Tag Archive for: exercise

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

This has unexpectedly been a summer of change you guys.

In June it became clear I needed to leave my budget-strapped nonprofit and I began a serious job search. To say the environment was toxic is an understatement and the last few months only became worse. And let me tell you! Job hunting takes so much time it’s a job in itself – while still working full-time, the relaxed and adventurous summer we had planned went up in flames.

Through the process and despite problems in the office, I realized how spoiled I’ve been. I worked a 20-minute walk from my house, my yoga studio is in the same building and my favorite local coffee shop is right there.

I’ll have to commute now? Join the rush-hour crush on public transit? My commute time quadruples?? I’ve managed to retain small-city work habits in DC. Remarkable, really.

The good news is I’m now a week into a new job! My commute isn’t the worst – I’m able to catch a limited-stop bus and avoid the metro trains all together. It’s a nice salary increase. The staff are spunky and friendly.

I’ll give a little more detail when I get my new office arranged and decorated and can also post photos.

In other summer news!

We went on vacation! Finally. And it coincided with our 3-year anniversary! We camped for 5 days in a Maryland State Park, turned off phones, didn’t check times, went exploring and generally just breathed. In perfect timing, I accepted my new position the night before we left, so we really were able to fully relax.

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com
Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

I ran a 10-mile trail race with some good friends:

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

I’ve been much more consistent with runs and workouts:

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

We’ve spent time around the city and had family visit:

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

Cassie and I took advantage our last weeks working together (she started a new job too!):

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

I’ve enjoyed my home. A peaceful home space is so important when outside the doors is crazy:

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

Life in pieces makes a whole | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

Now I can settle into a new space and new routine. I can work with freelance clients again. And because I work in the city now, I can be cool and have lunch dates with fellow downtown employee friends.

Thanks for sticking with me!

*

Since I’ve been mostly absent, how have your summers been??
How do you handle transition periods?

The Ultimate Coffee Date, lunch date
The courage to be honest with confidence | PilotingPaperAirplanes.com

Hi!

This will be a bit of a rambler post – apologies in advance. I’ve been musing on this for a while and haven’t quite found the flow to write about it… so I think I’m trying too hard. Here are my thoughts in all their un-finessed glory.

I was first challenged by this post titled “I’m not pregnant. It’s just my belly.”

I can relate in that I have a body type that fits some “beauty standards” (hourglass figure and a full bra size); for the most part I’ve always been happy with my shape. I’ve also always carried some extra pounds. The confidence in my curvy figure or honesty about my health have varied over the years. Still, I’m generally pretty comfortable in my skin.

But even on a good day, I don’t think I could manage her final thought:

“After some time and a few breaths, I smiled and unwrapped my jacket from my waist. I decided to let my little belly be. I wasn’t confident the whole time, but I was honest. And if you ask me, honesty is damn sexy.”

My response to the article had me confused. I wanted to be all “body confidence, yay! I dress for myself not anyone else. One person’s dumb comment doesn’t need to ruin my day. *quietly repeats calming mantra to refrain from poking out eyeballs*.” In the moment, I think that’s exactly how I would have responded.

But because I lived the story in private through another’s writing, the immediate impulse to put on a brave face didn’t happen. Instead I wanted to cry. I mentally tied that jacket around myself and hid.

My reaction confused me because it was honest. Raw. Vulnerable. Even weak. The list of people who see this part of me is short and I don’t open up easily. The post served as a mirror and what it showed me was uncomfortable.

Maybe it has hit me stronger because I’m particularly aware of my body lately. It is spring, after all. The tank tops and skirts are coming out while the magazines urge me to slim down for summer. It’s probably the hardest time of year (because once the summer heat and humidity hit, I don’t care so much how I look and just about staying cool).

This thought process is showing me that personal confidence and courage are not the same thing, and most importantly, that honestly trumps both.

If you made it through my rambling, high five!

*

How are you feeling this spring?
Confident, courageous or honest?

This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com}

This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com}

This is me, friends. A woman who lives by a to-do list, but isn’t afraid to ignore it when needed. Even the blog calendar. I haven’t felt this happy to write a post in a long time as I do right now. It’s been a crazy few weeks and I’ve missed it! Getting up this morning, sitting down with my tea and signing in to PPA felt refreshing and oh-so-perfectly normal. Life is settling down again.

