November 26, 2010-present weight loss




2012 weight loss



Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Another day, another opportunity to swim

I am a slow swimmer, and even though I can keep going for ages, I don't think my time is improving much.  I am not out to shatter records, but a bit more speed would be nice.  I think that I am not physically strong enough yet.  So, I tried a new routine today.  Rather than just swimming freestyle for 2000-2400m, I swam 160m freestyle at normal speed and then 40m with a kick board- kicking with as much strength as I could muster.  I did this routine 10 times, so I completed 2000m in total.  I was breathing heavily, I was hotter than usual and my heart rate was definitely elevated more than when I just do freestyle.  I hope this helps me strengthen my legs and improve my cardio functions.  We shall see. 
 
I am also down .6 lbs.  I didn't lose anything when I was in the states, but in reality I barely moved at all.  This is one of the clear drawbacks to living in the suburbs.  In London I walk everywhere; it is a means of transportation.  In the suburbs, I drive for transportation- meaning that I only walk for the purpose of exercising.  And exercise of this nature doesn't always fit into my plans.  Oh well, now that I am back in London I should be able to shave off a bit more weight.  I'd love to be down 80+ lbs before I see Dr. K on August 1.  
 
In other news, we are hosting a 4th of July party this Saturday.  We always celebrated our independence from this wonderful country (note sarcasm) when we lived in the states and decided to continue this tradition after we moved.  We have about 25 people coming- Americans, Germans, Austrians, Welsh, British, and Italians- we will be the melting pot of West London this weekend.  I do all of the prep work and cooking (and I don't serve prepared dishes), and Kenny mans the grill.  I am starting with guacamole, salsa, pesto dip/crudite, and a white bean and arugula dip that I will put into individual croustades before serving.  For meats we are serving ribs, burgers and two types of sausage and sides will include a tomato salad, a spinach and pasta dish and corn on the cob.  I am also making key lime pies.  The only thing I won't be making is a strawberry and white chocolate cake.  I don't have the time or patience to bake in addition to everything else.  It doesn't look like a ton of food when I type it out, but I will need all of Friday and half of Saturday to prepare everything. 
 
So Friday will be a prep day.  At least I can relax a bit tomorrow. 

8 comments:

MandaPanda said...

Sounds like a great party!

Your new swim routine sounds like the interval training I was doing on the treadmill to help me run faster...run as fast as I can (kickboard) for a few minutes (until I felt like I'd die. LOL) and then walk briskly until my breathing normalized (freestyle). I've heard it's actually better to work out this way.

Melissa Wolf said...

Nora, swimming sounds great and your new plan makes sense. It's bound to improve your endurance and speed. I'm weak as a kitten...embracing exercise is an even bigger challenge than controlling my eating, for me. As a total foodie, home chef and party-thrower, I applaud your menu! There's a nice broccoli slaw recipe with cranberries and toasted almonds I can share, found here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/05/broccoli-slaw/
Everything you mentioned sounds delish. I love white bean and arugula especially, yum! Have fun!

MB said...

The menu sounds great! And am I understanding you right that you will be ordering that cake...because if so...oh my goodness! It looks awesome! I am super jealous!

I do hope you have a great time at your party and that you don't get too worn out any time before or after it.

Oh, and as far as my post goes, I decided not to post it yet...or maybe ever. It is back in the draft que (along with several others...ugh...one day I'll have to tackle some of them).

Amanda said...

flipping heck can I come to your party!????

I am having one too. We are serving sausage and ribs, homemade mac and cheese, yellow squash from the garden, cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden and various other yummies!

I really did LOL last night when I read NOPD! I read it out loud to my husband!! Ha. Love it!

Alison said...

The food at your party sounds great, the cake sounds amazing. I was going to ask for a recipe but figure that it's safer just not to know!

Thanks for your comments on my blog, I live in Colchester which is north Essex, we're just a few miles from the Suffolk border, it's all east of London. It's not too far, my husband works just by St Paul's and commutes every day.

To be quite frank, it's quite pretty here but you're not missing much!

Nora said...

Yes, I am buying the cake... so much for not serving any prepared food. I don't think cake counts though. It's not like I am serving prepared pasta after all:)

Of course you can come Amanda. I am only a flight away!

Andrea said...

Sounds like a great party!

~*Dawn*~ said...

I agree with Manda; I've read different articles that say interval training is the best. It has something to do with the up and downs of your heart rate...not sure. I do interval training with running/power walking. Swimming would be fun but not an option really where I live (the boondocks).

I find it hilarous that you are celebrating our independence from England...in England! Awesome! Are you going to do fireworks, too?