Solution: Do what you CAN. I switched from jogging to walking and stationary bike for cardio, and I tried the ballet workout class at my gym. I got into belly dancing and started taking swing dance classes. The weight I'd gained during my first few years in the city started to go away, and I felt and looked better than I had in years.
Jump to a bad case of pneumonia in the fall of 2000. Prior to that, I had been only 10 pounds over goal and swing dancing three to four nights a week.
Afterwards, I was left with asthma and several rounds of asthmatic bronchitis. It was six months before I could do any kind of cardio, much less have the stamina to swing dance. Add heavy duty medications to the mix and you've got major weight gain to the tune of 30 pounds in one year. Constant colds, upper-respiratory infections, and strange allergic reactions continued for the next few years.
The following summer, I was sick and tired of being overweight. My doctor warned me that I needed to get my weight below 150.
After trying one other online diet program, I joined eDiets.com. With the encouragement I found on the boards - especially the Exercise and Fitness board and the Living Single and Healthy board - I started doing cardio again at my gym (treadmill, bike and stepper). I would use my inhaler and then walk on the treadmill or use the bike and, per usual, tried to do too much too fast.
According to my podiatrist, just by using the treadmill on an incline after walking around all day in high heels, I aggravated existing heel spurs and gave myself plantar fasciitis in both feet. Just the amount of walking that I do living in the city had me limping by the end of the day.
