Rewarding Resolutions

A couple months ago I made a few mid-year resolutions. I am excellent at making resolutions, not so good at the rest :) Anyway, this time I actually have some updates, specifically on my resolution to exercise more:-

1) I have NOT gone for more than one body combat class other than the one I forced myself to before cousin's wedding (it was an emergency). But I have been exercising diligently on my trusty elliptical. Thanks to Astro PVR and Desperate Housewives S7, this has been relatively painless. I just have to do the following - switch on aircon and wait for room to cool. Meanwhile, ready the water bottle. Move sofa to back of living room so I can workout directly under the fan. Drag elliptical from store area (luckily it comes with wheels specifically for moving around) to place where sofa stood. Flip on DH on Astro. Pedal. Not exactly no sweat :)

2) Weight training is another matter. I bought a pair of 6-pound weights (aren't they cute?) and have been doing bicep curls, backward-tricep lifts (I just invented that) and lunges with them. PLUS crunches and butt lifts on the exercise ball. Finally using the ball regularly after buying it in 2004. I lost the hand pump that came with the ball, and stupidly went knocking in fitness shops looking for a replacement, where I promptly got laughed off and sent to my neighbourhood bicycle shop. Sheesh. Now my body aches in places I didn't know existed for days after my workouts, and I don't know if I started too heavy (I mean - six pounds - am I that lousy???)

3) I have discovered another outlet for keeping myself on the move - house cleaning. No joke. The sudden in absentia of our regular maid service has forced me to suck it up and clean the house myself. Two hours of sweeping, wiping, vacuumming and mopping IS a bloody workout. You squat reaching for those spots underneath the TV shelf, you stretch, you walk to the bathroom/sink and back, you move that heavy bucket of soap water around, you squeeze the damned mop, and then put some strength into that mopping! Use those upper arms!

I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but I somehow managed to create an entire self-restriction/reward system for myself out of all these attempts to stay fit.

- No cooking or baking unless the house is clean
- Ditto for watching Top Chef
- No hot chocolate before bedtime either
- Desperate Housewives and 24 must only be watched either from atop the elliptical or the exercise ball or mat

Rewards
Other than getting it on in the kitchen:-

- The aforementioned hot chocolate (warm up milk in microwave, add cocoa and sugar, sip slowly on bed, legs tucked cosily under the comforter - air conditioner on of course)
- Giving myself a mani/pedi (too lazy to drive myself to town for one, easier at home)
- My new favourite way to pamper myself - after a workout, a bath with H20+ Sea Salt scrub. A two-in-one salt scrub and skin oil (almond to be exact). Smells like the ocean, leaves my skin like silk, and makes my bathroom smell like a spa. Since it's so expensive this neck of the woods, I only allow myself to use this after exercising. Am seriously tempted to get the body butter of the same series, but will enjoy my Boots loot first. Oops. Digressed.

So far, the system seems to be working like a charm, although I have to say that our upcoming European trip is another great motivator to exercise.

Now, if only I could think of something that will get me to wake up early enough to do sun salutations in the morning.