150 days until cruise -This POS (person of size) gal its - Time to start walking!!

[melodyina]

Hello fellow cruisers!  A topic I don't see much mentioned, but I"ll hit this head on - I have 150 days to get in 'better shape' for my cruise. 

 

I will start my 'athletic cruise prep' routine.  What's new is looking up the length of my ship and 'mapping the length out' on our road from home my with the car.  

I will start with that.  I will walk this imaginary deck in sun, rain, sleet and snow - well, at least twice a day (down and back), that's twice right?   I am not a 'walker', never had the desire to hit the pavement or treadmill and just 'walk', it seems I always have something better I could be doing. 🙂

 

hmm... stairs.  I see those eyes on me on the cruiseship as I take one step at a time (I have an arthritic knee), and especially during the drill I feel like i'm either being pushed, rushed, or the eyes are upon me taking notes this gal doesn't like stairs, and those muster drill stair guards are thinking... ahhh... what room is she in, we need to take note!  I've got this one down though, I arrive EARLY before the ship alert goes off.  You'lll see me sitting down in that chair long before many arrive, holding up my hand to 'wand me in'.  You'll easily spot me - i'm the one holding on to the left rail even if its the 'up side' and,  per hubby's request to never use hand rails, I'll either have my shirt sleeve or a disinfective wipe in my hands as I am bracing myself "step" "step" "step"at a time to get to the level. (I like how there aren't many kids on Princess as they usually run these steps).. In my mind i'm counting steps.  (Its easier going up).   By the end of the cruise I can tell you how many stairs and where.  Those few decks with more stairs trick you.  So - getting in shape for the stairs - what can one do?  I live in a small county that only has one stop light and buildings are one level  - so believe me when I say - I really don't know where I can find some stairs for this work-out.  OK - my porch has 4 steps.  That will have to do, it may drive my German Shepherd into confusion, but hopefully he can be on standby and 'sit, stay'  and watch as I loop - ok lets pick 100 TIMES!

 

D-I-E-T  (!)  I"ll take my WiiFit  (HAH!) weigh in today, but not right now as I already ate breakfast and drank 12 oz of coffee, so I know the weight will be really wrong......

I'll start by going low-carb.  I'll weigh-in later today.. 

 

Athletic wear!!!  I've got a couple new pieces.  Have you seen these shirts that now have holes for the thumbs!  I now own one!!  I've got the entire outfit!  DH says that I look great in my athletic wear, but the outfit  is just a delusion of my athletic ability.  I'll take that as a compliment.  

 

Clothing!  Yes Swimsuit!! I have three i'll be bringing.  (One for salt water, one for fresh water and one for - just in-case there is a wardrobe malfunction I have a backup).  

Don't fear I have a cover-up, but - if you do put my on YouTube kindly let me know so I can share my fun and adventures.  Shoes, shoes, shoes.. in my cruising years I"m not packing as many.  I know what works.  They need to be flat, they need to grip great on wet surfaces,  slip in no-tie sneakers work great too, they need to look formal on demand and they need to not squeek when walking the deck.   They need to be broken in as I don't want blisters.  They need to be easy-on and easy-off.  I also need a pair a size bigger of my favorites JUST IN CASE my feet swell from too much salt, or who knows.. just in case.  

 

So there it is, my thoughts as I ate my breakfast sandwich,  onwards we start.  The plan is in my mind and the countdown has begun!  

 

Edited March 21, 2019 by melodyina
added another sentence.

[Cruiser_1977]

I wish you the best of luck. I think starting with the length of the ship is fantastic for motivation. An idea for building your leg endurance in addition to walking and the stairs - you can do sit/stands. These are basically modified squats. Find a hard chair or bench. With both feet firmly planted about hip width apart, raise your arms out in front of you (for balance) then sit back onto the chair, count 1, then with arms still outstretched, stand. Start with 5 to 10 per day and increase weekly 🙂

 

Please feel free to ask me anything I have been a certified strength and conditioning coach for over 7 years and have helped folks of all fitness levels.

 

A good place to start with nutrition is by keeping a journal. Whether hand written or something like myfitnesspal. It really keeps you accountable. In addition to limiting your carbohydrates, make sure to get between 64 and 128 ounces of water per day.

