Holy Water Aerobics Batman!

So I just got home from water aerobics about half an hour ago.  I already hurt.  Just sitting here on the couch and typing this is causing me pain.  I can't bear to think what tomorrow is going to feel like.  It was one heck of a work-out.  The only unfortunate thing is, I was shown up by a pregnant woman.  I was huffing and puffing and towards the end it was hard to give 100%, and this lady was barely breathing.  In fact, I saw her in the locker room putting on workout clothes so she could go do more stuff in the gym.  Meanwhile I was putting on my sweats and trying to get out the door as fast as possible. 

When I was younger, I was very athletic.  I started figure skating when I was 2, and started skating competitvely when I was 8.  I did that until I was 14, which is when I took up volleyball.  I played for 2 years through school, and then played on our church team.  I was always on the go, and very physically fit.  Then I graduated from high school, moved away, and all that activity ended.  I did play the occaisional round of golf every now and then, and even joined the gym and did some classes, but that didn't last real long.  That's when I ballooned up.

For basically the last 10 years I've lived a sedentary lifestyle.  I made an attempt to get back into the swing of things last year by hiring a personal trainer.  He definately held up his end of the bargain.   Every work out was hardcore and out of the 8 sessions we had, I threw up 7 of them.  He went easy on me during the first one.  While I was working out with him I didn't lose a single ounce, but I went down 2 pant sizes and a shirt size.  But once my sessions ran out, I quit going. 

So here I am 6 months later, trying to start all over again.  Thinking back, I've tried to lose this weight many times.  I've even been on Weight Watcher's multiple times.  But I've always been concerned with just the food.  Cutting calories alone will cause you to lose weight.  It's a basic equation: calories in vs. calories out.  You need to take in fewer calories than you expend.  Seems simple enough, right?  Let me tell you, it's way easier when you're doing some kind of physical activity. 

It doesn't have to be much.  The key is doing more than you've been doing.  I'm a couch potato, and I like it that way.  I would much rather come home from work and sit on the couch with my husband and my dogs while watching a movie or playing around on Facebook, than going to the gym, or going upstairs to play Zumba or EA Active.  But I know I will lose this weight, and inches, faster if I move more.  It can be as simple as walking around the block a few times a week, or walking up and down the stairs during a commercial break.  Heck, even go do a lap around the mall (and no, you don't have to be one of those dorky mall walkers). 

I joined a challenge on the Weight Watcher's website today.  The challenge is to earn 49 activity points each week.  To put this in perspective, an hour of water aerobics earns me 6 points.  I need to average 7 points a day to make this goal.  I have already earned 27 for this week, but that means I need to earn another 21 points by midnight Friday.  I'm not sure I'm going to make it this week since I started late, but it's on for next week. 

Who's with me?  Who is going to commit to moving more?