365 Days of Exercise - Days 17-23

I knew I should have popped in here and logged my walks. Happy to say, though, that I have kept up. Even though I've been on vacation, I got in my daily walks, for the most part 20 minute ones. I think I only used up 1 10min walk during my blogging-absence. One night, after cocktails and munchies with friends, at 12am, I still fit in my walk. At my son's sports game - while I waited, I walked.

It is starting to be ingrained into my brain. Twenty-four days in, I would hope so.

I've also kept up on my daily Bible readings. It is a day-by day effort and right now I'm just trying to manage the bare minimums. Walking, reading.

I haven't thrown in anything about my eating. It has not been on task, either. In fact, in weighing myself today I hit over 300. No big surprise, since my pants all feel tight and I feel like a bloated calf. It is a little disturbing to me, though. Increasing my movement, while eating in the same manner as normal, actually made me GAIN WEIGHT.

It makes no sense.

I'm quite accustomed to my body making absolutely no sense at all. Seriously, I am. According to the doctor, I quite possibly also have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome--or not. Maybe I'm just a chunky-butt who has a hard time losing weight, and in aging has even a harder time?

Either way, I'm almost at the end of August and I really don't intend on finishing it out fatter than I started, while walking my butt off EVERY FREAKING DAY OF THE MONTH. If you can hear my frustration, it is because it is tangible.

Sometimes I feel like someone has a boot on my back, while I'm lying face-down in the dirt.

365 Days of Exercise - Day 16

11 minutes, walking in place
10 (or more) minutes of vicious weed-pulling gardening (intentional)

__________

Today my readings talked about the sovereignty of God, saying to reflect on the times in life when it felt like God had lost control, and to instead insert that God was completely in control and was there.

365 Days of Exercise - Day 15

Had to force my walk today.

It is amazing how much you can fall into a routine, when you do it daily. The majority of this month I've walked with my husband, my walking partner. After our late family dinners, we'd set off for a 9:00 or even 10:00 walk (sometimes later), in the dark, along quiet streets. We'd talk.

Digression, here, but generally I won't exercise at night; it keeps me up. However, our walks don't keep me up too terribly, but what they seem to do is curtail my indigestion.

With the husband working more hours, he has not been home lately for the nightly walks, which throws me off, even if it has been a routine only as of late.

With the heat, I don't enjoy or partake in a hot, steamy mid-day walk under the sun. And with the affliction of not being a morning person, I'm not an early-rising exerciser, either. I suppose I could haul over to the gym, seeing as I am paying for a membership and all, but time has not really permitted that either.

So last night, I really felt I needed to actually walk my 20 minutes and not resort to a 10 minute one. I waited until after 8pm, when the sun was going down, the bugs were vicious. And I set off on our path. With my husband on the phone. Which was actually nice. We were still able to "talk and walk" together, some of the way. I kept a good, healthy clip and felt better about getting out and pounding the pavement.

I don't think I will have lost any weight this week, however, but this first month I'm really just concentrating on the motion/movement/discipline part of intentional body-movement each and every day. Slow and steady.

365 Days of Exercise - Day 14

Today was a 10 minute day, walking in place. Busy (busy) day between work, shopping, meeting, finding out we were having a sleepover (surprise!!!), having to take young boys grocery shopping with me, feeding them pizza, keeping my sanity. You know, one of THOSE days. So, at the end of the day, I read and walked in place. At least I remembered.

365 Days of Exercise - Day 13

Today we went on a family trip and did a TON of walking. It was window-shopping kind of walking, but a lot of it nonetheless. Enough that I think I can consider it my walk for the day.

We had a good time, but I ate more calories than I exerted for sure. Regardless, I kept my path.

365 Days of Exercise - Day 12

It is actually the 16th, but I'm going back to journal the past few days. I shouldn't do that, because the mind is now blurry. Though I know I've held up with my daily walk/exercise, I can't remember what I did on Wednesday.

I think it was my regular 20 min. walk.

365 Days of Exercise - Day 11

Is it really Day 11 right now?!! Wow. I guess so.

Today I took the kids to their sports practice and while I was there I walked between the fields, back and forth. Just one 5-minute jaunt had me roasting and my back was dripping with sweat.

You don't know how BAD I wanted to count that as my 10min. of exercise and call it a day. Like, really, SO bad.

