About a month ago, I realized that I was getting old lady wings.
This was a horrifying realization. Between the stress level I've been dealing with and the wings, it made me realize it was time to try something different to get exercise. I've been going to a weekly Karate Aerobics class, which is fun and gives me a chance to see my god-son on a regular basis, but a whole bunch of things were making it impossible to find a way to exercise outside of that class, and I wasn't always able to go to class. Getting to the gym with my current schedule was just not going to happen, which was why I was looking at different options. My life has been, well, insane is a nice way to put it, but I digress.
A search of Amazon for a no equipment workout led me to this workout book. Mark Lauren trains Navy SEALs for a living. He starts his book with the statement: I don't train movie stars to look good on film; I train men whose lives, and the lives of others, depend on being fit. This totally changed my own perspective on fitness. The 'You are Your Own Gym' book contains workouts that can be done in 20 to 30 minutes. So far, the equipment includes a towel, a table or chair, and a door--we all have those. And he walks through how to do the exercises, and how to modify them (both less and more challenging) to make them doable. There is an ipod app that is FABULOUS! I can totally see how his work outs would work for someone who is stuck in a third world country and has maybe a chair, door, and tree. Or an over stressed teacher who needs to work out to manage her stress level.
I decided to give the whole thing a go, and so far, I have been managing to complete the work outs three or four times a week. I'm now about half way through week 3 of the beginner series. I'm modifying lots of stuff to make it challenging but not impossible, and I am doing it.
Which brings me to the next portion of my post: if you work out consistently, even if it is only three or four times a week for twenty minutes, you will tone up. And, you will have to take in all your clothes and redo all your basic patterns.
Today, I traced, cut and sewed a swing dress in the size I always make, based on measurements, and then promptly took four inches to make it fit. Since I did that to the last two pairs of pants, and two skirts I made, I have to say I must be a slow learner. It isn't the pattern's fault the clothing is too big--it is my body image issues. My youngest asked me why I keep sewing the same thing when the patterns don't lie. I am not the same shape I was, let alone the same size I was, but my brain, and the picture that I carry in my head of what shape I am, have not caught up to the reality of my pattern size. It is a different problem to have, one I haven't had before. This may mean that SWAP may become a necessity, not just for fun. We shall see.
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