Regular Exercise

I exercised for real today.  It was the first time I have been to a real gym with a real trainer and did a real work out.  I felt awkward and clumsy and went through a variety of emotions.  I see why people start and stop because it is overwhelming.  It is helpful to have someone hold your hand through the process and give encouragement and informative support.

My friend, Lisa, met me there and helped me over come my fear of the equipment.  She showed me which machines to use and why and I learned a lot about muscles.  I thought I would eat a nice paleo breakfast before I went to work out, but she taught me not to eat protein first thing.  Rather, I eat a banana and some walnuts and then eat my protein after my work out.

My breakfast consisted of one banana, a 1/4 cup of walnuts and green tea with unsweetened coconut milk.  I felt really good throughout the work out

After I returned home to shower, I had two boiled eggs and two slices of farm-raised bacon with a cup of cooked spinach.  I had some more green tea with coconut milk to keep the fluids flowing.  My friend, Bekah, learned that it is best to drink half your weight in ounces.  This means I need to be drinking about 100 ounces of water per day.  That is a lot of water, but I do love to drink tea.

I joined the planet fitness gym for one year and I am dedicated to exercising regularly, voluntarily, for the first time in my life.  Now that I have a good grip on paleo eating and am feeling healthy and have more energy, I am committed to learning how to become strong and healthy through exercise.  I have to wake up one hour earlier every day to fit it in and I am going to miss that hour of sleep, but I will train myself to enjoy it.

Exercise

We had our weigh in yesterday for the healthy living challenge and I did not lose or gain an ounce.  I was actually a little surprised because I have consistently lost about a half a pound every week for a long time now. 

This week is focused on exercise and getting 20 minutes of cardio in the day.  Paleo exercise calls for short bursts of exercise instead of extended periods. I have found this works much better for me because extended cardio gives me a wicked headache.  I drink plenty of water and am watching my blood pressure to see what I can do to avoid the headache.

I like to take walks (by the beach?) and walk on the treadmill and do Turbo Jam weight training.  Those are the only things I have been able to motivate myself to really do and enjoy.  Exercise is hard and I am trying to do better.