I Reached A Milestone Yesterday!!

Yeah, I need to find ways to keep myself motivated, and I thought this would be a good place to start. I love walking outside, and I would love to be able to do it now. The sun is shining brightly, and it would be a gorgeous day for a walk if it weren't so stinking cold. I don't mind the cold as much right now, because it is not really all that cold (it is cold enough so your nose, ears and fingers turn red during extended periods of time outside but not cold enough to cause frostbite). However, the little one tends to have problems breathing in this kind of weather, especially if there is any type of wind or even a light breeze. I bundle her up, but she just hates having anything covering her face, so walking for a couple miles is really out of the question. I can barely keep her scarf on her for sleigh riding, when we actually have snow, and she loves to do that. The torrential rains are awful, especially at this time of year, because it seems to take forever for the ground to dry up. I know the kind of mud you are talking about, too, and it does not like to come off of clothes, either. I think it is funny and rather cute that it took a while for the Greeks to realize that you were walking for pleasure and not because you have horrible luck with getting your car to run.

Is she too big for one of those pushchairs with a wind barrier on the front? Mine never liked being covered up either and still doesn't. Greeks never ever walk anywhere, if they could they would park inside the cafenion. They accept that tourists do it as a strange and foreign breed but just don't get it when I do it. Some of them were very worried that I might not be able to have the car fixed as they hadn't spotted it at the garage and I wasn't in it.

Well, it depends on your definition of "too big", my dear Thea. Physically, she is well within the acceptable range of being pushed around in one of them, and age wise she is within the acceptable boundaries also. However, in her mind she is far too big and old to have to suffer through riding in one. She would much rather be out exploring the world with the rest of us. I love her independence and explorative nature, at least most of the time, but it makes it difficult doing things sometimes. There are times when she has to just accept that she is not old enough or big enough to do things, but I do not see the point in forcing her into sitting in the stroller just so I can walk, especially when she likes to go for walks. I do not want to make them something that she will grow up not liking, because that is something that we can enjoy doing together for many, many years.

yea,3 months does suck to deal with.you dread the other months. and you don't want to see the heat bill,believe me. i hear that-when i lived in AZ i'd see people wearing down coats at 60 degrees. i used to wear my shorts into the 40's,and they looked at me like i was nuts. 40's warm to me! we have both snow and cold..and i'm on an island,so you get wind from all directions too.wheeeeeeeeeee. i have some gym equipment in the house,i've never liked clubs,there's always machine hoggers.

that bill's gonna suck this month,i know that. we're snowed in right now.i was gonna dig out,but it's still snowing so that..LOL

It is only warm three months of the year? Yuck! I do not think that I could deal with that, since I really enjoy being outside but do not enjoy the cold weather all that much. I guess that I would probably get used to it if I had to, especially since "cold" is a fairly relative term. If you live where it is normally 100 degrees, then it is considered cold when it is 80 degrees. If you live where it is normally 10 degrees, though, then it is a relative heat wave if it is 50 degrees out. I can deal with some cold but too much just makes me want to curl up under a warm blanket and sip hot chocolate. I don't mind the cold as much as the wind, either. It can be cold but still nice. When you add the wind, though, even a relatively warm day can get pretty nippy. During those times I try to find something to do indoors, too, but I really need to do more of the exercising and less of the sitting around. What kind of things do you do, since it is cold most of the year? Do you have snow or just cold weather? Do you belong to a gym or do you exercise indoors, like doing aerobics or yoga or something?

Lol Purple don't because if I was still as active and working the Hours I did before I got this I would not have looked at it that way either but it is the only exercise I can now do within Reason lol One thing you are not is Dumb

Aw, thanks Gabs! I hear you on not being able to exercise and having to think of creative ways to get some sort of exercise without pushing the limits too much. I have been in that situation a couple of times from various injuries, and it is really frustrating. We do what we can, though, and you are entirely right that every little bit counts. It is even better when the exercise we are doing does not seem like exercise, such as walking our fur-babies.

Thanks for the encouragement, Gabs. You know, I do not count the numerous times that I take our animals outside as exercise, but I guess I should. Maybe that is part of the reason why I am toning up more than I expected, because I do not count routine tasks as exercise. Thank you for pointing that out, too, Gabs! Wow, I hadn't really thought about that, but you are right that it is still a workout for us, even though we are doing it for them. Now I feel kind-of dumb.

i'm trying not to get that time of the month, but my body just won't listen to me

Yeah, I was feeling "frisky" the day I wrote this, and I thought the title might be a little scandalous and controversial, which would of course catch people's eye. Good for you on making yourself get up and get outside and walk! I know that it is such a pain to do (at least for me), but I feel so much better after I do it. We went to the mall this weekend to "window shop", which really was just walking around the mall for a couple of hours. It got us out of the house and exercising, because it was too cold to go out that day. The other day we took the little one out to play in the "snow", which was just a light dusting but she had a lot of fun. I did know that in theory you burn more calories in the cold weather. In practice, however, it usually seems to work the other way around, especially when you drink hot chocolate to keep warm. That reminds me, I have been so good lately about not drinking it, but I really need to get some. I think that if you have a little bit once in a while it is better than depriving yourself and then overindulging when you finally get some. Brownie?

