It’s been kinda hairy this week. I’ve been pushing myself physically in a way that I never have before. Ever. It’s all good, though.  I’m enjoying it. The weird thing is that I feel like complaining. Part of me wants to hold on to old mindsets because there’s been so much fear involved in moving. I’ve avoided moving for so many years because it hurt. My feet hurt, my legs hurt, my body hurt, and my chest hurt with even the smallest amount of exertion. Like Pavlov’s Dog, I was conditioned by the pain to just sit down and be still.

Moving has been the hardest thing for me to do since starting this weight loss journey. I’ll start something and find reasons why I can’t be consistent with it. I’ll go to the gym for a while, then I’ll get bored with that and work out at home. When I get tired of that, I just won’t do anything, at least for a little bit. I eventually get back to doing something, but it’s so HARD to be consistent.

I find that I do best when I exercise by “accident”. I’ve lost quite a few pounds this week running around at work. I think I’ve lost about four. I know it’s because I haven’t really stopped moving. I’m still very heavy, and any moving I do at this point will, coupled with eating well, help me continue to lose weight. I am enjoying walking more and more. I find that if I’m allowed to walk at my own pace, I can walk much longer. I plan on implementing weight training soon because I really want to be stronger and I know that lean muscle burns fat. I’m gonna get there. I am. I’m just getting used to being on my feet for longer periods of time, so I have to work my way up to it. I’m also feeling the need to be much more loose and flexible. It feels SO good to stretch.  I’ve been talking about purchasing the Heavyweight Yoga DVD’s or even signing up for a membership on the Bariatric Yoga website. I’ll keep you guys posted and let you know how either of them work out. I feel physically able to do more, so I might actually get around to doing it this time.

My goal is to make moving as “accidental” as possible. I want to do things that don’t feel like exercise. Shopping is good exercise for me, but I’m not a baller, so I’m going to work on some other things. Finding reasons to walk further has helped me, too. I frequent the dollar store at the strip mall behind my complex. I can come home, park my car, walk to the store, and walk back. I can walk around at work for 10-minute bouts with my iPod until it plays through two or three songs. I can park even further from the front door of my job.

I’m not as advanced as others. If you are able to do more, do it. Some can’t do what I’ve become able to do. I’ve been there. It’s all relative. The important thing is to MOVE. I don’t know where you are, but it’s gotten up to 109 degrees in Texas. I’ve been outside because I had to for work, not because I wanted to. Find stuff to do inside. If you have the willpower to go to the gym, then go. If not, make exercising at home a habit like brushing your teeth or showering. That’s what I’m trying to do. Let’s work this out together.

Oh, and while you’re moving, move on over to the designer of my website’s blog to check you her latest post, Royalty Free Images for Business Blogging – Review & Giveaway. If you’re a blogger, or if you’re thinking about blogging, this post is essentially a tutorial on using images for your blog and so much more. Check it out. You won’t be sorry.

Photo Credit: Red Night Yellow

Photo Credit: Beach Sea Water

Recently, I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from people who are frustrated with their weight loss journey because they’re not losing weight. Whether you’ve had weight loss surgery or not, it’s possible to just get stuck. However, it’s important to rule out any possible chemical imbalances or other physiological issues that could be sabotaging your weight loss. Work with your doctor.

If you’ve ruled out these issues, it could be that you’re experiencing plateau. Livestrong.com explains plateau this way:

Weight Gain and Weight Loss Plateaus

Your body acts like a thermostat, increasing or decreasing metabolism to stop weight loss or weight gain. When fewer calories are consumed, an adjustment is made to lower your metabolism and prevent further weight loss, according to the American College on Exercise publication “Personal Trainer Manual.” Plateaus also occur with weight gain. When calories consumed are greater than calories burned, weight gain will occur initially. Extra body weight will increase metabolism. When a balance is met, weight gain will stop and the current weight will be maintained. The choice is made to burn extra calories to prevent further weight gain. Continue reading →

It’s 11:39 and this will definitely be quick. I posted in a group today on FB that today was one of those days I wanted to give up. I have been running all week doing my job and running around the office, helping a group that’s training in my building. It has been grueling. I couldn’t get to the gym the first couple of days this week. I decided that I had been running around so much at work -carting heavy boxes, pushing, lifting, walking from one end of the building to the other – that I didn’t need to work out.