Tonight around 9pm, though, I took myself out, figuring I'd do half the route I normally walk, which would take me 10minutes and then I could add the 10 from earlier and the 10 from my half-walk and I'd have 20. Are you following me?

Miracles happen, and not only did I walk my 10 half-walk, but my husband joined me and we were so deep into conversation that we finished the 20 as well. So, I did about 30 minutes (more, really!!!) today. Go me. Reach for the stars, baby.

365 Days of Exercise - Day 10

I went. For a walk. No, I did not want to. It is hot, humid, grouse. It was very hard to pull myself out of the air conditioning and hit the pavement, knowing I'd sweat up my clothes.

I took my son with me and we walked, at quite a clip. I just wanted to get done. I enjoyed the time with him, though, and appreciate he came with me.

As we went in through the garage I felt a whoosh of cool air hit my ankles, thighs, chest, neck and face. It felt. So. Good.

I was glad I did it. Twenty minutes, not much of a sacrifice, really. And though it isn't always convenient, today I was able to do it. Praise God.

365 Days of Exercixe - Day 8

Ocho dia. Vamos caminar. Veinte minutos.
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It was too hot for any sane-minded person to want to be in the outdoors, but there sure were plenty regardless. I went for a walk with Papi, same route we usually take. We didn't see our acquaintances, the Jogging Man and Walking Wife. In fact, we saw no one. Possibly because we were walking at 10:30pm on a warm, muggy night; humidity so thick it was like walking through mist.

365 Days of Exercise - Day 7

Long day, forgot to exercise -- until 2am. (I'm post-publishing for my day 7, you might notice me doing that).

Realizing my error, I grabbed my book and walked in place for 12 minutes. Worked for me.

Made it to my first goal: 1 week of obedience and discipline in my 365 day walk. I did it.

365 Days of Exercise - Day 6

Walked. 20 minutes. Nothing fabulous or spectacular. Doing the deed.

But, an "acquaintance" couple of ours has been out walking as well. Wife and husband. The husband runs laps, and she walks. He runs around and around the block, making sure she doesn't get attacked, mugged, whatever. And my husband and I walk together while I mostly complain and he (bless his heart) listens. I don't complain about walking. I complain more about everything else. I'm stressed, I'm mad, I'm frustrated, I'm confused, I'm scared. Same crap he's heard a million times. It's amazing he hasn't decided to just walk and continue walking and not look back. Or push me off the curb.

_______

It's a rainy day out today, so I'm not sure how this whole walking thing is going to go. I suppose I could go to the gym, but we both know THAT will not happen.

_______

I've been stressing about a situation that could be good, or could turn sour. A... business adventure, have you. I could stand to take on a substantial amount of new clients from another business that is retiring; closing. These clients are, right now, using my services in anticipation of "another business" closing, however, they are still hoping that someone from the "another business" starts up and they are able to (why can't I think of the word you use when you... not solicit, no... you use their service -- tip of my brain, can't think, uh... patronize!!?) patronize this ex-employee's business.

Well. I'm hoping these clients stick around and continue to use my services. And I've been milling over what I can do to keep them as clients.

So I'm reading Day 7 in my daily walk book and it is talking about God's promise to Abram, and how God told him that he and Sarai would have a kid. Since it doesn't happen, like yesterday, Abram just HAS to (listen to his silly wife's idea) take matters into his own hands and goes and gets a servant girl pregnant, which didn't really go over to well in the Abram house, even though it was Sarai's lovely idea in the first place. Women.

Anyway, somewhere in reading this, I'm thinking that my hair brained ideas (not unlike Sarai and hers) for keeping clients are probably not the best ones. Some of the ideas that have crossed my mind aren't really in line with the integrity intended when I founded my business. And though I'm heavily tempted to grovel, gossip, or use other means to drum up my own business to maintain this clientele, God might just be telling me to BE PATIENT. Continue doing what I'm doing by providing my service, upholding the values in which it was founded, and see where simple and transparent honesty, kindness and a clean way of doing business leads. NOT having to feel that constant control, and if I can just do this, this AND this, things will work out peachy, and darn it if I'm not doing it my way and doing it now!!!

This sort of control goes strictly against the grain of my earthy body. But that's the point.

