Yawn

Good morning. It is currently 11 am here in only remotely chilly Germany (temp is just below freezing), and I am still rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Ahh...life is beautiful (at least until Mon. morning when I have class at 8:15 am at the Uni)!


So, as you all know, I've been majorly slacking in my excercising, (by majorly slacking I mean that I've done nothing for the last two weeks). So, I went out and bought a book about getting in shape/healthy, and did tons of research online... and here is what I've come up with:

1. I plan on either going walking (power walking) at least three times per week, eventually reaching five times per week when possible for at least a half hour duration. I figure I can carve out half an hour each day, and after all: the experts say the healthiest thing to do is to do 30 minutes of cardiovascular work out each day. Very likely I might walk a few days, and jog a few days... or maybe walk a few days and bike a few days, or swim, I guess i'm not really sure yet.. basically i'm just keeping it open so that in a month or two when i get bored and tired of working out, I can switch my routine up a little to keep it interesting still. As of right now I've decided on power walking because it puts less strain on the joints, and because though I'm in better shape than when i started last fall, my cardiovascular fitness sucks, so I want to slowly work myself into better shape now w/walking, and will consider changing to jogging later (because I actually enjoy jogging. i never thought i'd say that in my entire life).

2. I'm also planning to do strengthening excercises at home two to three times per week, in order to start toning my muscles. If I'm going to work in a zoo, I need to be in good physical shape, and I am definitely not in good physical shape now. Just because I'm thin, doesn't mean I'm healthy.. so with some excercises for my back, my arms, my abs, and maybe my thighs, I'm hoping to just start toning in general. My goal for next year then, when I'm back in college, is to take advantage of our free gym for students, and work on getting stronger.... so that when I graduate college a year and a half later I should be in great shape for my future career.

3. Starting this week I am also going to eat healthier. I'm hoping Fabian will join me in this part (I think he will). I figure that the best thing to do is to just start trying to follow the food pyramid guidelines (and also what my book says that I bought) and to just start changing our food habits peice by peice. My goal for next week is to not overeat (to stop eating when I am full) and to eat at least 2 cups of fruit each day. If you go to www.mypyramid.gov
the US Department of Agriculture has put up a nice website where they will tell you how much of each food group you should be eating for your activity level, age, and sex. I'm not 100% sure if it includes the food pyramid updates from 2005, but it seems to be a good way to get a general idea on how to eat healthier.

4. So, as of right now: here is my plan for next week:
sun-15 min. power walking
mon-karate 1.5 hours
tues-15 min. power walking
wed-strength toning
thurs-15 min. power walking
fri-strength toning
sat-rest day

i'm only doing 15 min. of walking each day, because i'm out of shape... so i'll be working up to half an hour. yeah, so there are my goals for the week! To eat more fruit, to eat only when I'm hungry, and to follow my workout schedule. I think I can do it!

It feels good to be excited about working out again. I like the idea of getting into shape, and I really hope I can start building these habits now that I will keep in my lifestyle. And who knows? Maybe eating better, and being healthier in general will help with my acne?