A Brand New Me
By Cindy Walker

Well, it's time once again for the monthly embarrassment - my measurements. I'll make it quick, but it will be painful. As of today, February 27, 2005, my stats are:

Arm: 13 ½”
Wrist: 6 ½”
Bust:  39 ½ “
Chest: 35 ½”
Waist: 35 ½”
Hips: 47 ½”
Thigh: 26 ½”
Knee: 17 ½”
Calf: 16 ½”
Ankle: 9”

Yes, I'm just whizzing along there don't you think. I must have this thing for the half mark this month. Oh well. I haven't been very successful, at least it doesn't seem like it to me. I have to admit that I have fallen down in the eating area. I am getting up every morning at five and doing exercises, but my diet isn't following my plan, or would that be I'm not following my diet plan? Whatever the case, I have discovered I hate pouring through cookbooks, I get mad when I have to go to the grocery store, and I don't like spending my one day a week I have to really relax, cooking. What it boils down to is I'm just lazy, lazy, lazy. It hurts my head to try and think what foods to eat with what and how much and balance this and balance that. I just want to eat, people. When did it get so complicated? I try to eat sensibly, but sometimes those old habits creep back in. A friend of mine said I should check out the Zone Diet, which I haven't yet but I plan to do soon. I've also considered one of those diets where you pay someone to cook the food, and they send it straight to your door. It's tempting, but I think I could better utilize that $900 on other things.

So, if anyone has any thoughts, encouragement, suggestions - PLEASE! I'M FLOUNDERING! HELP MEEEEEE! Two months have passed me by, and I feel like they've been wasted. But I must persevere. If I'm ever going to start accepting myself and liking me for me, I have to continue no matter what. I have to face some painful truths about myself. I guess it's like Oprah said - I have to own the number (as in my weight). Well, I will be visiting the doctor this week, and I will be finding out exactly what number I need to own. I will warn you folks - it's going to be ugly.

I will expand on something I mentioned in one of my updates, and that is the “core” exercises I've started doing. “Core” refers to the core muscles in your abdomen that help keep your tummy in, supports your abdominal cavity, and all that stuff. It is very apparent mine aren't working. So, I recently purchased a book called “Firm Up In Three Weeks” by Michele Stanten, Senior Fitness Editor at Prevention Magazine. It is a great book. It is broken down into three weeks, and each week has meal plans and a grocery list along with specific exercises. I have to admit the first grocery list scares me as it is quite long, and it seems you'd be spending a lot of money. However, weeks two and three shopping lists are considerably smaller. Anyway, there are also exercises for each day of the week in three different levels - beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The idea is that you choose your fitness level and follow that routine for the days indicated. One day you work on strength training, the next you work on core training. They also recommend that on the core training days you do a 30 minute interval walk (which I really don't want to do at five in the morning). The core exercises themselves take   more >>