Day 1- Jan 10, 2012

I attended my first belly dancing class. It was great! The instructor was so cute, fun, and encouraging. The steps were not too hard themselves, but I had to concentrate extremely hard to get them right once we added hand motions. 

Day 2- Jan 11, 2012

Today on my way to an appointment, I speed-walked there. It took my a good 20 minutes, but I was out of breath and I'm hoping that with working on this goal, I'll be able to get myself to the point of needing a more rigorous regimen than what I did today. Wish me luck!

Love your goal Jo.  I'm working on a simlar one too.  Best of luck withthe challenge.  I'll keep following your progress and am looking forward to your updates.

Your #2 - You have US to answer to!!!!   LOL

I'll follow your progress as well!  I think so many of us have these goals.  I'm working on a 5 lb weight loss for January (total I'm looking for is 10-15), but "baby steps". 

Good Luck to you!

 Absolutely!  This is a great place for accountability coaching.  Works for me.  I'm working on another 10lbs for this month.  8.5 to go.

 Andrea and zinful, thank you so much for your enthusiastic encouragement! It really adds a dimension of fantastic to the whole challenge.  :D

Day 3- Jan 12, 2012

Today I did a 20+ minutye walk to get groceries, and another, slower walk home (regretting that I didn't bring my cart). Exercise, but not too much of a workout, unless you count carrying the bags home.

I wonder if running up and down the building stairs counts if it wasn't a bunch of times in a row.... take the laundry down, come back up, go to the room to find out there are no available dryers, come back up, put one load in a dryer, lug the other (light!) load up, back down to retrieve laundry, back home. Lotsa trips, and who wouldn't have taken the elevator for the first and last trip?

I'm now going to wind down the day with a little yoga before bed.

great goal...and I am going to say YES to the stairs...every little bit counts! I have been starting to wear a pedometer to see just how much  I move in a day..."they" say the average person should take 10,000 steps....lots of baby steps!

Good luck with your goal! Will check in on your progress...and share some encouraing words.

 Hi Jo! I"m with you on this journey! It's amazing how a day full of errands can change once you start walking to them! You've inspired me...I'm going to only take the stairs from now on! :)

 I had another good 20 minute dash through the neighborhood today on my way somewhere and home (10 min each way). Yoga soon, and maybe later I'll get a chance to walk around with my nieces and nephew.

It's so nice to have a community of people with similar goals.

 Running up and down the building staircase absolutely counts!

 Day 5

Living Room Yoga!!!! Totally the best.

Jo...glad that things are progressing for you! I love doing the living room yoga...and am looking forward to doing some sun salutations later this afternoon. Keep it up!!!

 Day 6

Today was a wonderfully lazy day. Didn't do much moving beyond the couch.

Tomorrow the plan is to actually leave the apartment and do some jogging (Ha!). Depending on the weather, I might convince my husband to drag e out for a game of tennis :)

 I absolutely love lazy days.  Sometimes we even have Pajama days one the weekends.  Shhhhh - it has to be our secret.  Best of luck with your jogging.

 Andrea, I promise that I won't tell anyone!

Day 7

Put off leaving for a few hours, and then tied my shoes and left. Jogged for a couple of minutes... and had two walk most of the rest of the way. How do you say unfit? "Jo"!

I jogged/walked for 21:10, and covered 1.9 miles. I don't know how that compares to anyone else, but I'm sure Donovan Bailey could cover that in under a second or two. Good thing I'm not up against him :)  I'm Somewhat out of breath, and even though I know it's not a good thing per se, it's certainly a good sign. 

After dinner I'm going to do some more LR yoga, and I think I'll try jogging/walking more over the next few weeks. Focussing on the beautiful outdoors and the fresh (if sharp) air might make it more enjoyable than focussing on the other joggers run me by with their steady, experienced paces.

Just getting out and doing it is what's important.  You're doing great!!!  Keep up the good work!

