Weigh-In Wednesday

Well, a week has gone by. I've been feeling really good the last few days- it's been a good week so far. Even my chocolate Promises have kept their place in the cupboard. However, a step on the scale this morning shows no change. And while I fully admit that a part of me was disappointed, reality is that I have been making changes and improvements, and I can't expect that it will all go away at once. Having watched The Biggest Loser, it's easy to get caught up in the fact that these people can lose a lot of weight in one week. However, their diets are very limited, and they work out- a lot. I imagine if I had all the time in the world to devote to a gym or fitness program I, too would shed pounds like crazy.

Exercise. That word simply makes one shudder just saying it. Exercise conotates hard work, and sweat, possibly tears, and is not one of the more pleasant words to roll off the tongue. But it is important. Exercise helps build and tone the muscular system, and it also improves blood flow. The end result is that you feel better physically. And exercise, in my opinion, is key to any kind of permanent weight loss. You can reduce your calorie intake all you want, but in order to keep the weight off, you need to use up the calories you take in on a daily basis. That's where a daily exercise routine comes in. And it's so hard to take that first step towards exercising regularily. That's a tough step to take, especially when you already have a full day. And adding an hour for a full fledged workout is a tough thing to commit to. That's my problem.

In high school I discovered that I LOVED weight lifting. I love doing Nautilus and free weights. I love the way I feel when I do them, and I love tracking the progress. It was always so exciting when I could manage another 5 pounds while bench-pressing. My senior year of high school that was my gym class the entire year. I would alternate weightlifting with step aerobics. (Another activity I enjoyed). And of course, once high school ends, the free access to that equipment ends. I was very excited to learn when I got to college that we had a gym that was free for students. So I proceeded with getting up early in the morning and working out at least 3 days a week. Then came the real world. Then came working 60+ hours a week, and marriage, and then along came Abigail. And I never really got back to working out regularly. I have tried a couple times, but it is super difficult to find a full hour to devote to exercise. And really, that's what I need is a full hour to warm up, do a work out, and then take a shower. And I don't ever get an hour to myself. The only real potential time of day for that is nap time. And that is such a "golden" time. That is my time to read a book, do some baking, or spend time online.

Monday I decided was the day I would officially do something in terms of working out. I didn't know what yet, but I was toying with the option of simple things like running up and down the stairs for 10 mintues, or something like that. Well, the weather provided me an excellent workout ooportunity. We got several inches of snow that needed to be shovelled, and while normal procedure is to leave it for Andy, I went out and shovelled the driveway. Whew. A lot of work, surely that was good for Monday, but what could I do on a regular everyday basis? Let me tell you, I found the greatest thing. Our cable service has something called On Demand TV. Basically channels that you tune to and choose what you would like to watch- kind of a la carte.

Yesterday I found Exercise TV. And it is perfect. There are easily 20-30 different options available to me every day. Whether my interest is yoga, pilates, dance, aerobics, spinning, etc. And many of the workouts are super short. There is a series of workouts that is 11 minutes long total- from warm-up to cool down. 11 minutes! How perfect is that! Yesterday I started with a yoga workout. And felt so good about doing that, I selected an ab workout to accompany that. Ugh. That one was a little more intense. But when all was said and done, I had spent a little less than half an hour exercising, and I really did feel great about it afterwards! In more ways than one. I had this burst of natural energy that I wasn't sure what to do with. It was nice. I am going to attempt a different workout every day during the week at nap time. And once I get into a rhythm there, I may add another workout earlier in the day. 11 minutes I can squeeze in while Zander is busy at his train table. So we'll see how it goes. I am thrilled with my current state of resolve. In addition to the happy feeling from working out, I was not feeling quite so munchy yesterday, and had an easier time resisting the cookie jar.

Later I will be back with a yummy dinner post. :-)