Losing Weight . . . Again

The never ending cycle of gaining and losing weight. 

Gah! I'm so tired of it. And last week, I hit the wall. I'm done. This is total BS. I can't continue like this any longer!

I'm pretty much at the weight I was at when I first started my Weighty Wednesday blog about 14 years ago. 

Just a couple of weeks before I hit my 60th birthday, and I'm feeling older than I should. My waist has barreled out and no matter how little I eat, I gain weight. Even walking 5 miles a day for 5 days in a week didn't help me lose even an ounce. The last four months exacerbated my issue. 

May of 2021, I stepped on a rock (my cuboid bone, if you're interested). I kept walking until it became impossible to walk and I was torqueing my foot to keep off the sore area. I stopped walking 5 miles, but continued my normal life. I did use the stretchy medical tape to give it support. I was pretty sure I had a 'greenstick' fracture as it felt like my finger when I broke it. It hurt for 6 weeks then it stopped hurting and had a lump at the offending location. 

Early June, went to my primary doc. Had an x-ray. Nothing visible. Recommended seeing podiatrist--didn't get an appointment with podiatrist for four weeks. My mom passed away on the 12th of June. Funeral on the 19th (Yes, I wore my new stilettoes with black support tape on my foot). One week later, my local siblings and I started cleaning out the house. 

July 7, finally see podiatrist. Again the evasive non-answer. Recommended a boot and an MRI. I agreed with the MRI, but refused the boot until it could be proved that I actually broke my foot. Remember, by this time, I had injured my foot TWO MONTHS AGO. 

Ten days later, I get the MRI. 

Hey! I broke my foot! This is a screen grab from my MRI. Remember MRI's take individual slices. Focus on the middle metatarsal. Black line= bad.  No, I'm not missing toes...

I suspected in May that I broke my foot, but it wasn't until August 4 that I had the 'official' diagnosis. 

So I'm wearing a stupid boot until mid-September.

Segue to August 10 and the topic of this blog:

I'm sick and tired of gaining weight. I know I have to do something drastic to make a change. 

I decide to try Keto. No, I don't buy in to all the Keto crap, but I do need a focus. I joined a couple of Facebook groups (I've since deleted them, because they are all about, "Hey, follow me. Buy my shit, blah, blah, blah.") The best part of the quick venture into the Keto world is the person who recommended the Carb Manager app. 

The key, in my mind, is to document everything you put in your piehole. Yes, this means the stupid stuff like gummy Calcium supplements...HOLY CRAP! THAT'S 4 GRAMS OF CARBOHYDRATES! and yes, I stopped my gummy supplements replacing them with regular pills. 

While I LOVE documenting my food intake, I have to admit that I have yet to hit my net proteins, fats or daily calories. Yes, my friends, I haven't managed to hit my 1500 calorie a day mark. Also, I've managed to go over the recommended 20 grams of carbohydrates every single day, but never over 30 grams. 

So where does that leave me?

Down 5.1 pounds in a week. 

No, I'm not hungry. No, I haven't been boredom eating. And for the most part, I haven't had any cravings, nor suffer any intestinal discomfort.  

Yes, I'm at the beginning of this process. And there will  be ups and downs. One down was the day I added just a touch of Crystal light squirt sweetener in my water. The next day, the cravings started. It was a tough day, but I learned again that ONE'S BODY REACTS TO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS THE SAME WAY AS REGULAR SUGAR. I have to go cold turkey with the sweet stuff. 

I've also started walking again--in my boot--about 3 miles for two days and one day off, repeat. 

I'm not really doing hard-core Keto, I think of myself doing a Keto/paleo/old Weight Watcher points (pre Oprah) type of eating. The biggest change I made was to stop eating all sorts of grain-based products (no pasta, bread or pizza), no sugar (not even honey) or artificial sweeteners, and I try to stay away from any premade anything. I made quiche for the family last week and simply scraped the crust away. We went to the Brook, a local eating joint, and ordered a Reuben with steamed veg on the side, I ate the insides of the Reuben. 

