Saturday, May 27, 2006

Fitness for Fats...

or "Fatness for Life." That's what we used to call the required college PE course that was really entitled "Fitness for Life." The required PE course, I guess, was the college's attempt to rid itself of the nickname, Big Women's College. But that plan never really worked out, and they simply added a few masters degree programs so that the name of the college could be changed, thereby avoiding the whole fatness issue altogether.

Seriously, though, about five weeks ago I embarked on a new exercise/diet lifestyle journey - a routine that was inspired by that class I took all those years ago. Back then, we were required to run three miles, four times per week. Not only that, in order to earn an "A" in the class, a person had to be able to run a particular three mile cross country course under 20 minutes.

So I began running three times a week - only now it takes me 20 minutes to run two miles. Then a few weeks into the routine, needing to mix it up a little, I started going to a cycling class (aka spinning) and a pilates class two times a week (that is, I do both back to back two times per week). On the off days, I walk or jog two to three miles. At first I was exercising like this three to four times a week, but starting this week I'm a five times a week girl.

As for the diet changes, I've cut out junk food and have limited my calories to between 1400-1600 per day.

Weight loss to date = 0

Am I feeling better and looking more trim and toned? Am I probably gaining muscle, so the weight loss doesn't register yet?

What the heck do I care about that when the poundage isn't melting off like fat dripping from a skewered pig hung rotisserie-style and spinning over hot coals?! I want results! Results I can measure on a scale!

Obviously, I need to lower my BID (Body Image Dissatisfaction) rate. Or I need a TRC (Total Reality Check).

Women, why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we have unrealistic expectations of our bodies? I would say that I am retarded to expect my body to remember its pre-child-bearing shape, but it's not p.c. to say retarded anymore.

Anyway, both the spinning and pilates classes are fun. I hate every minute of each. Seriously, every day before class I say to myself, "I don't want to go to class today. I'm gonna work too hard because I am too darn competitive." But I go anyway. And I love hating every minute of those classes too because I know darn well that had I been actually riding a bike up steep hills, for example, I would get off and walk. A couple of times in class I was tempted to do just that.

So, I will continue down the current fitness path regardless of the little to no results phase. If I'm going to be pushing MLD anyway, however, I think I'll start eating more chocolate.

6 comments:

said...

I think jogging is actually bad for your knees and hips. Can you try some less violent exercise?

And.. it rains on the jogging and the standing. I think that's in the Bible somewhere.

Cheers!

Selene said...

All that stuff was required in FFL?? I have only two memories of that class which I postponed until my junior year.

1. Very chubby girl ripped a loud one while every one was sitting in a circle stretching and then she owned it by saying excuse me. Stan Staley was in that class with me and we fell apart shaking in silent laughter like two middle school kids.

2. Classmate disappeared while running her homework. Was murdered by a guy from her job. It was very sad. Anyway our professor was pretty devastated by the whole thing. I guess he didn't feel like giving much of a final as it was right near the end of the year.

bluesugarpoet said...

Interesting that you mentioned that, Selene, as I was randomly thinking about that murder just last week. I remember that we made a dedication page in the yearbook that read, "She knows what heaven's like."

I wish a chubby girl would have ripped one in my class. That would have been fun. Remember when President Hills was trying to draw out the campus theif with a serious man-to-girl talk with the female student body? Someone near us ripped a right good one, and I could not stop lauging. In fact, I was laughing so hard that Lacey Stodgers thought I was the one who let it fly. Personally, I think the culprit was Mairene Flea. It still makes me bust a gut to think of it even now - talk about giggling like a middle schooler!

LOL, Mimi! It does rain on both - quite Biblical. Yes, jogging is horrible for the knees, but I don't have the pateince to walk that distance. Call it giving into the "now" culture, but I want results now. I want to go the distance, but I want get it over with as quickly as possible. This is obviously part of the problem in my personal battle of the bulge.

PJD said...

Don't focus too much on poundage, particularly in the first 5-10 weeks. What's happening is your muscle mass is changing (for the better), and your weight might not vary much initially. I've been told this several times by "people who should know," and I witnessed it personally when I started working out last year. The changes you are making are awesome, and you will feel it even in your regular daily routines. You'll feel like "so what?" that you aren't in that great shape, but really you will be quite fit.

Good on ya, mate!

bluesugarpoet said...

This is what Poetroad keeps telling me, and I am glad to have that encouragement (just when I want to eat my weight in chocolate).

I will keep sticking with my plan. Thanks for your encouragement too. :)

PS How long will it take before my weight will vary?

bluesugarpoet said...

Mimi - I initially thought about trying out this new "impaling" plan I heard about, but as it turns out, that activity is violent too.