It’s been almost a year since I let Leslie Sansone out of her box.  I think she wanted revenge.  She succeeded in her mission and sufficiently kicked my ass.

My new friend, Carlos, set the bar really high exercise-wise this week.   Without even realizing it, he issued a challenge.  And again, without him realizing it, I took him up on it!  After having a rough night, he still got out there and exercised.  I could think of no reason (none that would sound good to anyone other than my own warped mind anyway) why I couldn’t work out tonight.

Because I work nights, it’s hard for me to be able to go for a walk outside during the week.  I don’t like to work out when I get up because it just makes me more tired usually, and it’s dark when I get home.  I’m also not about to stay up even later so that I can go for a walk when it gets light, so my option was to break out Leslie.

If you’re not familiar with Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds (WATP) DVDs, I highly recommend them to you.   The thing I like about her DVDs is that while you’re getting a great cardio workout, you’re also getting some strength training in.  Especially when you add in the weights.  Overall, as I said, she can kick your ass.

I bought one of her DVDs when I first started Weight Watchers, and I remember doing it during those first few days.  The DVD contains a 1 mile, 2 mile, and 3 mile walk.  When I first started, I could barely make it through the one mile and even when I did, I was doing some serious huffing and puffing.  I eventually worked my way up to being able to get through the two mile, but then I got lazy and slacked.  Hence the fact that she’s been stuck in her box for the past year.  I have been walking every once in a while, but mostly just when I have downtime at work. 

Tonight, I am extremely proud of myself.  I made it through the 3 mile!  And I was able to keep up with her, even with the weights!  It took almost 50 minutes from start to finish, including cool down.  I’m really proud of myself!  I feel great.  Tired, and a little like jelly, but good about myself.

One thing I noticed while I was working out was that my balance and coordination seem a lot better than the last time I tried it.  (Maybe because there’s less of me to balance and coordinate?)  Another thing I noticed is that when finishing the two mile before, I was seriously out of breath.  After finishing the three mile tonight my breath and heartbeat were faster than usual, but I wasn’t gasping for air or anything.  Major improvement!  I guess even without working out every day, the simple fact of my weight loss has really improved my health.  It’s encouraging when you can see physical proof of your improving health.

The question is….will I be able to move tomorrow?