About 5 years ago, I looked in the mirror at my fat thighs and the rolls under my bra and decided I’d had enough. With Tate’s help, we went on a low-carb diet (think more South Beach than Atkins) and I started going to the gym 3-4 times per week.
I went from a size 12 to a size 2.
Two kids, three moves, and a blog later, I’m almost back to being a size 12. My thighs are fat again, my stomach is a landscape of rolling hills, and my arms look like big, meaty burritos. I look in the mirror and feel disgusted, overwhelmed, tired, and hopeless. I’ve been trying really hard to make better food choices, but I know that I desperately need to start exercising.
Since having Carson almost four years ago, I’ve attempted to start regularly exercising probably 47, 638 times.
When we lived in Alabama, I started the Couch to 5K program, but it was too hot. And there were bears in my neighborhood.
When we lived in Indiana, I was going to walk regularly (and BRISKLY!) with my neighbor, but it got cold and I hate doing physical activity when it’s cold. Then it got hot and apparently I can’t possibly do any sort of physical activity that might cause me to get flushed! Lawsy mercy, Miss Jennifer, you are so delicate! Just like a flower! I had considered joining a gym with some of my MOMS club friends, but I was nervous about leaving my kids in the nursery.
In the past few months I’ve worked out to DVD’s doing pilates and the 30 Day Shred
Excuses, I say! Lame, lame, lame excuses. (Except for the bears in my neighborhood in Alabama. I wanted to lose weight yes, but losing weight because a bear gnawed off my leg seemed a bit excessive.)
I really want to start exercising again, I’m ready to feel better about how I look. It’s just that I’m not really sure how to go about exercising. The only time in the past that I’ve been successful with sticking to exercising was when I went to a gym on my way home from work everyday. Being a self-proclaimed genius, it occurred to me that I should try and replicate what was successful.
I should join a gym! But… (these aren’t excuses per se, they are REASONS why I’m not sure that I can actually join a gym.)
Not an excuse, but a reason (Nae, bar) #1: Getting a family membership at a gym would be expensive and there are so many things I’d rather buy, like camera lenses
Nae, bar #2: I don’t know how I feel about letting my kids hang out at a gym daycare with all the flu going around. Something tells me that gym daycares aren’t exactly the poster child for Germ-Free is Way to Be!
Nae, bar#3: I can’t go to the gym before Tate goes to work because he goes to work before humans should even be allowed to be awake.
Nae, bar #4: I know myself, and I’d never use my expensive gym membership if I waited to go in the evenings after Tate got home from work. (Especially since he regularly gets home after 7 PM.)
Nae, bar #5: After 7PM, my couch is especially comfortable and I would really rather watch House Hunters or Top Chef reruns than workout.
Those are NOT excuses, I say, NOT EXCUSES.
What are your reasons? Assuming, of course, that you don’t regularly exercise. And if you do regularly exercise (oh ye who must have children in school or a husband who doesn’t work 90 hours/week), how do you do it!?
I recently started doing something called Super Slow Weight Training. It sounds ‘weird’ and it isn’t cheap, but it works. I’ve lost 8 pounds so far, but more important, I have developed muscle 50% faster than I would have doing traditional weight training, and muscle mass burns more fat.
And now for the BEST thing about this…..it takes 20 minutes a week.
I know…that sounds unbelievable…too good to be true…there must be a catch…or something negative about it.
Honestly, it is as good as it sounds…it works.
I’m sure you could find a trainer in your area who specializes in it.
If you want more into…feel free to contact me via email.
.-= Have the T-shirt´s last blog ..Gentle Mothering =-.
If you ever watched star trek you know that space and time are bent and warped and at any moment this warping can cause a wormhole that sucks everything into either a distant corner of the universe or an entirely different dimension. That being said I have made it my job to ensure that nothing important (like the couch) is lost in such an event therefore I cannot be distracted by exercise and the such because I have to stay ever vigilant. Try that one and people typically just walk away.
I have a gym membership that I refuse to use right now because of the flu. no chance of putting my 2 year old thumb sucker in there.
30 Day Shred is the way to go. If you actually do it for 30 days…which I don’t. But it hurts when I do it, so I know it must be doing something!
.-= LZ @ My Messy Paradise´s last blog ..Aloha Friday: Break out the Crock Pot! =-.
