Doing more in little chunks

Yesterday, my fitbit tells me, I clocked up just over 2.7 miles of walking. I am SO pleased with myself. Over 6,000 steps...

I gave up my car last year, and getting to places I normally wouldn't think twice about is much more of an effort, and quite often I would finesse it by having stuff delivered instead of going out myself and getting it. Witness grocery deliveries and the postie and me being on very good speaking terms! But yesterday, I had a parcel waiting, and because it needed to be sent on somewhere else PDQ, I bit the bullet and planned myself a little day of getting there, getting home, repacking my item, and getting to the post office to send it off. To reward myself, I arranged to meet up with a friend I hadn't seen in a while at a local café, so score as well on re-integrating myself into society. :)

I won't lie. I did take the bus because otherwise I would have been doing far too much at this point for me. As it was I had to stop occasionally to get my breath back, but again, I did it. All exercise is good in my current frame of mind. When I am fitter, I will think about the quality of that exercise :D oohh am quite looking forward to going to a dance class or some activity a few months from now. zumba? aqua-aerobics? a small hike? A smorgasbord of choice awaits!

While I was out yesterday, on the way to the café, I noticed some very cute little watering cans, in bright yellow and red. They have been occupying my dreams last night - perhaps there is some potential there for artistic endeavor. I am imagining them filled with strawberry plants. Or painting ladybirds, flowers and bees on them. Trying out some traditional barge designs. Or at the very least,  sending one as a sweet little present for a small person I know. Along with a packet of sunflower, nasturtium and bean seeds, and a matching rake and trowel. Of course, all this necessitates another little trip, and some walking miles for me... it is nice to find life interesting again.

weigh-in!

Okay, it has been 6 months since I last stepped on the scales. The beginning of September 2013... Between then and now I have been battling quite severe depression, moodiness, hot and cold flushes, cranky aching joints, inexplicable muscle stiffness - aha, maybe I might possibly be going through the menopause? !!! eureka moment for me once I realised that was what was happening.

Most of last year has been pretty miserable for me. Even having my mum come visit for a couple of months during the summer didn't swing me out of my funk. But these last couple of weeks the clouds have been lifting - both metaphorically and physically. The rain, which has been almost ceaseless for the last couple of months has given way to the odd day or two of sunshine and clear skies. Temperatures are still nippy, but just being outside in the sunhine has been so invigorating.

So. Getting down to business. Today's trip to the pharmacy clocked me up to over a mile of walking. Yay! And I now tip the scales at 351 lbs (that's allowing for all the clothes & shoes I had on today which I weighed separately when I got home! - hey, I KNOW that is obsessive but every little loss counts!)

The good news is I have managed for the first year in many, to keep my weight stable! In recent years my trend has been to put on between 10-20 lbs every year... so I am enormously pleased with myself.

The next few months will bring me many changes - I will be doing a lot more walking around, and a whole heap of swimming. Time to take some measurements this week, so I can see my progress 3 months down the line later this year.

But for now, I am going to sit back, enjoy my lovely cuppa and pat myself on the back for my success at standing still :)

happy shopper

During the last few years I've gotten into the habit of ordering my groceries to be delivered. I still like doing this but today I decided to trot down to the local supermarket with my trusty pink shopper to haul my spoils home instead. It was a gloriously sunny day today, lovely balmy temperature too, a huge change from the chilly sopping wet conditions of most of the past two months. So I followed all that sunshine outside and feel such a sense of achievement. Sure, I puffed away, and I only walked very slowly, and had frequent little pauses, but I did it.

Yay, me!

Next time, I'll wear a few light layers so I can take them off as needed. My lovely purple plaid coat was a trifle overwarm for today! Hopefully, all this exercise will pay off in terms of me getting back into all those gorgeous smaller coats that I already own. :)

small walk

Huffed and puffed all the way, but made it around the half mile block at a nice steady pace. Did the walk this morning at 10.00 am because why wait 'til later when I might put it off because xyz reason.

Ha! Take that Procrastination, I smite thee one blow. Heh. :)

Yep. Have been reading far too much olde worlde fantasy fiction.

I DO feel good though. It was only a little walk, but damn, I DID it. ** happy dance**

Roll on tomorrow.

Hmm, funnily enough it being windy and wet kind of helps too. I feel all snuggly in my boots and nice warm coat, it doesn't feel like exercise. Maybe all those extra ions floating about from the wind energy help too. Just spectulating.

an overwhelming urge

Got up this morning at 5 am. It was dark, raining, cold. But amazingly I wanted to go out for a walk! So I did. Only a little one, just to the pelican crossing and back, 0.2 miles. I got myself some nice cold air into my lungs, worked a few muscles and came home feeling very pleased with my effort. I feel energised.

Over my breakfast cuppa, I've worked out a few more little routes, block walks that I start and come back with a changing view the whole way, starting with a small 0.5 mile one. I quite liked walking in the cool dark, before there are many people, cars or even birds awake.

So the plan is to do another walk later today, when it is dark again. And tomorrow morning. And again in the evening.

Have to start somwhere. Got to love myself more and not just with cake!

Oh yeah, and darn it, my fitbit ran out of juice so I've no idea how many steps I did take. Good thing I have a new battery to fit in it to record my journeys.

september

I've lost 8 lbs since the beginning of August. And I'm pretty sure it is because I now have a Fitbit. I find myself on some days trotting madly around the house to reach my goal of 3000 steps. The goal is to make it thru the whole week with 3000 steps at least every day before I raise the bar.

My local park is now my new favourite place. :)

My Fitness Pal

Well, have been logging on there for 3 months now, and just started an easy-in fitness programme called 5BX - 11 minutes of cardio every morning. Usually do it in about 5 mins as I'm still at the easy peasy stage, huffing and puffing!

On 10 April I weighed 355 lbs. Gulp - 11 pounds heavier than the last time I weighed self back in October 2012 at the doc's.
Feeling much better now than I did most of last year :) Yay!

Not weighed self recently, but am more energetic, and best of all less back pain on doing stuff.