You Look... Different

Hey-O!  April is marching along at a rapid pace, and I fear I am going to run out of month long before I run out of things that are supposed to get done.  Coming back to post on exercising is a little difficult at the moment because I have the attention span of a goldfish and often forget about the blog when shiny things pass by my window.  Oh well, at least I remembered today.

Yesterday Mr. Kawaii and I had a "date day" out on the town and walked for several hours around a show at a local convention hall and at an outdoor mall while we looked for new and inventive ways to spend our hard earned cash.  Although I no longer use a pedometer, I am confident that we walked several miles over the course of the day and it was so good to be outside moving around.  This past week has been a bit hectic, and unfortunately the workout side of things has suffered, but we made up for at least a little of it yesterday.

As we were out, I bumped into an old friend/romantic interest from back before Mr. Kawaii and I were an item, and after the happy "hello" hugs and chit-chat he leaned back and said, "You look so... different from when I last saw you."  Although I'm not sure how the comment was intended (I mean, I've cut about 2 feet of length off my hair, have traded in my tight fitting office attire for jeans and a company jacket and am visibly a much happier person than I was 5 years ago), I couldn't help but think that he was referring to my weight which is, truth be told, significantly different than it was back then.  Initially I was embarrassed for having become so large, but as I thought about it more I was propelled into a long and thought provoking look at who I was and where I am today.

After the initial horror of possibly being mistaken for someone who has "let herself go" I've decided that while yes, I do look different than I did back then - it is because my life is different.  While it's true that I weigh nearly 50lbs more than I did when the old-flame and I said our last goodbyes, the weight gain didn't come from sitting on ass for several years eating bon-bons.  No, I had a demanding and profitable stint in the food service industry where working 60+ hours a week made exercise an afterthought (the unlimited taste-testing, 3 square meals a day on the house and hundreds of gallons of sugary drinks also helped in producing this weight-gain), moved, got married, traveled, gave up the corporate grind to begin working for myself, supported other local small businesses, took care of my mother full time and have somehow found the time to finish writing a novel.  And further, while others might see me now and compare the roundness of my derrière to the firm bubble of a butt I had several years ago... what would they have thought if they saw me 18, 12 or even 6 months ago?  Truth be told, although I still haven't lost more than 5 pounds since this weight loss revolution took hold, I've dropped from an 18 to a 14.

And so, this morning after pondering this some more (I am a woman after all, so I couldn't just let it go) I find myself shrugging my shoulders and muttering, "who cares what he thinks?" about the whole ordeal.  Although it's true that I'd love to be that svelte size 8 that I was yesteryear, I wouldn't trade my life for anything.  Maybe one day I'll bump into him again so instead of reacting with embarrassment to the statement, "you look so different" I'll be able to muster the courage to ask him why he looks so very much the same.

A Week of Unrecorded Progress

Well, it's been a long and active week... so active that I haven't had time to sit down at the computer to record any of it!

This past weekend, M and K and I went out to the coast for a few days.  On our getaway weekend we helped to spiff up K's beach house with some painting and closet cleaning, as well as a nice walk on the beach.  The weather was gorgeous, and the company was divine.  We came home rested, worked out and ready for a nap!

Then Monday was all about helping M move into her new apartment, so Mr. Kawaii and I spent the morning running up and down a flight of stairs with our arms full of boxes and the afternoon unloading, unpacking, cleaning and lining the shelves of M's new place.  It is a great little apartment, and once we helped to get her unpacked it felt like more of a home than her last place.  So happy to see her growing her independence with this move!

Yesterday we were back in the office, trying to get some work done between naps... and today... well, I am going to do my best to get a walk in but I certainly am not in a position to make any promises!

Walk This Way....

There is nothing that calms one's nerves after a long day at the office like a walk through the neighborhood with a friend.  Something about the combined movement of body, and the ability to vent unencumbered about annoyances big and small brings a sense of relief from the daily grind.

T and I walked about 2.5 miles (she also walked to my house and back home - she knows how to show that sidewalk who's boss).  The weather was nice, although the spring blooms did start to get to our various allergy senses near the end of the loop, and I was glad to retreat back indoors to escape the terror of pollen.  It was a beautiful evening, and I am resolved to have more of these walking excursions to keep my momentum.

I'm also feeling a little high today because I was able to bring my new belt down one more notch.  Score.

Family Paintball Fun

Our family has been blessed to be able to connect with one another over a game of paintball now and then, and yesterday was certainly one of the most enjoyable paintball days we've had together.  We headed up into the back side of J&A's property and several of us pulled logs, branches, wheelbarrows and other odds and ends out into a field to set up bunkers.  As soon as we had a manageable paintball field set up, we all geared up and played together for a couple of hours until the daylight started to creep away and dinner was ready to be eaten.

Doing active outdoor things, like paintball, with our family is one of my favorite ways to get a workout in.  Not only does it expend calories, but we all get to catch up with on another and pat each other on the back for a job well done.  Vive la paintball!

The Garden Is Growing

I spent a couple of hours out in the yard this morning with M, doing our best to chop through the overgrown bushes and rake up the leaves that have been hanging out on the ground since... October.  The time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch!  Although the dent in the yard work isn't a huge one, it is finally Springtime and so no longer is foul weather a valid excuse for failing to go outside and be in nature.

Today the bushes were conquered... tomorrow we head back outside for some paintball! :)

Downward Facing Wet Dog

I have a little beef with this whole exercise DVD thing.  This morning, I was feeling a little stiff so I popped in my trusty Yoga DVD and started to follow along.  About 15 minutes in, I could feel the sweat start rolling off my back and I looked up to the screen to find that not one of the group of people on my big-screen-you-can-see-every-arm-hair-and-extra-nipple HDTV had even started to break a sweat.  There was no glistening skin, no darkening spandex, no need for a hand towel to mop up a damp brow.

It may surprise you that I have been using this very same DVD for nearly 7 years now and I am just noticing this issue, but I would like to point out that because I've had this disk for so long I rarely actually watch it - I just have it playing so that I can listen to the position changes and not find myself stuck in an Eagle pose for 10 minutes while I get lost in a daydream about chocolate fudge brownies.  Also, I am not observant and even if this same issue has bothered me in the past I have no memory skills, both counts of which my husband will happily confirm.

I ended the routine smelling quite like a wet dog (there's nothing like realizing halfway through your workout that the carpet smells like your dog used it for an extensive back-scratching), and I just had to share this injustice with the internet.  Whether these exercise gurus have the air conditioning turned on full blast in their studio or have had their sweat glands removed is beyond me, but I am going to start a petition to have some production studio intern at least spray them down with a mist of water in the future so that they appear more human, and I feel less like a slimy toad.  Who's with me?