Let's Talk Exercise!

Let’s Talk Exercise Let’s talk about sweat, baby. (Let’s talk about you and me!)

When it comes to beginning or enhancing a fitness plan, the best piece of advice I would give anyone is to find something you LIKE to do – that way you are more likely to stick with it!!! Here are my own personal opinions about different types of exercise:

Exercises I love:
1. Running. Ahhhh…
2. Zumba
3. Goodlife classes (BodyPump and Body Attack especially)
4. Bike Riding (especially outside…the stationary bike is just okay in my books)
5. Plain ol’ walking

I also have a variety of workout DVDs that I like, including the 30-Day Shred, but I honestly don’t end up doing them very often now that I have a gym membership.

Exercises I hate, but do anyway:
1. The Stairmaster. Feel the burn!
2. Planks and crunches…they hurt, but at least I know I’m being productive
3. Push-ups. I have no arm strength, so I find it frustrating as I DON’T improve at all.
4. Lunges. I used to avoid them, but I love how my legs feel after
5. Squats.


Exercises I LOATHE:
1. Jogging on the treadmill. I only do it when I can’t run outside..
2. Side planks. I just suck at them.
3. Burpees. Just awful.
4. YOGA. HATE IT.

Now tell me…what are some of your favourites/least favourites? Please leave a comment!

I Miss Running....

First of all, thanks to those of you who left supportive and encouraging comments on my last post. It helps to know that I'm not alone!

I realized another thing that is harder in the winter: running. I don't have (nor can I afford right now) the proper gear for running outside when it's freezing. And the roads around my place have been so slippery anyway that I'm sure I'd kill myself if I tried.

But I miss it. I love running outside. I can't stand running on the treadmill - it's boring and I can't adjust my speed as easily as I can outside. And I push myself so much more when I run outside, which is much better for my weight-loss plan, no doubt.

But enough complaining...my son's first birthday is next weekend, and I'm scrambling to finish plans for his little party. And I STILL have Christmas stuff to put away. Wish me luck!

Fat-Free Friday

Grumble grumble grumble.

This week did not start off well. I made the grave mistake of inviting a bag of dill pickle chips and a bucket of Helluva Good Dip into my house.

It was gone in two days.

Yeah…..not a good two days. I guess I should just be happy that I maintained my weight this week and didn’t gain anything?

In other news…

I’m going to pull a “Captain Obvious” here and state that I have been somewhat MIA from the blogging world. Sure, I’m still reading my favourite blogs (see list to the right), but as for finding inspiration to share my OWN thoughts? It’s not happening. Not at all. And I know why.

Winter. It sucks the ever-loving life out of me.

And I don’t even dislike this season! I actually quite enjoy living somewhere with such a wide variance in weather, and I love snow, but still…winter is HARD. I swear to G that our ancestors must have hibernated during the colder months. That’s the only way I can explain my almost-impossible-to-resist urge to do nothing but lie on the couch in my warm pajamas and nap.

So, in other words…I have no motivation to do anything. No motivation to put away Christmas decorations (yup, they are still up), no motivation to clean, to blog...heck, showering is a chore these days (but rest assured, I do it!).

I AM still hitting the gym. As I’m back at work, my goal is now 4 days a week. I only work part-time, so I have less of an excuse to skip out. And I’m thinking of busting out my 30-Day Shred DVD just for some more variety. And I’m really trying to improve my eating….(again)….I blame winter for my constant desire to carb-load.

I want to get back to my goal weight (less than 3 pounds to go). Then I want to get back down to 153 (my lowest weight during this journey, before the vacation and Christmas threw me off track). And THEN maybe - just maybe – I’ll try to get to 148. Because I’d REALLY like to be able to say, “I’ve lost 50 pounds!”

Can you help me?

P.S. Don't forgot to take my poll...or leave a comment!

Back to work tomorrow...

After a wonderul, amazing, year-long maternity leave, I am sad to have to return to work tomorrow.

Not because there is anything wrong with my jobs. There isn't. But for me, personally, there is no better place to be than home with my kids. (Note: you will hear no stay-at-home-mom vs. working-mom debate from me. Some people love working, some don't; some love staying at home, others would love to but can't afford it - no one will get any judgement here!)

And it's bad timing. The kids and I have just gotten over being sick, and my husband is in the throws of it right now. My last few days of maternity leave were NOT what I was hoping for. Wish me luck in the coming days! And help me stay motivated to work out!

I know that I should feel lucky that we Canadians get such a generous maternity leave, but still...I'm not ready to go back!

I'm Still Here...

...still carrying on some extra weight. That's okay, though. What fun would the holidays be if you couldn't eat an extra treat or two? Or ten...

I do admit that I'm lacking a big of motivation, but I got a big boost yesterday while attending a fitness class at Goodlife. It was Body Attack, and it's been a few weeks since I went to one...and man it kicked my butt! I was SOAKING WET by the end, and I'm sore as heck today! I actually like that feeling!

Let's hope I can keep the momentum going, and get my food habits back on track as well!

Post-Christmas Blues...

Christmas is over. I feel depressed. And I have absolutely no motivation to do anything except sit around and eat chocolate. Oh, and my maternity leave ends in a week and a half. Not looking forward to that.

Happy New Year.