I may be 40 chronologically, look 50 cosmetically, but I’ll be darned I got down to being 33 physically!  My last physical test w/ the SFM lab went really well - managed to get out 42 (girl) pushups and only had to take one dose of ibuprofen to keep me from being sore.

We just got back from Florida last week and had a great time!  I still didn’t look as hot as the little 20-something cuties, but I felt good about donning a b-suit.  I could have stood 3 more days at Cocoa Beach - it was absolutely beautiful!

I found out last year that summer is actually the worst time for me to stay fit!  Of course that’s when you want to look your best, but w/ the half-hour lunch that I take it’s hard to fit the workout in.  We have a 1/2 acre garden this year, though, hopefully that plus my Zumba videos will keep me busy enough that I won’t go to mush!

Have a great summer and keep active - it feels great!

Have you tried the Zumba exercise yet?  It is SOOOO much fun!  OK, I have to be honest, I totally looked like a rag doll that had been thrown out of a 2-story window - floppy arms and legs everywhere - the first few times I tried it.  Even though I have NEVER been good at dancing with any rhythm, I might be getting the hang of it after doing it for a couple weeks now.  You want to talk about a workout…I am sweating and red-faced after 45 min. of trying to keep up with the people on the dvd!  Definitely doesn’t do anything for trying to look good while I’m dancing/exercising

If you need a preview to see what it looks like, go to youtube.com and type in zumba for the search - you can watch several videos of exercise classes.

I’m going to have another fitness test soon to see if I’ve come down any in biological years - I’ll let you know!

I just did the math and there’s only 7 weeks left of spring quarter - I’ve GOT to get busy!  I think I’ve lost one more pound since the last time I wrote (which has been 6 weeks ago…not very good ‘losing’ momemtum), but at least I made it through Easter w/out gaining 4 pounds worth of chocolate.  I absolutely LOVE the robin eggs - malt balls w/ chocolate outside - I may have come close to eating a whole bag of those.  However, I’ve been lifting weights w/ my two sons in the basement, walking in Dresden at nights, and trying to get together w/ my workout buddy here at the gym so hopefully the exercise is counteracting the eating.

You know what I’ve found out?  It doesn’t matter how physically fit you are, when life hands you a doosie and throws life totally out of whack, you still feel old.  I’ve known all along that I’m only given as much as I can handle, but right now I think I’m at my limit and I may have added at least another 10 years!  Exercise is the best stress reliever, though, and I’ve been putting that theory to the test.  When I’m stressed, I can feel it in my back and shoulders, and loosening everything up w/ pilates or just stretching is doing wonders.  I have to keep reminding myself that working out does much more good than a bottle of wine (and my kids are better off, too)!

OK, I’m off to hit the elliptical machine this afternoon and telling myself I’ve only got 8 more weeks ’til my Florida trip!  If I can lose some of this fat percentage, not only will I come down in physical years, but I won’t feel so bad out there on the beach!

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve had anything to say. Some life issues got in the way and one of my kids had his tonsils and adenoids removed since last I blogged.

Anyway, I’m holding steady. I’m getting a bit nervous that I won’t be “Five Years Fitter” by the time the end of Spring quarter rolls around. I haven’t lost or gained anything. I have begun some limited upper extremity weight training and I’ve had some real fun hula-hooping for exercise!

I’m hoping that the spring fashions and more exposed flesh will further motivate me(-:

KEEP ON MOVIN’

Lori

Todd, people are going to start getting bored just looking at Lori’s and my posts!  Spice up the blog page and let us know what you’re up to, OK?

Well, I’m still working at it…slow but sure!  I’ve lost one more pound, although w/ what I just ate from Arby’s for lunch I’ll be needing to do 200 situps to not gain that pound back!  Good news, though, I did NOT get the Jamocha shake w/ my lunch today (those things are deadly to weight loss, but soooo good).

I’m really enjoying the workout that I’m doing at the church 2 nights a week, and so far I’ve tried to get to the gym each day - except for when I’m out visiting students.  Two of the three kids and I worked out w/ weights the other night in the basement…that was fun - hope we can keep that up!  Just so happens that Amanda (the 5 yr old) was one of the two that was w/ me…I was really watching her to make sure her 2 pound dumbbells weren’t going to be planted on my head or my foot!

