There is that saying that you have to lose something to gain something. Sacrifice is required. You must spend money to make money. It seems this applies in weight loss as well.
This semester I began with dance aerobics/Zumba twice per week. I felt great during the week but missed it tremendously between Thursday and Tuesday. A friend at work had been doing weight training last semester and offered to help me get started. So Monday and Wednesday is 10 minutes of cardio warm-up, 20-30 minutes of circuit training on various machines and 100 situps on the balance ball.
Last Saturday I added the newest element, horseback riding lessons. I rode long enough to bruise my inner thighs and ignite my enthusiasm.
A man I work with greeted me the other day by saying I needed to stop losing weight. It's true; I feel amazing and even "svelte," as another friend calls me. That is, until I ask my body to really do things, to truly engage. I walked over the weekend for 2 or 3 miles up and down some small hills but I had to stop a couple of times. Of course the same walk a year or two ago would have been as stop-start as a teenager in a stick shift. Back then I was proud of myself just for trying. But now it annoys me.
My expectations have risen. I expect to be able to do things. I plan to hike Mt. Katahdin this fall and that will be an elevation gain of 3,000-4,000 feet in 7 miles or so and this will be up and back in one day.
After my lesson on Saturday I realized I have been on a plateau not only of weight loss, but of effort in general. I was complacent, happy with where I was. Well, I've enjoyed it and now it is time to climb the next set of stairs.
There are new muscles in there. I can feel them. They are tight and sore. The scale agrees. Instead of losing weight, I'm gaining. But my body feels good. I can feel the minute changes under the skin. All in all, I'm willing to gain. That muscle will do double-duty for me and best of all, I'll be able to do things!
This semester I began with dance aerobics/Zumba twice per week. I felt great during the week but missed it tremendously between Thursday and Tuesday. A friend at work had been doing weight training last semester and offered to help me get started. So Monday and Wednesday is 10 minutes of cardio warm-up, 20-30 minutes of circuit training on various machines and 100 situps on the balance ball.
Last Saturday I added the newest element, horseback riding lessons. I rode long enough to bruise my inner thighs and ignite my enthusiasm.
A man I work with greeted me the other day by saying I needed to stop losing weight. It's true; I feel amazing and even "svelte," as another friend calls me. That is, until I ask my body to really do things, to truly engage. I walked over the weekend for 2 or 3 miles up and down some small hills but I had to stop a couple of times. Of course the same walk a year or two ago would have been as stop-start as a teenager in a stick shift. Back then I was proud of myself just for trying. But now it annoys me.
My expectations have risen. I expect to be able to do things. I plan to hike Mt. Katahdin this fall and that will be an elevation gain of 3,000-4,000 feet in 7 miles or so and this will be up and back in one day.
After my lesson on Saturday I realized I have been on a plateau not only of weight loss, but of effort in general. I was complacent, happy with where I was. Well, I've enjoyed it and now it is time to climb the next set of stairs.
There are new muscles in there. I can feel them. They are tight and sore. The scale agrees. Instead of losing weight, I'm gaining. But my body feels good. I can feel the minute changes under the skin. All in all, I'm willing to gain. That muscle will do double-duty for me and best of all, I'll be able to do things!
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