My life exists in the home. We homeschool. I work from home on the computer. Even my communications are through the internet these days. It is rare for me to be out and about so getting exercise usually consists of me walking from one chair to the next.
This lifestyle has not always been mine. There was a time when I would be running, hiking or skiing before I would be watching television. That was before 24 hour cable networks, on demand movies and the baby pouch. I enjoyed being active and made the choice for activity at every turn.
I changed my life once and now it is time to change again.
Steps to Healthy Change
1. Get active even if that just means taking the kids to the park to play. Getting out in the sunshine will help you feel better and get you in a better mood for moving.
2. Do what you enjoy. I watch the Biggest Loser the other day and guys that were almost 300 lbs ran a marathon – that is over 26 miles. If they can do that then I can find a way to run and hike once again. It may be a slow run or a short hike, but it can still be done (fortunately it is too cold for skiing right now ).
3. Gather support. Get friends and family to join you in your new active lifestyle. Kicking a ball around with the kids is way more fun than walking on a treadmill.
4. Fake it until you make it. I know I am not healthy and hiding away in my house will not keep others from figuring it out. I might as well get out and enjoy what I enjoy even in the limited amounts despite what others may whisper or think until I can actually enjoy doing what I enjoy doing.
Getting healthy does not require me spending hours at the gym or hiring a personal trainer. Making more active choices in my life can be the one change that will get me to the healthy person that I desire to be.
Finances make me smile. Not always my own, but the IDEA of finances brings me joy. I am not normal so you do not have to mention this concept. My weird concepts are well documented and I accept the fact that I am peculiar.
The other day I was writing about weight loss and I thought about how the idea behind weigh loss is the exact opposite of developing a budget but at the same time it is very similar. I think that if you follow the simple steps for developing a budget then the weight loss will pour off rather easily.
Weight Loss Budget Steps
1. Write down everything that you eat for one full week. This includes even the “bites” of food or pieces of candy. Every single morsel that goes in your mouth must be documented. For a weight loss budget it is best to break the amounts apart by day.
2. Write down all of the exercise that you get each day. Skip the “walked to the car” entries and focus on the sustained exercise like “thirty minutes playing soccer with the kids” or “twenty minutes fast walk.” Keep these separated by day as well.
3. Figure out how many calories you have been consuming. With the weight loss budget you will not have to count the calories but you will need to know the beginning amounts so that you can begin to understand why your “account” is out of balance. There are a number of different websites that will help you with these totals.
4. Figure out how many calories you have been burning. Your body naturally burns calories even if you are just sitting around all day. This is to help figure out how many calories you are burning in addition to those.
5. Look at the number of calories that you are bringing in and the number of calories that you are putting out and start making your adjustments.
It is only at the last step that the weight loss budget really differs from the financial budget. A weight loss budget wants to put out more than it brings in. A financial budget wants to bring in more than it puts out. The weight loss budget requires that you cut the intake or increase the outflow in order to achieve the desired result which is permanent weight loss.
Forget all the expensive gym memberships. Box up you collection of dusty exercise videos. Today is the day that you start losing weight without doing one movement of exercise.
Great Tips for Easy Weight Loss
1. Clean the house. Take a broom and a mop and get to work. Sweep the entire house from top to bottom and then follow up with a good mopping. It’s an amazing upper body work out (and you can really burn up the calories if you see how fast you can get it all done).
2. Mow the yard. Forget the riding contraptions that cost more than my first car did. Invest in a quality push mower. Pushing that machine around the yard, twice a week, will not only tone up your lower body but will also help you to appreciate pavement. For the best work out around, invest in a mower that is NOT self-propelling.
3. Play with the children. Whether you jump on the trampoline, take a hike with the whole family (and inevitable carry the toddler on your back) or just run around kicking the soccer ball, you are bound to get a great work out in muscles you had forgotten you had.
4. Play with the spouse 
– enough said!
5. Wash the windows (inside and out). Climbing up and down the ladder to reach the top corners of the many windows in your home is going to tone more in your lower body than any expensive Stairmaster ever could.
6. Plant a garden. Between the digging, plowing, stooping, weeding and hauling you will get a full body work out that you will not soon forget. If you really want to put your muscles to the test then rent a sod cutter and clear some area in your yard for a NEW garden (be sure to till well before doing any planting).
7. Volunteer to keep the toddler room at church. You’ll do plenty of lifts and squats and maybe even a few presses. Rolling around with the kids can be the best exercise in the world (for the body and the heart).
The great thing about these activities is that they help keep you moving. That is one of the most important keys to losing weight. Besides, if you are up and going then you aren’t vegging in front of the television eating.
Instead of spending your time (and money) at the gym, let go of some of the conveniences around your home and you will find that you can lose weight without doing any exercising.
Growing up I was always on the go. Watching television was not an option mainly because there was nothing on most of the time. College was all about ballroom dancing. I was on my feet about 10 hours each day – and stretching when I was not dancing.
Having children actually slowed me down some (in addition to the 24 hour television opportunities). It has been hard to stay as active as I was growing up or maybe it is just that the excuses to be a home body are easier to come by. No matter how I got – I got here. Staying station can not be an option if I want to be as physically fit as I was when I was active.
Getting Moving a Step at a Time
1. Pull out the yoga/pilate mat – stretching while I watch the few television programs that I still follow helps to tone and lengthen my muscles. I usually follow a similar routine to what I did when I was dancing although the going is much slower and not nearly as limber.
2. Take a stroll around the yard – granted, my yard is 37 acres, but the concept is the same if you are strolling around the park or around the block. The idea is to get up and get moving first thing in the morning. I tell my youngest (who is usually awake and determined to follow me around) that it is my time to talk with God.
3. Start slow – overdoing it in the first few days will almost guarantee that consistency will fall to the wayside. Painful muscles are not a good motivator. You need to work up to the heavy work outs and for now just concentrate on getting moving.
4. Count the steps – the recommended steps you need to be taking is 10,000. That includes the steps you take walking from room to room, from the car to your destination or any other steps you take during the day. How many steps are you taking?
Movement is essential to a healthy body. I am working my way back to the condition that will motivate me to follow my love of dancing once again.