๐๏ธโโ๏ธTo Fat and Back (Hopefully...) ๐๏ธโโ๏ธ- A FitnessChallenge
Greetings, Steemians!
I ask that you bare with me on this. This is going to be the hardest post I've ever done, anywhere, ever.
Where to begin?
I got fat. ๐ฎ Not SUPER fat. Not obese. But fat. Fatter. Fat enough to notice things. Lotsa little things. Things no one ever talks about. Let's talk about a few of those things...
- My legs started to rub together. Now, you may not think of this as a big deal, and it's not, really. But it's the first early warning sign of what's to come. It's unpleasant, particularly in the summer, but anytime I'm walking really. Plus, now that they rub, guess what happens to the inside of my pants? Yup! Holes! Not cool.
- Joints started aching. Like randomly. Almost as if my joints are little people screaming, "STOP! NO! Why do you keep adding more weight!? We can't support this!" I can literally be sitting and my joints will ache. What the hell?๐
- Circulation in my extremities is less than ideal. My hands and feet ... and arms and legs are falling asleep. A lot.
- My clothes don't fit. Yes, this is an obvious one, but it didn't really happen until I had gained an impressive ๐ amount of weight. Luckily, most of my wardrobe consists of leggings. Thank God for the stretchiness! ๐
- I'm super easily winded now. This is pretty sucky. I live at just around 8000 feet above sea level, so the air is a bit thinner here anyway. I'm used to this... or so I thought. ๐ It's almost like carrying an extra 30 lbs is hard on my lungs or something!๐
- I don't look like me. This one MAY be the worst for me. It's a total bummer to look in the mirror and not recognize your own face. ๐ Or be in the shower and wonder whose legs these are. It's like dealing with a foreign environment.
- I don't feel quite as awesome all the time. I KNOW that the extra weight (and my general unhealthiness) is causing the problem. But how to fix it? ๐ค
A Solution!
@pheliment is hosting a FITNESSCHALLENGE through the beginning of March. Not only is it a contest against myself and a few others, but I also am choosing to PUT MONEY UP for myself to win! Now, that's some accountability. ๐ Check out his original post to learn more! And join!
Okay... here it goes... please be kind....
This WAS me in July 2015. Not so long ago...
And this is me today. A bit mushier all over and carrying around an extra 30 lbs. But! Ready to take control!
Now, let's set some goals!
Weight
Goal: 135 lbs
Total loss in pounds: 20
Total loss in %: 13%
Resting Heart Rate
Goal: 65 BPM
Percentage change: 10%
Exercise/Cardio Time
Current Physical Activity: Dog Walks 30 minutes, daily
Goal Physical Activity: 25 minutes Yoga daily, 30 minutes cardio alt days, and Dog Walks 30 minutes.
Right now I can do Yoga for 25 minutes ... and about 3 minutes of cardio ( I do dance/workout videos mostly) before I feel like I'm dying. ๐ I plan to keep track of everything I do and hope to simply BUILD UP to my goal. 30 minutes of cardio seems like a LONG time! I'm a little nervous. I get bored easily... Plus, I just get tired. ๐
Below is the calendar I made to track what I'm doing. I use Canva.com (for LOTS of things) and just have a couple of windows open with these for easy logging. If YOU want one, just let me know. I mean, they're already done. I can just remove what I've already filled in.๐ These are the basic exercises I do:
- YOGA- low impact, strength training
- Dance- I got DVDs and Youtube for days!
- HIIT- High Intensity Interval Training- I do these cause of my short attention span. LOL! ๐
- Strength- Just basic lifting and squatting type things for strength building
- Dog Walking- it's on rocky/sandy terrain, over the river and through the woods. And well, dogs gotta walk. ๐ถ
Look at what I already did! Look! LOL! Day 1... ๐ I tend to start out strong... it's the last part I'll need extra motivation on.
I'm also SUPER bad at drinking enough water. Below is a handy-dandy Water Tracking page I created. Oh! And my weekly measurements. Don't really love thinking about those so much. LOL!๐
Finally, a Food Tracker made in GoogleDocs. Honestly, I need to eat MORE, but way less sugar and processed stuff. I feel like if I SEE it written, I'll be more concerned and make a change. Here's hopin'. ๐ (I made it into an image. Let me know if you want it as a doc.)
Lastly, to make me wanna do it even more... I'm pledging $25 USD! The request was/is SBD, but it is SO volatile right now I'd rather be able to state the actual amount I can put up. I'm good for it. This post acts as a promise/contract.
That's all of it, I think.
Every week @phelimint will post on Monday and I'll have to respond with an update of my own within 3 days to stay 'active' in the contest. I'll be using these handy charts to make it easy (hopefully).
I would surely appreciate any support, cheers and friendly reminders to get up off my butt and exercise! I probably won't do another PIC update until March, as it was just about the most terrifying thing I've done (lately). Don't scroll up. You've already seen it. Let it just fade from your memory... Yes... Yes... just like that....๐ต
What were we talking about?
Oh, yes...
It's gonna be a long 3 months...
New here? Wanna know a Steemit Secret? Check out The Secret to Earning Followers by @chrisroberts. He just may be on to something... ๐
Need help formatting your posts? Check out this great (if I do say so myself) tutorial:
Are you stealing Google images?! Learn how to do it LEGALLY:
If you find yourself needing help or just have a question or two, find me on Steemit.chat or Discord.๐
All images were created/taken by me, or from Bitmoji.com. Make your own today!
As always, thanks for stopping by!
Hugs & Kisses ๐
Literally we are exactly the same. The weight, the goal, the previous skinniness!! You go girl!! Let's do this together.
