Stress... Am I still Standing?

I like to think that I can handle a great deal of stress. Often people that work with me or close friends have said something to that effect. Here lately - my stress is at an all time, lifetime, high.


The fact that I haven't gained another 40 pounds is amazing to me - as I'm fighting off the burning desire to consume an entire package of sugar cookies, bags of candy or other very unhealthy behaviors.




Stressful Life!

So what's the source of stress - oh so many. I went out to a few websites and took online tests for level of stress.  This one, looks at events in life that cause stress - like buying a new house or losing a job. I scored between 540 and 700 points the last two times I took this test. They say anything over 300 points means more than 80% chance of major illness related to stress.

Bummer :)

Then I looked at this site and free anxiety test. This one looks at behavior and physical response to stress. On this I scored 45 out of 168 - which I thought was low, but they say anything over 28 is signs of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress.

OK so I guess that I knew all that and really didn't need an online test to tell me.


The thing is - to eliminate sources of stress can sometimes be an even more stressful activity all by itself! Definitely not an overnight thing. :(


But I have realized as I've been on this journey to get healthy - that losing weight is only one component of that. Being physically strong is not the only way a person can be strong. Making the changes in life and bearing up under the plethora of changes is another way to be strong. Unfortunately (or fortunately) a skill that we don't practice often.


Just to keep it interesting - I will be traveling at least 5 of the remaining 7 weeks of the year....


I hear exercise is good for getting a positive mental attitude going!


Hugs


Teresa Marie

California Hiking and Meetings..



Oat Hill Mine Trail - Calistoga, CA (Oct '16)



A Sunday in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hiked in Napa Valley, had a massage and Mud Bath, visited a few wineries, hiked in the Muir Woods Redwoods, and finished the day at the beach. 22K steps. Felt really good about being so active!

Busy beautiful day!

Followed by Monday which was 9 hours of sitting in meetings :( and then out for Italian dinner :0

Well as with many things it's all about balance!

Day at the Beach

Happy to have a few days in California to relax and explore....happy to have hiked a few miles along the coast!

Day 9 - 26: Travel, Eating :( - Healthy Baking

Fall is here! Yeah - I love that feeling of crispness in the air, color in the trees, diving under comforters, and starting fires! Downside lately has been way too much travel for work and dealing with some stressful home front activities. As noted in the daily summaries below - not too back but not great in terms of a strong finish...


Full Irish Breakfast (Wiki)



I cannot fully share the lure and dangers of the full Irish Breakfast... this is more than 100% of my daily calorie intake. The hotel I was staying at only had buffet no other options feasible. Practically no part of it is healthy - save the stewed tomato and cup of tea. A full fry-up contains on around 1,300 calories, which is an OMG moment. What would you eat here? Not to mention that there was also a bread bar (muffins, toast, etc.) Here's the full list:

Greetings from the UK - Traveling Too Much

Today I find myself outside of London for a few days of business meetings. While that sounds like fun - I'm now traveling 50% of the time and quite fatigued by airplanes and hotels. 

I've lost three of the past 5 weekends - traveling on Sunday to be at meetings starting on Monday morning. 

Frankly - this sucks and has put my ability to manage my New Leaf commitments at risk. Eating in restaurants or worse yet, office catered meals leave zero room for customizing my choices. Many meals are now in airports or on airplanes :(

Hell - when packing for the latest trip I had to reach into the size 14/16 to get the right items. DAMN! At the start of 2016 I was squeezing into size 10/12. YIKES. I hate this.

I'm now missing half of my weekly workouts with my trainer because I am simply not in town. So that makes the weeks that I do meet with him great - but also challenging as it seems like every time is new. 

I'm not sure how, I injured my knee. I'm going on a month or so of weakness and pain. This has constrained the workouts. Although I still bike - which might not be the best decision. 

One the positive side - a few weekends ago I participated in a charity bike ride outside Chicago. Despite arriving from Europe only the day before and being sleep deprived and jet-lagged. I rode the furthest I've ever done at one time - 38 miles. This was in 88 F and 70% humidity. I didn't feel at al fatigued or sore the next day. Great news.  A few days ago in Ireland we went hiking in the Wicklow National park. It was over 25k steps that day. 

I need the turnaround plan to get in place and kick in. 

Starting next week - I'm going to refresh the weekly summary tracking. Perhaps a tad more visibility and accountability. I'll also start with the weekly weigh in again Sept 2... that gives me a few weeks lead time.

My Life not in balance.

Teresa Marie

Bike Ireland!

Very enjoyable - and I'm not at all kidding using those words - biking 30 miles in Ireland a few days ago. 

I was able to go the distance and even hit a few new high speed records. I was not in the back of the pack :)

Non-scale Victory.

Take care;

Teresa Marie

Stress, Travel, & Biking

(Photo: Indoor Cycling Assoc. Website)

The past few months have been full of unusual and challenging events.  I like to think that I'm very good at handling stress - but my limits have been tested. 

What's happening...I have been to two family funerals, gone through job changes, new bosses, had a major shift to financial situation, major home remodeling and repair, supported kids through tough times, and yes, sad to say eaten my stress.

