Simply Me

40 & 22

I like numbers. They can help represent so much in our lives.

Today's numbers?  I swam for 40 minutes and completed 22 laps.  It might have been 24 laps but I lost count at one point so, I decided to under estimate to be sure.  

While I swam in the lap pool, Casey played with some other kids in the instructional pool and splash pad area. Which is a really goofy thing to put in from my vantage point.  What's the #1 rule you always hear the lifeguards yelling at a pool?  DON'T RUN! NO RUNNING!  Well, this splash pad area is a bunch of fountains and it does nothing but ENCOURAGE running around and through. The kids enjoy it though :-)

The good news is that I've now made it to the gym three times this week.  I have plans to get there again in the morning to hit the treadmill and *maybe* back to the pool with the boy in the afternoon.  I don't think that's overkill as I'm not spending more than an hour there at either visit.  So combined, it's just under two hours.

The worst that can happen is I don't swim in the late afternoon after all and just chill while Casey plays.  Either way, I win :-)

Now if there was only a way to move the gym closer to the house.  The 20 minute drive each way is my biggest drawback. Once I'm there, I'm good to go but sometimes that 20 minutes seems like it's forever.

It was tough...but I did it!

Forgive, me but I'm "dual" posting this along with my 365 blog! 

Last week, while at the gym's pool with my son, I started contemplating how much I really wanted to get back on the gym bandwagon. In 2007, I lost 25lbs from late April through mid-August. It was mostly because of the amount of time I spent at the gym. School started again and our schedules went haywire. Trying to find the right time to get to the gym got progressively harder until it simply stopped.

I've gained 15 of those 25lbs back. I have a whole lot more than that to lose. Not exercising isn't going to help me get the weight off.

I've always thought that the best time to go would be first thing in the morning. The combination of all of our schedules made this virtually impossible to do. While I sat by the pool last Thursday, I realized that I finally had the opportunity to TRY an early morning workout schedule. My husband is laid-off so he's at home in the mornings and can get my son to school/daycare. He's been picking him up at night so we'll just swap pickup/dropoffs.  If I had to, I could come back home and get Casey (with hubby taking care of getting him up and ready). The idea though is for me to be able to go to work straight from the gym.

Monday was MLK day so my kids had no school. I decided to do a "trial run" when there would be no need for any school transportation. I kept my plan a secret too. I have a history of grandious plans that never come to pass or never fully completed. 

Well, I hoped to be at the gym by 5:30am when they opened, but I didn't prepare enough the night before so it took me a while to get out the door. I did make it and was on the treadmill by 6:10am. The place was deserted.  The MLK holiday may have had something to do with that.

The experience was a success. I can do this. It can work in our schedule for now.  By June, even if my husband is back to work, our schedules will be changing again so that I could make this a permanent option.

I'm very excited to at least give it a good try! The only thing I could think of as a negative was that I was ready for bed @8pm on Monday night! Which is interesting considering my normal nightowl nature.

4 Days Down - How is Your Year Going?

So far, so good from here. 

I always forget how much I dislike this time of the year until it rolls back around again.  Why?  Because everywhere you turn, everywhere you look , everyone you talk to, every article you read, every news story you view...there's only one subject on their mind.

Diet and Exercise.

Who's going to join Weight Watchers?  Who's going to joing Curves?  Which is better....The Atkins Diet or the South Beach diet? 

It goes on and on for weeks. 

And typically, its from people who really don't need to lose much weight if any.  Those of us who do need to lose weight....real significant weight.....look very conspicuous when we don't pipe up and join the fray.  Or at least that's how *I* feel.  And when I do mention anything on the subject, there is an immediate rush to tell me exactly what I need to do.  The unsolicited advice flows like one of those chocolate fountains that are so popular at gatherings these days!

Eat low fat!

Eat less carbs!

Join a gym!

Join Weight Watchers!

Exercise 3 times a week!

Exercise 5 times a week!

Exercise 12 times a week!

Stop eating everything you might remotely enjoy ever again!

Okay, those last two might be exagerations, but it certainly seems like that's the end result after a point.

I know I need to lose weight.  A lot of weight.   I want to lose weight.  I'm currently at my all time high.  And I'm terribly uncomfortable.  There are things I'm doing and not doing right now that are a direct result of my heaviness.  For instance, I'm starting to avoid bending over.  Why? Because it hurts and it leaves me breathless.  It takes too much effort.  Simple, basic level exercise walking  is starting to become very strenuous.   I get winded almost instantly.  I'm TIRED all the time.    I'm 40 years old for pete sake.  My mother had a heart attack at 50.  She was overweight at the time but no more than 25 lbs or so.  Nothing like where I'm at now. 

