Your Friendly Neighborhood Exerciser

Yesterday, I only did some half-hearted arm, chest and back exercises.  Although I've covered over 72 miles marching along in my living room in the last 18 days, I'm curiously disappointed that I didn't manage to squeeze my daily walking DVD.  I missed it, and was reluctant to go to bed last night, even though I was physically spent.

Today, I tied on my shoes and got back to it.  I feel really great about it, too.

It seems that I'm spending a lot of time bragging about my exercising, but since that is all I've really got going on positive on the whole diet and exercise front, I'm going to keep tooting my own horn.

I've given up on the journaling before I even got cookin' over here.  I just can't seem to get into it, especially trying to track it online.  I think I need to take it offline, do it old skool on binder paper, and combine my efforts with some actual menu planning again, because I haven't been good about that.

But I'm exercising!  Yay me!  *toooooot*

Forward, March.

I've been quietly exercising away over here, and not trying to make a big deal out of it.  I almost feel as though writing about it, pontificating on how well I've been doing, will somehow jinx it, and I'll fail. 

However, I'm proud of myself, so here goes:

I've done an official exercise session of at least 35 minutes every day for the last three weeks.  Woo!

A long time ago, one of my friends said that she had to make a choice.  Either she was a woman who exercised daily, or she wasn't.  She decided that she was. 

I decided that I wasn't.  Because I was tired.  I was still young.  I didn't want to.  I had better things to do with my time.  I didn't enjoy it.  I wasn't an athlete.  I would still be overweight, regardless.

I admitted defeat without firing a shot.

A month ago, I stood in front of my mirror in last year's swimsuit, and I looked myself in the eyes.  I pulled my shoulders back and sucked my stomach in, and looked myself up and down.  I'm stronger.  I'm more fit.  I'm different.

And that's when I made my decision.  I'm an exercise every day kind of woman.  I will make time for it, just like I make time for showering or eating or breathing.  My day will not be done until I've made time for moving my body.

My weapon of choice lately has been several different Leslie Sansone DVDs - I've been alternating between a four mile "walk" and a two and a half mile "walk/jog" session.  I've also been swimming daily and making time to stretch out with some improvised yoga.  It works for me.  And when it feels stale, I'll move onto something fresh.  Because NOT exercising is no longer who I am. 

My challenge to you all is to think about who you are - are you a daily exerciser, or not?  If not, what is holding you back?  Gimme your best excuses. 

Weekend Throwdown

As our third week of the BigSliceOff comes to a close, I want to each to evaluate how you are doing, and tell me where you are struggling.  I know that my own worst enemy, meal planning, has been low on my list of things to do, and I've been making really weird meals out of a really depleted pantry. 

And, I've managed to either bruise my left inner ankle, or I have a shin splint going on down there, and either way, it hurts and I'm irritated.  You know what I think happened?

Leslie Sansone happened.  That's what happened.  I have been doing her 4-mile challenge walk DVD every day, and I did it without shoes one day and I think I was getting a little too excited about the whole grapevine option at the very end of the four miles and I either kicked myself or stretched a little too much or something equally stupid. 

As far as the DVD goes, though - I really like it.  It is low-impact, easy to follow, and goes by quickly (for a 90 minute workout.)  Ideally, I would do all my walking outside, but in reality, I have to haul the kids with me most of the time, and they can't keep up the pace I'm needed to walk.  This DVD is a good compromise.

I really like that the walkers she features in her videos are fit, but come in all shapes and sizes and ages.  I like seeing women who have hips doing what I'm trying to do. 

I also gave the Turbo Jam DVD a try, and it damn near killed me.  I think I need to work up to that one.  Ooh, maybe that's how I wounded my shin.  Leslie, you're off the hook this time!

Anyway, get outside this weekend - not for the burn, but for the fresh air and fun of it.  Do something that fills you up inside and brings your that happy exhaustion.

As for me, I'm going to be throwing an 8th birthday party for my oldest monkey child, and doing some minor home improvement projects.  And then, I'm going to be planning my menus.  Fo shizzle.

A Challenge For All Youse Guys

I just got back from a great 2 mile walk to the school.  Actually, it was more of a power walk.  Normally, we leave the house at 7:45, and arrive at the school around 8:05.  That is a 20 minute mile, right?  So brisk, but not deadly. 

Today we left at 7:55.  And we arrived?  8:05.  That's a 10 minute mile, baby, and it was not too bad.  The kids and I ran in spurts (me pushing the stroller with my 30 pound four-year-old and wearing two backpacks and holding the dog on the leash) and walked briskly the rest of the time, and we made it.

Woooo!  I walked back at my normal pace, leaving at 8:10 and arriving home at 8:25, so all in all, two miles at good speed.  I'm all peppy from the endorphins.

