The weather was really nice today, mid-70s and low humidity, so I did a lot of my outdoor chores. Filled my daughters’ new sandbox with 2 yards of play sand (shovelling it from the back of the pickup into the box), spent hours pulling weeds from our huge veggie garden, picked up sticks and tree limbs that had fallen over the last week or so, and had to walk from the back of the property to the front many many times. I have to say that I am exhausted, but not in the negative ways I usually am.
Today I saw a difference in the activities I performed. I did them because they needed to be done. I didn’t complain (even to myself) and I didn’t drag my feet about it. I felt good about doing it, and about it being done! This is a huge revelation for me. Who would have thought that oneself should pay close attention to their own attitudes? Never even crossed my mind until today.
Afterwards, I spent a long time playing with the family in the pool! Attitude made a huge difference in everything today. Mine. Go figure. I’m really looking forward to being outside a lot tomorrow too. :)
Today I found out (for sure) how out of shape I am, and how out of shape (repair) my bicycle is. It was actually a worse experience than I even expected. I set out to have a nice 3-4 mile bike ride with my girls. My youngest one strapped into the child seat at my back gave me an extra 38 squirming pounds. Really the bad part was that the gears didn’t want to cooperate and shift. So I was stuck in the hardest gear with a long, slow uphill ride ahead of me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it and we turned around and ended up with an almost 1 mile ride — how embarrassing. I felt bad that I couldn’t complete the ride with my girls, but worse was the horribly exhausted feeling I felt for the next hour. I have to say, it was definately a workout!
Other than that, today I feel pretty good. Still waiting for that day when I wake up slimmer and healthier and vibrant. It’s gonna take work.
Okay. So, I’ve been a member of the ClubMom online community for a while — a lurking in the background member — and found a blog about the Amazing Shrinking Mom. As I read on in her blog, I could relate to more things that she talked about than not. I joined up with her Diet Naked Team and have decided that writing in this blog will help me to remain accountable to myself. So here it goes….
I am 35 years old and not only do I “feel” fat, I am fat. Nearly every diet or weight loss plan or fitness plan says to take the “before” photos of yourself. The reasoning is to have visual proof of your progress. I did this. I set my camera up on the tripod and used the timer to take my photos. I really wanted to delete them right away, but I haven’t. I need them to remind myself of how large and roly-poly I have become. Ouch.
I’ve always been on the bigger side of “normal” since I hit puberty way back when. I was 170 in high school, but it was after that that I’ve been climbing the hill upward to 230. I’ve done diets and exercise and have gotten down as far as 200, but something, somehow always got in the way and I’ve gone upwards again. This time, I will not let things get in my way. I will not let setbacks give me cause to abandon my efforts completely. I will learn to accept setbacks (hopefully, infrequent ones) and adjust and more on.
The biggest obstacle that I have to overcome is a foot & ankle injury from this past winter. I rolled my ankle and weakened the ligaments on the inside of my ankle… All was getting better (in physical therapy) when I ruptured my posterior tibial tendon. Now, the walking that I had done for exercise is not feasible. In fact, for now (I hope), a trip to the grocery store leaves me feeling the effects. This is getting better … little by little … So, any cardio exercise I do needs to be non-weight bearing for my foot. It’s amazing how little we think of our feet and ankles until something goes wrong.
So here I go. My starting weight was 230, and I am now at 226. I am 5’7″ tall and as I said 35 years old with an injury to “baby”. My reasons for doing this are: to be more healthy, to feel that I look better and gain the confidence that goes along with that, and to keep up with my two daughters (11 & 3) and husband. Above all, I am doing this for ME. I need a plan though, and that I don’t have concreted. I am keeping track of everything I eat and drink, and moving much much more. Trying to add back in the yoga that I abandonned (though loved) and the weight training. The hard part is the cardio…
Exercise, Uncategorized | kiniwoman | 
July 22, 2006 9:01 pm | 
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