Today's weigh-in has me down another 0.8 to put me at 205.2 lbs. When I started in January, I was at 217, so that means I've lost 11.8 lbs. I'd say that's a pretty good pace since I want to be under 200 by December 31st. I'm confident I can not only get under 200, but do it well in advance of December. And of course, there is that 185 goal for May 1, 2014.
The Fourth of July has arrived. This is the celebration of America's independence. A time for barbecues and fireworks. It's also the month of my birthday - another celebration. Cake and ice cream and hopefully a special dinner. Do you notice a theme here? Celebrations tend to involve food!
So can you celebrate and still lose weight? Of course you can. You just have to be smart about it. Take time to plan. And don't kid yourself. You are not going to be able to avoid some of those favorite celebration foods. I can tell you right now that I will not be giving up ice cream. No way. No how. I'm also going to be enjoying potato salad. That's a favorite of mine. But I'm going to focus on smaller portions. Ok, who am I kidding, there will not be a smaller portion of ice cream.
In addition, I will be making sure that I'm getting my workouts in. That kickboxing class will help, but there are no classes this week, so I have to find other things to do. And "It's hot!" is not a valid excuse. Find something you can do indoors or get out early before the heat really sets in. Yes, in this area, it is ridiculously humid so you're practically sweating as soon as you step out the door, but that is not a workout. Hit the track. You don't have to run. Just go for a walk. But make sure you drink plenty of water. You need to stay hydrated. And when you finish the walk, jump in the shower....lukewarm to actually wash off the sweat and then a nice cool shower to refresh! You will feel amazing.
I also do little things throughout the day. When I'm at work and I'm standing at the copier waiting for it to finish, I'll walk in place. I also do this at various other times of the day. It is not unusual to just seem marching in place. When I'm doing the dishes, in the bathroom washing my hands, waiting for the toaster or the microwave. If you really think about it, there are so many times during the day when you are just standing still and you could be marching or jogging in place. You're not going to drop tons of weight doing just this, but the little things will add up and will keep you moving. And if you wear a step counter, even better because you'll see those numbers climb.
Watching tv at night. Get up off the couch and jog in place. I do this all the time. You can do it during commercials. Or jog during the show and do something else during the commercials, like climb the stairs. I actually count as I'm jogging. At the pace that I count, I get about 800 steps for every 100 count. So I'll do 100 or 200 or 500, take a break and then do another count a little later. There are some days/nights that I get in 8000-10000 steps just from jogging while watching tv.
When I get home from work at night, I change into workout clothes. Since I have them on, I'm more inclined to do something physical. I'll do my jogging, use my kettle bell weights, use my exercise ball, do some stretches, or any combination of these things. It's easy and does make a difference.
So find the little things you can do to increase the physical activity while you're going about your daily routines.
And remember, you can enjoy the summer season with all the ice cream, bbq, potato salad, but do it in moderation and find ways to work it off. Instead of just sitting at the bbq, get up and walk around to mingle. Or if you're really feel rambunctious, play with the kids. You know they are out there running around doing something active. Why aren't you?
Happy 4th of July!!
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