Four Days & Counting.... in Healthy Bites

I have good news to report to Healthy Bites. I’ve exercised four times this week. I am very, very proud of myself. This is a huge deal because usually, when I’ve exercises in the past year, it has been walking which I couldn’t do a good start on.

What motivated me was asking my co-worker when did she exercise when she was in her late thirties which was her fittest point in her life. She said that she would come straight home from work, shut the door to her exercise room, and do her thirty minute workout. She did it three times a week and was very fit…and she ate what she wanted.

Then, she told me that I am just going to have to do it and not think about it. And that’s what I’ve been doing. When I come straight home, I workout. No excuses.

It has been working. If I workout today, I would have worked out on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. That’s five times. Yet, my goal is workout like I did two years ago…six times a week…if I got to slack off, five times a week.

Since I’ve started exercising, I’ve been really watching what I eat now. I also incorporated eating breakfast again. I try not to have many sweets a day, either.

It is going to take time to fully reestablish the habits and the control I had two years ago, but I am determined to do it. When I first worked on Sunday, I didn’t realize how I left myself go in terms of how tight I was.

Yesterday, I felt the tightness again when I did Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution Cardio 1. When I stretched down, I could feel the tightness in my shoulders. Wow.

I am glad to have a job but sitting in a chair the majority of the day isn’t healthy. I tell you…since exercising so far, my back and such isn’t bothering me. It’s like the exercise is comparable to getting a massage. Why would I go to the monsieur if I am getting full benefits from exercising?

It is going to be difficult at the beginning to keep this up because when I do it…I am dead tired. Yesterday, I hadn’t planned to walk most of the way to the graduate school to turn in some of our graduate students’ forms, but I had to because there is no bus stop that I know of that stops at the graduate school. Anyway, I did not make any excuses and try to count that as “exercise” or a workout because to really count it…I would have had to leave my office, actually walk to the graduate school and walk back. No bus ride.

When I came home, I popped in Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution Cardio 1 which was the best workout I had all week even though it was very difficult. There are three circuits in her workout which all the exercises are repeated over in each circuit…but these exercises are pretty tough. After I got done, I sweated a pool.

I had to sleep in this morning until 8:40 a.m. because I was very exhausted from doing that workout and semi-beating the feet at the graduate school. I am doing pretty well today, and I think I am going to do the Shape’s yoga workout, or pilates. I always do a difficult workout one day and the next day, I do a easy workout. Then, I try to have one day of rest.

As for the food habits, that is coming natural. In order to do exercise well, I can’t have a lot of sweets, fats, etc. because I won’t be able to exercise efficiently.

And then, there is the deal of counting calories or keeping a food journal or both.

Two years ago, when I was down close to 150lbs, I was counting calories. I would have 2,000 calories as my daily allowance, BUT I tried to make sure I burned 400 to 600 calories when I exercise. It depended on what day or whatever…but that was a goal, too. I found out from counting calories I was consuming 3,000 calories a day. That’s why no weight moved from…and I stayed at 160 lbs. So, I began counting everything I ate. It was a pain in the ass…and I hated treated my food like a scientific experiment, BUT eventually, I got used to it and got amazing results. I still ate what I want to….but I controlled my portions to keep in aligned with what I ate.

So, I am going to have to start doing that although it can be a pain. I think I am going to start today since it is easier to identified with what I ate. Now, that I have a Samsung Note, I have Livestrong as an app….and I have S Note and other note apps that I can easily record what I eat and talk about it. In order for any person to have a healthy body and live a healthier lifestyle, you have admit what you eat and account for it. When I over-consume my calories, I would have to find a way to account for what I ate. So, the next day, I would be like…okay, stick to what you ate.

When I finally get at a healthy size and establish my healthy routine, I may let up on counting calories and do solely portion control.

I am very excited about my progress this week! I treated myself yesterday to lunch and today as well. Yet, today, I made a healthy choice. I went to Panera Bread…and had a cup of broccoli and cheddar soup and half a turkey avocado bacon sandwich. I am going to Starbucks have a shaken sweet tea as my sweet treat…and I am going to try to stay on the course.

Alright, GO TEAM!

Excited, SMF