If you have been following me for any time whatsoever this past year (11 months actually), you'll know that I've been losing weight, trying to do just about anything to get the body to conform to what my mind thinks it should look like. Believe me, my body and my mind have two really different opinions, and they can often resemble a presidential debate in terms of arguing with each other, making fun of their opponent, and just being both obstinate as well as really rude to each other. I'm not even allowed to stop the bickering really, I just throw in a new suggestion or two and make things as calm and easy as they can possibly be for myself as a whole. I'm not necessarily winning the battle, but I have a firm grip on it and I'm too damn stubborn to let my body have much more than a resistance to what my mind wants. It's how I survive.
I've been working on this body thing for about a year, just under, and I've seen stellar results really, but not as stellar as I want to see. I started out at a whopping (and I'm shaking my head now) 216 pounds; which I think I weighed less than that with all of my pregnancies. I am today around 170 pounds, which isn't where I want to be, but when you look at me you don't see the "apple" belly on two sticks anymore. That's a plus, right? I mean, I weigh more because I have so much more muscle mass, but the scale is still not my friend. I have to remind myself over and over that, I went from a size 18 to a now size 12, which for most women would be enough, but not me. I'm not stopping until my toned svelte butt is inside a pair of zipped-up size 8 jeans without them being the stretchy kind. Nope, I want a real size 8 body, not a spandex-assisted body. It will happen. It may take another 6 months, but it will happen. I'm just mean enough to force mind over matter - literally.
What am I doing to make this happen? OK, great question. I'm doing EVERYTHING - - so let me explain. I wake up after sleeping over 10 hours. That's something that most people don't have the luxury of and I absolutely thank God for that one blessing alone. It truly has been an amazing feat to be able to work my work schedule around my sleep schedule, and not the other way around. I typically hit the sack around 11 and get up sometime after 9:00 a.m. Sleep is vital for health. Next, I don't eat from about 6:00 p.m. to about 10:00 a.m, but when I do I have lower carbs during the day, eating most of my carbs at 10:00 a.m. to get the day started with a boost of good energy. I'm drinking WAY over 100 ounces of water (with lemon or lime) every day, and yes, I have coffee and tea during the day as well, but that water (100+) is over and above the tea and coffee.
I have three or four small meals a day, all with protein, vegetables, fruit, nuts, cheese, and/or good foodstuff. I even post my foods, for the most part, to let people know and see that I'm still focused. There are "cheat" days to mix up the intake of carbs to keep my metabolism confused, it's called carb cycling, and I do that about once a week or twice every 10 days or so. It's been working out for me too. I take supplements and vitamins, I take probiotics, but the one group of supplements I take every day no matter what are my poopy pills; psyllium husk, cascara, milk thistle, and slippery elm. I have the best poos on the planet and I have them every single day. It's wonderful, I feel great, but I wish I could just poop out the last 30 pounds and be done. That would make me really super happy, not gonna lie to you.
Let's talk exercise. I live across from the YMCA so I go there three times a week and work every limb and then my gut. I do machines for 20 minutes and I go home. I walk 5,000 - 8,000 steps a day in the evening, and I punch my Wave Master 10-12 minutes every other day. I do Doga, which is a lot like yoga only with dogs in my face. I don't have an option it's Doga every time. I do that every other day too. I stretch, I ride my bike, I ride horses, though not as often these days. I also lift a 10 or a 15-pound weighted bar and do squats while standing on a vibration plate every other day for 15 minutes. I get my cardio in - - and yet, the body has refused to agree with my mind as to what it should be fitting in or looking like - - I am still standing of course, but I'm not happy yet.
This week I decided two things; change up the hormones and get back to basics. By basics, I mean jump roping. When little girls do it they make it look so easy! They can make this feat seem as if they were meant to leap into the air without fuss; they are 40-50 pounds and have the spring-in-their-step syndrome, while the rest of us (me) have to really work at lifting the mass from the ground into the air even if just a couple of inches from terra firma. The experts say two inches is the preferred height. God bless the experts. I don't think three or four inches would be a reality at this point. (someday) This coming from the same person who could once stand straight, jump, tuck her knees to her chest and do a backflip without flinching!
