Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Fitter. Happier. More Productive.

Wow! I can't believe it has been over a month since I've posted anything. With The Office (and my other, newfound passion, Lost) on their summer hiatuses, my muse has been absent. So, instead of the usual TV banter (or "Please Save this Dog"), I'll describe a little bit about my boring summer.

Please keep in mind that I am very sleep deprived and my writing and it's contents will not be up to par. (Yawn).

Since late May, I have been determined to shed the 26 pounds I gained after my wedding from the stress of moving twice in four months (once to the apartment behind us and once to a new city that forced me to quit my job and get accustomed to a new town). Because of all that stress, I had become sloppy and fat in a short period of time. In fact, part of what compelled me to write so much this Spring was a deep sense of sadness and insecurity. I had to express myself in some way and I found my niche in writing.

Anyhow (getting more to the point), in late May I finally made the decision to get off my ass and lose weight. The problem is that I'm a very routine kind of person who, paradoxically, does not like to live by time tables or deadlines. I'm set in my ways and I tend to not do things if they're inconvenient or stray from my routine in any way. So coming up with a convenient way of working out has always been my struggle.

In my old town I lived in a quiet suburban neighborhood filled with sweet elderly folk and young families. So I'd ride my bike happily everywhere and lost all my yucky weight. In Austin, things are more hectic and metropolitan. Austin is also extremely hilly, which makes it very scary being on a bike here (although everyone does it anyway... except me). So, loving that method of exercise, I got my husband to hook me up with a bike trainer in order to make exercising more safe, easy, and (the magic word) convenient. Being able to ride my bike indoors also won't allow me to make excuses. If it's raining, I can exercise. If it's hot, I can exercise. If it's freezing, I can exercise, etc., etc.

So, after forcing myself to ride my bike three to four times a week and joining calorie-count.com, I have lost 17 out of the 26 pounds I gained this year along with 3 inches off my waist and hips and 2 inches off my bust (thank GOD). Yay! I'm only a few pounds away from where I was this time last year and I can't wait to fit into my old jeans!

I feel so much better in so many ways. I'm not depressed anymore. My sense of self-worth is much higher. I don't get stressed out as often. I feel fit and healthy. My mind is more alert. I feel sexy again. The positives far outweigh the negatives. I just need to figure out how to maintain this positive lifestyle, which is the hard part as I've always been a huge fan of junk food and comfort eating. That's what ends up killing me every time. That, and I'm just lazy. That's why I bought that trainer. I know I'm never going to make it out to a gym. I just don't work that way. I'm a homebody and I like to be able to meditate and "zone" while I'm working out. I don't want people watching me (or to feel like they're watching me).

Plus, as I said before, if it's not convenient, I don't exercise. After a long day at work how can I possibly steer the car towards a gym with sweaty, used equipment and people that look better than I do? I'm insecure enough as it is, folks, and with my ultra sensitive skin I get rashes and eczema so easily from those kinds of hot, sweaty surfaces.

So no thanks, Gym Membership. I'm heading home to work out in my guest room on my bike trainer with iTunes blasting and my dog sitting by my side. It's a much more peaceful way of working out.

And there you have it, folks. My first blog in over a month. I'm probably the only one who will ever see this, but I feel better having written it anyhow.

UPDATE: I've now lost 21 pounds!!! (09-03-07).

Cordially,
CayceAquaSheep.

3 comments:

Rickie, Domestic Goddess said...

I am so happy that you have taken control and done this for yourself. I always thought you were beautiful, but you really look great now. If you continue to take care of yourself, you are not going to have health problems that I do and you'll always be beautiful. That, in itself, is a great confidence booster.

Love you.

Rickie, Domestic Goddess said...

Honey, I am so proud of your accomplishment. How beautiful you are. Besides the fact that you will always be beautiful, you will probably not have the health issues I have had if you take care of yourself.

Love,
Mom

Christina M said...

Good for you chica! I say do whatever works for you and to hell with anything else. Better that you're happy and comfortable which enables you to exercise anyways than anything else.