Ok, SO, PLEASE dont hate me for saying this…I know you already know this, BUT, exercising is ABSOLUTELY necessary for your health…you DO NOT need a gym!! You do not need to leave your house, you just need to commit to DOING IT!! Jumping Jacks, jump rope, burpees, something to get your heart rate elevated for at least 30 min… if you have a step somewhere in your house, use it for “ski’s” on that. Then you just need dumbells or a resistance band and commit to doing it! Your energy will increase, I promise!! Push ups are great for all over toning, as well as “the plank” for core strength. And remember, it’s not about being stupid, unrealistic “model thin,” it’s about being healthy.
P.S. LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog. Thanks for keeping it real 
My answer: Curves. There’s one nearby, the workout is not too hard, not too easy. The weather in there is always good, like you, I am a delicate flower. The machines are automatic, you don’t have to figure out how to set them up. Go around the circuit twice, you are done and every bit of you has had a bit of a workout.
We make it work by my husband being an academic, whose time is a bit flexible. 3 days a week he goes in a bit after 9, leaving the house after I’ve come home and had a shower. As in, while I shower, he sets up a pile of picture books and our toddler in a corner of our room. As soon as I set foot out the shower, he kisses us both and goes.
As for the comment way up there about putting the kids in a pram. I used to see a mom up on the main road at the point at which it is a long, long, rising slope to get to the top of the bluff, she was running, with a double jogging stroller, a dog on a leash, and two younger elementery age kids on bikes just ahead of her. Not once either, but many times. I’ve been gone for a while, just moved back here. Wonder if she’s still at it? The little one’s could be on bikes now too. The others might be horrible teenagers though.
My reasons (for not working out) are similar to yours:
*super afraid of germs at YMCA daycare
*husband not home until at least 7:00 and often travels to boot
*a lot of television commitments
*clothes still fitting (more or less)
I’ve purchased videos, a Wii Fit, and a recumbent bike (which I sometimes ride while watching television), but I struggle to commit.
My new tactic is working out well. I got pregnant and then decided, “I’ll get fit once and for all after the baby comes.” We’ll see!
.-= mep´s last blog ..Brown paper packages tied up with string . . . =-.
I can’t afford a gym membership and it’s killing me. My kids go to the gym with my mom sometimes because they have so much fun there – and they’ve never gotten sick from it. Just sayin’. But memberships around here are expensive and we just can’t swing it now. And I can’t handle walking when it’s cold and/or dark, so . ..I guess I’m going to stay fat until I make more money.
.-= jerseygirl89´s last blog ..My Secret Shame =-.
I love “Nae Bar”! I can just see myself saying that to my husband before I tell him why I can’t do something. As in, “But Phil, Nae Bar, I can’t do the laundry because there’s a Top Chef marathon on!”
Girl, you are hysterical!!! I so would’ve been your bff when you lived here in Alabama-I live in Wilmer. I’ve been reading your posts, laughing out loud until I cried. My husband thinks I’m everlovin’ cuh-razy! I sure hate you had a bad experience here, I’m thinking if you would’ve moved to Semmes, it would have been totally different!
I walk after the 2-year old is in bed and I take the 8 month old with me. 30 minutes brisk walk pushing the stroller. Sometimes I do it with the double stroller for extra weight. 5 nights a week. if it’s a normal part of the day, that’s the most effective.going at night also helps me sleep better and avoid night snacking!
.-= rabbi’s wife´s last blog ..Living with terrorism. =-.
I have no good excuse. I used to love using my wii fit, and now they’ve added so much more…but…my board needs batteries. That’s all I go. Truth be known we probably have the right batteries in the drawer. I need to “just do it” Maybe we need a club. A “quit with the excuses” club. Who’s in?
.-= Shelly´s last blog ..Halloween Alternatives =-.
I’m going through this now too, only I have a gym membership that I refuse to give up, just in case. I actually enjoy working out, but my twins are 19 months old, were preemies and haven’t had their flu shots, I’m scared to death to take them to that germ infested playground… And when I do, they are so attached to me that I end up getting called out of class 28 minutes in… I’m at a loss…
.-= angie´s last blog ..I Have a Farm, So What? =-.
What was that word you wrote? G- Y – M??? What does that mean??
By the way, I’m one giant marshmellow! Yes, I am. As the whole world saw on Dr. Phil last week — GAH!!
.-= Twenty Four At Heart´s last blog ..Better Than Medicine =-.
I struggle with this too! I feel so much better when I excercise and know I need to but making it to the gym is hard even with my membership. My kids love hanging out at the kids club so that isn’t the problem. Both hubby and I lack motivation. I wish we could both encourage each other to go!
Can’t add to your list because you have the same excuses, or rather reasons I do.
