Category Archives: Blog Posts

A Day to Rest

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Although I don’t feel too sore after that first workout, I am going to take a day in-between the next one. But I sure can feel where my legs meet my backside. Apparently, sitting all day doesn’t really exercise these muscles. They will  get their workout again tomorrow.

I find that working at a desk job Monday through Friday makes me feel sluggish by the end of the day. I think I need to add something else during the day that gets my blood moving. That way, I’m hoping that by the time I get home, I don’t feel totally exhausted and not want to exercise. The last thing I need is to sit the rest of my day away!

It’s too easy for me to get involved in whatever project I am working on and forget to get up. I have forgotten to use the restroom until the last minute because I was so focused. That’s not good. I’m going to put a reminder in my calendar to pop up and nag me to get moving. At least four times a day I want to do something that moves me away from my desk. If I move regularly I hope to make it a habit.

My best days are when I interact with people. I’m going to find a walking buddy at work and try to walk a half hour during lunch time. If I walk on one day, I will treat myself the next day to a lunch offsite. If I have something to look forward to then I’m more likely to keep to my goal.

On my day of “rest” I plan to use other strategies to keep my focus. I’ve downloaded some relaxation music and techniques to mediate. The mind-body connection is the way for me to go. If I don’t have the right frame of mind I won’t succeed. All the exercise in the world will not make me healthy if I continue to allow stress to take over my life.

After the calming effect of the meditation, I hope to have a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, I will start the day with a workout on the treadmill. There are tons of programs that I can customize to help me vary my workout routine. I will capture some more screenshots on the treadmill. As I said, it has all the bells and whistles so I might as well figure out how to use them.

Off to deep breathing…

First Time on the Treadmill

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Oh my word! As I write this I am still out of breath. I finished my walk on the treadmill and came downstairs to blog about it. Pardon me while I sweat. My heart is pounding out of my chest. What did I expect? I don’t know but I sure didn’t expect to have my butt kicked by walking on a treadmill. My feet are tingling from being trapped into walking shoes and forced to keep pace on that diabolic machine. My workout clothes are sticking to me and I feel like a sweat ball.

Hang on. I’m going to lie down on the floor for a few minutes…

Seriously, I had to lie down on the floor to catch my breath. Wow.
Really. Out. Of. Shape.

But I did it. Good for me! I need to stay motivated. I have the proof that I worked out (besides the sweaty clothes and the dripping wet hair).

Treadmill screen
The workout recorded on the treadmill

I have to keep reminding myself that this is only the beginning. If I don’t stay motivated, I will stop like I have in the past. I texted a friend and told her about my accomplishment. She texted me back “U rock! Proud of u!” Now that’s the kind of friends I need. If you don’t have those kinds of friends, comment on the post and I will be your cheerleader. Without support, we tend to fall into old habits. I recognize that in myself. It’s a tough thing to realize that I don’t have the willpower to stay on top of this exercise thing.

Willpower can be depleted. Stress is the biggest reason for me. When I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I just can’t motivate myself to get things – anything – done. I’ve read other sources that say that willpower is like a muscle where it can be overused and need time to be replenished. What I need to do is find the balance in my life. Sounds like a lofty goal but it’s what I need to do. For me, I need to actively decide if I need to do something, what other thing do I not do. I can’t do it all. And I have to stop doing other things, like sitting on my keister and watching TV like a slug. I could read a book, play with the dogs, or exercise. (I just need to keep reminding myself.)

Now that I have cooled down, I need to eat dinner and feel human again. Food is a very important part of weight loss. (No kidding, you say.) But not just any food. Good food. Tasty food. Filling food. I don’t want to eat and then 10 minutes feel like I haven’t eaten. I’m not planning to eat just salads and bean sprouts. That’s just not enough food for me. I am going to find good meals that I will want to eat and will help me lose weight and provide the fuel to keep exercising.

Next – Putting it all together

Life Gets in the Way

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Some people will call it a cop-out (do people still say that?) but life does get in the way of the best laid plans. I had every intention of coming home from work and getting on the treadmill. Well, I had a doctor’s appointment first, then when I did get home, I had a call that took about 40 minutes, and then I had to log back into work… But most importantly, a friend asked me to come to her house tonight. And more important than losing weight is being there for your friends and family. So I’m taking five minutes to post this and it’s off to see my friend.

I am serious about getting onto the exercise portion of the weight loss. I have changed my eating habits – no more random snacking or seeking out the last bit of junk food that might be hidden somewhere in the deep crevices of the pantry. The food I eat is going to be nutritious and tasty. And not all nutritious food is tasty. There’s the dilemma. I will definitely go into the food in another post.