You going to join up as well. It should be great motivation and you'll have some good competition.
Woohoo! I'm so glad you're in it too!
We CAN do this! ๐
Awesome post! You can do it! Sounds like some good goals and good plans. I feel that same way as you. I definitely have a few pairs of pants that don't fit anymore. The worst thing I noticed was the getting winded like you mentioned. I'm finding it hard to climb the stairs at work and actually stopped a little while ago, or running around the house with the kids, I'm tired so damn fast.
We got this and we'll all be fitter and healthier in the end!
Thank you!
Yeah. After going through everything, though vanity IS a part of it, it's clear that being HEALTHIER is my overall goal.
I work with/play/hang out with kids often and find getting tired so fast. It's a bit embarrassing. ๐ Gonna fix that. ๐
I'll be watching for you next posts!
This is awesome! Not just because of the message/goal, but also its funny and well written. I like your charts. Have you ever considered macro counter like my fitness pal? And don't be too hard on yourself, you caught the "issue" before it was out of hand. I use "" because you definitely are not fat, but its always cool seeing people wanting to get fitter. Hiit is a life saver when you're pressed for time! Good luck on your goals, and even better luck on winning since you're putting money on it!
Thank you so much! I find that I'm really good at organizing in general... it's just this health thing I've let go in the last few years.
I also LOVE charts and lists and such, so I thought if I took this approach I'd have more luck.
I have NOT used a macro counter before, but will look into it. Thanks for the suggestion!
And yes, the reason I'm 'getting a hold' now is because in the next year or two, headed the same direction I've been going, I'd no doubt be a LOT worse off. I'll have a post coming up explaining why being healthy is so darned important to me... and why it feels like life and death. ๐
Thanks for the encouragement!
That's great, I'm looking forward to reading that post!
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Nice motivation. I need some of that, but I really need to lose like 5 times the goal that you have set. Yeah, that's right, I really need to lose around 100 lbs, maybe 90, depending on what I feel like at that weight. I don't do much exercising because I can't motivate myself. If I had someone to exercise with, I'll bet I could do it. No relatives or friends that want to partake in it though.
Here's you chance to have some virtual fitness buddies!
I TOTALLY understand. Totally.
That's why I'm glad I found Steemit. It helps to motivate me to do things I just wouldn't give enough f*cks about. ๐
And I'm kinda the opposite. I don't want anyone to see me exercise! LOL! I'm super self-conscious. So, again, Steemit is better for me.
I also think that if I DON'T start taking care of this now I could easily be in a much harder situation.
I used to not understand why people didn't just DO IT. Just take care of themselves. And then... and then, life hit me and I started to get it. It's HARD. Really hard, especially when you have extra weight. Exercising is NOT fun ... until you're good at it. LOL!
I'm really hoping that being on here will help keep me accountable and motivated.
If you want, I could be a support/help system for you. Just to get you started so you can get into some good habits. I'm on Discord often. Find me.
๐ Hugs!๐
GO GETTEM!
Have you ever heard of ketogenic / intermittent fasting? We have been doing it all summer and fall, and are very pleased with the results. I was looking to stabilize blood sugars, hubby wanted to lose weight, went from 208 to 185 with very little effort, and we both feel MUCH healthier, all around. Whatever you do , GOOD LUCK and GOOD HEALTH to you!
I've heard of it, but never looked into it. I will now. Though I've not been checked, I'm sure a little stabilizing of the blood sugars would probably be good for me.
Thanks so much for the support! For some reason, this seems like the hardest task for me. ๐ But with all you guys being there for me- I think ...
I recommend Dr. Eric Berg on youtube. He is one of my "watch daily" people. I had not been diagnosed with anything, I just am getting "that age" and if you dig in, you will find it is also a good cancer prevention regimen. Just so you know, I am going to try to get off my ass and start doing my yoga daily thanks to your inspiration. Been slackin' too long!
I'll check him out.
I'm glad you're up and going again!
I have a Roku TV and there is a free Fitness Channel that has quite a slew of things. Me and the hubs have been watching this old Yoga morning show from Australia. It's pretty great. ๐
I got into yoga when I was 3 or 4. It came on the brand new FOURTH tv channel we had - UHF!!!! Lord help me, I am a fossil! It was right after the cartoons, and it was "Lilias, Yoga and You" and I just thought it was another kids' show. I LOVED it, and it has served me WELL, for lo these many years... lol!
That is awesome! They tricked you into being healthier! LOL!
If only it were still true today....
If MSM had their way, I'd be 200lbs more and 'feeling' beautiful. ๐
But as you may note above, that's a crock o' crap! Getting heavier doesn't feel good OR beautiful. It's unpleasant at best. LOL!
Good for you! You can do it! tip!
Thank you!
It's already Day 2 and I haven't given up! ๐
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there are so many fitness challenges right now!! good thinking This is the time. I don't know how old you are, but you said in the selfie challenge that you consider yourself an older adult. so, I am assuming over 30. and that is when we women start changing Hormones. Crazy, right? but wieghtgain is often part of it.
so, I say, include some Hormone health. I just went through a year of unexplained weight gain and am setting out to do regular Hormone Yoga therapy. I should do a steemit class. I think so many need it!! lol
I'm 36. So I JUST started noticing how things are ... different. LOL!
I'm aware, but not super informed about hormones... A Steemit class may be good....
Way to go! I love that you are doing this and even brave enough to put this all up. Good for you.
Thank you! Honestly, it's YOU all that have given me the courage. For realz. Thank you. ๐