Sweating Into 2010

I had to stop my exercise temporarily to get a post to my blog for today (the last day of 2009), but I plan to get up from here and continue exercising while you all are counting down into the new year.  My husband made it home from work just in time to join me for my little "sweat party".  I did a 5 mile walk in 2009 and at 11:45 pm, I popped in a little two mile walk and did my countdown into 2010 during a boosted walk (gentle jogging).  If I can get enough of my friends addicted to exercise by 2011, we could have a "Sweating Into the New Year Party"!...wouldn't that be fun!?!

One Flu Away

The other day I saw something that made me laugh...."I am only one flu away from my goal weight."  I thought that was pretty funny...until you get the flu, of course.  Tonight I did an exercise I haven't done in awhile, 10 Minute Solutions Fitness Ball dvd.  I did every routine on it for a total of 50 minutes.  It was a good workout for my hamstrings...I think I will feel it tomorrow...

Pumpkin Pie or Exercise?

When one is faced with the question...pumpkin pie or exercise...I once would have said " Bring on the pie!"  I must confess it is my favorite pie.  But tonight, I swung in the opposite direction.  Although, I did not say "Bring on the exercise!" with either enthusiasm or passion,  I did manage to announce, "We must go home and exercise.."  So, home we went, and we walked 4 miles to a Leslie Sansone dvd.  One healthy choice leads to another...

One Healthy Choice

Healthy Choice is the name of a line of frozen food and snacks, but it is also a decision that is made on a daily basis.  We make these choices sometimes without even thinking about it.  Brushing your teeth, bathing, wearing clean clothes, getting enough rest, are choices we make without much effort and struggle.  However, making healthy choices about what to eat and getting exercise on a daily basis are choices we avoid.  I made a healthy choice today, sweating to Jillian's Shred dvd and doing a one mile walk.

Something Caught My Eye

Something caught my eye as I was signing onto the internet..."Pink Revels Her New Bod"...I had to laugh at the thought of "Nancy Revels Her New Bod"...I wonder how long it took for her to get her new bod?  What did she have to do to get her new bod?  She probably had a personal trainer and a personal chef/nutritionist,  and one thing is for sure,... her new bod will bring in the money and my bod won't!  My bod just got done dragging her Bootyville through a  3 mile dvd walk.  Oh!... I also have a cool name like "Pink" does....
my cool name is "Bling Bling"!

The Long Haul

I am settling in for the long haul and thats a good sign.  As a new year approaches, commitments to start the year with exercising and losing weight come pouring out of the woodwork.  I am so glad that I sarted this project Sept. 14th, 2009.  It seems like every other time I have made a commitment to get healthy it always starts Jan 1st and falls apart by April.  My husband has been a great encouragment and has joined in when he can.  Today we did exercise tv's  Make-Me-Over workout and its a challenging one.  I get excited by the idea that someday that workout will become a little easier and I will be searching for a harder one.

Exercising All the Way....

Yes, Virginia, there is exercise, even on Christmas Day....   When I started this project my seventeen year old son laughed, scoffed and stated "You plan to exercise everyday?... even on Christmas day??"....  "Yes" I answered, not really knowing if I was even going to make it to Christmas, exercising all the way...  But, here I am on Christmas night and my husband and I did 3 miles of a walk dvd, because my commitment is solid...everyday for one year!

Twas the Day Before Christmas

Twas the day before Christmas and in our house, two creatures were sweating and working out. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care and the Christmas tree was giggling as we bounced in the air...
My husband chose the workout and was feeling rather brave,  Biggest Loser levels one and three hoping inches and pounds to shave.  We are so glad its over and another day done, won't think about tomorrow and another day of fun!

Patience

Tonight was an exercise in patience.  I went to a Thai resturant with family and friends and we had a wonderful time story telling and laughing...and waiting....for food.  I drank tea while food was being brought to our table of eight an hour after we ordered.  Then I waited, and drank more tea.  Admittedly, it was good to drink all that tea and wait because I was full of tea when my food came out 2 hours later. Now, everyone at my table was finished with their food and drinking tea, while I ate my food.  Patience is good to have when you are trying to improve your health and lose weight.  When I came home tonight I walked 3 miles with a Leslie Sansone dvd....time for more tea....and patience.

Hundred

Hundred, the cardinal number equal to 10x10 or 10 squared.  I have exercised for one hundred days in succession, straight in a row, without stopping.   First, I can't believe I have done it for that long and second, I am starting to really feel like I can complete this, accomplish the goal, succeed.  The feeling is small but it is starting to grow and with every day I accomplish 30 minutes of exercise it feeds or fuels that little feeling.  Tonight ,my husband and I did the Biggest Loser Cardio Max levels one and two dvd.  It felt great!...I can't believe I just said that...whoa...wierd.

Keep It Simple

My husband, and his family, and I went caroling tonight to a few friends and family homes.  We had a great time and lots of laughs.  We took a meal out to a friends house and wished her and her family a Merry Christmas.  It was about 9:45 when we got  home and put in an exercise dvd (4 BIG MILES) by Leslie Sansone.  It was satisfying to bring smiles to friends faces with just our voices, something so simple, yet rewarding.

Done

Tonight I did a 2 mile walk dvd.  It lasted 30 minutes.  I realized at 7:30 pm that the Survivor finale was at 8:00 pm so, I ran to put on my exercise clothes, popped in the dvd and pounded out two miles.  It was not an especially challenging 30 minutes but it was 30 minutes none the less. Done

Wake Up Call

Today I attended a memorial service for a friend who died suddenly from a heart attack.  He was 58 and from outside appearences, seemed to be in great health.  Fit and trim and looking young for his age, you would never have guessed his heart was in poor condition.  It certainly had me thinking about my inside condition, you know when your clothes don't fit you are too fat, but how do you know if your heart is too fat?  You can't tell by looking at the outside, go to your Doctor and have him look at the inside. I have gone to the cardiologist and established a baseline "file".  The same cardio Doctor both my parents have, told him I am the daughter who does not want the open heart surgery both of my parents have had.  I am so glad I have started this project, I have lost 17 pounds and in 3 more months I will have another physical check-up and have my blood checked to see if my cholesterol has lowered.  Tonight I did the Biggest Loser workout levels one and two and oh did my heart rate soar!

Bottom of the Bin

Remember back in 2006 when McDonalds was trying to shake off the notion that their fast food was responsible for the SUPER sizing of Americans?  They came out with a campaign for fitness and gave away 15 minute fitness dvds with certain meals.  The catch phrase was " It's what I eat and what I do"   The series of dvd's included yoga, cardio, core, and strength.   Well, I found my core exercise dvd at the bottom of the exercise bin and if you look at the time listed for this post you would know by now I waited until almost midnite to fit it in. Strictly, 30 minutes of core....goodnite!...

Fighting For Control

I watched Survivor tonight and it is getting really tight.  They are down to 5 and I like 4 of them.  The one I don't care too much for is quite the mastermind player.  I wish I had that much control over my OWN will, much less anyone else.  I would not enjoy that kind of control over others, but I would like control over all parts of me.  I feel this project has brought some control over the physical health of my body but it has really been a fight with my mind over it....  Who is in control here?... I hope the effects and feelings of good health over rule...

