Some Tips For All of You

Hey, I'm not new to CC, but I'm pretty new to the forums.
Anyways, I have a few tips for you guys, if you want to hear them.

EXERCISE

Do you ever think, "Wow, I really don't want to jog today?" Well, you don't always have to be sweating badly to burn calories.

I know I'm not the only person in the world who owns a dog. Whenever I'm tempted to sit on the couch and devour a bag of Doritos, I think about how happy it would make my dog to go for a walk. And almost always, I end up going on the walk with my dog, which is better than giving into cravings.

Also, I know a lot of you are much, much older than me, and don't get the summer off. But for those of you who do, or for those of you with extra time, volunteer at an animal shelter and help walk dogs. I did this last summer. Not only are you helping the community and making a lot of homeless animals very happy, but you're also exercising!

If you don't like pets, that's okay, too. I've found that one of the greatest ways to exercise without even breaking much of a sweat is cleaning. Vacuum your whole house. Scrub the floors. Dust. Mow the lawn. Not only will your house look amazing, but your body will, too.

FOOD

For me, I try to think of food as fuel. Before eating something, I imagine how long it will last, and if it's really the best thing to be putting in my body.

Also, I try to think in the mindset of what makes you happy momentarily will make you unhappy later. For example, a piece of chocolate cake might sound really great. And it's fine, if you work it into your plan of how many calories you need. But if you've already had your daily allowance, and it's 9 PM, and you want a piece of chocolate cake while watching Law and Order, just remember how hard you're working to get to your goals. (And if you do end up eating the cake, remember to work it off the next day :D).

Most importantly, if you screw up, don't think that all of your efforts were useless. Just remember, tomorrow is another day, and try to figure out what went wrong so that you can avoid the same mistake next time. Don't give up! Keep working towards a healthier you!

~Melissa

I think a lot of us here have that same mindset.

:)

Melissa! Thank you for the words of encouragement.  For someone who is trying desparately to climb back up on that wagon, your thoughts help very much.  This morning I took my doggies (sheltie and border collie) roller blading.  I take them one at a time and they really love it.  I find that the dogs are my primary motivator and my very best workout partners.  They really love to get out and run, they never want to blow off the workout and go have latte's or ice cream, they are always so excited to go, they literally jump for joy when they see the skates and argue over who gets to go first. 

Any other ideas about working out with the dogs?  I do not like to run at all.  Also, the border can run like the wind (unlike her owner) so it's never enough for her.  Any thoughts about biking with dogs.  Some stranger once stopped me to say that I should not be on the bike with my dog because they might have a heart attack.  Now I have a 3y/o border collie who is very fit so I don't think it would be a problem but am interested in other view.  Also, any ideas about whether dogs need a warm up and cool down?

Again, thanks! 

I tried biking with my Golden Retriever once, but she was too hyper! Her leash got caught in my front wheel and I scraped my knees up pretty badly! So if you go biking with them, I'd be careful.

With my Newfoundland, swimming is really fun, if you have lakes available nearby (I live in Wisconsin, so...yeah).

Rollerblading! I took my old dog out rollerblading all the time, it was great. :)

The swimming idea is a good one.  I'll just have to get my wimpy herding dogs to enjoy the water.  We have a "dog beach" which honestly I'm not sure if I want to swim there, but my dogs only tip toe in the water and try to drink it.  They love running on the sand and harrassing other dogs until they chase them but the swimming is more difficult for them, I guess I'll just have to get a lab, "oh, honey!!! we have a new dog!"

I will be careful about the bike and I am trying to work up to running without feeling like I can't breath.  We shall see.  The good news is that even a simple walk with the dog burns something like 170 cals an hour so when I can't get the motivation to do more, at least I can do that!

great ideas. another one is if you have kids, or in my case a little sister, take them places. i will take my sister to the pool, or the park , or on a bike ride. it gives me exercise and at the same time gives her something to do and helps keep her fit and healthy. promise them u will take them the day b4, when ur feeling motivated. then the next day, when u dont feel like going, you have to bcuz you already promised them :)