Exercise Routines

Lately I have been doing *great* on the exercise front.  This week I have worked out 6 out of 7 days.  There was one day when I only worked out for 30 minutes, but all of the others were between 45 minutes and an hour and 15 minutes.  I love being able to switch back and forth between machines.

However, I do have some concerns.  I have plantar fascitis in my left foot.  It is very painful.  It has been getting better in the last six months because I've worn running shoes exclusively instead of nicer shoes (which, okay, is what my podiatrist recommended a year ago but I wasn't in the position to follow that advice when I was still in corporate America).  Even so, walking on the treadmill constantly has started to make the issue flare up again.  Not so bad that I want to collapse and cry (hello, me a year ago!), but enough of a twinge to give me a warning that I need to rethink how much I am pushing my body while I'm still carrying this much weight.

In addition, I've been on the weight watchers boards a lot and have seen several posts about people who have a lot of extra skin after losing large amounts of weight.  Granted some of these people started out heavier than I (400, even 500 lbs as compared to my 385), but some people who started at even less than me (350, 300, or less) have reported a loose skin problem after losing the weight.  I did a lot of reading on the subject and there's not a lot I can do on the genetics front.  I'm guessing my genetics do lean towards an extra skin issue, because after I had a c-section, I had an apron of fat on my belly, which I've never had before, even at 330 lbs.  It could just be something that was going to appear on my body no matter what after I got above my pre-pregnancy weight (even without the pregnancy and c-section) but it could also mean that my stomach area is always going to be an issue no matter my weight.  So, nothing I can do to change that.  I can, however, make sure that I lose weight at a slow and steady pace, and stay very well hydrated.

In addition, I can add strength training into my exercise regimen.  This has a few advantages.  Supposedly, it helps with the loose skin issue.  In addition, it will allow me to maybe cut my cardio back to every other day, and still get in movement that is good for my body on the "off" days.  I bought a strength training dvd off of Amazon, deliberately choosing one that doesn't include anything high-impact such as jumping rope.  I also bought a set of dumbbells and an extra-thick mat for floor work, since the only area large enough for this kind of exercise is my completely-tile-floor den.  I can't wait to try this out and see if it is as good of an addition to my routine as I think it will be!