Move It Or Lose It April

The Scoop

Staying Active As Exercise

It’s time to report how I did during the month of April on my fitness journey. April was not as structured as the first three months of this year. Early on I was running a faster two miles and going full on with yoga and lifting weights. But I over did it one day on the weights and run and irritated the piriformis muscle in my hip ( a chronic problem for me) and had to back off. By the end of the month I was back to walking for the most part. I injured my hip muscle several years ago and although it comes and goes I can easily irritate it and have to step back. It’s called Piriformis syndrome.

“Piriformis syndrome is a condition in which the piriformis muscle, located in the buttock region, spasms and causes buttock pain. The piriformis muscle can also irritate the nearby sciatic nerve and cause pain, numbness and tingling along the back of the leg and into the foot (similar to sciatic pain).”

Anyway as of now I am back to normal but trying a different approach to exercising hoping to avoid another flare up. I’ve decided to try staying active but with more gentle activities. Right now I am doing a two mile hike on our mountain trails each day and doing body weight exercises to tone my muscles. It is all fun and much less stressful on my hip.

I am using the Blue Zones approach to staying active and it feels more natural and effective. It’s a lifestyle more than an exercise routine. All my life my natural way has been to always be moving. My mom always said, “Cheryl had two speeds, running and sleeping!” And she was right. Here is an article explaining my current thinking. I have been following the Blue Zones diet for quite a while and so it seems natural to follow the thinking on staying active.

I move all day. I work in the yard, do all my own house work, cooking, etc. I move furniture if I want to try a different layout. I shoveled snow when we still had it. I wash the car and mow the lawn. I love to garden and decorate and hike and anything else that keeps me moving. Thus the “move it or lose it” philosophy.

Here is a short article on walking and ways you can use it to stay in shape and reduce risk of disease. It is one of the greatest forms of exercise.

Eating and Weight

I have talked a lot about the weight I have lost this year. I thought I knew the happy weight for myself and reached that goal through calorie counting. I burned more calories than I consumed. It’s really the only way for me to lose. You can catch up on my journey January, February and March posts.

As I lost weight I realized that my weight had shifted from when I was even 50 years old. More weight was distributed on my stomach. So I decided to see if I could lose it all. That meant losing more fat. So I have been slowly dropping off a little more weight and yes slowly losing the belly fat. I would say I have another pound or two to go. Seriously though I have been losing it an ounce at a time. It is easier that way and since I am ok with my current weight and only seeing if stomach fat can be lost at my age, this is the way I am approaching it. When I was in my twenties (and very healthy) I weighed 110 to 115 so about there is my goal. I’m 117 now. I am five feet five inches tall.

At the same time as I am losing fat I can see that my muscle definition is not as strong as it was either so I am upping my strengthening activities to see if I can build back muscle. And yes I can. I started seeing a difference very quickly. Outside of lifting everything I need to in every day life I am doing pushups, triceps’ dips, squats, calf raises and bicycles to tone my muscles. Also my hike is in the mountains so the trail is lots of up and down helping tone my muscles.

As far as what eat, I am still eating as healthy as possible and I still do not deprive myself of anything I am wanting. I have just learned to eat small portions. Instead of half a pizza I will eat one or two small slices of home made pizza. I make sure to get in my vegetable and fruit servings every day and I use supplements. And I am still not drinking alcohol except on a special occasion which is maybe once a month. And even then it is one glass and I have abstained long enough that it isn’t really that enjoyable to me. I would rather have a sparkling water or iced tea in the evening.

Anther trick I have learned to lose weight is to eat a very late breakfast or early lunch as my biggest meal of the day. Then for dinner I have a smoothie or a very light meal, maybe a cup of soup or a small salad or a bowl of healthy cereal with almond milk. I have become used to this and don’t feel hungry all the time like when I had extra weight. I feel satisfied and happy at my new weight.

I realize that my old way of life where I would need a nap every day is behind me and only created by my over eating. My body was using all my energy to digest food. Now I have so much energy it is unbelievable. More than anytime in my life.

Everyone is different but my body runs better lean and mean. I think more clearly, sleep better at night and feel as strong as a horse! Yay to all that!

I continue on with my health and fitness journey and will report next month on how May went! Will I be able to build muscle? Will I lose all the belly fat? Stay tuned! I love to share how and why fitness matters in my 60s!

Thanks for stopping by!

Peace!