Mom heard about an exercise group that gets together at a church at home, so we went this past Monday and Thursday!  It was really nice to see people I don’t see everyday anymore, and the walking DVD they use made me sweat good!  The pace starts out pretty good, and just when you think you can’t walk any faster - that woman on the screen steps it up…whew!  My sister went with us on Thursday, too, and she really liked it.  30 minutes of non-stop, fast-paced walking with kicks, knee lifts, and side steps that had my thighs saying “What are you doing?”!

Mom and my sister wouldn’t normally go to something like that on their own, so it was nice for the three of us to get out - even if it was only for a half hour.  We hope to keep it up…if for nothing else but to stay healthy!  It was so cool to see who was there, too…all ages from a teenage boy to 2 sets of couples in their (I’m guessing) late 60’s-early 70’s! 

OK, the only part of this whole ‘getting fit’ party that I don’t care for right now is my BELLY!  I do cardio, pilates, and some weight lifting WITH my gut held in and it is STILL THERE!!  I let myself go for less than 12 months and look what happens…I know my gut is laughing at me and saying “I’m in it for the long hall, baby!”  I haven’t given up yet…b-suit weather is still a few months away.

Well, I was brave and got weighed again this morning. I have actually lost 10 pounds now. That was the first milestone that I was “gunning for”. The closer that I get to a healthier weight, the slower it wants to come off. I would love to shed at least 5 more to get to my pre-doctoral program weight(-: I am hopeful that when the sun begins to shine this spring, I’ll be even more motivated to MOVE. I did 30 push-ups for the first time this morning. I was pretty impressed with that. I still need to start a more formal strength training program. Does anyone want to volunteer to be my cattle prod? That may be what it takes. Maybe I’ll ask for a SFM student in spring to put me through the paces.

I may not be 5 years fitter yet, but I’m well on my way!  YEA, me!

Well, six weeks in to this and I’ve been able to drop 8 pounds - I’m tickled!!  The exercising really does the trick for me…not only do I have more energy but I can feel muscle that’s been hidden under a lot of f__ (the yucky word that I hate to think about) for some time now.  A friend once told me about 10 yrs ago how it would be harder to keep the f__ off the older I got - didn’t really believe him then but boy, is that true! 

I’m going to work harder on the eating part of this project now.  Maybe seeing a difference in numbers on the scale has inspired me to do better at avoiding all the sweet stuff, or it could be that we’re going to Florida in June and I really don’t want to go down to the beach looking like this!  I’m just going to keep telling myself to get busy and get over to the gym.

Holy cow, I walked in to Sears today and there were b-suits out…I’m not ready!!  For one thing, I heard snow for this weekend, and secondly, my butt is definitely not trying any on just yet!

Well, I haven’t lost any more in the poundage, but my pants do feel better - I’m happy with that!  I’ve decided that I can’t stay with a planned diet…almost too much wackiness at our house to even get supper on the table, let alone get them to eat diet food every night.  I have found that if I just watch my intake and don’t overload I can eat what I want - even lose an inch or two if I keep up on the pilates and cardio!  I would like to see 4-5 pounds a month come off…hopefully it will stay off as long as I keep exercising.

Guess what else I found out about exercising?  Not only does it help me suck my gut in better, but I feel really good all day long! This week I was able to work out 5 of 7 days, and I’ll tell you those little happy endorphins truly do exist!  My mood is much better (after I work out…before I work out I really don’t have the desire to sweat for 45 min), and everything feels all stretched out - so much better than feeling tight from sitting in a chair all day.  Crazy thing, too…once your body gets used to working out in a pattern, you physically need to keep it up to feel good.  No more ‘I don’t want to work out, it’ll make me hurt’, I’m changing it to ‘I have to work out so that I won’t hurt!’  This getting old crap is really starting to get to me, but if I can be in shape and look half as good as a cute little 20-something I’ll be happy!

I knew it would happen. Real life got in the way. My oldest son celebrated his 15th birthday this past weekend. That equated to 2 chocolate/peanut butter buckeyes, one chocolate pretzelcandy, a heaping helping of Thai Pad noodles and a slice (or 2) of Dairy Queen ice cream cake in my belly.

The scales this morning told me that there was no damage done. I’m back on track and it was a good lesson to learn that the occasional splurge is an acceptable part of a happy, healthy life.

I am now able to run on the treadmill for 20 plus minutes without using my asthma inhaler. I really do feel great! The Wii Fit even told me that my fitness age was 35. I’ll take that(-: