Setting priorities, no more excuses, and a real workout plan.
I recently heard that a friend of mine has lost 37 pounds over the last almost-year. I am beyond impressed at her achievement and dedication, not to mention totally stoked for what this means for her overall health and happiness.
I then realized that I have gained as much weight in the last two years. Realizing that you’ve gained as much weight as someone’s phenomenally substantial weight loss is, to say the least, discouraging.
So here is a frank discussion of my health and fitness that has been a long time coming, thrashing through a dense jungle of excuses, a swamp of misaligned priorities and dodging a fair measure of legitimate time management concerns.
When I found out I was pregnant, I weighed 158 pounds. This was my lowest recorded weight since before college, and continues to hold that record. On Monday (a week ago tomorrow) I weighed 194. This is lower than my highest pregnancy weight (204) and lower than my highest non-pregnant weight (218) but nonetheless an unhealthy weight. Since giving birth to Sami, my lowest weight has been about 178 – not a bad starting point. But between struggling with the wholesale committment of being a mom, post-partum depression and a general willingness to explain away any free time I have, all with a heaping helping of dietary laziness, I managed to pack on some pounds. I am sure I don’t look as heavy as I am. But that is neither here nor there.
If I had it all to do again, there are a laundry list of mistakes I’m ashamed to have made that I would know to avoid. I would have started putting Sami down to sleep on her own much earlier – at night, age 3 months, and from birth any time she was already asleep. I would let my husband help me, and I would take the breaks that everyone says Mom is supposed to take that I really never did. I would pay attention to my portion sizes even while breastfeeding early on, to jumpstart the weight loss process. And I would recognize that taking this time for myself did not signify an abandonment of my child or a lesser committment to motherhood. A huge lesson I’ve learned is that part of being a mother is recognizing that Dad has a role, too. That, and that babysitters are OK.
So with that all said, and the gusty winds of newfound conviction in my sails, here is my Fitness Plan:
1) At least three nights a week, after Sami has gone to bed, haul my ass to the gym for at least 30 minutes of sweat-dripping, heart-pumping cardio. I’ve found that maintaining a minimum average heart rate of 140 is required for me to see results. If this committment means I spend a bit less time spinning, so be it.
2) Two workouts every weekend. There is SO MUCH TIME every weekend, there is no excuse not to use one hour of each day toward improving my health.
3) Drink more water. I chow down on a lot of junk food when in fact I might be just as satisfied with a glass of water. Certainly, agreeing to myself to drink more water will at least get me thinking about things more.
4) Up my veggies. Ben and Sami are not so fond of the leafy greens. I can’t change Ben, but I can cook healthier things for myself, and make a regular effort to offer them to Sami. At least one of us will eat healthfully, possibly two, but ultimately, I can’t wait for Ben to be on the wagon to get there myself. So it’s every mom for herself, ’round these parts.
Toward these ends, this weekend I’ve worked out twice! Last night Jen and I bust out 40 minutes of cardio. This afternoon I mustered up 50 minutes of cardio, including 10 minutes on the StairMaster (the down-escalator kind) on Level 5 (which I had serious doubts about being able to complete.) Today’s workout, according to the machines, racked up a total expenditure of 400 calories. I doubt that’s what I actually burned, but it’s a number to vaguely quantify in my head what I accomplished.
I jammed along with my iPod, to actually the strangest collection of unsuspectedly good workout music. I kicked things off with Neil Diamond’s “Hell Yeah,” not the fastest song, but it is one fierce mother, and the perfect pace for the StairMaster, which wears me out at a deceptively slow cadence. Here’s what I had on:
Neil Diamond:
Hell Yeah
Solitary Man
You Got to Me
I Got the Feelin’ (Oh No, No)
Thank the Lord for the Night Time
Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon
Shilo
Red, Red Wine
The Boat That I Row
Neil Diamond is strangely inspirational. There’s nothing “virtuoso” about his music, but it’s all just well composed, melodic and with an uplifting rhythm. And “Hell Yeah” is one of the most inspiring songs I have ever heard. (Much moreso than “Coming to America” (the Neil Diamond song, not from the Eddie Murphy movie), Eye of the Tiger, or that mega-dance song that gets played at nearly every sports event ad nauseam.) The idea of someone looking back and examining their life, unapologetically, and determining that he gave his one hundred percent, well, that idea will at least get me through a forty minute workout. It inspires me to really consider what I want in my life and make sure that I’m setting priorities rather than making excuses. What will I say for myself when I am sixty or ninety?
