Exercise. I hate it. There are some moments it’s tolerable, but in general, I don’t like sweating.
However, my profession requires me to remain sedentary for long stretches of time. This is exacerbated by the fact that my profession requires copious amounts of M&Ms for creative energy.
(I’m serious! I ate a whole bag of dark chocolate M&Ms when I was writing book three in my Sushi series. Otherwise, it would never have gotten done in time.)
So I have to exercise, or else my bum drips over the edge of the chair (more than it already does), my back aches, and I start getting tingling in my arms and shoulders. I’m not sure what the tingling is, but it can’t be good, right?
I have also discovered that the twenty minute workout doesn’t cut it, except for giving me painful muscles and a headache. High intensity for a short amount of time has not stopped the Great Expanse that is my behind.
Soooo ... I am now trying lower intensity for a longer amount of time.
Instead of Denise Austin’s 30-minute TV show, I bought a few Leslie Sansone indoor walk DVDs at the suggestion of a friend of mine, Kaye Dacus. There are one mile, two mile, and three mile programs. I also bought Denise Austin’s 3 mile indoor walk DVD.
The two mile programs are only 30 minutes, so I tackled the three mile programs. I did Denise on Tuesday and Leslie on Wednesday (sounds like I had lunch with girlfriends, doesn’t it?).
Oh my gosh. Denise and Leslie both kicked my butt. Literally—my gluteus maximus feels like someone took a steel-toed army boot to it.
Luckily, I can opt out of the weights section, although I did try for a few minutes, and I can also use smaller weights than the ones they use.
Did I have fun? No. It was a bit entertaining watching the dog bark at me like I was inventing a new game just for her.
Do I feel good afterwards? Sort of. I’m not as sore in my muscles as when I did the higher intensity aerobics programs, and I went a full 45 minutes with both Denise and Leslie. But endorphins are not racing through my brain, that’s for sure.
It was also very hard to keep to a good diet because my mind keeps trying to seduce me with the fact I burned extra calories today, so I can eat that chocolate chip cookie and it won’t make a difference. Bad Camy, bad Camy.
But I’ll keep up with the lower intensity-longer amount of time thing and see if it helps me lose those 20 (ideally 30) pounds. I did this at one point a few years ago and managed to lose weight then, so in trying it again, I’m hoping to see if it was a fluke or not.
(And if it was a fluke, I’m going to drown my sorrows in a white chocolate mocha with whipped cream.)
Camy Tang
lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research,
and she is a staff worker for her church youth group. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, and her Asian chick lit novel, Sushi for One?, released September 1st.
You finished book three!! Hurray!! Now, if I can only get my hands on book two! LOL!!
Posted by: Deena @ My BookshelfD | October 11, 2007 at 05:02 PM
I feel your pain, Camy!
All the writing and reading I do means I either exercise more or shop for larger clothes.
I walk several times a week with a girlfriend but it is not enough, I need to walk everyday. Thanks (I think) for the reminder.
Posted by: Elizabeth | October 12, 2007 at 10:20 AM
It wasn't a fluke, Camy! You did it. It happened. But every year we get older, it gets harder. Sad but true.
I'm with you. I'm doing Denise's Dance Mix video in the mornings. I like that I can mix and match which segments of the video I wish to do, giving myself a bit of variety in the dance routines and changing the length of the workout from 20 min to 55, depending on how many segments I select.
Indoor walking? I assume that means on a treadmill?
Hang in there! You're not alone.
Now if I could just stay away from the snacks in the pantry in the evenings...
Posted by: PatriciaW | October 12, 2007 at 10:27 AM
I've got some Leslie DVDs too, but my son seems to be more interested in doing them than I am. I have my moments of interest, but they don't usually last too long. Hopefully yours will last longer!
Posted by: Tasra Dawson | October 14, 2007 at 05:05 AM