Tag: Couch

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General Weight Loss Tips

What I Couldn’t Do Two Weeks Ago

There is something to be said about trying something you know you can’t do.  Every time I go to the gym I stare down the hanging leg raise. Have you seen it?

Basically you have to hold your body up while pulling your legs up to your chest. For those that can do it, they make it look easy. For the rest of us, well, it’s kind of sad (and kind of funny) to watch. I decided I was okay with making a fool of myself January 20th and get on.

I couldn’t even hold myself up to hang. It was truly painful, so I got off and decided that this would be a progress point for me.

Two weeks later, back at the gym I decided to get on again. I knew in my mind that holding my weight up with my arms would be hard, but I wanted to try again. This time, not only could I support my weight, I was able to lift my knees up to my chest not once, not twice, not three times…but four times.

I was so shocked that I stopped. Am I really doing this? I couldn’t even hold myself up two weeks ago! And sure enough I think I could have done a couple more had I not been so freakin’ excited.

So that is real progress that I can see. It’s not a lower number on the scale, or looser fitting jeans- it was proof that I’m getting in better shape.

Today begins week four of the Insanity workout training and I have to say that working out every day has gotten easier mentally. I know what to expect and I’ve accepted that 45 minutes of my day will be spent exercising. I’ve never worked out this hard in my life on a consistent basis. Not even during couch to 5k training. It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve exercised all but three (I take sundays off) days in the past three weeks.

We’ve got more plans. As the weather gets warmer and our stamina increases, we’re going to add running back to our schedule three days a week.

Right now the exercise schedule looks like this:

Monday-Wednesday : Insanity workout

Thursday: yoga and strength training

Friday- Saturday: Insanity workout

Sunday: Off

In about a month it will look like this:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Insanity workout + running

Tuesday, Saturday: Insanity workout

Thursday: yoga and strength

Sunday: Off day

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Zenergy Winner + Exercise Thoughts

It’s 10pm, but I picked a name for the Zenergy Powerballs! I just scrolled through the comments with my eyes closed and pointed my finger to Jessica from http://shortystylee.wordpress.com/. Just send me an email at tokenfatgirl(at)gmail.com and I’ll have those send out to you! Thanks for your oatmeal topping comments, I forgot about adding cinnamon!

I just finished day 12 in a row (except for sundays) of exercise and I have a few comments to make, in list form.

1) I feel a lot better physically. I have no clue what I weigh, but I feel good. My body is moving better, I just feel good.

2) It doesn’t get easier. It’s only been (almost) two weeks of consistent exercise and I’m still sweating and pushing myself as hard as I was on day one. This are getting slightly easier, my stretches are a tiny bit deeper and I’m moving better.

3) I still don’t want to exercise. It’s so shocking, right? I do not want to exercise. At all. Which makes me laugh because I think my whole life I was waiting to turn into someone who wanted to exercise. The truth of the matter is, she doesn’t exist. I don’t want to. I didn’t want to tonight. I didn’t want to yesterday or the day before. I’ve craved runs before, maybe twice, but I think coming to terms with the fact that there won’t be a day when the clouds part and I want to exercise. So knowing that- I just have to do it anyway.

4) I’m exercising even when the conditions aren’t perfect. Some days I’m really sore, other days I don’t exercise until 10pm, and occasionally I have to exercise before eating dinner or getting ready for the day. We don’t have a huge living room, but we still move the couch out of the way and push the coffee table aside. I write this as a reminder to myself: I can exercise even when the conditions aren’t perfect. They never will be. I don’t need a bigger living room, the right program, a gym membership, or the right shoes to exercise. I never did.

5) I’m still fat. Hey self, guess what? You’re still fat! And you thought all you’d have to do was a couple of weeks of hard exercise and you’d be done? Nope. I’m still wearing the same clothes as I did last month. And I’m okay with all of this. At least I’m writing it as a note to myself that it’s okay. I’m trusting my process. I’m trusting that I’m doing what I need to do to be a healthier person.

I am okay with who I am today as long as I am doing everything in my power to take care of myself. To be a healthy person today, for tomorrow. That’s all I can hope for. It’s okay that I’m still fat. This doesn’t happen in two weeks, or two months.

And on to fun stuff. I’m sure we all have lives and interests outside of our trying to be healthier selves and I’d like to here about what you’re into lately. What books you’re reading, or shows you’re watching or about your closet organization.

