Dog FOOD and Exercise

How would you feel if you carried around four 20-pound bags of dog food all day? DOG TIRED! 2 years ago, I used to weigh 80 pounds more and that’s how I felt. Run down. Exhausted.

Now I feel marvelous. Did I take a quick-fix pill or follow a fad diet? No, I just ate less and exercised more. That’s the only thing that really works.

Now that Beth is off to England, I’m getting back to business. I have 30 more pounds to go. It’s time to get busy.

I’m tweaking my exercise routine.

-- Monday and Wednesday, I’m on the treadmill.
-- Tuesday and Thursday, I take Pilate’s. It’s not as tough as last fall. I’m improving … slowly. When we’re on the mats, I can even touch my feet to the floor above my head. Not bad for 55.
-- Then (weather permitting), I’m walking 4 miles a day on Saturday and Sunday.
-- I get Fridays off. (I LOVE FRIDAYS!)

I want to push myself further on the treadmill.
First 5 minutes … 15% incline … 3.7 mph
Second 5 minutes … 15% incline … 3.8 mph
Third 5 minutes … 14% incline … 3.9 mph
Fourth 5 minutes … 14% incline … 4 mph
Fifth minutes … 13% incline … 4.1 mph
Last 5 minutes … 13% incline … 4.2 mph

Not bad for someone who used to be ready to die at 3 mph on the flat.


Wednesday, August 26, 2009

FAT & Body Image: Is Size 14 Too FAT to Wear a Thong?


The picture above is from the September issue of Glamour magazine. It was a 3 inch square on page 194 and Glamour was flooded with reactions. Here’s the link: http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/08/on-the-cl-the-picture-you-cant.html

The first thing I thought when I saw this picture was, “She has a tummy fold.” I have a tummy fold, too. No matter what number I end up at in this diet, if I get rid of my tummy fold, I’ll be thrilled.

We wear the same size. She looks much better than I do, but then she’s decades younger. I would never do this. It’s a privacy issue. I mean, I have a blog, but none of my friends know. (OK, a couple of people who live out of town, but that’s all.) That’s privacy issues! I don’t want them to see the first post.

But aside from my eccentricities (and there are so many), most women have body image issues. You can blame the guys (They are visual creatures), the media (universal scapegoats) or maybe it’s our own fault.

For the past decade or so, I haven’t looked in a mirror that went below the shoulders, or at least not often. No wonder shopping was so depressing. Over the weekend, I bought a full-length mirror. No, I’m not planning to look at myself in a thong, but then maybe I should – a reality check. Part of the reason I put on all that weight was I lost touch with what I actually looked like.

I’m off topic. This was supposed to be about Lizzie Miller, the gal on page 194. But that may be why so many women have responded to this picture. She looks like us. Actual thighs.

I think part of what makes the picture work is the expression on her face. We forget sometimes. Happiness is sexy.

She is referred to as a "plus sized model." In fact, the average Amercian woman wears the same size she does - a 14. Would it be healthier for everyone, if the women in magazines looked more like your neighbors, friends and co-workers and less like a stick?

4 comments:

JT said...

I think she's beautiful. More attractive than "non-plus sized models" out there.

Pat said...

JT, you're right.

Ojibwe Confessions said...

She is very attractive. You're right about happiness. It's hard not to be good looking with a smile like that.
For whatever reason, "sticks" seem to be the mold for what beautiful is suppose to be. Good luck on your road to whatever you would like to be.

Pat said...

Thanks Steve, you make a good point. As for my road ... it's a work in progress. I appreciate the good wishes.