Quickie

Tonight was a quickie.  I still did 30 minutes, but, it was a pilates with band routine.  I did 10 minutes each of total body, abs and flexibility.  It felt easy but I had to "go there" to recuperate from Jillians Shred dvd last night.

All Of Me

Tonight, all of me was back!  I came home from work and changed right into my exercise clothes.  I finished watching Oprah and did my 30 minutes of exercise. I did Jillians 30 day Shred which is a real thigh burner and only 20 minutes long.  Then, I did a 12 minute speed walk dvd.  I think the difference today was coming home from work and getting right into the workout clothes, it set the body and mind into the eventual exercise mode.

Half Of Me

Tonight, I just didn't care if I exercised or not.  I am not feeling great and layed down on the couch at 6:30 pm.  My husband kept telling me what time it was in hopes of spurring me off the couch.  When that didn't work, he put on his exercise clothes and came down the stairs.  This, of course, loosened the glue that held me down and I, with no enthusiasm, went and put my clothes on.  He chose the dvd (L.S. walk) and only the lower half of me participated.  My head, heart and stomach were not into it, my knees, legs, and feet went through the motions...

CHESTer

Tomorrow is December 14th, exactly 3 months from when I started this project.  I will stop by the Doctors office tomorrow to weigh in on their scale to see if I am decreasing the population of Bootyville and Tummy Town.  I will have to tell you I discovered a new place called "Chester"  I know for sure CHESTer has lost some of its population...remember when I said my underwear was relieved?  Anyway, my husband may accuse me tomorrow of trying to kill him, we both did Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred dvd and I heard him huffin' and puffin'....tomorrow morning I may just get a little chuckle to start my day!

Darn It!

I did it again....exercised and forgot to blog about it.   I really, really, get aggrevated at myself when I do that.  I had a friend come over and we spent all day, from 10 am till 11:00 pm sewing on projects and cooking.  It was so much fun!  She brought her pressure cooker over to show me how it works and she made a roast in it.  We had roast, potatoes, asparagus, and salad.  It was a meal to die for!  While she was doing a second cooking project, I did a 30 minute walk dvd and after my exercise I went to the kitchen to take a peek at the results...I told you earlier I was easily distractable!  The next time my friend comes over to sew I will tell her I am not really famliar with how a crock pot works......

Tired

 Feeling tired, I put in the Pilates with Band dvd and did a 30 min workout at about 9:30 pm.  I really have no thoughts to give you about it right now...I am too tired...

Progress

Wow! I had alot of energy tonight!  After Survivor aired, I put a chocolate cake in the oven, and did a 45 minute walk dvd (4 Big Miles).  My husband joined me, which is always a kick.  he always has the most bored look on his face while going through the motions.  I breezed right through the 4 miles and felt like I still had enough pep in my step to do a fifth!  I think some of the other cardio intense routines (Jillian's Shred, and Steve Maresca's Make-Me-Over) have conditioned me a little farther...so, now I say... "Bring It ON!!"

Change Your Focus

Why do we associate the holidays with eating?  I would venture a guess that in the olden' days your food was a little more special on a holiday, than the daily mush.  However, today, our food is pretty special on a daily basis and we still center our holiday around the meal and special treats.  Is there another way to pull off a holiday without all the munching, crunching and belching?  I am going to try to keep my thoughts off the treats and on the real reason we gather together.  Tonight, I did a 30 min.walk dvd while I was changing my focus.

Prep and Landing

30 min bike

Make Me Over

I did the Make-Me-Over workout on Exercise tv tonight with Steve Maresca. I used to think the Biggest Loser workout was a tough one, but I would have to say this one was over the top.  Steve loves squats but I do not!  I worked out really hard, then my husband came home late, with dinner...pasta, lasagne, pasta, salad...and french choclate silk pie...  I was so hungry, and although I knew it was late (9:30 pm), I started with the pasta and green salad (good start, right?)...I went onto the lasagne, followed by more pasta, and a topper of chocolate pie.  I felt betrayed by myself and stupid.  Make me over...make me over, which way do you want to go????

Account Balance

How do you go through the holidays without attracting pounds?  We went to a Christmas Party tonight and I did not hold back, the food was incredible.  Prime rib, salmon, ham, caesar salad, seafood pasta salad, tuscan rolls, cheesy potatoes, asparagus, bread pudding, wine and coffee.  I did abstain from eating today, saving my calories for tonight. I would have to say I made a large deposit to the calorie bank!   I came home and did a 5 mile walk Leslie Sansone dvd hopefully my account will balance...

Breakin' A Sweat

Do people like to sweat?  Leslie S. does, on her walk dvd's she says she loves to sweat.  Personally, I do not like to sweat.  Does that put me in the minority or the majority?  I have never understood why people would put themselves in a sauna, or sweat lodge and sit and sweat.  I like the warmth and the heat but not to the point of sweating.  Sweating stinks, and is it really healthy to work yourself into a sweaty stink?  I guess the workout is the healthy part...the stink, not so much.  I did a sweaty stinky 3 mile walk tonite.

Rough Patch

I came home from work early today to finish cleaning the house.  We have a house guest coming to spend the weekend and I had to re-distribute all our "may need it someday" items out of the spare room and guess what I found?....I had a bed in there!  I knew once I got engrossed in the work it would be hard to stop and change my focus on a workout.  Here comes the rough patch...changing clothes.  I found some resistance in having to change from work clothes, into exercise clothes, and back again into errand clothes.  I don't know why kids get such a kick out of wearing ten outfits in one day...anyway, I changed, put in the Big Loser Cardio Max dvd and I stepped it up a notch and did levels one and two....I wanted to put extra emphasis into the fact that I had to change clothes...

From 0 to 60

Just a simple little workout tonight.  I started with a Factor 5 workout on exercise tv, it was good circut muscle toning, but not long enough in duration (it was about 20 min.) and not enough cardio.  After Factor 5, I tried for a cardio workout and gave Cardio Calorie Burn with Kendall Hogan a try and it was too complicated in its steps, so after about 15 min. I gave up and did Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, which was 25 min.  I did a total time of one hour!  Thats a little crazy, considering 81 days ago I was doing zero minutes of exercise...

Mixed Messages

Waking up in the morning is a mixed message.  First, it is a pleasent surprise to wake up in the morning, open your eyes, see daylight, realize you are alive for another day.  The other message that gets mixed in....you realize you have to get up and go to work.  But, there is a third message, since I have started exercising,  I get excited when I wake up and move and I can feel sore muscles. It lets me know I worked out hard the day before and I know with soreness comes, burned calories, muscle toning, strength.  So, each day I make sure my thirty minutes will result in some morning stiffness,... pay off!  I did Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and 6 Pack Ab Burn with Cindy Whitmarsh.

Million Dollar Policy?

My husband has accused me of trying to kill him off for the insurance money.  I am not even sure what the policy is worth....maybe its worth a little" looksie"?  We worked out together last night and this morning when he woke up he could hardly move.  I hate to admit this, but it made me chuckle a little on the inside, but I showed no outward signs of it, only sympathy...  We worked out again tonight but he insisted we do something a little less strenuous.  We did a L.S. dvd 4 Big Miles....I think he will survive.

