I have had a really, really stressful week. Anyone who works in the Education system will tell you that the last few weeks of school are incredibly stressful. And so, being that I work in public ed, things at work right now are stressful-with-a-capital-S. (In fact this is why I have hardly blogged at all this month, because May is crazy! And we have another week of school after this one!)
To compound things, my personal life has also been stressful-with-a-capital-S of late. I am not going to go into the whys and wherefores, because it would only be whining, and that is not the point of this post anyhow. But suffice it to say that today and yesterday I have been in as high a state of stress as I typically ever get, and after a pressure-cooker of a morning, I decided to leave the building during lunchtime, just for a change of scenery. Plus, I needed some cash because we have 3 teachers getting married this summer and 4 new babies coming and everyone is collecting gift money right now. So I got in my car and headed for the ATM.
The moment I got behind the wheel, I was struck with a tremendous craving for fat, salt, and sugar. I decided that what I needed - right that minute - was a big greasy double cheeseburger with extra mayo, and a large order of french fries, and a diet soda (fortunately, regular soda is not a weakness of mine). "And after that," I told myself smugly, "I am going to stop at the corner store and buy a bag of double-dipped chocolate covered peanuts for dessert!"
Now don't think for a moment that these thoughts were running through my head unchallenged. One does not embark on a mission to change one's lifestyle without ingraining thoughts in one's head to support said mission, and naturally my rational mind chimed in at once with all sorts of logical and rational reasons why I should not eat a 1000 calorie calorie lunch sprinkled with chocolate covered peanuts! But (and any of you who have dieted can attest to this), the rational voice sounded like this:
"You need to make the right choice, now, Susan, you have worked hard to lose those 60 pounds and the other 60 are not coming off on a diet of cheeseburgers and fries. Remember, it is about choices. You are in control here. You decide what you are going to eat."
and the irrational voice sounded like this:
"I WANT FRENCH FRIES! I NEED CHOCOLATE! I DESERVE IT! I FEEL LIKE CR*P AND THIS WILL FIX IT! AAAARRRGGGHHH!"
And while this debate was roaring in my head I was driving, ever nearer, to the fast food restaurant. And I could feel myself sliding. And I didn't care.
Has this ever happen to you before? I'll bet it has. And who usually wins? Well, the screamer does, of course, because when your emotions are in a high state, it is really hard to ignore the tantruming baby that is our inner child. It's the same reason that you are more likely to snap at your kids or give in to their whining if you are stressed out from work or the family finances. We are emotional creatures, us humans, some more than others, granted; but we are all emotional people, and many of us are emotional eaters. This is why it is really important that you plan ahead how you are going to respond when you are under stress, emotional, and attacked with a craving to eat something you shouldn't - because it is going to happen.
I have several self-reminding techniques that I use to help me in these situations. One technique I have (which works both at home and at work), is to go take a quick 5 - 10 minute walk. The exercise clears my head and has the added bonus of raising endorphins, which helps combat the emotional high tide. Another thing I do (at home) is go to my bathroom and read my mirror (see my March 4th post for the why). Sometimes I have to stand there a long time talking sense to myself. I have spoken with others who use techniques like drinking a big bottle of water, calling a friend for support, etc. It's good to have an arsenal of ideas handy.
There are two techniques that I used in the car today, and both of them are good ones that usually work. First of all, I turned on my radio to the Christian music station. A really good song was playing called "Voice of Truth," and since I know the song I started signing with it, and within a minute my mental state started to turn around. (I find that often if I turn on the radio or punch up my CD player, the right song for the moment will be on. I do not call this coincidence, I call this the Grace of God.) The second thing I did was hook my fingers under the waistband of my pants and tug a little. This a physical cue that works well for me, because it reminds me either that my pants are getting looser, or that I am in a smaller size pants than I used to be. Today I am wearing my black jeans which are actually a little bit loose, and when i tugged on them I said out loud, "If you eat that lunch these jeans are going to be snug all afternoon!"
About that time I reached the drive-in menu, and if I had reached it 2 minutes earlier I am quite sure that I would be writing this blog entry with my pants unsnapped, but fortunately I had regained my sanity by then, and I ordered one of those yummy salads with the grilled chicken on top, instead. It was not because my willpower came through, either, because willpower is no good at all when your stress level is through the roof. It was because I have methods in place to deal with these situations, and however silly they may seem, they work more often than they don't! Try it out - and maybe the next emotional storm that hits you won't capsize your dieting boat.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
But I don’t have Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime to Exercise!
