I didn't give up on the idea until quite late, as the abrasions on my foot remained raw and tender to the touch even barefoot:
But still I didn't want to concede defeat, despite the hubby's persistence that I could miss a day to heal, and it wouldn't benefit me to push myself hard today if it meant I incapacitated myself tomorrow.
No, I pretty well decided to try and make it work until I got a Sparkpeople email that said to develop a walking regimen it was important to get a day or two of rest per week.
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SparkPeople Experts Answer Your Fitness Questions
Question: How often should I walk? Should I focus on miles or minutes?
Expert Answer:
Frequency: Number of Days Per Week
Aim for a minimum of 3 days a week, and gradually work your way up to 5 or 6 days a week. The more the better--especially when it comes to weight loss. But don't forget the importance of rest and recovery--give yourself at least 1-2 days off each week.
Intensity: How Hard To Exercise
You can use your target heart rate range or the "Talk Test" to make sure you're working out in a good range (not too easy, not too hard). If you can comfortably answer a question during exercise, while still feeling like you're exerting yourself, you're in a good calorie-burning range. This range is ideal for the general health benefits that come with exercise, and for weight loss.
Time: How Long For Each Cardio Session
The recommended time for most people ranges from a minimum of 20 minutes (for simple general health), all the way up to about 60 minutes. Of course, it's smart to work your way up gradually. The further you go over 20 minutes, the more fat you are burning, so that can be a good motivator.
Type: Activities That Count
Any activity can count as cardio/aerobic exercise as long as it meets the 3 requirements above - that you can sustain a target heart rate intensity for at least 20-60 minutes, and do it several times a week. Walking, of course, meets those requirements.
Things to keep in mind:
1. Time can be cumulative: You don't have to do 60 minutes all at once. You can do several 5-10 minute mini-workouts each day and add them up. 2. If you can't reach your target heart rate with walking, then add intensity by increasing speed or incline.
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Since I am getting such great results doing the higher intensity workout for 60 minutes, I figured I could compromise by taking a day off especially when my feet were so adverse to the idea of putting on any shoes or socks thanks to all the abrasions and blisters.
It still feels like an excuse though.
And if that first email weren't enough of a brick, I then got THIS little motivational nugget:
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Everyone likes a pat on the back from time to time. And there's no better time to get one than when you're out of your comfort zone, challenging yourself to improve, nervous about whether you can succeed.
Most people approach weight loss from a position of "pain." They constantly nag themselves, berate themselves and expect nothing but perfection, no matter how much progress is made. Tools of the trade are guilt, doubt, shame and self-flogging. Instead of celebrating the 24 pounds they've lost, they see the 6 they still haven't lost. Sound familiar? To people used to beating themselves up, it may seem like the best way to get motivated. But consider this: if you attempted to motivate an employee like that, how long do you think they'd stick around? How successful would they be?
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SO.... I didn't walk. And I'm still not sure how I feel about it, even though this morning I saw yet more inches gone.
I can see now why the Biggest Loser contestants see such drastic results in such a short amount of time. I read that they do three hours of exercise and limit their food to 1500 calories per day.
That had been my original intent but it hasn't worked out that way.
But still, I can't complain. I figure I have a lot of room to add to my current regimen, that is 1800 calories and an hour of cardio exercise six days a week.
I'm also going to blow up my balance ball (a workout in and of itself) to get back to my Pilates. Nothing I've ever tried has yielded the kind of results as Pilates for low impact exercise.
It can only improve on the changes I want to make to my body, particularly strengthening and toning.
I'm not looking forward to the inevitable weigh in I have to do today. As much as I'd like to avoid it, sadly in order to customize my workouts and calorie intake I need to know where I'm at even though that damnable scale has always been the biggest obstacle I have to actual weight loss success.
It's ironic almost. Something used to gauge our successes can often derail our enthusiasm and pop any balloons of optimism just by rendering some numbers we don't necessarily like to see.
If you work really hard and only lose a pound - or on several very frustrating occasions no loss at all - it can seriously play on any kind of results motivated drive I've managed to muster.
Or subsequently entangled myself with.
It's always the same old story. I use the loathing of the numbers on the scale to drive me to do the work, yet if those numbers don't change then the loathing transfers itself to the person standing on the scale.
Like the email said above... I then berate myself and that kind of self flogging is actually the most detrimental thing for the healthy journey.
Because it's not necessarily about those numbers on the scale. That's just one teeny piece of a much bigger puzzle.
It wasn't the scale that got me fat.
It won't be the scale that will get rid of the fat.
Yet I'm still reluctant to step on it and face any of the triggers, even when I finally disarmed the trigger that had me drinking sodas like they were going out of style.
When I was a kid my mother never bought sodas. If I got one a year I was lucky. Instead we drank sweet tea by the gallon - which isn't that much better for you but it was at least a lot more economical.
In fact, in the third grade when a doctor recommended a soda and a candy bar to fight off hypoglycemia, I was thrilled because it gave me the perfect excuse to have one.
As I got older and was able to make my own choices, I shunned tea for soda on every occasion I had the choice. This was especially true after I stopped drinking sweet tea thanks to a weight loss program when I was in the eighth grade. Sweet soda vs. plain tea? It wasn't even a competition.
This was a trend that would see me through the highest points of my obesity, when I finally dumped sugared sodas for diet. I would still rather have a diet soda than plain tea any day.
The problem was, drinking so many sodas meant I wasn't drinking anything else - water included. When I learned that things like green tea (which I like) can also count toward your water intake, I still leaned toward sodas.
Which led to an even bigger problem. Instead of eating good food, I was eating bad food because that was the trigger. Remember candy bar and soda? That was something that went hand in hand my entire life. Anything bad always tasted better with a soda.
It was the ultimate way the deprived kid inside could get what she wanted.
When I'd eat healthier - say salads and fruits etc - I always wanted water.
Chocolate, cake, donuts, candy were all meant for soda.
To show you how much they went together, yesterday I read via Twitter places like Krispy Kreme (i.e. the devil) and Dunkin' Donuts were giving away these tempting treats in celebration of National Doughnut Day.
The thought of a doughnut without a soda - gross.
I didn't want it, because I didn't want the soda that went with it.
Trigger successfully disarmed.
So if I can do that, I can conquer any ol' scale.
Just remind me of that when I get done seeing that number....
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