12 January 2012

That’s It, I am Working Out

Like most bulging Americans, I have decided this year is the year to get back in shape. I know what you’re all thinking. “Fool – let’s see where she winds up after January’s steam runs out.” But this has nothing to do with sudden resolutions to eat nothing but organic green smoothies and lentil soup or signing up for a half-marathon in my brand-new minimalist running shoes.

toeshoes

You realize wearing these shoes makes people want to automatically hate you, right?

I am not interested in sudden changes to my lifestyle that I cannot possibly maintain. I just want to start slowly and early enough that my goals might be accomplished by mid to late June. This January is not special because it heralds the beginning of some arbitrary clock change, this January is special because it is the first year I am going to have to buy… a family pool pass.

Yes, the realization that I am going to have to be one of the pasty moms in my sweet mom tankini, sitting in the zero-depth with my toddler, and hoping that no one can judge the true size of my thighs under the shallow water or see all the bruises that run up and down my shins from smacking into toys and child safety gates all winter long, has given me the impetus to get off my ass and begin the ascent into fitness.

And because I am aware that the ascent from “slob” to “fit” is a slow one that cannot be rushed, lest failure is an option, I am taking it easy through January and February. I am back on the challenges:

On Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday I am doing the 100 push-ups challenge and the 200 sit-ups challenge. It only takes about 10-15 minutes of my time in the mid-morning.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I am doing the Couch to 5K program and the 200 squats challenge. This takes a little more than a half-hour, so I do it while Romana is at preschool.

And the good news is I already have almost two full weeks under my belt. And it is starting to feel good.

My plan is to start waking my body up to exertion again (and not the kind that requires hustling a kicking and screaming child out of a store) so that in a few months I can pick up the weights again and really begin the process of feeling better and stronger.

…or, more importantly, I won’t have to cry while shopping for that sweet tankini.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I started this process about six months ago, for the same reasons. So far I'm down about 15 pounds but my weight loss has ground to a halt so I'm about to pick up the pace and work a little harder. Up til recently I eased into it, not expecting too much from myself.

If you have a smart phone, I really recommend getting a calorie-tracking app. You can set your day's "budget" then enter everything you eat. It calculates your fat, calories, carbs, etc. Just having to account for everything I eat helps keep me on track and doesn't let me rationalize or delude myself about how much I'm eating. Plus, I don't have to deprive myself of any "bad" type of food or go on an unsustainable diet.

I've also been doing some workouts on Netflix. My favorite is the 10 Minute Solution Kickbox Bootcamp. It's tough but totally do-able and a lot of fun once you get the moves down.

The best part is when you start to see results (like going down a pants size or losing your back fat)--that totally makes it worth hanging in there!

Anonymous said...

Exercise may firm you up, but here is the secret way to lose weight that is ignored:

Don't put food in your mouth. No Netflix, no apps, no crazy workouts, no schedule challenges.

Don't put food in your mouth. Try it. It works.

EM Hum said...

Well Anonymous, allow me to school you on nutrition. If you simply don't put food into your mouth, your body goes into starvation mode and you actually end up clinging to fat and calories because your body is trying to keep you alive. We need food to live. The key is to perhaps not eat so much and when you do eat, make it healthy and nutritious.

I like to weight train. So I will NEED calories an and adequate amount of protein so my body doesn't cannibalize itself. I will not starve my body, quite the opposite. However I will cut out the "extras" and convenience foods.

So really, that is bad advice if you truly want to be fit and healthy, as opposed to a hollow husk who bruises easily... But thanks for playing!

Bluestalking said...

Yay, Liz! I haven't been decent tankini size in, oh, eight years or so, so I know it ain't gonna happen this summer. I need better health to be my primary goal. I probably need to work with a trainer to make sure I don't hurt my blown-out knees... Sigh.

History Doc said...

Idiots like anonymous are the reason there's so much misinformation out there about dieting.

And anorexia doesn't look good on anyone.

Kudos to you and your protein-packed muscle building diet. Good luck and stick with it!

beav said...

umm...you love my shoes, poser

*Lesli* said...

bad advise anonymous.

Anonymous said...

Um, I didn't mean it literally.

Geeze.. lighten up.

EM Hum said...

Anonymous, without an lol or any type of inflection, it is impossible for us to know what tone you are using. To me, it reads as if you are disparaging Heather's comment above, as if she were troubling herself with all kinds of fads but not smart enough to keep her hand out of the Oreo bag. Honestly, it comes across as condescending and borderline trollish.

I wouldn't want your first comment here (?) to be a bad experience or have you get piled on undeservedly. I thought you were just someone who popped in through twitter to leave a snide remark, and apparently you are not. I still stand by what I said, but if I knew you were joking I would have surely softened my edge.

Anonymous said...

No offense taken. I'm not intentionally being an anonymous troll, it's simply I don't register for those other openid options.

I liked your book. I bought and read it on my kindle. That is how I stumbled upon your web site.

EM Hum said...

ha ha - sorry for the confusion. Thank you for reading (and liking) my book! I hope you'll stick around and comment again, despite this exchange.

if you do, my I suggest a pseudonym or an initial, so I can get to "know" you?