Tinkerblue

Skincare is Black and Muddy and Scary!

I have/had all sorts of problems with my skin. As a teenager I had acne, as an adult I still get breakouts. But now the breakouts come complete with fine lines, wrinkles, enlarged pores, red patches, oily patches , dry patches... Not to mention sun damage.

Over the years I've had over the counter pills, creams, ointments and prescription drugs and creams, including birth control pills. Some work for a limited time, some don't work at all. I even had a sun lamp for a while on the recommendation of my doctor. Just for my face.

It has gotten better. The breakouts are less frequent. But the patchiness is increasing. My dermatologist recommended 3 products for me to try.

Cetaphil cleanser . I've been using this for years anyway. It's really gentle and doesn't aggravate my skin. It's cheap and I can buy it in bulk from Costco.

Bio-Oil. This is supposed to help the dehydrated parts of my skin. It may also diminish some of the acne scarring. I'm supposed to use it twice a day. It does seem to take along time to absorb so I'm not sure about using it in the am. I don't think I can use it before applying make-up or the make-up will slide off.

Boscia Luminizing Black Mask.
http://www.bosciaskincare.com/newsite/product_detail.php?cPath=0&products_id=116&category=new&dept_id=35

This I get to use twice a week. It's supposedly going to help with the redness and the dullness and the enlarged pores. We'll see. But it's fun to peel off.

I have a 3 month supply of the bio-oil and the mask. So I'll see how my skin looks and feels come the end of June. That's also when I go back to the dermatologist for a mole check up.

Mammogram!!!

I thought ~grams were fun and delivered to your door. You know, candygrams, stripograms.

Well mammograms are most certainly not delivered to your door. Although it wasn't far. There is a mobile screening unit in town this week. In city hall. Two minutes from my front door.

I was supposed to go last year. That whole turning 40 thing. Yeah happy welcome to your fabulous 40's. Let's go get your boobs squished flat.

For various reasons it didn't happen. Either I or they had to reschedule. So when I found out the mobile unit was here, I figured I'd better do something about it.

I don't what everyone is complaining about. Seriously it wasn't that bad. Not even uncomfortable. I kept waiting for it to get bad, for it to hurt. I asked the Technician when I should expect to feel pain. She said that I was already at full compression, so if it wasn't hurting now then it wouldn't. All I felt was cold.

That's if for another year. Yep, I've been told I need to have an annual mammogram. I think that's actually normal for my age group (40-49). Results should be here in 2-3 weeks.

Friday Weigh In

This week I not only lost weight, but I broke 180. Yeah me. Today I am 178.6 lbs - down 1.6 this week. We did much better at eating at home, eating veggies, drinking lots of water and eating less sugary snacks or soda. It definitely paid off. And yes 1.6 lbs for the week is good. A guide for a sustainable weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week. Losing more than two pounds a week is hard to maintain long term and can result in yoyo dieting. I'm in it for the long term, so I'll take the 1.6lbs.

Hubby has lost inches and inches. Off his belly and hips. And gained muscle in his arms and legs.

We've been going to boot camp 5 days a week for 4 weeks. If you have a prefect attendance you get 50% discount on the following month. We both made 20 sessions in a row our first month. Hubby is away next week (week 4) and was away for 3 days of the first week. So he was going to miss 8 classes. Nah huh.

He did 20 classes in 12 days by going twice a day (6am and 630pm) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays as well as Tuesday and Friday mornings. He is now exhausted. But he looks good. He doesn't quite have a 6 pack. But close. Looking good honey.

I have another week to go.

(my laptop died so I'm posting from an iPhone/iPad app - it won't let me add links or place photos, so they're all at the end of the posts)

Friday Weigh In

180.2lbs. Exactly the same as last week. No loss. But on the upside, no gain either. It wasn't totally unexpected.

We ate out, ate a lot and made bad food choices all week.

We've now stocked the fridge and the pantry with healthy snacks, lots of veggies and fruit. And on Sunday I'll spend some time meal planning for the rest if the week.

That should cut down on the number of times we say there's nothing to eat, let's go out. It should also mean we eat more of the food we have, and throw less of it out at the end of the week.

This photo has nothing to do with this post. It's the jewelry I've worn this week. For some reason it's accumulated on the ledge outside the bathroom. This little pile caught my eye. My favourite pieces for this week.

If My Muscles Could Talk

They would be screaming. Very Loudly. Hubby and I have been going to boot camp 5 days a week.

Unfortunately for me, the workouts can be a little repetitive. Lots of jumping. Jumping Jacks, squat jumps, skipping ropes, burpees... my calf muscles are not recovering between sessions.

In the morning boot camp is held in a Sun Hang Do studio with foam mats on the floor. We aren't allowed to wear our shoes on the mats. The mats are too soft and it's putting extra stress on my calf muscles.

My calf muscles are tight. Too tight. I'm stretching them 2-3 times a day. I'm icing them many times a day.