 Happy to know I can count on your discretion Jo.  No worries about the jogging/walking.  Walking is just as good for you.  Zin's right... it's more important to just get out there and do something.  The fantastic news is... you've already started.  You're on your way to achieving this goal.  I'll bet the fresh air did wonders.  No need to give Donovan Bailey a second thought.  It's your time and you're making some positive changes in your life for yourself.  Great attitude about keeping the focus on all the positive around you.  In a few days, I'll also bet you'll be able to increase the distance of your jogging too.  It's amazing how fast our body responds exercising.  

Hi Jo, I actually just had a talk with some others on Fitocracy about the difference focus makes. In my yoga classes, if I focus on others around me and how they're doing and whether that's better than how I'm doing, I find that not only does it sour the mood, but I don't do my own yoga as well either. Several others commented on making it more about your internal experience too. So I think you totally have the right idea. It's not about those other joggers. It's about you. ^_^ So instead of thinking about them, maybe you can try thinking, "Hey, look at me! I'm jogging! And the fresh air is nice too."

Congrats on all you've achieved so far.

 Thanks for the encouragement, guys! And Foley, it's so nice to hear that I'm really on the right track with my thinking. That'll certainly come in handy when I start doubting myself.

Day 8

So far nothing too exciting. I did walk the ten minutes with my husband to his evening class. In a couple of hours I'll be heading out to belly dancing again. That'll be a wonderful hour and a half, with a good 15-20 minute walk there and another one back. 

I don't really seem to be noticing much of a difference except for a few seemingly minor changes. As I've been working on this throughout the week, I've found that I'm enjoying exercising more than I thought. I think this might be due in part to the fact that I've never really managed to convince myself to stick with it for very long, so now I'm noticing that I'm actually enjoying it a bit. Here's hoping my enjoyment grows!
Another difference I've noticed is that I'm picking u pmy water bottle and taking a good swigh more frequently, just naturally. I used to have to remember consciously to do it and drink like half the bottle in one go because I'd otherwise forget about it for the rest of the day.
Additionally, and most amazingly, I feel just a little more confident in myself, as expressed in little things. The way I speak. I look up more, rather than down. I've even finally sent off a few emails I've really needed to write (needed a lot of guts for those). I'm also more productive at home... if you'd told me I'd be more likely to get the dishes washed, dried, and put away more quickly because I started exercising, I'd have you institutionalized. Wierd.

Jo, it's amazing the changes you can make! We at mylifelist find that goals are hugely tied together. If you make a travel goal or a relationship goal, often those come with fitness goals! I could tell you a 100,000 stories about it. Or you can just read them yourself. They're all here!

You are doing terrific work, and I want to point out, don't think too much about the progress or the numbers. If you focus on building positive habits for 21 days, your brain starts to take it as a new behavior and then you have made long-term change. Now, that's exciting.

I am with you on the fitness goal, by the way. I have four pounds to go on my fitness goal and I have GOT to take my own advice and focus more on the behaviors because I've been working on it since April and I STILL don't want to work out on a regular basis. Maybe you guys can all start pushing me a little harder. LOL

You're doing great, keep it up! 

 Shea, thank you for stopping by! Something I recently realized (which I've heard innumerable times) is that I really need to designate a specific time in my schedule. It's so much easier than spontaneously exercising, and that way I'd be able to better focus on the behaviours themselves rather than when I should start it. Good luck on yours!

Day 9

Today I got in a walk which was a little over 10 minutes. Took the stairs instead of an elevator, and this evening I hiked the 15 flights of stairs in my building. I was panting half way through, but it took me surprisingly only 5 minutes. So I topped off my 20 minutes today with  just over 5 minutes of  yoga. That stretch feels so good. 

There's always moving around, walking in the apartment, and the little things which add up, but counting the minutes makes it conscious and gives the movement a level of importance.

I also just found this website: http://www.fitmarriage.com/
So I 'm going to try to convince my husband to join me in my daily exercising.

 Day 10

Today I volunteered at a Hummus event on campus. 10 minute walk there, 10 mitute walk home. 20 minutes of moving right there, not counting all the running around I was doing during the event :)

Of course, my legs are still a bit tired from going up the stairs yesterday. I'm sort of looking forward to doing it more and getting more fit.