Fitness

Moving counts, right? There are 37 stairs round trip and a parking lot between old apartment and new apartment. I walked those 37 steps a lot. I counted the hours total we spent working, then averaged how much of that I was walking back and forth to be about 10 hours over moving weekend. Seeing as everything hurt for the next week, I’m counting those hours.

That equals about 37 hours of activity for the month of March. Only 15 days of actual workouts, as I took nearly a full week off post move. Best news is I am tracking my measurements and weight for monthly check-ins with my accountability partner – I’m consistently dropping inches and while the weight is slower, the number is moving.

What I learned this month: 

• Stairs are the enemy. I have never liked stair workouts and I hate them even more right now. So I need you to do me a favor:

Tell me that a good stair running workout works in less time. Tell me the heart rate and VO2 max training results are better than anything else. Tell me it’ll make my ass look amazing. Please and thanks for the motivation.

Fun

Um, we moved! But really. I found I was in the mood for something new and fresh. Call it spring cleaning or something. This move just felt really good. We purged some more stuff, reorganized and have a much prettier balcony view now.

Sure, I’m convinced my new building is built over a sinkhole given the dramatic waves in the floor. And btw, sinkholes are f*** terrifying, so I most definitely had a moment of freaking out and “hells NO Jon, I can’t live here!” It passed.

Now my brother Matthew is our new housemate. My kitchen is stocked with Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Pop Tarts. Jon and I are boring adults I think.

In other fun news, IT’S SPRING. I enjoyed morning tea on my balcony for the first time this weekend, I wore sandals last week, I painted my toe nails for the first time this season AND it’s Cherry Blossom season so we took Sky Squid out for the Blossom Kite Festival (even though it was actually not spring that day, but almost miserably cold). Now I have a few online shopping carts of spring and summer tops that I can’t buy right now but absolutely need. You understand.

Favorite Instagram photos:

This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com} This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com} This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com}
This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com} This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com} This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com}
This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com} This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com} This is me March review {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com}

Food

Confession time. The no sugar thing continuing through Lent didn’t really happen. I gave up pretty quickly. I’d already done it for a month! I’d paid my sugar dues. What did happen was much more mindfulness of said sugar intake. I’m quite proud of myself actually. *pat on the back* My February sugar detox was successful in that it caused me to be more aware how much sweets I was consuming and change accordingly.

My other success is my water intake. I’m averaging 7-11 glass per day. My goal is at least 100 ounces, preferably closer to 150. And yes, I track it daily in my work planner. I feel amazing you guys! Funny how you don’t realize you felt bad until you feel great. I’m less fatigued, snack less (hunger vs. dehydration) and my skin feels a lot better.

Reminders:

• >sugar + <water = great!

• I power up in the sun. Man I feel so much better when it’s bright in the morning. Remind me of this when it’s 90° and sunny.

Happy April!

How was your March?
How was your Easter weekend?

{PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February
{PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February

How is it the shortest month of the year has felt so long? February was a bit rough.

Fitness

On Superbowl Sunday, February 1, I had a great treadmill workout. Monday morning, I couldn’t bend my left toes and could barely put weight on the ball of my foot. It was a constant ache with sharp pain if I wasn’t gentle. Not gonna lie, I shed a few tears. I did nothing active for over a week, save limping to work on my daily walk.

Finally a physical therapist friend had a look, told me to ice and roll on a tennis ball and thought it could plantar fasciitis. The rolling did wonders! I’ve kept a ball under my desk to roll after my walk to the office.

I eased back into low impact interval workouts and I had to modify in yoga class. Nearly four weeks later I’m running carefully again and I still roll to keep any soreness away. I’m guessing this will be something I just have to manage, for a while at least.

All told, I’ll be at 21 hours of activity, including my walks, and 18 days of workouts for February. Not what I’d hoped for, but considering the time off, I’ll call this a win.

What I learned this month:

• You don’t realize how much you need your big toe until you can’t move it. At all.

• There’s lots of low impact “cardio” one can do. Kettlebell swings for days. Whether its a bum foot or neighbors in the apartment below, or both, I’ve been creative about my home workouts. More to come for us apartment dwellers.

