Day: October 29, 2010

discovered her real measurements had nothing to do with numbers or statistics….Celebrate her Self Esteem! (Taken from She….)

Today was a day where I learned about my self-esteem. About taking what I believe in my head and putting it to practice. The reality of NBC filming presented me with a challenge I had not expected. I prayed this morning that I would not be distracted by the camera’s, Sunshine and O’Neal’s presence or the activity that was surrounding me through out my day. It was difficult, but at the end of the day, I will say that I was able to stay on task…climbing the big steep hills to the best of my ability (got to the top, but not real fast yet), working out hard in the circuit and not even paying attention to the cameras and reminded myself throughout the struggle that this is worth it.

At the end of our long (but good) day, O’Neal motioned me out of the pool cause it was time for my interview with NBC. Now, what I quickly realized was this interview was going to be while in my swim suit. Talk about having to speak truth into my mind and not think about my hair or my lack of make up or the fact that my suit is not my favorite outfit.

But I reminded myself that this process is about my learning to embrace who I am fully, body and all, and to share my heart as I have opportunity. So, I did that today and will wait to see what, if any, is used in the Biggest Loser Thanksgiving Special.

I went into the day tired….I am ending the day tired. I am very much looking forward to Sunday, our rest day, and a massage I scheduled for Sunday afternoon. I miss my friends and family (and my dog) but I am almost half way through an experience that is really teaching me to believe, deep in my being, that my real measurements have nothing to do with numbers or statistics. That being said, I still look forward to transforming my physical body…and that is well underway!

It is not yet 9 pm but it is time for me to sleep. Tomorrow is a 4 am alarm as we hit the walking trails at 5 am….

Thank you all for your comments and encouragement. It helps to get me through difficult moments and makes the good ones all the better!

Today was a good day at Fitness North. Although I think we all had moments of weariness, we all ended strong. The routine is starting to feel more normal and often we are surprised how much we enjoy the routine. I believe it is enjoyable because we see and experience O’Neal’s passion for each of us to be happy and healthy. He is a man of great inspiration and vision.

<We hiked quite a beautiful trail again this afternoon. One of the amazing things was that the sun was shining. It has really been the first we have seen it and am grateful for all the benefits the sun brings. But what struck me even more was the evident destruction from the storm the other night. We had to climb over and under and around big huge tress that had fallen from the winds. There were many places that we stopped to admire the beauty amidst the destruction. We spoke of how in years ahead, some of this destruction will be woven into the beauty. We talked about how that fallen tree will become a resting bench or how the trees that have fallen into the falls will be weathered and admired as part of God's design.

It reminded me of a conversation with O Neal the other night. As he reflected on how he was feeling as this journey began, for us and for Fitness North, he was clear that although he was excited and so pleased with Fitness North, he also recognized that there was a theme of sorrow in many of our lives. He was sad for the destruction, bad habits and wrong thinking that allowed each of us to live in our weight struggles. He again shared how he is not only about assisting us to reach a number on the scale, but more importantly to find happiness.

And so, as I walked in the woods today, I thought about each of our lives and where there is beauty amidst the destruction in each of our stories. Sometimes it does depend where I am looking from, or how close I am to the destruction, but in the end, it is our goal to reflect our beauty and bring wholeness to our bodies and souls…and there is nothing more beautiful than that!