So!  Here's my challenge to you:  I've gotten comments from several folks bemoaning the fact that they live in the sticks and have to drive long distances to get to any destination.  Here's what I want you to think about:  there is no law that says you have to drive all the way to your destination.  For example - if you live in an outlying area, and you have to drive your kids to school 15 minutes away, leave 20 minutes early, and park about a mile from the school.  Unload everyone and walk the rest of the way.  You'll avoid waiting in the carpool drop-off line, and by the time you get back to your car, you will have gotten a nice walk.

If the route to school is unsafe for walking, then plan a walking route that will take you to several errand stops.  Park at the first location, and make a loop from the bank to the post office to Target and back. 

Look, I am one of the laziest people on the planet, and I have a weird perfection complex about exercise.  I have told myself for years that if I can't have a sustained 60 minutes of walking, it isn't worth trying.  I have used the excuse that I don't have time to walk to do errands, even though the time it takes to find parking, and then move the car five times in the space of a mile is the same time it would take to just walk.   Unless I need to purchase a large item (in which case, I should park my car there) I generally can carry all my stuff in a small backpack or in pockets. 

Mostly, I have considered exercise to be an extracurricular activity.  Something that you make time for outside of your daily routine.  You have to wear the right shoes, the right clothes.  You have to be undisturbed.  You have to get in the zone.  Guess what?  No you don't. 

People that live in urban areas often don't have cars.  They walk to and from, and they are wearing *gasp* street clothes.  They aren't in coordinated jogging suits to cover a single mile.  They don't have to be in the zone.  They are just getting from point A to point B and back again.  If they are late, they hurry.  If not, they can take in the sights and sounds. 

So that is your challenge.  Find a way to get from point A to point B on foot without making a big damn production about it.  You can wear your workout clothes, of course, but today I walked the kids to school in my riding boots and jeans.  I even wore makeup!

And if I can do it, you certainly can.  No excuses.  Set a measurable goal for yourself (I will walk 10 miles this week) and choose a reward to work towards (I will invest in a new pair of sunglasses.)

Go! Go! Go!   

Updated Goals!

It dawned on me this weekend that I'm no longer even thinking about eating breakfast.  I'm just doing it.  I wake up ready to eat.  Victory!

The journaling continues to be a struggle - mostly because my meal planning has gone awry again.  I just haven't had time/motivation/whatever and I believe that I am probably not balancing my meals very well.  I'm going to make consistant meal plans and journaling the focus for the next few weeks.

It also dawned on me this weekend that I need to get more exercise.  Plain and simple.  I've been good with lifting weights, riding the iGallop (haaaa! heeee!  hooooo!) and jumping on the trampoline, but the reality for me is that I need a lot of walking as well.  Trying to carve the hour or so out of my day to get a long walk is tough.  So tough that I haven't been doing it. 

It struck me as I was dashing out the door to the van for the five minute drive to school last week - I used to walk the kids to school every day.  And with all the time I've been spending thawing the windows, warming the car, loading the kids... seriously, walking them to school takes the same amount of time as driving.  I leave the house at 7:45 and I'm home by 8:20.  It is a mile each way. 

So yesterday, I tied on my shoes, put the leash on the dog, and pushed the stroller just in case, and my four-year-old and I walked the two older kids to school.  By five minutes into the walk, my heart felt light, my head cleared, and I felt like my day was off to a good start.  When I got home, I had so much energy, and as an added bonus, my four-year-old went off to preschool while I had a conference call with Steve Case.   She was worn out after walking two miles, and having school, and I got the first nap out of her I've had in a month.  Wooo!

While rehashing the call with a friend, I found myself rummaging in the pantry.  Snacking while on the phone, while pretty damn rude, is also a habit of mine.  I've been known to consume large portions of food while gabbing, and I forced myself to leave the kitchen while I talked.  Afterwards, I realized that I hadn't been hungry at all, and celebrated with a cup of herbal tea.

Baby steps, I know.

Oh Yes I Did

Are you all ready to mock me?  Are you?

Guess what I have sitting in my living room?  Guess what I have been faithfully straddling and riding for two weeks?  Guess what is responsible for my abs, butt and inner thighs hurting like a ^%$&@!!!?

I got me a iGallop.  (And no, I didn't pay full price for it - I had promo codes etc)

It is so freaking funny.  I think it has got to be ranked up there as one of the world's stupidest exercise concepts, but so far, it is really targeting the areas on my body where I'm carrying the most flab, and I can simulaneously watch What Not To Wear while exercising because it is very quiet.

Besides, it is hilarious, which gets high marks from me.  And sort of pornographic, which gets high marks from my husband. 

And the exercise DVD that comes with it?  Haaaaa!  First of all, I am not yet strong enough to do the balancing moves they suggest, but the woman who is demonstrating the moves is grim.  She doesn't crack a smile, and she appears to be working very hard to stay on the machine and I was all "Yes!  This hurts!  She's not perky! Finally, the truth exposed!  Exercise done well makes people grim!"

