Losing My Immunity

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Coco

Sitting Is The New Smoking

The news this week knocked me off my self-righteous fitness throne right onto my ass.

Apparently, eating a (mostly) healthy diet and having a Daily Mile log that looks like this

doesn’t mean that I’m doing all I can to protect myself from heart disease and diabetes.

I have a desk job that keeps me sitting on that ass for 8-10 hours a day. Then I come home and spend another two hours catching up on Twitter, Facebook and blogging, usually while sitting on the sofa watching TV. Then I go to bed and sleep for 6-7 hours. That all adds up to a “sedentary lifestyle” that itself is a risk factor.

Of course I know that being sedentary isn’t good, but since I exceed the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services guidelines for physical activity, I figured I was covered.

  • All adults should avoid inactivity. Some physical activity is better than none, and adults who participate in any amount of physical activity gain some health benefits.
  • For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous intensity aerobic activity. Aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, and preferably, it should be spread throughout the week.
  • For additional and more extensive health benefits, adults should increase their aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate intensity, or 150 minutes a week of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity. Additional health benefits are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond this amount.
  • Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities that are moderate or high intensity and involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits.

But a new study from the American College of Sports Medicine says otherwise. It’s this bullet point that made the news and got my attention:

  • Sedentary behavior–sitting for long periods of time–is distinct from physical activity and has been shown to be a health risk in itself. Meeting the guidelines for physical activity does not make up for a sedentary lifestyle.

Well, shoot! What’s a busy working, blogging, reading woman to do?

Well, for starters, I stood up while writing this post. I do get tired of sitting down, and sometimes stand up while using my laptop at my kitchen counter. I will try to remember to do that more often.

More importantly, I am going to make a real effort to get up from my desk and walk around more frequently at work. On busy days, I can sit for hours at a time. I don’t want to know what the ACSM researchers would have to say about that!

It would be great if I would take a walk at lunch and/or after work in the evenings, but I know myself too well to commit to that just yet. Maybe in a few months, when the weather cools off . . . .

How many hours a day do you spend sitting?

Are you worried that sitting is the new smoking?

Posted in Fitness, Work | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Power Run

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Coco

Yesterday afternoon a friend and fellow partner at work asked me if I wanted to meet her for a run this morning. I immediately said “yes” and was so excited. I usually run on my own, but having a running partner opens up new routes that I don’t feel comfortable taking by myself. Not to mention that I really like this person and looked forward to having time to catch up without worrying about the pressures of work that usually cut our conversations short.

We agreed to meet at our office at 6:30 am. I took a few pictures before stashing my iPhone in my office (Nathan waistbelt design fail–it is so frustrating that the pocket is just a smidge too small to fit my iPhone!).

View of Rosslyn, Virginia and the Key Bridge

View of the Kennedy Center

Look! The moon was still out!

The plan was to run along the Potomac River to the Lincoln Memorial and then run along the Mall up to the Capitol.

Despite being a native, I have never run this route, so I let her lead the way. Even though we were chatting, we started off fast–I saw 8:30 on my Garmin! I told her that I needed to slow down, and we ran comfortably hard (there’s that oxymoron again!) while talking about our families, vacation plans, and a wee smidge of work gossip.

She knew this route was about 7 miles as an out-and-back, and we were trying to do about 8 miles, so on the way back we headed over to the Tidal Basin and ran part-way around that to the FDR Memorial before cutting back over to the river and heading back to our office. 

We’re definitely going to do this again. Our male colleagues can have the golf course–we’ve got our power run!

Garmin Data
Total Distance: 8.1 miles
Total Time: 1:14
Avg Pace: 9:10 min/mile
Split Times: 9:25, 9:29, 8:56, 9:04, 9:15, 9:10, 8:58, 9:04

Do you run with a friend or running group?

Was it hard to find someone with a matched pace?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

A Broken Record For Fitness Success

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Coco

When I write out my workouts for my training log posts (see the “training log” tab on the menu bar) or log into DailyMile, I feel like a broken record.

(Do younger readers understand this phrase? It doesn’t mean I’m logging PRs every day)

If it’s Monday, I did 15-20 minutes on the elliptical and a 35-45 minute weight routine. If it’s Tuesday, I ran for 4-5 miles. Alternate, rinse (shower), repeat. Throw in a longer run on Saturday and yoga or a rest day on Sunday, and you pretty much know what I’m doing on any day of any week of any month of the year.

Predictable? Yes. But it works for me.

I exercise 6-7 days a week. I usually exercise at the same time everyday–first thing in the morning. I wake up, brush my teeth, pull on some workout clothes, and either head outside for a run or downstairs to workout in my basement gym. I really have made exercise part of my daily routine.

By exercising at the same time every day, I don’t have to figure out when I will fit a workout into my busy day. By exercising first thing in the morning, I don’t have to worry about my workout time getting preempted by other demands that tend to pop up at the end of the day. (This is what works for me. Many friends are just as successful with lunch time, afternoon or evening workouts–figure out what works for you!)

I also have a basic plan of what type of workout to do on a given day. I generally run three days a week (usually on alternate days), do weights three days a week, and do a short yoga program or take a full rest day on the other day. I tend to plan my week around a long run, which usually is Saturday. If work or family obligations interfere, I usually prefer to skip a weight training workout than a run. The important thing is that I have a plan, even if it is subject to change.

If I don’t have a plan, I find it easy to keep hitting the snooze button as I lounge in bed deciding what I am going to do. I’ve snoozed through my whole workout time doing this, and always end up frustrated and grumpy when that happens. Knowing what I intend to do when the alarm goes off helps me get out of bed on time, even if I decide to go for a walk instead of a run, or treat my body to an extra yoga session instead of weights.

My “broken record” routine makes it easier for me to be consistent with my training, and that does help me break my personal records.

Do you workout at the same time every day?

Do you have a workout routine?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

The More Things Change

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Coco

How Technology Keeps Me Connected To My Teenagers

When my kids were little, I always was the one who got up with them in the middle of the night. It started off with the whole nursing thing, but never changed after they got older and didn’t need me biologically anymore. My husband had an uncanny way of sleeping right through crying jags, nightmares, and puking episodes.

(source)

Now that my kids are teenagers, the crying, nightmares and puking occur much less frequently. Still, I am the person they reach out to in the middle of the night.

One reason is that my phone looks like this:

apple-iphone 4s

While my husband’s looks like this:

My First Cellphone

(source)

(Just kidding! But I think this is the very first cellphone we had )

Instead of calling our landline when they need directions, when their plans change, or when they want to request a curfew waiver, they text me. The little “zip” of my text message alert tells me that something is up (and gets my heart racing, so please don’t text me after hours unless it’s important!). My daughter is 20, so this happens more frequently with her, since she stays out late. But sometimes even my son is out “past my bedtime,” especially if he has something special going on on a weeknight.

Just like I never really minded having to get up when my kids were younger, I don’t mind these late night text messages. I appreciate that they are calling me for help, keeping me updated on what they are doing, and asking permission first instead of begging forgiveness later. 😉

I don’t know how many text messages my iPhone will save, but I probably should store them somewhere more permanent so I can treasure them later.

Do your kids always want their Mom in the middle of the night?

Do you?

Posted in Life | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Wordless Wednesday (The Capitol Edition)

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Coco

Wordless Wednesday

(View from the rooftop patio of Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, D.C.)

Posted in Life | Tagged , | 7 Comments