Respect your Body - Keep Fit

I have a membership at our local Curves center.  The cost is $36 a month.  Yes, that is $36 that I could be saving or spending on something else, but I find that I do better working out with other women and meeting new people.  I recently gave up getting acrylic nails ($50 a month) to save money as I had a decision to make.  We needed to cut back on expenses and I preferred keeping my Curves membership versus having my nails done every two weeks.  If you can’t afford a membership to a gym, here is what I recommend for a frugal fitness workout plan:

Shoes - $50.  Walking is the mainstay of my fitness program.  I started out at 2 miles and have worked my way up to as much as 5 miles according to the time I have to fit into a walk.  Many times I fit in a few short walks throughout my day.  The most important piece of equipment you need for walking is a good walking/running shoe.  I can get Nike or New Balance shoes for around $50 on sale.  These are not the top of the line Nike shoes, but are the moderate medium grade shoe.  Make sure that when you try them on that they give you good support.  This is all I need for walking as I am not a runner.  Invest in good shoes as if you buy a cheapy no name shoe, you will end up with back and hip trouble.  Watch for sales as it is worth having a decent shoe for walking.

Resistance tubes - $8.00 – These look like a jump rope with plastic tubing.  These resistance tubes come with a guide for using them for all sorts of resistance exercises to strengthen your upper body without having to use of bulky weights. 

Fitness Ball - $9.00 – Comes with a booklet for exercises to tone and strengthen the abdomen and lower back muscles

Pedometer - $10 – wear it to make sure you are getting 10,000 steps a day.

Other equipment – a refillable water bottle.  $3.00 or free as a promotional give away.  You need to keep hydrated as you walk and workout.  Keeping a bottle of water filled throughout the day gives you an idea of how much water you are drinking and it also encourages you to drink more. 

So for a total investment of $80.00 you have what you need to start your own personal fitness program.  The only thing you will have to replace over time is your shoes.  You will notice when they start to wear out on the inside as you won’t have the support that you used to have.  That is the time to replace them before you start having some hip and knee pain.   

Always watch the sales for walking shoes even if your shoes haven’t worn out yet.  Better yet after you buy your pair of shoes, set aside $5 a week so that you will have the $50 long before you actually need it to buy new shoes. 

If you can’t afford all of the above at one time, buy the shoes and get a water bottle.  Buy the other items as you save the money.  Look at garage sales for any exercise equipment BUT keep it simple and don’t buy equipment that will clutter up your house and end up not being used.  

Losing weight before the New Year Begins

I gained 10 lbs. since January from being on Paxil.   Back in January I had some issues with working out at home, namely I was lonely and it had begun to get boring.  I joined Curves as I needed an alternative that was affordable.  By the end of February I had lost about 2 lbs. and had toned up and lost inches.  The best day was when I put on a pair of capris and they fit with a little snuggness. I was on my way. 

Unfortunately it was about that time that I started to feel the side  effects of Paxil - weight gain.  So the lbs. came on at about 1 lb. per month until I am where I am today - 151 lbs.  My goal is to get down to 135 lbs. 

I find it hard to lose weight on my own.  I need help and accountability.  I also want to prepare my own food as I know what I  like and what works for me.  

I now know what most women realize deep down, but we really don't want to face.  We get to a certain age and the weight starts to creep on and we can't eat like we did when we were in our 20's.  It's hard to face this but we can eat many of the foods we love, just in moderation and then we need to get our "back sides" moving and exercise. 

I followed Weight Watchers when I needed to lose the baby weight some 17 years ago and it worked for me.  Everyone has to find a plan that works for them, mine is Weight Watchers. 

Soo -- although it is not frugal, I have joined Weight Watchers. Not frugal from the standpoint that I am now paying $18.95 per month for their on-line tools and accountability. Add that to my Curves Membership and I am paying $55 a month for fitness.