The most important aspect of this new way of life is to take care of myself. In the process, I may have to adjust to circumstances but I need to make a conscious decision that my health is important. Stop talking the talk; start walking the walk. On that note, I have a date with a treadmill tomorrow after work. No matter what!

Off to help a friend – maybe we will do something physical and I can call it my workout for today!

 

 

Weigh In

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I said I was going to do it and I did. I weighed myself this morning and to my surprise, I didn’t pass out. But I wasn’t happy.

First time on the scale
First time on the scale

I had mixed feelings seeing that number. First, it wasn’t as high as it had been in the past. Before I was treated for a thyroid condition (and I definitely will get into that in a later post), my weight had ballooned up to 195 lbs! I felt like I was bursting out of my own skin. But after many years and multiple doctors, I am being successfully treated with thyroid medication. So the number is reflective of the progress that the medicine has made helping get my body to start working again. If you suspect a thyroid condition, run, don’t walk, to an endocrinologist. I’ve gone to GPs, internists, and other specialty doctors only to find out this is the very one I needed all along.

Okay, back to the weight. It wasn’t bad enough that I was feeling overweight, looking overweight, and now seeing the actual number confirming I was overweight but I had to go and check out my BMI (Body Mass Index*). I’ve tried Jillian Michaels program in the past and was shocked at the results of my BMI score. Not only did I fret over the number but the text was a slap in the face – not only am I “above” the healthy range but I’m in the obese category. WHAT? When did that happen?

Now I have to face up to it. What do I do next? It’s time to modify the eating and exercise. Modify the exercise – did I really just type that??? I have to START the exercise. I’m not what you’d call motivated to exercise in general. But no matter what anyone says or does, it comes down to calories in, calories out. I no longer have an excuse not to exercise. I will say that I am not going to push myself past my comfort level. I know that if I make it too hard for myself I will just quit. Jillian may be a hard body but she’s not me, a mature woman with years of excuses why not to exercise.

And the biggest reason why I can’t use excuses any more, like “I hate going to the gym” or “I get bored exercising by myself” because my dear, sweet husband bought me a state of the art treadmill for Christmas. God bless him. Really. It’s a mixed blessing. I know he bought it to help me but now I have to use that thing. I’m sure I will have much to say once I finally get on that thing. It has so many bells and whistles that I am sure I will fall down just from the learning curve.

Tomorrow – first day on the treadmill <sigh>

*What does BMI mean?
Body Mass Index (BMI) is an established measure utilized by physicians and health experts to determine weight status (i.e. underweight, overweight or within a healthy weight range).

It Really is Time to Start Losing Weight!

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I’m not the kind of person who makes New Year’s resolutions. I don’t start new things at the beginning of the month, week, or even the start of the day. I start things when I’m ready. And I’m ready now. That took a long time in coming but I’m glad I finally made the decision.

You might wonder why I feel the need to blog about my weight loss. First and foremost, I am doing this for myself. If you want to share the experience with me, then come along. Maybe you will find the inspiration to start something you have been putting off for a long time. For me, it’s been a long journey to get here. Now that I am finally determined to make it happen, I feel the need to make it concrete by putting it into words.

Who am I? I’m a 57 year old woman with three children and three grandchildren. I don’t feel 57 but the calendar tells me otherwise. At first, I was the young mom who was slender and fit when I only had one child. Then after the third child the weight just wouldn’t come off as easily. I was only 30 but there were so many other things going on in my life that losing weight wasn’t high on my priority list. Life was rapidly changing every day. I just couldn’t do everything.

Life gets in the way of taking care of yourself, and like many women, I had put my family first. Then I went back to work. The hours and stress took too much energy. Exercise was off the radar. There was little enough time to get sleep. Even sleeping didn’t make me feel rested. It was a viscious cycle.

Then I realized, I’m in my 50’s – how did I get here without taking care of  myself? I had lived through a divorce, the children growing up, and a second marriage but I still had not taken care of myself. Now is the time. I have finally convinced myself that I need to come first. If I feel better, I will be better able to take care of my husband, enjoy my grandchildren, and hopefully live a fuller life.

This is day one. I will share with you my triumphs and my failures. I hope that the former will outweigh the latter. But I’m human, I know that I will mess up somewhere along the way. Tomorrow, I will do my first weigh in. (UGH!) I’m in it for the good, bad, and the ugly. If you feel that you want to share your experiences to help me, and anyone else who may read this blog, please send me your comments. I am open to suggestions and advice. This is going to be challenge but I’m going to face it down and make the changes that I have been putting off because I let life get in the way. Ready? Deep breath… Yes I am.

Next — the weigh in