Ottawa Family Fun

This post doesn’t contain any tidbit about what you might want to do with the kids this weekend. I just thought I would let all of you parents out there who are a bit out of shape that you are not alone! I started volleyball again tonight (I have taken a 3 year “break” from the game. I basically stopped after our second child was born. I just didn’t make my own exercise quite as high of a priority.

Well, that break and just general poor eating habits have caused me to pack on the pounds. I worked hard to lose weight just before our first child was born (50 Lbs! - I gained that weight from poor eating habits and a much less active - working at a computer vs. active student lifestyle). Well over the last 5 years I have slowly packed all of those pounds back on! Try to find something that weighs 50 Lbs in your house and then think of carrying that, plus a 35 Lb kid up the stairs. I am a big guy by nature and if you saw me, you would know I was carrying extra weight, but very few would guess 50 Lbs too much!

So, back to volleyball. I started back tonight and feel great (tonight). The amount of stress that exercise can relieve is unbelievable. I am very conscious of heart health given that I have put so much weight on, so I know I have to watch how hard I push my heart when I am out there.

Tomorrow: I am lucky enough to have a treadmill at home (bought it before #1 was born to help me lose the weight). It has been a great place to store stuff off and on over the years, but when I got home tonight I got on it and went for a 15 minute cool down walk. I am hoping that it helps with all of the lactic acid my body must have produced tonight. But I still have a feeling that I will have a hard time with stairs (and possibly walking) tomorrow. So if you know me and see me struggling with stairs, walking, etc. You know that it is just because I am in such terrible shape. Please feel free to make fun of me, I deserve it!

Positive outcomes: Ok, so I don’t want this to happen again. I need more energy and strength to keep up with the kids as they get older. So, I am making this statement public. I am back on the wagon (healthy lifestyle & eating wagon). I will be adding little updates regarding my progress over the next little while intermixed with my typical “What to do” entries.

Tomorrow morning will be my official weigh-in. I don’t want to reveal my weight, but I will let you know how much I have lost or gained in total. Every step I take tomorrow will be a reminder.

How: Weight Watchers worked for me before and was an easy program to follow. I know that the low carb diets are all the rage, but what I do is reduce may of the carbs, but follow the Weight Watchers plan. The key is to stick to it. The online food tracking tool is really handy as well.

If any others would like to share their ideas for positive changes to improve your health, please feel free to comment!

Wish me luck! Now where is that bottle of Absorbine Jr.?

In addition, if you are interested in programs offered by the city, you may still be able to get in on some of the programs. Go to the City of Ottawa Recreation site to see what is available.

This post doesn’t contain any tidbit about what you might want to do with the kids this weekend. I just thought I would let all of you parents out there who are a bit out of shape that you are not alone! I started volleyball again tonight (I have taken a 3 year “break” from the game. I basically stopped after our second child was born. I just didn’t make my own exercise quite as high of a priority.

Well, that break and just general poor eating habits have caused me to pack on the pounds. I worked hard to lose weight just before our first child was born (50 Lbs! - I gained that weight from poor eating habits and a much less active - working at a computer vs. active student lifestyle). Well over the last 5 years I have slowly packed all of those pounds back on! Try to find something that weighs 50 Lbs in your house and then think of carrying that, plus a 35 Lb kid up the stairs. I am a big guy by nature and if you saw me, you would know I was carrying extra weight, but very few would guess 50 Lbs too much!

So, back to volleyball. I started back tonight and feel great (tonight). The amount of stress that exercise can relieve is unbelievable. I am very conscious of heart health given that I have put so much weight on, so I know I have to watch how hard I push my heart when I am out there.

Tomorrow: I am lucky enough to have a treadmill at home (bought it before #1 was born to help me lose the weight). It has been a great place to store stuff off and on over the years, but when I got home tonight I got on it and went for a 15 minute cool down walk. I am hoping that it helps with all of the lactic acid my body must have produced tonight. But I still have a feeling that I will have a hard time with stairs (and possibly walking) tomorrow. So if you know me and see me struggling with stairs, walking, etc. You know that it is just because I am in such terrible shape. Please feel free to make fun of me, I deserve it!

Positive outcomes: Ok, so I don’t want this to happen again. I need more energy and strength to keep up with the kids as they get older. So, I am making this statement public. I am back on the wagon (healthy lifestyle & eating wagon). I will be adding little updates regarding my progress over the next little while intermixed with my typical “What to do” entries.

Tomorrow morning will be my official weigh-in. I don’t want to reveal my weight, but I will let you know how much I have lost or gained in total. Every step I take tomorrow will be a reminder.

How: Weight Watchers worked for me before and was an easy program to follow. I know that the low carb diets are all the rage, but what I do is reduce may of the carbs, but follow the Weight Watchers plan. The key is to stick to it. The online food tracking tool is really handy as well.

If any others would like to share their ideas for positive changes to improve your health, please feel free to comment!

Wish me luck! Now where is that bottle of Absorbine Jr.?

In addition, if you are interested in programs offered by the city, you may still be able to get in on some of the programs. Go to the City of Ottawa Recreation site to see what is available.