Weigh-In Thursday: Sick of Winter Edition

Um... no.

I've been at it for a little over a month now, and I'm starting to FEEL better after making the effort to stay away from sugar and be a little more active. I don't know that I've actually lost any weight at this point (non-scale owner here!) but I know that I feel less like a slug and more like a remotely-fit human being.

HUGE shout-out to The Athletic Rider Fit Club group on Facebook - the nagging feeling I get knowing that I have to do the daily workout and comment on the day's post guilts me into exercising at least a little bit on a daily basis. And now that we're getting to the end of this month's fitness challenge, the reps of each exercise have increased a LOT and I'm definitely feeling very challenged by it! Tuesday's workout consisted of 3 different squat variations, and my thighs are not happy. But overall, I am feeling stronger and my posture is starting to become more correct as my muscles get back to where they're supposed to be!

Food-wise, I've continued to eat well and save the bulk of my bread & pasta consumption, and all alcohol, for the weekend. Knowing I get to have those things on Saturday and Sunday makes it a LOT easier to eat well during the week. I have no qualms about the fact that I am going to cook a big pot of chicken & dumplings, bake a loaf of bread, treat myself to dessert, and have some beer this weekend! The hardest part continues to be stopping when I'm full instead of continuing to eat because everything tastes so good, but I'm getting better at it!

How's everyone else doing? I hope to have another healthy recipe or two ready to share soon!

In other news, both Dino and I are so very sick of winter. The ice situation just seems to get worse as we have the odd day above freezing, everything starts melting, and then freezes solid again. As a result, he and his pal Digby have been stuck in the Pony Palace with no turnout in a big field for a few weeks now. While I let them out for an hour or so when a bigger paddock becomes available, they mostly hang out in the Pony Palace all day every day.

WonderPony is OVER IT.

So the other day I took him for a hand-walk around the farm like a dog, because that's what we've been reduced to at this point in our lives.

And MY PONY - my pony, the unflappable, unspookable, never-wild Dino, suddenly started REARING AND BUCKING at the end of the lead line!

I was in such shock that I just looked at him with my mouth hanging open. After that hilarious display, I let him out in the round pen for a minute and he squealed, bucked, ran away from me, got down, rolled, got up, and walked over to me licking and chewing saying, "I'm done now. Thanks, mom."

We are so done with winter.

This is our version of 'hand grazing'. Hilarious. 

Dino's also starting to look a little ribbier than I'd like. While I do like to keep him on the lighter side of the BCS scale (because founder is scary), he's just a bit too thin in the middle for my taste. I think some of it has to do with the fact that he's lost a lot of muscling in his underbelly, but it's also been a tough winter and he does live outside. So his grain will get increased, and hopefully as he starts shedding and the weather warms up (HAHA WARM WEATHER FUNNY JOKE) he'll start looking a bit better.