8.24.2011

WEIGHT LOSS WEDNESDAY: Adding exercise and finding shoes

Last Wednesday I mentioned that I started the Jenny Craig program for a few weeks. I have to go in once a week for a weigh in and to talk with my program counselor about how my week went.  Well, when I went in on Friday for weigh in, I had lost a whopping 4lbs!  That’s HUGE for me!  My first meeting to get started in the program, I remember being asked how would I feel once I lost 20lbs and I said if I lost 5 I would be happy! So to hear that I lost 4 I was blown away!  And for the record, let me say that I started the program on Sunday after my first visit and weigh in on Saturday (got that?).

 

So I’m halfway through my second week today and everything is going great.  I did have a bad day on Monday.  I was in a funk for really no reason.  My day started out great.  I woke up, got the boys off to school and went up to the mall for the walk-about that takes place at the mall early in the morning before it opens. Quick story, I knew heading up to the mall that there were going to be majority older people there because I’ve done this before after my oldest son was born.  But back then I was more active so I could hang with the best of them when it came to walking.  Well on Monday, those older women (and men!), were passing me left and right! I felt soooo lame!  I’m laughing right now just thinking about it.  I tried to blame it on the shoes I was wearing because I had on my All Stars (Converse) which I do know aren’t walking shoes, but they are the only athletic shoes I owned at the time.  Anyway, lessoned learned. 

Since I am adding exercise now, I’m wondering what else I could do besides walking?  I need to work on my arms and my stomach.  I’m kind of discouraged about my stomach because I have had three cesareans and it just seems like there isn’t any hope for it! Do you have any suggestions? 

Also, what are some good shoes for walking? I have to keep up with my walking buddies Winking smile

7 comments:

Janell @ House of Fifty said...

Do you have a good running/walking store in your area, where they can look at your stride and suggest the right shoe for you? I did this last spring when I started walking and it was very helpful. What works for one may not be the shoe for another, based on your stride, if you turn your foot, etc.

Funny story. When I was a couple months into taking Pilates my instructor suggested I move on to doing duets or group sessions and she had a great partner in mind for me. Great! Then I show up and my "perfect match" was in her 70's, at a minimum! Seriously, I just had to laugh, thinking, yep, you got some work to do girl if this is your perfect match!! I'm continuing to get paired with older women, YES, EVEN OLDER THAN ME!! Now my husband says it is because of the time of day I work out, thanks sweetie, but really, I think I need to do a lot more work to get to where I need to be and that is fine, good motivation!

Janell

BTLover2 said...

Hi Lakeitha! First, I just want you to know I'm rooting for you! I support your journey and will cheer you on whenever you need it! One step at a time...

Have you thought about doing any sort of DVD? I'm not a huge fan of working out at home, but every now and then I have to. I bought Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred and it's really good (I don't do it every day but it's great for working all the muscles you talked about0. It's a 20-min workout and you can ease into it. Just a thought.

Anything you do that gets you moving is going to help you so just remember that. Now go get 'em!

Unknown said...

Congrats on working out -- walking is so good for you! While I've been off work, I've been walking everyday to the store park etc pushing he stroller, and now walk my son to school most mornings (unless I need to nurse) anyways thats really help me get back into shape and tone up post baby (I'm back to pre-baby weight, but need to tone up!)

I plan on buying those tone up shoes a lot of my gfs swear by them! I also adore the elliptical machine at the gym, I used to go 30 mins its great cardio - I'll likely join a gym again soon!

Good luck and keep at it you'll see results in the way things fit and how you feel, it all adds up!! So far your doing so good!!

Annie said...

Have you heard of T-tapp? Just 15 min a day. Sounds too good to be true? That is what I thought but I am getting results and quicker than I have with other workout programs!

http://t-tapp.com/

Stacy of KSW said...

Whoa!! Go girl go!!! I have been in such a rut lately with weightloss. I just cant seem to get to a nice balance point - low stress, healthy eating and exercise. I'm always one extreme or the other.

4 pounds is outstanding!! Aasics and New Balance are great for walking. Look for a shoe that says it has lots of cushion. If you start running, you'll need a shoe for your specific gait and foot placement when you touch down ... but for walking, just get the thing that makes you feel the most like walking on clouds.

So very proud of you!!

Karen said...

I worked out with a personal trainer for a year and learned a ton about how to exercise efficiently. One huge thing I learned is that muscle burns more calories than fat so you need to incorporate strength training into your routine along with cardio. For me, I combine both. I will do an upper body exercise (like push-ups) followed by a lower body exercise (like squats) to keep my heart rate up. Another option is to do exercises that combine upper and lower body at the same time (like a lunge with a bicep curl.)

There are tons of fitness blogs out there. (Ms. Fitness is a good place to start.) Good luck!

House of Brooke said...

Check out:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/BlackGirlsRUNAtlanta/

And also be sure to get your pronation checked. (soooo important) You can visit the following stores to get a better understanding of your feet on walking or running, plus pronation tips.
Big Peach Running Co.
www.bigpeachrunningco.com
http://www.phidippides.com/


And I listen to Pandora as well. IT is d'best!
(do you Zumba??)
~IG2S