2nd Wii Fit fifteen minute workout

I took another fifteen to relieve stress. It works. Gets my mind of things. And it can't hurt right? it hasn't been really strenuous, but it is better than being frozen at my desk in stress mode.

Mid-day Wii Fit Workout

Well, if you read this post you know that I decided have a mid-day wii workout to decrease my stress and warm up my extremities.

It totally worked. I'm not cold at all, I got my heart rate moving, and I like the Wii Fit scale much better. It says I way 5 pounds less than the YMCA did on Monday. I'll take it.... However, it only has me at the weight that I started at when we bought the Wii. It's ok though, better than gaining.

And I totally have the high scores on the soccer game...

Y Report and my Diet and Fitness Goals for August

Sadie and I went to the YMCA this morning. I did 27 minutes on the treadmill and 13 minutes on the bike. Did an interval workout at 3.0 incline using 2.8 relax time and a 3.8 interval time.

I read an annoying article yesterday that says that obese people will not see weight loss unless they are willing to workout at least 55 minutes a day. So, even though that is pissing me off (sorry, Mom, if you ever read this) I am going to make it my goal to get one hour of exercise a day. I have done that several times in the last month anyway between the Y and walks with bart, but I want to do it six days a week for the month of August.

My second goal is to decrease my sodium intake. I know that I should make that more measurable, but I know myself well enough to know that if I say "cut it in half" I would get very obsessive about it and spend my day trying to figure out what my average sodium intake was in the past month and then dividing it in two and then my day would be gone. Can't do that.

So, one hour a day of exercise, less sodium. Bring on August!

(and by the way, I'm going to just have one pop a week now.....)

YMCA report

Salinda and Sadie joined me this morning. I am committed to inviting any of my children who are interested to join me, but having Salinda along increases our trip time by 15 minutes. I think she believes that there is going to be a beauty contest at the Y whereas Sadie and I take about 2 minutes to get ready. Then neither of them worked out very hard.... but I was there for me.

Taking a week off really made it hard to get back to working out. I am just dragging. Today I did 18 minutes on the bike and 22 minutes on the treadmill doing intervals, but couldn't get myself going as fast as I was a couple weeks ago, or the incline as high as it was before. I'll work my way back up, but I sure didn't realize how difficult it would be to get back going after a week.

I ate right yesterday.... And today haven't had anything yet. Looking for low sodium options...

118 Miles

Since July 1st I have walked 118 miles.

That's pretty impressive, don't you think?

Back in the Saddle Again

Do exercise bikes have saddles?

I gained another two pounds this week, which was to be expected. But that means I have seven pounds to re-lose and that pisses me off. I am going to have to work really hard now to get back on track after my week off.

I'm trying not to focus on the weight loss portion and just focus on doing the right things. I think my pair of shoes that I was going to get when I lost 50 pounds may need to be a reward for consistency or something..... because my other shoes are getting pretty worn.

My workout today was only 10 minutes of intervals on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the bike. Tomorrow it will be more.

And I have had my water.

But every time I take even a few days off from really pushing myself I wind up with a larger mountain to tackle the next time. At least i'm recognizing that this is my slump and am determined to keep going. I wonder why this weight has always been the one I can't get below?

Rhetorical question.

20,400 Steps

Oh my! I didn't work out,but my husband drug me through 20,400 steps of NYC yesterday. Actually, it was pretty much without pain, so I didn't complain too much.

We started with a walk to breakfast which was about 5 city blocks one way. Then we came back to the apartment. A couple hours later we walked to the You Gotta Believe Office and back (3 blocks one way). After the meeting we walked to the subway, walked around near the Statue of Liberty, but didn't take the Ferry cuz the line was too long. Planning to do that Monday.

Then we walked around Manhattan for a very long time. Bart looked through Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel. We checked out the World Trade Center site and the memorial to the firemen who lost their lives. We walked around some more. We walked looking for a place to eat and then we walked back to the subway station, rode the subway, and walked back home. We got back around 7:40 and by 8:50 Bart was ready to leave again. Even though my ankles were swollen and my feet hurt, my back had been relatively free of pain, so I had no good excuse not to go. We had a really good time and you can read about that part here.

No "exercise" per say

But walking around NYC added 11,000 steps to my pedometer yesterday. And I only ate 2 meals. so it's not like I"m going crazy.

