Sidelined during the fall but slowly getting back to business

I had to take a couple months off from everything as I had some health issues all caused by an antibiotic I was on.  I'm slowly getting better and am working towards better health still.  I am down 16 pounds from my highest weight this year (I definitely gained some weight during the period of not exercising or watching what I eat, sigh) and am in the middle of a 6 week beginners walking program that I found on the American Heart Association website.  I also did a squat challenge (still doing it actually) for the month of December.  Beyond that I joined a "yoga for curvy women" class that I attend on Monday nights, I really enjoy that.  My husband and I also joined a gym this past month and I m looking forward to utilizing it to the fullest once I'm through these nagging health issues that prevent me from doing too much exercise.  :(

I will say this, the small changes I've made throughout the year and especially during the month of December have made a world of difference.  I had my cholesterol re-checked at my doctor's insistence and all of my numbers, although still not where they should be have improved dramatically.  My overall cholesterol went from 248 to 212, my doctor was practically doing a dance around the office at this one.  I look forward to the day where I can present her with totally normal lipid numbers.  :)

Progress is slow but steady

So it has been just over three weeks since I started this journey.  I've only lost 4.5 pounds so far which I am happy with.  I am exercising a minimum of three times a week.  I've found that I like using my wii fit or walking the best.  There are some great walking trails about ten minutes from my house right on the water that I've been to a few times.  The biggest change I've noted is my energy level has definitely increased.

I am back in school starting yesterday so I have new challenges to overcome as I have a heavy course load this semester and will definitely be dealing with time constraints.  It will be interesting to see how it goes.  This is all the update I have for now as I have an assignment I need to finish before hubby and I leave for a long weekend in Montreal tomorrow.

My weight back story

I've been thinking a lot about the ups and downs of my weight since my successful weigh in this morning.  Obviously as I've posted before, I never had a weight problem until I moved out of my house and got married.  I really was never taught how to eat healthy, I never had to worry about what to eat as I was always so active I could honestly eat whatever I want and not gain.

I spent a good part of my first few years being married as a "chubby" girl.  I thought I was huge but I was only about 30 pounds overweight.  As my husband and I were graduating from college in 1997, I decided I'd had enough of being overweight and went and talked to my doctor about taking Fen-Phen.  Somehow this doctor didn't question me on what other methods of weight loss I'd tried but he would have been surprised to know...not much of anything.  I knew a few people taking Fen-Phen and it seemed like the easy way.  I was so paranoid the whole time I was on it, which was only a total of 2 months but it did the trick and I lost the 30 lbs I needed to lose.

I kept it off for a while too since after graduating from college we moved to Florida where my husband had a job lined up...what we didn't have was a vehicle so we had to walk everywhere which is how I kept in shape while we lived there.  The second we moved home though, boom the weight started piling on.  Again I felt like I was the biggest person in the world where in reality I was only about 40 lbs overweight this time.

My husband and I argued a lot about my weight then, I think he was discouraged with my poor attitude which was due to my low self-esteem about my size.  This time around I joined Weight Watchers, it was a miracle for me.  I learned how to eat properly, I learned about portion size, I learned the importance of drinking water...in essence I finally learned how to eat healthy.  It took me roughly nine months to lose 45 lbs and I kept it off for a few years.  I even worked at WW for a few years as both a receptionist and a leader.

Unfortunately, I started gaining weight with no reason why.  I was journaling, exercising, watching my portions, drinking lots of water but nothing helped...the weight just kept piling on.  I eventually gave up my job and then the weight really piled on.  It wasn't until I'd gained back all my weight plus another 40 lbs that doctors figured out I had a gluten allergy.  Once I gave up gluten I dropped a quick twenty lbs.  This didn't last though as I found ways to eat bad while avoiding gluten and slowly I gained that 20 back plus 30 more.

In 2011, I was sick for a while dealing with stomach issues and the eventual removal of my gall bladder...I lost 40 lbs during this time and life was great.  The downside was the second my stomach felt better and I was able to eat again...I ATE!  I have gained back twenty five of those forty pounds.  It all leads me to now where not only am I determined to become strong again but I am hoping along the way I will lose some of these unwanted pounds.  I don't have huge goals, I just want to be able to be active without getting tired so easily and it would be nice again to shop in the misses department instead of the plus department.

I may need to eat my words about the gym...

...since my husband is interested in joining the community gym because it has a lap pool and a hot tub and indoor running track, all of which I would use.  We went camping last week and the campground had a pool and I spent an hour swimming around like a little fish, made him so happy to see that he thinks we should join a gym with a pool so I can swim.

I think I can get fit without a gym...no, I know I can get fit without a gym.  I'd choose to get fit without a gym but if my husband who needs exercise want to join the community gym with me (for the rest of the year it will cost us $60 each) how can I deny him?  I ask him to go on walks with me, I've asked him to join a gym, I've tried everything to get him to exercise but he usually won't unless it includes me and a gym together.