Now that we have dealt with the issue of hatred, let’s talk about the other top excuse for not exercising: time.
When I started my Walking club at work, I recruited hard. I sent emails, I printed posters and hung them inside the stalls of the bathrooms, I hyped it up! And still only a handful of people joined up. Another handful of people assured me (repeatedly) that “Oh, I want to join your walking club, BUT…” Almost always the “but” was followed by one version or another of “I don’t have time.”
Time. Probably the most valuable thing we have control over, and anyone can tell you, we have a lot less of it “these days.” Even though the earth still hurtles around the sun at the same speed it always has, and the planet still spins at the same rate (around 1000 mph, for the curious) ensuring us the same old 24-hour days, we have a lot less time than Laura Ingalls did when she was living in that little house. Right?
It seems oxymoronic, really, if you think about it. A modern washing machine does a load of clothes in about 15…20 minutes? Maybe it would take Laura all day to get the same amount of laundry as clean as the Whirlpool in your utility room does in less than an hour. But keep in mind that you have a heck of a lot more clothes than she did, and you usually only wear them one time before you wash them! The average prairie girl had one good Sunday dress and maybe 3 or 4 everyday dresses, and she wore them multiple times before washing them (no wonder they were always getting fussed at not to get dirty or tear their clothes!) If you owned only a week’s worth of outfits, laundry would not take very long, now, would it?
As we have created more and more “convenience” with Technology, we have also complicated our lives to match, negating any potentially saved time the device would supply. How many times have you wasted an entire afternoon waiting for a plumber, or a refrigerator repair man? Laura’s mom never had to do that. I spent 45 minutes on the phone last night with the Dish Network support person, because we are having signal problems with our satellite TV. I’ll bet Laura never had to waste an hour of her life on the phone with a jumprope support technician! The point is, we do have less time today, but it’s really (if you think about it) our own faults!
Anyhow, back to the topic of exercise. I still struggle with “finding time” to exercise. Should I do it in the morning – which means getting up earlier, which means going to bed earlier, which shaves time off my evening? Or do I do it after work – which means that window between work and sundown gets really small? How about the evening, just before bed? That’s tough too, because that is the time of day I least feel like doing it! No matter when I do it, I have to include time for warm-up, cool-down, stretching, and a shower afterwards, so count on an hour at least, and that does not include travel time if I am going somewhere to exercise, such as a gym.
It’s tough. I’ll admit it’s tough, but see, here is the thing (and I think if you will be honest with yourself, you will detect the ring of truth here): You find time in your life for everything that is important to you.
Disclaimer: we all go through seasons in our lives when, because of circumstances beyond our control, such as a catastrophic illness, accident, or crisis, our time is co-opted and the above statement is not true. But I submit that in general, we manage to find time for what matters to us.
Take me, for example. When I started to weave exercise into the fabric of my life, at first, I found that it was really hard to squeeze it in. Even though I was motivated to do it! Work ended at 4:00, so I would do my walking from 4:15 to 4:45, then travel home, be home around 5:00, shower and change, and start immediately on dinner & the day’s laundry. By the time that was finished the sun was dipping. After several weeks of this I started feeling the stress of “losing” 3 – 5 hours a week to exercise, and the LVIMH started whining again: “I don’t have tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime to exercise! I have too many other things to doooooooo!”
So I stopped exercising, right? Well, no, but a lot of people do exactly that! Instead, I decided to take a good look at where my time (the rest of it) was going, and I discovered something rather alarming! Ok, confession time, and this is embarrassing: When I really examined the situation, I discovered that I was watching about 4 hours of TV a day. Usually more on the weekends. 30 – 40 hours of TV a week! Almost as much time as I was working! ACK! Now granted, I got other things done while watching TV – folding laundry, paying bills, answering email (sheesh, that alone will eat up a few hours in no time, huh?), but still! Way too much “boob tube,” and it had crept up on me! So I sat down with my DVR remote (I love the freedom DVR gives you to watch when it is convenient, but I am telling you, I tend to watch a lot more TV now that I can record than I did before the DVR) and I deleted about half of my timers. It was a little painful, but really – but seriously, do I need to watch old reruns of Judge Judy and Pet Star? I cut my TV time in half, and suddenly guess what? I had a lot more time! Not only for exercise, but for other important stuff, too.
