All posts by Nichole

Family matters

Exercising in the living room

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I mentioned yesterday that I’m having trouble losing weight. Although the pounds aren’t dropping off, I have been putting an effort into exercising. So I must be at least a little bit healthier than before, right? I sure hope so.

Anyway. When I decided I wanted to start working out again, I was faced with a dilemma. A gym membership isn’t in our budget right now, and the roads around our house aren’t safe for pedestrians. There are quite a few parks around here that I could have gone to, but I knew that the combination of having to leave the house and walk around in the heat would stifle my desire to exercise right quick.

I needed another solution. And I found it at Netflix. We already had a Netflix account, and it only cost me a few dollars more every month to add another queue to our account. I filled that queue up with workout DVDs. When I get bored with one, I can just pop it in the mail and get something else!

So far I haven’t found what’ll work for me to get the weight off, but a Netflix queue is working to help me exercise every day!

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Family matters

Motivation

My #1 motivation to lose weight has been a shallow one. I want to look good at my brother’s wedding, which is next September. This hasn’t been, apparently, enough to really kick me into gear. I’ve been on Weight Watchers for ten thousand years more than a couple of months, and I’ve only managed to lose a pound. That’s one. One stinkin’ pound.

Today, I found myself up against a new, more immediate motivation. A friend and I have been toying with the idea of taking a ballroom dancing class, and we were going to “observe” a session this evening. The woman at the dance studio told me that we didn’t need to wear ball gowns but that we should wear nice slacks. Definitely not jeans.

Now, I haven’t gone the way of the sweatpant. But I’ll admit that I don’t do a whole lot to gussy myself up every day. I do have some slacks in the closet, but I haven’t worn them in a good long while. And this afternoon? I discovered that none of them fit.

I called my friend to tell her I needed to lose 15 pounds or buy new pants before I could hit the dance floor, and she sounded relieved. She was headed to her closet when I talked to her. She has a 3-month-old, and she was worried she wasn’t going to fit into the pre-pregnancy clothes.

Me? I’ve gained 10 pounds since having Pete. I can’t fit into my post-pregnancy clothes. This is not good. I need to back away from the desserts. Because I can’t afford a new wardrobe.

Reading

Gore takes on love and politics in "Sammy's Hill"

In her first novel, Kristin Gore sticks to the “write what you know” maxim. She’s the daughter of Al Gore, and the title character of her book “Sammy’s Hill” works for a bright young senator in Washington DC. And yes, a Southern governor with his eye on the presidency enters the picture by the book’s end.

“Sammy’s Hill” isn’t terribly strong on plot, but Sammy is likable despite her chronic poor decision making and a laundry list of neuroses. It’s a fun, breezy read, although the story’s resolution seemed rushed, particularly on the romantic front. The “love connection” wasn’t very convincing, even though there’s practically a neon sign reading “Love Interest Here” every time her eventual paramour makes an appearance. I’m hoping the match seems more natural in Gore’s next novel, “Sammy’s House.” It’s already on my library hold list.