Chew Toy

I love exercise t.v.!  For the past two days I have done some incredible workouts!  Tonight, my husband joined me and we did the Biggest Loser Cardio Max (which I own a copy of, but we found it on exercise t.v.) and afterward we did 1-on-1 core, that was a killer.  After it all, we layed on the living room floor all sweaty and exhausted with our dog licking up the sweat and wanting to play. Chance, our little dorkie, was so excited to see us both flat out on the floor, he saw it as an opportunity to chew exhausted fingers, hands, and toes....we were two giant chew toys!

It Was A Good Day

I may be getting addicted to exercise....I am so excited I found exercise t.v.,... that was my first clue.  The second clue is I wanted to try them all out in one day!  I settled for three workouts on Exercise TV, I did abs, am cardio, and a Leslie Sansone 1 mile walk.  My 17 year old son was astounded and kept saying "Mom!, really? another one?"  I think he was just wanting to use the tv for his x-box games and couldn't wait for me to go away.

Giddy

I am giddy with excitement!  Today, I took a moment to explore On Demand T.V.,  scoping out all the options that are available, and I found Exercise T.V.!  OH MY!, the choices....Celebrity workouts, Factor Five, Kim Kardashian, Make-Me-Over, Abs, Buns, Metabolic Boost, and so much more!  Its an addicted exercisers dream!  I was going to try one tonight but my husband joined in and so we did a L.S. walking dvd (4 Big Miles).  I didn't want him to hurt himself by trying something new, it might be too much of a surprise on his physique.

Sweat Equity

It is late again (10:33 pm) and I just finished the Biggest Loser Cardio Max dvd.  I am still on week one but I noticed it is getting a little easier.  Today, I had the opportunity to gobble up the left overs from Thankgiving. I didn't pig out, but, I thought about it!... the only thing that stopped me is "sweat equity".  I have noticed that I make better, concious choices about what passes the lips for chew and swallow.  I know how hard I have to workout everyday and when you put all that sweat equity into losing weight, you want to be sure it pays off

Tummy Full

We all got our tummies filled today.  It is Thanksgiving, The BIG Day where we eat ourselves silly sick.  I did not eat a breakfast and the family came over at noon to feast.  I will not eat again until tomorrow, so really, I only ate once today, but it was a belly-ful of food!  I had smoked turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, geen bean cassarole, cranberry jello salad and I passed on the roll and butter.  I skipped the sweet potato cassarole and the layered salad, but I had a second helping of smoked turkey.  For dessert I had one piece of pumpkin pie with lite whipped topping and some coffee.  After the family went home my husband and I did a 5 mile BIG Day Turkey Walk (actually it was a Leslie Sansone dvd)... I think I may have burned off the pumpkin pie.

Its Never Too Late

Is it ever too late to exercise?  I don't mean "late" as in age, although, I m sure that needs to be a consideration.  I was talking time of day, as in late at night.  I let "Dooit Later" dictate our schedule again today and we did our 30 minutes of a Pilates with Band dvd at 10:15 pm.  I believe "Dooit Later" is an evil twin with "Don't" and both are the spawn of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. "Procrastination".  Now lets consider age, is it ever too late to exercise?  I would have to answer, no...there is... "Sit and Be Fit"

Planning On It

It never works out the way you plan it.  It is an hour before midnite and here I am posting on my blog.  So, this is how it went today.  I had the day off from work and I slept in a little, woke up and laid in bed a little, got up, had coffee and played around on the computer a little.  Then, I did lite house cleaning to prepare for the BIG Stuff Your Face and Be Thankful Day.  I also had a sewing project that I worked on a little and several times today I heard "Dooit" say, "You better stop what you are doing and go exercise."  Dooit Later said" Nah, you've got plenty of time!"  Guess who won?  It is now 11:28 pm....oh, and by the way, I did 30 minutes on my bike.

Ditto

Tonight was a ditto of last night.  I did a 30 minute pilates dvd, upper body, lower body and abdominals.  It is the easiest dvd to do in your street clothes, no exercise garments needed.  After I watched Dancing With the Stars and the new show Find My Family it was 10 pm and I jumped off the couch and did my 30 minutes of exercise.  I have begun to notice it is a required part of my day,  I just wish I didn't wait so long or late to plop down and do it!

The Big Day

The Big Day is coming.  The Big Day where we all spend hours shopping for the food, preparing the food, and cleaning the house, so we can have the family over for dinner day.  Is it a day where we let ourselves go and eat with abandon?  Are all restrictions off?  How high do we pile our plates?  How many scoops or spoonfuls do we take of our favorite dishes?, or should we just take a small spoonful of everything?  Do we take a sample of everything and then go back and get more of our favorites?  Should we eat all the turkey our tummys can hold since we only prepare it once a year?  Why is turkey so special? And the final question...if there are two kinds of pie....one is pumpkin and the other is french chocolate silk...do we stuff it in anyway?  The answer is probably, more than likely, yes....I better fit in my 30 minutes of exercise early on Thursday...the BIG Day.

Beached Whale

It might be a little early or premature to celebrate, but I have to point out that I am on the other side of 300.  If you look at the countdown,  I am on day 297.  I know it is still a big number, and I still have a long way to go...but as they say, "eat the whale, one bite at a time."  Tonight was one more "bite" out of my beached whale of a body.....30 minutes of the pilates dvd

Its That Time Again!

Friday Fitness Fun Nite...and I did 4 really big miles, thats what Leslie Sansone calls it.  The title of the dvd is Fast and Firm! 4 Really Big Miles.  The first mile is a 15 minute mile.  The second mile is 12 minutes, and the third mile is 10 minutes.  The fourth mile is about 12 minutes and she uses firm stretchy bands for the upper body strength. Today, I noticed, my lower body is sore from the Biggest Loser workout yesterday, it was a gazillion lunges and squats,  I wonder if those will ever become easy and effortless?

Boot Camp

I declared war on Bootyville.  I haven't done the Biggest Loser Cardio Max dvd in awhile, it sort of went to the bottom of the exercise dvd pile.  I dug it out tonight and with gusto and determination shoved it in the dvd player.  I broke a sweat easily and quickly started sucking air.  I am sadly still on the "first week" of the program, obviously I do not choose this exercise dvd enough to move on.  It is considered the "Boot Camp" of the Biggest Loser dvd's so, war has been declared on Bootyville.

Tough Love

Remember that eviction notice I served on "Bootyville"?   I am not so sure anyone is listening.  I may have to take drastic measures and bring on some tough love. Some of those drastic measures may include, starving them out, poisoning their water, and slave labor.  To make their life so miserable, they would pack up and move out of town, is the goal. How do you create a ghost town?  I may have to do some research.  I don't think my 30 minutes tonight has anyone in Bootyville packing their suitcase.  I did a two mile L.Sansone dvd and barely broke a sweat and I ate two pieces of cheese pizza, a salad, a half piece of bread pudding with hard sauce and coffee.  I doubt anyone would leave when they are being so well nourished!

Tis the Season

While driving to and from work and around town on errands, I pass numerous Expresso stands.  It is especially hard to pass these stands this time of year.  The reason?.....eggnog.  Eggnog is a yummy, evil mixture of sweet, creamy calorie-ness.  It is the liquid that feeds the population of "Bootyville" and "Tummy Town", and tis the season for eggnog.  I know myself well enough that if I even have a sip, Im done for!  I did 4 really big miles tonight (L.Sansone dvd) and went to pick up Marshall from work, passing many Expresso stands advertising Eggnog Lattes....4 really big miles....eggnog latte....4 really big miles...eggnog latte...I hope I make it through the season....

