Get back on track, I said. On the plan with a vengeance, I said. Get my broken tooth fixed … oh, wait, I didn’t say that, I just had to do that. Soft food only today was the directive … so no steak for dinner (darn).
But I am monitoring my calories, just the same. That’s not necessarily the best method, since I ate a major comfort food for dinner – noodles – but also some healthy protein. The rest of the day was soup and oatmeal (not together). We’ll see how that plays out.
As for fitness … I’m really off kilter… but back to the pool tomorrow (yay). I have read on several fitness sites that it really is best to exercise at least 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time in order to lose weight. Cardio exercise is what burns fat (anything that gets your heart rate up) and burns calories. That’s where you can subtract calories from your daily food intake.
The most effective cardio workouts are running, biking, dancing, and swimming. When they say swimming, they mean lap swimming. I’m not really doing that. But I do get credit for water jogging (deep water). Everyone suggests a minimum of 15 minutes of cardio each time you work out. I actually water jog for 30 minutes. And I do other exercises and stretches – not cardio but good for the body. Total work-out time is about 90 minutes.
I’m sorely lacking in the strength training, however. I can’t lift weights, or do crunches, lunges, squats, pushups, bicep curls… they burn less calories, but they do build muscle. My body just isn’t in a place where I can do most of those things. But I’m going to try and start some minimal weight and band work. I’ll let you know …
Did you know that one pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat, giving the illusion of even more weight loss? Sounds good to me. Plus muscle burns more calories than fat when you’re sitting still. And muscles eliminate the flabby look. That would be nice – I have seriously woggly arms!
It’s common sense, people who exercise burn more calories simply existing than people who don’t. Basically, working out burns calories, which increases your standing metabolism, burning more calories! What does that mean to me? GET OFF MY BUM AND MOVE. I suppose if I have time to watch a movie or read a book, I have time to move more!