Back in Action

I finally went back to the gym today. It's been at least 6 months since I have gone near any kind of exercise equipment.

However, I am optimistic that this time I can get a workout routine going and actually stick with it. The big difference this time? I now have a workout buddy. And she is a hard core gym going person and won't let me be a slacker.

Yikes!

I had a very sobering moment today. I went to the gym this morning and signed up for "The Biggest Loser" contest. It started last week and the final weigh in is Feb. 28. The person who loses the most gets a "secret" prize. Which basically means that the gym staff hasn't decided what it will be yet. So I get on the scale and it reads 10 pounds more than what I was expecting. I weighed in at 200.2 pounds. They also measured my waist using my pelvic bone as the guide. Very embarassing when the gal had trouble finding my pelvic bone under all the fat and even more embarassing when the tape measure read 44.1 inches. I had no idea I had let myself go that far. I calculated my BMI just now and it is 33.3. It is official. I am obese. I am very determined to get myself back under control. After my weigh in I went and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes swinging my arms the whole time while holding a set of 3lb hand weights. All I have to say right now is this is absolutely ridiculous and I am disgusted with myself.

Update

It is now 6 weeks into the walking challenge and in that time I have logged 191 miles. I have also gained 2 pounds but then lost 4 pounds so not too bad. My hope is to lose at least 10 more pounds by the time I get to Nebraska. That would put me at 180 pounds...or my pre-pregnancy weight from Houston. The big goal is to get down to at most 165 by the time Brian gets back in mid october. Hopefully that will happen. I am watching what I am eating more and getting more in control of my portions. (portion size being my biggest challenge) I am also trying to watch when I eat. I can do really well during the day and the blow it after the kids go to bed. The other major change is my fluid intake. I am limiting myself to no more than 2 diet sodas a day. (I can easily put away 6 a day if I wanted to) and drink more water and waterbased beverages. A yummy treat was the 4 boxes of Alaska fruit teas that Brian brought back for me. They make fabulous iced tea. I've found that about 1 tablespoon of honey is just the right amount of sweetner for 4 cups of tea.

Week One

Tuesday marked the last day of my first week in the Family Circle Walking Challenge. I am feeling pretty good! Some days were better than others, but all in all it wasn't bad. In 7 days I walked 34.7 miles. (or 71,298 steps, which is more than the suggested 70,000 steps a week) Yea me!!!

Getting There

I know that at one point I read somewhere that you should walk 10,000 steps every day at a minimum. That's about 5 miles. (The average person takes 2000 steps to walk one mile) That is a challege to me. So I am shooting for what Family Circle is recomending. 70,000 steps per week. Some days you walk more than others. This way when you have a not so hot day in your walking, you can make up for it another day. Like my first two days were only 8778 and 7890 steps. But Friday and Saturday were 12455 and 10679. So far today I have walked 11347. So my 5 day total is 51,149. Which leaves me 18,851 to hit 70,000. Not too bad since that breaks down to 9425 for each day. (Hopefully I am not confusing everyone with all of these numbers being thrown out there)

Let's make this easier. My challenge (not counting today's steps) are : 19.7 miles.

Jenn: Are you keeping up? (you can check a cheap pedometer at Wal-Mart for $5 to make it really easy to keep track of your walking)

I'm just A Walkin' Fool

I've only been wearing the pedometer for two days now. (Today is day number three). I logged 8778 steps on the 14 and 7890 steps on the 15. So my miles to date are 8.3. How are you doing?

It's Tomorrow

Most diet/exercise regimes always seem to start "tomorrow". Well, today is my tomorrow. To help me get started I signed up for the Family Circle Walking Challenge. For those who want to challenge me go to www.familycircle.com/walk and sign up, too. The really big incentive? The person who walks the farthest in the next twelve weeks (the challenge started May 12) will win a 3 night stay for 2 at Canyon Ranch in either Tuscon, AZ or Lennox, Mass. It also has a weight tracker to go a long with your mile tracker. And they are giving away fabulous weekly prizes, too. (Yeah, I know that I sound like I am working for the marketing department at Family Circle, but oh well!)



Current Weight: 192

Miles Walked: 0

(I will be keeping my miles cumulative)