Going Through the Motions

Monday night is tight on time.  Twice a month I attend a Camera Club meeting in the evening.  Tonight I came home early from the meeting because I knew I still had to fit in the exercise and also because Dancing with the Stars was on and they are getting down to the final three, so I climbed on my stationary bike and went exactly 30 minutes.  I felt like I was going through the motions while riding the bike, not much effort was put into it, I barely broke a sweat.  At least it was "motions" while watching the t.v., which is more than I did before I started this project!

Race

Class

Class

3 miles l.s.

Distractable

Boy am I easily distractable... I did 30 minutes of a Pilates dvd last night, got on line to post a blog about it and when I signed on to the internet, I got distracted.   There is so much to see and do when you go on-line, its hard to stay focused.  I can understand how people spend hours and hours online, lost in this cyberland maze of information and relationships all while sitting on our "Bootyville's".  Giving so much attention to the screen, known as "screen-time"can be damaging to your body as well as your marriage and family life.  So, again, I will have to blog twice today, just to keep up with the postings for everytime I exercise...if I can't keep up with a simple little post to a blog site....is it any wonder why I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and I am still fat?......

Hopeful

Today it was a L. Sansone Walk dvd and I did a 4 mile walk.  When I started I thought it would only be a two mile walk.  When I got done with two, I thought, ok, three,  I'll do three.  When I got done with three, I thought, ok, four, I'll do four.  When I got done with four, I thought, ok, I better finish and stop because I have people coming over to my house in 15 minutes for a Bible Study and you are dripping with sweat!  Is this an early indication that I am becoming addicted to exercise? or am I just being hopeful?

Potty Squat

You know how you wait a little too long to use the restroom (I am talking to the ladies now), and your bladder is pestering you to get up and go?  So, you rush to the restroom, into the stall and you really don't have time to take out the sanitary paper seat cover-up, rip out the center, and place it neatly on the seat before you sit?  So, you "stabalize your core", "engage the thighs" and squat, hovering like a UFO over the seat, trying not to land.  This is known as the "potty squat" (I named it) and I have to tell you I noticed a really strong and stable squat the other day!  It seems that every exercise dvd loves to have the participants do a bazillion squats and as a result, I am good to go!...literally.  Tonite I did a combo workout, 1 mile walk dvd and 30 min of a fitness ball routine....squats anyone?

Nightmare

Last night I had a nightmare.   I had a dream that I got up the next day, and when I went to put on my jeans they didn't fit, they were too tight, and I had gained weight overnight.  It really feels, sometimes, that you can look at food and gain weight, smell food and gain, think about food and the pounds appear overnight!  How in the world did I get so large?  You know, sometimes, you enjoy food, and "celebrate" a bithday or holiday with food, mainly sweets.  But, you rationalize, and you tell yourself that most of the time you eat pretty healthy.  Obviously, I don't....the evidence is found in the population explosion of "Tummy Town" and "Bootyville"...an eviction notice has been served, tonite it was in the form of a 3 mile L. Sansone walk dvd.

Evil Twin

I finally feel the bickering selves "Dooit and Don't" have stopped their arguments.  It has been pretty quiet upstairs.  But Dooit Later (Don't's evil twin) seems to be enjoying her vacation here a little too much and she is bossy. Tonite, she had us all waiting until 9:30 pm to get our 30 minutes of exercise in.  We did a 10 minute Pilates dvd.  We completed 10 min. of lower body, 10 min. of upper body, and 10 min. of core using bands.

Friday Fitness Nite

It was Friday Fitness Fun Nite and my fanny did a fast four mile walk.  I wouldn't say I feel like a fitness fanatic just yet, but it was a pretty fantabulous feat that after a five day work week I found the time to do four miles on a Friday nite. You might feel this fairytale is a little far-fetched, but I insist, this is not fictious!

Inventory

Things are starting to fall into a rhythm according to reality television.  I have noticed that during Sunday's Amazing Race and Thursday's Survior I go along for the ride with my stationary bike.  The other 5 days are a mix of dvd's usually Leslie Sansone Power Walking, fitness ball, bands, hand weights...It is amazing how much exercise related paraphernalia I have collected over the years.  I have it stashed everywhere.  I have two fitness balls and two yoga mats, I have a Bean (came out after the fitness ball), and a total gym, I have a set of free weights ranging from 2 pounds up to 10 pounds, a variety of rubber exercise bands, I had a Lateral Thigh Trainer ( I think it went with a yard sale), and I had a treadmill (sold it to a friend).  I think have the makings of a fitness center!

Procrastination

I just had a conversation with my son about putting off responsibilities, waiting until the last minute, and trying to come up with a culminating Senior Project in a months time.  I gave him total and complete control of his senior year in high school and he is learning some hard life lessons from it.  I would have to stop here, and admit I am a procrastinator too.  I have waited for the last minute concerning many things, especially my health and fitness. Now, I am sweating through many pounds of "stored energy" all in an attempt to get healthy.  It is hard to stay motivated and moving, but I have procrastinated my life and good health away long enough. Tonite, I came home with a 10 minute Solutions dvd using a fitness ball.  I did 10 min of lower body, upper body, core and cardio, a total of 40 minutes.

Not Much to It

On Tuesday nites we have a Bible Study at my house.  After work I run home, pick up the house, clean the bathroom, and get something to eat, before everyone arrives.  Today, I decided to clean the garage so I could put my car in at nite.  I hate scraping frost off my car in the morning, it slows me down and its cold!
After everyone left at 9:00 pm I popped in a L.Sansone dvd and did a 3 mile walk, wiped off the sweat and went to bed.

My Underwear is Relieved

This is a strange title to an uncomfortable subject.  Well, my underwear was really uncomfortable, tight, small, and the coverage....well, it was no verizon network.  I would like you all to know that donning the necessary garments has been a pleasure lately.  I am definitely relieved and so is my underwear!  I did a L.Sansone dvd today after work and I actually had "flash desires" to workout while I was at work, several times!!  It was an incredible feeling and so is the fitting of my underwear!  I think the two go hand in hand....no pun intended...

Routine

Sunday nite, Amazing Race, Stationary bike...at least I knew there was a bike involved in the challenge and I did not incur a 30 minute penalty.....HELLO!

Candy Coma

Is Halloween about the dark night time fun, costumes, or gathering and eating candy until you fall into a candy coma?  What about when you become almost fifty years old?  It's too cold to be out in the dark night time, the costume does not fit anymore, and eating a handful of candy corn can send your blood into "sugar shock"
My kids are all grown up and Halloween does not have the same excitement as it had before. I was not even home to pass out the color changing cheetos snack bags that I had bought.  I spent all afternoon and most of the evening helping out my mother and her computer-printer "fall out" (they were not talking to each other)  At 9:30 pm I came home and popped in a L.S. dvd and did a 3 mile walk ending up at 10 pm, all sweaty, and ready for bed....no, make that a shower and then bed!

