Moving Day, and other lessons Monday, July 27, 2009

I've neglected this blog terribly, but I have a happy reason: I've just moved in with my fiancé! All the packing, moving, labeling and hauling take up an awful lot of time & energy.

I'll admit, it's quite an adjustment for me. I'm used to having my own space & my own stuff. After all, I've been on my own for almost half my life! My fiancé has been married before and is much more relaxed about the transition.

In addition, we now have four cats. FH has three, and I have one little cat. They are adjusting MUCH better than we thought they would. My cat, despite being a scaredy cat her entire life, is excited and very interested in her new brothers & sister. She wants to play with them! FH's cats aren't quite there yet.

But the hardest lesson for me was totally unexpected. In the process of packing & moving, I've aggravated a back injury. Over the past year I've had some increasing back pain & general weakness. I always shrugged it off, but the pain has made it impossible.

I'm not totally incapacitated, but moving, bending, lifting & unpacking are totally out of the question for me, for at least another few weeks. Not to mention I feel like I've been hit by a car... AGAIN. This means my poor FH is doing ALL the work. Normally, I'm the type to have everything unpacked into a new place within days. Not this time! I'm forced to be patient, because there's no way I can rearrange anything now.

I'm forced to depend on my fiancé for so many things I would prefer to do by myself, and he's been wonderful about it. My doctor says I should be grateful for not having to do too much... apparently it's usually the other way around, right? But suddenly when I'm forced to quit doing stuff, it's not nearly as much fun as it should be.

I'm inclined to believe this is an early lesson on give & take in a marriage. I just wish it came with less pain!

Bridal Workout: Gains & Losses Monday, April 13, 2009

As soon as the Mr. & I started talking about getting married, I knew one thing for sure--I wanted to lose weight.

I've always been "overweight," "plus-size," whatever you want to call it, but some life circumstances left me at my highest weight and quite unhealthy when David finally made it official. I'm happy to have found someone who loves me no matter what size I am! But the idea of being photographed looking like this makes me terribly nervous.

My doctor has since said that I'm very healthy despite the extra pounds, but I know that won't be the case for long if I don't make some changes. Since my health isn't a pressing issue, I'm forced to be honest: I just don't like the way I look. I want to wear more interesting clothes, and I'm tired of being worried every time I get on a plane or go to a theater or any other place where I might not quite fit into the seats. I miss being active, and I'd love to be more energetic and more physical in general.

All these things had been on my mind for a while, but having that ring on my finger was what really jump-started my fitness plan. I started 3 weeks ago with 30-40 minutes of cardio 5 days a week. I'm mostly doing the treadmill & elliptical trainer, but I plan to add some pilates, yoga, & aerobics in the coming months.

The exercise has been a big shock to my body--I haven't exercised so regularly in years! But after 3 weeks, I seem to be adjusting. I finally weighed myself again this weekend and found that I've gained four pounds. Disappointed, I found an online article reminding me to take measurements, also--and I'm glad I did! I've lost 2 inches each in the hips, waist & bust. Yay for exercise!