 I love how you're finding ways in your day to get those extra steps in Jo.  Just taking the elevators and walking more for errands and in the parking lot to get to the car does make a difference.  Keep up the great work and let us know if your husband jumped on board.

Jo, it's so exciting to read about your "seemingly minor" changes! Minor? I think not. Enjoying exercise more than you thought you would is HUGE and feeling more self-confidence is even bigger than huge. That's already such a great thing brought into your life, and it's really kind of miraculous that you've been able to do it so quickly and also recognize it quickly. Maybe you are connecting your power with your body now in a way you haven't before? No matter what it is, it's inspiring.

great to see your progress Jo...and love that you r drinking the water and not really thinking about it. and so great that you are encouraging your hubby to join in on the fun...! keep your spirits up, and the little things will show great results!

How's it coming along Jo?  Just checking in to see if you've had a chance to update us.  Wishing you a fantastic weekend.  Keep swigging that water.  Saw this and thought of you. 

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
- John Muir

 Hi Jo! How was your weekend?? Do you feel like you are making progress? I totally fell off the work out wagon this weekend! Getting back on it today! ;) Keep us posted! :)

 Back againto see how you're coming along Jo.  Wishing you the best.

 Thanks, guys! I feel so good coming on here and reading your warm comments. 

Unfortunately, this weekend was a rather exercise-lacking weekend. Friday (Day 11) I did do a lot of intense running around the apartment, but Saturday (Day 12) and Sunday (Day 13) it's been relaxing in pyjamas and watching a movie type of days. I think I'll do a little yoga before bed. 

The water drinking change seems to be more constant, but since my report of increased productivity after exercise (there were a few days!!!), I have not found that exercise gets me to do dishes. A shame, since that's one of the chores I like the least. Oh, well. At least I prefer clean dishes to not waching them, I guess.

I've got many minutes of at least walking built into the next four days, so we'll see what I can add on to build up.

Have a great week, everyone!

I'm pretty sure there's no force other than desperation that can make me wash the dishes, so maybe that one is just outside the bounds of what even good exercise can do. ^_~ Good job keeping up with your water! Look forward to seeing what you do in the coming days.

 Foley, I`m laughing at our comment.  Great to see you`re staying hydrated Jo and enjoying some relaxation and family time.  Absoultely important investment of your time.  Weekends are, after all, supposed to be a time for relaxation, rejuvenation and recovery from our hectic schedules.  Looking forward to more updates.

 Well, foley, if you come dump them in my sink, I probably wouldn't really notice, if there were already dishes in there. 

Day 14

Today I started three day office temp work. According to Google maps, it should have taken me 17 minutes walking from the apartment to the T, and 13 minutes walking from the T to the office. Try more like 31 minutes. Oops. (I've never seen google maps mess up like that!)

So that's almost an hour and forty minutes of walking today. And I still have twenty minutes to -and from- grocery shopping (We don't have a car and cabs are expensive, or I'd do the lazy thing and drive there). Long day.

Well, Andrea, I guess my long day of walking today as well as the next two days, might make up for my lag over the whole weekend.

Watch out, Jo, I might just come on over!

Congrats on all that walking. Sounds like you had a healthy attitude about your "surprise exercise." I hope you didn't get into any trouble at work. (And so you'rein Boston? I love the T! I am so jealous down here in Texas, where I sometimes have to explain to people what public transit is and how to use what little of it we have.)

The "T"? You live near me, you must! There's only one place I know of that calls it that. Welcome and hello, neighbor! :)

Your motivation is excellent, and I'm with all the other voices that say appreciate the changes you're making. Have you found your ideal workout time yet? Everyone has that time of day that makes exercise feel better. I'm a morning worker-outer. Andrea, I know you've said you like the mid-day. Anyone else have a set time that works best for them? I'm sure you'll find yours, Jo. And also, the way you keep track of what activity you do really counts! It's going to help you in the long run as you recognize all the real movement you have in your life. Ramp it up, we're on the tail end of the challenge! You can do it!

