29 Steps

My regular readers are aware of my quest for weight loss and shaping up; something I've referred to as Operation Fit [back into my pants]. In recent months it has not been going real well. Not only do I have a hard time sticking to the way I should be eating (watching calories and primarily following the Weight Watcher's system) but a lack of strenuous enough exercise has also been an issue. Recently, I've decided to take things more seriously and so the last couple weeks have been an improvement. I've done much better at following the WW plan and I finally did have a loss this last week, so I am proud  of that. The hubby and I have managed to make it out 3 days a week for our approximate 2 mile walk at 5:45 am, so that's fairly good, but really not enough. I've been going over the options as to what else I could do to amp up my workouts. I've never been the "join a gym" type. I know too many people roped into huge contracts paying $$ per month that rarely if ever go and I feared I would just be one of them. Plus, paying anything  additional at this time does not seem feasible. I like the idea of a home workout with a personal trainer, but that costs more than a gym and just isn't in the cards financially. So, I decided to "use what I have".  Behold the 29 steps:

These things go up our very steep hillside and were created one summer by the Hubby and his father as a way for Teenager to walk out the back and on to school. It's been suggested that this could be a great work out. So, this morning, being a school holiday, I left little guy and Teenager playing while I headed out the back to attempt my new workout. It's amazing how a person can find ways to procrastinate. First, there was the casual stroll up the hill to check out the garden

(the pumpkins are still the size of oranges!)                                                               






Next I tried the walkie-talkie set up to keep in touch with Teenager. Then I discovered to my dismay an assortment of trash that had been littered just outside our fence. After I was finished with my trash pick up duties, I got a call on the walkie from the little guy, who adorably stated he missed me and could he please watch some TV? Then I decided it was time to get down to business. I cleverly devised a rock counting plan to keep track of my laps by placing a rock in a line for each total trip up and down the steps. In my head I was wondering how many trips to take for this first time out. Should I try 3? No, that's not very many. How about 10? Probably couldn't make it without passing out. Ultimately I decided 5 was a good number to shoot for but I actually made it to 8! 




Here's a view from the top:
 
Note the four-legged welcoming committee waiting at the bottom.

I really, really hope I can keep this up and eventually have my thighs thank me. And by thank me I mean get smaller. Because right now they are "thanking me" with muscle spasms.