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.

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! :)

Flexing Fannies

I hit the living room for another round of yoga today and managed to stay on the mat for about 25 minutes before my left knee took on a life of its own and began dancing and wiggling in a kind of muscle spasm I've never seen before.  Rather than push myself through the last 5 minutes of the workout and risk my Jello-knee going completely haywire I did a little cool-down stretching and then walked away.

Unfortunately as the weather has started getting nicer and my friends and family have realized that spring is quickly approaching, our group has become littered with twisted ankles and pulled muscles.  We're all in a rush to get back into our workout routines and while getting back into shape after a winter of hibernating under a stack of pumpkin pies, roasted turkeys and chocolate covered strawberries is rapidly climbing to the top of our list it is best to tread softly during these first few weeks of workout weather.

My knee has stopped jiggling, so I think it's time to hit the showers.  On to the rest of the day!

Game On in 3...2...1!

Tonight's exercise was a ton of fun playing Reball in a local church gym.  I am not very fluent in speedball / hyperball, but it was still a good time and I got to learn a new style of playing paintball.  If you aren't familiar with Reballs, they're a synthetic paintball made out of silicone rubber.  They don't break on impact, can be washed with soap and water and be re-used over and over.

I only lasted 7 or 8 games before I threw in the towel, but I did take an opportunity to help clean up after the event which burned a couple hundred more calories digging and hunting for stray reballs.  It was a lot of fun, and I had such a great time that Mr. Kawaii and I are planning on going back again next week.  Hopefully next time I'll do a little bit better!

Shop Till You're Thin!

In about an hour I am going to make the trek out to the mall for some Christmas shopping with a friend, the same as Mr. Kawaii and I did earlier this week (although I was too busy to blog about it afterward - bad Denise!).  Although it may seem odd to post mall-shopping as an exercise, the truth is that you burn a pretty fair amount of calories while shopping - whether at the grocery store or at the mall.

Shopping, particularly extended shopping (an hour or more) includes some of the very same exercise moves that you loathe at the gym: walking for extended periods of time, lifting objects of weight, and if you're trying on lots of clothes there's squatting, over-the-head reaches, and any number of other odd movements you might make trying to get a good look at yourself in the mirror.  

Don't believe me?  I looked up some information on shopping as exercise - every woman's dream - from Nutrition ATC and found an article that backs up what I'm talking about.  In an article found on their site (originally published by StarBulletin) they state that a 200lb person can burn as much as 750 calories during a 3 hour shopping trip at the mall just by slowly walking from store to store and standing in line.  They also note that a "super shopper" who is more active (fidgeting in line, picking up and inspecting merchandise, waving to friends or flustered mall staff) may burn an additional 100 to 250 calories during the same time-span.

All that adds up to a workout that can't be found ordering Christmas presents online.  Who needs a better excuse to get out and get shopping?  A word of warning though - avoid the food-court lest all your shopping exercises be undone by pretzels, cinnamon rolls and fried foods.  I'll see you there!

(And I promise to try to find an hour somewhere in my day to do some yoga too.)

Elves, Reindeer and Calorie Burn

Today was a day for the exercise books.  Not only did I get some running in, some squats, a bit of jumping and crouching, but I got to do all of it while shooting at elves and being backed up by my reindeer peers.  Heck, I even got to take photos with Santa!

No, I didn't bump my head on the treadmill and spend the day in a Christmas-themed coma.  I went to a paintball event called Elves Vs. Reindeer and got to play outside all day!  Happily, the rainy weather took a break this afternoon during the second half of the event, and there was a great turnout so there were plenty of folks to shoot paint at.  It was fun, and I burned a ton of calories!

Another big bonus is that my newest pair of paintball pants, which I had purchased a size too small (they were on major clearance a few months ago) fit perfectly now.  I was able to zip & button them up and run around in them all day without any pinching or "sucking in" of my tummy.  Exciting!

Recognizing My Own Success Story

I realized this morning that I have been blogging about my exercise adventure for just about 6 months now, and what a journey it has been.  I've seen my share of highs and lows over the last six months, have been witness to great changes in M and K, and even a few in myself.  I spent the morning on a 2.5 mile walk with Pooch, and we spent our time out on the sidewalk reflecting on where I've been and where I'm heading.

When I started this blog, it was with the idea that if I had some outside accountability that maybe I'd be able to stick with the whole "lifestyle change" concept long enough for it to start working.  Work it has, although not in the way that I had expected it to.  I was seeking instant results on the scale, expecting to drop 40 or 50 pounds within six months and be back to a size 8 before Christmas.

Although those aren't the results that I've seen so far, I am confident that they are on the horizon and I am taking one step at a time in the right direction.  Unfortunately, in my past I have done a number on my body through 10 years of binge eating and starvation topped off with 4 years of eating fast food roughly 12 times a week.  Because of my past diet insanity, my body is still afraid to let go of the pounds although it has started shifting things around and transforming some of those former lumps into muscle that are so real you can see and feel them lurking under my skin.