Jo oh my gosh... look at all that walking!  Congratulatins and way to go!  I'd say that completely made up for any snuggle days you had over the weekend.  Maybe you and Shea are neighbours.  How was your temping?  Ok... I'm so curious now... what is the 'T'?

 Day 15

Left early, got there early. Yay! I did the 20 minute wlk to the T, the 30 minute walks to and from the office, but missed my stop when the train became an express half-way through its journey, so I hopped on a different one, and took a shuttle home from the station (skipping the last 20 minute walk of the journey home). I think an hour and twenty minutes goes a little over my original goal of a minimum of twnety minutes... if my math is correct.

Shea, I haven't figured out my timing. It does feel good to get out walking in the mornings with the fresh air and the sun not too warm yet, but that entails getting out of bed. I find that fternoon exercising just seems to split the day oddly, even if I really need a break from what I'm doing. The evening, well, that's the time for hot chocolate and warm-blanket snuggles. I'll figure it out one day, I guess.

Andrea, the T is Boston's train/subway system, and it works with the busses all under the MBTA (Mass. Bay Transit Authority). It's a great, well organized way of getting through the Greater Boston Area.

"Left early, got there early" sounds like victory to me. That's great stuff. And your math sounds right to me. ^_~

 hi jo! you are doing great!!! One of these days we ought to meet up somewhere, on the T :)

 Day 16

20, 30, 30, and 20 minutes. More walking. Also doing an increased house clean from normal, as I have a freind visiting over the weekend. I hope she likes walking!!!

Foley, it's great to hear that after all these years, I can still do math :)

Jenipher, that would be great! I'd love to meet up some time!

Sounds like this temp work ended up being great for your legs. :) Good job and keep it up! Have fun with your friend. (I hope you get to meet Jenipher one day soon too!)

 Hi Jo, I understand your goal is to move more and exercise more, but I'm sharing the A,B,C's of Healthier Living with those of us pursuing fitness goals.  I hope you don't mind me sharing them with you too.  Here's the first few and I'll come back with more over the next few days.

A - Ask Questions when dining out.  Don't hesitate to ask your server how a dish is prepared and feel free to request it to be altered in a way to make it more healthy... as in, sauce on the side, without oil, substitute fries with a salad... 

B - Budget For Snacks - don't give up all your favouite treats - just plan for them ahead of time and adjust your eating in the day to allow for them.  That way, you won't feel deprived if everyone at the movie is having a treat except you.  

C - Cancel The Pity Party if you feel discouraged about the number on the scale or how slow progress is going, remind yourself that everyone struggles on this journey and that you're working through it and sticking to your plan.  

D - Distract Yourself when you're hungry between meals or snacks... call a friend, go for a walk, write an e-mail, drink water - do anything that doesn't involve food and you'll notice the hunger usually passes within minutes.  

E - Eat Slowly when you sit down for a meal or snack.  If you eat too quickly, it's easier to miss the signal from your body that you're satisfied.  In fact, put the fork down between bites if you're having a conversation with friends or relatives at the table.    

F - Focus on the presentation of your food on the plate.  Arrange it attractively on a pretty piece of china, this will help you feel more satisfied.  

G - Give new habits time because change doesn't happen overnight.  It may take 21 days to break or create a new habit, but it takes about six montns for new habits to feel natural or automatic.  Make a commitment to stick with your new regimen for at least that long.  

H - Hang out with optimists.  The can-do spirit is contagious.  It can bolster your resolve and help fuel your weight loss goals.  

I - Inspire yourself with a list of activities that you've put off doing - going sailing, learning to salsa dance, travelling to a far off place - this will provide a built-in incentive to stick to your plan.  

J - Join Up - exercise with others, whether it's joining a hiking club, a fitness club or a recreational softball league - all of this offers a sense of accountability and a feeling of community.   Hope you find something helpful here Alex and I'll be back with more tomorrow.

Hope you find something useful here.  Best to you.

Sounds really good Jo. I think it's great that you try to make an effort to work on your goals even while doing other things. Why take the bus when you can walk and get some exercise, as per your goals? It's a great idea. Good luck!