If I could not afford this, I would work out at home, walk and count calories. It would be more of a struggle for me, but I could do it. 

I'm really hoping that now that I am off Paxil that the drug will be out of my system by the end of January and I will see the "fruits of my labor" - 5 servings a day that is.

In the Spirit of a New Year.....

I'm making some changes.  I will be adding an expense to our budget.

I have been given a free week at our local Curves franchise.  I just got back from Curves and I am very impressed.  Perhaps it is because I live in a small town and I recognized a lot of the women that were working out there or perhaps it is because our local Curves exhibits that small town friendliness that everyone enjoys.  The bottom line is that I had a great workout and it was wonderful to get out of the house and be around other women.  The location is perfect and I can walk there in good weather.

The coach that trained me on their machines and workout routine spent 1 hour with me.  I never expected one on one attention during my free week.

I have been working out at home for years and it wasn't a problem until a few months ago.  I came to a roadblock and looking back I realize that as days turned from fall to winter, I was becoming more isolated.  My workout had become monotonous and boring.  I struggled to make fitness a priority. It wasn't fun anymore.  What else wasn't fun was that some of my clothes were getting tight on me. 

In the spirit of frugality I have the perfect workout equipment here at home and to think of going elsewhere to workout was not necessary. 

Last month when I realized that I was fighting depression, I knew that I had to get out of the house and going somewhere else to workout was the answer.

So next week when my free week is up I plan to sign up for a membership.  Right now there is a sweet deal going on and the one time sign up fee is $49.  After that I will pay a monthly fee of $34.  I researched other gym options and by far Curves meets my needs and just happens to be an amount I can afford.

How do you fit something like this into a budget?  First of all we are progressing along paying our bills and paying off debt.  We are not in a survivor mode, but we are doing fine.  I am fitting this into our budget as it has become a need.  I need to workout, I need to get out of the house and be around other women and I need to stay healthy. 

We are wives, moms, sisters, daughters and we tend to extend ourselves to others, to help, and we put ourselves on the backburner too often.  We work hard in our careers, be it at home or work, and we burn the candle at both ends more times than we want to admit. 

A lot of us have financial goals of paying down debt or perhaps our financial goals are simply to pay what bills we have and maybe have a little left over and others may be in a survivor mode and need assistance to put food on the table or pay bills.  In the midst of it all, we need to take care of ourselves and get away for a walk, for some time alone or with friends for some girl talk.  We owe it to ourselves and our family to be happy and healthy.

No matter what your budget, find a way to pamper or take care of yourself.  I stretched myself for months trying to get housework done and projects and then went into the holiday season drained. 

One month later I am feeling wonderful.  Lesson learned.  

Putting Myself First, or Second, well maybe -- No First!

I have struggled for the past year with developing an exercise plan that will meet my needs.  The reality is that I need to spend more time exercising than the 30 minutes, 5 days a week routine that I have been doing.  I need an hour a day to exercise.  Now, I hate to exercise but I also know that for the sake of my health, I must exercise.  I try to do things that I like to do such as working out on my Treadclimber and watching t.v. while I am doing it.  On the days that the weather is good I go for long walks outside.  I had been doing this 5 days a week and then lifting weights the other 2 days.

I now realize that I have to increase the intensity of my workouts.  Prevention now is far easier than having a problem down the road.  In other words, I need a more aggressive workout and will add some pilates, yoga and other exercises to my daily routine.   I also need to have a better attitude about exercise and quit treating it like a punishment.

So, in between the responsibilities of taking care of home and family, I need to schedule a fitness program and make this time a priority.  But, it isn't without problems.  I absolutely hate to exercise and have to force myself.  If I wait too long in my day, I will make enough excuses and it won't happen.

How many of you hate to exercise like me?  How do you get motivated to do something that you dislike?  Well, here is my motivation - jeans that have grown a little too snug.  How about this for motivation?  Losing a little weight and preventing gaining weight over the winter time and toning up so that by the time summer arrives I can wear those capris and shorts without my midsection bulging over the top. 