Along with the weight loss, I also noticed my thumb joint arthritis wasn't as bad as normal. A side-effect? Fluke? Who knows. Maybe the refined carbs were causing some sort of inflammatory response in my system. 

I'll keep you updated, but probably not on a regular basis.

Later!

Weighty Wednesday -- Shake It Up!

And I missed my WW meeting again . . .

It's the snow, people! When we get yucky weather, we are down to one car. Yesterday was the first time in a long time that the temperature was above freezing and we had sunshine in the afternoon. Not so in the AM, which was why I was without a car.

Okay, today's topic is all about shaking up your regular routine. As you know, I'm a fan of routine. I thrive on it, but this weather . . . again with the weather! . . . has made it impossible for me to do my daily 4.25 mile walk, either it's the frigid wind chills or the ice covering the path, or both. Regardless, I haven't been exercising like I should.

The last time I shook up my routine was when I started taking a yoga class--last May.

And I Loved it!

I pushed myself, but I didn't think I pushed too hard until I wound up with a torn rotator cuff. After bunches of tests and doctors, I opted out of surgery. I honestly didn't think the tear was bad enough to warrant the expense and hassle of surgery. I felt as if I was being railroaded into it, so I told them I changed my mind.

But the mistake I made was not requesting Physical Therapy (PT) to slowly work my shoulder.  I tended to baby this shoulder and that caused stress on the OTHER side of my body and I've had a sore trapezius muscle (top of shoulder from neck to arm joint) for months now. And when I sleep, I wake up with both shoulders aching.



Fast forward to a couple days ago.

I finally got our Wii Fit game to sync on our WiiU system. Actually, I was slightly ticked off when we got the WiiU because it wiped the memory of my game from the system and I really didn't want to "start over" on it.

So it had been over a year since I had done Wii Fit.



And cocky-a$$ me thought, "I got this!" Talk about getting slapped around by a stupid fitness game. Boy howdy, am I out of shape!

True, up until a few weeks ago, I had been walking regularly.

And that's great for my cardio.

But it didn't do diddly-squat for my overall fitness or upper body strength.

So I started off on the Wii Fit at the most basic of exercises--Yoga, Strength, Aerobic and Balance.

Yes, I hurt. Yes, I'm sore. And yes, my balance was crap.

But I changed my routine up because I had to due to the weather

And guess what?

My shoulders stopped aching as much. . .

The first day I had to cheat on the push-up/plank exercise (on my knees instead of my toes), but the second day I did the exercise correctly, even though it wasn't pretty. I did it.

Yeah, it was hard. And yeah, I could feel it in my rotator cuff, but it wasn't as bad as I expected.

New plan.

It's a beautiful sunny morning, so I'm going for my walk. And then I'm coming home to work on the Wii Fit for about 30 minutes.

Remember, it's good to shake up your routine. If you don't you'll end up like me--living in a fantasy of contentment that I'm physically fit, when I'm really allowing my muscles to atrophy through complacency.

Shake it Up!

Later, Peeps!

Monday Morning Lagnaippe

I totally regret not making time to go for a walk on the weekend. The weather was a balmy 60 + degrees, but I had other 'stuff' to take care of, so I didn't walk.

This morning, it's 23 degrees with the wind blowing about 25 mph. . . from the North. Yeah, this is my penance for not walking when the weather was WONDERFUL!

 . . . and maybe because I goofed off last week and didn't walk a few days that I could have walked.

Oh, well, when the sun finally comes up, I'll bundle up in layers and take a walk. Afterwards, I'll stand in the shower for 20 minutes just to warm up.

At least I have a plan!

