MAY 16 - I NEED TO GET MOVING!

I have a confession to make... I am a couch potato!

Not that I never exercise. I do (when I am not post-op) go to the gym and lift weights and do light cardio on the treadmill. But the rest of the time, I am firmly planted on my bottom on my desk chair or on my recliner with my laptop on my lap.

After looking at the Primal Blueprint website, I have decided that I need more and better activity in my life. Mark Sisson is a proponent of moving slowly and regularly, like the primal people did and still do, and staying away from what he calls "Chronic Cardio" (right click here to find out more about this) because it is not the way humans have moved and stayed fit throughout history.

This fits right in with the way I have been believing for these past several years. I have tried excessive cardio, and it left me stressed, exhausted, hungry and fat. There is so much research that shows that this kind of cardio stresses the body, releases excess cortisol, and is not necessary for fitness, and is actually counterproductive. I've gotten some flack for the past year here on the forum for saying such things, but there it is.

Here are some of the changes I want to make:

I want to walk more often.

I want to do natural, strength building exercises rather than lifting weight in a way the isolates one muscle.

I want to start doing sprints.

I want to play tennis and ride my bike for fun.

Here is an example of how I have been - I went outside to play ball with my 3-year-old granddaughter. We sat on the lawn to roll a big ball back and forth. If she missed it, she jumped up and trotted over to it and got it. If I missed it, and could not reach it from where I was sitting, I said, "Annelise, go get the ball!" And then she would jump up and trot over to it and get it. This needs to change. Obviously.

I love to walk. I love to be out in nature. But if you believe the excessive cardio proponents, unless I get my heart rate up to 80% of my maximum and keep it there for 20 minutes without a break, this walk has done me little good.

I'm learning that this is not true. I'm going to walk more. I'm going to dance with my grandkids and not try to make it aerobic. I'm going to do more gardening, more housework and more moving around in general.

I spent most of the day today feeling like I was in labor. I was actually having contractions. Very painful, but not very productive! Finally, the pain suddenly stopped a couple of hours ago, and I just went for a 25 minute, moderately paced walk around my neighborhood. It felt good to get out in the air! I have been lying down for three days, and I was so sick of it. I got pretty winded, but that's okay.

As soon as I got home, dinner was ready to come out of the oven.

Here is what I ate or will still eat today:

Breakfast, scramble made with 1 Tbs. butter, 3 eggs, 4 slices bacon, 6 oz. mushrooms, 0.5 oz. onion, 1/8 tsp. sea salt, 1/8 tsp. ground turmeric.

Snack, 1 oz. almonds, 1 tsp. butter

Dinner, 4.5 oz. roasted pork country style ribs, 1 Tbs. butter, 1/8 tsp. sea salt, steamed green beans with garlic and bacon grease.

Dessert, 4 oz. strawberries and a cup of herbal tea with Stevia