Have walked 2000 steps already this morning to get breakfast -- just a bagel and some 40 calorie drink...

Double GRRRRR

Just went to play the Wii Fit for a while and did the test. So, it says I've gained 6.7 pounds since I started playing it.

I'm just getting so frustrated.

But, I'm supposed to be forgetting about that....

But Today I Succeeded

I decided to take today off from the YMCA. This week I'm just taking a short break from all of the obsession about my weight. At the end of it I will head back full force. Promise.

I couldn't do it

I tried to stay in bed this morning. I woke up at 5:30 and I had a zillion reasons why I shouldn't go to the Y. Had them all articulated. I even reset my alarm. But they I laid there telling myself how i would feel if I didn't go and how nice it would be to sleep and the end result was that I couldn't sleep at all. I finally just got up and went.

Didn't have a great workout, but it was better than not going at all.

I'm trying to take some time to not think about weight loss, but am still not making horrible choices.

OK, now I'm MAD!

Well, I have been frustrated the past month. But today, I'm just plain mad.

I didn't really have a bad week. Up until the weekend I did great with everything. Good, hard Y workouts every day until Saturday, walks at night most nights, had the same thing for breakfast and lunch, even did Wii workouts mid day. I know that I had way too much sodium last night -- in fact, I mentioned to those at the table that the pizza we had was so full of sodium that I might retain the ocean -- and I didn't get a chance to have that average weight .4408 pound bowel movement, but still, another two pounds??? Give me a break.

I decided that I am going to take a week off from worrying about this. I'm not going to go back to eating whatever. I'm not going to stop exercising. I'm not going to freak out and ruin everything. But I am just going to live for this one week while we are out of town, without obsessing about it. I'm going to enjoy NYC and my husband and my friends and my professional development and I'm not going to spend the week wondering if I've gained yet another pound.

ANd then when I get back I'm going to have to do some drastic things. I have already read all the "plateau" stuff I can find adn I'm doing those things. I'm at a loss as to what I'll do. But I'm going to do SOMETHING. I'm not going to give up and let that weight call the way back up.

But I get REALLY mad when I'm doing all the right things for no results. Infuriating.

Yes, I am a slob

Slept an extra hour this morning and then headed to the Y. Yesterday I had worn a sleeveless shirt with a another shirt over it and noticed during the day that the sleeveless shirt (not a tank top -- not into the "see how many straps you can show" look) was stained with bleach. I covered it by buttoning the other shirt and then decided I should throw it away. However, I wore it one more time to the Y this morning, without the other shirt.

After the Y I realized I really needed to go to the grocery store to grab something for the day that couldn't wait until later. I just crossed my fingers that nobody would see me. Sweaty, stained sleeveless shirt and the whole deal. But wouldn't you know it, at the grocery store was a guy from our church who, for the first time, decided that it was a good idea to try and hug me. :-)

And our next door neighbor was there.

Oh well. Good thing I don't really care all that much about my appearance, that's for sure.

Got back home from the grocery store with 6,000 steps on my pedometer. Regular workout with 36 minutes (not miles) on the treadmill and 5 minutes on the bike. (I actually changed yesterday's post -- the first one read miles, and I did NOT go 36 miles, that's for sure.

I forgot to put that yesterday I did a 15 minute mid day Wii workout. Tony was sitting there mocking me. The soccer ball heading game he had the high score on and he kept saying "you're NEVER going to beat my score."

Booo Ya. You KNOW I beat his score by about 40 points and shut him up fast. It was hilarious.

Y workout this morning

Had over 5000 steps again by the time I got home.

36 minutes on the treadmill, 5 on the bike -- adding one minute to my total workout..

Still doing intervals at 4.4 with 3.0 incline. 2.8 is my recovery speed. Then lunges and sidesteps for a minute each on each leg.

Starting to get a bit bored with this though. So next week I have to come up with something new and possibly more challenging.

I'm eating exactly what I planned this week, not having more than 1500 calories most days. hopefully it's going to pay off.

First Mid-Day Wii Workout

I worked out for 15 minutes, which took about 30 minutes of time by the time I did the body test to only find out that my weight had gone up. Of course, I had just finished lunch so that's probably the reason.

Anyway, I got the second highest score on the balance game with the soccer balls which was no easy feet. And then I got the high score in stepping game, which gave me another 1000 steps on my pedometer as well.

It may not have been much but it got me up and moving in the middle of the day.