Alice, it is also better to exercise during "that time of the month", even though you do not really feel like it, because you burn more calories during that time, too. It has to do with your hormones and everything else your body is doing. You burn more calories just doing nothing during that time, so if you can manage to exercise, then your metabolism is already boosted and you will burn even more than usual.

I do not really like to go to the gym all that much, but I do own my own exercise and weight lifting equipment. In the summertime, though, I much rather workout and exercise outside, as long as the weather permits it. Even if it is too hot to do any walking or other types of aerobic exercises, then it is the perfect weather for swimming and doing laps in the pool. Winter seems to be the time that a lot of people slack off and gain weight. I am not sure whether it is due to laziness (or whatever you want to call it) related to the weather or overeating at the holidays or a combination of the two. I think it is probably a combination for most people, though. That is one of the reasons that I am trying to keep myself motivated this year not fall victim to the "Winter Blues" as my mom would call them, especially since I am getting very close to my goal of getting my body back to the way I want it. If you exercise at a gym, though, then why do you not go there in the winter? Is it because it is too cold and you just don't feel like bothering to go or are you busy with schooling or something? You can do 200 dips continuously?! I am SO jealous of you! I used to be able to do them, push-ups and pull-ups, but now I do not think that I could properly do any of them. I will have to work on that as I get back into lifting weights, but I do not think that I will ever be able to do 200 continuously. I might just have to make that one of my goals, though.

I am glad that you have that equation all worked out, Alice. Now, do you have one for helping us get back to the bodies that we used to have and would like to have back sometime in the very near future?

Oh Forgot about my Mile stone i can do more 200 dips(triceps) continuosly and my triceps are too hard like a rock PA

I know what you mean about myLot being addicting. There have been times where I have said "just give me a minute to finish this one thing up, and then I will be right with you". Half and hour and a couple more posts later, my husband will have to remind me that I was supposed to be off here a while back ... oops. I am glad that you can recognize the things that are a distraction for you, though, and readjust your focus without having to make any changes to your set time-frame. Good luck, and keep me posted on how it is going.

Congratulations on reaching 100 posts and getting a red star! Way to go! It is really great that you have not only set goals but also set a deadline for obtaining them regarding your career. I hope that you are successful in reaching those goals in the time-frame that you have set for yourself. If you do not reach your goal in the set amount of time, though, do not give up. Just adjust your timetable and keep on pushing towards your goal. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope to hear from you again letting me know that you were successful!

thanks purple, thanks for encouraging me. i certainly will, if i can reach my goal on time. but for the mean time mylot is sooo addicting, it takes away some of my focus and time , hehehe just finding an excuse though... thanks, be assured that i will readjust my focus to reach my goal on the set timeline. thanks a lot purple, see you around!

Suddenly I feel like a real baby, LOL.. Thanks, I had a great read.. See you in the lot too..

Zed-baby! I think I am going to start calling you that from now on, if you don't mind. Thank you for the encouragement. I still need to work on my weights, but I have been putting that off lately, again mostly out of laziness. I know that once I start really lifting again, I will not only get back to exactly where I want to be with my body but also I will have more energy and feel better in general. I just need to get that "kick-start" to do it on a more regular basis, so I can start to build the weights back up. Right now I am only curling ten pounds with one arm, which is not really all that bad for the average person, but it basically is where I start when I haven't lifted for a while. I really want to at least get back to twenty-five pounds with one arm, and then I will see if I can work my way back up to the fifty pounds that I used to do. Yes, you are right that I need to start with baby steps and work my way up to giant steps. I know that, but I tend to get impatient and want it all right now - lol! It does not happen like that unless you take steriods, though, and I am definitely not going to do that! Besides, steroids tend to make you pack on the pounds as well as the muscle, and I absolutely do not want that! Just keep talking to me, Zed-baby, and hopefully we can get each other motivated to get back to lifting the weights.

Thanks, Alice.. :D

Thank you so much, Hatley. I hope that I can be an inspiration and help others to attain their goals, because it feels really good not only attaining my own goals but also helping other people to do the same. My sister was heavy, and she had a hard time walking due to her weight and disability, which was part of the reason that she gained weight. It was a vicious cycle. Her and I got together and walked, though, because it was much easier and a lot more fun to do it together, even though she was "holding me back" (her words not mine). I just assured her that I would make up the rest afterwards, and I would rather walk for a little while with her than do the whole thing alone. At first it was just up and down the road, and we did more talking than walking. Eventually, we made it all the way around the block, and she even started to pick up speed and not have to stop and rest as often. It really made a big difference in little things, like she didn't get as tired or winded when she walked from her car to her office and back. So, even if you can only walk up the street and back, Hatley, it will really help you, and I bet that you will feel better not only physically but also emotionally/psychologically, because the exercise releases endorphins, which are the "feel good" hormone.

Purple, I read all you have to say but I think that I need to go back and read it later once I eat, and get this throbbing in my gums to stop! lol! Yes, I did get a job, but while it's not a cubicle job I am more on my butt then off of it throughout the day. I will keep you updated on my progress and hopefully it will keep us both motivated?

