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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

WLJ: Back to life

Getting back to my routine was much easier -- and more enjoyable -- than I would have previously thought.  As much fun as I had on vacation, it felt pretty good to get back to tracking my points and working out on the regular.

I'm sure this sounds crazy.  Tracking points and working out five days a week probably doesn't sound fun to most of you.  And a year ago, it wouldn't have sounded fun to me.  But for some reason, it is.

Tracking my food and points really makes me think about what I'm consuming.  I might not otherwise think about how many fruits/vegetables I have each day.  And there is a certain reality check of having to enter "bad" foods, which I still eat from time to time.  This past weekend, for example, I had a Nutter Butter mini blizzard from Dairy Queen.  I'd been thinking about it all week, and I had enough points, so I splurged.  It was worth those 8 pts.  Especially after the workout I got when I was removing a wallpaper border in my house.

Now the workout part might not sound as crazy.  I don't know many people who enjoy exercising, but I know a lot who confess they enjoy the endorphin burst that comes after.  I'm definitely in that pool.  I also might - just might - enjoy working out.  But only when it doesn't feel like a workout.  That's going to be key for me.  I enjoy the occasional run, and my Wii Fit Plus game isn't too bad, but my favorite is my Zumba game for Wii.  I just can't stay away from it.  On the days I do something different (to keep variety in my routine), I really miss it.  In the near future, when my travel schedule slows down, I'd like to get into a Zumba class -- it'd probably be a great way to meet some new people, and since the classes are an hour (the classes on the game are predominantly 20 minutes), it'd be an even more intense workout.  I'll have to keep that on the radar for this winter.

More than ever, I'm realizing weight-loss is about changing your lifestyle and not just dieting.  There's a reason diets fail.  They're not designed to be a long-term fix, and if I want to get fit and stay healthy, I'll need to keep up this routine for the rest of my life.  So far, I think I can handle that.

Weight-loss goal: 40 lbs.
This week's progress: -0.8 lbs.
Progress to date: -11.2 lbs.
Non-scale victory: I have signed up for two 5Ks in October.  They will only be my second and third races, and I struggled through my first one last October.  With fall looming, I decided I need to get back to running.  I went for a run Sunday morning, and although I forgot my Nike+ ipod connector, I feel confident in saying it was my best run yet.  I actually think I might have done better without the prompts telling me how far I'd gone.  I'm looking forward to another run tonight.

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