Tonight I'm not sure who I am going to get to walk with me as it's the neighbor's birthday and she is going out for dinner. Maybe I'll ride bike instead. That would be interesting. Haven't ridden my bike in a long time. Or get a kid to walk with me.

or maybe

I'll skip it.

Maybe It's Enough

I really wish I were losing more weight. I'm disappointed that I've reached a standstill and am either not losing or even worse, gaining a pound or two. And it gets discouraging.

Until I start to tell myself that maybe it is enough that:

» I don't have back pain;
» I can walk for 40 minutes and not pass out;
» I don't have to take naps during the day any more;
» I sleep very well;
» My body is slowly consuming less and less chemicals;
» I am being a better role model to my children of health and fitness;
» I start my day feeling really good;
» I feel a sense of empowerment.
» I am in more control of my emotions and my thoughts.
» I feel better about myself.

So, even if I don't lose the weight as fast as hoped but all these things continue, then maybe it's enough.

And maybe I should reward myself based on something besides number of pounds lost.

This Morning's YMCA visit

Salinda, Sadie and I headed to the Y at 6 this morning and SOMEONE WAS ON MY BIKE. I have been going there 5 times a week since March 10th and the bike I like is always available.

But it spurred me on to spend an extra two minutes on the bike and by the time I was getting into the shower I already had 5300 steps.

Hard to not feel good after 5,300 steps and 24 ounces of water consumed before 7 a.m.

Sweating More than Ever Tonight

Even though Bart is not here, I walked with the neighbor across the street. She's a good conversationalist and the time goes by fast. But it is mighty hot out there and quite humid and thus I am sweating.

I am ending the day with over 12,000 steps again. Not bad. ;-)

Very Little Internal Arguing

Going to the Y each morning has become a habit. I have been going 4-5 times a week since March and I think I have been six days a week, sometimes seven, since mid-April with only a couple exceptions. So when I wake up in the morning there is no argument. I just get up. Having Sadie come along is also very helpful. I'm not sure whether she gets much of a workout, but having her come along keeps me accountable. I can't imagine what she would say if I said, "I don't really feel like going today." In fact, I may not have skipped on Saturday if she had been home.

This morning's workout was another good one. 3 minute warm up on the bike, then 34 on the treadmill (8 intervals at 3.0 incline and 4.4 mph with 2.8 mph recovery times of two minutes each -- followed by 1 minute of lunges on each side, and 1 minute of sidestepping at 1.0 mph on each side) then 3 more cool down on the bike. Total of about 4,500 steps which is great. Next week I am going to up it to 36 on the treadmill and either increase my incline or my mph, though I'm practically running right now.

Ate the way I was supposed to yesterday, so that is good. And drank all my water along with some crystal light. Still no pop or caffeine.

Set a Record Today

I will have 13,500 steps by the time I go to bed. Hasn't been that high since I started keeping track.

GRRRRR!!!!

Don't even THINK about talking to the punctuation police. i gained 2.5 pounds some how this week.

No, I can probably take away a bit for the average bowel movement factor described here and possibly rationalize a bit that I'm building some muscle. And I did forget and drink about 4 ounces of water on my way there. BUT, regardless of how I rationalize this is NOT GOOD NEWS.

There were several meals this week (maybe 5 or 6) where I went off the plan and splurged and obviously I can't do that. I have been drinking my water, getting my exercise, and completely off pop and caffeine. But apparently I need to get the lap band filled and I need to be very strict with what goes into my mouth. I do NOT want this weight to come back on.

BUT, the good news is that I had ever reason on the list to not go the Y this morning. My alarm didn't go off (still don't know why) and so I woke up making me 10 minutes later than usual. I could not find my Nalgene bottle with the mouth guard thingy, so I had to take Bart's, which I hate. I could not find my earbuds, so I took ones that did not work.

So by the time I sat down on the bike this morning I was good and mad. My Ipod was not working. I had gained 2.5 pounds. I had the wrong water bottle. Previously, i would have just called it quits and gone home. but instead, I channeled that anger and worked hard.

Did 34 minutes on the treadmill -- 6 to warm up at 3.0/2.8 mph and then did FOUR POINT FOUR (yes, that is 4.4) MPH at 3.0 inclines for 8 separate minutes. Heart rate was about 160 at it's peak. I cooled down with one full minute of lunges on each leg and one full minute of side stepping at 1.0 mph. Did the remaining 6 minutes of my workout on the exercise bike.

