Seriously?

I have utterly fallen off the wagon, regular exercise-wise. Not good. I did mow the yard today, at least the fenced part and the area right out front. Another 1/2 acre and I'll be done! I need to get inspired and re-focused.

What to do?

Back in the groove

It felt really good to work out tonight. I did 32 minutes of aerobics, and beat the free-step. Now that I know I don't have to maintain the cadence on that Wii Fit workout, I can do it at my own pace. Which is, incidentally, more than 100 steps per minute.

We watched a show on PBS last night about a diet to reverse diabetes. None of us has a problem with diabetes, but it surely wouldn't hurt to cut out sugar and cut way back on dairy (but I'm not giving up my cheese).

David ordered Wii Fit Plus for me for my birthday. I've had so many people tell me to try it. I'm excited to get started. That trainer on the Wii Fit Boxing is starting to piss me off. :)

It's On!

Lauren sent me an IM last night asking whether I wanted to get together and add a little competition to our weight loss goals. Sounds like a great plan. Especially since I've got a head start.

The goal is to be down to 125lbs in 15 weeks.

If you're interested in joining the team, just reply and add your name. We'll post progress notes and such, and I'll locate some interesting rewards for hitting milestones.

Good luck!

Lisa

PS - I'll post some Bahamas pictures this weekend.

HIIT

Does anyone know anything about HIIT? I'm going to embark on a bit of research about it, including adding it to my workouts. The worst that will happen (short of a coronary incident) is that I won't lose more weight. I'm not going to stop doing my 30 minute Wii Fit habit, but will alternate HIIT a few days a week.

Off to the library to see what's available.

Success!

BMI is officially under 25. Took me long enough. No desire to eat or drink to celebrate! I think that means my mind is in the right place.

Good progress

I keep working out right after dinner, which makes me reluctant to actually weigh myself. The weight loss goal seems more important to me right now, which isn't good. I can see progress in muscle tone (especially that oh so attractive area below my shoulder blades). I won't be embarrassed to put on a Speedo in 7 weeks, but dammit, I wish I was seeing a few less pounds on the scale.

I fully intend to reach the point where the answer to the title of this blog is "Pretty darned good."

Anyone listening?

The Carnivore Continuum

We've leaned more heavily toward meat or poultry as the main ingredient in our dinners, perhaps five of seven nights a week. A healthier diet, and an eye toward saving a little money, are leaning me more toward the reverse. I think having meat on the menu a couple days a week is a reasonable alternative. The challenge for us is to avoid replacing meat with CHEESE! I have always said that if I envision my demise, it will be me stroking out with a big ole piece of cheese in my hand.

We're looking at some of our old vegetarian cookbooks, and David pulled a bunch of stuff from one of the databases at UC-Denver's Auraria Library collection. The good news is this means lots of Middle Eastern meals. My biggest problem with planning vegetarian meals is that I don't know what to combine to make a satisfying supper.

If anyone has any ideas about great vegetarian meals, bring 'em on.

I'm feeling better about how I look. This is paying off!

Lisa

30 minutes just isn't enough

Wow, today felt good! I got up energetic, knocked out a ton of housework, and got around to exercise mid-day. I was able to do a full 25 minutes of aerobics (a new record for an old me), then ten minutes of strength training and yoga.

Turns out there was a recent study that said overweight older women need more like an hour a day of strenuous exercise, rather than the 30 minutes five days a week. Well, I'll just carve out another half hour every day. Now who's going to go to work for me? House clean? Cook?

Speaking of cooking, watch Julie & Julia (or is it Julia & Julie?) Not that I've ever gotten out of the mood to cook, but this movie makes one fall back in love with it. Do you know how many really juvenile jokes you can make from the word "aspic"?

Bon apetit.

Craving dessert? Yogurt pie

OK, so it's not exactly health food. But, non-fat yogurt and lite whipped topping combine to make a really good dessert and a graham cracker crust isn't terrible. I didn't look at the calorie count, but let's admit it's better than sitting down to a whole cheesecake.

The recipe is easy. 16 ounces of non-fat yogurt and a small tub of lite whipped topping (I used Great Value) this time. Mix it up and toss into a graham cracker crust, then freeze for a couple hours. About a half hour before dessert, take it out of the freezer, or someone will break a tooth on it. Don't thaw completely, though, or it's nigh on impossible to slice.

The boy whipped me today at Wii Bowling, Boxing and Baseball. Outstanding, huh?

Starting to feel good

So today, after my workout, I decided that tomorrow I will wear actual exercise clothes. This is a good thing, because it means that I don't dislike my shape as much. And no, I didn't have a cold one to celebrate!

Wii Fit's boxing workout is rapidly becoming my favorite aerobic exercise. I'm up to 10 minutes, and my arms aren't dropping out after 5. I'm envious of my sister-in-law, Dawn, who actually goes to the gym and kickboxes. That's tougher than me!

We need to come up with rewards that don't cost much and add few calories.

Ideas?

Lisa

The Origin of the Quote

Well-behaved women seldom make history. - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.

I have seen this quote attributed to everyone. Did a little research. Turns out the author is still alive, and is a professor at Harvard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_Thatcher_Ulrich

I like it.

I hope everyone's having a good day, and more importantly, feeling pretty good about yourself.

Lisa

Oh yeah, I forgot about the steps!

Our building has 22 floors, and I work on the 3rd. I can bolt down my lunch in 15 minutes, and use the other 15 to walk steps. I used to think that it was some kind of triumph to walk up to the 13th floor and back down. It seems more logical, and less painful, to walk up to 9, then down to 4, then up to 6 or 7, then down. Heart rate stays in a better range, and on most days, it gets me energized for the rest of the afternoon. In addition, using a 10-minute break to walk steps keeps me out of the break room when I'm feeling antsy.

Not today, though. I did the steps, and got back to my desk nearly unconscious. Switching to DST is tough for me.

Anyway, up and down steps, especially with hand weights, works really well. David does steps at home, with 5lb barbells. We got the barbells years ago at Play It Again Sports. I think we paid $2 each for them, and until recently, they were great door stops.

What are you doing that works? What are you doing that doesn't work?

Lisa

Who I Am and Why I'm Blogging

I can't be the only 45 year old woman out there who has just a bit of weight to lose, and a few habits to break. I decided that if I share my story, perhaps a whole bunch of us can figure out ways to succeed in being able to look in a mirror and not be vaguely disappointed.

I need to lose about 15 pounds, and become a social drinker, rather than a moderately heavy drinker. Oh yeah, I want to get back to being the generally cheerful person I'm used to, rather than the relatively grumpy person I've become.

The Wii Fit is my best friend right now. That, and reservations for a bucket list trip with my almost 73 year old mother to the Bahamas in May 2010. I have found that I really enjoy doing the boxing workout on the Wii Fit, as well as just about all of the yoga poses. If you have a Wii, let's talk about strategies.

I'll try to post every day. Please feel free to speak your mind, but gently. 

All the best, 

Lisa