I think that “The Boat that I Row” is my new theme song, however.
The boat that I row won’t cross no ocean
The boat that I row won’t get me there soon
But I got the lovin’ if you got the notion
The boat that I row’s big enough for two
I’m not going to be a supermodel in this lifetime, most likely. I may never be a professional spinner, I’m certainly not a mom that “everyone’ says is “doing it right.” I’m not the smartest person ever, I’ve got my strengths but my weaknesses also, and I’m not perfect. But I’ve got my own groove going, and I’m not so much interested in what others think of my choices any more. I row to my own rhythm, so to speak, and I may be saying this as more of an affirmation for myself than to really describe it to y’all, but there it is. I’ve got room in my boat for anybody, really, who doesn’t want to throw rocks at my choices, even if they do disagree.
Raffi: Bananaphone
This song is so hilariously funny, and also just so much fun to hear and to sing, it makes a perfect break in the middle of a workout. It may be cheesy, but I think it’s a good song, and I love it.
Peter, Paul and Mary: Puff, the Magic Dragon
Go ahead, take the pace down a little bit. Just don’t stop. Got a little more workout to go.
Laurie Berkner: Victor Vito
This kids’ song came on not too long after I moved to the treadmill. I was right in front of a TV that was showing an ice dancing competition (is it the Olympics already? This is what I get for cancelling local channels on Dish) and the dance and the music from my iPod synched up perfectly. And was thusly hilarious.
By the by, I think that kids’ music make awesome workout tunes, because the songs are generally upbeat and fun. Tell me I’m the only mom to whom this ever happens – a kids’ song slips in by accident on the iPod playlist? It CANNOT BE TRUE.
Rufus Wainwright:
Do I Disappoint You?
Going To A Town
Mmmmm, politically relevant modern operatic pop music. Working out to these songs felt kind of like surfing a huge ocean wave (not that I’ve done this, but I’m just imagining.) I harnessed the energy of something enormous and it bumped me through an extra 5 minutes of grueling treadmill work.
So there it is. No more excuses, from here on out it’s priorities and accountability only. You are my accountability, internets. There may be periodic gym checks, and the occasional weight check. This is my committment. 2008 is my year.
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Awesome, awesome, awesome… if you want to do the triathlon, in October, that I did last year, that could be fun… swim, bike, run – there’s a super sprint too – so 1/4 of the Olympic distance – long enough to be a good thing… and short enough to do an easier training cycle… lemme know if you’re interested. I’m going to be signing up for the swim leg of a bunch of them – like five of them – maybe I’m psycho!
You rock, Mama Cheryl… I’m glad you’re coming into your own. I like all the different metaphors you used – western, boating, etc… Fun times!!
Go Honey!!
I made two decisions in mid October: Stop drinking soda and start spinning classes. The stupid fires (stress and not being able to breath all that well) pushed real start date to mid-november, but it’s going well. I have a diet soda a couple times a week. And I stared water delivery to work, which helps immensely. I found a couple spinning instructors that I really like and twice a week isn’t too tough to get to. (Of course the new years resolution people are driving me crazy right now. I wasn’t able to get a bike last night.) I know these things sound small. But if I try to do too much at once, it never works. So I picked these two small things to do. Another thing happened that helped too. Around the same time, I re-joined the CSA. I split it with Lucas and Jackie. So now I always have fresh vegies in the house. I can’t use the ‘I have no food’ excuse and go get take-out. So, since the middle of november, I’ve lost 7 pounds. Not that impressive for two months. But since those two months included Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’m quite pleased with it.
I think the goals you’re setting for yourself are great!! I would just say one thing. It’s ok to say that in January you’ll work out at least twice a week. Get used to that change in your schedule. In february, get yourself up to three times a week. Etc. The more I try to change at once, the greater the chance that I burn out. I’m now very comfortable with the two small changes I’ve made. They’re not hard anymore. So now I’m on the lookout for a couple more small changes to make. I’m trying to move towards a smaller but more protein filled breakfast. And I’m trying to get my exercise up to 4 times a week by adding yoga and/or more spinning. Not there yet on either of them. But working on it
Once the weather warms up, we should get biking again on weekends. I miss that!!
Keep on rocking.