What it's all about....

This last year of my life I have dedicated to becoming healthier by taking a much different approach than I've done in the past. I took it on as a lifestyle change not a diet or an exercise regime. I just hadn't been paying attention over the last few years and the weight just kind of crept up on me. All of a sudden nothing fit and I had to go buy bigger jeans. Talk about a melt-down in the dressing room when I put on that size 14 jeans. Geez, trauma! I've always been back and forth between sizes 10 and 12 and happy with it. I believe a woman needs some curves. If you have no fat on you what are you going to shake on the dance floor? :) There's a reason women are built the way they are. But I knew I was too heavy because I felt tired, my knees ached and I was in a bad mood all the time. Something needed to change.

January always brings on the resolutions. I'm going to lose weight, exercise, etc, etc so 2009 started out that way. I joined the local gym and worked out for five months. I lost a few pounds but kept going up and down. Then in May a friend persuaded me to go to a Pilate's studio in town, Studio 4 Pilates. I've always hated exercise classes, but I'd always heard good things about Pilates. They also had yoga classes. Through my whole life I kept saying to myself I wanted to learn yoga, but never did it. I always felt like I needed a beginners class so I could figure out all those poses.

I took a few classes, both Pilates and yoga and loved it. Some of it was hard for me, I had no muscle tone, but I could do it. I didn't need to be coordinated. I didn't feel out of place. I started seeing immediate results in my body. I was standing taller, I could feel my muscles. I bought a card for five classes a couple of times and then bit the bullet and joined as a member. Pilates and yoga are not cheap. But the teachers are well trained and there is a lot of personal attention. This studio is worth every penny I pay for it. I took a workshop in Pilates 101 and they have a foundation of yoga class every week. It's truly been an education. I think every bit of what I am investing in these classes will pay off as I age.

For me, making a big monetary committment helped me to stay on track. I felt I really had to go to the classes to make the best use of my money. I'm there 4-6 times a week taking classes. I also still belong to a gym and use their treadmill and eliptical machine a few times a week to get my cardio workouts in. In eight months I've seen my body change from a size 14 down to a size 8! I went from 178 pounds down to 158 pounds in a year.

But exercise is not all I did. I also recommitted to Weight Watchers online. Writing everything that goes in my mouth is key for me. Having a convienant place to put it online makes it easy. I think the magic secret to losing weight is drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day and just tracking what you eat. Just start there for a week or two and then add in your parameters for losing weight, like exercise and counting calories or points or whatever it is you choose. Eating all whole grain, high fiber, low fat foods is vital for me. There are so many good choices out there for food now. High fiber bread doesn't taste like your eating a box anymore. It's actually good. It's basically about eating nutritiously and in moderation. Oh yeah, you have to cut the daily alcohol consumption down too. If I have a drink during the week I try to keep it to wine with dinner, if I have the extra points to use. But if you do overindulge, you can get right back on track the next day. Don't beat yourself up. Just start fresh everyday. Besides I get extra points for exercising, so if I want a margarita or two I'll make sure I get in my exercise for the day. My vices are not sweets. Give me cheese, torilla chips, guacamole and a good bottle of red wine and I'm a happy camper.

The component that tied everything together for me and really made it all work was the yoga. Yoga has truly inspired me and spoken to my spiritual side. I go to two to three yoga classes a week and I do my own practice at home. I've been meditating and studying all genres of yoga. It really fits for me and makes me feel whole.

To put it in a nutshell, this blog is about my new healthy lifestyle. It's a place for me to collect all the things that are working or not working for me and keep me on track. I'm hoping that others will follow along and share the things that work for them too. As always, it's a work in progress. I'm sure it will moph into something I wasn't expecting but that's the fun part!

Remember to check with your medical doctor before starting on any kind of diet or exercise program. Make sure your body can handle it so you don't derail yourself. Know what your intentions are and take inspired action.