How are you doing with the job and with losing weight. I know that you have been very stressed lately, which can either help you to lose a lot of weight or put on a lot of weight. While I hope that your stress level gets back to normal very quickly, I hope that you are at least the kind of person that loses weight when you are stressed, because then at least one good thing will have come from it. Have you been on the Wii lately? I actually have been able to work out with it on a fairly regular basis lately. I was getting very frustrated at first, because my weight kept increasing, even though I kept increasing my workout and burning more calories. I could feel that the exercise was working, though, so I kept with it. Then one day I stepped on the board, and I had lost three and a half pounds - yay!

Actually, your metabolism does not necessarily slow down after 9:00 depending upon what you are doing. The biggest problem with eating at night is that most people do it in addition to everything that they do during the day, which means more calories they have to burn off that usually end up being stored instead of burned. If you take what you normally eat during the day and break it down into smaller portions and spread it out throughout the day, though, then it not only keeps you from feeling hungry during the day but also tends to "kick-start" your metabolism and will cause you to burn more calories rather than storing them, because you are consuming less at one time so your body will burn more of it rather than store it. This will allow you to have a light snack in the evening, if that is what you like to do, and instead of having it be turned into fat and stored it will give your metabolism a boost and get burned as energy, which will not only help you to lose weight faster but also keep you from feeling like you are depriving yourself while you are doing it. The key to the whole process, though, is to not go over whatever your calorie count is for the day. That sounds simple, but it is what trips most people up. Did you get a new job? Congratulations! Working tends to help with weight loss, unless you are confined to sitting on your butt in a cubicle for eight hours straight. Then, it tends to have the other affect on it. Good luck with going back to work, and keep me updated on the exercising and weight loss. We can work together to keep each other motivated.

Oh, that is rough on your body to have children so close in age, especially when your body hasn't had time to get back to its original shape before the second one starts blowing it out of proportion again. I had many years between mine, and my body went back pretty quickly after the first. For my second, though, my body seemed to say "oh, I remember now, I am supposed to get huge and look like a beached whale!". I think I started showing even before the pregnancy test showed positive. Alright, so that might be a slight exaggeration, but that is how it seemed. If your baby is only fifteen weeks old, then you have plenty of time to get back in shape, and you should not be getting discouraged this quickly. I know that is easier said than done, but my little one is two and I am not back to where I want to be, so I can say it. I had complications with my last pregnancy and delivery, though, so that is part of the reason for my slow progress. Also, I think that I am probably harder on myself than other people are on me. I know that the doctor is not concerned about my weight or progress, so I am sure that it isn't as bad as it looks from where I am sitting. That seems to be the case with a lot of women's body images, especially right after childbirth, so you probably look a ton better than you think you do. It sounds like you not only have some good exercises but also have a good variety of exercises and equipment. That will help you burn calories and tone up a lot faster than just doing the same thing over and over, although doing that is definitely better than not exercising at all. Good luck on toning up and losing the baby weight!

Congratulations, Sublime! It is great to be able to get outside and engage in contact sports and physical activity, isn't it? I know that I stopped doing certain things as my oldest grew up and got involved with other things. Then, I met my husband, and he likes to do all the sports and things that my ex-husband thought he was too old to do, so I am back to doing a lot of the things that I used to enjoy doing but did not have anybody to do them with for a while, like playing basketball. It feels really good not only to be able to do those things again but also to have somebody to do them with! Yes, I definitely agree with you - kudos to us!

Wow, that is a really well thought out and informative response, Parminders. I will have to get back to this one when I have more time to respond to it, because you make some wonderful points.

I know that feeling. I love to curl up on the couch when it is rainy and gray out or cold and nasty out. I won't necessarily sleep, although I have been known to nap a time or two, but I will watch television or movies or play video games. Normally, I do not watch television during the day, but I do usually watch it at night. However, in the summer I might not watch it at all, especially if the weather is nice, because there is far too much to do outside to be cooped up in the house all day, and at night by the time it is time to settle down I am just too tired from all the activity to watch it. In the Fall and Winter, though, I sometimes turn into a "couch potato", which I am really trying not to do this year. Do you like working with the trainer at the gym? I have my own weights at home, and I do not like going to the gym. I know people that love going to the gym, though, and they really like the tips and workouts they get from the trainer. Does it seem to be better for you to work with the trainer, and do you like having the support and encouragement of somebody there with you?

Thank you, Madie. I tend to feel sleepy and just want to curl up on the couch when it is cold out or rainy and dreary outside. I know what you mean about your brain still wanting stimulation during these times, though. I think that myLotting is a great way to pass the time, but I also try to mix in some physical activity to break up the day. It is not difficult to do with my little one and fur-babies always wanting attention or needing to tend to "mother nature", etc. If you myLot for a while and then do ten minutes of exercise and do more myLotting and then do ten more minutes of exercise, it will not only help you to take off any extra pounds that you might want to get rid of but also help to break up the time and make it more interesting - or at least that is what I have found, anyway. Good luck with your exercise, and I hope to see you on here having fun!