Well, it's New Year's Eve Eve and I have just completed my first "life anew at 42" workout. I completed 30 minutes on the treadmill, walking at a 2.8 mph pace, with an incline of 0.5. While I understand that this is nothing to write home about by anyone's definition, it does give me a rough baseline for my (oh so sad) fitness level as of this very moment in time and, as far as I can tell, there's nowhere to go but up from here.
When I decided that today would be my first workout day of this life changing journey, the goal was to include some running, no matter how small the amount. I found a site called SaltyRunning.com that featured a plus sized runner who wrote tips on how to begin a running program when you're overweight. I don't know if it's my age or my back issues or the simple fact I haven't exercised in what seems like eons, but whatever the deal may be, running was NOT in the cards today.
I began walking at 2.5 mph for 5 mins and then was planning on a run 1min, walk 2 min combo until I hit the 27 minute mark, then walk for the last 3 minutes. Well, after running the first 1 minute jag at 4 mph, my hips and back let me know in no uncertain terms that they were unwilling to cooperate should I decide to continue with my original plan. Instead of becoming discouraged as I usually do, I made up my mind that no matter how slow this trip to health is, I'm going to stick with it - and that means listening to my body and taking smaller steps to getting there. The point was to move, so I upped the pace to 2.8 mph and kept walking for the duration of the 30 minutes. According to Calorie Count, I only burned 161 calories, but because I don't know my exact weight, that total could be off.
Tomorrow will be my first weigh in day, and then I'll weigh in again on Friday because I think Fridays will be the day I will want to weigh in on going forward. I'm extremely apprehensive about the weigh in because it has been quite some time since I stepped on a scale. Unfortunately, even with out doing so, my pants don't lie - and they've been screaming at me lately. Even my fat jeans are uncomfortable, and I know what that means in terms on numbers on the scale. BUT, I have to know where I'm at now so I'll know how far I've come in the future, right? So it's face to face time with the scale tomorrow, but at least I did something positive for myself today, no matter how small. Baby steps.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Sunday, December 29, 2013
The New Beginning
Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to me!
That's right, today is the day I turn the big 42. Another year in the books. Another year of being fat gone by. Enough is enough.
It's December 29, which means the holiday season is coming to a near close. Visions of sugarplums and all things Christmas will be nary a sweet memory in a week or two. I've just got New Year's Eve to look forward to and then it's pretty much back to reality, whatever that means, for the rest of the long, cold winter. The problem is, I desperately need to redefine my reality. Hence, this new blog.
As I do every year around this time, I've been thinking a lot about my indulgences, my weight, and the way that they negatively affect my life. While eating and drinking with wild abandon used to be loads of fun, I'm feeling more and more disgusted by it with each passing birthday. Maybe it's the fact that I've idly stood by as I watched my amazing husband, Josh, turn his life around last year. He went from a very overweight man to someone who is now an active runner and has experienced successful weight loss due to his dedication to exercise and healthier living. During the course of the same year my husband got in shape, I myself got heavier, less fit and more angry about it than I've ever been. Or maybe it's simply because when I try on my clothes, they fit like complete shit: pants are tight, stomach bulges and back bulges show through everything I put on and the Jabba the Hut picture that was taken of me this Christmas makes me want to disappear into a black hole. Yeah, it's that bad.
Whatever the reason, I'm making a vow to end the insanity this year. It isn't my first trip to the weight loss rodeo, but I'm praying it will be my last. It's going to take work, and dedication, but I'm there. I feel good about beginning my endeavor to get healthy now that the triple threat of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are in the rearview mirror. After all the indulging that has taken place, I am craving a change for the better. I'm not expecting miracles, and I don't care how long it takes. I just want to feel better, look different, and do things I never thought possible. Is that too much to ask? I don't think so.
That's right, today is the day I turn the big 42. Another year in the books. Another year of being fat gone by. Enough is enough.
It's December 29, which means the holiday season is coming to a near close. Visions of sugarplums and all things Christmas will be nary a sweet memory in a week or two. I've just got New Year's Eve to look forward to and then it's pretty much back to reality, whatever that means, for the rest of the long, cold winter. The problem is, I desperately need to redefine my reality. Hence, this new blog.
As I do every year around this time, I've been thinking a lot about my indulgences, my weight, and the way that they negatively affect my life. While eating and drinking with wild abandon used to be loads of fun, I'm feeling more and more disgusted by it with each passing birthday. Maybe it's the fact that I've idly stood by as I watched my amazing husband, Josh, turn his life around last year. He went from a very overweight man to someone who is now an active runner and has experienced successful weight loss due to his dedication to exercise and healthier living. During the course of the same year my husband got in shape, I myself got heavier, less fit and more angry about it than I've ever been. Or maybe it's simply because when I try on my clothes, they fit like complete shit: pants are tight, stomach bulges and back bulges show through everything I put on and the Jabba the Hut picture that was taken of me this Christmas makes me want to disappear into a black hole. Yeah, it's that bad.
Whatever the reason, I'm making a vow to end the insanity this year. It isn't my first trip to the weight loss rodeo, but I'm praying it will be my last. It's going to take work, and dedication, but I'm there. I feel good about beginning my endeavor to get healthy now that the triple threat of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are in the rearview mirror. After all the indulging that has taken place, I am craving a change for the better. I'm not expecting miracles, and I don't care how long it takes. I just want to feel better, look different, and do things I never thought possible. Is that too much to ask? I don't think so.
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