(Coming to you live today from one of my many part-time jobs, in addition to being a mostly stay-at-home mom -- I'm playing classical music on the radio today! 11am to 3pm Eastern today, listen here if you want!)
It's so nice to feel a little bit of progress, like I'm getting just a hair better and stronger. I had a jump rope moment this morning that really made me happy.
I've been struggling a bit with finding the right rope and figuring out my technique. The first rope I got was vinyl, so-called "EZ Jump" made by Reebok. The middle section is thicker so it's weighted, and theoretically will be easier to jump with. Two problems with this rope: it was all folded up in the box and those bends from folding are still in the rope, and the handles don't really rotate. So after about 15 jumps or so, the rope starts to get kinked and twisted and shorter and then I bonk myself in the head. I have to stop and unwind the stupid thing.
I bought another rope, a better one with handles that rotate well, but I had a hard time figuring out the right length. It was way too long at first, I shortened it but still thought it was too long, so shortened it again, then feared it was too short because I kept hitting myself in the head anyway. I looked up a couple of jump rope videos online to learn more about good form (as Patrick says, we're living in the Matrix and you can find almost anything online) and that really helped. Today, during the last 20 jumps of my last set, everything aligned: my hands were in the right place, I was swishing the rope just right, the rhythm was perfect and it felt great. I'll probably trip again tomorrow, but having just a hint of doing it right was really fun and encouraging.
The food is going okay. I still get a little anxious when I look at what I'm about to eat -- the little voice inside is yelling, "Not enough! Not enough!" But then I eat and everything's okay, it really is enough. Breaking habits takes a lot of repetition. I think about how many times I've eaten more than I needed and I know it'll take many times of eating less to get used to it.
Boy, who knew that a simple comment about laundry would spark so much conversation! But these are the hidden "costs" of getting fit. It's not only the time you actually spend exercising but the time around it. In my case, with a little kid at home, having enough time to shower every day can be a little challenging. (I know, gross, right? But it's true.) I get so sweaty during these PCP workouts that I absolutely have to hose off afterwards, so I have to build that into my workout time. I'm sure that next week when we get our "real" PCP diets, there will be plenty of food prep time. (This is something I see other PCP-ers mentioning a lot, so I expect it to be time-consuming.) I have to remind myself to build in the time to do all those things to keep myself healthy.
After all, every morning at about 8:00 my daughter (who's almost 2) goes to the basement door and says very expectantly, "Dance party?" This is our post-breakfast thing these days: we go downstairs where we have a stereo and lots of space, and we put on very loud music and jump up and down and spin until we get dizzy and bounce on the bed in the guest room. There's a lot of laughing and a lot of shrieking and I'm tired within about 15 minutes. My daughter just runs everywhere by default so keeping up with her is no easy feat. This is why her picture is with me at the top of my blog -- I want to be able to do things with her and provide a good example for her, instead of always just saying, "Mommy's too tired." I was not an athletic kid but maybe she'll have the chance to be one.
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Kudos to you. And the best of luck finding all the time you need. Food prep takes way more time than you expect, or it did for me. The first "real" week is just...a lot of food. One trick is to find heavier veggies and carbs. Instead of bread, try pasta. Instead of one big salad, try a small one, plus a sweet potato or some steamed broccoli. I tried the big salad thing once. I stopped about halfway through.
ReplyDeletehaha Love the dance party. Cuuute. We all need one. I remember when I first eperimented with jump ropes last year and How excited I got when I opened a new one after the previous one failed me. Just got to try them all out for size.haha keep up the grande work.
ReplyDeleteThose Reebok ropes are an abomination. I picked one up a few weeks ago because the weighted middle seemed like a neat idea, and just like you the thing kinks and gets twisted because the handles are so crap. I don't understand how they ever made it to the store, did anyone even TRY one before they shipped it?
ReplyDeleteRant over. But come on!
Kristen, thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteRoyce, you're right, it's just trial and error.
Patrick -- I KNOW! What a crappy product.
i had a similair issue with my nike rope. got twisted all the time.
ReplyDeleteThe trick is to boil a pot of water and but the rope in the hot water, then hang it up. This is a pretty fast way to get it straightened and twist/kink free :)
Tara, do you do that show every friday? I'll tune in!
ReplyDeleteMaren -- thanks for the tip! The biggest problem, though, is that the handles don't rotate, so the very act of jumping gets the rope all twisted up. I think I'm just going to keep using the second rope I bought.
ReplyDeleteElena -- I'm a substitute host, so I fill in whenever somebody has to be out. I also fill in on the local NPR news station. I'll be doing that from 7-11am on Sunday, then I'll be back on the classical station Tuesday from 3-7pm. I'll try to remember to post a reminder the day before!
aw the dance party sounds like so much fun! thats so cool that you do that with your daughter!
ReplyDeleteI know! at the start I was like half a sandwich? this is not gona be sufficient! but actually after the week, its not too bad, my tummy has shrunk (thankgod), so if i eat a little more i feel too full. plus I add in a cuppa which helps the hunger. My main problem was eating too much to extreme fullness, so it feels kind of good - im not sluggish after eating.