One of the more successful books published recently is The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory, which was made into a movie of the same name starring Natalie Portman.

Cheers,

Tracy

I should look for some books since the ones I read were in the 70′s.

The benefits of exercise are just too long to ignore, aren’t they? I keep tripping over them, all over the place. They believe exercise makes you happier, more intelligent, more optimistic, more fertile (not my concern anymore, but…), increases longevity at the cellular level (I’ll take that one)–not just simply by making you healthier. It’s not just about dodging the cancer bullet, stroke, heart attack, etc. And merely 30 minutes of simple walking a day, five days a week, will do it.

There is an amazing video out there — let me see if I can dig it up. Hang on… Wow, I did find it. This is an incredibly motivating video that talks about 30 minutes a day.

That’s where I’m starting out. We’re stony broke at the moment, so we bought a dead-basic treadmill with Airmiles, of all things — we had thousands of Airmiles and we can’t afford RT anymore, so we blew them on the treadmill. :)

It’s sitting next to my desk, and I get up 45 minutes earlier than I used to, and walk at 6km at hour for 30 minutes (5 min warm up), wearing 5lb weights on each ankle. I haven’t figured out how to squeeze weight training into my day yet, because that involves going to the gym, and I don’t have easy access to a car (Mark is always leaving on wrestling trips), so for now I’m not worrying about that too much. I’ll work on scheduling it into my day once the weight starts moving down. Weight training will also be an excellent way of blasting through a weight plateau if I hit one.

So far I’ve lost 4 pounds, in four days, but considering the rate I lost it at, that’s probably mostly water. However, if I keep doing what I’m doing, the fat will go, too.

The most interesting thing about all of this (I’m rambling for a reason) is that for the first couple of days, the thing that got me out of bed was gorgeous dresses and skinny thighs. The last couple of days the thoughts that have pulled me out from under the covers even though I really didn’t want to, were all thoughts about health, and living longer. Maybe I’m not as shallow and vane as I thought. :)

Cheers,

t.

Love your perspective on things in general. It sounds like you’re really committed to your regimen. I know you’re going to fit into that strapless ball gown, 10 sizes smaller.

Your comment about health hits home though. I was just reading an article from Dr. Oz on how the rates of certain types of cancer are lower in women who exercise. We are getting older,and I can feel my joints stiffening up. I really don’t want my grandkids to have to push me about in a wheelchair.

I don’t imagine writing helps. After all, it is a sedentary occupation.

I’m trying to convince myself that exercising will save me money. As you said, it’s expensive to lose weight. So if I force myself to exercise and cut back on the junk food, I’m actually paying myself as I’m saving the Weightwatchers fees, or Dr. Bernstein Clinic fees, or Herbal Magic fees.

Sigh… gonna roll that ball tomorrow…for sure…I mean it…

Lynn

Meds: CHeck. And mine make me gain, too. And mine are for life.
Cast: Nope.
Exercise: Check.

Because of my weight, I can’t do anything vigorous, because my aging joints can’t stand it. Walking is my top speed.

Lifting weights, however, is a whole other conversation. That I can do standing still. I suspect there’s some weight training you could do, too, Anny, and that would make the world of difference to your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even sitting still. It boosts your metabolism, so you can eat more. And you really need to eat more to lose weight — as counter-intuitive as that sounds. It’s what you eat that is critical. By eating next to nothing, you’re boinking your metabolism, putting it to sleep, so you’re burning next to no calories at all. That’s why you put on a pound just by sniffing a cookie.

Once you raised your metabolism, you would start to drop fat.

It’s getting the whole ball rolling that is the hardest thing in the world.

t.

t.

Spring…is a little delayed in my neck of the woods. We had snow two days ago, and although it’s mostly gone again, it’s still looking drab and dull around here.

Cheers,

t.