Wednesday 3/22 Exercise

To add strength to leg muscles and get a cardiovascular workout at the same time, try climbing plain old stairs. This can be done at home, in your office, apartment building, or on stair-climbing machines in the gym. Climbing two steps at a time is good for building the quadriceps (thigh muscles) and the gluteus (butt). Going down steps builds strength in the quadriceps and to a lesser extent, the hamstrings. "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson So what have you done today? Mary 415/165/147 18 lbs to Personal Goal 15 lbs below Doctors Goal In the words of Bill Phillips': "Exercise is the spark. Nutrition is the fuel. Without both, there can be no flame -- no results."

Hi Mary!! I've done my usual water aerobics whi*****ludes climbing up 300 steps (2 steps at a time) and down 300 steps! My day will be pretty full, but I hope to get in 25 minutes of Pilates before the day is done. It's getting easier to do some of the exercises. Others are still pretty hard. There's one where I try to lift my bottom off the mat, while my feet are suspended on a bar. It's just not happening. The bottom of me is the heaviest part of me, and it's got a mind of it's own! Have a great day! Denise 326/219/170 -107 49 lbs to Drs goal 19 lbs to mini goal of 200 by July 6

Denise, Weigh to go!!! The point is to do what you can and keep trying new positions one day you may find yourself doing what you thought was impossible. I have been there so trust me. I too have the same problem..I am bottom heavy, my top was the first to go. My surgeon told me that my bottom was going to be the last to go and he was right...but I am determined to get it off one way or the other. Keep up the good work.....I see those numbers dropping. Mary

Well, i didn't exactly do anything today exercise-wise that is. But I DID sign up today with my boss for those 24 sessions (2x/week) with the personal trainer. I'll be starting on april 24. I'm excited. I hope this is the spark to take me out of slug-dom... and onto the path of an exercise enthusiast. So at least now it's official. No more gonna do... Irene

Irene, YEAH!!!! It is the best investment you will have ever made. I had a PT for 6 months last year and she kicked my butt literally and I am so very grateful to this day. She pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me really workout. She never took no for an answer and never let me cheat myself out of a workout session. The results are just phenomenal, if you just push yourself. The best is that the weight will start dropping ....you just wait and see. Mary

Thanks Mary! I'm not looking for exercise to knock off the pounds since my bmi is 25.2, although I'll take any weight loss that comes my way. I would like to make it easier to maintain the weight loss, and to tone and define so that when I get plastics it'll give a better result... I just don't want to start something that I'm not going to keep up with because then I'll be gaining weight... Irene

Congrats Irene!!! Keep us posted on how it goes! This sounds exciting. I can see your 6 pack abs from here!

This morning I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and this evening 1 hr of water aerobics.