Getting Fit, Bit by Bit

 

 

I am one month and 12 days into my fitness quest.

Having gained several pounds in 2016, I struggled with zippers and avoided wearing anything that hugged my waist. Or lack thereof.

I told myself over Christmas I would shape up after the new year.  I don't do new year resolutions so I waited until January 5th to begin my transformation.

From the bowels of my closet, I dug out my Sketchers Butt Shoes that I had not seen in a very long time.   They're the ones with a thick, rounded sole that supposedly make your calf and butt muscles work harder while wearing them.  Imagine walking with footballs strapped to the bottom of your shoes.  

It had been a mighty long time since I'd taken a stroll in those bad boys.  I'm more of a flip flop, sandals, cowboy boots wearing kind of girl. 

This could explain the fact that I've gotten pudgy and out of shape. 

My son's girlfriend laughed at my old, out of style (if they ever were in style) butt shoes. And I kept seeing one of my gorgeous, fit neighbors waking with her dainty feet tucked inside a pair of trendy Nikes.  I'm sure her long, toned legs and perfect butt must come from wearing fashionable sneakers.

I bought myself a pair like hers.  I felt thinner immediately, albeit three inches shorter because I was no longer standing on footballs.

I started walking every day and cut most things out of my diet that were bad for me.  I even limited myself to only one glass of wine per night.  I figured this might work against me however because to drink wine, one has to EXTEND the arm to REACH for the glass, BEND the elbow whilst RAISING the glass UP to the lips.  The fact that my right bicep is larger than my left one if solid proof.  BAM!

I also broke up with Little Debbie.  No more Nutter Butters for breakfast.  She took it a lot harder than I thought she would.

After a couple of weeks of walking a few minutes a day and not eating fried sugar, basically STARVING myself and living on Diet Ginger Ale, I lost a whole pound. 

Well then.

There had to be an easier way. Thus began my obsession with fitness trackers.  I needed to be managed.

I chose the Fitbit Charge 2. 

My tracker tells me how many steps I've taken in a day, how many calories I've burned, how long my heart rate has been elevated, keeps track of what I eat, how well I sleep and even how many times I get up at night to pee!  Hell, the only thing it doesn't do is my laundry!  I love this thing!

Here's why.

My goal is to take 10,000  steps per day.  Why 10,000 you ask?  Because that's the default setting.  That' s roughly five miles of steps. 

The tracker measures each step from the time my feet hit the floor in the morning until I go to bed at night.  Of course it resets at midnight.

Just like Cinderella.  

When I wake up in the morning, I already have, like, 752 steps from getting up so many times in the wee hours to wee.  (I'm pretty sure that's why they're referred to as the "wee hours".)

If my brisk walk of two plus miles in the afternoon still leaves me short of my goal, my tracker motivates me to keep moving.

"You can do it, Robin."

"Just a little further."

"You're really burning a lot of calories today!"

"I saw your neighbor down the street buying a whole case of Little Debbie Nutter Butters at Costco yesterday."

"Push harder, Robin.  You're almost there."

"Now you need to invest in the Fitbit Aria Smartscale.  Unlike me, it'll track your weight AND your BMI."

"Keep moving."

"If you work harder, your legs and butt will be as good as hers."

My Fitbit Aria Scale is being delievered tomorrow.