All those trips to the gym, laps around the track and yoga sessions in the living room have given me results that are frequent and substantial enough to keep me going, and through blogging about the craziness of trying to jog with a dog who wants to paint fences every 50 feet and being attacked by flora and fauna in equal doses in the back yard, I have been able to share my experience with others.

This experience has reminded me that sometimes we just have to recognize our own success story instead of comparing ourselves to others.  We might not all be millionaire-triathlete-raceway-superstars, but we are all treading the paces of our own journey to shape who we will become in the years ahead of us.  And while yes, it is great when there are enthusiastic people like M and K to encourage us along the way, there will always be those days when we just have to get up and be our own cheerleader.

So, in the spirit of cheering for myself, here are my awesome results that have stacked up over the last six months:

• Gone from barely being able to zip up my size 18 jeans to comfortably fitting into my size 16 jeans and size 14 dresses.
• Lost 3 pounds since starting this blog, and 6 pounds overall.
• Have traversed the gap in my belt, going from barely able to get into the last notch on the belt to now being 4 notches in.
• Discovered that I have "tank top arms" for the first time in years, with muscular shoulders and emerging biceps.
• Went from walking a 22 minute mile to being able to walk/jog a 16 minute mile.
• Have slimmed to a point where my fingers are thin enough to wear my wedding ring every day, even to sleep.
• Can see my wrist bones for the first time since 1997.
• No longer feel like I am "spilling out" over the edge of chairs, car seats or benches.
• Have more energy than I know what to do with some days!

Sure, I haven't met my goals of losing 40 pounds and dropping to a size 8, but look at all the things I HAVE done!  Most of the things I have achieved are things that I never even thought of as goals, but they went ahead and showed up anyway.  The proof is in the fat-free lactose-free sugar-free pudding, and I know that as long as I continue avoiding the drive-thru lane and keep finding ways to be active that I will continue to inch my way towards the smaller bottom of my dreams.

Nearing the Finish line at the 2010 Great Columbia Crossing
October, 2010

Tightening My Belt

Before I went walking with K last night, I realized something pretty cool.  A few months ago, I bought this amazing zebra-stripe belt that I absolutely loved at the store.  I was between belt sizes when I bought it, barely able to force my way into the first notch on the belt.  Of course I bought it anyway.

Yesterday, after a couple of months of not wearing it because let's be honest; nobody likes to wear clothes that don't fit, I put it on and was able to pull it down to the fourth notch.  That's progress!  I'm beginning to see the results of working out and eating right more frequently, and there's nothing better than that for the self-esteem.

There have been several moments in this workout journey when I've been ready to give up, and I'm glad I've stuck with it anyway.  It isn't always easy, but it's always good for me.

Keep Coming Back, It's Working!

Well, I made it through my day of grief somehow intact.  I've decided that although all I feel like doing is staying in bed with the covers pulled over my head, in hopes that the big bad monster Grim Reaper will disappear and return our family member to us, instead I am going to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and do the things that I've been doing.  Best case scenario, I'll work all the sadness out; worst case scenario I will be able to prevent myself from turning into a 600 pound blob while I figure out what this whole life thing is all about again.

So although I sincerely debated calling off my walking date with K and M, I got myself dressed and headed out anyway.  Hampering my depression, the weather was beautiful tonight, just the right amount of sun and heat and breeze.  Further hindering my sinking emotions was good conversation with amazing ladies.  Bah, I'll admit it.  The whole endeavor cheered me up a little bit.

We made it through two miles of track before we all had to say our goodbyes and get back to our various evening chores (I get off easy by only having to write this blog and take a shower before Pooch starts giving me dirty looks).  I'm still sad, but I can tell that the momentum at least helped my body to feel better.  It's amazing, but that commercial for anti-depressants that plays periodically that says, "Where does depression hurt? Everywhere." is accurate.  It's important when we get into these depressed, unsure and unmotivated frames of mind that we get out and continue to do something.  It never hurts anything, aside from putting a dent in our depression and reminding us that life does go on.

 

Birds Of A Feather Work Out Together

Exercising with friends sure makes working out a lot more fun!  This evening M and I met up with another friend, K, for a few trips around a local track.  Rather than spending our time focused on how much we'd rather not be working out, which is what I generally think about when I'm working out alone, we caught up on major life events while the time and miles flew by.

The gaps in our conversations were filled by a soccer game going on in the center of the track, and ducking stray soccer balls when someone with a loose foot got a little catty-wonkus with their aim.  The weather held out and light sprinkles started dropping just as we were wrapping up, providing us with a natural cool-down (and helping us all to smell more dainty and less sweaty).

The best part of exercising with friends is the capacity to hold one another accountable for showing up without the overbearing gaze of a personal trainer or the erratic "maybe-I-will-maybe-I-won't" of self-inflicted exercise programs.  If you have the opportunity to work out with one or two friends, I suggest you take it.  You'll all have fun and be glad that you had time to bond, gossip, and burn calories.