July 17, 2012

Wii Active

I don't know what possessed my mind this morning to think about a long-ago goal I had given up on--but I'm glad it did! When I was obese, Jerry got a gift card from work that was the exact amount of a Wii--so we bought one. And in one of my many attempts to lose weight, I purchased Wii Active. The Wii Active is a type of circuit workout, with strength training and a little cardio.

It was the 30-day challenge that attracted me to it. It guides you through 20 workouts in 30 days. There is a low-impact, medium-impact, and high impact option. The first time I attempted the challenge, I chose medium. After a couple of days, I just found it was too hard, and I quit. The next time around, I chose low-impact, hoping I could do it. Again, it was hard, and I made excuses not to do it.

This morning, I happened to look at the Wii and think, "I'm going to finish that fucking challenge if it's the last thing I do."

I mean, I've run a MARATHON, so how could I possibly be intimidated by a <30 minute video game workout?! I think I just associate the game with a feeling of failure.

I want to keep up with the strength training I've been doing, because I'm sure it's helping my knee, but I don't want to get bored with what I'm doing--so I figure the Wii is a good change-up. I popped in the disc and set up a brand new profile--this time setting it to "high-impact"--go big or go home, right? ;)

I have to say, I really enjoyed it! It wasn't "too hard" this time, but I definitely broke a good sweat (the inline skating is killer on my legs).
Workout 1 of 20 is complete. I wish I had worn my Garmin as a heart rate monitor, because I'm curious how accurate that calorie burn is. Based on how I was feeling and sweating, I would guess it's pretty accurate.




I was really craving Banana Cranberry Oat Bars for breakfast, but it never fails that I will make a batch with good intentions, only to binge on them later. I decided to make a bowl of oatmeal with the same main ingredients and hopefully get the same taste without having a whole batch to deal with. It was really good, and definitely killed that craving!
Oatmeal with maple syrup stirred in, then topped with 1/2 a sliced banana, a sprinkle of coconut and dried cranberries, and (as an afterthought) a dollop of almond butter. Normally, I'm not a banana-person. I like bananas, but I don't LOVE them. Which is why it surprises me so much that I love those bars! But it's the combination of the bananas + coconut + cranberries that keeps me coming back for more.




One of the many books I requested at the library became available and I picked it up today. It's The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. I could swear that I've read this book before! It looks so familiar and even the first chapter is very familiar. What I think probably happened is I started it once before, then lost interest and never finished it. I am setting a goal to read 20 pages per day, so I should finish it in two weeks.

I know, 20 pages is not very ambitious, but I am a super slow reader... and I don't spend much time reading at all. I'm behind on blog reading, on e-mail, and I have a few TV shows that I enjoy as well ;)



I am the "Featured Fitterati" this week on Fitness.com. You can read the short bio here on the Featured Fitterati: Weight Loss Blog if you'd like!

21 comments:

  1. LoveAnAnimalJuly 17, 2012

    Loved hearing about your Wii Active and you made me LOL! Heck yeah...show it who's boss!

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  2. I loved The Glass Castle. You have to push through the first few chapters...it is so hard to read all that she went through. True resiliency.....

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  3. I read The Glass Castle for a book club. It was hard to read at parts, but really an eye opening story.

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  4. AnonymousJuly 17, 2012

    hmm. We've had a Wii for a long time but we don't have Wii fit. Maybe I'll look into that. It sounds like a good extra workout.

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  5. that breakfast looks delish!!! i have to be careful about bingeing, too. Lately I've been polishing off like a BOX of Kashi/day. I need to stop. I can't be trusted around cereal! Thanks for keeping it real, katie! :-)

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  6. AnonymousJuly 17, 2012

    The Glass Castle is my ALL TIME favorite book. Please read it. It is one of those books that when you finish it, you are so glad you read it.

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  7. I had the same experience with the Wii Active! I received it (as a gift...)a couple of years ago, tried it once and then put it away. Recently, I gave it another shot and loved it. I did the 30 day Medium Challenge and then got the More Active and am doing the 6 week challenge on that. I love the results I've gotten with it and the sense of accomplishment for actually sticking with it!

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  8. I absolutely loved Glass Castle. Once you get into it, you will not put it down!

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  9. I like the Wii Active, apart from how many breaks the on screen trainer takes.

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  10. We have the Wii and the Wii Fit. I loved getting on it after 2+ years and seeing how much weight I lost! My favorite part is beating everyone else's scores! We are super competitive in this house!

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  11. i'm almost done with The Glass Castle. sometimes heart wrenching but SO good!!!!

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  12. I am going to have to make that for us and our 5 children. Looks wonderful!!

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  13. Samantha B.July 18, 2012

    I absolutely loved The Glass Castle! Her other book (Half Broke Horses) was very good as well. I find both books to be very well written and thought provoking. Hope you enjoy! :)

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  14. I love my wii active! :)

    I gave you the sunshine blogger award on my blog!

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  15. Katie, that oatmeal looks yummy--wish I had a bowl sitting in front of me right now, even though I already had most of my breakfast. Still get to eat my banana--which I think I will right now since you made me hungry for it in your oatmeal and bar descriptions. I used to think bananas were just okay. Now I have one every day for breakfast and just love them. It's funny how your tastes change when you don't allow yourself to eat anything and everything you want all the time!

    I am the same way at you, with the so-called "healthy" snacks. Sure they're healthy, if you don't eat the whole pan at once, but how do you stop?

    You inspire me to find a new way to work-out. I'm struggling with my maintenance right now and hating to walk outside in this heat. Somebody suggested I get out my Leslie Sansone WAH DVD's which I will do. I also won a Sparkpeople work-out DVD a while back, from spinning the wheel, I never even watched it, so I could try that as well. Need to burn some of these excess calories I continue to consume!

    Pam

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  16. My humble, humble opinion on reading ANY book, it should captivate you to the point that you don't even realize how many pages you are reading, you just read and read and can't put it down. Ohhh, Kind of like reading your blog! The oatmeal looks YUMMY!

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  17. I read the Glass Castle recently and LOVED it!!! I only read a few books a year, that one I couldn't put down.
    I made the Cold Almond Joy Oats last night and loved it, thanks again for the recipe!

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  18. The Glass Castle is a good book. I'm reading "Let's Pretend this Never Happened." It by a blogger-you'd probably like it!!

    Hell yes you are going to finish the Wii challenge!! Can't wait to hear your results!

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  19. I agree. The Glass Castle is excellent. Ge through the first few chapters and her story s amazing. It's a true story which makes it amazing to read.
    Love me some good oatmeal. I'll have to try that.

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  20. I just might have to try the Wii challenge. We never use Wii Active. I have the Glass Castle on my to read list. How was it?

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