I've almost finished my afghan. It's taken forever for me to work on it. I think it has something to do with the 13 afghans I crocheted for the previous Christmas's presents. This afghan has been a PITA from the beginning. I had purchased yarn to use for one pattern, but I never could make sense out of the pattern, so I had to look for another pattern. Found one, bought more yarn and this is what I have finished piecing together. 

I couldn't decide which color to use as a border, so I decided to do a quick section of each color. I think I'll opt for the off white. Originally, I wanted to do the dark blue, but it didn't give me the finished look that I wanted. 

Yes, I have plenty of yarn to make you one, too. Just send $250 to my PayPal account, wait about two months and I'll take care of you! 

I'll probably crochet the border while watching Judge Judy this afternoon!

Today I plan to finish Blake Snyder's beat sheet for DRAGON. Oh, I still have my elemental series to figure out, but I thought if I could break down on of my stories, then I would have a greater understanding of this tool. 

Blake Snyder wrote the Save the Cat screenwriting books. Yes, I know I'm not writing a screenplay, but I need a tool to help focus my mind as I tend to jump all over the place and leap on tangent threads like a kitty eating catnip.

Theses books break down familiar movies into different genres, which helps you understand the core theme into the story. Blake developed what he calls his "beat sheet". This is basically a synopsis for what has to happen in certain time increments of a movie. It's sort of a combination of the three-act play and Vogler's Writer's Journey. 

What I discovered are some plot holes, which is a good thing! Now, I have to figure out how the characters go from point D to point H without it sounding stupid, plus amping up the tension. 

This is on my list of things to do today. 

I hope y'all had a good weekend, but now it's time to focus on healthy eating--especially me, since I made pizza for dinner last night. The crust was too thin, but when hubby put the pizza together (I make all the separate parts, while he builds it), he didn't go cheap on the cheese! 

I really don't want to weigh myself this morning, but I need to face that harsh reality!

Well, the sun is up enough for me to get my walking clothes on and brave the cold wind.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Finding a Routine

Periodically, I find that my normal routine is shot to H-E-double hockey sticks. It happens. It could be the weather. It could be family. It could be errands. It could be a combination of the above.

This week you might think it has to do with the weather--tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, etc. But you would be wrong.

I knew this week would be rough three weeks ago.

Today is my daughter's last day of finals. School was out last Friday, but they have reverted to a finals schedule for three days this week. 9 AM - 12 PM. Two tests in the morning for three days. And driving time is roughly 20-30 minutes ONE WAY, depending on traffic and accidents.

Today is the last day.

I have to drive her to school -- since it's later in the morning, the hubs can't do it -- get some errands done and take a shower, and then I go back to get her.

Today is even crazier. Pick her up to take her to a pool party after school, then another mom will pick her up for a sleep-over birthday party, but I have to take the kidlet's overnight stuff to the other house.

Tomorrow will be a mess with taking my mom to the beauty shop, driving BACK across town to pick the kidlet up, and BACK again to pick my mom up from the beauty shop! All of this driving will happen between 8:45 and 10:15.

*Note to self: FILL THE CAR WITH GAS!

Oh, I suppose I could be walking at 6:30 in the morning, but then I wouldn't be writing this blog, now would I??

And with all kidlet's studying, she hasn't been going to swim practice, thus my second venue for walking is gone until Thursday night.

I'll get back on schedule. I always do. Besides I thrive from my walkies, and not doing them makes me sad. It's my thinking time. This is how I solve the great mysteries of live . . . or maybe just plot out my next picture book.

I see Friday as being my first day back to a routine schedule, but then again, Memorial Day weekend is coming up and I foresee a little bit of traveling in my future.

I'll have to fit my walkies in when I can.

And so should you.

Having a routine is wonderful. But sometimes life gets in the way and we need to MAKE the time for exercise.

If you don't have the time to walk for an hour or go to the gym, then keep moving---clean the house, walk up and down the stairs numerous times, pick weeds in the yard, mow the lawn.

