Nerd Alert

Good news: I made it through day one of my ramped up diet and exercise program with an A++. The idea of adding five hours of cardio this week had me nervous, because I generally find cardio boring. I'm also not keen on the idea of having to talk to my neighbors when I'm sweating and have just spent all day at the office, so most outdoor activities are out. That explains why my husband and I spend so much time inside playing video games. Luckily, we just so happen to own several different versions of an addictive game called Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) that provides hours of sweaty fun without leaving the living room. I played for an hour last night and plan to do so each day for the rest of the week.

One of the nice features about DDR is that it has a workout mode where you can track your weight, time, and calories burned. My hour of dancing last night burned off 535 calories. It shows your calories per session and also over time, so I'll get to see a nice big figure at the end of the week. I love dancing and suppose I could put on some music and boogie around the house, but the game aspect of DDR makes it much easier to do for longer periods of time. When I first started playing the game a few years ago, I'd play for 3-4 hours without even noticing. Right now an hour will suffice, but it's great to have an activity where I'm not constantly checking the clock.

If you've never played before, you should try it. Just try to do it at someone's house, because everyone looks ridiculous when they first start playing. The game is similar to those dance charts with footprints on them, but there are arrows instead of footprints and they scroll toward the top of the screen as you are supposed to step on the corresponding arrow on the dance pad. The challenge comes in the harder levels when you are doing quick half steps or jumping on two arrows in various combinations. Trying to follow along without tying your feet into a pretzel is the challenge that keeps you playing ...and sweating.

This morning I felt so good about having exercised last night that I felt like looking nice for work. That doesn't mean I put on makeup or blow dried my hair, but I did wear my hair down and spend some time looking in the mirror before I walked out the door. Mirror, mirror, on the wall was feeling kind today. I noticed that my stomach is flattening out. All of the ab exercises we've been doing in class are pulling everything up and in - even the pooch is looking flatter. In addition, my eyes may be fooling me, but I think my hips are getting narrower. The biggest change of all is that my boobs are much higher. We're talking inches. They must have finally heard that I'm still in my twenties. I attribute the change to all the back exercises we've been doing, because my posture has greatly improved.

So there you are. Everything you ever wanted to know about DDR and my boobs.