Some Basic Info and Workout #1

Before I report on my first workout (yesterday evening), I want to get a couple of disclaimers out of the way.

First of all, as you can probably figure out from my introductory post, this blog isn’t meant to be a hardcore serious health and fitness blog. I’m not going out of my way to eat healthy—I’m not opposed to it and I eat my fair share of fruits and vegetables, but I’m also not going to give up my comfort foods. Like mashed potatoes. And pasta. And ribeyes. And beer. I love beer.

Ahem.

Also, in case it’s not perfectly clear, I don’t know what the heck I’m doing. I’m not a nutritionist. (Duh.) I’m not a fitness expert. What works for me may not work for anyone else, and vice versa. So if I do offer any advice here, don’t take my word as gospel.

Basically, I’m just trying to work a little more exercise into my life. If I lose weight or tone up in the process, great! And I want to have fun while I’m doing it and not take it all that seriously—and it’d be fun to make some online friends along the way. Hence this blog.

So now that I’ve gotten all that out of the way…let’s talk about yesterday’s first workout.

I’ve decided that I’m going to have a weigh-in and measurement every Sunday to see if what I’m doing makes a difference. So the first one was yesterday. I’m not going to post the exact numbers, but suffice it to say that I’m slightly chunky, with my main problem areas being my butt, thighs and beer belly. (Mmmm, beer.)

Here’s the breakdown of yesterday’s workout:

• 5-minute stretch session
• 5-minute brisk walk to warm up
• 20 minute walk/jog combo session on the treadmill (alternate 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking)

Then I used two 2-pound weights (baby steps) and did the following exercises:

• 3 sets of 10 shoulder presses
• 3 sets of 10 tricep extensions
• 3 sets of 10 bicep curls

Then I did 30 crunches and another 5-minute stretch session.

I felt fabulous last night, but I’m a little sore today—mostly in my legs and back. I’m resting up today and I’ll be back at the gym tomorrow.

Welcome to Beginner Fitness Junkie!

Hi. My name’s Angela, and I’m a Beginner Fitness Junkie. But I’m guessing that doesn’t mean what you think it means.

By “Beginner Fitness Junkie,” I mean that I’m a beginner to fitness. Like, serious beginner. I’ve been a staunch couch potato for years. And by “junkie,” I mean that I love junk food and have no intention of giving it up. In my opinion, cutting the fat, sugar or carbs out of the food in your life is akin to a particularly hellish…um, hell.

See? I told you it wouldn’t be what you thought.

So I created this blog to document my journey down the road to fitness, and to track any progress I make. I’m really curious to see if I can lose weight without giving up the food I love so much. Along the way, I’ll be sure to share any advice or nuggets of information I’ve gleaned along the way.

And I’ll share (unhealthy, fatty, and delicious) recipes along the way, too. After all, what’s the point of sweating over a treadmill if you can’t eat what you want once you get home?

So, welcome! Feel free to leave a comment introducing yourself. Then sit back, grab a set of dumbells and a bag of potato chips, and bear with me as we jump into the big scary world of treadmills and ellipticals.