Benefits of fitness...to me!

If you've read my blog from the beginning, you know fitness and maintaining a healthy lifestyle has been the theme throughout. Weight loss is a casualty, if you will of fitness and exercise.

This past year, I've had many 'aha' moments as I've continued my journey.  Simple things I enjoy are so much easier with less weight. While I don't live by the number on the scale, I do weigh myself weekly. With that being said, I don't let the number on the scale be the only measurement of progress. Here are but a few recent 'simple things' that have made me want to continue to lose inches.


° attending Warriors games this season. I've always felt like a stuffed sausage sitting in those seats! Lord help me if I have my jacket and a bag. Feeling comfortable is highly unlikely.

° wearing clothes these days is fun! The constant tugging and pulling of my pants is so annoying! I should invest in suspenders to hold my pants up!



° my skirts now play ring around the rosey! Manufacturers put tags on clothing for a purpose to identify the front/back of the article of clothing. When my skirt swivels around, it's not comfy, at all.

° recent travel has been nice, too. I mean, I have a little room in the seat and the arm rest stays in its downright position. Again, I'm usually a stuffed sausage in the seat and I'm constantly pushing the armrest down. Pretty embarrassing when I'm not traveling with family.


° airline bathroom use has also become less stressful.  You see, for a germaphobe  like me, touching public restroom anything is just gross to me. I mean, I use toilet paper to lift the bathroom seat. An airline restroom is not a large space. Struggling to get all of my width into an airline restroom without touching the walls is difficult. What a discovery when I no longer had to shimmy myself in there!

All of these discoveries display my progress in a way so absent from the scale. What a motivator to keep going. To keep waking up at the crack 'o dawn to get my ass beat (with love) by The Inner Athlete trainers. To keep finding moments where I can see my progress without getting on the scale.

Being Healthy is a Family Affair

This past weekend, I participated in the Santa Rosa Marathon, Half-Marathon and 5k.  I walked the 5k, while mom and sis completed the half marathon.  It was a fantastic event and the weather was perfect!  I've noticed over the years that more and more events are becoming 'family friendly' by offering the 5k, kids run/walks, or stroller runs. 

As I stolled through downtown, Santa Rosa was no exception to the number of families participating in the event.  It made my heart smile given the recent studies stating how obese our nations children are, various states and schools proposing banning sodas in schools, etc.  It also got me thinking. 

Healthy living and lifestyles begin at home!  Parents should encourage their children to participate in some sort of physical activity.  In addition, parents should provide and prepare healthy eats at home and for their lunch.  I get it, parents are busy with work, etc.  But I say, make the time to provide a healthy lifestyle and what better way to spend time with your family than on an active outting.

Check out some families I encountered at the Santa Rosa 5k.

   

Snoppy met me at the finish!