Fun

I made it big on PBS. We threw a Superbowl part with 14 adults and 2 babies in our 650-square-foot apartment. We had one of the best Valentine’s Days yet. I organized two additional dinner parties with new friends. We saw giant bobble head presidents at the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery when we stumbled into a family President’s Day celebration. I did lots of inversion practice. We signed a lease to move into a two-bedroom apartment in March and my youngest brother is moving in with us.

All while missing 99% of the horrible winter weather. We’re just south enough to avoid the biggest parts of the storms.

Oh, and I made a free background for your desktop, tablet or phone. Download here. While I’m at it, here’s a marketing post on taking quality photos for your blog.

Favorite photos from Instagram

{PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February Instagram @LarissaDaltonS {PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February Instagram @LarissaDaltonS {PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February Instagram @LarissaDaltonS
{PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February Instagram @LarissaDaltonS {PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February Instagram @LarissaDaltonS {PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February Instagram @LarissaDaltonS
{PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February Instagram @LarissaDaltonS {PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February Instagram @LarissaDaltonS {PIlotingPaperAirplanes.com} February Instagram @LarissaDaltonS

 Food

I’ve decided to extend this no-sugar thing through Lent. This means Sunday’s will be break days. I don’t remember this growing up, but apparently Sundays aren’t counted in the 40 days of Lent and Catholics, at least, take them as a break from whatever fast they’re doing. So! That takes me through Easter with a handful of days for my hot chocolate or desert. I’m also adding back honey to my morning tea.

What I’ve learned: 

• I’m a stress eater. When I get overwhelmed or frustrated, I just need something sweet to help me settle. My February sugar detox has been mostly good. I’ve had only a few days of tough cravings and a couple of fails. I’ve learned when I feel good it’s easy to say no to sweet snacks. But when I’m tired or stressed, it’s almost impossible.

• Don’t go over a friend’s house to watch the Oscars after a workout without eating a real dinner. Those Oreos won’t know what hit them. I know better, but it still happened.

Actually, my sugar-free-Lent means my Oscar Sunday cookies were fine, right? #doesntcount

 Thanks for hanging with me!

If you’ve dealt with plantar fasciitis, how have you managed it?
Are you an emotional eater?

Ultimate plank workout {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com}

I’m actually posting twice in one week. Seems like I haven’t done that much recently. Or maybe I have and I can’t keep track. Entirely possible.

Before I continue, like every other runner blogger everywhere, I must mention the anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing (yesterday). It didn’t impact me personally, but I took it personally. Maybe too much so. I was angry. In terms of devastating bombings/shootings/attacks, this one didn’t harm as many people as other notable events – thankfully! It could easily have been SO much worse – but the symbolism of that holiday and that event in that city can’t be missed. This week and next, when runners line up for the 2015 Boston Marathon and fans attend the baseball game and the city of Boston celebrates Patriots’ Day, my thoughts are with everyone impacted by last year’s tragedy.

Beyond that, I’m keeping this post simple.

Plank workout anyone??

I’ve been tweaking this for a few weeks now. There are literally a bazillion plank variations so I rotated through plenty until I settled on my favorite combination. I didn’t want high intensity elements, like mountain climbers or plank jacks; this is about stability and precision of movement.

It kills! In the best way. I have only managed level 2 so far – if any of you make it through level 3 you deserve a serious digital high five. Erm, or something like that.

Ultimate plank workout {PilotingPaperAirplanes.com}

There are a couple ways to go through this: 1) through each section completely before moving on – i.e. all the full planks, then all the side planks right and left, then all the forearm planks. 2) first variation in each section, then second, and so on. I prefer that way so I’m moving around more. 3) skip the time and count reps. I usually go for 30 reps when I don’t feel like disturbing my zen with a beeping timer.

To add a quick disclaimer, always be conscious of your back when doing plank work. I know everyone says to drop your hips, but it’s easy to drop too far and hurt your back. Better to keep the hips a little high and protect the lower back.

That’s all for today! Happy hump day. Kind of; if it’s a short work week, what does that make Wednesday?

Give this plank workout a try and let me know what you think!
(Or leave a question if the variations don’t make sense).
Do you incorporate planks in your workout routine?


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