Thursday, June 30, 2022

Positive Steps

​I know, two posts in a week when I’ve been quiet as of late!   I guess that means things are settling down!  Maybe.    I have started a new routine for my day  and I’m quite proud of myself for it!!!!  


Yard Work

The yard work continues.  During the week it’s a lighter work…usually.  But I do throw some extra tasks in there to up my activity level.    Most days my main task is watering.  It’s hot..and dry.   We have a lot of freshly planted trees…and plants.  Water water water.   Yesterday I added turning the compost pile and attacking a pile of brush that is beside the fire pit…cutting and stacking it into manageable pieces for a fire.   Movement on my body…it’s a good thing….right?


The mowing won’t happen again until this weekend.  (We we’re not expecting to get a place with property so I hadn’t budgeted for a riding lawn mower…which will make it a bit easier.  We have a possibility but it’s been delayed. Hopefully soon).  Weirdly enough, I’m looking forward to the 3-4 hour exercise.  Ok…on one hand I dread it…but I know it’s doing my body good…soooo I kinda look forward to it to see how my body handles it.  I can see it get easier each week!    Even after we get the riding mower I will probably still be push mowing….around trees and tight spots.    


Tracking my Food


I have actually started tracking my food.  I’m doing fairly well with tracking. Actually I am doing splendid with my tracking.   My calories haven’t been totally where I want them to be…but I’ve been relatively close so I’m good with that.  And by relatively close I mean that I have been about 1500 calories.  I know…that is still an awesome calorie count…but it for some reason doesn’t work for my body.  And true to form I haven’t seen any weight dropping from my body.  But that’s ok.  I’m doing good things for my body in the meantime.


The New Routine

So what is this new routine that I alluded to earlier?   Well, I have been getting back on the exercise bike…I missed one day because I was making phone calls during the break that I have set aside to ride.    So that is one routine I’m bringing back.  The other?   I have started to do Zumba again.  Not in a class setting.  (Weirdly enough I couldn’t find any in person classes in this town…I think covid is still affecting exercise classes).  I have looked at the Zumba classes that you can buy a spot in a stream and do live.  And I will probably try that at some point.   But what I have been doing is I went to YouTube.  Yup.  The first person I did a workout with did everything leading with her right foot…and no cues anywhere and that annoyed me. The leading with the right foot annoyed me most…it created and off balance workout.   The cues…I just got used to my most awesome Zumba instructor Anita (this lady is as awesome as I said in this post)!   She led her classes and directed us with hand motions so that we always had a wee cue of the next step to take.   I missed that.   So after that one day with the lopsided clueless instructor, I headed to a different Zumba channel and I struck gold.  This guy without saying a word makes me smile.  (Literally he reminds us to smile).  He exercises both sides of the body equally.  And he gives physical cues to help us through the workout.  Yay!


I’m having to stay on the basic level for some of the moves….I can’t amp everything up to high intensity yet.   I also am still learning his moves and cues so I look like a list exerciser sometimes.  But I have been rolling the Zumba exercise each morning at around 6:30-7AM (depends on when I get my housecleaning done!). I may arrive at my desk a little sweaty…but hey, I work from home…who cares.  Especially since I’ll get sweaty again on my first break when I do the yard walk through to pick up downed tree limbs and whatnot  (I carry a bucket and weed as I go)…and I’ll get sweaty again on my lunch when I ride the exercise bike….and that last break bike ride also.  And I’ll get sweaty again when I go out for yard work when I get off from work.   


Ahhh work from home is great.  Even more great…finally taking control of my fitness level…accepting the lowered fitness level and taking the steps to change it!    Next up getting my food totally in line…that will come.  I know I’m much more cognizant when I eat now because my thought is ‘did I just sweat for that Zumba class only to negate the calories with such and such’. 


The work in progress that I am  is starting to make steps in the right direction again!!!