Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may diet

[days_unfolding]

I've decided to get more serious about diet and exercise. As for diet, I do some things right, like eating a salad at lunch (yes, it is low cal) and eating Lean Cuisine for dinner. I do eat a garlic roll at dinner, which I probably should cut out. However, I'm a snacker. (I'd prefer to eat smaller meals more often rather than three bigger meals.) I have the additional problem that one of my meds makes me hungry all of the time, so snacks would help. However, I need to get more healthy snacks. I hate celery. Baby carrots are okay, if I can dip them in low-cal ranch dressing. I like apples and bananas, but in the past, when I brought them to work, I didn't eat them. I guess the trick would be to make them my only option. I should start eating vegetables with dinner. I belong to a free online site that enables you to track what you eat, and I should start using it again.

As for exercise, I asked someone on Facebook for advice on how he motivates himself to exercise. (He's in terrific shape. He's kind of an interesting character; he's a mathematician who is into body building and dance classes. And he's a nice and very funny guy.) He said to find activities that you enjoy. I like to swim, but the pool at work is closed for the summer. I could join the "Y" in Springfield but it is kind of pricey. (One advantage to that, though, is that I could take exercise classes. I've tried spinning classes, and they damn near kill me, but I can see the benefit of them.) There is a gym at my apartment complex, which I plan to check out tonight when all the "young people" are out partying. I really enjoy rowing machines for cardio, for some reason. I feel like a galley slave using it, although I don't know what strange recess of my psyche finds that fun. I also like exercise bikes. I enjoy weight machines in an "I am woman; hear me roar" kind of way. I would like access to a leg press machine because my knees have been killing me, and that helps. The gym at my complex does have exercise bikes, but I'm not sure about rowing machines and a leg press machine. If it doesn't have them, I should see what they have at work (we get free access to the college gym) before I join another gym. I like the idea of cardio "dance" classes, although I'm really uncoordinated. I have some DVDs with cardio dance classes and other types of exercise, but can't use them here because of my downstairs neighbors. I could get away with doing Pilates at home because you don't jump around. I also would like to walk the trail near my apartment. And I would like to finally relearn how to ride a bike. So I guess that there are a few types of exercise that I like.

I can't really afford a personal trainer, although I can see the benefit that I would get. I wonder if there would be a student at IC, or, for that matter, at the U of I in Springfield, who wants to be a personal trainer and would work with me for practice at a reduced rate. Added: I wonder if I could work with a personal trainer once a month. That would be a little more affordable.

I really need to keep myself motivated because I weigh more than I ever have in my life, and I really don't feel comfortable with it. The French have a phrase ("mal dans ma peau") which translates loosely as being uncomfortable in my own skin, which describes perfectly how I feel.

And maybe, I could get the "beautiful bod" that I had when I was younger back.

Any thoughts or advice?

Added: if I really want to be mean to myself, I should post my weight weekly on Facebook. That would indeed motivate me. I know many of those people IRL!

Added again: I found a gym that I like in Springfield that has a pool, classes, and group personal training, which I kind of like, http://www.fitclub.net/. Spin classes are only in the morning though. Actually, the "Y" has some of the same amenities, but is probably cheaper. I should get into an exercise routine before considering it though.

Come to think of it, fitness classes would be another way to meet people in Springfield though. I should consider it.

Added a third time: I've lost 3.5 pounds off of my top weight, so maybe eating salads at lunch is having some effect. I hope so.

Comments

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Walking is such a simple thing, and I highly recommend it. Before my knees started being a big problem, I walked about 2 1/2 miles a day - around 40 minutes. It lowers my blood pressure and improves my mental state. If you can find somewhere to walk, do it. When I worked in Palo Alto, I used to take a half hour walk at lunch every day, and I really enjoyed that.

I also really enjoyed climbing (climbing gym not rock), but I no longer have a climbing partner and nobody I know is interested, so it's pretty much gone by the board. It was good exercise, though, and something I looked forward to every week.

[days-unfolding.livejournal.com]

I have quite a few places to walk to. The trick is finding the time. I have a 30-mile commute one-way, which means that I get home lateish, and I'm not thrilled with walking at night. I suppose that I could walk in Jacksonville before I drive home. I definitely could walk on the weekends; I just need to get into the habit.

[days-unfolding.livejournal.com]

One problem with walking here is that it can get so damn humid that it's like walking into a wet washcloth. That doesn't help motivate me to walk, although when I was younger, it wouldn't have stopped me. Oh, for the dry heat of the Bay Area....