE OF BENDING DOWN TO PUT IT THERE. I have had open heart surgery, gallbladder surgery, three c-sections, an appendectomy, tonsils removed, broken bone set, and nothing has hurt as badly as exercising to Jillian. Ok, maybe the open heart surgery, but that is it.
In order to get my body to cooperate, I have to promise it the recliner and a few Motrin when I am done. I spend the rest of the evening and the next day saying “ow, ow, ow” up until it is time to start the whole routine all over again. The funny part in all this? I was really looking forward to today. My body does need a rest after circuit training. But strangely, instead of being happy, I have felt irritable all day.
In order to motivate, I made a kick-a$$ Exercise playlist on Spotify. Stuff from the 80s up until now, all very fast-paced. I like to start with Springsteen’s “Born to Run” (which yes, is actually 1974) and then let it shuffle around. If you are interested in looking or listening to my playlist, you can find me as hobbs6799 on Spotify.
Oh, and just in case you wondered. Ibuprofen doesn’t have any calories.
Disclaimer Section:
I received no pay, no freebies or anything else from AmeriGas for hating them or from Tractor Supply for being unable to purchase propane from them.
Jillian Michaels has no clue I exist. She has given me no pay for mentioning her either. WalMart is the same, nothing free, no free products, no money for saying I shop there. Honestly, I am a little afraid of what would happen if Jillian knew I existed. She scares me.