So I've finally gotten started on a regular exercise plan. Again. One of my children (who says she never gets enough time alone with me), also needs the exercise. So we started walking together each morning. Nothing huge. We started walking a 2.5 mi loop. I could walk a bit faster if I walked alone. She's less than thrilled with the idea of working hard as opposed to strolling, so I have to stop every so often for her to catch up. I end the walk by picking up the pace to a jog (most people walk faster than I "run") as we cut through the cemetery near our house. I chose the cemetery mostly to protect the eyes of the motorists out there so as not to cause any accidents due to the spectacle I'm causing, heaving my not small behind into a run. And the cemetery is prettier than the busy street anyways. I have this cool Run Keeper app on my phone that tracks our mileage and pace, which is fun to use.
I've been drinking 8-10 cups of water a day, which is a BIG improvement. I've cut back on refined carbs, and increased the lean protein.
I feel okay when I'm on the walks, and I've been really surprised that my feet and legs aren't sore at all. My knee hasn't bothered me at all, even with the little bit of jogging, which I've increased little by little. Even my hips, which have tended to bother me a lot for almost any reason, haven't been a problem. In fact, sometimes they hurt before, but not after.
But... after getting home, eating, breakfast, and showering, I am pooped. Fatigued. Done. Wiped out for the rest of the day. I feel a total energy zap. Which is the opposite of what exercise is supposed to do for you, right? And, to make it worse, I get body aches. Not sore muscles like I might expect. Body aches all over from my shoulders to my upper thighs, including stomach aches. Aches, pains, twinges. That lasts ALL day until I finally take Advil before bed. Not the awesome high I was hoping to get.
And... even worse. Not a single lb lost. Not even part of one. Not 1/4 of an inch lost. Nothing. Nada. I can honestly say I'd be totally willing to put up with all the fatigue and aches and pains if I were seeing results, no matter how small. But it's pretty lousy to have no positive results AND to feel worse after exercising.
I'm trying to stay positive and hope that for some unknown mystery of body chemistry, it's all working towards a great result that's just around the corner. And maybe if I keep going, the aches and pains will settle down too. Natalie and I have a goal of running in a 5k by next summer.. something super fun like the Run or Dye event.
UPDATE:
I decided that maybe, since I'm not so young anymore and I have some health issues that like to complicate things, we'll try things a little differently. First, we'll reserve M, W, and F for our outdoor exercise. We shortened the distance to about 1.5 mi, but after a short warm up, we jog on and off the entire way (which is bad news for passing motorists). On alternate days we'll do yoga and upper body weights. Plus, I decided to try some carbs for breakfast (granola and milk with walnuts), rather than only protein (omelet). I've felt MUCH better so far today. Much less fatigue and hardly any aches. I'll keep playing around and fine tuning the specifics so it works... which hopefully translates to lost lbs.
