Exercise: Saturday 10/29/11

I'm not going to go all the way in town to hit the gym on the weekends.  Especially on a nasty, snowy day like yesterday.  Thank God my apartment complex has a gym.  I did most of my warm-up stretches that Charlene gave me and then walked on the treadmill for a half hour.  Started with an incline of 3 and worked up to a 10.  I think it'll be a while before I can do a full 15 incline, but it's a start.

TREADMILL:

• Time: 32 minutes
• Distance: 1.30 miles
• Calories Burned: 185

Also, I just ordered a swimsuit, caps, and goggles so I can start swimming soon!  I think if I change up my cardio, I won't get bored.  Lord knows, I can't do the treadmill every other day!!!

And yeah, I took Sunday off.  Even God rested on Sundays.

I have an exercise program!!!

So I met with Charlene yesterday and she set me up with what seems like a pretty cool program, which is designed to correct my asymmetry.  She's got me doing modified push ups, lunges, squats, cable presses and pull downs, etc.  I do this twice a week, and then whatever cardio I can do in between.

I think I'm going to start using the pool at Jeff.  I can't really lap swim, but my friend Kathy, who is a really good swimmer, suggested I use a kickboard.  I also would like to walk outside until it's way too cold to do so.  As I mentioned before, I can't do the elliptical because it just exacerbates the asymmetry, so I'll do the dreaded treadmill when the weather is bad.

I'm also going to try a spin class, and possibly Zumba, but I'm kind of afraid of anything that requires coordination. 

Again, I'm really getting excited about this!!

Of course today, I'm not going to get any exercise... on my way shortly to pick Alex up from his stint in Germany!!!

Fitness Assessment: 10/26/11

Just had my fitness assessment at Jefferson's gym.  Charlene put me through a series of tests and is now setting up a program for me.  Apparently, I have an asymmetry in the way I move.  And she told me one of the worst things I can do for cardio is my beloved elliptical!!!  She said I'm better off doing the stairmaster (which I can barely do right now) or the treadmill with the incline a-a-a-l-l-l the way up.

I'm going back tomorrow to see what program she has set up for me.  I wish I could afford to meet with her on a regular basis, but I think I'm going to at least try to pay to meet with her once a month, to see how I'm progressing.

I'm actually getting excited about this!!!!

Exercise: Tuesday 10/25/11

Stationery Bike - 10 minutes; Treadmill - 20 minutes.

Didn't want to overdo tonight since I have my fitness test and personal training session tomorrow.

Exercise: Monday 10/24/11

ELLIPTICAL:

• Time:  30 minutes
• Distance: 2.43 miles
• Calories burned: 260

STATIONARY BIKE:

• Time:  15 minutes
• Distance: 2.0 miles
• Calories burned: 71

Starting to look forward to going to the gym.  After sitting at a desk all day, it feels good to move!  I just really want to get started with a program - all I do right now is cardio.  Really looking forward to meeting with the trainer tomorrow.

Getting Through the Weekend

Didn't eat great this weekend; didn't work out at the gym.  I did take a long walk on the boards with Joanie on Saturday.

Motivated to get to the gym tonight, though!!  And I have my fitness assessment with the personal trainer on Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to that as well...

Exercise: Thursday 10/20/11

TREADMILL:

• Time:  45 minutes
• Distance:  2.3 miles
• Calories burned:  200

Exercise: Wednesday 10/19/11

ELLIPTICAL:

• Time:  30 minutes
• Distance: 2.25 miles
• Calories burned: 269

STATIONARY BIKE:

• Time:  15 minutes
• Distance: 1.8 miles
• Calories burned: 65

Time to Get Unstuck

"You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment and now you can't get out of it
Don't say that later will be better now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it"

("Stuck in Moment You Can't Get Out Of" - U2)

Unfortunately, I've been stuck for longer than a moment.  I've been stuck for years.

When I got divorced several years ago, I went into a deep depression and started eating my feelings.  I unstuck myself from that for a while when I joined Weight Watchers and lost 30 pounds.  I felt great.  Then I met a great guy, and was happy again.  But now I've become complacent, so I've started gaining weight again. And again... I'm stuck.

Well, I'm turning 50 in March, and I feel like it's now or never to do something about it.  I think you can get away with unhealthy habits a little more when you're younger, but it catches up to you with age.  Now, I'm finding it harder to lose weight, harder to exercise, and harder to stick with anything for longer than a week or two.

So today, I joined the gym at work and am going to work with someone on developing a program that's right for ME. I'm excited, but - given my history and general tendency towards being a couch potato - I'm skeptical because I've never been a person who can self-motivate. I need encouragement.

My first encouragement came from my sweet boyfriend, who realized that everything else I was doing wasn't working.  He knows that I come home from work, plop myself down, and that's all she wrote.  I hate going to the gym in my apartment building or having to drive to the gym.  If I have to make a lot of effort, it's not going to happen. The only thing I truly enjoy is walking, but I'd need to do a hefty amount of walking to lose 20 pounds and firm everything up.  So, he suggested I try the gym at work, which is LITERALLY a half block behind my building, and I have to pass it on my way to the train.  I've also found I have the most energy right after work, so I'm hoping this will be the answer.

I also know that I tend to stick with something more if I have to be accountable in some way (e.g. having to get on a scale in front of a stranger every week at Weight Watchers).  This blog is my way of being accountable.  I don't care if anyone ever reads it... it's just knowing that at some point, someone might that will hopefully keep me honest.

Ok, this is my "before" picture. Ignore the wine glass, it's the only almost full-body shot I have of myself that's recent.

I hope to keep a log of my progress and share what works and what doesn't for me.  If you can give me a cheer once in a while, I'd appreciate it!!  Thanks for reading, and wish me luck!!
- Gail