21 June 2010

Fitness Journey, Day 1

If you’re like me, your New Year’s resolution of getting in better shape was dead before it ever lived.  Motivation is a huge problem with me, and I can justify my laziness by saying, “I’m not in THAT bad of shape.”  But for the first time in my life, I’m a little self conscious of say, being seen in a swimsuit.  I am not overweight, but I have what I like to call a “weight distribution problem.”  My BMI (a bogus measure in my mind) is within normal range, as well as my Body Fat Percentage (a better measure).  But I just don’t feel as in shape as I used to be.

So I’ve decided to try something different with my fitness/diet routine: an accountability program.

Accountability partners are well-established facets of most life improvement programs, from financial planning programs to addiction relief groups.  An accountability partner is someone who is ideally participating in a transformation with you, or has already been there and done that.  They exist to encourage you, challenge you, pray with/for you, etc. 

In my case, my two main goals are to tone my body and stop drinking soft drinks.  So I’m hoping to encourage people to participate in a workout program of their choice, while I do mine, so that we’re all in this together.  Furthermore, now that it’s out in the open, when I’m spotted with even a mild-mannered Pepsi Throwback in my hand, I should be politely admonished.  As part of being accountable for what I’m trying to achieve, I’ve made the possibly ill-advised decision to post “progress” pictures on this blog.  I also hope to start a vlog.  I’ll post pictures every three months until I feel like I’ve reached my goal, and more often as something interesting develops (look ma, biceps!). 

If you are interested in participating, post a link to your blog here, or add me on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/VigilanteSilver) and just commit to posting little notes about your progress.  You don’t have to post photos, but doing so adds another layer of accountability, because humans are obsessed with before/after comparisons.

So without further adieu, the evidence (the leftward tilt of the photos is the result of the computer being on my bed, and not of my posture, as poor as it may be).  My dog, Atka, looks on with vacant boredom.  As you can see, I’ve got no “out of control” features, but I don’t have much muscle tone either.  Besides being good for my self esteem, a more toned body increases your overall well being.  My goals are to tone my arms and legs just a little, and work on defining my abs a lot better.

 

Front starting photo

rear starting photo

Side starting photo

My friend Greg Mays lost a ton of weight and got healthier just by cutting high fructose corn syrup out of his diet (something I have already done), so eliminating my seemingly final vice, the dreaded soda, seems like a hopeful way getting in better shape.  My husband and I have been on the Mediterranean Diet for a while, but I think I could be careful about what grains I’m eating and how often I’m eating them.

My fitness plan is an amalgam of several different things, mostly focusing on short, intense cardio and toning exercises (uses one’s own body weight as resistance). The latter part of the program has been proven to protect the back, prevent injury, and produce feminine results, which is why I chose it (no need to go from squishy to golem). Right now I have 4 sodas left, and am trying to wait till dinnertime for the next 4 nights to drink them.  So far I can feel my body going into empty sugar withdrawal (which I didn’t think would be bad, since I don’t eat HFCS).  Everything sweet in my kitchen looks irresistible, I’ve got a headache, and my energy is plummeting.  STAY THE COURSE, ASHLEY, STAY THE COURSE!