The key is to keep moving. No you probably won't get any aerobic activity from these items, but you also won't be sitting on a chair with a remote in one hand and a bag of Jalapeno Cheetos in the other, will you?

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- You DON'T Have to Run

Last week, I kept reading newspaper articles, magazine articles, and Internet articles that encouraged people to run.

Basically, they were saying that once you get your weight to a certain place and your health to a certain place the next step is to start jogging.

WRONG!

I can testify--TESTIFY, I tell you!--that you do NOT have to jog to lose weight or get in shape.

To reiterate: I'm a 51-year old woman who lost 50 pounds. I'm wearing a size four jean--in fact, wore my daughter's jeans yesterday and had 'baggy butt' halfway through the day. I need to buy better jeans! And I did this through Weight Watchers and WALKING. I could flex my arm muscles and you'd be surprised to see muscle definition--deltoids and biceps--we won't get into the triceps and 'bat wings' today. Though I will mention the bat wings are smaller than they used to be.

If you don't want to jog/run to get in shape, you don't have to.

But remember just because you aren't jogging, it doesn't mean you don't have to sweat or breath hard.

You do. . . if you want the benefits of walking without risking injury with jogging.

1. Have you ever wheezed and can't catch your breath while walking?  
2. Have you ever suffered a groin muscle pull while walking?
3. Have you ever hurt your joints while walking?
4. Have you ever gotten shin splints while walking?
5. Have you ever rolled your ankle because you didn't pay attention what you walked on?

Well, okay, I'll confess, I've done all of the above while walking, BUT it didn't put me out of commission for weeks of recovery. To recover, all I had to do was slow my pace down for a day or two and then I could amp it up again.

Besides every single one of those 'Have you--?" issues were flare-ups from previous injuries.

1. I have allergy-induced asthma. When the pollen/mold count is high, I wheeze.
2. When I tried jogging a few years ago, I pulled a groin muscle. When I was walking two-a-days for about 10 miles a day, I irritated it. I dropped back to one walk-a-day for a week and it fixed itself.
3. Actually, it helped the bursitis in my knee due to old skiing issues when I used straight skis in the 1980's. It was all they had back then. The curved skis are totally better, shift your weight, cut across the mountain. Easy-peasy. Far fewer knee injuries.
4. Shin splints happened when I pushed my stride and pace too much--old aerobics injury.
5. This happened, but I shook it off and could walk the two miles home. If I had been jogging, I might have done greater damage.

The one thing jogging will do that walking can't do--is help you finish quicker. Four miles walking, jogging or running is still four miles. It just takes a little longer to walk it.

The benefits from walking are fewer soft tissue and joint injuries than from jogging or running. I couldn't run a half marathon this way, but I don't want to. I don't necessarily want to be in as much condition as I was when I was in my 20's or 30's . . . we won't talk about my 40's that was when I was fat and didn't care!

I'm good with being healthy, active and fairly fit, simply through walking.

But you do have to sweat and breath hard to gain the full benefits.

Guess what I'm going to do once the sun comes up . . . yep, WALKIES!

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- What is YOUR Goal?

For the last two weeks, I've missed my Weight Watcher's meetings. The first week was simply because they were closed for Christmas Day, and yesterday, well, they were open for business on New Year's Day, but I managed NOT to be able to attend.

Why?

A couple of reasons, really.

One, I gained a serious amount of weight over the holidays. I'm pushing the top end of my +2 pounds above my goal weight--without the added weight of clothing. And I was almost 4 pounds BELOW my goal when I started the holidays!

Two, I haven't had a chance to exercise. Bronchitis, you know.

And to tell you the truth, it wasn't the horrible eating habits that I reverted to so much as the lack of exercise that packed on the pounds. Again, this is one of my constant observations about my weight gains over the years--when I'm active, my weight is held in check. When I'm NOT ACTIVE, the weight coats my body like an extra layer of fat on a Harp Seal. Yes, I'm that pale during winter.

