Week 10 Summary: Operation Get Fit No Excuses

Since this is the end of Week 10, it’s time that I do a weight and measurement check in! I can feel the difference in how my clothes fit me and it’s an awesome feeling knowing that my hard work and dedication are paying off.

This week has meant a lot of adjustment for not only Padrone, but for me as well. While I’ve continued on my own journey to get fit and healthy, I’ve also become somewhat of a trainer for Padrone as well. I have enjoyed the challenges of measuring all his food choices and finding new and fun videos that he can exercise to since the weather has not allowed us to go outside for a walk. I’ve been doing a little extra exercise with him every day in addition to my normal routines.

I have been vigilant about my workouts and eating choices as usual, but got frustrated that my arms don’t seem to be getting much better even though I do an arm specific workout every day. I know that it will eventually, but I wish that I had better results. That said, I am very happy with my progress overall and know I just have to keep going and it will all get better overtime.

Being 44, almost 45, makes losing weight a little different and harder than if I were in my 20s. My metabolism has slowed down somewhat and my body works differently than it did 20 years ago. I know how frustrating it can be for those of us over 40 trying to lose weight. The key is to stay positive and stay on track. Even on the days you feel old, fat and ugly, get up and workout. Every time I finish a workout, I am tired but feel so good that I did it.

Now, here are my measurements from January, about 3 weeks after I started my new fitness regimen and today’s results:

Thank you all for your continued support and for following along with my fitness journey. If you have any questions or comments or would like to share your own fitness experience with me, please leave a comment below.

Weeks 8 and 9 Summary: Operation Get Fit No Excuses

We have arrived at the end of week 9. The weeks have been flying by fast as my mind and body adjust and embrace my new lifestyle. See, I don’t like the words ‘exercise and diet’, because it sounds like what I’m doing to get fit and lead a healthier lifestyle is just a phase I’m going through. I intend for this to be my way of life from now until I’m gone from this Earth. I want to live as healthy and happy as I can. I have a lot of life to live and I want to be in the best shape I can to experience and explore whatever may come my way. 

If you have been following me, you probably noticed that there was no Week 8 Summary posted. The reason for that is because we had a family emergency. While we were at work on Sunday night/Monday morning (March 4/5), my Padrone started having difficulty breathing, pain in his chest, inability to walk straight, and almost fainting. He called in a replacement worker and called the ambulance. They arrived about 2 am and said he had to get to the ER as soon as possible. 

When we arrived at the ER, he was coded RED, which meant critical and needs immediate attention. They ran all kinds of tests on him, pumped him with I don’t know how many drugs, and got him stabilized. After many hours, they moved him to ER observation and downgraded him to code YELLOW, which means he needed to be admitted to the hospital. 

During his 8 day stay, they ran tons of tests on him, poked him with so many needles that he looks like a pin cushion, drew an average of 5 vials a day of blood, and had him on oxygen until the last day he was there. After many consultations, he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart, Type 2 diabetes, chronic bronchitis, slight emphysema, and high blood pressure. Most of these problems could have been avoided had Padrone made different health decisions earlier in his life. Thankfully, he is getting a second chance to improve his quality of life by making decisions now that will help prolong his life. 

After 48 years of smoking, he quit cold turkey because his doctor said if he didn’t, he would most likely die very soon. He has to drastically change his eating habits and start exercising, which mostly means walking for him. If he loses weight, doesn’t smoke, and stays with the healthy 1300 calorie a day diet, he will improve in time and possibly get rid of the high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. 

During the stay in the hospital, I would come home every morning around 9 am after staying overnight, clean house, play with the dogs, and do what needed doing around here. I exercised every day except 2, and always stuck to my veggie and soy based diet. I cooked food every day to take with me back to the hospital so I wouldn’t cheat on my diet. I caught a really bad cold, which contributed to my 2 days of no exercise. On the whole, I stayed on course with my own Get Fit journey, despite being stressed, tired, and sick. I have to say that the discipline and habit of exercising helped me make it through with only one small seizure. It made me stronger mentally and physically.

During the past 2 weeks, I’ve walked outside or done a variety of cardio and toning videos in the house when it wasn’t possible for me to walk outside. I am mixing up my long walks with low impact toning videos to help my body get stronger and because it helps me work many different muscle areas, not just my hips and legs. 

While I continue with my own workouts, I will be helping and supporting Padrone also by showing him small workouts that he can do that won’t strain him but will help him. Next week, we are hoping that he will be strong enough to start walking outside. This, combined with his diet, should have the inches coming off at a regular, but healthy, interval.

In the past few months, Padrone has seen me take my own health in hand and the great affects it’s had on my health, my weight, and my mind. He has been amazed and encouraged by my own results. Now that he is changing his own lifestyle to healthier habits, he knows that I am there to support and advise him along every step. 

I have encouraged him to write a blog about his own journey because not only is it very cathartic, but it could also help encourage and show other people that it’s never too late to change. A person just needs the right motivation and reasons to make a lifestyle choice. Hopefully, it will also be an inspiration for other BDSM couples to take their own health care in hand and make better choices together. 

While I definitely do not claim to be any type of health professional, I do encourage all of you to look at your lifestyle overall and make small changes over time to a better way of life. You owe it to yourself to live as long as possible, as healthy as possible.

Week 7 Summary Operation Get Fit No Excuses

This week’s summary is going to be brief because there really hasn’t been many things happening. 

Week 7 has finished with a frozen tundra outside our door! This past week, Europe has been covered in a polar vortex which made the temperatures go below freezing with extremely high winds. For the past two days, snow and ice have blanketed the entire county! Some places in the south haven’t seen snow since the 1950s, yet they received more than 5 inches.

Now that you know the weather has been horrendous, let’s talk about the good news. Thanks to technology, I’ve been able to still get great cardio and toning workouts everyday utilizing many different training videos online. The internet is a marvelous tool to find a routine for any fitness level.

This week, I’ve mixed it up using Walk at Home, Toning, HIIT, and Yoga videos. I personally like using videos that are 20 minutes or less because I never get bored this way, nor does my body get used to the same moves so that the exercise becomes ineffective. Using different trainers and techniques allows my body to workout many different areas with varying results. It also helps me figure out what types of exercises I like and which ones I don’t. 

Week 8 is probably going to be more in home only workouts as the weather isn’t looking much better. As soon as I get a halfway decent day, I’m going back out walking. I really miss it!

If you have been following my Get Fit journey, you know that I have changed the what I eat. I don’t eat regular bread or pasta, anything with sugar, sweets, sodas, or red meat. What I have been eating is all soy based foods and I’ve been experimenting with making low carb breads using different recipes. The first one I tried tasted great but had too many eggs in it and ended up tasting too ‘eggy’. I have found others that use almond or coconut flour and less eggs so will let you know how they come out. 

I’m still taking my vitamins and supplements daily and drinking herbal teas, sweetened with Stevia. Green and black teas are excellent in antioxidants and give me a boost of energy. I did make a couple of drinks with Tumeric called Golden Milk after my workouts and found they helped reduce any discomfort or swelling I was experiencing. 

Overall, I feel much better than I did when I started. I’ve stuck to my workouts, even on days when I wasn’t feeling like doing them. I am getting into a routine that is helping exercise just become a habit and I feel guilty if I don’t do it. I know everyone is busy with daily life, but it’s worth finding 30 minutes a day in your hectic schedule for exercise. 

I have also noticed that the longer I am not eating sweets and other things I’ve given up in my daily nutrition, the less I crave them. I feel like I’m training my mind and my body to be feel better, get better, and be better in general.

Thank you for taking the time out to come along with me on my journey and we shall see you next week.