Tag: healthy-living

The kitchen and the gym…

I have been very focused these last weeks on my weight loss and am learning how true this is….

 

I am also learning that to lose weight in the kitchen is all about mind over matter….

I am learning how much I lived with the gym as my permission to enjoy food….

I am learning about food as fuel for my body and finding comfort for my soul in non food related ways…

I am learning, learning, learning…

And at the end of most days I am setting clothes aside on a pile that I don’t ever plan to return to…

I like the idea of getting fit in the gym and losing weight in the kitchen…

It really makes a lot of sense…

So please consider spending a balanced amount of time in each place. There is much to learn at both locations…!

And that I can say from experience!

Every loss is a gain…

I think I am finally understanding that slow and steady wins the race…

As many of you know, I have been on a wellness journey for a number of years. I have no regrets about the journey and I can honestly say with each season of the journey I am learning about living well, loving well and sabotaging the sabotage…

I am very focused once again and yet this season carries much hope for me to reach my goal.

I have learned the freedom that goes along with my choices dictating the scale instead of the scale dictating my choices…

I have learned the contentment in my heart that comes from sticking totally to a plan…

I have learned the delight of celebrating weekly decline on the scale and embracing that every loss is a gain…

And most of all I have embraced fully that I am loved and fully accepted by my family, friends and myself,  regardless of what the scale says…

And so for all of you who are working to achieve a healthier weight or lifestyle, may I offer you hope to press on!  Identify a goal and go for it with all your heart. I have learned that goals can be inspired when others believe in you, but goals will only be reached, when you believe in yourself!

 

Not easy but worth it…

 

I found this today and have to say that it resonates right now when I think of my wellness goals. I realize that after my surgery and recovery, it is time for me to focus in again and get serious. I have a few events coming up that I have set as my landmarks.

My Mom turns 70 in early October and we are planning to celebrate.

I would love to fit in my goal weight dress and wear it for the birthday happy hour.

We also will be celebrating with updated family pictures…

I would love to feel great about where I am at on my journey on that October Sunday….

I am planning to participate in a mission trip in early 2013. I have discovered flying to be a wonderful way to celebrate changes in my weight and measurements. It is pretty evident when sitting in an airplane seat if I have reached my goals…

I recognize that I am on a journey, and in some places, I have become comfortable in a place that used to feel amazing.

It is time to find that new amazing place again….

I wonder if you ever discovered a new place and celebrated and rested, and then realized there was more to strive for….

Well, let’s get moving and find that new amazing place to celebrate and rest again!

 

 

Optimum choices…..

I have been pretty focused with my wellness journey lately. I can confidently say the journey continues and that includes nutrition, water intake, exercise and sleep routines. .

I am enjoying a pretty solid nutrition plan which includes a protein shake for breakfast along with grapefruit, an apple and cheese stick mid morning, a big salad for lunch, a mid afternoon snack and a protein, veggie or salad for dinner. I am enjoying this routine and finding some variety and structure in my plan. I feel good and am past the point of cravings for carbs. I am growing in confidence and realizing the benefits in how I feel….

Add in my daily workouts and my evening cardio and I am looking forward more and more to my 25 year High School reunion in August.

But then I had a weekend where I was recovering from the flu and I didn’t get my grocery shopping in. I found that for a week I was trying to pull some meals together. I would run to subway for lunch and skipped more than a few breakfasts that week. I found that my energy was affected, my muscles ached, my sleep wasn’t as deep and I began to realize that my sleep, my energy,  my stamina and my energy was all affected by how many carbs I ate.

I have been on the journey for a long time and yet last week I realized at a different level that it is not about good and bad choices, it is about optimum choices for my body. My body is carb sensitive. I can’t afford to eat many carbs and reach my goals. My body responds well to fruits, proteins and veggies. I realized that I can subscribe to every diet, read every book, seek out every expert, and yet my body is unique. I am my own best expert…as long as I am considering optimum choices.

