Sitting bad. Moving good.

The last seven days have been marked by some varying moods.

Saturday: Confused
Tuesday morning:  Frustrated and really mad
Wednesday morning:  Hopeful
Today:  Happy

If you recall last Saturday's post, I was confused at how I had managed to lose weight when I'd done a total of ZERO workouts and eaten the number of calories equal to the population of New York City.  You think I'm exaggerating, don't you?

Based on lots of helpful comments following that post, I came to the conclusion that it was all of the extra moving I did while moving.  Pun absolutely intended.

From Saturday to Tuesday, I had cleaned up my diet and started working out once again.  Here comes the "frustrated and really mad" part:  I got on the scale Tuesday morning after being a good girl for a few days and found I was UP three pounds.  UP is the opposite of DOWN.

So I took to heart the idea that all of the moving moving was what did it.  I was sitting less -- a LOT less -- and on my feet for nearly 6-8 hours every day after work during those two weeks.  Not killing myself with jumping jacks and push-ups, but not sitting on the couch watching TV like Jabba the Hutt, either.

To clarify, I'm a mother of four.  I am not lazy. I don't spend THAT much time sitting around like Mr. Hutt, because I'm cooking or doing dishes or helping with homework or running errands or doing laundry or a hundred other tiny things that moms do.  But I still sit more than I should.  I justify this by telling myself that I get up at 4-blasted-30 in the morning to work out hard, and then I go off to work and earn a paycheck (sitting at a desk for several hours at a time, mind you), and then come home to all of the stresses that home life can bring. So darnittoheck, why shouldn't I be allowed to just sit here and let my brain - and backside - turn to mush in the evenings?

Because that's not working for me.  That's why.

There's a cool infographic going around the WWW these days that contains some pretty alarming facts about what all of the sitting we do is doing to our bodies.  Our ancestors did not sit in cars, on buses, at desks, or even on stationary bikes, for crying out loud, back in the day.   They were on their feet from morning til night.   And few of them were obese.  All of this sitting is bad for our joints, our muscles, our hearts, and our lungs.  Oh, and it's making us fat ... and sick.

So I've decided that my friends are pretty wise.  If they say it was the moving that made me lose the weight, then by golly I'm going to believe them.  Hence Wednesday morning's hopeful mood.  I was ready to give this a try.

Since Wednesday morning, in addition to my daily workouts, I've been adding more movement to my daily routine.  I'm getting up from my desk frequently and doing squats, wall push-ups, and other embarrassing things that nobody should really do in front of co-workers.  Luckily and for their protection, I have my own office.  With a door that locks. And blinds that close.

It's spring time and the weather is amazing.  I work on a beautiful university campus.  This gives me every reason to get out and go for a quick walk at lunch time.

Did I lie?  Told you it was pretty.

I've been taking the time to go for walks around the neighborhood with my kids - and our really dumb dog -  in the evenings.

Less sitting.  More moving.  Who knew?

As for today's happy mood, that's a result of stepping on the scale after my workout this morning.   From Tuesday to today, I managed to get rid of those three pesky pounds ... plus another one for good measure.  That's four pounds gone in four days' time.

Total lost thus far:  15.2 lbs.   That's like 3 bags of sugar plus a few tablespoons.

(pausing for applause)

I'd love to sit around and entertain you with my musings all day, but it's Saturday.  Time for Jabba to get outside and play with the kids - and that dumb dog.  I think we might go chase ducks or something.

How do YOU incorporate more movement into your daily routine?