Lately I've been all over the map with my exercise routine. I'm not following an exercise regimen these days, just winging it day by day and doing my own thing. I am enjoying myself with this, exploring new workouts and figuring out which ones are working best for me. I bought the Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones, or whatever its called, and I really like it. For a total workout I can do the whole dvd or for shorter workouts just go circuit by circuit. I've been concentrating on ST lately but have gained back a couple pounds so need to get more cardio in.

I used to get 30 minutes of cardio, minimum, each day by taking my dog for a walk. Lately she's been acting funny and refusing to walk much. This is highly unusual and is really frustrating because I really miss our walks! I'm back to doing step ups most evenings and doing The Shred now and then, just for the cardio action.

Today I did Rachel McLish's lower body ST which also has some ABS work. I really like Rachel McLish and her outlook. She was the first Ms. Olympia and has a body that any woman would want! Her workout is pure ST but I do manage to get my heart rate up because she moves through the workout quickly and I use heavy dumbbells, mostly 8 and 12 pounders. This evening I will do step ups while we watch Men In Black 2...we watched the first one last night because we are going to see the 3rd movie tomorrow night. Anyway, I'm still here working out and trying to lose the 5 lbs that have crept back on since the end of May. I know, 5 lbs is A LOT to gain in such a short time but I attribute that to the illness I had in June and part of July which kept me from exercising much and slid me back into bad snacking habits. I'm back on the wagon now and am determined to keep up my good habits of daily exercise, reasonable healthy eating and staying healthy.

Sometimes I wish I just didn't care about how I look! Wouldn't it just be easier to not care, to let myself just enjoy eating whatever I want and to not worry about flab and fat and an increasing waistline and rear end. But that is just not me. I do care, so I will keep with the program, rely on SP friends for support and just keep on trucking!

Other goals I am working on include better household management and being kinder to myself. I am also trying new recipes to keep our healthy meals interesting and am eating a ton of fish, mostly salmon and tuna. I'm taking more vitamins and trying to take better care of my skin as well. There is never an end to self-improvement, no matter how old we get! Lately I've been feeling old and when I look in the mirror I see a woman who is older than I actually am. It really bothers me to see my aging skin so I'm trying to revitalize my skin through better supplementation, better skin care and better diet. Omega 3's have such an impact on our skin so I've increased my intake of essential fatty acids and allowing a bit more healthy fat in my diet. I am also applying vitamin E to my skin nightly and find it helps to soften wrinkles and fine lines.

So thats it for me, just doing my own thing and hoping for the best! I hope you are all working hard towards goals and that you will never give up! Giving up has never helped anyone accomplish anything and I have to keep telling myself this to motivate myself to keep going, to keep pushing harder, to take better care of myself!

Have a great weekend all and spark on dudes!