Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Perhaps I Just Need a Nap

I'm so tired I think I might die. Not really, but there is a certain appeal to the idea of lying in a quiet, shady, well-tended cemetery for an indeterminate length of time.

Presumably this tiredness stems from the facts that I am chronically sleep-deprived and currently overweight.

As to the latter, I continue to stubbornly refuse to diet but have been exercising. (Which just makes me more tired, but hopefully will begin to help soon.) I do my cross-training machine in the basement while watching "hour long" dramas on DVD. This works well if I can find just the right show. It has to be interesting enough to make me really want to watch it, but not so tough to follow that I can't concentrate on it while huffing and puffing.

And tonight I started alternating/supplementing those workouts with Wii Fit workouts. I love everything about the Wii Fit except for the exercises themselves, which are just so-so. When cardio kickboxing comes out, I'll jump for joy. And kick something that's at least waist-high.

The greatest thing about the Wii Fit is the Body Test thingie, which measures your center of balance, BMI, and body control to determine your Wii Fit Age. It tracks everything in motivational graphs, and I keep my data locked so that my husband can only guess at my weight and Wii Fit Age (currently +5, but as my strength and balance continue to improve by doing the suggested daily exercises, that will come down).

So that's the other great thing. It's not just about cardio, BMI, and weight loss. it's about improving strength, especially core strength, improving posture, gait, flexibility, etc. It's about being healthier. Plus I can do it in my street clothes standing in front of the TV upstairs. What excuses do I have left?

Oh, yeah, right, I'm really really tired.

6 comments:

Lynnie said...

I feel your pain. I hate dieting. Why give up great food when you can just exercise? But taking care of two active girls all day leaves me with very little extra energy. The other day I was jogging on our mini-trampoline and thought I'd just shut my eyes for a few minutes, you know, multi-task. Whoa!!! I didn't realize how your balance gets totally thrown when you can't see on a trampoline! Better to just get off the thing!

Rob Monroe said...

I just loaned my WiiFit to my brother - bad idea. I have finally gotten motivated to drop a couple of pounds. (read: I have a nephrology appt next week and it's way too late to make a difference, but at least I can tell him that I've started on a routine...)

Oh well.

HiddenChicken said...

I feel your pain. It really stinks getting back into the swing, especially after time off. I also stubbornly refuse "diet food." I was talking to my husband about it last night and I really just don't feel as satisfied when I replace things with fake stuff like Splenda or take away entire food groups like bread. Doing that turns me into a raving lunatic. I don't need help doing that.

What's even more frustrating is that my husband also wants to lose weight and as soon as he cuts his portions the slightest bit and begins to exercise only a fraction of the amount I do (think his 20 minutes twice a week to my 30 minutes five times a week), he immediately drops 15 pounds, whereas I have to work so very much harder for the same results.

If I didn't feel so much better eating a little less and exercising more, I'd probably just let the whole thing go to pot, regardless of numbers. All I need to do now is enforce my own bedtime.

Kathy G said...

Adding "fiber" worked for me...whole grain bread and muffins instead of white, and more raw vegetables and fruits instead of processed. It sticks with me longer that way.

Now I only have a junk food attack about twice a month instead of twice a week :-)

animeg said...

Man, wii fit sounds fun

Sarahlynn said...

Lynnie, the no-diet-just-exercise thing works for me when I'm in pretty good shape, but it's not enough when I really want to lose weight. Alas. But I definitely hear you on lacking energy after caring for two little girls all day. And I hope you didn't injure yourself on the trampoline!

Rob, that timing sucks! Someday you'll be close enough to pop over and use ours whenever . . .

HiddenChicken, my husband is similar with weight loss. A couple of years ago I made significant changes in my life and lost a lot of weight. He lost even more, just by association. OK, he worked, too, cutting back on sweets and exercising some. But NOTHING like what I was doing. Argh. And I'm missing my bedtime as I type . . .

Kathy, I eat lots of fiber, but mostly from Fiber One bars and cereal. I actually hate real food and love junk, which is a real problem for me. I'd choose an Lunchable over a fruit salad for taste's sake.

Shannon, HI! I miss you and miss your blog. I hope things are going well. And Wii Fit rocks.