Back In The Saddle Again--Diet and Exercise

Me in all my post-workout, un-showered glory

Three years ago I started the process of getting healthy.  I lost 45 lbs in 6 months and never felt better.  Then life happened.  I stopped eating the way I knew I needed to eat.  Just one cheat here, and another there, until I gained back 35 lbs.

Over the Christmas holiday, I decided that it was time to get serious again.  My weight was slowly creeping up, I was feeling sluggish, and my clothes were getting tight.  Not cool.

I recommitted to eating the Trim Healthy Mama way and joined the YMCA.  Yes, I need to drop some weight, but I also need to improve my overall fitness.  Build up my endurance.  I'm not going for marathon-runner or anything, because I actually hate to run.  I just want to be able to do a few flights of stairs without getting winded.

My first day to the gym was last week, just after I was feeling better from pneumonia.  My goal was 20 minutes of walking on the treadmill.  After 16 minutes I started to feel really bad.  Like dizzy-gonna-pass-out-I-need-sugar-right-now bad.  I immediately regretted my toast with just a teaspoon of butter breakfast.  I stumbled off the treadmill and made my way to the locker room for my stuff.  I somehow made it to my car where I downed a granola bar and waited in the parking lot for my sugar to come back up before driving home to eat breakfast.  Lesson learned.  Must eat a real breakfast before attempting to work out.  (Yes, I have hypoglycemia that likes to surface at the most inopportune times)

I should mention that I have accountability partners to keep me going--aka Mom and Dad.  They joined first and I asked if I could join through their account and pay a lot less money.  The Y said yes, so woohoo!  I now have a gym membership for $22/month.  Of course, my Mom kicks my butt every time we're both there because she is an aerobic machine.

My second day at the gym (after eating a good protein-rich breakfast of course), I found my mom on the elliptical machine.  I got on the one next to her so we could talk.  She'd already gone 20 minutes, which is the longest I ever choose to go on an aerobic machine.  So I asked if she was about done, that she didn't need to stay on just to keep me company.

"Oh no," she says.  "I go as long as I can before my knee starts to hurt.  I aim for an hour."

An HOUR!!!??!?!?!!!  Kill me now.  I lasted 10 minutes and left her to her "fun."

This week I only got to the gym twice due to Joy being home sick, again.  Thankfully this time it was just a viral cough and not pneumonia.  I took her to urgent care for a chest x-ray just to be sure.

Yesterday I did 10 minutes on the elliptical-on-steroids (It felt more stair climbing ish) and 20 minutes of weights.

Today I tried the normal elliptical, but my legs said no thank you.  Apparently they were sore from yesterday.  So I did weights and then 20 minutes on the treadmill.  Good enough.

Yes, I am out of shape.  No, I am not an exercise machine.  Sure, it's a little embarrassing that my mom is in way better shape than I am, but everyone has to start somewhere.  And this is my starting point.  I can only get better, right?