Shark Week Sucks

Ok, so I've been kicking ass here.  Working out weekly with a trainer and additionally on my own other days, counting calories, making sure I'm eating the right things, burning enough by staying active, etc.  And to show for it I am (was?) 6 pounds down.

Now, this week has been a bit of a hiccup.  1) I have been more tired, both body and sleep wise.  2) It was a weird, busy week.  3) I had to endure dental torture, which opens up my deepest, darkest terrors to deal with.  And last, but most certainly not least, 4) It's the week before my cycle starts up.  I know, I know, EXCUSE, it truly is, and a lame one at that.  Many, many months I don't let it get too much the better of me, others it really kicks my ass.  Like this one.  Historically, we've begun to refer to this week as "Shark Week", because it can become an uncontrolled feeding frenzy.

Long story short, I took a break, but I am back on the horse tomorrow, and I don't think it was too much of a setback.  As long as it doesn't continue.  Hopefully my trainer will beat it out of me this morning.  (Not a good sign that I'm up so late, though!!!)

The Light Switch is ON

I'm cooking with heat now!  Over the last few days I've continued to count and log my calories, have stayed within range of my target, have been getting my workouts in, was using the stairs at work, and even managed to keep control of my portions through our monthly supper club and not get knocked off the wagon.  I did have a sugar withdrawal headache a couple days in, and although I'm not eating zero of it I am eating very little.  I already have more energy, despite the gym-induced body soreness.  My husband has been having his own success too, so there isn't someone snacking in the evening in my face, I have a partner in crime at work to lean on, and the planets just seem to have generally aligned for me to really make this happen.  So happy!  I will report the scale's progress on Wed.

Reporting Small Successes

For a long time I've been writing posts about what I am going to do and how I am going to do it and when I'm going to do it by.  (And then often later about how/why I didn't do it).  On my new "go easy" plan, I'm going to try to only post about things I've actually done, and how/when/why I've done them.

This week, in conjunction with my dear friend at work who is in the same boat, we decided we were tired of looking and feeling the way we do.  We agreed to be each others' Jillian Michaels, and cheer each other on.  So, I'm happy to report that for the last two days, I've not eaten junk food, I've made good food choices, and logged all the calories I've eaten, keeping them within a reasonable range.  And I've been working out on the schedule I had planned.  :)

Go Easy! (In all ways but one.)

Everyone makes New Years resolutions, right?  I certainly always do.  They vary in subject matter and intensity from year to year, but I always focus on one or more areas of self improvement, and frequently focus on or include the weight loss/fitness issue.   ~HOWEVER~   I have never made it very far into the new year without lagging, slipping up, and fairly quickly outright giving up at whatever it is.  If I haven't mentioned it before, I'm an all or nothing kind of girl.  I'm either kicking ass on plan, or I'm off it and I can do whatever I want.  If I eat some junk food on a day I was trying to be good, then all bets are off and it is a free pass to keep on eating and restart tomorrow, next week, whenever.  If I plan to do something regularly and then I miss a few times, I tend to quit altogether rather than resume and keep it going.  My house is either immaculate, or once it slips a bit I let it go way worse before getting it back in order.  You get the idea.

I also have a lot of other stuff I want to fix/improve about myself and my life besides weight/fitness.  I'm not always as patient a parent as I'd like.  I spend more money than I should.  I don't always work as hard as I could.  I'm also pretty hard on myself, and I get stressed out and anxious easily.  Tough combo.

So, this year I am going to approach all this a bit differently.  Instead of rigid goals, timelines, numbers of calories or workouts per week or other specific quantifiable goal details, I came up with an all-encompassing mantra to focus my attention and plans for improvement in a healthier, simpler way.  Without specifics that cause me to drop it when I don't exactly keep up.  This mantra is simply, "Go Easy."  By this I mean the following:

-Go easy on myself, as in stop trying to be all things to all people, focus on the important people and things, give myself some credit for doing all that I do, and give myself a break for not being just like everybody else, etc.
-Go easy on the eating.  I have such food and sugar addiction issues, and I struggle with it every day.  It's become an ingrained habit that I allow myself to remain stuck in.  Instead of setting exact calorie limits or other numbers, I'm just going to try to go easy on the food overall, go easy on the unhealthy foods, and do much better.
-Go easy on my family.  Sometimes I am a little bit too controlling or demanding, and I get too tense about the things that matter less.  I'm going to stay more positive, try to go easy on issues that matter less, and strive to put love and peace before strictness and rigidity.
-Go easy on the spending.  Simply be a little bit more frugal, and buy less "stuff" that isn't entirely necessary.
-Go easy on the slacking.  Focus on whatever it is I am doing, be in the moment, don't get sucked up in distractions, don't stay up quite as late watching quite as much tv, etc.

