Another challenging aspect of the upcoming winter are those crazy holidays we have at the end of November and December.  But with my Bender Ball always on hand, I don’t need to obsess about controlling my eating like I used to in past years.

Let me tell you a true story about one Thanksgiving my wife and I spent with her aunt Phyllis and Uncle George.  At that time Phyllis and George had three children, the youngest being a darling six year old girl named Stefanie. There were about 10 guests all together, and we had just finished the most amazing meal of a wonderful roasted Turkey with all the trimmings, and then some. We were all feeling quite engorged when the table was cleared and it was time for dessert. I don’t know how Phyllis was able to get up from the table to serve the pumpkin pie, but I know I couldn’t move off of my chair without the help of a forklift.  But Phyllis went into the kitchen, and she called Stefanie in to help her serve. Stefanie brought out the first slice of pie and respectfully handed it to her father, George. George said thnk you and then politely passed the plate to the person next to him. Stefanie registered a slightly surprised look on her face, but dutifully returned to the kitchen to get the next slice. She returned once again and handed the plate to her father. And her father once again passed the serving over to the next person. Slightly more perturbed, but undaunted, the confused girl went back to the kitchen for the next piece of pie.  She once again handed the plate to her Dad, and her Dad once again passed it on. This was just too much for Stefanie, and she burst out, explaining to her father that, “Dad, its not use. Mom is cutting every piece the exact same size!”

I sure wish I had known about Bender Ball back then, because I think I gained about five pounds at that one meal alone. I am sure happy that this year I can fight back with my Bender Ball and some great crunching action.

By the time I finally got my Bender Ball I was sadly the heaviest I had ever been. I was pretty upset about myself and how I looked and felt. But my wife was very encouraging, and we started to use it together. This was only a few months ago, but I can tell you already that exercising with my Bender Ball has been an almost liberating experience. I know that I only need about 10 minutes each day, which isnt that hard to set aside for something so important. But even more, its fun to exercise with my Bender Ball. It doenst hurt my back when I use it, and in just the past few months I’ve already lost a significant amount of weight.  I am really thankful to Nancy for pushing me over the edge, and I think we’ll invite her over again soon. I just want to first get a tiny bit thinner.

In my last post I was talking about my short involvement with weightlifting before I found Bender Ball.

My wife had purchased a membership for me in the local fitness club. The first time I went was not a good experience. (See my last post about this.)

A few days later I went again, but after work, instead of in the morning before work. I didnt want that same trainer to see me again. This time I thought I would do some sit-ups to strengthen my abs, so I started crunching. But I think I crunched a little to much, and I heard my back go “crunch.” To make a long story short, let me just say that its a good think I came by car instead of jogging, like I had the first time.

To be continued…