Now, I don't have a lot of weight to lose.  I am only talking about 5 to 7 lbs.  I know that there are people that have a lot of weight to lose and it is disheartening for them to read that I only need to lose around 5 lbs.  But that 5 lbs. represents the possibility of gaining another 5 lbs. in 2011 and perhaps another 5 lbs. in 2012.  I can see a snowball  effect happening here.  In fact, here is my weight over the past 4 years:  In 2006 I was 139 lbs.; in 2007 I went up to 145 lbs. and then lost 10 lbs. and was 135 lbs. on my son's wedding day in July of 2007.  In 2008 my weight crept up to 138 lbs., in 2009 my weight crept up to 141 lbs. and now I am around 145 lbs. 

Each year that goes by, it is a struggle and will continue to be a struggle. 

Again, for women that have a lot of weight to lose it may seem that I am a whiner.  But, think about it - the trend is that I am putting on a few lbs. with each year and I don't want that trend to continue.

For me weight gain goes like this:  "Oh I put on 2 lbs., well that's not too bad for my body frame."  Then about 1 year later "Oh, I put on 3 lbs., well that's not too bad for my age" and so on.  I have given in to negative thinking.

I have heard some comments over the past week by people who have told me that this is part of aging and that I am middle aged, approaching menopause and along with a thyroid problem (although it is being treated with medication), I should just come to the reality check that I will be putting on weight and I should accept it. 

I refuse to give in to this type of thought process.  Perhaps there is some truth in that statement, but not doing anything and giving up is completely ridiculous. 

Yes, with age our bodies change. I am now waxing facial hair, not just my eyebrows.  My hair is thinning some and yes, there are those pesky gray hairs.  I have lower back pain and I have some signs of menopause, but just because I have the signs of aging, does not mean that I am dead or to quote a phrase from Spamalot "I am not dead yet." 

To me exercising and cutting back on portions and trying to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables means that I will be healthier and feel better, physically and mentally.  By exercising and being active I will have a better outlook on life.  It goes without saying that people that work out handle life better.  I may still gain some weight over the years, but it may not be as much as I would have gained by not doing anything at all.

What does exercising have to do with living a frugal lifestyle?  When you exercise and take care of yourself, you feel better and you are healthier.  You'll also save money by not having to go to the doctor because you are sick and not feeling well.  Another benefit is for mental health.  Let's face it, we are in the dark and dingy winter months and although I do not suffer from depression, I can certainly have my share of "blue" days in the winter months.  Exercising does give you a better outlook.  It's just simply making the time and doing it.

So, today I am putting myself first by exercising and watching the amount of food I eat.  It may mean that some days I won't get all the laundry done or that dinner may be a little late or that perhaps the house will stay cluttered a little while longer, but if I don't make a priority of putting myself first, who will? 

I think we all need to sit down in the next day or so and look at our lives and find a way to put ourselves first a little more.  It is foreign to me and at times, it feels kind of selfish.  But in the end I know that I will be happier and healthier and that is the best gift I can give to myself.

The Top Ten Reasons Why I Exercise.

10.  Kind of toned thighs are better than jiggly ones.

9.    Lifting weights gives you a noticeable bicep which is cool to show off to your teenage son's friends in order to embarrass him. 

8.   You can walk upstairs to the second floor of your house and not have to stop half way through to rest.

7.   You have an honest reason to wear cool work out clothes.

6.   When you get off a treadmill after a hard workout, parts of you still move, but not quite as fast as they used to.

5.   You buy walking shoes for the features and not for the color on the "swoosh."

4.   You work exercise into any conversation such as when there is a lull at church fellowship time, you ask "I wonder if Jesus ever ran a marathon?"

