So It Begins. Again. #WeightLoss #Exercise

I got a clean bill of health from the doc this last time except I’m overweight and my cholesterol is WAY high. My HDL is stratospheric in comparison to my LDL, but she (my doctor) wants ALL my cholesterols to come down from that ledge before somebody gets hurt.

So I’m trying to cut back on carbs, caffeine, calories, and couching. I also bought a “Fitness Stepper” from Starcrest for a measly $69 bucks, no shipping!

Here’s how it arrived. Well, it arrived neatly packed in a box, but here’s how it looked out of the box.

Stepper1
Some assembly required.

Oh, lord, methinks, what have I gotten myself into?

But I bravely unpacked the boxes within boxes and twisted my brain into interperet-instructions mode.

Stepper2Everything was there and more. There was a wee li’l crescent wrench that was totally unnecessary, as was one of the Allen wrenches, as was the bottle of glue. (Glue? Yes, glue.)

How long did it take me to put it together? About half an hour. Charlie was on the couch, watching me. I was terribly afraid he would try to do it for me, in which case the instructions might as well be written in Swahili and I’d have to take one of the pieces and beat him to death with it and live as a widow. But he left me to it, and I did it.

Ain't it purty?
Ain’t it purty?

It works just peachy, or did for the minute and a half I used it. Don’t want to overdo.

I’m posting at Fatal Foodies today about some chard thing I made.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Does your main character have to do exercises to stay in shape?

MA

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About

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but now live in the woods in southern Indiana. Though I only write fiction, I love to read non-fiction. The more I learn about this world, the more fantastic I see it is.

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One thought on “So It Begins. Again. #WeightLoss #Exercise

  1. Jane

    July 12, 2016 at 10:25am

    Good news: Apparently, an intense 60 seconds (yes, I said SECONDS) of activity each day can have a powerful effect on one’s fitness level.

    I suppose we’re talking couch potato-level fitness, but hey, I’ll take it. And it just so happens that every day I perform a tiny little workout while the coffee is perking: I wave my arms around, do a piece of tai chi, and then I punch out my bad sister for—oh, I’m going to say—about 60 seconds. YAY! I just got fit!

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      July 12, 2016 at 11:38am

      Oh, that IS great news! I do more than 60 seconds of activity just walking back and forth to the john.

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      July 12, 2016 at 11:58am

      I couldn’t believe they included the tools and that it went together so easily. I can keep it in my office and use it here and there during the day. Happy!

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  2. Patricia Stoltey

    July 12, 2016 at 4:02pm

    You made me laugh with that remark about instructions and husbands. This may be a universal trait because when I buy something that needs to be put together, I wait until my darling husband is out of the house so I can do it myself. He’s very handy for carrying things that are too heavy for me though. 😀

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  3. Joey

    July 12, 2016 at 8:03pm

    That’s pretty neat! I’m heading over to read about your chard thing. I’ve been making a chard and kale thing lately, we’re all addicted to it. 🙂

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      July 13, 2016 at 7:33am

      Well, let me have that recipe, and maybe I’ll try it next year when the chard comes in. 🙂

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  4. Damyanti

    July 13, 2016 at 12:52am

    Wow, that looks amazing. All the best with the fitness plans. More salad and green tea, less red meat, and a walk everyday will also help. Warm honey lemon water first thing in the morning is a tried and tested aid.

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  5. A.C.Flory

    July 13, 2016 at 1:59am

    -giggles- Very purty and will probably get as much use as my exercise bike. 😉 That said, I watched something on ageing last week and it made the point that in an experiment, the Boomers who danced for …1 x 3 hours per weeks fared 15% better than those who did exactly the same length of exercise at the gym, i.e on gym equipment.
    As I used to love dancing, I unearthed my old Usher CD and gave it a try. 4 minutes only, high intensity [for me at any rate], every day whenever I can fit it in and lots of fun. So far I don’t think I’ve missed a day. Of course you should probably ask me again at the end of the month. 🙂
    Good luck with the stepper!

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      July 13, 2016 at 7:39am

      I loved my exercise bike! I rode it literally to pieces. That’s how I lost 30 pounds the last time I decided to get fit.

      I can understand about the dancing/exercise disparity: People who WOULD dance, are doing something that makes them happy; people who MUST exercise, are doing something more-or-less against their will. When you say you dance, do you do a specific dance, a line dance, a series of exercise moves, or what? Because I dance like a Muppet — sit in a chair and wave my arms around like somebody has his hand up my butt — and I somehow don’t think that would be very effective.

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      • A.C.Flory

        July 13, 2016 at 7:59am

        That’s a good point about the enjoyment aspect. Things that are good for you are always easier to do when they’re enjoyable. As for my dancing style….um, vintage 70’s with lots of jumping around, mostly in time to the music? It’s not pretty, but I do have fun so… 🙂

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  6. Joey

    July 13, 2016 at 11:11am

    It’s not really a recipe, though, k?
    SO Chop up chard and kale. Heat olive oil, then add it to lemon juice and ground pepper. Toast some croutons in some other olive oil until they’re all brown and oily. Mix it all together, season to taste, and toss with parmesan. It’s really, really yummy, I mean, you know, lemon and pepper afterall! 😛

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      July 13, 2016 at 6:11pm

      That’s a recipe, Joey! That’s the best kind of recipe! Thank you! Oh — the kale and chard are raw and salady, not stir-fried in the oil?

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  7. Joey

    July 13, 2016 at 6:44pm

    @Marian Allen – Good, okay. Yeah, the warm olive oil makes it a bit softer, but it’s still a light, uncooked treat 🙂

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  8. Howard

    August 10, 2016 at 3:28pm

    Losing 30 pounds on an exercise bike is amazing! With that as a background, I’m sure you’ll be stepping your way to your current goals – you know, as long as you like the stepper. Would love to hear how you and the new stepper get on.

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      August 10, 2016 at 4:06pm

      I love the stepper! I haven’t used it much, so I can’t stay on it long, so it isn’t much fun. When I work my time up, I’ll be able to listen to music or to plot stories, and it’ll be fun again. 🙂

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  9. Personal trainer

    November 5, 2016 at 6:11pm

    I liked your attitude. So if you travel in Scandinavia on some day, I will train you for free! 🙂 http://www.rapakunnossa.com

    As somebody said earlier, 60 seconds of hard work with that apparatus and then 60 secs of break. Repeat that for 8-10 rounds and you will get fitter!

    Or you could check some local personal trainer for help?

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  10. Amber K. Peterson

    November 7, 2016 at 2:12pm

    As long as you are doing something that is all that matters. Stay active, watch what you put in your math and a huge thing most people forget is to get a solid nights sleep! So important!

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      November 7, 2016 at 4:44pm

      I’m assuming you mean I should watch what I put in my mouth. Because I already put as little in my math as humanly possible.

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  11. Jared

    January 11, 2017 at 5:23am

    So it’s now a few months since this post. Have you kept up with using the stepper?

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      January 11, 2017 at 7:55am

      I have NOT kept up, but I haven’t GIVEN up, either. I’m ‘sperimenting with going in and doing a minute at a time whenever I have a minute. Unlike you and Bailey, I’m not trying for Beast, I just want my drawers to fit better and to get my doctor off my back about starting me on Lipitor.

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