I've had 24 ounces of water this morning and my pedometer is already reading 5100 steps. According to the pedometer website, I have walked 50 miles this month, my average daily steps being 8,480 for the first week, and 5,971 for the second.

This week should be higher.

So I'm going to keep going even though I am very, very mad.

Another Walk and a little Wii Stepping

Tonight Bart and I did our walk. Earlier today I played the Wii and got some steps in.

But this weekend was not a good one for me in regards to food intake. Lots of poor choices. I'm pretty sure there will be no weight loss for yet another week.

SIgh.

Another Walk

Walked with Bart tonight. It was really nice out. But I only have about 7,000 steps today which is so much less than usual.

ANd I confess to eating things that I really like but that aren't that good for me today.

But tomorrow will be another day.

Blah Workout Day

I could not leave the three fighters home alone this morning so I didn't go the Y.

And my desire to exercise using the Wii this morning made me face so many challenges that I finally gave up after I had been going for less than 20 minutes. First, the room was hot and smells like the ferret, a story I am refusing to blog because it sends my blood pressure to the ceiling just thinking about it.

Secondly, I couldn't change the TV channel because the buttons are broken on it and the kids in the basement hid the remote. When I finally got the channel changed then i couldn't find the Wii remote because the kids never put it away. When I finally found it, Tony had awakened and came in and began to continuously torture me from start to finish, arguing with every game I chose to play, every decision I made, until I just couldn't take it any more.

I need to reset the program and create a new character. For one thing, the program has the wrong time programmed in. I also set my goal to gain 5 pounds in 2 weeks, instead of lose it.

So, I am going to have to redo my profile. At least I am learning how to do the balance game. This morning my fitness age was only 60 instead of 66. I'm hoping my new profile will get me down to at least 58. ;-)

First Wii Fit Experience

Tony, Jimmy and I created profiles on the Wii. My BMI as you can imagine is high -- I'll try to remember what it is tomorrow. My weight is less on this board than at the Y, so I like that, but obviously in the obese category.

And my age according to the balance test? 66. Isn't that great news?????

I did a 2 minute run. Also headed soccer balls, which I did better than Tony or Jimmy. I'm going to have figure out why my pedometer didn't register all the steps.

So many things to think about.

But overall, this will be a good tool. And the kids are having fun getting exercise at this point, which is not going to hurt them.

Workout at the Y this Morning

Went an hour later today because some of the kids didn't have summer school. Did the interval workout at 3.5 incline, which decreased my steps considerably but heart rate stayed about the same, so I'm not sure what to do about that.

My Wii arrived but I haven't opened it yet. Planning to do so after lunch. Probably be a great distraction from dealing with the stress of law enforcement.

Hopefully my heath improves every time my heart rate increases. Even if it is due to stress instead of exercise.

Commonplace

My workouts seem to be commonplace, almost not worth posting anymore.

I now regularly drink between 24 and 30 ounces of water before I get back home from the Y.

I have about 4,500 steps done before my shower.

I do an interval workout that gets my heart rate between 150 and 160 during peaks and at about 135-140 during "recovery."

I have discovered that I like this workout, because of the 32 minutes that I am walking, I spend 24 of them wishing that the time would go by slow as I dread the 8 separate intense one minute intervals. So I'm actually not wishing time would go by fast.

I know, I know, head games. But they work for me....

Guess what?

I didn't walk ttonight. I already had almost 8000 steps and I needed to get some work done, so I skipped it. I figured there was probably someone else in this world skipping a workout tonight -- not like I'm the only one.

I'm dead tired tonight though, and so I am giving myself a break. I'll hit it hard at the Y in the morning.

one more thing

I haven't been checking my blood sugars very often because I really don't need to. They are always good.

But I just checked mine and it's 99. Gotta love that. If you know anything about diabetes, the goal is to have your fasting blood sugar be below 120. 99 is a huge accomplishment.

This Mornings Workout

Did the interval workout with peaks and valleys today but decided to do it at a lower incline to see if it increased my steps. It really didn't, but my heart rate was about the same anyway. I did increase my recovery time to 2.8 and still did the sidestepping for a minute each side, and lunges for about 30 seconds on each leg.

I'm looking forward to getting the Wi Fit as I'm sensing a need to do something mid day and I think doing it with the kids would be fun. It should arrive tomorrow or the next day.

