intellectual properties

get in shape girl

i’m 32 now and when they say your body starts changing in your 30s, they aren’t kidding. for the past year or so i’ve really noticed a change in how easily i gain weight, and that my body fat levels seem to have increased despite the fact that i don’t believe i’ve changed anything in the way of how much exercise i get or what or how much i eat. it’s been pretty frustrating, because all the little ‘tricks’ i used to do when i was younger that would easily melt away 5lbs or so gained on vacation or during a holiday weekend like thanksgiving weekend no longer work.

so, we got our asses in gear and recently jay and i have been really good about going to the gym consistently for the past month or so – 4 or 5 days a week – and i’ve also cut a few more things out of my diet and started paying attention to things i didn’t before, like fat content. it was easy for me to go vegetarian; once i made that choice i’ve rarely struggled with ever wanting to eat meat. it also hasn’t really been hard not eating processed or junk food; we keep almost none in the house, and pretty much the only time i eat things like cookies or potato chips is when i’m at a party or something. that hasn’t bothered me much either. but cutting down on fat in my diet – whew. it feels like i can’t eat so many of the things that have been LEFT in and are staples in my diet. salad dressing=bad. indian food=bad. cheese=bad. guacamole=bad. fake meats=bad. oils/sauces=bad. i’m down to a more or less macrobiotic diet, which feels pretty difficult to maintain, but maybe i’ll adjust to this eventually too. although i will never stop eating indian food. ever.

i’m sure it could be suggested that i try cutting out sugars instead of fats to try to create a larger calorie deficit, but given that a very LARGE percentage of my calories come from fruits and juices, i feel like that would be even more impossible since i’m already not eating much bread or processed sugar to cut out to begin with. this morning my co-worker, who’d just sat and ate a pile of bread and cheese that i abstained from, refused to drink orange juice because she said “it’s just sugar! it’s all just sugar!” i’m sorry, but when i’m basically living on beans, salad, sauerkraut, pickles and fruit juices, there’s no way in hell i’m giving up my Superfood.

anyway, this morning i finally felt like i could see a change in the shape/feel of my body. i know that it’s only been about a month since i REALLY started hitting the gym and watching what i eat and that these changes take a long time, but like i said, in the past when i’d put on a few pesky pounds i’d just eat light for a couple of days and dance a little harder over the weekend and it would easily go away. now i have to sweat my ass off at the gym and forgo some of my favorite foods for a month before i feel any different.

for years i belonged to a climbing gym in berkeley where all they had was climbing (which i never did), cardio machines, weights, and a little big of yoga. now we go to the YMCA, which in addition to all that has a pool, classes, and networked weight machines that provide you with a customized tracking program, and the variety is much better. if i’m too tired to do one thing, i can do something else. tonight i had a lot of energy and i did a step-aerobics class for the first time (the cardio didn’t kill me; my complete lack of hand-eye coordination did) followed by a buns/abs class that was rather brutal. i’m pretty sure i’m going to be sore as hell tomorrow, but it felt good to kick it up a notch and really push myself. i think when you’re in pretty good shape already and not really trying to lose a lot of weight but just a little bit and tone up your body, it’s a bit more difficult in the beginning to see any results, and really working out as hard as you can is basically the only way to kick in your metabolism. next i think i’m going to try a spinning class, which i’ve never done, and, of course, there’s always running. blah. hopefully i can keep up the habit and not get derailed like i have in the past (e.g. get the flu and don’t go to the gym for weeks afterward and basically lose all benefits and have to start over), and maybe in a month or so i’ll be able to wear some of the clothes that have been sitting in the back of my closet for a while again. that would be nice.

Filed in food, health & vegetarianism, me myself and i | Comments (3)