Curves Ahead

Okay, so here I am to whine about how my decision to eat whatever I want and not exercise has not resulted in any weight loss or change to my body type or size in jeans What. So. Ever.  I just don't get it.

Actually, sadly, I do get it.  As I keep saying time and time again, it makes no sense to commit to exercise and weight loss if one does absolutely nothing to follow through on said commitment.  Shall I say it again?

So here's what's different this time.  Possibly nothing, but a gal can hope, right?

Just after Christmas my health insurance company kindly sent me a little package in the mail that included a sort of credit card looking thing that purported to be a free pass to four different gyms in my local area.  I looked all over the card and the information that came with it looking for the catch.  The program is called "Silver Sneakers",

and, let me tell you, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck.  

No.  The truck I fell off of was the exercise band wagon.  Who do they think they're kidding?  But I looked all over the Silver Sneakers website and I couldn't find anything that said there was any cost to me.  Amazing!

Apparently, there are many health plans offering this benefit coast to coast.  In fact, you could have this same benefit and not even know it!  I've had it with my health insurance company all along, and this is the first I've learned of it.  It seems that the health insurance companies have been studying the program and have determined that paying for folks to exercise is improving health and reducing injuries in their members.  HALLELUJAH!!  Common sense reigns!  Release the balloons!

So one of the gyms I can use is my closest Curves, and today I checked into it.  Indeed, it is completely free for me to go and use their facility, and I can work out as much as I want to.  I kept asking and asking, every time she told me something, I kept asking "How much will that cost me?"  Free.  Every stinking thing was free.  They aren't making it easy for me to avoid joining in, are they?

Well, of course, then we came to the "Curves Complete" diet plan.  That part is not free.  Nevertheless, I'm getting a reduced cost to join in.  So I made a six month commitment to their Curves Complete diet plan.  For that, I get access to their website, meal plans, and coaching once per week.  I think this might actually be something I can stick to.  When I left, I had a box of goodies, including a water bottle, a pedometer and my handy-dandy membership tag that I'll swipe each time I go to work out.

Cool, huh?

So.  I've gone and put my money were my ample mouth is.  And I'm actually kind of excited to get started now.  I'm going to go work out for the first time on Tuesday.  Then a week from Monday, I'll start the meal plan.  (I'm waiting the extra week because I was on my way to the grocery store after I met with the woman at Curves today.  I'm not ready to make a new list and purchase the right foods to start the plan yet.)    

While I was sitting with her, I realized how much I really don't want to go swimming when the weather is so cold out.  It's just too hard to maintain my resolve when I look outside and see snow or frost.  The pool is heated, but then, so is my sewing room.  We'll see, but I'm feeling optimistic that I can do it this time.

Before I end though, I wanted to share a video I watched this morning that I thought was fascinating.  I have a YouTube subscription to a set of videos called AsapSCIENCE.  They're videos of someone drawing on a white board and narrating about some interesting topic.  They're informative and quite fun to watch.  The one that came today was entitled "The Scientific Power of Thought".  According to the video, and without going into a lot of detail, you can learn something or practice something just by thinking about it!  Not only that, but folks who just thought about exercising actually improved their strength without doing anything else!  Check it out:

So, while it's tempting to think I can lose weight and get healthier just by thinking about it, I'm going to stick with the Curves plan.  Even the video tells me that I won't do as well with thinking as I will with action.  Exercise aside, however, consider how you might just think about a free motion quilting motif without doing anything else and perhaps improve your chances of doing it the way you want to.  Something to ponder.

And want to see something amazing?  When I left home, the sunshine was positively dazzling.  But as is so often the case, we were above the clouds.  I drove down into my little town of Newberg, and eventually passed below the clouds into the fog and drizzle.  But then, when I came home, I was above the clouds again.  

This is one of my favorite things to see from where I live.  It looks as if you could step right out onto the clouds and walk across to the mountains you see in the distance.  (I wouldn't advise it, however.)