Resolutions

I am not one to normally make New Year's resolutions but last year I did. I was 18 mons post partum and still sporting a good extra 10 lbs. In my mind that's huge. I have always been active - well for the most part anyway - and I always have had a very active appetite.

I just didn't seem to have "time" to be active. After Christmas I said enough is enough. I can find time to be active. So I put the eliptical trainer in front of the TV and wha la, time to be active was found.

I was motivated by the need to feel good in nice clothes again. I wanted to get out of the frumpy loose shirts I was wearing to hide the midsection rolls.

I did it. I worked out regularly 5 times a week for the most part. I cut back on the sweets but you know me, I LOVE food so I didn't go crazy. Cutting out everything good makes me an unhappy camper. I increased our veggie intake too. Afterall it's about health too, not just looks.

By about the end of Feb I was feeling much, much better. By summer I was in tank tops every chance I got. We had a great summer after the rain of June stopped so I pretty much lived in tanks. It was great.

In August I went for my annual physical and I weighed in lighter than last year. Yahoo I said. But more important than the numbers was how I felt. And I felt GOOD! Especially when shopping for clothes a size or two smaller than the year before. Oh, woops, that would be the numbers again.....But it FELT good to be in smaller sizes - does that still count?

I also had way more energy and needed less sleep. This was a two fold bonus as I now have more energy to exercise and more time to get all the necessary things done that are required in keeping this family running along with my partner in crime - the wonderful Jay.

In September I finally signed up for a Pilates class. It's something I had been wanting to do for awhile as I really enjoyed the DVD workout Cathy and I had done a few times together. Turns out I LOVE it. As much as I love figure skating, horseback riding and chocolate. Yes, THAT much!

After one session I graduated to the reformer which is an apparatus that allows you to use springs for resistance rather than just your body weight like on the mat. It will give me some strength training to tone some of the parts that are in dire need of toning. Like the midsection roll area as noted above. Which, by the way, sticks out a whole lot less when I stand up straight. Pilates made me realize how crappy my posture really is.

To transfer to the reformer I had to take two private lessons with my instructor which was really fun and I finally felt like I had worked out after. The mat class was an intro class that had to move really slow to accomodate all members. I like to sweat and hurt. It wasn't quite that kind of class. Now it will be and I am excited.

So here I am. A whole year has gone by and I actually stuck with my resolution. I am more active. I lost some weight and got out of the frumps.

But guess what?

The large quanties of Christmas baking have put me back on resolution parole. I am back at the same weight I was last year at this time. BUT my clothes still fit.

It's got to the be muscle I have built, right?

Yeah right! That and the 20 lbs of scuffles, butter tarts, macaroons, nanimo bar, poppycock and turkey I consumed over a 10 day period.

Gotta go. There's an eliptical with my name on it in the other room!