I've often found myself sitting at my desk at work, wishing there was something I could do to burn calories. From 6:00am - 5:00pm I'm either sitting in my car going to/from work, or sitting at my desk at work, and as I'm sure everyone knows, sitting on your butt all day only helps it expand.

I finally broke down and bought a mini elliptical (sort of like a pedal bike / hand bike). At first I was too embarrassed to actually bring it to work. The worst part is there are actually very few people that would ever see it, and I'm usually by myself for most, if not the entire day. Yesterday I finally brought it in, and I'm able to pedal away while I work at the computer and answer the phone.

I don't know exactly how many calories it will burn, but anything that uses my muscles more than sitting motionless has to be an improvement. Plus even a small burn stretched out throughout 9+ hours day, 5 days a week has to add up to something. Since I'm not even counting it as exercise (still trying to work out and be active at home after work) I can see no down side to being a "pedal pusher" at work.

I'm also trying to cut down on my carb intake. Not exactly going "low carb", but just being more mindful of carbs and sugar in general. I am a pasta, bread, and sweet lover and I know they play a major role in my weight gain. In fact, I first gained a good portion of my weight in the months just before my wedding. I was planning a candy buffet at the reception and "sampled" the supplies on a daily basis.

I still have no idea just how many extra calories I packed on from that candy alone (I swear sometimes I didn't even taste it, it was just mindless chewing), and I'm actually ashamed of it even now, 4 1/2 years later. Instead of being in the best shape of my life on my wedding day, I was bigger than I had been in the past 5+ years. Funny, it never clicked that those quick snatches of candy would cause me to almost not fit in my dress!

Since then I've gained more weight, and even though I'm unhappy with my weight/size and I slowly keep gaining, I haven't found that true motivation and desire to take control of my eating and exercise habits. Isn't that crazy? As I sit here and read that, I realize it makes no sense, yet I don't know exactly how to change and make it stick. "You just have to do it" is sooooo much easier said than done. *headdesk*

So, I'm trying very hard to take one day at a time. Yesterday in addition to my pedaling, I took my dog for a walk, then did a (surprisingly challenging) 20 minute strength training video. Today I've been pedaling (even increased the resistance!) and will walk the dog again. Since my hubby will be out most of the evening I am committing to picking a 30 - 45 minute workout dvd for tonight, then trying a new, healthy recipe for dinner.

I will worry about tomorrow when it gets here. :) Note to self: THINK POSITIVE!