Back in the Saddle Again

In the words of my secret lover, Steven Tyler, I am "back in the saddle again" with my exercise routine. Since our big life transition occurred my life has been a bit sedentary. I've become a little soft with the lack of exercise and the constant eating out and I was starting to feel it. So I took the opportunity of going back to my regular work week this week to resume my daily schedule of hitting the treadmill when I get home. I had a good routine going on this schedule back in Tacoma and managed to lose about 10 pounds over several months. Since coming here I have definitely undone some of that work and am excited to get back on track. This after work treadmill routine works out well for me for a couple of reasons:

1. I don't have to get up the motivation to go somewhere to work out. The treadmill is right in my house and I don't have to pack a gym bag or find parking or spend time driving anywhere.
2. I don't have to get up early - I was never one to win the battle with the snooze button when it comes down to the choice of sleeping later or burning calories.
3. I don't have to depend on anyone else - while some people do better with a workout partner to motivate them, I do worse. If my partner is busy, sick, or unmotivated, I latch on to that as an easy excuse to skip myself.
4. It is a good way to unwind at the end of the work day and to transition into evening relaxation time. Don and I both get home around the same time. Don gets to decompress and unwind from his day usually on the computer while I decompress by getting my blood pumping and burning off some steam. Then we usually make dinner together and relax either by watching a dvd or reading or gaming or something. But we both find our together time a lot more enjoyable after we have had a chance to take care of some of our own needs at the end of a long work day.
5. I get to watch t.v. on my treadmill. Currently I going through the first Season of Dark Angel - recommended to me by my friend Jessica in Bellingham. It's not as bad as Charmed or Smallville but it's definitely not going to win any awards based on script. You can tell it was designed for a younger audience. But it has Jessica Alba in it and she's incredibly cute which is not a bad motivator when you are trying to work out. So I'll keep at it and see how it turns out. The show only lasted for two seasons so it won't take long to get through it and then I can start something else.
6. If I workout right when I get home, I don't snack until dinnertime.

In fact, now that I have started working out again, since I have appreciated how much better I feel physically with some cardiovascular activity, I have started to take pity on the dogs and been getting them out for walks after I finish my own workout. So last night and the night before they got to take a lap around the neighborhood. Last night we scored big when we came across an older couple in the neighborhood out for a walk. Since they don't have dogs of their own to spoil, they bring dog treats with them on their walk and give them to all of the dogs they come across. Cordy can't wait until we meet up with them again on one of our evening walks. Anyway, not only do they love the walks as all dogs do, but they are so much more at ease when we get home. Their nerves are calmer, they are more relaxed, and they will lay down on the couch and cuddle with us while we watch a show instead of trying to get us to throw the ball a thousand times.