Let's talk about clothes and gear. Believe me when I say this type of exercise calls for high-impact bras and the type of minimalist shoes you may wear in the water. You don't need to be wearing big, fat, honking shoes when you jump, and you certainly want your boobies to understand they have to stay in place no matter what. I will say that I'm getting better at holding those particular muscles in place, however. Viva la workout!
Jumping rope is not for idiots friends, you should know this. One does not simply pick up a random strip of cotton or leather and begin slinging it over one's head and under one's lifted feet. No, one does not do that. One watches more experts on YouTube to be sure one doesn't trip and fall causing one to be incapacitated and/or dead. Jumping rope is for the brave. I have learned that this seemingly simple and overtly covert method of exercising has been modified since the days of my youth. There are rules it seems to the proper length of the rope, and that makes so much more sense to me as an adult.
Failure will absolutely be your guide on this one. You do have to pay attention to those in the know with picking and choosing equipment. Google it, you'll be surprised how the whole industry has changed. They have cotton, nylon, leather, chain ropes, they have weighted ropes, cheap and expensive ropes. They have really cool handles now that count your jumps - - I'm going for the old-school leather rope with basic average handles. I don't want my neighbors thinking I think I'm so much better than they are. LOL...that's a community gag. You'd have to be one of us to know what I'm talking about. We one-up each other whenever we get the chance.
I am 5'7" tall, my rope should be 8.5" not 9 feet long. I think I may have an 8-foot rope at this point, but if it doesn't work I'll buy another one. I know the 9-foot rope is just too long to make the correct sized loop or circle to jump over, and holding your elbows inward is the proper way, so you can't fudge and stick your elbows out to shorten the length of the rope - - nope, you just have to buckle down and get the right-sized rope in the first place. It would appear that in this case, size really does matter. Do the right thing - - don't overcompensate. Elbows in, wrists out, and by all means yes, wear guards on both your wrists and both of your ankles. These joints will take the brunt of the force in this routine. The wrists are the movers, turning, twisting, over and over again, and your ankles will feel the impact with every leap - - do not overdo it, do not force them to be stressed. Little bunny hops is what you are aiming for - - tiny little hop, hop, hops...not actual leaps. I should say hops....hops.
If you (like I did) go online and see the before and after photos of the jumpers with their 60, 90, 100-day challenge videos, you'll be amazed. If they are telling the truth, and all they did was jump rope, eat correctly, get sleep, and take their supplements, you are in for a real eye-opening awareness of what this one exercise can do for you. I'm really hoping it will be the key to unlock this pseudo plateau that comes and goes. I've been hanging at the same weight for over 2 months, just barely getting out of it and it's not letting up the way I wanted it to. I wanted to be 160 by now, and then 150 by end of summer. My goal weight, for my height, and for my muscle mass is probably 150, but I'm going to see if I can get it lower and keep the muscles. I'll trade the boobs for good thighs if God will let me. I'm not really into the whole C-D cup thing - - I'm OK looking like a 12-year-old boy without a shirt; too much information? Sorry, it's just that they seem to always be in the way.
That's if for today - - I'm waiting on UPS, Fed Ex, Walmart, and even the postman to deliver packages for me today. I've ordered the ankle wraps, DHEA supplements (hormone thing), and another high-impact bra as well as cool aqua shoes. I wanted the red and black, but they only had the blue in my size - - First World issues. I'll survive. Two bras are better than one with jumping rope ladies, it's a real thing - - you don't want pain in the breasts and you don't want to stop your routine to worry about them. In time cardio wins out, this is another thing the experts say. I sure hope they know what they're doing and talking bout because this body needs to pay a lot more attention to the experts since it's not paying that good of attention to me!
Photo credit: Best Buy
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