Workout 2011: Step Aerobics on Wii Fit Plus

Did an hour of free step aerobics on the highest speed on Wii Fit Plus. Watched the BCS Championship game at the same time. Energized!

Workout 2011: Running

Today I went on a run. 50 minutes. Making better time than I used to. Able to go further without as many walking breaks. Felt good about that!

Workout 2011: Snowshoeing

Today was another big snowshoe day. My longest snowshoe yet. It was an hour but I went further then ever before!

Workout 2011: Day off

It's my day off! But don't count this day out. It's a good day to stretch out. Still drink up your water and try to make good food choices

Workout 2011: Day 5

Today I did a 55 minute walk with my dog in tow up a bunch of hills. Then I did 30 minutes of step aerobics with Wii Fit Plus free step while I watched tv in the evening. My calves were burning from the step work out yesterday. I felt I needed the extra step workout to help my calves stretch back out. Worked well, as they feel better post-workout.
Plus my hubby wanted to go grab burger and fries for a lunch date, so I needed to feel better about that. Not good for the food rules but we did have a nice time.

Workout 2011: Day 4

Today my schedule was different, so was my workout. I did an hour with Wii Fit Plus. The first 30 minutes, I did step aerobics, rhythm parade, Kung Fu, short and long running programs. For the second 30 minutes I did the free step and added in arm workouts while watching tv. My actual time was about an hour and a quarter, but my Wii Fit points added up to one hour of actual workout time.

Workout 2011: Day 3

Day three is another 50 minute workout via snowshoeing. Today I did more groomed trails and only a short portion in knee deep snow. Beautiful day in the sun. Have realized it's best to take several water breaks.

Workout 2011: Day 2

Day two was another day of snowshoeing. This time 40 minutes. Again in mixed snow. I'm getting more familiar with the equipment and how the different trails impact my workout. I'm really enjoying snowshoeing.

Workout 2011: Day 1

This is my first workout day of 2011. It's off to a great start. 55 minutes of snowshoeing in my new snowshoes. I've want to go snowshoeing for years now. This year I got snowshoes and poles for Christmas and was ready to enjoy winter in a new way. I find it kind of like a cross between two things I enjoy: skiing and hiking. I've found the more packed the snow, the easier the workout. That fresh, untouched snow in an open valley, through the forest, or down a dirt road... That's the good stuff. I did a combo of packed and virgin snow on this snowshoeing trek.

New year, new goals

This year, I'm declaring the year of getting back in shape. That means exercise and a simple diet plan.
This is a plan I found successful years ago, pre-kids. It's easy and it works. It is a lifestyle, not a diet plan.
First part is exercise. The rules are easy. Six days per week every week you must workout for at least 20 minutes. What I found happening is the more I worked out the more I wanted to work out. Exercise can be walking, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, treadmill, running, yoga, step aerobics, climbing stairs, elliptical machine, Wii Fit Plus, swimming... whatever. I like to change it up. This creates a feeling of freedom and choice plus it makes it more interesting, more fun and maximizes the workout in various body areas. I found the elliptical machine that includes arm movement and a run-walk-hike combo workout to be the most effective in weight loss for me.
Food
Food rules are easy too. No fried foods. No candy. No high fructose corn syrup. One meal per day should be all veggies. That can be a mega salad or a mix of cooked veggies. You can include pasta with the veggies too.
For breakfast, one piece of fruit and/or one crunchy granola bar (make sure it has zero high fructose corn syrup).
It's okay to have French fries on the occasion but no fried chicken or other fried meals.
I also feel it is important to not feel cheated. Have a cookie here or there. But only have 1 or 2. Take the rest of the batch to work for coworkers, give them to neighbors or send them to school with the kids for a dessert with lunch for the next week.
Drink at least 80 ounces of water per day. That's easy. That's just three of those 32 ounce glasses. Then you can also have diet soda, iced tea, coffee, iced coffee, homemade lemonade (use Splenda or the like), etc. Just don't have any of those sugar, super creamy dessert versions of coffee drinks. Beer and wine are fine too.
The idea is to be smart. Don't over eat. Snack smartly. Eventually make smaller portions but ease into it. I find that the more I work out the more I think about what I eat. If I've done a great workout I don't think I've earned more food, I start to think that I don't want to waste a second of that workout, so I tend to eat better naturally.
Last time I went on this diet I went from a size 14 to a size 6 in less than a year.
Every day I plan on putting my workout on this blog. You'll also find food tips, recipes, workout ideas, etc.