I know this may seem simplistic to some of you, and maybe TV is not your struggle, but take a good look at what you give your time to. Keep a journal for 2 weeks of what you do with your time and maybe you will be surprised. I was.
You find time for what is important to you. Make exercise important, and surprisingly, you will find that you DO have time to exercise, after all!
When I started my Walking club at work, I recruited hard. I sent emails, I printed posters and hung them inside the stalls of the bathrooms, I hyped it up! And still only a handful of people joined up. Another handful of people assured me (repeatedly) that “Oh, I want to join your walking club, BUT…” Almost always the “but” was followed by one version or another of “I don’t have time.”
Time. Probably the most valuable thing we have control over, and anyone can tell you, we have a lot less of it “these days.” Even though the earth still hurtles around the sun at the same speed it always has, and the planet still spins at the same rate (around 1000 mph, for the curious) ensuring us the same old 24-hour days, we have a lot less time than Laura Ingalls did when she was living in that little house. Right?
It seems oxymoronic, really, if you think about it. A modern washing machine does a load of clothes in about 15…20 minutes? Maybe it would take Laura all day to get the same amount of laundry as clean as the Whirlpool in your utility room does in less than an hour. But keep in mind that you have a heck of a lot more clothes than she did, and you usually only wear them one time before you wash them! The average prairie girl had one good Sunday dress and maybe 3 or 4 everyday dresses, and she wore them multiple times before washing them (no wonder they were always getting fussed at not to get dirty or tear their clothes!) If you owned only a week’s worth of outfits, laundry would not take very long, now, would it?
As we have created more and more “convenience” with Technology, we have also complicated our lives to match, negating any potentially saved time the device would supply. How many times have you wasted an entire afternoon waiting for a plumber, or a refrigerator repair man? Laura’s mom never had to do that. I spent 45 minutes on the phone last night with the Dish Network support person, because we are having signal problems with our satellite TV. I’ll bet Laura never had to waste an hour of her life on the phone with a jumprope support technician! The point is, we do have less time today, but it’s really (if you think about it) our own faults!
Anyhow, back to the topic of exercise. I still struggle with “finding time” to exercise. Should I do it in the morning – which means getting up earlier, which means going to bed earlier, which shaves time off my evening? Or do I do it after work – which means that window between work and sundown gets really small? How about the evening, just before bed? That’s tough too, because that is the time of day I least feel like doing it! No matter when I do it, I have to include time for warm-up, cool-down, stretching, and a shower afterwards, so count on an hour at least, and that does not include travel time if I am going somewhere to exercise, such as a gym.
It’s tough. I’ll admit it’s tough, but see, here is the thing (and I think if you will be honest with yourself, you will detect the ring of truth here): You find time in your life for everything that is important to you.
Disclaimer: we all go through seasons in our lives when, because of circumstances beyond our control, such as a catastrophic illness, accident, or crisis, our time is co-opted and the above statement is not true. But I submit that in general, we manage to find time for what matters to us.
Take me, for example. When I started to weave exercise into the fabric of my life, at first, I found that it was really hard to squeeze it in. Even though I was motivated to do it! Work ended at 4:00, so I would do my walking from 4:15 to 4:45, then travel home, be home around 5:00, shower and change, and start immediately on dinner & the day’s laundry. By the time that was finished the sun was dipping. After several weeks of this I started feeling the stress of “losing” 3 – 5 hours a week to exercise, and the LVIMH started whining again: “I don’t have tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime to exercise! I have too many other things to doooooooo!”
So I stopped exercising, right? Well, no, but a lot of people do exactly that! Instead, I decided to take a good look at where my time (the rest of it) was going, and I discovered something rather alarming! Ok, confession time, and this is embarrassing: When I really examined the situation, I discovered that I was watching about 4 hours of TV a day. Usually more on the weekends. 30 – 40 hours of TV a week! Almost as much time as I was working! ACK! Now granted, I got other things done while watching TV – folding laundry, paying bills, answering email (sheesh, that alone will eat up a few hours in no time, huh?), but still! Way too much “boob tube,” and it had crept up on me! So I sat down with my DVR remote (I love the freedom DVR gives you to watch when it is convenient, but I am telling you, I tend to watch a lot more TV now that I can record than I did before the DVR) and I deleted about half of my timers. It was a little painful, but really – but seriously, do I need to watch old reruns of Judge Judy and Pet Star? I cut my TV time in half, and suddenly guess what? I had a lot more time! Not only for exercise, but for other important stuff, too.
