Fitness Goal. . .MET

The week after Valentine's Day 2009 found me starting a new fitness program. I have always loved athletics--LOVED sports in high school and college. Somewhere around the time I got married, the graduation from college and having that first baby the athletic stuff stopped and life began. Sure, we liked to go to the lake in the summers and I might be found walking outdoors if the weather were nice, but nothing regular. I gained weight with the babies, but I was only 23 and nearly 25 when the first two were born. Breastfeeding, age, and good metabolism took care of that extra weight EASILY! My tune changed when D was born 4 months before my 30th birthday. Still ate what I wanted and only did the daily activities of a normal mom raising 2 preschoolers. I will never forget the day that provoked my change in attitude toward exercising again. We didn't have any type of full length mirror in the house. . .NONE. The mirror that we had was in the bathroom and I could see things to the top of my chest. D was born Nov 25. While at my mom's for Christmas, I stepped out of the shower and got a full view to my knees from the mirror hanging in her bathroom. WOW. I turned 'round and 'round taking it ALL in. When I ran into Jeremy after I got ready for the day I leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Why didn't you TELL me that my ass was hanging down to the back of my knees?" It really was more of growl than a whisper. He leans in toward me and whispered so lovingly in my ear "I've been trying to for the last 2 months!" WHACK!

The moral of the story was this: All the Christmas cookies went into the trash as soon as we got back home, and that began the first of my many exercise regimens! For the last 7 years, I started and stopped exercising multiple times. Sometimes it lasted for 5-6 months, sometimes for just 2-3. Each time I quit was because of major stressors in my life. With Cami's pregnancy, I started exercising around 5 months because I knew how hard it was going to be to take that off. I exercised long enough after her birth to take off the weight and then a few nasty weeks of calls took care of that habit! Exercise was the easiest habit I ever learned to break!!

I tell you all of that to tell you this. . . Last winter I made a committment to myself that I was going to begin and CONTINUE some type of exercise program. Back to a week after Valentine's Day 2009, I started a walking program. Doing 3-4 days a week of walking for 30-40 minutes each time. It took me 5 months of that program to finally lose most of the belly fat gained from the last pregnancy. I also find that it doesn't take too many days of not exercising in a row for that to "show up" again. I have managed to continue that regimen for ONE WHOLE YEAR--WHOOPIE!! And I am excited about it! Now I know, those of you that know me are saying BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!! But I don't exercise to control my weight (or I didn't used to--I like to eat and age is now making that a little harder). My family history (at least on my dad's side) reeks with heart disease. At one time my grandpa had a record at a Wichita hospital for having the most bypasses successfully done at once, WHOO HOO. Something to be proud of right?? My dad had a 3 vessel bypass done at the very young age of 51. That day while looking at him with his arms tied to the bedrails, and tubes coming out of every oriface he had (and some orifaces he didn't start out with) made me vow that I would NOT end up in that bed if there was anything I could do about it! And I won't!!

I am a fair weather exerciser. I hate cold, hot, windy, dark, or wet weather. You will find me out walking when it is above 70 degrees but below 85 degrees with no to very little wind. In western Kansas, that limits my outdoor exercise to like 30 days out of the year :-) So, much of my exercise was done in front of my TV. I used Leslie Sansone's walking DVD's and got a fabulous workout from them!! For Christmas my mom got me the Wii active more program, which I am love, LOVING!! I was sore for at least a month as it worked muscle groups that I even forgot I possessed! I have actually GAINED 5 pounds since starting that I am sure belongs to more muscle, less fat! Which I guess is OK.

The bottom line is that you have to MAKE it happen for you. . .or it most definitely won't!! I have tried different workouts, different workout times and days. I am finding out what works and doesn't work for me. And that even changes from week to week sometimes! Even after year though, I still argue myself out of bed some mornings--I'm excited that I have been able to be consistent and PERsistent and I hope that I can do a 2 year anniversary party too!

And I while I will never look like this. . .

I hope to NEVER look like this. . .

with hair, of course!