Okay, I know I said I probably wasn't going to post updates, but the response to my post last weekend was so supportive, I thought you might like to know how I was doing.
Everyone pretty much advised to start slowly and not diet too strenuously, which is what I did. I cut down on portion size, and cut out some sources of empty calories. Unfortunately, with the cold weather, I didn't get outside to exercise as much as I would have liked, but I did do my regular chores (at a faster pace due to the extreme cold!) and did some additional stair-stepping exercises in the house.
If anyone has any suggestions for exercises that will help strengthen my back (not sit-ups ), feel free...
Oh. By the way - I lost 4 lbs this week.
Thanks, everybody!
15 comments:
Wow, good for you! Not sit ups, but lay on your back and tighten all of your stomach muscles sequentially. Hold, release, do the next one - start at the bottom work up to diaphragm. Then do them all together, repeat.
Also, remember to hold in stomach when doing everything, bending, chopping, standing doing dishes, carrying oats etc. I know this is what I need to do and I think we have the same bad posture habits.
Even when sitting blogging.
Hi, kid. Yeah, I already do try to hold in my stomach at all times. (Actually, that's the only way I can see my feet... kidding, just kidding!!)
Well done. Good for you.
Some of the yoga stretches I do might help. Google the Crescent, Warrior One, and Cobra poses.
Sounds like you are well on your way, good for you! It sounds like you get plenty of exercise with all of your farm chores.
For strengthening the back, I like Pilates and Yoga. A couple of exercises you could try might be back extensions and Dolphin Plank pose.
Hi, girls!
Need to dust off my yoga DVD and get back into that. I know I felt better when I was doing it. I've just been lazy lately. Mostly because I need to vacuum every time I want to do any yoga or I end up looking like I should be eating mice...or chewing a bone...or chasing a cat.
HOLY MOSES!
The Bag Lady has lost more in one week than the Chilean lady has lost in a whole month. the Chilean lady bows down in front of the Bag Lady's almighty diet awesomeness.
Congrats on your progress!
And don't get discouraged if it slows down a bit as you add muscle--you'll still be dropping fat even if the scale gets a bit more stubborn.
Sounds like you're approaching this all very sensibly!
You are just killing it Bag Lady! I too am an indoor stair stepper. I don't even follow a video, I just zone out in front of the TV and step on and off, alternating feet. Most people would consider it terribly boring, but it really gets the heart rate up and I don't mind it.
Ah, Mamacita C - don't bow down too low - the Bag Lady has been this far before!! It always slows down the second week...sometimes even comes back. Sigh.
Crabby - thanks for the encouragement! I'll try to keep that in mind.
S. B. - Baggie can't even zone out in front of the TV because she doesn't actually have a stair-step machine...she uses the steps going into her sunken living room, so her back is to the TV. And she can't hear it over her wheezing, anyway!!
Woo! Go you. That's great.
Something I found that helps my back is I take an exercise ball and put my stomach on it. Then I stretch out and raise the opposing arm and leg, and alternating back and forth. It helps strengthen your back and isn't too hard on it. I suppose you could do it on the floor without the ball, but I have a ball, so it works well for me. I've found it's given me more general strength in my back...doing situps on the exercise ball is nice too actually...not so hard on your abck. I like the balls...you can really work every muscle group with it quite effectively and it uses the natural weight of you body and tension of the ball to do it. I'd highly reccommend one. It gave me my summer abs...*sigh*, I miss them. :)
Goin' to town today - gonna get me some balls...oh, wait, that didn't come out right...
Bag Lady. 4 lbs? Wow!
Back exercises? Any type of of "core" exercises (pilates) will help strengthen your back...I think...
I love doing ab stuff on our big exercise ball, it's easy on the back.
Oddly, I take comfort in the fact you didn't get out much in the cold weather. It makes me feel (more) sane.
Hi, Katieo - thanks for stopping by!
I actually did go to town yesterday (we got a one-day reprieve from the cold - it's back to the deep-freeze today!) and I actually did get a ball.
Brought it home and blew it up, and tried it out. Should make some great entertainment for the cats and dog, watching me trying to maintain my balance long enough to DO any exercises! (Not going to be doing anything in front of any humans anytime soon...!)
Even though I got the largest one they had, I may have gotten the wrong size - I have long legs, and someone told me your thighs are supposed to be parallel to the floor when you sit on it. Is that true?
Belated Congrats, BL! As soon as I read down, I was going to suggest a ball. My friend with poor back and shoulders from office work loves hers. With that and yoga, sound like you know it all. It'll just take a little time. Feel free to update us anytime you need a little fresh air pumped into your balloon.
Thanks Clare! The Bag Lady is feeling very poorly today, so didn't do much of anything...hopefully tomorrow will be better.
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