So, yesterday I ate 5 brownies. That's not a good thing. I also ate some frosting right out of the jar. I think my weight issue might be related to eating. What do you all think? Hahaha. I will be the first to say that I am NOT the type to just stop eating. Nope, not gonna do it. I'd rather work my butt off in the gym and stuff my fat face. Okay, so the gym part doesn't always happen. In fact, it hasn't happened in 6 months. Yeah, I guess that might be why I gained 30 pounds.
Let's face it ladies, riding does help but it doesn't help enough. If we want to avoid looking like a beached whale ontop of our horses, we need to do more than sit and look pretty. I want to start adding in 10 minutes of long trotting ... you know, the gait and speed where you have to push your butt out of the saddle and post. Yes, that gait. Not only will it help me, it will help the horse build more muscle. In the long run, we both win.
Also, how many of you move your upper body to avoid using your hips/pelvis to canter? Raise hands ... I'm holding mine up, too. I plan to also really, truly, properly canter. That means, my upper body sits tall and my hips and pelvis go with the motion. It's hard. It hurts. It uses your muscles. Try it. Add in 10 minutes of long trot work, 10 minutes of REALLY cantering properly and "Holy boots, Batman!", you added 20 minutes of a real work out to your day.
I still urge everyone to add in some crunches every other day. You don't have to do the ones that break your back. Just flop down flat on the floor, put your hands behind your head, and lift your upper body about 4" off the floor. Just enough to feel the squeeze in your tummy. Do this as many times as quickly as you can. It helps build muscle without hurting your back (something I have to be careful about).
Oh, try to lay off the brownies.
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Hahaha! For me it was Oreos (reduced fat!) Can't recall how many, but a lot.
I'm a 47-y/o, 35-plus-pounds-to-lose wife and mom trying to get back into riding. I've taken four riding lessons so far. English, learning to post. Wow, it's harder than it looks and the soreness afterwards, man.
Have a lesson tomorrow, the high is supposed to be triple digits so it will be a hot and sweaty lesson. I'll be zapped for the rest of the day. The heat really does me in good.
Anyway, I'm enjoying your blog seeing as I'm too out of shape for what I'm doing too but I have goals and aspirations for my riding and it's now or never as I approach 50. Yikes.
Happy riding!
I Love your blog! It's great to hear that I'm not the only over-weight rider out there :-)
For the past 9 months I've been working an office job where all I do is SIT....ALL DAY!!! I can literally feel my butt spreading every day! Up until this point, I was riding my 5 yr old QH gelding almost daily and doing good at maintaining an "hourglass" figure (sort of)....I think I'm total pear now! I have been spending the last few weeks making a serious effort to lose that dreaded 30, but it's sooo not easy! I will definitely look forward to hearing everyone's input on this subject. For me, cutting out desserts has helped with the first 5....only 25 to go. Forcing myself to spend some time in the heat (NC) helps too I think...I have no appetite to eat in 99 degree weather!
I know why I'm fat. Besides a bit of an emotional issue there is the fact that I had 5 car accidents in about 5 years. (NO I am not a bad driver, the other driver was always at fault. I'm just unlucky)
Add to that a few damn good falls from horses and my body has a bit of an issue with soreness.
I have some degree of pain EVERY day.
Which is a catch-22... because if I could exercise and get rid of some weight it would probably help lessen certain pains. But exercise wrong and it causes more pain. Can't afford a trainer to help make sure I'm maintaining proper form... after all I have horses to feed! (or worse yet, gas to put in the vehicles!) :o
BTW I'd like to lose about 50 lbs.
I just had to comment and say your filly is GORGEOUS, her conf is just, wow, does she feel like a dream?? Good luck on your riding and goals!
Haha great entry. I find that I definitely need to do physical activity other than riding to stay in shape. Riding is a good start and those exercises you proposed are spot on (though for some reason I feel I get more of a work out from the sitting trot than posting -- how does that work? Maybe I'm doing something horribly wrong, ha) but I feel like if I just rode I wouldn't make much progress. So I try to incorporate yoga and biking into my exercise plan.
Okay, okay. This "plan" of mine also happens to occasionally involve an entire package of Lorna Doone cookies. What?
Dang you and your brownies! Today I had two cupcakes...mmmmm, they were good! BUT it was my best friend's birthday so... that makes it okay right?
I might have been able to just have one but I remembered your brownies. ;)
Love your blog!
The thrill of getting my horse and possibly showing again made this rerider finally do the diet thing this winter. I have lost 25 lbs. and am actually smaller than when I was in high school. I'm 50+ and never thought I could do it but it was pretty easy. I hope to maintain it.
But....I am so out of shape for riding, I can barely trot around the arena once without huffing and puffing.
Hey heatstroke, but what happened with her hoof?
I'm trying to get a bit trimmer too before I tackle the BBH which I am going to do myself *breathe in*. Don't know if it will really help. If he puts his heart into a buck I'll be off!
*breathe out*
Shockedandawed - I LOVE oreos. I can eat an entire bag, so long as I have milk to dip them in!
Bigredhorse - I feel your pain about the job. I also sit in front of a PC all day. It sure doesn't help, does it?
Cdncowgirl - that really is rotten about your back. I know it makes it harder for you. I'm sorry!
Britnieann - thank you! I love her conformation, too. She is very well put together thanks to excellent breeding and a well eduacted breeder.
Maybe Mae - my filly goes SO slow when I sit the trot, it is not difficult at all. In fact, she makes it easy to just sit and look pretty, LOL! The only way to do much work at the trot is to post is, then she moves out a bit. She is a slow poke by nature.
Barngal - That is GREAT!! 25 pounds is a BIG milestone. Good job and keep up the good work. I hope to join you at the 25 pound mark soon :-D
Fanoffugs - Her hoof is better, but she is so slow to heal. I want to rip my hair out. Today she was pretty much sound on soft ground, even without bute. I was so happy!
Great blog. There's a bunch of us trying to lose weight and stay in shape for our horses--and more importantly, the pictures they take of us on our horses. Do you know how many good shots of my horses have been deleted because I looked like crap riding them??? Sometimes my friends sneak in pictures and I don't get to their cameras fast enough to delete them---then they get passed around and part of the permanent record. But last spring I started what I call a Cowgirl diet--eating what I want, when I want in super small portions--slowly. I've lost twelve pounds so far and seem to have hit a plateau--but at least I'm not gaining, and I don't feel like I'm suffering.
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