The Road To Wellness

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When one gets involved with fitness and starts surfing for sites on the Internet, you’re likely to come across dozens and dozens of pay sites that offer varying degrees of features. I tried a few, but haven’t stuck with any particular one for any length of time. I tried the sites for a way to track my fitness, the tools they offered, and the support of the forums though the latter is the least important of my reasons.

One free site I’ve come across is MapMyWalk. This isn’t a site to food journal nor to get meal plans. It’s about recording your activities whether they be walking, running, biking (MapMyRun, MapMyRide, etc…), or gym activities like weight training. You can track your weight loss and total calories burned. All in all a helpful site that just keeps getting better and better–and it’s FREE.

I must digress one moment. I used to use CoolRunning.com as a site to record my progress to running a 5k. They had a free program that was perfect for me. Unfortunately, it was bought out by Active.com now the same free program costs $19.95. Please! What makes it so ridiculous is that you can get some of the exact same features on MapMyWalk for FREE.

Let me explain. One of the really cool features of MapMyWalk is the ability to map your actual route on a map, calculate the distance, view it in as a satellite image or hybrid. You can then save it and add to your training as a regular route you use. You can do that too on Active.com for $9.95 a month. Sorry, back to your regularly scheduled program.

In addition to MapMyWalk, SparkPeople provides a free food journal, workout journal with videos and full workout videos. The amount of information is staggering. The forums are extremely active. Just a word of caution; take a look around before you lay out any cash.

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I woke up to a temperature of -12 degrees today. Walk outside today? I think not. Today I’ll be exploring some other options. Don’t get me wrong; I like winter. I look forward to it every year. I could never live somewhere where there were not four seasons. Days, which I have to say in all honesty that I’m glad there are few, do present a challenge.

Fortunately, this is my weightlifting day. I’ll burn some extra calories that way. Then, how about some jumping rope? Or how about jumping jacks? Those activities will get your heart racing and provide the necessary cardio workout. That’s today’s plan.

We used to have a SnapFitness membership. Our insurance covered most of the cost. We were good for awhile, but I got fed up with the people not wiping machines and machine hogs and the trainers that thought it was their gym. So we dropped it. Home and outside are my gyms.

How about you? How do you fit in exercise during extreme weather conditions?

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Okay, completing my first week getting back on track. The weigh-in brought good news. I lost one pound. Fifteen more to go! I think I did very well this week. I worked out twice. I did get some good cardio in. We went geocaching this weekend. Walking in the snow is a great workout if you don’t have snowshoes–and especially after you did a workout with a leg emphasis!

I’ve also done well with my choices. When dining out, I did not order a burger and fries. My fare consisted of a salad (dressing on the side) and soup or chili. Those beans are power foods, man! So, I’m pretty proud of myself. On to the next week!

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A new year and of course, a new start. At the dreaded annual doctor visit, I learned just how much I weigh, always of the bad news variety. Okay, so I gained a bit and maybe the pants that I was able to wear a few months back don’t fit. I know I can do it. I know what tools work best for me. So, it’s back on the bandwagon.

I started to get a bit careless. While I’ve been good with sweets, some would say saintly as I pass up trays and trays of chocolates, cookies, holiday treats, I’ve been a bit lax with fried goodies like onion rings (yum.), mushroom-swiss burgers (yummy!), and butter sauces in my own cooking. So I know where I have to start. I also know that I have to get back on track with the workouts.

The cold has kept me indoors more than I’d like. I have no excuse actually. I bought the performance clothing, which is worth every single penny you invest in it. I know the routes to take. Just laziness, but I don’t admonish myself too severely. I know where I need to go from here. Onward and upwards, a foothold please to help me aboard the bandwagon.

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