Friday Family Fun Nite

When my kids were little we instituted Family Friday Fun Nite.  We would go someplace to eat, then to the Mall, or to the book store (B&N), come home and play board games or cards.  My kids are grown, one is 21 and has joined the Marines, the other is 17 and thinks having fun with his Mom is "lame".  Now, Friday Family Fun Nite is all alone, no one home except "lil ole" me. For "fun" I did a full hour of exercise dvds, ate a cold ham and low fat cheese sandwich, drank ice tea with no calorie sweetner...Fridays are now minus the family and minus the fun.  Maybe I should rename it, Friday Fitness Nite,  it is still minus the fun but maybe I'll be able to add that later.

The Squeeze

Well, I almost didn't "squeeze" it in tonite.  I got sidetrack by a craft project, and I wanted to watch Survivor at 8:00 pm so I decided it would be best if I rode my bike while watching the show.  I found that during the challenges I rode a little faster, as in my mind I was trying to help the team by speeding up.  I am sure this has some psycological terminology, text book explanation, a science experiment involving laboratory rats.  All I know is that it worked, I rode hard for 40 minutes and when I was done I felt like a "survivor".

The Candy Isle

I made a stop this afternoon at Walmart to pick up some new deoderant.  With all this exercise, and sweat, I seem to be using more than normal.  While I was there in the health and beauty aids, I had to pass all the bins of candy in the center isle, who can pass up candy corn for a $1.88?  With a bag of candy corn in hand I found the pit perfume and as I started back to the center isle I made a left instead of a right and landed in the Halloween candy section.  I was trying to think of a reason to buy candy, "Maybe, I should take some to work and give it to my co-workers", "Maybe, I should buy some extra to have at home in case I get a bunch of trick-or-treaters...", Maybe, I should buy it because there is so much of it and it's cheap!" I was trying really hard to find a great reason to pile my arms full of candy sacks just because it was there.  I settled for some dark, sugar free, dove chocolates and the sack of candy corn (its a tradition).  I did the B.L. Cardio Max dvd tonite and I am really happy I didn't load up with candy....you all know what would happen to it....you all need to fess up!

Autumn Walk

There is nothing like a good walk around the neighborhood and today it was sunny and inviting.  I took my camera out just in case there would be a good autumn picture to shoot, so I did not really walk at the brisk pace I normally would.  I did go for the walk and it was more than 30 minutes...it counts!

Stick to the Plan

Today was a Monday and a half, it was a tough day at work, and the weather was rainy and grey.  I came home and had great plans to exercise, eat dinner and go to a photography workshop.  Some how, after I walked in the door I was starving, so I ate dinner first.  Luckily I had set the crockpot up in the morning and made a chicken soup with rice, so I am sure when I walked in the door it was the smell that made me instantly hungry.  After I ate, of course I had to let it settle before exercising so I sat down on the couch to watch the news and before I knew it I was asleep.  I woke up, and did 3 miles of indoor walking, got all sweaty, and missed my photography class.  Better luck tomorrow...

Me-Time

I have started to notice that 41 days into this project and it is an expected part of my day to exercise.  Do I always want to exercise?, no, but I spend 30 minutes doing it anyway.  It is starting to become "me-time", a part of my day that I give to myself.  I used to choose napping or reading, watching tv or talking on the phone (sometimes both) as time for myself or "me-time".   Now, I am putting that time into my health and wellness.  Ocassionaly, I sneak in a small "rest time" before "me-time" exercise!

OOps!

I did it again!   I exercised yesterday (24th) and forgot to blog about it.  If I could figure out how to back date it I would,( I did figure it out and now this one is dated correctly!), but for now I will just have to post twice, once for yesterday and once for today.  Yesterday (24th) we spent all day outside in the yard removing leaves from everywhere!  Jaryl and Marshall were raking and removing and I was mowing the lawn to remove leaves.  I also dragged a ladder around to remove leaves from the gutters along with lots of dirt and roofing material.  We need a new roof desperately, it has deteriorated and most of our roof is in the gutters!  After a long day outside,  I came in and could have considered all that activity as my exercise but it didn't feel right...it wasn't "me time"....a time set aside for 30 minutes of exercise.  So, I popped in a L.S. dvd and did two "powerful miles"

Wee Bit

I am sweating just a wee bit right now, I just got done with a Leslie Sansone Walk and Kick dvd.  It was just a wee bit fun, and I wish there was an option to play this dvd just a wee bit with the music only.  Don't get me wrong I love the woman a wee bit too much, I use her dvd's almost every day.  It her use of language that has me a wee bit on edge.  If you have ever seen one of her dvd's...you would understand just a wee bit more of what I am refering to.

I Lost Something

No one was home at the time when I decided to break out, once again, the Dancing with the Stars Latin Cardio Dance dvd.  This is the type of dance dvd that, unless you have the body of a 20 something, and are too young to care about why you are grinding your hips, should be done without an audience.  When I was young and perky,  I could cha-cha with the best of them, mambo like there was no tomorrow, samba all day and nite, and mix it all up with a little merengue in the morning!  I have lost something over the years.  My samba is sad, my mambo has lost its "bo", I can only cha, and forget about the morning merengue...the dvd did promise that no partner was needed, and right now, I would not want my partner to endure such visual torture.....

The Early Signs

Today I came home from work early because I felt like I was coming down with a cold.  I get those early signs that over the years I have learned to recognize...excessive tiredness, my nose gets cold and I start to sneeze.  I went home, put on the pj's and went to bed.  I am trying to address the symptoms early in hopes of stomping it out, before it slams me full force and lays me flat out.  If I get really, nasty sick its going to be really hard to exercise.  I got up this evening around 6 pm and did a 3 mile indoor walk dvd and it did not take me long before I was sweating ( I probably have a low grade temp).

Cocoon

Metamorphasis, today I am thinking about metamorphasis.  I can honestly say I resemble a big, sluggish caterpillar munching my way through life, eating everything in sight.  I guess exercise could be considered my cocoon, only, it is not restful at all in  my cocoon.  In my cocoon its a little hot and sweaty and after spending time in my cocoon my body starts to ache.  In the past I have used sleep (naps) as a cocoon.  I would come home from work and take a nap to find some peace and quiet.  Today I came home from work and used exercise, Leslie Sansone Walk Strong dvd

Have You Ever Wanted to Exercise?

Today I waited for "it" to happen again. "It" is the feeling I had yesterday that I actually wanted to exercise.
I think I felt that feeling around 2:00 today except it happened so fast I would have to call it a "flash" feeling.  It was like a hot flash but faster and without the sweat.  I was waiting all day for the feeling and was not even sure "it" would re-surface.  I hope the feeling grows, thats my hope, that my day won't feel right without exercise included.  I want to be addicted to exercise, its my only hope to be and stay healthy.  I have focused ALL my lifetime on eating right and I know what I am supposed to consume and what I am not supposed to ingest.  I have never had to ask myself if I wanted to eat, thats a "no brainer" to someone who's overweight, but I have always battled with asking myself if I wanted to exercise, thats also a "no brainer" to someone who's overweight.

Amazing Race

I got on the stationary bike tonite and watched the amazing race.  I really felt like I was a part of the race, except for the heat of Dubai.  My friend Siti is moving soon to Dubai with her family and I already knew that the world's tallest building was there.  I would love to go visit and see the world someday.  Right now, I can't even leave Spokane for the weekend.  At the end of the project, I plan to visit my sister in Colorado and exercise my 365th day with her.  I am looking forward to taking that trip and many others.... How do you sign up for a show like The Amazing Race?....