I know this may seem simplistic to some of you, and maybe TV is not your struggle, but take a good look at what you give your time to. Keep a journal for 2 weeks of what you do with your time and maybe you will be surprised. I was.
You find time for what is important to you. Make exercise important, and surprisingly, you will find that you DO have time to exercise, after all!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Learning to Like Exercise, part 2
About the same time I started my walking club, I discovered DDR.
DDR, for those of you older than 20, is Dance, Dance Revolution, and fundamentally it is a video game where you dance. Go to YouTube and put DDR in the search engine to see it in action.
Stop laughing, because I know that you know where this is going.
I first saw people doing DDR at an arcade and it looked like fun, but there was no way on God’s green earth I was going to get up there and jiggle my fat rump in front of a room full of teenagers. No way. I wanted to try it, so badly, but I simply never had an opportunity where I would not be performing in front of others. Then one day I was in Fry’s and I saw a kid doing DDR. Turns out she was doing it on a Playstation (Playstation 2, I think). Intrigued, I looked online that night to see if they made a Playstation 1 version, since that is the only gaming console we own, and what do you know? They not only made it for Playstation 1, it was also cheap, because as you probably know, Playstation 1 is “totally old and outdated, man!” I found a used copy of the game and a cheap DDR mat, both on Amazon, and I was in business.
The thing about DDR is: it’s really fun! Kind of like aerobics was fun when I was a freshman in college in the 80’s, and young, and in pretty good shape, but even more so because no one is watching me jiggle. My husband has been known to point and laugh from time to time, but I just say something sweetly sarcastic like, “At least I am getting some exercise. Don’t you want me to be healthy and lose weight, daaarling?” which usually shuts him up.
When I am doing DDR (basic level, because I am in it for the exercise, not for the dance skills) I get really sweaty, and I don’t even mind! Plus, it goes fast – 30 minutes is usually my goal, and it’s not tedious. Sometimes I wish I could have different music (I never was a clubber), and the graphics are seriously garish and annoying (avoid if you are epileptic!), but on the whole I really like it; which surprises me, because, after all, I hate exercise, right? At least, that’s what LVIMH says. Except, oh yeah, she’s a liar!
In addition to burning calories, DDR is great for balance and coordination, rhythm, and mood elevation. You really should try it. I think my total investment (since I have a PS1) was about $25.
Here’s another interesting tidbit about DDR: They have actually developed a version which is being marketed to schools! Check it out! Some of the schools in my district have already purchased these, and as you might expect, the kids LOVE IT! They are using it primarily for math right now, although you can use it for any subject. It comes with some “stock” sets of questions, but it is programmable by the teacher, so you can put in questions with single digit answers, or, for older kids, multiple digit answers (they have to step on more than one pad in succession). This is so cutting edge that when the representative came out to demo it to us, he begged for our suggestions since they are still developing the product and improving it.
This is just one of several new technologies being marketed to parents and schools that teach kids while getting them moving. Nintendo is already marketing the Wii to schools as a way to get kids interested in being more active, and check out the Wii Fit – wow! Even little kids can be active while learning – one example is the Fisher Price Smart Cycle, targeted at the under-5 set and priced at just about $100. The education world has known about kinesthetic learning for years, so that’s part of the pull, but even more compelling is the rising obesity rate among kids.
Hopefully we are seeing a trend away from the couch-potato culture, towards more active kids (and adults)! Technology had a big role in making us fat, it’s only right that they participate in making us thin again!
DDR, for those of you older than 20, is Dance, Dance Revolution, and fundamentally it is a video game where you dance. Go to YouTube and put DDR in the search engine to see it in action.
Stop laughing, because I know that you know where this is going.
I first saw people doing DDR at an arcade and it looked like fun, but there was no way on God’s green earth I was going to get up there and jiggle my fat rump in front of a room full of teenagers. No way. I wanted to try it, so badly, but I simply never had an opportunity where I would not be performing in front of others. Then one day I was in Fry’s and I saw a kid doing DDR. Turns out she was doing it on a Playstation (Playstation 2, I think). Intrigued, I looked online that night to see if they made a Playstation 1 version, since that is the only gaming console we own, and what do you know? They not only made it for Playstation 1, it was also cheap, because as you probably know, Playstation 1 is “totally old and outdated, man!” I found a used copy of the game and a cheap DDR mat, both on Amazon, and I was in business.
