Yesterday I was contemplating the way I park now vs. the way I parked when I was heavier. When I was heavier it was all about getting the closest spot. Now when I am in a hurry I still do that but most of the time I park as far as I can within the parking lot so that I have to huff it to the front door. It is a small thing but it keeps me active... especially on errand day when I am lugging carts back and forth! It's a great way to get in those extra steps. So my question to you is what little thing do you do to keep your fitness in line??

Well, I only watch tv when I'm on my cycle...that helps me keep my mind off what Im doing...I often lose track of time and go for longer than what I had planned

I will get off the bus stop - 2- 3 stops before my actual stop and walk the r est of the way to work in the am - and I walk home from work at least 3 nights a week.

I take the stairs as often as possible in my building (the exception is if im lugging a 25lb box of cat litter or laundry

I take the long way around to teh bathroom at work - adding about 500 steps to the trip...

These are really great ideas! I like this thread already

I'm on a 15K step a day obsession now -so i basically take the long way - -where ever I go Lunch is usually from Subway if I haven't packed a lunch -which is right across the street - I will do a lap around the block to and from the subway so I get about 2000 extra steps OK people thinki'ma little insane but i'm ok with that..

I like to walk to my mother N laws instead of driving 6 blocks to her house,also like MAL said when I shop or go anywhere that has elevators as long as I don't have my 4 kids I use the stairs,Tammy

When I lost alot of weight before I was riding a bike everywhere I went in my small town...I had a cart to pull my daughter and when I had a sitter I would take the cart 2 miles to the grocery store ect. and haul my goods home with bike.

ohhhh I would love it if my town was more bike friendly!!! In my town they actually aim for bikers! I swear!!
Thank you guys! Mal that is a great idea about the stairs I usually try to walk up the escalators instead of letting them carry me but I should nix them for the stairs next time.... lol unless my son wants to "ride" them of course

last time i tried to walk up an escalator - I fell flat on my face - it was really scary ugly - I'm not sure if the step was just too high and i wasn't expecting it to be so high or the lines just made me dizzy (i can't walk down escalators because of the lines... )

I also disco dance when I make dinner - Ginger kitty thinks i'm totally psycho but so is she so we're a good pair.. I just need to teach her how to dance.

I have heard some tales of such...we all know each other to well around here...they would never get away with it in a hick town

I think I'm gonna try it!

Ah I miss having a cat, but the land lord is allergic, what can you do?

my boyfriend dances in the kitchen lol, maybe next time il join him

Mishi, I totally agree with you about the parking spaces. I noticed the other day that i'm parking far away now too. And the other day I was waiting for the elevator and decided to take the stairs 2 stories (something I wouldn' t have thought of 3 months ago). Also, when my family goes fishing at the local lake near us, I would always take a book to read and relax, now I go walking and hiking on the trails. Great thread!!

I have always been overly active, by nature. I just can't sit still. Like, why should I sit my ass in a roller coaster when I can sprint toward the end of this cliff, leap off into a reservoir of water, and swim 200 yards to the other side.

But I digress.

Things that I do that assure I stay on plan are:

1. Plan my meals out in advance. This means 2 things. 1) I don't like counting calories. So I count them at first, and then never again until it is time to alter my caloric intake. For instance, if my caloric goal is 3000 calories right now, I will create 20 different meals, laying them out in excel, that each contain 500ish calories.

From here, each Saturday before I go to the grocery store, I will decide which meals I want to include in my weekly nutrition plan. Each meal has very similar calorie and macronutrient breakdowns. So it is just a matter of my mood, as to what I will eat for the week.

This way, I never have to spend time worrying about whether or not my nutrition is on point.

Secondly, I prepare my meals in advance. I cook and package food on Sunday and Wednesday. Life becomes extremely simple when all you have to do is reach into the fridge and grab pre-cooked or packaged food without the hassle of preparing it each and every time you want to eat.

2. Every single Sunday, I write out my workout log for the week. I plan exactly what I will do and when I will do it. In terms of weight lifting, I will write out every single exercise I will perform on each of the 4 days that I lift. I will also write how many sets and reps I want for each exercise. I will even write the tempo at which I will move the weight up and down and the length of rest time between sets and exercises. I will also write goal weights that I will shoot for in each lift.

I also write down when, where, and how I will perform my cardio.

These two things alone has made me adhere to this lifestyle for nearly a decade. For me, it works.

wow Steve that is intense!!!! I see the wisdom in planning out meals like that. The idea of cooking every night makes it a big temptation to just eat out!!! When I cook I don't have to worry about calories because I always cook low cal/fat And also my friend has been writing out her exercises. It hasn't been super successful for her... but it is an interesting way to plan out your workouts! I may have to try it
Haley- it is crazy isn't it?? I love to go fishing lol and I haven't been in years but when I go it will be interesting to see what I do... maybe I will just hop in the lake and swim after the fish lol
Halo- OMG I love dancing with my boyfriend. I am terrible at it too so it usually ends up in a lot of laughing but it is fun and gets my heart pounding for all kinds of reasons
Mal- yeah they definatly take some practice and a good sense of balance!!! When I was in highschool the thing to do was run up the down escalator to see if we could get to the top without more people coming down and without killing ourselves... after that walking up the right way isn't so bad

I do pretty much the same thing.

On Sunday's I go shopping and buy all my fruits, veggies, tuna, oatmeal, soy milk, bread, etc etc then come home and clean, cut and prep all the veggies and fruit, BBQ all the chicken breasts and make a giant pot of simple but protein rich meat and veg stew. Then all my meals are pretty much ready to dump into Tupperware and baggies each day, and away I go. And as much as I love my wifes Chinese cooking, the large amount of stuff fried in yummy peanut oil doesn't fit too well into the weight loss plans, so I stick to my stew at night. Every day the salads are a little different and the stew is new every week. Might get a little boring after awhile, but for the first time in my life my eating is making a difference. I truly like the time it saves me during the week for doing other good things, like exercising instead of washing and prepping the next days food. So far by starting this very controlled system of eating, including a free food day too, I have not only kicked a crappy plateau, but I have been consistently taking off the exact amount of weight each week I am wanting to to hit my goal by this summer and my clothes are all REALLY starting to look too big, so it must be working.

I only wish I had smartened up and done this 20 years earlier, but oh well, better late than never.

sirant