Looks like we have the same excuses…I mean reasons.
I’m just going to go on the Toddler Diet.
.-= Connie @ Young and Relentless´s last blog ..Romy and Michelle go to SITScation 09 =-.
Ok, don’t kill me, but I love exercising.
But, my husband also works long hours and we don’t have a gym membership. Here are some of the things I’ve done…. paid for 2-3 months classes (that really interests me) and paid $5/hr. to a home-schooler to come watch my kids.
traded babysitting with a friend…
the ones that work best for me don’t involve money are:
pushing my kids in a stroller for two miles. and, buying (and doing P90X). A video series that is killer, but keeps me from feeling stupid tripping over my feet while doing the grapevine -even if it’s only my kids who are watching (and laughing). at first, my kids whined and vied for my attention. now they know they can either play quietly or exercise with me. good luck.
oh, and one more thing, make a pact with a friend. for transparency, this is the only thing that actually made me work out now that I think about it. our pact – whoever didn’t work out for at least 20 minutes 3 x per week had to watch the others kids for a date night. make one with a trusted friend that is appealing to both of you. ok, now good luck.
.-= Leighann´s last blog ..Happy 8 Months! =-.
I say boo to the local gym childcare. I took my girls there for four months and in that period my baby got RSV TWICE. That’s right, in the same season. TWICE. We were put in the books at the CDC. As such her lungs are still compromised and when she catches a cold it turns into bronchitis/pneumonia around day 6. Every. Time.
Sucks big.
So, we got a cheapo treadmill at Walmart and I walk on an incline in the evenings while watching TV. I’m distracted so I’m not hating the activity and I push myself just hard enough to get my heartrate into the right range for me.
And then I eat chocolate and go to bed.
Have you heard of Sparkpeople.com? I found it a little bit ago and it works if you are willing to put the effort into recording what you eat online. It’s like free WW Online. (I also did Isagenix but I wouldn’t recommend it–the shakes were really hard for me to take day after day so I didn’t finish–I’m just using the rest of the shakes for one meal a day.) I have lost 15 lbs since the middle of Sept. I actually feel more like exercising now that the big roll around the middle is gone…but I don’t seem to be able to stick to anything for long. Wii Fit, 30 Day Shred, Balance Ball, tread mill…it’s all great for a few days but I get sick of everything.
.-= sonja´s last blog ..Running and Playing =-.
I am a recovering couch potato. But, I have recently turned my life and fitness around by finding the thing that I LOVE. That just so happens to be cardio dance type classes and weight lifting classes. THEN, I was introduced to TeamBeachbody.com and realized that I can do these type “classes” at HOME! So, now I do ChaLean Extreme and Turbo Jam. At home.
I keep myself accountable in two ways. I turned Team Beachbody into my own business…so, I NEED to look healthy in order to be successful. Also, I sent flyers out in my neighborhood to find “workout partners”. So, now there are 4-5 ladies that consistently come to MY house to do these workout with me. Set schedule, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday…same time, same place. So, even on the days I DON’T feel like working out, they are there, which means I HAVE to, lol. So far it has all worked well for me. I’ve lost about 20 pounds and 2 pant sizes since July!
I’m excited about my new business, for sure! I’m thinking it may be my calling to help motivate people toward a healthier lifestyle! Check out my website if you would like…
http://www.TakingFitnessByStorm.com
Jennifer, get a treadmill.
I am in the exact same spot as you with the kids, hubby who works a ton/travels, and an affinity for prime rib and cozy couches. My tradmill is the ONLY thing convenient enough to fit my life. Forget the body sculpting, weights, pilates, etc. Forget your arms, forget your belly jelly, just eat reasonably and get on the mill. It will make a huge, long-term difference with minimal life disruption. Because what I hear you saying – which is my case as well, is that quite frankly, you love your life – hate the thighs. So keep your life. You don’t have to organize your day around excercise or even give up morning coffee time or evening snuggly time. That is mistake #1 in attemting to lose weight, because when you do that, you become a size 2. For like 5 minutes, just long enough to give yourself something to make gaing back to a size 12 all the more depressing. The jeans you USED to wear when you obsessed over food and exercise trigger anxiety to do it all over again, and you end up hating yourself for not being able to.
So get the mill lady, just get on it every day, whenever for however long. You will look great (normal, healthy great) and feel great!
Aimee, Funny you should mention this because I’ve been perusing Craigslist for a treadmill! I agree, I think this would be a great solution. I figure I’ll get a used one because I bet that most people buy these with good intentions, but they end up becoming dust collectors.