Here it what I’m into lately:

Grey’s Anatomy- I just finished season two and I’m shamefully hooked. It just didn’t seem like my kind of show, and now I find myself watching it late at night or early in the morning. Getting my fix of Meredith, Izzie and George.

Finishing up my Valentine’s jewelry line to come out early next week!

Genealogy: We had our DNA tested by 23andme.com (nope they didn’t pay me or ask me to write this) and just got the results this week. They tell you things like genetic diseases you’re prone to getting, ancestry and other tidbits like what color eyes your future kids will have (blue for us). These results propelled us to give ancestry.com a try and oh my lord it’s so fun. I’ve traced my mother’s dad’s line all the way back to the 800’s. Turns out I’m related to the King of Sweden on a direct line from my grandfather. I’ve wanted to do this since I was a kid, but never knew how to start. I may never sleep again, why sleep when I can find out that I’m related to royalty a thousand years ago?

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General Weight Loss Tips

Exercise Excuses

I’ve been thinking about writing this post for awhile now and figured that since the new year is in full swing, I’d humor myself.

In 2010 I exercised, but not a lot. On a good week, I was moving about 3 times a week. Yet, it seemed most weeks I was making an effort only once. But why? Excuses! I’m really good at rationalizing and this year I want to face my excuses head-on. Admittedly, there were many days that my excess sugar consumption kept me from physically being able to exercise- bloat, upset stomach, lethargy, and depression all kicked in and helped make the couch look super comfortable.

Now that I’m having a sugar-free year I hope to avoid some of these excuses, but I know there will be new ones cropping up.

Here are some of my most frequent excuses:

I’m too tired. Here’s what happens: I’ll have every intention to exercise, but I’ll get caught up in doing everything else under the sun. Oh! Looks like I need to clean out the refrigerator! And more often than not I am genuinely busy and wait and wait and wait until I’m just too tired to exercise.

Solution: Schedule exercise for a time of day when I don’t feel too busy or too tired. That sounds easy enough? Probably not for all of us. I don’t have to be at work at a certain time and most of my days are spent at home working, but there are a lot of folks that leave for work at 7am and get home around 5 or even 6, then they have other chores to tend to. What is the solution? Make exercise a priority (I’m speaking for myself here too) wake up 45 minutes early and go to the gym, do an exercise dvd or dance to your favorite playlist. For me, I like to exercise with my husband who is a late sleeper, so I need to schedule exercise at 4 or 5 pm on most weekdays. I need to write it down and stick with it.

I can’t find any workout clothes. Okay, I’m probably alone on this one, but I always feel like every component of my workout gear is in some state of being cleaned, under a pile of clothes, or in the hamper. I need workout pants, t-shirt, shoes, sports bra, socks and ipod (if I’m lucky) to get motivated to exercise. Sometimes I get unmotivated just by knowing it will take 30 minutes to find something.

Solution: Dedicating a drawer to just exercise clothes. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time and know it could help me a lot. Having all of these items together in one spot would be very beneficial to my sanity and my exercise schedule.

I’m too busy. I’ve been guilty of this excuse, mostly because on the days that I am pumped up to exercise, I’m also pumped up to do everything else. And on other days I just have a lot to do, I’m sure I’m not alone.

Solution: Facing facts. In 2010 I managed to watch the entire series of lost, six feet under, and pushing daisies. I also watched three seasons of mad men, several episodes of jeopardy and countless movies on Netflix. I also found time to create 300 pieces of jewelry, cook many delicious meals, read 10 books, put makeup on, get dressed up, work on this blog and so many other things that I simply made time for. To say that I was “too busy to exercise” is simply not true.

Waiting for the perfect situation. There have been points in my life that I needed perfect weather, the perfect workout shoes, the perfect time slot, a perfect feel-good easy day to exercise. Guess what?

Solution: That day does not exist. How we feel now in this moment about exercise is probably how we’ll always feel. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve mapped out my road to weight loss only to fall short waiting for it to feel right. Waiting for life to be stress-free and slow. In my mind, there was going to be a day when the clouds parted, the angels sang and I’d turn into this super healthy person that bound out of bed at the mere mention of exercise. And all I have to say to myself is “honey child, that day will never come. you either do it now or not at all”.

What are some of your exercise excuses?