And so it begins...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, a few of my friends and I have decided to embark on a “Fitness Challenge”. Our fitness regime will include daily (albeit short) cardio sessions, alternating strength training exercises four times a week, consistent water drinking, and avoiding our vulnerabilities (for me, this would include late evening snacking –not online shopping--). Each day, as we complete certain activities, we accrue points to be tallied at the end of the week. Whoever amasses the most points gets treated to a manicure by the others.

We are all very eager to start, all very excited about our potential outcomes, all very much aware that this seems a lot easier than it may actually be.

So far, today has been very successful. I’ve been drinking water, eating sensibly (despite lunch at Chez Braig), and I even completed my daily dose of cardio by dancing vigorously with my kids for ten minutes in the morning. All that is left is some weights tonight and the avoidance of evening snacking in epic proportions.

Foreseeable problems:

1) With this consistent water intake, I may need to map out all bathrooms in the greater Delaware Valley as the true, diminutive size of my bladder is now apparent.

2) Dancing in the morning while preparing breakfast was great today, but that was because Daylight Savings had granted me the luxury of a 7 o’clock wake-up time. With earlier rising on the horizon, I’m not sure my energy level will accommodate (especially before coffee! Yikes!)

3) Sensible eating worked today because there were no excuses provided by any holiday and, trust me, if it’s an excuse to enjoy some extra treats, I’ll celebrate Arbor Day. Also, my neighbors had not dropped by any baked goods as they are want to do, the girl scouts hate my driveway, all leftover desserts have been sent off to work with my husband, and my daughter has decided today would be best for painting….not the usual baking.

So, I’ll be posting my progress while maintaining one, focused goal: returning my abdomen to its pre-pregnancy form instead of its current state, which resembles a frowning, wrinkled old man’s mouth…lovely.