Most Popular

A Running Guide for the Overweight Runner

There is a man that runs around my town all of the time carrying himself with no evidence of being tired. You may see him out at the park r...

3.25.2010

Little by little, inch by inch & YOGA attempt #1

Aside from teaching my normal middle school classes, I also teach computer typing classes. A couple of my girls in the third grade asked if I wanted to hear a song that they had learned and I, of course, said yes. I really liked the message that the song had.

Little by little, inch by inch
by the yard - it's hard, by the inch - what a cinch
never stare up the stairs, just step up the steps
little by little, inch by inch


Obviously - little by little is about the way that I am moving - slowly, but the message is a lot cooler than that. I keep thinking about what I am not able to do right now (running, basketball, simple normal walking, etc), but when I focus on what I can't do it takes away from the things I can do. I like the line, "never stare up the stairs, just step up the steps". There was more to the song but those simple lines opened my eyes to what I was missing. I think I was kind of in a funk yesterday but that line brought me right out.

I had a really good workout today and I tried something new, but I will get to the new thing later.

Workout

My workout started with me shooting 100 free throws. I made 70 out of those 100. I had decided that any of the free throws that I missed I would have to do a push-up for each miss in return. That means that I missed 30 free throws; I did 30 push-ups. I did twenty of them in a row and the remaining ten as a second set. I really think I could have made more than 70, but I got rushed off the court -- some people wanted to know if they could play full-court and I told them I was almost done. I rushed the last 5 shots...missed 4 of them. Darn kids.

Free throws: 70/100
Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 12
Mid Press: 2 sets of 10
Butterfly press: 2 sets of 10
Lat Pulldowns: 2 sets of 10
Low Row: 2 sets of 10
Push-ups: 30
Jump-Rope:2 sets of 20 sec. fast (one leg)
Leg raises: 2 sets of 30 second holds
Tricep Dips: 2 sets of 8


Walking Today: 2.33 miles...(So happy for the boot rather than crutches)

Food

My wife was craving Chinese tonight -- she never wants Chinese so I thought that I could find something that was halfway healthy. We checked out the menu for a good 5-10 minutes and I decided on the chicken and broccoli w/rice. I also got crab rangoon (sp?), one of my personal fav things.

I didn't think about it being covered in a sauce but that's okay. I ate the chicken and broccoli and little of the rice (not a huge fan of rice) and then ate too many of the crab rangoon. I don't stray from my food intake normally at all, I did for the crab rangoon. I do not eat the outer edges, just the inside goodness. It was a good meal and now I move on from the crab rangoon excess.

My First Yoga Attempt

I told my wife that she could not go into the spare room because I didn't want anyone to see me struggling to get into the downward dog position, especially with my ankle the way it is. I found an 8 minute yoga session on a free podcast on my iPod and set out to do it. I knew that there would be some poses that I could not do so I just tried to adjust the best that I could to them.

My first attempt at Yoga = failed attempt.

I was not good at it. I was trying to watch the video and focus my breathing while figuring out what the warrior pose was while trying not to put much weight on my ankle in the boot. This yoga session was targeted for weight loss and I really think that it would work, if I could do all of it.


What is one exercise or routine that you have tried and just failed at in the beginning?

18 comments:

Nikki Bond said...

Did they make up that song specifically about you?! Wow what a message! Third graders? I'm inspired!

Christine said...

wonderful post.
One pound at a time.
One day at a time.
I like your attitude.
Great job.

Dana (www.eatsleepgetfit.com) said...

Very creative with the workouts, I like it.

I am not good at Yoga either. I have tried it and tried it and tried it again. I will keep trying.

Kyle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kyle said...

Wow, you are really making the best of your ankle! In fact, you are outdoing fully capable folks as well!

Good job with the yoga...I've done it too and I'm far from "there" on it.

Jillian Micheales "Banish the Fat, Boost Your Metabolism" kicked my booty the first time around...there hasn't been a second time, yet...yet.

I will beat that bitch...oh yes...I will.

Seth said...

@Nicole - no, I teach at a private christian academy and there teacher taught it to them

Blubeari said...

ooooooh don't give up on yoga, it is so rewarding! And I have to say, even if you just go once it can be really helpful to be in a class with an actual instructor. They make little adjustments that make all the difference.

I have tried and miserably failed several times to be a runner. But I vow that one day it will happen!

Seth said...

@nicole again -- that looked terrible for me....*their*

Pining for Pinterest said...

I love crab rangoons too :)

Anonymous said...

Was the yoga podcast you tried for beginners? I know when I tried yoga the first time I found it incredibly difficult. But then I found a yoga for beginners and the instructor broke down every pose first and started slow and worked up as your progressed.

Seth said...

@Lora - I think I would have been fine - it's just the ankle that held me up. I've been watching quite a few podcasts on yoga and have seen many of the poses...just putting them together in a progressive order was difficult.

I'll look again for a specified, beginner's yoga

-J.D. Humenay said...

I find I'm RARELY good at anything the first time I try it. I really had to work hard to be good at Basketball, Soccer, Softball, etc. Softball I felt particularly aweful at - until I found my niche - Catcher! In the outfeild (where most of the lousy players were religated), I got board and felt dettached from the game. But I found that as a Catcher, I was more immersive. I had to work hard every day to the leg strength up to squat for LONG periods of time, etc. It was hard, but I found I wanted it so baddly, that NOT doing it wasn't an option.

Unknown said...

No Yoga for you; especially those that require you to be on your feet like Downward Dog, or Warriors, etc. I would recommend Pilates. It targets your core and lengthens your muscles. You can even use resistance bands. See if you can find a freebe online. Good luck, and Speedy Recovery!

Andrew is getting fit said...

It's great to see you are so positive and still working out even with the ankle!

Kristen @ Change of Pace said...

I started taking a body combat class at the gym. It is basically martial arts and kick boxing combined. I felt like SUCH an idiot and hid in the back row! But after like 3 classes I moved up to the front row of the class and rocked it!

I have been seriously craving chinese food too. I love the chicken, rice, and broc and I either get the rangoons or the dumplings too.

Rachael said...

I looooove crab rangoon!

Your pictures look awesome...keep up the great work!!

Kat said...

Wonderful post Seth! I like the song too..:-) I think you are doing so well with your attitude and this injury. Focus on what you can do. It looks like you had a pretty good workout. Yoga is definitely something that takes time and practice. There are so many different styles out there too. Maybe try another podcast? I am going to buy some new yoga dvd's and will let you know if I find one that I love.

Anonymous said...

Shhh, don't tell anyone - I'm not good at Yoga either. :)