Everyday Systems: shovelglove: message 586 of 649

Note: This is an archived message from our old discussion software. Join the current discussion here.

    


Hi everyone. Holy cow am I excited about this!! But first, a brief
glimpse into my journey so far. Last Sept. '04 I saw a picture of
myself that scared the royal stockings right off my feet. I grew up
a tomboy, and was very active. Until finally. The dreaded desk job.
5 years packed 60 unwanted pounds on me and finally I decided to do
something about it.

Step 1 was South Beach Diet - really good eating plan actually. If
you want to devote much of your spare time cooking, planning,
chopping, shopping for your meals all the time. However, I stuck
with it up until the holiday season and dropped between 20-25 pounds.
Holiday season = bad. I managed to maintain enough of my 'new eating
lifestyle' that I didn't put anything back on, but the endless plateau
was killing me.

Started hitting the gym. I mean, that $1800 Bally's membership should
at least get me a parking spot in front of the place. Mostly
clueless, but stuck with it... for a bit. And then... winter blahs. 
Ok, we'll just stay inside and play on the computer.

Step 2 began 8 weeks ago. I started really focusing on going to the
gym. 20 minutes of weights and 30-40 minutes of cardio, up to 3x a
week. But boy is it not really fun.

I added in Weight Watchers and have again swung into the weight loss
mode. Woo. Down a total of 40 pounds now. 20 to go... BUT... I want
my goal weight to be a lean, muscular weight.

The path that lead me here was a long one. Starting with
www.3fatchicks.com (Great Forum Site, lots of info. Really cool) 
Which lead me to the Forum on there for Ladies who Lift. Which sent
me to www.stumptuous.com which lead me here. 

So here I am. The thing I am soooo excited about, is that I have
always been physically active outside. I LOVE outdoor chores. 
Mowing, hedges, edging, gardening, raking. If it involves physical
labor, it's great. When I was younger, I used to invite friends over
to help cut down trees and saw stuff up because I LOVED how it made me
feel. I've always believed that our bodies were designed to 'work' in
these kinds of ways - and this gives me a chance to do just that, all
in the safety, privacy and comfort of my own home. 

So first thing tomorrow morning, I am heading to the hardware store
and getting me a sledgehammer. It'll be Saturday morning, but, I just
HAVE to try it. So I'll give it a go tomorrow, then rest on Sunday
like you are supposed to!

So glad I found your site(s)! (And sorry for the lengthy ramble)

-Renee