"IT" Happened

Today my husband and I had many errands to complete and most of it involved the RV that my Mom and Dad gave us.  While we were driving around town.... "it" happened in the car today, a strange and unfamiliar feeling, it startled me enough to realize I have never felt like that before.  The feeling that I had a glimpse of was...I wanted to exercise today.  I know, it almost took me aback, it shook me up a little, it was weird.  I came home from errands and although a little sleepy, I change into exercise clothes and did a 4 mile walk (Leslie Sansone dvd) instead of laying down on the couch for a little nap. I wonder if I will get that feeling tomorrow?

OOOH GNATS!

It was a balmy 65 degrees today and most considered it a heat wave, since our temps lately have dropped into the low 20's and high teens.  I decided it would be a great day for a walk outside around the neighborhood.  Unfortunately, flying gnats also decided it would be a good day for swarming the "hood".  Once I laced up my shoes and started down the street I did not want to turn back.  I was committed to the "walk", so I buried my head down, kept my mouth closed, and breathed through my nose.  I barreled my way through one swarm after the next, plucking gnats from my eyelashes, and wiping gnats stuck to the sweat on my face as I walked faster just to get home.  I know I swallowed a gnat, and when I got home I blew my nose...just to be sure..I may have gnats stuck in other places...I think I need a Q-tip.

Signs

I have started to notice small signs.  I am not talking about the kind of signs that advertise merchandise.  I am refering to the kind of signs that elude to the fact that you have been exercising your head off for 32 days.  For example, I have noticed I can remove my wedding ring to apply hand lotion.  This is not the kind of "flag waving" sign that you have lost some major "pound-age", I mean its not like I dropped a whole dress size or anything and it is certainly not the major signal as if a co-worker said,  "Have you lost some weight?"   No, its a small sign, know only to me and my slim fingers (hey,... the body has to start some where).  The other small sign happened today at work.  I zipped up the stairs to the 3rd floor!, no... floated, bounded, hopped to the top and could not believe how easy it felt!  That sign had me thinking that this project is really going to pay off!....today, (2 Power Miles, Leslie Sansone dvd)

The Smell of Chlorine

I almost ran out of time tonight.  I finally stopped what I was doing and made time for 30 min. of exercise (walking dvd).  That sounds very strange coming out of my thoughts and typing fingers.  I have never stopped what I was doing to go exercise, except when I was on the swim team in my youth and we had to go to practice.  I was so healthy back then, I swam 5 days a week, sometimes twice a day, and about 3 miles a workout. On the weekends we were competeing at Swim Meets.  There was not an ounce of fat to be found on my body.  I was so skinny my nickname was "Lane Line" because I resembled the lines that stretched the length of the pool, separating the water into lanes for swimmers.  It was such a healthy sport to be involved in, great cardio, calorie burning, and muscle toning.  I was involved in this sport for about 15 years and when I was a senior in high school I quit the team...I swam for so many years, and too many laps... it is really hard for me to go near a swimming pool.

Let's Celebrate!

It is a banner day.  The 30th day of continual exercise.  A full month of perpetual activity.  A small stepping stone in a large pond.  I rode the bike for 30 minutes on my 30th day.  Tomorrow I am on to the next stone, 60 days of exercise and guess what?....I get to celebrate that day with 30 minutes of exercise.

Give Her an Inch...

Tomorrow is a milestone.  Today, is day 29 and tomorrow will be one month of constant physical activity.  I did the Biggest Loser workout again today after work, it seems that about all I lose is sweat.  I have not noticed really any difference in the way my clothes are fitting.  I have noticed that the battle of the "selves" has simmered down.  Between Dooit and Don't, Don't has surrendered.  However, between Dooit and Dooit Later, Dooit Later still thinks she still has some control. It is really hard to come home from work and exercise, right away. When I walk in the front door, Dooit Later seems to be waiting for me on the couch, calling my name.  I have to ignore her, march right past her, go up the stairs to change into my exercise clothes.  Give her an inch.... and she will have you taking a nap on the couch.

How Many More?...

Three mile indoor walking, with a heart monitor, stopwatch, watch.  It took exactly 37 minutes and 48 seconds.  I got really sweaty.  This makes post 28 and....tomorrow will be day 29  I can't even look at the amount I have left to go to complete the project...I am trying to focus on the little achievements and feel proud of those.

Walking and Talking

Two miles indoors and it really goes by fast if you are talking on the phone with your sister.  The phone rang tonite during my walk dvd and for an instant I debated whether to answer it or let ring.  I picked it up and when I looked at the caller ID I saw it was my sister, so I answered it.  She said, "Hi, how are you, what are you doing?"  With beads of sweat rolling off my face, I panted, "I m walking", this answer, of course, threw my sister's brain off...."Whaaaaat?", she said (thats how you know her brain went off the track), "OH, you are walking inside to a dvd", (brain engaged, and back on track), "I can hear it in the background, and you are breathing hard", so we continued to talk thru my two mile walk and it made the time really go by fast.  I miss my sister and I wish we could enjoy more walks together without a phone against my sweaty ear...

Medley

I did a medley of exercising today.  I went to Walmart tonite after dinner, checked out their exercise dvd's and found two new ones.  I came home and it was like Christmas!  I ripped off the cellophane and popped in the first one..."Dancing With the Stars Latin Cardio Dance"...oh my...it was tough.  I did about 25 minutes of merengue, cha-cha, and samba.  First of all, I did not wear high heel shoes or skimpy costumes, and it got too complicated in steps.  I ripped the cellophane off the second one, another Leslie Sansone dvd, called "5 Mile Fat Burning Walk" and did two miles.  I love her dvd, so simple, yet so effective.  My medley of exercising lasted about 50 minutes.  I had a dream last nite that I went Garage Sale-ing and all I bought was exercise dvd's...this project is invading my life...every part of it...even my dreams...

Strategic Planning

One would assume that if you sat all day for 8 hours in a chair you would be happy and anxious to get up and move your "Bootyville".  I am not happy or anxious to exercise when I get home from work.  I feel tired after sitting all day and solving all the credit card terminal issues in the world.  I just want to drag my tired body home and hold the couch down with it.  Today, I had to come up with a new strategic plan.  I decided to get "it" over with quickly.  March straight through the door, stomp up the stairs, go directly into the bedroom, change clothes, and come back to the living room,  kick my 17 year old son off the x-box, so I can use the tv for my exercise dvd.  It worked, I got it done and now I can have the rest of the night to hold the couch down and watch reality tv....got to love the American lifestyle.

Holding Down the Couch

I finally got up enough nerve to try the Biggest Loser Cardio Max dvd again tonite, and I can tell you...wait let me wipe the sweat from my eye,....it is still a booty kicker.  I layed on the couch after I got home from work and decided I would need a small nap before working out and it was hard to convince my body to get up off the couch.  My schedule changed at work and I now work from 7am to 3:30pm and it is great to leave in daylight, it is easier to find my car.  My schedule, when I started this project, was 10am to 6:30pm.  It was easier to exercise in the morning and go to work but, I did not like coming home at 7pm.  Ah me, oh my, it is not a perfect world.  This project is going to get tougher, ( I hate to work out in the afternoon) before it gets easier.

