Lucky Number Three

In the Middle Ages they had guillotines, stretch racks, whips and chains. Nowadays we have a much more effective torture device —the bathroom scale. -Stephen Phillips

Sunday morning I decided to face the most judgmental, torturous device ever devised —the scale. I gently slid it out from its hiding place and set it carefully on the bathroom floor. Taking a deep breath for composure, I placed myself on the cold plastic base one foot at a time. I closed my eyes and imagined myself light as feather, floating by on a cool autumn breeze (as if the powers of my mind would influence the painful accuracy of the truth). And then it happened... I lost three pounds! What a glorious feeling it was to see all of my hard work and effort pay off at the end of the week! I was overcome with joy and proceeded to skip around my bedroom in celebration, and I even kept a wonderful little pep in my step all day long.

I know the numbers on a scale shouldn't be worshiped like the God of health and fitness, but no one can deny the bliss of watching it drop. Unfortunately, we've all been brainwashed by the masses to believe that number is the absolute truth in how good one looks and feels. Body fat percentage, BMI and inch measurements should be the true judges. Well since I've finally come upon some insurance coverage since graduating college (thank you, Obama!), I'm going to schedule an appointment for a checkup and physical. I've never had my fat percentage calculated, so I'm somewhat curious as to what that number is (hopefully I don't cry, faint, develop anxiety or all of the above). The truth hurts, but it's time to face it! However, I think I'm going to wait another week or so and burn off some more fat before I take the hit...

Yesterday I decided to check out the information on Dr. Oz's website. Now I'm not usually one to follow the word of a "celebrity expert," but so many people regard this guy as the ultimate health guru. I have to say, this guy is pretty smart. He gives out information in terms that common people can understand, and I kind of like how goofy and excited he acts. He's sort of like Richard Simmons without the gay. I think I overloaded on information by reading like 10 articles in an hour, so I may have to revisit it and try applying some of his tips one week at a time. We'll see... I still have a stigma against these celebrity-types. Feel free to pass along any of his articles/information that were effective in real life! Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

So, today I started my first toning/non-running workout. It was terrible, to say the least. I downloaded this amazing free Nike training app that provides a ton of workout routines for women trying to lose weight, tone up or build strength. I opted to start with a beginner "get lean" routine, even though I thought it looked extremely easy to get through. Girl, was I ever wrong! It's only a 30 minute workout consisting of mostly squats, push-ups, lunges and abdominal moves. I could barely get through it, stopping early on many of the moves and just about skipping the last 10 minutes entirely. Talk about a reality check! Apparently I'm way more out of shape then I thought. My body is feeling a little weak right now, but I have a feeling tomorrow is going to hurt really bad. Hopefully my legs recover before I hit the treadmill in the morning.

One more thing! A quick note on my diet.... It's still going really well! I survived the weekend temptation like a champ and went food shopping on Saturday to stock up on healthy snacks and meals. I even cooked a delicious chicken dinner on Saturday night with plenty of veggies and made a low-fat broccoli cheese soup from scratch (that tasted amazing, mind you). Go me! ;-)