[melodyina]

8 hours ago, JennyB1977 said:

I wish you the best of luck. I think starting with the length of the ship is fantastic for motivation. An idea for building your leg endurance in addition to walking and the stairs - you can do sit/stands. These are basically modified squats. Find a hard chair or bench. With both feet firmly planted about hip width apart, raise your arms out in front of you (for balance) then sit back onto the chair, count 1, then with arms still outstretched, stand. Start with 5 to 10 per day and increase weekly 🙂

 

Please feel free to ask me anything I have been a certified strength and conditioning coach for over 7 years and have helped folks of all fitness levels.

 

A good place to start with nutrition is by keeping a journal. Whether hand written or something like myfitnesspal. It really keeps you accountable. In addition to limiting your carbohydrates, make sure to get between 64 and 128 ounces of water per day.

Thanks!!  I'll look for the myfitness pal, and take your advice on the modified squats, pending the knee pain that is.  I will say that I do stand and do some walking on a cement floor with my  7 hour job (without sitting) 5 days a week.  Wow sometimes the leg cramps in the middle of the night really are hard to handle.  I get 'double cramps' in two places.  So Painful. I resort to downing pickle juice and it helps after a few minutes.  

 

[Cruiser_1977]

@melodyina *I'm not a doctor.* I have heard pickle juice is good for cramps (this has to due with sodium content). I would recommend a solid multi-vitamin. Make sure it contains potassium & magnesium. The increase in water to 64 to 120 ounces per day should also help. Dehydration is one cause of the nighttime cramps.

[Cruiser_1977]

@melodyina Wanted to see how you're doing 🙂

[JessandLevi]

I think this is a GREAT idea!! I have 254 days until my 30th birthday cruise and would love to lose (a lot!!) of weight by then. I ESPECIALLY love the length of the ship idea. I have a soon to be 7 year old so hopefully I can convince him to walk with me....perhaps now that it is warming up we can kick a ball around or something.

 

I, too, am trying to shoot for low carb but it's been harder than I thought!

[Cruiser_1977]

@JessandLevi Hey there and good luck. Once you get the hang of lo-carb it can be easy! Just sort of have to change your mindset. Like for lunch I had chicken baked with a wing sauce. On the side I had mashed cauliflower with a little cheese and bacon! Only 470 calories, 16g carbs,  29g fat and 41g protein. 

 

I also do something called Intermittent Fasting. I don't eat until 12:00-12:30 each day and stop eating by 7:00pm. If the calories seem high it's because I only really eat two "meals". Lunch and then dinner around 6:30. Snacks are usually veggies if I'm dying in the afternoon. When I'm trying to lose I keep calories around 1000 per day. Maintenance it's about 1300/day.

Edited April 4, 2019 by JennyB1977

[JessandLevi]

On 4/4/2019 at 3:54 PM, JennyB1977 said:

@JessandLevi Hey there and good luck. Once you get the hang of lo-carb it can be easy! Just sort of have to change your mindset. Like for lunch I had chicken baked with a wing sauce. On the side I had mashed cauliflower with a little cheese and bacon! Only 470 calories, 16g carbs,  29g fat and 41g protein. 

 

I also do something called Intermittent Fasting. I don't eat until 12:00-12:30 each day and stop eating by 7:00pm. If the calories seem high it's because I only really eat two "meals". Lunch and then dinner around 6:30. Snacks are usually veggies if I'm dying in the afternoon. When I'm trying to lose I keep calories around 1000 per day. Maintenance it's about 1300/day.

 

I do intermittent fasting! I've been trying to do 18:6 but sometimes I can only make it 14-16 hours. So far I've lost 13 pounds since Feb 15th but I want change my diet to see if that helps with the weight loss. I didn't even think about mashed cauliflower. I will have to try it out! I don't track calories I just eat until I am content and not full. But carbs are my downfall lol gotta start replacing them!

[Cruiser_1977]

@JessandLevi The 17 hour fast was hard the first week. This is week three and I'm finally noticing I'm truly hungry around the time I need to eat. Over the past 10 years I've realized counting the calories in works best for me. I tend to let my portions get too big or snack too often if I don't. If I stick to foods that I know and record their calories I see results. No matter how few hours you eat, if you eat more than you burn, you'll gain weight....

[JessandLevi]

My problem is most days I don't eat enough. Sure I drink lots of water but I may only eat one meal that is like 500-600 calories and then a snack. I tracked my calories yesterday and ate 730 calories :eek: When it's hot out I just get so busy and I don't have an appetite.

 

Melodyina how are things going with you?