Posts by ccrun4fun

Let me give you some advice from experience. I just recently (like 1 week ago) broke up with a long term live-in boyfriend. (We'd been dating for 4 years and living together for 3.) I was exactly that you are now, slightly unhappy but not unhappy enough to do anything about it. I was also "comfortable" in the relationship and worried about change and dating and trying to make it work with someone new.

Finally, I decided it's better to take a chance on finding someone who makes me completely happy. Maybe it will be another 5-10 years before I find that person, but I've decided that I'm okay with that. I am SO glad that I came to this realization before we were engaged or married (it would have been coming shortly) because that would have been making the break even harder. If I were you, I'd seriously consider what to do before moving in together. Once you live together, it is that much harder to split up.

Walking/running burns on average 100 calories per mile. (I think this calculation is for a 150 pound person?) If you're heavier, you'll burn more calories and if you're going hard, then you'll tend to burn more too. I'm not saying this is exact, but I usually keep this average in mind to ballpark my calories burned. Based on this, 700 just seems like an awful lot of calories for 4.5 miles but 569 seems pretty reasonable.

I have a small reduced sugar granola bar. They're 90 calories and about 3-4 bites. This way I don't blow a lot of calories before my run when I really don't feel like eating anyway, but my stomach is also not completely empty and queasy. If I'm going to a race or running a longer distance, I'll have a small amount of oatmeal or a piece of whole grain toast with peanut butter.

I'm a non-smoker and have the same problem when it's cold outside. In my case, it's kind of an exercise-induced asthma which is aggravated by breathing in the cold air. Try warming up (by walking) for a couple of minutes before you start running. This can get your lungs used to the cold air before you really start sucking it in when you run. You can also put a scarf or bandana over your mouth when it's really cold. This will make the air a little warmer/moister before you breathe it in.

You also asked about weight training and I don't know if any one has answered that question yet. Most training programs that I have seen only suggest lifting 1-2 days a week while training for a marathon and then stopping all together when you begin your taper before the marathon. Basically, you don't want your muscles to be too exhausted from weight training to get in the requisite number of miles. If you can keep lifting 2-3 days a week, then maybe you can go for it, but if you start feeling tired/burned out, I would suggest cutting back.

This used to happen to me ALL the time. My fingers would be cold and tingly. They would also be kind of swollen so they would be hard to bend. As my running has improved, so has the finger tingling. I also shake my arms out every mile or so. I think this helps loosen up my arms/hands/shoulders since I tend to hold them fairly rigidly while I run. I hope this is somewhat helpful!

Are you adding the calories burned at the gym to your daily intake? Because 1700 is what you're supposed to eat to lose if you don't do anything. So if you burn 300 cal during cardio, you can consume 2000. You don't HAVE to consumer 2000, but you can if you're hungry.

Overall, my suggestion is to get a better estimate of your daily calorie burn. Find out your BMR. That's how many calories you burn each day. Then, add any extra exercising (cardio or lifting) that you do. Finally, eat so that you only have a 500-1000 calorie deficit. A 500 cal deficit will lose you a pound per week, so don't feel like you HAVE to go for the 1000 deficit.

I completely understand being stressed out! I'm a graduate student, work 25-30 hours a week and also tend to be a perfectionist. This leads to a LOT of stress. Here are some of the things that I've found to work:

- exercising for a little bit each day (for me this means running 4-5 days a week, lifting weights 2-3 days, ballet 1 day)

- making sure to get enough sleep (the exercising helps with this)

- eating healthy food and taking a vitamin supplement (keeps you from feeling rundown, which will make you stressed and sick)

- making a list of things that need to be done (even a mental list) and just concentrate on one thing at a time (don't worry about things that are later on the list because it wil just make you stressed and will hinder your performance on the thing you're currently working on)

- make sure to schedule "relaxation" into your day and every so often really treat yourself (if I survive this semester, I'm going to go get a nice massage and pedicure!)

I hope these tips help. Another thing that you can do is talk to other people about things, which you're doing on this site. Don't worry. You'll make it through this busy time, so just keep telling yourself that!

Original Post by ward_sayre:

Actually, I've found that running on a treadmill helps my overall running stride since I have to be more disciplined. Usually, I tend to overpronate and a treadmill can help straighten me out.

I actually think running on the treadmill makes my running stride worse. I'm usually scared that I'm going to fall off so I stay up close to the front. This results in me taking shorter strides than I would normally. I can do it for a couple of miles (2-3) but after that it becomes extremely uncomfortable and even somewhat painful. My hips, legs and feet usually end up more sore than if I had run outside. Plus, my feet get really, really hot, something that doesn't happen when I run outside. Maybe I'm just weird, but I have a LOT of trouble with treadmills!

My suggestion is to google this. There are several good (and reputable) websites that have helpful tips. The ones I remember include:

- exercising regularly but not too close to bedtime as that will just keep you awake

- avoiding caffeine and alcohol in the hours before bedtime

- turning the clock around or putting something in front of it, so that you can't watch the minutes tick by, making yourself more stressed and less likely to fall asleep (this REALLY worked for me!)

- avoiding the tv for about an hour before bedtime

- using the bedroom only for sleep (I believe the theory behind this is that if you get used to watching tv in bed, your body won't realize it's time for sleeping when you lie down)

I hope some of these help!!

I would say that you probably need more calories because you're burning more calories by being awake! Sleeping doesn't burn nearly as many calories as walking around and being active. I would suggest adding an extra snack to your day (maybe 200 cal-ish?) and see how that works.

I worked with a trainer for about three months over the summer. (3x a week for 45 min each time) Over the course of the three months, I lost 15 pounds and a TON of inches. (Went from a size 8ish to a size 4!) I would say that I started losing inches in my waist and hips within a few weeks.

I second what other posters have said. Make sure you check whether the trainer is qualified and whether they know the right stuff for YOU. I'm a runner so I have different needs/goals than someone who is looking to bulk up. Don't be afraid to ask questions, so that you can learn as much as you can. Trainers are expensive so make sure you get your money's worth!

My suggestion is that you do all the sets for one exercise before moving onto the next one. Don't cycle through all of them and then feel too tired to the second set of each. Do 2-3 sets of each exercise (with about 30 sec of rest inbetween) and then move on to the next exercise.

Also, if you split like was suggested earlier, it may help. Then, you can do 4-5 legs/lower body exercises one day and then 4-5 arms/chest/upper body exercises the next.

Catholics do actually have a set of additional books, called the Deuterocanonicals. (Thanks Wikipedia!) These books were "approved" by an early church council, but Christians disagreed over them so they didn't make it into the Protestant Bible. But I know that my Catholic Bible has them and I really like them! (My favorite is Sirach!)

If you're just worried about it being dark, don't be! There are safe ways to run even before the sun comes up! If you're more worried about the cold, again there are ways to deal with it. I grew up in Ohio and we would run outside even in the snow and freezing temps. Try wearing a hat and gloves when you run, you'll be surprised how warm they will keep you. Also, wear several layers. That will give you some flexibility in case you get way too warm. If snow becomes a problem, you may have to adapt where you run. Try to find somewhere that shovels the sidewalks/paths because running on the side of a snowy road may not be the safest plan. Good luck and have fun!!