Today I finally went to my massage therapist. I should have gone days ago. Not only are my calf muscles throwing a revolt but my IT bands are starting to join in.

An hour later, my legs are sore and a little bruised, but feeling better. If I had the $$, I'd get a massage every day. For now once a week will have to suffice.

Oh and I'm taking tonight off. Maybe tomorrow too.

Weight Watchers Weigh In

So today I weighed in... I last went on December 9th, 2010. At that time I was 177lbs.

Today, March 10th, 2011 I weighed 180.2lbs. So up 3.6lbs from my lowest at 176.6 on December 2nd.

Okay, I can live with that. We continued running all through December and we started going to Boot Camp in February. So obviously that helped. Had we watched what we were eating then I may have maintained the 177. However we made that choice.

Next Friday that total will go down!

Joining Weight Watchers

Last year Hubby and I decided we really needed to do something about our fast food, eating out, no exercise lifestyle. I've posted lots about our exercise. Well mine. Hubby just started working out in December.  

Back in August, after a summer of flying around Canada and Washington, and eating 3 meals a day in hotels I was at my heaviest in long time. 198lbs. Yep 198lbs.  (90kgs). I'm short. So at 5'4" I don't carry 198bs well.  I'm also apple shaped, have been all my life. So I carry most of the extra weight around my middle. Not a good look.

 

July '10, ~198lbs

 

Over our first 6 weeks of paying attention to what we ate, I lost 4 lbs. But we were still eating out a lot, eating the wrong types of food and eating too much. Isn't it amazing that we knew exactly what we were doing wrong, but couldn't (or wouldn't) do anything about it.

I decided that I really needed some accountability. Not just to myself but some sort of public accountability. Otherwise I'd just go back to my old ways. Hubby suggested a spreadsheet, which I did, but it wasn't enough. About the same time, a friend of mine was going back to Weight Watchers.  (I'm not naming her, because I haven't asked if I can). She's a lifetime member, and has successfully lost weight and kept it off before. She had a bit of a rough, emotional year last year and gained a little back. She wanted to lose 20 lbs. So we joined together. 

 

 Oct '10, ~189lbs

For me it's been working. I have accountability. There's nothing like having to step on a scale every week and have your weight recorded by another person that makes you own it. I also have the support of a friend who is there through the ups and downs. Her meetings are on Saturdays, mine are Fridays. Once a month we try to go to a meeting together. Once we have both lost 20 lbs (her target and 1/2 way to mine) we are treating ourselves to a weekend a the Kingfisher Spa.

There's also nothing like posting my weight on a public blog to make me accountable. The blog is mainly for my family and friends overseas to keep track of what is happening in our lives, but still it's out there!

 

 Nov '10, ~181lbs

So on September 24th, 2010 we joined Weight Watchers. My starting weight on that day was 195.4lbs

My results so far are:

Then we went left for Australia on December 10th and I haven't been back since. I am guessing that I'll be up 5 lbs, around 182 lbs when I go this Friday. That's okay. I'm back on track. In the past I would have been all...well I've gained weight so I might as well give up. Not this time.  Nope. I'm still aiming for the weekend at the spa.  Minus 25 lbs here I come.

Fall Classic 5km Run

 my bib

Today was the New Balance Fall Classic.  Although today it was more like the Winter Classic.  The Fall Classic consists of a half marathon, 10km, and 5km.  I signed up for the 5km, as last week I finished the Couch to 5K running program.  

-1°C, slush and ice and snow flurries is not my idea of great running weather.  I had about 10 layers on to keep warm including toque/beanie and scarf. I forgot my gloves but luckily the race organisers were giving away free race day gloves. I ditched the toque/beanie and scarf before the race started. And I left the gloves and the first water station.

 

 my chip - it was stuck on the back of my bib, rather than a chip I had to attach to my shoelaces. I like this much better. 

The run went okay.  Last year I tore my right calf muscle.  Today is was fine. My left calf not so much. It was so tight I thought I might have to stop running and walk.  I warmed up and lightly stretched before hand so I'm not sure why it's acting up. I have never been so glad to see the 4km sign.  

I signed up for a post race massage on both calves.  Now I can barely walk. The right calf is fine, but the left is definitely chucking a hissy fit.  Boot camp starts again tomorrow, so it had better recover soon.

 

 My event shirt. I upgraded from the t-shirt to the 1/4 zip and I'm glad I did. It's fleecy on the inside and warm.

I started the Nike thingy on my iPod when I crossed the start and hit done as I ran past the finish line. According to it I ran for 37 mins 37 secs at a pace of 7:55mins per km.  It says I only ran 4.75km. 

According to the Fall Classic results page my chip time for 5kms was 36:00 mins even. I was 20th in my age group and 153rd overall. (There were 244 runners who finished the 5km).  I am happy with 36 mins. The last time I ran a timed 5km race, about 4 years ago my chip time was 44mins. So I've dropped 8 minutes off my time, and I was running with a dodgy calf.  I had three goals in mind today. a) finish b) run the entire 5km and c) finish in under 40 mins.  I met all 3 goals.

