Well, Hello, Size 16!

I am back into a size 16 jean, and boy, has it been a while. It's fitting since today marks my 16th wedding anniversary, too. The last time I wore this size was in mid-1993. I had just graduated from college and met my husband. I can't believe it's taken my 19 years to get my rear in gear and lose my luggage! Why did I wait so long?

This morning, I worked out with a good friend of mine at a local playground. I'm going to give her the alias "Scully" since she's a medal winning member of the Minneapolis Rowing Club. I look forward to working out with Scully because she's so upbeat and supportive. By far my biggest backer Scully's been rooting for me since day one of my weight loss journey. We train together about once a week, and she is well aware of all my weak areas. Gulp.

Scully would be an awesome personal trainer if she ever decided to pursue a career in physical fitness. Committed to regular exercise and healthy eating the woman's clocked countless hours refining her form in the gym, on the water and on local bike paths and walking trails.

Deciding to concentrate more heavily on abs, Scully planned today's playground circuit ahead of time. If I am struggling at a station she always has an option prepared targeting the same area and never belittles me. Sit-ups with my feet uphill are still a definite no-go, but with my feet slightly downhill and a medicine ball involved my abs get the attention they deserve.

Scully taught me a fun little exercise called the "Joe Mauer." If you're a Major League Baseball fan, you know that catcher Joe is the "Baby Jesus" of the Minnesota Twins. Begin the exercise by standing erect, feet apart. Hold a medicine ball between both hands at chest level. Squat, then slowly lower ball between legs just past the knees. Finally, stand up while lifting ball over head. Repeat. I swear I can feel my thighs burn just thinking about a Joe Mauer. He-he-he!

We used a 10 pound medicine ball during our workout, and this was a first for me. I really liked it, and I am now in the market for one of my own. As we jogged to the park taking turns carrying the ball I couldn't help thinking that less than eight months ago I was carrying an equivalent of eight 10 pound medicine balls on my body 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now that's heavy.

Successless Sit-ups

I am on a mission to do one sit-up. I can't believe my abdominal muscles are so weak they're unable to eek out a single sit-up. Mind you, I was never the sit-up queen, but I could at least do a respectable number when it came time for the Presidential Fitness Challenge in school. Even after six plus months of regular exercise I still can't perform this basic feat. It's definitely tell-tale about my starting fitness level, and to be honest I can't remember when I actually did my last sit-up.

Recently, a friend and I tried working out on the playground equipment at a local park, and it was actually a lot of fun. I have two kids 15 and 11 years, and I am ashamed that as an adult I've never used a playground to improve my own physical fitness. Fellow moms and dads, do your bodies a favor. Check out this playground workout from Shape, and quit passively sitting on a park bench while your kids play.

During our playground workout, my friend and I employed a step for step-ups and uneven squats, climbing bars for reverse push ups and swings for abdominal planks. Oh, and that bench where I usually plant myself and watch my kids play was perfect for modified push ups, mountain climbers and triceps dips. Mixing in a few cardio sprints got our hearts pounding, and by the time we finished we'd managed to burn a respectable number of calories.

Perhaps the most challenging was using a slide for sit-ups. Both of us kept slipping down. Fortunately, we did not land on our heads. As I mentioned earlier, I really can't do a sit-up anyway so I settled for a few "half" crunches. Someday soon, I know my body will award me that one sit-up. Until then, I just gotta keep trying.

Take the kids to the park and workout. Let me know how it goes!

http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/playground-workout-29-ways-shed-pounds-park