Total Pageviews

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Changes that helped me drop pounds: Exercising


     Yes, this blog is about food and eating, but because I am discussing health and losing pounds I felt that I would be remiss if I did not mention exercise and the role it has played in my overall health and weight loss.  I have also made changes in that area of my life, in addition to food, so I thought it would be a good idea to mention it here as well.

      For years I did all sorts of aerobic type exercising, from Jazzercise, to walking and/ or jogging, and all kinds of exercise tapes at home.  However, I was never thin.  Of course at the time I was sitting at a desk in an office all day and was still up to all my previous eating habits:  eating tons of low fat simple carbs (pastas, breads, bagels etc) and not nearly enough veggies/ fruits or whole grains, and plenty of desserts and high calorie drinks.  It wasn’t until after the following changes that I started to see the pounds come off:


      1.  I started changing my eating habits, one little change at a time, as discussed in this blog.


      2.  My job as a full time stay at home mom forced me to be on my feet all day long.  My workouts became running around after two active boys: around the house, around playgrounds, around the yard and neighborhood.  Also I have had lots of opportunities to do walking with the stroller as well.  When I’m not running around with them or pushing the stroller I’m standing:  to wash dishes, cook food, blow bubbles, fold laundry etc.  Not to mention all the trips up and down the stairs!  I spend most of my day on my feet which of course helps with the caloric burn.


      3.  I started doing some exercises with weights (a 5 pound weight in each arm - 10 pound total) and doing various exercises to maintain my upper body strength so I could continue to comfortably pick up, hold and carry my two growing sons.  Roughly 10 minutes, twice a week.


      4.  At the same time as I do the arm exercises I also do squats as well, in an effort to keep my legs strong; a lot of squatting is required with mothering!   Strange side not here:  I was having balance/ form issues with squats and tried doing them in heels – much easier!  And the burn on the thighs is more intense, so it’s a win-win.  I’m sure it looks ridiculous, but I’m doing this in the privacy of my own home of course :)


I realize that as my sons grow bigger and more independent and go off to school I will have to adjust the amount of exercise I need to do to maintain my health and weight.  But at this point, this level of exercise coupled with my lifestyle and eating habits seems to be working for me.



No comments:

Post a Comment