Our ancestors didn't have treadmills. I KNOW! Crazy. No treadmills, elliptical s, weight benches, bikes, etc. Life was their workout. Let's face it guys, the more gadgets we've invented, the more sedentary we've become. From remote control TVs to Segways, activity has been slowly taken away from us. Maybe a better turn of phrase would be "given up by us". So we've given up the activity of life and exchanged it for, if we're diligent, time in a gym making up for it. I used to think "you know our fore fathers ate bacon and sausage and whole milk, butter, etc and never had to count calories". Well Yea! That's because they burned what they ate by lunch! Now I'm not saying you need to go out and plow the north 40 or wash all of your laundry by hand (though I have done that (( the laundry not the 40)). What I'm saying is, if you want, life can give you more activity than you would think. So now I Segway (sorry, really sorry, but I had to do that) to my third point.
3) Move in a way you enjoy- Treadmills, exercise bikes and the lot don't thrill me too much. I see walking in place for 45 minutes as a waste of my time. For that reason it doesn't take much to talk me out of exercising that way. Walking outside is nice as long as it isn't raining....or freezing. Still, I can think of other things that NEED to be done rather than exercise. Now I LOVE working in the garden or yard work in general. Come to find out that counts as exercise. Who knew! Heavy duty house cleaning is exercise too. Not the pillow fluffing or making a bed, but the vacuuming, tub scouring, dusting everything, washing windows, etc. are definite moving. When I can't work in the yard, or I don't need to do any heavy house cleaning, I turn to my new favorite movement. My youngest son Rubic has been so kind to help me in compiling some awesome songs on my MP3 player. Songs you just have to move to. I've even added some myself. A total of 12 songs which totals approximately 45 minutes of exercise. My Trusty MP3 player, a set of headphones, and a basic aerobic step constitute my workout. It's fun for me because I get to dance for the most part. And I do work up a sweat! The best thing is I don't sweat this! Pardon the pun. I try to move 5 days a week. If I need to do yard work; that counts. If I need to spring clean my house; that works. If I'm in the middle of something like sewing, or errands, I take that day off and don't beat myself up. In other words I Live my LIFE! Do you know what my workout will be today? Mowing the lawn with a push mower. 45 minutes burns 328 calories for someone my size. Now you don't have to do what I do. Like I said, this has to work for you. Some people love to work out at the gym. Boggles my mind, but I've been told they're out there.
But I work a full time Job! How can I add a workout!
I will be the first to admit that being home has helped me in fitting everything in. I do spend 2 and a half hours of each day in the car carting two sons to school and or work (til they get their license). Which means I have to fit in whatever workout plus whatever needs doing at home into a 9-12 window. That's why I make chores/workouts do double duty. I will also admit that having a full time job, especially if you are a working mom, makes the idea of exercise daunting. It's a challenge. Your choice though is to try something and possibly succeed, or do nothing and continue on as you are. The object is to work this into your life some how. Incorporate movement while at work. Take the long way to a meeting, use the stairs, walk on your break, etc. When you get home and want to spend time with the kids, make it a physical activity. The time spent with them is just as valuable. Save your "serious" work outs for your days off. If you can find no way to get activity right now, that's fine! Any change is positive. Figure your calories (on whatever site you choose)on being in a sedentary job for now. As you get the food part down, then address the activity. I will tell you if you try to force it all in and it's to much for you, then you'll stop and gain back all you've lost. Guess what. You will then beat your self up with every pound gained. Success is a great motivator, and failure is just the opposite. If you have gone through the loss, gain, loss, gain more loop then it can be hard to motivate yourself to try again. That was me. When I finally resolved to try again it was with the knowledge that I would never be an athlete or Jillian Micheals. Instead I just wanted to focus on what I could do with my activity level where it is. It had to fit my life and not the other way around. I will never be a super model (I know shocks me too), but I can be my best for my life style. That is all this is about.
Final Thoughts:
People asked me what I did to lose weight and this is it. If you do what I did; Great! If you do your own thing; Great! If you have to have a plan like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig, etc, then great as well. I will say this. Whatever you choose to do to lose weight will have to be done from now until eternity. If you can't sustain the plan you choose for that length of time, you will fail. Period. Plan accordingly. There will come a time when I hit a maintenance level to my calories. In other words I maintain my weight and not lose. However I will always, Always have to measure, record, and move. I accept that. I also accept the fact that at any time I fail to do these things, I will gain my weight back and it will be no ones fault but my own.
So there you have it. There will be times in the future I will write about a recipe or tip I have tried just like in everything else I write about. I would love to hear about your successes, tips and recipes too. In fact I look forward to it. Thank you for reading alllllll of this.
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