 Foley, my legs look awesome now and feel tiiiiired :)

Andres, that's really cool. I'll try to start implementing some of them right away. Eating slowly, for example. Hanging out with optimists is easy - I just have to come on here.

Mappiq, thanks for the encouragement!

Day 16

My first 20 minutes was a speed walk to the nearest T station to get my friend from the airport. Then we walked at least another hour over the afternoon/evening. I think some of that was cancelled out by our chipwiches at JP Licks, which were delicious!

Pizza for dinner anyone?

congrats on your successes so far...walking around Boston...so great! Have you seen "Charlie" on the MTA?!?! Sorry...bad joke (and funny song!). and OMG...I totally forgot about chipwiches...so yummy!!!  Enjoy the balance of work, rest and play...in moderation, of course!

Hi Jo!

All that walking... sounds great! I love walking. It's funny that so many people try to avoid it at all costs. When I was at university I was glad the parking lot was so far away from the school because it would give me a chance to walk more.

On a rainy day like this in Boston, do you have an indoor bike you could use? I had one when I grew up, and although I much prefer walking, it's a good alternative.

Anyway, keep it up! You're doing great!

 Hi Jo.  Thanks for filling me in on what the T is.  So nice to read that you live among optimists.  How lucky are you?  It's pizza for dinner for us tonight too.  Hope you have a good weekend lined up.  How are your belly dancing classes coming along?  Learning to shimmy is actually on my own life list.  I have more ABC's of Healthier Living for you too.

K - Keep Your Focus as you're releasing weight, notice what you're gaining as well:  a slimmer profile, better fitting clothes, more confidence, a more restful sleep, a new love of exercise, a more healthier YOU all around.

L - Lighten Up Your Favourites... with new low-fat cookbooks.  Experiment with your favourite Chinese, Mexican, Italian dishes with substitued lighter ingredients.  Or try a different cultures' cuisine.

M - Make Over Your Kitchen and get rid of trigger foods.  Restock with healthier choices to make snacking easy.  

N - Navigate Your Way Out Of Your Comfort Zone and try a new exercise at least once.  Discovering how much you enjoy new activities will help create your new healthier lifestyle.

O - Opt for the 10-Minute Rule (something your'e familiar with) even if you don't feel like exercising.  Get moving in some way for at least ten minutes and if, after that, you still feel uninspired, give yourself permission to quit.

 Hi Jo.  Hope you're enjoying the weekend.  Here's the next installment of the ABC's for your enjoyment.  Hope you find something useful.

P - Push Yourself to try one new fruit or vegetable each week - or try them prepared in a different way.  You'll be treating yourself to a new taste sensation and expanding your culinary repertoire in a healthy way.

Q - Quit the Clean Plate Club and get into the habit of eating only until you're satisfied.  This way, you'll spare yourself loads of unnecessary calories.

R - Reward Yourself with a new 'busy hands' skill to stave off snacking after dinner - take up knitting, crocheting, needlepoint or beading.  Or, give yourself a mani/pedi.

S - Stand Up Food Pushers at the party by politely indicating that you have your eye on another dish at the buffet.  Complimenting the hostess on the food she's offering will distract her from her agenda and help you stick to yours.  

T - Treat Your Body Like A Temple.  Start exercising regularly and taking care of yourself as if you were an athlete.  Fuel your body with energy-boosting foods and plenty of sleep and water.  

Jo...I hope that you have been finding Andrea's A-Z tips helpful...many are things that you may already do...but it is seeing it down on paper (or computer) that really makes it hit home...and give you the initiative to make those successful choices. Hope that u are enjoying the weekend.

 Day 17

Just a cleaning day, and hanging otu with my friend. It's wonderful to have her here.

Day 18

Today we slept in, had a leisurely lunch and took a few walks through the neighborhood. I think about an hour walking slowly so far, and we're soon going to head over to Harvard Square to walk through the shops.

Heatherclare, I've heard it, but I don't think I've been on Charlie's car when I've been on the T. What colour is he on? Maybe blue. 

