Winter Workout

This is a sponsored post, but the opinions and content are my own.

We have had a nice long summer here in the Vegas Valley this year. Today it is supposed to get up to the mid 80's, which is a Summertime high for people in other parts of our beautiful world. Tomorrow, though, the weather is due to shift, so my ideas about exactly how to entertain my family must change as well. I have to admit, I have never been a big Winter Sports kind of gal. I prefer sitting in the Lodge next to the fire with a steaming cup of hot cocoa to rocketing down a snow-covered slope. I realize, however, that this type of activity won't score me any points with my doctors or with my daughter who seems to enjoy running around outdoors more than just about anything!

I have only been skiing once in my entire life, which shocks people since I have spent the majority of my life living in areas surrounded by great skiing. I finally went skiing in Breckenridge when I was 29. My husband and I were there for a conference, so we decided to do what the locals do and don our snowbunny suits and skis. I signed up for a full day ski lesson. What a bad idea. By the time that day was over I was one big, aching ice-cube with a newfound fear of rapidly approaching trees. It took me days for the muscles in my calves to stop protesting every time I took a step, so I was never inspired to try skiing again. Now I am thinking this might have been short-sighted, as there is a more sedate type of skiing that doesn't involve speeding toward your doom. I am talking about Cross Country Skiing!  For 1 hour of this activity, at my current weight, even going at a decidedly slow pace I would burn about 900 calories!  This is amazing, especially considering the "new" amazing workout recommended in October's issue of Marie Claire which recommends a boot camp style workout in a 100 Degree (Fahrenheit) room to get to an 800 calorie per hour burn.  Just the thought of working out in a 100 degree room makes me feel faint and slightly nauseated.

So, now, rather than dread the cold months, I am starting to look forward to snow.  Granted we don't have the amount of snow here in Vegas that would enable me to slap on skiies and go Cross Countrying any old time, but I think it will be a fun alternative source of fun and exercise for our whole family.  Not to mention the opportunity to get out of what my stepson likes to call "the concrete jungle"!

In the Beginning...

When you imagine the ideal female form, what do you see?  Does Twiggy come to mind, Barbie, Angelina Jolie, Eva Mendez, or Queen Latifa?  What image does your daughter see, your son?  Where do these messages come from, these ideas of what is healthy and beautiful?  The answer, of course, is all around us.  It's on billboards, the TV screen, in magazines and newspapers.  The message is even further impressed upon us when we go shopping to buy those items the media tells us we must have since the best stuff, the really cute, hip, fashionable things don't come in any sizes over 12, and often aren't available in anything larger than a six if we are talking couture.  And don't think for a minute that these messages are only directed at our young women.  Abercrombie and Fitch doesn't make clothes for larger boys either.  The message is clear, you aren't worthy of being a hot, stylish, confident, powerful person, because you are FAT. 

Unfortunately most modern Americans do not come even close to fitting into this ideal with over 70% of us being considered overweight by National health standards.  Given these astounding statistics, it's no great surprise that the weightloss industry rakes in Billions of dollars a year selling miracle cures for obesity in shiny little packages.  Also, not surprisingly, none of these miracle diets is working, at least not for the long haul.  Otherwise we would no longer have overweight people living amongst us! Of course, you will hear it time and again, the naysayers will tell you that all these Fat people need to do is eat less and exercise more.  Well, duh. 

If you, like me, have had a weight problem your whole life you have probably spent a small fortune on workout videos, diet pills, meal replacement shakes, weightloss books, seminars, and more.  In my case I have gone so far as to have undergone hypnotherapy, accupuncture, and homeopathic chiropractic care as well as all the other more common diet endeavors.  Guess what, I'm still overweight.  In my case, in fact, I am considered morbidly obese, and the amount of guilt and shame I have felt over the years because of this have been crippling at times.  More than that, though, as I am getting older I am starting to face the ugly truth that there is a reason it is called "morbidly" obese.  My blood pressure is increasing (though still within a healthy range, shocking), my body aches, and I have GERD, and I have an 18 month old baby who needs her mommy to be healthy and strong!  Obesity causes so many comorbid conditions that are life threatening that the risk to staying overweight is considered less than the risk of surgery, so there it is.  I have finally decided it is time for Bariatric surgery.  While I try to tell myself that this decision is solely based on a health concerns, though, I am not being totally honest with myself.  I also want to be able to feel like a normal person.  I want to be able to shop in stores that carry the cute clothes, I want to ride on rollercoasters, I want to fit into theater seats comfortably, I want to fly on airplanes and not have to ask for a belt extender, and I want people to treat me like a human being.  Most of all, though, I want to be able to play with my little girl and my future grandchildren.

So, I have taken the first step in this process.  I have attended a seminar at a surgical weightloss center, and have begun the paperwork and necessary hoopla necessary to have bariatric surgery.  I will admit that I am terrified.  The surgery is an invasive procedure, and the dietary requirements post surgery are daunting, but I have tried everything else and nothing works for the long term.  This is my lifelong solution.