365 Days of Exercise Day 4

Whelp. I did it. Day 4. Contemplated cashing in on a 10min. quickie, but did the whole thing.

20 min. walk, including a hill

How are you doing? Is there anyone out there anymore? I need some links to blogs that are actually updated.

365 Days of Exercize - Day 3

20 minute walk

Nothing fancy, same mindless route I always take when I'm down to doing business. I SO wanted to cash in on one of my 10min. sessions, but didn't. It was SUPER humid, SUPER hot, SUPER grouse. I should NOT have been sweating, but I was and profusely. I felt like I was wearing full-body armor in the sweltering desert.

But I survived.

My Worst Enemy

I now am on Twitter. Who isn't? We'll see if I use it.

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Also, I'm feeling the least motivated I have in a long time. I'm also feeling very, largely fat. And sluggish. I'm not sure what to attribute that to. Could be my period. Could just be the resolution that I am going to spiral into a 500 pound mass of skin and fat that never leaves the house unless aided by a scooter.

What happened? What is happening to me? I'm sure people look at me and see a loss of self-control, probably something dirty. I see people looking at my flabby flop of a belly, too, more than I used to now that it is hanging down like dirty laundry. I hate it. I don't like my body. I can't stand it, sometimes, feeling trapped - claustrophobic - in my pounds of fat.

But, coupled with that, I'm also feeling resigned and scared. I think I'm scared to lose weight, lose what I've become and who I am. Talk about being a bipolar mess -

Oh.

Hmm. OK.

Lightbulb moment. Yeah sure, I'm a bipolar mess, but I think I know where my balls went. They cozied up to a dastardly beast called STRESS.

I can pretty much peg my descend into having a belly that droops like baby in a sling, and a weight-gain of 20 pounds - it happened this past year. The most STRESSFUL time I've had in my entire life. Like being attacked from all sides, to the point where I think I'm lucky I only abuse alcohol instead of consider it my life-blood.

Yeah, stress. I should be incapacitated by booze or my own girth, at this point, but since I gained 20 pounds and am pressing buttons on my wardrobe, I trip it up in my mind that I have failed and that I'm one cracker away from a scooter and a nurse cleaning between my folds.

Wow. What a wussy I am, sometimes. Seriously. Instead of focusing on what I've held together, I let the light shine on how I've fallen apart.

As cliche as it is, I'm my own worst enemy. My mind and the tricks I let it play.

Ephesians 6:12

12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
I need to armor-up more, and not be defeated so easily.

365 Days of Exercize - Day 2

Ooops!!

I did it again.

And better than Brittany, though, since I didn't lose my dignity.

Went for a walk today, about 20 minutes, moderate walk. Not a "workout" but a heart-health pace.

I didn't really go over my "condition" (I like quotations, don't you? - These are all airquotes, too, for fun.) of this experiment, but bare minimum I need to do 10min. of exercise a day. And I'll only give myself a 10min. workout pass twice a week. That should do me for days where things are crazy busy or I don't feel like it. Unless I'm puking up my toenails, I should be able to manage 10min. of intentional movement.

Shouldn't we all?

By the way, before my walk I was literally (LITERALLY) half-asleep. My brain had already started to fizz out, checking out, really. My body wanted to crawl under some cool covers and say "nigh-nigh" - but I didn't let it, and I made it through Day 2. Raise the roof.

365 Days of Exercize - Day 1

Yes. This is what I've turned into. Challenging myself to 365 days of exercise. Walking, biking, treadmill, stationary bike - whatever. But managing to do it daily, every day, for one year.

Starting August 1, 2009.

In addition and accompaniment, I will also be reading through the Bible using The Daily Walk Bible(KJV)

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This isn't just vanity, or health. For me it is a discipline, something, at this point in my life, I feel like I am very much lacking.

So I suppose that means that I'm going to have to check in here every day and post. Which is fine, because I really don't have a huge gathering of folks checking me out anyway. But it will be good to hold myself accountable.

I hope that a conscious effort to move will encourage my body to shed some pounds. But I'm not sure it will. I also hope that my conscious effort to move with make me more accountable, and will be a good reminder to myself to be faithful and have discipline, something I lack. I hope that I learn a bit about myself as I use a small walk, ride, movement of my body to focus on centering myself.

We will see.