Days 4 & 5

Okay, so I didn't report in last night- my bad. I put it off and the next thing I knew it was today. Oops. So here's my report on Day 4:

I did 19 minutes of intense abdominal exercises- 15 minutes of which I had the added resistance of Ethan sitting on my stomach (it was the only way he was happy). Then I wrote - yes WROTE- in my novel for another hour and a half- one hour of which I sat on an exercise ball. I've heard this referred to as "active sitting". I did some bouncing which worked my thighs, but mostly it just caused me to be posture conscious.

I realized that my abs are currently weaker than they have ever been. Even when I went 2 years without "exercising" my muscles have never been this weak. That's why I only made it through the first 19 minutes of a video I used to be able to at least finish- even though I had to cheat a little here and there when I was out of practice. Now, my whole body trembles after 19 minutes and my abs refuse to lift.

The writing I did produced some huge changes in the preliminary chapters of my novel. I'm very excited about this latest turn of events and wish I'd had time to write again today but....

Day 5:
I had time constricting appointments today, so I forced myself to get up after only about 4 1/2 hrs sleep and get ready to walk. I walked an abbreviated version of my route so I think it was about 2 to 2 1/2 miles, but I'm not sure. It took me 33minutes to complete.

I'm beginning to feel the pride of accomplishment- keeping in mind that I can do nothing apart from God. I just love the way my body feels when I'm maintaining a regular exercise routine!

Tomorrow morning I have to drop off a birthday gift on my way to Ethan's doctor's appointment (regular stuff- not sick) and then I might visit with the twins I used to nanny for. When I come home I expect to be exhausted and take a nap before packing and heading out of town to visit family for the long weekend. Thus I will be taking a hiatus from my updates.
See you Tuesday!

Day Three- the first 3 miles?

So, Ethan kept me up until 4:30am last night. Thus I didn't end up getting up until noon. (Thought I'd set the alarm for 11- didn't. Oops.) When I finally made it out the door and started my walk I was almost immediately confronted with my utter lack of fitness. It's pathetic really. Less than 300ft from where I started- I was already tired! It is slightly uphill and I was pushing a loaded stroller, but come on! That's ridiculous! Obviously it's going to take me a lot longer than I thought to make it to 3 miles in 30 minutes. *sigh*

I was hoping today would give me some idea of where I'm starting out- aka how long it currently takes me to go 3 miles. However, my mapped route takes me through the community college campus behind our apartment and around its track one time. I now know this will not work. The campus is under a TON of contruction and they have blocked off/rerouted several roads and walkways causing me to get a little turned around trying to find the track. Once I did find it, I was confronted with a sign regarding track etiquette: "No Strollers". This is something I probably should have thought of but didn't, having never been in this situation before.

So, between the getting lost and eliminating my once-around-the-track portion of my route, I'm not entirely sure how long my walk actually was today. I suspected it might be a little short of 3 miles and I was disappointed not to be able to time myself, so when I got back to our complex, I switched the laundry to the dryer and used the treadmill in our gym while I waited for Ethan to wake up for his next feeding. I managed to get in 0.33miles in about 5 minutes before he woke up, so I figure I do about a 15 minute mile without the stroller on on a flat surface. With the stroller and going up inclines... who knows?

I'll have to modify my route and try timing myself again Thursday.

Day Two- so far

Since I am online anyway, I thought I'd throw an update at you. Thus far today I have NOT done any writing. However, I HAVE done some exercising! Yeah! Since the little bundle of joy was not so joyful this afternoon, I included him in doing the dishes by putting him in our sling and doing leg exercises while I washed. I did things like side to side toe taps, deep knee squats, plees (sp?- think ballerina), and other up, down, side-to-side movements. After finishing the dishes Ethan also joined me in a dance around the house where I mixed up dancing and exercise moves while listening to his fast-paced kids CD. My sister in law ordered me a Mommy and Me Dancing Exercise Video for Christmas and I can't wait until it's delivered! Today I covered my arms, legs, abs, and one back strengthening move with my impromptu exercising. I think it lasted about 30-45 min. I wasn't really watching the clock. (BTW he ABSOLUTELY LOOOOOOVED it!- until his last meal came back up, ending our dance session. Oops. Oh well, he got a bath out of the deal. ;-D )

Tomorrow's my first day to try and walk 3 miles. I'm actually looking forward to it!