But again, starting the day with 4903 steps before I sit at my desk gives me a real sense of accomplishment.

11,695

That's my steps for today. Due to three things. 1) having 4,600 before 7:30 a.m. 2) When I took Jimmy to apply for a job today the manager had us wait for 10 minutes. Instead of sitting down, I walked around the restaurant, getting steps in. 3) Laundromat. That's always good for a couple thousand. and 4) Night time walk with Bart.

I'm not sweating quite as bad but my back pain index is at about 4.0 on a scale of 1-10. I must have twisted it wrong this morning on the treadmill and it's hurting.

But I never got hungry tonight and so I didn't have any supper. Had a big lunch. So I'm pretty sure I didn't go over my calories.

And I drank all my water.

Good, Job, Claudia! ;-)

Forgot to Mention

My workout this morning.

Did yesterday's workout except at 3.5% incline. It was a little tougher. Heart rate still peaking at about 160.

8 minutes of 4.3 mph, with a 2 minute recovery at 2.7 afterwards.

Began and ended on the bike.

Did lunges and sidestepped during cool down. really felt that in my muscles today.

And the big news? I did order that Wii Fit program. It arrives this week. I plan to add a mid-day workout of some sort with that program to go with the morning at the Y and the evening walk.

But I don't think it's gonna be yoga. I'm just really not a yoga kinda girl.

Such a GREAT feeling

To have had 31 ounces of water and walked 4822 steps by 7:30 a.m. sure gives me a good start to the day. My goal is only about 8-9000 steps a day and 64 ounces of water so If I'm halfway there before my shower, well, it just feels really good.

Now I need to figure out how to get the rest of things that much inline. ;-)

Becoming a Habit

Taking a walk every night about the same time and sweating a lot is starting to be my pattern. And then I grab a big glass of water and come down and tell you all about it.

I'm almost up to 10,000 steps for today, which is great. I ate very healthy -- Bart made the best salmon tonight, with baked potatoes and salad (which of course, I did not eat). I had a couple pieces of fish and a very small baked potato and was satisfied.

Breakfast and lunch today were teh same -- protein bar and the sandwich.

So I had complete success today -- no caffeine, no pop, all my water, and ate right.

Now if I could have just had that much success as a parent.... oh well.

Climbing Mt. Everest

I gained a pound. Not sure why, but it happened. I'd like to say make up something like i"m probably building muscle or something like that, but it is probably not the case. But here is an analogy I heard that made sense.

People who climb large mountains may trip, or lose their footing, and go backwards a little bit. But they recover, and keep going. They don't slide all the way back to the bottom on purpose. If they would do that, then looking at the huge mountain from the bottom again would be too difficult.

So let's say that my journey is Mt. Everest which is 29,029 high. If you divide that by the number of pounds I need to lose then this last week I slipped 193.5 feet. That's unfortunate. Lost my footing or whatever.... But if I give up, like I always used to, I'm going to slip back the 6773.4 feet that I've already come. So I have to stay on track and keep climbing.

All of life is like this, isn't it? We want to make progress in some area, but the mountain is just so high to climb. Now, I'm not a mountain climber, but my guess is that the mental process in mountain climbing involves setting tiny reachable goals. One ledge at a time. Just need to make it to the next plateau, or that tree up there, or whatever. It would be impossible to focus only on the very top of the mountain which seems like an impossible undertaking. You gotta take small steps.

You may have noticed that I changed the blog title to Steps. Shrinking Slob was pretty negative -- supposed to be funny -- but I have discovered that this blog has become more about my body shrinking and more about the steps I've been taking to have the rest of me grow. The things I'm learning on this journey are so applicable to the rest of my life.

And today, even after I read the number on the scale, and shifted my weight a few times, stood on one foot, trying to get it to go down lower, I still did my workout, still drank my water.... Already had 4609 on the pedometer before my shower this morning.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Here is this weeks workout:

Bike warm up

Treadmill warm up

4.3 mph at 3.0 incline for 8 separate minutes, with a cool down between of 2 minutes

Treadmill cool down that includes 1 minute on each leg of side stepping at 1.0 mph (this may not seem hard but it is pretty fast when you're side stepping) and 45 seconds on each leg of lunges.

Bike cool down.