 

Next up? I'm going to stick with 5km for a bit, and work on speed and hills.  And then Pam and I are going to run a 5km in the spring.  Right, Pam?

Boot Camp - The Results

Boot camp started on Monday October 19th, 2010.  4 days a week for 4 weeks at 5:30am. Yesterday was our last morning.  Today was our testing day.  So how did I do?

I lost just under 8 lbs.  Which is great. It's right on target with a healthy weight loss of 1-2 lbs a week. 

Of that, I lost 10lbs of fat weight, and gained a little under 3lbs of lean muscle.

My body composition, or BMI decreased from 35.2%to 31.2%. That is still high. It should be in the mid 20s. But that's a good start.

I lost a 1/2" from each arm

1- 1/2" from my chest

1" from my waist and 1/2" from my hips

1" from each of my thighs.

My right arm and right leg are a good 1/4" bigger than my left.

Can't tell you if I lost any inches from my calves, because we didn't measure them at the start of boot camp. Out of interest Mari-Ann measured them today. My left is 16.5" and my right is 16.75". Told you I had calves like the trunks of oak trees.  Big and solid.

I'm still dehydrated.  At the beginning my water content was 49.5%, today it is 52%. Better but still need to drink more water.  I'm already drinking 8-10 glasses a day. If I drink anymore I'm going to slosh when I move.

The next boot camp starts on November 22nd. It's only 3 weeks and is the last one for the year. Yep, I signed up.  The last day is December 9th.   Keeping my fingers crossed that this next camp goes as well.

Couch to 5K. Weeks 7 and 8 complete and Boot Camp Grocery Tour

Hard to believe that 8 weeks ago it almost killed me to run for a minute. I was huffing and puffing and couldn't wait for the walk break.

Yesterday I ran 28 minutes non stop.  Hubby ran with me. Kind of. He walked quite a bit of it. At the end he said he kept waiting for me to stop and walk.  

I use my iPod and the Nike Sport Plus kit. According to it, we ran 3:35km.  Hubby used an app on his iPhone. According to it we ran 3:6km. And he actually ran a shorter distance to me, he took the short cut home. So I'm going with his distance. Maybe it's time to recalibrate my iPod.

We'll be running 4 times this week instead of 3. Yesterdays run was actually part of week 8. Some how I only ran twice last week. Not sure how that happened.  One of the week 8 runs was done on an elliptical machine in the hotel gym in Seattle.  I hated it. Yes, it was inside and I watched TV while I ran. That part was good.  But I hated the actual machine. For whatever reason I kept locking my knees, I ran slower and it was just nasty.  The treadmill probably would have been better, but someone was probably already on it.

Tomorrow will be run #1 of week 9 - the last week of the Couch to 5K program. I prefer to run in the morning (never thought I'd be saying that), but hubby has a flying lesson and then field work so we'll go when he gets home tomorrow night.  All three runs this week are run 30 mins non stop. It's only two minutes longer than last week, but in my head it seems a whole lot longer. At least hubby will be there to keep me company, in his brand new shiny white running shoes.

I just signed up for the New Balance Fall Classic 5km run on Sunday November 21st.  And you can bet there will be some rewards afterward.  Two in fact. One for completing the Couch to 5km program and one for running the Fall Classic 5km.  Hubby has a search and rescue training that day, so I'll be on my own. Unless anyone wants to join me?

And this week is the last week of boot camp. I can't believe it's week 4 already.  Tonight we had a boot camp excursion.  A field trip to the grocery store. I managed to drag hubby along with me. We learned all sorts of info.  Some of which we already knew, some we didn't. We were there for about an hour. Some highlights:

• Eat every 3-4 hours.
• Shop mainly from the outside perimeter of the supermarket.
• Just because a product is in the health food aisle, doesn't mean it's a healthy food.
• If sugar is one of the first four ingredients listed on a product, don't buy it.
• Health Canada recommends that adults do not exceed 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Most Canadians consume 4x that amount.
• Fruit juice is as bad as soda.  It's all processed and full of sugar.  You are better off making your own fresh squeezed juice, or just eating the piece of fruit. 
• When you read the nutrition label, the sugar content should be no more than 20%  of the carbohydrate total. e.g. if 'the carbohydrate total is 20grams, the sugar content should be less than 4g. If the sugar content is more than the 20% don't buy it. There is to too much sugar.
• Low fat, reduced fat, light, lite foods often equals high sugar.  In order to make low fat foods more palatable, sugar is added.  Keep an eye out for fructose, sucrose, glucose, corn syrup etc in the ingredient list.
• Bread is better if it's made from sprouted grains, like squirrelly bread.

Hubby says he's just not going to eat any more. He said that will be easier than trying to remember all of the above and more.