Dance, not walk

The daily temperature here for the last couple of weeks has been hovering around 6 -8C.  That, plus the strong winds, makes it difficult for us to head outdoors for our walks.  Also, the sun sets earlier now so it gets darker earlier, at around 4pm.  That gives us a short period of time to get our walks, if we somehow manage to find it in us to battle the cold and the wind, that is.

Hence it has been tough to get moving and exercising.  I haven't been serious about working out for awhile now.  Whatever weight we have lost during the fasting month has long been regained.  Plus some extra weight that came from nowhere.  Ok.  OK.  I know exactly where - hari raya cookies, rich Malay delicacies, oodles of noodles and indulgent meals that I have been cooking for Pete since I got home.

Now that the weather is getting colder, I have to put on more layers when I want to go out.  The result of the layers is that the sleeves of my outer jacket gets very stuffed and tight.  Sometimes it even affects my mobility.  Also, the layers and heavy clothing does nothing to make me look better. On the contrary, I look like I have put on 10kg instantly (think Stay Puft Marshmallow Man).   That does nothing for my fragile ego, especially when people have been asking if I am pregnant ( Nope.  Just fat.)

So, yeah, I have to do something about it.  I have seen people running outdoors in this cold weather.  The Swedes are actually quite health conscious.  There are many people out there in the cold and sticking to their workouts.  I always look at them with envy.  They all look so fit and toned. 

Due to my foot injuries, I haven't been running for three years.  I am cautious here since I don't want them to hurt again.  My bunions would bug me when I walk too much but luckily my heels are not bothering me much.  Hopefully some day I would be able to run again.  Also, I would need to learn to dress properly if I were to run outdoors again in the cold.  But that's for when I can start running again.

For now, all I can do is to look for exercises that I can do at home.  I have some Zumba DVDs that I can follow.  The great thing is that I have a number of those so I can always mix it up and not do the same ones all the time.  I am trying to get other DVDs.  I used to love doing Les Mills' Body Combat and Body Step classes when I was in Fitness First, a chain of gyms back home.  I really miss that.  Pete has been helping me to search for it online but we haven't been successful.  So, for now, I can only Zumba my way slowly back to fitness.  I shall add other more intense workouts when I'm back to my former fitness level.