Today was different.  I was dog-tired, but I NEEDED to go to the gym. I NEEDED the release. I needed to feel that sense of accomplishment. I NEEDED to feel the pain. I know. It sounds crazy, but if you exercise regularly, you know what I’m talking about.  I need to do the research, but some kind of hormones/chemicals are released when you exert yourself physically. I’d look it up, get fancy, and post a link with the info, but I’m gonna be sleep by midnight, so that ain’t happenin’. I will, though. I promise. Continue reading →

My feet hurt. This is not a new thing. When ever I get “gung ho” about exercise, my feet flare up. I’ve had these episodes twice in my life (the two times I’ve lost 70 lbs and gained it all back–TWICE).

I went to the podiatrist a couple of years ago because I’d started to become for active. They gave me some exercises and I did them. They even gave me some kind of boot to wear for my plantar faciitis. I did the exercises for a while and wore the crazy boot, but then slacked off. Now, I’m at a point where I can’t afford to ignore my feet any longer. My dogs are barking for sure and I don’t wan’t to jack them up so much that I can’t exercise at all. That’s just not an option.

So, I am going to purchase some new shoes for exercise. I need to have it done by today. It’s a MUST. I set to Twitter (you all know how I LOVE Twitter) and consulted with the motivational and inspirational exercise guru extraordinare, Batrice A., aka @iBecometru, and she gave me a link to an awesome site that ranked running shoes. The 2011 Running Shoes Review from Runner’s World has been very helpful in giving me insight into how I should look for a good, solid, stable shoe. Now, I hear you chuckling as you think, “Running shoe, you sure you need a running shoe? You running now, Angel…really?” I know I’m thinking it. I’m my inexperienced, previously-mostly- Continue reading →

It’s a cool, rainy morning here in Austin, TX. I really thought it was supposed to start raining last night, but the cold front just hit. I’m listening to the rain hit our little window in the bedroom and I’m wondering when it will let up. I kinda felt like going for  a walk and exploring my neighborhood today. I’m hoping it doesn’t rain long, but if it does, I’ll just go down the street to the gym. Point is, when I woke up this morning, I felt like doing something. Thank God, I did. I’ve spent many, many rainy Saturdays in bed. Ok. Sometimes, it wasn’t raining.

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If you’re reading this, it means that you read my blog pretty regularly. Thank you. Thank you for listening to my belly-aching. Thank you for sticking with me. Thank you for reading my blog.

You ever had something that just eats at you? No matter what you do, it takes over your thoughts. You can’t think of anything else. That’s how the desire to exercise has been for me.  I can see myself where I need to be.  It’s such a personal thing for me that I often hide when I exercise. I know that sounds crazy, but today, I closed myself up in the vanity area of the bathroom and danced to “I Know You Know” by Esparanza Spalding (winner of the “Best New Artist” Grammy – PLEASE check her out, but only if you LOVE real music).

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This will be a quick one because it’s been a VERY long day!

I’m the last person who you should take exercise advice from and I know better than to offer any. I just want to take a minute to encourage you (and myself, in the meantime).

I deliberately joined a gym that was on my way home and about five minutes from my house (when the CapMetro train doesn’t back up traffic). It’s within eye-shot of the exit I take to go home. Please don’t ask me how many times I’ve looked at it and thought, “I really need to go to that gym today” and kept right on going past it like it wasn’t even there. It’s sad.

But today was different. I actually pulled up to the gym and went inside. I wasn’t daunted by the lack of handicapped parking. I found a spot that was a good distance from the door.  I went inside and took in the aroma; the wonderful smell of sweaty people getting their pain “fix”. I won’t say I felt at home. No, not in the least. I popped in my earbuds and tried to make the world go away. It was just me and the weight machines. After about 30 minutes of “feeling the burn” and getting aggravated with a dude who’d posted up on the last machine I needed to use, I left. That was it. I didn’t die.  I didn’t break or hurt anything (although, I do feel a little sorness as I type). I survived it. And the fact that I did makes me know that when I go back on Thursday, I’ll make it through again.

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