Getting Things Done

Yesterday was all about cleaning up the kitchen and catching up on laundry. With two kids, it's easy to let things slide, especially in the summer when there are places to go and things to do. My return to running and working out seems to be what spurred this cleaning stint. Normally, I sit a lot throughout the day. But after shocking my metabolism by exercising for the last week, my body has been in recovery/adapt mode. I feel like I need to do something at times rather than sit... similar to the need to knit or do sudoku while watching TV to keep my hands and brain from being idle.

My goal is to run 3 times per week with off days of working out to my Cardio Max and Power Sculpt dvds (The Biggest Loser). When I alternated these two things last spring, my legs looked the best they ever have even though I didn't quite get down to my goal weight range at the time. The endurance built by running and the strength and power built through all those lunges and other aerocircuit moves are a good combination. Just yesterday, I was reading that the best way to maximize weight loss is to alternate two types of cardio (and be sure to include strength training, of course). That's exactly what I was doing last year, and it worked. Actually, I've been able to lose weight with just running. But by including workout dvds that combine cardio and strength training, I'm able to sculpt and tone my legs in a way that running isn't capable of on its own. Plus I like getting my upper body more muscular along with my legs so that I look more balanced.

My first time back running was last Saturday, and I followed that up with a run on Monday. The first run didn't make me that sore, but the second one sure did! Even my feet hurt (from all the extra weight I'm guessing). The first time I ran with my daughter in my jogging stroller, and the second time I didn't. Maybe I pushed myself hard to compensate for not having the stroller? My time on the second run was 36 minutes with 19 of that running. It felt so nice to be outdoors, alone with my thoughts and challenging myself. At the close of each run, I did some walking lunges up the driveway followed by stretching. I should've run or worked out yesterday.
But, after standing on my feet all day cleaning, I decided to postpone until tonight after knit night. Then tomorrow I'll run.

Now that I'm done with the Dream Swatch headband, I thought I should CO for an upsized girl version of Katya (a baby girl tank). I've already made the cups and straps and have joined in the round. The pattern is now tucked away while I knit rounds and rounds of stockinette with some possible rounds of purl/garter.