New Goals

 Last Spring when I started going to the gym I had a goal of getting up to 2000 steps on the stair master. I did it earlier than my targeted date. I had it though in my head that at some point in the future I wanted to be able to do a full hour on it. Yesterday was the day I accomplished it! Pretty good since I haven't done 2000 steps on it since last September and only in recent workouts was going 1500 steps in thirty minutes. When I started my workout yesterday I told myself to go for as long as I could. I was hoping to do 2000 steps but was curious to see if I could last the full hour. I did set my pace a little slower than normal. I would usually do 55 spm, but did most of the workout at 50 spm, then 45 spm after hitting 2000. the last five minutes were a struggle but I hit 2850 steps in the hour.  

On Saturday I concentrated on the treadmill. I did seventy minutes with 53 minutes of that at 15%, a few at 12%, the remainder was warm up / cool down. That has been my best to date.

New goals are Stairmaster 3000 steps in one hour. Treadmill 55 minutes at 15% after a five minute warm-up. I need to get my -3% up to ten - fifteen minutes before a five minute cool down. So going forward I will concentrate on the treadmill on Saturdays and stair master on Sundays. Once I retire I will aim to do both workouts in a single day at least one to two days a week. 

I have had to increase my calorie intake to maintain my weight. I am enjoying that as I have put desserts back on the menu. Last week was homemade coconut milk chocolate ice cream, this week a homemade Key lime pie. Last year when I decided to cut back on meat and only eat it every other week I soon last my appetite for it and only occasionally ate some. I have now completely lost my appetite for it and just the smell of it cooking turns my stomach. I am still eating fish a few times a month, but no meat or chicken. I do still eat dairy and eggs, but not as much as in the past. I feel so much better, healthier and my digestive system is working so much better. I enjoy what I eat and am often trying new recipes. I love spicy foods so I explore cuisines from around the world. I love Korean food and Indian curries. I am also a big fan of soups and will eat them year-round. I will cook a big pot full when I make a soup and will freeze individual servings so that I always have an assortment to choose from for lunch or dinner. Maybe I should start a new blog - Vegetarian Soups! 

Have a good week everyone!