As I feel like a role model in that group, I want to get a handle on this weight gain--well, actually, I want to put it in a choke hold and beat it into submission--before I face the reality of my meeting next Tuesday.

Weight gains happen. It's a part of the ups and downs of life, which is why we need to have a plan of how to deal with the inevitable.

I hadn't planned to gain weight, but then again, I hadn't planned to be coughing up lung puppies for over two weeks either!

Today is January 2. It's the perfect time to come up with a weight goal. Do you plan to lose weight or stay the same? Or for the one or two of my non-overweight blessed friends, do you plan to gain weight?

Whatever your goal, how do you plan to accomplish it?

I like to be on the leaner side of my goal weight, so I plan to go into weight-loss mode until I get to my natural size again, which means, I need to lose about 5 pounds. Then it's back to maintaining, which still has it's ups and downs. Walking figures heavily in this equation!

Here are the top two goals on my goals list for the year:  

• ·        Continue healthy lifestyle by portion control, more fruit and veg, and walking
• ·         Live in the moment--technology can wait, but family and friends can’t

My other goals are writing-related, so I won't bore you with them. Unless you want to see them, then I'll post them tomorrow.

As I once again discovered, exercise MUST be a part of my daily regimen. And no, I don't go to the gym if I can help it. I simply walk about 4 miles outside. But on those yucky winter days, I have a new toy to play with--actually, it's my daughter's toy but she'll be at school and won't know I'm using it--Just Dance 4 for the WiiU. I can try to match the moves and keep my body going for a great workout without even leaving the house. I can mess up, look like a goober, or whatever, I don't care because I'll be getting my moves on.

So, what about you?

Have you figured out your health related goals yet?

Weighty Wednesday -- Activelink

I was going to write different post, but I thought this one was more current.

A couple of weeks ago I purchased a Weight Watcher's Activelink. This is a handy-dandy little USB  that also contains an accelerometer chip that gauges all the movement you make throughout the day.

The old calculation method had its flaws. For example, walking. We all know that I enjoy walking. Well, the calculation measured any pace between 3.0-5.0 mph the same. So if you are a fast walker (me) you are sort of penalized.

So the Activelink measures everyone individually.

You can clip it to a bra or shirt near your heart, or hang it on a lanyard, or clip it at your waist. You just have to tell the system which one you choose because it calculates it differently. It also takes into account your weight, age, sex and height to calculate activity points.

Then the 8 day assessment begins.

And no, it won't tell you how you're doing during this assessment, but you can get a general idea when you plug it in at the end of the day.

The purpose of this gadget it to stimulate you into moving during the low parts of your day, to get off your bum and walk around.

After my assessment, it allowed me to see my activity points. One day I actually logged in 17 activity points! That was a day that I walked almost 10 miles, 4 in the AM and 5.5 in the PM. This number was nowhere near the calculated values would have been!

Do I expect this to be the norm?

NO. For one, I'm not going to be walking twice a day when winter comes. It'll be too dark. I'll find something else to do.

But I do know that I can easily earn 6 activity points with my AM walkies and a little activity throughout the day.

Activelink also provides you with a challenge to consistently reach a certain level daily. It originally set it at 12, but I changed it to 10, which is still a challenge on the days I don't walk twice a day.

On Sunday, I was truly lazy and didn't walk. I almost didn't even meet my baseline criteria for health! And I certainly didn't earn any activity points!

It does cost a little every month to monitor the Activelink, but I think it's worth it if it gets me out of the desk chair a little more often.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Do you walk or do you WALK?

I've always enjoyed walking. Until last year, I hadn't realized how much fun it is especially when you are enjoying nature around you. So many other walkers are busy listening to their music that they slow down and don't be the benefit from a fast walk.

I tried listening to music when I belonged to a gym, but the ear buds kept slipping out when I moved my arms . . . plus they got sweaty and itched! Is that TMI?? Music is just not my thing.

