Walking the Beast

Weight loss is never easy, and it gets tougher as you age!  I've been trying a new program with a wellness coach that is provided by my BigBox Store.  It has a place to journal, to make an action plan, and a way to track your activity minutes .... you get the picture.  When you log data, you get feedback via text and Julie has been very encouraging.  However, after a year of this, I'm no further along than when I started.   Which is very depressing.

I've learned a few things about myself, especially during the last three weeks.  The scale is a lousy measure of success.  There are so many fluctuations and every low makes me feel like I'm a failure.  Which in turn leads to feeling bad about myself -- and what do I do when I feel bad?  I eat!  So I'm sabotaging my efforts. 

Today, as I was walking the Beast, I realized that I need to have something that I can actually measure, something that will make me feel like I've accomplished something.  When I started three weeks ago, I reached a mile at 22 minutes. Today, my mile was 18:45.  Now THAT is a measure of success!!!  So I'm going to track my mileage and try to make good changes:  distance, time and incline will be the three measurements for success. 

Sometimes, changing a person's focus could be the better choice!

Update 6/10/20:   On Monday, my mile was 17:50 -- so a good success, and the heck with the scale! It made me feel good, and that's what counts.

Stay safe out there!

Pleasing ME!

We can talk about diets all day long, debate the paleo vs atkins vs HCG.  We can talk about how good exercise is for us, too.  But until you decide to do something, its all talk! 

I've been working hard on maintaining good eating habits, faithfully logging everything I eat at SparkPeople.com -- even the cheat stuff like chocolate!  I haven't always had successful weeks, but I've had more successes than failures!  I'm faithful about going to the gym -- the other day, one of the gals said "I can't believe how regular you come to the gym, you're always here!!"  And boy, did that feel good -- because what I'm doing is good for me, and its working!!!

I don't know what Weigh in Weds will hold for me.  I'm not worried about it, but I don't want to be disappointed either. Sure, I'd like to see a big drop on the scale, but I'm not sure it will be this week.  The weekend was busy with housework - I had to get everything caught up because I'm working another long stretch of 11 or 12 days in a row.  On top of that, there is a surprise audit some day this week, and a two day pre-inventory audit on May 1.  That means I need to keep on top of my game, and keep everything current.  Which causes stress.  Which creates chocolate cravings!  ugh

So, in order to feel positive about things, I decided to take my measurements again.  And I can definitely see results.  I've lost 3.75 inches off my hips, and 2.25 inches off my waist!!  Granted, that change was from my start with a trainer in March 2012 until today.  Loads of progress and 41 lbs -- woo hoo!!
When you add up all the measurements taken (ie waist, hips, calves, etc) from Feb18, 2013 to Mar 24, 2013, I've lost a total of 4.75 inches. 
(Funny how the quarter inches add up *winks*)

So .... don't think about a diet, don't talk about exercise ...
even if you only do 10 mins of exercise, or skip one donut, that's progress.  

A little every day will add up in a big way!!

If you want to try SparkPeople, (its FREE!) , look me up:  AZGAL50

I Am Enough

 

Today I am enough
I am smart enough
Wise enough
Clever enough
Resourceful enough
Able enough
Confident enough
I have enough, I do enough,

I am enough!

 

I love this quote, this photo.  It's so simple, and yet speaks volumes!   How often do we let ourselves believe the negative things, and forget that there are positives that outweigh them?

 

Remember in Pretty Woman, the bedroom scene where they're talking softly to each other:

 

Vivian:  People put you down enough, you start to believe it.  

Edward Lewis:  I think you are a very bright, very special woman.
Vivian:  The bad stuff is easier to believe. You ever notice that? 

 

It's true...  its much easier for us to believe the bad stuff.  Is it because if we believe the good stuff, we have to live up to that expectation -- and that can be hard work??   Possibly.

So the challenge this week is to keep a positive attitude, and remember that I am enough.

I plan on writing this down and carrying it with me.

I am enough.

 

The Note Jar

“How would your life be different if…

You stopped worrying about 

things you can’t control 

and started focusing on the things you can?

 Let today be the day…

You free yourself from fruitless worry, 

seize the day and take effective action 

on things you can change.”

-Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth and Being Free

One of the hardest things to do is to live in the moment, to make sure that today counts for all that it can.  I saw a post on Facebook that seemed a good idea.  Why not start a 'note jar' - and when something good happens, jot a note and the date, drop it in the 'note jar'.  At the end of 2013, pull out your notes and review the good things!  This helps takes the focus the negative, and helps you look at the positive in your life!