Yes – It was weigh in day today! For most people, its probably a horrible thought to have to weigh in right after a long holiday weekend, typically surrounded by lots of food. In the past, my little devil would relish when weigh in days were later in the so I could have more time to work off the added calories. But for my little angel and me, I love when that happens now. It’s a great reminder not to over do it because I don’t want to see bad results on the scale.
Plus, instead of working off “extra calories”, I focus on working off “stored calories” now. 
Like probably some of you, I am not a fan of going to work out in a gym. I’ll do it, but its not something that excites me. I must prefer to get my exercise from doing various activities. Walking outdoors is great, because it allows me to explore and take in a lot of pretty, beautiful things. While I did enjoy and hope to get back to the Kankakee River State Park
Course, as I’m increasing my activity levels, I am always looking for new ideas to keep me active and increase my endurance levels. I miss the days when I got my exercise in playing softball, volleyball or broomball, not to mention the hundreds of calories I would burn off dancing the night away. But all the folks I used to do those activities with have lives that are too busy to do those things regularly. So I look for new activities to do on my own.
One of the other great things about my work, is that they also write a healthy blog to keep all employees motivated, even if they aren’t on this program. Their timing this week included a bunch of different activities, and broke down how many calories you could burn by doing each one. So I’m sharing below this entry for any of you also looking for new activities.
Ok…I know…you’re all waiting to read how I did last week. Well….drum roll please………….
I shed another 3.4 pounds, basically making up for my 1.8 gain last week, plus an additional 1.6 gone!
Happy Dance Time!
Next week will be my last week for the group meetings for this pilot program. After that, there will be the week with another Nurse Visit and the following week with the Health Coach as part of this program. In week on, I set up a SMART goal of wanting to shed 24 lbs during the 12 week program. If you remember, one woman, a long time Weight Watchers attendee, tried to discourage me from setting this goal. Said everyone starting out a new program thinks they can lose 2lbs a week, but it really happens. So I should lower my goal as not to be disappointed at the end of the 12 weeks. Well, I didn’t listen to her. I was done with excuses and my health coach confirmed that with a little dedication, a 24 lb weight loss goal in 12 weeks was attainable for myself. So when it came time to talk about our challenges and successes today, I was very proud to announce that with 9 weeks into this program, I only have 1.6 lbs left to shed to reach my 24 lb goal for this first phase! Yeah!!!! My little angle and devil are both cheering “Way to Go Sue for doing it finally without any weight loss gimmicks!”
Thanks again to all your continued support. Every like or view of my blog is just added encouragement and support helping me stay on track! We should be finding out soon what and when Phase 2 will begin after these 12 weeks are over. I definitely will be signing up and continuing with my independent Health Coaching outside this program. And yes…Deb…I’m working on the cook book too! J
By Charles Stuart Platkin, PhD, MPH © Copyright 2012, by Charles Stuart Platkin. All rights reserved.
The best way to lose weight is to do some kind of activity every day.
The best one is walking; however, it’s also important to do other activities to help burn even more calories and create an active lifestyle. Here are a few alternative activities and the calories they burn. Keep in mind that the calorie-burn level is for a 155-pound person, and the more you weigh, the more you burn. Also, note that these burn rates apply only when you’re actually doing something, not when you’re simply standing around, such as in the outfield waiting for someone to hit the ball your way.
Hacky Sack (aka Footbag) vs. Paddleball vs. Kickball
Developed in the 1970s by two Oregonians, a Hacky Sack is a crocheted bag slightly smaller than a tennis ball and larger than a golf ball. It weighs about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces. The bag is filled with sand, pebbles, beans or beads. The idea is to use your feet to keep the footbag in the air as long as you can. You can also play with other people simply by standing in a circle and passing the bag around, again trying to keep it in the air. Hacky Sack burns about 281 calories per hour.
Paddleball, similar to handball but played with a paddle, burns about 422 calories per hour. The game is fast-paced and great exercise. For more information visit the National Paddleball Association.
Kickball is pretty easy to play and can be loads of fun. The rules are similar to baseball, and it can be played almost anywhere. It burns about 492 calories per hour of actual play (which doesn’t include the waiting-around parts). Visit the World Adult Kickball Association for an explanation of the rules and to find an organized league near you.
Pulling Weeds vs. Croquet vs. Lawn Bowling
Gardening does burn calories. In fact, getting on your hands and knees and crawling around pulling weeds can burn about 316 calories per hour.
Lawn bowling is not about setting up pins on your weed-free lawn; it’s actually more similar to bocce ball than regular bowling. You need about 70 to 120 feet of lawn to create a “bowling green,” but if you’re not playing a major competition, I’m sure you could make it a bit shorter. The idea is to get your lawn bowling ball, which is slightly larger than your hand, near the “jack,” which is a pool cue-ball-sized white ball placed in the distance. Lawn bowling burns about 211 calories per hour. For more information visit the U.S. Lawn Bowls Association.
Croquet is another lawn game, and it burns about 176 calories per hour. You need mallets, which are sticks with a hammer-like bottom, to strike the croquet ball. The idea is to move the balls through the hoops (or wickets) on the course. Croquet sets can be purchased for about $120, and you can set up the course in your backyard. For more information visit the U.S. Croquet Association.
Table Tennis (ping pong) vs. Squash
If you know anything about squash, you’ll know it’s the clear winner in terms of calorie burn — about 844 calories per hour. Squash is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor court and using several walls. Unfortunately, finding a squash court is not always easy or free. Your best bet is to look for a squash club in your area and take lessons — it’s not that easy to learn. For more information visit US Squash.
Table tennis is a fun, simple way to burn calories. The cost of a ping pong or table tennis table starts at about $250. The table is 9 feet long and 5 feet wide, and you will probably need about 4 to 6 feet on each end and about 3 to 4 feet on each side to actually play the game. Table tennis burns 281 calories per hour. Just for the record, regular tennis burns about 562 calories per hour if you’re playing singles. For more information visit USA Table Tennis.
Canoeing vs. Kayaking vs. Paddle Boating
Canoeing is romantic, fun, relaxing and can provide hours of entertainment. It also burns from about 211 to 490 calories per hour, depending on how hard you’re paddling. You can go to a lake, rent a canoe for the day, and take the entire family on an outing. Along those same lines, rowing a boat burns about the same number of calories. Before you try either one, it helps to make sure your core muscles have been strengthened for a few months to avoid back injury.
Kayaking is a bit more difficult, but it burns even more calories — about 350 just for starters. If you want a more interesting activity, try using a paddleboat, which burns about 281 calories per hour.
Looking for places to row your boat, paddle a canoe or go kayaking? Go to Recreation.gov for information on canoeing and kayaking at the more than 388 National Park Service areas and 3,200 federal recreation areas. You should also check out The American Canoe Association.
Horseback Riding
It may look like the horse does all the work, but that’s not the case. Horseback riding burns calories and can be hard work. Just sitting on a horse while it’s walking can burn about 246 calories per hour; trotting burns 457 calories per hour. There’s also a lot more to horses than meets the eye — they’re very sensitive animals and will actually “read” your personality type and react. That’s probably one of the reasons horses are often used in therapy — it’s called equine therapy. Even grooming a horse can help to promote emotional growth (and it also burns more than 200 calories per hour).
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