3.   Because somebody says "Just do it." 

2.   Your teenage son is taking p.e. and questions if you ever took p.e.

1.   You are healthier, may live longer, but at least you are doing something.

Getting back on the exercise track

Several weeks ago (close to 6), I finished painting the picket fence.  I didn't do a lot of exercising while I was painting as I felt that I got plenty of exercise bending up and down painting the pickets and lugging the gallons of paint around.  The problem is, I have had trouble getting back into an exercise routine since then.

It has been hit and miss for several weeks and I am now making it a priority to get back to exercising. I had become complacent and I have definitely noticed a big difference in the way I look and feel. 

Today I got back on track and will continue to make exercising a priority.  I have to.  At my age it has to be a priority, not just from how I want to look, but from a health standpoint. 

I have exercised for years and it only took a few weeks to get out of the habit.  I truly regret that I let it slide.  Every day I would keep putting it off to later in the afternoon or evening and then it wouldn't happen.  I'm now getting back on track before January.

Actually, exercising is perfect during the holidays as it is way to deal with stress.  If you are feeling stressed due to the holidays or finances, get out and go for a walk.  Start now before those "diet" commercials hit the air after New Year's.  You will feel better knowing that you had a head start on everyone else.  Oh, and during the holidays, go ahead and have treats, in moderation.  You'll be glad that come January you didn't over indulge.  There is nothing like facing a New Year with extra pounds to lose.  It is totally not worth it. 

Living History Farms Race and Going out to Eat

We are going out to eat late this afternoon and for good reason - we are heading to Des Moines, Iowa - more specifically Urbandale, Iowa to Living History Farms so my husband can pick up race packets.  Yep, tomorrow is the Living History Farms Race - go to the photos on this link - there are 204 in all.  Go to picture 6 and you will see what I am talking about. - it is the biggest cross country race in North America with 7500 runners.

Living History Farms (click on this link and watch the picture roll at the top right of the screen) is located in Urbandale, Iowa which is a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa.  I love going there in warm weather and walking the path to the 1700 Ioway Indian Camp, the 1850's cabin and pioneer farm, the 1900's farmhouse and farm and then back to the recreated 1875 Town of Walnut Hill village with a beautiful mansion that overlooks the town.  It is a great place to go for a day, and if we lived closer, I would definitely get a season membership.

But back to the race - It is a 7 mile true cross country race which takes a runner through the woods, the farms, the town and best of all - 7 crossings over a creek.  The runner will get wet, cold and dirty.  At one point there are ropes that they have to use to pull themselves up the muddy hills.  Can you believe that people pay money to do this???  Not me.  I will stay home and will sip hot coffee while they are running in cold weather through frigid creeks. 

My husband, two sons and daughter in law are running this race and they have for years.  Runners from our community run in this race and it is the ultimate true cross country race.  I am not a runner and after seeing what these runners look like at the end of the race, I know why I am not a runner.  Oh and at the end of the race they feast on beef stew.  I'm not sure why they serve beef stew.

They actually have to limit the number of runners to the race.  Can you believe that they have to turn people away?  Again, I will be home sipping hot coffee while reading the newspaper and I can hear all of the stories when my family returns from the race.

But this afternoon, after we have picked up the race packets, we will go out to eat at a nice restaurant - just my husband and me.  I'm looking forward to it - have been all week. 

Cold Weather and Exercising

I awoke this morning to a chilly temperature of minus 8 degrees.  Brrr.  The high today is supposed to be 5 degrees.  On days like today I prefer to brew some coffee and put on another sweater and stay inside.  My DH is a different story.  He is a runner and has run 12 marathons in his life.  He ran the Boston Marathon twice.  After reading the morning paper my DH put on his running clothes and headed out for his daily run.  He was gone 45 minutes.  Oh and the temp was still minus 8 degrees.  Here he is upon his return. 

The ice on his mustache makes him look 20 years older.

Notice the running tights he is wearing.  I think he looks very cold but he denies it.  Right after I took this picture he took our black lab for her morning walk. 