Bike for Sale

Stationary bike today and I wore my heart monitor to see if it was even worth it.  It really took a long time to achieve the "zone" and it was hard to keep the heart rate from going too low.  My bike only has one speed and I ride and sweat.  When I bought it at a Garage Sale, several years ago, it was supposed to have variable speeds and have the ability to be programmable, but as soon as I got it home, in the door, and up to the bedroom it became sedentary, covered with dust and dysfunctional. After I make use of it this winter it may end up in another Garage Sale, mine.  Thats where all exercise equipment goes after it dies, Garage Sale Graveyard for all equipment that does not live up to our New Years "promise" to he healthy.

Pain, Pain...Go Away...

My aches and pains are lingering from the Biggest Loser Workout.  Honestly, I don't know how the contestants on the show survive it.  I only did one little workout (week one, no less) and I have been hurting for two days now.  Today, I did a Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds DVD and I wore a heart monitor just to be sure I was in my target heart rate zone for fat burning and I was...for at least 30 min.

Here I am Again

Second "go round" today on the blog.  I went for a walk around the "hood" and it was a little rough out of the gate, thanks to Bob ( Biggest Loser Trainer).  He killed me with lunges yesterday and my "glutes", "hams", and "quads" are suffering.  I found a penny on my walk and I was not sure I could even bend down to pick it up.  I thought about leaving it there on the road, because it would involve too much work (and pain) to bend over to retrieve it.  But, I really wanted to add it to my total (now, $1.38, thanks to the penny today).  I often wondered about why you find money on the ground, especially in these hard economic times.  Now, I know why,... we are too fat and lazy when we drop a penny to pick it up!  This penny almost got to stay there, because half way down to pick it up my body started to growl, whine, and scream with pain and we almost didn't make it back to a standing position.  The penny is mine now and in my wallet. Its a little roughed up from being run over by cars but it will spend just fine!

Teachable Moment

I had a teachable moment this morning.  It all started when my eyes opened and I moved a muscle.  I felt the pain left behind by yesterdays "Biggest Loser Cardio Max" exercise routine and then it hit me...I didn't blog about it.  I felt terrible about the fact I didn't blog, there by messing up 365 days of blogging about my exercise. Now, I know you might be thinking, and I feel sort of stupid, about the fact that I did exercise, and that I should be happy about that.  I am estatic that I haven't missed a day of exercise!  However, the other part of the discipline is the accountability of the blog, a record, like showing up to weigh in at a meeting.  I feel like I missed a meeting with the keyboard.  So, today there will be two entries, just to make up for yesterdays blog report that went A.W.O.L..  And, I did, I did, I really did exercise yesterday, I promise!  If only you could see me get up and walk away from the computer, you would know I did by the stiff limp.

Rain, Rain.....Go Away

I know Winter is coming soon, Fall came without Summer leaving.  You could probably say Fall arrived and blew Summer out the door!  My blogging might get a little cold and dry (like the weather) because stationary bike riding is not that exciting.  What I can tell you is that the bickering selves have quieted down and Dooit was the boss today.  That is actually quite exciting, but I don't want to "count my chickens" just yet, its still too early in the project to say that exercise is a part of my life.  I did exercise today, on the bike, and I have noticed keeping to a schedule keeps Dooit Later from showing up!

Tortilla Chips Lament

It was cold and windy outside today on my walk  I went backwards on my route, just to mix it up a bit, I walked on the other side of the road.  It was a nice walk under blue skies and sunshine and, as always, I was looking to get paid.  I did not even see a penny.  I see many interesting things on my walks and today it was a busted styrofoam container of salsa, tossed to the side of the road and splattered all across the sidewalk.  How could someone do that?  Salsa does not go bad, so they did not toss it out because it was rotten.  My concern is for the poor tortilla chips that now have to be eaten dry and without their best friend salsa.  Who would do such a terrible thing? Why would you eat chips and salsa while driving or maybe strolling down the sidewalk, and who would you eat tortilla chips without salsa?!? They were meant to be together, the wet compliments the dry, the red looks great with the yellow, the salty pairs with the spicy.....I am starting to feel a little hungry now, time for breakfast!

Wednesdays Stink

Every sport has its dangers.  Walking has dangers...you may be thinking about it right now and asking yourself..."walking has dangers?, what dangers?, should I go walking if its dangerous?"  Let me just say, Wednesdays are especially dangerous.  You should be warned of the dangers, so, let me educate you.  The following are dangers, seven days a week, twenty four hours a day.  Sprinklers, barking dogs (you never can be sure the fence will hold them back), cars turning into driveways, and driving crazy fast through neighborhoods and around corners, and the worst of all....loogies on the sidewalk.  But, Wednesdays, in my neighborhood are especially dangerous.  Wednesday is trash day and it stinks.  Not only do you have to walk by everybodys stinky trash cans, recycle bins, and rotting grass clippings, but then there is the trash collectors truck stirring it all up into a unique aroma.  I hate to admit this, but, Dooit Later might be invited in on Wednesdays.

Bits and Pieces

I exercised today in bits and pieces.  I got up this morning, at 7 am, and it was cold outside.  I told myself "I'll walk later when it warms up."  Of course, as the day progresses, you find yourself in the mode to get all the errands done, house cleaned, and dinner made, before you know it the sun is setting and it gets cold outside.  I did manage to get 8 minute abs in during house cleaning, and 15 minutes of a new cardio dvd while the soup for dinner simmered.  I got on the stationary bike tonite to finish out my time of AT LEAST 30 minutes and when I was done I felt good that I "got er done" if only in bits and pieces.

Seriously

I served an eviction notice on Bootyville and Tummy Town 15 days ago and I don't think they are taking me seriously.  I know Bootyville inhabitants are not listening because this morning on my walk my arms are still hitting land mass.  I think Tummy Town has decreased population by a little, my jeans are a little less stressed.  I also wanted you to know I got paid again today, I found a penny and then a quarter!  That makes the total  $1.37, oh, and I also saw a dead snake in the road.  I told you I see interesting things on my walks around the neighborhood!

Un-Welcomed Guest

Yesterday I told you about someone new that I met named Dooit Later.  It seems that Dooit Later came to visit for the weekend and I hope she is gone by Monday.  Dooit Later was not invited, nor did she ask to visit, and if I had my choice she would not be invited back.  Do I have a choice?  I think Dooit Later is even more evil than Don't.  I did go for a walk but, the sun had gone down, and it was cold, but my sister and I went for a walk around Liberty Lake.  It seems when  there is a schedule to keep Dooit Later is nowhere to be found.

I Met Someone Today...

Today, I discovered Dooit has an evil twin named, Dooit Later.  And Dooit Later convinced us this morning we had plenty of time today to fit 30 minutes of exercise in.  Well, I finally fit it in, at 9:00 pm I climbed on the resurrected stationary bike and watched the movie, "Gone in 60 Seconds".   Watching a movie made the time go by easier.  I got it done, just barely, and tomorrow I get to do it again, YEAH!...that excitement was gone in less than 60 seconds...

Bickering Selves

As soon as the eyes open in the morning the bickering starts.  My eyes are pretty happy to see daylight and my body is happy and peacefully comfortable in it's soft, warm, comfy spot in the bed, but it annoys us all when the "selves" start up about whether to exercise now or fit it in later.  My husband laughed this morning as he could see there was a situation going on, because I was not moving out of bed, "which one is winning", he said,  "Dooit" or "Don't".  Dooit won.