Even my passion....photography....is suffering.  It takes strength, stamina and energy to really get out there and take good photos.  I can't do that right now.  Its too hard.

So, with all that said....what am I going to do about it?  Truthfully, I don't know.  I have to be very careful to not become obssessive about this.  Something I easily can do with my personality type.  I jump in too fast, too hard, with too much gusto which only leads to a very fast "flame out". 

Additionally, it can't be about food to start.  I cannot make myself eat "diet" foods.  No yogurts, cottage cheese, Lean Cuisines, Healthy Choice stuff.  It gags me.  I'd rather starve.  Which then leads to binging.  Not a good idea.

That leaves exercise.  I could join a gym. There's one about 15 minutes from my house.  It's $40 a month with no contracts.  My company will reimburse me $250 every calendar year for such memberships.  I just can't figure out when I'd squeeze it in.  Early morning doesn't work because my husband leaves too early and the kids aren't old enough to be left alone.  Plus, I'd need the gym to open at like 5am in order to be able to get there, work out and then get back home before my oldest left for school.  Technically, she would be old enough to babysit her brother in 4 months time.  After work is equally hard because of the kids activities/schedules.  I'm sure we could work something out...but its not terribly appealing.  Not to mention figuring out how to spend a day at work, get everyone home, throw dinner at everyone and head back out the door leaving hubby to deal with the homework stuff.  That's not going to fly on a nightly basis.

Excuses?  You betcha!  I've got a million of them!  LOL!

That's okay, because despite the excuses I have done *something*.  I just spent an hour or so researching exercise DVDs and have requested 7 titles from my local public library.  I should have most of the shortly (within a few days).  I'm going to go to Target or Walmart and get an exercise mat.  I'm going to try out each of these DVDs, which include The Biggest Loser, kickboxing, yoga for "curvy 40+ year olds" and basic low impact aerobics.  My rationale is that I need to try out a variety of disciplines and develop something that works for me. 

If nothing else, its a start.

I think I'll go to bed before I eat something ;-)

Walkies!

(Well, that was annoying.  I had this all typed out and then did a couple things in the wrong way, and POOF....post gone.)

In the 80's there was a popular dog trainer from the UK named Barbara Woodhouse.  In her training sessions, she would sound off with "Walkies" when she wanted the group of people and dogs in her class to move.  I always loved that about her!

Okay, the gist of what I wrote before was this.  I took both of the dogs walking tonight.  I had only been taking the Golden, Boo, because he was the one in need of something stimulating.  I'm a big fan of Cesar Milan from the show The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel.   He is a huge advocate of properly exercising your dog and by doing so, provide them with much needed stimulation.  Boo has chronic ear infections and has begun digging at his ears and licking his paws/legs in response to his discomfort.  We are treating the ears, but the licking is another issue.  And it goes without saying that *I* need the exercise as much or more than him.  So, we're both making an effort.

In the walks we've taken so far over the course of the last two weeks, we've left Hermione (our minature Dachshund) behind.  She's not great on a leash *at all*.  Mostly because I've never taken the time to train her to walk well on one.  At three years old it's well past time that she learn.  First though, I needed to get her a harness.  She either chokes her self silly on other collars or she slips out of them.  A harness is much better for her back too.  Dachshunds are very prone to back and neck problems due to their elongated (sp?) spine. 

They both got very excited at the site of the leashes.  Amazingly, each of them settled right down when I went to put *their* gear on.  Stood just like statues for me.  It took me a couple of tries to get the harness fitted right.  I have to decide whether to go get the next size or not.  I thought this would be way big...but it *just* fits.  I may have to take her to the store and make the decision there!

Anyway, we had a great walk together.  I was amazed.  We very quickly developed a rhythm with each other.  Both were on my left side, with Boo's nose just at my knee and Hermione *just* in front of him.  It was great!  And you could tell they loved every minute of it. 

Boo is going to need something extra to make these walks as beneficial as possible for him.   His out of shape mom and pint-sized sister get worn out WAY before he does.  I'm going to find him a backpack and load it up with waters for all of us.  I got the idea from Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer).  He claims its a great way to work a dog just a bit harder than just walking itself.  It also seems to give some dogs a real sense of purpose.  All with the idea in mind that giving them stimulation and purpose makes them happier, healthier pets.

Congrats to all three of us for spending an hour doing something good for ourselves!