I Pronounce Today to be...Fit Day

Today is one of two days off in a row, so I decided to hit a local gym. I can't afford a gym membership right now, but I hope to be able to get one after I reach lifetime with Weight Watchers and no longer have to pay $40/mo. 

With a day pass you can also go to any of the classes, so I planned to go to pilates in the morning and spinning in the early evening. I was REALLY nervous because I'm not that outgoing when you first meet me and I had never been to a group fitness class before. Luckily, all of my classmates were very nice, helpful, and welcoming. I had worried it would be a bit of a competition, but it wasn't like that at all. The Pilates instructor worked with me on some of the more advanced moves and made some modifications, but for the most part I was able to keep up. Spin class was demanding, but it felt great! I had never even been on a spin bike before, so the instructor went over some basics with me at the beginning and told me that his routine is challenging, but I can always modify it to suit my current physical abilities. To the surprise of everyone in the room and myself, I was right with the pack throughout the entire class. The instructor didn't believe I was a beginner by the end of the class. That felt good even though I've always had very strong legs.

Afterwards my boyfriend surprised me with Thai for dinner :). I got a Thai beef salad. It was delicious! I have no clue how many points it was, but I earned 8 AP (Activity Points) today and had 7 regular points going into dinner. I'll probably have a fudgesicle and call it a night.

What an amazing day. I wish I could afford to go to the gym more often.

Getting Active

At last week's meeting we talked about the importance of staying active and how to incorporate it into your life. I couldn't hold my tongue. I addressed the other members and asked if there was anybody in there who didn't work a 9-5, but instead had a chaotic work schedule. I finally asked for help. This is my scenario:

• I am an assistant manager at McDonald's 
  
• I work 45 hour weeks
  
• Sometimes I only have 8 hour shifts between shifts (it's nothing for me to work 4-1am, followed by 10am-7pm, then 4am-1pm)
  
• I do not have set days off
  
• Sometimes I work up to 8 days in a row
  
• When I do have more than 12 hours between shifts, I like to spend it with loved ones because I don't get to see them when my work schedule is stacked
  
• When I get out of work I am exhausted (I wore a pedometer and I walk up to 14000 steps in a 9 hour shift)
• I only get 1, 20-minute break because I am salaried

This is my situation now due to the current economy. I graduated from college magna cum laude with a double major in Psychology and English Literature and a minor in Gender Studies. I also too a few classes in Economics, but not quite enough for a minor, but here I am working at McDonald's again. Times are tough and entry-level social work pays less than my McDonald's salary. Grad school would be great, but I've already spent so much money on my education...so much that I pay a budget crippling $732/mo. for student loans. It's no wonder crime and robberies are on the rise even in simple, small communities like the one I live in now.   

Now that I have justified my occupation to you, I can continue on after one request. When or if you go into a fast food restaurant, please treat the workers with respect. Many of the managers and crew are college educated (or on the track to higher education). I can't tell you how many times I get treated like a low-class, white trash, idiot. I lost count a long time ago.

Back to Exercise!

What did the other members have to say to me? They all concurred that I need to make time for myself. My loved ones are important, but so am I! Some suggested walking while eating on my break. I am not a fan of that. I need down time at work. Others said that I should do something active during commercials if I am watching TV with people, like jumping jacks, running in place, push-ups, or crunches.

Those are some of their ideas. Please share any ideas you might have for me by commenting on this post below. Thank you!

Where did the time go?!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. Time has flown by! A couple of weeks ago I went on a dinner cruise in Burlington with my boyfriend and about a week after that I was at the Country Club Music Festival in VT. On top of that, work has been crazy.

How am I doing? Well, 2 weeks ago I dropped below 150 pounds for the first time since junior year in high school (approx. 7 years). At the last weigh-in I gained a pound. I expected it. My activity level has plummeted and I haven't been tracking my points accurately. Plus, one day I left all my "good food" at my boyfriend's house and I didn't have anything at my mother's so I ended up going all out and having some Butter Pecan ice cream at 5 points a serving. Do you think I could stop at one serving? Oh no. I blew it that day. It was also very difficult to stay on plan at the music festival. They didn't allow any outside food, so I had to hide my almonds on the bottom of my purse. Every vendor there served crap. Lovely, tasty, crap. Pizza, Calzones, the best french fries in Vermont (Al's), burgers, and hot dogs. I found one stand ran by my favorite Burlington restaurant, Ahli Baba's Kabob shop. I ordered a vegetable curry pita for lunch, and a steak one for dinner. Even though they actually served lots of yummy veggies, I knew that thick pita was packed with points!

Oh well, that's all in the past. I am still here, almost 54 pounds lighter than I was 7 1/2 months ago and still going.  I should have kept up with exercise, but I am still working on that.