I've gained a few pounds. Well, maybe more than a few. I refuse to get on a scale, and even go so far as to shut my eyes when I'm weighed at the doctor's office.
I couldn't hide from reality, however, when transferring winter clothes to my closet and then half of them back out again because THEY DIDN'T FIT! I'm talking jeans and pants that I got LAST YEAR! *sigh*
And, the holidays are upon us! Time to make my favorite treats! Chocolate fudge and sugar cookies to name a couple. No chance that I won't pack on even more pounds before Christmas!
Sitting in my dark closet, sucking my thumb, I remembered a segment on one of the morning shows from today...or yesterday. Oh, whenever! Some 110 pound twenty-something aerobics bunny suggested a way to get those unwanted winter pounds off when the weather was too nasty to exercise outdoors.
"Utilize the stairs in your home or at work!" she said, flashing a sparkling, perfectly white smile. "Start slowly. Maybe 5 minutes, 3 times a day."
I took my thumb out of my mouth, stood up and threw open the closet door. Piece a cake! I can do this! When we first moved into our two-story home, complete with full basement, I lost about ten pounds just going up and down the stairs a hundred or so times a day!
I stood at the bottom of the stairs and plotted my strategy. I would start off slowly. Ten times running up and down the stairs. Then I'd increase to twelve, then fourteen. Yep. That was my strategy for today.
Up-Down. Up-Down. Uuup-Dowwwwn. Uuuuuuup (huff, huff)-Down. Uuuuuuuuuuup (wheeze, gasp, pant)-Down. After just five times up and down the stairs, my life flashed before my eyes and I weighed the possibility of making it to the phone in the family room to call 911.
Eventually, I did make it back up the stairs...one step at a time. Tomorrow's exercise? Throwing away everything in my closet that isn't elastic.
Mary Cunningham (Milkbone)
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