The thing about DDR is: it’s really fun! Kind of like aerobics was fun when I was a freshman in college in the 80’s, and young, and in pretty good shape, but even more so because no one is watching me jiggle. My husband has been known to point and laugh from time to time, but I just say something sweetly sarcastic like, “At least I am getting some exercise. Don’t you want me to be healthy and lose weight, daaarling?” which usually shuts him up.
When I am doing DDR (basic level, because I am in it for the exercise, not for the dance skills) I get really sweaty, and I don’t even mind! Plus, it goes fast – 30 minutes is usually my goal, and it’s not tedious. Sometimes I wish I could have different music (I never was a clubber), and the graphics are seriously garish and annoying (avoid if you are epileptic!), but on the whole I really like it; which surprises me, because, after all, I hate exercise, right? At least, that’s what LVIMH says. Except, oh yeah, she’s a liar!
In addition to burning calories, DDR is great for balance and coordination, rhythm, and mood elevation. You really should try it. I think my total investment (since I have a PS1) was about $25.
Here’s another interesting tidbit about DDR: They have actually developed a version which is being marketed to schools! Check it out! Some of the schools in my district have already purchased these, and as you might expect, the kids LOVE IT! They are using it primarily for math right now, although you can use it for any subject. It comes with some “stock” sets of questions, but it is programmable by the teacher, so you can put in questions with single digit answers, or, for older kids, multiple digit answers (they have to step on more than one pad in succession). This is so cutting edge that when the representative came out to demo it to us, he begged for our suggestions since they are still developing the product and improving it.
This is just one of several new technologies being marketed to parents and schools that teach kids while getting them moving. Nintendo is already marketing the Wii to schools as a way to get kids interested in being more active, and check out the Wii Fit – wow! Even little kids can be active while learning – one example is the Fisher Price Smart Cycle, targeted at the under-5 set and priced at just about $100. The education world has known about kinesthetic learning for years, so that’s part of the pull, but even more compelling is the rising obesity rate among kids.
Hopefully we are seeing a trend away from the couch-potato culture, towards more active kids (and adults)! Technology had a big role in making us fat, it’s only right that they participate in making us thin again!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Learning to Like Exercise
So once I determined that I was going to learn to love exercise, I needed to find out what sorts of exercise I could tolerate. Because there are some kinds of exercise that I just can’t, or won’t do right now. For example:
Swimming – I really love swimming, but there is the whole chlorine issue. I have longish blondish fine-stranded hair, and chlorine is really hard on it. If I do swim, I need a double shampoo and a good conditioner afterwards, or my hair starts to rebel. Very time consuming if you are trying to swim 3 - 5 times a week for exercise! Also there is no place near me where I can swim for free.
Running – Are you kidding me? If I could make it more than 1/2 a block, I would knock myself out cold (it’ll come to you, give it a second), although a friend recently told me that wearing two bras helps a lot. Sometimes I tell myself that I will be able to run one day. I hope it is so, but for now it’s just not going to happen.
The Gym – I lump all of this together (weights at the gym, machines at the gym, classes at the gym) because in a nutshell the gym costs money. And at this stage in our lives, my husband and I do not have the money to invest in gym membership. In the past when we (or I) have joined gyms, we would go for awhile, then stop going, which is effectively throwing our money down the drain. My thought is, if I won’t exercise for free, what makes me think I will exercise when I am paying to do so?
Curves – counts in the gym category above, but add to Curves that it is a “social workout” and I do NOT like to exercise socially. The last thing I want when I am sweating and jiggling is to watch and be watched by, talk and be talked to by other people, usually complete strangers!
Competitive Sports – HA! I stink at competitive sports. I don’t play them, I don’t even watch them! No thank you!
And so on…
So I decided to start with walking. Walking is free, easy, and you can do it anywhere. I started a walking club at my workplace and started walking after work 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Sometimes other would walk with me, but most of the time I walked by myself. And I was ok with that, although walking with someone else seems to make it go faster. I downloaded some music of appropriate pace (here’s one good place to do that), and logged how long and how far I walked each day. A great way to hold yourself accountable is to place yourself in a position of responsibility. In my case, I created contests at work, and since I was the one “in charge” of the walking club, I had to keep it up myself!
