Staying Healthy

In keeping with our more personalized entries, I'd like to share with you a little bit about how my body has changed since becoming a post grad.

As a college student I was on my feet all the time. Anyone who has ever stepped foot onto SUNY Geneseo's campus knows that walking anywhere is fairly strenuous hike. Double that in the winter time when you are fighting against snow drifts and icy sidewalks.

My current job requires lots of mental work and typing, but I could literally not move the entire day. The first few months I worked here, I didn't adjust my diet at all. I would eat the same type of lunch/ snacks that I was eating during my last year in college. It's so easy to forget about weight during the summertime when your wardrobe consists of forgiving dresses and flowy skirts.

When September rolled around I slid on my favorite pair of jeans and realized I could barely button them. I just didn't understand. I wasn't eating things that were horrible for me.. I was even taking walks and jogging occasionally after work.. what was the deal?

The next week, I joined a gym and stopped buying bread.

Like most girls, I've always had those "problem areas". My hips, thighs, and bottom are where all of my weight collects. I am not necessarily unhealthy now weight-wise, my weight falls within the healthy parameters for my height- but before I started consistently working out, I just didn't feel great.


I like to tackle problems full force, doing everything possible to knock them out of the park. If I had no commitments, I would go to the gym for 8 hours a day, Biggest Loser style, and have the weight off in a week. Unfortunately I have one major commitment that prevents this from happening..... my job. Motivating myself to workout after work is one of the toughest things I've had to do. I so understand how people who work full time can fall into the couch potato mentality. My brain is just tired after working all day and I have to literally drag myself to the gym so that my body doesn't follow suit.

So how have my eating habits and workout schedule changed since the fateful jeans experience of September? I eat more vegetables and fruit, instead of packing processed snacks like granola bars in my lunches. I go to the gym four times a week, and have recently started circuit training in addition to my cardio. The circuit training has really started to show me results- I highly recommend it! It's not easy keeping up with this schedule, but I do feel like I'm becoming a healthier, post grad me.

All of this being said, every body is different. How do you stay fit when working a 9-5?

1 comment:

  1. I totally understand how difficult it is to fit in a workout when you're working all day. Now that I'm working from home it's so much easier to find time. My husband has a hard time though, he leaves at 7:30 and doesn't get back home til 5:30 (at the earliest!). Good for you for fitting in 4 times a week, that's amazing. I find I really miss it when I don't exercise, it's such a great stress relief for me. I like just putting on my headphones and not being interrupted for that time! I also like to do some things at home so I don't have to spend as much time at the gym. The '8-minute' dvd's area amazing! 8-minute abs and 8-minute arms are my favorite. I try to do those a few times a week in addition to the weight machines I do at the gym a few times per week. It's really nice to have some free weights around - not only can you use them when you're doing an exercise dvd (or youtube), I like to do some exercises while I watch tv shows.

    Sorry for the novel comment.. but health is a big deal in my life too!

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