So this brings up the topic of how do you walk?

In The Synonym Finder, I found hundreds of words that describe the forward motion by bipeds, everything from hop, stroll, saunter, skip and stride. And that doesn't even cover slink, mosey, plod or trudge.

I will say that I am a fast walker, which is probably due to my height. When you are only 5'1'' with an inseam of 27 inches, you have to walk quickly to  keep up with anyone taller than you . . . which is 95% of the population. What is really interesting is that when I walk with my hubby (6'2") he has to tell me to slow down. But it's because he isn't walker per se, he's a stroller.

So back to walking . . . many people might say that I power walk.

I disagree.

Partly because I'm contrary in that way, but more importantly because power walking is a technique, and not necessarily speed. I watched a YouTube video of how to correctly power walk. Sorry, but it's too much work to concentrate on the heel, toe movement and placing your heel only when the toe is about to leave the ground.

*blech* too much work = not fun

The one time I went to the gym in the last year, I walked on the treadmill and found out that my most comfortable pace is about 3.9-4.0 mph, which gives me a 15 minute mile.

I don't start off that fast, but I quickly get there within 3-5 minutes. And yes, I do swing my arms. And yes, I do carry a water bottle. And yes, I do walk in the hideous heat of the summer, the bone-chilling bite of winter and everything in between, except heavy rain. . . but wait a minute I did that once too! Okay, it was by accident, the rain hit when I tried to walk during a break of a storm.

The key to enjoying a brisk walk is to push yourself, but not on the first day. Strive to walk fast enough to start breathing a little heavier or until you sweat, maintain it for a short time and then cool off. Doing too much too quickly will burn you out mentally.

I can't tell you how long that is because everything depends on your physical condition and health issues.

So do you walk?

Do you visit with a friend while you walk? Do you talk on the phone? To you plod along or do you walk with a purpose?

Start slowly. Add time and intensity as you need to challenge yourself.

Later, Peeps!

Oh! The Hats People Wear!

All of us wear numerous hats throughout the day (mom, parent, chauffeur, tutor, laundress, chef, etc), but I'm talking hat hats here. When I go for my morning walk, I do NOT look like I stepped out of a Nike ad. Oh, no, I look like a . . . dare I say it? I look like a ragamuffin.

ragamuffin (n) (1581) a ragged often disreputable person.

I layer clothes to keep warm. And when the Oklahoma wind is blowing, it can get downright cold. So to that end, my wonderful daughter has allowed me to wear the pair of earmuffs Santa brought her for Christmas 2010.

front view

side view

Now these earmuffs have generated smiles and comments from people, but last week was the first time I was ever yelled at out of a car window. Why, you wonder?

Well, these earmuffs are pretty darn cute!






I'm not much of a hat wearer. I had to wear a hard hat every time I jumped my horse, and when you have uber-fine hair it isn't a pretty picture when you remove the aforementioned hard hat.

And yes, I do have a seriously cute hard hat. I can't wear it at a horse show, but I can wear it when I'm merely hacking a horse around. Who doesn't love Mickey Mouse??

Riding hard hat

Anyhoo, my kidlet also got a few other hats that I've contemplated taking away from her if/when she gets bored with them. I think I could be persuaded to wear them. The first is courtesy of Phineas and Ferb cartoons on Disney--Perry the Platypus, family pet and secret agent P.

Perry the Platypus

And the second hat--and mittens!--were bought in Banff Canada.

Yeti hat and mittens

So . . . do y'all have a favorite?

Weighty Wednesday -- Walking Works!

I'm a HUGE fan of my outdoor walkies. Love, love, love them! But along with getting some much needed fresh air, sunshine, and all sorts of nature, I'm also burning calories and toning my entire body!

