The hounds will soon be no match for the fox.

Because the fox is working out. Now this particular fox has spent a good part of the last few years holed up in her den being laaaaaaaazy. Efforts at fitness have involved sporadic forays to the On Demand exercise shows, followed by injury, followed by returning to the couch to recuperate for, oh, 4 months. Plus, I always hated exercise. PE spelled doom to my GPA in high school. I was the occasionally chubby chick with no coordination who came to the conclusion early on, sometime in elementary school, that the reason why I was picked last for sports teams was because I was forever cursed to be incapable of being a player, that my role in life was spectator.
Before the birth of my first child I bravely threw myself into actually learning a sport and participating in my favorite game, ice hockey. Quite a courageous leap for someone who had never been on ice skates and who needed to hold hands with someone else just to roller skate, but with the mate joining me and giving support, I went for it. Once a week we'd make the drive up to Lake Arrowhead's Ice Castle rink, the best ice in the area at that time, and I learned not just to skate, but to play. We joined a co-ed team for all levels of experience and skill and played pickup with enthusiasm. I loved it and that was the best shape I have ever been in in my entire life. Then I got pregnant and had some injuries and my hockey career fell by the wayside. By the time a decent rink was built in Riverside, I was over 200 pounds and suffering hip and knee pain that made even the thought of a crossover agony.
So I now live in San Jacinto, and getting to a rink from here is a long expedition I'm not ready for, even if I get my joint pain under control. Still, it's my dream to get back on the ice and teach my girls (and my nephews) how to do slap shots. I also want to learn to bowl so our family can hit the lanes and cosplay some Big Lebowski: I would be Walter, the mate would be Dude (he has the robe already), and the kits could both be versions of Donny. I want to join the girls at riding academy this fall, and for that I want to be under 200 pounds so I don't have to be limited to riding Ted, the draft horse from the vaulting class. My sporty youngest nephews, Hayden and Trevor, are little athletes, and Hayden recently complained at a family gathering that the fam was boring because we don't do anything like rock climbing or backpacking. I'd like to take him and Trev on a trip to Yosemite next summer and we can go explore the back trails together. I'd like to learn to ride a bike (don't ask, my father didn't think it worth teaching a girl, apparently, and my attempts to teach myself to ride resulted in an embarrassing wobbly zig zag) so I can join the kits on their rides. And I want to have less joint pain, which should be helped by lightening their load by a hundred pounds.
So there you have it, my motivation. That and, of course, building muscle burns fat. Problem is, I get injured easily because of years of extreme sedentary behavior and even more importantly, I get bored very easily, so I need a variety of activities. Right now I'm a little limited on equipment, but I'm still managing to get in some work on weight training, biometric toning, flexibility, and cardio aerobics.

Here's what I'm doing for the FITNESS PLAN.
1. Weight training. A pair of dumbbells, okay? That's all I got to work with right now, but I'm doing it. I'm focusing on my arms because they're my biggest problem area. They do the shimmy every time I reach for anything over my head and are the most prone to seismic disturbance on my body. Although not really weight training, included in the anaerobic category are some ab and thigh exercises I do just to get some extra help on other fat storage units in my particular body. I'll detail the light anaerobic program I do down below.
2. Biometric toning. God bless you, Greer Childers. Shapely Secrets is a 7-minute body toning program that really works and that -anyone- can do. Because you're using biometrics and working muscle against muscle, you use each muscle at 100% intensity with no special equipment and don't have as much risk of injury as you do with weight training.
3. Walking. The one hunk of exercise equipment we have in the house is an ancient airwalker. I get on that sucker and get in 1000 reps while watching TV. On top of this, the kits and I get out every day for a walk with the hounds, and we practice lifestyle exercise by parking a little further away from stores and taking stairs instead of elevators. Okay, those last two are slightly curtailed at the moment by a knee injury the oldest kit suffered, which should be much better in a couple of weeks, so when she's with us, we have to limit the walking and stair activity.
4. Budokon. Now this is my favorite. Budokon is a fun, stimulating combination of yoga, martial arts, and meditation. Literally translated, Budokon is the "Way of the Spiritual Warrior" and is based on ancient Buddhist holistic training. Cameron Shayne is a fantastic instructor who can keep you motivated and involved without having to throw himself into Richard Simmons screaming cheerleader mode. He's not hard on the eyes, either. Seriously, with people like Jennifer Aniston and Meg Ryan getting their bodies on Cameron's program, and with someone like me able to do the workout, you can't go wrong. And if you're intimidated by cardio that has you gasping for breath, Budokon encourages you to work up to being able to get through it. Any time you get winded and wiped out, you're perfectly free to pause the workout so you can get ready to finish it. The first couple of weeks I had to take breaks, but it wasn't too long before I was able to make it through without a stop.

So that's the fitness plan components as they stand currently. Right now I'm doing my anaerobic program and the Shapely Secrets workout every day when I wake up. Five days a week I follow up with a cardio workout, Budokon on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and airwalking on Tuesday and Friday. Thursday and Sunday are the mate's days off, so we're off doing family activities on those days. Lifestyle walking has no schedule, really. I'll let you know how things progress as, well, things progress.

**The fox's beginner anaerobic program**

Note: Use whatever weights are heavy enough that you are just able to finish reps but that you can lift with full control. Start with 1 set of 16 reps for each and sloooooowly work your way up to a more intense workout. And yeah, always check with your doc to make sure you can do these without hurting yourself, and if you hurt yourself, stop doing it and talk to your doc again.
1. Standing tricep lift. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, dumbbells in both hands, arms bent to 90 degrees with elbows about 2 inches from ribcage at sides, hands up with palms facing inwards. Using controlled and slow movement, bring arms up in circular motion to touch barbells over head, squeezing triceps. Lower arms to starting position.
2. Prone tricep lift. Lay on your back with your lower legs on the seat of a chair or couch, dumbbells in both hands, arms extended straight out to your sides. Bending elbows slightly, bring dumbbells up above your chest and slowly lower back down, not fully touching the ground before next rep.
3. Sitting back and tricep lift. Sit on a chair with feet flat on floor about shoulder width apart, one dumbbell held with both hands. Put both arms over your head and bend elbows so that dumbbell is behind your shoulders. Straighten elbows to lift dumbbell straight up over your head and then lower back down to starting position. This one burns, oh how it burns, but it does the job on those flabby wings.
4. Prone cycling crunch. Lay on your back, hands linked under your head, and bring your legs up so your feet are about 18 inches off the floor. Slowly bend each leg up like you're pedaling a bicycle, bringing your opposing elbow down to meet your knee, keeping your stomach muscles tightened. According to research, this is much more effective than regular sit-ups or crunches.
5. That butt lift thing. Lay on your back, knees bent, feet shoulder width apart about a foot from your butt, or as close as comfortable, hands on the floor at your sides. Lift your butt off the floor keeping your shoulders flat on the floor and hold position for a 16 count, squeezing butt and inner thighs while trying to press knees together.