Mentally I enjoy this workout more than the last three weeks. My heart rate still gets to about 160 and my recovery is at 2.7 mph instead of 2.5. But I get more steps in and spend 32 minutes on the treadmill instead of 30. And I don't feel like I'm going to die. Which means that next week I can up my incline and/or speed.

If you're still reading this and haven't fallen asleep yet, I was thinking this morning of back in Luverne when I used to go to the pool and first started walking on the treadmill. I remember that those first few weeks my top speed was 2.3 mph. I laughed this morning thinking that now my recovery speed is 2.7.

One step at a time, one day at a time.

Sweating is becoming a Habit

Believe it or not, i'm starting to get used to sweating. I still don't like it, but it's starting to happen with some frequency. I blogged about sweating here, but you probably already know that.

Tomorrow is weigh in day. Only got 6,000 steps in today. But who would have thought even 4 months ago I'd be saying "ONLY 6,000 steps?

Sweating Again

Walked tonight. It's more humid than usual. But I'm up to almost 9000 steps.

I lost my pedometer momentarily. Did not enjoy that. Ended up losing several steps. Maybe even 1000.

Tired tonight. But feeling good enough!

Even MIssing One Day Makes it Harder

I did what I was supposed to do this morning, but it was a lot harder having to miss yesterday because the Y was closed. I'm actually glad that I"m done with the interval workout I created for myself for last week. It was hard work and I hated the last 3 minutes -- they were just killer.

I am working on another workout for next week that I am hoping I'll like better.

But 26 oz of water this morning before I got back from the Y -- interval workout, 30 seconds of lunges on each leg, 1 minute of side stepping on each side.

And even though yesterday was July 4th, i didn't pig out. Though I did have my one dessert of the week -- Kari's apple pie with homemade whipped cream. It was mighty, mighty good. Very few things do I think someone else can make better than Bart, but Bart doesn't do pie crust. And Kari's is amazing.

Seems to Be Fairly Routine now

Walked with Bart -- our regular 1.82 mile route. I'm at 8792 steps for the day. Not too excited to report all this every day, but it keeps me in check.

Didn't go over calories again today either -- and drank all my water.

I'm surprised. I hardly ever really think about food any more. Just eat my regular breakfast and lunch, same thing every day, and then whatever is for supper -- one helping pretty much.

And it seems to do the trick.

YMCA is closed tomorrow. Will have to miss that strenuous workout, but will do some extra walking.

Some Pretty Big News

Six months ago I never walked more than 1,000 steps a day.

This morning I am one of the top 10 walkers in our district. SIxty clergy and their spouses are participating and Bart is currently at number 5 and I am at number 9. Just getting in the top ten is amazing. My average daily steps this past week is 8,055 and I have walked 11 miles since Monday.

If you would have told me this six months ago, when I couldn't even stand up for more than 10 minutes without pain, I would have laughed in your face. Would have said you were nuts, crazy, off your rocker ... ok, ok, you get the idea.

But here I am at #9 out of 60. I'm shocked myself.

This morning Sadie and I went back to the Y -- did my interval workout, increasing my "what sort of resembles a lunge" time to 45 seconds on each leg. Did a minute on each leg of side steps at .8 mph.

Next week I think I need to switch to something different. I heard about an intensity workout where you push yourself as hard as you can for 1 minute, then rest for two. I may try that in addition to some of the stretch exercises.

I'm already planning ahead for fall and winter .... am thinking about getting a Wii fit. Anyone know anything about them? I've heard nothing but good things, and since you can barely find one for less than double the list price, they must be good and in high demand. I'm hoping prices will come down before fall.

Some of the Benefits

Tonight while I was walking with the neighbor, we were discussing fitness and exercise. We were talking about how much better we feel when we are getting in shape.

I started thinking about what I was like 6 months ago. I hardly moved. It was a chore just to get myself up the stairs to go to the van and pick up the kids or to go up to the kitchen for a meal. I spent extra time finding the closest parking spot to every store. I couldn't stand to walk, and on days when my back was really bad, I couldn't even stand to make a presentation. I was sluggish, needed 8-9 hours of sleep a night or had to have a nap.

Now my life is completely different. I have been walking anywhere from 7,000 to 11,000 steps every day this week. I can take the stairs like normal people (used to have to sometimes take one at a time like an elderly woman (step up with one foot, other foot come to that step, and so on). I now park and walk into the store from farther away to get in extra steps. My bad seldom hurts any more. I walk free of pain and can stand for a long time. I have energy and can sleep 6-7 hours a night and feel refreshed all day without a nap.