Traveling - Eating in Style

Sometimes one just needs to go with the flow and throw caution to the wind.

This past week has been just that.

Every meal in a restaurant - and some very nice ones at that. I didn't want to say no... so I said a few yeses! Knowing full well the potential implications...

Case in point, last nights dinner, at a french restaurant, Le Corange, was superb! I'm fairly certain that I consumed a weeks worth of calories in just one meal.

Care to dine vicariously?

Triathlete (Sort of!)

About a year ago when I met the folks at Five Seasons Health Club, they asked me what I wanted to accomplish in a year. What was my goal? I didn't have anything in mind - other than sticking with the program. At the end of the year I I wanted to do something that would challenge me, but I didn't want to "train" for an event. 

So I searched for some physical activity in which to participate - challenging, interesting, something I didn't have to turn my life over to make work.

Then while on vacation and meeting a truly amazing group of women who have achieved so much and transformed their lived. I was inspired. 

Teresa, Patty, Michelle - Green Valley, Utah 

Earlier this week it dawned on me that I had already been training. Duh! This whole year has been just that - 2/week trainer session and multiple weekly cardio. I was in pretty good shape! I could create my own challenge event. Why not? 

Thus the New Leaf Triathlon was born. I decided that in one day I would complete the activities of a Sprint Distance event - a 750-meter swim, a 20 milometer bike, and a 5K run. Albeit not in that order nor back to back. 

Inspired Ride

This past weekend I supported my son by crewing for "Cycle for the Cause" - a three day bike ride from Boston to New York. That's one hell of a ride. 

Late last year I had thoughts of doing the ride myself, then I realized that I would have to dedicate myself to training fairly exclusively on my bike. I didn't know at the time that I would later be doing just that - anyhow, I signed up to be crew. It was a great choice. 

Just think of getting up at 5AM every day for Day 1 - ride 116 miles over 9.5 hours, Day 2 repeat ride 80 miles over 6.5 hours, then Day 3 - go 72 miles, riding for 6 hours. That's some serious work!

2015 Cycle for the Cause - Route and Miles

Flying High - On Life and Literally!

This past weekend I did something I never thought I would do - Hang Gliding!


To my surprise - it was a wonderful experience and one I was glad to share with my daughter. (Her idea to go!)

So here I am - flying high!! 


More photos of the day and the numbers for the week...

City Walking.... Weekly Summary

For the past few days I've been working in Dublin. I brought my work out wear and have taken several long walks through the city - despite doctor warnings about taking too long of walks. It's pretty fun to explore someplace new. Lots to see, many paths to take.

The biggest challenge is not getting hit by the cars and so many bicyclists!

I have been pretty good about following my nutrition plan. However, one night we ended up at a french restaurant where I was determined to order food that I would have never eaten before. Laid before me was a trio of Irish game - including venison, duck, and quail. That's the photo below. It was divine! Luckily had gone for a 5 mile walk earlier in the day so I could indulge in this treat and still be under my calorie limit. (I did not log before I ate :) WOW did not know duck confit was so calorific.)

Treating myself to a french meal in Dublin. 

10K by the Bay

Springtime '15 - SanFancisco Bay Trail

Business travel this week takes me out to the San Francisco Bay area. I noticed that the hotel was steps away from the San Francisco Bay Trail.  I made a plan to take a long walk at least two days while I'm here. After sitting on a plane for more than 4 hours - I was ready to take a walk. 

Within an hour of landing I was out on the trail!

I was pleasantly surprised. The portion of the trail that I walked was covered in wild flowers and just bursting with not only color but also aromas. Someone did such a nice job planning it all to look effortless. I'll place more pictures of the great plants on my garden blog. 

Love that eucalyptus! I decided not to time myself but rather just to walk until I desired to turn around. The voice in my head kept asking what was beyond the next turn. One of the benefits of a beautiful day and an unknown trail. As a result - I walked just over 6.3 miles on this walk. That put me at 8.1 miles for the day. 

Great day for a 10K by the Bay! Musing that months ago I would have only walked outside or for a few 100 feet along the trail. Habits they are a changing!

10K by the Bay - May, 2015

Excellent Day!

Teresa Marie

Road Warrior Weekly - Week 11 Summary

The past week I have been on the road traveling for vacation and then work. My goal for the week was to maintain my eating plan.  It turned out to be much more challenging than I anticipated. 


Week 11: I ate more than 66% of my meals in restaurants/hotels or catered through work.  It was hardest when "sandwiches" were delivered or dining out without translated menus.  There were some pretty tempting treats - like this coconut-mango panna cotta I ordered and had three small bites.   I was 10% high on my calorie count this week. 

I was in 5 cities in three countries - lots of time in planes, taxi, trains, and meetings! so... little time to exercise. None-the-less, I did get in a walk every day. One day in New York City I practically hit a new high in terms of steps, the weather was fairly nice and we walked all over town and did lots of steps. Over the week I averaged 1 hr workout per day - only because I hit it hard on a few days I was at home and with friends.