Exercisingly

You know that piece of exercise equipment people have but don't ever talk about or, more to the point, use? I have one (the Vision Fitness x6000 pictured above), and I almost stopped using it entirely, but, thanks to some planning and support, now I'm using it regularly and loving it. Here's how I got on the wagon:

1. Figure out when and how long
First I decided on a reasonable amount of time I would be willing to use it per day and how many days a week I'd be willing to get sweaty. I chose a half hour, four days a week. I also scheduled my exercise for the half hour right after I got home from work.

I know that seems like a wierd time to schedule exercise, but it works for me - mostly because of my supportive mate.

2. Have a supportive mate of some sorts.
My boyfriend, with whom I live, has always done the majority of the cooking for us. While he's slaving away over a hot stove, I'm slaving away on the eliptical trainer.

Does it seem selfish of me, to leave the coking to the man in my life? It could be selfish, but I help too.

3. Pre-planning is necessary.
Every night before bed, I clean the kitchen so it's ready for my boyfriend to start dinner in it the next day. This way, I am contributing to the whole dinner making process without feeling guilty for not helping him cook it.

There is one more pre-planning step that helps me as well.

4. Prep the clothes.
Before working out, I put my evening clothes (aka pjs) in the bathroom, ready to wear when I get out of the shower.

After working out, I put a set of work-out clothes in an easy-to-grab spot, separate from the rest of my clothes. This way when I get home from work I don't have to hunt around for something to wear to get all sweaty and gross in.

Here's my timeline:
5:30 Get home from work, let the dog out.
5:40 Change into workout clothes, put evening clothes in the bathroom.
5:45 Sweat for a half hour, shower for 10-15 minutes, set aside work-out clothes for tomorrow.
6:30 Eat dinner with boyfriend.
7:00 Enjoy the rest of the evening and clean kitchen before bed.

This plan is amazingly simple and practically foolproof for me to be able to stick with it like I have. I don't know if it will help me shed these 30 pounds that don't belong on me, but I do know it is doing me good health-wise so that's what I'm focusing on.

Since maintaining this routine, I feel more energetic and I don't snack in the evenings as much as I used to. I'm also drinking a lot more water than I used to and I'm not snacking at work as much, either.

And all these perks come from just a half hour a day? It's almost too good for even me to believe.