Exercise Fail aka How Richard Simmons Schooled Me

Richard Simmons.

The name evokes everything from the ridiculous to the horrified.

'Sweatin' to the Oldies'1, 2, 3, and 4? I could see how dancing 50's style might be fun once or twice.

'Sweatin' to the Oldies' Disco? You're kidding me right?

And then there is this gem which is kind of amazing:

I'm going to get really personal with you here, so please bear in mind that you may or may not identify with it.

Weight. 

 I am fat-yes, fat.  There, I said it. 

I've been on the heavy side most of my life. You can call it voluptuous, curvy,  large, big girl, or whatever but it doesn't hide the truth.  I am fat. I accept that.

I've had a life-long love affair with food and have slowly gained weight over the years, along with attempting several diets from the well-known to a couple of controversial ones. You know what happened next: lose 10 and gain 13, lose 5 and gain 8, and so on.

My doc once joked that I was the healthiest fat person he's ever seen, at least on the inside.  I have excellent blood sugar, low blood pressure, and my cholesterol is under 200.  The outside is not doing so well; my joints are going, my back has developed issues, I have serious mobility issues, and I have sleep apnea. (I call my bi-pap machine my ball and chain). 

Add to the mix that according to an endocrinologist Mariah, I, and probably Lynn carry the MC4receptor gene aka the "fat" gene.  There is no treatment or cure, just harder work for us ahead. It doesn't excuse anything, but does give me the "so that's why" that explains so much.  A genetic predisposition for obesity. Who knew?

Back to Richard Simmons.

I never made fun of him per se, but I am guilty of chuckling at his oddness-which I posses in spades-and giggling at the people whooping and cheering with him.

I decided it's time to really look at a sensible way to start getting in shape. YouTube has my old workout but I'm not in any condition to attempt it.  'Sweatin' to the Oldies' kept popping up in my searches and I decided to watch a video.  I paid close attention, watching what they did and how the really obese people moving.

The music wasn't that terrible. Disco was a part of my growing up so I can deal; after all I'm sequestered in my living room so no one will see me.  It looked simple enough and I decided to try it today. No big deal.  I got the laptop hooked up to the TV and started the workout.

Thirty seconds in...

I will never make fun of Richard Simmons again. Ever.

I only made it through a third of the workout. I really tried. I ended up jumping to the cool down. And the toning work?  We just won't go there except to say that I managed to get through most of it, making major adjustments.

I'm still very proud of myself.

I also have a greater respect for a man who cared enough about the morbidly obese to create a special workout just for them. It's not about heartbeats per minute or resting rate. It's about sweating. And I did. ( I know, gross.)

Kaley poked her head out from her cave a couple of times and encourage me to keep going. I really appreciated that. She has watched me struggle and knows how much I want to improve my health.  I know I will be sore as heck this evening, but I want to try again tomorrow-I'm determined to do more.

Did you know he's  created special workouts for the physically challenged?  Pretty cool.

I've fought to get out of that poisonous mindset that you have to lose xx pounds quickly.  I struggle with the fact that losing 1-2 pounds a week is the best way for me to do it.  I've had some success but am ready to do more. I've always loved a challenge....

To be honest I'm not sure how much I want to share as I tackle this, but I will probably toss a snippet or two in there now and then. I want to be clear: I DON'T want to be skinny; I want to be healthy. 

For some reason, I felt I was supposed to share this today.

Wish me luck!

Until next time,

Robyn :)

If you want to contact me about today's post,  feel free to do so. I would love to encourage you! All will remain confidential.

I apologize for the inconsistent text size.  I've not quite figured that out yet.  I should probably just get my own domain name and set it up my own way...