Sunday, April 22, 2012

Two Weeks Gone, And a Few Pounds Down

Hard to believe it has been two fast weeks since I last posted.  Both Hubby and I are super busy and happy to report we are staying on track.  It is slow going at this age...much slower than when we were in our 20's and seemed to lose almost as easily as we gained.  (So yes, despite my challenge in my last post to find something other than weight loss to discuss...here we go again).

Drum roll please.  As of today I have managed to lose 6.4 pounds and have walked at least 20 minutes - usually 30 - every day for 24 straight days.  According to all the pundits, if I make it to 30, I've created a new habit.

Habit or not, yesterday's walk became a small adventure when I decided to take one of my optional turns for an incline and then another turn and another and suddenly I looked around and realized I wasn't quite sure where I was.  Those people who know me, know this can happen to me each time I leave my own property...and sometimes I can get turned around in my own house (but that's usually because I forgot why I ended up in a room, not that I can't find my way back to my bedroom or something).  I kept walking and turning and suddenly looked up and realized I was looking at a landmark I knew.  The landmark was the Sheraton hotel...in the next town over from mine (and across the state line).  Now it wasn't like I was standing at the foot of it or anything, but I could clearly make it out and realized I was about halfway between my house and the Sheraton.  Hmmm.  I was now at about 50 minutes of hard walking and realized I had to completely reverse my direction.  And how is it, that although the turns I had been making were taking me up inclines, there seemed to be an equal number of inclines on the route back and not enough downhill runs?

Anyway, an hour and 20 minutes after leaving my house I was back.  I collapsed in a chair with my yogurt and water and felt I had earned Sunday off if it was going to pour rain all day as predicted.  But I awoke Sunday to clouds and intermittent drizzle so out I went again.  I did try my "rainy day plan" which was a set of DVDs I purchased called the "10 minute workout" because I figured...for 10 minutes I can do just about anything.  Turns out, not so much.  I've repacked the box for now, and I am considering making a swift return.  This 10 minute workout is great for someone ALREADY IN TOP PHYSICAL CONDITION!  Trying to lift my hands into position using the resistance band...just into the starting position...proved near to impossible.  Then the trainer wanted me to extend my hands upward stretching them another 1.5 - 2 feet.  Um.....yeah....

So back to the low-tech walking - and I even jogged a 3/4 track length today before my lungs nearly collapsed....tomorrow maybe I'll make it full cycle.

On another exercise note....a good ab workout can be had by reading a few chapters of Jenny Lawson's book "Let's Pretend This Never Happened."  Saturday morning I took my car for service and they told me it would be about 2 hours...no worries...I popped Jenny's book out of my bag and settled in to their waiting room.  Twenty minutes later I'm sure my fellow auto owners were wondering if I was insane as I had been trying to suppress laughter until I had tears running down my face, which generated more tears as I got mascara in my eyes, and then more laughter as I looked down at my hands covered in liquified mascara drops.  My abs were burning by the time the 2 hours were up.  To share the joy, and the workout, Saturday night I read some of my favorite passages to Hubby.  He roared...like I rarely hear him roar...and then he bent over clutching his abs...and then he cried and laughed some more.

I figure Jenny helped us burn about 150 calories a piece.  Yes, that's only like an apple or something, but it was more fun than sit-ups!

I'm off for my reward now.  Some carrot sticks, apple, and yogurt.  Maybe a popcorn cake with a 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter for a treat.  And I'll enjoy every bit.

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