Mappiq, I think there may be a stationary bike in the gym in my building.... I haven't used it. Maybe we'll check it out before the end of the challenge.

Andrea, these tips are great! Getting rid of trigger foods is hardest! I try not to buy chocolate when grocery shopping, but if I bought what I wanted, my cart would have a bottle of OJ and piles of chocolate. 

Do you find (as I do) that weekends are the hardest day for exercising. You (well, I) don't have to get out, so it's just so easy to sit sedintarily all day. Perhaps the solution is to actually schedule in a weekly tennis game on Sundays (weather permitting) or some such thing. It forces one out of the house, gets them up and active, and probably increases the overall productivity that a weekend has. And it's hopefully enjoyable, so it doesn't detract from relaxation (because after all, sometimes one just needs to relax).

As for chocolate, do you ever find that once you eat something like chocolate, you want to just keep eating more, day after day. But once you stop (e.g. when you run out), it's so much easier to not get more. Life seems to be full of 'feedback loops', both for good and for bad. Eating chocolate causes more eating chocolate. But on the other hand, being active every day helps you continue to be active every day.

At any rate, keep it up! Keep moving, and keep on making yourself EVEN better!

Jo, great job! I love that you are sticking to your exercising habit without losing any friend time by making walking something that you do together. That's the perfect solution. ^_^

I totally have that "feedback loop" with potato chips, or any vegetable chips. I never, ever buy them no matter how much I want them, because I CANNOT stop after a reasonable time. I think it's the salty taste: once I get that taste in my mouth I can't help but want more. But if I just don't buy them, once I get home I don't think twice about them.

 Day 19

This being active thing is great. I guess I've become a much better walker and mover, because I ended up walking-out my friend. The poor thing! So, we just hung out at home this morning and took a sloooooow walk to the T stop on our way to the airport. 

I did get a good, decent walk on the way home, and got the opportunity to help out a tourist by walking him through MIT. It wasn't too far out of my way, and it was great to be able to show someone around and help him find his way.

Hi Jo. Good to see that you're still keeping moving. It's neat how you can help someone and keep moving at the same time - a double accomplishment! So, do you still get to do belly dancing? Are you going to be able to keep doing that in the coming weeks/months? It's sounded really cool and beneficial. And don't forget about that exercise bike! :)

Nice! That's a great story. And it's fun to hear how you've become such a better walker even in this short a time. That's a huge success, and I bet you didn't even notice just how much progress you were making until your friend came. Way to go!

 Just sharing some inspiration today Jo.  Hope you keep up all the healthy activity right through into February.

To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there."

- Kofi Annan

love that you are walking up a storm...and I must say, I love walking in Boston...so many great areas to walk. And so great that you are showing people around the city! love that! have fun over the next few days with the challenge!

 Hi Jo! That was so nice of you to help! Some days this boston weather is really tough to get out in, glad to see you are doing it! Crossing fingers summer comes fast! :)

 Day 20

Today I slept in. Good start :)

I put in a good 20 minutes doing LR yoga and some other streches, and it felt so good. Pandora's Classical track playing in the background was prefect.

Mappiq, you'll be glad to hear that my husband and I finally checked out the gym room last night. We each spent a few minutes on the stationary bike and the treadmill. We're planning on going again later this week. the belly  dancing I'll try to get to tomorrow, but I've got something starting next week that will interfere with it, so I don't know how much I'll be able to attend through the rest of the year, unless I find another class at a more convenient time.

Foley, you're so right. She's always been a bit of a walker herself, so I was surprised that my walking was too quick for her.

Andrea, thanks for the quote. I'm still trying to figure some of that out, but I think it's good to keep healthy and fit so I'm ready to go when I do figure it all out.

Heatherclare, thanks. It's true- Boston is SO walkable!

