The Do's & The Don'ts, The Can'ts & The Won'ts

It's been a week since I last wrote, and the fall-out from strep throat has really been kicking my butt. But I've still been exercising and doing my best to eat right so I hopped on the scale this morning, and I'm down another pound! That's a five pound total in the last two weeks - woo hoo!!! I'm excited! 

In my last post, I talked about my challenges with finding foods that are both healthy and appealing to me. Today, I have to divulge that I also have some challenges with finding exercise activities that work for me. And I know it might be hard to believe, but I'm almost as picky about my activity as I am about my food! 

One activity that I actually do like is power walking, both indoors and out. What I really love is to do is take the dog along on a hard, fast power walk through the village, especially in the morning, because as I always say, a tired dog is a good dog! But a new morning commitment and our tropical temps heating up have put a damper on that, at least until the school year ends. 

Fortunately, I have been finding some really good videos on YouTube, and most recently have been doing Leslie Sansone's "Walk Away the Pounds" series at home later in the evening. I also like to do low-impact cardio and moderate weight or strength training activities using small dumbbells. 

I've found I like the Jillian Michaels "30-Day Shred" and "Ripped in 30" series, which are pretty low impact, at least on "Level 1." Even though I find Jillian's harsh, gravelly voice annoying, and I don't really like her "drill sergeant" manner, the workouts are challenging without being beyond my capabilities, and I can modify the moves I can't (or won't) do. 

Another activity that I do enjoy is dancing, including Latin-style and Zumba, and I've found a few interesting videos, but so far I haven't found one that I'm coordinated enough to do. I'm going to keep trying them, though, because dancing makes me happy. And if I can ever get my brain to direct my body properly to get the moves, I'm gonna rock that dance floor! 

But I do have some other challenges that affect what I can or can't do for exercise. I have a chronic condition caused by an old repetitive injury (and not helped by diet or exercise) called  "costochondritis." Basically, it's like having intermittent and recurring inflammation in the cartilage between the ribs and the sternum, a type of "chest-wall arthritis." It's pretty manageable, but repetitive twisting of my ribcage or excessive weight-lifting exercises (like chest "flys") can exacerbate the condition, causing a great deal of later discomfort. It's not debilitating, but I do have to be mindful that some of the exercises (on any given program) may cause me chest pain afterwards, and decide for myself whether I want to endure it. 

I also have a few things I simply won't do. I won't work out on a beach--I just don't want to get that sweaty and dirty in the sand, or ruin my clothes or (only pair of) tennis shoes. I absolutely hate kickboxing, even though I did it religiously for almost six months one spring and summer. I also simply won't hop, skip, or jump. I refuse to do burpees, jumping jacks, or box jumps. And I'm never going to jog or run. Dear hubby and I recently had a conversation about this subject, and he said, "You're never going to jog or run, are you?" 

This was my answer, "Imagine your balls weighed twenty pounds each and were strapped to your chest with wires and elastic so tight you can't breath--but they still bounce. HARD and HEAVY. Now imagine running or jogging, and bouncing around like that. You tell me, you gonna jump up and down? Or run or jog? Or just walk?" 

If you've seen the size of my "girls," you would understand why the bounce hurts so much. Believe me when I say I seriously cannot find a sports bra that doesn't allow the "girls" to bounce, or make the bounce not hurt like hell. I've tried wearing two or three sports bras at a time--with no success. I've even tried compression tanks over the sports bras to no avail. And we haven't even got to the part where I tell you that bouncing and running also hurts my ankles and my knees. 

Maybe I'll change my mind if I ever get smaller, but as of right now, jumping, bouncing, jogging and running, are definitely on the "won't list." And that's why power walking almost always wins out on my exercise plan right now. It's what's working for me currently, and has worked for me in the past. I would like to do some more strength training, and am enjoying the Jillian Michaels videos occasionally. 

But for now, I am happy that cleaning up what I'm eating--IN ADDITION to excercise--is what seems to have made a difference. I may be making baby steps, but those baby steps are finally starting to make a difference! And I'm going to keep going, even if I have to crawl. 

I'm including links below to the videos I am doing most often. Please believe me when I say if I can do them (me: a 46-year-old, out of shape, exercise hating, bulging and rolling fat cow, with lots of health issues, who refuses to run or jump) YOU can too!!  See you soon!

Links to my favorite Leslie Sansone videos: 
Three Mile With Weights
Four Mile Fast Walk

Links to the Jillian Michaels videos: 
Ripped in 30 - Level 1
30-Day Shred - Level 1