off week

I decided to take a couple days off to let my back recover, and that has turned into almost a week off. Seriously. I think I did yoga once this week. I consciously decided to take the first couple days off for my back, then William got sick. Poor guy. Obviously I really felt bad for him, but I was also bummed that it killed any chance that I had of getting to the gym (or finish any holiday errands). I think he'll be back at school tomorrow and I can go to Pilates. If my back does well, then maybe I can get some good workouts in this weekend (in between the birthday parties and holiday festivities). I'm tired today. I actually just realized that Wills has slept through the night only once this week. Having a sick child is like having an infant. I hope William kicks this soon, and that the rest of us stay healthy...

nutrition plan

A few weeks ago I worked with a great trainer (who is the Yoda of triathlete.com) to complete a fitness assessment and nutrition plan for me. He collected all kinds of info on me (current weight, measurements, current exercise regimen, etc) and gave me some recommendations to get into better shape. I went into this thinking that I was okay with my size but not thrilled with my shape. His recommendation was that I work on losing fat and gaining muscle to bring my body fat percentage down. Sounds easy enough, right? So I have been counting calories, fat, protein and carbs daily. It kind of sucks. It really sucked at first, but we quickly learned that certain recipes provide all of that info (thank you Cooking Light), so I don't have to calculate it myself (where calculating means measuring out each ingredient, looking up the details on that online, adding all the numbers for each ingredient and dividing by the number of servings). I also need maintain my current cardio routine and lift more often; he recommended that I lift pretty heavy weight (where I am reaching fatigue after 8-12 reps). The workouts have been good. I really like lifting, and have been pretty motivated to workout often. I did something to my back last weekend, so I have been taking it a little easier this week... but probably not easy enough, since I am still in pain. I think its because I haven't been consistent about stretching well after my workouts, and this can really mess me up - especially after runs. I am hopeful that with a couple days off and some yoga or pilates I'll be back on track soon. I did pretty well through Thanksgiving; I ate healthy during the day and then I really enjoyed my Thanksgiving dinner. I also enjoyed the leftovers for a couple days, but I think I balanced the rest of my eating pretty well. Christmas should be another story though. We will be staying with family for a week and a half and my mother will inevitably make her usual zillion Christmas cookies. Its like I walk through the door and become a kid again... "cookies for breakfast? Sure!". I just hope I don't undo all the good that I have done thus far.