False Start

I slept in a little today and my body woke up a little cranky.  My joints are crying out for glucosamine.  I am not at all suprised by this, to go from comfy couch sitting , to activity idiot, is insane.  I tried to go for a walk today at around 11:30 and it was way too hot and I was not feeling great.  I got 10 min into the routine and headed back to the "barn".  I did decide to try again at sundown and it was easier to get the required 30 min of exercise (walking).  I saw an ant covered, green apple, jolly rancher and it was a good thing for those ants that it was not my favorite flavor.

Spreading the WORD

While I am on my walks around the neighborhood I often see many interesting things littering the streets.  Today, I saw a small orange Bible.  It was the kind of Bible they give out to visitors, who come inside a sanctuary to see if they are comfortable in the presence of God, or being in the same place with believers.  At first, when I saw this little Bible in the street, I thought to myself it had fallen out of someone's car because it was along the curb in front of the elementary school. As I walked on I discovered a few pages had fallen out and maybe had been blown by the wind onto the sidewalk.  It was only a few steps farther that I saw and realized there was a battle with satan being fought within someone.  It was the pages that were ripped into pieces that gave it away and the pages that were wadded up into tight little balls of paper.  I walked on thinking about this poor tortured person who had this battle going on inside and remembered that I was in the same place, not so long ago, and I thanked God for winning my battle and never giving up on me.

Race Against Time

I knew this day would eventually come.  Just 9 days into the project and it happened.  It all started with the "selves".  One self said, "You don't have to get your 30 minutes in right now. Just have a morning where you don't have to exercise. You can do it later..."  I think I will name this self, "Don't".  The other self said, " You know you better do it now,  if you listen to "Don't", you are never going to fit it in today, if you don't go now, you won't want to exercise at the end of a long day at work!"  I will name this self, "Dooit".  So, "Dooit" and "Don't" had a long, drawn out, argument this morning and my body just sat there listening, waiting for a decision to be made about whether we were going to exercise for a least 30 minutes.  Then the eyes looked at the clock and sided with "Dooit", then my poor body had to engage in a race against time, as out the door we all flew, body complaining all the way about how a decision to go for a walk can't be made in a timely fashion.

Jackpot

I went for another walk today, it sounds kinda boring, it was to start with very dull. It starts like it always does, I get up, put on the same old exercise clothes, ( I only have one set that does not get all stressed out about having to go for a walk) and out the door I go to walk the same old route around the "hood".  I've tried walking in the the other direction and it's the same, only backwards.  I get to see another angle of the tree, house, or flower bed, (thats a thrill and a half).  Since, I found a dime the other day, on my walk, my eyes are mostly scanning the pavement for a slightly higher reward.  I would be happy with 25 cents, but today I found a dollar!  It was all folded up, and my heart raced as I unfolded it thinking, just maybe, more was folded up inside. It was just a dollar.  I would have never seen it had I not crossed the street to avoid getting hit by an oncoming truck who was pulling off the curb, to head off to work.  So, all total I have collected, $1.11, for my efforts.  Maybe, like Julie, I should set up paypal on my site, and you could all pay me to exercise.  I think I'll put the money I found toward my new walking shoes!

Downtown

I went "Down to Tummy Town" today.  A friend of mine, who has decreased the population of her Tummy Town, told me she has been doing the 8 Minute Ab routine on the internet.  I gave it a try with my sister who has never had to drag around a continent, let alone two.  I can't believe how quickly she started to whine.  I think we were 3 minutes into the video,  when she started to ask how much longer she had to endure the torture, of course, she is over fifty years old (52 to be exact).  And before you ask, yes, we went for a good 30 min plus walk around Liberty Lake.

Normally Reality

Normally when one determines to exercise and set up an exercise regime, they go about it with some thought and clarity, and they ponder for awhile about how to go about it and what exercise they want to target and what days they want to do it.  Not me, not this time, I must have had a moment of insanity when I set this project up.  Reality set in today, you see, it's Saturday, and normally one would take a break from exercising after 5 days of it.  I woke up at 8am, and said to myself , "Self, it's Saturday and you don't have to go to work today, but guess what, you have to exercise. "  It's hard to have a conversation with "self" when you don't agree with "self", and you know "self" is right about the topic, but you disagree with "self" and you want to argue with "self", but which "self " will win?  This must be where normally reality sets in.  The reality is, almost 50, overweight, family history of heart disease....I went for a walk today.

Profitable

Today, I was on the road again.  It was sunny out but a little bit nippy.  I know that exercising will be good for me, my health will benefit, my heart will profit, my clothes will relax.  My clothes have been really uptight lately, stressed to the max.  I didn't know clothes could get so stressed out.  Who would ever think that by being overweight our clothes would suffer like that.  Anyway, I have always wanted to make money by exercising. Wouldn't it be easy if you got PAID to exercise?  That would be a dream job....well I got paid today for my 30 minutes of exercise.  I found a dime in the road.  Its not enough to run to the bank with, mind you, but I felt good about it.  The other day I found a penny.  I didn't feel like it was enough to write about, but today, a whole dime is worth shouting about in these economic times.

Dilemma: A problem involving a difficult choice...

It rained today.  Normally it is not a dilemma for the trees, grass, etc..., but it is for someone who hates to exercise.  Going for a walk does not feel like exercise, normally you don't have to break a sweat and you can walk for 30 minutes and say that you exercised for the day.  Not today, I had a dilemma...... My dilemma started with, "what do I drag out from the pile of exercise equipment I have in the spare room, garage, under the house, and back of the closet?  I settled for exposing the stationary bike that was 6 ft under a pile of clothes at the end of my bed.  I raised it from the dead and climbed on, gingerly, and got a glimpse of my profile in a mirror.  I discovered "Bootyville" has a neighboring continent....like any good pioneer discovery I got to name it....lets call this continent "Tummy Town".

I am So Hip....

...and  I don't mean "fashionista" hip.  Today, during my walk, I noticed while I was I swinging my arms to walk, they are brushing my hips.  Thats not good, it means my hips were really out there like another continent waiting to be discovered.  Well, I found land...massive land...and like any new discovery I'll give it a name... how about..... "Bootyville". 

Yesterday

My body remembered yesterday, today.  Yesterday I went for a walk.  I think it was over a mile (I'll have to measure it with my car).  I could not believe how out of shape my HEELS are!...after the first day they have a blister!  Anyway, today I went for the same walk and the blisters are BIGGER.  I may need new shoes and my husband agrees :) I know it's every girl's fantasy that her husband tells her she needs new shoes.  I have 363 more days to exercise and yes, my walks have been at least 30 minutes.

Day One...The Beginning

Discipline is not easy.  I went to see the movie Julie and Julia and I loved it!  I left the movie thinking..."I can do that." so I went immediately over to Barnes and Noble to see how much the French cookbook would cost and to view the recipes.  I have to admit, I would not cook brains or kidneys so, I re-shelved the book. and left thinking..."I don't need another cookbook", I already have a whole bookshelf devoted to the topic of cooking and I am still not very good at it.  What I do need is discipline, for something, anything.  I tend to start something, go all out for about 3 months, get distracted by something new, and go off to a new project or direction.  So, I got up today and I am starting to exercise and  I will blog about it everyday to keep myself accountable.  Hopefully I will get someone out there either motivated to do the same or following my blog to encourage me!