Working on working out

In order to get under 200lbs this year and into a pair of size 14 jeans I have been working on getting fitter.  I am tracking my food, tracking my workouts, and also cooking a bit more at home.

I have been tracking my food three different ways – I am using Spark People, Weight Watchers Online, and a paper tracker.  This may be overkill for some people, but I have found that having to update the three different spots has made me be more vigilant.  I actually DO write stuff what I have eaten either right before I eat it or within an hour of eating it.  And that is massive progress!

I have also been working out every day in one form or another.  On Mondays and Wednesdays I work out with two co-workers at the small gym at work.  I basically do 35mins or more on the treadmill at a speed of 3mi per hour.  That may not seem like a lot to most people, but for me at over 280lbs I have to say that it is fairly impressive.  I have also been doing the Leslie Sansone dvd “Walk Away the Pounds”.  I have been doing the 1mile walk without weights and I really REALLY find her too perky.  But I do get sweaty when doing the workout so that means that I am actually burning calories. 

I am sort of active on Pinterest (name a woman that doesn’t enjoy that site) and I set up a board called “Health Stuff”.  On it I have been posting workouts and healthy eating tips.  Thanks to other folks pinning things I found an excellent site called Back On Pointe.  It is written by a dance student and has several different workouts  on it.  I have printed out a fair few of them onto index cards and I pull one out on the days that I don’t do the dvd so that I get extra calorie burns in during the week.  I still hate exercising, but I am doing it.  I am also discovering new exercises.  I have yet to do some of them, but I am trying to learn how to do them.  Things like burpees, Russian twists, planks, and star jumps.  I thought a star jump was a jumping jack, but it turns out that I was wrong.  Check out YouTube if you want to learn how to do these exercises.  I will post some of my preferred or more challenging workouts that I have attempted in a few weeks so that you can try them out too.

As a part of the Bat Fit movement I have been dancing at least 15mins every day as well.  I am not tracking the dancing as a workout, but it is another step to being fitter.  I recommend everybody dance a little every day.  It really does perk up the spirits.

My hubby and I going to try to cook at home every meal for a week.  This will be really hard for us as this town can have anything delivered at any time.  Also getting groceries is a pain the behind as you have to go to twelve different places to get ingredients.  So I am setting up a meal list, figuring out the ingredients that need to be purchased, and then sorting out the stores that I need to go to in order to find everything.  I have a feeling that there will be a fair amount of pasta and rice, but sensible portions of course.  I will also try to have a good amount of protein for every meal as I have found that it really keeps me more full.  I am also going to be really upping my vegetable and fruit intake.  I eat way too much bread and fried foods.  So I am trying to retrain my brain.  Sadly I always tend to fall into the trap of eating junk whenever I feel bad or bored.  So now I need to make myself crave more whole foods instead of the processed junk. 

This working out and eating better is a struggle, but it will be worth it.  This is a total lifestyle change and it’s something that a lot of people are doing so I know it’s possible.  How long it takes for me to get it to be a way of life….well, that might take a while, but I think I can get there.

Be well,

       Buttercup