While taking pictures at the Luverne Cardinals season-opening gymnastics match, I knelt down to get a better shot of the athletes.
It’s not unusual for me for me to duck down, mainly so I don’t block any of the spectators’ views.
What made last week notable is that I easily stood up without the usual grunts and side rolls to push myself off the floor.
A month ago I joined an online fitness group called S7 Wellness.
Since then I’ve been held accountable to calorie counts, taking 7,000 steps and drinking at least 75 ounces of water each day.
So far, I’ve lost 15 pounds, which my oldest daughter, who is S7’s nutrition coach, contributes mainly to water loss.
I’ll take the water loss, especially since I’ve kept that weight off through Thanksgiving.
With fewer pounds, I fit into my clothes better. I sleep better. With twice-a-week yoga workouts I find (much to my surprise) I can get to my feet a lot more fluidly than I used to.
I’ve learned fat can be lost only by eating better and not by sweating it off. That suits me just fine, since I don’t enjoy running or lifting weights.
The online wellness is tailored to fitting into my current routine.
I am eating foods I normally would have eaten, but I am making better choices, eating regularly while watching the portion sizes.
Surprisingly, I used to not eat enough calories during the week and binged on the weekends. When I was hungry, I would grab something convenient that was high in calories but low in nutritional value.
Slowly, I’m bringing my metabolism back to where my daily calorie count is increasing and the scale is staying at the same weight or going lower.
Best of all, I am able to easily get up off the floor without embarrassment.