And so I had a week where I made different choices and I learned a very valuable lesson. I am thankful for the week where I felt off and the insight to name what was different. I look forward to a consistent plan and resting in the knowledge that I have what it takes to succeed. It takes planning, insight, discipline, hard work and determination.

I wonder if you have identified what types of things allow you to feel your best….

Won’t you join me in making optimum choices so you (and I) can feel our best?

sleep…

I know of the importance of getting enough sleep. It helps with many things, but right now my focus remains health and wellness. And being a girl who likes graphs and charts, I wear a Lark to bed each night. The Lark tracks how much sleep I get and the quality of my sleep.  At first, in all of my good planning, I was doing great with getting to bed on time and adjusting my sleep and schedule to ensure my goals were met.

But then life gets busy and I enjoy people and I start making plans that infringe on my goal to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. And soon I see how my averages are dropping and soon I am pushing five to six hours each night. And I begin to calculate that in a week that leaves me almost 14 hours short of sleep.

And so, I realize that maybe we have it right when we encourage young children to get to bed on time and ensure that they are well rested…

How are you doing with your rest routines. Are you getting enough sleep? Consider joining me this week in scheduling your sleep to ensure you are sleeping for at least 7.5 hours each night. I am embracing this as one way to be kind to myself and those who hang out with me during the day.

And on that note, it is time for lights out and deep sleep!

Never stop skipping….

Sometimes I am surprised what thought is resonating in my mind from the day as the day comes to a close.

Tonight, the thought I can’t seem to shake is never stop skipping. 

It crossed my mind today as I was trying to find the lightness in step and skip across the gym floor during my workout…

I was trying to figure out if my body had lost its lightness and wouldn’t skip or if it was a mind battle.

I believe that the struggle to skip is a combination of my mind and body. The beautiful thing is I can do something about both of them.

I am choosing to remember the lightness of skipping and to change the negative thoughts that I pop up instantly when my trainer Abby says, time to skip…

I am working to lose my extra weight and increase the bounce in my step, both when I walk and when I skip!

I invite you to start skipping again. It is something I plan to start and never stop.

Back to the basics…

I have struggled the last few weeks with my nutrition and exercise. I have tried being kind to myself allowing myself some down time, finding good reasons to explain my daily struggles with nutrition and exercise, and have named that between preparing for China, going to China and recovering from China, it all makes sense. It really doesn’t matter why, the fact is that I have lost more than 21 days of my routine and steps towards weight loss and improved health.

Now, as I confronted my struggle every day and went to bed every night realizing I was not back on track, I felt very ambivalent (uncertainty as to which approach to follow). I found that each night I tried to think about where to reenter and every day it felt monumental to start again.

Last night I had a great conversation with my Texas trainer Calvin. Calvin reminded me that I had a great manual and the answers I am looking for are there. Calvin directed me back to step one. I went back to my book and went to step one. Improve Nutrition. This includes three meals a day, This outlines my fruits and veggie intake (where to start and where to get to). This includes cutting out carbonated beverages and consuming enough water.

When it comes to my workouts, Calvin invited me back by doing the basics. He gave me permission to set all my routines aside and do 30 minutes of cardio each day. I hung up the phone and realized that this felt very doable. I had lost perspective and needed a voice to remind me of where to start.

I wonder what has become overwhelming in your day-to-day. (I like to believe I am not alone). I wonder where you need to hear the supportive voice of someone who believes in you and invites you back by starting with the basics. I wonder if you might be that voice for someone else, reminding them what they need to do can be done, if they believe what is true!

I am thankful tonight for Calvin and his willingness to speak truth and remind me that my commitment to being healthy is good. I am thankful that he reminds me that I have all the tools I need, I just need to choose to practice them. I am thankful he reminded me that the journey to being healthy is a journey of my heart, mind, body and soul and I must be nurturing all of them to be the woman I desire.

I am thankful, refocused and ready….hitting the gym at 7 am and choosing to believe in the vision I have for myself!

Go and take the steps towards your vision…live the life you imagine!