Keeping Active

Summer is finally in full swing.  We started getting some consistently hot days in July and it's carried over into August.  It's been about a month since my last post.  In that time I've managed to stay motivated and lose over five pounds.  I credit the loss to a couple of factors.

First, my activity levels have been way up.  This tends to happen in the summer months usually, but I've kicked it up a notch, this year.  I mentioned in my last post that I was planning to take up my tennis game again.  Well, I've been playing weekly since then.  As I suspected, there was rust aplenty to be shaken off.  I'd also forgotten about the sudden stops and cuts and the lateral movement.  Sore knees and ankles quickly reminded me!  I'd expected soreness in my waist from swinging the racket, but that never happened.  I'm assuming that all of the abdominal work that I do in my regular exercises had me ready for the required movements.

My game has improved over the weeks.  My forehand stroke came back first.  My backhand returns are becoming more consistent.  I'm still putting too many first serves into the net.  Overall, returning to the game has been a lot of fun.  I plan on continuing to play until the weather stops me.

I've also been doing quite a bit of walking, with a little running / jogging thrown in.  I've been taking my grandson to his football practice.  While he's practicing, I walk / run the track that circles the football field.  I try to walk for as long as they practice.  I've also been going on one to two mile walks, with my wife, after I get home from my usual workouts.  We've also spent time walking through some of the metro parks and taking road trips that included architectural walking tours.

Summer brings lots of outdoor festivals and concerts.  We attend as many as we can.  These give us more opportunities for walking, and even better, chances to dance.

I continue to hit the gym and get my strength workouts in, as well as the fitness classes.  I just keep the schedule fluid.  I'm not in the gym as much as I am in the colder months, as I want to take advantage of the outdoor activities, whenever possible.

Next, I'm doing a better job with my eating.  My meals and snacks have been healthier and I'm doing better with portion control.  I've been planning more meals and splurging less.  I even picked a couple of tools to help.  First, I bought a set of food containers.  These help me when I pack my lunch.  I find these work better for me that using sandwich bags to pack my items.  The amount of  food that fits in the containers is less than I'd usually stuff into the sandwich bags.

Second, I bought a portion control divider.  You place it on your plate and fill the spaces with various food group items.  You remove the divider and dig into your well balanced plate.  Over time, I imagine, visualizing portion sizes will become easier.  This will be especially helpful when eating out, as restaurant portions tend to be on the large side.  I've also upped the amount of water that I'm drinking.  Adding a lemon slice to each glass makes it easier for me to drink more frequently.

Of course, encouragement is a great motivator.  I've received a lot of positive feedback recently.  I was even encouraged to become a Zumba instructor.  I don't have any plans on becoming one, but it was nice to be asked.   I've also continued to draw motivation from the perceived negative comment that I mentioned in my July post.

Well, that's about it for now.  My plan for August is to continue to plug away with more of the same.

In case you're curious, the statistical summaries that I posted come from the Endomondo fitness app.

Reps and steps!