Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Fitness Tuesday Update - Plateau?

Today's Facebook status:

Tuesday Fitness Update: "Always bear in mind that your resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing." Abraham Lincoln That's what my teabag said this morning and it seems fitting,for I weigh in a mere .6 less than last week, and I felt a tad discouraged, thinking I might be at The Dreaded Plateau. Shall go forth with resolve to succeed more important than any one pound!


Actually, I am not thinking plateau. I am thinking stomach virus - the one I got a week ago. It laid me very low for 3 days and I am still not 100%. I did not record food intake as meticulously as I have been (though I feel I ate perfectly reasonably) and I certainly did little exercise. Even my daily Tai Chi was less.

I suppose the good...great... part is that I did not gain any weight. And, as I am at the half-way point in my journey, this seemed like a good time to stop, take stock, reassess and renew my commitment to my goals. Oh, and be very happy I've lost 21 pounds!

I'm aware that the less I weigh, the fewer calories I burn - takes less energy to haul my body up the stairs, etc. So I know that I need to adjust things a bit as my weight goes down. I can't eat less than 1200 calories and still get proper nutrition, so it means I need to move more.

As I look over the last 12 weeks, I see that my focus during the first phase has been holistic, but primarily on food. I've made amazing changes in what I eat and how much, changes that I can certainly live with for always. I love the way I'm eating now.

So Phase Two logically should be exercise. If I can make changes in that area that will stick with me for always, I will be delighted. I think I've made a good start with Tai Chi and the stretching I do. My Tai Chi practice is a daily, sometimes twice daily, routine. And I love it.



But I have to have more cardio-type moving in my life. So my goal is to have another 30 minutes a day of some kind of brisk movement - walking, pedal exerciser, improvisational dance. I think having a variety of choices is a key for me. I am also coming across things here and there that indicate the variety is good for the body and metabolism as well.

And the third component - strength training. I need to do that 3X a week.

So The Plan for the first part of Phase Two is to focus on the cardio, with a little bit of strength training. In about six weeks, I'll focus on the strength training more.

I started out this week by getting myself to the mall for a 2-mile walk yesterday. It felt great! In a few minutes I'm gonna put on those shoes and go do that again.
yes, yes....


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