Things Are Hopping Along

So much has happened since I last blogged in my quest to get healthier and fit, and things are really going well, I'm happy to say. Here's some of the positive steps I've taken since I last wrote about the big "lifestyle change."

1. We finally invested in an exercise bike! It's not the fanciest or most expensive one but it serves its purpose - another option for cardio and I've actually been using it as a warmup tool before doing strength training, too, since I need to be careful about my knees on it. And best of all, hubby is using it, too, so the fitness room has another helpful tool available to make staying active a heck of a lot easier.
   
2. Yesterday, I bought some fitness bands as another tool to use during strength training routines. I'm psyched to try them out.
   
3. Recently, we also invested in an economical but useful weight rack and I bought some heavier weights (pairs of 8- and 10-pound weights) to create a little selection of various dumbbells for use by Lar and me. It's small and doesn't take up too much floorspace but keeps that stuff nice and tidy.
   
4. Okay, the weight watchers plan has fallen through - long story, but the at-work plan wasn't going to start until next week and frankly, I'm not a fan of Monday morning weigh-ins. To me, it's self-defeating, so I'm going to continue doing my own thing and if a little later down the road I want to look into WW again, I'll check out the LOL or WC meetings which are on Sat. mornings and Thur. nights respectively. Either of those would work if I felt that was the way to go. But I've been logging my food for four weeks now and trying to watch my calories and fat on my own, so the plan is to continue this healthy habit.
   
5. I haven't been using the ivillage.com tools for their meal plan suggestions because I didn't really like what I saw and I don't need a food diary since I have my journal. But I am finding the online community and blog helpful and encouraging and some of the resources in the nutrition and exercise library are very helpful and I do use the online exercise journal both to plan out my strength training and stretching routines and to log what I've already done for the week to see how many calories I'm burning a day. It also keeps me conscious of everyday activity and ensures that I vary my exercise so I rest my muscles when necessary.
   
6. I've been getting on average 8 hours a sleep a night. Sure, sometimes I only get 6 or so, but most nights, I'm doing really well getting close to 8 hours or more and that's been so helpful to both my peace of mind, my muscles and energy.
   

I'm trying to stay positive and when I have a bad day or munchy night, simply write it down and go to sleep and start all over again the next day. I'm trying to be forgiving. I'm trying to be patient. These are three things I've always struggled with but I'm hanging in there. And the good news is --- 11 pounds down. I have many to go but it's a great start. And already my joints and muscles are feeling a little looser on the golf course and in the bowling alley. And some of my clothes are fitting a little more comfortably but again, this is just a beginning. It's a long road ahead of me. But I'm in this all the way.