In the winter I prefer to exercise inside when the weather is cold.  Over the past few years we purchased two exercise "machines" that I use constantly.  One is a Bowflex power tread and the other is a Bowflex weight bench.  I use the Power Tread 5 times a week for 30 minutes and I burn about 400 calories each time.  I lift weights with the Bowflex weight bench twice a week.  BTW - we have a t.v. in the basement so I have the option of listening to the t.v. or a d.v.d. to pass the time. 

Our Power Tread

Our Bowflex

(Please excuse the mess in our basement.  I will be facing that sometime this month.)

My other form of exercise is our black lab, Griffey.  Every day she walks into the kitchen at around 11:30 a.m.  That is when I walk her and if I should lose track of the time, she reminds me.  I do have my limits with the weather and refuse to walk in the pouring rain or if the temp is below 15 degrees.  I also go along with my DH in the evening for her evening walk (unless it is too cold).

She was looking out the window waiting for my DH to come back from his run. 

She knows when he returns, it will be time for her walk.

Recently I priced what a membership at Curves would cost and I considered it for a brief time.  Many women in our community are members of Curves.  When I compared the exercises and machines that are used at Curves vs. what I have available at home, I decided against it.  The one benefit to any fitness club would be the social aspect and the help of a trainer.  I am happy that we put our money into our own exercise equipment than in a monthly membership somewhere. 

I never exercised much until about 5 years ago when I was in my mid 40's. I knew then that if I didn't start working out and making it a priority, I would regret it over time.  IMO there are two advantages to exercising:  mind and body.  I feel better when I get out and go for a walk and it helps to alleviate any winter blues that may come my way.  The other benefit is I don't get sick as often and I am doing what I can to keep unwanted weight off. 

Between lifting weights, power treading or walking the dog, I work out a total of 1 1/4 hours for 5 days a week.  For my money I'll stick with what I got.  We have two great machines here at home that I enjoy using and can use at any time that works into my daily schedule. Also, my DH is a cross country coach and my DIL and DS are both coaches.  If I need any diet or exercise advice, I only need to ask.  

I have one goal for 2010 and that is to add Yoga and Pilates to my routine.  I have purchased two dvd's for workouts at home and my goal is to become more toned and to strengthen my lower back.  Now I just have to figure out when I am going to fit this into my schedule. 

Does anyone have any fitness goals for 2010?

Exercising and Staying Fit

I grew up exercise deficient.  In other words, we were couch potatoes.  We ate sweet rolls, donuts, meat and gravey.  Well, you get the picture.   I married a runner.  Not just any runner, but a marathon runner.  He has run over 12 marathons.  He ran the Boston Marathon twice.  I am not a runner.  I tried it once and did not like it.  In fact, I did not really do any type of exercising until a few years ago.

I did not have any trouble maintaining my weight until my youngest child was born back in 1993.  After 18 months of saying "well, I just had a baby," it was time to face reality.  The extra 15 lbs. that was still on me after the baby was born was not going to magically disappear overnight.  I finally reached the "disgusted" phase when I saw a picture of myself on vacation in 1994.  That sent me to Weight Watchers and over the course of a few months I lost the weight and kept it off for the most part for several years.

Then I hit my mid 40's and the weight was coming back on.  I tried Weight Watchers again and lost some of the weight and was satisfied but I hated being on a diet. I finally added exercise as a daily part of my routine.  This was a couple of years ago.  I like to walk and I would get up in the morning and go for a nice long walk.  However, it wasn't enough.  I am not a type of person who likes to workout at a YMCA or a gym.  I prefer to work out by myself or at home.  We had cancelled our Y membership since we weren't using it so we used the money to purchase a Bow Flex weight machine.  I started lifting weights and was amazed over time at how I was able to increase the amount of weight I was lifting.

