Back Pain :(

My back has been killing me for the last week and a half and I find myself barely able to move- but I remember from the last time my back was so bad what I did to overcome and to muscle through it, and that is walking. Walking helps to loosen the stiffness and it is one of the only low impact workouts that I can do at home or with the kids.

So I have decided until my back is stronger I am going to do what I did last time my back was out and I was trying to lose weight. Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds.

It's easy to follow- she starts with just a mile a day, gives you breaks on days you need it, and slowly over the six week program adds a little more each week.

Last time I did this six week program I lost 17 pounds. It was about 4 years ago. I have some of her DVDs and at first she really annoyed me- HOW could any one be that cheerful? But after a few times of doing the work out with her, I found myself actually smiling, and suddenly that annoying enthusiasm became encouraging support.

The best part is that you don't have to be terribly coordinated. It's just walking, sidesteps, knee lifts and kicks... that's all. (I could wax poetic about the time I tried Jazzercise and wore my street shoes- they were dusty- and I literally wiped out in the first five minutes- flat on my back. The worst part? the entire front wall is a mirror so EVERYONE saw it. I could never keep up with the routines, I was always at least a half a beat off... )This way I just walk in place in my living room, or down the street.

So in addition to the program- I am going to try to post how many steps I do each day and aim to take at least 1 more each day. (I know this will get increasingly difficult- so I won't beat myself up if I don't do it. But until my back starts healing a bit more, this is as challenging as it's going to get, folks. my goal is to get 10,000 a day eventually.)

So yesterday. 4/12/2011  - 5,330 steps