Monday, June 10, 2013

Fit for dance

I am sure that it won't be surprising to hear that I have been trying to lose some weight. I mean, first of all I am woman, over the age of 12 in the USA - aren't we ALL trying to lose some weight.

Unlike most of my countrywomen however, I don't want to loose scads so I can look good in all the trendiest clothes and make a pastime out of counting my ribs, or flexing my muscles. Unlike most, my target goal is the *highest* weight in my "healthy" range, according to the whole BMI thing, not the lowest. And it's only about 20 pounds away. I've lived my life within 10 pounds of it, most of my adult life, with a couple years in what is now my ideal weight,  and I don't think I would be comfortable in my own body if I was any smaller then that.

Anyway,  I've been trying to use dance as, if not so much a REASON to lose weight, certainly an inducement. Luckily, Irish is nothing like ballet, you don't have to meet certain body type requirements to ever be considered "good" at it. And there are no leotards in Irish dance (at least not required).

But I have been well aware that if I want my stamina to improve, if I want my leaps to be higher, and if I want to actually someday be able to fit into a solo dress, losing that 20ilbs could be of extreme benefit.

The problem I am running into is - it's *ONLY* 20 pounds. I don't mean to lessen the work that people who lose lots of weight do, but I am starting to get the opinion, it's much harder to lose the smaller amounts. Usually, when you have 100 pounds to lose, just starting by cutting back on your diet and some basic exercise will start showing some impressive results. But I already don't drink soda (except for an occasional treat, and it's usually diet when I do), I eat reasonable amounts of vegetables, and usually manage to keep my intake to under 2000 calories a day. Admittedly, cookies and ice cream are a weak spot, but I don't keep them in the house so they aren't a temptation, and when I do splurge a little, i keep it in reasonable proportions. I exercise, admittedly, only once a week at dance class usually, but I don't have a completely sedentary life style so I keep pretty active.

And despite all this - which seems like some hard work to me - I am lucky if I budge a pound off of me. So anger making!

I know what I could do to make it happen more - cut out all the tasty foods and subside on celery and prune juice for a month, practically live at the gym, etc. But I am not a gym rat, and I like food and going out with friends to eat, and drinking beer and eating ice cream. I hate exercising just to exercise. I'd rather swear off food then commit to spending 7 hours a week on a treadmill. So, what can I do.



I have a work out game on my xbox - that helps. While it's really just regular fitness exercises, I am enough of an Xbox junkie that I have to get good scores and achievements, so that makes a game out of it. But even that gets boring, and I will go one week, using it everyday, then 3 weeks not even looking at it. I've been trying to drill my dance moves at home more, but my concrete sub floors hurt me.

I guess this is just another metaphorical brick wall I am hitting. If anyone has any brilliant ideas, short of liposuction, let me know.

2 comments:

  1. I totally hear you! I've sat in the same place as you for awhile. I finally decided to go to a personal trainer and it's the best thing! I am getting in shape and my dancing has improved sooo much! I blog about it on IrishCentral if you want to follow along. Good luck to you!

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    1. To be honest, your Irish Dance Diet blog series is one of the things that kicked my butt into wanting to get into shape in the first place! Thanks for reading. ~M

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