No more "off plan" time, every moment is a chance to make a good decision, every next moment is a chance to more forward from the last one.  Eat less, move more.  Love more.  Spend less.  Try harder.  No more restarts.  Be in every moment, learn to manage stress, find zen.  Go easy.

If at first you don't succeed...

... try, try again!  And that I shall.  My sweet hubby is kicking some healthy eating ass lately, and he is looking and feeling great.  Time I did the same.  I've even signed up for recurring personal training sessions at the gym.  Here's to success in 2012!

A Trainer Kicked My A$$ in 7 Minutes Flat!

When I joined my gym earlier this year, the membership came with two free personal training sessions, to get a physical assessment and get a workout routine established.  Today, I finally got around to the assessment portion.  I actually kind of felt like I was on the Biggest Loser, in both a good and a bad way, I had to answer a bunch of health/lifestyle questions, got weight and bodyfat measurements taken, and was issued a "health age" to compare to my regular age, among other stats.  Well, I knew it wouldn't be good, but it still smarts to see it in print:  I am 40 years old, with a health age of 55.  And my body fat percentage was 38.5.  Holy crap, I am over a third fat!!!  And then, he managed to do a fitness assessment that consisted of squats, lunges, step ups onto a weight bench, push ups, tricep dips, and crunches that left me feeling like a complete puddle of goo after 7 minutes.  Awful.  And revealing.  I learned a lot, too.  Next week I get my workout.

Top People and Things I am Most Thankful for, 2011

These are a few of my favorite things:

My son.  Motherhood is unquestionably my single greatest joy.  Our sweet boy is the light of my life, at times a great challenge, periodically a mystery, and always a source of wonder and inspiration.  He is a beautiful, precious, charming person that we still marvel about having created, and I am grateful for his very existence.

My husband. I am very lucky to be sharing a life with my wonderful honey.  He is a kind person with a warm smile and a good heart with whom I have a lot in common, and who makes me very happy.

My parents. My parents are and have always been, quite simply, the very best.  They are fun to hang out with, supportive, generous, caring, and of course, awesome grandparents to the sweet boy.  I am thrilled that we live in the same area and are so close.

My aunt and uncle. I have many wonderful relatives, but in particular I do have one aunt and uncle who are very special part to me.  We spend a number of holidays together, and I am thrilled that we make the effort remain involved in each others’ lives.

My mother-in-law. I think the cliché about nobody getting along with their mother-in-law is sad, and I’m glad it doesn’t apply to me. My mother-in-law is sweet, wonderful, and awesome, and I wish we got to see her more.

A Few Great Friends.  Several special people make up an extremely important part of my life.  I consider myself very lucky to have friends that, regardless of where they live or how often I see them, that I can confide in, feel support and derive sanity from, and enjoy their conversations and company immensely.  My dear Florida Lady, who is an inspiration and a rock, my special Hawaii Girl, who I miss terribly and look forward to seeing again soon, my Work Soulmate, who is so much like me it is almost frightening and who I am grateful to get to see every day at work, my Sweet D, who I don’t get to see and talk to enough but who is an amazing and wonderful person, and lastly, a relatively newer addition to my inner circle, VT Guy.  I am truly grateful to have these people in my life.

Our new home.  Our new (and hopefully final) home is a dream.  It’s large, open, beautiful, quality, warm, and situated amazingly within our great neighborhood.  It was a whirlwind of stress to get here, but now that we have settled in it is truly a happy home, where we have the room and the means to live comfortably.  I look forward to making a lifetime of memories and raising our son here.

Our Supper/Book Club.  Two of our favorite couples come over every month for food, bonding, and book dissection.  It is one of the most treasured days each month for me.  It’s great to spend time with them, it’s touching that they’re willing to explore and cook delicious and creative dishes while navigating my tough food limitations, and it’s enriching to read books that I probably wouldn’t otherwise.  I can’t thank them enough for becoming a part of this tradition, which is going on two years now and hopefully will continue for many more.

Our son’s teacher/school/aftercare program.  This year was a big transition for us, from a small private school for Kindergarten to a huge public school for 1^st Grade.  He has made the transition with flying colors, and I give significant credit to the school itself, who does a great job of making it feel like a community despite its size, to his fabulous teacher who is amazing, and to the sweet and fun people who work at his aftercare program.  I am beyond grateful.

My Boss. I am pleased to have a boss who is brilliant but also respectful of and trusting in me, a good guide but also someone who lets me work without interference.  She’s a great person too, and I hope she doesn’t retire for a long time. 

Other Top Contenders:

My iPhone.

My Parents’ Beach House.

Flame Red Maple Trees.

What are you most thankful for in your life?