I look forward to getting up in the morning because of how great i am going to feel after I work out. I take extra steps on purpose sometimes, just to crank up the pedometer. I look for new ways to make sure I'm getting the best workout I can for the time allotted.

My husband and I have uninterrupted conversations on our walks, which we were not having at all. When we are both home and in the same room, there are always 4-7 children in the room with us. So our walks have given us time to talk.

My blood sugar and cholesterol are within normal range so technically I am no longer diabetic.

I have more energy, I think more clearly, and I think I'm actually more relaxed.

Do I like to exercise? Nope. Not really. Do I like how it makes me feel? Definitely.

Do I miss eating things that tasted great? Not as much as I thought I would actually. I miss it, but not as I had anticipated.

So life's good in this one area -- all the time -- i I want it to be. And that is awesome.

Who Came WIth Today?

Salinda offered to come to the Y. I almost fainted. She and her friend both came.

I did the interval training and completed it with 1 minute of side steps on each side and 20 seconds of "sort of lunges" on each side. Always glad when that last 3 minute interval at 4.0 mph at a 5% incline is over. It's killer.

Next week I think I am going to decrease my bike time and add a couple more minutes on the treadmill. And maybe add something else if I can figure out what.

Salinda has been pleasant.... it's nice. Sorry. Off topic.

And the skinny little perfect body got tired before I did and sat and waited for me to finish.

THAT makes me laugh.

Another Day of Success

I knew that we were having company for dinner and that Bart would not be home again tonight for our walk, so I called our "company" and asked if they would like to walk with me after dinner. I knew if I had it scheduled, I'd do it.

So we had dinner and then talked a while and then walked a while and then sat down for a glass of water and then they headed home. And between my workout this morning, all the steps I took in cooking and cleaning the kitchen, and my walk tonight I'm already over 11,000 steps or 3.5 miles for the day.

Having this area under control in my life is sure empowering!

All the Preparation Time

I have found that any little tiny thing can throw me off when it comes to exercise. I think this is true for all of us in trying to form a new habit. If the conditions are not just perfect, we have to bail.

Like last night. I knew I was not going to walk alone, and Bart was not home. So, I made a phone call in the middle of the day to set up a "date" to walk with a walking partner. I am going to do it again today. If I wait until tonight to set that up, I won't end up doing it.

And the routine for the YMCA has to be meticulous. It starts the night before. I have to charge my Iphone because I can't do a good workout without it's built in IPod. I make sure my podcasts are synced. Then I have to know where my water bottle is. I have to have the right clothes right by the bed. I have to make sure I know exactly where my IPhone, ear buds, keys, and pedometer are so I don't get caught up in something dumb.

Then in the morning, I have to have everything exactly right. I have it down to a science. I get up, wake up Sadie, go to the bathroom, get dressed, grab my stuff, fill my water bottle and get in the van.

When I get into the van, I have to do certain things immediately. I put on my headband first. I hate exercising without it because the sweat gets in my eyes. Then I put my Y card in my pocket. Then I drive to the Y. When I get there I double check to make sure that my pedometer is on, my iphone, earbuds, and y card are in my pocket. I make sure my shoes are tied well. Finally, I head into the building.

Why do I do all this stuff? Because I know myself too well. I will use any of those things as an excuse not to finish my workout. Oh brother, Iphone battery died. Can't finish. No water bottle? Better quit early and go out to the van for a drink. Favorite podcast not on the Ipod? Can't finish. I've even gotten off the treadmill to tie my shoe and let that end a workout.

I know myself. I'm pathetic. I have to get rid of all my excuses so I can succeed.

This morning, did the intervals I posted for the week, did one minute of side stepping at .8 mph instead of .5, and added 10 seconds of lunges on each side.

And last night I walked, bringing my steps for the day up to over 8000.

And even after "falling off the wagon" at the picnic,, which will forever more be known as the endless "chip fest", I got right back on again. Granola bar for breakfast, the sandwich for lunch, and very little spaghetti and meatballs for supper (mainly because my lap band kicked in and something about the way the meatballs were made, did NOT go well, and well, what goes down, must come up). I know, I know, Too Much Information!

Blood sugar at 117 this morning about an hour after exercise.

Things are looking good.