Moving More

When I typed this title, I was reminded of a MadTV skit. Just for laughs:



Seriously, though. Moving more seems to be the hardest part of this process for me. I'm a stay-at-home mom with two children under 3, so I do a fair amount of moving in a day. Even so, part of the new lifestyle I'm working toward involves more activity. For me, that means getting out, going for walks, riding a bike, maybe a short hike, even. I love nature, and being outside makes me feel healthy and alive, especially on a sunny day. I love getting exercise in one of its most natural forms - exploring the world we live in. It doesn't feel like exercise when the activity has a purpose other than fat-burning. Taking a walk while catching up with a friend, hiking to a beautiful waterfall, or walking just to get from Point A to Point B are all exercise, but it's sort of masked by another goal - hanging out with a buddy, exploring nature, or basic travel on foot. Somehow, that makes it easier for me.

Having two children, though, makes it harder. If you have young children, I probably don't have to tell you how much of a hassle it is to pack up a spirited 3-year-old and a 10-month-old in the car, stuff the double stroller into the trunk, drive to the park, unpack and assemble said stroller, and insert children. It may not sound that hard to some of you. You'll just have to take my word for it.

I've tried walking in our apartment complex, but it's very small, and the sidewalks end in weird places, forcing me to walk in the parking lot. It's not conducive to walking for exercise, although it can be done, I know. I'd walk through the surrounding neighborhood, but we live on a street that has no sidewalks, and most cars that use it seem to think it's an Autobahn of sorts.

For now, I'm just going to have to make in-home exercise work, with the occasional walk in the park. Exercise in my house is certainly better than no exercise at all.

Working on a Plan

I'm desperately trying to come up with a decent plan for getting healthy and fit. I've mustered up the fortitude to get going, and now I need to figure out how I'm actually going to do it. Heh.

I have limited funds to work with, so I'm really only going to be able to put money into one of two things - diet (like Weight Watchers) or exercise (a gym membership). I would love some been-there-done-that feedback in this area, also.

I'm really in need of extra motivation and accountability, and WW would definitely provide that with the meetings. I don't think I would get the same accountability with a gym membership, unless I actually had meetings with a personal trainer, which I doubt I'd be able to afford. Based on that, I'm leaning in the WW direction.

My other option would be a gym membership, which I would have to keep up with on my own, and I would do the free version of WW, which I would also have to keep up with on my own. I wish I could say that the money for the gym membership would be motivation enough for me to keep going, but I really doubt that it would, unfortunately. However, I don't just want to lose weight - I want to get fit. I want to tone and strengthen my body, and WW focuses more on developing healthy eating habits and not so much on exercise. I really need both.

I do have an option C that might work: I could start the WW paid program, and as a form of exercise, I could purchase a DVD workout program, like Yoga Booty Ballet, or something in that vein. Honestly, I'm leaning toward this option.

I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, though. I'm afraid that taking on too much at once will overwhelm me, and I'll end up giving up, so I've thought of just picking one and seeing how it goes before I add the other to it. Right now, it's looking like the WW program will be the best option to start with, and working out will be limited to daily brisk walks in the park.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!