Then came the winter of 2007.  I was getting up in the morning and walking and I would also walk over my noon hour.  That year we had the worst winter in decades.  In fact we got more snow in Iowa than my mother got in Western New York.  I got up every morning and walked through several feet of snow to get my exercise in.  When the summer of 2008 rolled by I told my husband that I could not go through another winter of walking outside like I had gone through the previous winter.  We purchased a BowFlex Power Tread.  I used it all last winter faithfully until this summer.  What got me off track?  My husband is the local High School Cross Country coach and they practiced at 6:30 a.m.  Instead of "Power Treading" in the a.m., I walked his dog for him. 

Do you know what happened?  I started to gain some weight and my muscle tone started going south.  Clothes were not fitting the way they fit back in July.  Walking was not enough.  The Power Tread gave me a better work out, burnt more calories and helped me stay fit.  I started back on my exercise routine three weeks ago.  My routine is to walk the dog at noon, Power Tread in the afternoon for 30 minutes while I am watching a talk show that I enjoy, walk the dog in the evening with my husband and lift weights twice a week with the BowFlex.  Last week we had company and so I did not exercise as much.

We opted to not spend money on a YMCA membership over the past 10 years and put that money towards work out machines that we have at home.  When we made that decision we made it clear to ourselves that we needed to use these machines and that they could not be collecting dust in the basement.

For me this has been a great choice.  This morning I got on the scale and my weight is up about 3 lbs from the holiday.  I will get back on track with my exercising and watching what I eat this week.  I wasn't going to deny myself the pleasure of pumpkin and apple pie last week and candied yams.

I began this post with the fact that exercising on a regular basis is not part of my background.  I have to work at it.  The one thing that has worked for me is that I have found a fun way of getting exercise into my daily life at home.  Yes, I love that Power Tread.  In half an hour I walk 1.7 miles; burn about 385 calories and walk the equivalent of 93 floors. Since making exercise a daily priority, I have not had the sicknesses that I used to have during a year. 

With our present income situation I would have probably still purchased the Power Tread but I would have researched any used machines that were available for purchase.  If money was still a problem, I would have continued to walk but would have definitely needed to increase the mileage and pace.

As to my stats:  I am 5' 5" and I have an average weight of 142 lbs.  The funny thing is that I weighed 145 lbs. back in 1994 when I went to Weight Watchers.  The difference?  It isn't necessarily the weight that is a problem for me, it is muscle tone.  When I exercise regularly I stay toned and am able to fit into my clothes.  However now that I am 50 years old I am facing a big challenge with middle age and being pre-menopausal.  I will never be svelte.  I never was.  However I feel I am a normal woman with a normal weight.  I wear anywhere from a size 8 to a size 12 depending on the cut and style.  I have one trick I use to keep me on track.  There are 3 skirts in my wardrobe that I put on about every two weeks or if I think I am starting to look flabby.  I will never get rid of those skirts. If I can fit into those skirts and look good no matter what the scale says, then I know I am okay.  

As to food, one meal out of the day is a salad.  I usually have a sweet red pepper with dark greens, carrots, some cheese and the salad dressing of my choice (in moderation).  For breakfast I have a Nature Valley PB granola bar.  However, these have become too expensive and I am researching making my own peanut butter granola.  I usually have this in the early morning with a cup of coffee and then if I am hungry mid morning I have half a granola bar to carry me over until lunch time.  Since these have a lot of whole grains, I usually feel satisfied.  This is what I had for breakfast when I was working and have done so for 4 years.  I think it has become routine so I am not too tempted to snack when I am home and food is more available to me.  If I feel the need to snack, I try to snack on some dry cereal.  For supper I eat whatever I want to eat in moderation, including dessert, and then try to cut off all eating after 7:30 in the evening.

I will always battle my weight and keeping it down.  I at least feel that no matter what, I have overcome being exercise deficient and at least can say that I am living a much healthier lifestyle no matter what the scale says.  The end result is I am healthier and that perhaps will save me money in the end at the doctor's office over the years.