Jenipher, I originally hail from Canada, where a winter like this is a mere dream. It's a little chilly, but I bundle up and get so refreshed by the cool air. that being said, I also definitely prefer summer to any winter :)

 Hey Jo, whereabouts in Canada?  What led you to Boston?  I've been there twice.  It's a great place to be.  Love the history.  Ok, I have some more ABC's for you:

U - Use Your Lunchbreak Wisely by walking for half of it.  Taking a midday jaunt can boost your energy, reduce your stress, and give you more time after work with family and friends.

V - View Sweet Treats Wisely - Don't deprive yourself of cravings always.  Find a lower calorie substitue that satisfies you and have that as a reward or as a weekly treat.  Put a limit on rich desserts.

W - Write a Gratitude List - Each day, jot down or journal a few things that you're grateful for.  When spirits sad or when stuck in an especially aggrivating day, reviewing your gratitude list can boost your resolve to stay on track.

Hope you find something helpful.

I'm so glad my advice about the exercise bike proved useful! Perhaps in the warmer weather, you can upgrade to an actual bike. Then again, considering how mild you find Boston winters, perhaps you can upgrade even sooner ;) . Or you can just stick with the indoor bike; whatever works for you! Have you started expanding your yoga repertoire?

Oh, I should try putting a classical station on to yoga, or maybe my back exercises! Can't imagine why I never thought of that before. And way to go on trying out different things like you are doing. I hope you keep having fun and also keep feeling great with your yoga.

I've done that with yoga before.  I have the book Slim, Calm, Sexy Yoga and would put myself together a routine and play the "Ambience" music from Pandora in the background.  It is really awesome. 

 Hey Jo.  Just wanted to congratulate you on all your progress this month.  It's been great following you as you persue your goal.  Best of luck with the contest and here's the last of the ABC's for your enjoyment:

X - Xerox Exercise Moves as you come across them in magazines and books.  That way, when you're doing your workout or putting together a routine, you'll have a bit of a library built up with proper techniques outlined and pitcures to show how to get best results.  Happy strength training

Y - Yearn To Accept Where You Are Now if you get discouraged about your rate of progress or if you hit a plateau and get frustrated, try to accept and appreciate where you've come from and the journey to get to where you are currently and where you want to be.  Enjoy the process.  After all, you are doing what it takes to make a difference with your health and fintness.  That alone is commenndable.   

Z - Zero In On Your Body - be sure to listen to the signals your body is giving you.  Treat your body as you would an infant child -  with compassion, patience and love and understanding.  Give it healthful, nutrient rich food for energy only when it's required, quench it's thirst with water freely and give it the exercise it needs for optimal health and fitness and your body will reward you in unbelievable ways.  

 Hi Jo! Congrats on all of your progress! It's SO hard to get to that gym!! I'll be checking in while I too continue on this journey of health! :) Good luck for the next few months!

hope that u are enjoying your new sense of adventure in exercising and getting moving. You are doing great...keep it up!

 Day 21

Today I speed walked to Belly Dancing, belly danced, and walked home (with a detour). So that's about an hour and a half. so excited that I've been able to manage a minumum of 20 minutes of exercising in some form a part of my day most days. 

Andrea, I'll be printing out your whole list to use. Thank you, it's great.

Mappiq, I've really just been doing the Sun Salutation, and trying to do it focusing on stretching the different areas. Maybe one day I'll join a class and get proper instruction. As for the exercise bike, I think I'll keep working inside till I feel I can go fast enough to keep up with my husband on the real thing.

Foley and zinful, Pandora seems to be perfect for yoga. I'll look up the book you mentioned. 

Jenipher, Thanks! I'll be trying to continue on with my goal "Get Moving", but perhaps I'll change it to allow me to switch up my exercises. 

Heather, I really am. I feel so good, and trying new things, no matter how tame they may seem, is still an adventure.

Hi Jo. Sounds like you had a really active day. That's awesome! It's unfortunate that you may not be able to continue with belly dancing - perhaps once in a while you'll get the opertunity? But it sounds like this 21-day challengehas been quite a victory for you. Good job!

 Congrats on all your success these past weeks Jo.  It's been great following you and I'm happy you've enjoyed the ABC's of Health and Fitness.  

Congratulations on making such great habits this month Jo! Love all the dedication you put into it.