My Week so far

This week was a fairly active one for me. I was able to get out and walk with the dogs most evenings. When we walk, we normally go about 6kms which is fairly decent and it tires them out nicely. I didn't get around to doing yoga as much as I would have liked but I can always work on that next week. There were a couple of times where I tried to get a bit of practice in but events conspired against me.

I was on vacation from work for the past 5 days and the time seemed to fly by. We had a family reunion one day and a visit from my parents another day. The other days were mainly filled with running around to different appointments and so it didn't feel very vacation-y but it was nice to be able to (mostly) get up when I wanted instead of worrying about a work schedule.

My goal is to try to add in a different activity each week, even if I only do it once that week. It's important to switch up what you're doing in order to make sure that you don't get into a rut. This week, that new activity was tennis. My husband and I both bought racquets last year and ended up not using them much. This week, we ended up going out and hitting a ball around a court for about half an hour. It was casual and there was likely not much accuracy with our scoring but it was fun and we did work up a sweat.

I also had a few days where I was less careful about what I ate. I was pleased with how the family reunion went as far as eating is concerned. I didn't pig out and while I was over on my calories a bit it wasn't horrible and my weight mainly stayed on track. Now I'm being careful again and trying to make good choices as far as what I am eating so that I keep feeling good and so that my weight loss continues.

I've lost about 10 pounds so far. Not since the blog started though. I've lost the 10 pounds in about a month and a half which is really, really good and I am happy with the rate at which I am losing. I don't feel overly deprived of food and am still able to enjoy treats now and again.

Here are my stats as of this morning:
Weight: 178.0 lbs
BMI: 24.8
Chest: 40"
Waist: 34.25"
Hips: 40.25"

First Run in a Long, Long Time

Last night was my first real run in a long, long time so to be honest it was much more walking than it was running. My husband and I started out trying to run with our big dog but quickly gave up on that. He is super leash reactive and tends to go insane when he sees dogs, or people or anything he doesn't recognize as being on his "safe" list (and it's a very short list).

We quickly returned him to our house after he threw a total tantrum at the sight of another dog and continued on our way. We ended up run-walking (walk-running?) for about 3.39 miles. My tracker is stubbornly recording distances a la Americaine (ie not in Metric) and so its always a bit of unwelcome math when it comes to trying to convert miles to kilometers, something this Canadian potato is much more comfortable with.

This morning was interesting when it came to stiffness levels. Interesting because I was less stiff than I expected to be but not as loose and comfortable as I had hoped to be. As the day has progressed I have begun to stiffen up making work interesting to say the least. I am planning on going for a nice, easy walk tonight in hopes that it keeps my legs nice and limber so I can ACTUALLY walk comfortably tomorrow.

Because I don't work until later in the day tomorrow I am planning to get my yoga on in the morning for at least half an hour or so. I really love starting out my day that way when I can as I find that I feel much happier and more relaxed when I start with stretching and being able to focus my mind on positive things.

It just remains to be seen how flexible I am going to be in the morning after a night of not moving and stiffening up. Here's hoping I'll be able to move even a little. 

New Shoes

There's something to be said for new footwear. I had recently bought a pair of sneakers from Payless and had hoped against hope that they would pass muster. I hadn't really taken into consideration just how MUCH I have been walking. Between actual work walking itself, walking the dogs and walking to and from my work I put upwards of 8-10 miles on my feet a day. While the runners I bought looked cute and the memory foam felt comfortable for all of about a day, they quickly pooped out and my feet started killing me.

Finally, I bit the biscuit and decided to spring for a more expensive pair of shoes. A quick trip to Sport Chek and I ended up getting a nice pair of Sauconys for a price that didn't involve me selling a kidney to make work with my limited budget. While my feet still have to get used to them I can already tell that they are quite a bit more comfortable than my last pair (which my eldest has now inherited thanks to feet that are the same size as mine).

Tonight, we took the dogs for about a 5km walk and even jogged a bit. Its always a struggle to run with our big dog since he tends to be large, immovable when he wants to stay in one spot, and VERY prone to pulling and veering off after things he wants to chase. I didn't do as badly as I thought I would when it came to running with him but I'm still getting back into the swing of jogging and so is the dog, for that matter.

I am hoping to get a second pair of good shoes that I can switch out with and also have as a dedicated gym pair for when the weather gets bad. I know that walking alone isn't going to get me where I need to be with my weight and my desired size and so the time will come when I have to brave the gym again. I just hope that time is a ways off .

Who I Am

Hey! Nice to see you! So I'm a middle aged potato. I'm not in the worst shape possible, mind you, but I am definitely NOT in good shape. I've tried a few times to get fit but it hasn't really stuck. This time, I'm hoping it does.

This blog isn't being written by someone who is heavily into exercise or who has a nutrition degree. It IS being written by someone who is tired of carrying around extra pounds, who is beginning to enjoy being active and who wants to eat better. If you're in the same boat and you think that checking in from time to time will help you out or encourage you in any way, I'd love if you popped in here from time to time to see what I am up to.

Life gets busy. I have kids. I have a full-time job and a part-time one as well so sometimes I feel like everything gets away from me. And while it was getting away from me, it was leaving some extra pounds behind in its place. It happened gradually, mind you, but gradually or not, I ended up about 25 lbs heavier than I wanted to be.

And then one day, I woke up and I was 40 and tired of being out of shape (well, potato is a shape, I guess). I want to be healthier and if I end up losing weight in the process I am not going to complain. I guess that since stats are a good basis for comparison, here are mine:

• Weight: 182 lbs
• Height: 5'11" 
• BMI: 25.4
• Chest:42"
• Waist: 35"
• Hips: 41.8"

Thanks for stopping in!