Week Four: Nothing Lost, Nothing Gained

Four weeks into the Patch Takes It Off journey and, as far as I can tell, the scale hasn’t budged.

I suppose the good side is that it hasn’t gone up. But the downside is that it hasn’t gone down either, which is the entire goal of Patch Takes It Off. I’m not quite sure why, as I’ve mostly been successful at upping my activity.

For instance, this week meant three runs—though two were on the elliptical at my gym because of the heat—totaling three miles for the road run and a little over seven and a quarter miles for the elliptical workouts. I should note that the road run is about half an hour while the elliptical runs are usually an hour.

Mornings struck again in the form of a 35-mile bike ride on Saturday with my Team in Training buddies—luckily, I was on time to the Fort Lee ride and it was before the day got unbearable. I’m very happy that this bike went much better than the last, since my legs didn’t burnout.

So the activity stream has me wondering if the diet’s the culprit when it comes to losing those few unwanted pounds. Admittedly, I haven’t been the best about this “no late-night snacking thing”. It’s really annoying—and, I’ll admit, really hard to stay within the calorie limit from the iPhone app I’m using.

I think it’s time to bring in the big guns and visit a nutritionist or dietician. I’m not quite sure what the difference between the two is, but going can’t hurt, right?

 In addition to the run, bike and swim (oops, I did get one swim in this week too!), Audrey and I ventured out to a Ballet Tone and Stretch class at Kathleen Academy of Dance on Route 206.

I have to admit I have a connection with this local dance school.  I began dancing there when I was about two and picked up another dance form after college. Despite this, I am actually pretty terrible at dancing.

But the class, taught by dancer Nicole Frangione, starts at the basics—plies, tendus, rond de jambe, and other moves many people remember doing when the were six.

To her credit, Frangione works stretching and sit ups into her class, and it’s paced so even those with the most rudimentary memory of ballet class can keep up. As far as weight loss is concerned, I don’t see it being heavy cardio—but you definitely need strength and flexibility to hold many of the positions needed to be a ballerina.

While no one’s going to dance with the Metropolitan Ballet, the class makes you very aware of your posture, oddly enough.  It’s pretty hard to do most of the moves slumped over and slouching.

And, since you’re using your own body weight, rather than loading a machine, it’s likely something you can do anywhere. Though I take no responsibility if you accidentally kick a hotel room desk or get weird looks when you’re in the break room or copy room at work.

The class is part of a one-month session the studio offers this summer—so whether it will continue during the year isn’t known yet.

My only caution with the class is for those with ankle problems, mostly owing to my own accident-prone ankles. By the end of the class, my most recent ankle injury—a third sprain on my left that happened in May—was throbbing and angry. Like any exercise program, I would recommend consulting a doctor if you have a similar issue. 

However, for the dance fans out there, the studio does offer adult tap classes during the year—including beginner classes for those who last strapped on shoes years ago.