Beautiful weather!

This is a beautiful time of year.  70 degree temps, warm sunshine...  But of course that's not really supposed to happen in March, but I'll take it.  With the warm weather, I am discovering my new obsession, so to speak.  I absolutely LOVE geocaching.  I love going out in the nice weather with my usually trusty handheld gps unit and walking around parks until I find the hidden treasure.  It's great.  The fact that it also means getting off my butt and in the sun is only one of the benefits.  Sometimes it's even aerobic as it often involves walking up and down hills a lot, maybe some climbing, etc.  One of the cool things about geocaching is that it can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be.  Regardless, it's definitely turning into an obsession for me.

In addition to geocaching, I've also picked up Zumba, which I find to be really fun.  It is my new Monday night activity.  Tonight I am going to Fit Barre at my gym, which is more resistance training.  I'm really trying to not focus completely on cardio work because, while the benefits of cardio can't be denied, resistance training is also an integral part of it.

I'm also intensely curious about kettlebell; so much so that I'm half tempted to buy one on the way home.  Clearly I'd buy the lightest one (7lbs) as I'm a beginner and I don't have any experience with it.  But I'm extremely curious about it and it looks like something that I might like.

Finally, nutrition is a key component of weight loss as well.  I've been increasing the number of servings of fruits and vegetables.  But, I've also given up pop for the time being.  There is really no reason to drink pop from a nutritional perspective.  Maybe someday I'll drink pop again, but right now I'm trying to get used to how I feel not drinking it.

Happy thought of the day:  my best friend informed me that if I keep going the way that I am currently, I will visibly be losing weight in the next few months.  Hopefully that's right!

It's been awhile...

I know it's been awhile since I last updated, but that doesn't mean that I've necessarily been slacking on my goals to exercise more and eat better.  Overall, I'm still as motivated as I've ever been.

A couple weeks ago I signed up for the about.com 30 day exercise challenge.  It only took me a few days to realize that this wasn't the best idea for me.  I made that decision not because I couldn't do the exercises or anything like that, it's just that I happen to like my own routine.  I go to the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week.  I plan my meals.  I walk my dog a lot.  I still have homework.  It just didn't work out.

But, I discovered something that is becoming a bit of a personal challenge for me.  On Mondays at my gym there is a thirty minute step aerobics class followed by a fit barre class, which is mostly weight training.  I went once and while it was exhausting, it felt incredible to finish.  I have a sneaky suspicion that I will be attending this class as time allows.

In regards to eating, I am doing well with that also.  The menu planning and grocery list thing is really working out for me.  I plan three dinners for the week, get the groceries for it all, and that usually lasts me at least a week.  My lunches and breakfasts haven't really changed with the exception of fewer granola bars and way more fruits and veggies.

All in all, things are going rather well.