When the weather was nice (here in Texas it is usually too hot, too humid, or raining), I would walk around my neighborhood. MapMyRun.com proved really helpful for keeping track of how far I was going and how fast I was walking.
And the pounds started to fall off. Now, keep in mind, I was also tracking my food and watching my diet, but the walking really made a difference. And I didn’t hate it! And some days, yes, I know this is shocking…some days I actually enjoyed it!
I also bought a bicycle, but it has turned out I don’t use it as much as I thought I would. I don’t feel like I am getting as much benefit from it, and the tires seem to run out of air often. Not sure if that is a reflection on the quality of the tires or on my excessive girth!
Now that it has started getting hotter, I do a lot of my walking indoors, with Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds DVDs. If you can handle a little cheesiness, I highly recommend these DVD’s. They start off really easy (which I needed!) and they include some upper body muscle work (optional) which is something you normally don’t get from just walking around the neighborhood. I own several of these DVD’s now, and I really love them.
Sooooooooo, If you are like me, and the little voice in your head insists that you hate exercise, walking is a great place to begin. Walking is incredibly good for you, low-impact, and costs nothing other than time. Even 15 minutes a day makes a difference!
p.s. (here are a couple of excellent articles on the benefits of walking: One Two )
Swimming – I really love swimming, but there is the whole chlorine issue. I have longish blondish fine-stranded hair, and chlorine is really hard on it. If I do swim, I need a double shampoo and a good conditioner afterwards, or my hair starts to rebel. Very time consuming if you are trying to swim 3 - 5 times a week for exercise! Also there is no place near me where I can swim for free.
Running – Are you kidding me? If I could make it more than 1/2 a block, I would knock myself out cold (it’ll come to you, give it a second), although a friend recently told me that wearing two bras helps a lot. Sometimes I tell myself that I will be able to run one day. I hope it is so, but for now it’s just not going to happen.
The Gym – I lump all of this together (weights at the gym, machines at the gym, classes at the gym) because in a nutshell the gym costs money. And at this stage in our lives, my husband and I do not have the money to invest in gym membership. In the past when we (or I) have joined gyms, we would go for awhile, then stop going, which is effectively throwing our money down the drain. My thought is, if I won’t exercise for free, what makes me think I will exercise when I am paying to do so?
Curves – counts in the gym category above, but add to Curves that it is a “social workout” and I do NOT like to exercise socially. The last thing I want when I am sweating and jiggling is to watch and be watched by, talk and be talked to by other people, usually complete strangers!
Competitive Sports – HA! I stink at competitive sports. I don’t play them, I don’t even watch them! No thank you!
And so on…
So I decided to start with walking. Walking is free, easy, and you can do it anywhere. I started a walking club at my workplace and started walking after work 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Sometimes other would walk with me, but most of the time I walked by myself. And I was ok with that, although walking with someone else seems to make it go faster. I downloaded some music of appropriate pace (here’s one good place to do that), and logged how long and how far I walked each day. A great way to hold yourself accountable is to place yourself in a position of responsibility. In my case, I created contests at work, and since I was the one “in charge” of the walking club, I had to keep it up myself!
When the weather was nice (here in Texas it is usually too hot, too humid, or raining), I would walk around my neighborhood. MapMyRun.com proved really helpful for keeping track of how far I was going and how fast I was walking.
And the pounds started to fall off. Now, keep in mind, I was also tracking my food and watching my diet, but the walking really made a difference. And I didn’t hate it! And some days, yes, I know this is shocking…some days I actually enjoyed it!
I also bought a bicycle, but it has turned out I don’t use it as much as I thought I would. I don’t feel like I am getting as much benefit from it, and the tires seem to run out of air often. Not sure if that is a reflection on the quality of the tires or on my excessive girth!
Now that it has started getting hotter, I do a lot of my walking indoors, with Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds DVDs. If you can handle a little cheesiness, I highly recommend these DVD’s. They start off really easy (which I needed!) and they include some upper body muscle work (optional) which is something you normally don’t get from just walking around the neighborhood. I own several of these DVD’s now, and I really love them.
Sooooooooo, If you are like me, and the little voice in your head insists that you hate exercise, walking is a great place to begin. Walking is incredibly good for you, low-impact, and costs nothing other than time. Even 15 minutes a day makes a difference!
p.s. (here are a couple of excellent articles on the benefits of walking: One Two )
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