Let the Group Therapy Continue!

M and I have added a lot to our morning walks.  First it was the amount of time we walk (from 30 minutes to 1 hour), then it was distance (from 1 mile to 2.5-3 miles), then it was stairs (10 minutes of climbing stairs downtown really makes you feel the burn!) and then this week we added something - or rather someone - new.

Mr. Kawaii decided to join us on our morning walk yesterday morning, and it was great having him along.  For one thing, it was wonderful to have a third voice in the conversation that always happens in tandem with the walk.  It was also great to share with him all of the joys and gripes of the daily routine and get his insight on a few things that M has been mulling over.

It was mostly great having him join us because he's just fun to be around, no matter what the activity.  I hope he continues coming back out with us.  Someone's got to hold my stuff when I get a half mile into the walk and realize I have no pockets!

Stairs!

M and I have added a new step to our daily walks - quite literally!  We've discovered a couple of places along our route with buildings & stadiums with several flights of stairs.  Climbing them a couple of times during our walk really helps to get the heart beat pounding and make those glutes, lower abs and calves feel the burn.

It's such a great idea... I don't know why we didn't think of it before.

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! :)

Gun Extravaganza

Yesterday the entire family headed out to the gun show, and Mr. Kawaii and I spent around 3 hours walking the several long rows of vendors, seeing all there was to see.  By the end of our three hours at the show, we had walked the hall nearly twice and both of us had broken a sweat.  According to the calorie burning tool on AolHealth, 3 hours of non-grocery shopping with sitting and standing burns roughly 611 calories.  Not bad for milling around finding something amazing to buy.

We did doubly good by avoiding the various snacks, treats and candies at the show.  I smuggled in a couple of low-calorie granola bars for us to nibble on when the smells of hot-dogs, pizza, jerky and baked goods got to be too much.  The healthy snack tided us over until lunch time, when we sat down and shared a basket of fries and a single slice of pizza.  All in all, a great day with the family and a healthy activity out of the house.  Double bonus!

Paintball at Blackhawk Down

I am wiped out today after playing paintball yesterday down near Salem, Oregon at Blackhawk Down.  The day was filled with epic gunfights and battles (enough that I might just write an After Action Report on it once I get my head on straight again) and it was a great day for running, ducking, dodging and diving with temperatures that barely made it to 35 degrees mid-day.

Today is a day for relaxation and recuperation.  God bless Sundays!

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.)

Thanksgiving Thoughts and Reflections

It had been my intention to work out every day this week to get back into the habit of posting on this blog frequently.  Sadly, the plan got de-railed Monday when Mr. Kawaii and I had to make the difficult choice to lay our sick kitty to rest.  The event has thrown a wrench into all of our holiday plans, and has given me a chance to reflect on the things that are most important in my life.

It is easy when we are committed to trimming and slimming our waistlines to become so focused on ourselves that we loose sight of the world around us.  In the past, I have spent the holiday season analyzing every ounce of turkey, gravy and sliver of pumpkin pie in an effort to not gain weight, and although my intentions are always good it causes me to see the season through a filter of longing, faltering willpower and inevitable regret.  In the end, what really matters isn't so much what we put in our mouths at holiday parties and gatherings, instead it is that we are surrounded by people (and animals) who love us wholly and completely as we are - whether we lose that next 10 pounds or not.

This year, I'm going to take a deep breath and eat what I want the first time around, skip the second helpings and just do my best to stick with exercise whenever I can fit it in.  In the end, I know that if I stress too much over little things like rogue gingerbread cookies and attacks of marshmallow snowmen, that I'm going to miss the point of the season.

To everyone who has cheered me along on this journey, thank you.  I sincerely appreciate your support, and hope to see you out and about next week when we are all working off that little bit of stuffing. :)

Weathering the Wii

It was too crisp and chilly outside this morning to convince anyone to head outdoors for an early morning stroll, so instead I grabbed Mr. Kawaii and we worked up a sweat battling each other on the Wii.  5 rounds of tennis got our hearts pounding, and then a set of bowling helped us to cool down.

It's great to have options like Exercise TV, the Wii and workout videos to keep us moving even during icky weather.  It certainly helps me to feel like less of a slouch!

 

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

Track-Tastic!

The pack is slowly growing as we wander around the track.  Today I met up with M, K and Mr. Kawaii for 45 minutes of circular walking.  Each going at our own pace, and pushing each other to do just a little bit more resulted in 9 laps (2.25 miles) completed!  Mr. Kawaii was in charge of counting the laps (I can't walk and count at the same time... it's a proven fact), and he did an amazing job of tracking our progress.

It's encouraging that the more working out that goes on, the more people are getting involved in getting off the couch.  While in the past I've felt that the battle of weight loss is a frustrating and lonely struggle, this time around I've found that there are people everywhere who are also struggling to lose or maintain their weight.

Keeping a daily blog of my exercising exploits had certainly helped me to keep on track with getting something done every day, and now that I have a little group of exercise friends to work out with I've got the extra bonus of being held accountable for doing as much as I can in the time I have available.

 If you're having troubles with keeping yourself going, seek out a friend to work out with and keep each other accountable.  If you don't have anyone available to work out with, feel free to post your comments below and we can work on this together!