Even Jillian Michael's posted this on Facebook - I think it's a new trend!
Well Hello!!! I’ve been MIA from the blogging world for 3 weeks now, but after a week off for the holidays and jumping into my New Year’s Resolutions, there didn’t seem to be any time for blogging. (No time left for blogging?? Why that’s crazy talk!) More importantly – not enough time left for reading other’s blogs! I’ve missed it terribly.
Yum!! Doesn't it look delicious? It's no Death by Chocolate, but . . . (Image via Wikipedia)
Of course, like everyone else in the USA, my New Year’s Resolutions include living a healthier lifestyle. Truly, this is how I try to live most of the time, but during November and December I ate everything that wasn’t nailed down. Small children were in danger. I also did not exercise AT ALL! So now I’m trying to use my common sense and eat more grilled chicken, steamed and grilled vegetables, salads and whole grains. I feel better when I eat this way too but I swear it takes an effort and a lot of planning. I just didn’t have that in me the last few months of 2011. And on the upside cooking this way creates lots of leftovers because Hubby and Tink hardly eat it!
I will miss you Jillian! But my quads - not so much.
I’m also trying to work out 30-45 minutes every day with 1 rest day a week. One of my favorite DVDs is Jillian Michael’s 30 day Shred, but I popped that DVD in this past Monday and tragedy of all tragedies THE DVD DIED! Oh woe is me – farewell Jillian. Getting me back into shape this time proved to be too daunting a task. I will miss thee. But thankfully I still have Bob Harper, so I did Biggest Loser Cardio Max. It has a lot of leg work AND, most importantly, it’s from about 6-7 years ago so Bob is so young and still nice!
How does she look so calm? (image via hundredpushups.com)
Image via Wikipedia "I Love Bob, I Love Bob."
Losing 1 DVD work out is really no big deal. I have tons of workout DVDs, dumbbells (I mean the hand weights not derogatorily referring to my family), a 10 lb Kettlebell, a treadmill and a stair-stepper. All I need to do is use all that stuff. I’m alternating days with weight work and days with cardio only. Another great thing to do is push ups. You can find a fantastic push up program at http://www.hundredpushups.com/. There is a reason they make you do these in the military. Push ups are hard, they are considered weight work and they are truly a whole body work out. A combination of push ups, squats and crunches for 30 minutes is a full-fledged weight work out without any “weights”. So who needs Jillian, right?
I also track calories at http://www.livestrong.com/. You can set up a free account and log every thing you put into your mouth on there. This website can calculate how many calories you can eat each day to reach a goal or just to maintain your current weight. I wasn’t going to count any calories this year. I made a huge declaration to one of my close friends that I was only going to focus on being healthy and forget writing down every bite I put in my mouth because that was excessive. But the day, immediately after I made that declaration, Dr. Nancy Schneiderman on the Today Show said that the ONLY way for a woman over 40 to truly maintain her weight was to write down what they ate. She even said the words, “every bite you put in your mouth.” Really?? I mean really?? After recovering from a brief bout of depression over that fact, I began re-logging my calories.
Another resolution was going to be no more cursing, but then Tink brought home a D in Algebra, the whole DVD death thing and working out pretty much ended any hope of keeping that resolution before I even got started. I’ll save that one for February.
Anyway – I’m done with trying to hit a certain weight or look a certain way. I want to be healthy and I want to be able to button and zip my jeans without requiring outside assistance. That’s enough for me. Maybe that will leave me with a little bit of time to blog!
Ramblings of an Angry Middle Age Woman 
Good luck on your life transformation; the first couple steps are always the hardest but once you get going, the sky is the limit. Great post and I look forward to sharing more with you:))
Thank you. Luckily I am only “transforming” from holiday sluggishness back to a regular, active and healthy lifestyle, but it’s still a daily struggle. I’ll take all the encouragement I can get.
I have MISSED your blogging!
Wow…this post made me sit up and pay attention. Maybe I had better go onto that web site. I want to eat healthier but so often it takes way more effort to be so diligent.
Keep it up and I’m with you on the stop cussing….it is easy until life throws you a curve ball. Maybe we have to invent a fake curse word? one that to us only is bad-ass but to the world is just a cutsie wiord?
like, say…..ah…..well, i’ve got to think about that one….
I have missed blogging and it’s so nice to know someone missed me! I used to try to say “crud” when I wanted to cuss. I still do or I would be cursing much more often. It’s a word not many people use anymore so it gets someone’s attention, but then makes them laugh. For the record I did NOT say crud when I saw the “D” in Algebra.
When I was in my twenties I always had such disdain for people who gained weight over the holidays. I just thought they lacked discipline. Then I exited my twenties and my metabolism stopped burning like a furnace…
I am wiser and more humble now.
Oh yes – I traveled in that same boat in my twenties. I didn’t understand people who were overweight because no matter what I ate, I was always skinny. Those were the days . . .
I love your posts Carrie and I’m glad you’re back!! 😉 I too have been fairly remiss in my blogging, and like you during the month of December, I ate everything that wasn’t nailed down, and then I went and got my hammer and pulled up ALL the nails and ate everything else TOO!!
Now that’s funny!
I’m so glad you are back. You know we had that deal if one of us disappeared . . . 🙂
We returned to the Y this month and the receptionist looked at her computer screen and said, “You haven’t been to the gym in a long time.”
“Just December!”
Now my hubby would have had a strange look on his face had you shown up at the door with a baseball bat in your hands asking to speak to the Angry Middle Age Woman. I have had to ask him to “step away from the butter” on more than one occasion since trying to return to healthy eating.
Yes, I’ve started working out again, too, but I usually don’t get excited about it until the weather straightens up and I can do more than prance around on a treadmill and lift weights. Good luck with your resolution. You’ll do it, I’m sure.
‘Tis the Season! I enjoy true outdoor exercise about 2 weeks out of the year when the temperature is just perfect. Other than that I’m a wimp who enjoys the indoor exercise options. A side effect of being a nerd in high school I guess.
Hello angry middle-aged woman, I am evil & middle-aged (though I think both are matter of opiniion) I had to stop by after reading your “Shanida-New-Name” comment on Byrnic man’s new post – very funny stuff !
Well thank you very much for stopping by and handing out compliments. Those are always welcome. Love your blog by the way!
Glad you are back! I’m trying to get there myself. I’ve been pulling a hermit crab, hiding out in my shell lately. Winter is always such a difficult time to set about a healthy lifestyle when so much of the time we want to hibernate and look for comfort foods. I love the spring when I can get outside and begin to work with my hands, and get plenty of exercise lifting, pulling, hauling, loading… well, you understand! I tend to veer towards lighter foods for energy, shifting from the heavier comfort foods of winter. Somehow it all comes together in the spring! I prefer my shell this time of year.
It does feel more natural to eat healthier in the Spring and Summer and because we are out and about we feel healthier! I rarely jump aboard the “New Year’s Resolution” train, but for some reason this year I did. My shell was getting a bit tight as were my jeans!
Good luck with the healthier eating. Whenever I fall off the good food wagon I take a stroll through the local hospital waiting room, then immediately leap back onto the fresh fruit and salad wagon.
That’s a good technique! Usually taking a good look around the house at a family reunion is enough to trigger me back to the lighter side.