Don't give me the crazy eye. I know what I'm talking about . . . well, actually I know just enough to be dangerous, but that's another story. Yes, you too can tone your muscles without ever going to the gym! It doesn't take much, except a conscious effort to tighten your muscles while you walk. If you go to a gym, then you'll tone your body, but not quite in the same way, in my opinion.

I'll break it down for you.

PACE -- I tried jogging numerous times over my lifetime, but I can't do it. If it isn't my lungs (asthma), then I manage to injure myself because I jog too quickly (last time it was left groin and knee and right ankle). But I'm a quick walker. In fact, I've been known to walk as fast as some people jog. The one time that I went to the gym in the last 8 months, I comfortably walked at 4.0 mph, which is about a 15-minute mile. I didn't start off this fast, nearly, but not quite. If you have to start off slowly, then do it, but ALWAYS break a sweat when you are at the 10 minute mark. If your pits aren't sweating then you aren't trying hard enough! And you should be breathing a little more heavily than normal. Slowly increase your pace until your body is having to work hard, which in turn, burns calories.

TERRAIN -- A treadmill has one surface--a moving rubber mat. Period. Boring . . . An outdoor walk gives you a variety of terrain: asphalt, cement, gravel, grass, sand, dry leaves and plain old dirt. I don't know about your walks, but the path I follow isn't nice and even like a treadmill (boring). For the most part, I walk on asphalt, but it isn't level--most paths have a little bit of an angle away from the center to aid water drainage. The path I walk is cracked due to normal temperature issues. Cement has the same issues. Grass gives you a little more padding, but you have to deal with ruts, grass tufts and a variety of uneven textures. Sand, leaves and gravel move when you step on it. It slips and slides from under your feet, forcing your center CORE to compensate, which in turn, you tighten your muscles to keep from falling.

INCLINE/DECLINE -- Depending on the degree of incline/decline, your body will have to adjust to maintain a stable central point. When walking up a moderate incline, I tend to keep the same pace and stride length, but tighten my abs as my upper body tilts slightly into the hill. A steep incline will result in a shorter stride length with more thrust from your hamstrings and gluts on your uphill leg, while your quads (front part of thigh) will stretch on your downhill leg. Walking a decline forces you to tighten your gluts, abs and back muscles as your center of balance shifts to the rear.

WEATHER --  I will walk in heat, cold and wind, but I won't walk in rain unless I miss timed my walkies, or snow and ice, which is just dangerous. RE: rain--I'll try to time my walk in-between storms if at all possible, but I have walked in the rain with an umbrella before. Uh, it doesn't work so well when you add an Oklahoma wind to the equation. Rain, frost (on grass) and humidity will cause most surfaces to become slick, which adds another benefit to your walk as your body is constantly adjusting to balance. Wind is a big factor in your muscle toning. Walking into a strong headwind is the equivalent to walking up an incline. You tighten your abs as you angle your upper body into the wind. A tailwind will try to push your feet out from under you, so you lean ever so slightly backwards. And the fun one--sideways wind gusts. You're walking along minding your own business when a gust of wind tries to knock you sideways, you do a weird little sidestep as your body compensates for the wind.

These four factors can help you tone your muscles, but what about those days when you're on the treadmill or your walk is not exciting? That's when you think about your muscles as you use them.

1. Posture -- chin up, shoulders back, stomach tight. Be proud of who you are. And yes, at first everything will jiggle and wiggle, but by exercising those abs you will be toning and tightening your CORE.

2. Think about each step and tighten the appropriate muscles. Remember your thighs and gluts. They are the big muscles doing all the work--make them work a little harder by adding a little more thought into squeezing them. My butt 'shelf' used to talk to my jiggly tummy, but not any longer!

3. Carry an aluminium water bottle. My bottle holds three cups of water, which equals to 24 ounces, which equals to 1 1/2 pounds! Yes, you are toning your arms without realizing it!

And there you have it. You, too, can walk and tone without ever belonging to a gym or doing a bench press!

Later, Peeps!