Stay fit in your forties with a positive attitude

I have mentioned that I headed back to the gym a few months ago.  Thus far I have kept at it from three to four days per week.  I started with thirty minutes since it had been eighteen months from my last workout at the same location.  I moved up to forty-five minutes to one hour for several weeks before amping it up to ninety minutes last week.

As someone with asthma I have avoided utilizing the treadmill, plus I have an exercise bike at home.  This past week I started my routines with the treadmill.  I eased into this by gradually increasing five minutes each morning.  I can now comfortably walk at a brisk pace for fifteen minutes.  I have been alternating with the incline for a minute here and there.  One morning I finished my workout session with five minutes on the treadmill.

I have been changing the machines I start out with while increasing the weights after a repetition.  I decided it was easier to shower at the gym, which leaves me feeling more refreshed and eager to go about my day.  This is all in spite of the fact that the scale has not moved one way – either up or down.  Yet I know from my previous experience that I will see these results, just might take longer due to my break away from working out.

The good news is that my measurements are changing with a inch in my hips and my waistline.  I also started using the tan towel again on my legs to give a healthy glow now that short season is here.  Perhaps by mid summer I can wear shorts at the gym as well.  My eczema is still mostly clear on my face, but starting to appear on my arms and legs.  The tan towel helps me focus on the positive so that I am not embarrassed by my legs.  I even bought nail polish to help keep my confidence going while working out.

The other day after returning home from the gym I sent my teenage son around the corner to fill up the water containers while I put away the groceries.  After what seemed like a long time I realized something must be amiss, grabbed my keys and glasses and ran down to the end of the street, around the corner and a block to the machine located outside the local corner market.  It turned out one of the cats followed my son and he was playing around.  The good news is that I was able to run that distance without needing my asthma spray or having to stop and take a break.  I even darted back home at a fast pace instead of slowly walking with my son.

I have also joined Team Beachbody, watched the videos in the Million Dollar Body Game and input my workout schedule into Wowy (work out with you).  I have mentioned in the past that I had taken Hydroxycut and started taking it again in April.  There has since been a recall.  I returned my two jars of caplets to Walgreens for store credit.  I am now looking into other products that control and curb appetite.

There is a two-week timeframe after school is out for summer and the time summer camp starts.  There is also another two week period following the end of summer camp prior to the start of the new school year.  I will be seeking a respite worker through the agency provided to us through the State of California to try to find one person to come for three to four hours a few days each week.  This is a key factor for me to not slow down the progress and get stuck in a plateau as I gain momentum before the summer season.

I continue to see results in other ways besides wanting the scale to drop some numbers.  I feel more confident; eat breakfast each morning before heading to the gym and trying to get more sleep.  I am looking forward to achieving my personal goals with a positive attitude on the process of maintaining a workout routine, being active and staying fit through the end of my forties and well into my fifties.

Bonnie has many Autism Family Adventures and writes about Autism Spectrum Disorders

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