Can I get fit without a gym membership?

I will tell you this right now...I plan to.  I never had a gym membership as a child and I didn't have one in my early thirties when I was active and fit, why do I feel I need one now.  My big daring news, I quit the gym I was barely using.  I enjoy using my wii fit and kinect games much more than dragging myself a couple towns away to the gym I prefer.

I have many fitness games for my wii fit...wii fit plus, just dance 3, carnival games, sports games, and Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009.  For my xbox360 kinect, I have kinect adventures (fun game and my thighs once seized up while playing it!), dance central 2, and active 2 personal trainer.  I have an almost unlimited supply of workouts available on my comcast on-demand.  I have numerous workout dvds...am/pm yoga for beginners, 2 different walk dvds, a Weight Watchers Get In Shape dvd with 3 levels, a pilates dvd, a 10 minute workout dvd, and a Biggest Loser dvd.  Add to all this the fact that I can work with hand weights that I own, ride my cruising bike, or just take a regular walk around the neighborhood.

Who needs a gym when it's just as easy (and cheaper) to be active at home.  More daring news...I plan on starting back at dance lessons.  There is an adult ballet class being offered nearby and I've committed to myself that I will be taking that class.  I've also inquired about a yoga class for "curvy women".  I'm hoping to hear back soon that it is a drop-in class and you can drop in at any time it's running.  I'm working on my determination level.  I'm in lazy mode and I don't want to be.  I know I can do this, I want to do this, I have the desire to do it, I just need that determination and drive to do it.

How watching the Olympics could change my life...

One of my favorite things to do since early childhood has been to watch the Olympics.  I come from a family of competitive people so watching any sporting event was always a family activity.  Even though I'm an adult and have been out of my home longer than I lived in it, I still find myself drawn to watching sports on tv, especially the Olympics.

It was during the summer 2012 Olympics where I was remembering my childhood memories of watching the Olympics that it hit me like a nail on the head...I used to be strong.  Up until I met my husband and moved out of my family home, I was an active person.  When I use the term active, I mean it.  From the time I could walk and talk, I loved to be running around.

During the ages of 5 and 12 years old, I could be found on any given day taking gymnastics and dance lessons (and practicing both at home),enjoying swim lessons and swimming in our pool out back of the house, riding my bike, cheering for the youth football program, playing basketball with my brothers, and basically running around my neighborhood with my friends.  There was rarely a moment that I wasn't active.  As I grew older, I gave up the gymnastics and swimming lessons but continued both on a recreational level.

In high school, I was on the gymnastics team 2 years, the field hockey team 3 years, ran cross country one year, and continued my dance lessons.  Outside of school/lessons, and especially in the summer...I would ride my bike, swim, and jog on an almost daily basis.  I remember summer mornings where I would wake up, take a quick jog, do an exercise program along with some leotard wearing woman on the tv, swim all day, and finish it all off with a bike ride in the evening after it cooled down.

The bottom line is, I was constantly active as a child and teenager.  I love my husband more than anything but he's never been one that was in to athletics or exercising.  He is a competitive person but it leans more towards playing pool or poker and after having met him, I slowly gave up the dance lessons when we were married and I too started playing pool and leaning towards non-active competition.  It is my one big regret in life.  I loved being active, I loved having a six pack of abs and muscles everywhere.  Now I occasionally exercise using my wii or xbox360 but the bike stays in the garage and the pounds have packed on.  My six pack of abs is long gone and it just makes me sad that I've let myself go and more importantly given up being active when I so obviously loved being an active person.

This year during the Olympic watching season, I came to a big conclusion...I want to be strong again.  I'm almost 41 years old and I'm couch sitting my life away.  I was a much happier person when I was an active person.  I love the activities I do partake in...reading, making jewelry, playing poker, and watching movies with friends but there is no reason why I can't be strong while engaging in my favorite past times.  I want to grow old being in good health and with strength in those old muscles of mine.

I took a first step towards being strong, I made the decision to go back to dance lessons.  It looks funny to even type it out but there it is.  Starting in September I will be part of an adult beginners ballet class.  The instructor says it is the perfect class for me, someone who used to take lessons as a child that has been out of the world of dance for a while.  I hope 22 years counts as a while because I haven't had on a pair of ballet slippers since June of 1991.  This is a start but it isn't everything.  If you want to laugh I gave up my gym membership to be able to afford the ballet class.  I think that in order to exercise and be active, you need to enjoy what you are doing.  I have never enjoyed going to a gym but always enjoyed a good dance lesson.

I've started this blog only to help inspire me.  I've always been more motivated if I write down an account of what I'm trying to be motivated about.  I hope to share my experience of getting back to a more active and fun life.