Know what I learned this morning, upon dragging my sorry behiney out of bed? The old body had not been moving like that in far, far too long.
Wait- it's not quite THAT bad. I actually have that, "Hey! You DID something yesterday!" feeling. My abdominal muscles know they have been used. My legs feel great, and my back actually is fine.
My thigh muscles are happy. (Oh... that just SO does not sound right...) Let's see.... OK- this is better. Part of the not moving enough of the right muscles was brought to my attention when I crawled my way up onto my horse for another short bareback ride. (Now see? THAT'S why my thigh muscles are happy!) Riding has always been a huge part of my life, so the feeling of muscles being stretched and gently moved at a swinging walk brings about the same kind of joy chocolate does. Only more so, because I know that riding, even a slow steady (and short) walk is actually using those precious muscles in a healthy manner.
While jumping and chasing the boys around, I discovered something else pretty great too. My over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder kept things under control quite well, so there is no pain in my shoulders or upper back, or the boobages themselves. I think if need be, running could be an option.
Boulder holders are such a hugely important part of fitness. Never being one to purchase a cheap, pretty bit of lace from the local outlet store or department store, I've always had to seek out a source for industrial strength support. At an equine expo back in 1998, I found my perfect support device. The No Bounce Guaranteed Bra, provided for active women in ALL sizes, has been my salvation. No more duct tape over a sports bra, over an underwire bra in order to ride. (Can I get an AMEN?)
I've also been working on portion control. We don't eat a lot of pre-made food here, simply because Dear Husband (who was a Chef before we met,) and I both love to cook. I've been careful to quit eating when my stomach feels comfortable. We aren't messing about with "diet" things, just trying to be smarter about the quantity ingested. Seems to be working- my shorts are more comfortable!
I suppose I also need to make a confession. I don't own a scale. I've never owned a scale. In fact, I "fired" the last Doctor (back when I was a size 10 on my 5' 9" frame,) looked at my weight on the chart (about 180# at the time,) and said I was overweight. He never once looked at me before making that pronouncement. I stood up to my full height. Placed my hands on my hips, and said, "Hey Doc, lemme ask you this. Can any of your other overweight patients do this?" And I proceeded to flex.
His eyes about fell out of his head. Once he snapped his jaw shut, I turned my back on him, pulled my jeans back on, and left. Oh- and I did invite him to NOT bill me for that waste of my time.
I guess he had never seen a farm girl before... Never mind a woman with over a 100 pound grip strength.
Plan of action?
- DO more, including lots of jumpoline time with my boys, and riding my horse.
- Continue to watch portions, and keep them sensible.
- Drink more, as staying hydrated here in the muggy southland is extremely important.
I'm trying to go with the KISS theory on this. As long as the momentum continues, this looks promising!
Until Next Time Y'all-
~MM
7 comments:
I've heard that jumping is just an all around awesome exercise for your whole body! I've been thinking about getting a trampette for those days when I'm too lazy to walk Dude to the bus (1/2 mile one way, my driveway) or it's really stormy and I drive.
Great update! I'm sure your boys were thrilled to have you out there bouncing around with them. A few minutes with Sonny Bunz can't hurt either! :-)
Your KISS theory sounds good - I think portion size is so important. I struggle with this all the time.
OS- in the heat of the summer (which is about from late March till about now,) we swim too. Living on the lake has an advantage, as long as there are no gator scares. (Which there seem to be every summer...) And the kids and I have a blast jumping around together.
Laura- if it isn't KISS, I can't handle it most days ;) I keep thinking, Sonny has come back from so much hurt, that I had best be in better shape and control of my body so that I don't hurt him even by accident yet again.
Swimming? Oh, I'm jealous! We have a shallow creek that I haven't been able to hack my way down to yet. Too many blackberry canes and too much poison oak! I'll get there. There's supposed to be good land for pasture over on the other side too. Or perhaps an outdoor arena? And then we'll open up some trails for riding here on the property.
I was actually just thinking the other day about how much I miss jumping on a trampoline! I will confess it was while watching the rodeo clown jump on his. lol
It is great exercise and it is FUN so you don't really think of it as exercise. :)
I'll also confess that I hit the bra link as soon as I came upon it. Don't worry I bookmarked their site and came back to finish reading.
I can not recommend those boulder holders enough. That particular brand has really saved me some major pain over the years. Callie at MidWest Horse has another brand she swears by, but they don't quite make my size... I'll try to get the info from her again though, to share on here.
Kudos to you!!! I can't believe that Doc would be so wrong. They are talking about instating penalties to our health insurance at work and I'm a bit concerned about this exact problem. Sure, I need to lose a few pounds for my frame. But overall, I am very fit and carry a lot of muscle weight. Every body is different and the same weight for a particular height can be very different. It should be interesting to see if this goes through and what the repercussions are.
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