by Susan B. Anna

Created on: August 12, 2008

Maintaining my body weight was never truly a dilemma until I had my son. Before "G" I was a thin 118 lbs, and never had to watch what I ate or exercise to maintain it. During my pregnancy I only gained an extra thirty five pounds, but shedding them was quite a task. At this point I decided to finally try my hand at exercising and eating better, and gradually dropped twenty-eight pounds. I wanted to lose a bit more, but after taking a closer look at earlier photos I realized being 5'1 and weighing in at 118 lbs was not my ideal weight, but at 125 I felt good about myself, and no longer looked a bit anemic. My daily routine consists of having a bowl of mixed fruit for breakfast and a brisk walk around my complex afterwards. If weather prevents me from doing so I go to the gym at least four times a week, where I take advantage of the weight machines and treadmills at my leisure. Overexerting myself, is not my concern, but toning and keeping in shape is. In addition to my daily routine, and workout regime I cut back on a lot of sugar intake such as soda, candy, and cereals among other things. As a parent, my job is never done, so once home there's cleaning, cooking, scrubbing and vacuuming to take care of, so my day or evening has not yet come to an end.

If wanting to maintain yourself at a certain weight level is important to you or an ideal goal, exercise is crucial. Walking, jogging, running; bicycling, cleaning house, manual labor mixed with cardiovascular, dancing and swimming, if you can swim; as I can't, can help you achieve your goals, if you keep at it. Yes, if you haven't exercised some muscles in a while it will hurt, so if starting anew I suggest a couple of Advils before bed and call it a night. The more consistent you become with the routine you choose, the easier it will get and the more your body will get used to the idea. If you have small children, try playing with them. By doing so, you can not only bond with your child but also get in a great workout and have fun at the same time. My son enjoys to play outdoors and although I'm not always up to running around the yard, once I do I feel hell of a lot better for it at the end. Eating well plays a major role as well, so try your best to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, as well as drink plenty of water, as this will help you lose the excess fat and keep your body dehydrated, which is very, very important. The most important thing to remember when working out is that it only takes a half hour a day to see results, and once you do, never stop.

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