(I jest.  But I love that she is not happy one bit for the entire DVD.)

Anyway, I'm off to do some upper body exercises with my weights, and then have a little ride right now.  And then I'm going to jog on the trampoline, too.   And you can bet that I'll be grinning from ear to ear. 

I Could Get Behind This

The fog has settled low and cold over my neighborhood.  On my way home from dropping my two oldest kids off at school, I saw a jogger go by.  From the warmth of my van, I scoffed at this balding dude, running in what appeared to be flowered swim trunks with his wife's Christmas sweatshirt.  But then it dawned on me that I was driving and he was running.

Who is the loser now, BigSlice?  Huh? 

Anyway, I got the new Brookstone catalog yesterday, and flipped through it with a practiced eye.  The inlaws like gadgets.  But unsophisticated gadgets.  I'm thinking one of those digital photo frames would be good, and pondering the choices when I turn the page to this:

Now granted, I find exercise equipment problematic, for the simple fact that you actually have to use it.  I wondered if there were any demos of this thing.  I did a quick search for OSIM iGallop, and turned up this video.  Go on, go watch.

Well.  That beats the heck out of the Ab Lounger, if I do say so myself.  You're supposed to wear go-go boots and cowgirl hats.  FUN FUN FUN, am I right?

Even better are the other videos of people trying out the iGallop.  Man, I want one.  How hilarious is this thing? 

International Walk and Roll to School Day

October is International Walk to School month - did you know?  My children's school will be participating on October 4th, for the official "Day" and we're all looking forward to it!

The plan is to have meeting locations in the neighborhoods surrounding the school, and then have the kids walk in groups, accompanied by a few adults.  We form "walking school buses" and make our way to the school.  It is great to see the parents and kids from your neighborhood, all walking and chatting  - most mornings are a blur of circular driveway drop-offs and quick escapes before anyone notices you're wearing pajama bottoms.

Even families that live too far away to walk on a daily basis tend to drive to the nearest "bus stop" and walk the rest of the way.  It's really cool to see everyone showing up on foot on these days.

Check with your school and see if you're participating this year.  It's a fun chance to get out there and move with your kids.

Good News/Bad News

Hoooo-wheee.  I've been busier than the proverbial one-legged man in the butt-kicking contest this week, for no particular reason. 

I've got some good news, and some bad news.  Let's see... where to start?

We'll start with the bad.  (drumroll please)

I had to drop the bellydance class before I ever tried it.  My husband's work schedule has just changed, leaving me zero chance of ever making it to the class on time, if at all.  I'm pouting, just a little bit, because I was looking forward to it.  If only for the chance to get out of the house once a week without my toddler dangling from my body like an oversized handbag.

That's more of the bad news... my toddler has become surly.  At six days until her first morning at preschool, I am counting the milliseconds.  Not that I don't love the little demon darling - but girlfriend is testing my patience in a big way, and I've developed a facial tic from all the howling and pointing. 

What is it about toddlers and that disappearing armpit thing?  You go to grab them under their arms, and they raise their hands in the air and wave 'em like they just don't care while making the rest of their little bodies limp, and you can't get a grip.  We've done that more than ten times this week, and I'm really sick of it. 

All this howling and going limp and irrational behavior makes it really difficult to break her mood enough to get a workout in during school hours.  I'm walking one way most days, but we're walking with Kim and her children, so the only time my heart-rate rises above normal is when one of the kids dashes into the street. 

Oh, and I didn't go to Bikram Yoga last night - same icky work schedule problems.  I don't know if I'll go back.  I'm thinking on it, and I have a whole month to try again, but it's just really tough to steal two hours from my family right now to bury myself in the gym.

So, I'm feeling like an underexercised loser. 

Now for the good news -

Yo! Gah!

I woke up this morning after a rough night of bed-hopping kids and pee-pee accidents, and felt myself sliding toward anger before my head was off of the pillow.  This is not the way to wake up.  Although, let's be blunt, waking up to three children screaming and crying is not a good way to wake up in general. 

Note to self:  Tranquilizer darts.  Get some.

I've been thinking about giving Bikram Yoga a shot, on the recommendation of several friends.  Grace Davis made a particularly good case for it a while back.  When it became obvious that I was going to  walk around with my body twanging from stress, I decided that today would be a perfect day to get away for a ninety-minute session.

Ninety.  90.  Nine Zero Minutes.  The hell?  I find that a little over-the-top, don't you?

Okay, let's just establish that I'm a big wimp.  I like my intense exercise in 30 minute blocks.  Or, okay, 20.  Beyond that, I'm a withering flower.  I wilt.  And start pouting.  And, depending on what time of the month it is, I also get really nauseous.

Go, on.  Guess what happened?