Yep, we are definitely beginning to get cabin fever, after another day of blizzard conditions. School was let out yesterday at 11:00 am. Temperatures dropped from a balmy 8 degrees at noon to somewhere in the teens below zero last night. Winds picked up to 20-30 mph, and temperatures continue to drop tonight into record temps below zero. We all get a little antsy being cooped up, even too cold to send the kids out into the snow or Mike out to shovel. Once again, our neighbors came to our rescue and cleared out our parking areas, but the sidewalk will have to wait until I can be outside for more than five minutes.
The beef stew was yummy last night, so I was a little more health-conscience today and made chicken breasts, wild rice, and asparagus, today. The asparagus made me at least feel a little springy.
For exercise, no luck getting out to the community center, so I finished cleaning closets in my bedroom. Gentlemen, did you know housecleaning is an aerobic exercise? I guarantee Mike felt it as he had to haul the up-teen bags of garbage out yesterday that I had stored for way too long. For an extra workout, make sure you do the floors on your hands and knees, works the abs and does a better job in the corners. And, I am sure we all have those boxes we have put away until a day when we have nothing better to do. All that lifting and stretching must count for something. Now, I have a clean bedroom and a brand new bedspread set, thanks to Mom and Charlie for Christmas.
Dr. Phil says when you lose weight make sure you get rid of your old sizes so you can’t go backwards. I’ve really tried to do that, if for no other reason than I don’t really have the closet space to keep clothes I’m not wearing. It was kind of fun to get rid of the last of the clothes from my heavier days today, even some from when I first started losing weight. Of course, I also don’t see any point in saving or, for that matter, buying clothes that I might get into some day. The one thing I have noticed is that even when I lose the weight, that “some-day, might-fit” outfit never really fits right. I have been known to buy clothes and especially shoes that I think fit great in the store and when I get home wonder what in the world I was thinking.
Just in time for the blizzard, netflix sent me the “Biggest Loser” Workout. I’m not one to buy workout videos, because I get bored with the same workout over and over. But I figured netflix was a great way to try it out. Then I can trade it in for a different video when I’m bored with it. Rachel and I moved out the couch in the studio, and played the dvd on the projection screen. I didn’t mess around with the extras too much but it has a six-week workout plan, with half hour episodes, and also a customizable option. If you’re a “Biggest Loser” fan, it has a lot of familiar faces on it, and the work out group are old contestants, so they are not in such perfect shape that you mind making mistakes with them. I was able to complete most of the workout, even though my “glutes” were killing me, thanks to Lisa yesterday. Mike wouldn’t join me because he was still whining about yesterday’s workout.
Suggestion for the day: Use the stairs. I don’t really have great stairs to use at home, but I make sure I use the ones at the CC, and other places when I find them. Do them double time and get your heart rate up. If you’re walking or, heaven forbid, running the track, take a set of stairs every time you make a lap. You can use the main stairs or the emergency exit stairs next to the aerobics room. If you have stairs in your house, take the clothes and kid’s stuff up every time you have something that needs to go up, instead off stacking everything until later. No, it’s not more efficient, but think of all those extra calories you burn if you take a few extra trips up those stairs. You will definitely notice the extra work on the hip flexors and glutes.