So for the past 2 years now i have been wanting to blog about something, anything. The urge to type and put feelings and thoughts on paper, or computer as it may be. And for 2 years, nothing. I am a woman living in Wheeling, WV where there is hardly no crime to complain about, barely any major events that have cause to worry about. Life here is pleasant. People are friendly, communities are close, weather is decent, what am I going to blog about?
In may my life changed a bit. I got let go from my everyday ordinary job as a daytime bartender at the Olive Garden. I filed for unemployment, put in applications, and enjoyed my summer off. I also added a good 15-20lbs on to my already heavy frame. No longer was I running from front of the house to the kitchen to retrieve salads and dinners, beers and bread sticks. I sat at home with my daughter, watched TV, and though I have never been a big eater, the foods i did eat were snacks that were easy to make with very little time involved. I became very tired, some days sleeping the day away. And the weight increased. I hated it and hated the way i looked.
In late Aug, money dwindled beyond what we could live by and I finally got a bit at a job. My husband would be attending College at the end of the month and I would be starting work in the food court of that College a week before him. I was excited but yet not quite looking forward to it either. No more hanging out with my daughter when i wanted to, no more lounging around all day, and waking up at 6:30 in the morning sounded like a punishment to me. But I started it and it worked out well for me. In the first 2 weeks of work I learned that the gym was open to the public and also they were offering Zumba for free two days a week. I had heard of Zumba before, Googled it on YouTube and thought it looked like fun but ignored the possibility because of lack of funds and ambition. Now here, the college was offering it for free and my sister in law showed interest in going. I couldn't argue with just trying it. We made plans to go that first Thursday. Wed night I sat in my bathroom and measured my body. To see where I had gotten. 188lbs, Waist-38in, Hips-45in, Chest-45in, Upper Arms-13in and Upper Thighs- 24 in. When I had met my husband in 2000 i was 151lbs with hips at 31inch wide. Though people state that I carry my weight well, I was disgusted with myself. I wrote all of the measurements on a sticky note and went to bed cranky. The next day after work I was off with my sister in law to our first Zumba class. With a towel in one hand and a bottle of water in the other we walked in excited for the lessons to begin. Just so you know, at least in our class, there are no lessons. Music starts, she begins to dance, you follow the best you can and for 60 mins straight you dance your butt off..... I loved it. Loud blaring Latin music with breaks of belly dancing and hip hop, crowds of girls giggling while we all struggle to do the moves with out stepping on each others toes and figure out the routine, it was a blast. At the end we were drenched in sweat, out of breath, and wondering how we were going to move at all in the morning. We all made plans to see each other again on Tues, if we were still alive.
I woke up the next morning with out a single pain in my body. This was amazing. Maybe I just didn't do it right. My sister in law had to be sore. I checked with her. "Nope, no pain" she replied also. I couldn't believe it. Tuesday we went back again, got the moves a bit better this time , the whole room weaving a bit more synchronized than the week before. Again at the end we were tired and enthused to return in the following week. The following Thursday I had enough energy to go after work to the gym that was right across the street. I didn't do much but I did ride the stationary bike for a mile. I was proud of myself. For 8 yrs I have wanted to get back in to shape but didn't have the will power to stick with anything that I have tried. And here it was 3 weeks and I was still going to Zumba and now I was adding in a bike ride twice a week .
In the forth week I got a bit worried. My weight wasn't going down much at all. I had lost a total of 4 lbs in four weeks and I couldn't believe that I went from no exercise to Zumba 2 times a week, gym 2 times a week and had only four pounds to show for it all. That night I remembered that I had taken my measurements 4 weeks ago. I ran up the stairs grabbed the sticky note from where I had hidden it and ran back to the bathroom where the tape measure was hidden. My heart began to pound in excitement. I had lost just under 2 inches on my hips, 1 inch on my waist, one inch on my thighs, an inch and a half on my chest and a half an inch on my arms... a total of almost 7 inches off my body.. 4 weeks 4 lbs and 7 inches off my body!!!! Woo-Hooooo!!!!!!!!!
Now, other than drinking at least 16 oz of water a day and eating 2-3 salads a week i haven't changed my food intake at all... just imagin the possibility if i could change that!!! But, One step at a time. For now, the exercise is enough. In the coming weeks I will attempt to make subtle changes here and there. Trying to eat better trying, to go farther on the bike and to fit into the body that makes me more comfortable with myself... so..... to be continued....
No comments:
Post a Comment